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Deadly Clashes Daily in Syria; Arlington Leads Memorial Day Ceremonies; Romney Says He Can Lower Unemployment if President; Queen Victoria's Secrets Exposed

Aired May 24, 2012 - 11:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it has been 33 years since he disappeared on the way to the bus stop in Lower Manhattan and now police reveal they have a man in custody who is actually implicating himself in the case.

CNN's Susan Candiotti on the story. Susan, what exactly do we know?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. We found out from the law enforcement sources that this man was located in Camden, New Jersey. On Wednesday, he was brought in for questioning.

Why? Well, because the authorities are saying that he is now making a claim that he played a direct role in the death of Etan Patz, allegedly that he killed the man.

They were led to this man, we are told by sources, by a law enforcement source, because this is someone who had been on their radar screen and they had been questioning people, as a consequence of the search of that basement in Etan Patz's family neighborhood a few months ago.

That led them to this man. Again, this is someone who had been on the radar a long time ago, so they started to question him again because his name kept coming up.

We don't know whether this is going to lead to a break in the case because some law enforcement sources are telling us that they are proceeding with a great deal of skepticism and caution. However, they are calling this, naturally, a very good lead at this time.

So, we are waiting to see whether this is the break in the case that what everyone was hoping for, or unfortunately, whether it will go nowhere. It is too early to tell at this time, but we are watching carefully what may happen later today because police say they may have more for us as the day goes on.

PHILLIPS: And, Susan, I'm thinking of JonBenet Ramsey and that case and remember the man who implicated himself in that case and it ended up not being true, so we do have to be skeptical, but it's interesting. It was just a few weeks ago that they were digging up the basement in Soho.

CANDIOTTI: Yes, it was about two months ago and that came about as they have been re-examining this case.

Back in 2010, the Manhattan district attorney decided to reopen the matter. This is a case that was led by the FBI -- being investigated, as well, by the New York police department, of course, for the past several decades -- and they wanted to take a fresh look at the case, so they went back and started looking at the case file and digging up old leads and re-examining evidence they already had which led them to talking and re-interviewing other people.

That led to that search bringing in cadaver dogs to a basement where Etan Patz was seen the day before he disappeared and that basement was only about a block away from the house where he lived.

Now, Etan's parents have been kept informed of every developmental along the way in the case. Unfortunately, the search of the basement turned up nothing.

PHILLIPS: All right. Susan Candiotti, thanks so much.

And Etan's parents still live in Soho, by the way. They have made no public statements on any recent developments.

And a quick update on that Texas runaway picked up for shoplifting who was deported when she allegedly lied to police about her identity. CNN has confirmed that the family of Jakadrien Turner is now suing the Justice Department.

They say that the girl was illegally detained and deported to Colombia. Turner was just 14 when she was arrested last year in Dallas. Police say that she claimed to be a 21-year-old Colombian national.

She spent seven months in Colombia before she was returned. Her family insists that she never tried to hide her true identity.

"Finally, Egypt is born." That's the emotional words of an 80- year-old Egyptian man as voters cast ballots in the second day of the country's first, free presidential election. Their joy born in the Arab Spring revolution that toppled the harsh regime of President Hosni Mubarak, but that joy is mixed with deep anxiety over whether the military will even accept the results.

Hala Gorani with us, once again, out of Cairo. So, Hala, how it is going since we last talked yesterday at the polling stations?

HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was a little bit quieter midday, but that was probably because it is very hot in Cairo today and, when the sun is out, people perhaps choose to take a break.

Some of the polling stations were virtually empty. Most of the people who went out the vote today actually made the trip in the morning and we understand, according to the authorities, that the polling stations will be kept open one hour beyond 8:00 p.m. local, so that's another four hours from now before they close.

The question going forward is going to be when the results of the first round will be announced. The election commission is telling us that will be May 29th, sop that is next Tuesday.

Voting will take place over the weekend and on Monday. If no clear winner emerges, Kyra, then there will be a second round on the 16th and the 17th of June and a winner will be announced on June 21st.

