for the winner fund-raising sweepstakes. >> i have a pretty big announcement about that contest the campaign is running where you can join me for dinner. we're sitting another place at the table for joe biden. he wants to join us. so this isn't so much dinner with barack anywhere as it is din we are barack and joe. and to use one of his favorite expressions, that's a big deal. >> reporter: obviously this is a "guess who's coming to dinner" kind of deal. and the campaign clearly thinks adding biden to the ticket is going to gin up more interest. back to you. >> thank you, joe. your next update from the best political team on television is just an hour away. and "cnn newsroom" continues right now, though, with brooke right now, though, with brooke baldwin. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com hi, everyone. a busy monday here. also a wildfire is raging.

it's getting very, very close, dangerously close to the nuclear research facility at los alamos. senators from new mexico are being briefed by authorities on the ground there. i'm going to speak with one of them in just a little while. also in washington, president obama is meeting with senate leaders to try to resolve the nation's debt dilemma. but the white house says any significant deal would require both sides to abandon the "my way or the highway" approach. but now to the big story, we are going to continue to watch for you, the verdict is in. we know that. we are awaiting word here of the jury's decision on former illinois governor rod blagojevich. after ten days of deliberating, the jury has reached an agreement. but the thing is, they've reached an agreement on 18 of the 20 different criminal counts. but they are deadlocked apparently on the other twochlt two.

this is mr. blagojevich's car as he was en route to the courthouse a little while ago. the charges stem from accusations blagojevich basically tried to sell barack obama's old senate seat when he was then voted in to become president of the united states. the former governor denied any intention of bribery. he's take ton the stand and he says he's innocent. this was a retrial for him. in his first trial, a jury found him guilty of only one count, of lying to fbi investigators. cnn's ted rowlands is inside the courtroom right now. he is awaiting the verdict. as soon as the verdict is read and we can get ted out of that courtroom and either in front of a camera or on the phone. we'll do that. let's go to our senior legal analyst, jeff toobin. help me tap dance as we wait for this verdict to come down. help me understand what's happening in that courtroom right now. we know blagojevich is in there. help me understand, we're

talking 20 different counts. they're deadlocked on two. how would that affect the other 18 counts if at all? >> can i just say that talking about rod blagojevich sounds like we're on like vh1 "i love the '90s." rod blagojevich seems like 100 years ago. he's such a blast from the past. >> we're ready to put a punctuation mark on this story today. >> the two counts are really irrelevant. if there is a verdict on 18, the two won't matter. in theory, they could retry him. but this is already a retrial. there is certainly not going to be a retrial. these 18 are going to be the counts that matter. and we'll see if the government's finally proved its case. >> we know he's been charged with so many things.

remind us why that first round, that first trial department lead to much, other than that one conviction of lying to the fbi? what happened? >> well, remember, this was a very dramatic moment during the transition. obama had been elected president but he hadn't been inaugurated. in december of 2008, the u.s. attorney, pat fitzgerald in chicago arrested rod blagojevich at 6:00 in the morning saying he was in the process of trying to sell anything that wasn't nailed down in chicago. he was basically accused of trying to sell the senate seat, basically saying, you give me political contributions, campaign contributions and i will give you the senate seat. he was also accused of not approving a hospital for children unless he got campaign contributions. he was also accused of trying to punish "the chicago tribune" by

not giving them certain tax benefits because he was unhappy with their coverage. all of these accusations. but when the case went to trial, blagojevich did a lot better than people thought. there was a hung jury on all but one count. this is the retrial. instead of 23 counts, the government narrowed it down to 20 counts and apparently we have a verdict on 18 of the 20 that we're about to hear any minute. >> here's what i found interesting in sort of reading and comparing that first trial to the second. apparently also some of these jurors were saying that initial trial was very, very complicated. and there was this emphasis here on this go-around that blagojevich didn't need to complete any deals to be found guilty of crimes for proposing them. can you explain that difference? >> right. this is where the first trial

had a lot of problems is that the government arrested him before a lot of these transactions were completed because the government said, look, we don't want the decisions to be made and then have to be undone. the problem with that is it didn't seem like the crime had been completed. and several jurors had problems with that. in this case, the government emphasized and streamlined its case somewhat and tried to make the point that the crime took place when the agreement, the corrupt agreement took place even if it wasn't completed. now, that's the legal point. whether jurors actually believe it, jurors sometimes have trouble with technical legal definitions like that. they like to see a completed transaction. so this is obviously something the government was aware was a problem in the first case. we'll see if it worked out better the second time. >> jeff toobin, hang out with me because we're waiting. this is video -- >> i'm here. >> you're not moving a muscle.

this is blagojevich walking into the courtroom just a short time ago. we're all on blago watch. 18 out of those 20 counts, the jury about to hand down the verdict. we have ted rowlands in the courtroom. we'll check back with him any minute now. stay with us here at cnn. also, watch this -- >> democrat members continue to want to bring tax hikes into this conversation and insist that we've got to raise taxes on the american people. >> you cannot achieve that you set out to do if you say, it's just about cutting. it has to be about increasing the revenue stream as well. >> two sides, one fight and a looming deadline. can congress put aside all the bickering and come together on the nation's debt ceiling? time is krik quickly running out and so is patience on capitol hill. government thinks it knows better how to spend our money. government thinks they know better how to make a better life

for us. >> she says she's got what it takes to turn things around. but is michele bachmann ready for the big time? that's coming up. ou are my suns♪ ♪ my only sunshine ♪ you makes me happy ♪ when skies are grey ♪ you'll never know, dear ♪ how much i love you ♪ please don't take my sunshine away ♪ [ male announcer ] as long as there are babies, they'll be chevy's to bring them home. ♪

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just want to remind you, we are watching for that verdict to come down. everyone's in the courtroom, including former illinois governor rod blagojevich and our very own ted rowlands. as soon as we get news on that verdict, jurors have come to a conclusion on 18 of those 20 charges the former governor faces. we'll bring it to you live. want to go to washington. developing story out of d.c. mitch mcconnell due very soon at the white house. this is a brand-new phase here in the debt reduction talks.

remember, that august 2nd deadline to reach some kind of deal, that is still in place for now. otherwise the government could enter into default. here is senator mcconnell speaking just a short time ago. >> i will tell them the truth about request by some in his party that we increase spending and raise taxes as a way of solving the debt and jobs crisis that precipitated the president's request to raise the debt limit in the first place. not only are they counterproductive from the standpoint of an economic recovery, they're also politically impossible. since republicans oppose tax hikes and democrats have already shown they won't raise taxes in a down economy either. >> let's go to dana bash. dana, mitch mcconnell says he's going to march down to the white house, speak the truth to the president. so now we've got the president and we have senator mcconnell essentially negotiating head to head. what does this mean as that august 2nd deadline nears? >> reporter: it is tick, tick,

tick. the question at this point is whether or not any kind of grand bargain, big bargain that republicans have demanded will actually get done. we're talking about a demand for as much as $4 trillion over ten years, a way to slash the deficit in order to get their vote to raise the debt ceiling. mitch mcconnell, why sit important? it is very important because it's going to be hard to pass the house but even hard tore get any deal through the senate because of the differences with the parties. what he says, what he does, what he potentially agrees to is going to be absolutely critical. you just heard him lay out his general negotiating position new york city taxes at all. but jay carney said today that they're not going to agree to anything that doesn't include getting rid of some of the tax subsidies. >> we know the biden talks broke down. cantor and kyle bailed on them last week. the white house claims it has

made progress. do we know what it is that the two sides actually agree on? >> reporter: we know from sources generally some areas of agreement which would total about $1 trillion, which is not exactly chump change, cutting student loan subsidies, farm programs, agreement that federal workers would pay more into their pension plans, things like that. but we're told that that was some of the -- what sources are calling low-hanging fruit, things that everybody could generally agree to. the big stuff to get to that big potentially $4 trillion, when is a big question mark, that is going to require both sides to say different things. republicans say spending, democrats say, get rid of some of the tax subsidies. >> what about taxes? we heard mcconnell talking taxes. we know the white house wants to close some of the tax loopholes but republicans are saying, hey, that's a tax increase. who blinks first, dana? >> reporter: i don't know. if you can answer that question, maybe you can solve the crisis.

