>> to say the accusations made in both documents are not substantiated by the evidence they offer is to be overly polite and diplomatic about it. it is far better and more accurate to talk straight. these allegations and the report on which they're drawn are nothing less than an unwarranted and unfounded attack on an honorable citizen, a dedicated american and a loyal public servant. >> now, this is the third night we've been reporting this story. and we've gotten some feedback from viewers and tweets, wondering whoo i we're giving congressman bachmann and her four colleagues so much coverage. let me just take a moment before we go on to tell you why. this is a country that's supposed to protect and uphold religious liberty. when any religious group or group of people is targeted without evidence, targeted by sitting members of congress, that is not something anybody should remain silent about. some people have tweeted me saying these are allegations made by political reasons by

fringe politicians appealing to their base. that may be true, but these allegations have very real consequences, not just for the individuals unfairly put under a microscope of suspicion, but consequences for our foreign policy, for all of us. it has a real world impact. these allegations are having an impact right now around the world. affecting american porn policy on one of the most sensitive regions on earth in the middle east. we're going to show you how in just a moment. but first, i want to show you what congresswoman bachmann is basing her suspicion of hum huma abedin on. she says that huma abedin's late father, mother and brother are connected to the muslim brotherhood. let's start with abedin's father, again, her dead father, who is a professor of social science and the founder of the institute of muslim minority affairs in saudi arabia decades

ago, talking decades ago. bachmann attributes this article out of brigham young university. according to that article, his institute had support of another man named dr. umar abal l la hasif. he's affiliated with a group they say has an alignment with the brotherhood. that's how many degrees of separation the document is based on. abiden's deceased father started an organization decades ago that had support of another guy who had the support of another organization who might have had the support of another organization connected to the muslim brotherhood. because of that she deserves to be investigated. as for abedin's mother and brother, bachmann never gives

their connection to the muslim brotherhood. all of these charges are having an impact on u.s. foreign policy. here's how. take a look. these are angry crowds that greeted president clinton and huma abedin over the weekend. they're protesting the election of their new islamist president, some carrying signs saying stop u.s. funding of the muslim brotherhood and, quote, clinton is the supreme god of the muslim brotherhood. where would they get an idea like that? well, it turns out from american blogs and websites. that's what a number of egyptians told reporters. one blogger show directed a reporter to a transcript that alleged she was participating in a muslim brotherhood plot to penetrate the u.s. government. and that source is also michele bachmann's source.

the southern poverty law centers calls frank gaffney, the anti-muslim movement's most paranoid propaganda. n norquist, he asked republican candidates to take a pledge not to raise taxes. but gaffney has said that norquist is helping the brotherhood infiltrate the conservative movement. those allegations got gaffney barred from cpac. the american conservative union, by the way, investigated his allegations against reverend norquist and found them, quote, false, unfounded and resolved. quote, its complete confidence in the loyalty of suhail khan, a bush department official, and grover norquist to the united states. he's the intellectual i were inspiration behind the allegations.

what makes senator john mccain's statement frankly so bold is other members of congress have been silent or kind of supportive. mike rogers, who chairs the house select committee on intelligence. let me repeat that. he's the chairman of the committee. here's what he said on frank gaffney's radio show, seeming to buy into the muslim infiltration theory, editing fbi training materials to remove language that was anti-muslim. >> michele bachmann is kind of taking the lead on this particular issue and going through and trying to figure out what they took out of the training materials and what they left in and why did it get changed? >> restating, congressman rogers is chairman of the house intelligence committee. he's a very powerful lawmaker. as for congresswoman bachmann, intent much of today trying to track her down, get her to answer some questions. eshe would not. she released a statement saying her allegations are being

distorted. in her statement, she made no connection to huma abedin or john mccain. she made new allegations to a woman given a visa to meet with officials. she belongs to an islamist group that's been designated a terror group by the united states. a lot of people, reports and others, and politicians have raised questions about how this guy got a visa and why he got a visa. the state department telling "the washington post," they're looking into the matter. let's talk about it now with dana bash who spent a lot of today trying to talk to michele bachmann. i understand she was unhappy to see her. what happened? >> good nudews, i can walk fastn

