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CNN Saturday Morning News
Last Four West Virginia Miners Found Dead; Plane Crash Kills Polish President, First Lady, and Others; Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens Retiring
Aired April 10, 2010 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello there and welcome to CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's 8:00 here where we sit in Atlanta, 7:00 in Wichita, 5:00 a.m. out in Napa Valley. Glad you could be here. I'm T.J. Holmes.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks for starting your day with us. I'm Brianna Keilar and unless you plan on filing for an extension, Federal tax returns are due in five days. Coming up this hour, we're going to take a look at last minute tips, penalties for not filing, I'm sure that we are not in that boat and we're also going to tell you how to request an extension.
HOLMES: If you have any questions, send them to us, weekends@cnn.com or send them to our Facebook page. It's TJholmescnn, also Brianna and I both have Twitter accounts set up. You can send those to us and find us as well, TJholmescnn and briannakeilar.
KEILAR: At brikeilarcnn.
HOLMES: At brikeilarcnn. A tax expert is going to answer your questions directly this morning.
KIELAR: And a Tennessee mom ships her adopted son back to Russia. She put the seven-year-old on a plane by himself with a note that said she didn't want him anymore. She says he was violent and psychotic. So the big question this morning, did she commit a crime or was this just bad judgment?
HOLMES: We do want to tell you about some of the stories making headlines this morning. Poland's president, the first lady and a number of other dignitaries are dead after their plane crashed this morning in Russia. They were headed to a memorial for the 70th anniversary of a World War II massacre, has been source of great tension between the two countries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOICE OF BRIEN BARNETT, KRAKOW POST: It's purely shocking for everybody from Poland. This week, past week had been quite a week of reconciliation between Russia and Poland over (INAUDIBLE) and I think this was just completely -- it's going to just be completely shocking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Officials say it appears the plane clipped some trees while trying to land in heavy fog. A little background I want to give you now on the Polish president. Lech Kaczysnki is his name, there he is, born June 18, 1949. He has an identical twin brother. The twins were in the public eye from an early age. They first rose to prominence as child actors before getting into politics.
Now fast forward several decades and Lech Kaczysnski elected mayor of Warsaw in 2002. Three years later ran for president as a social conservative, promising a moral revolution. He won. The president then quickly named his twin brother prime minister and he served from mid-2006 until November of 2007. We'll continue to follow this still developing story.
KEILAR: Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin fired up conservatives at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans. She wasted no time attacking President Obama on everything from health care reform and national security to foreign policy issues.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now the president with all of the vast nuclear experience that he acquired as a community organizer -- and as a part-time senator and as a full-time candidate, all that experience, still no accomplishment to date with North Korea and Iran and in foreign policy, well, now we've got the makings of the Obama doctrine which is coddling enemies and alienating allies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Tomorrow morning, "STATE OF THE UNION" is live from Jackson Square. You can join Candy Crowley, she'll be talking live with Governor Haley Barbour. Join Candy and the best political team on television for "STATE OF THE UNION" tomorrow morning. That will start at 9:00 a.m. Eastern.
HOLMES: Everyone had been holding out hope that four miners in that West Virginia mining accident who were unaccounted for possibly could have made it to one of those rescue chambers and possibly were just waiting to be rescued. That was not the case we have now learned. The search for the four missing miners is over. Their bodies were found late last night.
CNN's Ines Ferre is in West Virginia for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
INES FERRE, CNN EN ESPANOL CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): This West Virginia community was hoping for a miracle, but the sliver of hope held for the last five days is gone.
GOV. JOE MANCHIN, WEST VIRGINIA: None of the chambers had been deployed and none of our miners suffered. So this journey -- this journey has ended and now the healing will start.
FERRE: The governor says that the families are pulling on all their strength. It's been an excruciating five days for the families. Rescue workers had gone into the mine numerous times this week only to be pulled back because of the conditions of the mine. When all was said and done, the four missing miners were found dead.
KEVIN STRICKLIN, U.S. MINE SAFETY & HEALTH ADMINISTRATION: You know, when they reported to the command center, it was very professional, with respect and that's on the outside. I'm sure on the inside it was hurting them more than anybody could imagine.
FERRE: Officials say a full investigation will be done now on the worst mining tragedy in the last 40 years.
Ines Ferre, CNN, Naoma, West Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Another developing story this morning. A major change happening in the highest court in the land. Justice John Paul Stevens is retiring, probably this summer. He is the oldest member of the current court serving for 34 years and here's a breakdown of the way the court looks right now.
So on the left you have Stevens, topping the list. He is really viewed as the leader of the liberal block. And after he's gone, you've still got Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and of course the newest justice, Sonia Sotomayor also leaning left and then Anthony Kennedy. He's there in the middle because he's often the swing vote.
Then take a look at the right, you've got Chief Justice John Roberts, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas as well as Samuel Alito and President Obama says Justice Stevens will be hard to replace but he will seek someone similar to the retiring justice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I view the process of selecting a Supreme Court nominee as among my most serious responsibilities as president. And while we cannot replace Justice Stevens' experience or wisdom, I will seek someone in the coming weeks with similar qualities, an independent mind, a record of excellence and integrity, a fierce dedication to the rule of law and a keen understanding of how the law affects the daily lives of the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: CNN Sandra Endo is in Washington. Sandy good morning to you and just tell us a little bit about the reaction there on Capitol Hill. I mean, I know Congress is on recess. But certainly there must be some reaction coming from members of Congress to Stevens' retirement.
SANDRA ENDO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Everyone is acknowledging Justice Stevens personal and professional demeanor and the service that he gave to this country, first and foremost, Brianna, as he made his retirement announcement yesterday and from Capitol Hill, we're hearing from Republicans who are flashing the warning sign already, saying to the president that, look, if you pick a nominee that would be on activist judge, we're going to dig in our heels.
So certainly the president is mindful of this backdrop, this particular year. It is an election year. So he has to be very careful in choosing a nominee who would be able to sail through the confirmation process without a huge political fight.
And here's how one Supreme Court expert breaks it down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM GOLDSTEIN, ATTORNEY, SUPREME COURT BLOGGER: There's a delicate balance here. The president could pick someone who's a more true fire brand ideological liberal that would excite his base but then he would be in for a tremendous fight in the Senate and it would be very distracting from the other parts of his agenda.
So, instead I think he's likely to appoint somebody who's more on the center left, someone like Sonia Sotomayor who the president really believes shares his values as a judge, but doesn't generate the kind of political heat that would disrupt politics over the summer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ENDO: And you're talking about reaction, Brianna, already a senior administration official is telling CNN that the White House has a list of 10 potential candidates to replace Justice Stevens and some of them have already been vetted, but, of course, this process is going to play out over the next couple of months -- Brianna?