And the question you asked there before coming to me is the question that many people have here in Cairo, Kyra, and that is, will the military, A, accept the result if it is not a candidate that it favors, and B, will it truly hand over power to civilian rule on July 1st.

That is the promise to the people of Egypt and those people who have gone out to vote today, especially those who are very much against the previous regime say, don't be fooled. If this promise is not kept, we will go back out into the streets. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: What about the women, Hala? Have they been voting in large numbers?

GORANI: Well, from what we have been able to see, the lines for women are in some cases as long as the lines for men. Voting is segregated in polling stations here. The room for the women is separate from the room for men, though sometimes the lines mix.

In one polling station in downtown Cairo, I did see a bit of a shorter line. But women are very much engaged in this process and, if you will remember during the 18 days of the uprising last January and February, there were many women on the front lines of that revolution and women who today say, in some cases, that they are concerned that A, they are very underrepresented in the parliament.

B, there is no female candidate among the presidential contenders there for the top job in Egypt.

And C, with an Islamist-dominated parliament, they are concerned that some legislation might pass that will dial back some of the rights, for instance their right to file for divorce unilaterally. That's an idea that is being floated around right now, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Hala Gorani, thanks so much.

As for Mubarak's fate, he has been tried on charges of ordering police to kill hundreds of protesters during the Arab Spring revolt. A verdict is expected next month. He could be sentenced to death, if convicted.

He played a key role in the Navy SEAL's raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Now, U.S. officials are expressing outrage for the sentencing of a Pakistani doctor to 33 years in prison on charges of treason. You may recall the doctor tried to collect DNA samples from bin Laden family members in a bid to nail down his exact location.

Senators McCain and Carl Levin called the sentencing shocking and outrageous. A Pentagon spokesperson says that the doctor was working against al Qaeda, not Pakistan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENATOR MARCO RUBIO (R), FLORIDA: I wish the president would go back to being the Barack Obama of 2008, a uniter and someone that elevated the political discourse.

We're still going to disagree on the issues, but let's debate about the ideas. I think that the people are tired of hearing how bad the people on the Democratic party behind it has become about lately.

That makes it very difficult to get things done here in Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: That's the odd's-on Republican favorite for Mitt Romney's running mate. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida going after President Obama for being too divisive.

He was talking to our Juan Carlos Lopez from CNN en Espanol who joins me now live from Washington. So, Juan Carlos, tell me more about Rubio's view of President Obama.

JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, CNN EN ESPANOL: Well, he said that there was a promise that the president made in 2008 and he says that the president has not kept up with the promise.

He promised to bring a different tone to Washington, and he says that has not happened and he says that is part of the gridlock in Washington where he says that the Democrats are using any steps they can to benefit their odds in the November election.

So that's his take on what is happening in Washington, and it's very similar to what we hear from the Democrats saying about the Republicans and Mr. Rubio.

PHILLIPS: OK. Let's talk about immigration. Here's what Rubio said when you asked him specifically about the Washington stalemate over immigration reform.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBIO: But I believe, I know that there are some Democrats, especially Democratic political operatives, who would rather not solve the immigration issue. In their mind, they would rather leave it unsolved so they can use it for campaign season.

They enjoy the fact that they can go back every two years to campaign in the Hispanic communities, making unrealistic promises about promised reforms. Then they come here, when and control the House, the Senate, the White House and they do nothing about it. And then they use the issue again in two years and blame the Republicans.

So, look, there have been Republicans who have not supported some of these immigration reforms and I think it is incumbent upon the Republican party to say not just what we are against, but to say what we're for, to be the pro-legal immigrants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: So he is criticizing both parties.

LOPEZ: And he did meet with Democrats and Republicans. He has met with Senator Bob Menendez. He met with Congressman Luis Gutierrez. They're talking about how to move some sort of immigration reform, maybe some version of the Dream Act, forward.

