cayman islands and bermuda. to be fair, those accounts could be completely legitimate, but the dems are whipping up this perception that something shady is going on. but hold on. this storm may be turning back on the president. president obama has gone to great lengths to brag about his openness, honesty and transparency in his white house. >> we have put in place the toughest ethics laws and toughest transparency rules of any administration in history. in history. >> transparency, transparency, transparency. we've heard it over and over again. but do his claims add up? he promised to publish the white house visitors log so the public could see coming and going all the time. but later came under fire for holding meetings across the street at a townhouse. he promised more protection for government whistle blowers. according to politic fact, he has done that, but his justice department said he prosecuted more.

he appointed a transparency czar and later dropped him, saying the white house attorney can handle that work. and you may remember this moment we brought you on live "outfront" not long ago, the president was attending a fund-raiser in june at the home of actress sara jessica parker. and what's that truck doing there? the secret service parked a dump truck in front of our camera to keep him hidden from view. all of that has prompted publications from "the new york times" to "mother jones" magazine to sharply criticize the president from being far from the champion of transparency he claims to be. bottom line, it looks like both candidates need hiding from the transparency twister as it tears through the race. david from, bill adare, from politicfact, extensively covering both campaigns, and roland martin. bill, let me start with you. this wide question of who is being more traernlt transparent.

is this president any better, worse, than other presidents? >> he's made considerable progress. he made a big promise. he said he would be the most transparent and open president in history. so he's set a high bar for himself. and he's had mixed success. there are definitely some things that he achieved in terms of putting data online, putting data from the economic stimulus. putting up the white house visitor logs. he has been very good at posting data. where he has not done well is resisting the gravitational pull of washington. to do things behind closed doors. he promised that he would open the health care discussions to the cameras of c-span. it never happened. and we have compiled some of these, and we found it's a mixed record of 13 core promises on transparency that we track on politic fact. he's got five kept, five broken and three we've rated compromised.

so it's a mixed record. >> so, david, you know, one of the things i've been struck by, i've looked at this ocean of information coming out of the white house. and i've heard many other reporters say the same thing. yeah, there's a lot of information coming out. but when you're releasing the information that you want the to release, that's just pr. that's not transparency. >> i'm a big believer in government accountability, but i think transparency is the most overrated concept in government. it doesn't do what you want it to do. it's not -- it's usually not desirable. it breeds cynicism. and, of course, it's counterproductive. >> what do you mean, it doesn't do what you want it to do? i'm a voter, i want to know what's going on. i want to know who the president is sitting down with. >> you think you do, but you don't really. because what you want is an effective administration that delivers positive results. and that means the president needs to have some privacy in his deliberation. think about the publishing of the visitor logs. what does that mean in practical terms? the president wants to hear somebody's point of view or maybe he doesn't even want to hear somebody's point of view. he grants that person the

courtesy of a visit. now it's published. now he has to invite six other people whose points of view he also doesn't want to hear. the way we get around it, we meet at starbucks across the street. >> fair. but roland, if that's the case, and everybody knows it, including president obama, what did he make all these promises for if he wasn't going to open the doors and bring all the cameras? in? >> it's called politics. frankly, i have three words for all of this. waste of time. that's exactly what it is. all this does is, this is one of those things that in a long campaign, you want to attack your opponent, chip away at their credibility, say oh, my god, they're hiding something. look, that's what the obama folks are doing right here. let's go back to 2008. you still have from then to now all of these wackos on the right who want to see president obama's college transcripts, why is he hiding them? what's going on? >> let's go back -- >> none of this has anything to do with housing, with getting a

job, with getting education. with health care. all it is a campaign move to chip away at the person. it has nothing to do with policy. so frankly, it doesn't excite me at all. >> you know what, roland, you raise a good point when you say it's a waste of time. bill, i kind of wonder if both camps love a waste of time like this, the president, because it keeps him from talking about jobs which he doesn't want to talk about, mitt romney, because it keeps him talking about being an out of touch eleastist, which he doesn't want to talk about. >> it puts the romney campaign on the defensive. but i think to respond to what roland and david said, as a journalist, i need to speak up for transparency. transparency is good. we want to know what our government is doing. and i think because of a lot of this data being out there, we do know more. we know a lot about the economic stimulus that wouldn't have been possible in the past. transparency is a good thing. >> tom, you're advocating -- you're advocating the class interests of journalists and the professional interests of journalists.

