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Texting Teen to Prison For a Year; Jobless Claims Fall; Bernanke Back on the Hill; Boosting the U.S. Economy; New Claims of Government Massacre in Syria; FBI Probes Possible White House Leaks; Plane Intercepted in Obama's Airspace; Strike Averted at Belmont Track; Panetta's Tough Talk in Kabul; Paris Jackson Talks to Oprah Winfrey

Aired June 07, 2012 - 10:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Just ahead of the NEWSROOM.

Most people know it's dangerous and can even be deadly, but drivers still text while on the road. In just minutes, the federal government gets involved by unveiling new efforts to combat the growing trend. But will it really make a difference?

A new ground-breaking test could identify 3,500 genetic faults in unborn babies. But researchers behind the technology warn there could be many ethical concerns and could lead to even more abortion.

Plus, the greatest of all-time goes from punchman to pitchman. Muhammed Ali appears in a new magazine ad. We'll show it to you and reveal what company he's now endorsing.

But we begin with morning with a cautionary tale of distracted driving and a government campaign about that's about to be announced at any moment. Details on that in just a minute.

But first this news conference comes just one day after a Massachusetts judge sentenced a teenager to a year in prison for texting on his cell phone as his car crashed and killed another driver. It's a landmark case with a sobering message.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONNA BURLEIGH, VICTIM'S DAUGTHER: When I wake up at night and hear my dad talking to me and I would like for him and he wasn't there.

DONNA BURLEIGH, VICTIM'S SISTER: The hardest thing I had to witness was watching my brother, Donald, take his last breath and leave us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are people's lives ruined by this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The victim's family members. This hour the Department of Transportation will announce a new campaign against distracted driving. Lizzie O'Leary joins us now from Washington. I know, Lizzie, you visited a simulator and you experienced firsthand the dangers of distracted driving. So give us a reality check.

LIZZIE O'LEARY, CNN AVIATION AND REGULATION CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Carol, I went out into the national advanced driving simulator out in Iowa. One of the things they do is test how long it takes for a driver to be distracted by a text or something even simple as a bee in the car.

It took about two seconds for me to more or less rear end the car, the fictitious car in front of me. A typical text takes four seconds. So that sort of gives you a sense of how small the margin of error is here.

One of the things you have going on this Massachusetts case is really a landmark because it brings up this question of what can be legislated against, what can be ruled as criminal behavior. What is, frankly, maybe stupid, dangerous, but not the government's role?

It's been this sort of battle about regulating that, 38 states have laws that ban texting while driving. A smaller number, about 31, restrict cell phone use for new drivers so there's a real tension here between safety and also the reach of government.

COSTELLO: Well, the interesting thing about this Massachusetts case, I mean, there's clear evidence that this kid was texting as the accident happened.

They managed to pin down the exact time he sent out a text and at the precise moment the accident occurred. You can see what happened. He's looking down and hits the car and kills that man in his 50s.

You heard his family. I was so sad. So the federal government are going to have this press conference. What do you think they'll announce? What will they say?

O'LEARY: Well, they are short on details in terms of telling us what they are going to do. This has been a priority of Ray Lahood, the Transportation Secretary. It's something he is very involved in.

A couple of things they've done already. One of the things is, you know, a lot of these new cars come with built-in systems where you can operate your phone by remote or talk to the car.

They had manufacturers agree voluntarily to do things like turn those off when the car is moving. There is really attention about how far the federal government will go here whether this is akin to drunk driving.

Think back to the initial drunk driving campaigns where it was framed as public health issue. That's how the Transportation Department sees this.

You know, they've gotten some push back. People say this is an unfair government intrusion and others say this is incredibly dangerous behavior. We should treat it like a public health issue. We should treat it like drunk driving.

Right now, they are sort of in the awareness raising campaign. They're pushing states. They have the ability to withhold some money. So that may be the way they try to push states to act the way they want them to -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I know the press conference is going on now and you want to listen so we'll let you go. Lizzie O'Leary, thank you.

This morning a new measure of the economy, the government's number cruncher ay unemployment fell slightly last week, 377,000 Americans are filing first-time claims. That's 12,000 fewer than the week before.

