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President Obama Hits Back Amidst Trio Of Scandals; Jodi Arias Trial Set To Resume Monday; Giant Tsunami Slams Ashore In Northern Canada; An Exclusive Look Into Guantanamo Bay

Aired May 18, 2013 - 18:00   ET

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

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, THE SITUATION ROOM: Damage control at the White House. President Obama is hitting back, taking steps to contain a series of major controversies. Can he save his second-term agenda?

An exclusive inside look how the U.S. military is force-feeding hunger striking detainees at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Why defense lawyers say it is inhumane.

And giant waves of ice, 30-feet high, in some places pushing ashore and crushing lake front homes. We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world.

I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in the SITUATION ROOM.

We begin over at the White House where the political prospects for President Obama's second term changed dramatically in the course of only a week. We have seen a crush of developments involving three major controversies, a forced resignation, and new allegations of cover-ups. Can the president recover? What does he need to do?

Let's go to the White House, our White House correspondent Dan Lothian is standing by.

What's the strategy as far as damage control is concerned?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, you know, the president really wants to sort of put this behind him and turn the focus back on his second term agenda. He promised and wants to very much deliver on immigration reform. The economy is still a major concern, yes, unemployment is going down, but the president still wants to go out there, hit the road, focus on creating jobs for the middle class, and there are even those international issues that continue bubbling up and need to be resolved, there's Syria, saw the president this week dealing with that during a visit of the prime minister from Turkey. Next week he will be meeting on another international issue with the president from Myanmar.

So, the president trying to focus on his agenda, but they realize here at the White House these scandals aren't going away any time soon. And specifically the IRS scandal, they realize how politically it could be very explosive. That's why you hear the president and will continue to hear the president vowing to work with congressional investigators to get answers, to get to the bottom of this. The president's justice department launched a criminal investigation, which takes all of this to a whole new level. And we continue hearing the president having tough language, talking about he's angry about all of this, trying to come up with ways to prevent something like what happened at the IRS from happening again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am outraged by this in part because look, I'm a public figure. If a future administration is using tax laws to favor one party over another or one political view over another, obviously we are all vulnerable. And that's why as I've said, doesn't matter whether you're a democrat or Republican, you should be equally outraged at even the prospect that the IRS might not be acting with the kind of complete neutrality we expect. And I think we're going to be able to fix it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LOTHIAN: I think in general there's bipartisan outrage, but Republicans in particular, they aren't satisfied with what they are hearing. There is a lot of information they still think deserves more clear answers, and some folks out there, some of the Republican critics think the president hasn't done enough. They want an apology from the president and then you hear suggestions that some people need to go to jail -- Wolf.

BLITZER: They certainly make those suggestions out there. It's going to continue.

Dan Lothian, thanks very much.

Not only President Obama's troubles re-energized congressional Republicans. There were points this week when the president himself was sounding just like his critics. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: My question isn't about who's going to resign. My question is who is going to jail over this scandal.

OBAMA: It is inexcusable, Americans have a right to be angry about it and I am angry about it. I will not tolerate this kind of behavior in any agency, but especially in the IRS.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MINORITY LEADER: This is run away government at its worst. Who knows who they will target next.

OBAMA: It is simply unacceptable for there to even be a hint of partisanship or ideology when it comes to application of tax laws.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Let's discuss with our senior political analyst, Ron Brownstein, he is the editorial director of "the National Journal." Also here, our chief political correspondent Candy Crowley. She is the anchor of CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION."

Is the damage control from the White House working?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, not yet. But, he is taking the right steps here. I mean, what do you first do with the IRS? He is joining them, can't beat them, join them. I'm angry, too, we will get to the bottom of this with Benghazi. Let's look at the big picture here. We really need to protect the outposts. That's what the lesson of Benghazi is so, I would like to ask Congress for more money. And then, his reaction to the other scandal basically was to say listen, or the other controversy anyway, I don't think this is going anywhere actually. The reporters and justice department getting a hold of the AP phone records.

