campaign's in trouble. this is "piers morgan tonight. good evening. our big story tonight. the battle for the heart and soul of this country's middle class. judging by the amount of talk today about tax, both sides believe this will be the big issue that decides the election. president obama earlier. >> in many ways, the fate of the tax cut for the wealthiest americans will be decided by the outcome of the next election. i will fight to end them. but that argument shouldn't threaten you. it shouldn't threaten the 98% of americans who just want to know their taxes won't go up next year. >> more on our big story. romney supporter tim pawlenty. welcome back, governor. >> captain morgan, it's good to be back with you. >> i like that phrase, thank you. let's turn to your own captain or the guy who wants to be captain, mitt romney. we got clear dividing lines emerging over the economy now, haven't we? this whole issue of the tax a the bush tax cuts and so on, president obama clarified his position. he says, look, i'll extend them for a year, from january, and everybody under $250,000 a year gets to have the tax cuts. what is wrong with that in principle? >> well, two things, piers. one is, it really is class warfare.

if you look at the people in this country who make over $250,000 a year, many of them are small business owners, entrepreneurs. they pay their taxes. not in corporate context but on their personal returns. so you're really raising the taxes on a lot of the people in the country who are the entrepreneur, small business owners and the like. it's the backbone of the economy. it's wrong headed. it's misguided. it's going to hurt job growth, not help it. number two, setting aside all these political arguments. obviously this is another political argument by the president because he's been saying this for a long time because he hasn't been able to achieve his goal in that regard. setting aside all the political rhetoric, we got to ask the country, how are president obama policies working for you? there's almost no economic measure that's better today in terms unemployment, median income, household values and the like, that's better today than four years ago. so it's obviously his presidency isn't working. he's got a desperate attempt to throw class warfare back into the mix. it doesn't work. the people aren't going to buy it. americans don't buy class warfare. >> well, you talk about class

warfare. in reality, of course, everybody, whether they're worth $100 million or more as in mitt romney's case or under $250,000 or at the $250,000 mark, they all get the same cut under the obama plan. everybody. the reality is, it's everybody up to $250,000. so they all get the same benefit. let's be honest, the bush tax cuts demonstrably didn't do a lot of good for the american economy, did they? unless i'm misreading all the figures. >> piers, i travel the country a lot. look the numbers are basically this. about 6 million businesses in the country. 5.9 million of those 6 million or so have 500 employees or fewer.

the bulk of the economy in terms of numbers of businesses are small, medium sized businesses. if you go talk to the leaders, people who want to start and grow those businesses and provide jobs, they all say it a little differently but they all say basically the same thing. some say, look, the taxes are too high. others say health care costs in obama care is too heavy. others cost about energy cost being too high. the effects of obama restricting energy development. others talk about regulations being too heavy. this is the common theme. the government's burdens on my business. have become too heavy. it's a discouraging to america's entrepreneurs. most don't support the president because they think he's wrong. that's not my rhetoric. go talk to the folks who are doing this. the president either doesn't listen or doesn't care. that's not going to work for america. >> maybe the president just looks around the world and realizes american's tax rate, compared to someone like britain are not that punitive. and, in fact what is wrong, ideologically, if a country's in real financial strife, as america is right now, what is wrong with those at the richer end of society paying a little bit more than those at the poorer end? when you actually look at it ideologically, when times are tough, what is wrong with that?

why is it unfair? those who got more, help out a little bit more? >> well, even the president himself. but certainly most credible economists would say one of the worst things you can do in a recession or economic slowdown is raise taxes. the president himself said that a year ago when he decided to temporarily extend all of the bush tax cuts. so obviously, setting aside the political maneuvers of the president, just look at people who actually know what they're talking about. you'd be hard pressed to find a credible economist who would say an economy -- i'd say anytime but certainly others would say in a down economy or in a recession, don't raise taxes. >> how much of a problem is it for you, mitt romney's issue, if you like, with the common american man and woman in the street, is that he's worth an

estimated quarter of a billion dollars, and yet he has a swiss bank account, he has assets in offshore accounts in the cayman island, and he won't reveal all his tax returns. whether they're all completely okay or not. it all builds up to a picture of suspicion. people are like, well, why won't he release all the details of his finances?

