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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Roger Clemens Not Guilty; Microsoft's New Tablet; Showdown Over Syria; China Plans World's Tallest Building

Aired June 19, 2012 - 05:00   ET

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

ZORAIDA SAMBOLIN, CNN ANCHOR: Fifty-nine thousand acres burned, close to 200 homes destroyed now, and the fire is only 50 percent contained. We get the latest from the Colorado wildfire, straight ahead.

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, former pitching great Roger Clemens officially cleared of perjury charges. Next up, judgment by the Hall of Fame. Details in a live report.

SAMBOLIN: And let's just scare you to death this morning and talk about a possible iPad killer. Microsoft is out with its new tablet. We'll break down its features this hour on CNN.

Good morning to you. We're happy you're with us this morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Zoraida Sambolin.

BANFIELD: Happy Tuesday. It's nice to have you with us. We are bringing you the news from A to Z, get it?

All right. Five a.m. in the East.

Let's start with this, shall we? Big story that was breaking in D.C., Roger Clemens to be judged by a different group of people, baseball writers, the men who choose -- the men and women, shall we say, who choose the Hall of Famers after he was acquitted on all of the charges in his perjury trial yesterday.

The Rocket denying all along he ever used performance-enhancing drugs. Yesterday his attorney insisted again that his legendary pitching career is not tainted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUSTY HARDIN, ROGER CLEMENS LAWYER: I hope those in the public that made up their mind before there was a trial will now back up and entertain the possibility of what he has always said, using steroid and HGH is cheating and it was totally contrary to his entire career.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: Joe Johns is live in Washington,

And so, Joe, long fight, four years, millions spent, big investigation, big prosecution and I suppose a big headline today -- a bad two weeks for the DOJ, first, John Edwards and now this.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it has been a bad month for the Justice Department or month or what-have-you.

The thing about this case, this Roger Clemens case, that's important is that this case was referred to the Justice Department by a congressional committee on Capitol Hill after he testified in a deposition and a hearing and denied the use of performance enhancing drugs.

So this thing was sort of handed to the Justice Department and they kind of had to do it just the same. It's been a long road for Roger Clemens. Let's listen to what he had to say after his acquittal in federal court here in D.C.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGER CLEMENS, FORMER MLB PLAYER: Really all you media guys that know me and followed my career --

(APPLAUSE)

CLEMENS: I put a lot of hard work into that career. And so again, I appreciate my teammates that came in and all of the e-mails and phone calls.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: So why did this case break down for the government? There are a lot of reasons but two very quick reasons, Ashleigh. Number one, the star witness, Brian McNamee, really had his credibility dismantled on the stand.

And the defense also had a very effective retort when it came to the key evidence against Clemens. They said the evidence was a pile of garbage, which it sort of was, it was syringes and medical waste that had been stuffed down and crushed up Miller Lite can and kept for something like seven years. The jury just didn't buy it, you know? I don't know anybody should go to prison on evidence like that.

BANFIELD: So, for those who are watching, who are thinking, hold on a second, congress? Wasn't this about steroids?

Again, this was a lying issue.

JOHNS: Absolutely.

BANFIELD: This wasn't a steroid using issue.

So, does Roger Clemens, anywhere down the line, now that this part is cleared, the lying to Congress now, that he's been acquitted. Does he face prosecution for the use of steroids at any point?

JOHNS: You know, it is a schedule III drug. It's controlled by the DEA. And nonetheless, you have to assume that would be a double jeopardy question. I don't think so. I don't think that the government wants to bark back up this tree.

The big question is sort of the jury of his peers and that has to do with stuff like the Hall of Fame and whether he's going to get in. He comes up eligible next year is a long with, you know, a couple of other people, including Sammy Sosa, for example.

So, some people have said this question about performance enhancing drugs is just best left to the sport to handle and keep it out of the courts because here in America right now, we have questions about bankers walking away with billions of dollars that they weren't supposed to have. And so many people have asked me, why in the world did the government go down this road when this country has so many other problems?

BANFIELD: Maybe those jurors were asking the very same thing, Mr. Johns, right? Thank you.

JOHNS: You bet.

BANFIELD: Joe Johns getting up early on this one. Thanks so much.

And just a quick addendum to this as well, if you recognize the lawyer standing with Roger Clemens, you're very clever. That was Anna Nicole Smith's lawyer as well. "STARTING POINT" is going to have an interview with Rusty Hardin coming up at 7:00 Eastern. Soledad is going to have a chance to speak with him about this case.

