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FBI Probes Possible White House Leaks; New Claims of Government Massacre in Syria; Texting Teen to Prison for a Year; Vatican Condemns Sex Book, It Hits No.1; FBI Probes U.S. Intelligence Leaks; Chesapeake Bay: Condition Critical
Aired June 07, 2012 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: -- right now in the NEWSROOM, top secret details leaked about cyber attacks against Iran. Did the information come from inside the White House? Now the FBI is on the hunt to find out.
It's the first case of its kind in Massachusetts and it's a wakeup call to all drivers who text behind the wheel. Taking your eyes off the road will land you in prison.
Is it the forbidden fruit? When you think sex books you don't think the author is a nun but in this case that's exactly the winning combination for what it's now a best seller. Of course the Vatican has plenty to say about this.
Liberal radio host Bill Press calls our national anthem, quote, "an abomination." And he wants to get rid of it. He says he's embarrassed every time he hears it. He says this is now his major crusade. So what do you think? Our "Talk Back" question of the morning coming your way.
And goats on a roof. Need I say more?
NEWSROOM begins right now.
And good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello. Thanks so much for joining us. This morning we begin with a question both chilling and deadly serious. Is someone putting politics ahead of your safety and the well-being of Americans around the world?
The FBI is investigating the leaks of classified information and whether the White House is behind them. Even leaders of the president's own party are voicing grave concerns about the amount of secret information now being made public.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DIANE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: And Aeschylus, an avalanche of leaks and it is very, very disturbing. You know, it -- it's dismayed our allies. It puts American lives in jeopardy. It puts our nation's security in jeopardy. And if you look at terrorism intelligence is fundamental to knowing what's going to happen and prevent it from happening in the first place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Some of that information is coming from recent articles in "The New York Times" which details the use of drones and cyber attacks used to cripple al Qaeda and Iran's nuclear program. The paper is defending itself this morning. And in about 10 minutes we're going to talk with "New York Times" reporter Scott Shane all about this.
Now let's go overseas to the crisis in Syria and reports of a government slaughter of civilians. Some of the images posted online are so horrifying we're going to show you something less graphic instead. These are homes allegedly torched by the regime's troops as they move from village to village.
Today the United Nations looks at new reports of the massacre but for most Americans it's a fight that should remain distant. According to a new CNN/ORC international poll 61 percent of Americans say the U.S. does not have any responsibility to act in Syria. One in three supports some kind of intervention.
Zain Verjee is in London. She has a closer look for us.
Good morning, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Good morning, Carol. Another day and another massacre in Syria. Opposition activist, Carol, is saying that 78 people have been killed.
I just want you to take another look at those pictures. Some of them are still pretty graphic. CNN there cannot confirm their authenticity but they're said to be taken on Wednesday. Now pictures have apparently been taken in the town of Kuber. This is in Hama province where there's been a lot of fighting going on anyway.
There are bodies of men, women and children covered in blankets. There were reports of women trying to protect their kids but everyone was just totally charred.
The opposition is saying it was the government forces that came in and made this happen. Now the government is saying well, they didn't do it. Meanwhile the United States is trying to rally the international people to really put pressure on Syria. But you know what the problem here is, Carol, is that two key players, Russia and China, are saying no, there should be no intervention at all, militarily. It would be totally unacceptable.
And what they really want to see is the international community and Kofi Annan kind of continue the whole mediation strategy but that has gone nowhere right now because you -- as you can see the Syrian government doesn't really care what the world thinks. You can pull out the diplomats and put sanctions on. Well, they're kind of doing whatever they want.
COSTELLO: I know, and -- yes, you're right. People just keep -- it's just a sad situation there. People just keep dying.
Zain Verjee, live in London for us this morning.
Also new this morning Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is in Afghanistan on an unannounced visit to that country. But the biggest surprise may be his warning aimed at neighboring Pakistan. Al Qaeda- linked terrorists have established safe havens there and they're launching raids across the border.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEON PANETTA, DEFENSE SECRETARY: We are reaching the limits of our patience here. And for that reason it is extremely important that Pakistan take action to prevent this kind of safe haven from taking place and from allowing terrorists to use their country as a -- as a safety net in order to conduct their attacks on our forces.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Pakistan had once been a critical U.S. ally on the war on terror. Relations between the two counties soured after the White House kept secret its plans to kill Osama bin Laden inside Pakistan. The alliances -- been even more strained over recent U.S. drone attacks in Pakistan.