but those are not the same as the needs of the public. think about it. we know more about what goes on inside these government negotiations than we ever did. and government accomplishes much less than in the days we didn't know how the highway bill was put together, we got the interstate highways. now that we do know how it happens, now that the president is promising to put negotiations on c-span, which is a guarantee that nothing will ever happen, nothing gets done. government worked better when it was more discreet. it worked better in the '50s and '60s than today. >> tom, tom, tom. >> and one quick sentence here, what would your message be to both camps right now? >> shut up! i would say shut up and focused on policy. okay? we know mitt romney is a rich guy. got it. next? so shut up, focus on policy. and give me concrete plans that you want to move the nation forward, not sitting here saying, oh, where is his account and what his college grades were. i don't care. >> all right. thanks to all three of you for being here.

and we'll see where it goes next. i don't think we've heard the last of it. there's more going to be on the way. the russian bear is roaring with warships on the way to syria. we're tracking them. the dry weather is taking a toll on crops. we'll tell you why that has corn popping all over the planet. and casey anthony's former attorney gives his inside scoop on one of the biggest and nastiest trials in a long time. stay with us. this is new york state. we built the first railway, the first trade route to the west, the greatest empires. then, some said, we lost our edge. well today, there's a new new york state. one that's working to attract businesses and create jobs. a place where innovation meets determination... and businesses lead the world. the new new york works for business. find out how it can work for yours at thenewny.com.

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our second story "outfront," the great bear is roaring. russia's power play in syria. a flotilla of warships to the base in tar as it. four ships en route right now. russia says it's no big deal even though it comes a day after they suspended arms sales to syria. a lot of analysts are wondering what russia is really up to. russia has been a staunk supporter of syria in the face of international opposition and is reportedly its biggest arms supplier, according to the congressional research service, russia sold syria $4.7 billion in arms from 2007 to 2010. russia's influence is, of course, key to any resolution. joining me, former homeland security adviser francis town send. what do you think is going on here? >> a couple things going on.

let's talk about the ships going to the port of tartuse, the only mediterranean port the russians have access to, a critically important one. those ships are really a message to the west to stay out of the problems in syria. not to intervene. let's remember, you know, recently we've seen senior-level military defections away from assad. and a weakening of the military support for the assad regime inside syria. you know, i think that what russia is signalling to the west is stay out. if assad is going to crumble and the support for him internally is going to crumble, you don't need to help it and stay out of there. >> when you say that's the message to the west, it's not a gun message, in that we wouldn't expect russia to fire upon anybody or defend syria in this case. it's more a matter of saying we're not going to shoot, don't you think about it either. >> that's right. i mean, i actually think i would go one step further, tom. i actually think russia does not want to be in the position of being the last man standing between the opposition and assad.

if the military crumbles and assad is left standing there and needs defense, i don't think the russians want to be in that position. in fact, we've seen recently the russians have opened up some dialogue with the syrian opposition. let's remember, for $4.7 billion in arms sales, the russians want to make sure they hedge their bets and they're friendly with whoever is going to control the syrian military, even if that's the opposition. >> and so how do they play that out with their ships being there. let's say it does all fall apart. what do the russians then say? >> i think we've got to watch it carefully. four military shipments -- ships with arms on them, we've got to be careful. while russia is telling us they're no longer going to transfer arms to the syrian military, we're going to have to -- intelligence services from around the world, militaries from around the world, are going to watch that closely to make sure that the russians aren't tempted to continue to transfer arms. and i frankly think that the real message here that we ought to take from this is a signal of hope.