SAMBOLIN: It is five minutes past the hour. The child sex abuse trial of former Penn State football Jerry Sandusky could go to the jury by the end of the week. But before that happens, NBC News reports prosecutors may introduce a potentially explosive unaired portion of an interview Sandusky did with Bob Costas.

Listen for yourself as Sandusky seems to all but admit seeking out young people for sex.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB COSTAS, NBC NEWS: So it's entirely possible you could have helped young boy A in some way that was not objectionable, while horribly taking advantage of young boy B, C, D and E? Isn't that possible?

JERRY SANDUSKY, FORMER PENN STATE FOOTBALL ASST. COACH: You might think that, I don't know. In terms of my relationship with so many, many young people, I would guess that there are many young people who would come forward, many more young people, who would come forward and say that my methods and what I had done for them made a very positive impact on their life. I didn't go around seeking out every young person for sexual needs that I've helped. There are many I didn't have -- I hardly had any contact with who I helped in many, many ways.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAMBOLIN: The defense is expected to wrap up its case tomorrow afternoon. That will be followed by the prosecution's rebuttal, with closing arguments expected to begin Thursday.

BANFIELD: A Canadian porn star accused of killing and dismembering a university student is now back in Canada and expected to appear in court later today.

Luca Magnotta returned to Montreal last night on board a military plane. He was arrested in Germany earlier this month. Police say that Magnotta mailed one of the victim's hands and one of his feet to Canadian politicians.

SAMBOLIN: More homes are reduced to ash in Colorado because of that stubborn High Park Fire. Fire officials are confirming eight more homes are lost. So, that brings the total to 190 homes destroyed. Crews had to fight the fire in record heat yesterday as well. Calmer winds gave them a little reprieve there.

Close to 59,000 acres have been scorched and that fire is just 50 percent contained.

BANFIELD: And from control to anything but -- another wildfire now to tell you about, this one in Croatan National Forest in North Carolina. This one began with a controlled burn sadly to report then it swelled out of control consuming 11,000 acres. This fire is not contained.

SAMBOLIN: Former Rutgers student Dharun Ravi is expected to be released from jail today. Ravi served 20 days of a 30-day sentence after being convicted last month of using a webcam to spy on roommate Tyler Clementi having sex with another man in their dorm. Clementi committed suicide just days after that.

Ravi earned the early release for good behavior and work credit. When he gets out, immigration officials say they will not deport him to his native India.

BANFIELD: The U.S. and Russia hitting a big chill when it comes to the topic of Syria. President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting yesterday at the G-20 summit in Mexico. Face says it all, really. Take a look at that.

The White House is hoping that Mr. Putin would be on board with the plan to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to end the slaughter of civilians in that country. But instead President Putin called on the Syrian people to decide for themselves who will lead them.

SAMBOLIN: Economic gloom and doom at the G20 summit. President Obama and other world leaders turning up the heat on Europe to solve its debt crisis. And that is triggering a war of words with the president of the E.U., saying European nations don't come to the G20 to get lectured.

Today, President Obama meets with Chinese President Hu Jintao.

BANFIELD: Average gas prices falling this morning, down to $3.50 per gallon. That's a drop of eight-tenths of cent, if you are doing some math.

SAMBOLIN: A bit of good news.

Ten minutes past the hour. Here it is, a nerd arms race -- a new battle is being waged in the war between Microsoft and Mac. Microsoft getting back into the hardware business, unveiling a direct challenge to the iPad yesterday, with its own surface tablet.

This is video given to us by Microsoft with pretty tight restrictions. It has nearly the same specs as the iPad, take a look. It's a little thinner, weighs a little more. Has a larger screen and it has a kick stand.

BANFIELD: I like that.

SAMBOLIN: I do too.

BANFIELD: Movie watching.

SAMBOLIN: No word on price yet, expect that it will be competitive.

We're happy to try it out, aren't we, Ashleigh? Bring it on, bring it on.

BANFIELD: You know, movie watching, that's always the great thing. If you get a kick stand on your device, I know there's all sorts of covers you can get for -- by the way I want to clear something up really quickly. I said Anna Nicole's attorney, she was in court against Rusty Hardin. And she made that famous comment that plays on the news all the time, F you Rusty.