He acknowledges that his party has to change the message on immigration, but he also is saying that the Democrats are not really fulfilling their promises.

PHILLIPS: All right, before I let you go, I have to ask you because there is still so much talk about Marco Rubio being Romney's number two, what was your sense when you interviewed him and had a chance to spend time with him? Out of the question?

LOPEZ: So far, yes. He has said so many times that he is not interested and not at this point that I believe it is still not an issue. And maybe it is something that the senator would consider for the future.

Obviously, it is a difficult question to say no to, but so far, it seems that the senator is looking to bring a wedge on the issues where he can work to advance issues like immigration and job creation. He was talking about that today.

PHILLIPS: Juan Carlos Lopez, thanks so much.

And we could be seeing a lot more of Marco Rubio. A new Quinnipiac University poll actually finds that if Mitt Romney chooses him, he adds an extra 2-percentage points to his lead in Florida.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, batten down the hatches. Hurricane season officially starts June 1st and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association has just released its forecast. More on that in just a second, but first we want to update you on Hurricane Bud. It's gaining strength right now off the southwest coast of Mexico.

Chad Myers is joining us with the latest. So, what do you think? Is it looking dangerous?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is. It is a category-2 now. Yes, over 100 miles per hour, a very big storm out there in the Pacific.

Now, Pacific hurricane season starts May 15th, a little bit earlier because the Pacific Ocean can warm up a little bit earlier and that is why you need the warm water to start hurricane season and that's why they back it up a little bit to May 15th.

But here it is. It is a category-2, very strong storm, making a run at Mexico. But the forecast is now, because the water here is so very cool -- go swimming in Southern California in the water there, you'll know how cool the water is -- well, that cold current goes all of the way down the Mexico, as well.

So as the hurricane gets into the cool water, it is forecast to get significantly smaller and it is also forecast to turn around, make a run at the coast, almost to Manzanillo, and then turn left and go all the way back out to sea.

But there is still a possibility that we could see hurricane conditions on the coast of Mexico, Manzanillo, maybe up to Puerto Vallarta by weekend. I know it's going to turn around and go the other way, but you still have to prepare if you're in that region.

Kyra?

PHILLIPS: OK, well, Chad, actually, before I let you go, why don't we talk about last year and how it compares? We had obviously -- well, we know how last year was. It was pretty rough and we were working around the clock.

MYERS: Yes, sometimes.

PHILLIPS: What do you think with regard to how it will turn out this time around?

MYERS: Well, NOAA just put out it forecast and I have not seen a CYA-kind of forecast like this in a long time, but here it is. It is going to be an above normal or a below normal season. Pick one.

So, here you go. A normal average year, 11. NOAA's new forecast, just out at 11:00, is somewhere between 9 or 15 named storms, which would be above normal. Hurricanes, six is the average. It could be four, below normal, or eight, above normal. And major hurricanes, two, it could be one, below normal, or three, above normal.

Why? Because "El Nino" could get in the way. If "El Nino" really builds off the west coast of South America, Mexico and even kind of runs up to the U.S., but really it's South America, that would ruin the season which means it would hamper the storms and we would have all of those lower numbers.

If "El Nino" does not form, we could still be above normal. Remember, all of these numbers are just an estimate. We have already had one storm. If you have not heard about it, it was Alberto. Alberto was already there. It didn't do anything, didn't hit.

And now maybe by the weekend we could see Beryl off the coast of the East Coast, maybe even making landfall, not as a hurricane, but as a rainmaker for parts of Florida and Georgia, so it is already starting.

PHILLIPS: I see CSU, NOAA and you just added the acronym CYA and why is that not up there on the board? OK. There it is.

MYERS: We all know what that means.

PHILLIPS: Yes, we do. I had to think for a minute. Did he say that on live television? OK. We have it covered. You have covered us all. Thanks so much, Chad.

All right, we've also scoured through the thousands of iReports and selected the most compelling stories. Now, we need you to help decide who deserves this year's Community Choice award.