do you not think in the interest of clarity if you want to be president, you should just open up the books? because if it was the other way around and it was barack obama who had all these secret accounts in switzerland, the cayman islands and so on, you guys would be banging for blood to get this information out there, wouldn't you? >> well, piers, as to mitt romney, he has released his tax returns and for multiple years. the democrats are trying to go back to some other chunk of time that no candidate's ever been asked to do. mitt romney's complied with all the tax laws. has never been accused or fond of doing anything wrong. president obama doesn't want to run on his record.

he's trying to distract with these shiny objects that really aren't what the election's going to be decided on. i think you and i have talked about this before. my dad for much of his life was a truck driver.

my mom was a homemaker. for middle class americans, they want to know this, am i going to have a job? is my loved one going to have a job? is it going to be a good paying job. they're not going to be hung up on whether the candidate has this or that socioeconomic profile. they want to know, did you do what you said you're going to do? president obama has not. he's broken almost every major promise he made to country when he ran last time. it's not working. they see in mitt romney certainly success. but a hope for a better direction and brighter future for america. as measured by growing jobs. barack obama has failed on that measure.

>> even supporters of the republican party like rupert murdoch for example have got frustrated with mitt romney and his team and the message they're putting out. they want him to step his game up a bit. the classic example i guess would be this dispute last week over whether -- what the supreme court did was a penalty or a tax. and we had the romney camp saying it was clearly a penalty. and then about two days later mitt romney said actually, no, it's a tax. that kind of flip-flopping doesn't help, does it?

>> well, to be fair, when governor romney first addressed it himself, he said, obviously, it's a tax. the u.s. supreme court declared it as a tax as a matter of law. to the courts who are concerned about the romney campaign, here's a couple measures for >> i find it interesting. governor pa lenty can call it class warfare, piers. i call it math. at the end of the day, we're talking about these tax cuts which george bush passed in the middle of a war. no president in the history of the united states of america has ever cut taxes in the middle of a war. those taxes added $1.7 trillion to the american deficit between 2001 and 2008. so that's our starting point. the governor spoke about these middle class americans, these entrepreneurs who are dying under the burden of these high tax rates. our tax rates now are at historic lows.

in the past three years, we've collected less in revenues, less in tax revenue, as a percentage of the income, than we have in any three-year period since world war ii. taxes are historically low. everybody wants to lower taxes. nobody wants to pay taxes. at the end of the day, in order to support an economy, in order to make sure we can pay for public services, in order to make sure we have a government that can, for instance, afford to pay inspectors to inspect drilling rigs rather than having those who we're trying to regulate self-regulate. we have to raise revenue. it really is just math. >> here's my problem, kelly ann, some of the republicans, their position. you're completely intrainingant. you're like one of the governor/norcyst signatories. you say never again, in the history of the world are we going to raise taxes. how can that possibly be in a

nation's interest? who knows what's around the corner? who is actually wrong in principle with just saying, if we ever really need to, then we should be free to raise taxes? isn't that what a sort of modern smart democracy does? >> well, if you read the pledge there are carveouts for things like national security in times of war. but i think in addition to this rhetoric about class warfare that's being discussed, piers, think there's a fundamental thing at work here. the president is actually moving to the right to get re-elected.

i think that's a very curious point. he spent the first six months of the presidency attacking george bush for creating this economy. he's spending the last six months of his presidency doing the bush agenda. >> if he's moving to the right -- >> he is on taxes. he knows tax is a four-letter word. >> if he's moving to the right, then you presumably are beginning to agree with him. >> i agree with him on extending tax cuts.

i just wish he was obama 2010 when he was extending them for everyone. when his team got beaten in 2010, he realized that to the voters in 2010, it was something to do with the tax levels but it's really about how that tax money is spent. it's what is the federal government doing with our money. they have so much of it. when tanya says we can't pay our inspectors, that's simply a crime. we have the money there. it needs to be allocated properly for items like that. >> without took personal about your finances, kelly, do you earn more than $250,000 a year?

