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Spilling Intelligence Secrets; Republicans Using Hollywood against President Obama?; Kofi Annan Warns Civil War in Syria May Not Be Far Off; Bill Clinton: I Am "Strongly Committed" to Obama's Success

Aired June 07, 2012 - 15:00   ET

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

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour. I am Kate Bolduan in for Brooke Baldwin. A lot going on. There is a lot developing right now. First, a big moment going on at the United Nations as the crisis in Syria escalates.

The U.N. chief envoy today warning civil war in Syria could be very close. So does the world do something about it? The meeting is happening at this moment as news breaks and you will hear it.

Also happening right now, our Wolf Blitzer just sat down with Bill Clinton as the former president takes heat for comments about Mitt Romney and the economy. Does President Clinton regret it? Hear his surprising response when Wolf joins me live in just a moment.

But, first, who is leaking top-secret details about covert U.S. actions and why? The FBI is investigating as some lawmakers allege it is coming from the White House and that it is politically motivated.

We're talking about confidential intel on cyber-attacks in Iran, the president's so-called kill list and a foiled bombing coming out of Yemen, all of those incidents blasted all over the media this past month. Today, the man in charge of our nation's secrets briefed the top four Intelligence Committee leaders on a rash of leaks.

I spoke with one of those leaders, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, just last hour. Last month, Rogers said that the administration's chest-thumping led to leaking information about the foiled bomb plot in Yemen, kind of talking about how the chest- thumping was not helping and he said raised a lot of questions, but Rogers seemed to back away from blaming political motivations in my interview. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE ROGERS (R), MICHIGAN: I think politics is irrespective of the fact that someone who had access to information that is very narrowly protected found that they for whatever reason leaked it, which is a crime and they should be punished with a crime to the severe extent of the law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: And the investigation obviously continues. But I want to bring in my colleague, senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash, joining me live.

Dana, what more are we learning out of this intelligence briefing? There was a very unusual press conference right afterward.

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Very unusual, Kate.

You know as well as I do -- you walk these halls with me every day like I do and we know how partisan it is up here -- to have the top Democrats and Republicans join one another in this press conference to talk about what they say is the seriousness of what one called the cascade of leaks coming out of the intelligence community really does speak volumes.

What did we learn out of the briefing since it was about leaks? Not too much. But the big picture is that what these senior members of the Intelligence Committees are saying is that they want to try to legislate, to somehow find a way to make -- to deter from leaks from the intelligence community, but as you were talking about with the chairman in the last hour, the big question is whether or not the leaks that have been coming in the past couple of weeks and months have been politically motivated.

John McCain has made that allegation directly. So I asked the Democratic chairman woman, Dianne Feinstein, about the fact that we are five months before an election and anything like this could potentially hurt the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Do you have any concern that by making such a big deal out of leaks in the Obama administration, maybe not the White House, but the Obama administration, that this is going to be finger-pointing politically at the White House?

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: This is not finger- pointing at anybody. What we're trying to do is say we have a problem and we want to stop that problem.

We're going to put changes in the bill, but, Dana, this has to stop. When people say they don't want to work with the United States because they can't trust us to keep a secret, that's serious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: And her Republican counterpart, Kate, Saxby Chambliss, he said that he is not going to -- what he said, the words he used were he is not going to prejudge the investigation. He said wherever it falls, it falls.

BOLDUAN: Of course, the big question is when will the investigation be completed and if they -- where was this proof going to be of where these leaks came from and what the motivation is? As usual, when it comes to these leaks, more questions than answers. You will be on top of it, though. Dana, thanks so much.

BASH: Thanks, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Ah, hearings, yes, Congress loves to hold them. I know that all too well. And today they're talking about whether the TSA is too rude, yes, too rude, and somehow Beyonce came up.

Plus, could Americans see a third member of the Bush family in the White House? Jeb Bush makes a surprising comment about why his time to run could have been right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: More news developing now. It is called "Rapid Fire." Here we go.

Attorney General Eric Holder made his eighth appearance before a House Judiciary Committee investigating Fast and Furious. That was the ATF program that had U.S. agents allowing illegal guns into Mexico so they could track drug cartels. Some of the guns were involved in the murder of a Border Patrol agents in 2010. And for the last 1.5 years, Republican members of Congress have complained they're not getting enough information on the case from Holder's office.