assad is losing the support of his internal security services, his military. the defection of the former minister of defense is terribly significant. and so i think that this is all -- you're seeing more russian involved, more russian concern here, for that very reason. and this may be part of the turning point that we've been all hoping and praying for in syria. >> i'll ask a quick question here. russia has tremendous problems right now. putin has tremendous problems with the flooding at home. a lot of russians very angry whoever how that was handled. isn't this exactly what we see with politicians here? he's in trouble at home so stirs the pot somewhere else to get attention off of that. >> i think you can't dismiss that as a possibility, but i think that's sort of an added benefit to their involvement in syria. i'm not sure that's going to drive it. let's remember, syria's relationship with iran is a client relationship, right? it's very close. and we know that russia has not only a close political relationship with iran, but they

also have a very tight economic relationship there, as well. >> it's interesting to see those ships moving, always interesting to hear from you, fran town send. thanks for being here. still "outfront," some democrats breaking ranks with the obama camp on his latest tax plan. one member comes "outfront" to talk about that. and homeland security plans to close nine border stations along the mexican border, claiming assets would be better used elsewhere. well, they're not exactly on the board, no matter what you've read. we'll tell you how it all adds up in just a moment.

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this has been the hottest first half of the year the continental united states has ever recorded. it has been unbearable for many of us, but it has been disastrous for corn. take a look at this map from the national weather service. everything in yellow or orange is in drought conditions. corn is being hammered by this heat, since a lot of places it is in a critical growth state. soybeans also being affected. they mature later. big deal for them too. it's so bad, the u.s. agriculture department is rating only 40% of the corn and soybean crop as good or excellent. that's the lowest rating for this time of year since the last big drought in 19 88 and this is not just about crops. corn is also the main ingredient in the feed for chicken, cattle and hogs. that means you'll likely wind up paying more for everything from burritos to cold cuts to cola

from bacon, bet your boots this is not the last number for this country. tonight's number, 38.8. that's the percentage of the world's corn that we produce here in america. that much. we are by far the single-biggest corn grower on the planet. we also ship a massive amount of soybeans, notably to china, and we supply both commodities as food aid to developing nations, many with their own drought problems right now. so you get it. our corn is cooking in the fields, in one way or another, almost everyone on the planet is paying a price. our third story "outfront," battle at the border. the obama administration's decision to close nine border patrol stations in states like california, montana and texas is causing an uproar tonight. local law enforcement officials say those stations located in towns a few hundred miles from the border provide essential resources to detain illegal immigrants. the administration plans to relocate 41 agents from those stations and place them closer to the southern and northern

borders. but does this add up to better border security? our ed lavandera is in amarillo, texas with that story. >> reporter: the border patrol station in amarillo, texas sits on grassy prairie land on the edge of town. it's home to two border patrol agents. the office is hundreds of miles from the border, and might not be much to look at, but potter county sheriff brian thomas says his deputies patrol interstate 40, a major corridor for human smuggling and he counts on the border control agents for help. what do you think happens now when you come across a group of illegal immigrants that might be trafficked through your home? >> if we don't have any criminal charges on them, we have to let them go. there's not any other choice. >> sheriff thomas fired off a letter to texas lawmakers, saying the plan is ill thought out, and we might as well hang a sign on the texas panhandle that says welcome illegals. this is one of the holding cells in the randall county jail in amarillo, texas.

illegal immigrants captured anywhere in the massive 26-county area of the text panhandle are usually brought here before transferred over to a federal holding facility. the sheriff here tells us on any given day he see anywhere between 0 and 15 illegal immigrants here. the customs agency says it's closing down nine interior border patrol stations to save $1.3 million a year. the decision is part of an overall strategy to, quote, increasingly concentrate our resources on the border. 41 agents will be moved out of 9 cities, 6 in texas and 1 in california, idaho and montana. president obama has pushed for this strategy of beefing up border patrol presence directly on the border. >> we prioritized border security, putting more boots on the southern border than at any time in our history. today there are fewer illegal crossings than at any time in the past 40 years. >> this is where the battle has been raised. >> reporter: these interior border patrol stations are

second lines of defense in national security. he also worries that human smugglers will have an easier time moving across the country. >> i understand border violence and the need to secure our borders. but taking two agents and sending them to the border when they already serve an area of about 26,000 square miles just to me -- just doesn't seem to make sense. >> the border patrol, ed, currently has about 20,000 agents of various types on the southwest border. the pugh hispanic center found largely illegal immigration has stopped. what's the real benefit in the end of moving 41 more people there, especially since these communities are objecting so much? >> reporter: we talked to a great number of people today, and including some of the people who represent the national border patrol coalition, the labor union that represents border patrol agents. and they say this is a strategy that has been going on for some time. that many patrol stations like