Recent concerns about the job market prompted some Federal Reserve officials to say they are ready to take more action on the sagging U.S. economy.

Right now, the head of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke -- that's not him yet -- but he's back on Capitol Hill where law makers are expected to grill Bernanke on the state of the economy.

Wall Street will also be paying close attention to the fed chief's comments just one day after stocks posted their best gains of the year.

Felicia Taylor joins me from the New York Stock Exchange. So, Felicia, what exactly can the fed do?

FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, there are plenty of things the Federal Reserve can do. It's not going to happen today because this is merely testimony, as you said, in front of Congress on Capitol Hill as to where the economy stands right now.

But it is kind of a peek into what Bernanke is thinking. And the market, of course, is expecting to hear some kind of information that will hint that there could be another round of stimulus.

What that could be is either an extension of what we have now, which is operation twist, which is expected to end at the end of this month, at the end of June or they could initiate a completely other round of quantitative easing.

This would be the third round we've seen. We heard a number of officials from the Federal Reserve namely Janet Yelin and other Federal Reserve bank presidents sort of hint at the idea that there is room for this kind of thing.

That means that they are worried that the growth down the road just isn't there, especially after that dismal number we got last Friday on jobs growth. However, today's number was OK in terms of the number fewer people filing for claims.

But nevertheless it's not a trend in the right direction. So we are hoping to hear some kind of word from him. The actual action wouldn't take place though possibly until the end of this month or in August.

COSTELLO: So I want you to translate from financial speak to plain old English and tell me why this might matter to all of us.

TAYLOR: The reason that it matters is because the more money that is put into in terms of this kind of stimulus program, the more it should encourage people to possibly borrow more, to feel like there is stimulus out there for banks to lend more.

So it's meant to encourage people to get back into the marketplace, to feel that there is a reason to be in the marketplace and not be sitting on the sidelines, which is what happened up until now.

The flip side to this argument though and this is where there are a lot of people that are against this idea is that it has not created jobs. That's the most important part for this economy is job growth.

A lot of people think it's not the Federal Reserve any more that can do this, but rather the administration in Washington. So that's what's really at crux of this.

COSTELLO: Felicia Taylor live at the New York Stock Exchange.

Now let's go overseas to the crisis in Syria. New reports that the government continues to slaughter civilians. This is one of the less graphic videos posted online supposedly capturing the crackdown by the regime's groups.

The man behind the camera was reportedly shot after videotaping these scenes. Today the United Nations looks at new reports of the massacre.

Our foreign affairs correspondent, Jill Dougherty is at the State Department. So tell us about today's briefing.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Carol, you know, looking at those pictures that are a graphic example of the huge dilemma that the United States and other countries are facing right now.

The only game in town is that plan by Kofi Annan who is the joint envoy on Syria, and it's failed, obviously, in its first task, which is to stop the violence, let alone try to get to any political transition.

So Secretary Clinton in Istanbul is calling that violence unconscionable and she says that Assad has to go. Here's what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: Assad has doubled down on his brutality and duplicity. Syria will not, cannot be peaceful, stable or certainly democratic until Assad goes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGHERTY: OK, so how do you do that? They've been working with sanctions. Secretary Clinton says sanctions are good, but realistically you have to plan for a post Assad Syria.

Now one of the key countries is Russia and it is not clear whether the Russians really would go along with something that would lead to a post Assad Syria. They say it has to be the Syrians who decide.

But Secretary Clinton is now saying we will work with any country as long as the main point is ultimately Assad has to be out of the picture -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Jill Dougherty reporting live for us this morning.

Now we turn to a question that's 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)

SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: An avalanche of leaks. It's very, very disturbing. You know, it's dismayed our allies. It puts American lives in jeopardy. It puts our nation's security in jeopardy. 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: A short time ago we confirmed that Senator Feinstein is taking her concerns to the top of the food chain. This morning, she is meeting with the Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. We'll keep you posted.

We all know him as the greatest. Now Luis Vuitton is hoping that Muhammed Ali will be a boost to their bottom line. The 70-year- old boxing legend and his grandson, Kurtis, they are featured in this upcoming ad for the luxury line.