Holder told the committee he does not know how many guns were recovered.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC HOLDER, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I heard different numbers on that as well, anywhere from 800 to 1,200. I just don't know. I think we start with a number of about 2,000 that were put into -- inappropriately put into the stream of commerce, and then the number that has -- recovered is, I have heard 800 to 1,200. I don't know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Bloated and inefficient, that's how the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee described -- a subcommittee -- described the TSA today at a hearing in Washington. Alabama Republican Mike Rogers grilled TSA Administrator John Pistole over slow screenings at airports and how he believe the public views the agency as unfriendly.

For the TSA to be more efficient, he says it needs change.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE ROGERS (R), ALABAMA: As we adapt and evolve to meet the threats of a post-9/11 world, so do the terrorists who continue to evolve in their tactics. The problem is the TSA is too far behind the curve to see what's coming next. The truth is, Mr. Pistole, I believe you're too bogged down in managing an oversized work force to mitigate the next potential threat.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BOLDUAN: Also discussed at the hearing, how the agency should use common sense when it comes to pat-downs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGERS: There are certain people that are just so well-known that you just have to use common sense, because if you start patting them down, people are going to say, they're patting down Beyonce. She is not going to blow a plane up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: The TSA employs about 52,000 people.

And a top aide to Saddam Hussein has been executed, according to Iraq state TV. Get this. He was Hussein's personal secretary, national security adviser and senior bodyguard, as well as the ace of diamonds in the U.S. military's card deck of 55 most wanted Iraqis, behind only Hussein and two of his sons.

The Iraqi high tribunal found him guilty for genocide and crimes against humanity.

New evidence in the brutal beating of a San Francisco Giants fan at Dodgers Stadium. At a preliminary hearing yesterday, prosecutors played the 911 call made by a friend of Bryan Stow moments after two men jumped the paramedic and father of two in the parking lot. The friend describes what happened to dispatchers. Listen.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is this dispatch?

911 OPERATOR: Yes. (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi. I am an off-duty paramedic. My partner here that is also a paramedic was punched from the side, didn't see it coming. He is unconscious. He's got snoring respirations at the moment, bleeding out of his left ear, no response to painful stimuli. We need an ambulance right now.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: The hearing is to determine if there is enough evidence for Marvin Norwood and Louie Sanchez to stand trial in this case. You may recall Stow was in a coma after the beating on opening day last year. He is still in a therapy facility.

Mitt Romney on the campaign trail today bashing President Obama just moments -- just minutes ago, calling him inexperienced and not up to the task.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is painfully obvious that this inexperienced president with no experience as a leader was simply not up to the task of solving a great economic crisis. This president's misguided policies have seemed muddled, confused, and simply ineffective.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Romney is in Saint Louis, with the economy as his primary focus.

Here is an interesting one. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush told CBS today he won't be Mitt Romney's running mate this year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEB BUSH (R), FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: I am not going to do it and I am not going to be asked and it is not going to happen. That doesn't mean I don't have a voice. It doesn't mean I don't want to enthusiastically support Mitt Romney. I intend to do that. I am doing it. But I am not going to be a candidate with him.

QUESTION: Under no circumstances?

BUSH: Under no circumstances.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Sounds pretty definitive. Bush says he hasn't ruled out a future run for the president, but says this year's window of opportunity was -- quote -- "probably my time."

Now an armed robbery in Canada that didn't end well for the robbers. The owner gets out bear spray, sprays them, holds -- and holds one of them down, even takes down his pants. And, look, the owner's wife starts kicking the robber. The guy was arrested. His partner is still on the loose.

George Clooney, Barbra Streisand, Robert Downey Jr., Lady Gaga just some of the celebrities who support President Obama, and now Republicans are using that against the president in a new attack. Does this sound familiar?

And just a quick note for those of you heading out the door. You can continue watching CNN from your mobile phone, or if you're at work, you can also watch CNN live from your desktop. Of course you want to. Just go to CNN.com/TV.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Here is a list for you, George Clooney, Barbra Streisand, Robert Downey Jr., Lady Gaga. We're not talking about a Hollywood premiere guest list. We're talking about celebrities who support President Barack Obama.