The fact is the president said, you know, it was a very dangerous leak and we needed to know who did it and that's what we're going after. I think if you're going to put protecting America and sources up against reporters in a poll, protecting Americans and sources is going to win. So, I think he is getting out change the subject. But the third element you need is time. And a sense that the questions have been answered and you're not there, certainly not there on the IRS.

BLITZER: (INAUDIBLE).

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I think the IRS controversy is a different magnitude than the other two. I mean, on today's facts, nothing yet has come out that will substantially change his standing with the public. But comes out at any point there were political appointees from the administration involved in kind of encouraging this targeted enforcement, I think it makes it a vastly more dangerous situation politically.

However, even without direct impact on him, I think there are two indirect impacts that are very real. One, this is a powerful way for Republicans to mobilize the base in 2014 when the electorate tilts older and whiter and where they benefits them. And secondly, this probably makes it harder to get things done in congress. And that could be more of a two-edged sword because that can hurt both parties.

BLITZER: And Candy, you make it clear that not all three of these controversies can really be described scandals.

CROWLEY: I think scandal is a pejorative term. And the minute you use it, you have said -- you have attached it to the president. I think there are questions still out there all along the way on all of these. But you know, it is the Jeannie out of the bottle. I mean, they do it to Republicans, you know, we do it to Democrats. Scandal is a word that gets people's attention. It is just that it is -- I don't know what the threshold is because we don't have a rule for that.

BLITZER: It is sort of like pornography, the U.S. Supreme Court. You know once you see it. You will know whether or not it is a scandal.

BROWNSTEIN: The IRS is more of a scandal than the other two. BLITZER: You write this in your column, "the National Journal" like Clinton, Obama may feel constrained about reaching agreements with Republicans on entitlements that anger liberals if he needs their support against GOP investigations.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes. As we learned most clearly in the Clinton era, the effect of scandal is to send each side back to their opposing corners. On the one end, if the president needs congressional Democrats to defend him against what is inevitably going to be a sustained series of hearings, it is going to be tougher to take deals on the budget and entitlements, maybe on immigration that they don't like.

And on the other side, I think this is going to inevitably empower the portions of the Republican party that don't want to make compromise with Obama on anything. The argument will be he is bleeding, he is staggering, don't throw him a life line. But the potential cost there is if it makes it harder to get immigration, they may pay a price for that in 2016.

CROWLEY: The threaten to the president, obviously, he doesn't have to run again. This is not a political threat in the personal sense for him, but do I think you can also see this come to play in health care. It is just beginning to roll out, the sort of down side of it, the taxes and how is it going to work and how do you cover everybody. You are already hearing Republicans up there going wait, the person that was in charge of this office at the IRS is now in charge of implementing health care. I think it threatens his signature first term as well as what he wants to accomplish in the second term.

BLITZER: Friday morning, the acting commissioner of the IRS has been forced out, Steven Miller, he was testifying on Capitol Hill. He said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVEN MILLER, IRS ACTING COMMISSIONER: I think that what happened here was that foolish mistakes were made by people trying to be more efficient in their work load selection. The listing described in the report while intolerable was a mistake and not an act of partisanship.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Just a foolish mistake.

CROWLEY: What a tough sell.

BROWNSTEIN: One thing comes out of the inspector general report is that when a more senior official was informed of this, she immediately told them this is unacceptable. You have to look at both sides, then they proceeded to go back to what they were doing in the first place.

So, I think it is harder to kind of sell this as simply a foolish mistake. There was at the least a conscious decision that resisted even intervention from higher levels that they kept moving in this direction, singling out the conservative groups. BLITZER: They are going to release new polls on state of the "STATE OF THE UNION" Sunday morning on how the American people see all of this.

CROWLEY: Which will directly impact what we're discussing here, which is how does the president move forward, does he still have as the question was put to him before the juice to get some of these things done because they're not just major things, immigration and erg, maybe tax reform, though that's gone. You know, does he have enough power to get these on the table? And that's -- and look, it can go away, three months from now, remember when the president had a lousy spring? Yes, right. So --

BLITZER: We will see you Sunday morning, 9:00 a.m., "STATE OF THE UNION." Ron, thanks very much for coming in as well.