>> my household does and my business certainly does. in other words, i'm a great example of who gets ensnared between the $250,000 and up. as a small business owner -- >> here's my point. i don't know what the percentage must be. it must be well over 95% of americans earn nowhere near $250,000 a year. this is like the rich. this is sort of a weird way of describing this figure. as if it encompasses the vast majority of middle america. i don't thing it does at all. $250,000 is a lot of money, isn't it? >> it is. and it goes farther in some places in this country. let's talk about their tax liability. the top 1% of this country paid 36.7% of all federal income taxes. the top 10% pays 70%. so when you say can't they afford to pay just a little bit more, what exactly is a little bit more? how is 70% for the top 10% of the tax burden fair? and why don't we look at how to spend that money? why is the government always wasting it on nonsense? there's duplication. there's regulation. it's not a spending -- it's not a revenue problem, it's a spending problem. >> okay, tanya, you've heard the respond from kelly anne. what do you say? >> to your point about how many people make $250,000 a year, it's less -- 98% of people in the united states make less than that. look, i'm not one to pretend like a quarter of a million iceaiy est.3 pea wt e we i t ge?3 %ctalyot for now, tanya, kelly anne, thank you very much. the split that shook

hollywood. tom cruise and katie holmes. and is scientology to blame? signtologist is someone who can look at the world and really see what it is, all right, not only look at it and see it but be able to go and be effective and do something about it. >> tom cruise talking about there he is. there's an easier way to save. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. somebody didn't book with travelocity, with 24/7 customer support to help move them to the pool daddy promised!

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signtologist is someone who can look at the world and really see what it is, all right, not only look at it and see it but be able to go and be effective and do something about it. >> tom cruise talking about scientologist in a video made in 2008. he and katie holmes signed a

divorce settlement today less than two weeks after she filed. speculation scientologist played a role in that split former scientologist joins me. also awe are though of "freedom of mind." associate professor, chair at the university of pennsylvania. let me start with you. a lot of talk in the last few

days about scientology. because of the tom cruise split from his wife. what is scientology? >> yeah, scientology was started by l. ron hubbard. first with a book called "die nettics" in 1950. at first this book was about changing your life. making things better for yourself. in 1951, because of the success of the book, l. ron hubbard believed this could go further. it could be a religion. that's how it started. scientologist is basically a way of clearing out the bad things in your life to make things better. but it is a very complicated -- what we could call in sociology, a new religious movement. >> i mean, is it a religion? you're a professor of religion. you studied many, many religions. >> i tell people because i do study religion that i study it but i'm not going to make the judgment call of whether it's a religion or not. i think the way you have to look at scientology is how people are practicing this religion first off. and then secondarily, how does that religion interact with other traditions of faith, how does it interact with the government, et cetera. while i am not comfortable saying it's not a religion because it's something i would teach and study let's say if a sociology/religion class, i'm sure there are people who have questions about whether it's a religion or not. >> tom cruise and katie issued a statement today saying we are committed to working together as parents. we want to keep matters affecting our family private and express our respect to each other. and support each other's roles as parents. mtahethunelmherossna indoctrination actually creates a dissociative state. >> you were in the scientology church. what was the experience like for you? >> well, i must say something -- scientology may be working now as a religion.

i was involved for 23 years. i worked with hubbard himself for a large portion of that time. i can tell you that i was raised catholic and i never would have joined a church. and i was clearly shown policy letters by l. ron hubbard himself, the founder of scientology where he said that the religion side of things was for the legal and attorneys and accountants only. that the day-to-day business would not change. so what i joined was a self-help organization. we sold counseling. we sold courses. we sold books. and there were set fees. and people either liked them or they didn't. there were a lot of people that really enjoyed that. further on the line, working with hubbard directly -- >> -- do people wildly exaggerate the sscientologists? >> it depends on your experience. just like putting your foot in a moving river, it's going to be different every time. every individual who has a contact with scientology has a very different understanding. they have key core organizations, which tom cruise is very connected with, called the sea organizations. that's where the individuals sign their billion year contracts. now, suri and katie are public s scientologists. that's different. when you are committed to the billion year contract, you are a

member of the group that controls basically 24/7 your entire life. and that is not the case with katie or suri. they have a lot more freedom available to them. but, again, the age that suri is at is -- she's ready for school. and there is a choice there for her parents as to whether it's going to be a scientology school or any other kind of school. >> well, for now, nancy, steve

and athea, thank you very much. after the interview, we received a statement from the church of scientology. with respect to tom cruise and katie holmes divorce, the church has no comment. this is and always was a private family matter and the church will continue to respect their privacy. with respect to your other question, the church regrets that excommunicated self-serving

apostates are sadly exploiting private family members. every religion has its detractors and these stories come at a time of tremendous church growth. anyone desiring correct information about the church can find it on the church's website. when we come back, a hollywood star who worked with tom cruise on one of his biggest movies, director rob reiner. you want answers? >> i think i'm entitled. >> you want answers. >> i want the truth. >> you can't handle the truth. >> one of the great movie scenes. confrontation between tom cruise and jack nicholson from 1992's "a few good men." rob reiner directed tom in that film.