Republicans are slamming him for planning a fund-raiser at the house of Sarah Jessica Parker a week from tonight. You're seeing some video from it right there, where she's promoting it. This isn't the first time, though, the GOP have used the celebrity in chief argument.

Want to bring in our, Joe Johns who is in Washington.

So, Joe, Republicans say the president is just too close to Tinseltown again, huh?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes, Kate.

And , I mean, even some Democratic strategists have said the president needs to watch how it looks when he's hobnobbing with the superstars because the economy has hurt so many people, he risks just sort of seeming out of touch. And we in the media have had a lot of fun with the Web ads for the president's fund-raisers in New York.

The fund-raiser, as you mentioned, that seems to have captured the one -- the most attention is hosted by Sarah Jessica Parker of "Sex and the City" and Anna Wintour of "Vogue" magazine. It turns Republicans trying to take advantage of this stuff, too. They have got an ad of their own basically slamming the video by Anna Wintour, who, by the way, is believed to be the inspiration for Meryl Streep's character in the movie "The Devil Wears Prada."

So Republicans have taken that Wintour campaign video and superimposed a bunch of negative economic numbers, basically using one of New York's most glamorous Obama supporters against the president. Can we play a little bit of it? Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNA WINTOUR, EDITOR, "VOGUE": These two wonderful women and I are hosting a dinner along with the president in New York City to benefit the Obama campaign on June the 14th. It will be a fantastic evening and you can join us. We're saving two best seats in the house for you. But you have to enter to win. You can enter right now by going to BarackObama.com.

(CRICKETS CHIRPING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: Crickets.

BOLDUAN: Crickets.

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN: I was going to say good touch with the crickets at the end.

JOHNS: That's right. Nice touch.

Right. It wasn't your TV set. They were actually turning the volume down on the Anna Wintour ad while you're supposed to be reading the Chyrons, I guess.

BOLDUAN: It did take a lot of focus to get through that ad. But didn't -- I mean, am I having deja vu? We have seen attacks on the president's celebrity connections before, back in 2008.

JOHNS: Yes, not that long ago, and they really are taking a page from the political playbook four years ago, when John McCain ran ads basically calling Senator Obama then the biggest celebrity in the world. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NARRATOR: He is the biggest celebrity in the world. But is he ready to lead? With gas prices soaring, Barack Obama says no to offshore drilling and says he will raise taxes on electricity? Higher taxes, more foreign oil, that's the real Obama.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: Yes, I don't know. I mean, I don't know how effective that was. But the question, of course, is whether it could be more effective the second time around if the Republicans keep trying to do this, Kate.

BOLDUAN: And, Joe, that was kind of my -- I was just kind of wondering aloud, does this play? Is this effective?

JOHNS: Right.

BOLDUAN: We don't -- we want to give Mitt Romney his due. He does have his own celebrity backers. We have got Ted Nugent, Kid Rock, Donald Trump, Chachi.

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: So, I don't know. Maybe there's just -- maybe we should just have kind of a celebrity-off to see who has got more A- listers or if the A-listers are better than the B-listers. I don't know.

JOHNS: Yes, plus, probably those ads from four years ago with all the people chanting and everything, I just don't see how that really is a very good attack ad, you know? You still have all these people chanting for this guy who is running for president or whatever.

BOLDUAN: Yes, and, well, that won't be the only attack ads we will be seeing. There's plenty more time for that, right, Joe?

JOHNS: Yes. You can say that again.

BOLDUAN: Yes, exactly. All right, Joe, thanks so much. Talk to you soon.

JOHNS: You bet.

BOLDUAN: Happening right now, our Wolf Blitzer just sat down with Bill Clinton, as the former president has been taking some heat for comments he has made about Mitt Romney, as well as the economy. Does President Clinton regret those comments? Hear his surprising response when Wolf is going to be joining me live in just a moment. But, first, it is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases and health officials are warning there is a strain that doesn't respond to antibiotics.