Up next, the brother and sister of the victim are sad as they call for Jodi Arias to get the death penalty and Arias herself breaks down. Will those tears seal her fate? What's going on?

And 30-feet high in some placed. Giant waves of ice push ashore, and crush lake front homes.

Also, a CNN exclusive, we are going inside Guantanamo Bay. We will take you inside in the infirmary where prisoners on hunger strikes right now are being kept alive by force.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The life or death drama of the Jodi Arias trial is set to resume Monday when jurors decide her fate. Will she live, will she die. This week after finding she killed her boyfriend with exceptional cruelty, the jury heard very emotional testimony from the brother and the sister of the victim, Travis Alexander.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVEN ALEXANDER, TRAVIS ALEXANDER'S BROTHER: I thought my brother was bulletproof. I thought he was stronger than anything. He couldn't be cut down or knocked down. He was in two motorcycle crashes and walked away unharmed. He wrecked several cars and nothing happened to him. He rolled a snowmobile, again, not a scratch. He was unbreakable.

Who on earth would want to do this to him? For what reasons? He wanted to move forward in life, to better himself and only to help others. Why him? Unfortunately I won't ever get the answers to most of my questions about my brother's death. Questions like how much did he suffer? How much did he scream? What was he saying? What was the last thing he saw before his eyes closed? What was his final thought in his head?

SAMANTHA ALEXANDER, TRAVIS ALEXANDER'S SISTER: Travis had an incredible heart. He had a huge heart. And it was this huge heart and his kindness that will forever be missed. We were robbed of so many good memories, so many awesome moments with Travis. Our lives will never be the same. We can never get him back.

We are so grateful for our wonderful brother and we feel so lucky and blessed for the time we had with Travis, however short-lived. We would give anything to have him back, anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Our senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin is watching and listening.

Like all of us, Jeff, very emotional statements today. How much do you believe this will affect the jury, who will decide whether she gets the death sentence or life in prison?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, I think it does matter. Because remember, what her, Jodi Arias' defense was in this case was that her boyfriend was a monster, that he was a pedophile, that he was an abuser, and you know, by the way, none of that was proven, and now they are seeing a very different side of him, a much more sympathetic side of him, which might make the jury even more angry at Jodi Arias. So, it does seem to have some good deal of potential to be very damaging there.

BLITZER: We are learning today that Arias' defense attorneys and actually, get this, they tried to withdraw from the case after her conviction. The judge ruled they had to stay. So how common is this?

TOOBIN: Well, it is very rare for attorneys to attempt to leave a case at the very, very end. I mean, there are only a few days left and the trial has gone on for months and months. You know, I don't think it takes a psychic to figure out that Jodi Arias has been a very difficult client. I can't imagine that her lawyers authorized her to give that bizarre interview to the local FOX reporter right after she was convicted where she said she wanted to die and didn't want to be sentenced to life in prison.

So, I am sure she has been a very difficult client, but to take this step is unusual. It is not surprising, though that the judge said no, you couldn't possibly bring in new lawyers to master a case this long and complicated at this late stage of a case. So, she just made sure the lawyers stayed on.

If she does testify, we assume she will, do you believe she will say what she said in that FOX interview after she was convicted of first degree murder, that she would prefer the death sentence?

TOOBIN: you know, that's a great question. And I don't know, obviously, she's a very unpredictable person. Her lawyers have previewed her testimony, her lawyers have told the jury that she is going to testify. So presumably they would not put her up there if she was going to say to the jury please execute me, but you know, this is an unpredictable woman, it is an unpredictable situation. I think she won't say that, but no one can be sure.

BLITZER: Jeffrey Toobin, thank you. BLITZER: Fifteen murder cases, I mean, while are under review right now in New York City due to new questions emerging about the lead detective involved.

Our Mary Snow has the details.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, questions emerged about tactics used by a detective described as one of the most active in this Brooklyn homicide unit in the '80s and '90s. It came into focus after one man spent decades in prison only to have his conviction thrown out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): It was this rare reversal that is prompting prosecutors to review 50 murder convictions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sir, you are free to go.

