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Saudi Prince Nayef Dies; Egypt Holds Elections; Obama's Controversial Immigration Stand

Aired June 16, 2012 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Let's begin in Syria, where the United Nations is suspending its peace mission there because of increasing violence. That decision sends a strong message that prospects for peace are failing. The U.N. chief in Syria says the country poses too much risk to observers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. ROBERT MOOD, HEAD OF UN OBSERVER MISSION TO SYRIA: Operations will resume when we see the situation fit for us to carry out our mandated activities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Syria's opposition leaders claim at least 70 people were killed today. The Syrian government blames the uptick in violence on armed terrorist groups.

On to Saudi Arabia now. The heir to the throne is dead. Saudi officials say Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz had health problems and died while seeking medical care in Switzerland.

CNN's Nic Robertson reports the prince was known as a hard line conservative.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): After 9/11 and in the mid 2000s, 2003, 2004, he was really leading Al Qaeda's - Saudi's charge against Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda at that time in Saudi Arabia were turning against the crown and they were seen as a very serious threat, blowing up apartment complexes where foreign workers were living, taking control of oil facilities, and the threat of dealing with that threat was taken on by Prince Nayef at that time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: The body of the crown prince will be flown to Saudi Arabia and buried tomorrow. His unexpected death reopens the question of succession in Saudi Arabia. King Abdulah is 88 years old and has outlived now two successors.

And now to Egypt where voters have just finished the first of two days of crucial voting. Egyptians are deciding which of two candidates they want to replace ousted president Hosni Mubarak. The outcome could greatly affect the future of U.S.-Egyptian relations.

CNN's Ben Wedeman shows us how the first day of the voting went.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Egyptians are getting used to the rituals of the elections. Just like last time, says this woman, dipping her finger in the ink. But voting has yet to become routine. Despite some confusion there is palpable pride in the process. In withering heat women voters wait patiently outside the (INAUDIBLE) preparatory school in the mixed Muslim-Christian suburb of (INAUDIBLE). Less than a month after they last went to the polls Egyptians are back for the second and final round of voting in the country's first post revolutionary presidential elections.

Selwa wants to pose for the event. She tells me she is voting for former air force commander Ahmed Shafiq because, she says, he's a sweetheart and will fix the country. 70-year-old Samira wouldn't say who she's vote for but it's clear whom she didn't vote for.

"I want a civil state," she says. "So if you want civil state you don't want the guy with the beard," I asked meaning Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. "No my dear, I don't want the guy with the beard. Do you?" She asks.

WEDEMAN" At another nearby school they cast their ballot. Notably absent on the ballot are any of the liberals or revolutionaries who ran and lost in the first round and the stark contrast between the two candidates can spark heated debate.

Businessman Hussein Mahmoud voted for the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi. Hussein doesn't want soldiers serving or retired to lead Egypt. "They consider themselves superior to other human beings," he tells me. "They're used to giving orders and those below caring them out without discussion. All military institutions everywhere are like that." He's interrupted in mid sentence by a Mabrouk Mikhail, Coptic Christian and former Army officer. He supports Ahmed Shafiq and insists religion must stay out of politics. And he pours contempt on the performance of the Muslim Brotherhood in the recently dissolved parliament.

"Frankly, the brotherhood failed in parliament," he says. "They were a farce and nothing good came of them. Ahmed Shafiq is the best man to represent this country without fanaticism and with wisdom." He said almost all Egyptians shared his opinion, to which many of those listening strongly objected.

Democracy may be in its early stages here, but debate is booming.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Cairo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Back here in the U.S., the immigration bombshell President Obama dropped yesterday is prompting different reactions. Representative Elton Gallegly is chairman of the Immigration Policy subcommittee. And I spoke with him earlier and he says he wasn't moved by the president's emotional appeal to halt deportations on some young illegal immigrants.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ELTON GALLEGLY (R), CALIFORNIA: The president still gives a tremendous speech and it was filled with anecdotal examples, heart wrenching anecdotal examples. But our country is full of heart- wrenching anecdotal examples of American citizens or people that are here legally that families are without jobs. Many are denied access to our universities and colleges because of over crowding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: On the other side in the Hispanic community this is being seen as a huge olive branch from an administration that had been aggressively pursuing deportations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. SAMUEL RODRIGUEZ, NATL. HISPANIC CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP CONF.: And on its own merit it's morally just, fair, practical, in my opinion very Christian, and compassionate. So I commend and applaud the president for taking a position that really brings hope to so many young people within our corresponding communities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The administration is maintaining this is not an amnesty for illegal immigrants.

