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CNN Saturday Morning News

U.S. Officials: Libya was a Terror Attack; Ryan Stumps in Two Key States; Hong Kong Billionaire's Proposal; Regular NFL Refs Return; Bountygate Scandal Hits Pop Warner; School Bullying Backfires; Jesus Wife Artifact "A Forgery"; Transforming Lives In Far-off Lands; Israel At U.N.: Stop Iran Now; FBI Investigate Flea Market Renoir; Millions Already Casting Ballots

Aired September 29, 2012 - 11:00   ET

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

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: And we have much more ahead in the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING, which starts right now.

From the CNN center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is September 29th. Good morning, everyone. I'm Deborah Feyerick in for Randi Kaye.

A top lawmaker is calling for the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations to resign after a surprising admission by intelligence officials that the attack in Libya was an act of terror.

Also, officials say former Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa's remains could be under a Michigan storage shed.

And how much would you pay a man to marry your daughter? We'll tell you what a Hong Kong billionaire is offering.

We start with the deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya. U.S. intelligence officials now say that it was a deliberate terrorist assault. It's a different assessment from earlier when they claimed it was a spontaneous attack following protests over an anti-Muslim film. U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed in that attack.

CNN intelligence correspondent Suzanne Kelly joins me live from Washington. And Suzanne, did intelligence agencies really not have enough information, or were they covering up parts, as some are suggesting?

SUZANNE KELLY, CNN INTELLIGENCE CORRESPONDENT: That's a great question and I think what we're starting to see now is a little bit behind the curtain, if you will, with the intelligence community coming out with this very unusual statement really about what it knew although it's not nailing down exactly the timeline.

Now, you have to remember Deb in those first 24 hours after this attack, things were coming in, they were initial assessments and the intelligence community is basically saying look, guys, we know that initial intelligence -- those initial assessments are sometimes wrong because you just haven't gathered enough information yet.

But let me read to you what Shawn Turner said. He's the director of communications for the office of the director of national intelligence, the President's top intelligence adviser here. "As we learn more about the attack", he said, "we revised our initial assessment to reflect new information, indicating that it was a deliberate and organized attack carried out by extremists."

Now that's very different from what we heard in those first few hours. So the debate now in Washington is did the administration get this message loud and clear from the intelligence community when they've gone out as recently as last weekend, and were still continuing to say that they believe that this was something that was spontaneous that grew out of a protest. But it looks like from the intelligence community point of view, they may have known a little bit earlier. But like I said, that's really where the questions are focused right now on the timeline about who knew what and when.

FEYERICK: Suzanne does it -- you know when you think about the reason, was is it spontaneous, was it planned. What -- what is the impact, of if it was an organized terror plot, what is that suggesting? Is it that extremists from al Qaeda are making their way into Libya? Is it what -- what does it say about what happened?

KELLY: Well sure. I mean, if you say that the U.S. fell victim to a terrorist plot against it, I mean it opens itself up for all sorts of criticism -- the administration to all sorts of criticism. I mean you've got a situation particularly here where you've already seen the State Department come under some attack for a lack of security with the Ambassador and also guarding this consulate. Because it wasn't sort of the main embassy, which is located in Tripoli and it had a much lower level of security that was present.

So you're opening yourself up really to all sorts of attacks from the administration point of view. If you say that look, you know we already know which intelligence has already known that there are groups there that have al Qaeda sympathies, they may not be organized al Qaeda, but they're members of different groups, they're looking at AQIM right now, which is al Qaeda and the Islamic Maghreb they know that there are other groups like Ansar al-Sharia who are much more organized, they're well equipped, they've got cars, they've got RPGs, they've got weapons and they don't particularly want the U.S. anywhere near them.

So if you look at all the sort of pieces that were on the game board at the time, if you will, and put them together, there's a lot of criticism being poked at the administration for you should have known this was coming.

And that's why I think you're seeing the intelligence community coming out and really defending itself robustly with this statement saying there was no actionable intelligence on this ahead of time. We didn't know. We hadn't intercepted communications that indicated an attack was coming.

FEYERICK: Yes.

KELLY: And I think you know really everything just got sort of buried in the politics in this. FEYERICK: Yes so it not only underscores perhaps inadequate security, but also a gap in, you know, as you call actionable intelligence by members of the U.S. intelligence community.