Plus, the job search -- 22,000 people apply for 887 positions. Hear what one company does it sees this overwhelming response.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: An STD that is morphing into a superbug, a summer blockbuster accused of bad casting, and hundreds of jobs lead to tens of thousands of applications.

Time for "Reporter Roulette."

Let's begin with an emerging worldwide public health crisis. Doctors say it has to do with a new strain of an STD that more than 100 million people contract every year worldwide.

Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has the latest warnings about gonorrhea -- Elizabeth.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Kate, the World Health Organization is warning against this gonorrhea superbug. What they say is, the bacteria has gotten smarter and it's starting to outwit the drugs that we use to treat the disease.

They say they're seeing the superbug in Australia, in Japan, and in parts of Europe. They say this process is just beginning. The drugs are still useful, but in some cases, they're not as useful as they once were in the past.

Now, gonorrhea is a really serious sexually transmitted infection. If the disease goes unchecked, what can happen is that, in women, it can cause spontaneous abortions. It can also cause infertility and blindness in newborns. Now, in the United States, we have not seen this superbug yet, but scientists can see that gonorrhea is getting smarter even in this country and they worry about that in the years to come, the drugs we have won't work at all. They say we need more research to come up with better drugs.

For more information about gonorrhea and the superbug, go to CNN.com/empoweredpatient -- Kate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: Elizabeth, thank you so much.

Next on "Reporter Roulette" the summer blockbuster drawing fire for its casting. A group that represents little people says the wrong kind of actors were used in the roles of the dwarves in the movie "Snow White and the Huntsman."

"Showbiz Tonight"'s Kareen Wynter is joining me with this story. Kareen, why is this group upset?

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, it all comes down to what you mentioned, that casting choice by producers, Kate, of the Charlize Theron-Kristen Stewart adventure "Snow White and the Huntsman."

It has so many people in Hollywood, little people, up in arms. Instead of actually casting little people to play Snow White's seven dwarves, producers, Kate, they digitally re-sized the faces of full- sized actors and they transplanted them onto the bodies of little people. The voices from the full-sized actors were also used.

"Deadwood" star Ian McShane and Oscar nominee Bob Hoskins are a few of the actors cast as dwarves. A Los Angeles-based theater group -- it's called Beacher's Madhouse -- which features a group of little people tells TMZ, wait a minute here. What's wrong with casting actual little people to play dwarf roles?

They have reportedly sent a letter to Universal Pictures, the studio behind "Snow White and the Huntsman," calling this an injustice. They're also threatening a -- quote -- "100 Midget March" to Universal's offices. Kate, that's what they're calling it

Now, Beacher's Madhouse isn't alone. Little People of America says it also feels robbed. A rep for the organization tells us, "Little People of America supports the equality of opportunity for the employment of little people in all industries. Of course, this includes the entertainment industry, which we believe should cast little people in the full breadth of possible roles."

The film, by the way, came outlast weekend, Kate, and made $67 million, a little bit more than that, at the box office, so we will have to see if this off-screen battle has any impact at all on those financial numbers.

BOLDUAN: That is a very good question. Is Universal saying anything about it?

WYNTER: No official statement from Universal, but it is important to note here that little people were in fact cast in the film because their bodies were used for dwarf roles. The decision to use only the faces of well-known British actors like McShane, like Hoskins was for recognizability and acting background.

There you have it, Kate.

BOLDUAN: We will just see how this unfolds. Kareen Wynter, thanks so much.

(FINANCIAL UPDATE)

BOLDUAN: That's today's "Reporter Roulette."

So, coming up: Syria, more bloodshed, more deaths. The United Nations envoy says the crisis is escalating, and, soon, civil war could break out -- a big moment going on right now at the U.N.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: A Georgia company is taking farming to a whole new level, growing produce in climate-controlled boxes. It is better for the environment. Here is today's "Solutions."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: Most of the produce you eat is probably grown on a farm hundreds if not thousands of miles away. It can take days for the food to get to your supermarket, burning fuel and causing pollution along the way. Matt Liotta and his team at PodPonics say they have a better way.

MATT LIOTTA, FOUNDER & CEO, PODPONICS: We use less water, we use less land and we use less fossil fuels because we don't have to transport it to where consumers are actually going to consume the product.