In Southern Mexico Carlotta has weakened to a tropical depression. All warnings and watches are discontinued. The storm did leave a mark, however as a hurricane in Southern Mexico. Two children were killed. Carlotta is expected to dump eight inches of rain through Monday.

And at 121 feet in the air, walking 1800 feet across a tight rope in the dark, history is made as Nick Wallenda crosses over Niagara Falls. People anxiously watched him walk on that tight rope with mist and wind blowing all around him. It took him just 25 minutes to finish.

All right. It is a catch that happens once in a blue moon but a blue moon has nothing on this. Doesn't it look painted to you? They say this is the real deal. A blue lobster. Very rare.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Straight ahead our legal guys are with us Avery Friedman and Richard Herman with some intriguing cases including the case of a New York Police recruit who was cut from the job because of his beard. All right. I want you guys to take a snip at this one. Avery, you first.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Whoa. Yes. A rule to make police officers nice and neat with short beards is clashing with religious freedom under the first amendment. Who prevails? The answer and more coming up.

WHITFIELD: All right. Is this a close cut case, Richard?

RICHARD HERMAN: Woo! Can't take it. Close cut? Cut short?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HERMAN: Listen. Are rules and regulations established by the New York Police Department subject to religious challenge when based on safety and appearance? Hmmm. Stay with us. Avery and I disagree on this one. Stay with us.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much. Avery, Richard, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A New York City Police recruit says his dream of becoming a cop was cut short because of his beard. Fishel Litzman claimed that he got kicked out of the academy because he refused to trim it. Litzman is a Hasidic Jew and says his religion forbids him from cutting his beard.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FISHEL LITZMAN, FORMER NYPD POLICE RECRUIT: It was never, ever stated to me in any way, shape or form that you can have a beard but at a certain length. All I was ever told was that you need to file for a religious exemption.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Our legal guys are back. Avery Friedman in Cleveland and Richard Herman in Austin. All right, gentlemen. This is interesting. He says he was never told of any such policy but apparently the New York Police Department does have a policy in place that says, you know, beards for religious purposes are to be kept one millimeter in length. He says he is not going to trim it at all. He says in fact this kind of cuts into his freedom of religion, Avery.

FRIEDMAN: Yes, we're back at the first amendment here, aren't we? What is really intriguing is that there are Hasidic Jews and Sikhs and other members of the NYPD that have longer beards. He is 38 years old. He is a former paramedic and enrolled in the police academy. A little bit old for most police officer rookies but in any event in order to prevail he has got to seek that exemption which apparently he has done and then secondly the police department has to prove that there is a rational relation to the rule and that they have accommodated it. At the end of the day, Fredricka, this guy I think is going to prevail.

WHITFIELD: You do. OK. He does plan on suing.

FRIEDMAN: Yes. WHITFIELD: Richard, how do you see it? Do you think this is going to be a clean cut for him?

HERMAN: Ooh. I got it all, Fred.

FRIEDMAN: Good one. Yes.

HERMAN: Listen, even Benson and Stabler couldn't save this guy really. There are rules and regulations promulgated by the police department. It has nothing to do with your religious beliefs or anything else. They believe it's a safety concern and that's how it's stated in the rules and regulations here. This is the largest police force in the country and these are the rules. If you want to play baseball it's three strikes and you're out. They told him - they say they told him three times during the academy and during his training, it could only be like a half inch or a millimeter on his face. He chose not to do that. He's 38 years old like Avery said. I don't know what he's doing training at 38 to be a police officer but in any event I do not think he'll prevail here. I do not think he is going to prevail.

FRIEDMAN: Let me ask you an obvious question. An obvious question is what's the difference between one millimeter and 1.1 millimeter in terms of safety and looking neat? I think the police department is going to have a very difficult time if he can establish it. I mean, I think the more complicated issue is what if he's walking around like Rip Van Winkle? Then what happens? Does that impair his ability to perform? I think that remains to be seen.