Suzanne Kelly, thank you so much for joining us though, with those insights this morning.

KELLY: A pleasure.

FEYERICK: So what was said after the attack and more importantly what was not is now at the center of a political fire storm. Here's Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice that said earlier this is a spontaneous attack following the protest that there were no extremists involved. But now with the new information out there, New York Congressman Peter King is saying she needs to step down. Here's what he told our Wolf Blitzer.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

REP. PETER KING (R), NEW YORK (via telephone): We have too much -- if things go wrong and everyone forgets about it the next day. I think we have to send a clear message. And on such a vital issue as this where an American ambassador was killed, whereby -- all the accumulation of evidence at the time, the presumption had to be it was terrorism. I can see why if they wanted to say it's too early to say it's definitively terrorism, but to rule out terrorism, to say it was not terrorism at that time was a -- to me a terrible mistake to make, whether it was done intentionally or unintentionally. And to show the significance of that, I believe she should resign. Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Well, the White House is standing by Ambassador Rice. It says that quote, "Everything she said in that interview was cleared by interagency groups based on the latest information that the U.S. had. Certainly nothing was designed to mislead the American people."

Now to the crisis in Syria: the U.S. is warning Iran to stop providing arms to Bashar al Assad's regime. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is asking Syria's neighbors not to allow Iran to use their land or air space to transport the weapons. She also said the U.S. is donating another 15 million in nonlethal support to unarmed Syrian opposition groups.

Well more engine trouble to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner just two months after an engine cracked and failed during a test aboard a Boeing 787. Federal plane inspectors say they found a second engine problem on another Dreamliner. The aircraft had not yet flown when investigators identified the trouble. The National Transportation Safety Board says it is investigating the problems.

And today, ten miles of one of the busiest freeways in America, they're closed. People in Los Angeles calling it "Carmageddon" -- "Carmageddon II". Last summer drivers feared the similar closure on Interstate 405 would cause a monster traffic jam, but it did go smoothly largely because a lot of drivers just stayed home and avoided it.

This weekend officials are once again asking people to stay off the road and it will reopen Monday.

Well a new development in the search for Jimmy Hoffa's remains.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Officials in Michigan say they will soon know if soil samples taken beneath the storage sheds contain the remains of former Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa. Police say there are quote, "No discernible remains in the samples, but a lab is testing them now and results are expected by Monday. A tipster claimed a body was buried under the suburban Detroit shed around the time that Hoffa disappeared.

Well Pope Benedict's former butler is on trial today at the Vatican. He's accused of leaking hundreds of secret pages from the Pontiff's personal apartment to an Italian journalist. And if he's convicted, he could spend up to eight years in prison. He has pleaded not guilty. A Vatican computer technician is also on trial.

And President -- Vice President I should say Joe Biden is wrapping up a two-day swing through Florida. In just about half an hour, he'll hold a rally in Fort Myers. While stumping in the sunshine state, Biden has been blasting Republicans Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan for their Medicare reform plan, claiming they will put more financial burdens on seniors.

President Obama is off the campaign trail today. He returns tomorrow though with a trip to the battleground state of Nevada.

And Mitt Romney, he is also taking the day off, but his running mate Paul Ryan is campaigning hard today in two critical states, Ohio and New Hampshire. CNN political editor, Paul Steinhauser is live in Derry, New Hampshire where Ryan held a rally earlier this morning. And Paul, what's the Romney-Ryan strategy in these -- in these key states?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey Deb you know last hour when I joined you, this place was packed. It was noisy. And pretty quiet right now. But the only people left are myself and photo journalist Bob Crowley.

Yes Paul Ryan has moved on, he was here, it was a big event but now he's moved on to Ohio. What is the strategy? A lot of what you saw here today, a lot of these -- these rallies to -- to make sure that the Republican supporters and other Independent voters here in New Hampshire come out and listen to the candidates and listen to what they have to say.

A lot of it also, a lot of the strategy is also television commercials. And what you don't see, what you don't see doesn't get a lot of news but is really, really important is the so-called ground game. Which is you know the field operations that the campaigns have in these states like here in New Hampshire and in Ohio where Ryan goes later today. What's the polling look like here in New Hampshire? Take a look at this Deb. This is from American Research Group. It's the most recent poll here in New Hampshire. And you can see the President with a five- point advantage. That's within the sampling area, so it's still pretty close here in New Hampshire in the battle for this state's four electoral votes -- Deb.

