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Bill Clinton Stumps for Milwaukee Mayor Running for Governor; Manhunt for Man Who Sent Body Parts to Canadian Lawmakers; Dismal Day on Wall Street after Disappointing Jobs Report
Aired June 01, 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: Hello everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips. It's 11:00 o'clock on the East Coast, 8:00 o'clock out west. It's a dismal day on Wall Street, folks. Stocks on the skids after a jobs report that was far weaker than most economists expected or the White House had hoped. The government tells us, in May, the economy added just 69,000 positions. The unemployment rate ticked up one tenth of a point to 8.2 percent, but that's because more people got back into the labor pool. Economically, it all adds up to bad news. Politically -- well, it depends on which side of the fence you're on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP
REPRESENTATIVE JOHN BOEHNER (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: It's pretty clear that the American people are still asking the question, where are the jobs?
Another month of disappointing job gains, it's pretty clear the American people are hurting. Small businesses continue to avert hiring any additional people and it's clear that the policies that we've seen are not working.
And I would just hope that the president, my colleagues in the Senate, would look at our plan to create American jobs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The White House says that the economy is facing serious headwinds, just like last spring, and for that reason, quote, "It's critical that we continue the president's economic policies that are helping us dig our way out of the deep hole that was caused by the severe recession," end quote.
Christine Romans has been crunching all the numbers in New York. It's a hard report to spin, Christine.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It really is. You can't spin it. Sixty-nine-thousand jobs created in the biggest economy in the world, that is really disappointing, half what they thought.
Eight-point-two percent is the unemployment rate. It went up a little bit because, Kyra, more people were getting into the labor market. They've been discouraged in months past, trying to get back in to try to find a job and they were unsuccessful. When you look at the trend, you can't spin the trend either. You had three months of more than 200,000 jobs created, right there, and then this is the slow down.
One, two, three, that is the slow down there that shows you, quite frankly, that things are not as rosy as they should be at this stage of an economic recovery. And it looks an awful lot like it did last year.
One last thing I want to show you, Kyra. This is how many private sector jobs were created, 82,000. That compares with 13,000 public sector jobs lost.
You're still seeing government jobs be cut, mostly teachers and local government workers and you're still seeing the private sector really struggle to have robust jobs gains.
PHILLIPS: And folks are still stressed out about the debt crisis in Europe.
ROMANS: They really are and that's part of the issue here and I'll tell you why. When you look at American exporters, their factories, the biggest destination for their goods is the eurozone.
You've got countries in the eurozone that are in recession. If your customer is hurting, you don't want to add a whole bunch of workers because you're worried about your orders going forward. That's part of the problem.
For smaller and mid-sized businesses, a lot of them are telling me it's just uncertainty. They just feel uncertain still about the economy, and about demand on their end. They're not going to add workers if they don't have to.
That combination makes for a pretty disappointing labor market right here.
PHILLIPS: Christine Romans. Christine, thanks. We're going to keep an eye on the big board for you, too. Right there in the corner of your screen, Dow Industrials down 224 points right now.
The code was "Olympic Games." The mission, cyber-attacks against Iran. "The New York Times" is now reporting that in his first months in office, President Obama initiated secret attacks on Iran's nuclear program with a destructive computer worm. The goal, to disrupt Iran's ability to build nukes.
"The Times" says the attacks were first launched by former President George Bush and accelerated by Obama.
Barbara Starr joins us from the Pentagon. So, Barbara, first of all, were the cyber-attacks successful and are they still happening now?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's the big intelligence question, you know. Having stepped-up the attacks, using this virus called Stuxnet against Iran's nuclear program, how much did it slow the program down?
By all accounts, it slowed it down somewhat, but the Iranians eventually figured out what was going on and are trying to regroup.
The whole idea, Kyra, was that this computer virus would attack Iran's centrifuges. Those are those spinning machines, very high- tech, that are used to purify uranium.
The computer virus attacks those machines. Essentially they begin spinning uncontrollable and are basically destroyed. That's how you slow it down.
But this is some of the most leading-edge, secretive technology that "The New York times" is reporting on in warfare today, using computers, using cyber to attack an enemy target, Iran's nuclear program.