WHITFIELD: This is what the New York Police Department deputy commissioner said in a statement. The NYPD deputy commissioner Paul Brown stating that it is, quote, "makes reasonable accommodations in this regard. The department makes reasonable accommodations in this regard. Beards for religious purposes are to be kept to one millimeter in length, period." And if that's the policy doesn't it mean that everyone would have to adhere to it? Simple as that?

FRIEDMAN: They made it up.

HERMAN: That's right.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Is there not a policy in place for a period of time?

FRIEDMAN: It might be a policy but does the policy make sense and it doesn't really. I mean, you take a look at police officers and I represent plenty of them. The underlying rationale is they got to look neat. Really? Is that what is achieved by this rule? I think the policy goes out the window in the context of religious freedom under the first amendment.

WHITFIELD: OK. All right. I know you guys really want to appear on this case as well. This one involves a hologram of Marilyn Monroe. I can't stop myself.

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: According to the "Hollywood Reporter" there is a planned concert and they apparently claim, this company that it has the copyright to Marilyn Monroe's image and it has had this for quite sometime. And they want to use her image by way of a hologram, kind of interacting with some of the folks onstage but the estate of Marilyn Monroe says no way. They sent a cease and desist letter. So who would ultimately be right? Who would have the upper hand in a case like this? Richard.

HERMAN: This is going to come down --

WHITFIELD: If you have the copyright, I guess, you know, rights, but then the estate says we want to control the image of our person. Who has the upper hand?

HERMAN: Right. The issue is to what extent does the copyright control here? I believe the estate has the paramount right. I believe there will be a financial settlement here. It's going to come down to money, Fred. It really is. But the estate I believe has every right to control this. The copyright I don't know that it exists. I know they're claiming a statute of limitation expired. That Google video has shown this for years on Marilyn. So therefore the estate did nothing to stop that. But in any event I do think a judge is going to sit and give great credence to the rights of the estate and I do believe in the end there will be a financial settlement. We'll be able to see this hologram.

WHITFIELD: So even though Avery, Digicom says they've had these rights for a very long time.

FRIEDMAN: Right. I can't believe, this is the first time I'm agreeing with this guy in three weeks.

WHITFIELD: What's happening?

FRIEDMAN: Likely he'll prevail in this case. I think Digicom has a good argument on this case because no one has done anything for 15 years but I think at the end of the day the estate prevails and it will be settled up.

WHITFIELD: All right. Avery, Richard, thanks so much.

You can catch our legal guys every Saturday right here on CNN noon Eastern time and again 4:00 Eastern time.

Five former presidents unite for some bipartisan fun in a soap box derby in Atlanta, kind of. These guys actually dressed up like the presidents. Who won?

But first a guy who plays the organ and makes it cool. He is young, he wears crystals and leather and is on this week's "Next List."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAMERON CARPENTER: The organ is not what it's about. It's about the performance. A whole community of American organists sort of saying to each other that we need to do something to promote the organ and this is a ridiculous and fruitless idea which is of course doomed to failure because you don't promote a medium any more than painters promote the paint in the tube.

We don't go to hear the cellist's cello or a rock guitarist's guitar. We go to hear them. And so naturally I want to continue to try to reinvent myself. There is a camp sensibility to that.

My name is Cameron Carpenter and my work is the playing of the organ in an unprecedented way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The soap box race in Atlanta got a little visit from five past presidents this year. Well, sort of. Five friends actually decided to have a little fun and dress like former presidents for the competition. They made a model of the presidential limo and they put it to the test in the down hill race. Let's see how they did.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Bill Clinton.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm John F. Kennedy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Ronald Reagan.

Today we're here for a good time and we're completely bipartisan.

The materials for our cars are wood, PVC, card board, (INAUDIBLE) and practicing was in my driveway. We had a couple of successful test runs, before hand we had a couple of failures but it turned out. The only thing I see as a problem being a president right now is we can't breathe behind these masks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What people are expecting here hearing today is probably a lot of wrecks. That's what they want to see. We're all hoping we make it down (INAUDIBLE) fast.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give it to him Atlanta!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Check out the presidents of the United States. Let's go to the judges and check your score.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, wow.

