it's a blockbuster day for three big stories across the country. in las vegas, o.j. simpson is on the stand right now. the imprisoned football legend is trying to get his robbery, assault and kidnapping convictions thrown out. we'll listen in to his testimony throughout this hour. in phoenix, jodi arias is back in the courtroom where a jury will decide if she deserves the death penalty for killing her ex-boyfriend. and here in washington, up on capitol hill the attorney general eric holder, he is on

the hot seat. he's facing serious questions right now about the handling of the associated press telephone records and allegations the irs targeted conservative organizations. this is "cnn newsroom." i'm wolf blitzer reporting in washington. we're seeing a first today and it's happening right now inside a courtroom in las vegas. o.j. simpson, he is under oath on the stand and on camera for the first time in his long history of legal trouble. this is not a trial. it's a hearing, letting simpson argue his request for a new trial. he's four years into a 33-year sentence for armed robbery, assault and kidnapping. let's listen in right now. >> -- how much going to be and then just general other people. >> okay. so at the point where you're concluding your conversation with them and saying, thanks, but i don't really need you, you're still expecting stewart to come back and to bring other people to help?

>> yeah, well, him and someone. by that time he told me a guy would be coming over -- that the guy might be coming over to the hotel. >> okay. and you heard the trial testimony from mr. mcclinton and mr. alexander regarding you asking them to bring weapons when they came to help you. did that conversation happen? >> absolutely not true. not at all. >> okay. so there was no weapon talk at that time other than -- >> other than he told me that i guess he felt that that showed he was legit. >> okay. and if i'm understanding right, he wanted to be security? >> yes. >> okay. and at that point, did you have any arrangement with them that they would be helping you? >> no. none at all. >> so then what happens next? >> well, i'm still in the room. i'm now being told by stewart that these guys, it doesn't look like they are going to be

getting back for a while. stewart said that mcclintock and alexander, you know they said they'll help. and i voiced my concern about alexand alexander. and stewart said you can trust mcclintock, didn't he show you? i said, yeah, why is he so hung up on being my security? he keeps hammering about being my security. he says, o.j., you forget who you are. he can put on his resume that he did security work for you. i told him that made sense to me. so i got -- i don't know if i had the number, maybe it was already on my phone. i called them and said i might need them. and they said, well, call me -- call us back if you do. and as we -- man, i waited as long as i can wait. i even had left the room and gone downstairs at the bar in front of the hotel hoping these

guys would drive up before i finally call them and told them i needed them. and when i said that, mcclintock said i'm there as your security. say i'm there as your security. i said, okay, man, you're there as my security. but these guys aren't really bad guys. >> okay. so when you're down at the bar, do you know what time you go down to the bar? >> it had to be 5:00 or 6:00. >> what time was mr. stewart supposed to be back to meet up with you? >> i thought 4:00, 4:30. >> okay. how long did you actually end up waiting at the bar before you determined to take some other course of action? then wait for mr. stewart, i mean. >> well, i had been waiting for him in my room for a while. but then when i went down to the bar, i met charles. and at some point in there this

cash moore guy walked up and introduced himself. and we must have been there about 45 minutes, i would think. we had enough to have a couple of drinks at the bar. i bought him a drink. and some people came up, you know, wanting to buy me a drink. just normal. >> okay. so do you recall what you were drinking? >> at the bar i think it was jack on the rocks. >> all right. and how soon do you leave after you had these couple drinks? >> well, it got nuts. it really got kind of crazy because they were panicking over at the hotel, the other hotel, which turns out to be the palace station. i was panicking because i had -- what was i going to put this stuff in? stewart had an suv. and as you said i'm looking at

the limo, do i use the limo or -- >> let me ask you this, would you have driven a car yourself at that point? >> no. i didn't think about renting a car myself. i wouldn't drive a car. >> was that because you were drinking? >> yes. >> okay. so who is with you when stewart finally pulls up? >> i was standing -- we were standing literally lost, myself, cashmore and urlich when they drove up. i went over to the car and tom got out and said he was really tired. i said don't worry about it, man, cause i'm looking at cashmore there -- >> all right. we're going to break away from o.j. simpson's testimony. he's answering questions from his own personal criminal defense attorney patricia palm. let's get some analysis.