If you are successful in doing it, what you can do is avoid sending B-52s and bombs over someone else's territory to attack those targets. Very leading-edge stuff. Very secretive. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: So what are the chances of Iran retaliating with its own worm?
STARR: Yeah, that's really the question. Now that this kind of technology is unleashed, what happens?
This is an act of war to use cyber-technology, of course, to attack someone's infrastructure, so what happens if Iran, China, North Korea, any number of hypothetical countries out there, develop the same computer technology and use it to try and attack the U.S. banking system, a U.S. city's water and power system?
And if you saw that kind of attack coming, would the U.S. military then take action to stop it?
These are some of the most important ask yet secret questions now being debated inside the Obama administration.
PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Barbara, thanks so much.
And if you haven't heard by now, John Edwards was acquitted, acquitted on one count while jurors deadlocked on the other five in his corruption case. The judge called a mistrial. Now prosecutors are considering a retrial.
Jurors talked to NBC's Matt Lauer this morning about the verdict.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT LAUER, NBC NEWS: The fact that he had an affair while his wife was battling cancer, did that not have any impact on you as a jury?
CINDY AQUARO, JOHN EDWARDS TRIAL JUROR: We tried to put our feelings aside and what we were doing was just looking at the facts to come up with our verdict.
DONNA FOSTER, JOHN EDWARDS TRIAL JUROR: We all came in with our own preconceived notions, but then once the evidence was laid out, we had to separate it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: As for Edwards, he says no matter what prosecutors decide, his time of public service is not over.
The release of sealed information in the George Zimmerman case is at issue in court today. Prosecutors and defense attorneys will be on the same side, fighting requests by media outlets to make the details public.
Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. He told police he did it in self defense.
Today's hearing is scheduled for 1:30 Eastern time.
He's accused of sexually abusing 10 boys. Now attorneys for Jerry Sandusky have asked the state superior court for a delay in his sex abuse trial. The presiding judge had turned them down once earlier this week, but they appealed again, arguing they need more time to prepare.
The former Penn State assistant coach faces trial next week on those sex abuse charges. He has pleaded not guilty.
Live pictures for you now out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. You're looking at a rally for Democratic mayor, Tom Barrett, who is trying to unseat Wisconsin's Republican governor, Scott Walker, and Barrett is getting some help from Bill Clinton.
That's right. The forty-second president due to speak shortly. We'll circle back at quarter past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Just a quick reminder for all of you heading out the door. You can continue watching CNN from your mobile phone, or if you're heading to work, you can also watch CNN live from your desktop. Just go to CNN.com/TV.
It may have been a while since you've seen this teacher's face, but I'm sure you haven't forgotten the acts that Mark Berndt has been accused of, posing in bondage with students, placing cockroaches on them, even having them drink semen and, when the story broke, parents were outraged.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALES/FEMALES: We want justice!
(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: Here's what makes matters worse. Berndt had reportedly been under investigation for a year before the L.A. school district attempted to get his teaching license revoked.
Now, the case has snowballed. Six-hundred-four other teachers in this district have been called out for bad behavior over the last four years. Jaqueline Hurtado from CNN en Espanol is on the story for us.
So, Jaqueline, to be clear, these 604 cases are accusations against teachers, right, not actual findings they did something wrong yet?
JAQUELINE HURTADO, CNN EN ESPANOL: Yes, that's correct. This is a group of teachers who have actually been accused of allegations of wrongdoing by the LAUSD. They requested over 900 schools to investigate these teachers.
So now school officials have referred these cases over the past four years to state authorities so they can investigate and to see what's wrong.
And, as you mentioned, not all these cases are accusing these teachers. They're just allegations and now they're requesting for them to be investigated.
PHILLIPS: Yes, 604 cases, that seems like a lot and I'm assuming we need to keep this in context because a lot of times teachers are falsely accused, right?
HURTADO: Yes, that's correct, but we need to keep in mind that this is the second-largest school district in the nation, so 604 may sound like a lot and that's why they're investigating these cases.
And, as you mentioned, some of these teachers have told me in the past that they're very careful how they talk to their students, how they handle their students because of these allegations.