Just log-on to CNNiReportAwards.com and you can vote. Here are the nominees now for best commentary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to be real about who we are, not be politically correct about our history. That makes no sense.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just don't see racism, I see pride, respect and sentimental pride. That is what I see.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are stooping to the terrorist's level when they celebrate an American's death. Are we not the same when we celebrate one of their deaths?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will be missing all of the new books in one place to browse and to thumb through. I haven't had the urge to buy my first electronic book quite yet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I voted for you! Where's my change? Where's my hope? I will be a chump the rest of my meaningless life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, here in the U.S. we take it for granted that we can send our kids to school everyday, whether they are girls or boys, but in Afghanistan, it is neither equal nor fair.

One hundred twenty girls were poisoned just for going to school and officials there are blaming the Taliban.

Our Nick Paton Walsh is in Kabul, so, Nick, how are the girls doing now, Nick?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, initially, 122 schoolgirls and three teachers were rushed to the hospital. They seem to have gone into class in the morning and noticed a strange smell in the air and then began feeling sick, symptoms including dizziness, vomiting, headaches.

It appears, of those 122, 40 were in a slightly more serious condition and needed to stay in the hospital a little bit longer. The vast majority released very quickly.

But to give you an indication of the kind of seriousness of what seems to happen and the police are still investigating this. They don't know for certain it is poison because they are waiting for blood tests from the girls to get checked in Kabul, the capitol. That'll be early next week.

But the initial suspicion, it could be poison, strengthened by the fact that five of the girls had to go back to the hospital today for further treatment.

So real fear, I think, being the main reaction in that school. Absolute terror, of course. You can image what it must be like to go into class and seeing your schoolmates around you start to feel sick, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: It has been more than ten years since we went to war in that country to help create democracy, and still, women are not being treated equally.

WALSH: That is true. You could argue that ten years ago women didn't have a chance to go to school, so there's an improvement there that they have been able to take this opportunity, but really the huge fear here is that the progress in women's rights which in part of Afghan society is universally accepted and the other parts, often where the insurgency is strongest, is something that's rejected.

But that may be one of the first casualties of society here as NATO and American troops start to withdraw this and next year, deep concerns about that and instances like this apparent poisoning coming to the fore as examples of really what women have to fear about in the year ahead, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So true. Do we know what kind of poison was actually used?

WALSH: It is not clear at the point to be honest, no. There were suggestions a spray may have been used, but it seems to have been left in this classroom, according to the witnesses there, from the time they went home two days ago to when they came in yesterday morning.

So concern that it is almost crept into the classroom overnight, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Nick, we will follow the story with you. Thanks so much.

Last month, 150 schoolgirls were poisoned in a Takhar Province after they drank water. In fact, Reuters is reporting that according to the Afghan ministry of education 550 schools were closed down in 11 provinces where the Taliban have strong support by insurgents.

The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan tells CNN a troop drawdown will begin shortly, but that is not the end.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GENERAL JOHN ALLEN, COMMANDER OF U.S. FORCES IN AFGHANISTAN: We are not leaving. And the narrative that the Taliban that they can wait us out is a flawed narrative.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

General John Allen spoke with CNN's Christiane Amanpour in an exclusive interview. He added that U.S. troops will remain a force through 2014 and says the U.S. will eventually help determine its long-term presence with NATO.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: In Syria, deadly clashes are a daily occurrence despite international monitors on the ground. A recent jihadist video shows al Qaeda capitalizing on the unrest.

In this clip, you can actually see a bomb attack and raid against a military outpost. A senior Jordanian official says that the terror outfit is behind them all.

Barbara Starr is in Amman.