>> that's why i'm asking you. >> reporter: it's unclear who is going to -- i was just talking to a democratic source who say they have roughly about $300 billion to $400 billion that they would love to deal with when it comes to getting rid of some of those tax subsidies, things like getting rid of oil and gas subsidies and getting rid of subsidies for companies that -- from the perspective of democrats ship jobs overseas, things like that. but anything like that, republicans are really dug in saying they don't believe that's the way to go on this particular issue. and this issue is broadly coming up with an agreement that will allow republicans and some democrats to say, yes, i will agree to increase the debt ceiling to allow the government to borrow more at a time politically that is something that is very difficult for both parties to do. >> we're a couple of hours away from that other meeting at the white house between the president and senator mcconnell. we'll see how it goes.

coming up next here, a big rig plows into an amtrak train. look at this. leaving a nightmarish scene in the nevada desert. up next, the search for passengers still unaccounted for. and if the tsa is trying to fix its public image problem, they're not doing so hot lately because coming up, the 95-year-old cancer-stricken woman forced to remove her soiled adult diaper at the airport. this woman's daughter is outraged. >> she was upset about not being able to have any underwear on. and i said, i don't know what else to do, mom, i really don't.

we got the news now. former illinois governor rod blagojevich sitting in a federal courthouse now in chicago. i want to bring in jeff toobin who i'm sure has access to this. jeff, let's run through this. guilty, guilty, guilty -- looks like first -- is it every count but the two counts in which the jury is hung, guilty? what are you reading? >> you know, i don't have the verdict. i just saw that he was convicted of some counts. so you better go ahead and read what you have. i just saw that he was convicted of something. i don't know how many counts. >> here's the something. from what i understand, looking at this, count one through 20, guilty with the exception of counts 11, hung, that is attempted extortion, and count 16, hung, attempted extortion. every other count, guilty.

what do you make of that? >> well, this is a complete, complete victory for the united states attorney's office. and it took a long time. it took two trials. but rod blagojevich is going to go to prison for a long time. federal court, they don't mess around in terms of sentencing in white-collar crime. given the seriousness of these charges, given the abuse of such a high office, he is looking, i would say, at at least five years in prison and perhaps as long as ten. and one of the interesting things going on in the courtroom right now, i'm sure, is whether he should be remanded to prison right away. i'm sure that's going to be a very hot debate in front of the judge. and so this might be it for quite some time for rod blagojevich. or he might get bail pending sentencing. but this is very bad news -- >> let me jump in. as we're poring through this, count 17, that is the only count

in which the jury found him not guilty of bribery. so not guilty on count 17. jury was hung on counts 11 and 16 and every other count found guilty. so you say -- let me just back up, jeff. from that initial trial, we know that the jury was deadlocked on 23 of the 24 counts. they ended up throwing them out and convicting him of that one single charge, lying to the fbi. i thought that carried a five-year sentence. so are we adding on to that sentence or is that thrown out and these are new convictions and new sentencing guidelines? >> no, that is added to -- it sounds like he was convicted of 17 counts. so the one he was earlier convicted on -- now, you don't really add them up consecutively. there are sentencing guidelines. but as of about five years ago, the sentencing guidelines are no longer mandatory. so the judge has a greater degree of discretion than it

used to, although most judges still do follow the sentencing guidelines. the next few months will be about what the guidelines show, based on my knowledge of the federal system, i think he is looking at guidelines that will probably be in the range of eight to ten years. that's a very long sentence in a white collar case. but given the magnitude of these crimes, given the position that blagojevich held, i think he's very likely to get it. >> jeff toobin saying he will face likely five to ten years, jeff, appreciate it. just to reiterate, former illinois governor rod blagojevich, found guilty of 17 counts. we do have ted rowlands inside that courtroom where the verdict was read. we'll get to ted momentarily to give us some of the color in the courtroom as this huge verdict has just come down. meantime, new mexico, the massive wildfire flared up

sunday and now covered more than 43,000 acres. the concern is it's on the outskirts of the los alamos national laboratory, a leading nuclear science center, facility, special crews have been dispatched. and the laboratory itself now is shut down and most of the 11,000 employees were told not to come to work today. but it is the picture that really gets your attention. look at this, the orange glow of the fire, these are pictures from our i-reporters posted earlier today, these were shot in nearby rio rancho, new mexico. i will speak with a senator who has been briefed in the last hour or so on the situation there on the wildfire as it is creeping toward los alamos, less than a mile away from that laboratory. also, floodwaters inching close tore a nuclear power plant in nebraska.

a levee broke yesterday, worrying folks who live nearby that a nuclear disaster similar to japan's could be brewing. but an official ch emphatically says the chances water will actually reach the reactor and cause trouble are, quote, almost zero. the reactor was shut down in april for refueling and wasn't brought back online due to flooding. forecasters think missouri river will crest six feet short of the level that would inundate that plant there. we're keeping our eye on both those stories. he has faced bombs and nay oe air strikes but moammar gadhafi has clung to power. as of today, he is officially a wanted man. and new york the sixth state allowed same-sex marriage. they couldn't have done it without the help of four republican lawmakers. one of those four is going to join me live to tell me why he voted yes.

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want to remind you, breaking news coming down out of chicago at the federal courthouse, former illinois governor rod blagojevich found guilty on 17 counts. talking corruption, bribery, the first -- counts 11 and 16, the jury was hung. and count 17, he was found not guilty. but, again, tremendous news as jeff toobin was pointing out for this kind of white collar crime, could be facing something like eight to ten years behind bars. as soon as ted rowlands can talk to me about the atmosphere inside the courtroom when the verdict was read, we will bring him on live. nevada investigators still looking into a fiery crash

between a big rig truck and an amtrak train that killed at least six people. take a look at the video. it is horrifying to watch this. officials say they're having a tough time just accounting for everyone because at least 20 people listed on the manifest for the train have yet to be accounted for. they thought that might be because of people buying a ticket, not actually getting on the train or maybe getting off at an earlier stop. but the national transportation safety board also has revealed that the trucking company involved had 19, 19 previous safety violations. she is 95 years of age. she is battling cancer and she is confined to a wheelchair. heart-wrenching enough just to set the story up. and now listen to this -- as jean weber's mom wheeled up to security, a tsa agent said something on her left leg felt suspicious. the tsa took her mother to a

private room to be searched. listen. >> they came out and told me that it had something to do with her depends, that it was wet and it was firm and they couldn't check it thoroughly, she would have to remove it. and i said, i don't have an extra one with me. normally this isn't a problem. and she said that she could not complete the security check without the depends off. >> so how did the tsa agent and the tsa overall defend its search asking her to take off her adult diaper? quote, while every person and item must be screened before entering the secure boarding area, tsa works with passengers to resolve security alarms in a respectful and sensitive manner. we have reviewed the circumstances involving this screening and determined that our officers acted professionally and according to proper procedure. well, in just a matter of minutes, i'm going to get the chance to ask jean weber, the

daughter of this 95-year-old woman, if that explanation is good enough. she is my guest next hour here in the "cnn newsroom." now, busy monday. let's check some of the top stories here. libya's leader is now a wanted man, at least officially speaking. the international criminal court issued arrest warrants for moammar gadhafi, his son and his brother-in-law. the charges are crimes against humanity including murder committed by libyan force during this year's rebel uprising and civil war. the warrant is really more of a formality. libya does not officially even recognize the tribunal's authority and the court doesn't have the power to enter libya and arrest gadhafi. still anti-gadhafi rebels in misrata cheered that announcement today. the los angeles dodgers filing for bankruptcy. bankruptcy court protection, i should say, today. this is all partly because of the husband and wife owners of the team who are in the midst of an ugly divorce battle. the team was counting on a fresh injection of cash from a television deal.