BOLDUAN: PodPonics is growing lettuce in climate-controlled recycled shipping containers in the Atlanta-area for people in Atlanta.

LIOTTA: We grow our lettuce hydroponically without using sun or soil and what that means is the plants are grown in a nutrient solution in a channel of water.

BOLDUAN: And a computer is calling the shots.

LIOTTA: The computer controls our lights, our environment from our air temperature, humidity, CO2 levels.

BOLDUAN: Liotta says one container produces the equivalent of about an acre-and-a-half of farmland.

LIOTTA: We believe the future of farming involves being able to grow food where it is consumed and this is a perfect example of how to do that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Earlier today, the U.N. special envoy to Syria stood before the United Nations, outraged by a report of another massacre in that country, and in a blunt warning, Kofi Annan warned to expect an all-out civil war if action is not taken to stop the Syrian government from killing its own people.

And now, a lack of action by the U.S. against such massacres has Senator John McCain lashing out at President Obama. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: The president of the United States, as this slaughter goes on, is silent and his spokesman says that they don't want to militarize the conflict.

How in the world could you make a statement like that when 10,000 people have already been slaughtered? That to me is so bizarre. I'm not sure I have ever seen anything quite like it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: So let's bring in foreign affairs correspondent, Jill Dougherty. Jill, what else did Annan say?

It was pretty amazing what was said in front of the U.N. today. Any new plan in the works since the Assad regime hasn't complied with any of the six-point peace plan to this point?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Kate, there was an expectation that he would come out with some type of another plan, maybe a contact group, a meeting, a conference, something, but he wasn't very specific. I mean, you would have to say all he said was the world has to work together.

The strongest comments came from Ban Ki-Moon, who was the secretary-general and he said that it is going from the tipping point to the breaking point, but the question is, what do you do about it?

So that brings you then to Hillary Clinton who at this point is the furthest forward on what should be done. She is saying that, regardless of what happens, everyone has to agree that Syrian President Assad has to go, that there can be no peace if he is still there.

And she is urging everyone to plan very specifically for the next steps. Otherwise I think the message that she is giving and the U.S. believes is that, if people don't get on board now, everything is going to go down.

And you hear that from everyone, but the problem, Kate, again, is will Russia do anything? And they're really key.

BOLDUAN: That is a key question and has been really all along. Clinton was saying that Russia was really a key obstacle to peace in Syria.

Secretary Clinton met with the Turkish foreign minister today. Can you tell us any more about what she said and any more about what she said kind of directing her comments to the Assad regime?

DOUGHTERY: What she has been doing is bringing together the allies, if you want to call them that, and talking about the next very specific steps. So what she would like to see and the U.S. would like to see is that Assad steps aside in some way, gives up power, there is an interim government and then you go to elections.

Again, this seems very far away and one of the key issues is getting the Russians involved in that meeting and having everybody put pressure on anyone they can in Syria to stop that fighting. BOLDUAN: The pressure, they're trying to apply, they keep saying it and the violence continues as a lot more talking is going on at the same time, so we'll really have to look for action at some point. Jill Dougherty, thanks so much.

Just in, Wolf Blitzer has wrapped up his interview with former President Bill Clinton and the discussion not only turned to Mitt Romney, but about the current president and whether Clinton is undermining President Obama.

Wolf, stand by right there. We'll talk to him after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Former President Bill Clinton talking today with CNN. Let's go straight to Wolf Blitzer who just really wrapped up this interview, interviewing the former president moments ago.

Wolf, what is the headline? I am sure there was a lot to go through.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He was apologetic. He suggests that he made a mistake in suggesting the other day in an interview that he did that he would support a temporary extension of all of the Bush tax cuts, including the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest.

He says he misunderstood the nature of the question and didn't have all the facts in front of him and we go into detail on that, as you know, that caused a lot of heartburn with the Obama campaign.

And the other issue that caused a lot of heartburn with the Obama campaign is when he said last week on "Piers Morgan Tonight" that Mitt Romney had a sterling reputation as the head of Bain Capital and that he was qualified to be president of the United States.

A lot of that coming on the heels of those ads, as you know, going after Mitt Romney because of his reputation and his experience at Bain Capital.