he joins me now to talk about tom cruise, president obama, and his new movie, "the magic of belle isle." rob reiner, how are you? >> good. how are you doing, piers? >> good. i want to start quickly with tom cruise. obviously all over the news again. what kind of guy is tom cruise? you worked with him. you directed him. there's lots of stuff being said about the man. what's he really like? >> just as a professional actor, you couldn't have anybody who was more dedicated, more passionate, about his work. i mean, you know, from a director's standpoint, he was a dream to work with because he always came on time, he knew what he was doing. he was a hard worker. all of that. the scientology aspects of his life really didn't come into play into his day-to-day performance on the set. so i can't really speak to that part of him. >> you can't handle the truth. >> you've been married for 23 years to your wife michelle. what is the secret? you've seen many, many hollywood marriage, not just tom cruise aeshgs but many others come and go and fall and fail. what's been the secret to your successful marriage would you say? >> well, you know, a number of years ago, my mother and father celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. and my mother said -- when they asked her what the secret to that was, she said, "find someone who can stand you." not find somebody whou you can put up with, find somebody who can stand you. i very luckily found somebody

who can stand me and i can stand her and we love each other and we're best friends. and i go from there. >> let's move t pits.3 ,

you want answers? >> i think i'm entitled. >> you want answers. >> i want the truth. >> you can't handle the truth. >> one of the great movie scenes. confrontation between tom cruise and jack nicholson from 1992's "a few good men." rob reiner directed tom in that film. he joins me now to talk about tom cruise, president obama, and his new movie, "the magic of belle isle." rob reiner, how are you? >> good. how are you doing, piers? >> good. i want to start quickly with tom cruise. obviously all over the news again. what kind of guy is tom cruise? you worked with him. you directed him. there's lots of stuff being said about the man. what's he really like?

>> just as a professional actor, you couldn't have anybody who was more dedicated, more passionate, about his work. i mean, you know, from a director's standpoint, he was a dream to work with because he always came on time, he knew what he was doing. he was a hard worker. all of that. the scientology aspects of his life really didn't come into play into his day-to-day performance on the set. so i can't really speak to that part of him. >> you can't handle the truth. >> you've been married for 23 years to your wife michelle. what is the secret? you've seen many, many hollywood marriage, not just tom cruise aeshgs but many others come and go and fall and fail.

what's been the secret to your successful marriage would you say? >> well, you know, a number of years ago, my mother and father celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. and my mother said -- when they asked her what the secret to that was, she said, "find someone who can stand you." not find somebody whou you can put up with, find somebody who can stand you. i very luckily found somebody who can stand me and i can stand her and we love each other and we're best friends. and i go from there. >> let's move to politics. i know you've got a lot of views about all this. president obama is facing an election in four months time. what is your overview of where the election battle currently

stands? >> well, i think it's interesting to point out that here we are in the midst of the worst economy since the great depression and, you know, the conventional wisdom is no president has ever won re-election when the unemployment rate is above 7.5%. and here we are at 8.1%, 8.2%. and obama is still leading in the polls. so i don't know what that says. i think it says a lot about the candidate he's running against. mitt romney. i don't think people really trust him. i mean, when you look at, you know, the -- the accounts in the cayman islands and the swiss bank accounts, i don't think people really feel comfortable with mitt romney.