heels, but the bad news, michele bachmann can walk just as fast. >> how are you? >> i can't talk right in. >> i just need to talk to you -- >> i can't right now. >> can you do an interview with us later? >> i've got a to get this -- >> now, anderson, i learned over the years, to try to get members of congress to answer questions on the fly, and i've done it many, many times, they're not going to answer, but if a lawmaker says they'll get back to me, i try to take them at her word. she didn't do that. she only put out that statement saying her letters are being distorted. >> she made no mention of huma abedin, trying to take her hands off of that. she's really presented no evidence of that. you also ran into senator mccain after his condemnation which is very rare for you to do. what did he say to you? >> i asked senator mccain what

fro prompted him to take such a big step. he says he knows huma personally. he also revealed to me that michele bachmann called him today and she explained she was genuinely worried about muslim infiltration of the obama administration. he said look, huma is not the problem. but mccain isn't the only one to speak out. he's the most public and high profile, but ed rollins, who also ran michelle bachmann's campaign for a short while, he wrote a scathing piece where he called her extreme and dishonest, bachmann had difficulty with her facts and said she was down right vicious. he said what she's doing is akin to mccarthyism. congressional sources said they say bachmann is doing this as a fundraising tool. >> despite the condemnation from mccain and ed rollins, you said

this might play well for some in the republican base? >> michelle bachmann's letter came out june 13. if you go back two years ago on june 6, it was the rally against the ground zero mosque in lower manhattan which became a huge election issue, really brought out the tea party and sort of the right wing fringe of the republican party. and so i think that's exactly what's going on right here, or at least that's what bachmann is trying to do. i think she may have gotten a little over her skis and this blew up a little bit in her face. i think she was trying to keep this just for the base audience. she didn't tweet about it or put it on her facebook page, but she did go on a conservative radio show, kind of obscure radio show. i think this was a mess aimed at her base, trying to gin up anti-muslim fever before the election and it grew up too big with condemnations from mccain and ed rollins. >> you' been out in the forefront of reporting on this for a long time. you really put a lot of focus on this and you should get credit

on that. we talked about frank gaffney on this program, who really seems to be the soul source behind bachmann and her colleagues' claims. it's interesting, though, you know, i remember when he was going after grover norquist, and that was roundly condemned by a number of conservatives. i mean, there wasn't much there, but he was alleging that grover norquist was trying to get the muslim brotherhood infiltrating the american conservative movement. >> yeah, he's been going after grover norquist for a decade. he said he submitted to sharia law. he's been driven out of the elite in the conservative movement in addition to cpac and the conservative union kboyuaun which includes john bolton. really staunch conservatives. he was kicked out of a strategy

lunch, another big con receiver tif stalwart here. there's kind of an interesting dynamic, the tea party versus the accomplishment while he's persona nongrata, people like bachmann and west and other congressmen still listen to him and he has their ear. the republican of the senate used to sit on frank gaffney's board. so he still has a lot of juice in some aspects of the party despite being roundly condemned by other parts of it. >> he's been on the show before, people have any beliefs they want, be uh we're focusing on sitting members of the con and the allegations they are making. is it -- it's pretty -- am i wrong, is it pretty rare for members of congress to make sheez allegations against individuals without having, i mean, ironclad proof or any real proof other than, you know, her dead father 30 years ago knew a guy who helped his organization who was in league with another

organization? is. >> sure, it's very rare. and i just think that alex is saying, i think he's dead on, this was not intended far mainstream audience. this was intended for her base and as i mentioned before, many republicans on capitol hill have said to me as a fundraising tool. she's very, very good at raising money of what we call ring elements of the party. and she wants to keep that going. she makes clear that she wants to raise money and she has a democratic opponent that's going to beat her and she needs the conservative base to come to her. so yes, the answer to your question is, it is very rare. >> i'm sure you' gotten these e-mails as well. i've been inundated by people saying i'm now supporting the muslim brotherhood because i'm

now raising questions about her allegations. where does this go? do we if the state department has responded? has other homeland security responded to bachmann? >> we don't yet, but i think nay do take these kinds of things very seriously. she is a it sitting member of congress, she's on the intelligence committee. they have to do their job, they have to respond to these things, but is this the best use of, you know, precious resources in the homeland security party? i really doubt it. >> also, it bears repeating. a couple of things, one, i don't think anybody is saying, you know, extremists would not like to infiltrate the u.s. government. jihadists would like to infiltrate the u.s. government. but again, to make these allegations against individuals without any direct evidence. and alex, as you talked about, if you really believe this is happenli happening, is the best way to go about getting action on this, going on conservative radio shows and putting this information out on your website?