the deal was not approved while the co-owners fight over who owns how much of this baseball team. chapter 11 protection essentially means the team can meet its payroll and continue to play ball in the short term. and serena williams is out, talking wimbledon here. serena, the defending women's champion, was bounced out of the tourney today, beaten in straight sets by francis batoli. venus also eliminated. today's defeat was the earliest she left the tournament in six years. michele bachmann got a huge boost from her performance in cnn's republican presidential debate. remember that from a couple of weeks ago? now many are eyeing the minnesotan has a new possible frontrunner. up next, bachmann making a big announcement today but will her political past hurt or help her chances for the white house? jessica yellin is standing by

for me. we'll get into that coming up next.

more on our breaking story. just to run down the charges regarding former illinois governor rod blagojevich, the jury convicted him on 17 of the 20 public corruption charges. they did acquit him on one count of bribery. and the jury was hung on two separate counts of attempted

extortion. we talked to jeff toobin earlier for analysis. now i want to go straight to ted rowlands who is on the phone. he was inside the courtroom. ted, i am sure your eyes were fixated on mr. blagojevich as the verdict was being read. how did he react? >> reporter: brooke, he didn't have much of a reaction. he was clearly upset. his biggest reaction we saw from him bauz was when he turned back to his wife at one point and he was clearly looking into her eyes and they were both upset. his wife dropped back into her seat and was clearly upset as the verdicts were read one by one with the lion's share of them being guilty. he is looking at spending a considerable amount of the rest of his life in jail, assuming even if this judge sentences him con currently because of the amount of charges that he is found guilty on.

20 years just for the wire fraud charges. so clearly a lot of emotion as there always is as a verdict is read, but no different today. the jury seemed very emotional. they were upset when they walked in to some extent. and it's tough on jurors. one woman had her eyes closed for most of the proceeding. none of the jurors would look at blagojevich. he was straining to get eye contact with them. but no one would look anywhere close to his direction. >> interesting about the jurors. let me ask you, in terms of the next couple of months here, ted, what is next for blagojevich? presumably he goes -- obviously ultimate to prison. for now, i imagine he's headed to jail. in terms of sentencing, when does that phase begin? >> reporter: the sentencing day -- the judge order add presentencing investigation. blagojevich is free still on bond. the government did ask that he put up his house and secure the bond and there's been some

travel restrictions. he can't leave the northern district of illinois, meaning basically the chicago hour without permission from the judge. at this point, he is to stay within the chicagoland area until he is sentenced. but he is free on bond. so going home tonight. >> going home tonight, all right. ted rowlands, that's interesting. he was looking at the different jurors in the eyes and the jurors wouldn't look back. ted, thank you so much. blagojevich going away to prison for quite some time. the field of republicans running for president just got a little bit bigger. no huge surprise. you saw it coming. we all saw it coming. we knew this moment was coming. ♪ there she is, michele bachmann. tom petty on the soundtrack. as of today, she is officially in the race for president. jessica yellin standing by for

me in washington. we're going to talk with her here in just a moment. but first i want to go to jm jim acosta who is going to set the stage for us were michele bachmann announced her bid for the white house as a near frontrunner in this early voting state. a new poll shows bachmann running neck and neck with the frontrunner in the gop battle mitt romney. she's been known as a conservative firebrand but she toned down her tea party rhetoric to go after the president, predicting mr. obama will be a one-termer. >> we know our country can work. we just want it to work again. it's a very powerful coalition that the left fears. and they should because make no mistake about it, barack obama will be a one-term president. >> reporter: michele bachmann

will be in this state for the next 24 hours before heading off to new hampshire and then south carolina. while she's here in iowa, she will have to share the stage with sarah palin, the former governor of alaska. she will be here tomorrow night for a movie premier, a movie about her. also, barack obama is coming to davrnport, iowa, for a factory tour that is a campaign event for his reelection bid. jim acosta, cnn, waterloo, iowa. >> as promised, there she is, jessica yellin joining me from washington, our national political correspondent. jess, let's cut to the chase. i want to play some sound. this is ed roland speaking last january before bachmann even hired him. >> michele bachmann is a representative of congress and of the tea party. but we have to get our serious players out front and talk about the things that matter. >> we will assume that ed

rollins has since changed his tune since he's now on bachmann's payroll. are other republicans coming around, too? she earned a reputation for being way out there or maybe not as serious as ed rollins implied quite clearly there. >> first of all, i should say i ran this by ed rollins. he used to be a consultant here at cnn. and he points out that when he said it, he was working for mike huckabee. he was waiting to see if mitch daniels and haley barbour would get in the race. he said, quote, i'm a convert and no one is more passionate than converts. that's ed's take. it's true, it's no secret republicans in general are looking around for some less obvious options. by that, i mean who other than romney could be their candidate. and one of the reasons bachmann is surging now is because she was so widely discounted and she's now benefiting from the low expectations. she is outperforming her expectations. she had been portrayed as a

gaffe-prone rookie who is loose with the facts. but since the cnn debate two weeks ago, she's been articulate, clear about her convictions, disciplined, communicating her ideas, very clearly better frankly than many of the other candidates out there. the other important point is that her message resonates with the base. that's who's engaged at this stage of the campaign. so she's clicking. the question is, does she stay strong and does she have the endurance? >> low expectations coming into something like this can ultimately be a good thing. but if you listen to her speech, if her speech is any indication, should we expect to see a more moderate michele bachmann when she's out campaigning? >> moderate, gosh, no. what we'll see is a tea party activist, a social, sixfiscal a values conservative. she's drawing a stark contrast with president obama. listen to this piece from her announcement today.

>> i recognize, it's impossible to turn the clock back and to go back to a different day. instead, i want this moment to serve as a reminder of the best of who we are as a nation. i want my candidacy for the presidency of the united states to stand for a moment when we, the people, stand once again for the independence from a government that has gotten too big and spends too much and has taken away too much of our lishties. >> you heard her say, i don't want to turn the clock back. maybe that's why you asked if she's moderating her position. that's about preempting the obama campaign's inevitable attacks. so republican operatives expect a big part of the general election campaign will be fending off democratic accusations that the republicans want to turn the clock back on progress, return the nation to the, quote, dark ages. and this is bachmann's way of

saying she's for progress. but she has a different idea of what progress is. >> these republican hopefuls are all going after president obama. >> exactly. >> jessica yellin, thank you very much. coming up next, we're going from washington to new york. as you know, the state has made some history here, becoming the sixth state to allow same-sex marriage. but they couldn't have done it without the help of four key republican lawmakers. coming up, one of those four joining me. ♪ [ male announcer ] and just like that, it's here. a new chance for all of us: people, companies, communities to face the challenges yesterday left behind and the ones tomorrow will bring. prudential. bring your challenges.