It's the latest instalment of a campaign that has featured such notables as former Soviet leader, Michael Gorbachev and Angelina Jolie. The Ali ad launches a week from today.

Take a seat, but be prepared to pay up. Still ahead, the latest ways that airlines are trying to make even more money off of you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's 14 minutes past the hour. Checking our top stories.

If you're flying a small plane, you don't want to do it when the president is nearby. An F-16 fighter jet intercepted a small private plane after it entered restricted air space for President Obama's fundraising trip to Los Angeles last night.

The jet followed the single engine Cessna until it landed without incident at an air field in Camarillo, California.

In money news, you want an aisle or a window seat on your next flight? Well, it's going to cost you extra. Some airlines are now charging as much as $29 each way on domestic flights and 59 bucks on international ones all in an attempt to make more money.

The charged for what's called preferred seating follows recent fees from everything from checked bags to even blankets.

In sports, "I'll Have Another's" bid to be the first Triple Crown winner in 34 years will go ahead as planned this Saturday. Now at a workers strike at Belmont Park has been averted. Those workers reached a tentative labor deal with the New York Racing Association ending a year-long dispute.

Your senior high school prank might have involved stealing door knobs or toilet-papering trees. But that was not enough for a group of students in Connecticut. I'm sorry to laugh, but these goats are on the roof of the school that's according to police.

Nobody could figure out how to get them down from the school. So they called in firefighters who to call in a local farmer. They got the goats down and as you can see the goats are happily living on that farmer's farm right now.

On to serious stuff, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is in Kabul today at a critical juncture in U.S./Afghan relations and the war. Panetta's arrival comes as NATO is being blamed for an air strike that killed women and children this week.

There are also concerns about Afghan troop readiness as the Taliban attacks spike with the warmer weather. Mohammed Jamjoom is in Kabul. Mohammed, Secretary Panetta had some actually very strong language about Pakistan today.

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Carol. It's a very stern warning that Secretary Panetta delivered to the Pakistanis today as he was in Kabul earlier.

Essentially he said that Pakistan needed to do all they could to root out the Haqqani networks. That's an al Qaeda linked terrorist network that uses Pakistan as a safe haven.

The U.S. has said many times in the past that Haqqani network conducts cross border attacks, that they come into Afghanistan and specifically target U.S. troops here. Here is more of what the secretary had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEON PANETTA, DEFENSE SECRETARY: We are reaching limits of our patience here. For that reason, it is extremely important that Pakistan take action to prevent this kind of safe haven taking place, and from allowing terrorists to use their country as a safety net in order to conduct their attacks on our forces.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JAMJOOM: Secretary Panetta made those remarks today when he was meeting with his Afghan counterpart, the minister of defense. He didn't just put pressure on the Pakistanis today.

In fact today, Secretary Panetta talked about how there was concern there had been a spike in violence recently. He acknowledged these attacks that happened yesterday, yesterday in Afghanistan, the deadliest day for Afghan civilians here this entire year.

He mentioned that these attacks had become more coordinated of late and there would be an assessment of what needed to be done. This is really coming at a critical juncture as you said, Carol.

Because more and more regions here in Afghanistan are being handed over. Instead of the elitist security being the U.S./NATO led forces, they are being turned to Afghan Security Forces.

Because these attacks have happened these past few days and because they've been so deadly, more questions about if Afghan Security Forces are actually ready to take the lead as far as responsibility for security in this country -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Mohammed Jamjoon reporting live from Kabul, Afghanistan this morning. Thanks.

"Star-Spangled Banner" under attack. One radio host think it's time to ditch it as the national anthem. Bill Press knew he would be stirring up a hornet's nest on this one and he was right. We're going to talk to him after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: "The Star-Spangled Banner" is a revered song that celebrates American resilience and bravery at a time when the young nation's future was in jeopardy.

Singers proudly belt it out before sporting events as big as the Super Bowl and as small as a high school football game. People stand up for it. They take their hats off. They sing along to it, and radio host, Bill Press wants it gone. He explained why on his program.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL PRESS, RADIO HOST: I don't think patriotism has anything to do with it. The national anthem is just absolutely monumentally unsingable. I mean, there's so much wrong with it. I don't know where to start. It's just -- it's an abomination. "The home of the brave?" I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I get that part of it.