or is it actually in confidence and confidentiality, contacting security agencies and asking them to investigate? >> i think that's the key point and that blows up this whole argument that this is a serious attempt on their part. and they've been doing this for years. i talked to a guy today who was a bush administration official who was in the department of homeland security and frank gaffney went after him and it stuck with him together. that's the ploy. almost a google problem like rick santorum had. every time somebody googles him, this is what comes up. >> i just want to underscore one thing, anderson, that you pointed out at the top of the show, which is really, really important. this isn't just about politics, one member of congress going off and another trying to condemn her and the way the u.s. is perceived abroad, particularly hillary clinton with huma over the weekend with protests. i talked to a seniored a min

sdrags official w -- administration official that that is a very, very big concern. the whole idea because of the internet and because these blogs do get out there, that people there think the u.s. is sort of in bed, so to speak, with the muslim brotherhood. and the reality is that there's a little bit of confusion with what to do with them versus the christians really is hurtful. >> we need arab speakers, we need people who understand what is happening to work in our intelligence agencies. and this prevents -- you know, who is going to want to work if suddenly you're going to be a suspect because your great uncle knew somebody who knew somebody. i think it raises all sorts of questions. we'll continue to cover it. we appreciate your reporting. i know it's been a long day running around in those heels you were talking about. let us know what you think. tweet to me about this right now at anderson cooper. up next, the debate in the republican party over whether or not mitt romney should put out more tax returns. we'll have that ahead. if there was a pill

to help protect your eye health as you age... would you take it? well, there is. [ male announcer ] it's called ocuvite. a vitamin totally dedicated to your eyes, from the eye-care experts at bausch + lomb. as you age, eyes can lose vital nutrients. ocuvite helps replenish key eye nutrients. [ male announcer ] ocuvite has a unique formula not found in your multivitamin to help protect your eye health. now, that's a pill worth taking. [ male announcer ] ocuvite. help protect your eye health. [ male announcer ] ocuvite. you see us, at the start of the day. on the company phone list that's a few names longer. you see us bank on busier highways. on once empty fields. everyday you see all the ways all of us at us bank are helping grow our economy. lending more so companies and communities can expand, grow stronger and get back to work. everyday you see all of us serving you, around the country, around the corner.

us bank. agents, say hello to the biggest hailstone in u.s. history. oh, that will leave a dent. which is exactly why we educate people... about comprehensive coverage. yep. the right choice now can pay off later. looks like a bowling ball. yeah. oh! agents, say hello to the second-biggest hailstone in u.s. history.

[ announcer ] we are insurance. ♪ we are farmers bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ you walk into a conventional mattress store, it's really not about you. they say, "well, if you wanted a firm bed you can lie on one of those. if you want a soft bed you can lie on one of those." what we do is, we provide the exact individualization that your body needs. never tried this before. this is your body there. you can see a little more pressure in the shoulders and in the hips. now you can feel what happens as we raise your sleep number setting and allow the bed to contour to your individual shape. oh wow, that feels really good. it's hugging my body. take it up one notch. oh gosh, yes. when you're playing around with that remote, you get that moment where you go, "oh yeah" ... oh, yeah! and it's perfect. they had no idea that when they came to a sleep number store, we were going to diagnose their problems and help them sleep better. once you experience it, there's no going back. wow. wow. right now, save $500 on our exceptional p6 bed set. and hurry in for the final closeout of our 2011 flexfit adjustable base.

only at the sleep number store, where queen mattresses start at just $699. >> real politics tonight, a debate among republicans over mitt romney's tax returns, whether he should make public more than the two years worth. among democrats, new pressure on the legislative front. lawmakers proposing measures that would require presidential candidates to release 10 years for returns and candidates for federal office to disclose all foreign investments. romney is facing pressure not from democrats but fellow republicans. >> put out as much information as you can. even if you don't release 12 years of tax returns, three, four, five. >> you should be as transparent as you can be with your tax return. >> you wonder if it isn't better to put them out there. >> put them all out now. >> that's kind of what i think. >> i just think people should

