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CNN Saturday Morning News

Hurricane Isaac Rescue Efforts; Romney and Obama Hit the Campaign Trail; Upcoming Democratic National Convention; Girl Jailed For Burning Koran Pages; Farmers in Midwest Hope Isaac Will Bring Rain; Firsthand Account of Bin Laden Raid; Court Strikes Down Texas Voter ID Law; Everyone is Talking about Eastwood

Aired September 01, 2012 - 08:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. It is 8:00 on the East Coast, 5:00 a.m. out west. Thanks for waking up with us.

We start this hour with Isaac, the storm that continues to drench the Gulf coast. So far the storm is being blamed for four deaths in Louisiana and Mississippi. One couple was found in this house in their flooded kitchen. The heavy rains have also caused massive flooding and it is not done yet. More rain could push levees past their breaking point.

We're keeping an eye on that. Isaac has had a lot to do with rising gas prices. Right now the national average is at $3.83 for a gallon of regular unleaded. That's up $0.08 over the last week. But some stations in the south have seen a 20 cent bump in the last week. A lot is because of the closure of oil rigs and refineries that were in the path of Isaac.

To politics and the next chapter in the presidential race, the Democratic convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. It starts Tuesday with Jimmy Carter and Michelle Obama on the list of first day speakers. We'll have more from Charlotte coming up in just a couple minutes.

People are still talking about Clint Eastwood's speech at the Republican convention. The "New York Times" reports that Eastwood was given topics by the Romney campaign but the rest was up to him. That empty chair he was talking to, he added that on his own at the last minute. And Romney called the speech, quote, unique.

To Belle Chasse, Louisiana where search and rescue crews have been going door to door to check in on victims of hurricane Isaac. The area just south of New Orleans was hit hard by flooding. But this morning the water is receding giving a clearer look at the damage.

George Howell is in Belle Chasse this morning.

George, good morning. What are we learning about the search and rescue efforts there?

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Randi, good morning. We know that search and rescue operations according to an official I just spoke with start from sun up to sundown today. They will continue that here in Plaquemines Parish. I want to talk just a bit about Plaquemines Parish so that you understand we're talking about an east bank and a west bank.

These slivers of land that run along parallel to the Mississippi River out to the mouth of the Mississippi, a lot of the focus right now, a lot of that flooding happened on the east bank, specifically in the Braithwaite community just across the river here from where we are now.

We're talking about storm surge that came anywhere from seven to 15 feet of water that went into this community, that overtopped this eight foot tall levee. Right now we're on one of these levees, so not high enough to deal with the storm surge from this particular situation.

Right now, we know that those floodwaters, Randi, they are receding. There were several controlled breaches of the different levees, so we're starting to see the waters recede. I also note today this entire parish, we're talking about, again, these slivers of land that run down the mouth of the Mississippi, no one has power in the entire parish, Randi.

KAYE: We know about the flooding, certainly. With Katrina it was the wind. With this storm it was the flooding. What other kinds of problems are people facing there?

HOWELL: Well, you know, these officials have talked to me about what they are dealing with sort of in the middle of this parish rounding up cattle. There are cows that are out. There are also dead cows and the dead cows, Randi, they are attracting alligators. So alligators are also a problem with people out there, also these search and rescues crews continue. They are watching out for alligators, coyotes and of course out here snakes.

KAYE: That does not sound fun. George Howell for us there. George, thank you very much.

To find out how you can help the many people devastate by Isaac, visit our impact the world page. You can find it at cnn.com/impact.

Let's get you back to politics now. Mitt Romney is on the road today looking to build on the momentum from the Republican convention. We'll bring you live coverage of his stop in Ohio later this morning in our 10:00 hour. But Romney is not the only one out there today.

CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser is in Charlotte, North Carolina for us this morning, the site of next week's Democratic National Convention.

Paul, tell us where is everyone today?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: A busy weekend, Randi, for politics. Of course we just had the Republican convention in Tampa. We've got the Democratic convention coming up in a few days right here in Charlotte.

All the candidates are out there early talking to voters in those key battleground states. Let's start with Mitt Romney. He was in Louisiana yesterday afternoon with Bobby Jindal, the Louisiana governor, touring some of the damage from hurricane Isaac from earlier in the week. He's going to start today in Ohio. He's got a rally in Cincinnati.