they don't feel like he understands them. and i think that people like obama and i think that when it comes down to it, it's going to be a very close election. very tight. if you look at those key battleground states, obama is still ahead. i know he's being outspent tremendously on the air. but i think that the get out the vote, registration, get out the vote drive, will put obama over the top, and i think he will win a second term but it's going to be very, very close. >> if he does win, by common consent, i think, president obama hasn't been the miracle worker people perhaps ridiculously expected him to be. no one could perform miracles. he certainly -- many people, even his best supporters, wish he'd gone further with things. if he gets re-elected, where would you like to see him really put his foot on the pedal? >> first, you used the word ridiculously. which is exactly right. for young people who are voting for the first time who might have become disillusioned, i think they have a distorted view of how quick the economy turns around. we were in the worst economy since the great depression. it taks a while to turn around. it is slowly in fits and starts moving in the right direction. now, having said that, and i think regardless, who wins the election in the fall, we're going to see 6% unemployment in the next couple of years. either way. because the little known secret is that the government really has very little to do with the economy. in terms of the ebbs and flows of the economy. what i'd like to see president dop fibter. eally focu o we call a gaffe. when he said the economy is -- well, the private sector is

doing fine. what he meant was the private sector is moving along at a good clip. what's not done fine is the public sector. and that's because we have reduced government spending and all of the -- all of the things that a president can really do is focus on those infrastructure jobs. again, this would be technology regarding green jobs. but also, you know, roads and bridges and so on. and those jobs have been blocked in terms of moving forward. so if we can move forward on those jobs. if we can get some cooperation on the other side of the aisle. also focus on the energy jobs. i think we'll move in the right direction. i think the economy will correct itself. but it doesn't happen overnight. it's going to take some time. >> let's take a short break. rob, come back and talk movies. your new movie "magic belle isle" starting a very controversial actor but possibly my favorite actor on god's earth, morgan freeman. who's up for some high stakes poker? five card draw. deuces and jacks wild. >> i'll play. >> how much you got? >> morgan freeman starring in rob reiner's new film "the magic of belle isle." tell me very quickly, rob, why should we go and watch this film, other than the fact it has the brilliant morgan freeman in it? >> that's a pretty good reason. you said it, he's your favorite actor. i've been very lucky to work with i think the two best film actors in the world right now, jack nicholson and morgan freeman. if i could make every movie with morgan freeman, i would. if he would narrate my life, i'd be very happy to have that. the greatest voice in the world. n wt uritti i already a black president. there's probably some black along the way with some of the

white presidents. so i don't really know what to make of that. but, you know, for all intents and purposes, yes. barack obama is our first african-american president. he's really african-american. he has an african father and an american mother. >> that is undeniably true. before we go, want to talk to you briefly about nora efron. it was the memorial for her today. huge turnout as you'd expect. meryl streep. tom hanks. rosie o'donnell. many others. you worked with her on "when harry met sally." what was the secret of nora efron? what made her so special? >> she had the most keen ability to observe this awkward dance that men and women do with each other. she had the most wonderful curvy way of expressing basic truths about male/female relationships. she was funny. she was a lot of fun to be around. and the greatest gift you could ever get was getting an invitation to a nora efron dinner party. because what you knew you were going to get was great food, great conversation and lots of laughs. so we miss her terribly. it was like -- i felt like when i heard it was like the rug was pulled out from under me. i felt like this isn't fair. this isn't right. and the people in that room w aeaif morial. payo srtyo gato e raot aory,o'ar which is to go public and say, if you agree my clients' actions were with justified donate money to his defense funds. tell me about the thinking behind the strategy, and the way it's blown up as a bit of a controversial thing for you to have done. >> well, it is a bit unique, again, and i'm a bit conflicted by it, to be honest. i deal with the reality that george does not have any funds of his own. he can only get those funds from his supporters. and a lots of those supporters, the comments they've given us have shown a variety -- a spectrum of support, there are those that believe george acted appropriately. >> right, but it is a unique situation for a defense attorney to say, look, you may believe he killed somebody, and he clearly did. but if you think he acted in self-defense and is justified, give us your money. it's something -- as critics would say. there's some merit to the argument, it's slightly crude, isn't it? it's a very weird thing to be doing, isn't it? >> it is, as i said, i was somewhat -- am somewhat

conflicted because it is so very unique. this whole case has turned a lot unique facets to it. there is a criminal defense fund pfis3 % secondly,go go imommoy.3 %h dyokn tt'no

well, from racists on the other who's up for some high stakes poker? five card draw. deuces and jacks wild. >> i'll play. >> how much you got? >> morgan freeman starring in rob reiner's new film "the magic of belle isle." tell me very quickly, rob, why should we go and watch this film, other than the fact it has the brilliant morgan freeman in it? >> that's a pretty good reason. you said it, he's your favorite actor. i've been very lucky to work with i think the two best film