release the tax returns. >> he should release the tax returns tomorrow. >> romney was interviewed yesterday. during that interview, he said he's not enthusiastic, his words, returning any more tax returns for the obama campaign to distort and lie about. two republicans that dis agragr ari fleisher and anna novarro, former mccain '08 adviser. also joining us,borger. the romney campaign saying fairly or unfairly releasing more returns would be handing ammunition to the obama campaign. do you buy that? >> i absolutely by it. i think it will be picked over and big things will be made, but i don't think we're going to see anything new. i don't think any of the republicans calling for this think that there's nothing wrong that mitt romney has done. what we want is for the distraction to be over so that

we can get to the real issues that the american people are interested in. that has become a ridiculous distraction and i do think it's taking a toll. again, i do think there's nothing illegal or inappropriate that mitt romney has done. we're not going to learn anything new. he's a wealthy man who's been very successful. we shou he should embrace that, let's take the band-aid off, move on and start talking about the economy and jobs. we' been talking about this now for days and days and days. i would just like it to be over. >> ari, what about that? this drip, drip, drip, not just above media types on cable tv talking about it. >> there's so much drip, drip, drip, why does everything keep coming up dry, dry, dry, when you look at the polls, mitt romney keeps going high, high, high. it's not a distraction. the american people are not focused on this issue. i remember in 1992, i worked for

george bush's father campaign against bill clinton. we tried to come up with every kind of ethical innuendo we could of governor clinton of arkansas. nobody in the public paid attention. the issue then is the same as the issue now, the economy. it's not working among the public. the public is really not fixated on this issue. . if he was going to do it, the time would have been to have done it months and months ago. i think if he did it now it would be such a big mistake because the press would make too much of it. >> a ri, as you know, there are a lot of folks sayings look, when he was in the running to be mccain's vice president, he gave over many years worth, 20 years worth of tax returns to mccain. so if that level of transparency was important to be considered as a vice presidential candidate, why is that not important to be a presidential candidate? >> you know, vice presidential potentials are asked a whole series of questions. a lot of it is embarrassing and

personal, that doesn't get released. i don't think the standard is what did you privately convey to somebody who may pick you for a job. do we want every candidate to ask have you ever been unfaithful? i don't think that's the criteria that he turned it over to mccain. i think the criteria is, is two years enough, is this a relevant issue to determine who's qualified to be the president of the united states or not. i just don't think this is a cutting issue which will define what this campaign about. i think most of the american people are with me on that. the pundit class and many of my fellow republicans are not. >> gloria, do you think this is having an impact? >> i do. i think it will eventually. it plays into the narrative of the obama campaign which says mitt romney is a rich, secretive, outsourcing fellow who has secret, you know, offsmoer bank accounts. and so i do think it plays into the narrative. even folks i talk to in the

romn romney campaign say is affecting his underlying numbers. that is perhaps his likability. but i talked to somebody who was involved in the vet for mitt romney for the mccain campaign. he couldn't recall exactly how many years of tax returns mitt romney gave them, but he also said, as mccain has said, you know, they didn't see anything terrible and they -- that wasn't the reason that mccain didn't choose mitt romney. i do think -- and let me just say this, that if he was going to release them, he should have done them right away. now if he releases them, he's got a problem because it looks like he's doing it under pressure, either from republicans or from the obama campaign and we are going to pick over it like a dead carcass. the time when he should have done it was early on. but this is about mitt romney himself. he's a private person. and he's running for president.

it's very hard to be a private person and run for the presidency of the united states. and i think he's figuring that out now. >> we've got to leave it there. i'm sorry, we've got a lot of stuff tonight. appreciate it. in syria, dramatic day. bloodshed 2in al assad's inner circle. three killed today. conflicting reports about the explosion that reportedly killed them as violence reaches new levels in the capital of syria itself. a dutch reporter tells whaus he saw today from damascus. those little things still get you. for you, life's about her. but your erectile dysfunction - that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil 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. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial.

the wife. hey, babe. got the jetta. i wiped the floor with the guy! not really. i would've been fine with 0% for 36 months, but i demanded 60. no...i didn't do that. it was like taking candy from a baby. you're a grown man. alright, see you at home. [ male announcer ] the volkswagen autobahn for all event. we good? we're good. [ male announcer ] at 0% apr for 60 months, no one needs to know how easy it was to get your new volkswagen. that's the power of german engineering. government agency caught spending $800,000 on a new

conference. wait till you see what else they spent their money on.