Later in the day he is going to team up with his wing man I guess you could call him, Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin congressman, his running mate. They are going to team up again in Florida. They were at a rally yesterday in Florida in Lakeland, right after the convention ended, they will be in Jacksonville later today.

Their idea here is to keep that momentum they think they got from their convention going. As for the president, you're going to see him on the campaign trail quite a lot this weekend. It starts in Iowa, another battleground state. Randi, all these states are battle ground states. If you're going to see a candidate there, you know it's a battleground state. He begins his couple days of campaigning in Iowa later today Randi.

KAYE: As we said, Paul, the Democrats kicking off their convention on Tuesday. It's their turn coming up. What are some of the highlights we can expect?

STEINHAUSER: Let's talk about some of the big names you're going to see right here in Charlotte. One of them is Cory Booker. He's the mayor of Newark, New Jersey and a real up and comer in the Democratic party. He's going to have a big role in presenting the Democrat's platform here at the convention.

Here's another interesting speaker, Charlie Crist, the former governor of Florida. Why so interesting? Charlie Crist used to be the Republican governor of Florida as you remember . But then he ran for Senate in Florida and he lost out to Marco Rubio in the primaries. He changed his party affiliation to independent. Now he's backing President Obama. There's a thought that maybe he'll be running as a Democrat maybe for the next election for governor in Florida.

On to the big speakers, Randi. Tuesday night the first night of the convention, first lady Michelle Obama will be in prime time as will Julian Castro. He's the mayor of San Antonio, not so well-known to Americans. You'll know him after Tuesday night. He's giving the keynote address here. On Wednesday, a lot of anticipation for the address by former President Bill Clinton.

And, of course, on Thursday, we move from here to the arena over to the football stadium a few blocks away. That's where Vice President Joe Biden and then of course the president will be giving their re- nomination addresses. Some of the themes here, you're going to hear a lot about the middle class, no doubt about that.

The Democrats will be touting that they are the party that represents the middle class and of course Randi, they'll be touting what they say are the accomplishments of President Obama's first term in office. That's what you do at a convention, you get your message out, right? KAYE: They'll certainly try their hardest to do so. Paul Steinhauser, thank you. Appreciate that.

And remember, live coverage of the Democratic National Convention starts Tuesday 7:00 p.m. Eastern. Be sure to tune into CNN. And here is what's coming up this hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What's your message to Isaac?

BRAD DETRING, FARMER, BRD FARMS: Come take a visit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: While Isaac brought destruction here, farmers say it could bring salvation here. But is it too late to save our food?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are the party that says America can be America for everyone and that is what this platform is about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: All week the spotlight was on the Republicans. Now it's the Democrats' turn. All morning we're putting the Democratic platform in focus.

In writing a book, he may have broken the law. Why one Navy SEAL who took down bin Laden may face Federal charges.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Nine minutes past the hour. Glad you're with us.

Get ready to be hearing a whole lot about North Carolina. Not only is that state the place Democrats plan to shine next week at their national convention, it is also the newest state to be considered either man's to lose.

Take a look at CNN's current map. Just this week North Carolina flipped from lean Romney to true toss up, joining eight other states where polls show the race is a nail biter. The flip comes after this CNN ORC poll showed a virtual tie with 48 percent of likely voters in the state supporting Romney and 47 percent backing the president. In 2008, Obama just barely got a win there, carrying the state by just 0.4 of a percent.

So can he do it again? That's the big question this year. Even the president's top aides say it won't be easy. Joining me now to talk about the battle ahead, communications director for the North Carolina Democratic party, Walton Robinson.

Good morning to you, Walton. Thanks for being here. Most experts agree Obama's win in North Carolina in 2008 was three fold. He mobilized the base, specifically the African-American vote. He won the youth vote by a big margin. He ran on the bad economy at the time. How exactly is he going to win it this year, certainly a much tougher political landscape?

WALTON ROBINSON, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, NORTH CAROLINA DNC: I'll tell you after watching the Republican convention earlier this week, we're feeling a lot better about our chances. But the reality is that President Obama's campaign after 2008 didn't just pull up stakes and leave. They have been here. They have been building. They have been building infrastructure. They've been registering voters, signing up people to knock on doors, doing the infrastructure building it takes to win the ground game here.

