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Possible Break In Etan Patz Mystery; New Insight Into Trayvon Martin Case; Obama Goes West To Raise Funds; Romney Pitches Education Plan; Nuclear Fallout Spreads Into Everyday Life; Truck Skids Down Highway; Plane Loses Door Over Florida Golf Course; North Korea Ramps Up Nuke Activity; Final Day Of Voting In Egyptian Election; Al Qaeda Presence Grows In Syria; IBM Hangs Up On Siri; Egypt's Historic Vote Nears End; A Peek at Queen Victoria's Diaries

Aired May 24, 2012 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

Happening now in the NEWSROOM, a break in the case of a New Jersey man questioned in the disappearance of this little boy, Etan Patz. The 6-year-old went missing more than 30 years ago. Will the suspect give police any new clues?

A new recording of George Zimmerman surfaces and so do new questions about the murder suspect's relationship with the police. We have the tape. You will hear it in 5 minutes.

Look out. We have seen a dash cam video before but nothing -- I mean nothing like that! NEWSROOM begins right now.

Good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello. We begin with new developments in a mystery that first focused national attention on child abductions a generation ago.

After 33 years, we may finally have some answers in the disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz. New York City police say a man is in custody. CNN's Susan Candiotti has been working her sources. What can you tell us, Susan?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. Well, first of all, sources are saying that we should exercise caution in this one. Calling it an important development still, this is a man that was brought in for questioning on Wednesday from Camden, New Jersey.

Brought him in for questioning as this man is making a claim that he had played a direct role in the death presumed death of Etan Patz more than 33 years ago. This is someone that sources described to me as a man who lived and worked in the area where Etan Patz did in the Soho area and lived with his family.

He disappeared more than 30 years ago, and just about a block from where he lived. You'll remember that it was just about two months ago when police, there was a lot of activity in that area when they brought in cadaver dogs to search a basement a block from where Etan lived.

That didn't turn up anything and they also looked for a possible bloodstain found in the basement, but again, that went nowhere either. But now because the Manhattan district attorney re- opened this case in 2010, they've been going over old leads and they re-interviewed this man who was on their radar so many years ago.

One source is calling this a good lead, but law enforcement sources are telling us that they are approaching this with a heavy dose of skepticism as they try to figure out whether it is a crack or a break in the case.

Or simply a new development that they are looking at as they try to cover all of the bases and cross all T's, dot all of I's. It's too early to say right now -- Carol.

COSTELLO: But we don't know what connection this man has to the Patz family?

CANDIOTTI: Other than he lived and worked in that area, whether he knew them because the family did know some other people who were called suspects in this case or were considered possible suspects years ago. This man is simply being brought in for questioning at this time, and he is not being labeled a suspect.

COSTELLO: Susan Sandiotti reporting live for us from New York.

Also, this morning, we're getting some startling new insights into the Trayvon Martin case, specifically a shift in the relationship George Zimmerman had with the Sanford Police Department.

And that is important because it is that very relationship that critics have pointed to noting that Zimmerman worked closely with the police during his time as a neighborhood watch volunteer in the months before he shot and killed Martin.

David Mattingly joins me now. You have the tapes?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We are finding out George Zimmerman really didn't hold back when he had an opinion about the Sanford Police Department good or bad.

First of all, we're looking at some sound from a public hearing. This was back in Sanford, back in January of last year and he was very critical of the police after a ride along that he had with an officer from that department. Let's listen to that audio now. It is surprising.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE ZIMMERMAN: I also have had the opportunity to take ride alongs with the city of Sanford Police Department, and what I saw was disgusting. The officer showed me his favorite hiding spots for taking naps, and explained to me that he does not carry a long gun in his vehicle. Because in his words anything that requires a long gun requires a lot of paperwork, and you will find me as far away from it. He took two lunch breaks and attended a going away party for one of his fellow officers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: Now, Zimmerman we know wanted to become a police officer, and he was eager to find out how it was on the job for a police officer. You get the feeling that the department might have come up with a better officer for him to do a ride along with.