FEYERICK: So let's talk about the big presidential debate. The first one is only four days away. Both camps try to present themselves you know as the underdog. Does that work in their favor? How does -- how does that factor in to the game?

STEINHAUSER: Yes, this whole expectations game. You know we've seen this in cycles past. This is what the campaigns do. They try to lower the bar for their candidates so if the candidate does better, heck, he won that debate. And you know it's not just the campaigns. Take a listen to Mitt Romney himself on the campaign trail the past few days.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I mean, he's the President of the United States. He's a very effective speaker.

Now, he's a very eloquent speaker. And so I'm sure in the debates, as last time in his debates with Senator McCain, he'll be very eloquent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: They say talk up the other guy. Take a listen to Stephanie Cutter, she is a deputy communications director for the Obama campaign. She was on "Piers Morgan" last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANIE CUTTER, DEPUTY COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, OBAMA CAMPAIGN: What history tells us, that challengers normally win the first debate just by the fact that they're standing on the stage with the President. That elevates them. And they normally come into these things as underdogs.

So we're coming into this debate very realistic, that Mitt Romney is likely to win if he -- if he plays his cards right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: We'll probably hear a lot more of these lowering the bar expectations between now and Wednesday night, the big showdown in Denver, Colorado -- Deb.

FEYERICK: All Paul Steinhauser thanks so much. It's so interesting to hear Mitt Romney use the word "eloquent," especially since when he described the 47, he said well, sometimes I don't say things so eloquently.

So anyway Paul Steinhauser thank you so much. And President Obama and Mitt Romney come face to face as American voters weigh their choice. The first presidential debate starts Wednesday night, October 3rd and you can watch it right here, live, 7:00 Eastern, CNN, also CNN.com.

And there are many ways to find a groom for your daughter. But a Hong Kong billionaire has come up with a very unique and lucrative proposal he is sure will attract many offers of marriage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: A Hong Kong billionaire is making an offer many bachelors won't be able to refuse -- $64 million to marry his daughter. Why is he doing it? Are there any takers? Our Pauline Chu figures out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULINE CHU, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In his opulent 16,000- square foot mansion, real estate tycoon Cecil Chao enjoys the beautiful artwork, the serenity of an indoor waterfall, and an ocean view. But one of Hong Kong's richest men is unsettled by a simple desire -- finding the right person for his only daughter.

CECIL CHAO, HONG KONG BILLIONAIRE: Gigi, for me, is a nice girl, very loving daughter, and deserve a good life and she should have as wide choice as possible.

CHU: Sounds simple enough for 33-year-old Gigi Chao, who is executive director of her father's real estate empire. But various media outlets have reported that Gigi is already married to her long-time female companion. Her father says those reports are false and have ruined her chances of finding a man. So he's offering an incentive -- $64 million to any man who can win over his daughter.

(on camera): Aren't you worried about the types of people who will apply? They're just after the money, don't you think?

CHAO: I'm not going to worry these things until Gigi has found somebody who loves her. If somebody loves her just for her money, I mean she is old enough to find out herself and I will advise her.

CHU (voice-over): More than a thousand offers have come in. Gigi Chao says she finds her father's offer entertaining.

GIGI CHAO, DAUGHTER OF CECIL CHAO: I wasn't angry at all. I was moved by daddy's announcement. I mean, it's really his way of saying "Baby Girl, I love you and you deserve more," basically.

CHU: CNN asked her about media reports of her marriage to a long-time female partner. She said she's not in a position to verify this.

Cecil Chao says he's open-minded when it comes to issues of sexuality, but he has his concerns.

C. CHAO: If she's not gay, she should straighten it out and not mislead. CHU (on camera): But if she is gay, are you ok with that?

C. CHAO: That is for her to decide what she wants to be.

CHU (voice-over): Both father and daughter say the publicity has been overwhelming. On her Facebook page, Gigi Cha says for the sake of her family's sanity, she hopes her father retracts his offer. But money talks and interested suitors continue clogging up the office faxes and e-mail

Pauline Chu, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: Love to be a fly on the wall at a dinner conversation in that home.