And so, when we get to the point which we're almost at where we're saturated with ads and people start to tune them out, that investment early on is going to help at the margins turn out people in President Obama's favor. We're feeling good and we're happy to have the convention in Charlotte because that's going to be a great organizing tool for us as well.

KAYE: Take a look at a couple of polls with me, if you will. The first one shows Obama still winning big with the youth voters, the latest CNN ORC poll indicates 58 percent of 18 to 34 year olds prefer Obama over Romney, you see it there. But look at this second poll of those young voters, just 58 percent are likely to vote this year as opposed to nearly 80 percent in 2008. Does that concern you? What are Democrats doing there in North Carolina to energize the young voters this year?

ROBINSON: Well, we're not seeing any of that sort of lack of enthusiasm here in North Carolina. We have a delegation that has 10 times the number of young delegates that we had in 2008. Our young people are engaged here. We have had a tremendous amount of success training young people, getting them involved in the process and the convention is one of the major things that has helped us do that here. So I'm not concerned.

We're confident here in North Carolina. We're seeing a lot of positive things out of the young people. They really have benefited from some of the things that President Obama has done since he's been president. For example, 95,000 North Carolinians who are under the age of 26 now get to stay on their parents' health care plan. Young people in North Carolina are seeing the benefits and the results of having a President Obama in the White House. So I think overall we are very confident that the young vote is going to turn out and turn out strong.

KAYE: Let me show you another poll from CNN ORC here on the crucial issue of the economy. Romney just edging out Obama on who can better handle the economy. You see it there, 50 to 46 percent. How do the Democrats convince voters next week that the president is better for the economy and get those numbers up?

ROBINSON: Well, I think that after watching the Republican convention, the choice is going to be clear after we hear President Obama speak. What we're looking at here are two very, very different visions for the economy, one based on the top down trickle down approach from Mitt Romney. You know, the old stale Bush era policies of the past are what the Romney/Ryan ticket is advocating for.

On the other side, we have President Obama who believes in investing in the middle class, building a strong middle class and using that as the leverage to build an economy that works and that lasts. So I think after seeing the two conventions, voters will have a very clear choice between the economic visions for the future of the country. I think President Obama is the one that will resonate with people come fall.

KAYE: For the very first time in history, the national Democratic party platform this year will endorse same-sex marriage. Now considering that North Carolina voted overwhelmingly this year to ban same-sex marriage in the state's constitution 61-39 percent via the so-called amendment one, will that platform plank, do you think, hurt Obama there?

ROBINSON: I don't think it will. The platform is a political document, not a policy document. In the Democratic Party it's not a cardinal sin to disagree. There's some overarching things that are going to drive voters to the polls in North Carolina and they are not social issues. They're economic issues. They're health care issues. They're education issues.

So I don't think that amendment one nor the plank in the party platform will really have any kind of substantive effect on the turnout this fall.

KAYE: North Carolina, home to eight military bases, Fort Bragg being the largest, given the strong military installation in the state. What impact might Obama's record on national security and veterans' issues play on voters there? Should the diagrams be focusing on his foreign policy chops more, do you think?

ROBINSON: I think so. There's over 770,000 veterans in the state of North Carolina. We are a state that has a lot of military voters. So the president's accomplishments and his focus on veterans and veterans issues, expanding preventive health care for them, expanding mental health services for our veterans, making sure that we give them the opportunity that they deserve to get back to work once they come home. I think the president has a strong, strong record on national security and that is a big asset in North Carolina.

KAYE: You said you were excited to have the convention there. Not everyone is pleased with the DNC's choice of Charlotte this year for the convention. Let me read you a quote from a Reuters piece that got a whole lot of attention this week. It says, quote, "Democratic insiders see less enthusiasm on the part of the party faithful, fewer politicians who'll be making the trip to a second tier host city with few cultural attractions."

I know you're excited. But what's your response to that? Is Charlotte a second tier host city?

ROBINSON: I think some of the folks who maybe are saying that haven't had an opportunity to come to Charlotte and seen what we've got to offer. This is a great city for music. We've got great restaurants. We've got some beautiful museums. This is a great sports town. We've got football and basketball teams here. Charlotte is a wonderful city. I think when all is said and done, people get here, they come, they experience what we have to offer, they are going to be pleased. This is going to be an historic convention that everyone is going to remember fondly.