SNOW: David Ranta (ph) was freed after 23 years for a murder he insisted he didn't commit. A prosecutor heading to conviction integrity unit in the Brooklyn district attorney's office reexamined the case after a witness revealed he was pressured to identify him in a lineup. The practices of lead detective came into question.

Now, two months later, the DA's office will reopen dozens of files for review in cases linked to that same detective, looking for red flags such as convictions based on one eyewitness or confessions not corroborated by other evidence.

Derrick Hamilton wants his case to be among them. He is out on parole after spending two decades in prison for a 1991 murder.

DERRICK HAMILTON, PAROLE: I want to fight this case, clear my name because I didn't kill this man.

SNOW: Hamilton says he was arrested by the detective in question, and it came after he spent seven years in prison for a previous conviction on manslaughter and robbery charges.

HAMILTON: He said to me I know you didn't kill this guy, but you going back to prison for your last crime. You didn't do enough time for that.

SNOW: The detective is retired officer Lewis Garsella (ph), seen here in March when we first caught up with him at his home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ma'am, I didn't do anything wrong.

SNOW: When we contacted him about the review of his cases, he told us he didn't have comment. But he did speak to "The New York Times" which first broke the story. Asked about Derrick Hamilton's claims, Garsella (ph) is quoted by the times as saying he can drop dead. The man is an out and out liar. Attorney Jonathan Edelstein now represents Derrick Hamilton.

JONATHAN EDELSTEIN, ATTORNEY FOR DERRICK HAMILTON: After reviewing the case, I decided Mr. Hamilton was the real thing.

SNOW: You did?

EDELSTEIN: Yes.

SNOW: Even though he spent several years in prison on manslaughter.

EDELSTEIN: Yes. I mean, the fact that somebody has priors doesn't mean that he committed the crime that he is in prison for now.

SNOW: Edelstein says he has witnesses that can prove his client wasn't at the murder scene. He commends the DA's office for reviewing cases and says even though Derrick Hamilton is out of prison, he is still on parole for life.

EDELSTEIN: What we want to do is clear his name, get him off parole, and not have him bear the stigma of a convicted murder.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW: The Brooklyn DA's office declined our request for an interview. One question that's been raised is whether the detective in question could face charges if misconduct is found. A spokesman for the DA's office says it is unlikely because of the statute of limitations -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Mary Snow in New York, amazing story there as well. Thank you.

Up next, like a frozen tsunami, a wall of ice up to 30 feet high in some places pushing into lake front homes.

Then amid the violence, there's hip-hop music, fast food restaurants. We are talking about Libya. Anthony Bourdain takes us there this weekend in parts unknown. He joins us here in the SITUATION ROOM with a preview.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: It looks and sounds like something from a sci-fi movie but it is all too real. Giant tsunami like ice waves some as high as 30 feet, creeping on shore, slamming into homes and destroying them.

Our Lisa Sylvester has the unbelievable details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A menacing slow moving wall of ice. You can hear the ice crackling as it gets closer, it sounds more like the chugging of a train rolling in.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is crawling up the walls of the houses.

SYLVESTER: And roll in it did.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God, their door is in. SYLVESTER: Darla Johnson shot this as it approached a row of townhouses.

DARLA JOHNSON, WITNESS: I got pretty scared this might not stop.

SYLVESTER: High winds helped push massive ice flows off the lake (INAUDIBLE) into the homes of worried neighbors. Everyone is calling it an ice tsunami, but.

REBECCA LEGATT, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE: It is not an ice tsunami, it is an ice shove. So, an ice shove is a surge of ice that moved on shore, whether it be a lake body or ocean body onto a coastal shoreline, typically caused by wind conditions like it was in this case.

SYLVESTER: The ice is semi melted. With a consistent strong wind, it starts pushing from the center out, as it builds creates its own sail. The wind picks it up and momentum carries it ashore.