Well, paying football players for injuring an opponent. That story has been around for a while. But wait until you hear who's being accused of it now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Has there ever been a bigger tipping point in labor negotiations? You know what I'm talking about. The Monday night football game between Seattle and Green Bay. That controversial Packers loss, and the ensuing outcry put a fast forward jolt in the NFL's talks with its regular referees.

Three days later, those refs were back, much to the delight of fans, players and coaches. Those refs got a standing ovation. Today the refs voted 112-5 to ratify the new eight-year deal, officially ending their lockout.

Earlier, I spoke with Sports Illustrated's Ben Reiter and he agreed the NFL should have done this deal long before now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN REITER, STAFF WRITER, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: I mean the NFL is a $10 billion business and they kind of fought tooth and nail against giving any concessions to the referees. Let's remember that this is an eight- year deal and these referees will be making an average of $204,000 in 2019. So yes, you can say the referees did win, they did stick it out. But bottom line, this really is a drop in the bucket for the NFL. This isn't going to be impacting the owners that much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Well, immediately following today's vote, referees began scrambling to catch flights directly to their Sunday game cities and not a moment too soon.

Well, move over New Orleans, there may be another football team involved in a bountygate scandal. What's really disturbing though is this time it's about kids. Casey Wian has more. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The 2011 Tustin Red Cobras Pop Warner football team went undefeated in the regular season.

FRANK MICKADEIT, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: This was a team that knew it was on the verge of greatness, and indeed it went to the Pop Warner Super Bowl in Florida. And because it knew that it had the players in place to get that far, it was probably willing to push the boundaries of what was acceptable, and they got carried away.

WIAN: John Zanelli (ph), then an assistant coach for the team of 10 and 11-year-olds, now says other coaches on the team offered the boys $20 cash bounties for big hits on opposing players. Zanelli declined to speak on camera with CNN, but off camera confirmed details of the alleged bounty program, first reported by Keith Sharon and Frank Mickadeit of the "Orange County Register".

MICKADEIT: All in all, we now have six parents and players saying that this happened. Six out of a team of about 22 confirming that this happened. So there's little doubt -- there's no doubt in my mind that this happened.

WIAN (on camera): We spoke with one player from the 2011 Tustin Red Cobras team whose parents did not want him identified because they feared retaliation. The player told us coaches did discuss cash incentive for big hits and that after games, players would vote on which player would receive the money. He also said he saw a coach give a player, cash.

(voice-over): Darren Crawford, head coach of the Cobras, calls those claims nonsense.

(on camera): Did you ever suggest or pay for a player to hurt a player on another team?

DARREN CRAWFORD, HEAD COACH, TUSTIN RED COBRAS: Absolutely not. I think that they're trumped up charges. I think John Zanelli made these charges up in his head and wrote them down on paper and submitted them, I believe to National Pop Warner. Nothing like that ever happened on my team.

ELIZABETH CHILDS, TEAM MOM, TUSTIN RED COBRAS: I've been a team mom for him for two of those four years, so I'm not what you would consider a casual bystander on the sidelines. I mean I was at practices. I was at the games. And I've never once heard anything mentioned in the nature of any kind of bounty.

WIAN (voice-over): The local conference initially investigated the claims and called them unfounded or overstated. Late Thursday, the National Pop Warner Organization suspended Crawford and the Tustin League president saying "In light of new information and players coming forward who did not participate in the league investigation, National Pop Warner will intervene to further investigate."

Crawford and other parents with boys still on the team say Zanelli's claims are the result of a vendetta stemming from long-running disputes with the local Pop Warner Conference. Zanelli has since left and formed his own team in another league.

The Cobras' 2011 season ended with a loss in the national semi-finals. A successful season tarnished by a bitter rift among the team's coaches, parents and players over allegations that players were paid to play hard.

Casey Wian, CNN, Tustin, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: Well, it's a real-life Cinderella story. The victim of schoolyard bullying becomes a homecoming princess when a cruel prank backfires.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: When Whitney Kropp was nominated for Homecoming Court by her classmates, she was thrilled. But her excitement soon turned to embarrassment and pain when she realized she was the victim of a cruel prank.

Now this Michigan teen is turning the tables on her bullies. CNN's Chris Welch has her story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS WELCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A superstar practically overnight. The 16-year-old Whitney Kropp is a role model to anyone who's ever been bullied.