this have actually kind of been dwindling in numbers. they haven't been filling people who leave but leave their jobs here. this is part of an overall strategy to beef up the first line of defense. but many of the critics of that strategy say, look, you're leaving these areas unprotected and that's dangerous. >> ed lavandera, thanks so much for joining us. a top democratic senator would like to see a change in president obama's tax plan. he comes "outfront." police relying on a new informant that reveals personal details about you. you won't believe which details. and how officials are paying to get your cell phone's secrets. stay with us. still make you take notice. there are a million reasons why. but your erectile dysfunction that could be a question of blood flow. cialis for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently.

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we start the second half of our show with some stories we care about from the front lines. reporting, stocks falling for the fourth trading day. the major indices losing nearly a percent. david lutz tells us market watchers will be taking a close look at the minutes from the most recent federal reserve meeting to see whether fed governorses used more dovish language in discussing its easing policies. an update on an exclusive "outfront" investigation. a house arms services subcommittee held a hearing today on the state of the cobble-based afghan national military hospital. the hearing at times was tense with members questioning defense officials about the lack of oversight at the hospital and how u.s. taxpayer dollars are being spent there. the pentagon has come under fire after it was revealed american

generals delayed a probe of alleged abuses of wounded afghan soldiers being beaten for requesting pain medication. we learn more about former barclay's ceo robert diamond's pay package, giving up $31 million worth of bonuses but will take home $3 million in pay. meanwhile, outgoing barclay's chairman marcus agis faced a tough grilling in the rate-fixing scandal. the hearing focused more on the leadership. he said one reason diamond had to go was because he lost the trust of regulators. a coalition of conservation groups filed a lawsuit over shell oil's spill response plan for its exploratory drilling in the arctic. shell plans to start its exploratory drilling in the arctic this summer. the suit names the federal bureau of safety and enforcement which approved the oil spill plans.

those plans include having a flotilla of response vessels near any offshore drilling platform. one of the groups involved is green peace, which told us why they are participating. >> the oil spill from the exxon valdez is still coming up in the sand on beaches 23 years later. there's absolutely no world experience that tells us that we could address and clean up a spill in the unforgiving waters in the arctic. there's no reason to believe that this is a safe way for us to move forward. >> you know, make sure you tune into "outfront" next week for a special report, cold wars, in which we'll be taking a much closer look at drilling in the arctic and all that it does or might mean. it's been 341 days since the u.s. lost its top credit rating standard & poor's. what are we doing to get it back? well, apparently not enough. the credit rating agency fitch this afternoon once again confirmed its top aaa rating for the u.s., but it also stuck with a negative outlook saying government budget uncertainties and turmoil in european markets makes the future look kind of dicey here.

our fourth story "outfront." president obama doubles down, reiterating his pledge to extend the bush era tax cuts only for people making less than $250,000 a year. >> i believe that we should make sure that taxes on the 98% of americans don't go up, and then we should let the tax cuts expire for folks like me. for the top 2% of americans. >> but here's the thing. not all members of the president's own party are on board with that idea. some want to see the tax cuts extended for everyone making less than $1 million a year. $1 million a year, not $250,000. we asked our political strike team to weigh in. 30 independent analysts who help us break down the issues of the day. we asked which is better for the democrats politicly, a threshold of $250,000 or $1 million? 55% said $250,000. 45% said $1 million is better. democratic senator from new jersey robert menendez agrees

the $1 million threshold is better. he's "outfront" tonight. senator, why do you think $1 million is better? >> i didn't say $1 million is better. i was asked on the show whether $250,000 was the right amount. and i said i would like to get it higher. but the bottom line is what we really need is to ensure overwhelmingly that middle class taxpayers get the continuing relief. and that's the overwhelming part of america. now, in a higher-cost state like new jersey, you might say that the 250 is on the lower side. but certainly what we can't afford is what our republican colleagues want, which is continuing tax cuts for people who make above $1 million, millionaires, billionaires, the country cannot afford that. and at a time in which the country needs those who have the wherewithal to help it, i would think that those tax cuts should not continue. >> what kind of number would be comfortable for you? because clearly, there's a pretty big gap between $250,000,