DREW WELLER, TEAM CAPTAIN, PREZIDENTS OF THE U.S.: No expectation, no disappointment. It was a blast. A great time. We only came out here to have a good time. We wanted to win. Don't get me wrong. But we were a locally funded team and we were local and we did the best we could and had a good time.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: All right. It's all about a good time. The next soap box derby goes on in Dallas, September 15th. Mark your calendar.

All right. Ann Romney's husband, the presidential candidate better known for his ties to the Olympics but this year Mrs. Romney will have some skin in the game. A horse Ann Romney co-owned earned a spot on the U.S. equestrian team today. The horse's (INAUDIBLE) is call Dressage. That's a fancy kind of horse high stepping thing with a fancy wear as well. Ann Romney's horse now advances to this summer's Olympic Games in London.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANN ROMNEY, WIFE OF MITT ROMNEY: Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. It's a seafood catch that looks more like art. Imagine a fisherman's surprise when he found this. We'll show you how this lobster got its color.

If you have to go out today just a reminder you can continue watching CNN in your mobile phone. You can also watch CNN live from your desk top. Just go to cnn.com/tv.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The Obama administration makes a huge policy change for young illegal immigrants. Under the policy, effective immediately, people younger than 30 who were brought to the U.S. as kids and had no criminal records will get a two-year deferral from deportation. Some Republicans have called the president's order illegal and have vowed to fight it.

World financial markets are closely watching Greece as voters get ready to head to the polls tomorrow. What Greece decides in tomorrow's election could spell the end of its place in the eurozone. Greek voters will attempt to select a new government. That is something they failed to do six weeks ago and the country has been in turmoil ever since.

And a historic day in China. For the first time ever the country has sent a female astronaut into space. If all goes well, her spacecraft will dock with China's orbiting space lab. China's next venture is to build a space station and conduct a manned mission to the moon.

Fishermen off the coast of Maryland caught something that looks a lot more like a piece of art. It looks more like art than dinner. Take a look at this rare, blue lobster. This phenomenon happens to about one in two million lobsters and happened when they produce too much of a certain protein apparently. Right now the lobster is in a holding tank. The boat captain who caught it decided whether to hand it over to an aquarium or release it back into the ocean.

All right. That's going to do it for me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Much more of the "CNN Newsroom" at the top of the hour with my colleague, Don Lemon.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there. And thanks for joining us. We got a lot in store today. Gymnast Dominique Mocaeanu, remember her? In 1996, magnificent seven, stop by to drop -

CNN's Nic Robertson reports the prince was known as a hard line conservative.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): After 9/11 and in the mid 2000s, 2003, 2004, he was really leading Al Qaeda's - Saudi's charge against Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda at that time in Saudi Arabia were turning against the crown and they were seen as a very serious threat, blowing up apartment complexes where foreign workers were living, taking control of oil facilities, and the threat of dealing with that threat was taken on by Prince Nayef at that time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: The body of the crown prince will be flown to Saudi Arabia and buried tomorrow. His unexpected death reopens the question of succession in Saudi Arabia. King Abdulah is 88 years old and has outlived now two successors.

And now to Egypt where voters have just finished the first of two days of crucial voting. Egyptians are deciding which of two candidates they want to replace ousted president Hosni Mubarak. The outcome could greatly affect the future of U.S.-Egyptian relations.

CNN's Ben Wedeman shows us how the first day of the voting went.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Egyptians are getting used to the rituals of the elections. Just like last time, says this woman, dipping her finger in the ink. But voting has yet to become routine. Despite some confusion there is palpable pride in the process. In withering heat women voters wait patiently outside the (INAUDIBLE) preparatory school in the mixed Muslim-Christian suburb of (INAUDIBLE). Less than a month after they last went to the polls Egyptians are back for the second and final round of voting in the country's first post revolutionary presidential elections.

Selwa wants to pose for the event. She tells me she is voting for former air force commander Ahmed Shafiq because, she says, he's a sweetheart and will fix the country. 70-year-old Samira wouldn't say who she's vote for but it's clear whom she didn't vote for.

