Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Largest Wildfires in Arizona's History; A Look at the Casey Anthony Trial
Aired June 05, 2011 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And we begin with this developing story. Some of the largest wildfires in Arizona history, right now are spreading thick smoke over parts of the state; a total of 266,000 acres have burned over the past week. One of the biggest is a wildfire in northeast Arizona. It's zero percent contained and now covers 180,000 acres.
One person who has had to evacuate is Brenda Jensen and she joins us now by phone from Springerville, Arizona. Brenda, so sorry about that; you were evacuated on Thursday from the town of Nutrioso (ph). How close is the fire to your home? Do you even know?
BRENDA JENSEN, EVACUEE (via telephone): You know, I don't know. I would say maybe a mile, two miles. I haven't been there. So I don't know.
LEMON: How did you decide? Or how did people decide that it is important to evacuate? What is the critical point? They come in and get you or do you decide for yourself?
JENSEN: Well, they give you a 12 to 24-hour timeframe. And then you know, you get your stuff together and then you evacuate. Some people choose not to. If you choose not to, then you are legally bound to stay on your property. But with the way the smoke is, you know, how thick it is, it is really not a good idea to hang around.
LEMON: Yes. You said, then you gather your stuff, how do you even decide what to take?
JENSEN: Well, you're going to take your most important papers, you know. You're going to take clothes. You're going to take pictures, medicine. I suggest people take quarters in case wherever you go, you're going to have to do laundry. And also, take some ready-to-eat food. And then after you do that, then go back to your house and look for things that are irreplaceable.
LEMON: Hey Brenda, tell the country who's watching what you are going through, what thousands of people there are going through right now, what's this like?
JENSEN: It can be stressful at times. It can be really stressful. Oftentimes people -- their emotions are really high. And, you know, of course, we all have those me, me, me moments but we have to stop and think about you know, all those firefighters that are out there on the line breathing in this smoke. And they don't know us. They don't know who we are. And they are battling to save our homes.
So you know, we have to take that time to reflect and you know, and be thankful that these people care enough and determined to do their job.
LEMON: Brenda Jensen has had to evacuate. Our thoughts are with you. All the best, ok?
JENSEN: Thank you very much.
LEMON: Thank you.
You know in the nation's heartland, powerful thunderstorms are whipping up dust storms across the prairies. People in central Illinois had no problem seeing the lightning but the clouds are blowing dirt, reduced visibility throughout the region. Witnesses say the dust storms stretch from Springfield to Decatur. Winds as strong as 50 miles-per-hour also beat up trees and property.
Levees in central South Dakota are the only thing keeping back the rising water from inundating communities along the Missouri River. Heavy spring rains and melting winter snow are feeding the river and threatening towns along the Missouri. One resident described why she was slow to react to the floods.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUSAN GREGORY, PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA RESIDENT: Denial. That's what got me a slow start in the first place. I can't believe this is happening. And I can't believe all the activity that is going on, is like two different worlds.
I have a sister that lives on the north end of town and everything is normal. Everybody is mowing their grass, washing their cars. And everything down here is army trucks and dump trucks. And the Red Cross with their vans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: You know the danger won't be over until later this week when the amount of water released from a dam is to reach its peak. So as these fires, the floods and all of it go on, will the upcoming weather hurt or help efforts to get them under control?
Let's turn to our meteorologist Jacqui Jeras in the CNN Severe Weather Center. Man, a lot of people are just getting inundated by all of this stuff.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. We will start with the fire. And unfortunately the news there isn't good. And that's that the weather is going to be hurting the situation particularly as we head into tomorrow.
You can see, this is where we have fire weather watches in effect. You've got a storm system off shore here in California and this is going to be approaching the area. It's going to increase the winds. They could be gusting stronger tomorrow as much as 30 to 45 miles-per- hour.
The ground here is still so very dry; the humidity extremely low. And even though we're going to get some lift in the atmosphere as that system approaches, they are going to produce thunderstorms but dry thunderstorms. So there won't be any rain with them but there will be lightning so that could cause fears of new fires potentially which will be starting and these winds here are going to stay strong, we think at least through Wednesday before we start to see any improvements there.
Let's talk about the flood situation across the Missouri River. This is going to be going on for weeks. In fact we are talking until July for some people before that river is back within its banks. It's this whole system here from Montana; that's where the snow melt is still taking place and running all the way down the river and through the streams.