But he said that out in a public at a public meeting, but we have to point out, this was two police chiefs ago. That police chief is not there anymore. His relationship with the department changed when he started getting involved in the neighborhood watch program.

And specifically the interaction he had with an officer who is in charge of volunteer efforts with the public. He sent a very complimentary e-mail then to then Police Chief Bill Lee who came in after that previous chief.

And he said that I have high hopes for and restored faith in your administration and the Sanford Police Department in its entirety. This is coming from the experience he had with the volunteer coordinator for the Sanford Police Department.

COSTELLO: So this is all interesting, but what does it really tell us about the Trayvon Martin case?

MATTINGLY: Well, it tells us about George Zimmerman right now, and it tells us that he did was very forthcoming with his opinions about the Sanford Police Department, that he had a change of heart about their professionalism.

But it does not tell us anything about what the police department thought about George Zimmerman. That is going to be key if anyone decides to criticize whatever relationship there might have been there.

But we are hearing today from the current interim police chief and he said it is really not appropriate for him to comment about this. Previously, he told us he couldn't really confirm that the ride along even took place or the department told us that.

And at this point, he is also pointing out, look, I was not on the job then and neither was the city manager. Everyone is trying to back pedal from that ride along incident.

COSTELLO: Yes, David Mattingly, thank you.

Turning our attention to politics now, this morning, President Obama is on the road and raising money for his re-election campaign. He is expected to rake in nearly $3.5 million in a series of fundraisers from Colorado to California and then on the Iowa.

Also this morning, Republican Mitt Romney is promising freedom of choice for millions of American schoolchildren at a charter school in suburban Philadelphia.

The presumptive presidential nominee says education would be one of his top priorities. His plan would allow low income and disabled students to take their share of federal funding and attend class anywhere they want, even private schools. This is what he said about a half hour ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I propose at the federal level we do some things to help do what I think makes a difference. One, I propose is this, which is that federal money, IDEA and Title I money follows the student.

So that if a student wants to go to a charter school or parochial school or private school depending on the state law, which of those they can do, but wants to have school choice, the student can go and the federal money goes with the student.

So that we allow more choice for parents. I like every parent to have a choice and every child to have a chance is the phrase that I'm describing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Romney says millions of U.S. students are getting a third world education and he says minority children are failing standards -- minority children failing standards have become quote, "the civil rights issue of our time."

Going in depth now, we have shown you how debris from last year's earthquake and tsunami in Japan has reached Alaska. But back in Japan, the nuclear fallout of that disaster is showing up in places that Japanese did not expect like right under their feet. Kyung Lah explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One mother's rage. Local government representatives have finally shown up to talk to Ayako Yaegashi, her husband and two young children months after a horrific discovery at their apartment complex.

This brand new building's foundation is radioactive. The city's experts found a level 10 times higher than average exposure in Japan, but city is supposed to be in a safe area, 40 miles away from the so-called danger zone around the Fukushima nuclear plant. So how did this happen?

This cement came from this quarry, just miles from the crippled nuclear plant. When the triple meltdown happened, radiation rained down on the quarry. The radioactive rock was then shipped across the country and used to build this apartment building.

Residents from the first floor have all moved out. Yaegashi lives on the third floor where the government keeps trying to tell her it is safe.

(on camera): Do you feel nervous even just standing out her here?

(voice-over): Yes, I'm worried, says Yaegashi. Radiation is invisible. It could be airborne right now. It could be coming out of the ground, we don't know.

(on camera): It is not just from the building, the contaminated rock from the quarry made its way to nearly 1,000 different locations across the region.

It is right under my feet in this new section of this little canal. Just an example of how radiation from the Fukushima nuclear disaster has worked its way into ordinary life here in Japan.

(voice-over): The radiation tainted straw was fed to cattle, which became tainted beef that ended up in supermarkets and restaurants across Japan.

Radioactive particles flew across the country and landed on green tea fields in South Japan, which ended up in teacups and airborne radioactive particles appear to have entered a baby formula factory, formula which ended up on store shelves.