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new york now the sixth largest state to allow same-sex marriage after the governor signed the bill into law late last friday. the senate approved the bill after days of negotiations. jamie alesi serving his eighth term is one of the four republican state senators who helped pass this marriage equality act and he joins me from rochester, new york. senator alesi, nice to have you on. i know you were -- they had the 29 dems and then you were the first republican to cross over and vote in favor of this. what in the world has the reaction been like for you over the weekend in albany and in rochester and really statewide there? >> well, it's a mixed reaction. the conservatives, at least a

couple of weeks ago when i informed them that i was going to do this, divorced me, no pun intended, divorced me quickly. the republicans were still trying to conference the bill out to determine whether we would bring to it the floor. and i should point out that it was brought to the floor by the republican majority, even though the overwhelming number of people that voted on it were democrats. i'm proud to be the first republican to say that i would support marriage equality and it's a position that i've had in my heart for much longer than just a few days. >> but reading your background, it's the first time you've voted this way, right? it was two years ago you voted "no" even though in your heart you felt "yes." so this is the first time nationwide that a republican-controlled legislative body approved either same-sex marriages or civil unions. so, sir, you made history. as i mentioned, there were votes in the past. this is the first time this

actually came through. what was different this time? >> well, we're in the majority this time. and i think that there was much more harmony between the various lgbt groups lobbying the legislature two years ago. they were very fractured and they were not together on their effort. some were lobbying the democrats, some were lobbying the republicans. and there was no real unity if that effort. the second thing is that when the bill was brought to the floor in the senate, it was brought by the new democrat majority, just a few months ahead of the upcoming election. and i think that it was driven politically to try to force moderate republicans like myself to vote on something we wanted to vote on and then lose our election and thereby lose any chance of recovering the majority. so we had to take a political vote. and, again, because i was the leadoff on a roll call vote, i

had to vote "no" politically. but now we're here to vote the way we want to. i commend my leader for giving us that opportunity. >> you believe down the road that will be the law of the land. my question is, if you look at this on a state level, what do you tell a fellow senator, state senator in, say, maryland who may be considering this? what advice do you give him or her? >> well, i actually am going to adopt the roll of emissary as much as i can. as a republican, i'd like to go to republican members of state legislatures and say, we did this, i voted yes, i'm still here to tell about it. and you can do the same thing. one of the advocates said, let's just get it over with and close it up in new york. and i said, absolutely, i don't see it that way. my view is, let's not get it over with. let's pass it and let's open the floodgates to go across the nation and say that this vote was taken about being equal in

america. and if you're equal in new york and not equal in ohio, then there's no real equality in america. this has to be equality for all americans. >> james alesi, the first to vote that way, setting the tone of it there in albany. sir, thank you very much. >> glad to be with you. now this -- >> on hln in the morning -- i would take like the weekends to write songs and travel up to nashville. >> so, i think you recognize her? robin wants to become the country music's next big star. coming up next, i sat down with her talking about her brand-new cd, music monday, don't miss this. 's water from the drinking fountain at the mall. [ male announcer ] great tasting tap water can now come from any faucet anywhere.

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> . ♪ i tell the world to come on ♪ ♪ bring it on ♪ there's nothing i can't do ♪ ♪ with my high heels on not too bad, huh? let me tell you, you don't want to hear me singing. you want to hear her singing. it is time for music monday. i'm so fortunate in this job that i get to talk to some of the most amazing, you know, hottest musicians from all

around the world. this week, i actually just had to go down the elevator, down the hall to talk to one of country music's rising stars, she is the anchor of hln's "morning express," miss robin meade. robin meade, this has been a year and a half in the making. >> at least. at least. because, you know, i'm on hln in the mornings five days a week. it is not like i can just go, see you, i'm going to nashville, i'll be back in a week. i take the weekends to write songs and travel up to nashville and then to record it. i've used my vacation days. so i'm really, like, yea! >> you're proud of it. >> i'm really excited for people to hear it. >> when did you start dreaming of doing this? >> you know, one of my first memories is of singing at church, learning to sing at church, like holding harmonies against people. >> how old were you? >> pre-k. >> you talk about being the daughter of a preacher. you're thafrping your parents. you also say, living room jam

sessions and a little piano we hauled home in the truck. >> this was my void. i was not a good public speaker. i was not confident getting up and even reading a book report to the high school class. and because i would see my father as a public speaker every weekend and make it look so early, that's what i coveted. they said your void becomes your value. i was bound and determined i was going to conquer that and lo and behold, that's how i make my living. >> where can we get your cd? >> it is available exclusively at target stores, itunes as well. >> do most people know you sing? i guess your viewers do. >> i think the viewers who have been with us for a long time know and their reaction, i'm grateful. they like it. then there are those viewers who go, i didn't know you sang. you see it register on their face, like, huh, okay. and i'm just really grateful that the reaction has been -- the feedback has been positive. >> i'll give you one more cd so you can cover your desk with them. >> no, this is yours. >> this is mine, thank you, robin.

>> she already has it. >> i do. i was jamming. >> thank you so much. i really appreciate it. i'm real excited to share this. ♪ i make my living off the morning news ♪ ♪ just give me something something i can use ♪ ♪ people everywhere you lose ♪ ♪ they love dirty laundry >> now we talked to robin meade, colin hay, the decemberists, mumford and sons you can see all of them. go cnn.com/brooke. next week, we're going to a different end of the spectrum with my interview with, yes, the new kids on the block and the backstreet boys. they rolled through. that is next monday here in the cnn newsroom. up next, wolf blitzer with your political ticker.

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time for your cnn equayles politics update. wolf blitzer joining me from washington. wolf, one hour away from when the senate minority leader is supposed to be at the white house talking deficit. the deadline, it is looming. >> august 2nd supposedly if you believe the treasury department, timothy geithner, that's when the money runs out, potentially the u.s. could default on its financial requirements out there right now. it is a big, big issue and the president is working hard, he's meeting earlier with harry reid, the senate majority leader, has a meeting with mitch mcconnell, the republican leader, at 5:00

p.m. eastern. at some point he's going to have to meet, there is no doubt about it, with the speaker, john boehner, presumably with the minority leader nancy pelosi and the house. they have some time. the white house press secretary jay carney saying the president still believes in his words a significant deal remains possible on deficit reduction this year. it is not going to be easy because they're significant differences. as you know, we don't have to rehash the differences the republicans want on spending cuts, what the democrats want on potential tax increases or removing some loopholes or subsidies out there. if the president is able to work out a deal between now and august 2nd, obviously a lot of the big money people up in wall street will be relieved. otherwise, the treasury department says there could be catastrophic consequences. we're watching this story closely. we'll certainly be all over it in "the situation room" at 5:00 p.m., once that presidential meeting with mitch mcconnell starts. another big story we're watching, michele bachmann, she's the -- i think it is fair to say now the republican

front-runner together with mitt romney in iowa based on -- >> wolf, forgive me, i hate interrupting you, but look here, tv screen, we're seeing -- we just saw the cameras fixated on former illinois governor rod blagojevich with his wife patty presumably walking outside of the courtroom. he was found guilty on 17 of the 20 charges he's been facing. it looks like he's clearly surrounded by a crush of media. let's see if he will speak. looks like he is. do we have audio? >> try to speak a little bit less. i'll keep my remarks kind of short. patty and i are very disappointed in the outcome. i frankly am stunned. there is not much left to say other than we want to get home to our little girls and talk to them and explain things to them and try to sort things out. and i'm sure we'll be seeing you guys again. >> governor, did you get a fair trial? >> that's it. >> okay, you heard it, pretty

short and sweet. i'm amazed he did stop and speak with -- look at presence of the media there. can't say i'm very surprised. essentially speaking, saying he's stunned by the verdict that the jury handed down not too long ago. ted rowlands was in the courtroom for me. as we stay on this picture there, inside what looks to be the lobby of this courthouse there in chicago, ted, are you with me on the phone? >> yeah, brooke, i am. the governor just walked away. you heard him, didn't say much there, just wanted to get him to his little girls and mull it over. and soak in what just happened. and he's been convicted on -- well, 20 counts, two of the -- two of the counts the jury were deadlocked on and one not guilty. he was convicted on 17 of the counts. and when you look down the charges and the possible sentences, he's looking at an extended period of time in jail,