paul callan is joining us from new york. he's one of our legal analysts. also danny cevallos is joining us, a criminal defense attorney in philadelphia. paul, first to you. as you know, o.j. simpson is blaming his own lawyer for losing this case four years ago. and he's now spending 33 years in jail. he didn't testify then, so why is he testifying now? >> well, it's very interesting. the only time he actually had testified, it was a very minor case of road rage case in florida. that's where he met yale galanter, who is now his personal attorney and plays a major part in this case. he's saying that galanter basically was orchestrating his defense in the robbery case, told him not to take the witness stand, there are other allegations that galanter was making a lot of money and he didn't share enough of the money with the local las vegas council to give o.j. simpson a fair defense. and finally, o.j. is saying that

galanter basically told him that because he was retrieving property, personal property that actually belonged to o.j. simpson, it would not be a robbery or illegal for him to have done that. so he's attacking the advice of his attorney. he says the attorney didn't tell him that there was a plea offer. told him not to take the witness stand. so the judge has said, you know, i'm going to have a hearing on this. we're going to have a testimony of all the lawyers and o.j. simpson to get to the bottom of it. it's called a habeas corpus proceeding. that's what we're looking at. very unusual to see o.j. on the stand. >> it certainly is, for those of us who have watched him over the years going back to when he was a football player and then movie star. danny, let me bring you into this conversation. one of the arguments he's making is he had legal malpractice, if you will, from his lawyer during this case in the sense that the prosecution supposedly offered a plea deal, he would serve a year in jail in exchange for pleading guilty, that yale galanter

rejected that supposedly o.j. wasn't even informed of that plea arrangement. as a result he's seeking this hearing now arguing he was not well-represented by his lawyer. he deserves another trial. what do you make of that argument? >> well, i think it's probably strongest in a host of not-so-strong arguments. it's maybe the best of the worst. the defense attorney has an obligation to mitigate every plea offer made. i have to do it all the time. letter, visitation, however you can get that offer communicated, it's critically important. however, that being said almost daily thousands and thousands of petitions are filed alleging ineffective assistance of council. it is not unusual. and also it's a very difficult case to make because the law understands that attorneys make certain strategic decisions, not all attorneys are created equal. however, those strategic decisions if they have a bad result do not necessarily mean ineffective assistance of

council. the conflict of interest although this is an unusual factual case where the attorney was involved prior to andkoun c high burden to meet for o.j., however this is not your normal assistance. if o.j. can establish the attorney was directly involved in this sort of heist, which is the word i'm using, there may be something there. however, overall very difficult habeas petition to make. people need to understand this is not a trial we're watching. this is just a hearing where o.j. has to climb a very steep hill to have a court decide whether or not he gets a new trial. >> very quickly, paul, if in fact it is proven in this hearing that, you know, the lawyer yale galanter did not inform his client o.j. simpson about this potential plea agreement, a year in jail as opposed to the 33 years he eventually got once he was convicted, is that enough to reopen this whole case? >> yes, it could very well be.

there are about two or three points that are -- that have been raised in this. if the judge finds in simpson's favor, she could order a new trial. it's a serious proceeding. the one thing i would just end with is that galanter being involved financially with o.j. simpson is a big point. simpson is saying, you know, he didn't want me to take the stand. he didn't want to spend money on my defense because he has a financial interest in my career. you know, when lawyers get involved financially and in a business way with people they represent, they often get into trouble. and that's what simpson's focusing on here, that claim. >> all right. we'll see what the attorney yale galanter says about this as well because he's right at the heart of this appeal that o.j. is undertaking right now. guys, don't go too far away. we're going to continue to monitor what's happening in this courtroom. but let's go to phoenix right now. another courtroom where the same jurors who convicted jodi arias of first-degree murder must now decide whether she lives or dies. to get a death verdict,