"I want a civil state," she says. "So if you want civil state you don't want the guy with the beard," I asked meaning Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. "No my dear, I don't want the guy with the beard. Do you?" She asks.

WEDEMAN" At another nearby school they cast their ballot. Notably absent on the ballot are any of the liberals or revolutionaries who ran and lost in the first round and the stark contrast between the two candidates can spark heated debate.

Businessman Hussein Mahmoud voted for the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi. Hussein doesn't want soldiers serving or retired to lead Egypt. "They consider themselves superior to other human beings," he tells me. "They're used to giving orders and those below caring them out without discussion. All military institutions everywhere are like that." He's interrupted in mid sentence by a Mabrouk Mikhail, Coptic Christian and former Army officer. He supports Ahmed Shafiq and insists religion must stay out of politics. And he pours contempt on the performance of the Muslim Brotherhood in the recently dissolved parliament.

"Frankly, the brotherhood failed in parliament," he says. "They were a farce and nothing good came of them. Ahmed Shafiq is the best man to represent this country without fanaticism and with wisdom." He said almost all Egyptians shared his opinion, to which many of those listening strongly objected.

Democracy may be in its early stages here, but debate is booming.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Cairo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Back here in the U.S., the immigration bombshell President Obama dropped yesterday is prompting different reactions. Representative Elton Gallegly is chairman of the Immigration Policy subcommittee. And I spoke with him earlier and he says he wasn't moved by the president's emotional appeal to halt deportations on some young illegal immigrants.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ELTON GALLEGLY (R), CALIFORNIA: The president still gives a tremendous speech and it was filled with anecdotal examples, heart wrenching anecdotal examples. But our country is full of heart- wrenching anecdotal examples of American citizens or people that are here legally that families are without jobs. Many are denied access to our universities and colleges because of over crowding.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: On the other side in the Hispanic community this is being seen as a huge olive branch from an administration that had been aggressively pursuing deportations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. SAMUEL RODRIGUEZ, NATL. HISPANIC CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP CONF.: And on its own merit it's morally just, fair, practical, in my opinion very Christian, and compassionate. So I commend and applaud the president for taking a position that really brings hope to so many young people within our corresponding communities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The administration is maintaining this is not an amnesty for illegal immigrants.

In Southern Mexico Carlotta has weakened to a tropical depression. All warnings and watches are discontinued. The storm did leave a mark, however as a hurricane in Southern Mexico. Two children were killed. Carlotta is expected to dump eight inches of rain through Monday.

And at 121 feet in the air, walking 1800 feet across a tight rope in the dark, history is made as Nick Wallenda crosses over Niagara Falls. People anxiously watched him walk on that tight rope with mist and wind blowing all around him. It took him just 25 minutes to finish.

All right. It is a catch that happens once in a blue moon but a blue moon has nothing on this. Doesn't it look painted to you? They say this is the real deal. A blue lobster. Very rare.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Straight ahead our legal guys are with us Avery Friedman and Richard Herman with some intriguing cases including the case of a New York Police recruit who was cut from the job because of his beard. All right. I want you guys to take a snip at this one. Avery, you first.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Whoa. Yes. A rule to make police officers nice and neat with short beards is clashing with religious freedom under the first amendment. Who prevails? The answer and more coming up.

WHITFIELD: All right. Is this a close cut case, Richard?

RICHARD HERMAN: Woo! Can't take it. Close cut? Cut short?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HERMAN: Listen. Are rules and regulations established by the New York Police Department subject to religious challenge when based on safety and appearance? Hmmm. Stay with us. Avery and I disagree on this one. Stay with us.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much. Avery, Richard, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A New York City Police recruit says his dream of becoming a cop was cut short because of his beard. Fishel Litzman claimed that he got kicked out of the academy because he refused to trim it. Litzman is a Hasidic Jew and says his religion forbids him from cutting his beard.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FISHEL LITZMAN, FORMER NYPD POLICE RECRUIT: It was never, ever stated to me in any way, shape or form that you can have a beard but at a certain length. All I was ever told was that you need to file for a religious exemption.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Our legal guys are back. Avery Friedman in Cleveland and Richard Herman in Austin. All right, gentlemen. This is interesting. He says he was never told of any such policy but apparently the New York Police Department does have a policy in place that says, you know, beards for religious purposes are to be kept one millimeter in length. He says he is not going to trim it at all. He says in fact this kind of cuts into his freedom of religion, Avery.