It all resulted in this exchange. Let me play a little clip of the interview I just wrapped up with the former president of the United States. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Some of your critics have said, you know, the former president is undermining the current president for whatever reason.

FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON: Look, in 2008, when he ran for president and defeated Hillary in the primaries, I did 40 events for him, 40 in the election.

In 2012, I have done these measured fundraisers. I have spoken up for him whenever I could. I have told people repeatedly I think he has done a good job, a really good job under very trying circumstances and better than some people give him credit for. And I am strongly committed to his re-election and I just regret that -- you know, my instinct, you know me. I don't think I should have to say bad things about Governor Romney personally to disagree with him politically.

The fact that I was complimentary of his success as a business person doesn't mean that I think that he should be elected and President Obama shouldn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Kate, we go in-depth on a lot of these issues. I pressed him pretty hard on the whole issue of the tax cuts, the Bush tax cuts, also on the Bain Capital. We go in-depth on some other critical issues right now, for example, Syria.

The full interview will air during our 5 p.m. Eastern hour. We're going to have more highlights during the 4 p.m. Eastern hour, but Bill Clinton talking about what's going on in the world right now politically.

We're here in Chicago, by the way, this Clinton Global Initiative. He's got leaders from around the country. The focus is jobs, the economy, and this election. As all of us know, it is all about jobs and the economy.

BOLDUAN: Looking forward to seeing the full interview, Wolf, but real quick, do you think from what you heard and so we can tease to your full interview, are you satisfied with the answers?

Do you think viewers and voters will be satisfied with his reasoning he gives for these supposed gaffes?

BLITZER: I think because we can spend a lot of time going back and forth on the whole issue of the taxes that he fully understands what was going on. As you know the president has said he would veto any extension of the Bush tax cuts for individuals making more than $200,000 a year or families making more than $250,000 a year.

We go into the specifics and he says he made a mistake and he regrets it. He apologizes for that mistake and he is ready to move on.

By the way, we're also going to get reaction to all of this from David Axelrod who is the top strategist for the Obama re-election campaign and from Eric Fehrnstrom. He's going to be joining us live, as well, the top strategist for the Romney campaign.

So in addition to this long interview with President Clinton we'll also have David Axelrod and Eric Fehrnstrom joining me live here in "The Situation Room," coming up starting at 4 p.m. Eastern at the top of the hour.

BOLDUAN: A lot to work through. That's great. All right, Wolf. We look forward to seeing that. Thank you so much for giving us a little taste of what you have coming up starting in just a few minutes on "The Situation Room" at 4:00.

A dispute over a loud birthday party leads to gunfire and a murder trial and the whole thing was caught on video by the defendant, a retired Texas firefighter. It starts with Raul Rodriguez trying in vain to get his neighbors to tone it down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAUL RODRIGUEZ, RETIRED FIREFIGHTER: Won't y'all turn that down, please?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who are you?

RODRIGUEZ: I live over here. Turn it down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, don't go hollering at me.

RODRIGUEZ: I am hollering because you can't hear me. I told you and I told you repeatedly to turn it down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hear you screaming.

RODRIGUEZ: Why don't y'all turn that garbage down, please? Some of us are trying to sleep.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: The situation escalates when the partiers confront Rodriguez as he is calling 911.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RODRIGUEZ: It is about to get out of hand, sir. Please help me. Please help me, sir, my life is in danger now.

He is going to go in the house. He's going to come out and be more than equal than me and now I am standing my ground here.

Now, these people are going to try to kill me. I am going to tell them to stay back when they come. They're drunk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Wow. Three men were shot. One of them died. That video was played in court yesterday by Rodriguez's attorney who says it proves his client is not guilty of murder.

Legal analyst Sunny Hostin is on the case on this. Sunny, how crucial is this video to Rodriguez's claim of self-defense? It is pretty unusual.

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I think it is everything, actually, this video, because in self-defense cases and really in any case where someone is killed, it is very rare that you have a videotape sort of outlining the altercation, especially in a self- defense case, Kate, when credibility means everything, where someone's version of events means everything.

This is very unusual because you have almost a seven- or eight- minute video just capturing the entire thing.