Minnesota wasn't the only area impacted. Further north in Canada and Manitoba, the same weather system destroyed or damaged more than two dozen homes or cabins.

Donna Billows has lived here for 23 years.

DONNA BILLOWS, HOME DESTROYED: Bang, the ice came right through the living room here. He said grab your purse, grab whatever you can, get the keys, we got to get out of here.

SYLVESTER: And this is what's left of Myles Haverluck renovated cabin on oaken beach. He was just getting ready to light his barbeque when he saw a sight he has never seen before.

MYLES HAVERLUCK, COTTAGE DAMAGED: I mean, I have never been in a tornado. But, I'm going to assume that it sounds something like that. It is just a big roar. And you can just see it coming, and you keep think it is not coming any farther, going to stop, but it just kept coming.

SYLVESTER: A freaky weather phenomenon that is common in Alaska but not Minnesota. The bad news for homeowners, many insurance policies don't cover the damage.

Lisa Sylvester, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Detainees on a hunger strike being kept alive by force. We are taking you inside the infirmary in Guantanamo bay. It is a CNN exclusive.

And wigs, dark glasses and a bundle of cash. Russia orders a U.S. diplomat out of the country saying he was packing all the tools of the spy trade.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: All week, THE SITUATION ROOM has been getting rare, exclusive access inside the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, where dozens of detainees are participating in a massive hunger strike that's forced officials to take drastic measures to keep them alive.

Here is our Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence. He's on the scene.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): CNN got a firsthand look at the shackles, tubes and liquids now being used to feed 30 detainees who refuse to eat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This then goes in the nostril.

LAWRENCE: A tube goes up their nose, down the throat and into their stomach. Then supplements are pumped in for 30 to 45 minutes. Some of the 100 hunger strikers refuse food, but will drink supplements if ordered to. But these 30 have to be forced.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's kind of a tough mission. This is kind of an ugly place sometimes.

LAWRENCE: That's the detention group's senior medical officer speaking for the first time since the medical profession condemned tube feeding.

(On camera): Are you concerned that the American Medical Association has come out against this practice?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Again, there's lots of politics involved. I'm sure they have, you know, internal politics that they need to answer to as well.

LAWRENCE (voice-over): He has to remain anonymous for security reasons, but as a doctor he stands by the methods used at Guantanamo Bay.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very easy for folks outside of this place to make policies and decisions that they think they would implement.

LAWRENCE: The hunger strike marks its 100th day Friday and shows no signs of stopping. CNN obtained handwritten letters from one of the detainees. One reads, "Be tortured and stay detained." Another quotes a French writer about how your very existence becomes inactive rebellion. He sounds hopeless when he writes, "The commissions are a joke. If you lose, you go to prison for life. If you win, you're held indefinitely for life."

CAPT. ROBERT DURANO, GITMO SPOKESMAN: We don't have a goal to, quote, "break" the hunger strike. We do have a mission to preserve life through lawful means.

LAWRENCE: But defense attorneys say shackling a detainee and snaking a tube into his stomach is inhumane. CORI CRIDER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY FOR SAMIR MOQBEL: You don't get farther than about here into your throat before the tears just start streaming down your face.

LAWRENCE: Gitmo officials showed us the numbing gel they offer so the tubes are thin and lubricated.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody's expressed to me that this hurts.

LAWRENCE: Attorneys claim their clients say otherwise.

CRIDER: He said he'd never felt such pain like that in his life.

LAWRENCE: And that's amazing when you consider the fact that the client she's talking about has been detained here 11 years. We have learned the hunger strike has now jumped from 100 to 102 detainees. It's the largest level in about seven or eight years.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Tension between the guards and detainees at Guantanamo is reaching disturbing new levels. Here is more of Chris's exclusive look inside. We want to warn our viewers, some of what you're about to see and hear is very graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE (voice-over): CNN got exclusive access to camps five and six, where most of the detainees are being held. We saw individual cells, media rooms with leg shackles bolted to the ground, and communal areas that used to be filled with detainees.

(on camera): Right now, the camp six detainees are being held in individual cells like these.

