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Leon Panetta Sworn in as Secretary of Defense; Could Greed End America's Love Affair With Professional Sports?; White House Releases Report on Staff Salaries; Gadhafi Threatens to Attack Europe; Pentagon's New Top Dog; Fireworks Can be Bad, Really Bad; Did Cindy Anthony Lie on the Stand?
Aired July 01, 2011 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Now top of the hour, watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN (voice-over): How far would the feds go to catch a serial killer? I'm going to take you inside this chilling world and this daring secret operation within the walls of a maximum security prison.
I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And to get answers, it would take a risky, unusual plan: Send a convicted drug dealer undercover into a dangerous prison to befriend an alleged serial killer.
BALDWIN (voice-over): At stake, lives, justice, and one man's freedom.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was no place to run or place to hide.
BALDWIN: A monster tornado tears through a town and races through homes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I only heard her scream once, and I knew she was dead.
BALDWIN: One mother goes to drastic measures to save her family.
Right now, Leon Panetta is finishing day one as defense secretary. But did you know he's bringing a special agent with him to the Pentagon? He's been vetted, cleared and cleaned. He goes by the name Bravo.
Another pro sports league, another lockout, millionaires with dream jobs arguing over money. Will greed and power kill American pastimes? I will ask basketball legend Isiah Thomas the tough questions live.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Top of the hour here. Hello once again. I'm Brooke Baldwin.
Stunning turn of events in the rape case in New York against French political bigwig Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Late this morning, Strauss-Kahn appeared in court and heard prosecutors announce their case is in trouble. They say the accuser, their main witness, has a credibility problem. As a result, Strauss-Kahn is no longer under house arrest, but authorities do still have his passport.
He can't leave the country. Prosecutors say they are not dropping charges, at least not yet.
And on that note, I want to bring in our senior legal analyst, CNN's Jeffrey Toobin.
Jeffrey, look, you seem to have doubts this case will even go forward. Why?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Brooke, it was an absolutely astonishing day today, because this case went from a pretty strong DNA-supported sexual assault case to a case that is hanging by a thread, because the prosecution released evidence that the accuser had lied in detail about many aspects of her past, including about her acts -- activities on the day of the alleged crime.
This calls into question whether she can be used as a witness at all. And if she can't be used as a witness, there's no case to be brought here.
BALDWIN: Let's talk about the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance. Clearly, he's in a tough position. And I want to play some sound. Let's hear from Cyrus Vance on the day Strauss-Kahn was indicted and then we will listen to him today. First, this is from May 19.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CYRUS VANCE, MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY: These are extremely serious charges, based on the grand jury's determination that the evidence supports the commission of non-consensual, forced sexual acts.
After the indictment against the defendant was filed, we continued as a an office to investigate the case rigorously, as we do and are obligated to do. That investigation raised concerns about the complaining witness' credibility.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So he comes out in May, says the evidence points to a rape absolutely having occurred. Then today we see him this morning and says the accuser has this credibility problem.
Jeffrey, I'm still not hearing him or really anyone else there say that a rape did not occur. Are you?
TOOBIN: No. They did not say that a rape did not occur. And they have not dropped the case either. The case is still spending, even though they have drastically, drastically reduced the bail conditions to no bail.
He -- Dominique Strauss-Kahn is now released on his own recognizance. But there is a real question about whether this crime, if there was a crime, can be proved. Nothing is -- nothing is a rape or an attempted rape until it's proved in court or someone pleaded guilty. Now, there are occasions when crimes take place and the government simply can't put the proof together.
That may be what happened here, but we don't call it a rape if someone is not convicted of it.
BALDWIN: Well, obviously, there's not an if when you hear from the accuser's attorney. He's the man who also came out this morning and gave an extremely graphic account of what his client says was most definitely a rape. He gets up there. He accused Cyrus Vance of being scared to take on Dominique Strauss-Kahn and his team of high-priced lawyers. Let listen to him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KENNETH THOMPSON, ATTORNEY: Our concern is that Manhattan district attorney Cy Vance is too scared to try this case. We believe that he's afraid he's going to lose this high-profile case, like he lost recently the high-profile case brought against the two police officers who were accused of raping the woman who was drunk, and like he lost the two high-profile cases this week involving a Deutsche Bank fire where tragically two firefighters lost their lives.
But the district attorney has an obligation to stand up for this rape victim.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, Jeffrey Toobin, final question. It sounds like he is saying, Cy Vance, the Manhattan DA, must have concluded that this case is a bad career move. Is that what you heard as well? And why go there? What could the strategy be in saying that?