BOLDUAN: This is yet another case that appears that puts this so-called "stand your ground" laws in the spotlight, best known now from the George Zimmerman case in Florida over the shooting of Trayvon Martin.

Do you think states will start taking a second look at these laws or are we just talking about it more?

HOSTIN: We're talking about it more, no question about that. I do think that states will be looking at it more.

When you listen to that video, one of the things he does say is, I am standing my ground here, actually referencing the law, and we know that the "stand your ground law" has really come to the forefront, especially because of the George Zimmerman matter.

And, in fact, Representative Garnet Coleman, a Democrat out of Texas, says he will file legislation in the 2013 legislative session to repeal the provisions of Texas's "stand your ground" laws which really mirrors Florida's "stand your ground" law that we know so much about because of the Trayvon Martin shooting.

BOLDUAN: Very interesting. All right. Sunny Hostin on the case. Thank you so much.

HOSTIN: Thanks.

BOLDUAN: When she talks, people listen, especially since it impacts your 401(k), your portfolio and even your job. Fed chairman Ben Bernanke telling Americans what could be in store for the economy and he says there is one thing he is most concerned about.

Erin Burnett is standing by with some thoughts, coming up next.

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BOLDUAN: Don't look for the Federal Reserve to come up with another round of economic stimulus any time soon, but don't count it out either. It all depends on what happens in the job market.

That's the big takeaway, it seems, from Fed chairman's Ben Bernanke's testimony on Capitol Hill.

Erin Burnett, anchor of "Erin Burnett OutFront," is joining me now to break it down for all of us because we pay attention to Bernanke, but a lot of people don't understand what's coming out of his mouth, Erin.

It seems Bernanke expects the economy to keep chugging along, but he does seem concerned about jobs. What's your takeaway from what he said today? ERIN BURNETT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He is definitely worried about jobs and I think the takeaway is, if things get considerably worse, but right now, even though we've had some recent, very weak numbers, he doesn't feel the need to do anything immediately.

But really what he was saying, Kate, what I took away was, look, Congress, you need to get your act together because it's unacceptable to what's happening here and you need to deal with this so-called fiscal cliff that happens at the end of the year.

Analysis here by JPMorgan, it's half a trillion dollars, Kate, in a hit that will hit this economy at the end of the year. That's going to be the Bush tax cuts that are slated to go away, unemployment insurance will go away for another 6 million Americans and payroll taxes will go up by 2 percent.

If Congress doesn't deal with all of that, it will be a huge hit and it will send us back into a recession. I don't know any economist that says it wouldn't, but it's Congress' turn to act.

Kate, it's amazing. When you look at what Ben Bernanke has already done to try to stimulate this economy, $2.3 trillion he's spent on these so-called quantitative-easing rounds. He's already done two of them. But $2.3 trillion to try to keep interest rates low.

A 30-year rate for a mortgage is at its lowest level since 1971. Low interest rates is not the problem. The problem is the certainty and knowing what with Washington will do and he's basically telling them, look, do your job. I did mine.

BOLDUAN: The certainty is a big question and will only become a bigger question. That fiscal cliff issue you're talking about, such a huge challenge that is coming up any day now. They need to face it and this couldn't come at a more partisan time on Capitol Hill.

I want to look overseas, really quickly. Bernanke says he doesn't think the U.S. is in any quote, unquote, "Greece situation." But what about Greece and the rest of Europe? What do you think the impact of Europe's troubles is and will be here at home?

BURNETT: I think it's significant, and I think a lot of Americans are starting to realize that, and sure, there's Greece. I like to think of it as the little domino and it hits it and, boom, the dominos continue to fall.

We had a downgrade for the economy of Spain today that was significant. Spain is a big player in Europe, unlike Greece which was the canary in the coal mine.

But if Europe continues to fall apart, American banks take a hit and it's harder to get a loan here and, of course, with Europe as a trading partner, there could be tens of thousands of U.S. jobs that are lost if Europe really were to go into more chaos.

And it gets even worse than that. Today, China did something, Kate, that they haven't done in four years. They lowered interest rates because their economy is starting to teeter, too.

And, obviously, every American realizes we rely on China now, but you may not realize that China's single biggest trading partner is also Europe. So Europe really does hold the key now for China and for the United States.