(voice-over): Patrolling those cells, young guards the age of college students. For the first time, we're seeing the faces of those who guard the detainees.

CAMP FIVE GUARD: They use extremely vulgar language towards females. And I have had a lot of experience with that, unfortunately. So especially Caucasian females they don't like us at all.

LAWRENCE: She is 21 years old, and down in the cell blocks, she's called every name in the book.

CAMP FIVE GUARD: Most common is (EXPLETIVE DELETED). They'll say things like I'll piss all over your face. They'll say, oh, you have had (EXPLETIVE DELETED) thrown on you. You've been disrespected. Nobody wants you. You're trash now.

LAWRENCE: The situation inside Guantanamo is dire. A hunger strike has gone from a half-dozen detainees to more than 100. Of those, about 30 refuse to take the liquid nutritional drinks and have to be fed through a tube. But officials admit that the clock is ticking on this option.

CAPT. ROBERT DURAND, JOINT TASK FORCE GITMO SPOKEMAN: If anybody's had a can of Ensure or muscle milk or whatever, it says right on it, it is not designed to be a long-term sole source of nutrition. So there are long-term consequences of getting all of your meals through a liquid supplement.

LAWRENCE (voice-over): All of this tension is leading to more conflict, including so-called splashing where detainees squirt guards with a mixed of water, urine and feces.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's a biggest way to act out, is the throwing of feces at guards, and it's been happening consistently actually for the past month and a half. Every single day, there's a splashing.

LAWRENCE (on camera): In fact, you can see the result of some splashing on the ceiling, pieces of feces that are still stuck to the top of the ceiling.

(voice-over): One guard says she's been splashed several times.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you can go to the hospital. They draw your blood. Let you know that the detainee has any diseases. And then you go right back to work.

LAWRENCE: She told me sometimes it is all she can do to just sort of bottle it up and walk away. Now, that young guard worked at Fort Leavenworth before coming here, she says there's no comparison between the two.

Chris Lawrence, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Excellent reporting, exclusive reporting from Chris. Thank you.

When we come back, wigs, dark glasses and a large bundle of foreign cash. That's the spy arsenal Russia's counterintelligence agency says it found with a U.S. diplomat now accused of espionage.

And an extraordinary rendition of David Bowie's "Space Oddity" as you've never heard it before: from space. You'll want to see this and hear it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: His alleged cover was blown in a spectacular way. If charges by Russian intelligence are true, Ryan Fogle's days as a U.S. spy are almost certainly over. The American diplomat assigned to the U.S. embassy in Moscow is accused of trying to recruit a Russian double agent. CNN's Brian Todd is learning more about his background.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Russian officials identify him as Ryan Fogle. They say he's a CIA spy who was trying to recruit a Russian operative to spy for the Americans. In a YouTube video released by Russia's RT Television, a Russian intelligence official is heard angrily chastising him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (via translator: You know perfectly well that recently, the FSB is actively helping in the investigation in the bombing in Boston.

TODD: But the man videotaped by Russian officials wearing a ridiculous wig seems to have a background that's not so ridiculous. According to officials at schools we contacted, officials who have looked at these pictures of him, this is likely the same Ryan Fogle who grew up near St. Louis, went to Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School, a private institution that cost nearly $23,000 a year for the upper grades.

Fogle graduated from Mary Institute in 2002. Then, according to school officials, he went to Colgate University in upstate New York. There, by all accounts, he was a straight arrow and an achiever. A member of Phi Delta Theta, a fraternity that does not allow drinking in its houses. And he was selected for the (INAUDIBLE) senior honor society, a prestigious group with only 26 members.

Professor Fred Chernoff said Ryan Fogel was a student of his in a class on national security. He says Fogel's interest was in Middle East politics, and a class trip to meet diplomats stands out.

FRED CHERNOFF, PROFESSOR, COLGATE UNIVERSITY: Ryan was especially strong in the way that he posed questions. He was prepared for the meetings we had with diplomats. And even though he was one of the few sophomores that went on the trip, he was especially poised and mature in the way he handled himself with diplomats.