All of the scares have led to the opening of nearly 100 independent store fronts across Japan where residents can test food and soil for radiation. I can't believe the government. I don't believe them, she says. We have to protect ourselves.

That is what we have learned from Fukushima. Japan's government is constantly monitoring the radiation in the air, ground and water on a local and national level.

But Ayako Yaegashi is a living example that the government can't control the spread of radiation everywhere. Never listen to what the government tells you, she says. If you do, you will pay. She and her family go back inside with little relief from the government. They will try to handle this crisis on their own.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Kyung Lah is in Tokyo. So that apartment building, how did that happen?

LAH: Well, it's a little bit of a lot of not thinking. The quarry for example simply wasn't thinking. They made the initial mistake, but then you have larger problem of the government, the local government and the national government.

There was no guidance and there was no oversight so the problem was allowed to spread, and now, you have this large problem, and it really speaks to the greater problem that has sustained from the initial accident.

It is that the government has still not won over public trust or confidence, and really has not shown that they deserve it. So what you see now is this huge gap between how the public feels and what the government is doing.

So, that in and of itself, Carol, is a huge problem because people simply don't want to believe what the government has to say.

COSTELLO: Kyung Lah, live in Tokyo for us this morning.

Buckle up for some crazy video. Keep your eye into truck -- there you see it. There it goes! Yes, it does not make it around the curve. The combination of speed and cargo cannot defy the laws of gravity.

Now the truck is getting down the highway. It slammed into that oncoming car and somehow nobody was seriously hurt.

Golfers know to duck when they hear someone yell "fore!" and yesterday in Florida, it would have sounded like "door!" A passenger plane lost its main cabin door shortly after takeoff from Opalocka Executive Airport.

And it landed on the course in Hallandale Beach. Luckily, the course was closed for maintenance. The plane managed to land safely in Fort Lauderdale. Again, it's a miracle no one was hurt.

Violent signs of al Qaeda, these attacks in Syria, but across the border, Jordan prepares for a possible terrorists strike. We go to their underground command center in an exclusive report.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's 15 minutes past the hour. Checking our top stories now, day five of deliberations for jurors in the John Edwards' trial. Edwards as you know is accused of accepting illegal campaign contributions during his 2008 presidential campaign. If convicted, Edwards faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and $1.5 million fine.

New satellite photos appear to show that North Korea is ramping up activity at its nuclear site. The South Korean officials say the amount of debris being removed from the site suggests the equipment needed to perform a nuclear test is now in place. This week the top U.S. envoy to North Korea warned that a possible nuclear test would be, quote, "a serious miscalculation."

Voters in Egypt have about three more hours to make their voices heard as the polls will soon close in that country's historic presidential election. Thirteen candidates on the ballot although two have already dropped out.

Results are not expected before this weekend and if no one captures a majority, a second round of voting will be held next month. And now a CNN exclusive, a U.S. ally is concerned about the growing al Qaeda threat across its border. Jordan is already making plans in case of a terrorist attack.

Our Barbara Starr got access to Jordan's underground command center. She'll show you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the latest Jihadist video from Syria. It has all of the hallmarks of al Qaeda and includes bomb attacks and a night time raid against a military outpost.

A senior Jordanian official tells CNN that there are nearly 1,500 al Qaeda members and sympathizers now in Syria. Many have entered the country from Iraq and Lebanon over the past five months.

And they are part of a growing campaign of bombings and ambushes against Syrian intelligence and military targets. In the Jordanian capital, there is growing worry.

In an exclusive interview with CNN while visiting Jordan, the U.S. secretary of Homeland Security says she finds the whole region concerned.

JANET NAPOLITANO, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We work with a lot of these countries on border related issues and aviation-related issues. It is because we want to have as early a warning sign as possible that someone affiliated with al Qaeda or any al Qaeda-type group is traveling towards the west.

STARR: While some U.S. officials say the Jordanian estimate of 1,500 al Qaeda operatives is high, one U.S. expert on Jihadist in Syria agrees with Jordan's view.

CNN is the first news organization to bring a camera here, the underground command center of Jordan's national center for security and crisis management.