54-year-old man, safe to say he is looking at spending the lion's share of the rest of his life in jail. >> ted, let's back up. as we mentioned, he was facing essentially 20 corruption bribery charges. as you mentioned, he was found guilty on 17 of them, guilty hung on two, found not guilty on one. he is headed home tonight, free on bail for now. as you mentioned, sentencing comes next. we don't have a date for that. i want you to take me inside the courtroom because you had such a unique perspective there. tell me how blagojevich reacted to the verdict and also how the different members of the jury reacted as well. >> well, it was very emotional as you might understand. all of these cases it is very emotional when you're about to face the defendant. blagojevich was actually very composed as the jurors' verdicts are read one by one. he looked upset, but wasn't

breaking down in any way. he didn't move his body at all. he only looked back at his wife once, she was in the front row sitting with his brother, robert blagojevich. and when the first guilty verdict was read, patti blagojevich dropped back into robert's arms and stayed there for the remainder of the session. when the jurors walked in, not one of them looked at blagojevich. and during the reading, he was trying to make eye contact with jurors and not one would look anywhere close into him, in his direction. this is a jury of 11 women and one male. one of the women in the back row of the jury actually had her eyes closed for most of the -- clearly affected by what they had delivered as well here, a very harsh sentence to the former governor of illinois. >> as you had mentioned before, ted, we see him walking out, we're airing this on a loop, he and his wife patti, he mentioned he was stunned by the verdict, going home essentially to explain what is happening to his little girls. what happens next for him?

he goes home for now. when is he ultimately headed behind bars? >> well, he's -- he's got some time to mull over what is going to happen here. but what is -- what is going to happen is the judge is going to -- in the months ahead. basically what is happening now is he had his -- he has to secure his bond with his home and other assets. and he's also been given a travel restriction. can't leave basically the chicago area, the northern district, the northern federal district of illinois without the judge's permission. there is a sentencing investigation going on, but that has been expedited. so we'll find out a sentencing date fairly soon and it will be probably a couple of months when he is sentenced. even if he goes to the minimum sentencing guidelines, blagojevich is looking at a considerable amount of time behind bars. >> all right, ted rowlands on the phone in the middle of the

scrum there on the lobby of the federal courthouse. keep in mind, this was the second trial. he was already found guilty for lying to fbi. that carries a five-year sentence. so tack that on to whatever these sentencing guidelines, whatever he could face next, that could be quite a chunk of time behind bars. ted rowlands, thank you very much. now take a look at this. he is charged with 20 counts of bribery and extortion and fraud. now ten days after deliberations, juries are ready to hand down the verdict for former illinois governor rod blagojevich. i'm brooke baldwin. the news is now. extreme pat-down. 95 years of age, suffering from leukemia, forced to remove her adult diaper. >> she said that she could not complete the security check without depends off. >> the elderly passenger's daughter will join me live and hear how the tsa answers to this latest accusation of over the top security screenings.

the dodgers are going broke. what does chapter 11 spell for a major league team? plus, al qaeda takes a hit in yemen and cnn is the only american news network that can take you inside that country. we'll go there live. and after a dramatic delay, casey anthony ruled competent to stand trial. >> the court will find that the defendant is competent to continue. >> we're on the case. the news is now. welcome back to you. i'm brooke baldwin. if it is interesting and it is happening right now, you're about to see it. rapid fire. let's go. beginning with this. it is a win for makers and sellers of video games. the u.s. supreme court ruling today that stores in california cannot bar kids from buying so-called violent interactive video games. the state's position was that children should be protected from these images that they're seeing in some of these games. the ban was made a law six years

ago in california but never went into effect. new york is now the sixth and largest state to allow same sex marriage. governor andrew cuomo sent the nation a big message last friday night after signing a law granting same sex couples the right to marry. the republican-controlled state senate approved the bill after days of negotiations and closed door meetings. and those welcoming the news include actor neil patrick harris who confirmed his engagement to partner david bertka tweeting, david and i did propose to each other, but over five years ago. this is his tweet. we have been wearing engagement rings for ages, waiting for an available date. we're talking now about the health of a south american president. venezuela's government denies published reports that president hugo chavez is in critical condition. but a spanish language newspaper in the united states is citing intelligence sources saying chavez has prostate cancer. a venezuelan official says the president is just recovering now from some surgery in cuba.

chavez's opponents are demanding to know details. the president has been seen in public since june 9th. and miami police had an angry, defiant, cursing music superstar in their hands just over this weekend. mexican singer and actress paulina rubio was reportedly involved in a minor car accident saturday. but that's not the news here. what happened afterward got her arrested. officers say she yelled and she cursed at them in spanish for about an hour, earning her a disorderly conduct charge, obstruction of justice, and a summons to appear in court. police eventually let rubio go. they did not take her to jail. play nice there. and a suspected murderer, 27-year-old shawn bassy back in custody after breaking out of a jail south of oklahoma city sunday morning. investigators say he overpowered two officers and actually stole one of their cars. a witness saw him running from that car. police ended up finding him

hiding in weeds by a pond close to where he grew up. he is charged with three counts of first degree murder and one count of arson in the deaths of a mother and her two children. if the tsa is trying to fix its image problem, they're not doing so great. coming up, the 95-year-old cancer-stricken woman forced to remove her soiled adopt diaper at the airport. folks, her daughter is livid. >> she was upset about not being able to have any underwear on and i said, i don't know what else to do, mom. i really don't. >> the daughter joins me next. you don't want to miss this. also, the l.a. dodgers go belly up. what today's bankruptcy filing means for the future of the team. [ bell chiming ]

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i want to begin this segment by showing you some pictures here. you're going to see the elderly woman in the wheelchair there. does she look like a terrorist to you? yeah. i don't think so. but if you're working as a federal air security screener, well, you can't be too careful, apparently. this elderly woman, folks, she's 95 years of age, she suffers from leukemia. she underwent a deeply invasive screening this month at an airport before flight from ft. walton beach. her daughter, jean weber, is understandably angry and joins me now on the phone. jean, let's start at the beginning. you were there. take me through what happened. >> i was there to escort my mom to the plane. she was headed back to michigan which is her home.

she knows that her time here is probably limited due to her age and her health and she has many family and friends up there, church group and all and she just wanted to be home. i had a pass so i could take her all the way to the airplane and as we got to the gate there, not the gate, but the portal to go into security, they wanted her, because she walked through, i had to remove her shoes, she didn't have her cane and she cannot walk without support. so i said, well, can she go through in the wheelchair and they said, of course she can use the wheelchair. i said i don't feel comfortable, if she would fall, it would be terrible. so i went through and waited in an area where they pointed out for me to sit. and then they -- she wheeled her through another gate and brought her back into a glassed in area at the back of the security. and -- >> is that when they felt something -- >> they patted her down. >> that's when they felt something special on her leg and

said we need to take her in a private area. >> that is correct. and so they took her in the private area. i couldn't understand what they felt on her leg, but apparently she had wet in her depends and then they kind of bunch up and made a hard spot. which is what they came out and told me after a while, they came out and said, well, it was her depends, they were wet, and they had bunched up. they looked like they were used. >> i'm sure for you as her daughter it was incredibly difficult observing this. i know your mom was a nurse for 65 years and you say this was just a hiccup for her. i know it is not a hiccup for you. i want to read what the tsa is saying to get their side and then i'll get your reaction. the tsa says this, we have reviewed the circumstances involving the screening and determined that our officers acted professionally according to proper procedure, did not require this passenger to remove an adult diaper. so they say professional here. they stand by their actions.