TOOBIN: Well, I mean, it was really an amazing press conference by Ken Thompson.
BALDWIN: Yes.
TOOBIN: He was extraordinarily graphic in claiming what happened.
I think there are multiple agendas at work. Here, he wants justice for his client. He wants to see the -- he believes his client was horribly assaulted and he wants Dominique Strauss-Kahn to pay for it. He's also, more cynically, looking at the possibility of a civil lawsuit, which could bring him and his client a great deal of money.
That case would be a lot easier if Dominique Strauss-Kahn was convicted first. So, there are multiple agendas at work, and he's just trying to help out his client.
BALDWIN: What a day, extraordinary developments, to quote you, Jeffrey Toobin. Thank you so much. Appreciate you weighing in today.
And now, if it is interesting, it's happening right now. You're about to see it rapid fire. Let's go, beginning in Los Angeles. One of America's 15 most wanted fugitives has been brought to justice after nearly six years on the loose. Suspected drug kingpin Keith Hasson was taken into custody Wednesday night, according to U.S. Marshals. This man was the alleged leader of a nationwide drug trafficking ring that generated more than $20 million in cash and assets.
The man accused of being a stowaway on a U.S. cross-country flight has been denied bond by a judge in L.A. The judge said, without any clear ties to the Los Angeles area and a lack of information about who this man's true identity is, he needs more assurances before setting any kind of amount. The man originally from Nigeria allegedly flew from New York's JFK to Los Angeles last week without a proper boarding pass and also an invalid identification.
He wasn't arrested, though, until earlier this week, when the FBI said he tried to get on an Atlanta-bound flight without a valid boarding pass.
Michael Vick has a sponsor again: Nike. The Philadelphia Eagles' controversial quarterback has signed an endorsement deal with them. And while Nike says they don't condone Vick's past mistakes, they support the positive changes he has made to better himself off the field. Nike did sever ties with Vick back in 2007 over his involvement in that dog fighting ring.
Texas police taking to the skies in a new way. Listen to this. The police department in Arlington is testing these unmanned aircraft to help assist with law enforcement. They're remote-controlled, this thing battery-operated. Price tag for one of these things, anywhere from $2,000 to $300,000.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) down on the bottom when everything fall on top of us. I only heard her scream once.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: One mother sacrifices everything, taking drastic measures to save her family from a monster tornado. Find out what happened ahead.
Plus, first football -- now we're talking basketball, both in the middle of these bitter lockouts. And while the millionaires are fighting away, regular Americans, they have been having a little bit of a tough time paying the bills. So, we're asking, could greed kill professional sports in America?
Up next, we will speak with -- live with NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas. Don't miss this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Millions of people are out of work, struggling to pay the bills, feed their families, even put shoes on their children's feet, and the economy doesn't show any sign of recovery any time soon. But sports have always been our welcome distraction as Americans. You watch your favorite players on televisions. You take your kids to the games.
Well, guess what? This fall, arenas could be empty, stadiums could be closed because two of America's biggest sports are in jeopardy. NFL owners locked out their players just this past spring, and NBA owners did the very same thing today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID STERN, NBA COMMISSIONER: The goal here has been to make the league profitable and to have a league where all 30 teams can compete.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: A lockout means no practices, no transactions, no communication, and no games. Why do this? What else? Money.
Joining me now on the phone, NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, now head coach at Florida International.
Isiah, good to have you on the phone.
Look, this is obviously a very complicated fight. You have owners essentially saying players are getting paid too much money, teams are losing money. You, sir, have been on both sides of this. Let me cut to the chase. Is this really all about greed?
ISIAH THOMAS, FORMER NBA PLAYER (via telephone): It's about philosophy and more so in how do you -- how do you split $4 billion?
And you could -- you can call it greed on one side or the other, but it appears that there are definitely philosophical differences. The players, being the product on the floor, and the owners being the ones that pay for the players, there's a discrepancy in terms of how that dollar is split.
The players are earning 57 percent of the dollar, and the owners are taking 43 cents on the dollar.
(CROSSTALK)
THOMAS: Now, how do you divide that dollar? That's why they're trying -- that's what they're trying to figure out right now.