PRESS: Are we the only ones that are brave on the planet? All the brave people live here. I mean, it's just stupid. I'm embarrassed every time -- embarrassed every time I hear it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Bill Press joins us by phone. Bill, welcome.

PRESS (via telephone): Hi, Carol.

COSTELLO: So I've been reading some of the comments about you online. The nicest one I could find was liberal moon bat.

PRESS: Well, I just want you to know that breaking news here, conservative talk show host Neal Borst tweeted out this morning that he agrees 100 percent with me.

So I don't think this is a partisan thing at all or left/right thing. First of all, this got started, real quickly, this got started when "60 Minutes" took a poll and most Americans said Bruce Springsteen should be the one chosen to write a new national anthem.

So I chimed in and said let's agree we need a new national anthem because the "Star-Spangled Banner" is unsingable and is an old British drinking song. I suggested we have a lot of better alternatives out there like "God Bless America" or "America the Beautiful." So what's wrong with that?

COSTELLO: Well, I think many Americans would agree it is a very difficult song to sing. But when you talked about the lyrics what's wrong saying Americans are brave? It's not saying everyone else is a wimp or a loser. This was a song about overcoming adversity, wasn't it? I mean, what's wrong with the lyrics?

PRESS: Well, I don't think it's the most well-written song, bombs bursting in air. For my taste, it's a little too militaristic. Again, we have better alternatives.

"My country 'tis of thee" when it says "Let freedom ring from every mountainside," I mean, to me that gets my patriotic juices going same thing with "America the beautiful." I hear the Ray Charles version of "America the Beautiful," I'll take that any day.

COSTELLO: I must say that a lot of people feel that way about the "Star-Spangled Banner" when they hear it and I must admit I start to cry every time I hear. Because, you know, that's a part -- you talk about the bombs and rockets, I mean, Americans were defending themselves from attack.

The Brits have just burned down the White House. They came in the waters outside Fort McHenry and the brave men inside Fort McHenry chased them all the way back to Britain.

PRESS: That was a proud moment, which resulted, in my opinion, in a bad song that was adopted -- it's not like -- Carol, it's not like the "Star Spangled Banner" goes back to the constitution or founding fathers, right?

It comes back to 1930 -- it's only been our national anthem since 1931. There is nothing sacred about it. I love my country and would love it better if we had a national anthem we could all sing without having to screech and try to stretch for two octaves, which most people can't.

COSTELLO: I'm telling you though when Whitney Houston sang it, it was like unbelievably beautiful.

PRESS: When Roseanne Barr sang it?

COSTELLO: Yes, I'd rather forget that. Last question for you because some people are accusing you of not being so patriotic.

PRESS: Well, as I say, there is nothing sacred or patriotic about "The Star-Spangled Banner." I'm not talking about burning my flag. I love my country. As I said, I would love it a lot more if we had a national anthem we could all join hands and sing.

COSTELLO: Bill Press, thank you so much for being on this morning.

PRESS: All right, Carol, thanks.

COSTELLO: We want to know what you think. That today's talk back question, what do you think of Bill Press's crusade against the "Star- Spangled Banner?" Facebook.com/carolcnn. I'll read your responses later this hour.

Nancy Pelosi waxing nostalgic about George W. Bush? Say what? We'll run that by our "Political Buzz" panel.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Just about 30 minutes past the hour. Checking our top stories now.

The Transportation Department is announcing a new initiative against distracted driving this hour. The move coincidentally comes after a Massachusetts teenager was sentenced to a year in prison. He was convicted of homicide in a texting while driving case.

Secretary of State Leon Panetta says Pakistan must do more to shut down terrorist safe havens within its borders. Panetta's strong words came during a visit to Kabul where he is meeting with his Afghan counterpart. The two are talking about the training of Afghan forces with most U.S. troops set to withdrawal in two years.

Opening statements in the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse trial set to begin Monday morning. A jury has been chosen. Half the 16 jurors and alternates have ties to Penn State where Sandusky was assistant football coach for 30 years.