And the amount of flow, the pressure in that water that's going to be moving downstream it's never been this high before. So the damn system hasn't really been tested and hasn't seen these types of conditions. So we are hopeful that things will hold; the weather overall, though, for there looks pretty good, not a lot of rain in the upcoming days.
LEMON: All right. As I said earlier, stand by. We're going to need you.
Jacqui, you're a mom; I want you to look at this video, ok.
JERAS: Ok.
LEMON: It's horrific because a day at the soccer fields on Long Island turns into chaos when three bounce houses blew away, with the kids, Jacqui, inside of them. Look at how a gust of wind made one of the inflatables blow around like it was a plastic bag in the breeze. Thirteen people were hurt but the injuries were not serious.
Man, it happened Saturday at a tournament hosted by the Oceanside United Soccer Club.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MINA RHATIGAN, WITNESS: The wind blew everything down.
LARA RHATIGAN, WITNESS: It just felt like someone was grabbing my neck and it's dragging me.
MARIANA RHATIGAN, MOTHER: I was getting hot dogs and I just happened to turn around and I saw the slide blowing in the wind. And I just -- I couldn't believe it. It's like something out of a movie.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Oh, poor kids; poor parents. You know, no criminal charges are expected here. But that video is just unbelievable. Up next here on CNN, more of our special report on the Casey Anthony trial. She is a Florida mother accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter in 2008.
What would you do if your child was missing? A prosecution witness who met Casey Anthony after her daughter was missing paints a picture far different from what you might expect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you recall about meeting Miss Anthony on that date?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She seemed like a fun party girl; somebody that would probably get along with well with our group of friends.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: During the time period she was living with you, did she ever tell that you her daughter was missing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did she ever tell you that her daughter had been kidnapped?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did she ever tell you that while you were out in classes that she was out looking for her daughter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did she at any time ever asked you for any help in trying to find her daughter?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was there ever a time you were at Fusion with the defendant that she participated in a contest.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What type of contest was that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a "Hot Body" contest.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The night you were at Fusion with the defendant, what can you tell the jury about her overall demeanor?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was partying and having a good time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you say partying, are you talking about drinking? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drinking -- yes, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was she dancing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did she ever display any emotion to you that would indicate that she was upset about anything?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did she appear happy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
JOSE BAEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY OF CASEY ANTHONY: Have you since found out that Caylee was dead during this time?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Joining me now, Holly Hughes, criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor; Wendy Walsh -- she's in Los Angeles -- she's human behavior expert; Jim Clemente (ph) in L.A., retired FBI special agent and adviser/writer for "Criminal Minds"; Drew Petrimoulx, Orlando reporter for WDBO Radio; and Leonard Pitts, Washington, syndicated columnist for the "Miami Herald" and winner of the Pulitzer prize for commentary.
Drew, is he a credible witness on the stand when you saw him?
DREW PETRIMOULX, REPORTER, WDBO RADIO: Are you talking about her friends? Well, the prosecution really rolled out a parade of her friends in the beginning of this trial and all of them really had the same message that Casey Anthony had no sign that anything was wrong during that month her daughter hadn't been seen. She was going out to bars, partying, sleepovers, renting movies with her boyfriend, so -- you know, going to a 4th of July celebration. So, really not letting on at all that anything was wrong.
Of course that's kind of what defense theory is, though, that she has been so sexually abused, so physically and mentally abused that she stashes her pain deep back in the back of her head and can act like everything is ok.
LEMON: Jim Clemente -- go ahead.
JIM CLEMENTE, RETIRED FBI SPECIAL AGENT: In my opinion, that behavior is something completely different. What it actually is, is that she is in a position where finally she is free. She has released the burden of the one thing that she couldn't get rid of legally, which was her daughter.
And the fact that the daughter was now gone, she could go out and party unhindered by her responsibilities in life. LEMON: Go ahead, Wendy.
WENDY WALSH, HUMAN BEHAVIOR EXPERT: Don, you know, it is very common with mothers who kill their child to have a kind of idealized fantasy life in their mind that they want to lead. There have been reports that during this time she got a tattoo that said "beautiful life". We just heard she entered a "Hot Body" contest. She was living the life of a party girl, lying that she even had a career where she was living or working. Lying through her teeth on everything but living this idealized life that she wanted, free from her daughter.
HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: That's absolutely right Don -- I got to jump in here. Because what we see is the night that her daughter going missing, the very day June 16, 2008, that anyone lasts sees her. What does she do that night? She goes to Tony Lazzaro who was her boyfriend at the time that we heard just earlier, she moves in. And she doesn't go home after that.
Her mother has to literally track her down, through her friend Amy, have Amy take her to the new boyfriend's house and drag her out of there and say, you're not going anywhere until you tell me where that baby is. You're coming home right now. The day that little girl went missing she went and moved in with Tony Lazzaro. That was her new -- brand new life; her freedom.
LEMON: Go ahead.
PETRIMOULX: I was just going to say that Amy was a key witness for the prosecution because she said they had these conversations, her and Casey, where Casey would complain that she couldn't really have the social life that she wanted to have because she had to stay home with Caylee. So prosecutors really wanted to point that out that it actually could be a possible motive for what she ended up doing.
LEMON: Let's be honest about this. Let's talk -- Casey Anthony is a good looking woman. You see the dress there. You know, everything that makes a good story. Let's just be quite honest. She is a white woman.
HUGHES: Yes, absolutely, that's true.
LEMON: And you could say that there's more interest in cases because there are thousands of kids who go missing who turn up dead every day.
HUGHES: Every day. Horrifying.
(CROSSTALK)
LEONARD PITTS, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST, "MIAMI HERALD": I was just sitting here thinking, Don, at the risk of being the skunk at the garden party here with all due deference to what is obviously a singular tragedy, if Caylee had been named Shaniqua and was a black girl from some urban neighborhood, if Caylee was a boy of any race or living anywhere, we would not be having this discussion and this story would not be the international sensation that it is. It simply would not be. WALSH: I agree. Don, I totally agree. And I also want to add that this story -- I was a news reporter back during the O.J. Simpson trial. And it reminds me a lot of the O.J. Simpson trial. You know, had it not been a famous athlete, had his wife not been a beautiful blonde, had there not been stories of domestic violence in the past and maybe a young boyfriend that she had. The media probably wouldn't have been excited about it.
But the fact that we have nightclub pictures of a beautiful girl and yes a there is a race piece to it. A beautiful white girl in night clubs in Florida who's just, you know, partying and a parade of boyfriends and the illusion of promiscuity. These are the lurid details that are making America become riveted to the story.
LEMON: Lie after lie is what we are learning Casey Anthony told family, friends, even investigators. Jurors heard several hours of police interviews.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything you told us is a lie, every single thing. You can't keep sitting here telling the same thing and getting -- constantly over and over and over again, we're discovering everything that you are telling us. You're telling us that lied to us. You tell us you gave us misinformation. Everything you are telling us.
This needs to end.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Detectives are tired of Casey's lies.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know that everything you tell me is a lie.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is recorded. The jury, all of us, we got to hear it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She is out there somewhere and her rotting body is starting to decompose.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She doesn't crack there, at all.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's some of the best evidence that this prosecution has so far.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police have already busted Casey on the fictional Zanny the nanny.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This stuff about Zanny, it is not true.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's another lie.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Universal Studios she took them there. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's coming up to the security gate with two officers in tow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then she finally fesses up --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put her hands in her pocket and said, "I don't work here."
What would inspire her to lie?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At this point, there are so many lies, folks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't figure it out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: I have to say great coverage by our sister networks, HLN and also "In Session" on TruTV.
So Leonard Pitts, you are making a point before the break. Go ahead.
PITTS: I was just making a point this is what I call the "damsel in distress" syndrome. You know, not only are we talking about sort of a racial bias, we're talking about a gender bias. But I think there's also a case to be made looking at this case in the larger context about the similar cases.
There is also a case to be made that there's sexism thing going on. The only time that we seem to see this huge spotlight of national/international coverage is when there is a young and white woman who is perceived as being danger. It sort of reinforces the stereotype of the helpless damsel in distress, the helpless woman.
LEMON: Let's not forget though, that there is -- this is the victim. This little beautiful face right there, it's a little girl. We shouldn't forget that.
HUGHES: Right. And not the only victim, Don; I mean when you look at those grandparents on the stand. When you look at George and Cindy Anthony and you hear George talk about, she called me "Jojo". I helped change her diapers. I helped potty train her.