Taxpayers, brace yourself for this story. The Navy says a simple vacuum cleaner may have caused $400 million in damage to a nuclear submarine. The USS Miami was undergoing work in a shipyard in Maine when a fire broke out. Investigators now believe the blaze started in a vacuum cleaner used to clean work sites on board the sub.
This next story is sure to be a cautionary tale passed from parents to young drivers. A Massachusetts judge has sentenced a teenager to a year in prison for texting on his cell phone as his car crashed and killed another driver. This is a landmark case with a sobering message.
We get details now from Amalia Barreda, a CNN affiliate WCVB.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Negligent operation and injury from mobile phone use, guilty or not guilty?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Guilty.
AMALIA BARREDA, REPORTER, WCVB: The guilty verdicts against 18- year-old Aaron Deveau underscore the devastation suffered by the members of two families, collapsing in tears at opposite ends of the courthouse. The jury found the teenager caused the death of Daniel Burleigh in February of 2011 because he was texting when he crashed into him head one. Burleigh died of his injuries 18 days later. The victim's daughter addressed the court.
DONNA BURLEIGH, VICTIM'S DAUGHTER: I would wake up at night and hear my dad talking to me. I get up and go look for him, he wasn't there.
BARREDA: The victim's girlfriend still struggling with her injuries sustained in the crash pressed for jail time.
LUZ ROMAN, VICTIM'S GIRLFRIEND: He needs the time to process. Because I don't think he knows already what he has done.
BARREDA: Deveau apologized.
AARON DEVEAU, CONVICTED OF HOMICIDE: I made a mistake. If I could take it back I would take it back.
BARREDA: His attorney and his mother ask for compassion.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My son didn't intentionally want to hurt anybody.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a pretty good kid who made a bad mistake.
BARREDA: But from the prosecutor and the victim's family equally pained for words.
DONNA BURLEIGH, VICTIM'S SISTER: The hardest thing I had to witness was my brother -- watching my brother Donald take his last breath and leave us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are people's lives who were ruined by this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Texting is just one danger competing for a driver's attention. In fact those concerns over distracted driving are now commanding the attention of our government. At the top of the next hour the Department of Transportation will announce a new initiative against distracted driving. We'll take a closer look in the next hour of NEWSROOM.
Also this morning a new measure of the economy. The government's number crunchers say unemployment fell slightly last week. Three hundred, seventy-seven thousand Americans are filing first-time claims. That's 12,000 fewer than the week before.
The nation's jobless rate and its drag on the economic recovery are sure to be topics in the next hour on Capitol Hill. The Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will testify before the Joint Economic Committee of Congress.
More than 2,000 former NFL players and their families are filing a class action lawsuit against the league today. The suit claims the NFL knew for years that hits caused long-term brain injury and that the league tried to hide the problem. The widow of a former Atlanta Falcons player has joined the suit. Ray Easterling committed suicide in April after suffering from symptoms of brain damage for 20 years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARY ANN EASTERLING, WIDOW OF FORMER NFL PLAYER RAY EASTERLING: The early symptoms that Ray displayed were insomnia and depression. I had no idea it was due to the brain trauma that he had suffered during football. Didn't really know about it until 2010. And it was hard to go through for 20 years. He suffered greatly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Mary Ann Easterling says she doesn't want current NFL players to suffer. She wants the league to provide testing and treatment for players showing symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer's.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, they're headed to the NBA Finals. The Thunder beat the Spurs last night to take the Western Conference title four games to tow. One of the Thunder players is getting an honor of sorts for his playoff play. A giant replica of James Harden's beard has been hung on the front of an Oklahoma City building.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: I love that.
And what a difference a church reprimand makes? A nun's 6-year- old sex book is selling like hot cakes because the Vatican considers it forbidden fruit. We'll tell you how it's gone from obscurity to the top of Amazon's best-seller list.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Twelve minutes past the hour, checking our top stories now.
The controversy over leaks about a cyber attack against Iran now the focus of an FBI investigation. Several senators say the leaks put national security at risk. Some accused the White House of releasing the information to boos President Obama's reelection bid. The Obama administration calls these suggestions, quote, "grossly irresponsible."
Five men and seven women will decide the fate of former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky. The jury is now seated. And half of them have ties to the university.