you, on the other hand, say what? >> i say the agents there were acting professionally. they were doing their job according to the instructions of the tsa and their policies. the part about my mother and removing her depends, i went back in the room with her and i talked to them and they said that they could not clear her with this wad in there because they could not feel it carefully or examine it. >> jean, they say they gave you other options. what were the other options? >> they offered to get her bags off of the -- out of the plane and bring it back so i could get a clean depends. and i said, well, late, i can't see how you get her bag back here and i can get my mother changed in that amount of time. i want to ask them about removing it, but my options

were, a, we had to get the depends off of her, or, b, she was not going to get on the plane. that was the options i had. take the depends off or -- and they would go -- and my thought was, well, probably there is enough time if i get through to the gate, then i can -- i knowg pick up something that would do. but in the meantime -- >> forgive me for jumping in. i know over the weekend, this story has garnered tremendous national attention. really social media picking this up as well, a lot of people having sympathy for you. the fda is standing by that they're saying. excuse me, the tsa is standing by what they're saying. you're filing a number of complaints. how is your mom? is she okay? >> my mom is awesome. she's fine. her health isn't good. but -- and we're looking at assisted living up there.

my family that has her right now, we're in contact and hopefully i'm going to be talking to her in a little while here. but she's doing all right. her health will not improve that much, but on the other hand, she's where she wants to be. >> jean weber, let your mom know we're thinking about her. if anything changes on your end, please, let us know. jean, thank you. >> thank you for your concern. coming up next, a country in crisis with a president who is mia. we'll check in with nic robertson, the only western network reporter in yemen right now.

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president of yemen, he's hurt. he's been in a hospital for another country and a violent

clash here back home claimed more casualties every day, including today. let's go live to yemen. our senior international correspondent nic robertson is in the capital city. want to ask you about his impending public appearance here and the back and forth you've been getting on that. first, i want to ask you, the army fought against al qaeda members today. was that fight at all related to the nationwide civil uprising? >> reporte >> reporter: it is. i mean, there are so many things that are part of a nationwide uprising, tribes that are going against the president, sectarian volatility, al qaeda and radical islamists in the south of the country, five al qaeda members according to the government today. many of them wounded, they say, seven soldiers wounded in abian province. the state capital according to some people was taken over by

radical islamists or al qaeda in the past few weeks. the government saying they arrested six al qaeda members today. they say those people were making ieds. this is -- of yemen at the moment, a country that is unstable and perhaps becoming -- just because the president is out of the country -- as he is under huge international pressure to do, brooke. >> as he is under that pressure to step down. i know that you and different members of the media has been getting different guidance as far as when he would make a public appearance today. and thus far he is a no show. >> reporter: he is. the information credibly contradictory. it comes from sources that are very, very close to the president. they said that president saleh will be back here in yemen by friday. that didn't happen. and then a couple of days later,

the same adviser said president saleh would be making an address. it wasn't clear if that would be taking place from yemen or his hospital bed in saudi arabia. but today, a different message, a presidential spokesman saying there will be no presidential address by president saleh. what is clear here, brooke, we have all this sort of confusion from close advisers, bad communications, perhaps the president has had some thoughts according to some international diplomats, he's very seriously ill inside saudi arabia, may come back to yemen. but what we're hearing from people that are close to him and people that have a vested interest in him returning to power here is that he will come back. so i think what we got here, despite the confusion, is this sort of drumbeat from -- president saleh does intend to come back here to yemen. but a lot of uncertainty. the gas pumps, cost of food tripling in the past few months alone, brooke. >> it is not and if but when he

comes back. nic robertson live in yemen. back here at home, did you know this, the u.s. government spends more on military bans than it does on fighting kidnapping, selling and smuggling of human beings? if you did not know, actress so you do. why she's talking out next. let me tell you about a very important phone call i made. when i got my medicare card, i realized i needed an aarp... medicare supplement insurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it only pays up to 80% of your part b expenses. if you're already on or eligible for medicare, call now to find out how an aarp... medicare supplement insurance plan,

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human trafficking is reportedly flourishing, north korea, saudi arabia, iran, and haiti. here she is, secretary of state hillary clinton. she credits her husband's administration for kick starting efforts to stop it. >> thank you. when my husband signed the trafficking victims protection act, we did have tools. we had tools to bring traffickers to justice and tools to provide victims with legal services and other support. today, police officers, activists and governments are coordinating their efforts so much more effectively. thousands of victims have been liberated around the world and thanks to special temporary visas, many of them are able to come to our country to have protection, to testify against their perpetrators. >> now, secretary clinton has some hollywood star power in her corner as well. i want you to listen to what

oscar winning actress mira sorvino told cnn ahead of today's release. >> let me tell you one fact, the war on drugs in one month spends more than all the money that has spent up to date by the united states government in all of its domestic and international programs on human trafficking. >> the state department report says 27 million people are victims of human trafficking. about 100,000 of them right here in the united states. and if you want to read more, we're covering this for you here at cnn. we have an interactive map that tracks human trafficking on our website, start with cnn.com/freedom. amand why kna knox tells a to tell the truth after he tells an italian court she murdered her roommate. we're going to take you to the trial in italy next in our reporter roulette. also, dodgers fans, anyone? guess what, your team just filed for bankruptcy. alison kosik is standing by to tell us why that decision was made. be right back.

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here we go. amanda knox tells a witness to tell the truth after he tells an italian court she murdered her roommate. president obama jumps into negotiations over the national debt. and the l.a. dodgers new chant, thank heaven for chapter 11 as the team files for protection

under bankruptcy laws. let's play reporter roulette. i want to start with dan rivers in perugia, italy. >> a day of dramatic testimony here in perugia, italy in the continuing appeal of amanda knox and her then boyfriend raffaele sollecito. rudy guede, the co-accused was called to give evidence. they were hoping he would be tripped up in cross examination and would admit that it was he and he alone who murdered the british student meredith kercher in november 2007. in the end, exact opposite happened. for the first time, he said he explicitly thought that knox and sollecito were guilty of the murder, something he had only implied in testimony previously. there was also a dramatic moment when amanda knox herself made a statement to the court during the statement she said she was shocked by guede's evidence. she said he knew that we weren't in the house on the night of the

murder. she said she didn't know what really happened, and she said she was sorry that she couldn't talk to guede direct to question him about the events. as well as her statement, raffaele sollecito spoke to the court and said that before guede had only mentioned a shadow he thought may have been amanda knox in the house that evening. now he seemed to be changing his story. he said that they had been in jail for four years and that their lives have been ruined, all on the evidence really of this one man, rudy guede. in the end, though, this defense attempt to try and get rudy guede to trip up in cross examination back fired. he didn't. so now they will be relying on forensic evidence and dna evidence that will be re-examined over the next few weeks. dan rivers, cnn, perugia. next, reporter roulette, jill dougherty in washington. we know that senate minority

leader mitch mcconnell due there at the white house any minute now, maybe half an hour we're hearing in these head to head talks, right, with the president on the crucial debt reduction package. we all know this apparent deadline, august 2nd, set by the treasury department, does the senator's arrival, might it all signal a new phase in these talks? >> reporter: well, you know, you really have to say that this is the president's first foray into trying to do these negotiations by himself because don't forget, vice president biden was trying this for quite a long time, weeks and weeks. and then last week acrimonious debate and they fell apart. so president obama is bringing the sides together, not expecting any type of, you know, breakthrough from this. because there is still divided brooke on that issue of revenue increases. and they define it in different ways. the republicans say tax hikes, no way. and democrats define it, of course, as closing tax loopholes on big oil companies and wealthy