When you see Cindy Anthony completely fall apart on the stand. Don, she is leaning forward; she cannot even hold herself up physically, her body is racked with sobs. They are victims too. I mean whatever you think of them, whatever they did or didn't do to help the investigation, these are grieving grandparents. They raised that little girl. She lived in their house.
That beautiful little 2-year-old girl that we singing, "You are My Sunshine" --
LEMON: Yes.
HUGHES: That's their grandbaby.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Jim Clemente, you worked on this case. And I know there are certain things that you cannot reveal about it. But from the evidence that's in public now, what do you think of Casey Anthony and where do you think this will end?
CLEMENTE: Don, you know, obviously that is going to be a question for the jury to decide in the end. She is innocent until proven guilty.
However when you look at her leading her parents and investigators on a wild goose chase: looking up chloroform, the incredible lies that she told, the false job, the false nanny, the false allegations of child abduction, the post-mortem banding on the hair and the smell in her car. All those things are very, very damning.
But her behavior just screams out, her behavior during this entire time just screams out that it's very inconsistent with innocent behavior.
LEMON: Again Jim, I'm going to ask you again because I know you know about this case and again as I said there are certain things that you can't -- but is she, for lack of a better term, toast here?
CLEMENTE: Let me just tell you, Don, the investigators who worked this case directly and investigators that work all child abduction cases dove into it 24/7 for the entire time until they realized that she was actually killed by her mother. They did everything they could to find this little girl. Unfortunately, that wasted resources because obviously Casey was leading them on a wild goose chase even by her own admissions now. So it wasted a lot of resources.
There are other kids out there that actually were missing at the same time. That whole time period, it took resources away from them.
HUGHES: Don, can I jump in here and answer your question?
LEMON: Go for it.
HUGHES: Is she toast? Get out the butter and jam, honey because she is going down. And here is why. Her own words -- she said it best.
One of her girlfriends testified last week. They are driving in the car. Casey gets a telephone call. She answers the phone says, "Oh, no. You know what, I can't come and hang out with you today. Car is broken down." The very car she's driving, mind you. She disconnects the call, throws her phone down and says to her friend, "I am such a good liar."
I would have loved to have seen the jury's face when they hear the defendant bragging about what a great liar she is. This isn't something she did because she's a victim of sexual abuse and she was forced into it. She is proud of this skill.
Yes. Butter it up, baby.
LEMON: I'm going to keep you guys around. Ahead, the fascination with this case -- this looks like people chasing after their favorite celebrity or for seats for their favorite sporting event but they are actually racing to get a spot in the courtroom. Our panel weighs in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: What in the world is going on? Holly Hughes is a criminal defense attorney and a former prosecutor; Wendy Walsh is in L.A., she is a human behavior expert; Jim Clemente in L.A., a retired FBI special agent and adviser and writer for "Criminal Minds"; Drew Petrimoulx is from Orlando, he's a reporter for WDBO Radio; and then Leonard Pitts, Washington syndicated columnist for the "Miami Herald" and winner of the Pulitzer prize for commentary.
Drew, I don't know if you have had a chance to witness any of this. But is it that sort of behavior, obviously the judge does not allow that to happen in court.
PETRIMOULX: People have been very well behaved inside the courtroom but what we have learned from this trial is there is an intense interest on exactly what is happening inside the courtroom, the arguments back and forth between lawyers. In fact, we have seen one by one, the local TV stations go wall to wall and broadcast the entire proceedings that happened.
But there have been no outbursts in court. The judge -- Judge Perry runs a very tight ship inside the courtroom and promised any outbursts, anyone that does any outbursts about 180 days in jail. So people have been well behaved inside. There is an intense interest though on this case here.
LEMON: Former FBI special interest, Jim Clemente, you have probably taken a number of these types of cases to court. What is the fascination with this? Do you find anything different with this particular trial?
CLEMENTE: Look, Don, I've worked hundreds -- literally hundreds of child abduction cases and this only happens in certain cases when the victims fit a certain stereotypical type. I mean JonBenet Ramsay, Elizabeth smart -- you know, these are cases that have garnered international interest in the media.
It is the media response that causes, I think, these people to respond in such an amazingly ridiculous inappropriate way.
I think it doesn't happen inside the courtroom. That's not what justice is all about. But outside, we're seeing this kind of media built up frenzy.
LEMON: That's good question for Leonard Pitts. Is it will tail wagging the dog here? Is it the media that's causing this? What is going on here?