KEILAR: Sandy, who are we talking about here as some of these possible replacements?
ENDO: Of course, there's a list and there's always a short list. So we'll talk about some of the top contenders here. We have Elena Kagan, who is the solicitor general. She argues cases for the Federal government in front of the Supreme Court. She was also one of the final candidates in last time, the court had a vacancy last year, actually.
And also Judge Diane Wood. She serves on the seventh circuit U.S. court of appeals in Chicago. She was also a finalist for the last vacancy as well. She's known as a real consensus builder, which is similar to what justice Stevens is known as as well and then you also have Judge Merrick Garland. He serves on the DC circuit U.S. court of appeals. He is known more as a moderate liberal, someone who wouldn't be so offensive in the confirmation process.
And interesting to note also the name floating around once again, Janet Napolitano, the secretary of homeland security, former governor of Arizona, she also was one of the finalists in last time's go-round. So certainly some interesting names are being thrown out there and, again, this process will have to play out soon, but the White House says they're not doing anything this weekend or in the short term.
KEILAR: All right. We were certainly be watching and we know you will be. Sandra Endo at the Supreme Court, always good to see you.
Here's the process for filling a Supreme Court vacancy. The president of course selects the nominee and then the FBI actually gets involved. They investigate the person's background. Then you have 18 senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee. They interview the nominee. The committee as a whole then votes on the nominee and regardless of whether the nominee gets a majority of votes or not, the matter then goes to the full Senate where the appointment will be deliberated and then a vote taken.
And this is important to remember. It only takes 51 votes to confirm the nominee.
HOLMES: We want to turn directly now to a live picture we're getting out of Warsaw in Poland. We have been telling you about the breaking news this morning, happened around 3:00 Eastern time, but a plane crash in Russia that has taken the life of the president of Poland. The plane crash actually happened in Russia. He was there for an anniversary to commemorate a massacre of Polish officers, but this is happening.
You see the outpouring already beginning there in Poland. This is in Warsaw, in particular. We're also starting to learn more about who was on that plane in particular. We were just being told a general, a lot of dignitaries were on that plane from Poland but certainly the President Kaczynski, Lech Kaczysnki and his wife were both on there.
But as we go through and I have in my hand a list of the people who were on this plane, but a lot of high-ranking members of the government, the head of the national security office, presidential aides, the deputy parliament speaker, the deputy foreign minister, head of the army chief of staff, the head of the national bank of Poland, several lawmakers, civil rights commissioner, army chaplain.
So a major loss for the people of Poland today, not just losing their president which certainly we are told will be a shock to any country to lose a head of state like that, but also a lot of rebuilding to be done in the government now because of so many dignitaries who were on that particular plane. Again, this happened around 3:00 a.m. Eastern time today, a plane goes down in Russia, western Russia.
Apparently, the initial reports it clipped some trees as it was trying to land in some pretty tough weather, crash confirmed according to the foreign ministry there, that at least 89 people have been killed aboard that plane, 89 people killed, among them, certainly, the president of Poland, President Kaczynski and his wife and a number of dignitaries, a number of high-ranking officials in the Polish government.
But again, one more time, if we can, go back to that live picture of what's happening in Poland right now, but an outpouring there in Warsaw, the capital of people right now. We heard from a reporter earlier who worked for a paper there saying that the country is literally in shock at this point. This is a very important event.
Also that he was going to, there was really, something that was billed as building the relationship or improving the relationship, if you will, between Poland and Russia, which has for so long been at odds over this particular massacre that happened some 70 years ago.
But still this was an event that happened some 70 years ago, still, this was another step in that rebuilding effort between the two countries and then to have this happen in the midst of that, the country just in shock. But you're seeing some of the first live pictures we're getting of outpouring, candles, people you see there in tears right now mourning the loss of their leader and also of so many others on that plane.
We'll continue to follow this story. We're getting new information coming in, really, minute-by-minute this morning, about exactly what happened. We'll continue to keep an eye on this. Stay with us here on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: More now on our breaking news this morning. The president of Poland, his wife and many dignitaries die in a fiery plane crash roughly six hours ago in western Russia.
HOLMES: Officials there say the plane went down as it tried landing in heavy fog around the airport there you see on the map. CNN's Josh Levs has more on the life of the now late Polish President Lech Kaczynski.
Hello Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi to you guys. We're talking about a nation in mourning right now. We're also talking about people all over the world who have followed his story for a long time. He has been a fascinating figure.
We're looking right now at live pictures of people in mourning as I'm talking about. This is just one location and throughout Poland. I was just taking a look at what's going on in the country today throughout Poland. There are so many different ceremonies, vigils going on and it's not just there. It's elsewhere in the world as well.
He had a very interesting story. And I want to start off with a quote that right now I find kind of chilling. This is from our partners at "Time" magazine in 2007. It said that he's married with a grown daughter. He has said his ambition as president is merely, quote, "to reach the end of my term in good health."
Tell you a little bit more about him while we continue to look at these pictures. One thing that's so interesting is his relationship to the United States. He after coming to office did end up supporting what was at the time a Bush administration effort to create a missile defense shield system and deploy it in Poland.
Once President Obama came along, it wasn't clear at first where President Obama would stand on that. And then in 2009, President Obama announced his own missile shield defense system that did not involve those 10 interceptors that would have been inside Poland, but the president did speak out about his relationship with this man specifically as well as with Poland in general.
I found a quote from the president saying, this is what President Obama said a year ago. He said, "let me just say very briefly that the relationship between the United States and Poland is one of the strongest in the world." He went on to talk about shared values as well.
We're also talking about, you know, a man who has really inspired people throughout the country, inside Poland. His party as it came to power, keep in mind, democracy in Poland is pretty young. It's only about 20 years old in general. When he came to power, there was a lot talk about this effort to, what the party said, was weed out some leftover messages of communist era that they said had too much power and he promised to help reduce that.
That also was part of the friction with Russia and we were just hearing, just days ago, just now Poland has really been working to strengthen its relationship with Russia, improve it and in some ways calm some of those tensions. So all of this happening in what was already an interesting historic time and obviously as we're seeing right here, T.J. and Brianna, a real difficult mourning period now for a country that is really to put it lightly in shock at this moment.
Back to you guys.
KEILAR: We heard that from that reporter from the "Krakow Post." This is a shock. These people are just in shock over this and I think you can see that by some of the pictures we've been showing, the candles that are being lit and the flowers that are being left.
HOLMES: Yeah. To come at this time as well, at a time when they were still trying to repair the relationship or improve the relationship, another step. Josh, thank you.
LEVS: Thank you.