prosecutors have to convince jurors that arias killed her ex-boyfriend travis alexander in a cruel or especially depraved way. dramatic and potentially graphic testimony expected today from the medical examiner. we'll have a live report from phoenix. that's coming up shortly. here in washington the attorney general eric holder, he's on the hot seat right now up on capitol hill. he faces some serious questions about those phone records the justice department secretly collected from the associated press. holder's about to testify before the house judiciary committee. the justice department defends the seizure of the phone records. officials saying it was part of an investigation into what they described as a major national security leak with american lives at stake. our crime and justice correspondent joe johns is following these late breaking developments for us. joe, how potentially damaging is all of this to the obama administration and the president's critically important second term agenda? >> well, certainly, wolf,

there's a problem here for this administration. the first problem of course is just the question of getting off the ball and getting ahead of controversies like this instead of having to react to them. that's something the obama administration certain ly has nt been good at so far. in the long-term a lot of this remains to be seen. because what we have is two investigations. we have the irs investigation as well as the associated press investigation. these are things that the attorney general can invoke the fact it's an ongoing situation and he can't comment. he's also recused himself. sounds like it's not going to be very satisfying for this committee. and there are a lot of unanswered questions we're going to have to hear more about down the road, wolf. >> so will he be able to simply say i recuse myself, i don't really know anything about it since i myself was questioned

about this leak, is that going to satisfy members of congress? >> it's a tough position for this attorney general to be in. and as you know he's been in many tough positions before committees on capitol hill. he's had a lot of critics there especially as you'll remember during the fast and furious investigation called a scandal by many over gun running out of mexico. so he's been in this position before. they have been tough on him. and i expect he's probably not going to -- he's probably going to take as good as he gets, wolf. >> on the irs investigation, the president has now received a letter from all 45 republicans in the senate saying they want a lot of documents, they want a complete investigation. as you know, republicans especially they think someone or some people should go to jail as a result of what's going on in the irs investigation. i know holder's going to be questioned about all of these kinds of related issues. that seems to be escalating the

intensity of the anger on this irs specifically going after conservative tea party groups. >> it certainly does seem to be escalating. and we've been asking around as to what individuals might be charged with in this situation after this fbi investigation is complete. our sources have told us the first thing they'd be looking at is whether there were any false statements made, either to members of congress or perhaps later to investigators. there's been some talk also of possible charges or investigation into breaking the laws of civil rights. so a couple opportunities there, but if you talk to legal scholars, they will tell you that in previous administrations both republican and democrat there have been similar charges leveled before on these types of matters relating to the irs. and a lot of times it didn't go anywhere, wolf. >> and holder yesterday announce that had a criminal investigation is underway to determine if any laws were in

fact broken as far as this irs scandal is concerned. joe is going to be following this hearing for us throughout the day. criticism of the obama administration is coming from some members of his own party. congressman charlie wrangle says president obama owes the public an explanation about the a.p. phone records and the irs scandal. he'll join me live today 5:00 p.m. eastern "the situation room." and chairman darrell issa, he's planning his own hearing next week on the irs scandal. congressman issa also will be in "the situation room." that will happen during our 6:00 p.m. eastern hour. here's a question, does jodi arias deserve to be put to death for brutally murdering her ex-boyfriend? we're going to phoenix for the aggravation phase of this arias trial. standby. d this. she got a parking ticket... ♪ and she forgot to pay her credit card bill on time.

good thing she's got the citi simplicity card. it doesn't charge late fees or a penalty rate. ever. as in never ever. now about that parking ticket. [ grunting ] [ male announcer ] the citi simplicity card is the only card that never has late fees, a penalty rate, or an annual fee, ever. go to citi.com/simplicity to apply. starts with ground beef, onions and peppers baked in a ketchup glaze with savory gravy and mashed russet potatoes. what makes stouffer's meatloaf best of all? that moment you enjoy it at home. stouffer's. made with care, for you or your family. it's time... for aveeno® positively radiant face moisturizer. [ female announcer ] only aveeno® has an active naturals total soy formula that instantly brightens skin. and helps reduce the look of brown spots in just 4 weeks. for healthy radiant skin. try it for a month. then go ahead and try to spot a spot. aveeno® positively radiant.