PITTS: I think the media are exacerbating it. I think the media is sort of playing into what I called earlier this "movie of the week" syndrome. And I think that, you know, largely as a result, we sort of got conflated -- you know, what is this idea of what entertainment is. It used to be that you know, entertainment was somebody singing or dancing or telling a joke or doing some dramatic acting. Now we have come to the point where entertainment is those things perhaps but it's also the trials and the tragedies like this.
From a Lindsay Lohan with her drunk driving problems; a Paris Hilton; to something even more significant like this -- it is not just viewed as sort of a tragedy that we want to stay up-to-date on, it is a celebrity thing. It is an act of entertainment. It's something we want to follow in that way. I think that says a lot about media. Frankly, I think it also says a lot about us as American people.
LEMON: I have to -- I'm going to ask you this, Holly, because there are people who are taking their vacations to go down to this trial and it is mostly women. And you see them high-fiving each other -- high- fiving reach other. There are two guys -- this is a real life -- this is a tragedy. But to them it is spectator.
HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: It is. And you know what it reminds me of back in the day when they used to do public lynchings and hangings and beheadings in the square. I mean, something in us -
WENDY WALSH, HUMAN BEHAVIOR EXPERT: It is the same thing.
HUGHES: - likes that train wreck. It's like we rubber neck in a car accident.
LEMON: Wendy, go ahead.
WALSH: Yes, I wouldn't blame the media entirely. Although the media, of course, is the ticket, the calling card, if you will, that lets people know where the show is playing. But certainly, we have this urge inside all of us. Remember we're not far away from hunters and gatherers where a little bit of violence lives in all of us. And plenty of is acted out cathartically and now in our games and in our movies, in Safeways but just like Holly said, this is like going to watch a public hanging from the middle ages. There is this lurid attraction to finding out - because the trial here, I don't think, is about whether she did it or not. It is about whether she's going to get the death penalty or life.
LEMON: Leonard, did you want to jump in?
PITTS: I was just going to say, I agree that the impulse exists within us as human beings. I think that media sort of exploit it and feed upon it, you know, frankly, for commercial gain. That sort of becomes this thing that sort of self-perpetuates. And you know, makes itself worse all the time. This is, you know, this is bottom. You talk about women high-fiving -
LEMON: I want to get our viewers in here real quick. Let's see, this is for Jim or whoever can answer this. The Casey Anthony, this is from Omar on Twitter. "Did Casey Anthony discuss incest or (INAUDIBLE) that is just a poor tactic?" That's for you, Jim.
CLEMENTE: Well, when the defense made that statement in court, it was the first time anyone said anything like that.
LEMON: OK. And someone says and why would a molested child leave her own daughter alone with this "evil grandpa," then praise him, greatest dad ever, please.
HUGHES: Right. That's exactly right. It makes no sense. And to back track just a minute, if you listen to the opening what we heard was all these horrible allegations but no proof. No witness names. No evidence.
LEMON: All right. Thanks to Holly. Thanks to Wendy Walsh. Thanks to Jim Clemente, Drew (INAUDIBLE), and also Leonard Pitts. Very interesting discussion. I appreciate you all joining us.
And make sure you join us tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. We will have more on the Casey Anthony trial and more developing news.
Coming up now, two weeks after a massive tornado leveled neighborhoods in Joplin, Missouri, a story of survival. A family who thought their puppy was gone forever, they find him. And you won't believe where he was.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Time to get you up-to-date on today's top stories.
The embattled country of Yemen is a step closer to peace after a truce agreement was reached today. A tribal leader waging war against the government agreed to a peace deal with the country's interim president. He is asking his fighters to evacuate government buildings and halt all fighting in the capitol. Protesters celebrated the news that President Ali Abdullah Saleh has gone to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment after being wounded in an attack on the palace. But the government insists he will return after treatment.
First it was the Mississippi River flooding parts of the Midwest and southeast. Now the Missouri River is expected to overflow and hit people in the Dakotas. This I-reporter from Bismarck, North Dakota says 1,000 homes have been hit by the rising waters and 4,000 people displaced. Residents are hoping the levees will keep the flooding contained.