TODD: Fogel graduated from Colgate in 2006 with a double major in political science and international relations. But his apparently fast-tracked career may have hit a snag. Intelligence experts say if he is in the CIA, he will never be able to go back to Russia, and likely won't work undercover again.

We called and e-mailed a St. Louis area couple who we strongly believe are Ryan Fogel's parents to see if they would comment on the story. We didn't hear back. The CIA has also not commented.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Just ahead, amid the violence, hip-hop music, and fast food restaurants in Libya. Anthony Bourdain taken takes us there this weekend. In PARTS UNKNOWN, he joins us here in THE SITUATION ROOM with a preview. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: A land racked by violence and turmoil with tragic significance for Americans. Anthony Bourdain takes us to Libya in his new series, PARTS UNKNOWN. It airs Sunday night. He joins us with a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And we're really excited. Anthony Bourdain is here in THE SITUATION ROOM. Is this your first time in THE SITUATION ROOM?

ANTHONY BOURDAIN, CNN HOST: It is. It is a dream come true.

BLITZER: What do you think? This is pretty impressive, isn't it?

BOURDAIN: Swank.

BLITZER: Yes. It is not Libya, though. Libya's a little different that THE SITUATION ROOM. What was it like?

BOURDAIN: One word, inspiring. It was a very inspiring place to go.

BLITZER: Inspiring politically or, you know, as far as food is concerned?

BOURDAIN: Well, not so much for food. But I just got the sense, you know, you watch the news and you wonder who did these things? Who overthrew this monstrous dictator, who are these people? Again and again, I find there were young people, many whom studied abroad and returned home to fight, made themselves into militias almost overnight.

I mean, it was a heartbreaking, a lot of earnest people who expressed a desire to remake their country such that they could enjoy things. They would say we just want the things Europe has. BLITZER: Was the Arab Spring -- we all had so many great expectations as far as Arab Spring in North Africa and the Middle East was concerned -- does it seem to be playing out there in a positive sense? Because we're hearing about al Qaeda and resurgence and anti-American. And of course we know what happened in Benghazi last September 11.

BOURDAIN: All I kept hearing was we got rid of Gadhafi, we can fix this. Nobody there said everything is going to be great in a year. Everyone there said it will take us five, 10 years to, you know, have something resembling a cohesive, functioning government. Now it is a very much a do-it-yourself system, everything from traffic direction, basic social services seem to be done on a voluntary basis by different militias with different agendas. But I again and again bumped into kids who wanted --

BLITZER: This is in Tripoli.

BOURDAIN: Tripoli and Mesrata, in particular. Young people who wanted simple, not scary things. Their aspirations for their country seemed to be things that I could understand and relate to. They just wanted to join the 21st century. Very different than what the impression might be from all the bad news you see.

BLITZER: I hope it works. All of us hope it works. Were you ever scared? BOURDAIN: Uncomfortable at times, but I mean, I think that's probably something that real correspondents do all the time. I was much more excited and intrigued by the people I met. That was something that really surprised me.

BLITZER: Let's talk food. How was the food?

BOURDAIN: Pretty simple. Traditional mesh weed, whole roasted goat or lamb, this is something I'm used to, beach barbecue, meat on a stick. A few fried local specialities that were quite nice.

The surprise to me were the first attempts at recreating American fast food, which is something the kids seem to really, really want. We went to a place called Uncle Kentacky which is a Kentucky Fried Chicken knock off, since they're not exactly franchising over there. In the interim, they're sort of, like everything else, doing it themselves and trying to create something that looks and feels like American fast food.

BLITZER: No tourists really for all practical purposes. Because North Africa is a beautiful place. The Mediterranean is fabulous. I've been throughout North Africa. If there were real peace and stability, that place would be thriving.

BOURDAIN: Well, Tripoli has a very -- still has Italian colonial architecture from colonial days. Still some Italian cooking traditions left over from the Italians. Fantastic seafood. There's no doubt that there are a lot of people there that would very much like to hurt us and there are forces at work in Libya that would like to turn back the clock and keep things chaotic. But the sense I got everyday, everywhere I went, was hopeful though of people struggling to join the rest of the world.