KAYE: Walton Robinson, you're a great ambassador for the president and for North Carolina. Appreciate your time this morning.

ROBINSON: Appreciate you having me on. Thank you.

KAYE: That is the Carolina story. Coming up we'll check out the story from another swing state, Ohio. The current governor spoke for the Republicans while the former governor is in the Obama camp. He's join us now at the 10:00 hour for more on the Democrats plan for next week and in November as well.

It is a case that has inflamed religious tensions across Pakistan. A young Christian girl accused of burning a page containing Koran versus. Now the judge says she cannot leave jail, at least not yet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: The Taliban are claiming responsibility for deadly explosions at a joint U.S./Afghan military base in central Afghanistan. Officials say 12 people were killed when two suicide bombers blew up themselves and a truck. Fifth seven people were hurt, most of the victims were civilians. No U.S. troops were killed.

Huge explosions rocking the Syrian city of Homs. The opposition stronghold has been under siege for months now. Rebels say at least 32 people have died in clashes across Syria today as the country's civil war shows no signs of easing. Heavy gunfire is also reported in the capital of Damascus.

Pakistani officials say a suspected U.S. drone strike has killed four militants. They say a drone fired two missiles at a militant hideout in Pakistan's volatile tribal region of north Waziristan (ph) near the Afghan border. The area is a Taliban and al Qaeda stronghold.

A young Pakistani Christian girl accused of blasphemy must remain in an Islamabad jail over the weekend. The judge adjourned a bail hearing until Monday after getting into a shouting match with lawyers demanding the girl being detained. She's accused of burning pages containing Koran verses. There are fears she could be in danger if she is released from custody. The girl is said to have Down's Syndrome.

Isaac dumps heavy rain in the drought-stricken Midwest, but Is it too little too little for farmers who've been praying for rain? We'll take you live to Missouri.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAYE: What's left of Isaac is moving through the Midwest today as a tropical depression. This, take a look here, is a live satellite image of Isaac. You better bet farmers going through the worst drought in years are desperate to get some of that rain. They are welcoming it. But it just may be too late or not enough. Here is our national correspondent Susan Candiotti to look at the reality right now in the fields.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With cornstalks crunching under his feet, Richard Detring goes to harvest. But thanks to this summer's drought his field corn in Farmington, Missouri is fried to a crisp. In blistering 90 degree heat, not much else to do but climb into his combine and mow down the stalks.

RICHARD DETRING, FARMER, BRD FARMS: You put a lot of money and time and effort into it, then you see no return. It's a hard thing to do.

CANDIOTTI: Hard for every farmer in the Midwest whose crops are virtually a total loss. This is so brittle.

DETRING: Yes.

CANDIOTTI: What is left in here? What is left in here?

DETRING: There's simply nothing. This one has -- it just basically died right before reproduction.

CANDIOTTI: It's like dust practically. He'll salvage what little he can, maybe five bushels of grain an acre compared to the usual 120.

DETRING: I'll turn the cows into this field the next few days and they can eat some leaves and stuff like that but they won't get much. It will keep them alive for a few more days.

CANDIOTTI: Here in Missouri, rain is nine to 15 inches below normal. Now, even if Isaac delivers three to five inches of rain as predicted, it won't wipe out the drought but every little drop will help. But Isaac's rain is coming too late to help some ranchers who already threw in the towel.

GARY CLEVE, COUNTY EXEC. DIR., FARM SERVICES AGENCY: It really hurts when you see a producer come into the counter who came in and said I just sold my cattle today. He would be crying there at the counter. Is there any help out there and they're nothing we can do.

CANDIOTTI: No rain means cattle are grazing on brown pastures. No rain means the price of feed has skyrocketed. No rain means ranchers are giving their cows hay now, way before they usually do in the fall. Detring's son Brad won't let hard times get to him. He's fifth generation. Farming is in his blood.

BRAD DETRING, FARMER, BRD FARMS: This is just farming. It's just the way it is. You take the good with the bad.

CANDIOTTI: What's your message to Isaac?

B. DETRING: Come take a visit. I'll grill. I'll have some drinks in the cooler. Come on. Set up shop.

CANDIOTTI: You've been staring at that sun all summer long. The rains are coming. What do you think?

R. DETRING: I can't wait. Just to walk in rain once.

CANDIOTTI: Just to feel it.