HOLMES: And again to our viewers, we are of course, following that story, still getting new developments, still maybe new numbers about how many people exactly were on that plane, the death toll there as well and also exactly what happened. So we'll keep an eye on that throughout the day.
The tax deadline, as you all know, just around the corner, I believe next Thursday? Well, we're asking for your questions, because this is your last weekend really to prepare things and you can send those questions to Brianna and I on our Twitter pages, T.J.holmescnn and Brikeilarcnn this morning. Also you can send them to me to Facebook and also to cnn.com/T.J..
We do want to return right now though to the prime minister of Poland. There he is. He is speaking now. He is now the acting president of the country, of Poland, taking some questions now, trying to reassure people there in Poland, of course, of what, that the government is still functioning. According to the constitution as well of Poland, they have 60 days, they have to have another election. So a lot of things, a lot of fast-moving parts.
So Donald Tusk is his name. Let's go ahead and try to listen in for a moment.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
DONALD TUSK, POLISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Biggest tragedy is for the families of the people who were killed in Smolensk. I wanted to say in the name of all the Polish people to pass the words of condolences to the family of the Polish president, to his daughter, to his mother, to his brother and to all the families of all the victims.
I want to pass the condolences to all Polish people from the people who send the condolences, like the president of Russia, Medvedev and the prime Minister Putin, from the whole world, we are receiving the expression of sorrow. We declared the state of national mourning and we had the meeting of the government tomorrow. We decided that tomorrow, tomorrow at mid-day, two minutes of silence. Poland will observe two minutes of silence. In the same way, we will be celebrating the funeral.
The tragedy, it touches me personally. As the head of the government I have to act. I have to take care of the families of the victims and initiate the investigations. We will be working 24 hours a day. I know that in this way we don't extinguish the pain, but we have our duties. The Polish state must function and will function.
We are in touch with the officials from Russia. The Polish prosecutors are already in Smolensk. Today we will probably have another meeting of the Polish government and I would like to appeal to all Polish people so that they behave in appropriate way during this time of national mourning. In our villages and towns and in media, we have to show our respect. I will inform you about all the important things which we discover and what we are trying to do. This is all.
Once again, I am united in pain and sorrow in this day, in this day, which is the most tragic in life.
HOLMES: And again, you were just listening to Donald Tusk, who right now is the prime minister of Poland but (INAUDIBLE) is actually the head of parliament, the speaker of the parliament there who is now the acting president of Poland after that country lost its president today, its first lady and many other dignitaries and many other members of the Polish government.
Live picture here you're seeing out of Poland now. But lost all of those members after a plane crash in western Russia today. It went down around 3:00 Eastern time, apparently some pretty tough weather there. A lot of fog and the plane was trying to land and clipped some trees, are the initial reports and crashed killing at least 89 people onboard.
You're seeing the scenes of the wreckage that we got just a short time ago. Again, the news for Poland is that they lost their leader, the first lady as well and the reports we're getting is that the place, the Polish people are literally in shock at this point.
You heard Donald Tusk there, the prime minister, talking about the biggest issue right now they're having, of course, is that this is a big tragedy for the families. He says they already have people on the ground, some of their own Polish investigators on the ground looking into this. The government he tried to assure everyone have been meeting and will be working 24 hour as day trying to assure the people of Poland that in fact their government is up and running and continues to run.
An interesting note is that, according to the constitution of Poland after the death now of the president they have 60 days to have an election. So this is going to be happening, again in a couple of months so that will have to move very quickly, but that is the least of the problems and the things on the minds of many of the people you're seeing here, a live picture of Warsaw at the capitol where these memorials are starting to pop up.
This is a large one as you can see. We see people crying, people singing as well, but a president who has actually Kaczynski, been in the public eye since he was a child, actually was a child actor, he and his brother who are identical twins, have been a part of the Polish society for quite some time and have been quite popular. Kaczynski, the president, was actually, we're going to show his picture now, was actually, was the mayor of Warsaw before running for president a few years back and in fact now they have lost their president.
We are continuing to get information that's coming into us minute-by-minute literally, getting updates. Again, this is still new. Just a few hours old, the news that in fact the Polish president has been killed in a plane crash along with so many others. A quick break now on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING. We're right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: A quick check of the top stories. Poland's president, first lady and a number of other dignitaries are dead after their plane crashed this morning in Russia. They were headed to a memorial for the 70th anniversary of a World War II massacre that has been a source of great tension between the two countries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: It's purely shocking for everybody from Poland. This week, past week has been quite a week of reconciliation between Russia and Poland over (INAUDIBLE) and I think this was just completely -- it's going to just be completely shocking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: As you can see in these live pictures that we're bringing to you from Warsaw, already mourners there gathering for a vigil. They have been laying flowers, marking the loss. Officials saying, it appears the plane clipped some trees while trying to land in heavy fog.
Crews have found the bodies of those four missing West Virginia miners and that brings the death toll in Monday's explosion to 29. This is the worst mining disaster in almost 40 years. Officials say the miners never made it to the safety chambers that had food and oxygen.
Michigan Congressman Bart Stupak is calling it quits. The anti- abortion Democrat came under heavy criticism for a deal that he made with the White House to support health care reform.
CNN's Dana Bash asked the nine-term Congressman why he was retiring.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You said that there wasn't really one specific issue that tipped your decision but there had to have been a light bulb moment when you said, "I can't do this anymore."
REP. BART STUPAK (D), MICHIGAN: No, not really. It had been building for some time, the last two or three election cycles. Lori and I and our family have sit down and do we want to go another time? This district as you know is a massive district.
When I come out of Washington, I don't go home. I stop home for a minute to see my wife for a few hours and I'm on the road again and I'm going on all weekend, sleeping in different motel rooms. And it's just -- it's just finally after 18 years, it just got -- enough is enough.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Congressman Stupak backed health care reform after getting assurances from President Obama that the legislation would not include federal funding for abortion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right. It's the time of the year and many people dread, tax time. You've got get them in the mail or you need to file electronically by the 15th. That's Thursday. If you've been putting it off, maybe, don't worry, you can file an extension.
Our tax lady Roni Deutch joins us from New York. Roni, always good to have you on such things. Right now, this time of the year, you kind of got two kinds of people; people who owe and people who don't owe. Now, no matter which category you're in, do -- you have to file something, whether that's your taxes or an extension by the 15th?
RONI DEUTCH, TAX ATTORNEY: Yes, great to talk to you as well, T.J.
Here's the great news. It is so easy to get an automatic six- month extension of time to file your tax returns whether you have a refund check coming or whether you owe the IRS. All you need to know is this -- go to IRS.gov. Get form 4868. Either e-file it or mail it to the IRS by April 15th and you bet, T.J., you get an automatic sixth month extension regardless of the reason why you need it.