tonight, some are asking if the situation in syria has turned a new corner. with the violence reaching new levels and damascus now part of the battlefield.

this video purportedly shot in damascus today. we can't verify its authenticity. three top officials of bash bashar al assad's regime were kill ed one was his brother-in-law, the deputy minister of defense. they were meeting in damascus, not far from assad's home. the free syrian army said an explosive device was detonated by remote control. fighting in the heart of damascus has escalated with reports of shelling by goth for -- government fors. again, we cannot independently verify these pictures. a dutch journalist was in damascus when the syrian officials were attacked today. we spoke earlier. >> senator, there are conflicting reports out of syria about the exact cause of this bombing. syrian media said it was a

suicide bomber. opposition says it was a bomb that was planted. what's the latest that you're hearing? >> news is sometimes hard to come by in syria. that's also a very interesting point today, the news that we got through syrian state tv. normally syrian state tv is the last place you're going to look for news. because if something happens, they will have a nice program flowers for example. why did they broadcast almost live. why were the people killed mentioned through them? it's something that may not mean anything, but it's something out of the ordinary indeed. >> what is the regime's explanation of how this happened. whatever type of bomb it was, it could be a major security breach. how did they explain that their inner circle was penetrated? >> they described it as a terrorist attack.

they used this within the hour, the minister of information was live on the radio and television, addressing the nation. basically saying this will only strengthen our resolve. we have been hit a at the heart. there's martyrs to be mourned today, but we will only get stronger, we will fight back and crushterrorist cells in syria. >> i know you rushed to the bombing after it occurred. what was the scene like there? >> it was nothing like you expect before. you expect chaos, you expect tense policemen and military. nothing of the kind. we were kindly requested to not enter the street, only people who lived there could go there. so we were driving around a bit, and people living like 40 meters away from the blast site, they were going about their business as usual. shops were open, cars were driving. people were chatting to each other. on a normal situation, you go out of the car with your camera

and ask people, did you hear anything? what did you hear or see? that isn't allowed in syria. >> it's strange. we know fighting has escalated in damascus in recent days, what are you seeing and hearing in terms of activity among the regime, among the opposition in damascus? >> well, right now it's kind of quiet. i went out just before we started talking and you could hear artillery fire and sometimes a little bit more close by military fire. but the scene has been bizarre throughout the day. black pillars of smoke rising in almost any direction, explosions quite close to downtown. this morning i visited two suburbs in the northern part of the city. parts which has been quiet for the last couple of days. we saw streams, hundreds upon hundreds of people leaving for the violence that already

started. but we saw as we drove further towards downtown, military vehicles waiting to enter. that was one of the scenes that we witnessed later, black smoke rising from that area. that's any suburb you look at right now. >> the assad regime was quick to appoint a new minister of defense. it's clear they're trying to project an image of stability, do you think people buy that? >> if you bought it before, you'll buy it now. if you doubted it before, you'll seriously doubt it now. whatever happens today, the opposition will feel emboldened by this, and you can see that happening in a lot of areas where the free syrian armies are taking up arms. they have better means of communications and better weapons even. we don't know what they're capable of. they feel emboldened right now. >> please be careful. thank you for your reporting.

well, tonight, new questions about how one government agency is spending your tax dollars. you remember the videos that went viral from the las vegas conference, the one that cost $800,000, led to investigations, resignations, firings? wait until you hear what else gsa has spent your money on in another city. rit present. it's the priceline negotiator. >>what? >>sorry. he wants you to know about priceline's new express deals. it's a faster way to get a great hotel deal without bidding. pick one with a pool, a gym, a great guest rating. >>and save big. >>thanks negotiator. wherever you are. ya, no. he's over here. >>in the refrigerator? ♪ ( whirring and crackling sounds )

man: assembly lines that fix themselves. the most innovative companies are doing things they never could before, by building on the cisco intelligent network. homicide of young people in america has an impact on all of us. how can we save these young people's lives? as a police chief, i have an opportunity to affect what happens in a major city. if you want to make a difference,

you have to have the right education. university of phoenix opened the door. my name is james craig, i am committed to making a difference, and i am a phoenix. visit phoenix.edu to find the program that's right for you. enroll now. a bus bomb kills at least seven israeli tourists. we'll have latest on that ahead.