naturally beautiful result aveeno® positively radiant. have hail damage to both their cars. ted ted is trying to get a hold of his insurance agent. maxwell is not. he's on geico.com setting up an appointment with an adjuster. ted is now on hold with his insurance company. maxwell is not and just confirmed a 5:30 time for tuesday. ted, is still waiting. yes! maxwell is out and about... with ted's now ex-girlfriend. wheeeee! whoo! later ted! online claims appointments. just a click away on geico.com.

our seafood dinner for two for just 25 dollars! first get salad and cheddar bay biscuits. then choose from a variety of seafood entrées. plus choose either an appetizer or a dessert to share. offer ends soon at red lobster! where we sea food differently. ...and we inspected his brakes for free. -free is good. -free is very good. [ male announcer ] now get 50% off brake pads and shoes at meineke. as we mentioned, we're watching a number of high profile court cases. right now, o.j. simpson, he's on the stand in las vegas. he's trying to get a new trial on robbery, assault and kidnapping charges from 2007. simpson says he received bad

legal advice from his lead attorney four years ago. currently he's serving a 33-year prison term. they're taking a break right now. they'll resume that hearing shortly. just a few minutes ago jodi arias returned to a phoenix courtroom for a critical phase of her trial. the same jurors who convicted her of first-degree murder will now be deciding whether she deserves to die for killing her ex-boyfriend travis alexander. but before they make that decision, they must determine if arias was cruel when she committed the murder. ted rowlands is joining us from outside the courthouse in phoenix right now. ted, arias stabbed alexander, what, nearly 30 times, she slit his throat from ear-to-ear, she shot him. that sounds pretty cruel to me. so will prosecutors have to lay out even more evidence of brutality? >> yes, wolf, they will. this is basically a little minitrial where jurors will listen to first the coroner we believe will take the stand.

and we're just watching the judge give initial instructions to the jury now. we believe it will be the coroner and possibly a detective. and what the prosecution will lay out exactly what you said in more detail to express to this jury this was especially cruel. they'll deliberate that. if they agree with the state, then she's eligible for the death penalty. >> so when can we expect a decision on this second phase of the trial? >> as early as today. we're only expecting one to two witnesses. it's a relatively short proceeding. and immediately after both sides have finished with miniclosing arguments, the injury will have this portion of the case and they could decide relatively quickly because there won't be a lot to discuss, but it all depends on how much decision time it takes once they arrive at a decision one way or another, if they say yes, then she's eligible for death penalty. we step into the next phase. if they say no, then their job is over and the judge will sentence jodi arias either to life in prison with or without parole. that will come 30 to 60 days

after the jury is finished. >> we'll see what the decision is today presumably. standby for that. ted, appreciate it. here's more of what we're working on in "cnn newsroom" this hour. we're learning more disturbing details about what one of the cleveland kidnapping victims went through allegedly at the hands of ariel castro. plus, his former daughter-in-law speaking out about how castro allegedly abused his own son and wife years ago. n: how old is the oldest person you've known? we gave people a sticker and had them show us. we learned a lot of us have known someone who's lived well into their 90s. and that's a great thing. but even though we're living longer, one thing that hasn't changed much is the official retirement age. ♪ the question is how do you make sure you have the money you need to enjoy all of these years. ♪ it's hard to describe, because you have a numbness,

but yet you have the pain like thousands of needles sticking in your foot. it was progressively getting worse, and at that point i knew i had to do something. once i started taking the lyrica the pain started subsiding. [ male announcer ] it's known that diabetes damages nerves. lyrica is fda approved to treat diabetic nerve pain. lyrica is not for everyone. it may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eyesight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or skin sores from diabetes. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today. it's specific treatment for diabetic nerve pain.

we're getting disturbing new details on the condition of the women rescued after years of alleged captivity inside ariel castro's home. a family friend of victim michelle knight says she was castro's main punching bag. and that's a quote. the friend says castro abused knight with every and anything including hand weights. as a result she suffered vision loss, joint and muscle damage and has other physical issues right now. according to the friend, amanda berry was treated slightly better than the other two girls

and knight was treated the worst. the former daughter-in-law of ariel castro says she steered clear of the ohio kidnapping suspect because of stories she heard about his abusive nature. monica stevens talked to our piers morgan. >> what kind of man was he? >> i never had the desire to get to know him personally or very closely. both my ex-husband and his mother had shared with me stories of how he had beaten them, locked them in the house. you know, just treated them like hostages. so i never had a desire to get to know him. he didn't have that like, you know, father-in-law appeal. >> castro faces charges of rape and kidnapping in connection with the alleged ten-year abduction of amanda berry, gina dejesus and michelle knight.