HOLMES: All right, that sounds easy. But again, that's key for people. They still need to get that extension in the mail by the 15th. What are the penalties for those folks if don't -- if you're in the category of not owing any money but you still don't file the extension or your taxes by the 15th? What are the penalties then?
DEUTCH: Yes, certainly. We can distinguish between someone who owes the IRS ...
HOLMES: Yes.
DEUTCH: ... and someone who does not owe.
Let's go to the latter first, 70 percent of all Americans T.J., are not going to owe the IRS. So when they file for that six-month extension by filing Form 4868 by April 15th, here is the great news. They have six months to get organized and to get it right, because you and I know the IRS will be auditing people ...
HOLMES: Yes.
DEUTCH: ... at unprecedented rates. And two plus two must equal four. But then when we talk about the other group of people who owe the IRS money, let's use the example of $1,000.
HOLMES: Yes.
DEUTCH: If you owe the IRS $1,000 and you get that extension, all you need to know is you're going to have to pay an additional $70; the 0.5 percent per month failure to pay penalty and, of course, interest at the Federal Reserve rate which is now at four percent. But again, T.J., if you don't owe the IRS and you get an extension, you're just waiting to get your refund check.
HOLMES: Refund and no penalty there.
DEUTCH: Again, take your time. Get it right, no penalties whatsoever.
HOLMES: OK, are there some reasons you would not want to file an extension?
DEUTCH: Yes. I think there are obvious reasons that you and I could discuss why we wouldn't want to file for an extension. And let's talk about money. If 70 percent of all Americans are waiting for their average $3,000 refund check ...
HOLMES: Yes.
DEUTCH: ... gosh, I think they would want to get that tax return filed as quickly as possible.
HOLMES: Yes.
DEUTCH: But again, I always come back. Are you really ready to file? Are you prepared? Do you have all of your documentation together?
You know, so many people went through a financial hardship last year; lost a job and maybe the marriage, maybe their home. So there are so many reasons why you want to wait those six months rather than rush it, put down wrong information and file that return on April 15th.
HOLMES: OK, last thing here and I just want to -- put it to the full disclosure, I apologize to some of our viewers. We have planned on doing a whole another segment with you about taking viewer questions and they did sent on via Twitter, Facebook but because of our breaking news this morning we won't be able to get to all of them.
But at least I want to share one from Steve Shwade (ph) on Facebook who said, "Is it going to take the federal government longer to make refunds because of the government's poor cash flow and what about state returns?" People concerned maybe that -- the government is not doing so well as far as it comes to finances, is that going to delay my refund?
DEUTCH: Steve, that is an outstanding question. But I have very good news for you. Even though the IRS is dead broke right now and in desperate need of your money and everybody else's money, the good news, Steve, is that they have plenty in their coffers to give you your tax refund and it absolutely will not be delayed.
But here's a last bit of advice on that issue.
HOLMES: OK.
DEUTCH: You should e-file your tax return so that you're able to get your money faster.
HOLMES: OK.
DEUTCH: Now, if you live in a state like California, who is dead broke, you may see a delay on your refund check, but really, Steve, the IRS has plenty of money. In fact, T.J., they have $1.2 billion in unclaimed refunds.
HOLMES: Oh, wow.
DEUTCH: So if you're doing refunds from 2006 I say get that tax return filed and try to get some of that $1.2 billion in unclaimed refund money.
HOLMES: Great advice there. And again, thanks to Steve, who got that question in, we have so many more we hoped to.
But we appreciate you. Always good having you around tax time; you have a good one and have a good tax season. All right, Roni.
DEUTCH: Thank you so much, T.J. I love talking to you, too.
KEILAR: You know, you're really in trouble when you open up the envelope and it says I.O.U. ... HOLMES: Yes. So that's usually a problem.
KEILAR: Problematic ...
HOLMES: But it's a good advice there.
KEILAR: A very good advice.
HOLMES: The refunds are coming, folks.
KEILAR: And you need -- everyone goes up to the wire so you need this very good advice.
Republicans gathering in Louisiana right now. The question is, are they merging with the Tea Party? We'll be going live from New Orleans.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, conservatives fired up in claiming their resurgence at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans. Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin revved-up the crowd with her criticism of President Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PALIN: Now the president with all the vast nuclear experience that he acquired as a community organizer, all that experience, still no accomplishment to date with North Korea and Iran.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Deputy political director Paul Steinhauser is at this Republican Leadership Conference happening in New Orleans.
And there he is. Good morning to you, kind sir.
Sarah Palin, big ticket, tough to get much bigger than that as far as speakers go at a Republican conference, but they're going to try to. Who do you got up today?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, we got a guy from next door, neighboring Mississippi, the governor there Haley Barbour; he's head of the Republican Governors Association. Also speaking today T.J., Ron Paul, you remember the Congressman from Texas. He ran for the White House in the last election, also Representative Mike Pence of Indiana and the former Senator from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum. All of these guys are considered possible -- possible -- contenders for the next presidential nomination on the Republican side, T.J.
Sarah Palin, you mentioned, she really lit up the crowd here yesterday. She was definitely a crowd favorite. A big question mark whether she wants to run for the White House or whether she just wants to stay pretty influential within the party. Remember, this conference, this event is touted as the largest gathering of Republican activist organizers and the Republican Party members prior to their convention in two years and it's also really considered the first cattle call I guess, for a possible contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012 -- T.J.
HOLMES: Yes, they all have to be there if they're thinking about running down the road. You're talking about Sarah Palin there. We saw her a couple weeks ago. A pretty -- pretty much tied into the Tea Party, participating in some rallies for them.
I'm wondering how much the Tea Party is being talked about at this particular conference? We know it's being talked about by Representative Michele Bachmann from Minnesota saying that the Republicans are attempting to combine with the Tea Party Movement.
Let's listen to what she told our Ali Velshi yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: The Republicans become Tea partiers, Tea partiers become Republicans. How does this evolve?
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: It's really merging into one single solitary unit, some number of Tea Part groups from around the country are coming together unifying, under the umbrella of economic fiscal conservatism because Americans quite simply feel like they're taxed enough already.
And I think conservative candidates are going to benefit greatly by latching on to the theme of stopping the spending, stopping the deficit and getting our financial house in order.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And, Paul, you heard her there, one solitary unit, the Republicans and Tea Party. Is that the talk of the town down there as well?
STEINHAUSER: You know, people here at this conference, sure. They want to capture the energy, the excitement of the Tea Party Movement. It's a very powerful movement. It's growing, but at the same time I think there are some in the Tea Party Movement who don't want to co-opted, they feel by the Republican Party.