which, as you would know in your own state, there can be plenty of couples out there who worked hard, 50 years old, each making $125,000, putting two kids through college, living in a fairly expensive area. they don't feel rich but they're not making $1 million a year either. what number would be more appropriate? >> well, i mean, it varies from place to place. the higher-income state like new jersey, certainly, i probably would like to see it more around $350,000. but the reality is that at a quarter of $1 million, you're going to capture the overwhelming part of taxpayers both in new jersey and in the country. and it seems to me that if our choice is between that and extending the tax cuts for people who make $1 million or billionaires, you know, that's a very clear choice for me. i'd rather extend all of the tax cuts for people making a quarter of a million dollars or less, and save the rest of the money

for deficit reduction and for some of the critical needs we have. but if our republican colleagues hold the tax cuts for middle class hostage to keeping the tax cuts for the richest people in the country who need to help the country right now and who receive the greatest benefits of the bush tax cuts, that's not a choice we should have to make. >> do you think there's really that much money to be gained in this whole thing? a lot of people say it's political posturing. the difference in ten years in this, is, yeah, the deficit gets worse if you include everyone. but it gets worse if you include just the middle class, too. the difference is $3 trillion or $3.7 trillion worth. that's real money, yes, but you see the concern of some people to say this is mainly political

posturing. >> well, i would disagree with that. the people who are struggling in this country are middle class working families. and relief that we can give to them ultimately provides a ripple effect in the economy, because they're most likely to have the need to spend. but when you're a millionaire or multimillionaire or a billionaire, the reality is that you're not going to spend that much more as a result of the tax cut. those types of savings can really be used for deficit reduction or some of our critical needs. and so i think there is a fundamental difference. >> what about one last quick question here. what about the ripple effect?

the argument is that the more you hit those upper-income people, the more they say, i am not going to do anything to add extra workers, to spread things out. on top of which, by the way, there's this other measure of helping small businesses, which there's some concern is being swept away by the storm of talk about the bigger budget. what do you think about that? >> well, the reality is that 97% of all small businesses would not be affected by even the president's proposal of $250,000. so i think that's a red herring, and a false claim.

they've been squeezed for so long, forgotten for so long. and the real question that -- that our political strike team was asked, what's the right threshold? because there are regional realities that are fundamentally different. the reason that senator charles schumer across the river from senator menendez is strongly in favor of the $1 million, in the tristate area, for example, you can have a two-earner household, each person making $125,000. this is far from the jet set. >> yeah, very different than if they lived outside tulsa, for example. but let me ask about this whole thing, though. when we talk about this amount of money and this fight going on here, one thing i think gets kind of lost here is you're not going to do that much to the deficit. i guess it's good to do

something to it, sure. you're not going to do that much to it. but i think a lot of middle class taxpayers -- it seems as if people are under the impression, if you punish the rich, somehow the middle class is going to benefit. the same benefit comes through, either way you approve this. it's not like the money is going to come from the rich and be paid to the poor. that's not going to be the case at all. it's just going to the government. >> this is the argument that obviously republicans want to say that any differential, anything other than a complete extension amounts to class warfare. and that's the way they want to characterize the president's focus on fairness. the democrats are saying, look, who is looking out for the middle class? and we have a problem with the growing gap, not just between rich and poor in this country, but really, frankly, the super rich and working wealthy. that's where there does become a discussion. is there simply a return on the top rate to the clinton era, is that punitive, is that confiscatory, we've had this distorted hyper partisan debate where a 3% increase in taxes becomes proxy for whether or not you're a socialist which is insane. >> john avalon, thanks for being here. i don't mean to denigrate when i say we just go to the government. my point is, not going back in your pocket. speaking of which, is that a cell phone in your pocket, or is it a spy? a new congressional report shows companies such as at&t and verizon and others responded to a whopping 1.3 million requests from law enforcement for

information about their customers. if you're on that list, that includes information on who you called, who called you, your text messages, your location, according to your phone's gps, the list goes on and on. and wait, it gets better. some cell phone carriers are starting to charge for turning the records over. at&t alone took in $8.3 million in 2011 from police agencies. that's according to congressman ed markey, whose office is looking into this matter. at&t wouldn't talk about it, but verizon and sprint said they just cover the cost of doing

