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Investors Buoyed by Greek Vote; 181 Destroyed in Colorado Fire; Rodney King Dies at 47; Sandusky Defense Begins Today; Stocks React to Greece; Hockey Mom to Ref: "Do Your Job"; The Vatican and the U.S. Catholics
Aired June 18, 2012 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Soledad. I hope you saved me some of that bacon sundae for after this program.
O'BRIEN: You can have the whole thing.
(LAUGHTER)
BANFIELD: I had a feeling you were going to say that.
Thank you, Soledad O'Brien, nice to see you. And nice to you, everyone. The stories that we're watching right now in the NEWSROOM. Let me start with this one.
Heat emergency. Record-breaking temperatures moving across this country. One hundred degrees in Colorado as firefighters there battle the worst fire in that state's history.
Investors also breathing a wee bit easier this morning with the results of a key election in Greece. But is the American economy in some kind of danger? How is Wall Street going to react to what happened overseas? The Opening Bell just 30 minutes away.
And a life-altering disease. Reality star Jack Osbourne diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. How he says he is coping.
Plus, take a look at that. Talk about a tennis tantrum. Ow. Taking out his frustration on the ad board but hitting the ump in the process. Not only does he get kicked out of the tourney but the police are now considering charges for that ornery tennis player.
Good morning, everyone. Hi, there. I'm Ashley Banfield. I'm in for Carol Costello today. And we want to begin our -- with your wallet, your money. The reason why stock markets around the world are bouncing around this morning because voters in Greece are supporting the nation's controversial bailout. Finally they're doing so. It is a bold move that reduces the risk of Greece going bankrupt and worse, defecting from the Eurozone.
That's the kind of decision that could have sent that economy and, in fact, the world economy absolutely reeling. But on Wall Street the sense of relief is kind of ho-ho so-so. Less than 30 minutes before the Opening Bell and the markets are mixed. Investors still pretty skittish on this one.
Our business correspondent are Christine Romans joining me now live.
This is a real critical moment not just for Greece and not just for the -- for the Eurozone but also for Americans and sometimes, Christine, Americans aren't quite so sure why it's so important for us.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Look, it's so important here because you've got an election that is now has closed the book here. You know, 221 days now there hasn't been an elected government in Greece. And so now it looks, as though, it can forge its way forward, try to form a coalition and begin to abide by the bailout rules and try to get more money under its bailout so it can keep going here.
But even as the election is over, uncertainty isn't. And that's what you're seeing in world markets. That world market rally that we all saw two, three, four hours ago is starting to fizzle here because everyone is looking forward to how much work Greece has to do. They're looking forward to other problems, quite frankly, in the Eurozone including Spain and Italy.
So let's talk a little bit about the lexicon, if you will, of the Greek crisis. There are words you've been hearing like "drachmageddon," that has been avoided. And that's what's so key here, drachmageddon, going back to the drachma and getting out of the euro. People have said if that happened you would have Europe's Lehman moment. We would have a relatively small player fail and that could take down the rest of Europe.
"Grexit" is what you're hearing, too. Now this vote, many people home, has thwart a Grexit, which is Greece exiting the Eurozone. And all the attended uncertainties that would go with this.
You know Ken Rogoff earlier this morning from Harvard, he's somebody who's studied all of the financial crises, more than 3,000 of them, they never planned for something like this. And that's what the big problem is right now. Even though -- even though there is a little bit -- you've got an election under our belt, no one had planned for something like this when they invented the Eurozone and all of that uncertainty comes at the U.S. -- the U.S. a time when our own economy is pretty fat and fragile. That's why we care.
BANFIELD: So, Christine, we have a winner which helps with the uncertainty but in a parliamentary system, a winner isn't always a winner. There needs to be a coalition. From all my estimates, it's about three days they've got to put together a coalition government to actually get this momentum going. So what if, what if, that coalition is enforced in three days then what happens with us, our money and the global economy?
ROMANS: I think you would have a really terrible stock market reaction. I think you'd have global markets around the world that would be -- reacting very violently. So even this morning as we're talking about a -- you know, a fizzling rally overseas, look, many people said that if you had -- if you have the -- if you didn't have a pro-bailout group winning, and winning, you would -- you know, it would have been a terrible day in the markets here. So markets are trying to figure out what to do next even as Greece isn't the only problem here.