Our Jason Carroll, he was in the courtroom, he spoke to Anderson Cooper about Sandusky's demeanor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He likes to joke around. And at one point during the jury proceeding he basically said, quote, "What did you guys do to deserve me." He's turned around and said that to two of the -- two of the jury pool reporters who were there. Then he said to the two reporters, quote, "How did you guys get stuck with is?" So a little bit of joking there. But I should point out as he left the courthouse today people were shouting out questions at him he said absolutely nothing. Got to his car with Joe Amendola and drove away.
COSTELLO: Sandusky has pleaded not guilty to charges that he sexually abused boys for at least 15 years.
In money news this morning, want an aisle or a window seat on your next flight? Well, going to cost you extra, extra. Some airlines now are charging as much as $29 each way on domestic flights and 59 bucks on international ones. Of course it's all an attempt to make more money. The charge for what's being called preferred seating follows recent fees from checked bags to blankets.
In sports I'll have another's bid for the first triple crown winner in 34 years will go ahead as Park has been averted, those workers reached a tentative labor deal with the New York Racing Association ending a yearlong dispute.
And your senior high school prank may have involved stealing doorknobs or toilet paper and trees, but that wasn't enough for a group of students in Connecticut. The police say may be responsible for putting these oats on the school's roof. Firefighters at a local farmer were called in to get the goats off the roof. They're fine this morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Firefighters and a local farmer were called in to get the goats off the roof. They are fine this morning.
The nun who wrote a book about sex should be thanking the Vatican for condemning it. Sister Margaret Farley's book, "Just Love," is the top selling religious book on Amazon. It's number 16 overall. And Amazon says it is out of stock right now.
This isn't even a new book. It came out in 2006 and was number 143,000 just a few days ago. So, it looks like the Vatican would have been better off not mentioning the book at all if didn't want people reading it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Vatican is furious about a book about sex, relationships and masturbation written by a nun. The church's action is having an unintended effect. It is now a bestseller.
SISTER MARGARET FARLEY, AUTHOR, "JUST LOVE": The churches are all too often torn apart --
ENDO: "Just Love" was written in 2006 by prominent Catholic theologian, Sister Margaret Farley. But the Vatican publicly slammed the book this week. In it, Farley proposes a more tolerant view of sexual ethics.
The Vatican denounced the book saying it was in direct contradiction with Catholic teaching on sexuality. That public rebuke pushed the 2006 title to the 16th spot on Amazon.com's bestseller list.
REV. BRIAN LINNANE, PRESIDENT, LOYOLA UNIV. MARYLAND: Everyone agrees it's theological speculation.
ENDO: The president of Loyola University in Maryland and fellow theologian, Reverend Brian Linnane, is one of Farley's most prominent defenders.
LINNANE: She did not write a book about sexual practices. She wrote a new framework to think about sexual questions of sexual ethics which looks at justice rather than procreation or abstinence or other sorts of values that have been on the tradition.
LINNANE: For example, Farley writes that masturbation could be beneficial for women but the Vatican's doctrinal watchdog office denounced the idea, saying masturbation was a gravely disordered action.
Farley also says same sex relationships and homosexual acts can be just as beneficial as heterosexual relationships. But the church says those acts are contrary to the natural law.
In her book, Farley claims she doesn't believe divorce and remarriage should be prohibited. What the church says they amounted adultery.
In a statement, Farley says that the book was not intended to be an expression of current official Catholic teaching nor was it aimed specifically against this teaching. It's of a different genre altogether.
With this latest rebuke, Linnane says it could have a chewing effect on religious freedom.
LINNNANE: There is a sense that the theologian is diminished in this notification to where it really is just keep repeating what we've already said and don't question it. Don't critique it and don't try to help us make it more adequate. I think that's troubling.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Sandra Endo reporting.
Liberal radio host Bill Press calls our national anthem, quote, "an abomination." He wants to get rid of it. He says he's embarrassed every time he hears the "Star-Spangled Banner." He says it's his major crusade. So -- lots of people are weighing in on this one. We want you to, too.
And don't forget, if you are heading out the door, you can take us with you. Watch us anytime on your mobile or computer. Just head to CNN.com/TV.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Here's something you definitely do not see every day -- Mitt Romney and Barack Obama getting the country on together.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, do you have a decision?