And you, Barbara, got exclusive access to sensitive areas in Jordan including the Syrian border, and tell us about that.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Kyra. The Jordanians have granted CNN really extraordinary access here. A couple of days we went up to the Syrian border north of the capital of Amman where we are talking to you now, and we were able to walk the no-man's-land between Jordan and Syria, and the Barbed wire, and the guard to towers, and yet, hundreds of Syrian taxis laden with goods and food and commodities coming into Jordan, because there is still a good deal of trade between the people on both sides of the border. Even as tens of thousands of refugees have tried to flee the violence of Syria and come here into Jordan. The government in Jordan and the top leadership here believes, and they tell us that ton rest, and the bombings and the car attacks, the suicide bombings that it is really al Qaeda behind most of that, and they estimate are about 1,500 al Qaeda operatives and sympathizers inside of Syria sometimes working with the opposition, and sometimes work on their own to destabilize the government there. The worry here in Jordan is that some of the violence, some of that destabilization, if you will, could cross the border. This country is a very important ally in the Middles East, of course, and nobody wants to see that happen either here or in the Obama administration.

PHILLIPS: All right. We are having a little bit of an issue with your connection there, Barbara. We did hear what you just said so I want to throw out one more question, and let's hope that you stay strong with us here via technology. You also have been looking into Yemen as well. Obviously, a lot of concern about the terrorism threat coming out of there with the failed underwear bomber attempt. And then most recently, the CIA exposing another attempt and these forces in Yemen both growing and becoming a big part of the support in terrorism.

STARR: Absolutely. And guess who we ran into here in Jordan? Our -- the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano. And she sat down with us exclusively, and we asked her about the airport attack plans and asked her about the al Qaeda in Yemen and the security issue.

And listen to a little bit of what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANET NAPOLITANO, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We work with a lot of the countries on border-related issues, aviation, aviation- related issues, and 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: So, this U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security also in the Middles East talking about al Qaeda, talking to governments in this region about aviation and border security. All of this, Kyra, coming as there is a major military exercise going on here. 12,000 troops from around the region, including about 6,000 U.S. troops, Special Forces included, training out here with the Jordanians. Everybody getting ready in case either Syria or Iran poses a new challenge -- Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr in Amman for us.

In Syria, another opposition party to the president has resigned. He will remain in the position until a new person is elected in early June.

And it is graduation week in Harvard and time for the alumni to get together and brag and get together and a famous year for the class of '62, and you can read about them in the alumni magazine of Harvard and lawyers and judges and movers and shakers, and, oh, yes, the Unabomber. He was a math whiz who entered Harvard at age 16, and graduated 50 years ago this spring. In the alum bio, he lists the occupation as prisoner and serving eight life sentences, which he lists under awards. And under publications, he lists the 50-page manifesto that was published in "The New York Times." Some alums are not amused and neither are the victims. The widow of a man killed by one of Kaczynski's bombs writes this: "Kaczynski is a con artist. He is a serial killer. He's a murderer. Everything is a game for him to push people's buttons."

You may remember the story our Drew Griffin broke about a charity that claims to help vet's. And now the Senate Finance Committee is investigating the group to find out if it deserves a tax exempt status. Drew exposed that the Disabled Veterans National Foundation and its tax records showing how it raised nearly $56 million, but little of the money went to help the vets. Instead, nearly $61 million was paid to a Quadriga Art (ph) for its direct-mail program.

For the first time in history, openly gay cadets have graduated from the Air Force Academy. The celebration cam eight months after the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. President Obama addressed the graduates. No rainbow flags on display but gay and lesbian advocates and others said they were there. Students and new graduates said that the transition to openly gay students has been smooth.

Elton John released from the hospital. He checked into Cedar Sinai after developing a serious respiratory infection. His publicist tells CNN the singer is canceling three performances at the Coliseum and Caesars Palace while he recovers, and I hope he does. I saw that show three weeks ago and he is amazing on the $1 million piano.

(SINGING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, if you are leaving the house right now, just a little bit of a reminder for you, you can continue to watch CNN from the mobile phone and live from the desktop by going to CNN.com/tv.