It is 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 leaks of classified information and whether the White House is behind them. Even leaders of the president's own party are voicing grave concerns, some of that secret information comes from the "New York Times." It detailed the use of drones and cyber attacks used to cripple al Qaeda and Iran's nuclear program.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: I read "The New York Times" article and my heart dropped. Because he wove a tapestry which has an impact that's beyond any single one thing. And he's very good at what he does and he spent a year figuring it all out, and he's just one. And this is a problem.

It's also a problem that we have people consulting, they live their life with classified information. They then get a consultancy with your show or your station or some another station and they're talking inadvertently I think about information that should not be talked about.

We have to take a look at all of this. We have to take a look at the oath of nondisclosure that people take. We have to strengthen that. We have to strengthen the investigation within the departments. I think the processes are sloppy. I think they're haphazard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And this morning, Feinstein -- Senator Feinstein takes up the issue with the director of the National Intelligence James Clapper.

But we want to discuss the concerns with Scott Shane of "The New York Times." He's one of the reporters who has exposed some of these latest details. Thank you so much for joining us.

SCOTT SHANE, REPORTER, "NEW YORK TIMES": I'm glad to be here.

COSTELLO: Is "The New York Times" leaking dangerous information?

SHANE: Well of course "The New York Times" doesn't leak, "The New York Times" reports on the actions (ph) of government. And I think the -- you know what -- what I wrote about was the President's counterterrorism record. President Obama is running for re-election and we took a hard look at his counterterrorism record.

And of course the centerpiece of that has been the drone strikes against al Qaeda and Pakistan and in Yemen. You know that I think in some ways the striking thing about the drone program is that it is still considered officially to be classified.

The President and other senior officials, Leon Panetta, the Secretary of Defense, have spoken about it publically. It's reported constantly in the Pakistani press, in the Yemeni press and the American press. And the strange thing about the fact that it's still classified is that Congress, members of Congress are the only ones who really can't talk about this in public.

So to consider it a leak to talk about that particular program seems -- seems rather odd.

COSTELLO: So well everybody is wondering where you're getting your information and I know you're not about to tell me. But they say it's coming from some mole within the Obama administration. Is it?

SHANE: Well, we -- we -- my colleague Joe Becker and I quoted a number of both former and current officials on the record. So it's not mysterious as to whether we -- where we get that information. And it is, in fact, true that reporters can call up American officials and they've made the decision that they will sometimes discuss the drone strikes unconditioned anonymity. I think they've made the calculation that al Qaeda is certainly quite aware of the drone program.

And to talk about the strikes not before they happen but after they happen doesn't give away anything in particular.

COSTELLO: So when Senator Feinstein says that your reporting is endangering Americans, and endangering the America's mission, is that a fair criticism or not?

SHANE: Well, I think you know certainly in some cases it's certainly conceivable that something that would appear in a newspaper would tip-off a U.S. adversary, for example, to intelligence tools who are using the identity of agents who've maybe we've infiltrated into a foreign government, that kind of thing.

But I think in general if you talk to American officials, government officials, there is general agreement that too much information is classified. And when the 9/11 Commission took a look at that issue, they actually concluded that it was excessive secrecy as opposed to leaks that made the U.S. vulnerable to attack by al Qaeda in 2001.

COSTELLO: Scott Shane thank you so much for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.

SHANE: Thank you.

COSTELLO: So does the public have a right to know about the so- called secret information? We're going to ask our "Political Buzz" panel to weigh in too.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: "Political Buzz" is your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day. Three questions, 30 seconds on the clock. Playing today Sirius XM political radio show host and comedian. I always love saying that about you Pete.

PETE DOMINICK, POLITICAL RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Thank you Carol. COSTELLO: You are a funny guy. Pete Dominick.

DOMINICK: Thank you.

COSTELLO: He's our liberal voice.

And CNN contributor, Will Cain he's our conservative guy today. Welcome to both of you.

WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning.

DOMINICK: Hello Carol.

COSTELLO: Hello. Ok question number one, the FBI is investigating the leaks of classified information and whether the White House is behind them. Republicans accuse the Obama administration of doing it for political gain. The White House denies it. "The New York Times" is also getting criticized for recent articles involving national security.