BALDWIN: Well, you know, when you talk about players, Isiah, we noticed something kind of interesting. I don't know if you're anywhere near a television and can see this picture. But Dwight Howard with the Orlando Magic, NBA superstar, plays in your own state, Florida, tweeted pictures of himself -- I don't know if you know what it is -- it's planking. It's this thing these folks are doing on the Internet, planking on a private jet, Rolls-Royce, while this whole thing is going on. So when people look at these pictures -- look at that, Rolls-Royce -- fans having sympathy for the players? Not so much.
THOMAS: Well, that's always been the battle for the players. They need to win the media perception game, the hearts of the fans.
And, right now, the perception of the players are that they are being played a -- paid a lot. They enjoy a luxurious lifestyle. And most fans right now can't relate to the lifestyle that the NBA player is leading.
However, on the other side of the table, you have to say that the NBA player who is producing out on the floor, bringing the fans into the arena, bringing the ratings to the game, you know, so there are both sides of the argument that could be explained. However, the fan probably won't sympathize with the owner or the player in these tough economic times.
BALDWIN: I think if you're a fan of basketball, look, you love the NBA, you love going to games, you know that this has been a huge, huge season, awesome playoffs all the way through the games. Ratings were up. Buzz was up.
But are both sides getting ready to -- to just be willing to throw the momentum away?
THOMAS: It -- it appears that -- that that has happened with the lockout, the -- the ensuing labor relation problems that will continue to occur during this lockout, the loss of fans, the loss of just goodwill that they've built up over the last couple of year, that will be thrown away, trying to come up with a new model and a new model of how they'll divide the revenue.
When you look at what the NBA is saying, the philosophical differences that they have is that they believe that the current system is structured that they're playing under that has a salary cap where they share revenues and they're partners in the game of basketball together. They're saying -- the owners are saying that model is severely broken. It doesn't guarantee them cost certainty. And that's what they're looking for right now.
The players on the other side are saying that the model is working and they're asking players to owners to basically do a better job of managing their teams.
BALDWIN: More efficiently, they'd say.
THOMAS: The owners are always asking their players to protect them from themselves of going over.
(CROSSTALK) BALDWIN: Isiah, let me ask jump because I do want to ask -- let me ask you about LeBron James. Here's my question, is he, along with other superstars, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, all on the Heat -- just as an example -- are they hurting the league by joining forces and going to big cities?
THOMAS: Actually, you know, the perception of that is that they are, however, I believe that perception is very inaccurate. You know, perception is reality. But I do believe you're dealing with a false reality because if you look back over the history of the game, football and basketball, superstars have always tried to join forces, they've always tried to play with each other. And all the same players have always tried to get together and have tried to win championships.
BALDWIN: And I think if you're a Heat fan, you've enjoyed watching them play. Let me just get this in, final question, then I let you go -- do you think we're going to have a season this fall? Yes or no?
THOMAS: I think you're going to have a shortened season and I do believe that you could possibly miss the whole season.
BALDWIN: Wow. Isiah Thomas on the phone with me -- Isiah, pleasure meeting you here on live TV. Enjoy the weekend with your family. Thank you.
THOMAS: Thank you. Now this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN (voice-over): Here in the Midwest, several young girls went missing. Some were found murdered. Others were never found at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: What a story this is. How far would the feds go to catch a suspected serial killer? I went inside this chilling world to find out. I'm telling you, this plan was dangerous, never been done before, daring, included sending a convicted drug dealer inside a prison under cover to get answers from a mad man. Don't miss this next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: I want you to listen to this story. A mother takes drastic measures to protect her daughter from a monster tornado that hit Massachusetts and her family is now speaking out about this horrific.
First, take a look at the video. The twister hits Springfield. You remember, this was back on June 1st.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUAN GUERRERO, WIFE KILLED BY TORNADO: All we see was a tornado on the street. There was no place to run or place to hide.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, winds were racing toward the family's home, a mother grabbed her daughter right out of bed, threw her into the bathtub and jumped on top of her. Her teenager survived, the mother did not.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUERRERO: She ran. (INAUDIBLE) from the bed, our bed that was used to sleep on, she was sleeping. I don't know how she did it, but she picked it up.
I couldn't run fast enough. She laid down on the bathtub when everything fell on top of us. I only hear her scream once. And that's it. I knew she was dead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Crews say they haven't been able to salvage much, but we are told they are helping the family pull photo albums from that destruction.
And now, here's my preview of my very first hour-long documentary. Here's the history: Jimmy Keene was a hometown hero when he took a wrong turn into dealing drugs. He was sentenced to 10 years, ruined his family names, his hopes for the future. He ended up having only one strange route to redemption.