They say they're afraid to even pat their students on the back because they don't want to be reported for inappropriate behavior.
So 604 may sound like a lot, but here in L.A., you know, it's not a large amount since we are the second-largest school district in the nation.
PHILLIPS: All right, we're talking about Mark Berndt. That's how this all started with just the horrific testimony that we read a number of months ago.
He's pled not guilty to these lewd acts. Are all the cases about sexual misconduct?
HURTADO: Yes. No, not all the cases are of sexual misconduct. According to school officials, they say that some of these teachers have been accused of inappropriate behavior. Some of them have drug problems. Some of them have other issues, like violence. So not all of these cases in the 604 have been accused of sexual wrongdoing. Only 60 teachers are being accused of sexual misconduct, according to the LAUSD, and, as we can see, those 366 cases are still being investigated.
PHILLIPS: We'll definitely continue to follow this story. Jaqueline Hurtado from CNN en Espanol, thank you so much.
We should point out, the teacher, Mark Berndt, has pleaded not guilty to all charges, as we mentioned He's now being held in jail on $23 million bond.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Live pictures as we welcome you to Wisconsin where a mayor is trying to bring down a governor with help from a former president.
Bill Clinton is due to appear any second now in Milwaukee for the Democratic challenger in a contest that wasn't scheduled for two more years.
It's a recall election, pitting Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett against freshman incumbent Governor Scott Walker, whose name you may recall from that nasty fight over union rights shortly after Walker took office.
Well, election day is Tuesday and Barrett isn't the only candidate bringing in outside help. Walker is getting a boost today from a fellow rookie governor and tea party favorite, Nikki Haley of South Carolina.
And speaking of the tea party, it's on the move. The group called Americans for Prosperity is traveling Wisconsin by bus and, of course, our Chris Welch is riding along. So Chris, bring us up to speed.
CHRIS WELCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you mentioned the groups that are giving a lot of help to governor walker. This is certainly one of them.
I'm aboard the Americans for Prosperity's "Better Wisconsin" bus tour. You can probably hear and maybe even see some of the volunteers and staffers behind me. They're making phone calls.
They have been doing this for the last three days here on the bus tour, making phone calls in support of Governor Walker's policies.
Now, Americans for Prosperity is an advocacy group, a conservative advocacy group, that really played a large role in the 2010 elections, helping with the Republican takeover.
And, this year, they're hoping that this message, their message here for Governor Walker will resonate here in Wisconsin and that it will carry over into the rest of the country.
I want to give you a listen to what President Tim Phillips has been saying on this tour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM PHILLIPS, PRESIDENT, AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY: The country knows what I think you know and that's that you have got the best governor in the entire United States of America right here in Wisconsin.
And by -- he's the best governor in the country because of the policies he's putting forward that are turning your great state completely around.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WELCH: And Americans for Prosperity is not the only tea party- aligned group out here working for Walker. We all know the Tea Party Express. They've got their own bus tour starting today here in Wisconsin. That will last through the weekend and right into the election. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: So is it drawing crowds, this bus tour?
WELCH: Well, this bus tour, I have to say, they really haven't had the biggest crowds I've seen. Some of them have even had as few as about 25 people, some of them. Others have seen maybe about 100, 150 people.
But what I will say is their crowds are full of passionate people. These are adamant tea party supporters, adamant Governor Walker supporters and a lot of the people here feel like, you know, this is an issue that should be uniting people and not dividing people.
Here's one of the volunteers here in Wisconsin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ORIANNAH PAUL, SCOTT WALKER SUPPORTER: It's unfortunate that there has to be so much division. Because essentially, in some aspects, we're fighting for some similar things as far as the economy.
People want jobs, they want to work and the unemployment has taken a toll on all families, so in that aspect, you know, there are similarities. We just have different principles and ideologies in how we're going to get there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WELCH: And, Kyra, as you're well aware, as we've all been talking about the last several months, this is certainly not a calm election cycle. This is a recall election that has pitted neighbor against neighbor, family against family.
Kyra, this is a very, very contentious several months.
PHILLIPS: Are the polls still saying that Walker is up a little bit?
WELCH: I'm sorry. Can you repeat the question?