americans. so until you can bridge that divide, you're not going to get a lot of progress. >> okay, jill, so we know, you know, the white house, what is new is that the president is now stepping in and taking a part of the talks. senator jon kyl, who stepped away from the talks last week, are we saying that the biden phase of the talks didn't necessarily break down? which side here is getting closer to a deal and do we know -- i'm just throwing the questions out, you're probably going to say we don't know yet, but do we know what measures they at least agree on now with regard to the federal deficit? >> you know there is one ray of light. and that would be that both sides now say that cuts in the military budget are a possibility. and that is a pretty big step because up until now the republicans were vehemently opposed to that. so you do have at least, you know, both sides now saying that is on the table. so i guess you could call that progress. by the way, vice president biden

is going to be in -- on these talks today. and we have to see how this turns out. but this is just the beginning of the president's side now, trying to do this. >> right. we'll be waiting for that. mitch mcconnell supposed to be there in half an hour. jill dougherty, thank you so much there at the white house. finally here let's go to alison kosik at the new york stock exchange. alison, one of the big stories of the day coming from los angeles on the dodgers, the team filing for bankruptcy protection and i know you and i have talked about this story before. my question is this, is this more business or it has to have a little something to do with the messy divorce the owners are going through. >> reporter: it does. it is a little of each. a little financial, a little of that soap opera drama for the l.a. dodgers. for its season so far, you know, with the very public and ugly divorce of its owners, frank and jamie mccourt, it seems like they're getting more attention than the team playing on the field. the team owes a lot of money to current and former players and

owing that money to these other players means it has less money to spend on new players. the team was hoping for a big cash infusion from a new tv deal, but the baseball commissioner bud selig, he rejected it and said that this deal was designed to line the pockets of the owner, but not help the team. the good news for those who are dodgers fans, you know what, even though they filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the team can play at least for the time being. >> what does this mean for the fans that want to go to dodger stadium and have to pony up for the tickets. does it change the cost of my tickets? >> reporter: it does, but you can expect to get some good deals on tickets. they're offering $5 tickets for kids. that's about as good as it gets in the major leagues if you ask me. i think it is less because of the bankruptcy and more because the team just isn't playing well. attendance is also down. experts say when this bankruptcy episode is over, guess what, the

team, it is likely to be sold. brooke? >> you're watching it for us. the dodger drama continues. alison, thank you very much. and i'm getting news, we're getting breaks news here out of new mexico. we have been talking about the fire that is encroaching upon the nuclear training facility, los alamos, within a mile of it now. folks there now being told to get out ahead of this massive wildfire. also a nuclear lab is right in the fire's path. we're all over that story. that's coming up. also, rod blagojevich found guilty of conspiracy, guilty on 17 of those 20 counts read in the courtroom in last hour or so. we're now getting some brand-new video. there he is, of the governor, look at that scrum, following him home to his house. we'll show you what he's saying there as well.

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guilty, guilty on 17 of those 20 corruption charges. that is the fate for former illinois governor rod blagojevich. we heard from him a little while ago in the lobby of that federal courthouse. after that verdict was read. his one word, stunning. he's now returned home, with his wife patti, to have to explain to his girls essentially what the future holds for him. and he was met by a crush of reporters outside his front door. take a look. >> talk about the support here in the neighborhood. talk about that, sir. it has to be heartening you have

the support here. >> you see everyone here, what do you think? >> it is amazing to feel the people and feel the support of the people. it's a very meaningful thing. the sadness i feel and the disappointment and the shock, patti and i have to discuss this with our children, our little girls and start planning for future. but and, of course, i hope things work out best for patti. and but it is so important to let people know that when i fall real hard for them and what is difficult is to think that maybe some of my people -- people might think i may have let them down and i didn't. i fought real hard. >> how do you plan for this? are you going to appeal?

>> rod blagojevich and his wife patti making their way through that scrum into their home. next phase for him, the sentencing phase as he will be behind bars for a number of years. let's go to new mexico. mandatory evacuations are in effect in los alamos and the surrounding areas. look at the map. you'll see where i'm talking about. this massive wildfire flared up sunday, now covers more than 43,000 acres. so what is key here is that this fire is threatening the los alamos national laboratory. so now special crews have been been dispatched to protect this facility, the lab is shut down, most of the 11,000 employees, we're told, don't come to work today. but these pictures as you're about to see, they really speak volumes. this would get your attention. this is -- these are pictures from you, from our i reporters. these were shot nearby in rio rancho, new mexico. look at the smoke. can barely make out the sky, if at all. the fire is zero percent contained now. mandatory evacuations are in place for the los alamos area.

everyone out. for more on this, want to go to new mexico senator jeff bingham and he's live for me on capitol hill. senator, nice to have you on. we wanted to have you on specifically because i know you were just briefed. you've been in contact with the head of that lab, los alamos lab. tell me how close is this fire to this lab, and what is the latest you're learning? >> well, the laboratory, of course, is a very large area. it covers over 25,000 acres. and there is a small spot fire that has come on to the area that is covered by the laboratory. but there are none of the structures there that are currently under threat as i understand it. the various materials they work with, and the structures that are essential to the operation of the laboratory are well protected. >> you can understand why, you know, when someone hears that

there is a fire encroaching upon this laboratory, for people who don't know, it is one of the nation's top national research security there are radioactive materials inside, there is hazardous material inside. how are they protecting that? >> well, all of those materials are -- are encased in various protective shields and are protected even if the fire were to reach those facilities. it has not reached any of those facilities as yet. and the expectation and the hope is that it will not. there has been a great deal of preparation done at the laboratory to reduce the risk of fire. that's happened over the last ten years since what was called the sara gordo fire that occurred in the year 2000 that did burn houses in the -- in the town of los alamos. so they have anticipated the

probable fire and taken precautions. >> senator bingaman, we appreciate you coming on. we're watching this very, very closely as are so many people across the country here. when you think about fire encroaching that kind of facility, you know, it certainly maybes you look up and ask a few questions about it. we appreciate it. we know they're working on keeping everyone safe around that area. sir, thank you very much. >> thank you very much. what brought the casey anthony murder trial to an abrupt halt over this past weekend? sonny hostin is on the case with more on that. and, sonny, you have this judge calling the sudden recess saturday due to an unspecified legal issue. we now know what it was. tell me. >> that's right. we now know what it was. we speculated all weekend, trying to figure out what it was. it turns out that her attorneys, casey anthony's attorneys, filed a motion to determine whether or not she was competent. so they felt she was incompetent. and legally that means she either didn't understand the legal proceedings that were

against her, or she couldn't assist them in her -- aid them in her defense. interestingly enough, the judge ceased all proceedings on saturday and not one, not two, but three psychologists interviewed her over the weekend, some on saturday, some on sunday, to determine whether or not she was indeed incompetent to proceed. they found all -- we're not sure if all three did find her competent, but the judge ruled that after reviewing all the reports, he found her competent to proceed with the trial. so quite a bombshell. i don't think it is anything that any of us thought was the reason for court being delayed on saturday. >> my first thought, one of my questions is why are we talking about competency now? isn't it unusual for this competency question to come up so late in the game in this trial? and also, do we have any idea what privileged communications prompted this motion? >> yes. it really is very unusual for this to happen in the middle of trial. it is something that usually