The general in charge says this is where Jordan will connect the dots if there is an al Qaeda attack here.

BRIG. GEN. REDA AL BTOUSH, MILITARY INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR, JORDAN ARMED FORCES: All government departments have representation within the center.

STARR: Still the biggest al Qaeda worry for Napolitano?

NAPOLITANO: The al Qaeda group that is most direct concern is the al Qaeda group in Yemen, the AQAP.

STARR: Secretary Napolitano believes U.S. security would have detected the non-metallic bomb al Qaeda in Yemen made a few weeks ago, but she does not say whether she thinks foreign airports would have detected such a device.

NAPOLITANO: We think that in all likelihood we would have detected it and picked it up before it even got to a gate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Barbara Starr is live in Amman, Jordan this morning. So, Barbara, you said you had exclusive access to this very sensitive Jordanian/Syrian border. You are standing there now I would assume, tell us about it.

STARR: Well, we are back in Amman now, Carol, in the capital of Jordan, but yes, let me show you -- everybody some pictures of our trip up north to the Syrian border.

You saw Secretary Napolitano come out of -- and this is as sensitive as it gets the no-man's-land between Jordan and Syria and the watchtowers and the barbed wires and yet taxis coming out of Syria right to where we are standing on Jordanian border loaded up with all kinds of foods, commodities, goods because trade is very heavy between the civilians, between the people on both sides of the border.

But make no mistake, around here. The Jordanians are concerned about that al Qaeda presence. They are concerned about what the Syrian regime may have planned next, and if that instability could wash over the border into this very important country, and very important to the U.S. in the Middle East -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Barbara Starr reporting live from Amman, Jordan, this morning.

Some iPhone 4 users say they cannot live without Apple's personal assistant, Siri. But now the popular voice activated feature is banned from one work place. We'll tell you about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We are having too much fun today. People have found 101 uses for the Apple Siri personal assistant, but tech giant IBM is banning the app from its corporate network.

I want to ask her about that. Siri, while I am awaiting her answer, we will get one from Alison Kosik. Hi.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know what, I have asked her to make me dinner, and she won't do that, so I have moved on from that.

You know what the concern for IBM is that Siri cannot keep a secret. It is a security issue because what you do when you use Siri is you put that command into the phone. The information is zapped to a data center in North Carolina where the words are actually interpreted and then sent back

Now, Apple does not specify how long the information is kept or who has access, which is exactly why IBM is not allowing its employees the use Siri on their gadgets.

Now there is a user agreement with this app and it says that all of these data is used to help Siri and dictation understand you better and recognize what you say.

It is not linked to other data that Apple may have from your use of other Apple services, but guess what, IBM is not taking any chances with company information.

The company admits it's being conservative, but that is the nature of the business. When you walk through the door of IBM, you better put Siri away.

COSTELLO: Well, that makes me concerned about my own privacy. Should we ail be concerned?

KOSIK: Well, you know what? The ACLU actually issued a warning about Siri in March saying that Apple Siri personal assistant is not working for us, it's working full time for Apple, too by sending lot of our personal voice and user info to Apple's stockpile in its databases.

My goodness, but you know what? Let's get real here. It is not really much different from anything else that we do online, right? We are searching online. Google even came under fire for this, but it responded by making our search results anonymous after nine months. You know what, Carol, we can always just turn off Siri, right?

COSTELLO: That's no fun, but yes, we could if we are afraid. Thank you, Alison.

KOSIK: Sure.

Now, is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning, why are we so obsessed with virginity? We decided to take a break from politics to talk about sex this morning.

Virginity just made Lo Jones a household name. She is a great athlete, and that is not why she is trending in the news, no, it is because she is a virgin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to wait to be married to have sex. My mom and dad didn't wait, and they are not together anymore. I want a solid bond and a gift I want to give to my husband.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Most women would say, good for Lolo. It's her choice and they respect it, but virginity is something of an obsession. Tim Tebow's virginity is so hot, Ashley Madison, a dating web site specializing in infidelity offered a $1 million reward to anyone who can prove Tebow is not a virgin. Ron Gronkowski joked that he wanted to be the one for Tim Tebow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to be the one for Tim Tebow to take his virginity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Virginity, once private is now very public. Girls pledge the virginity in chastity balls. One woman auctioned off her virginity online. MTV was even going to whip up a reality show about losing your virginity until conservative critics fought back.