R. DETRING: Just to feel it come down.

CANDIOTTI: And start walking in greener pastures.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: And Susan is joining me now live from Farmington, Missouri. Susan, good morning. I see you've got your raingear on there. Any sign of the rain yet?

CANDIOTTI: Well, not lately. But they did get some rain since yesterday. It's been off and on. This is the official rain gauge here on the Detring farm. Look at this. It's measured two inches since yesterday, again, intermittent. Sometimes we get sheets and other times like now the sun is starting to come out. But they are predicting to get much more throughout the day and tonight. The question, of course, is how much?

KAYE: I love that that farmer was offering to mix drinks for Isaac if Isaac could get there. While they need the rain, though, some are concerned that the rain this late in the game could make the situation worse. Are they concerned at all about crop disease?

CANDIOTTI: You know, to a degree they are but not so much at this time because they are not expecting that much rain. You can see off in the distance there are some green soybean fields out there. That's the green that you see out in this direction also. Those crops are expected to survive. But they have to get a lot of rain and have the rain sit there, the water sit there in order to create a fungus and cause a problem. That's really not a big worry right now, Randi.

KAYE: How have the farmers been getting through this, this drought?

CANDIOTTI: You know, as best they can. Some of them are trying to help each other if they have extra hay to spare. But the cost of feed is up so much, usually $180 a ton now, up to $380. Sometimes people who are raising cattle, some of the farmers are having to sell them off and go under, like we mentioned in the story. They are just trying to get by as best they can.

KAYE: Susan Candiotti, really great reporting having you out there with those farmers where it's all happening. Appreciate that. Thank you. Back now to the damage that Isaac's rain has left in its wake. Search and rescue crews are going door to door today checking on victims of what is now a tropical depression. We know at least four people have died in connection with the storm. What's left of Isaac moves through the Midwest today. It's expected to drop several inches of rain in Illinois.

Two police officers in St. Paul, Minnesota, are now on leave after this disturbing video went public. Take a look. It shows officers arresting a man for allegedly stalking a woman in the neighborhood and then kicking him in the chest. You see it there, as he lay on the ground. He's heard on this tape actually shouting his innocence. The police department says it's doing an internal investigation. The local police union has released a statement saying in part the video doesn't show everything that happened and the officer is a good cop that was in a dangerous situation.

And in Chicago a third death has now been linked to an outbreak of Legionnaires disease at a local hotel. All of the victims were guests at a downtown JW Marriott. The hotel has removed its lobby fountain and closed parts of its luxury spa, both suspected as sources of this outbreak.

A former Navy SEAL faces legal action over his new book that chronicles the Osama bin Laden raid. We examine the fallout over the book "No Easy Day"; why the Pentagon could go after him and his book publisher and what laws they are actually accused of breaking.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back. It is 33 minutes past the hour. I'm Randi Kaye. Thanks for starting your day with us here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

The former Navy SEAL who's giving a firsthand account of the Osama bin Laden raid in a new book may be in hot water. The Pentagon is threatening legal action against Matt Bissonnette over his new book called, "No Easy Day." He and his publisher may have to forfeit any royalties.

Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr explains why the Pentagon is upset.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Randi, it's rapidly turned into a high-stakes legal fight, the top Pentagon lawyer warning the Navy SEAL and his publisher they may face legal action.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice-over): Appearing on CBS's "60 Minutes" in disguise and under his fake name Mark Owen this is Matt Bissonnette, the former Navy SEAL who wrote the book, "No Easy Day." His accounts have been on the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

MATT BISSONNETTE, FORMER NAVY SEAL: My worry from the beginning is, you know, it's a political season. This book is not political whatsoever. It doesn't -- it doesn't bad mouth either party.

STARR: Bissonnette retained Washington, D.C. attorney Robert Luskin who once represented Bush White House adviser Karl Rove in the investigation into the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame. Rove was not charged.

Bissonnette's legal position remains very much in question.

Pentagon general counsel, Jay Johnson wrote Bissonnette "He is in material breach and violation of agreements he signed to protect classified information and promising to submit his work to a security review." Luskin wrote back saying "the agreement only requires the government to review writings under certain circumstances."

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: If you're in possession of classified documents, as a Navy SEAL would be, you sign a nondisclosure agreement. And that agreement says basically if you write a book -- any kind of book, fiction, nonfiction -- and you use information that might be even derived from classified information you've got to get preclearance from the Pentagon.