So question. How much does the public have a right to know? Will.

CAIN: The public has a right to know as much as possible up to the extent of that that threatens national security. Let me give you an example. Because what threatens national security is not something that's easily defined. It's just about a week ago a General in South Korea, American General in South Korea suggested the United States Special Forces troops were parachuting into North Korea and spying on North Korean nuclear facilities.

Now he later said he misspoke. Not that he was misquoted, but that he misspoke. Why? Why is he worried about that because that would threaten the Armistice between the United States and North Korea. And put that relationship in jeopardy. Now if this current story is doing anything like that to threaten national security for political purposes, we need to know.

COSTELLO: Pete.

DOMINICK: Yes, I agree with the first part of what Will said. I mean, the question should be what should we not know? The age-old question of a free press during issues at times of war and national security, it's been said that oxygen is the information that informs democracy, that -- that sunlight is the best disinfectant.

I mean, I don't think that the public needs to know when we are about to launch a raid on bin Laden, but certainly I think the public should know when we are at war with a country like we have been with Pakistan for almost 12 years or now in Yemen or places in South America. The public should know when they are having their phones tapped and their e-mails looked at. I think we should know as much as possible.

COSTELLO: All right on to question number two. Listen to what former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said about her old nemesis in the executive branch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), MINORITY LEADER: President Bush really a lovely man. No, really. Now we disagreed in terms of policy.

COSTELLO: She was saying that about George W. Bush, Pelosi, waxing nostalgic about the Bush years. She also praised Bush for his cooperation on AIDS, energy and TARP. Still a new CNN/ORC polls shows Bush is the only living former President with a favorability rating under 50 percent.

But that's still about ten points better than when he left the White House. So the question, "Is it time for Americans to rethink the Bush presidency?" Pete.

DOMINICK: Absolutely. Americans should rethink the Bush presidency almost every day because we are still being really impacted by it all the time. I mean obviously, economically, and of course our national security. Americans, I think we forget about what happened during the Bush administration.

It's good that Nancy Pelosi praises him on what he did for AIDS in Africa which is more than the Obama administration is doing. But I mean everybody always thinks about Iraq but what about Hurricane Katrina?

I mean he created the deficit. His policies. The wars weren't paid for. Medicare Part D wasn't paid for. The two tax cuts weren't paid for -- the guy passed a tax cut during a time of war.

COSTELLO: Will, save Pete's head from exploding from his body.

Dominick: I mean I could go on and on. Give me an hour.

CAIN: There is a wall between us. I can't save Pete from himself. I will say -- I will say this. Americans will think -- you asked when are they going to rethink it? They already are. They're rethinking it right now. He's up significantly from when he left office.

I would suggest to you in ten years he's going to be looked upon much more favorably than he is today. Why? For two main reasons. First of all, he's an extremely likable guy. Secondly, because he's conducted himself with a huge amount of respect post-presidency. Also I would say people will recognize he had two big things laid on his plate, 9/11 and the financial collapse. And they look at his policies and they see the guy that followed him largely does the same things.

COSTELLO: Ok.

DOMINICK: On foreign policy, yes.

COSTELLO: Ok. Let's go on to question number three -- your buzzer beater. Bill Press, a liberal radio host wants to toss out the "Star-Spangled Banner" -- too hard to sing and too mean with all those blaring rockets bursting bombs and brave Americans. Poor Francis Scott Key must be turning over in his grave.

So if not the "Star-Spangled Banner" what should the national anthem be? Will.

CAIN: Yes, let me go first so Pete can be funny after me because I'm not going to change horses. You know, that's just not my style. I stick with tradition. So I'm not going to buy into this Bill Press premise that we need to change the "Star-Spangled Banner". It's a little hard to sing -- granted. But I think we stick with it. It's worked for what -- 200 plus years. See, I don't know when we adopted it officially but I'm going to go with --

COSTELLO: 1930 something.

CAIN: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Pete.

DOMINICK: What should we change it to? Maybe I really like that "Call Me Maybe" song, quite a bit. How about something by Ted Nugent? He's really patriotic. I got to say I think it's a weird thing for Bill Press to bring up. He and I do the same thing, three hours of radio a day. Why would you even bring this up? Is somebody in an unemployment line right now going, you know, it's the national anthem.