Dan Gainer of the Media Research Center told to foxnews.com, quote, "this is part of the media attempt to mock people who have morals and to treat virginity like a disease that must be cured, but still, the reality is that most of us don't wait."

A Kinsian Institute survey shows on average girls lose their virginity at age 17 and boys at age 16. That does not mean we all turn into Snooki. Just last week, the CDC said that the teen birth rate declined 27 percent since 1998. So the talk back question for you this morning, why are we so obsessed with virginity? Facebook.com/carolcnn. I will read your comments later this hour.

Colin Powell says he is in favor of same-sex marriage, and he is a Republican of course, but we were wondering, could he get elected today? We will run that by our "Political Buzz" panel next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello. It is 30 minutes past the hour.

Stories we're watching right now in the Newsroom, a possible break in a missing child case from 1979. New York Police are questioning a man in the disappearance of Etan Patz. One source says the man claims to have played a direct role in the boy's death. The second source says that the man's claims are being treated cautiously.

The passenger who set up a security scare on the plane this week will not be charged. Authorities are sending the French woman back to her country saying the crew and passengers were never in any danger. The US Airways flight was diverted after the woman said she had a surgically implanted device inside of her.

And we're getting a sneak peek into what kind of hurricane season it may be the N-O-A-A, NOAA will make its prediction at the top of the hour. The six month Atlantic hurricane season officially begins June 1st, but we've already had one tropical storm, Alberto.

"Political Buzz" is your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day, three questions, 30 seconds on the clock. Playing with us today Jason Johnson, he's a political science professor at Hiram College and chief political correspondent at Politic365.com and he's an Independent and with a view from the right, Republican strategist Ron Bonjean. Welcome to both of you.

RON BONJEAN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Thanks a lot.

JASON JOHNSON, POLITICS365.COM: Good morning.

COSTELLO: Ok, first question, Colin Powell, the former Republican Secretary of State talking about same-sex marriage. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWEL, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: In terms of the legal matter of creating a contract between two people that's called marriage and allowing them to live together with the protection of law seems to me is the way this we should be moving in this country and so I support the President's decision (ph).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, he believes in same-sex marriage. Powell a moderate Republican is a popular guy or was. According to a Gallup poll, his approval rating as Secretary of State was a whopping 83 percent, but the question today, could Colin Powell win a Republican primary today? I know he is not running for anything, he doesn't plan to, but I was just wondering. Jason?

JOHNSON: You know, he could have made that statement about gay marriage like riding on the back of a unicorn with a four-leaf clover hat, because the only thing more rare than a moderate Republican right now in the party is a Republican who actually sort of agrees and talks about science.

The fact of the matter is Colin Powell was in favor of affirmative action, he's in favor of gay marriage, he endorsed Barack Obama, there's no chance he could ran today. There is no room for people like him in the modern day Republican Party, that's one of the reasons why he's really sort of fallen off of the scene over the last couple of years.

COSTELLO: Ron?

BONJEAN: Well, it's highly unlikely that he would win any Republican primary, because for mostly he -- he have endorsed Barack Obama in 2008. And what Republican want to vote for Colin Powell just because of that. And I -- and I also think Evangelical Republicans would have a hard time supporting him on this gay marriage stance.

However, having said all of that, I don't think Colin Powell wants to run for President, I think that he wants to sell a lot of books and that's what he's doing right now, he's on a book tour and -- and good for him. I hope he sells a lot of them.

COSTELLO: Yes. No he has no plans at all to run for public office at least that we know of.

Ok second question, lately Mitt Romney is calling President Obama is not a tax and spend fiend, but a nice guy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This President, while he may be a nice guy, is simply not up to the task of helping guide an economy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So what's the method behind the newly mild-mannered Mitt, Ron?