another keeping them honest report. more questions about how the general services administration, or gsa, has spent your tax dollars. this is the agency whose mission is actually oversight of other federal agencies to control spending. first came the extravagant las vegas conference two years ago. cost more than $800,000 of your tax money. they made these silly videos during that conference. looked more like a vegas show than a serious government gathering. these employee videos produced for the conference, some of them making light of gsa spending. they went viral. congress certainly was not amused. hearings were held, investigations were launched, heads rolled at the gsa. the top administrator resigned.

turns out las vegas isn't the only place the gsa is spending your money in ways you might never imagine. drew griffin with a cnn investigation. >> reporter: it happened here in kansas city, on a quaint street in kansas where employees did not get a free lunch, they got to spend most of the day making it. >> cooking is not a mystery. >> it's what called team building. make entrees, make desserts. this is one employee who says he's afraid to show his face because his boss will be made. >> we had 25 minutes to get a recipe together, cook for 30. i think there were roughly 25 or 30 people there, and then we were critiqued by the chefs at

the institute on what we could do better. >> and those gsa employees got the whole day off real work to do it. so this was the day's activity, learning how to cook. >> yes. >> and it didn't just happen once. since 2007, gsa employees came to the culinary center of kansas city nine times for these team building exercises. they cooked lunch. it cost you more than $20,000. >> that's the total amount for all those cooking classes. granted, in the world of trillion dollar government budget, that's not a lot of money. but our insider says it is part of the free spending culture that has gone on for years at the kansas city regional headquarters. >> there's a lot of what i would look at juvenile behavior when it comes to caring about what the taxpayers' money is used for. >> our investigation into

spending at the kansas city office found not only did workers learn how to cook lunch, the gsa hired an etiquette instructure to teach workers how to eat it. >> how to hold your napkin, use your fork, knife. >> he's not making it up. the etiquette instructor billed the federal government confirmed she taught gsa employees about the place settings, the different courses, how they're served, how to eat soup and salad, what to do with your napkin, how to butter your roll. we also found out the gsa's kansas city office awarded its workers with a $3,000 awards lunch, possibly to show off that newly learned etiquette. when we began asking about this, we were directed to washington, d.c. to the headquarters of the gsa where we were told we could get answers in writing, but no one would be able to answer our questions on camera. so we showed up at this public ceremony back at the gsa

regional headquarters in kansas city to meet this man. >> good morning. >> jason clum is the regionally appointed administrator. he's been in charge since february 2010. in charge for three of the cooking classes, the etiquette speaker and that $3,000 awards lunch. this is outrageous to people when they hear things like government workers going to cooking classes and not just one but many, many cooking classes over several years. why was that allowed to go on? >> it was a culture. i think it was the old culture at gsa. you saw it in the news at the gsa conference. it was the culture. >> why weren't you able to put a stop to it? >> i think we've seen new leadership and that will help my ability to stop these kinds of things. you're right, it's unacceptable.

>> as an administrator, can you stop that stuff? >> as we see new policies in place, there's going to be more authority given to regional administrators to stop things like that. >> do you have the power now? >> don't have it now and haven't had it, yeah. >> there's one more thing that jason klumb apparently didn't have the power to stop. >> this is the ghost of gsa present. let's take a look at you in action. >> last year's holiday video contest. >> i am the ghost of gsa past. >> it's another team building exercise. the team that came up with the most creative video about, get this, efficiencies in the gsa, would win an ice cream social. all of what you are seeing was written, produced, acted, taped and edited on federal government time. >> were these videos that would

make people better employees? improve the efficiencies in the office? >> no, they were just to see how cute they could be in my estimation. >> reporter: gsa employees used to be able to see the videos online. but when the scandal broke in las vegas, that's when the holiday videos disappeared. klumb who said he didn't know about the cooking classes couldn't say the same thing about the holiday video. >> i was one of the judges. again, that was part of the culture common throughout gsa and something that is changing. i think you see a new day at gsa. >> gsa headquarters tell cnn in a statement, these events indicate a pattern of misjudgment which spans several years and administrations. the agency spokesperson went on to say under the new gsa leadership, these events would not have been approved and only light refreshments like water