This afternoon, soldiers of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment will take on a time-honored duty. The Old Guard it is called, will place a flag on the more than 260,000 graves at Arlington National Cemetery. Monday is Memorial Day, and Arlington leads the nation in tributes to the fallen servicemembers past and present. President Obama will take part in the ceremonies as well 11:00 eastern four days from now, and you will see you it live right here on CNN.

And I want to tell you about a brave Marine who fought for the country and paid a high price for it while serving in Iraq. Justine Constantine was shot in the head. A sacrifice that not one of us should ever take for granted. It is a story like Justin's that will bring thousands of people out to the Memorial Day concert on the Capitol Lawn this weekend. Natalie Cole, Trace Atkins, all part of the 23rd year of the National Symphony Orchestra. And entertainment A-listers will salute the nation's troops and veterans and military families. And for co-host, Joe Mantegna, our favorite FBI agent on CBS's "Criminal Minds," this will be concert number seven.

He joins us live from Washington, and veteran advocate and wounded warrior, Justin Constantine.

Guys, great to see you.

JOE MANTEGNA, ACTOR: Great to see you as well.

JUSTIN CONSTANTINE, VETERAN ADVOCATE & WOUNDED WARRIOR: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Well, Joe, what is it like to sit next to a man like Justin and just know about his story, become friends with him, and --

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Yes, I bet we have funny stories, too, but --

(CROSSTALK)

MANTEGNA: Oh, yes. PHILLIPS: But just warriors like him, and what keeps you coming back to this event?

MANTEGNA: Well, that is what keeps me back. I have been doing the concert, and this is the 11th year of the concert and seventh year co-hosting with Gary Sinise. But to put it, they have been lucky in my life doing what I have had a passion for since high school being an actor. As an actor, I have had the many opportunities to portray heroic people. It is not everyday I get to sit next to and be a friend with a real hero, and so that's the difference. It is one thing to play pretend which is what I do for a living and another thing to do what Justin has done and does for a living. So, I mean, I along with the rest of the country are forever and eternally grateful to the sacrifices that our men and women have made in the military, and so it is a privilege to be here, and it is a privilege to be a friend of his.

PHILLIPS: Ah. And, Justin, I understand that you even got to visit Joe on the set of "Criminal Minds." What was that like?

CONSTANTINE: Well, you know, it is always inspiring for us to go and have a chance to hang out with some of the folks like Joe who have true star power and help make sure that the country does not forget about the sacrifices of those who have gone before us. I was thrilled to be a part of that.

PHILLIPS: And you know, let me ask you about that, Justin. This Memorial Day concert that happens every year, what does it mean to you beyond the music and the stars like Joe who show up with their support, there is something that we all need to take away from this, yes?

CONSTANTINE: Absolutely. The Memorial Day concert in my mind is a fantastic opportunity to remind America about the sacrifice sacrifices that so many of the servicemembers and their families have made just in Iraq and Afghanistan alone, 6,400, servicemembers have made the ultimate sacrifice, and so if we can create a good production that will remind America why we are so great and who is out there protecting us, I'm really, really humbled to be a part of that.

PHILLIPS: And, Joe, you are not just humbled by Justin's story, but you actually took your uncle to a concert rehearsal and ended up to be an emotional moment?

MANTEGNA: Yes, well, I bring my one Uncle Willie, who is with me today, and he is going to be 90 years old, and World War II veteran, as are his three brothers. But a Marine like Justin was on the "USS Enterprise" and the rehearsal happened to be his birthday and the Bugle Corps, when they heard it was my uncle's birthday they came down off of the stage and sang "Happy Birthday" to him. And that is the first time I have seen my uncle in his 80s crying and tell me that this is the greatest thing that ever happened to him in his life. And so, moments like that, you can't, you know, you can't create that in Hollywood. That is life. That is something that I'll always remember, and as Justin said, it is just part of why we owe so much to these men and women throughout our history. PHILLIPS: And, Justin, you know, just to try to bring it back home, you know, after 9/11, I will never forget that everybody had an American flag on the car, in the front lawn, and it was such a patriotic time for this country, and you know, as these wars have gone on, and on and then we have entered the Iraq war, what do we need to do as Americans to support you, others like you, warrior families in a time like this weekend, you know, thinking of you obviously on the holiday, but past the holiday? How can we get involved and how can we support and understand what you and others are going through when you come home from these wars?