It's the national anthem.

COSTELLO: There was a poll. There was a Vanity Fair poll.

DOMINICK: A poll? But who cares what the national anthem is. All that patriotic porn. I never really bought into too much of it anyway. I'm fine with the --

COSTELLO: Did you just say patriotic porn?

CAIN: Yes.

DOMINICK: Patriotic pornography. Absolutely. That's what it is. All of it is really, in my mind.

COSTELLO: Can you translate that for us, Will, patriotic porn?

CAIN: No, no, nor will I try. But I will say that there is a role for patriotism in jingoism. A good role.

COSTELLO: I love the national anthem. When I hear it, I start crying.

CAIN: There you go. Me too. I'm ready to throw out a baseball when I hear it.

COSTELLO: Me too.

CAIN: Yes. There is something to be said for the seventh- inning stretch.

COSTELLO: Get out of here, patriotic porn man. Thanks to both of you. Pete Dominick, Will Cain --

DOMINICK: Is that domain name reserved?

CAIN: Thanks, carol.

COSTELLO: Ok. Thanks to you both.

You want to see the king live again? The company that brought us hologram Tupac is now bringing us hologram Elvis.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: 46 minutes past the hour; checking our top stories now.

The regime of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has quote, "lost all legitimacy". That's according to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki- Moon. His comments come as we learned that a group of U.N. monitors have been shot while trying to enter a Syrian village where the latest massacre occurred. Ban Ki-Moon spoke to the U.N. General Assembly about the situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BAN KI-MOON, U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL: In view of the deteriorating situation, I would welcome further international discussion among key stakeholders on how we can act more effectively. No one can predict how the situation in Syria will evolve. We must be prepared for any eventuality. We must be ready to respond to many possible scenarios

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COSTELLO: Opposition activists accuse forces loyal to the President Bashar -- Bashar al-Assad of Syria, killing 78 people at a tiny village on Wednesday.

The Boy Scouts of America plan 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 Scouts national meeting. The organization does not plan to take up the issue until next year.

In money news, Google is giving its maps a makeover. The tech giant announcing it's deploying camera-equipped planes over several cities in a plan to create these cool-looking 3D maps which Google officials will say give the illusion of actually flying over the city. Google plans to release those maps by the end of the year.

Michael Jackson's daughter is telling everyone about her life. She sat down with Oprah Winfrey and Kareen Wynter is in Los Angeles to tell us all about it. She is such a poised young lady, isn't she?

KAREEN WYNTER, HLN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: She really is so smart. Has a great head on her shoulders. Well, Carol, three years after her dad's death, Michael Jackson's daughter Paris, she is opening up Carol for an interview with Oprah Winfrey. Oprah's production studio announced that 14-year-old Paris Jackson will be featured on Oprah's next chapter on the O Network this Sunday. OWN released an excerpt of the interview that we want you to listen to now. Check it out.

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OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: Did you feel that he wanted you to have a, quote, "normal life"?

PARIS JACKSON, DAUGHTER OF MICHAEL JACKSON: Yes, he did.

WINFREY: Yes, yes. Do you feel he thought that 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 other kids were out playing. And he wanted us to have that so he would allow us to get a Chuck E. Cheese and everything. That was -- Chuck E. Cheese is one of our favorite places to go.

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WYNTER: So touching. Such a beautiful young lady. Paris and her brothers Prince and Blanket, they were famously sheltered during Jackson's life. But they've been more and more in the public eye since his death. Late, last year Paris -- listen to this Carol -- she scored her first role in a feature film, the fantasy flick. It's called "London's Bridge and the Three Keys". She said it was her dad to inspired her to pursue her passion for movies -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I hope things go well for her, I do. She does. She just seems like such a centered -- for a 14-year-old, that's amazing.

WYNTER: That's the way their dad raised them, you know.

COSTELLO: Kareen Wynter, thanks so much.