BONJEAN: Well, it's a pretty smart move I mean, I think it's twofold. On is he's focusing on President Obama's job performance, the fact that we haven't grown the jobs and grown the economy, the fact that he -- he may be a nice guy, but he's just not up to the task.

Another -- another reason is because President Obama has a strong likability factor and what Romney is doing is he's doing an end run around that and focusing in on the issues and concentrating on that which what -- is what really Americans care about, if you look at the direction of the country, people are pretty upset about where we are today.

COSTELLO: Jason?

JOHNSON: This is a brilliant move by Mitt Romney, this is his attempt to move from being Montgomery Burns to sort of Ned Flanders you know, he's not the evil business guy, he's the nice neighbor and he's like look, I like Barack Obama, too, but I don't really want him to stay in the White House anymore, I think it's a very good idea. Now he's got to remember though, just because people may decide that Obama hasn't done a good job, doesn't mean they think Romney will do a better one.

COSTELLO: Ok on to the third question. Pinata politics, have you seen the video of a South Carolina union leader hitting one. It's sounds like some harmless fun I mean, who doesn't enjoy venting their frustrations with a promise of a candy explosion, but it the pinata has Governor Nikki Haley's face on it, you see it there? So if you're Napoleon dynamite and you're a fan of Napoleon Dynamite, you know that Pedro went to the principal's office for doing this to a summer weekly pinata.

John King actually asked the big swinger what she was thinking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONNA DEWITT, SOUTH CAROLINA, AFL-CIO PRESIDENT: It was not ill- intended, I have no hostility towards the Governor you know she thinks that she is doing her job, I think I'm doing mine. They could have put a lot of issues on that pinata, my husband I have been married for 44 years and there are times he could have put my face on it and -- and he feels the same way about me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: RedState.com's Erick Erickson writes were Nikki Haley a Democrat the media would make this the front page story across the nation, racist tea partiers beating up the minority governor in effigy. Wow, is he right? Jason?

JOHNSON: No he's not right at all. Come on let's be reasonable here. The reason the Tea Party has a bad reputation is because they keep letting people put up racist signs but I do think this is a little too far. And I don't think this woman necessarily justify beating on a Nikki Haley pinata by saying yes I would have beat on my husband, too, I think this isn't a really good place in our American politics right now, they should leave the pinatas alone and just focus on Nikki Haley's policies, she is doing bad enough on her own.

COSTELLO: Ron?

BONJEAN: Yes, this is completely irresponsible and reckless on her part. I mean, you know the fact is this was President Obama's face on the pinata, the media would have a frenzy about this being a racist attack, so this plays into the union type of thug of pushing people around, it wasn't a smart move and it's something that reinforces stereotypes not -- not brilliant and if I were her, I would have apologized.

COSTELLO: Ron and Jason, thanks for playing today. We appreciate it.

JOHNSON: Thank you.

COSTELLO: A health scare for Elton John, we'll tell you why the 65-year-old singer was rushed to the hospital.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Well, here is a story with a catch actually two. Fishermen from Down Under. Australia were reeling in a blue shark when they ran into a real life scene from "Jaws". Well, almost. An 18- foot great white rear up and bit that smaller shark right in half. And that's when the violent tug-of-war began. This happens a few months ago just off the coast of Bondi Beach in Sydney. And it was just put up on YouTube.

That is gross. Australian authorities have assured swimmers and surfers that lifeguards routinely patrol for sharks, and they insist the water is safe.

Singer Elton John rushed to the hospital. "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT's" A.J. Hammer joins us from New York to tell us what is wrong?

A.J. HAMMER, HLN HOST: Well, it sounds like everything is going to be ok. I just want to put that out there right away Carol. But Elton John's representative just confirmed to "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" that the singer is suffering from what they're calling a serious respiratory infection and as a result of that he has to cancel three scheduled concerts. Now they just a released a statement to us saying that he developed an infection last weekend while he was performing at the coliseum in Las Vegas and despite treatment the condition got worse this week to the point that Elton had to go to the hospital yesterday.