I mean you and I have been talking about it. Greece is the weakest link in the -- in the chain that is Europe. For now that weak link stays in but there are other weak links, too, so this is -- this is the beginning of the end of the story for Greece and its problems. It's not the end of the story.
BANFIELD: Yes, this is the for now part of your reporting. All right. We'll look forward to a little bit further reporting from you as certainly as the bell goes off in about 25, 26 minutes or so.
Christine Romans, thank you. Appreciate it.
So the sputtering of the international economy is the focus today of President Obama and other world leaders, all of them in Mexico for the G-20 summit of the world's largest and emerging economies. They're looking for ways to ramp up a sluggish economy. The recovery around the world has been a problem but it is unlikely that the leaders can agree on any kind of commitment to a single coordinated plan of attack.
Switching gears somewhat here, as early as the next hour, the United States Supreme Court could hand down some of the most important decisions in years. Some might say even decades.
Looming for all Americans, President Obama's health care law. Several issues are under the microscope. But the one getting the most attention is the so-called individual mandate. Specifically whether it is constitutional to require health coverage for almost all of us.
The justices could also be handing down a decision on Arizona's tough immigration law. The big question is whether the states have the authority to write their own immigration laws or only the feds have the power to do so. We'll keep an eye on that for you and we'll come in with breaking news if we do it, in fact, get those decisions today. Could be today or Thursday.
Also switching gears to this, in Colorado. huge wildfires, one big one in particular engulfing more than 56,000 acres and it's destroyed at least 181 homes. More than 1700 people are fighting this fire. They're battling the flames which are fueled with very high temperatures and the worst part of it gusty, gusty winds.
Our CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano has been watching this fire.
I fee like this has been one of those stories that's almost become long form. We're into week three. They're having some success but not enough.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. We've -- pretty much this has been from state to state. Arizona, New Mexico, now Colorado getting into the act. Overall we're actually below average as far as how much acres has already burned. But in Colorado, don't tell those folks this. Because this is now the largest wildfire in Colorado history. The axis of it just to the west of Ft. Collins and the -- in the Roosevelt national forest there.
All sorts of aerial, personnel in there, we've got 2700 firefighters that are working this thing and it's just ne become a massive, massive area just to the west of Ft. Collins and now the problem today is, really the next couple of days, strong winds are going to be will be out of the west-northwest and that will fan the flames. In Ft. Collins, we continue to get a great deal of smoke from this thing. So it is huge with 56,000 acres. Eighty-eight square miles and that's what's bringing it to the largest in Colorado history.
Forty-five percent containment. That sounds like a lot, but when you're talking about a fire of this magnitude and size, it's really not that much. And when you look at the big weather picture, things are -- obviously aren't going to be not helping. We've got 50 to 60- mile-an-hour winds, red flag warnings in critical fire dangers in some spot, from southern California all the way up to eastern parts of Wyoming and this is the other issue.
At least for today, Ashleigh, I mean we may not touch 100 but we're going to get pretty close here in Denver. Very low levels of humidity in that fire zone as well. Three to 4 percent today our relative humidity today and with winds gusting 50 to 60 miles an hour that's going to be quite a battle these guys are going to have on their hands not only today but tomorrow as well.
BANFIELD: Just imagine how hard that is to fight the fires in that kind of heat. And not with standing how dangerous the heat is for the fire spreading itself. But -- I mean that's really dangerous work after -- you know, after having done it for so long and then dealing with those kind of temperatures.
MARCIANO: Yes. Backbreaking and dangerous. Those guys are a lot tougher than I am. That's for sure. Awesome.
BANFIELD: I'll say. All right. Keep an eye on things for us, Rob Marciano. Thanks so much.
MARCIANO: You got it.
BANFIELD: And by the way, this is a great piece of video to tail with you here, Rob. Check out this video in South Dakota. You may not believe this.
Ouch. That is the sound of rain pounding a windshield. Severe storms hammering northeast South Dakota and western Minnesota. Probably a little hail mixed in with that to make that kind of cluttering sound.
And then also look at these cloud formations in Wheaton, Minnesota. Just remarkable. They look like the beginnings of twisters. And you can see the lightning in between those funnels. Hard to tell whether the funnels has actually ended up touching down anywhere but those are not the kinds of cloud formations you want to stick around and watch develop into anything bigger or worse.