Keene was sent on this unusual undercover mission into a maximum security prison. His mission, to befriend a suspected serial killer and get information, a location of a body in order to be set free. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN (voice-over): Convicted drug dealer Jimmy Keene was 10 months into his sentence when federal prosecutor Larry Beaumont brought him in to talk.
JIMMY KEENE, CONVICTED DRUG DEALER: It scared me. I thought it was some trick.
BALDWIN: Keene watched nervously as Beaumont pushed a folder across the table.
KEENE: And I opened up and the first thing I've seen was a picture of a mutilated dead girl, and I flipped the page and there was a different mutilated dead girl.
BALDWIN: And there was a portrait of Tricia Reitler.
KEENE: And that moment, I looked up at Beaumont, and he said, Jimmy, we need you to help with us this case. BALDWIN: Beaumont wanted Keene to go under cover, to transfer from his low security lock-up to a dangerous prison and to befriend alleged serial killer Larry Hall.
KEENE: He says if you can get solid confessions from him, and if you can help us locate the bodies that are still missing, we're willing to completely wash your record.
BALDWIN: Keene's mission, to learn where Tricia Reitler was buried.
LARRY BEAUMONT, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: The purpose of this operation was to find that body.
BALDWIN: Beaumont made it clear -- no body, no early release. Keene would have to serve the rest of his 10-year sentence.
But Beaumont believed Keene could do it.
BEAUMONT: He's smart. He's articulate. He's not afraid. And I knew he wanted to get out.
BALDWIN: For Keene, it was a chance at redemption, to restore his family name, and says author Hillel Levin, to get his life back on track.
HILLEL LEVIN, AUTHOR: This deal was a way for him to get home, and it was also a way for him to do good, to kind of take this bad thing he had done and to somehow turn it back inside out and make it something that would solve a crime.
BALDWIN: But it wouldn't be easy.
(on camera): Fair to say, he was risking his life. He could have been killed.
BEAUMONT: It was dangerous. Absolutely.
KEENE: It was highly risky. These people on those types of places don't have anything better to do but try to hurt you and kill you, too.
BALDWIN (voice-over): Keene was unsure, but a phone call home put his doubts to rest. Keene's stepmother said his father had suffered a stroke.
KEENE: She said he's in bad shape. We wish you were here. This is terrible that you're on the spot when you're in right now because we could lose him.
BALDWIN: Keene need to get home (INAUDIBLE) fast and there was only one way to make that happen. He had to face an alleged serial killer first.
KEENE: I decided you know what, however bizarre or far out or whatever this mission that Beaumont wants me to go on, I'm going to do it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: We're calling our documentary "To Catch a Serial Killer," premieres on CNN this upcoming Monday night, after your fireworks. Hope you tune in, July 4th, 10:00 p.m. Eastern.
Just into us here at CNN, the White House releasing the salaries of everyone in the Obama administration. Did you hear me? Everyone. So, who's making the big bucks?
Kate Bolduan is standing by. She's got the scoop, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: "CNN Equals Politics." Let's go to Kate Bolduan live on Capitol Hill with the latest news fresh off of the Political Ticker.
Kate, let's talk about this new report. Staff salaries at the White House, we're talking 450 people, talk to me. What kind of numbers are you seeing?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Talking a little bit of money, a little bit of salary money, Brooke. This is an annual report the White House puts out of all the salaries of White House staff.
And some of the people that are topping the salary list are probably familiar names to our political loving news junkies that, of course, are watching our shows.
Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, Bill Daley, the president's chief of staff, Valerie Jarrett, a top adviser to the president -- those are among the people on the top of the salary list, making $172,200. They're among several of the people making that salary.
On the other end of the spectrum, we are seeing some employees making around $41,000. There are about 450 people that are listed in this report, and this is a report that is something that the White House has been required to do and to submit to Congress on an annual basis since the mid-1990s. So some salary information for you as you head into the holiday weekend.
But also another topic that has as much to do with politics as it does policy: the debt ceiling talks. They really have been stalled since the negotiations kind of broke down. They really don't have any indication at this moment that either side is ready to budge on from their positioning. A lot of this battle and this fierce battle as it become between Democrats, Republicans and the White House has centered around taxes.
At this very same moment, we have been checking all day, Brooke, about possible meetings in the coming week, especially in light of the news that the Senate has canceled its week-long break next week for the July Fourth in order to stay in town to talk about these debt talks and try to work out a negotiation. Still no meeting scheduled, bipartisan meetings, of the main negotiators here, Republican leaders, Democratic leaders and the White House.