and pretzels would be allowed at future team building exercises. >> i think we see a new day at gsa. you see a culture shift and you see a new day. i'm very optimistic about that. >> drew, how can there be any changes if the people in charge, like this regional administrator don't even have the power to stop the waste? >> well, that was one of our first questions, and the answer is he does have the power, anderson, he just didn't know it at the time or misspoke. and that is a problem for the newly appointed acting administrator for the gsa. dan tangerlini who finally agreed to talk to me just this afternoon. >> we're going to have that in a minute, i think. >> were you surprised to learn that your regional administrator in kansas city didn't think he had the power to stop this kind of spending? >> yeah, i'm surprised he felt that way. and in subsequent conversations with him, he said he's misspoke,

but i wanted to make that clear. it was a good opportunity for me to get all regional administrators on the phone and ask if they felt they've been given enough authority to stop that kind of spending. we need to get the message across, this isn't what the gsa is about. people aren't coming to work for cooking classes or coming to work on prizes. they're coming to work for a mission that's critical in everybody issing our agencies that serve the american people. that's the trick for us to build a better sense of expectation on what it is that we're going to do every day when we do our jobs. >> that's the new acting director. tangerlini froze hiring. he stopped bonus payment, and he canceled an upcoming conference at the gsa. we'll seal if he ce if he can a change the culture there. the relatives of two missing girls in iowa fear they've been kidnapped. details ahead.

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.

with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life

with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing.

ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. welcome back. a lot happening around the country and world tonight. >> israel's defense minister says bus bombing that killed at least seven israeli tourists is clearly a terror attack. 30 other people were injured in an explosion outside the airport. still no sign of two iowa girls missing for five days. now the mother of the 10-year-old thinks maybe lyric and her cousin elizabeth collins

were abducted. authorities are draining the lake where the girls' bikes were found. and it's nelson mandela's 94th birthday, july 18, a day the united nation has designated mandela day. >> i was there the day he was elected president. remarkable time. wish him happy birthday. coming up, why posters features david hasselhoff riding on the shoulders of bandits. let's do this i am from baltimore south carolina... bloomington, california... austin, texas... we are all here to represent the country we love this is for everyone back home it's go time. across america, we're all committed to team usa.

>> time for "the ridiculist."

when you think of david hasselhoff, what springs to mind? perhaps you think of "knight rider" "baywatch" or "america's got talent." or he's forever and foremost, a singer. ♪ looking for freedom and the saints go on ♪ >> fabulous '80 song stylings aside, in think we can all agre the name david hasselhoff is synonymous with one thing and one thing only. ice coffee. that's right in convenient stores throughout new england, david hasselhoff now dares you to resist the lure of the store brand iced coffee. why they missed an opportunity to call i had iced hoffee is beyond me, but still brilliant marketing. the ads are such a hot item, they're disappearing. proving my theory, people love

them some david hasselhoff cutouts. >> it's crazy. they keep offering, like -- we get customers every night asking to buy a hasselhoff poster. >> people are not only asking to buy the hasselhoff poster, some are brazenly stealing them. >> it ain't going to last the night. but it's still there. >> the company even gave a statement about this to our affiliate, whdh. >> cumberland farms says although we're flattered the customers have become attached to our iced coffee ads, we do not encourage theft. the hoff is there for all to enjoy. >> that's right, people. hands off the hoff. he's there for all to enjoy like the sun, the stars, the gentle spring breeze. the point is, would you steal a rainbow? no, you wouldn't. well, maybe if you were in college and your roommate was named rainbow.

>> my roommate is named hasse hasselhoff so he took one for him. >> that's one sweet decoration for a dorm room or the "ridiculist." another edition of 360, why michele bachmann won't answer the questions about the muslim brotherhood infiltration of the highest levels of government. scalia's decisions have changed a nation.

what you now have are super pacs effectively trying to buy elections. that can't be what the founding fathers would have intended. >> i think they would have said the more speech the better. >> it fa, family, the right to choose -- >> rove versus wade, it's a theory that's a lie. >> the issues that divide america are decided. my exclusive with justice antonin scalia. "piers morgan tonight." good evening. it isn't often a supreme court justice invites a journalist to come sit down with him inside the court itself. but i'm here today in washington to interview the longest serving justice, antonin scalia. justices never comment on cases they just ruled on or are pending, but that left a lot of territory to cover. from his faith, family and