CONSTANTINE: Well, that is a great question, and kind of complicated actually. But I will say without hesitation that the American public, no matter where they stand on the political spectrum, have been amazing over the last ten years in their support for the servicemembers. For each and every man and woman who has gone over there to fight for the country, they have come home to great receptions. I really appreciate that. It is a whole different story than from Vietnam, and we have a lot, a huge thanks. And today's servicemembers have a huge thanks to the Vietnam vets to make sure that those mistakes will never happen again.

The American public can continue to help on a very granular level by helping people in their communities who they know who are wounded warriors who have returned and, believe me, they have their plates full trying to pick up the pieces from when they deployed. They can two to visit those families and babysit for them, and spend some time with their spouse spouses or whatever. On another level, there are groups like Wounded Warrior Fund or Semper Fi Fund, and Gary Senise has a fund, and there are post-traumatic stress groups. And so I encourage every American to help support the troops, because we need it.

PHILLIPS: Amen. Wounded Warrior Project, and Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund.

And thank you for everything that you do, Joe.

And Justin. We lift you up and honor you.

Thank you both for being with me.

MANTEGNA: Thank you.

CONSTANTINE: Thank you so much.

PHILLIPS: The time is 8:00 p.m. eastern, and the place is West Lawn, U.S. Capitol, and if you can't be there, you will see the show live on PBS. And you can also watch the annual Memorial Day observance with the presidential wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Mitt Romney says that if we elect him president, he can lower unemployment. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY, (R), FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I can tell you over a period of four years by virtue of the policies that we put in place, we will get the unemployment rate down to 6 percent and perhaps lower.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: 6 percent? Perhaps a little lower. Really? Fact check is "Fair Game."

Maria Cardona, Dana Loesch.

Can he do it? Maria, let's start with you.

MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I thought it was so curious he said this because a couple months ago he said he'd get it down to 4 percent. Here is the interesting part about this. The CBO put out a report a couple months ago that basically said by the end of 2016 we were heading that way anyway, that the unemployment number would be probably at 6 percent, perhaps a little bit lower. You know what we need to do to get there? We actually need to create about an average of 155,000 jobs a month between now and the end of 2016. Guess how many jobs we've been creating since the beginning of 2011? 165,000. We're headed that way anyway. So the Obama campaign and this administration knows that. They're focused on trying to do better than that because the president understands that more people need to be put to work than 165,000 a month. And so hopefully Republicans will join us in understanding that more needs to be done and that numbers are just gimmicks sometimes during the campaign and we need to do better.

PHILLIPS: Dana, gimmick?

DANA LOESCH, CONSERVATIVE TALK RADIO HOST: Numbers are gimmicks. There's a little fuzzy math Maria is employing. I also read that CBO report and nobody is discussing that massive spending. The interesting thing about jobs and the number of jobs created, when you lose people from the job pool, that doesn't mean that there are more jobs. It means people are giving up, and the CBO has noted especially women, you want to talk about a war on women, we have had 324,000 women drop from the job pool in the past three months alone. When we consider job creation, we need to factor all of that in as well. Plus, it's really easy to say we're going to be creating jobs when Obama-care is implemented we're going to be adding thousands and thousands and thousands of government workers to the IRS just to implement that. So creating government jobs and having long-term government spending, that puts us on the path towards Greece. That doesn't put us on the path to long-term economic sustainability.

PHILLIPS: We have talked about jobs, porn policy, now it's education. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ROMNEY: Here we are in the most prosperous nation on earth, but millions of our kids are getting a third-world education, and America's minority children suffer the most. This is the civil rights issue of our era, and it's the greatest challenge of our time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And Maria, he chose Latino forum to give this speech on education. Are you buying it?