PHILLIPS: Are the polls still saying that Walker is still ahead a little bit?
WELCH: He is slightly ahead. And, you know what, the conservatives here and those on had bus are confident that those numbers will be the final result, but they're not taking anything for granted. They want to keep working, keep making phone calls.
And the Democrats on the other side saying, look, this is not what we're seeing. They are trying to say they have got their own polls that show they will come out ahead on Tuesday. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: All right, Chris Welch, thanks so much.
And maybe we can take those live pictures once again of the podium. A number of people coming up to speak in this campaign for Mayor Tom Barrett. Former President Bill Clinton going to be speaking, as well. As soon as he steps up to the mike, we will take it live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: A thousand boats sailing down the Thames, a concert starring Stevie Wonder, Elton John, and Sir Paul, even the Epsom Derby, Britain's most prestigious horse race. We're talking about the events marking a major milestone this weekend, the Diamond Jubilee.
Its monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, celebrating 60 years on the throne. Royal watchers haven't seen this much excitement since last year's royal wedding.
Just ask Katie Nicholl, royal editor with "The Mail on Sunday" and author of two books on the royal family. She joins us from our London bureau as she gets ready to cover the event and also hang out with the royals, I understand, Katie.
KATIE NICHOL, ROYAL EDITOR, "THE MAIL ON SUNDAY": Yes, the jubilee celebrations, which you rightly point out are going to really be a wonderful follow-up to last year's royal wedding, will start tomorrow at Epsom at the derby.
Now, as you may or may not know, the Queen is a great race-lover, horses, as well as corgis are one of her passions and she never ever misses this date in the racing calendar.
So I will be there tomorrow with the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh. We're waiting to see which of the younger royals may or may not show up. We're hearing the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge probably won't be there, but I certainly expect a good turnout because this is really the introduction to the jubilee weekend.
PHILLIPS: And just to give our viewers some perspective with regard to how difficult it is to get an interview with the Queen, it's quite a process, isn't it?
NICHOLL: Actually, Kyra, the Queen doesn't do interviews. I don't believe she has ever given an interview in her 60-year reign.
And this evening, actually, on the BBC, we have a program going out which is a tribute to the Queen by her son, the Prince of Wales. We'll see video footage of the Queen when she was younger, of her children growing up, photographs that the Queen took herself and this is a very, very rare insight.
But we have never once had an interview with the Queen, so even though she is this hugely iconic woman who we have all grown up with, we recognize her as the face on our stamps, the face on our coins, actually, surprisingly little is known about the private woman behind the public persona.
PHILLIPS: Isn't that fascinating? Because when I've seen -- I guess there are moments when people get a little something from her. Is that just luck when she has been in an event or she's walking through the crowd?
Because we've seen, I guess, moments, but never a sit-down interview. Why is that? Is it just her or has it always been that way?
NICHOLL: I think it's always been that way. I think we're seeing things change with the new generation of monarchy. Princes William and Harry, for example, have given a number of interviews, many more so than other, more senior members of the royal family.
I think we are seeing a change, a slightly more media-friendly monarchy, but certainly for the Queen and that generation, it just wasn't the done thing.
And you're quite right. There are some very lucky people who, at garden parties at Buckingham Palace, for example, get to have a tete- a-tete with the Queen. They get a little glimpse, a little insight, but, I mean, my goodness, if you get that, you are very, very lucky and you're very, very rare.
PHILLIPS: The ultimate exclusive. So before I let you go, it's four days of -- we have listed some of the activities as we introduced you. What would you say the highlights will be, some of the highlights?
NICHOLL: Well, I think the highlight probably is going to be this pageant. It's a flotilla of a thousand vessels that we're going to have on the Thames on Sunday.
It all kicks off on the Thames River at about 2:00 in the afternoon. It's a seven-mile long flotilla, which the Queen will be leading with the royal family on a specially commissioned royal barge called "The Spirit of Chartwell."
I just think that's going to be wonderful because we have never seen anything like that in our lifetime. It's really going to be a most incredible experience.
Of course, we have the concert at Buckingham Palace on Monday evening and then really the closure to the events will be the most serious part, which will be a service of thanksgiving, at St. Paul's Cathedral.