But this sophomore's journey so stardom was no fairytale, when her peers picked her for the homecoming court as a joke, she had thoughts of suicide.

WHITNEY KROPP, ON HOMECOMING COURT: I'm like wow, I feel like trash. I feel like I'm a little thing that no one really cares about.

WELCH: At her sister's urging, she decided to keep her title on the court.

(on camera): If I were in your position, that would be really hard to do.

KROPP: It's really hard to do right now, because at first, I had thought about dropping out of the Homecoming Court. I'm not this joke that everyone thinks I am. I'll just prove all these kids wrong.

WELCH (voice-over): That's exactly what she did, and since then, she'll been swamped with support, from the local hair salon that gave her a new do --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To find out that it was all just a joke, it really touched me.

WELCH: To the Facebook page with over 100,000 fans.

BERNICE KROPP, WHITNEY'S MOM: It's so cool to see, you know, e-mails that she's, you know, we're getting or she's getting from parents and other students from all over the place telling their stories and how it helped them and it touched them.

You know, my daughter is out there as an inspiration to a lot of people and it's a really cool thing. See? You're like Cinderella. Mistreated, unappreciated, abused, but after much support, you're going to have a great time at the ball.

KROPP: You know, I thought before you know, no one cares about me. I thought not even my own brother and sister care. But they're proving to me they do care. The world is proving that they care about the situation.

WELCH (on camera): Folks from all over the state are here tonight. In fact, this group of girls traveled more than an hour away. You left your home football game to come here and support Whitney. Why?

DONNA GEORGIEFF, SUPPORTS WHITNEY KROPP: We just wanted to show Whitney that our entire student body is completely 100 percent behind her.

WELCH (voice-over): From being bullied to the bully pulpit, she's using her newfound fame to send a message.

KROPP: The kids that are bullying you, do not let them bring you down. Stand up for what you believe in. Go with your heart and go with your gut. That's what I did and look at me now. I'm just as happy as can be.

WELCH (on camera): Whitney says she'll likely face bullies again if her future, but she says when that happens, she'll be able to confront them with her head held high and with a new confidence. Reporting from West Branch, Michigan, Chris Welch, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: Good for Whitney. Well, an ancient piece of papyrus alluding to Jesus having a wife is a fake. At least that's what the Vatican is saying. Scram on the parchment are the words, "Jesus said to them my wife," but the Vatican newspaper has cast doubt over its authenticity. The editor is calling it a clumsy forgery.

Hollywood stars are coming face to face with women who are turning oppression into opportunity. The acclaimed book "Half The Sky" by "New York Times" columnist, Nicolas Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn has inspired a new documentary.

In a special report for CNN, Kristof sat down with the stars, including Gabrielle Union, who tells us how a 15-year-old girl in Vietnam inspired her.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) GABRIELLE UNION, ACTRESS/ACTIVIST: We met her at 15. Her mother had left. Her father -- because her father was abusive, his abuse was so epic, he was famous in their community. The father is a clock and watch repairman.

Everything is digital, so the business is not brisk. And instead of changing occupations or picking up another job, he came up with the bright idea for me to sell lottery tickets.

And she figured out a way to squirrel away money to get tutoring, to get food for her and her brother, to get uniforms, books, supplies, and some days when she just wasn't going to be able to sell all of her lottery tickets and she was going to home and be beaten.

Sir, do you know why she's crying? Could you tell us why she's upset?

I could see in Ni's face that there was a lot more to her story than even what she was willing to let on, and I became a little attached, maybe too attached, some would say.

NICHOLAS KRISTOF, AUTHOR, "HALF THE SKY": Ni's story in a sense reflects a real argument about why we should care about somebody in Vietnam, that tiny amounts of money, that an amount we spend on coffee could be transformative in a life of somebody like Ni and you know, as well as the idea that our compassion shouldn't depend on the color of somebody's passport.

UNION: Exactly, exactly. I think that's the point we all try to make. It's a little bit of humanity.

You must be so proud of her because she's such a great student and such a good salesperson, a sense of pride.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not yet, still more, still many things for her to do.

UNION: When you absolutely refuse to see someone else's pain because you're OK, it does make you a jerk.