a ang lee na jolie planning to have her ovaries removed. jolie got a preventive double mastectomy in february followed by reconstructive surgery. she carries a gene mutation that substantially increases her chances of getting breast and ovarian cancer. sources tell "people" magazine she'll get her ovaries removed as soon as possible rvelgts as two more victims of the boston bombings are released from the hospital, the city's fire chief is getting slammed for his actions immediately following the bombings. you're going to hear why his deputy chiefs are calling him out. i'm here at my house on thanksgiving day,

and i have a massive heart attack right in my driveway. the doctor put me on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. go talk to your doctor. you're not indestructible anymore. walmart has some great lunch options. a meal like this costs less than $4.25 per serving. if you swap out lunch just 3 times per week,

you could save over 475 bucks a year. yeah? save on lean cuisine backed by the low price guarantee. walmart.

inside a courtroom in las vegas o.j. simpson is making his case for a new trial. he's currently serving a 33-year sentence for armed robbery, assault and kidnapping. simpson says he received bad legal advice from his lawyer four years ago. let's listen to what he said just a little while ago during this hearing. >> so at this dinner, what's the conversation between you and mr. galanter? >> yeah. well, we talked about the wedding, tom getting married. this came up, what was going to happen tomorrow. i explained to him what i was going to try to have charlie do,

to go in to verify it was my stuff and to try to get more -- see if he could get more personal out of the guys. i didn't think these guys would have everything laying around. i was hoping that maybe one of my watches or rings or something would show up. someone mentioned, i think cj, mentioned -- my daughter, mentioned was the suit going to be there. i said if that suit's there i'm going to take it and burn it. and yale, this is what i remember, you are not burning that suit. told me i was not going to burn that suit. to bring that suit to him. i said, man, these guys, they inflate everything. if this suit was worth what they're saying it was worth, they would have sold it a long time ago. he said, no, and he implied somebody that he knew was interested in buying it. >> we're going to continue to monitor this hearing that o.j. simpson is having. he's trying to reopen his case.

today is also one month since the boston marathon bombings. two more patients have been released from the hospital, rose anne discharged from spalding rehabilitation hospital yesterday. boston firefighters escorted her to her home. she lost part of her right leg in the bombing. paul norton also released from boston hospital yesterday. he and his brother were severely injured in the attack. they each lost a leg. meantime, the city's fire chief is being criticized for the way he handled the bombings. jason carroll has a closer look. >> these are some very serious allegations being made against boston's fire chief. the allegations coming from 13 out of 14 of the deputy fire chiefs. they basically say that he was shirking his responsibilities the day of the boston marathon and that he failed to assume command. these allegations being made in a letter of no confidence mailed to boston's mayor. let me read you part of the

letter. it set e says at a time when the city of boston needed every first responder to take decisive action, chief barerra failed to get involved in operational decision-making or show any leadership. you can unequivocally consider this letter a vote of no confidence. he basically feels a lot of this is infighting coming from his deputy chiefs. he feels these allegations are being made against him because he's an outsider. he came in from dallas about two years ago. he said he made some departmental changes to bring the department up to national standards that were not popular. and he says as a result of that he is constantly being criticized by some in the lower ranks. he responded by saying "in their estimation they believe that if you don't assume command, you don't have responsibility there for what goes on. i tried to explain to them, if i'm on the scene, i'm still responsible. that's it. but they don't believe it." sheaf abraira also made it clear

to me that he said at least four deputy fire chiefs were here at the scene and handled the situation well. he says it's his responsibility to step in only if his deputy chiefs aren't doing what they're supposed to be doing. the mayor also weighing in on this basically saying that he has full confidence in the fire commissioner whatever happens. jason carroll, cnn, boston. for the second time this month a u.s. service member who worked in a sexual assault prevention program has been accused of sex crimes. we're taking a closer look at these serious allegations. enien. so here are a few reasons to choose university of phoenix. our average class size is only 14 students. our financial tools help you make smart choices about how to pay for school. our faculty have, on average, over 16 years of field experience. we'll help you build a personal career plan. we build programs based on what employers are looking for. our football team is always undefeated. and leading companies are interested in our graduates. we'll even help you decorate your new office. ok. let's get to work.