It was actually Howard Marshall's attorney or his son's attorney going up against in a cross-examination of Anna Nicole Smith, that's why he got so many fame back then and now representing Roger Clemens.

(INAUDIBLE) with Anna Nicole --

(CROSSTALK)

SAMBOLIN: It clicked for you.

BANFIELD: It went head to head and it made for an incredible courtroom moment. But not her attorney, opposing attorney, shall I say.

SAMBOLIN: Eleven minutes past the hour. The big question, we're not here, we're talking about the iPad, aren't we?

BANFIELD: We're going to talk about a reporter -- this reporter who had a microphone and couple of questions doing what he was supposed to be doing and things did not go very well, unfortunately. You have video you have to see to believe.

It tells you why our business is so dangerous. It's not all like coming out here and drinking coffee and telling you the news. It can get kind of ugly out here at times.

We'll see you the video coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAMBOLIN: It is 15 minutes past the hour. Let's get you up-to-date with these morning's top stories. The Justice Department goes down swinging in the pursuit of former pitching great Roger Clemens.

A federal jury acquitted Clemens of all charges in his perjury trial. He was accused of lying to congress when he testified he never used performance enhancing drugs. An earlier attempt to convict Clemens ended in a mistrial.

BANFIELD: An American member of NATO's peacekeeping force was killed and up to nine other people injured by attackers in Afghan police uniforms. International Security Assistance Forces saying that after yesterday's attack, the three gunmen immediately fled the area and are currently being sought.

SAMBOLIN: An interview in Maine took an unexpected turn and ended with the reporter being choked and man fleeing the scene.

Listen to this, on assignment to cover a racially inflammatory sign about President Obama on display in a barn, the reporter Steve Roldan became the subject of his own story when resident David Houston grabbed him by the neck.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDNTIFIED MALE: Hey --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out of my face!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAMBOLIN: Houston was later arrested and he was charged with assault. The sign calling the president the n-word and urging people to join the Ku Klux Klan was reportedly taken down and replaced.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIIFED MALE: That is a Louis Vuitton.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: Luxury label Louis Vuitton is finding itself legally the butt of a joke this morning after losing a lawsuit against the movie "The Hangover Part 2." The company claimed libel after the film used a fake bag in that scene and the judge defended the whole thing as some funny before finding in favor of Warner Brothers instead. Warner Brothers is owned by our parent company Time Warner, as a full disclosure.

SAMBOLIN: And people in the Northeast and Great Lake should get ready to sweat and some very cool pictures of a haboob in Phoenix.

Alexandra Steele, in for Rob Marciano. I haven't seen one of these haboobs live yet, but the pictures are incredible.

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, they are. You've never known, you're waking up, you're seeing a haboob. That something Alexandra said that was silly -- no.

Let me show you what a haboob is. Just it's a dust storm. It's really just kind of a wall of dust. This is in Maricopa County in Phoenix, and it happens a few times a year.

Now, for a haboob to develop, you need a few things -- dusty terrain, check. A thunderstorm above it with an updraft, check. And a gust front which creates the winds. So, that's what we saw.

So Phoenix has some serious heat, 108 degrees today, 111 expected now through Friday; 101 is the average, to give you a little perspective. But temperatures should not be in the 100s elsewhere. And heat will be the big story, Zoraida, and everyone around the country.

You can see McCook, Nebraska, look at the records set yesterday -- from Colorado to Texas, above 100 for many. Now, that axis of heat is pushing eastward, making its way into the Midwest and the Northeast.

So, tonight, about 7:00 is official start of summer. Tomorrow is the first full day of summer and how apt, we're coming in with the warmest temperatures of the year.

So, thus far in Boston, 87. You're going to make it into the 90s, Wednesday and Thursday. New York, Philadelphia, look at Washington, D.C. -- 97 by Thursday.

So, the heat is on, the warmest thus far of the season and a perfect time for first day of summer.

Back to you, guys.

BANFIELD: Nice to hear, Alexandra Steele. Thank you, ma'am. Appreciate it.

Eighteen minutes now past 5:00 on the East Coast.

We're getting an early read on some local news, not even off the presses we're so early with this thing.

So, let's start in Los Angeles -- Rodney King's autopsy now complete, but we're not going to find out the toxicology results for quite a while. Those tests done, but, listen, six to eight weeks, they say before we're going to find out whether anything was amiss in terms of drugs and alcohol.