actors in the world right now, jack nicholson and morgan freeman. if i could make every movie with morgan freeman, i would. if he would narrate my life, i'd be very happy to have that. the greatest voice in the world. it's a really i think one of the best pieces i've done. it's about a man who's given up on life. he moves into this lakeside community for the summer. and he's in a wheelchair. you find out why. he's been drinking. he's lost his wife. he stopped writing. he was a novelist. he moves next door to a family, virginia madsen and her three daughters, and through the course of the summer, he learns to live again through his relationships with them. and it's really about finding a way to celebrate life no matter what your situation is. i started exploring that idea with "bucket list" when i turned 60 and i realized at that point i was a very, very, very young old person. i started thinking about my mortality and how precious life was. so you start thinking about what is really important and how do you squeeze as much joy out of life as you can, regardless of what your situation is. >> the thing i like about morgan freeman, you get a feeling -- he doesn't care what he says or what people think of him. comfortable in his own skin. obama is not america's first

black president. he's america's first mixed race president. and that has got a lot of controversial headlines. what do you make of that statement as the man who's campaigned for obama? >> well, i don't know quite what to make of it. except for the fact i think if you're going to measure on the scale of the fact that he had a white mother or that there's a mixed race of it, i don't think probably ever have any black

presidents. by the time we all realize that race isn't important -- we're all mixing the races as we speak and as we all evolve forward. so i don't know that. i don't know that we haven't had already a black president. there's probably some black along the way with some of the white presidents. so i don't really know what to make of that. but, you know, for all intents and purposes, yes. barack obama is our first african-american president. he's really african-american. he has an african father and an american mother. >> that is undeniably true. before we go, want to talk to you briefly about nora efron. it was the memorial for her today. huge turnout as you'd expect. meryl streep. tom hanks. rosie o'donnell. many others. you worked with her on "when harry met sally." what was the secret of nora efron? what made her so special? >> she had the most keen ability to observe this awkward dance that men and women do with each other. she had the most wonderful curvy way of expressing basic truths about male/female relationships. she was funny. she was a lot of fun to be around. and the greatest gift you could ever get was getting an invitation to a nora efron

dinner party. because what you knew you were going to get was great food, great conversation and lots of laughs. so we miss her terribly. it was like -- i felt like when i heard it was like the rug was pulled out from under me. i felt like this isn't fair. this isn't right. and the people in that room today all felt the same things. her son spoke beautifully. and her sister delia. it was a beautiful memorial. and it was funny. and it was orchestrated and directed by nora. i mean, it's the way she lived her life. she told you what to eat. what to order. where to stay when you went on vacation. and if you were smart, you listened to what she said because she was always right. >> let's take a very quick look

at a clip from "when harry met sally." one of my favorite films. many other people's favorite films. >> yes, yes, yes! oh, oh, oh. oh, god. oh. >> i'll have what she's having. >> that one line, "i'll have what she's having," is one of the most famous lines in movie history. >> yes, and that's my mother who's delivering that line. >> is it really? >> yes. she has been made famous by that. will take her place in movie history with clark gable with "frankly, my dear, i don't give a damn." i love that she's lumped in there with clark gable. >> great to see nora got a terrific sendoff today. she was a remarkable woman. rob reener, thank you very much. coming up, the man who killed trayvon martin is out of jail on $1 million bond. zimmerman's attorney tells me exclusively what george zimmerman has said since he got out.

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[ male announcer ] when diarrhea hits, kaopectate stops it fast. powerful liquid relief speeds to the source. fast. [ male announcer ] stop the uh-oh fast with kaopectate. george zimmerman, the man who shot and killed trayvon martin, is out of jail on $1 million bond. his attorney made a statement that's been pretty controversial.