in california, a 12-year-old boy accused of killing his 8-year-old sister is due in court next hour. leila fowler was stabbed multiple times in her family's home late last month. the children's mother called 911 to report that her children were

afraid because a man had broken into their home. here's a portion of that call. >> hi, 9-1-1, how can i help you? >> my children are at home alone and a man just ran out of our house. my older son was in the bathroom and my daughter started screaming. >> says he will be tried as a juvenile. it's a growing problem for the u.s. military, the number of allegations of sexual assaults within its ranks now on the rise. and it also now appears another scandal is breaking, this time at ft. hood in texas. the coordinator is under investigation for sexual assault. a defense department official says initial indications show that at least one person may have been forced into prostitution-related activity, but the matter remains under investigation. the sergeant first class has been suspended of all duties. u.s. officials are remaining tight-lipped right now about russia's claim that it detained

an american spy. russia's foreign ministry summoned the u.s. ambassador in moscow this morning to talk about the situation. michael mcfall left a short time later without any comment to reporters. russia claims this man was trying to recruit a double agent who's name is ryan fogel and he's a political officer at the u.s. embassy. russian officials said fogel had a spy arsenal. video shows a number of wigs, recording devices, cash and plastic bags with documents. russia has ordered his expulsion. video games, touch screen computers, interactive pod beds, sounds like an arcade, right? actually, it's a children's hospital. cnn's carol costello shows us how they're finding new ways to treat pain. >> paige is doing some high-tech rehab. interactive video games are just

one of several innovative techniques being used at the newly open pain medication care complex in washington. >> this is where we engage video and gaming technology. >> plotken was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome when she was a freshman in high school. games like this are engineered to target dimpt areas of a patient's body while distracting them from discomfort. >> how do you feel as you do this? >> not as -- i'm not thinking of the pain as much as i usually do for sure. >> while paige pushes herself, the system is providing realtime feedback to her physical therapist who can adjust treatment on the fly. >> you're going to have to lean on that foot back and forth. >> the game room isn't the only tech twist you'll find at this facility. there's no more waiting room. here it's dubbed a learning oasis complete with touch screen computers. >> it helps you relax. >> and patients rest in a pod bed that measures biofeedback. lights change along with body

temperature. and music and aroma therapy can added to help them cope with pain and stress as they sleep. >> we hope over time we will develop more games and more technology that allow us to keep moving forward in this area. >> carol costello, cnn, atlanta. u.s. stocks right now back in record territory after hitting another high on tuesday. take a look at this. but how can we be doing so well when the eurozone apparently in the terrible recession right now. we'll take a closer look. [ kitt ] you know what's impressive? a talking car. but i'll tell you what impresses me. a talking train. this ge locomotive can tell you exactly where it is, what it's carrying, while using less fuel. delivering whatever the world needs, when it needs it.

♪ after all, what's the point of talking if you don't have something important to say? ♪ how old is the oldest person you've known? we gave people a sticker and had them show us. we learned a lot of us have known someone who's lived well into their 90s. and that's a great thing. but even though we're living longer, one thing that hasn't changed much is the official retirement age. ♪ the question is how do you make sure you have the money you need to enjoy all of these years. ♪

walmart and the gap say they will not, repeat not, sign an international deal to increase safety standards in bangladesh. the five-year plan calls for independent safety inspections and reports to be made public. companies currently hire their own inspectors and results aren't usually publicized. walmart says it's inspecting all of its 279 factories in bangladesh and make results public. meanwhile, gap says it wants to sign the agreement, but it does not want the pact to be legally binding.