In the meantime, "The L.A. Times" is reporting that one of King's neighbors says she heard a man sobbing in King's backyard just before a big splash. You know by now Rodney King was found dead in his swimming pool later that day.

SAMBOLIN: So, so-called soda ban catching on in brand-new cities.

BANFIELD: Really?

SAMBOLIN: Can you imagine that?

(CROSSTALK)

SAMBOLIN: You're not going to be able to drink your big sodas. Cambridge, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston, is now considering one similar to the proposal here in New York City. That would impose a 16-ounce limit on sugary drinks sold in restaurant and movie theaters.

Cambridge's mayor says she is consulting the public health department before she decides the specifics there. You may want to consult the people as well. There will be a bit of an uproar.

BANFIELD: Well, certainly was here for sure.

So, do you think putting in your contact lenses is a serious pain --

SAMBOLIN: I do.

BANFIELD: You wear contacts?

SAMBOLIN: I do wear contacts. I can't stand it.

BANFIELD: Well, neither can I clearly. I hate those things.

So, imagine for an elephant trying to put in contact lenses. Now, clearly, those giant hoops are not going to be able to do the trick. But the zoo keepers at the North Carolina zoo, they are considering making king sized contacts for an elephant that is farsighted -- a far sighted elephants. Elephants had two cataract operations.

"The News & Observer" is reporting that the zoo is a long way from deciding whether to make the lenses happen. Never been done before. Animal experts have not determined the health risks. But this is not the first time that an animal has some kind of eye issue with the experts ophthalmologist -- I have a cousin who's an animal ophthalmologist.

SAMBOLIN: Really?

BANFIELD: Yes, Mickey McLaren (ph), good work you do out there.

SAMBOLIN: There's so much dust that I worry about -- how do you keep those --

BANFIELD: But then again, how do they do it in the wild? They don't have to fend for their own food in the zoo. It's kind of --

SAMBOLIN: All right. For an expanded look at all of our stop stories, head to our blog, CNN.com/EarlyStart.

BANFIELD: Remember the Zune?

SAMBOLIN: Yes. BANFIELD: I do not remember the Zune. Where was I? I slept through this one.

Well, the Zune was Microsoft's answer to the iPod. It didn't work but it's not --

(CROSSTALK)

BANFIELD: That's my excuse anyway. So, now, Microsoft is unleashing another competition to the iPad. Yes.

SAMBOLIN: Look at it.

BANFIELD: Here's a challenge -- take a look see. Like see? Well, you're going to find out more about it in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: Minding your business this morning -- hello. Twenty-five minutes now past 5:00 a.m. on the East Coast.

Spain's debt problems in focus on the markets today. U.S. stock futures trading mixed this morning so far -- so that means expect a volatile trading day ahead. That's sort of it's been anyway in the last couple of days.

SAMBOLIN: The market closed mixed yesterday as well. The Dow lost 0.2 percent and the NASDAQ and S&P 500 both closed higher to start the week.

Felicia Taylor is in for Christine Romans.

You are talking about the tablet that we were chatting about.

FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is interesting, because Microsoft has come out with their own version. It's called The surface. I think it's targeting our generation.

This is what I like about this. They have this as you can see, it's a little pop-up stand and it has its own little key board which I love because it's like the BlackBerry. I'm a BlackBerry devotee, I have not switched to an iPad or iPhone or any of those things. But look how cool that is.

BANFIELD: You know what? I'm going to tell you something about that. The iPad key board is the biggest pain in the butt.

TAYLOR: Really?

BANFIELD: The auto completion and if you're a quick typist, it's a nightmare.

TAYLOR: I'm this girl, I'm not this girl.

BANFIELD: You're not a sweeper. TAYLOR: I'm not a sweeper, I'm a typer. So, for me, this is great. The price point we don't know. But it was supposed to be about in line.

So, this is their version and they've never done this before. This is new for Microsoft. So, it's kind of targeting a little bit older generation, maybe.

SAMBOLIN: How so? What is it that's generating the older generation?

TAYLOR: Because the younger generation likes to do the sweep thing. They're all into that kind of thing.

SAMBOLIN: It's all about the keyboard and having the access?

TAYLOR: In my opinion. This is one girl's opinion. I can't vouch that's what they are saying.

BANFIELD: I hate putting myself into that generation. But I'm going to say because of the keyboard issues I would really want to try that thing.

TAYLOR: Right.