Now, he has been released, but the doctors have ordered him not to perform for approximately seven days and he needs to get complete rest and antibiotic treatment. He was scheduled to perform for three shows and that's tonight and this weekend as well. It's part of his million-dollar piano tour.

Those shows have been canceled, but Elton is telling his fans this, "I love performing the show, and I will be thrilled when we return to the coliseum in October to complete the 11 concerts soon to be scheduled. All I can say to the fans is sorry, I can't be with you. I hope to see you soon at this wonderful theater at Caesar's Palace.

Carol, I know Elton John loves performing. He's got a great work ethic so I'm sure he is not at all happy about this.

COSTELLO: He puts on such a great show, too. So our best to him, and thank you, A.J.

HAMMER: You got it.

COSTELLO: And looking for the breaking entertainment news, A.J.'s got it. Watch "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" at 11::00 p.m. Eastern on HLN.

Finally, Egypt is born. The words from an emotional voter as Egyptians line up to make their voices heard at the ballot boxes. We will take you there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: 45 minutes past the hour. Checking our "top stories" now.

John Edwards back in court awaiting a decision by jurors on the corruption trial. Prosecutors say Edwards took illegal campaign contributions during his 2008 bid for the White House. He faces a maximum of 30 years of prison if convicted.

The State Department taking its fight against al Qaeda to the Internet. And Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says, that effort is having a significant impact, especially in Yemen where Clinton says specialists hacked the web sites tied to the terror network, and ads on those Web sites, tried to recruit new members by bragging about killing Americans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Within 48 hours our team plastered the same sites with altered versions of the ads that showed the toll al Qaeda attacks have taken on the Yemeni people. And we can tell that our efforts are starting to have an impact, because we monitor the extremists venting their frustration, and asking their supporters not to believe everything they read on the Internet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Clinton says this new approach is designed to shed light on what she calls al Qaeda's contradictions and including attacks on Muslim civilians.

Money problems forcing the oldest two-year college causing a college in Texas to furlough nearly all of its employees indefinitely. Officials at Lon Morris College say the school will now operate y will operate with a core staff of just 11 people, and that it can no longer allow the employees to work on volunteer unpaid basis. Some of those employees tell CNN that they have not been paid for three months.

In just three hours the polls close in Egypt's presidential election. But we won't know the outcome until the weekend at the earliest. 15 million people are believed to have taken part in the election which a former top U.N. official calls a turning point in Egypt's history.

Hala Gorani is in Egypt where the polls will close in about three hours. Bring us up to date, Hala?

HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. Well, Carol, the polls will close in about three hour though we understand that some polling stations will extend voting hours for Egyptians because so many have lined up a little bit later in the day when it is not as hot as it is now.

In the morning, it is a lot more crowded and in the evening it's crowded as well, and when the sun is out, and it is hot and people are maybe are taking a break for lunch, we found some of the polling stations are actually empty in some cases with only a few people standing in the voting rooms and actually casting ballots.

The excitement, however, is still here. You can feel it. You can see it as well on people's faces when they tell you that they are proud to be taking part for the first time in this free and the fair election, at least an election they hope will be transparent, because some people still have concerns.

As far as the results, we understand counting will take place over the weekend and according to the presidential commission, a result for round one will be made public on May 29th. So that is next Tuesday, and if no clear winner emerges, if no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote, then there is a second round June 16th and 17th and a winner is expected to be announced on June 21st -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So, of course, no clear front-runner just yet, although I did understand that two people dropped out. Is that right?

GORANI: Two people dropped out after the ballots were printed, so they were officially 13 candidates, but really 11 candidates still running and only a handful of front-runners four or five candidates. Two of them are Islamists and two of them are ex-regime members of the Mubarak regime.

One might be familiar to U.S. viewers, and that is Am- Ramusa who was the secretary-general of the Arab League for more than a decade and also a former foreign minister for President Mubarak. But there are no reliable polls in this country, and therefore the winner, whoever the winner is, is anyone's guess at this stage.