A touching story from the scene after devastation in Massachusetts. A family is reunited with a puppy that was sucked out of its home by a tornado last week. He's cute, too. Look at that. A state trooper found him alive under the wreckage of a house. One family member described the terror of watching the puppy being torn away from them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AUDREY CARABETTA, OWNER OF DOG: I could hear his nails being dragged across the floor and he was just crying. You could hear him hitting the walls as he was being pulled out of the house. It just completely broke my heart.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: I hope we can get them tonight at 10:00. Producers, if you're listening because the puppy is a miraculous story. It was unharmed. He was a gift for the family's daughter who is in remission from cancer. A happy story. We like that.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates is making his final stop in Afghanistan. He gave the troops an emotional send off. Gates says he feels responsible for the troops' well-being and noted he signed the deployment papers that put them in harm's way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GATES, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: I just want you to know I think about you every day. I feel your hardship and your sacrifice and your burden and that of your families, more than you can possibly know. You are, I believe, the best our country has to offer. And you will be in my thoughts and prayers every day for the rest of my life. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Mr. Gates very emotional right there. As for the plan withdrawal of U.S. troops, Gates said he expects it to be a mix of combat and support elements. In his words, I have confidence we'll strike the right balance. It is a question that has been floating around for a while when it comes to Sarah Palin. Will she or won't she make a run for the White House? Straight ahead, we'll check in with our political editor, Mark Preston, for the latest.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Sarah Palin hits the road with the media in tow and John Edwards gets indicted. So let's get to the nation's capital and bring in our senior political editor, Mark Preston. Mark, I can't believe it. We haven't seen you on this show in months. We thought you gave up. What happened? Did you decide you love us again?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: There is always a lot of love there for me to you. In fact, you and I are going to be in New Hampshire next week when the CNN, as we lead into the CNN Republican presidential debate. So I'm looking forward to that.
LEMON: That will be fun. I'll buy you a beer.
All right. Let's talk about John Edwards, first, Mark. He was once a rising star among democrats, now he is facing criminal charges. And I understand that you have some new information. What can you tell us?
PRESTON: We do. And work with me here, Don, in that CNN's Kevin Bohn who has been following this case very closely right now, has confirmed that the John Edwards defense team and the Department of Justice lawyers literally went up to the 11th hour to try to strike a deal so that the former vice presidential nominee would not actually be indicted.
In fact, that's what did happen on Friday. What had happened is that the Edwards' defense team, Don, realized that the Department of Justice was going to insist that John Edwards serve some jail time. Now in return he would have not have faced any felony charges. It would have been misdemeanors. This was reported, Don, today by the "Raleigh News Observer" and Kevin Bohn has confirmed that. It goes on to say that a source close to the talk said that the reason why John Edwards decided not to take the deal and serve some jail time is because he is the primary caregiver to his children and he did not want to spend an extended amount of time away from them.
So what could have been a deal reached in not have seen six indictments, the only charges brought against John Edwards on Friday is now very likely, Don, to turn into a long case between the Department of Justice and John Edwards as they fight this one out.
LEMON: Well, Mark Preston with the new developments on John Edwards. Good stuff, Mark, thank you very much.
Hey, can we turn to the campaign trail - I guess it's the campaign trail. I want to talk to you about Sarah Palin. What can you say about her? She is not actually running, she says, but it looks like she is running, certainly.
PRESTON: Yes, she certainly - she sounded that way this morning. She was on Fox News Channel where she is a contributor. And she talked a lot about the failures, in her mind, of the Obama administration. She hammered him on the economy and said he is not doing enough on domestic energy production. She also talked a little bit about foreign policy. And you know, Don, she just came off of that east coast bus trip and her colleague at Fox News, Chris Wallace, asked her, "Are you any closer to running?" This is what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS: On a the spectrum where zero is an absolutely not running at all and 100 percent is, I'm in the race, where are you now? Give me a number.
SARAH PALIN, FMR. ALASKA GOVERNOR: Still right there in the middle, Chris.
WALLACE: 50?
PALIN: Still trying to figure out what the lay of the land will be as these weeks and months go by.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PRESTON There you are right there. Sarah Palin continuing to tease us. Not telling us whether she is actually going to run for president or not. This morning, Don, she sounded like a presidential candidate but you know what she is very unpredictable and we don't quite know what she is going to do.
LEMON: I guess you called it being coy. Or actually playing the media, right?
PRESTON: Yes.
LEMON: Very smart lady.
Thank you very much, Mark Preston. I will see you next week in New Hampshire. Looking forward to it.