The Queen takes her faith very seriously. It will be a religious ceremony and probably quite a somber end and then we have the appearance at Buckingham Palace, where all of the senior members of the royal family will be there to give the British public and the world who will be watching a big wave.
PHILLIPS: Katie Nicholl, thanks so much and we will be talking to you again on Monday, of course. She will be joining us from Buckingham Palace as the jubilee celebrations continue.
We'll also have more on the royal family this Sunday, June 3rd. Be sure to watch our special, "A Royal Celebration -- Elizabeth's 60 Years as Queen."
Let's take you live now to Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The campaign heating up there ahead of Tuesday's recall election for governor. Incumbent Scott Walker is facing a challenge from Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.
Walker's critics began the recall drive after he pushed through legislation last year to reduce the power of unions representing state workers. That's why you're seeing the crowds that you are and we're getting ready to hear Bill Clinton, who has come to stump in that campaign.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: If you're leaving the house, you can continue watching CNN from your mobile home, and also watch CNN live from your desktop. Just go to CNN.com/tv.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MADONNA, SINGER: Most of all, because I love him and I want so badly to be good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Brandishing a machine gun and a revolver, Madonna never performs without making a statement. This time, in front of more than 30,000 fans as she kicked off her world tour in Tel Aviv with a concert for peace. The edgy pop icon isn't Jewish, but is devoted to the Jewish mystical practice of Kabbalah. She urged Israelis and Palestinians to come together with respect and dignity. This is Madonna's first world tour in three years. She will perform 83 shows through December.
You've got a Smartphone. But I bet it isn't as smart as this Japanese phone. Not only can you talk to friends, listen to music and text, but this Smartphone is also a radiation detector. The company behind it, Softbay (ph), says the idea came from the Japanese who continue to express concern over last year's nuclear disaster, and that the radiation readings rival consumer radiation meters on the market. It also lets users compare radiation readings with radiation maps on the web.
An experiment with rats gives new hope for spine injuries. Check this out. The rats were completely paralyzed in their hind legs. Scientists put them through training involving electrical stimulation of the brain, and they learned to walk again. Researchers are now working on plans for a human trial.
It's a popular storyline in the movies, superheroes joining forces to tackle the world's problems, but this doesn't just happen on the big screen. Let me introduce you to some real live "CNN Heroes" teaming up to help AIDS obvious orphans in Malawi.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(SINGING)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Maria DeSilva (ph) was a nanny in the U.S. when started a school for AIDS orphans in her native, Malawi. Honored as a top-ten hero in 2008. She has now joined forces with two other honorees.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm so thrilled.
COOPER: Magnus McFarland Barrow (ph) was recognized in 2010 for his work feeding school children around the globe.
MARIA DESILVA (ph), CNN HERO: He started his organization in Malawi. I asked him to consider us.
MAGNUS MCFARLAND BARROW, CNN HERO: I was very struck by her. I felt we could work together.
DESILVA (ph): This is the stove.
COOPER: Today Magnus' organization, Marie's Meals, provides free porridge daily to all 400 of Marie's students.
BARROW (ph): Am I giving them too much?
(LAUGHTER)
DESILVA (ph): His support means the children always have something to eat. He is a saint to me.
COOPER: The 2010 honoree, Evans Dradongo (ph) makes solar lanterns for rural African communities. Evans has visited Marie's school and recently his team taught students to build their own lamps.
DESILVA (ph): For the family, it cuts the costs. And for the children, it's helping them to study. Evans really motivated our kids to be inventors. They have come up with their own little models.
COOPER: Now, Marie's students plan to supply lamps to their community.
(SINGING)
COOPER: With creativity and compassion, these "CNN Heroes" are helping each other to change even more lives.
DESILVA (ph): "CNN Heroes" coming together to work together, it's a family. How sweet is that?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Live to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As you can see right there, behind the introduction there at the podium, the 42nd president of the United States, Bill Clinton, getting ready to speak. Why is he there? Well, he's there supporting the campaign for Mayor Tom Barrett. If you don't believe Democrats everywhere have a stake in the Wisconsin recall, well, Bill Clinton is bringing some street cred. He's trying to bring it home for Scott Walker's opponent.