This also comes as Democratic officials, Brooke, are pushing for a more aggressive time line here. They're pushing that a deal be struck by July 22nd, at the end of this month, in order to allow for time to actually write the legislation and get it approved by both chambers of Congress, the House and the Senate in time for that August 22nd deadline.
The treasury once again today reconfirmed that that is the deadline, when the federal government will not be able to pay its bills, and as they say, could have catastrophic effects. But we will see how these negotiations continue next week -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: All right. Senate is working next week. I'm working on the holiday. Kate Bolduan, are you working on the holiday?
BOLDUAN: I'm working next week. I do have one day off, though. So
BALDWIN: Look at you, lucky, lucky.
BOLDUAN: I'll be watching your documentary.
BALDWIN: All right. Good girl, thank you very much.
Hey, I don't know if you like fast food. But Don may hit the drive-thru from time to time. Well, forget the dollar menu, fast food joints are adding a new attraction to the menu -- booze. Find out which chains and for how much. That is coming up.
Also this --
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
BALDWIN: Moammar Gadhafi making a rare appearance and he's now saying the war may go to Europe.
Plus, his daughter is also speaking out. Find out why she says her father would work with the devil. Who is the devil? Live in Tripoli with the answer, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Moammar Gadhafi says the war in Libya could go to Europe, some fast food players are opening the taps, and the shuttle program is getting ready for its final mission.
Time to play "Reporter Roulette," but I want to begin overseas. I want to begin in Libya, in Tripoli, with David McKenzie
David, Gadhafi spoke today -- anger in his voice, making a very, very specific threat, threatening Europe.
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Brooke. I mean, we went to this rally which was in Green Square.
Let's take a look at some of those images, a very large crowd, certainly the biggest we've seen, Brooke, in Tripoli here, a pro- Gadhafi day of anger, as he called it, and certainly as he said, he made a direct threat towards Europe. He said that because of the NATO campaign here, that NATO says is bombing civilian targets, he said that -- NATO its bombing targets to protect civilians, he's saying that they're going to target houses and families in Europe. That it's a fair military target. It will be an eye for an eye. He likened the response of the Libyan people to a swarm of locusts -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: Not only are we hearing from Moammar Gadhafi. We're also hearing from his only daughter, Aisha. She did an interview with French television and one of her quotes, "We are ready to ally ourselves with the devil, with the rebel army."
My question to you: what do you make of the timing? Why she's speaking now?
MCKENZIE: I think they are all trying to make a PR push, the Libya government, certainly to throw out there that they want to have discussions with the rebels, or at least they are hinting that they are already having discussions.
Now, there hasn't been any proof of direct talks with the rebels, the, quote, "devils," as she put it. Not the best way to make friends and to start a discussion, or actually go to the table as a call the side of the conflict devils. And certainly, so much rhetoric and so much vitriol has gone between these two sides and actually people dying, that it would be very difficult for them to sit down at a table right now.
The main thing that she said that was interesting I think is that she said, absolutely not, Moammar Gadhafi is not going to leave power. He is in his place. She called him a figure head and, in fact, the rebels, Brooke, are saying the complete opposite, that he has to leave power, he has to leave any kind of office if they're actually even going to talk.
So, there isn't any major move. But, certainly, they're trying to make noise that they want to talk.
BALDWIN: David McKenzie -- David, thank you.
Next on "Reporter Roulette" -- Alison Kosik live at the New York Stock Exchange. And, Alison, before I ask you going out for a Cosmo with our whopper, let's look at the big board here. We see the Dow up. It's been up the last couple of days. In fact, we were reading -- has this really been the best week in two years?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It really has. You know, just this week, the Dow has soared about 650 points. Four of those five days, it had triple-digit gains and it's the best weekly point gain actually in almost a year.
Everyone is wondering why did the Dow do so well? Well, that passage of Greece's austerity measures, that helped. We also got a few upbeat economic reports, one strong report on manufacturing today. So, all this helped to move that average much higher.
And you know what? I usually stay away from prognosticating. But you know what? I can guarantee this streak will not continue on Monday. It's because Wall Street has taken a day off for the 4th of July. The markets are close -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: Well, let's maybe prognosticate the future of fast food, because, I guess, if you're selling booze, that's one way to try to get people coming in through the doors.
KOSIK: Exactly. It is, you know, because how many times do you walk into a fast food joint, having a burger and you want a beer. So, now, that's becoming more of an option. The fast food restaurants are trying to lure more customers in, especially in the evening hours. So, this really seems to be the tactic that works.