BANFIELD: I would really want to try that?

SAMBOLIN: How portable is it, though?

TAYLOR: It's the same thing. In terms of size, it has 10.6-inch screen versus the 9.7 on the iPad. It's 1.5 pounds versus 1.4 pounds.

I mean, it's the same thing and there's no difference in that respect. It's the cover and the pad.

BANFIELD: Looks pretty fancy. I do like that cover.

TAYLOR: Different colors.

BANFIELD: There, you just sold it, different colors, come on, Felicia, we're burying the lead.

(CROSSTALK)

SAMBOLIN: Thank you.

BANFIELD: Felicia Taylor, thank you.

SAMBOLIN: Twenty-seven minutes past the hour.

The sneakers you will never see in stores. The new shoe design that some say evoked images of slavery.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Welcome back. Right now, Russian warship and a cargo ship full of helicopters and missiles trying to get to Syria, and it's creating a tense situation between Russia and the United States who, in no way, wants to help Syria's president kill its own people. The exact location of the warship and how the U.S. is responding straight ahead.

ZORAIDA SAMBOLIN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Plus, the world's tallest building is going to be built in 90 days. It sounds crazy, right, but it's happening. That story coming up.

BANFIELD: And after 20 years away, that man right there, Arsenio Hal coming back to late night TV. We're going to hear from the funny man this hour on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD (on-camera): Welcome back, everyone, to EARLY START. Nice to have you with us. I'm Ashleigh Banfield.

SAMBOLIN (on-camera): And I'm Zoraida Sambolin. Thirty-two minutes past the hour here.

Roger Clemens no longer an accused felon this morning. A jury finding him not guilty on all charges. This is a perjury trial, one of the most intimidating pictures in the history of baseball, holding back tears as he gave thanks on the steps of the courthouse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGER CLEMENS, FORMER MLB PITCHER: I put a lot of hard work into that career. And, so, again, I appreciate my teammates that came in and all the e-mails and phone calls.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAMBOLIN: The rocket's first year of eligibility for the baseball Hall of Fame is next year.

BANFIELD: Attorney General Eric Holder is trying to work out a deal to avoid being held in contempt of Congress. He's meeting later this afternoon with his nemesis, California congressman, Darrel Issa. Mr. Holder is offering to turnover additional documents from the botched anti-gun running operation known as "Fast and Furious." In exchange, he says he wants Issa to postpone tomorrow's scheduled contempt vote.

SAMBOLIN: It may not be the second coming of the cold war, but things are getting a little chilly between the United States and Russia when it comes to Syria. The body language says it all. President Obama meeting yesterday with Russian president, Vladimir Putin, at the G-20 summit in Mexico.

The U.S. was hoping to get an agreement, an ousting Syrian President Assad to end the slaughter of civilians. That did not happen. And now, we're finding out more about a Russian cargo ship that was stopped yesterday by British authorities. CNN foreign affairs correspondent, Jill Dougherty, is live from Washington this morning. What can you tell us about that Russian cargo ship?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Zoraida, actually, we've got three ships that the U.S. is watching. The first one is a cargo ship and it's believed that that is carrying some helicopters, were refurbished for the Syrians, bringing them back to Syria to the port of Tartus.

Now, the Russians say it's a contract, an old contract. They're just refurbishing and the U.S. says, old or new, those helicopters can kill people. Then, there are also reports of two other ships, and alternately, you know, it's believed that they are carrying some type of armaments and also potentially marines and those marines little unclear what they're doing, perhaps, protecting that cargo or bringing them into that port in Syria called Tartus.

So, both of those ships under watch by the United States. Now, Zoraida, I think it's important to point out, that base is not like a gigantic military base in the sense that we think about it. I've been talking with Russian experts. It's really kind of a facility for water and fuel and things like that. But I think the symbolism here is important and also this confusion.

You know, for days, we've been saying, where are the ships? Where are they going? What are they carrying? The Russians are not making it very clear at all. And it could be, according to some Russian experts, it could be deliberate in order to kind of send a message to the United States.

Watch out, if you think of military action, we're there. It could make your life a lot more complicated. So, that's kind of the situation we're dealing with.

SAMBOLIN: I was reading, Jill, that that's a dilapidated court. It was somebody in Russia's military. They were saying that they really can't use it, and oftentimes, they turn away ships that come to that port.