PRESTON: Looking forward to it, Don.
LEMON: I have a quick reminder for you, I will be reporting live starting Friday and anchoring this show through the weekend from New Hampshire as we begin our coverage of the Republican presidential candidates' debate. And be sure to watch the debate a week from Monday. Republicans square off at 8:00 Eastern, live right here on CNN.
It has been a tough week for New York Congressman Anthony Weiner, has been on the defensive ever since a lewd photo was sent from his Twitter account. Coming up, some Twitter do's and don'ts to keep you from the facing the same embarrassment from our tech whiz, Katie Linendoll.
Well, if you are looking for a job or looking to buy a car, the month of June isn't starting out in your favor. But there is good news for the U.S. winemakers. Alison Kosik has the details in this week's "Getting Down to Business."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. job market takes an unexpected hit. The economy adding just 54,000 jobs in May. It is a sharp drop from the month before when 232,000 jobs were created. The unemployment rate also unexpectedly inched up to 9.1 percent. That means almost 14 million Americans can't find work.
And car shoppers get a dose of disappointment to start the month as well. If you are in the market for new wheels, it will cost you more than ever. (INAUDIBLE).com says the average price of a new car is up 2.1 percent from last year with an average price tag just shy of $30,000.
And finally, move over, friends. The U.S. is now the world's top wine drinker. America sipped almost 330 million cases of wine last year, surpassing the French for the first time. The domestic wine industry is sure to raise a glass to the new record with retail sales climbing seven percent in 2010, according to San Francisco's Wine Institute.
That's this week's "Getting Down to Business."
Alison Kosik, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. ANTHONY WEINER, NEW YORK: I made it very clear, I did not send pictures, that my Twitter account had been hacked and this prank apparently has been successful but after hours, almost 11 hours of answering questions, (INAUDIBLE) today I'm going to have to get back to work, doing the job that I'm paid to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Hey, a big reason. Social media is so popular is that they are incredibly easy to use. They will also get you into big trouble in a hurry, just ask Congressman Anthony Weiner. We still don't know the whole story about the lewd photos sent to a young woman from his Twitter account. He says his account was hacked but he won't deny the photo is of him.
So let's talk about this.
Tech whiz Katie Linendoll says there are some very important rules to follow so your Twitter account doesn't end your career. So Katie, I've got to ask you this. It seems like a no-brainer but some people just don't seem to understand the technology. I want you to walk us through because here's the thing, it's -- like have i this camera. Where am I? Which camera? OK.
I have this camera on my phone and it can go - you know, it can go each side. So, you can click the wrong thing. I've actually almost sent the wrong picture on twitter. Not that I have any to get me in trouble. But I almost sent the wrong picture. If I didn't have a preview of the picture, I would have sent the wrong thing.
KATIE LINENDOLL, TECH REPORTER: I know. I actually have to agree with you. That's almost happened with me as well. It's actually really easy to make a mistake on a social networking platform like Twitter. But you know, this week we learned too that only 13 percent of online adult Americans use Twitter. So if you're thinking about joining and adding to that statistic, I want to provide you with some Twitter rules of engagement because it might sound fundamental but rule number one, I'm just going to kick it off here.
Understand the technology and how it works. Before you dive right in. Perfect example of this is a girl, this actually happened a few years back but it just goes to show you that if you do something impulsive, it can digitally last forever. Here's a girl who sent a tweet after receiving a job at Cisco and she says, "Cisco offered me a job. Now have I to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the job." Well, she thought she only sent that to her friends and her tweets were private and protected. They weren't. She actually sent it to the public and Cisco quickly responded saying, "Who's the hiring manager? I'm sure they would love to know you will hate the work. We here at Cisco are well versed in the web."
So, a perfect example of understanding how the technology works and who it goes out to. Also I want to share with you one of my favorite examples and it is that of an ongoing example, 77-year-old Senator Chuck Grassley. You know, you got to hand it to him. He's older, he's trying to stay ahead of the curve but you don't want to end up on one of the most popular tech web sites as the worst Twitter user in the United States of America.
Let me tell you the reason for this is, he likes to cram short story novels into 140 characters. Making it look like he has no idea what he is saying. It's incredibly confusing. So, understand the technology and understand what you are putting out there before you do it. Rule number one, Don.