what the police ask. so for the 411, we tracked down our own cnn legal contributor,

paul cal "outfront" with us now. >> with my cell phone. >> with your cell phone. somebody tracking you as we speak, my friend. is this a nefarious, sneaky thing, or is this a good thing? >> you know, my civil libertarian juices started flowing when i first heard about this story. you know, law enforcement violating the rights of american people. but i was talking to a close friend who is a prosecutor in new york, who was just kind of throwing the cold water in my face. and what he said was, this is ridiculous. he said, you know, they're talking about 1.3 million requests being made, nationwide, we're a country of about 314 million people, i think. so it's less than, you know -- less than half a percent of the population. by the way, over 2 million people are in prison in the united states. so it's less even than the percentage of convicted felons who are imprisoned. and these are situations where the court, judges have approved court orders and subpoenas and

search warrants for these records. frankly, i don't see a problem. >> you said to me earlier in the newsroom, this is just like wiretaps of years ago. but my argument is, my phone years ago didn't follow me around. yes, you could tap my house, but you didn't know where i was the rest of the time. >> well, that's quite true. but let's talk about following you around. if you have probable cause or reasonable suspicion haou3 reaseomttg cre,nd you aou3 eyacederelphe. % so te tree 3 h anuio s.% hy' ug sypa rords those things -- they're already popping up in court. once again, it has to be in response to a subpoena, sometimes proved by a judge. so we're losing a lot of our privacy to technology. and i agree, we have to draw a line somewhere. but the place is where do we draw the line? it's a hard thing to decide? >> we'll take our phones tonight and party like it's 1984. >> i'll start following you and see where you go. >> you'll never catch me. never. "outfront" next. airport security opens a suspicious bag, and they find a live baby inside. i'm serious about this. plus, the man who defended casey anthony comes "outfront" next. he's no longer her lawyer. we'll find out why. and later, a rock n roll icon sells out to the man. well, the men and women of america. and it's all right.

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we're back with tonight's outer circle where we reachous out to sources around the world in egypt, the parliament called into session by the new president, mohammed morsi but shut down later in the day when they were ruled invalid and dissolved by egypt's high court. ivan watts is in cairo and told us about the power struggle playing out in egypt. >> reporter: different branches of the egyptian government are engaged in a very public argument with each other over whether or not the parliament should be reinstated. the recently elected muslim brotherhood president, mohammed morsi said they should convene again, in part because it consists of -- is dominated by members of his own party. and he's opposed by the ruling military council, which has ruled this country for more than a year, as well as the top court. so the muslim brotherhood has brought people out into the streets to -- as a political pressure tactic to help give it some leverage and negotiations, and all sides are engaged in competing court cases and appeals against each other in different courtrooms around the

country. the main thing is, for now, nobody is fighting each other, and that's a blessing in a country that is seeing an awful lot of violence in the streets over the course of the past year-and-a-half. >> are in the united arab emirates, an egyptian couple was caught trying to smuggle their own baby. the couple tried to pass their

bag with their baby inside through an airport x-ray screening machine. we asked mohammed jamjoom where they did this and what charges they're facing. >> reporter: the parents are charged with putting their child at risk and attempted smuggling.

it's not known what penaltinally face but the infant is in good condition. the baby was covered as the couple was traveling through. look at the photo from the x-ray screening. you can see the outline of the baby. according to police, the family had had arrived in the uae last friday but weren't allowed to enter the country, because they didn't have a visa for the infant. the parents were told they would have to wait two days at the airport until the visa office reopened so the boy's documents could be processed. police say by the next day the father had gotten impatient and persuaded the wife to put the baby in the hand luggage in the hope security wouldn't notice. cnn was told it was the first time they had seen anything like this and said, even if you're in a desperate situation, how can you put your child in a bag? >> wow. wow. let's check in with anderson cooper with a look at what's ahead on "ac 360." >> keeping it honest tonight on the program. what are mitt romney's overseas investments? l sides are engaged in competing court cases and appeals against each other in different courtrooms around the country. the main thing is for now nobody's fighting each other and that's a blessing in a country that's seen an awful lot of violence in the streets over the course of the past year and a half. >> in the united arab emirates, an egyptian couple was caught trying to smuggle their own baby. the couple tried to pass their bag with their baby inside through an airport x-ray screening machine. i asked why they did this and what charges they're facing. >> the parents have been charged with putting their child at risk and attempted smuggling. it's not known what penalty they'll face. the infant is in good condition. the baby was discovered by an x-ray screening as the couple was traveling through. take a look at this photo. you can see the outline of the