joining me now in his first exclusive interview since he got his client released is that attorney, mark o'meara. your client is out, people are surprised. i'm going to walk you through the strategy you've adopted which is to go public and say, if you agree my clients' actions were with justified donate money to his defense funds. tell me about the thinking behind the strategy, and the way it's blown up as a bit of a controversial thing for you to have done. >> well, it is a bit unique, again, and i'm a bit conflicted by it, to be honest. i deal with the reality that george does not have any funds of his own. he can only get those funds from his supporters. and a lots of those supporters, the comments they've given us

have shown a variety -- a spectrum of support, there are those that believe george acted appropriately. >> right, but it is a unique situation for a defense attorney to say, look, you may believe he killed somebody, and he clearly did. but if you think he acted in self-defense and is justified, give us your money. it's something -- as critics would say. there's some merit to the argument, it's slightly crude, isn't it? it's a very weird thing to be doing, isn't it? >> it is, as i said, i was somewhat -- am somewhat conflicted because it is so very unique. this whole case has turned a lot unique facets to it. there is a criminal defense fund at all, secondly, it's gone in such an amazing controversy and support throughout the nation and internationally. it was a decision that we were sort of put in a position of

having to do because of the bond amount. as you remember, piers. we had talked in the past, i had never really asked for money on george's behalf. and though we had the defense fund active, we never really pushed it. with a $1 million bond, and a $100,000 fee to get that bond done. we cannot do it without support from george's supporters. >> how do you know, though -- there are no racist groups getting involved in this fund-raising. are you betting each doughnut, do you know who they are? the way this is framed is for any of the racists who raise their ugly heads is to say, hey, this guy shot a black guy, i'm going to give him some money. how do you know that's not happening. >> my true opinion, i've reviewed thousands of the supporters comment that is have come to us. there have been a very few that have been negative, those monies have been returned. those people who are comments are doing it from their heart and the right place. after all there, could be racist people on both sides of this fence. we have an enormous amount of hate mail that comes to us as well, from racists on the other side of it. any racist from the white with side who would do something like that, we buff them and not accept their money.

>> what is the time scale now, in terms of how you see the legal process moving forward are in the next few months? >> i still think we have about six months of discovery to go. and then getting our request out to various state agencies and organizations we want to get information from. then coming up with with our experts and then getting ready for either a pretrial motion, stand your ground motion and trial if need be. >> in terms of his personal safety, is he entitled to any state protection?

if he isn't, what is he doing about protecting himself in terms of security or whatever else he may be having? >> unfortunately, he's not entitled to any state provided security, so the security that is he under now is only coming from the legal defense fund, which is why again, a request for funds has been made uniquely, had to be made merely because a number of reasons. one his own safety and two the presentation of the case. it's now on his shoulders, but in effect on the shoulders of all of his supporters. >> mark o'meara, as always, thank you for joining us. coming up, only in america. superstar serena williams. how she won with a little secret help. [ male announcer ] eligible for medicare?

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tonight's only in america, take a bow serena williams. born and raised just a few miles from the studio, in kohlp ton, los angeles. her 14th grand slam crown, comes

after serena spent almost a year on the sidelines recovering from serious injury and dangerous blood clots. there was a time she wondered if she would ever play tennis again. she thanked her mom, dad, sisters, friends. thanked just about everyone she could think of. apart from one person. as regular viewers of the show play recall, serena's amazing comeback was certainly spard by a particularly ferocious match in new york back in may. she lost that titanic battle but learned enough from her opponent to drive her to regain her own brilliance. here's a reminder. you. >> had me. yes! yes! >> oh, come on. that was nice, did you good. you beat me. >> you know what --

>> i'm proud of you. it wasn't wimbledon, but it counts. >> don't get down, you're a good player. and just as i promised, she did come again. if only andy murray had given me a call, the men's singles final could have been oh, so different. that's it for tonight. there is a lot happening including your taxes. sanjay gupta on a striking young illness. he's on the case. and a story we won't see anywhere else. an experience taking an ocean cruise you probably think is safe. may not be. not talking about something going wrong with the ship. ap story a "360" explosive about

crime on cruise ships. crime at sea. how much more common than you realize. the little protection victims have from it and in the end how little justice some might be getting. more now. >> reporter: a cruise of the a lifetime. a family spending new years rounding the volcanic wide island off new zealand's coast. january 1, 2010. this girl, then 15, decided to spend the morning alone in her cabin. and the trip of a lifetime turned to terror as her locked door to cabin 3073 suddenly clicked. >> i didn't hear the card key go in, but i did, hear, like the door open, and, like, the lock like -- yeah. and i thought it was my brother or sister at first. and then when i saw the guy come in, i didn't recognize the bartender uniform. i just -- it was someone working on the ship so i thought it was a room