STARR: Mark Zaid has represented clients in similar cases.

MARK ZAID, NATIONAL SECURITY ATTORNEY: The SEAL's attorney strongest case is going to be one, the agreements he signed don't applied to the factual circumstances of the bin Laden raid.

STARR: The book's publisher Penguin Group could also be at risk.

ZAID: Rather than cooperating with the government, Penguin has not only increased the print run but also expedited publication date, which is a brazen slap across the government's face.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: The SEAL could avoid charges because the government may not want to discuss the bin Laden raid in open court, if it comes to that. But the Defense Department is already raising another option, seizing all the money from the book sales -- Randi.

KAYE: Barbara Starr, thank you very much.

Let's bring in CNN legal contributor Paul Callan who you saw in Barbara's story there. Paul, good morning.

CALLAN: Good morning.

KAYE: You mentioned the Navy SEAL had to get clearance from the Pentagon before writing his book but his defense says that only applies to certain circumstances. What circumstances would that be exactly?

CALLAN: Well, this is going to depend on the precise wording of the agreement that he signed because Navy SEALs are involved in high security secret operations. There is a special agreement that they sign regarding what they can reveal and what they can't reveal.

Now that may be slightly different from the agreement that is filed by or signed by a CIA agent. The ones that I've looked at that have been made public are quite broad and indicate that if there's any disclosure of classified information, preclearance is required. This Navy SEAL's lawyer is saying, basically, his agreement is different and he didn't require preclearance. We haven't seen the agreement. So I've got to see the exact wording. But the lawyer is arguing about wording as lawyers often do. So --

KAYE: Yes. So what's your take on this? I mean do you think that Matt and his publisher were in breach of contract or do they have a pretty good defense?

CALLAN: Well, my bet is that they had it very carefully reviewed, not only by the Navy SEAL's lawyer but by their own in-house lawyers. It would be very surprising to me if a major publisher went forward, knowing that they were in breach of this security agreement.

That said, from the standpoint of whether the government will aggressive try to shut this book down and whether it's the right thing, we've got a really different question here. I think a lot of Navy SEAL supporters might say even if he didn't breach the agreement he's endangered his comrades who are Navy SEALs because you can -- if you figure out who he is and who his friends are, you have a potential target, other Navy SEALs who may have been involved in the operation. So there might be other reasons that it's not wise to reveal a secret operation like this --

(CROSSTALK)

KAYE: Yes.

CALLAN: -- that go beyond the legalities.

KAYE: A portion of the book's proceeds would go to military support groups. I mean would the Pentagon now really go after those funds as well as go after a guy who put a bullet in Osama bin Laden?

CALLAN: Well, essentially there are only two things the Pentagon can do. If there's a breach of the agreement and this is classified information, they could file criminal charges against this Navy SEAL. Now, I don't think they are going to do that. He's highly-decorated. He's a war hero, but it's a theoretical possibility.

That leaves a second option, which is a lawsuit in which they seek to take control of the book. And I found a case involving a CIA agent and what essentially the government did was, they said all right, the book has been published. We can't bring it back. But we're going to create a trust and the book is now owned by the U.S. government. We will get the proceeds.

And I would imagine that in this case if they aggressively proceed, that's the route they'll take. It'll probably become a U.S. government book and then the government will decide what to do with the proceeds not the Navy SEAL who wrote the book.

KAYE: Amazing how that works.

Paul, if you could, we want you to stick around. Because when you come back, I want to you weigh in on this big court decision against the state of Texas, on their voter ID law that also got a lot of attention this week. Why a federal court found the law is a burden on the poor and racially discriminates.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: The Supreme Court will have the final say on a Texas voter ID law. A federal appeals court this week struck down a controversial law that requires voters to show their ID at the polls. The three-judge panel called it racially discriminatory and a burden on the poor.

Here's some background from Mark Wiggins of CNN affiliate, KVEU.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK WIGGINS, KVEU NEWS: Texas voters can put away their licenses for now following the same section of the voting rights act used to toss out voting maps a federal court in Washington struck down the state's voter ID law. The three-judge panel ruled even free IDs would still cost voters who had to pay for the required paperwork. That and the lack of DPS offices in a third of Texas counties would burden poor voters, most of whom are minorities.