KRISTOF: You've worked a lot with violence issues, gender violence issues right here in the U.S. I'm curious, when you were working halfway around the world in Vietnam with these girls, did it feel kind of the same?

UNION: If kids in America could see what Ni went through and how she got through it, they can apply those same lessons to their own lives. Helping and giving a damn makes the world go round. We can all learn from each other.

You are so beautiful and so smart. I know you will be very successful. We all, you know, have such hope for the world and I'm maybe a little selfish. I want to see that inspiration have an effect in my neighborhood and with my family. And I think what we created absolutely can have that effect if people give it a chance. I'm very, very, very proud of you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: "Half The Sky" turning oppression into opportunity for women worldwide. That airs on PBS Monday and Tuesday.

So much talk these days about the red line. Well, this week Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made clear where he thinks it should be drawn. We'll have much more on how to deal with Iran's nuclear program.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: The red line when it comes to Iran's nuclear program. Opinions differ on where it should be drawn and what should be done if Iran crosses it.

Well, earlier this morning, I spoke with international security analyst, Jim Walsh about a subject that reverberated around the halls of the United Nations this week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM WALSH, INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, I expect many different Ahmadinejads. I expect the one that has meetings like the two meetings I attended, is kindler and gentler, and the one who speaks in front of the general assembly, is fiery, to speak to that audience in Iran, and it didn't happen.

He was pretty tame all throughout. So I think what we were getting was the message of we're reasonable and we're willing to talk, and that sort of sets the stage for what will happen after the U.S. election and early next year.

FEYERICK: You know, Jim, Ahmadinejad, really he is on his way out. The Iranian economy is in crisis. There's high inflation. Money from crude has been choked off by sanctions. Many Iranians are embarrassed. Is he becoming irrelevant now that he's really in the last nine months of his presidency, his leadership there?

WALSH: I think that's a good question. I think we, as Americans, we think Iran, we think Ahmadinejad, you know, the devil that's caricatured. Number one, it has always been the case that in the Iranian system, it's not the president. It's the supreme leader who calls the shots.

Now Ahmadinejad over eight years has risen and gone down and risen and gone down in terms of his power, but you're right to say he's a lame duck. They have a presidential election in June, so he's down to his last little more than six months.

And beyond that, beyond that, within the last two years, he and his inner circle have come under increased pressure within Iran, even rumors that he might be arrested or those around him arrested, so his power has declined.

It has always been about the supreme leader. I think he still has some residual influence because he's the president, but it's not nearly what most Americans think it is.

FEYERICK: And as a matter of fact, while he was at the U.N., he was told that one of his top aides indeed was arrested for making a comment that apparently insulted the supreme leader.

Let's talk about Israel. The prime minister really took Iran to task for its nuclear enrichment program and he called for a red line saying that diplomacy hasn't done anything to stop it, sanctions not so much even though they are proving effective.

But at one point in the speech, Benjamin Netanyahu really drew a red line, his own red line. Take a look.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Here are the facts, and they are, where should a red line be drawn? A red line should be drawn right here. Before -- before Iran completes the second stage of nuclear enrichment necessary to make a bomb.

FEYERICK: You know, what is really so fascinating about this is that the Iran supreme leader has not yet made the decision whether or not to build any sort of an atomic weapon, but clearly that is what everybody in that region is worried about.

Are we looking at a targeted military strike, another war, if, in fact, Iran does go over that 90 percent mark that Netanyahu is talking about?

WALSH: Well, I think you're right to say if they were suddenly to announce that they were pursuing a nuclear weapon or that they were going to kick out all the inspectors, the International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors and go for 90 percent, I think that you could get a military strike.

I do not expect that to happen. I don't think other folks expect that to happen and you ask what are the consequences of a strike? I was part of a group of 35 national security experts, retired generals, three former national security advisers to the president of the United States, who also submitted -- signed on to report last week about what would the consequences be.

I'm glad you said what you said. Because I think one of the consequences of striking now is that you would push Iran towards the bomb. As you said, our national security establishment believes Iran has not yet made that decision.

They're still sort of weighing their options. One of my fears as guy who focuses on nuclear is if you attack them, then you're going to produce the very thing you seek to avoid. They're going to say, yes?