right now pvh, which is the company that owns tommy hilfiger and calvin klein the only company to sign the agreement. most of the companies that have signed are from europe. turning to wall street where investors remain very much on a roll. stocks are on record highs, but just how long will the market keep this kind of momentum up? alison kosik is joining us from the new york stock exchange right now. alison, how is the u.s. market reacting to the news that the european union is back in recession? >> interesting you ask that because the broader market as you can see is taking it in stride. we are seeing some individual stocks, wolf, getting hit by the news. tech company hewelett packard is one of those. shares down almost 3%. hp is one of the many companies during the first quarter earning seasons reported it had weak sales in europe and that hurt their overall sales. funny thing is not much seems to be able to put the brakes on

this rally. the dow, s&p 500, both headed for yet another record high. look at the dow, it's closed at a record high 19 times so far this year, going for number 20 today. wolf. >> people are making money in their 401(k)s and elsewhere. all of the optimism, alison, on wall street, what's it based on? i ask the question because there are concerns as you well know a lot of this could come crashing down. >> that's a good point. traders never like it when they see this trade going, you know, straight up or straight down. investors have actually been looking for some kind of pullback for months, but rally just keeps showing little signs of slowing down. keep in mind stocks are being in part propped up by the fed's stimulus dollars, but also higher corporate profits are also keeping stocks higher. and that strength is what will hopefully keep the market from falling too far too fast when the trend does inevitably turn lower. and just because the trade continues to move higher for the folks down on the floor who are actually trading these stocks, you know, one trader says it

this way, he says greed keeps you from selling, and the record highs make it hard to find stocks to buy. believe it or not, some traders are having a hard time finding the wiggle room they usually have. wolf. >> we'll see if that negative trend in europe spills over here. we'll monitor that closely. alison, thanks very much. here in washington on capitol hill right now the attorney general of the united states eric holder is facing serious questions about those phone records the justice department seized from the associated press and facing questions on a wide range of other issues as well. holder is testifying before the house judiciary committee. here's what he said just a few moments ago about those a.p. phone records. >> a lot of criticism, in fact, the head of the rnc called for my resignation in spite of the fact i was not the person involved in that decision. but be that as it may, i was recused in that matter as i described i guess in a press conference i held yesterday the

decision to issue this subpoena was made by the people who are presently involved in the case. the matter is being supervised by the deputy attorney general. i am not familiar with the reasons why the subpoena was constructed in the way that it was because i'm simply not a part of the case. >> we're going to continue to monitor the hearing up on capitol hill. we'll keep you updated of course on the latest developments. feces, profanity and urine sprayed at them on the job. for the first time ever, guards at guantanamo bay in cuba are talking exclusively to cnn about ga guarding gitmo's most exe dangerous. we're on the ground at gitmo. plus, boston red sox slugger david ortiz is turning some of his colorful language into help for the victims of the boston marathon bombing. you're going to find out how.

that's next right here in "cnn newsroom." staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. celebrex can be taken with or without food. and it's not a narcotic. you and your doctor should balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, like celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death.

patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. don't take celebrex if you have bleeding in the stomach or intestine, or had an asthma attack, hives, other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling theor face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history. and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion. well, dad, i spent my childhood living with monks learning the art of dealmaking. you've mastered monkey-style kung fu? no. priceline is different now.

you don't even have to bid. master hahn taught you all that? oh, and he says to say (translated from cantonese) "you still owe him five bucks." your accent needs a little work. ...amelia... neil and buzz: for teaching us that you can't create the future... by clinging to the past. and with that: you're history. instead of looking behind... delta is looking beyond. 80 thousand of us investing billions... in everything from the best experiences below... to the finest comforts above. we're not simply saluting history... we're making it.

shortly after the boston bombings, the red sox slugger david ortiz had a message to the terrorists. this is our, his words, blanking, city. he didn't say the word blanking. but now ortiz is using that colorful language to raise some serious money for the bombing victims. joe carter has the bleacher report. >> yeah, wolf. basically david ortiz is taking that memorable quote and printing it on baseball bats and selling them for charity. we remember that moment, just after the boston bombings when ortiz stood in front of the fenway crowd and had no problem saying exactly what was on his mind. now, ortiz and the company that makes his current bats are