Let's listen in as Bill Clinton is being introduced.
(BEGIN LIVE FEED)
TOM BARRETT, MAYOR OF MILWAUKEE & WISCONSIN GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: -- and not as the enemy of this state.
(CHEERING)
BARRETT: Because we have a governor who has done a wonderful job making the wealthiest people the happiest people.
(CHEERING)
BARRETT: And my concern is for the middle class of this state, and the people who want to join the middle class. Those are the people who need representation right now in the governor's office in Madison, Wisconsin.
(CHEERING)
BARRETT: But to make this happen, we've got a lot of work to do between now and Tuesday. We know that we've just begun. I can tell you that the polls are close. The polls are close.
(CHEERING)
BARRETT: And this is all going to depend upon who gets out the vote. And you can vote today, if you want to, over at city hall if you live in the city of Milwaukee. You can vote until 5:00. And we encourage you to get out there and vote early and to find a friend or two friends or three friends, people who don't normally vote, to get them out to vote. That's how important this election is. It's for you. It's for your children. It's for your grandchildren. It is for our state. Because we know --
(CHEERING)
BARRETT: We know that Scott Walker has become the rock star of the far right.
(BOOING)
BARRETT: He is the poster boy of the Tea Party.
(BOOING)
BARRETT: And I will never be the rock star of the far right, because my intent is to serve the people of this state.
(CHEERING)
BARRETT: It is the people of this state that deserve to have a governor on their side.
BARRETT: So what have we seen? We have seen the largest cut to education in this state's history.
(BOOING)
BARRETT: We have seen the largest cut to this city in our history.
(BOOING)
BARRETT: And we have seen him give tax cuts in the billions to corporation corporations and some of the wealthiest people in this state.
(BOOING)
BARRETT: We have to have our government represent us. That billionaire -- that billionaire from Texas, who gave him a half million dollars, he doesn't care about what's going on in Milwaukee or Racine or Manitowoc or Marshfield or La Crosse. They care about a national agenda. And they want Wisconsin to be the experimental lab. And we know that this governor has said that he was going to --
(END LIVE FEED)
PHILLIPS: Paul Steinhauser joining me live out of Washington.
He was dressed so casually, I didn't realize that that was Tom Barrett at the podium getting ready to introduce Bill Clinton, who is there to support him. It sure shows if you're a Dem who is down in the polls, Bill Clinton is the guy to call.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, they called out the big gun, no doubt about it.
(LAUGHTER)
And Barrett -- listen, this is a rematch, Kyra, from two years ago. Barrett lost by five points to Scott Walker in the gubernatorial battle. And now, the Milwaukee mayor the Democratic challenger to Governor Scott Walker, the Republican in this recall election Tuesday.
And Kyra, this is much more than just a matter for Wisconsin. That's why we're spending so much time here. A lot of people say this could be a barometer, a test case for the November election. And both sides, Democrats and Republicans, are really gauging, seeing how much strength they have, their get out the vote efforts. This has turned into a national story. You remember how much time we spent last February of 2011 with the protests in Wisconsin here.
PHILLIPS: And I believe it was last night on CNN, right, Bill Clinton was interviewed, and he said that being a governor and having a sterling business record makes Romney qualified for the essential functions of the presidency, but says Obama's ideas and plans for the country are better, and he thinks Obama will win. Any morning-after spin from the White House on that?
(LAUGHTER)
STEINHAUSER: Yes, the White House and the Obama campaign downplaying this a little bit. Kyra, that's an example of when good surrogates go bad. Who could say maybe Bill Clinton spoke his mind but he was definitely a little off-message as a surrogate for President Obama. You know, I know -- we've been covering it -- the Obama campaign has been firing away at Mitt Romney the last couple of weeks against Romney's record at Bain Capital. And, well -- take a listen again in Bill Clinton's own words what he said.
PHILLIPS: No, let's get -- actually, let's get live to the picture here. Bill Clinton --
STEINHAUSER: OK.
PHILLIPS: Yes, Bill Clinton is stepping up to the mic. Let's go ahead and listen in.
(BEGIN LIVE FEED)
(APPLAUSE)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you!