We'll show you because Iran is one of those types of countries, very prideful. You attack us, fine. We'll show you, we're going to build a bomb.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: Well, Iran told the U.N. summit that any attack or sabotage of its nuclear facility would constitute nuclear terrorism. Iran's foreign minister said all states have legal obligations to refrain from such an attack.

And in international news, the Czech president is recovering from a bizarre attack. It happened while he was inaugurating a new bridge. You see that circle? That's a gun.

As he was walking through the crowd, a man armed with a replica gun fired plastic pellets at him. The Czech leader was taking to the hospital with bruises, but no serious injuries. The suspect is in custody.

A Renoir sold for $7 at a West Virginia flea market going up for auction, but at the very last minute, the FBI pulled the plug.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: It's the case with more twists and turns than a Hollywood heist film. A flea market shopper snags a Renoir for just $7. The lucky owner was supposed to auction it off, but the FBI says, they cancelled it. As Brian Todd explains, it's all over a crime committed more than 60 years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's 5.5 x 9 inches, worth between $75,000 and $100,000 and back from the dead. Titled "On The Shore Of The Sand" by Pierre-Auguste Renoir believed to have been painted for his mistress in 1879. This landscape has made a mysterious journey.

DOREEN BOLGER, DIRECTOR, BALTIMORE, MUSEUM OF ART: This is just what we all fantasize about finding a great treasure unknown somewhere.

TODD: Doreen Bolger is Director of the Baltimore Museum of Art. Her institution once had that Renoir on display, loaned by a well-known local art patron named, Sadie May. More than 60 years ago the painting was lifted.

(on camera): The circumstances around the theft of the painting are not clear, but this is the library's record of the painting. The card saying it was lent here, this notation saying it was stolen from the museum in 1951, only about five months after the lender, Sadie May, died.

(voice-over): Fast forward to 2010 a woman at the flea market in West Virginia is attracted to a nondescript box.

ELIZABETH WAINSTEIN, POTOMACK CO. AUCTION HOUSE: She paid $7 for a cardboard box full of miscellaneous items.

TODD: Including a doll, a plastic dog and the long lost Renoir. The purchaser who wants to remain unanimous took the painting to the Potomack Company, an auction house in Alexandria, Virginia, where it's being kept now. What happened between high-end heist and flee market haggle over roughly 60 years is virtually unknown. (on camera): How tough is it to piece together how it might have made that journey?

BOLGER: You know, I think people feel a painting by a famous artist like Renoir ought to be very clear, but you know, life has so many twists and turns.

It has friendships and deaths and divorces and all kinds of chaos moving, you know, changing of occupation. It's very hard to speculate what are the circumstances would cause the painting to change hands.

TODD: And she says, records of artworks were not digitized and tracked then with the sophistication used now. The FBI is investigating that trail.

Authorities and probably lawyers will also have to determine whether the painting is rightfully the property of the woman who bought it for $7, the museum or the insurer who paid out the claim. Right now, it's not clear who that insurer was either.

(on camera): What would Sadie May say about this whole situation?

BOLGER: Sadie May was a pretty extraordinary woman. I'm sure she would be amused to find her reputation brought to the surface and so much attention paid to her.

TODD (voice-over): As much as they want the painting back, museum officials aren't prepared to say they will wage a legal fight to get it. Right now, they're focusing on piecing together how the painting was stolen and how it got to a flea market in West Virginia. Brian Todd, CNN, Baltimore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: And "CNN NEWSROOM" starts at the top of the hour. Fred Whitfield here for us. What do you have?

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, ANCHOR, CNN'S "NEWSROOM": Well, we have lots, beginning with our legal guys who join us every Saturday, Avery and Richard.

We have an interesting case. You know you take a picture and put it on your Facebook or on your blog, you feel like the intent is protected to a certain extent, right?

FEYERICK: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: OK, we've got the case of a gay couple out of New Jersey. They took a beautiful picture of themselves and somehow that picture was superimposed, was lifted and then superimposed into anti-gay advocacy group campaign.

And so now this couple has filed suit. That's the picture that they took and it was superimposed and the background was changed from that beautiful Manhattan Skyline to a Colorado kind of landscape. And with this anti-gay kind of message and so that couple is pursuing a lawsuit against that group. Our legal guys are going to tackle whether this is an issue of privacy, copyright infringement, theft, the list goes on. That's right.