JOHN COLYANDRO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TEXAS CONSERVATIVE COALITION: I categorically reject the notion that the voter ID is discriminatory.

WIGGINS: Conservatives have pointed to similar laws upheld in Georgia and Indiana. But the court ruled Texas law is tougher. John Colyandro is executive director of the Texas Conservative Coalition and Research Institute.

COLYANDRO: There is nothing materially different between the Texas law and Indiana law and expect the attorney general -- general to repeal this ruling, take it to the U.S. Supreme Court.

WIGGINS: In Tampa, Texas Attorney General Gregg Abbott said it's unlikely the challenge will be resolved before the presidential election.

GREGG ABBOTT, TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL: The timing of this is going to be tough because it's going to take a while to apply to the Supreme Court. It'll take a while for them to take the case. And so having the law be effective for this election will be a challenge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: That was Mark Wiggins of CNN affiliate KVUE. Let's bring CNN legal contributor Paul Callan back in to chat about this.

Paul, why did the federal court rule this law racially discriminatory and a burden on the poor? What's the thinking there?

CALLAN: Well, under the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Act of 1965, basically states with a history of discrimination when they make any change in voting laws that will affect minority participation, that has to be reviewed and approved by the justice department. And that's why a Washington, D.C. federal court is looking at this Texas law, because the Justice Department came in and said when you force people to get voter identification, specific kinds of photo ids and whatnot it places a burden on poor people and it will reduce minority participation and we won't allow it. And they are fighting about it. Texas says that's ridiculous, we're just asking people to prove who they are.

But so far the Justice Department is winning and the federal court has said this unconstitutionally restricts the right to vote.

KAYE: The Texas attorney general quickly announced though that the state is going to appeal the ruling. Can this be overturned though before November's presidential election?

CALLAN: In theory it could be but it would be highly unlikely. The U.S. Supreme Court would have to pluck this case out of the docket and say it is so important we're going to advance the case and render a quick decision, much as they did during the Bush presidential election, the Bush-Gore election.

I don't think they're going to do that in this case. Usually they let these cases percolate. In a sense, they want to see decisions from a lot of lower courts before they jump in and decide.

The other thing I wanted to mention, Randi, which I found to be really interesting about this Texas case -- this law, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was the product of Lyndon Johnson. And Johnson, of course, was behind a lot of civil rights legislation. Ironically historians now think that Johnson was elected as a result of voter fraud in Texas.

This is a law -- so his very law, the voting rights law, arises out of a situation, you know, that probably would be very different than today if he were running for office. In any event a little irony with respect to who was the author of the law.

KAYE: Yes. So why is this such a big deal for the state of Texas and other states that are going through this?

CALLAN: This is an enormous deal because statistically about 10 percent of the voting population will probably be affected by this law. And that is they have the possibility of being stricken from voter rolls. That 10 percent tends to be Democratic voters. So this is really a battle between the Republicans and the Democrats about how to reduce 10 percent of the Democratic vote. And of course Republicans say, hey, you know, to get a driver's license or, you know, go to a bank or do anything else we have to show identification, why shouldn't you have to do it at the polls?

Democrats say this is clearly discrimination. We like to encourage people to vote and all you're trying to do is knock out 10 percent of our voters. That's the politics behind it. And it's very, very important in a year like this, a presidential year, because 10 percent, well, that could be the vote in the presidential election.

KAYE: Yes. So what does this federal ruling mean for the other states that are also pushing for similar voter ID laws because Texas certainly isn't the only one?

CALLAN: Well, I would say the tide seems to be in favor of courts saying these laws are or can be unconstitutional. Now, some of them have been upheld. Now, why did they throw out the Texas law? They throw out the Texas law because if you don't have a photo ID of a certain specified kind, you have to travel to a specific place and get one. And in Texas, because Texas is so large, for poor people you might be traveling hundreds of miles and you might have to incur enormous expense to vote. That's a big burden on a poor person.

Now that argument might not apply in Chicago or New York City where you just jump on the bus and go down to your local voter registration building and walk in with your ID. So it's going to be different from state to state.

But I would say the federal courts, they don't like these laws. They seem to think if the purpose of the law is to knock people off the voting rolls, if that's the true purpose, it's not good. However, Republicans and proponents say there's voter fraud that goes on and the real purpose is to make sure voters really are voters and they are not illegal voters.