We're seeing two Sonic locations in Florida that are going to begin selling beer and wine. But it will not be served -- that liquor will not be served to customers who drive thru, for obvious reasons. Burger King, Chipotle, Starbucks are other chains that offer booze at select locations. And, you know what?
But even if critics are coming out of the woodworks on this one, they say, you know what? These people are going to be having a quick meal with a drink and then get behind the wheel, that's concerning. Others say, you know what, it sends a wrong message to kids. And others say, it's just going to promote more obesity.
But, you know, I guess if you drink safely and have that burger safely you'll be OK.
BALDWIN: I mean, how can they even prove that, you know, if you're going through the drive-thru and I'm saying I'm getting it for the passenger -- I don't know. I have questions over it but I'll just leave it there.
Alison Kosik, thank you so much.
KOSIK: OK.
BALDWIN: Next on "Reporter Roulette" -- countdown to history. The final shuttle mission ever, Atlantis, scheduled to lift of next Friday.
We know the time, Chad Myers, because you and I are among the lucky few, fortunately few who actually get to go down there 11:26 in the morning, Friday morning. I already get goose bumps kind of talking about this.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Clearly, the most possible event of all time down there. I know the Saturn V rocket went off and all that, but this will be probably -- the roads will be jammed. This will be watched by more people live than any other event ever from the space station. BALDWIN: Yes, we were talking about this earlier. I think we were leaving our hotels at like midnight because it is -- traffic is at a standstill, I mean, to just go a couple of miles. I think John Zarrella was telling -- it's hours and hours.
MYERS: You didn't know you're on Anderson Cooper the night before, did you? So, you'll be -- you won't even be --
BALDWIN: I won't go to bed. I'll be so excited.
MYERS: Yes. You know what? It's amazing to think that this is the last one. But it's amazing to think how fast things go -- 17,000 miles an hour. If all the shuttles all started from the same spot and all kept going and going and going, all the shuttles only would have gone to Jupiter. Not even back.
So these things go and go, but our space is so big, our solar system is so amazing, we have better things on the horizon than the shuttle, which is basically a delivery truck to the ISS. Now, they can't deliver these big things anymore.
BALDWIN: Yes, when you read the interview with Chris Ferguson (ph) on the NASA Web site, you know, he talks about, look, it's about exploration, it's about maybe getting to Mars, you know, life on other planets. So, it is exciting to think about exploration. As Charlie Bolden was just telling John Zarrella in that interview. But very cool stuff.
MYERS: It's just another step for NASA. I hope they do great with it.
BALDWIN: We'll see you in Florida.
MYER: I'll be there.
BALDWIN: OK. And just to remind everyone, as we just want to do, don't forget to watch our coverage of the final shuttle launch next Friday beginning at 10:00 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
And there is now a new man in charge of the Pentagon. Leon Panetta, spending his first day on the job as defense secretary, but he's demanded to bring along something very close to him, a companion who actually had to be vetted and cleared and cleaned.
Joe Johns has the scoop. That is next.
But, first, could you be living in one of America's laziest cities? You are if you live in one of "Men's Health" magazine's most -- I love, Eric Holtz (ph) has taken this one today -- the most exercise phobic places, rounding out the top five.
Chad Myers jamming out over here.
Folks are OK without hitting the gym in Oklahoma. If you're in Oklahoma City. Next up, Charleston, West Virginia. Oh, gosh, I lived there, once upon a time. Not so worried about working out. They're in number four.
And coming in at number three on "Men's Health" list of exercise phobic cities, the capital of Magnolia State, not sweating it out, Jackson, Mississippi.
So, who are the top two sedentary cities in the U.S.? Think about it. Chad Myers, you'll think about it, too.
Be right back.
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BALDWIN: Oh, man. "Men's Health" magazine releases list of the most exercise phobic cities in America. We've told you. OK, top five was Oklahoma City, Charleston, West Virginia, Jackson, Mississippi. So, you thought about it.
Who are the top two? So you have people in the home of Indy500 not racing to the gym, Indianapolis.
And the number one most exercise phobic city in the U.S., they say you can lead a horse to the gym but you can't make them work out. It's the thoroughbred city, Lexington, Kentucky. And there you go -- your top five most sedentary cities.
So, let's talk dogs. You think you can name all the top political dogs in Washington? I'm talking real dogs here like Bo, the president's dog, and we've got another one to add to the list this afternoon.