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: So, folks, just in case you think this was set up by somebody else, these are the notes I wrote about what I wanted to say to you.
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: The great thing about not being president, you can say whatever you want.
(LAUGHTER)
Nobody has to care anymore, but you can say it.
(LAUGHTER)
CLINTON: It's great to be here. Great to be back in Milwaukee. Great to be back in Wisconsin.
(CHEERING)
CLINTON: I want to thank my long-time friend, Senator Herb Cole, for being here, and for supporting Tom.
(CHEERING)
CLINTON: Representative Gwynn Moore, thank you for your service in Congress.
(CHEERING)
CLINTON: You know, this -- I was thinking about all my Wisconsin memories today. 20 years ago -- it's hard to believe -- when I ran for president, I remember being on a little farm with an Irish farmer with nine children singing "Danny Boy" to me. I remember bringing the chancellor of Germany, Helmet Cole, to Milwaukee, and having Milwaukee school children sing a song to him in German.
(CHEERING)
CLINTON: And when I drove through the city today, I got here early, stopped at a coffee shop where Tom is winning, and looked around and all of the changes that were made. And this is what I want to say to you. This is about what's best for you and your kids and your future. But it's also about America. You know, for 100 years now, people have looked to Wisconsin from all over this country to see a place of small towns and vibrant cities, see a place of farmers and factory workers and small business people, to see a place where there were vigorous political debates, closely held elections. And then people got together and figured out what the heck to do. And now they look at Wisconsin, and they see America's battleground between people who want to work together to solve problems and people who want to divide and conquer, people who know that creative cooperation is working in America, and people who want constant conflict.
And here's what I want to tell you. Tom was kind enough to say this in his introduction. I think I know a little bit about what would bring America back. What would bring economic recovery?
(CHEERING)
CLINTON: What would enable us to have broadly shared prosperity? And I'll tell you, if you go anywhere in America today, believe it or not, there are a lot of places that are already back. And they all have one thing in common. They're dramatically different. But they all have one thing in common. They are involved in creative cooperation, not constant conflict.
(CHEERING)
CLINTON; In Chicago, when Rahm Emanuel left the president's office and went home and became mayor of Chicago, and he realized that the Republicans were not going to pass the infrastructure bank, which allows private and public capital to put America back to work, to modernize our country, he created one in Chicago. And I went there for the announcement. There were Democrats and Republicans. And the Republicans thought Washington was nuts for not passing what used to be a bipartisan bill. Why? Because the same Tea Party philosophy of the far right that has dominated Wisconsin politics for the 2010 election is dominating there. So they worked with the mayor of Chicago.
In Jacksonville, a young man who worked for me and worked for Hillary, Albert Brown, is now the mayor of Jacksonville, an African- American. And I went there to his --
(END LIVE FEED)
PHILLIPS: 42nd president of the United States, Bill Clinton, speaking in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
If you don't believe that Democrats everywhere have a stake in the Wisconsin recall, well, take a look. He's trying to bring it home for Scott Walker's opponent. This is the campaign for Mayor Tom Barrett to win that state. Again, the Wisconsin recall election is Tuesday. Absentee voting cuts are -- or absentee voting cuts off on -- today, rather.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: We've all seen a politician glow a gasket from time to time, but this was epic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STATE REP. MIKE BOST, (R), ILLINOIS: Not the American way. These damn bills that come out of here all the damn time! Come out here the last second and I have to try to figure out how to vote for my people! You should be ashamed of yourself! I'm sick of it! Every year we give power to one person! Enough! A feel like somebody trying to be released from Egypt. Let my people go!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Well, that's Republican State Rep Mike Bost, from Illinois, on the House floor, furious over a new plan to overhaul the state pension system. He pretty much unleashed on Democrats for not allowing enough time to read the lengthy bill before voting on it.
Last night, he spoke again, this time to CNN. He was a lot calmer this time around. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOST: It had been an extremely rough day with 200, 300-page bill that had been changed that we'd been working on for a year and a half, and now, all of a sudden, it was time to vote and they came in ten minutes before the meeting and decided that now we would hand you a bill brand new with all the changes -- all the things we had not supported. So, yes, there was a problem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Bost says he's had enough of what he calls total control taken by the Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan.