FRIEDMAN: Yes, we're back at the first amendment here, aren't we? What is really intriguing is that there are Hasidic Jews and Sikhs and other members of the NYPD that have longer beards. He is 38 years old. He is a former paramedic and enrolled in the police academy. A little bit old for most police officer rookies but in any event in order to prevail he has got to seek that exemption which apparently he has done and then secondly the police department has to prove that there is a rational relation to the rule and that they have accommodated it. At the end of the day, Fredricka, this guy I think is going to prevail.

WHITFIELD: You do. OK. He does plan on suing.

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Richard, how do you see it? Do you think this is going to be a clean cut for him?

HERMAN: Ooh. I got it all, Fred.

FRIEDMAN: Good one. Yes.

HERMAN: Listen, even Benson and Stabler couldn't save this guy really. There are rules and regulations promulgated by the police department. It has nothing to do with your religious beliefs or anything else. They believe it's a safety concern and that's how it's stated in the rules and regulations here. This is the largest police force in the country and these are the rules. If you want to play baseball it's three strikes and you're out. They told him - they say they told him three times during the academy and during his training, it could only be like a half inch or a millimeter on his face. He chose not to do that. He's 38 years old like Avery said. I don't know what he's doing training at 38 to be a police officer but in any event I do not think he'll prevail here. I do not think he is going to prevail.

FRIEDMAN: Let me ask you an obvious question. An obvious question is what's the difference between one millimeter and 1.1 millimeter in terms of safety and looking neat? I think the police department is going to have a very difficult time if he can establish it. I mean, I think the more complicated issue is what if he's walking around like Rip Van Winkle? Then what happens? Does that impair his ability to perform? I think that remains to be seen.

WHITFIELD: This is what the New York Police Department deputy commissioner said in a statement. The NYPD deputy commissioner Paul Brown stating that it is, quote, "makes reasonable accommodations in this regard. The department makes reasonable accommodations in this regard. Beards for religious purposes are to be kept to one millimeter in length, period." And if that's the policy doesn't it mean that everyone would have to adhere to it? Simple as that?

FRIEDMAN: They made it up.

HERMAN: That's right.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Is there not a policy in place for a period of time?

FRIEDMAN: It might be a policy but does the policy make sense and it doesn't really. I mean, you take a look at police officers and I represent plenty of them. The underlying rationale is they got to look neat. Really? Is that what is achieved by this rule? I think the policy goes out the window in the context of religious freedom under the first amendment.

WHITFIELD: OK. All right. I know you guys really want to appear on this case as well. This one involves a hologram of Marilyn Monroe. I can't stop myself.

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: According to the "Hollywood Reporter" there is a planned concert and they apparently claim, this company that it has the copyright to Marilyn Monroe's image and it has had this for quite sometime. And they want to use her image by way of a hologram, kind of interacting with some of the folks onstage but the estate of Marilyn Monroe says no way. They sent a cease and desist letter. So who would ultimately be right? Who would have the upper hand in a case like this? Richard.

HERMAN: This is going to come down --

WHITFIELD: If you have the copyright, I guess, you know, rights, but then the estate says we want to control the image of our person. Who has the upper hand? HERMAN: Right. The issue is to what extent does the copyright control here? I believe the estate has the paramount right. I believe there will be a financial settlement here. It's going to come down to money, Fred. It really is. But the estate I believe has every right to control this. The copyright I don't know that it exists. I know they're claiming a statute of limitation expired. That Google video has shown this for years on Marilyn. So therefore the estate did nothing to stop that. But in any event I do think a judge is going to sit and give great credence to the rights of the estate and I do believe in the end there will be a financial settlement. We'll be able to see this hologram.

WHITFIELD: So even though Avery, Digicom says they've had these rights for a very long time.

FRIEDMAN: Right. I can't believe, this is the first time I'm agreeing with this guy in three weeks.

WHITFIELD: What's happening?

FRIEDMAN: Likely he'll prevail in this case. I think Digicom has a good argument on this case because no one has done anything for 15 years but I think at the end of the day the estate prevails and it will be settled up.