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is one of the toughest decisions I have had to make since I have been on office. I want them both.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I thought presidential election was a tough race but it's nothing compared to the politics at the CMT Music Awards. I think I have a solution, though, I propose Toby and Kristen to co-host the show. See, I just put two people back to work. You're welcome, America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: They were separately together. But they were separately together. (INAUDIBLE) your eyes, we're not deceiving. Both did a little video clip for the Country Music Award last night. Of course, the star of the night was actually Carrie Underwood. She won for video of the year.
Now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning: What do you think of Bill Press's crusade against the "Star-Spangled Banner?" Yes, Bill Press, liberal talker, Current TV guy, he hates our national anthem. He calls the "Star-Spangled Banner" an un-singable abomination, although Press insists have nothing to do with patriotism. He did say this.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
BILL PRESS, LIBERAL TALK SHOW HOST: And the home of the brave? I don't know. Are we the only ones that are brave on the planet? I mean, all the brave people live here. It's just stupid. I'm embarrassed every time -- I'm embarrassed every time I hear it.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Just what America needs right now because you wouldn't want to embrace patriotism when partisanship is at an all time high and during hard economic times. Conservatives are already calling Press a liberal moon bat, among other things I cannot say on television. Seems more than one American has a problem with the anthem, at least when it comes to knowing the lyrics.
You may remember Christina Aguilera flubbed the words in an epic Super Bowl fail she sang what sounded like, quote, "What proudly we watched at the twilight's last reaming."
What she should have sung was, "O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming."
Press's crusade was inspired by a survey by a "Vanity Fair" and "60 Minutes" survey that asked, if the country had a new anthem who should write it? Come in first with 22 percent, Bruce Springsteen, you know, the guy who was born in USA.
In all of this, Fort McHenry, the "Star-Spangled Banner's" birthplace marks the 200th anniversary next weekend.
So, the talk back question today, what do you think of Bill Press's crusade against the "Star Spangled Banner"? I can't wait for your comments. Facebook.com/CarolCNN, Facebook.com/CarolCNN, I'll read your comments later this hour.
We'll also talk more about that with our two CNN contributors. One leans left and one right. Is this something they can both agree on?
Plus, we'll have the conversation about the leaks of classified information. Someone playing politics with our country's secrets?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Opening bell on Wall Street, just about to ring after yesterday's fantastic days. The market is playing the waiting game. Investors are looking ahead to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's congressional testimony. That will happen I guess sometime in the next hour.
Ringing the bell this morning, the CEO of Healthcare Trust of America, which is celebrating its listing on the New York Stock Exchange.
And good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello.
Stories we are watching right now in the NEWSROOM:
Anger grows on Capitol Hill about potential intelligence leaks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: An Anschluss, an avalanche of leaks. And it's very, very disturbing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Senator Dianne Feinstein says the leaks are putting lives and the nation's security in jeopardy.
The FBI is now investigating whether any leaks are coming from the White House.
Don't expect to see a Romney-Bush ticket this call. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush says under no circumstances will he be Mitt Romney's running mate. But the brother of George W. Bush is not ruling out a run for the top job in the future.
Let's talk more about the leaks. Republicans accuse the Obama administration of putting classified information out there for political gain. The White House denies it.
CNN contributors Will Cain and Maria Cardona are here to talk about. Maria's politics lean left. She's Democratic strategist. Will leans right.
So, let's start with you, Will, shall we? And good morning to both of you.
WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning.
MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: I wasn't very polite, was I?
CAIN: You are always polite, Carol.
COSTELLO: OK. So, Republicans are making some pretty serious accusations. They are saying that the Obama administration is leaking these secrets about their drone program for political gain. Do they have a case?
CAIN: It's definitely worth a question. I don't know about making a case right now, but it's definitely worth a question. It seems to be a bipartisan question. You just played a clip from Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat from California.
Here's the deal, Carol, we can add up the list and it's getting long. Whether or not you are talking about President Obama's kill list with the drone list of terrorist targets, whether or not you're talking about the Iranian cyber attacks, Stuxnet, and the level of detail involved in that attack. You could all the way back to the Osama bin Laden raid, which had a lot of detail in it. And, then, of course, the double agent story in Yemen.