Making news today as well, an autopsy is expected soon on Rodney King. His body was found on Sunday in a pool at his suburban Los Angeles home. It was King's beating by Los Angeles police back from 1991 and the acquittal of the officers involved that sparked a deadly riot 20 years ago. Many people say they are saddened by King's death.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROB CAHLBERG, RODNEY KING'S NEIGHBOR: I was shocked. Because of who it was. I thought, you know, he was -- he was one of those persons that, you know, would always be around. He's one of the icons that you would look up to because when -- with the L.A. riots, he's the one that actually really stopped them, I think. By telling everybody there, can we all just get along? Everybody just started getting along.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: One of the most famous comments ever, can we all just get along?
Our Miguel Marquez is live in Los Angeles now with the very latest.
So bring me up to speed on whether the police are any closer to figuring out why Rodney King drowned in his pool, Miguel?
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's not very clear, Ashley, the neighbors in the nearby area have told police that -- or told other media outlets that they heard emotional conversations very early in the morning Sunday morning at 5:30. His wife called police because she spotted him at the deep end of the pool on the bottom. Police showed up a short time later, they dove into the pool, pulled him out of the deep end, started resuscitation there and he was pronounced dead a little after 6:00 a.m. Sunday morning.
And absolutely tumultuous life, a completely ordinary man who found himself in extraordinary circumstances, and who can forget after all that rioting, all that death, all those arrests, all those injuries in 1991 when Los Angeles exploded, this man, scared out of his mind, came out and said the following.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RODNEY KING, VICTIM OF POLICE BEATING: Can we all get along? Can we get along?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUEZ: Those words will remind people of this man's life. He changed certainly the Los Angeles Police Department, he changed race relations across the country, he changed so much by being there at that point in time and having that beating taped and then the white officers being acquitted. Just an amazing history. He had a very difficult life. He had a lot of demons in his world. And he certainly died in the same way that he lived his life -- Ashleigh.
BANFIELD: It's a tragic story, and, you know, keep an eye on this because I know the investigation is continuing to see if there may have been any kind of drugs or alcohol involved. I know he told Don Lemon, Miguel, that he had yet to really fight off those demons and get that kind of substance abuse under control and hopefully that's not to blamed.
Miguel, thank you.
A new beginning in the Jerry Sandusky trial, so to speak. Today his lawyers are beginning to present the defense in this case. And you might be surprised with what they are about to say. We'll have a preview.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: Checking the top stories now for you.
We are waiting to see how Wall Street will react at the bottom of the hour to the Greek election results. The victory by the New Democracy party certainly helped to ease worries that Greece might break away from the eurozone and while the Greek news gave the European stocks an initial bounce, there was certainly a pullback over concerns about Spain and Italy -- problems of their own in the eurozone.
In money news, an anonymous bidder buying a 1976 Apple 1 computer and paying -- guess what -- $375,000 for it. That winning bid at the Sotheby's auction was more than twice the original estimate. I guess it's because there's only about six working Apple 1 computers in the world. If you are wondering about performance, here you go. The Apple 1 has no monitor. It has no keyboard and it's believed to be 1,000 times slower than an iPhone. But it's nice to have.
Chinese spacecraft launched Saturday has now docked with an orbiting space lab. China is now the third nation after the United States and Russia to complete a man space docking. The three-person crew which include China's first female astronaut is now conducting scientific experiments in that space lab.
Today is set to be a turning point in the child rape trial of Jerry Sandusky. After a week of extraordinarily emotional and very graphic testimony from his accusers, the prosecution is expected to rest today and his defense lawyers will get their turn to tell his side of this case.
Our national correspondent Susan Candiotti is outside the courthouse now in Pennsylvania.
Susan, it always looks bad as a prosecution wraps up because that's what the prosecution is supposed to do, make this look very, very bad. But knowing that, there was something interesting that happened this weekend that may give us a clue as to where the defense is going with its case. Can you explain?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRSPONDENT: I sure can. It appears now that Jerry Sandusky has now been examined by a psychologist, two psychologists, one for the prosecution and one for the defense. The prosecution's expert, evidently, examined him over the weekend. And so, this is all part of the defense plan as they stated in court papers to say that Jerry Sandusky has been diagnosed with and suffers from a histrionic personality disorder and they say in part, that explains the so-called creepy letters that he wrote to his alleged victims in this case.
And in some of them, and we can show you an excerpt from one of them, it reads in part how he wrote about himself in these letters in the third person. He says, quote, "Jer may not be worthy, but he needs a best friend. Jer will not forget and always cares."