baby. according to police, the family arrived in the uae last friday but weren't allowed to enter the country because they didn't have a visa for the infant. the parents were told they'd have to wait two days at the airport till the visa office reopened so the bos nt oicceto c i i can imagine -- i don't see it out of the question for a young 20-something-year-old girl who is locked up in a home to be online. i don't think that's too farfetched. >> you've called her a prisoner of her own freedom. with almost any high-profile crime. essentially your notion is she's really not going to be free, at least not for a long time. >> yeah, you know, it's funny in the book i document how this whole thing started and how it's gotten so out of control. and there's so many facts that people don't know. and to -- the way the media took a hold of this case and really turned it into something, i don't -- i think people need to know what the facts are. and people need to be a little more educated as to what this actual case is about. as opposed to just looking or listening to it in a 2 1/2

minute sound bite. >> i'm going to do -- i guess this is a spoiler alert. in your book, you don't come up here and say all of a sudden, here's a new theory or yes, she did it, you reassert the idea this was an accident with the pool, that sort of thing? >> yes, and i go into great detail as to the evidence that gives me that opinion. and not only that, i talk about evidence that didn't make it into the trial. evidence that didn't even make it into the discovery. and things that happened around in the backgrounds of the case. to really give people an inside view. you can tell it's not a skinny book. >> no, it's not. >> it's not short on information so i don't cheat anyone there. >> let me ask you one last question. are you glad you did this case? lawyers get all sorts of cases. this is a big, big case. >> well, you know, i've had some tough times in this case -- >> people mad at you -- >> right, and i document a lot of that in there, but i'll tell you this much, you know, i

wouldn't be sitting here with you tom so -- >> i can understand. >> there's a lot to be grateful

for -- >> if you want to take a look at the book by jose baez. "outfront" next, a great

american story with a kick butt

listen to that. every guitar player on the planet knows that's the unmistakable sound of a fender guitar in the expert hands of eric clapton at madison square garden in 1999. fenders are so prized by musicians and collectors last month a rare 1951 fender no castor as it is called sold for $216,000.

you may think that's crazy. we guitar players get it. fenders are just special. way back in 1938, leo fender opened a radio repair store which he eventually converted into a ga tar making shop, turning out his first in 1950, legendary strato castor model followed. in the hands of everyone from buddy holly, keith richards. these days, fender sales guitars in 85 countries, $700 million worth a year.

this is a great, great american success story. now, anyone can get a fistful of fender. for the first time ever, fender is selling stock. 10 million shares are up for grabs at about $15 a piece. that adds up to $160 million. fender plans to use the proceeds to pay off debt and to expand overseas. it will be on nasdaq under the symbol fndr, if you're ready to rock. by the way that guy who bought that no castor for $216,000, he could have had 14,000 shares of fender for that money. me, i'd take the guitar myself. thanks for joining us. "a.c. 360" starts right now. >> a florida teen's brush with a deadly wild alligator. another teen attacked by a shark. only one man knows what to do in a situation like that. jungle jack himself jack hanna. when politicians attack. a congresswoman versus a war hero. >> you know what, she's running for congress. >> i think that mr. walsh is being very irresponsible in his words. >> tonight, tammy duckworth fights back at congressman joe wash who accused her of making too much out of her war record. plus, michael phelps, mark spitz. i'll get him to set the record

straight, who's the best, spitz or phelps? >> the peak of both your power, who would win? i would like to say selfishly maybe i'd beat him. >> inspiring advice for today's olympians and his harrowing escape from a terror attack with the whole world watching. this is "piers morgan tonight." deadly danger in the great outdoors. a florida teenager lost the lower part of his right arm to alligator. a california man was in his kayak when a great white shark took a chunk out of his boat on saturday. just from the start of this

mo