That's four stories with a great amount of detail. At the very least, we should be very concerned about why that information is getting out. If it is some kind of, you know, paint President Obama in a positive light -- and, by the way, they do and perhaps appropriately -- you are at least worth asking some questions. Where is this coming from?
COSTELLO: Well, and to be fair, Senator Feinstein does not believe these leaks are coming from inside the White House, or from the Obama administration.
CAIN: And all I done is said it's worthy of some questions.
COSTELLO: Maria, what do you think?
CARDONA: I agree with Will in that it is worth the question, where I think the Republicans is going way overboard is that they are already accusing the White House of having done this on purpose and having authorized those leaks. I think that goes way beyond the pale and I think we should all put on the table or at least I believe that both Democratic as well as Republican administrations really take classified information and the security of our national interests and our assets of our troops very, very seriously.
So, to go to accuse the White House is doing it on purpose I think is way too much at this point. I do agree that the question needs to be asked and I think that's a bipartisan question and that's a fair debate to have.
COSTELLO: OK. So let's talk about it from a journalistic standpoint, because isn't it fair also, doesn't the public have a right to know that this drone program is going on? Because it does have moral implications. Isn't it something that the public ought to know about? Will?
CAIN: This is never an easy question to answer, Carol. So, look, we have to balance national security interests against those with the public being fully informed about the things the government is doing on its behalf. I certainly enjoy reading the details of these stories. The David Sanger's piece in "New York Times" about the cyber attack is absolutely fascinating. It's not just enjoyment, it's useful knowledge for me as a citizen, as a voter, to know some of these things.
But you have to balance that against national security. What that does to jeopardize the program and I'm not sure those are being struck right, right now.
COSTELLO: Well, on the other hand, Maria, the Obama administration is investigating and the FBI has launched an investigation. So, it's not like the Obama administration isn't aware.
CARDONA: Well, of course. I mean, they read the papers, too, and they clearly have actually also said that they have shared in some of these briefings, some of the scenarios that have happened. But they have been very clear. And I believe them on this, and I think we should take it on face value, that in none of that has there been an authorized leak of classified information. And I think that is key.
I agree with Will that this is always the balance of a robust democracy, which we have in this country, where you balance the people's right to know about what their government is doing, along with the national security interests. I think that that is always a healthy debate to have. But I would like to point out that the reporters themselves, including David Sanger, have said that none of this information has come from either the White House or top Democratic officials. A lot of it has been because of the worm that they've been talking about, the cyber attack on Iran, actually went public.
So, we have to be clear about what has been said, what has been leaked, where it has come from and where there are questions, we should ask those questions.
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: There is an article this morning defending itself against Dianne Feinstein's charges. I'm just going to read you a paragraph from that article. This is what it says. "The Obama administration's inconsistency however has been particularly evident on the drone program. Officials routinely give reporters limited information on strikes, usually on the condition of anonymity. Mr. Obama spoke explicitly about the strikes in Pakistan in an online appearance in January, arguing they were precisely aimed at al Qaeda."
So it seems as if the Obama administration at least wants something known about the drone program. It makes no bones about it, but turns around and says, oh, we've got to stop these leaks.
CARDONA: Well, again, I think that points to the balance that I think both Will and I are talking about. But, again, let's be very clear. None of that was classified information that either the president was talking about or either the White House or top administration officials. If there is a consistency, that needs to be fixed. If there are leaks going on, unauthorized leaks, that is the question and that is the investigation that needs to be had.
But to go overboard and accuse the administration of doing this on purpose for political gain is beyond the pale at this point.
COSTELLO: OK. So, I'm going to pivot and end the conversation with something we probably can agree on. All three of us maybe, I don't know.
CARDONA: A great Thursday.
COSTELLO: So liberal talker Bill Press wants to ditch "The Star-Spangled Banner." He calls it an abomination, it's too hard to sing, and the lyrics are stupid, too.
So, I don't know. Why would you say that? Come on, who wants to weigh in.
CAIN: I'll weigh in, I'll tell you this. I think this is absurd. He can say it is a hard song to sing, that's hard to kind of hard to rebut. But to say the lyrics are stupid because he talks about the fact the lyrics include land of the free and home of the free.
He is offended by the fact that it's jingoistic song. Yes, it's jingoistic. That's what national songs are about. National anthems were about.
Says we are the home of the brave. What's he wanted to say? We're home of some of the brave? Brave people and other nations -- big deal.