DOUGHERTY: Yes, that's true. I mean, this is, you know, it -- I've talked with people who've been there. It's small. It's not really in a physical sense anything major, but the symbolism is important. And right now, this is a very serious situation in Syria. And you have both presidents talking with each other.

Don't forget just yesterday, Monday, they were meeting in Mexico at the G-20. And sitting down, you see the picture, face-to-face talking, not very happy looking faces, but talking about Syria. In fact, a third of the conversation they had privately, we're told, was about Syria. And you have one thing that they do agree on is that there has to be eventually political transition.

And that means Assad stepping aside, but the Russians are not going to go with any type of pushing him. They have long-term interests. The United States wants Assad out as quickly as possible, of course. So, there's no, at this point, no point that the Russians are really going to apparently push him. They are very leery of what happened in Libya, and we remember what happened in Libya, which was a military action mounted and eventually the leader Gadhafi taken out.

SAMBOLIN: So many people were hoping that there would be a better outcome of that meeting. Jill Dougherty live in Washington for us, thank you.

And at 7:00 eastern on "Starting Point," Soledad O'Brien will take a look at the crisis in Syria and the rift between the U.S. and Russia over how to solve it when she is joined by John Negroponte, a foreign policy expert and the former U.S. ambassador to Iraq.

BANFIELD: Switching gears now. It is 37 minutes now past 5:00. And Jamie Dimon back in the spotlight on Capitol Hill this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BANFIELD (voice-over): The JPMorgan Chase will be facing a second round of questioning from Congress, all of this, about his bank's recent multibillion dollar trading loss.

He's expected to continue to play down the broader significance of the trading blunder, calling it just a, quote, "isolated event." The house committee will also hear from the bank's regulators. They're taking heat for not detecting the risky trading before billions of dollars were lost.

SAMBOLIN (voice-over): More than 3,000 people showing up at the state capitol in Lansing, Michigan. They were there to hear a female lawmaker and a prize winning playwright recite the "Vagina Monologues."

That demonstration coming six days after Democratic congresswoman, Lisa Brown, used the word vagina while debating new abortion regulations being proposed by Michigan Republicans. Those Republicans banned Brown from speaking at the statehouse the very next day.

STATE REP. LISA BROWN, (D) MICHIGAN: We all have the right to free speech. And, you don't have to agree with me, but you don't have to be disrespectful, and especially because I'm a woman.

SAMBOLIN: Playright, Eve Ensler (ph), the author of the "Vagina Monologues" joined that demonstration.

Look at this. Adidas is responding to backlash over a controversial sneaker. Look at this, folks. It has shackles on them, saying it won't sell the shoe after all and that it has nothing to do with slavery. This was a Facebook page for the JS Roundhouse Mids. The shoes were supposed to come out in August, but critical comments on that page changed that.

The shoe has been pulled as has the Facebook page. Adidas has released a statement saying in part, quote, "The design of the JS Roundhouse Mid is nothing more than the designer, Jeremy Scott's, outrageous and unique take on fashion. It has nothing to do with slavery." Still, Adidas apologized if people did find it offensive.

BANFIELD: China is planning to build the tallest building in the world, and they're planning to do it in just three months. Not a joke. A Chinese company called BSB plans to build the skyscraper 2,750 feet high. It's called the Sky City Building. They plan to do it in just 90 days.

That's a 20th, 1/20th of the time than it took to build the Burj KHalifa, the world's current tallest building in Dubai. And it's planning to be 33 feet taller, too, upon completion. How? Well, a lot of the building will be constructed ahead of time. Go figure. The company specializes in something called prefab construction.

SAMBOLIN: For the tallest building, really?

BANFIELD: Yes, I know, where entire section of the building are build in a factory ahead of time and then brought to the construction site --

SAMBOLIN: Something about that, Ashleigh, is just not right

BANFIELD: A little bit like Lego assembled right there. A Lego building.

SAMBOLIN: Oh, my goodness!

BANFIELD: What do you know?

SAMBOLIN: I'm not walking into that building first. Forty minutes past the hour here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAMBOLIN (on-camera): Arsenio Hall coming back to late night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARSENIO HALL, ACTOR/COMEDIAN: I am returning to CBS to the exact place I did the "Arsenio Hall Show," and I'm doing the "Arsenio Hall Show" again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAMBOLIN: Almost 20 years after his late night show went off the air. Hall made his comeback official on Piers Morgan tonight. Hall actually credits filling in for Piers with helping him get this new gig.