I remember some Tea Party groups across the country, are campaigning against some Republican lawmakers and candidates because they feel they are not conservative enough. So I'm not sure if we're there yet to what Michele Bachmann is speaking about. But of course the Tea Party Movement has more in common with the Republican Party than the Democratic Party.
HOLMES: All right, our Paul Steinhauser in New Orleans with the CNN Express, right behind him. Paul, good to see you, we'll talk to you again a little later this morning. And then -- of course, he loves the bus.
And tomorrow morning, Candy Crowley; she's live in New Orleans as well for "STATE OF THE UNION" the former RNC Chair shares his thoughts on the state of the GOP and current RNC Chair Michael Steele. Candy and the best political Team on television will also explore the Sarah Palin phenomenon.
Candy Crowley hosting her show "STATE OF THE UNION", Sunday morning, 9:00 a.m. Eastern.
KEILAR: Now, to the breaking news that we've been following this morning. Poland's president, Poland's first lady and a number of other dignitaries are dead after their plane crashed this morning in Russia, and a lot of people in Poland are in absolute shock.
We've got a lot of people who have been tweeting about this, Josh Levs. You've been following all of them online --
LEVS: Right.
KEILAR: So, what are you seeing?
LEVS: Actually throughout the day now, it's been pretty much the top topic on Twitter. People writing about this like wild and mostly just people around the world expressing condolences, expressing concern, thoughts for -- well, not only the Kaczynski family but also for all of Poland and also people all over the world who are in mourning right now.
And I know we've been following live pictures throughout the out of Poland. And some of what I'm seeing -- some of the many ceremonies going on -- you're looking at Warsaw right now -- lots of people turning out to a vigil. It is a nation in shock and will be a nation in mourning for quite some time.
We heard an announcement earlier about a couple of minutes of silence tomorrow. Let's come back to my screen quickly. I just want to see -- I just want to see how wild everyone's going here on Twitter.
These are a few examples. "Good morning condolences to the people of Poland."
Next one, "Rest in peace and leaders of Polish government."
Next one -- this is a whole. I just click on one of the names or I click on Poland. And in each case you're seeing dozens show up every few seconds.
This is someone on Twitter who's starting a campaign to just RT which means retrieve like crazy. "If you are praying for the people of Poland and if you are with all Polish plane crash victims."
There's also a Facebook group that I've been seeing here; lots of people adding on there. And I'm getting some Facebook message. I'm getting tweets over here. So keep them coming and we will be keeping an eye on your thoughts today about this tragedy in Poland. We'll be sharing some in the next hour.
Guys, back to you.
KEILAR: All right Josh. Thanks so much for that.
LEVS: Thank you. Got it.
HOLMES: Also a story that got a lot of people talking. An adoptive mother gets her child but then she sends him back home to his home country. One-way ticket with a note that says damaged goods. That story coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: One of those stories that just really has you scratching your head. A family from Tennessee puts their adopted son on a plane back to Russia with a note. The family says the 7-year-old is violent and psychotic and they don't want him. They're just returning him.
They claim that he has threatened to kill them, that he's tried to set the house on fire. And the child in turn tells authorities in Russia that his family was mean to him, that his adoptive mother actually pulled his hair repeatedly.
Listen to what officials say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SERGEI LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): Russia's foreign ministry will insist on all adoptions of Russian children in the U.S. be banned until our country sign as treaty to regulate the conditions of such adoptions. This will establish the responsibilities of the adoptive families.
We've discussed this with the U.S. before. They've tried to avoid doing this, but this latest incident has exhausted our patience.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: As you can see, Russia there is outraged; this is creating quite a bit of international tension and the U.S. State Department saying that the U.S. government is very troubled by this incident.
We're going to be looking ahead here to a story that we've been covering all morning.
This is Warsaw, Poland. A nation in shock, where people in Poland are grieving the loss of their president, the nation's first lady, the head of the military, a number of other Polish dignitaries who died after a plane crashed as it tried to get into western Russia this morning. This happened at about 11:00 a.m. local time there, in heavy fog. This plane clipping trees as it tried to land in western Russia for an anniversary ceremony to honor killed Polish fighters from World War II.
This comes at a time of certainly some discussion that was going on as Russia and Poland tried to work towards reconciling over this issue. And now a nation in mourning. We're going to be following this, bringing you the very latest ahead here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Yes, they are watching Tiger. Everybody is watching Tiger. 144 days away from the game, and away from -- for reasons he wished he wasn't away from the game, for he is back, and it's all about his game right now. Everybody's watching the top golfer, who is just two strokes back in the Masters tournament.
Two rounds to go. He's teeing off today at 2:35.
Author of the book "Beyond the Box Score", CNN sports and business analyst and friend of our show here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING, Rick Horrow joins us with the impact Tiger's return. And he's got -- he's all ready, ready to say something. Go ahead, Rick.
RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: I'm just doffing the cap to you, by the way, your first Masters right.
HOLMES: Right.
HORROW: So 365 acres out there and our anchor says, let's go meet somewhere in the middle of the course. We have to do better next year, pal. Maybe you didn't want to see me.
HOLMES: Rick, you ought to be ashamed of yourself. You just said meet by the big tree. That was your plan, but anyway.
All right. We were both there. Everybody was curious. What was it like to play with this guy? We'll get into the fans and the atmosphere in a second. What about for the guys who actually had to be in the pairing with him? And Matt Kutcher (ph) was the one you got a chance to talk to?
HORROW: Got a chance to talk to his agent, career sports, CSC and Entertainment; they do a great job with him. The bottom line is they quantified over $1 million of exposure for his endorsers, Humana and Bridgestone and Marquise Jet. And by the way, for the guys that are playing with him today, maybe $6 million exposure and the guys that are playing with him Friday or, excuse me, Sunday, $9 million. So Tiger is impacting everybody in a lot of different ways.
HOLMES: It pays to play with Tiger. That's amazing. Does it also pay that as strange as it might seem to make this comparison, but he's been gone from the game. The game missed him. The PGA and the television ratings, all this, missed him, but in a way, is this going to work to their favor in that he built up such an anticipation for his return that maybe some new eyeballs are coming to the golf game?
HORROW: A couple of things my friend. I talked to Ty Votaw, he's the number two guy on the PGA Tour, interesting stat. The top six charity raising tournaments were ones that Tiger didn't play in last year and all of the tournaments are sponsored even though he didn't play in two-thirds.
Here's the point. It got the tour ready for life without Tiger; that's first. Second is, now, more than half of the people who are watching this weekend probably aren't interested in golf at all. They love him. They hate him, but they watch him. So golf comes back stronger for having a hiatus, a Tiger hiatus.