LEMON: OK. We're running out of time here. Let's go to rule number two. I mean, we've only got like probably 15 seconds. Rule number two, fix mistakes quickly.
LINENDOLL: Yes. Rule number two, if you make mistakes, fix it quickly and recover quickly. We have to remember that Twitter is happening in real time. I'm going to fly through this because we have some amazing examples.
LEMON: OK. And then rule -
LINENDOLL: Red cross actually puts -
LEMON: We have to go - (INAUDIBLE) red cross. let's go to rule number three real quick. Rule number three, know the difference between professional and personal.
LINENDOLL: I want to talk about Rashard Mendenhall, a member of the Steelers, obviously, his opinions and tweets on Bin Laden actually cost him his endorsement deal at Champion and had the president of the club Art Rooney go on to the Steelers web site and have to respond to his comments. Keep professional and personal twitter use separate.
LEMON: OK. I'm sorry, we have to run, but you know what I want to ask you, I don't know if start - if you're doing it. I'm starting to write now like I'm on twitter. Instead of y-o-u, I write "u" and instead of a-r-e, I write "r," and it's like, what am I doing? So -
LINENDOLL: I write formal papers like that in text speech. So don't feel bad. It happens to all of us.
LEMON: Thanks, Katie. I'll see you next week.
LINENDOLL: Bye, I'll talk to you soon.
LEMON: All right. Jaw-dropping video from a New York soccer tournament. Heavy wind sent three bounce houses tumbling through the air and there were kids inside of them. We'll tell you what happened to them.
But first, Bill Gates calls Kahn Academy the start of a revolution. The online site provides more than 2,000 video tutorials from calculus to chemistry all for free. CNN education contributor Steve Perry introduces us to the pioneer and voice behind the videos in today's "Perry's Principles."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): In a small Silicon Valley office, Salman Kahn is using simple illustrations and lingo to explain math, science, history and even business concepts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If this does not blow your mind, then you have no emotion.
PERRY: The 10 to 20 minute tutorials on kahnacademy.org are free to anyone anywhere.
(on camera): You've opened up the world of learning to the world.
SALMAN KHAN, KHAN ACADEMY: The best way to get the core of most issues whether, you know, it's poverty, health care or whatever, even democracy, is making sure you have an educated population.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got 31, so negative 31.
PERRY (voice-over): Dean Brettle uses Kahn Academy as a tool for home schooling his own children.
DEAN BRETTLE, HOMESCHOOLS HIS CHILDREN: What I like about it and I think the kids like about it is that you can work at your own pace. If you don't understand the video you can pause it, they can rewind it, they can watch it multiple times.
PERRY: And with Khan, you have to master all the material before moving on with only hints to help you.
BRETTLE: If you're struggling with something in a regular school and you don't get it and you take the tests and you get a C. A C on the test.
PERRY (on camera): You can't move on with a C here.
BRETTLE: That's right.
PERRY (voice-over): Richard Julian is a fifth grade teacher in Los Altos, California. He uses Kahn videos in math classes. The software tracks each students progress.
RICHARD JULIAN, COVINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: By doing that, it allows the teacher on to know their students very well, allow them to know their strengths. It allows them to know their weaknesses.
PERRY (voice-over): Khan Academy is a non-profit but it's backed by Bill Gates and Google.
(on camera): You're doing this for free, partner. What gives?
KAHN: Well, you know, if Kahn Academy was for a profit it would limit the number of kids who would use it. Hopefully when I'm 80 I can say, wow, there's a billion kids that use it and maybe will continue to use it.
(voice-over): Steve Perry, Mountainview, California. (END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: In headlines right now, massive wildfires in Arizona are forcing thousands to flee their homes tonight. More than a quarter million acres have burned over the past week. One of the largest in state history is the Wallow Fire in northeastern Arizona, near the town of Springerville. The cause of the blaze, which has scorched 180,000 acres, still under investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god. Oh, my god!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: 13 people were hurt when a gust of wind blew away three bounce houses in Oceanside, New York. It happened at a soccer tournament Saturday. Kids were in the inflatables which also mowed down some parents trying to save their children. Our affiliate, News 12 Long Island reports one person used a knife to deflate one house. No major injuries and no criminal charges are expected.
I'm Don Lemon at the CNN World headquarters in Atlanta. I'll see you back here at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.
"Restoring the American Dream: How to Innovate," a "Fareed Zakaria GPS" special starts now.