So prosecutors have argued that Jerry Sandusky used grooming techniques that would be used by any sexual predator. The defense will argue that that's not the case. That he suffers from this personality disorder and it has nothing to do with him allegedly being a sexual predator.
And, you know, I want to bring you up to date, Ashleigh, on what's happening in court right now. Outside the jury's presence, they're both discussing some motions and they said that they will get under way with one last prosecution witness. We don't know who this is, and then the defense and the prosecution will rest and the defense will begin.
Also, the defense attorney for Jerry Sandusky is saying that the prosecutors failed to adequately explain each count, and he's telling the judge this is a violation of due process. So, he'll likely ask for doing this for a basis of a later appeal after the judge rules on this.
BANFIELD: All right. Getting on the record as they like to say. That's fascinating, Susan. You say there's one more witness for the prosecution, who knows, because there are still two of those accusers of the 10 who they haven't been able to find and it would be amazing to find out if they had last minute tracked them down or maybe something else.
CANDIOTTI: Yes, it's going to be a big surprise.
(CROSSTALK)
BANFIELD: Heck, yes. Not that we're not going to have big surprises in the defense case, too.
All right. Susan, I'll let you get back into court so you can bring us whatever transpires in court. Thank you very much, Susan Candiotti live in Pennsylvania for us this morning.
CANDIOTTI: You bet.
BANFIELD: Two brothers hoping for Olympic gold. Here's the problem. Only one of them can make the U.S. Olympic team. Imagine what it's like for that family.
(COMMERCIA BREAK)
BANFIELD: Get used to that music. The London Summer Games just 39 days away and, of course, they'll be kicked off in lavish fashion with an epic opening ceremony July 27th. This time around, Oscar- winning director Danny Boyle is going to direct the cast of thousands. And we're hearing it includes a menagerie of animals. I'm just saying.
Siblings, speaking of Olympics, siblings who are both trampolinists, who are both vying for one, just one, coveted spot on the U.S. Olympic team. Can you imagine Thanksgiving dinner?
It's a case of rivalry but it's also a case of brotherly love because both are aiming for gold.
Here is Carol Costello.
(BEEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Steven and Jeffrey Gluckstein need to jump 30 feet in the air to qualify for the Olympic Games. But that's not compared to their greatest challenge, beating each other.
TATIANA KOVALEVA, TRAMPOLINE COACH: Sometimes they fight during the training so it's tough. You have to separate them a little. But sometimes when they have rough days, they support each other a lot which makes it easier.
COSTELLO: World champ Tatiana Kovaleva trains them both to face anyone but Steven knows Jeffrey is the one to beat.
STEVEN GLUCKSTEIN, OLYMPIC HOPEFUL: I'm concerned being with my brother, he has natural born talent. He land so perfectly into the trampoline that if he -- if everything goes his way perfect, he could be the best in the world.
COSTELLO: Yet 19-year-old Jeffrey still looks up to 21-year-old Steven.
JEFFREY GLUCKSTEIN, OLYMPIC HOPEFUL: He has a very good work ethic. He comes into the gym. He trains his hardest and always puts his heart into it.
COSTELLO: When Loretta Gluckstein encouraged her little boys to jump on a trampoline, she never expected it would be somebody be an Olympic sport and sibling rivalry.
LORETTA GLUCKSTEIN, GLUCKSTEIN BROTHERS' MOTHER: They are so close. They've been doing this together every -- I mean, literally together every day for the past 12 years.
COSTELLO: Steven has only lost to Jeffrey once but it was big. He lost his national title to his baby brother last year.
JEFFREY GLUCKSTEIN: It's a mutual feeling when you beat one of your relatives. But it's also a good feeling inside.
COSTELLO: Steven became determined to beat him even as Jeffrey remained more friend than foe.
STEVE GLUCKSTEIN: We spot for each other with a safety mat on the side of the trampoline. You know, I watch his good trainings but he watches my good training as well. And trampoline is really a sport where you have to focus on yourself, your personal best. You are not worried about anybody else.
COSTELLO: Even if that somebody else is literally your better half.
Carol Costello, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BANFIELD: Carol, awesome story. I have a 5-year-old and 6- year-old that bounce together, too. Maybe there's hope way down the line.
OK. So dueling over deportation as immigration becomes the latest hot topic in the race for the White House. So, will it be President Obama or Governor Romney coming out on top on this argument?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: Good morning. I'm Ashleigh Banfield. I'm in for Carol Costello.