He said his interview with Magic Johnson earlier this year got CBS' attention, and he said winning the latest "Celebrity Apprentice" helped him as well. Hall's new show will debut in the fall of 2013.

BANFIELD: I wonder how he's changed or if he's changed or how he'll be different 20 years later?

SAMBOLIN: That will be interesting to watch. (CROSSTALK)

SAMBOLIN: I love him.

BANFIELD: I watched that interview with Piers. It was really interesting.

All right. So, even as a woman fights to live, she's Canadian and she is winning a battle to die. You heard right. And you're going to hear from her in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: Forty-four minutes now past 5:00 on the east coast.

A Canadian woman who is terminally ill is going to be allowed to end her own life on her own terms.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BANFIELD (voice-over): Last week, a judge granted Gloria Taylor (ph) a constitutional exemption from a law forbidding doctors say (ph) a suicide. He said that forcing Taylor to stay alive past the point when she is in terrible pain violates her rights.

She has Lou Gehrig's disease, and she wants to avoid an excruciating death. Yesterday, she describes the ruling as momentous.

GLORIA TAYLOR, CANADIAN: Today screaming at the top of my lungs because the pain is so great I can't stand it. It's something I've tried not to think about. Now thankfully, I don't have to fear that kind of death.

BANFIELD: Miss Taylor says she's taking things one day at a time. She says she's not done living at this point. She hopes to stay that way for a long time.

SAMBOLIN (voice-over): Prosecutors say George Zimmerman's jailhouse recordings prove he and his wife knew that they were not broke. In the six just released calls, they say he and his wife, Shellie, spoke in code. He allegedly gave her instructions on how to change passwords and security questions and then move money around.

Prosecutors say he talked about Peter Pan, which they say was code for Pay Pal. Prosecutors also say the Zimmermans referred to 10 and 20 instead of saying 10,000 or $20,000.

VOICE OF GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, ACCUSED OF KILLING TRAYVON MARTIN: See if you can take $10 out today, another $10, less than $10, and put in her box there.

SAMBOLIN: In one conversation, Zimmerman tells his wife to get three bullet proof vests, one for each of them and one for their lawyer. All 151 jailhouse recordings were going to be released, but that was cut down to six after Zimmerman's defense complained. In the recordings, there was no direct mention of Trayvon Martin or Zimmerman charges.

BANFIELD: Roger Clemens is in the clear. A jury finding him not guilty on all charges in his perjury trial. He was accused of lying about his use of performance enhancing drugs to Congress. The Rocket's first year of eligibility for the baseball Hall of Fame is next year.

SAMBOLIN: The force was with him. Mini Darth Vader, Max Page, left the hospital Monday after successful surgery. Doesn't he look great?

BANFIELD: Gosh he's cute.

SAMBOLIN: Yes. The surgery was to correct a congenital heart defect. Seven-year-old Page who was known for his starring role in the 2011 Super Bowl commercial for Volkswagen -- look at that -- told reporters that he is feeling great. As for what's next for Page, he says he's especially excited to have a milk shake.

BANFIELD: Look how cute.

SAMBOLIN: And look how well he looks, right?

BANFIELD: He's grabbing the mic.

SAMBOLIN: He doesn't look like he just went through heart surgery.

BANFIELD: Incredible, isn't it?

SAMBOLIN: That's great.

BANFIELD: Ready to talk to the press. Ready for the close-up (Inaudible). All right. So, giving the new meaning to the term takeout. Take a look at an armed robber. Police in Harris County, Texas trying to find this guy. Earlier this year, the masked gunman jumped right through a drive thru window at a fast food restaurant and then robbed the clerk $200.

Got away on foot, nobody hurt, but guess what, you're on video. And the police want to find you. And now, you're on CNN, and everyone can see you.

SAMBOLIN: Add that to the stupid criminal file. There's that.

Forty-eight minutes past the hour. Runaway cows moving across an interstate in Illinois. Four of them escaped a tractor-trailer hauling 65 cows when it hit another car and overturned. I'm saying aw because it has a sad ending. The runaway cows shutdown a section of I-64 for eight hours.

So, here's the sad part, all four of them were shot and killed by officers who were worried about traffic safety.

BANFIELD: Ultimately, I think that's what their destiny was anyway, right. Just sad to see it happen that way.