Joe Johns is here with the "Political Pop."
Joe, tell me b about whose dog this is and does this dog have top security clearance?
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes, in all honesty, this is not a truly new political dog, Brooke. It's an old political dog that got a promotion. It doesn't sound like he's going to need to learn any tricks. Sorry I had t say that.
The dog's name is Bravo. We're talking about a golden retriever. Bravo's owner is none other than the brand-new Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta.
Now, Panetta has been around this town for a long while and so is bravo actually. The people at the CIA got to see Bravo from time to time walking around the hallways.
The dog even got to sit in on some briefings apparently to the point where people described Bravo as the only dog in government with a top secret clearance.
All right, Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr says the people at the Pentagon are wondering if Bravo is also going to come over from the CIA to hang out with them for a while.
BALDWIN: So we don't know for sure if he will or he won't. Cute little pooch, by the way. So topic number two, we have a new candidate for the presidential nomination. A pretty colorful guy, not exactly a household name, though. Who is he?
JOHNS: We're talking about Thad McCotter, congressman from Michigan. He spent five terms on the Hill, a veteran, well known around the city.
He's also well known for being in a colorful character. He plays the guitar, likes to quote the lyrics of rock 'n roll bands actually performed on Fox News with Mike Huckabee. Do we have that tape?
JOHNS: There you go.
BALDWIN: Pretty good.
JOHNS: That's not bad. Blue suede shoes, I guess, they're doing there. He's supposed to make an announcement the fourth of July festival in his hometown over the weekend. Yes, he has definitely considered a long shot.
BALDWIN: Yes, pretty patriotic there, a little red, white and blue on the old guitar.
And finally here, I noticed this because the executive producer of "THE SITUATION ROOM" and Wolf Blitzer himself. You know, they're in Chicago going to CGI, Clinton Global Initiative, just so happened to be on a plane with you tell, with whom?
JOHNS: Right, yes. I mean, this guy has a lot of buzz right now, all right? For one thing, he has the debt ceiling negotiations looming. They got to be resolved by early August.
He also had some speculations swirling that he was looking to leave the job at Treasury at some point. He was at the Clinton Global Initiative event in Chicago just yesterday.
BALDWIN: Tim Geithner.
JOHNS: Right, Tim Geithner and he got on a late flight, headed back to the nation's capital. Someone said you caused quite a stir today. Geithner was overheard responding yes, and they'll get over it.
The reason we know this is because CNN's own Wolf Blitzer was on the plane along with Patricia De Carlo, the executive producer of the "THE SITUATION ROOM." So a little offhand remark there.
Treasury Secretary Geithner has had a very tough job over the past couple of years.
BALDWIN: With the kicker and the best part is he was sitting in coach.
JOHNS: Yes, you know, what's up with that? I mean, maybe he missed the upgrades.
BALDWIN: He's doing his part, saving a little cash.
JOHNS: Maybe the government says he's got to do that, or maybe he's every man. I don't know. It's one of those three.
BALDWIN: We kind of liked it. Joe Johns, who knew? Thank you so much. And now this.
The government want you to know. Fireworks can be bad, very bad, but wait until you see how bad. We're going to get Wolf Blitzer's reaction to some of this video. We'll talk fourth of July here coming up next.
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BALDWIN: How dangerous are the fireworks the government would like you to see?
Here comes little girls. Stop laughing. Happy fourth of July. Hopefully this doesn't put a damper on your holiday. A.J. turn around. I can't see you laughing.
This is the government's annual warning show in D.C. This is what you don't want happening. Don't keep explosives near you. Clearly, they're dangerous.
But we played that video the other week and we just had to bring it back just because we can. I don't know what your plans are for the fourth of July. What's that Wolf Blitzer?
He's in the nation's capital. Wolf, before we have talk, what are your plans Monday night?
WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": I'm hoping that, you know, we'll be very, very high, far away from the fireworks, they'll be spectacular.
We'll be able to enjoy them and celebrate America's independence on the fourth of July, which all of us should be doing. But not close to the fireworks because as you can see.
It's very, very dangerous. There's always somebody who gets hurt. This is not a funny thing. You know, it's very serious.
BALDWIN: And then, Wolf, at 10:00 that night after the fireworks, what are you doing, 10:00 p.m. Eastern time?
BLITZER: Have a glass of white wine or something. I don't know.
BALDWIN: Bad answer.