And some of the stories we're following in THE NEWSROOM today:
The defense is set to begin in its presentation of its case today in the Jerry Sandusky child rape trial. Yesterday, Jerry Sandusky underwent psychological testing. His lawyers plan to argue that he suffers a personality disorder.
Fears of a power struggle and more bloodshed as the Muslim Brotherhood claims victory in Egypt's historic presidential election. The state media account shows the Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi is leading, but there are still a lot of votes that have yet to be counted.
An autopsy is planned for Rodney King today. Los Angeles police are treating his death as a drowning. The 47-year-old was found it at the bottom of his own swimming pool early yesterday morning.
His 1991 beating by Los Angeles police officers was caught on camera, with riots breaking out after the officers were criminally acquitted of that beating.
Well, at first, it really seemed like the stock market was heading for a rally after the pro-bailout party won the election in Greece. But now, I don't know, maybe not so much.
Felicia Taylor is at the New York Stock Exchange.
So, we've been waiting for the opening bell. What's the deal?
FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Ashleigh, not so much. We have seen a bit of a rally in the futures markets overnight and in Europe as well. But that market now is flat.
The reason being, there was excitement over the fact that there was an election in Greece that went pretty much how the market wanted, which is this New Democracy party in favor of austerity. As they say, the devil is in the details, and the formation of that coalition isn't coming together as well or as easily as people had hoped.
All eyes also right now are on Spain and the rising tide of bad loans. We're going to get a report this week, on the 21st, about the capitalization needs of those banks. And, frankly, most people are much more worried about Spain. Greece's economy is a lot smaller than Spain is. I mean, Spain is the fourth largest economy throughout the eurozone.
So that is where the focus is going to be in terms of today. The trading will be a churning. We are now down, about 50 points on the Dow, about half a percent on both the NASDAQ and the S&P. So, it's not a huge sell-off by any means but there are so many questions, nothing that's going to lead the market higher necessarily, at least not for now -- Ashleigh.
BANFIELD: So, Felicia, I get the argument that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link and that makes sense, I guess, for the eurozone. What I don't always understand how that chain skips over the Atlantic to the United States.
Can you connect those links for me?
TAYLOR: Absolutely. I mean, I think it's a very valid question. I mean, why should Americans care what's going on in the eurozone, and part of that answer is, you know, what I mentioned before, I mean, they are our largest trading partners.
So when you think about imports coming into this country, if those economies are having a tough time, that means those prices are going to be pushed higher. That means we are paying more for Spanish products and Greek products, whatever it may be.
Also, what is the exposure of American banks to Spain? Right now, we're taking a Spanish bond yields rising to all-time record highs. That means that frankly the economy there is so fragile that people are getting rid of Spanish debt. They don't want to hold on to anything.
Now, that has an effect in terms of American banks. Who's going to mop up that mess might likely come back to the U.S. shores -- Ashleigh.
BANFIELD: I'm seeing between 55 and 56 down on the Dow. Is it expected to be a blood bath or just kind of a messy day?
TAYLOR: I think it will be a messy day. I don't think it's going to be a bloodbath. You got to remember, the other thing people are going to be focused on is the Federal Reserve meeting which happens Tuesday and Wednesday of this week and the hope is out there that there will be some kind of added stimulus into the marketplace and possibly even a global world bank coordination of putting stimulus back in the marketplace, whether it's the U.K., France, Italy -- probably not Italy but Germany more than likely to add a little stimulus back.
So, that's what the market will be focused on and looking for any kind of positive news out of the Federal Reserve on Wednesday -- Ashleigh.
BANFIELD: All right, Felicia, I knew you would explain it well. Thank you, my friend. Nice to see you.
TAYLOR: Good to see you.
BANFIELD: Felicia Taylor, live for us at the New York Stock Exchange this morning.
So loyal viewers got to know the guy named Ozzy Osbourne, the rocker, the family man, and his entire family on the reality show, "The Osbournes." But now, there's a new reality for one family member. It's Jack.
Jack Osbourne is facing a shocking medical diagnosis. We're going to bring you up to speed in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: Oh, yes, happy birthday, Paul. They say it's your birthday and it is. The big 7-0. I can't believe I just said you're 70, but you are.