SAMBOLIN: I know (INAUDIBLE). BANFIELD: So, when President Obama begins preparing for his upcoming debates, look at this matchup. The part of Mitt Romney will be played by none other than Senator John Kerry.

White House confirming that Senator Kerry is going to mimic Romney's speaking style and will even answer questions the way they believe that Romney will answer them, because that's how debate preps go.

So, the president is going to be totally prepared for the face-to-face showdowns, and obviously, John Kerry knows a thing or two about the debates.

SAMBOLIN: Oh, yes. Forty-nine minutes past the hour.

Astronauts due to board the international space station this summer have decided to take competition to the highest level, literally. They will be holding their own version of the Olympics to celebrate the summer games. This is not the first time the Olympics have gone celestial. In 2010, astronauts recreated skiing, figure skating and the luge while in orbit.

BANFIELD: See, I just don't get it.

SAMBOLIN: The luge?

BANFIELD: So much of that requires gravity. I'm just saying, gravity is critical. - for goal to mimic, but it's adorable, nonetheless.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAMBOLIN (on-camera): I always think of Matt Lauer and Al Roker when I think of the luge.

(LAUGHTER)

BANFIELD: I did a luge once.

SAMBOLIN (on-camera): Did you really?

BANFIELD: No. I shouldn't say that. I did the bobsled. Yes. One of the most terrifying things you'll ever --

SAMBOLIN: Oh, my gosh! How exciting?

BANFIELD: And not fun. I have to say. Honestly, if anybody thinks bobsled is fun, it is not fun.

SAMBOLIN: Really?

BANFIELD: No, your head bangs against the side. These guys are real athletes. They are strong, and they can stay in position. It is harrowing.

SAMBOLIN: OK.

BANFIELD: So, there's that. SAMBOLIN: I'm not going to try it.

BANFIELD: Here's your Olympic report this morning.

SAMBOLIN: Fifty minutes past the hour. Maybe Jack Daniels famous Tennessee whisky isn't from Tennessee after all. Really? We have details on a new discovery, very interesting coming up for you.

BANFIELD: And if you're leaving the house right now, you can take us with you. We'd love it if you would. You can watch us any time on your mobile phone, which is kind of cool. And then, when you get to where you're going on your desktop, just go to CNN.com/TV.

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SAMBOLIN: Time to take a look at what's trending on the web. Hash tag awkward, Ronan Farrow sending out a tweet to his father, Woody Allen, on Father's Day Sunday, doing a lot of buzz. Here it is. "Happy Father's Day or as they call it in my family, Happy Brother In Law's Day."

Of course, his father, Woody Allen, left his mother, Mia Farrow, 20 years ago to hook up with Farrow's adopted daughter, Soon Yi, who is now his wife. So, we have the re-tweet that Farrow sent out, simply, "boom." Love that.

BANFIELD: Boom.

(LAUGHTER)

BANFIELD: All right. So, the legend of the liquor. Are you ready for this? It is becoming a little bit clear, but a Welch businessman claims that he has now found the original recipe for Jack Daniels Old No. 7 brand whiskey in a book of herbal remedies belonging to his grandma.

According to Sky News, Mark Evans (ph) was doing a little family research when he found the book and the recipe written back in 1853, right around the same time that her brother-in-law moved from Wales in the U.K. to Lynchburg, Tennessee, where the distillery, the famous distillery, was found three years later.

The history of Jack Daniels is a mystery because the distillery's early records were destroyed in a fire. So, was this stuff really cooked up in Wales? Well, I like to call it the Tennessee liquor, anyway, right? Let's stick with that.

SAMBOLIN: All right. Mickey's got Pluto. Now, he's got Mercury, too. A nASA spacecraft captured an awesome photo of craters on Mercury that looks just like Mickey Mouse. Look. The photo comes from NASA's messenger spacecraft in orbit around mercury and shows a giant crater topped with two smaller impact ones and those, of course, are the ears.

BANFIELD: OK. That is so adorable.

SAMBOLIN: That is so cool.

BANFIELD: I cannot face (ph), but my kids are going to go bananas over this. They love space already, but this is just another reason to love space.

SAMBOLIN: Nature. Nature.

BANFIELD: Mickey.

Caught in the act, take a look. A brazen bandit defacing a priceless Picasso right there in full view of someone's camera phone. What you're saying? Yes. Here you go. Zoom on in. It's spray paint. You're going to find out how this one ends in just a moment.

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