happens in the beginning. and once it is determined that someone is incompetent, they are made competent by medication or that sort of thing. and you mentioned that privilege communication, interestingly enough, in the motion it said that there was a privileged communication between casey marie anthony and her counsel that led to this request. here it goes, based on privileged communications between casey marie anthony and her counsel, counsel reasonably believes thats mr. anthony is not competent to aid and assist in her own defense. we're not certain at this point what that communication was. it is privileged and the records are under seal. everything that happened this weekend. many people are speculating, i tend to agree, that perhaps it has to do with casey anthony taking the witness stand. many of us, myself included, brooke, think she has to take the witness stand in order to prove out the defense's theory that caylee drowned an accidental death. and so perhaps that is one of the reasons why the defense now

believes that she is incompetent to take the stand. >> and i would be remiss, these are live pictures, if you want to know, live pictures of casey anthony there as we see that shot of her each and every day sitting inside this orlando courtroom. let me ask you about the death penalty. this came up also, sonny. the defense filed another motion today asking the court to declare florida's death penalty unconstitutional. they want a mistrial. and a do-over with a new jury. really? let me just put on my serious face. is there any chance they're actually going to get that? >> you know, don't think so. this stems from a decision by a miami federal district court judge who indicated that the procedure, the process of the death penalty used in florida is unconstitutional. that is because you don't need a unanimous jury to recommend death and that jury doesn't have to tell the judge or tell the defendant which aggravating factors made them feel that it was a death penalty case, that

death penalty was appropriate. so this miami judge says, no, no, no, this jury has to tell the defendant why this is a death penalty case, why they're recommending death. i don't know that that is binding upon judge perry. it is not at this point. all he needs to do, brooke, to fix it is to perhaps give an instruction, to perhaps change the verdict form, and if he does that, this is a pretty good judge, and he may do that, i think that this issue becomes moot. and so are they going to get a mistrial and do-over because of this? i say not. >> you say not. let's move on. let's move on to the second case and i think a lot of parents' ears will perk on this one, video games. a california law banning sales of violent video games to children. california had contended it had a legal obligation to protect kids from, you know, some graphic images. but the supreme court said that the law went too far. kids can be banned from buying

obscene material. they can, so why not include violent video games in that? >> you would think. and it is quite a decision. does everybody see this? it is this thick. >> look at that. >> i've read through it. justice scalia who wrote for the court, the decision, says, listen, you can't restrict the ideas to which children are exposed to. i thought that was very interesting. said you can't carve out this exception for violent games. it is very different from obsce obscene, pornographic type material. what he talks about, which i thought was interesting, i have children, he talks about grim's fairy tales, exposed to the ideas all the time, did you know that snow white has to -- that the wicked queen is made to dance in red hot slippers until she falls dead on the floor? i had no idea. that's not the story i read to my daughter. >> i'm remembering she ate an apple and she died and got kissed and she was okay, but

that's different than some of the video games, but anyhow, i digress. >> it is a bit different. i digress as well. he says, no, no, no, you can't restrict these ideas. and let's face it, there are voluntary rating systems in place for these video games that for parents, like myself, you buy the video games, you see if it is e for everyone or t for teens and so the court felt that this law went just a bit too far. >> okay. did the court at all leave the door open for california, maybe another state to try it again? >> i think the court did. the judge -- justice alito in his dissent, said, you know, maybe framed a bit differently this law could possibly pass constitutional muster. he gave them a little crack in the defense. rather the crack in his opinion in his dissent. so perhaps we'll see some of these laws. there have been nine passed already. none of them have gone into

effect. they have all been blocked. and so i don't know in the near future if we're going to see any video games blocked. it is like a $45 billion industry. >> huge. >> a big industry. quite an industry. >> thank you very much. appreciate it as always. you know, they say love is blind. here is a little proof for you. take a look at the canine contestants in this year's world's ugliest dog contest. find out which one was crowned homeliest hound coming up. ♪ hey, gramps, what do you got in there? well, a trout lure, a set of dentures, broadway albums.

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kind of ugly, kind of cute. now "the situation room" with woolf blitzer at the top o the hour. what do you have coming up? >> one of the stories we're work on is what is going on not only in iraq, afghanistan, and pakistan to a certain degree, but the relationship that they're developing that is emerging right now with iran. the leaders of those three countries arguably, u.s. allies in the war on terror right now. they were all in tehran in recent days. fran townsend will join us and we'll assess what is go on. the u.s. as you know spent hundreds of billions of dollars liberating iraq, liberating afghanistan. but when all the dust settles in the years to come, will iran emerge as the strategic winner in what is go on in that part of the world? we'll take a closer look at that. i know you're really interested in this subject. a lot of our viewers are as well. we have all the day's other important news and important supreme court decisions. we have got reporters in syria, in yemen, unlike any other news

organization here in the united states. so we'll update our viewers with all the important news, blagojevich obviously, michele bachmann in iowa, it is going to be a jam-packed two hours of news. >> wolf, look forward to it. we'll see you in five minutes. thank you, sir. before i let you go, we're going to talk about michele bachmann and how she was asked if she considers herself a flake. joe johns tells us why coming up in political pop. back in a moment. the bundler. let's say you need home and auto insurance. you give us your information once, online... [ whirring and beeping ] [ ding! ] and we give you a discount on both. sort of like two in one. how did you guys think of that? it just came to us. what? bundling and saving made easy. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

chris wallace created buzz. brought jon stewart on and his name is all over social media after he attacked michele bachmann asking her if she considers herself a flake. joe johns is here with political pop. and, joe, walk me through what happened sunday morning and how she reacted to that. >> reporter: the twist here is that michele bachmann gets slammed all the time by the media for saying things that need to be cleaned up.

but this time the shoe was on the other foot. it was the media guy who said something that needed to be cleaned up. check it out. >> are you a flake? >> well, i think that would be insulting to say something like that because i'm a serious person. >> but you understand when i say that that that's what the rap on you is. >> well, what i would say is i'm 55 years old, i've been married 33 years, i'm not only a lawyer, i have a post doctorate degree in federal tax law from william & mary. i worked in serious scholarship and work in the united states federal tax court. my husband and i raised five kids, 23 foster children. we applied ourselves to education reform. >> reporter: so, i mean, you seat problem here. bachmann does have a strong following. she is seen as a serious candidate out in iowa. so, wallace basically had to figure out what to do next and he did the right thing. he issued an apology, said he didn't mean any disrespect, said

it is not about the questions, it is about the answers. take a listen. >> i messed up. i'm sorry. i didn't mean any disrespect. i simply was trying to put an issue that is out there directly to her because some people do dismiss her as a flake. >> reporter: so, i mean you get it. you and i, brooke, know that sometimes you say things in this business you wish you hadn't said, at least in a certain way. >> right. >> reporter: we reached out to both the congressional office and the campaign office, haven't heard anything from them. but she has said, you know, that she felt it was insulting. she is a serious candidate. she calls it a small issue. >> so is she -- we saw chris wallace mea culpa, is she accepting that apology? >> reporter: we know that she said what she had to say. i reached out to both her office, her congressional office and her campaign office, and so far haven't gotten back to me yet on the blackberry.

but what do you do? if you say i'm not going to accept the apology, then what? >> right. wasn't jeff flake tweeting about it, making lite, who are you calling a flake, right? >> what's wrong with being a flake if your name is jeff flake. it is one of those things you got to have fun with. >> you did in political pop. thank you very much. i want to end this hour with a story we began two hours ago, former illinois governor rod blagojevich found guilty, 17 of those 20 counts, in case you missed it, a crush of reporters met him outside his home as he arrived with his wife. take a look. >> talk about the support here in the neighborhood. >> when you see everyone here, what do you think? >> it is very meaningful to feel the people and feel the support of the people. it is very meaningful thing. and the sadness i feel and