"London Daily Telegraph" saying that Paul McCartney spends a weekend in Italy, with his wife, that he's supposed to be back in London tonight. And he is still going strong at 70 folks. Man, I could listen to that song all day.
He is going to be the back closing act the opening ceremony at the London Summer Games. So, we're not through hearing from him.
All right. Other news to bring you from the entertainment world, and this is a surprise. Rocker Ozzy Osbourne's son and reality star Jack Osbourne has made a very personal announcement. He's telling everyone now that he is actually suffering from multiple sclerosis.
Our Nischelle Turner is following the developments. She's live in Los Angeles.
This comes as a real surprise. Has he known this for long?
NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT: You know what? This is news that's just kind of coming out. I think they have had the diagnosis for a little bit and we're dealing with it as a family. But this is a really tough break for Jack Osbourne. This news we're learning about on Father's Day, jack just had a daughter two weeks ago.
You know, he told Britain's "Hello Magazine" doctors diagnosed the disease after he lost 60 percent of the vision in his right eye. Now understandably he told the magazine that he was angry, he was upset about the diagnosis. But he also says that kind of attitude can only make things worse.
His new motto, Ashleigh, is adapt and overcome. I think that's a good attitude to have when he's got this fight ahead of him.
BANFIELD: Yes, we certainly wish him the best.
I want to ask you about something that's been a big old deal here in New York City, this total throw-down in a nightclub. A lot of people making jokes about it but there were some serious injuries, the allegations two rappers went at it over Rihanna, Drake and, of course, Chris Brown, both of them former boyfriends, you could say, of Rihanna.
And now, there could be some serious legal problems ahead.
TURNER: Yes. You know what? Throw-down is the right word that you used for this. This story keeps getting worse and worse. Now, this is the brawl that saw those two, Drake and Chris Brown's entourages reportedly getting into this all-out melee last Thursday night.
Now that club has been shut down by the New York City Police Department. Now, this brawl, no matter who was involved, left the club in shambles. There was broken glass everywhere. The fight included people throwing glass bottles around. Reportedly at least one person there is planning to sue and there will probably be others lining up to follow suit.
NBA star Tony Parker, he was injured in that fight. He told reporters that he was with his friend, Chris Brown, and between the punches being thrown and the glass flying around, he suffered a scratch to his eye. Now he's out of action for the next week. He's supposed to be preparing for the Olympics with the French national team right now.
Now, we also saw Chris Brown at the time tweet out a picture of his face with a big cut on it.
What we don't know, Ashleigh, at this stage is who started this fight and why. But as for the club shut down, police say the violations are related to security, owner/operator issues, the admission of patrons, activities inside the club and all of these violations were an issue before the fight.
Now, according to their statement, this brawl seems to have been just basically the final straw for the club which led to that being shut down.
BANFIELD: But you know what, there's another thing that's sort of been spawned by this. I don't know if you in L.A. are following this, we had our big soda ban here that Mayor Bloomberg is trying to get enacted, the 16-oz soda ban. Well, now, the woman who wants to be mayor here after Mayor Bloomberg, Christine Quinn, wants to ban bottles because they use them as weapons.
TURNER: Yes. And you know what? That is going to have club owners and people in that industry just up in arms because if you know, if you go to clubs especially in New York and here in L.A., bottle service is where those clubs make a lot of their money. You can go from anywhere to $1,500 on a slow night to $15,000 --
BANFIELD: Holy Cow.
TURNER: -- for bottle service on a busy night. That's where they make a lot of their money. I see a big fight ahead for that if that becomes an issue.
BANFIELD: Who knew we would be talking about a bottle ban because of weaponry as opposed to just bad behavior and the use and drinking of it.
Nischelle Turner, good to see you. Thank you.
TURNER: Sure. Thanks.
BANFIELD: And, by the way, Nischelle is going to be busy. She's going to come back next hour to join us with more showbiz headlines, including why the creator of this "Family Guy" my favorite cartoon, is not laughing when it comes to presidential politics. Seth McFarland's take on what's going on in the nation's capital. That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: A Colorado wildfire is now engulfed more than 56,000 acres and, get this, it has destroyed at least 181 homes. More than 1,700 firefighters are trying to get this thing under control, but the flames are fueled by very high temperatures and, worse yet, a lot of wind.
The activists have certainly had their say, but now the health care law and several other key cases in this country are in the hands of the Supreme Court. Keeping an eye on the court as a decision could come down at any moment today.