BLITZER: Decaffeinated --
BALDWIN: You're watching my documentary on CNN. BLITZER: Of course, with a glass of white wine and decaffeinated cappuccino or something like. Let me just remind our viewers, it's Monday night, right, July 4, 10:00 p.m. Eastern.
BALDWIN: Will you tweet it?
BLITZER: Of course, I will.
BALDWIN: "To Catch a Serial Killer."
BLITZER: This is the debut, right?
BALDWIN: This is the debut. This is my first ever hour long. I did a half hour, but this is my first hour. So I'm kind of excited. Anyway, what are you excited about coming up in your show?
BLITZER: Well, we got a lot of news coming up and obviously, we're going to update our viewers on what's going with the Dominique Strauss-Kahn decision. The U.S. attorney in New York having to backtrack big time as far as that's concern.
We got a lot of new information coming in on that. Other information we're getting on what's going on with al Qaeda. You know, the after math of the death of Bin Laden. There's new concerns especially as we go into a holiday weekend like this.
We're going to update our viewers on that. And finally, what I mentioned to you about an hour or so ago. The final piece of my interview with former President Bill Clinton, this time he responds to Republican accusations that he and president Obama are engaged in what's called class warfare because they want to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans.
I think our viewers will be interested in that part of the interview, which hasn't aired yet. So got a lot of good stuff.
BALDWIN: Awesome, Wolf Blitzer will look for it. Thank you so much. We'll see you in about a minute.
BLITZER: Have a great holiday.
BALDWIN: Thank you. Same to you.
So here, prosecutors in the Casey Anthony murder trial calling more witnesses to the stand after this abrupt recess that happened this morning. They're targeting Cindy Anthony. In fact, they're trying to prove she lied. That's next.
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BALDWIN: So here is a big question today in Orlando. Did Casey Anthony's mother lie on the stand to protect her daughter? New evidence points that way.
Sunny Hostin is on the case. Sunny, what a morning this morning. Really it's all about that she lie, did she not lie? Prosecutors tried to call Cindy Anthony's honesty in question on the stand. Did they succeed?
SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: I think they did, Brooke. You're right. It was all about Cindy Anthony today. Because we know that Cindy Anthony testified in the defense case that it was Cindy Anthony, she was the one who searched chloroform on the family computer on March 17 of 2008. Why is that so important?
Because it directly contradicts the prosecution case, which is that said Casey Anthony was home, looked up chloroform and used chloroform to make her daughter unconscious and then kill her using duct tape. Well, Cindy Anthony's boss, not boss, but the person, general counsel and chief compliance officer of the health system.
That she works for got on the witness stand and put into evidence a lot of computer records indicating that Cindy Anthony on March 17, 2008, was at work. Not only was she at work, she was on her computer at work. This, of course, flies in the face of her testimony that she wasn't at work, that she was at home conducting these computer searches.
So I think it's pretty clear that the jury can make the inference that Cindy Anthony lied on the witness stand, perjured herself in an attempt to save her daughter from the death penalty, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Let's listen to some of that sound. Again, former supervisor of Cindy Anthony's. This is what she said about the time frame in question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did Ms. Anthony during March of 2008 have the capability to work from home?
DEBORAH POLISANO, CINDY ANTHONY'S FORMER SUPERVISOR: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Could she log into her Gentiva account from a laptop computer?
POLISANO: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Could she log on to her Gentiva account via a desk top or VPN account?
POLISANO: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So after that testimony, Sunny, is there any question that Cindy Anthony perjured herself?
HOSTIN: You know, I would say that it is unlikely that a juror would think that she was telling the truth, when she said that she was the person that conducted the chloroform searches on the home computer.
Another very, I think, important point that came up is that the prosecution's rebuttal case also called, his name is Kevin Stenger, a computer forensics person, and he testified that chloroform was not looked up and that hand sanitizer was not looked up.
And that Gentiva was not looked pup not chloroform, chlorophyll and those are other things that Cindy Anthony claimed she looked for on March 17, 2008. Interestingly enough, she also said that in terms of neck breaking, there's some evidence that neck breaking was looked up, the actual search in Google.
She said that it popped up when she looked at a skateboarding YouTube accident. This witness said no, that's not true. The actual terms neck breaking were Googled. I think that's pretty bone chilling.
BALDWIN: Sunny Hostin, I think the next time you and I speak will be handed over to the jury and we'll just have to wait and see. Sunny, have a wonderful holiday weekend. Thank you so much.
Now to Wolf Blitzer, "THE SITUATION ROOM" starts right now.