We have a lot straight ahead and then try to understand a group of teenage girls out of Chester, Pennsylvania who allegedly attacked a mentally ill woman, beat her.

The 48-year-old woman, we understand, is still being hospitalized and we're trying to figure out the bits and pieces of this case. What in the world could have provoked this kind of jumping of a perfect stranger and then leaving this person to be injured?

And, apparently, it was a mother who saw the videotape, you're looking at the videotape the girls apparently took and then posted it on Facebook. So, it was the mother who was outraged, saw this, called police and so these girls have been arrested.

And then we've got a beautiful story of second chances. It was the happiest day of his life and it was also the saddest one of his life. This young man takes to the diamond in the major league baseball, his first game and he gets hit by the ball so hard, more than 90-mile-per- hour ball kind of hitting him in the neck right below the helmet.

It puts him out and loses his chances of Major League Baseball and next week, he'll be back on the diamond. So, we'll talk with him today about what his recovery has been like for the past seven years and how he has been able to stay in tip top shape so that he could have this new chance, again.

FEYERICK: We'll definitely be watching.

WHITFIELD: His name is Adam Greenberg, really an inspiration.

FEYERICK: Great to see you, Fred. Thanks so much. Look forward to it.

Well, there's still 38 days to go until Election Day, but some are saying the results of the presidential race could be decided long before then.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Thirty eight days from the presidential election, but already millions of Americans have had their say. In fact, nearly half of all voters are expected to take advantage of early voting laws.

As John King reports, in the key battleground state of Iowa, a favorite may already be emerging.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We thank you ever so much for coming.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mind made up and ballot cast 40 days early. This opening day line is in Iowa City.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here we go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four, five.

KING: This one in Des Moines.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just scan it under the red light for me please.

KING: Iowa's early a voting part of an important and growing national trend. Thirty five states now allow some form of early in-person voting, including seven of the nine presidential battlegrounds, CNN ranks as toss-ups.

Here in Iowa, the early numbers and early turn out suggest a big Obama head start, so far, a nearly 5-1 Democratic advantage statewide in requesting early mail-in ballots.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was wondering, Nary, if the president will have your support this November, awesome.

KING: When it comes to early in person voting, there is added Obama campaign emphasis on getting younger voters in the bank early.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You may know in-person early voting starts tomorrow in Iowa. So, basically for us here at the campaign, every day is going to be Election Day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we can.

KING: Johnson County, home to the University of Iowa, led the state four years ago when 55 percent of its ballots were cast early.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The entire world is watching us.

KING: As president of the university Democrats, Catherine's job is getting her fellow students to vote now.

(on camera): Fair to say, not the most reliable if you just wait for one day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, things come up and you could have an exam and you could wait until Election Day and realize you don't know where your precinct is. It just gives us 40 more chances to catch people.

KING (voice-over): Veteran Republican strategist, Steve Grubbs can see that President Obama is ahead as September winds down and early voting opens.

STEVE GRUBBS, FORMER IOWA REPUBLICAN PARTY CHAIRMAN: Anybody that knows football knows that fourth quarter is where most of the action happens and so October will be big. And if Romney has a good start to the month, we'll be fine.

KING: But Grubbs warns against making too much of the early rush. GRUBBS: In 2010, Democrats had an edge in the early voting, as well. I can't tell you what the edge was, but it was a significant edge. And the Republicans still swept the states. It's difference of strategy. You put your money in the early three weeks or put it in the voting.

KING: The GOP sent its first early vote mailing just this week.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan count on your support this November election? Excellent and, would you be interested in voting early this election?

KING: Karen Zmoos is credited with making the Iowa GOPs 1 millionth voter call this cycle.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm calling with a very brief three question- survey about issues that matter to Iowa.

KING: And she's doing her part now as Republicans play early voting catch up.

KAREN ZMOOS, ROMNEY VOLUNTEER: You know, we're working hard here, we're rolling up our sleeves and putting our boots on. And we're going at it. So, we still have time.

KING: John King, CNN , Iowa City, Iowa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: And lots more ahead as "CNN NEWSROOM" continues with Fredricka Whitfield.

WHITFIELD: I can't believe it's under 40 days until Election Day.

FEYERICK: I'm sure a lot of people are happy about that.

WHITFIELD: That's true, too. We'll elaborate on that later.