In money, Facebook paying up. It's going to have to pay $10 million to settle a lawsuit that was filed by five users. They claim that the company used part of their profiles in advertisements without giving them any money for doing so. The potential class action lawsuit could have resulted in billions of dollars in damages. A Boston area hockey mom took matters into her own hands and walked onto the ice saying that the referees were not doing enough to stop a fight involving her son. Take a look at this. It's a YouTube clip making the rounds. It was posted a few weeks ago. Gina O'Toole is her name was holding her purse when she decided to go out the ice, there you go, pink jacket and all.
Earlier today she explained what compelled her to do this. She showed up on ABC's "Good Morning America" to explain herself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GINA O'TOOLE, MOTHER WHO BROKE UP HOCKEY FIGHT: Concussions are very, you know, you know prevalent thing in youth hockey and when I went on the ice, a lot of other parents were screaming, "Stop it, stop the fight." People were banging on the glass, "What are you doing? When are you going to break this up?" And I just found myself opening the gate and walking onto the ice and saying, "Hey, you need to get control of this game. What are you doing?"
And he turned around and he yelled at me and he told me to get off the ice. And I said, "You need to do your job."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Well, there you go. You need to do your job, pink jacket, purse, and all. I think there might have been a few f-bombs in there too, with all the bleeps. Yes so there it is. So as soon as O'Toole got out there, both youth hockey teams actually stopped throwing the punches, probably out of sheer shock and amazement. Shock and awe.
Way to go, mom. I like to hear that. Nice work.
Scandal involving our Catholic Church and the Vatican -- well, they've been pretty much front page news here in the United States. But now we're going to go in-depth, we're going to take a look at what is going on behind the growing tensions in between the Vatican and American Catholics.
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BANFIELD: Some U.S. Catholic nuns are on a mission to confront what they call injustice for struggling and impoverished families. But instead of praying about it they're going on tour, a bus tour really a bus tour, 12 nuns on a bus kicking off a nine state 15-day tour in Iowa. Their final destination will be the nation's capital and they expect to land there by July 2nd. They're on a drive for faith, family and fairness, they say.
And they're speaking out against the current House Republican budget plan that was authored by Congressman Paul Ryan. They say that his proposed government spending cuts would hurt poor people first.
But the nuns are also duking it out with somebody else. The big guy. Not God but next to him, the Vatican, the Pope. Apparently these days, things have been a little tense. They've been strictly and sternly reprimanded for being, quote, "Too feminist" from the Vatican. Seems to be a bit of a divide in the Catholic Church but some say it might actually be growing into an all-out political battle.
All this week we're going in-depth on how this rift is affecting American Catholics and their relationship with the church.
CNN's Senior Vatican analyst John Allen is joining me live in Rome right now. So John maybe tell me a little bit about this rift between the nuns and -- and the Vatican. Is it getting worse, is it getter better? This bus tour can't be too well received by the Vatican is what I'm thinking.
JOHN ALLEN, CNN SENIOR VATICAN ANALYST: Hey Ashleigh. Well, I mean, I think the Vatican understands the primary purpose of this bus tour is not to protest them, it's to protest the Ryan budget. But on the other hand I think it is fair to say that although both sides in the standoff between nuns and the states in particular, they're a major umbrella group the leadership conference of one of the religious.
Between that outfit and the Vatican, both sides are committed to continuing the conversation, but both sides are also saying out loud they don't seem to be making a lot of progress in achieving a meeting of the minds of the substantive issues. A lot of people frankly actually not sure where this is going to end up.
BANFIELD: Can you give me a bit of a feel for, you know, how America is being viewed? The Catholic Church in America is being viewed globally? Are we -- are we in good standing with the Catholic -- with the Vatican when it comes to the Catholic Church here? Is there a divide in any way?
ALLEN: Well let's start with the fact, Ashleigh, that there are 1.2 billion Catholics in the world and 67 million in the United States, which means that American Catholics represent only six percent of the global Catholic population. Put another way 94 percent of the Catholics in the world don't live in the States and so the Vatican doesn't always get out of bed in the morning thinking about America.
Now that said, I think it is fair to say that in the old days they would see the United States over here as kind of a Protestant culture they couldn't really trust and they -- they fell back on their best friends among the traditionally Catholic states of Europe.
Now because of runaway secularization in Europe, they tend to think of America as their best friend on the global stage. So there's a much more positive outlook fundamentally in the Vatican. But it also means they pay more attention to us which has its positives and its negatives. And right now there are some nuns in the States who could talk to you a little bit Ashleigh about those negatives.