HOLMES: Yes. You talk about love him or hate him; it was so interesting to hear all the conversations going on out there; all the husbands and wives, almost in some cases arguing about how to support Tiger Woods.
You and I talked for weeks about the sponsors, were they going to stick with him? Several of them -- not several, I should say -- some of them did, but a lot of them got out. Nike is one that came out immediately almost and said we are sticking with this guy.
A new ad now featuring Tiger Woods; we'd like to show it to our viewers. I'll ask you about it on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tiger, I am more prone to be inquisitive to promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are, and did you learn anything?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: That, of course, the voice of his dad. The voice of his dad you hear there from an earlier recorded interview before this death, of course. What are sponsors wanting to do with this? Are they trying to capitalize on his return and is this a chance for them through their advertising to make him out into a different guy? A new image?
HORROW: Well, Gatorade, Accenture, AT&T stepped away. Nike and EA Sports are partners. Nike Golf is there because of Tiger Woods. Their idea was to create an ad that was cutting edge, that generated a lot of controversy and everybody's talking about it. They were three for three with that.
Again, you like the ad, you don't like the ad, but you listen to it. And remember let's not hold a bake sale for Tiger Woods. The guy made $100 million last year. Now, he may lose $30 million, $50 million in sponsors this year, but he's contrite, he's humble, some say scripted to be that. But if he plays well and if he wins, then we talk about other sponsors waiting in line to pick up the slack.
HOLMES: And you know, even had a psychologist tell me yesterday on the air here that Tiger might come out of this being the sympathetic character. People might feel bad for him now that he has a real, a clinical illness, if you will, that he's being treated for.
So we shall see. Sorry I missed you at the Masters on Thursday. We'll get a better plan next year.
HORROW: Yes. A better plan next year. We can't wait to see what happens over the next couple of day. Everybody's going to be watching.
HOLMES: All right. We'll see you. Thanks so much. Good to see you buddy.
HORROW: OK.
KEILAR: And we're following breaking news this morning. A plane crash in western Russia has claimed the lives of the president of Poland, the first lady of Poland, the head of the Polish military, a number of other high-level Polish dignitaries. And right now you're seeing live pictures out of Warsaw, Poland. This is a nation in absolute shock.
We're going to have the latest on the investigation, and will be following reaction from around the world. Coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: These are pictures from earlier in the day of the plane crash in western Russia that claimed the lives of the Polish president and also the Polish first lady, the head of the military there in Poland and a number of other high-level dignitaries.
What we understand and what we're hearing from investigators is that this plane was going into western Russia for an anniversary commemoration of the deaths of thousands of Polish soldiers when it crashed in heavy fog.
We're also going to look at some live pictures coming in from Warsaw, Poland. This is a nation in absolute shock. They are in mourning. This is just one vigil that is going on there in Warsaw and we'll be bringing the latest to you ahead.
Also, politicians from both parties reacting to Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens' decision to retire. In the next half hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING, we'll take an in-depth how this will affect the nation's top court.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: While we cannot replace Justice Stevens' experience or wisdom, I will seek someone in the coming weeks with similar qualities, an independent mind, a record of excellence and integrity, a fierce dedication to the rule of law and a keen understanding of how the law affects the daily lives of the American people.
It will also be someone who like Justice Stevens knows that in democracy, powerful interests must not be allowed to drown out the voices of ordinary citizens. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: New justices often bring new energy, new ideas, and the fact that Obama will have two quick appointments really does give the liberal as tremendous shot in the arm with the courts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And welcome, everybody. I'm T.J. Holmes alongside Brianna Keilar this morning. We do like we do every Saturday, we spend this 9:00 Eastern half hour focusing going in-depth on a particular topic. We're going to do that with Stevens' retirement.
But before we get to all that special stuff on John Paul Stevens, we are keeping an eye, we want to remind you on the developments on the breaking story we're watching out of Poland, where the president along with his wife and several other dignitaries and top officials in the government of Poland had been killed in a plane crash today. It happened in Russia.
We're going to be following that breaking news and breaking developments. A live picture here out of Warsaw in Poland, the capital, where people are starting to gather, seeing that we see crying and they're starting to up candles and flowers and really a nation that's certainly in mourning. But right now, just in shock at what has happened. We'll keep an eye on that.
But, again, this half hour we're focusing on the retirement of Justice Stevens in Washington, a city of few secrets. And it was no secret the Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens was thinking about stepping down.
KEILAR: We now know that it's going to happen at the end the session in June-July, sometime this summer. So the story advances in two directions this hour.
HOLMES: Yes, for 34 years Stevens had pored over and molded the laws of the land. But what did you know about him really? On paper, he seemed pretty complicated. The liberal judge was a lifelong Republican yet there is so much more to this man. You'll hear from two of his former law clerks in just a moment.
KEILAR: Also a question of who will succeed Judge Stevens, of course, this is the first thing we deal with when something like this happens and what kind of battle awaits the nominee? Speculation in Washington immediately settled on three top contenders.
So let's take a look at who is on the short list here. You got Elena Kagan. She is only 49, young by Supreme Court standards but her resume really reflects plenty of experience. The President lured her back to Washington last year to oversee the administration's cases before the Supreme Court. A post often called the tenth justice.
And then you have Merrick Garland. He served as a D.C. federal appellate judge since 1997. He is a Washington insider. He is also a moderate. He has clerked for Justice William Brennan and some say he might be the easiest candidate on the current short list to confirm. Now, conservatives don't like Diana Wood. She has a reputation, staunchly defending abortion rights. She is a Texas native and she spent the last 14 years, though, in Chicago serving on the appellate court. All of these were finalists last year when the President chose Justice Sonia Sotomayor for her first nomination to the court. All three have already been interviewed by president.
Other names being tossed around. There's Michigan governor Jennifer Graham Holmes, Attorney General Eric Holder as well as Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano there, lower right, and a close friend of the president's, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, lower left -- T.J.
HOLMES: Well, there are several people on that list have ties to Chicago. The city also near and dear to the president's heart and the place that Judge Stevens called home as a child. Stevens has worked tirelessly in a field he clearly loves and two people now have seen that love firsthand are here this morning to give their firsthand accounts of what it was like to work with Justice Stevens.
Diane Amann joins us this morning from San Francisco and Christopher Eisgruber is in Princeton, New Jersey for us this morning. Thank you both for being with us. Diane, I will start with you and this question.
I'll ask this to both of you, but in all of these coverage that you've seen now since the announcement came, what kind of -- I mean, being two of you who know him better and differently than most people, what have you just thought, you know what? I wish they would talk about this about him more, or something you don't think is getting enough attention?