WHITFIELD: All right. Avery, Richard, thanks so much.

You can catch our legal guys every Saturday right here on CNN noon Eastern time and again 4:00 Eastern time.

Five former presidents unite for some bipartisan fun in a soap box derby in Atlanta, kind of. These guys actually dressed up like the presidents. Who won?

But first a guy who plays the organ and makes it cool. He is young, he wears crystals and leather and is on this week's "Next List."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAMERON CARPENTER: The organ is not what it's about. It's about the performance. A whole community of American organists sort of saying to each other that we need to do something to promote the organ and this is a ridiculous and fruitless idea which is of course doomed to failure because you don't promote a medium any more than painters promote the paint in the tube.

We don't go to hear the cellist's cello or a rock guitarist's guitar. We go to hear them. And so naturally I want to continue to try to reinvent myself. There is a camp sensibility to that.

My name is Cameron Carpenter and my work is the playing of the organ in an unprecedented way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: The soap box race in Atlanta got a little visit from five past presidents this year. Well, sort of. Five friends actually decided to have a little fun and dress like former presidents for the competition. They made a model of the presidential limo and they put it to the test in the down hill race. Let's see how they did.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Bill Clinton.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm John F. Kennedy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Ronald Reagan.

Today we're here for a good time and we're completely bipartisan.

The materials for our cars are wood, PVC, card board, (INAUDIBLE) and practicing was in my driveway. We had a couple of successful test runs, before hand we had a couple of failures but it turned out. The only thing I see as a problem being a president right now is we can't breathe behind these masks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What people are expecting here hearing today is probably a lot of wrecks. That's what they want to see. We're all hoping we make it down (INAUDIBLE) fast.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give it to him Atlanta!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Check out the presidents of the United States. Let's go to the judges and check your score.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, wow.

DREW WELLER, TEAM CAPTAIN, PREZIDENTS OF THE U.S.: No expectation, no disappointment. It was a blast. A great time. We only came out here to have a good time. We wanted to win. Don't get me wrong. But we were a locally funded team and we were local and we did the best we could and had a good time.

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WHITFIELD: All right. It's all about a good time. The next soap box derby goes on in Dallas, September 15th. Mark your calendar.

All right. Ann Romney's husband, the presidential candidate better known for his ties to the Olympics but this year Mrs. Romney will have some skin in the game. A horse Ann Romney co-owned earned a spot on the U.S. equestrian team today. The horse's (INAUDIBLE) is call Dressage. That's a fancy kind of horse high stepping thing with a fancy wear as well. Ann Romney's horse now advances to this summer's Olympic Games in London.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANN ROMNEY, WIFE OF MITT ROMNEY: Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. It's a seafood catch that looks more like art. Imagine a fisherman's surprise when he found this. We'll show you how this lobster got its color.

If you have to go out today just a reminder you can continue watching CNN in your mobile phone. You can also watch CNN live from your desk top. Just go to cnn.com/tv.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The Obama administration makes a huge policy change for young illegal immigrants. Under the policy, effective immediately, people younger than 30 who were brought to the U.S. as kids and had no criminal records will get a two-year deferral from deportation. Some Republicans have called the president's order illegal and have vowed to fight it.

World financial markets are closely watching Greece as voters get ready to head to the polls tomorrow. What Greece decides in tomorrow's election could spell the end of its place in the eurozone. Greek voters will attempt to select a new government. That is something they failed to do six weeks ago and the country has been in turmoil ever since.

And a historic day in China. For the first time ever the country has sent a female astronaut into space. If all goes well, her spacecraft will dock with China's orbiting space lab. China's next venture is to build a space station and conduct a manned mission to the moon.

Fishermen off the coast of Maryland caught something that looks a lot more like a piece of art. It looks more like art than dinner. Take a look at this rare, blue lobster. This phenomenon happens to about one in two million lobsters and happened when they produce too much of a certain protein apparently. Right now the lobster is in a holding tank. The boat captain who caught it decided whether to hand it over to an aquarium or release it back into the ocean.

All right. That's going to do it for me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Much more of the "CNN NEWSROOM" At the top of the hour with my colleague, Don Lemon.