COSTELLO: It's written during the war of 1812.
CARDONA: I completely agree. I think Francis Scott Key is turning in his grave right now. I think most Americans believe that Bill Press needs to get another cause if this is a cause he is going to be on right now. You know, there are other songs that Americans have talked about that could be our national anthem like "America the Beautiful." I'm sure Mitt Romney would like that one. We know that he knows all the lyrics to that song.
A lot of people said, "This Land is Your Land", Woody Guthrie, would be a good one.
But I think most Americans agree that the "Star-Spangled Banner" hits the nail on the head in terms of patriotism and how great this country is.
COSTELLO: See, Maria is not a liberal moon bat.
CARDONA: Absolutely not. I'm rational.
CAIN: I love the assumption in that statement, though.
COSTELLO: No assumption. It was just a joke.
CAIN: I know.
COSTELLO: We are trying to get ahold of Bill Press and ask him specifically.
CARDONA: That will be interesting.
COSTELLO: Maria Cardona and Will Cain, thank you so much for an interesting conversation this morning.
CARDONA: Thank you, Carol.
CAIN: Thank you.
COSTELLO: We usually only saw her under the cover of a veil, but now Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris, is opening up about life with her superstar father in an effort to make sure his kids enjoy a normal childhood.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Of course, she's one of the people who knew superstar Michael Jackson the best. And now, his 14-year-old daughter Paris is speaking about life with and without her famous father. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Paris talked about how Jackson's childhood influenced the way he raised she and her brothers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPRAH WINFREY, TV HOST: Did you feel like he wanted you to have a normal life?
PARIS JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON'S DAUGHTER: He did.
WINFREY: Yes. Did you think that was possible with him being who he was?
JACKSON: He had his doubts, because I remember he told us that when he was younger he didn't really have a childhood. He would always be stuck in the studio singing while others were playing. He wanted us to have that. So, he would allow (ph) us to go to Chuck E Cheese and everything. Chuck E. Cheese and Toys R Us were our favorite places to go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Paris added that life since Jackson's death has been difficult, saying, quote, "It never gets easier."
Death threats on Twitter for "The View" co-host Sherri Shepherd. It's what she filed in a police report.
Kareen Wynter is in Los Angeles to tell us more about that.
Hi.
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.
I have to say, Sherri Shepherd, she is fighting that this morning. She's actually demanding Twitter take action against the individuals who'd been posting seriously threatening messages directed at her. Now, we have been following Shepherd on her verified Twitter account.
And over the past few days she has been the target of a series of disturbing, also violent messages, including death threats, which is coming from a number of different individuals. And late yesterday, she actually began lashing back at the online bullies.
Here is what she tweeted around 11:00 last night. "Just returned from filing a police report for this online harassment nonsense. I will be pursuing this legally." Now, we checked in with the New York police department tells us they have no police report on file from Shepherd.
Shepherd added an explanation saying Twitter has to provide the information on the individuals making threats before they can pursue and Shepherd says she is following up with Twitter to get the site to hand over the information. She is not letting this go, Carol.
COSTELLO: Good for her.
Let's talk about John Mayer, because I understand he is not so happy about Taylor Swift's "Dear John" song. It's like attacking a kitten.
WYNTER: Here's the deal. It's a bizarre story.
Actually, in a new interview with "Rolling Stone" magazine, John Mayer, he's coming out swinging against his ex, Taylor Swift, for writing her hit song, "Dear John". Now, Mayer tells the magazine, Carol, the ballad, quote, "really humiliated him." The 34-year-old crooner got in this jab, he called "Dear John," quote, "cheap songwriting."
Here's the back story. The 22-year-old songstress never outwardly identified Mayer as the inspiration for her song from her 2010 "Speak Now" album. It is widely understood that the lyrics rehashed Swift and Mayer's brief romance.
In the song, Carol, she writes, listen to this, "Dear John, I see it all now that you're gone. Don't you think I was too young to be messed with. The girl in the dress cried all the way home. I should have known."
You know, Carol, that's what songwriters do, they write about life experiences. Perhaps John should have perhaps stayed mum on this one.
COSTELLO: And that's what a 32-year-old man should think might happen if you are dating an 18-year-old young woman.
WYNTER: Yes, she's always a target. I don't get it. She is so sweet. But she'll work it out.
COSTELLO: She is strong. She is no kitten. She is a lioness.