DIANE AMANN, FMR. LAW CLERK FOR JUSTICE STEVENS: Well, I think there's been appropriate emphasis placed on his intelligence, his leadership on the court. I guess one thing I would mention is simply his humanity. He is a very understated caring person. He treats everyone with respect, and was a dream boss for all of his clerks.
HOLMES: You know, Christopher, you agree with that dream boss?
CHRISTOPHER EISGRUBER, FMR. LAW CLERK FOR JUSTICE STEVENS: I absolutely would, and I think that anybody who has clerked for Justice Stevens would say the same thing.
The other thing that I would add is about Justice Stevens, how much he was shaped by his experience fighting for the country in World War II. He's someone who I would describe as a constitutional patriot from time to time in his opinions. You'll see him talking about what he and others were fighting for, and it was really this vision of America as a country shaped around the ideals of equality and liberty.
HOLMES: On that point, I'll let you pick up there and go into it a little more. He saw it still his duty, if you will, and saw the constitution and the law and the work he was doing as a cause still?
EISGRUBER: I think he did. I think he was somebody who really believed the, in the rule of law as part of what it was that constitutes what it is that constitutes the American way, and very important to him that every individual had a chance to get his or her day in court.
Two of the signature opinions that I think he'll be remembered for are Rasul versus Bush and Hampton versus Rumsfeld, two cases about the accused terrorists being held in Guantanamo Bay where he stood up for the rights of each individual to have a day in court even if they were accused of heinous things.
HOLMES: Diane, let me ask you kind of on a personal side, would people be surprised, I mean, they seem like larger than life characters. The Supreme Court justices, and I'm sure you're probably intimidated yourself going in there to work for this man, but I guess what kind of, maybe, surprised you and might surprise us if we had a chance to sit in the room with him?
We know he was big sports fan. He liked his Cubs. I guess, what kind of surprised you about his personality that made him seem down to earth where so many of us are used to see him as this grand character?
AMANN: Well, he is extremely competitive as you said. He loves to play tennis and golf and plays it with a fierce intensity. I think the fact that he was really a colleague of ours in a very special way.
He did not operate as the boss overlord but rather as one of us lawyers working on cases and there were times in fact where he literally rolled up his shirt sleeves and worked with us to try to sort out cases. We talked through the work, and often talked heatedly about different cases to try to come to a resolution that was appropriate.
HOLMES: And Christopher, I saw kind of a smile coming on your face when she talked about getting some of those heated arguments. He was known also, I'll end on this question to both of you. People see it as, he's a liberal, Obama will replace him with a liberal and the court will just even out, it will be the same, but that's not necessarily the case.
I'm sure he might be a part of that liberal block, but this guy was an important dealmaker and ultimately persuasive on the court. So it's not as simple as replacing a liberal with a liberal?
EISGRUBER: I would say, when Diane and I clerked and we were around at the same time in the late '80s, beginning of the '90s, Justice Stevens was known as a maverick on the court and indeed the clerks from the Brennan and Marshal chambers would often be upset with the Justice because they didn't think he was a reliable vote on the liberal side.
And I think the distinctive thing about Justice Stevens that's going to be hardest to replace, his attention to the individual case and his willingness to decide it in a way that really isn't determined by ideology.
In recent years that has meant, because of the cases that come before the court, that he's basically been the leader of the liberal side of the court and his intelligence, of course, has made him a very important contributor to that, but I think it's really that distinctiveness to his approach that will be toughest to replace.
HOLMES: I'll let you wrap it up for us, Diane.
AMANN: Well, I think I would add the fact that he is undoubtedly a leader on the court, and although the vote change may not alter very much in the short run, the absence of his leadership, his ability to build coalitions along people with very different ideas about things will be something that will be hard to replace in the short term.
HOLMES: Well, Diane Amann, Christopher Eisgruber, we appreciate you all giving us some insights on this man, if you all knew like so many of us did not get a chance to. But thank you both for taking time this morning. You all enjoy the rest of your weekend.
AMANN: Thank you.
EISGRUBER: Thank you.
HOLMES: All right -- Brianna.
KEILAR: T.J., we're continuing to follow breaking news coming out of Russia and Poland. We are awaiting a press conference coming from western Russia where a plane went down this morning killing the president of Poland along with the first lady, the head the Polish military, a number of other dignitaries.
And we just got in a statement from President Obama that says he called the Polish Prime Minister to express his deepest condolences to the people of Poland. He said that his thoughts and prayers are with the Polish nation. He called the loss devastating, not just to Poland but to the United States and the world. He said, our hearts are heavy across America, and he said the United States cherishes its deep and abiding bond with the people of Poland.
We're going to continue to follow this and we'll bring you the very latest on the investigation and reaction from around the world coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Justice John Paul Stevens planned his announcement, to make certain the President have plenty of time to get his successor in place before the courts next term starts in October. But will the mood on Capitol Hill allow that to happen? We've got a Washington insider coming up, who's got the back story you'll only see here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Now to the breaking news that we've been following this morning, Poland's president, first lady and a number of other high level dignitaries were killed in a plane crash this morning in Russia. A lot of folks have been tweeting about this from all around the world. And Josh Levs has been checking this out on-line. What are you seeing, Josh?
LEVS: It's an outpouring of mourning taking place, you know, and pictures will show you, and it's also happening online. In fact, let's go to those pictures first. This was happening live in Warsaw. People just turning out more and more. And this is one of many places inside Poland where people have come out on the streets to express their shock, to be grieving and to talk about what has happened today, and the loss of this man.
While we look at this, we're going to read you a quote that I found from our partners at "Time" magazine in a story they had about this man, Lech Kaczynski, just a couple of years ago. They said he's married with a grown daughter. He has said that his ambition as president is merely "to reach the end of my term in good health." A bit chilling to hear that now. And among those loss today, also his wife, Maria Kacyznski.
A lot of people writing online on Facebook messages, tweets. Let's take a look at what's on the board here behind me. I pulled up a new Facebook page has been created, "rest in peace, Polish president." This is just few of the messages here. "In peace, Lech Kaczynski" and others, "we're sharing your sadness from Turkey."
And over here, the tweets are just pouring in. I'll just show you one here, one week of national mourning tomorrow. This is someone saying they were taking part in this national mourning. And Poland tomorrow as with people all over the world, inviting people to join that. We're going to -- I'm pretty much camped out here.
So we're going to follow your Facebook messages, your tweets, your i-reports, your thoughts as you join in the mourning process today for this man who was beloved by many people around the world.
Guys, back to you.
HOLMES: All right. Josh, we appreciate it. We're checking in with you again soon.