KAYE: Seems like there should be some uniformity though across the board if they are even talking about voter fraud. I guess we'll follow this all from state to state.

Paul Callan, thank you very much.

CALLAN: Always nice being with you, Randi.

KAYE: You as well.

A jobless man hit the lottery. Why he got a bigger surprise when he finally cashed in.

It's what everyone is talking about. What was Clint Eastwood thinking at the RNC convention? Whatever it was it is now fodder for the late night comics.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: 52 minutes past the hour. Glad you're with us. I'm Randi Kaye. Stories we're following cross country now.

Some history made under the Friday night lights in south Florida. With just two minutes left, Erin de Miglio entered the game for South Plantation against Nova. De Miglio is thought to be the first female ever to play quarterback in a boy's regular season high school football game in Florida. By the way South Plantation beat Nova 31-14.

Some naked truth in Seattle. Top of the sixth, nobody out, run iron first, Angels have 5-1. And there he goes -- the streaker. Man dressed in nothing but a Speedo dashed from first base to second. Man, he's fast. Then he rambled into the outfield before being taken down by security. Angels beat the Mariners 9-1. And if you think you're a laid back person, take Morita and Vladimir (inaudible) of Freemont, California. After more than a month, they finally came forward Friday to claim a lottery prize worth $52 million. They waited a month. The couple knew they won but they had no idea how much they won and the money will come in very handy. Vladimir has been laid off from his job for a year now.

We've been asking you all morning about a lawsuit against Wet Seal over racial discrimination. Nicole Cosdale and two other former managers say they were fired because they were black. She points to this e-mail which says African-Americans dominate huge issue as proof. They are asking a federal court to turn their case into a class action lawsuit for the 250 current and former black managers at Wet Seal. Wet Seal denies any racial bias.

So as I said I've been asking you all to tweet me. Let you know me what to think.

Michelle Gesel tweeted, "Yes, Wet Seal should face class action. That e-mail makes it clear that she was let go based on her race."

And Dennis posted this. "Here is another problem in this case. There are many more than Wet Seal who are doing this."

And Tiffany Hunter tweeted me, "Racism and racial discrimination are so common in retail that it has its own sales rack. Blond hair, blue eyes doesn't mean beauty."

Thanks for weighing in on that one. Keep them coming @RandiKayeCNN.

From politics to showbiz it is the story everyone is talking about. We'll tell you what the kings of late night are saying about Clint Eastwood's memorable RNC speech.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: It was supposed to be Mitt Romney's big night but a lot of people are still talking about Clint Eastwood's scene stealing appearance with that empty chair at the Republican National Convention on Thursday. Everyone from Jon Stewart to Bill Maher are all fired up.

Take a look and listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL MAHER, HOST, HBO'S "REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER": But, of course, what everybody is talking about today is Clint Eastwood last night at the Republican Convention, came out and did 10 minutes of wing-nut improv. And it was kind of a metaphor, I thought, for the entire Republican Party, a confused old person yelling at something that doesn't exist.

JAY LENO, HOST, NBC'S "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": What a month August has been. We've gone from Prince Harry in Vegas to Dirty Harry in Tampa. What was that? How's about that for a big surprise? Turns out the big mystery guest was Clint Eastwood's imaginary friend last night.

You know after the whole Clint Eastwood's debacle last night, I bet the Democrats are thankful their party doesn't have any cozy relationships with Hollywood celebrities like the Republicans.

Come on, after watching last night, let's be -- after watching Clint Eastwood last night -- be honest, be honest -- Sarah Palin's not looking too bad now, is it? Come on, come on.

Be honest. You bet you.

CLINT EASTWOOD, ACTOR: I'm not going to shut up, it's my turn.

JON STEWART, HOST, COMEDY CENTRAL'S "THE DAILY SHOW": I am here to lend my support to Mitt Romney in his crucial hour. You will not silence me, invisible Barack Obama.

I want to tell you something, back where we are at, "The Daily Show", on the west side of Hell's Kitchen in New York City, you don't have to go far to see an old man yelling at an inanimate object. But rarely is that object on stage at a national political convention.

That is the most joy I have got from an old man since Dick Cheney non- fatally shot one in the face.

(END VIDEO CLIP)