WYNTER: No, she's not.
COSTELLO: Kareen Wynter --
WYNTER: You are a fan. I can tell.
COSTELLO: I am. I love her.
Kareen will be back with us for the next hour with more showbiz headlines, including Oprah Winfrey's interview with Michael Jackson's daughter. She opens up about her famous dad. We'll show you more of the interview with Oprah.
Did you see this yesterday? It was the picture that defied explanation. A gas can strapped into a child safety seat and the child sitting next to it. Well, now, his mom is explaining or at least trying to.
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COSTELLO: It's 45 minutes past the hour. Checking our "Top Stories".
The controversy over leaks about a cyber attack against Iran now is the focus of an FBI investigation. The National Intelligence Director is meeting with several lawmakers this morning. Several of them say the leaks put national security at risk. Some accuse the White House of releasing the information to boost President Obama's re-election bid. The Obama administration calls that grossly irresponsible.
The Boy Scouts of America plans to keep a ban on gay leaders at least for now; 275,000 people signed an online petition urging the reinstatement of a lesbian den leader Jennifer Tyrrell. The resolution was submitted at the Boy Scout's national meeting. The organization does not plan to take up the issue until next year.
In weather the Denver area is getting slammed with some nasty storms today. Yesterday they had seven tornado reports. Today's threat is mostly large hail and damaging winds.
In money news your Google map is getting a makeover. The tech giant announcing its deploying camera equipped planes over several cities in a plan to create 3D maps which Google officials say will give the illusion of flying over the city. Google plans to release those maps by the end of the year.
And remember this picture. And you know it's kind of hard to forget. A child sitting there in the car while the gas can is all snug and secure in the child's seat. This understandably got the mother in trouble. The Colorado cop who pulled her over was so stunned he snapped the picture.
Now the mother is telling her side of the story. She says her kid was strapped in at first.
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SANDRA RAMIREZ, MOTHER: See he does know how to push this but he can push the red button and shimmy out down. So then I see him flip over the car seat itself and put on the big boy seat belt.
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COSTELLO: Police cited her for three seat belt violations. She says she is through with the driving and she is selling her car.
Critics of the EPA, the Environmental Protection Agency have used it as a punching bag long calling for cuts to the federal agency. But if you think we don't need the EPA consider the 17 million people living in the Chesapeake Bay water shed. Their livelihoods and their recreation are in danger because the bay is in critical condition. The EPA has a plan to save the bay but it's facing stiff opposition.
Here is CNN's Athena Jones.
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ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in North America. It's fed by 100,000 creeks, streams and rivers. Its home to more than 3,700 species of plants and animals including crabs and oysters and it's in trouble.
Conservationists say pollution from farms to wastewater treatment facilities, storm water runoff and power plants in the 64,000-square mile watershed which includes parts of six states and the nation's capitol is slowly killing the bay.
WILL BAKER, PRESIDENT, CHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION: What happens is too much pollution causes an explosion of algae. When the algae die they decompose and they use up oxygen in the water. When you have no dissolved oxygen you have dead zones, dead zones kill fish, kill oysters, kill crabs.
JONES: Warm waters fuel the growth of these dead zones during the summer threatening an important economic engine for the region.
BAKER: A dead Chesapeake Bay means much reduced tourism, it means unhealthy sea food, unhealthy water to swimming; it means the lack of revenues from all the areas that the bay generates.
JONES: We rode out to take a closer look.
JOHN RODENHAUSEN, CHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION: So we're going to head where the water is about 30 feet deep. And that's where we're seeing a lot of really bad water the other day.
JONES (on camera): And measured oxygen levels in the water.
RODENHAUSEN: Most critters (ph) like five parts per million or greater. So we're hoping for a number of 5.0 or greater. We're getting down close to the bottom. This in and of itself is not a good reading. So odds are good that there are not a whole lot of fish down at the bottom.
JONES: So can anything survive down there?
RODENHAUSEN: Not well. No.
JONES (voice-over): In fact the readings were poor all the way up to the surface. In an effort to improve the bay's condition the Environmental Protection Agency set limits on the amount of nitrogen, phosphorous and sediment allowed in the waters. A so-called pollution diet that's been agreed to by the six states and the District of Columbia.