LEVS: You got it.
KEILAR: And this crash that actually happened as the plane was approaching an airport in western Russia and apparently this was happening in a heavy fog. So there may have been some visibility issues, obviously.
And CNN's Phil Black is watching all of the developments. So Phil what are you hearing about the circumstances of this?
PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, certainly heavy fog seems to be an early indicator in terms of what may have just happened to this plane. We do know it was on final approach to a landing at an air strip in western Russia. We believe it was a military air strip and what happened precisely, well, the pictures speak for themselves, really.
You're seeing debris strewn over a wide area through heavily wooded parts just near the -- an area just near the runway there. It appears that the aircraft had struck those trees, and witnesses have spoken about a large ball of fire engulfing the aircraft and the damage is obviously quite significant. The debris, not much left of that plane, really, and we know for certain, that there were no survivors onboard.
The investigation is already under way, though, although we're told that so far no sign of the black box flight recorder which will no doubt play a crucial part in determining just what happened to that aircraft. Brianna.
KEILAR: And Phil, one of the things that we heard from someone that we spoke with, an editor with the "Krakow Post." He said that it appeared that this plane had tried to land more than once. Maybe even up to four times, because of this heavy fog, because of this apparent visibility issue. Have we been able to confirm that? Or have we heard anything about that on the record from officials in Russia?
BLACK: Not that level of detail yet, no. We're hearing the same report. It hasn't been confirmed as yet, but certainly all the witnesses on the ground talk about the fog and the poor visibility and the role that that likely played in the accident. That followed. But certainly if those reports are true, if the aircraft did attempt to land a number of times, and it gives you an indication of just how poor that visibility must have been to try to get that aircraft on the ground -- Brianna.
KEILAR: All right. Phil Black for us in London with the latest. Thank you.
HOLMES: And we will continue to keep an eye on this fast-moving stories, those developments have been coming in to us minute-by- minute, about exactly what happened in that crash. Again, the polish president and first lady and many other dignitaries dying in that plane crash.
We will continue to follow that, but we will also continue our up close look at Judge Stevens' retirement. That's coming up again right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Justice Stevens has courageously served his country from the moment he enlisted, the day before Pearl Harbor to his long and distinguished tenure on the Supreme Court.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: At the top of his game. Justice Stevens has had a profound impact in his 34 years on the bench. Last year he said the next new justice should be sworn in at the Supreme Court, not the White House. He wanted to avoid the impression that a new justice is beholden to the President and sure enough, Sonia Sotomayor's swearing in took place at the court without the president attending. Now, those are the kind of stories that CNN Supreme Court producer Bill Mears can recite without any effort. You need to know about the Supreme Court at CNN, you go to Bill. So Bill, let's talk about some of the difficulties that might be ahead in this confirmation process. Is this going to be messy? Is this going to be partisan?
BILL MEARS, CNN SUPREME COURT PRODUCER: It's a delicate balance for this president, on one hand, a fight with the Republicans and the right, you can pick a fire brand liberal that could prompt a tough confirmation fight or you can do what he did last year and pick Sonia Sotomayor who is perceived as something of a moderate among the liberals. Somebody who could be fairly easily confirmed. It's up to the White House.
KEILAR: So to you, when you're talking about a moderate that might be more easily confirmed, you know, one of the names that we've talked about is Merrick Garland. Can you tell us a little bit about him and whether you think it may be likely that President Obama may go with a pick like this?
MEARS: He's the one pick that the Republicans would probably find most acceptable and probably have the easiest path to confirmation. He's in his late 50s. He's a Chicago native. He worked in the Clinton White House, heading the uni-bomb and Oklahoma City bombing investigations. He has good law enforcement credentials, that's very favorable to the right.
He's also perceived as something of a moderate on that D.C. circuit, that federal court here in Washington that hears appeals. So would probably have the easiest path to confirmation.
KEILAR: And I remember when we were talking last year, Bill, about Sonia Sotomayor as a nominee. She was actually someone when you looked at her record on the court that a lot of times, she was in step with judges who had been appointed by Republicans with her Republican appointed counterpart. Is there anyone who may be on the short list who kind of stands out as someone who has disagreed often with their Republican-appointed counterparts?
MEARS: That would be Diane Wood. She is highly regarded federal judge on the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago. And she was rightly spotted with some conservative heavyweights on that court. She has been a strong voice on the left on that court but has done so in a very thoughtful way and very precise, very fact based rulings from her.
Not a lot of fire bombs coming from her but her local positions are very clear on that court and she's somebody who I think the president would find very attractive for her intellect and thoughtful approach towards jurisprudence.
KEILAR: Is there any peril for President Obama or for democrats in going with someone like Diane Woods?
MEARS: It depends on what you want. Diane wood has a long record on that court. When you have lots of opinion to go through, they're going to -- the conservatives will find, to cherry picked to find, to go after. As opposed to picking somebody with no judicial record like Elena Kagan, the solicitor general.
She has never been a judge so you don't know what you're getting from here as far as her judicial philosophy or a politician like Governor Jennifer Granholm. She has another name that's being mentioned. She has no judicial experience despite being a prosecutor in Michigan. So it depends on what kind of what you want.
KEILAR: Yes, with Diane Wood, that would certainly make her for some really interesting questions before the Senate judiciary committee. But Bill, I want to ask you about something that I find really intriguing when it comes to Justice Stevens.
This is someone who was actually the last Protestant on the court? I mean, tell us how religion will factor in, if it will factor in, you think, to this appointment and what it really means if there are no protestant justices on the Supreme Court?
MEARS: Diversity is an issue that's always in play when you have a Supreme Court vacancy. And yes, religious diversity is something that many people don't talk about and it's an uncomfortable subject to talk about but it's something that is out there.
We have six Catholics on the current bench. Two Jewish Americans and one Protestant, Justice Stevens. Two of the top names being mentioned, Elena Kagan and Merrick Garland are Jewish-Americans. Diane Wood is Protestant. So it's -- that kind of diversity is something that people don't like to talk about, but it has to be considered.
KEILAR: And yes, this is going to be either way you cut it, whoever it is, this is going to be very interesting and we know, Bill, that you will be following it all along the way. Our Supreme Court producer, Bill Mears. Thanks for being with us. T.J..
HOLMES: All right. Brianna, thank you.
We are, of course, covering several huge political stories today but there is other breaking news to tell you about from overnight. I've been telling you this morning. World leaders and certainly the people of Poland mourning the death of their president today. The president of Poland and his wife, among 89 killed in a plane crash earlier today.
Also relatives of four trapped miners learned last night that their loved ones did not survive. We'll have much more on these two developing stories at the top of the hour when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.
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