partnering up to make these bats. not only does the bat have the quote, it also has a silhouette of ortiz pointing to the sky and the words never forget and boston strong. now, unsigned bats are going for 125 bucks. autographed ones are going for $500. you can purchase them on his website, big papi.com. 100% of the proceeds go to the bombing victims. let's talk basketball, the new york knicks, they're in trouble after last night's loss. 11-point loss to indiana. the knicks are down 3-1. carmelo anthony had 24 points, smith had 19. the rest of the knicks, ice cold. indiana's george hill, on the other hand, had another solid game. he's been the driving force behind the pacers playoff success so far. the most competitive playoff series is the spurs and the warriors. last night, anything but competitive because the old man spurs ran the floor like they were in their early 20s. they hammered golden state, one

of the youngest teams in the nba. beat them by 18 points. san antonio is now in control, 3-2. game six shifts back to oakland and that's thursday night. for all things nba playoffs, go to bleacherreport.com. back to you, wolf. >> thanks very much. we're getting news just coming into the "cnn newsroom," want to bring in cnn's drew griffin. drew, the irs scandal is escalating. a lot of officials up on capitol hill, they want names. they want to know who was responsible for targeting tea party groups, conservative organizations, for specific treatment in order to get tax exempt status. you're learning some new information. tell our viewers what you're picking up. >> reporter: not the names yet, but the number of employees apparently involved, wolf. two employees. this coming from a congressional source who is telling us that the acting commissioner of the irs apparently identified two employees who, quote, according

to the irs commissioner were off the reservation. the congressional source is telling us the acting irs commissioner has pinpointed these two rogue employees, that's a quote, in the agency as being principally responsible for overly aggressive handling of tea party requests for tax exempt status over the past two years. in a capitol hill meeting, the acting commissioner described the employees as i said as off the reservation. not clear to us, wolf, exactly what the quote/unquote rogue behavior involves. we do have another source that is familiar with the discussions with congressional investigators who said that miller disclosed the two staffs her already been disciplined and the second source said miller emphasized the problem with the irs handling of the tax exempt status were tea party groups was not limited to just these two people. wolf, we do know that the acting commissioner did meet with the

senate finance chair, that's max baucus on tuesday to discuss an appearance before congress. we were able to -- able to track down senator baucus in the hallway, who told us he did not learn as much from that meeting as he would have liked. but he did tell the commissioner that it was in his best interest to be totally cooperative, that often the cover-up is worse than the initial allegations. we did reach out to the irs, wolf, we're waiting for any kind of comment. we'll pass that along. right now we're learning that apparently two employees, two irs employees, pinpointed at that cincinnati office, as being possibly the main targets in this entire irs scandal. >> i suspect a lot of republicans, especially, but there are a bunch of democrats outraged by this as well. they're going to suggest this may just be the tip of the iceberg, if you will. they're going to want to see who else could be implicated in this. i know you're working it, ted barrett, our capitol hill producer, our entire team, we'll

get more information, share it with our viewers. thanks very much, drew griffin, on the scene for us, reporting. o.j. simpson takes the stand, trying to get himself a new trial. the imprisoned football legend trying to get his robbery, assault and kidnapping convictions thrown out. he was convicted, spending 33 years in jail. we'll listen in to his testimony throughout the day. (announcer) born with a natural energy cycle... cats. they were born to play. to eat.

then rest. to fuel the metabolic cycle they were born to have, purina one created new healthy metabolism wet and dry. with purina one and the right activity, we're turning feeding into a true nature experience. join us at purinaone.com

constipated? yeah. mm. some laxatives like dulcolax can cause cramps. but phillips' caplets don't. they have magnesium. for effective relief of occasional constipation. thanks. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'.

hello i'm ashleigh banfield reporting live in phoenix for special coverage of a blockbuster day involving courtroom drama and -- it is all happening at this very moment. first, the jodi arias trial. she's in court for a mini trial of sorts. this is the first part of her sentencing phase in her criminal trial. it will decide whether she gets life in prison or death. in washington, eric holder is being grilled on a couple of scandals that are rocking the obama administration right now. we're going to begin in las vegas where america's most famous defendant officially speaks. o.j. simpson taking the stand. and o.j. appears wearing prison blues with his feet shackled and originally his hands shackled, but his right hand freed. he's testified now for nearly two hours in his effort to win a brand-new robbery and kidnapping