CARDONA: Absolutely not. For a couple reasons, Kyra. First of all, he has nowhere to go but up with support from the Latino community. He is so in the hole and in the trenches with lack of support from the Latinos, but what's so interesting is that he went to Latino group to talk about education. He is right in that it is one of the greatest challenges in our time. It's a huge civil rights issue and for Latinos this is a number one issue for our community. But guess what? If we actually embrace what he wants to do with education with the Paul Ryan plan, it would decimate, for example, Pell Grants, which thousands and thousands of Latino students depend on, Pell Grants to go to college. It would decimate head start programs which hundreds of thousands of Latino families depend on head start programs for their young children. It would decimate the hiring of good public school teachers and, again, hundreds of thousands of families depend on good public school teachers for their kids' education, especially in Latino communities. So what he is saying and what he wants to do for the Latino community does not match up.

PHILLIPS: Dana --

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: I have to let Dana respond. Go ahead, Dana.

LOESCH: I think that we can very easily compare and contrast Barack Obama and Mitt Romney's educational policies with what's happening in the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. The president's 2013 budget proposal absolutely gutted this program. This is something that he tried to do back in 2009. House Republicans went in and saved the program. This provides students from low-income areas and minority students with vouchers to go to private schools so they don't have to be segregated to schools that are performing poorly.

Here is the problem. They cut that $8,000 voucher per student, which is several thousand dollars less than what D.C. spends on per public school student anyway, and instead, they decided to propose spending $10,000 per buyer for Chevy Volt. They suggested actually increasing taxpayer subsidies to Chevy Volt buyers. Edmunds.com said the average salary for a purchaser of a Chevy Volt is $175,000. That's the 1 percent. The president puts his money where his allegiances are, not with children, not with school, not with education, but with Chevy Volt, G.M., and the 1 percent.

CARDONA: The president's policies. --

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: Ladies, we have to leave it there.

LOESCH: He gutted that program, Maria.

PHILLIPS: That's "Fair Game."

Ladies, we'll do it again.

(LAUGHTER)

CARDONA: Thank you, Kyra.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Victoria's Secrets exposed, Queen Victoria that is, and her personal diaries. Go on and get the romance, details of child birth, even meetings with prime minister.

Max Foster, from London, with all the juicy details.

Was it -- were these censored or not? That's what I still don't understand, Max?

MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Some of them weren't, some of them were. So the very early ones I was allowed to go in and see in Windsor Castle. It's quite a rare opportunity to see them. They were just handed them as well. It's quite extraordinary. But the early ones were written by her, but the later ones were rewritten at her request by her daughter, Beatrice, who spent something like 40 years doing it. We're told the wording you see there is Victoria's wording but they left a few things out to avoid embarrassment of other members of the royal family.

PHILLIPS: Oh, boy.

FOSTER: She has taken some secrets to the grave, Beatrice.

PHILLIPS: There's some people who want to know -- they're fascinated. We have time for one, if you don't mind, quote here, you picked out. 43,000 pages published. "Today is my 18th birthday, how old I am, and yet how far from being what I should be." She seems a little unsure of herself.

FOSTER: She does, and I'll give you another quote later on in that year to show that she wasn't quite prepared for what was coming up. So on June 20, 1837 she writes, "I got out of bed and went into my sitting room only in my dressing gown and alone I saw them. The Lord Chamberlin acquainted me that my poor uncle the king was no more. Consequently, I am queen."

So her uncle died that same year that you were reading that quote from, Kyra, and then she became queen. There's endless reams of information that comes from the following years where she talks about heading up the empire. So she was arguably Britain's most successful queen because she said that Britain had a worldwide empire on which the sun never set, including India, Canada, Australia. And it was Queen Victoria that created that empire.

PHILLIPS: There's so many people with insight into the royals.

Max Foster, thanks for a little bit of a peak.

Thanks for watching, everyone.

CNN NEWSROOM continues now with Suzanne Malveaux.