The Catholic Church of Wisconsin is now confirming what a former archbishop once strongly denied, that it paid pedophile priests as much as $20,000 to leave the priesthood voluntarily. You may recognize the former head of the Milwaukee archdiocese. That's Timothy Dolan, now a cardinal in New York, and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. A decade ago, he dismissed as preposterous the very idea that's come to light in bankruptcy proceedings in Milwaukee. The church there is broke after paying millions of dollars to victims of sexually abusive priests. Victims are outraged over payments to those same priests.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER ISELY, MIDWEST DIRECTOR, SNAP: You do not give a bonus check to a man who raped children as a priest. That is not what you do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, the archdiocese maintains that the payouts were a reasonable incentive to speed the departure of unassignable clergy. Quoting now, "A financial payment to assist the individual in the transition to lay life was a small price to pay compared to the enormous expense and time delay that would have otherwise been incurred. Like it or not, the archdiocese is responsible for the financial care of a priest, even is priest who has committed a horrible crime and sin such as clergy sexual abuse of a minor." Cardinal Dolan has not commented on the latest revelations. At the time, he called the payments an act of charity.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Body parts in the mail, kittens killed, a girlfriend who tortured and killed young girls -- all now linked to a Canadian porn actor who is the target of an international manhunt. Among other grotesque acts, he's accused of killing a Chinese student and cutting up his parts and sending the body parts to Canadian lawmakers. Then posting a video of the attack on the Internet.
Paula Newton, joining us once again from London.
Paula, what's the latest today? PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, of course, now the hunt for this suspect has moved across the pond here to Europe. Canadian police telling me they have reason to believe that he left last weekend and that, in fact, even though they have this manhunt on and INTERPOL has launched what had they call a red notice, I can tell you it's an airports and train stations around Europe, that they believe he has several days lead ahead of them.
I want you to listen now to Canadian police describe exactly what was involved in this murder in terms of what the relationship was between the two.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IAN LAFRENIERE, MONTREAL POLICE: As well as video, we believe the suspect and victim knew each other. How well they knew each other, I don't know that. But they knew each other. It's not a stranger and it's not a random attack.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: There was also the fact that this was videotaped. Police have been very candid about what they saw on the videotape, saying that it was horrible, the worst they had seen in their careers as law officers and it took them quite a wile to take that video down off the Internet -- Kyra?
PHILLIPS: What do you know about this girl that apparently the suspect knew, they had dated, and she was convicted of murder and rape?
NEWTON: You know, Kyra, I covered this original case in the early '90s. It involves one Carla Hamoka (ph) who -- she and her husband were convicted of killing three women. One of them was her sister. It was a sordid crime. This woman had a plea bargain and she is now out of prison.
Now, police still don't know the relationship between these two, if there was a relationship with these two, but key here, Magnotta (ph), who is wanted for this other murder, sought her out. He wanted attention from her. He wanted people to know he was linked to her. And it schemes to follow a pattern with him all over the Internet, as if he wanted people to know that, in fact, he was serious and he wanted to draw attention to himself on the Internet and in other ways, although police cannot confirm that there was a link between the two?
PHILLIPS: The Internet has been helping police with investigation, right?
NEWTON: The Internet and the video posted on the Internet. Police were clear in saying this suspect has led us to this crime and we have enough evidence we believe to prosecute him. The problem, Kyra, come on, he had a five-day lead on them even before the warrant was issued here in Europe. And he can now travel all over Europe without showing that Canadian passport. He's also known again from the Internet of being able to come up with aliases. This is going to be a tough manhunt.
PHILLIPS: We'll follow it.
Paula Newton, thanks so much.
Canadian police are appealing to the public that if you have any information that might lead to the arrest of the suspect, please contact them.
Finally, every year, the first day of June marks a special moment for CNN. It's the date when founder, Ted Turner, started the first 24-hour cable news network. That was 32 years ago today. And we thank the 359 million homes that now watch CNN throughout the nation and around the world.
Thanks for watching, everyone. You can continue the conversation on Twitter, @KyraCNN, or on Facebook.
CNN NEWSROOM continues now with Suzanne Malveaux.