BANFIELD: You're right. But they're on a bus right now so I can't call them. John just quickly I want to wrap this up, but I do want know this question and I don't know if you can answer it or not. Pope Benedict, how well does he know us as American, how well does he know American Catholics?
ALLEN: Well in a (inaudible) interview a couple of years ago, Benedict XVI freely confessed that he doesn't know the United States that well. That said, there are a lot of Americans who have his ear including the guy who heads the Vatican's powerful congregation for the doctrine of the faith who is leading this crack down on American nuns, who is himself an American, Cardinal William Levada who used to be in San Francisco.
So, the Pope wouldn't fancy himself an expert on the States but he's certainly got plenty of them in his immediate neighborhood.
BANFIELD: John Allen, it looks like the weather there is beautiful. It's good of you to join us, thank you, sir. I appreciate it.
ALLEN: You're welcome Ashleigh.
BANFIELD: Live in Rome for us this morning.
Ok, so a TV show pushing to win over Academy Award voters and instead getting a whole swath of criticism. Come even calling this thing anti-Semitic -- not kidding.
It all has to do with "Family Guy" and this guy. Seth MacFarlane, the creator -- he's firing back. Wait until you see what he has to say and whether it's really funny or dead serious.
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BANFIELD: Did you hear the one about the basketball game and the big golf thing that happened? Well, Jeff Fischel did and he's here with sports because he's way better at this than I am. Hello.
JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORTS: Those official sports terms you use, I have to learn those.
BANFIELD: I know. Right? I'm so (inaudible) when it comes to sports; it's not my thing.
FISCHEL: No worries. I'll fill you in.
Lebron James blames himself for the Miami Heat losing last year in the finals to Dallas. This time around though, he's doing all he can to redeem himself and bring the Miami Heat an NBA title.
James driving to the basket, against Oklahoma City in Game 3 of the NBA finals. He finishes with 29 points, 14 rebounds. The Thunder done in by some turnovers, poor shooting, Kevin Durant in foul trouble. And by Lebron, he came through in crunch time scoring five straight points down the stretch, pulling awful late. He rallied, the Heat wins, 91-85. They lead the series two games to one. Game 4 tomorrow night.
In golf, (inaudible) Webb Simpson playing in only his fifth major wins the U.S. Open. Simpson finished the turn, that's one over par; that's how tough it is at the Olympic club in San Francisco. Simpson and his wife watched on TV from the clubhouse as Graham McDowell missed a putt on 18 to force a playoff. The 25-year-old Simpson gets the trophy, $1.4 million as well.
But he was upstaged briefly during an interview with NBC's Bob Costas.
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WEBB SIMPSON, WINNER, U.S. OPEN: I got off to a slow start, but I knew that -- I got off to a slow start, but I knew --
BOB COSTAS, NBC HOST: Always something to spice things up.
SIMPSON: Enjoy the jail cell, pal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FISCHEL: What kind of bird was that, you think? A swallow, African or European? Not sure, anyway, I didn't know you could get (inaudible) when you win the U.S. Open.
And lastly, bad behavior on the tennis court. Angry with his shot, David Nalbandian, kicks the small ad board there. Yes, hits a judge along the sideline there, drawing blood. The chair unpire called the Queen's Club final match -- that's it, it's over. Nalbandian disqualified, Marin Cilic the winner.
Back in January, Nalbandian was fined for throwing water at an Australian Open official. This time, Nalbandian could be in even more trouble; police, Ashleigh, are actually considering assault charges against him.
BANFIELD: I am so at a loss for words. I mean, I wish I had the audio, I wish I could hear whether he was saying, Oh darn, I meant to get the board beside you, or, Gee, you deserved that. This is unbelievable.
FISCHEL: How oblivious are you that there is a human being right there, and you kick it right in front of him. I don't (inaudible).
BANFIELD: Well, there is that little -- there looks like a little love tap there -- I'm not sure. Well, listen, I think you've got your work cut out for you, to find out if there will be assault charges there, because that's pretty serious stuff.
FISCHEL: It is.
BANFIELD: Thank you, sir -- you do a very good job at that, may I say.
FISCHEL: I've been practicing for a little while.
BANFIELD: Jeff Fischel, thank you.
Next hour of CNN NEWSROOM beginning right now.