So it's not just sort of a scary situation to watch, horrible riots to watch, horrible human stories, but it really is something now where the chickens can come home to roost, so Europe is crucial.

BOLDUAN: And the domino effect is something that everyone really should be aware of, keeping their eye on and worried about, quite frankly.

Erin, thanks so much. Be sure to watch Erin, tonight, 7:00 p.m., "Erin Burnett OutFront."

So you want your kids or grandkids to go to college. It's expensive. You take out loans. President Obama is speaking about those loans right now, but our next guest says Washington is simply playing politics with your future.

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BOLDUAN: Student loans, a trillion dollar's worth hanging over people's heads. That's more than we all owe on our credit cards. It's a big deal.

President Obama is talking about student loans in a speech he's giving right now in Las Vegas. The president is urging Congress to do something to keep the interest rate on student loans from doubling and they've been fighting about it for a while now.

Republicans and Democrats agree that the rate should be kept at 3.4 percent for another year, but what they cannot agree on is how to pay the $6 billion tab for it, which they often disagree on.

They better do something quick. Rates are set to rise to 6.8 percent next month and a whole new crop of college students are getting ready to take out loans to pay for school.

Let's bring in Terry Savage, the financial columnist for "The Chicago Sun-Times." Terry, this shouldn't be as confusing as it is. What do college students need to know? Why is this whole student loan thing so complicated?

TERRY SAVAGE, FINANCIAL COLUMNIST, THE CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Because it's politics and it's not reality. Kate, just six years ago, student loan repayment rates were tied to Treasury bill interest rates, which means today, if they hadn't changed the formula, the rates would be less than 0.1 percent.

What savers get in C.D.s, student loan borrowers would be paying in interest. You have these artificially high rates and a lot of student loan rates are already at 6.8 percent. Parents who borrow for their children's PLUS loans, they repay at 7.9 percent. This has gotten way out of hand. Both political parties should say, look, if the Treasury borrows at one-tenth of one percent and we want to encourage education, let's let students borrow at one- tenth of one percent. Then we would get the problem solved.

BOLDUAN: That would be quite a different change from where it is today.

Before heading to Las Vegas, President Obama signed a presidential memorandum. You think it's confusing? Get ready for this. He's directing his administration to education students on their repayment options and making it easier to apply for the income- based repayment plan.

What will that do? What are we talking about?

SAVAGE: Well, there are some programs already out there. There used to just forbearance and deferrals, but now there's something called income-based repayment where, if you graduate and don't have a job, you actually don't have to make repayments.

There are plans that let you do public service and, if you pay for ten years, then they'll forgive the rest of it. There are a bunch of plan and I think there's one website that has been put together just recently where you can see all of the options and see how much it would cost to repay your loans.

And that website is called PayBackSmarter.com. And it has all the alternatives. It will help you price out your loans.

Look, you can stretch them out and that means you're paying more interest over the long-run. The one thing you must do -- and here's a message to all graduates this year -- you have six months and you can't ignore this.

You have to start a plan, even if the plan is income-based repayment where you say, sorry, I don't have a job. I can't repay. They'll put that in your record, but just don't ignore it.

BOLDUAN: And real quick, there's so much that college students and their families are already dealing with when they're trying to get into college, when they begin college.

Clearly, the student loan is not top of mind. It should be, obviously, or, at least more of a priority.

Bottom line -- I don't have much time, but bottom line -- what do students need to know or what could Washington actually do to help them?

SAVAGE: First of all, you need to know there's another great website, FindAid.org that will help you price out student loans.

But families need to think about this. Junior colleges, community colleges, you don't want your kids at home for two more years and they don't want to be there, but maybe that would be a less expensive way to finance a four-year education.

We cannot go on having graduates coming out with $50,000 or $60,000 in debt at rates that are higher than many credit card borrowers are paying.

BOLDUAN: Terry Savage, financial columnist for "The Chicago Sun- Times," thank you so much. Great advice. Listen up, everybody.

I also want to listen up to this guy. Wolf Blitzer with "The Situation Room." I'm done. It's his turn.

BLITZER: Kate, thanks very much.