BLITZER: And food, it's a question I always wanted to ask you because you eat everything. And you taste everything. You're a lot more daring than I am ever. Do you ever get like, queasy? Do you ever get sick? Do you ever react is? Or is your stomach sort of used to this kind of stuff?

BOURDAIN: I'm a professional. So I - we - not just me. Everyone on my crew does pretty well. I have found again and again after 13 years that you are far more likely to get sick from the hotel breakfast buffet than eating the local, indigenous (INAUDIBLE) food. None of these places are in business day after day by poisoning their neighbors. Whereas the hotel breakfast buffet is a more of a transient clientele. So, I've been lucky.

BLITZER: Yes. There's certain things you always stay away from, though?

BOURDAIN: It's breakfast buffet, you know? The scrambled eggs and chafing dish? It's lethal.

BLITZER: And that salad, sometimes the water is not that - they wash the lettuce. It's not necessarily that great, the water.

BOURDAIN: Yes, I kind of stay away from -- Caesar salad would not be a good option in Tripoli or Kabul.

BLITZER: Sunday night, 9 p.m. Eastern. By the way, I loved the Tangier. I saw it. It was excellent as well. You're doing great work.

BOURDAIN: Thank you.

BLITZER: Thanks for joining us.

BOURDAIN: It was a pleasure.

BLITZER: Welcome to CNN.

BOURDAIN: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Great guy.

When we come back, an extraordinary rendition of David Bowie's Space Odyssey - Oddity, I should say, as you've never heard it before. From space. Jeanne Moos is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here's a look at this week's iReport Hot Shots.

In Florida, hot air balloons line up at a food and sports festival. Beautiful.

In New Orleans, musicians inspire spectators in the French Quarter.

In the Philippines, one of the most active volcanoes in the country recently spewed ash.

And in South Carolina, check it out. An animal control officer rescues an unlikely pair after she found a dog nursing a young kitten along the creek. Hot Shots, pictures coming in from around the world.

It's David Bowie's classic Space Odyssey (sic) performed like you've never heard it before -- from space. Here's CNN's Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He will forever be known as the singing astronaut as he orbited the earth, then International Space Station commander Chris Hadfield sang a version of David Bowie's 1969 hit "Space Oddity".

It has folks on earth over the moon. That's really his voice and guitar playing recorded up there with more music mixed by producers on the ground. Chris's son described it as --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unbelievably fun to do. It took six months.

MOOS: Such a hit, even another commander responded in cyber space. William Shatner joked, "I have two words for him, show off." (On camera): You know who else tweeted about the song? David Bowie himself.

(Voice-over): "Chris Hadfield sings 'Space Oddity' in space. Hello, space boy," which is the name of another Bowie song."

This was the Canadian astronaut's grand finale before heading home after five months in space.

Even before he covered Bowie, Chris was winning fans demonstrating how astronauts use a barf bag, how they brush their teeth with no running water.

CHRIS HADFIELD, FORMER COMMANDER, ISS: So what I do, is I just swallow the tooth paste.

MOOS: He did a sing-along with hundreds of school kids back on earth. In an effort to demonstrate not just the science of space but --

HADFIELD: The humanity of it.

MOOS: -- he even poured water in his eye to show what happens when astronauts cry.

HADFIELD: You just end up with a bigger and bigger ball of water.

MOOS: In between tweeting out pictures of earth, Chris recorded the Bowie song.

(On camera): The astronaut took some minor liberties with the lyrics, tweaking them to fit the current mission. His one major change from Bowie's version -- gone is the part Bowie sang about a major malfunction.

There's something so touching about it, and if "Ground Control" makes you lose control, at least you will shed a tear and not a water ball.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: I love that. Excellent.

Remember, you can always follow what's going on here in THE SITUATION ROOM on Twitter. You can tweet me @WolfBlitzer, you can tweet the show @CNNSitRoom, you can like us on Facebook.

That's it for me right now. Thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. The news continues next on CNN.