COSTELLO: All right. Hala Gorani live in Cairo Egypt this morning.

Rarely seen and rarely read. The private diaries of Queen Elizabeth's great, great grandmother, Queen Victoria. We were able to see them up close and read about the precise moment that Victoria realized she was queen.

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COSTELLO: News coming into CNN, we have news regarding your wallet. If you own a home or you're ready to shop for one, take note. There is a new milestone for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage. Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange and, boy, how low can they go?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It makes you wonder, right. So for a 30-year fixed mortgage it's down from 3.79 to 3.78. So if you're looking to buy a home, if you're looking to refinance, this is good news of course. And this of course comes as we're getting more news that there's a housing recovery finally sort of taking hold.

And we are seeing the new home sales are up, existing home sales are up. Prices are up 10 percent from last year as well. So when you see these low rates that means that it can certainly create more sales, and that more sales can help the housing recovery and that can hopefully lead to more jobs. You know, you just have to hope that this momentum keeps up, but one more time, 30-year fixed rate now going for 3.78 percent -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Alison Kosik live at the New York Stock Exchange.

As Queen Elizabeth celebrates her diamond jubilee, we get a rare chance to look back at the British monarchy. And we mean way back.

Max Foster was granted rare access to the diaries of Queen Elizabeth's great, great grandmother Queen Victoria.

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MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The round tower of Windsor Castle. From the top, some of the best views in England and inside these ancient walls, shelves of manuscripts and books, firsthand accounts of the royal family's rich history. In this section, diaries written by Queen Victoria, monarch of the global vast empire.

Let's have a look at three of the journals then, they are fascinating reading. This is an early one from 1835. In it, Victoria writes "Today is my 16th birthday." How very old that sounds. A typical teenager you could say. This is a later journal, and it shows an illustration by Victoria, so she was an illustrator as well.

Victoria then next to her husband Prince Albert and her half brother Prince Charles there; do note they were dressed in fancy dress there. And this is a particularly poignant entry, and what you need to understand about the later journals is that they were rewritten by Beatrice. So Beatrice is writing but Victoria's words.

Here you see the words, "The Lord Chamberlain then acquainted me that my poor uncle the king was no more and expired 12 minutes past 2:00 this morning and consequently, that I am queen. That was the day in 1837 that Victoria acceded to the throne. The diaries were edited by Beatrice, who was Victoria's daughter. At her mother's request, she removed trivia and things that might embarrass other royals.

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COSTELLO: Queen Victoria reigned for 63 years; and Queen Elizabeth is about to mark her 60th anniversary. We'll have all the pomp and pageantry of her majesty's diamond jubilee; that begins Sunday Morning June 3rd at 11:00. The celebration continues on CNN Tuesday, June 5th.

In today's daily dose, if you take calcium supplements, you want to hear this. European researchers found people who regularly took the supplements had an 86 percent greater risk of heart attacks than those who did not take them. But the researchers say that the findings don't show cause-effect, and that's fine but she also went at odds with other studies so check with your doctor.

An Olympic athlete is trending in the news not because of her skills, but because she is a virgin. And that brings us back to our "Talk Back" question of the day. And we asked, why are we so obsessed with virginity anyway? You're responses next.

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COSTELLO: We asked you to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. The Talk Back question for you this morning is why are we so obsessed with virginity?

This is from donna, "I'm still a virgin and proud to be one. I'm not going to give myself to someone I don't love.

This from Susan, while I went to my ex-husband as a virgin -- notice I said ex."

This from Dave, "It's an individual choice and should be respected. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks."

This from Daniel, "I'm 23 and a virgin, mainly because I think it's immoral to have sex before marriage."

And this from Josh. "One of the most important parts of successful relationship is a healthy sex life. Being scared of sexuality is more damaging to a person than enjoying one of life's simplest pleasures."

Keep the conversation going. Facebook.com/carolCNN. And thanks as always for your comments.

I am Carol Costello. Thank you for joining me today. "CNN NEWSROOM" continues right now with Kyra Phillips.