The goal is to cut pollution to these levels by 2025 with the hope of getting more than half way there by 2017. The program has borne fruit according to the EPA administrator Lisa Jackson who we spoke with along the Anacostia River in Washington, one of the most polluted rivers running into the Chesapeake.
LISA JACKSON, EPA ADMINISTRATOR: The progress has been steady, but not fast enough. And I keep saying now is not the time to quit. We are so close to actually turning that corner. But it's going to require all of us -- the federal government, state partners, local and county government, municipalities all alike to keep putting in our share.
JONES: Meeting the EPA's goals will cost billions of dollars. And while some federal help is available, those funds won't cover the whole bill. Failure to meet the targets could result to fewer federal grant, tougher factory permit regulations and stricter regulations for farmers, who the EPA says are the biggest contributors to bay pollution.
Opponents like the American Farm Bureau question the EPA's data and say the plan will kill jobs. They filed suit to block it.
DON PARRISH, AMERICAN FARM BUREAU: This approach by EPA is too heavy-handed and it's going to cost people in this watershed significantly.
JONES: Don Parrish says farmers have already cut back on fertilizers and have created buffer zones to reduce run-off.
PARRISH: Farmers want that cleaner bay. From their standpoint they are already on a razor's edge. And if you push this envelope, it could really have a significant impact on -- on the ability for farms to operate.
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COSTELLO: Athena Jones --
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JONES: Now Carol we're out here on the -- we're out here on the Chesapeake Bay. And as I mentioned the stakes here are high. This is a body of water that pumps billions and billions of dollars into the local economies each year (AUDIO GAP). One of the big industries here is seafood.
And that's one bright spot I should tell you about. The crab population is beginning to rebound, according to the state. Now oysters are a different story. They are beginning to recover but they still have a long way to go. And of course healthy oyster beds are important because they attract fish. Fish like rockfish and sea trout -- Carol.
COSTELLO: It's funny how your views change because as you know my -- my home is in Baltimore and I live near the Chesapeake Bay. And you know your views change. You want it to be cleaned up. But when you talk about more regulations, it's a dirty word right now. And when you talk about money, you know the economy is bad. So is there really a way out?
JONES: Well I mean, the -- the Farm Bureau has brought this lawsuit against the EPA trying to block this plan. The EPA of course is committed to this as they say for the long haul. It's too important to stop. And so whatever happens with this lawsuit, you can guarantee that they're going to keep battling it out as long as they need to.
But one of the big issues as you -- as you just noted is -- is the cost of this. It's going to cost lots and lots of money for the farmers, for different -- for sewage treatment facilities to do upgrades. All sorts of ways that they are trying to tackle this. It's going to cost some money.
And there's definitely millions of dollars available through the federal government. But farmers argue and this National Association of Home Builders who also joined on with that lawsuit, they argued that these costs really are being taken into consideration. That it's going to cost a lot more than the money that's available from the state and federal government. So it's a big issue and we'll keep watching -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Athena Jones reporting live from the Chesapeake Bay.
We asked you to "Talk Back" on one of the big -- well, not big story but one of the stories of the day. The question for you this morning. "What do you think of Bill Press's Crusade against 'The Star-Spangled Banner'?" And by the way we're going to talk to Bill Press about his crusade. That will happen, we're thinking in just about 45 minutes.
We'll be back.
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COSTELLO: We asked you to "Talk Back" on one of the stories of the day. The "Talk Back" question for you this morning. What do you think of Bill Press's crusade against the "Star-Spangled Banner"? Lots of (inaudible) people on our Facebook page.
This from Jon, "Bill Press should move far, far away or take a voice lesson."
This from Sara, "It's very hard for singers to sing. It's also not meant to be played as a dirge but rather closer to a march. That said, I cannot imagine another anthem."
This from Michael, "America the Beautiful" was always the better song.
And from Amy, "The haters need to remember that part of being an American is being able to express unpopular ideas as well as popular ones. He's entitled to his opinion, people."
And this from Steve, "Love my country, hate this song because it's unsingable."
This from Randall, "Go to a Philadelphia Flyers home game and listen to Lauren Hart sing it. It's beautiful and it's moving. Whitney Houston's version at the Super Bowl? Inspiring. Sorry Bill, I don't buy it."
Facebook.com/carolcnn if you'd like to continue the conversation. More of your comments in the next hour. We'll also be talking live to Bill Press.
We'll be back.
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