Daytime Emmys are coming to HLN. You can watch the Daytime Emmy awards live Saturday June 23rd 8:00 p.m. Eastern on HLN. You can actually be there in person by entering our sweepstakes and winning a trip for two to Los Angeles. You'll also get a red carpet makeover.

To enter, it's simple -- go to HLNTV.com/DaytimeEmmySweeps.

For those who say Elvis has left the building, guess what; he's coming back in hologram form. The company that brought us hologram Tupac at this year's Coachella Music Festival has now announced a partnership to resurrect the king so that he can perform virtually during live shows, also in film and TV productions. The company Digital Domain Media says it will soon release hologram Elvis' first tour dates. I don't know if that's creepy or cool. I guess, we'll see.

A medical breakthrough or moral dilemma? New tests could reveal the genetic flaws of your baby before your baby is born. An expert looks at the ethical minefield that parents could face.

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COSTELLO: It is a major advancement in genetics testing and it could lead to a highly emotional life or death decision for parents. A team of scientists has actually come up with a test to predict the entire genetic code of a fetus. Most scientists believe the test can one day become widely available allowing doctors to screen for 3,500 genetic disorders.

This begs all sorts of ethical questions. And we've invited Toby Schonfeld to discuss. She's the director of the master of arts and bioethics at Emory Center for Ethics. Thank you so much for being here.

TOBY SCHONFELD, EMORY CENTER FOR ETHICS: Thanks for having me.

COSTELLO: So, is this sort of like amniocentesis on steroids?

SCHONFELD: A little bit but with amniocentesis, what we're doing is we're looking for particular genetic conditions that have a clinical indication. So it's an indication that we know is associated with a particular disorder or disability. With this kind of test that is described in this story where there are hundreds of thousands of genetic mutations, it's unclear whether or not any of them or some of them will have clinical or medical indications.

COSTELLO: Ok. So this could tell you if your baby is predisposed to, let's say, some sort of, some kind childhood cancer that's deadly, then I guess you could make a decision from there.

SCHONFELD: Right. That certainly is possible. Remember that even the diseases we know that have a genetic association have a really great variety in presentation. So if you think about something like Down's Syndrome which we know has a clear genetic connection, there is a great variety in the way that presents in severity. So it could be very mild to very severe.

So even if we know exactly what the genetic code says, we don't necessarily know how that's going to manifest in a child, and therefore, how we ought to treat that child.

COSTELLO: The big worry about this is if parents go ahead with this test if it becomes available, that they'll decide to terminate their pregnancies more often.

SCHONFELD: Right. I think there are three things that a parent could do when they get this information. The first is nothing. The first is continue the pregnancy as they were.

The second option is to simply prepare themselves for perhaps a child with special needs, learn about what societal resources are available, prepare themselves psychologically for what it would mean to parent a child with such needs.

But certainly a third option is the right of termination of pregnancy. It's not clear to me though that we should assume that is going to happen any more often than the first two options.

COSTELLO: Right. It's a fascinating study. I don't know. I'm sure it will be the subject of much discussion to come. Thank you so much for being here today.

SCHONFELD: Sure. Thanks for having me.

COSTELLO: Coming up next, your responses to one of the stories of the day. Today's "Talk Back", "What do you think of Radio host, Bill Press's crusade against the "Star-Spangled Banner"?

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COSTELLO: We asked you to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day or a story of the day. "Talk Back", what do you think of Bill Press's crusade against the "Star-Spangled Banner"?

This from Greg. "He's a numbskull. Francis Scott Key wrote his song during the war of 1812 and it's a wonderful and patriotic song. He's uncomfortable with the term "Brave" because it's a wimp.

This from Dean. "I'm a veteran, and American and a patriot. And I stand and salute the color guard and sing the national anthem whenever it is played. I believe in free speech and the constitution and in doing so, believe Mr. Press has a right to his opinion, so long as he reflects on the blood spilled and the lives lost in order to afford him this right in America.

And this from Arthur, "In all 68 of my years I had nothing but absolute respect for our country and for that song. Four of those years, I proudly served in the U.S.A.F. To Bill I say, "Don't tread on me.

Thanks for joining us. I'm Carol Costello. "CNN NEWSROOM" continues right now with Fredricka Whitfield.