jan brewer issuing her own executive order last night banning benefits to illegal immigrants. actor stephen baldwin will join us and the fierce five gymnasts are our guests. "starting point" begins right now. good morning. welcome, everybody. our "starting point" this morning is a developing story. homes, lives threatened. 13 states in a heartbreaking battle with wildfires. unfortunately there's no end in sight. right now at least 70 large wildfires are burning west of the mississippi. they already consumed 1.3 million acres, burned more than 60 homes. dozens more in the danger zone. victims are shell shocked. california has the most fires burning right now with 13. they've had to call in the marines to help 8,000 firefighters try to beat back

those flames. folks in central washington state have been hit the hardest though. the wind whipped taylor bridge fires torched nearly 40 square miles so far destroying at least 60 homes. we want to get to rob marciano who joins us from cle elum, washington, this morning. how's it looking? >> reporter: we're stationed at the command center which is quiet but will pick up activity as the morning goes along. on the fire lines themselves they've been working all night long as winds have laid down. this area is no stranger to winds during the summertime. there is a gap in the cascades and that west wind blows almost daily and they fear fire nearly every summer. they got it monday night when a spark flew near a construction site and the following day dozens of homes were engulfed in flames. at least 60 homes both in and on the outskirts of town. some farm buildings on the

outskirts of town. livestock and other animals were let to flee. 450 families evacuated right now and remain so. they are worried about some of the fire lines. only 10% containment right now. they will be working. they brought more reinforcements both man and equipment yesterday. as you mention, washington not the only state dealing with this. california has its hands full from san diego to san bernardino all of the way up to lake county just north of napa. they've been having to deal with big-time fires there. mostly because of the lack of snow and then the record breaking heat they've had the past several days and that is beginning to surge northward. soledad? >> rob marciano updating us on what's happening there. thank you, rob. appreciate that. in a few moments we'll talk to the california fire chief who will join us live. we want to get to john berman for a look at the day's top stories. >> this morning wikileaks

founder julian assange will learn if ecuador will great him political asylum. he's been held up in the embassy since june. cnn is live in london outside of the embassy. when do we expect ecuador's foreign minister to announce this decision? >> reporter: he should be making a decision in about two hours. that's when the announcement is expected. it could slide a bit. julian assange is waiting and watching inside the ecuadorian embassy behind me. police presence has increased here. they don't seem to be making any moves to go in. that does not seem to be happening at all. they are staying here because of the wikileaks protesters that have come here in support of julian assange. at least two protesters have been arrested. there could have been more. it was a bit of a scrum as they

were taken away. chaotic situation. but quickly recovered calm. police are waiting in front of the embassy. we're waiting to see what happens. will assange be granted asylum and even if he is, will he get out of the embassy or does that mean he'll be holed up inside and risk getting arrested as soon as he steps out? >> the site of a tense and unusual diplomatic standoff. we'll watch all morning. moving on to arizona governor jan brewer defying the president again. a few hours ago the republican signed an executive order directing state agencies to deny benefits including driver's licenses to deferred action recipients there. thousands of young undocumented immigrants applied for deportation relief after it went into effect this week. this just happened. this was created in june under an executive order signed by president obama giving those who arrived in the u.s. as undocumented children the right

to work for two years and access social security numbers and driver's licenses. we'll talk about this to cnn foreign affairs correspondent in the next hour. we may get a break from campaign rhetoric today but only because the guys won't be on the trail. president obama and vice president biden will be lunching. their weekly sitdown lunch. as for mitt romney, today is about fund raising with events in south carolina and massachusetts. only paul ryan will be working on his stump speech at walsh university in north canton, ohio, before he attends an evening fund-raiser in virginia. meantime, the president is coming to joe biden's defense over those remarks about putting people back in chains and obama is not the only one. joe biden was referring to what he sees as romney's plans to deregulate wall street. the president says biden meant americans will be worse off if we roll back financial reforms.

newark, new jersey, mayor corey booker said the vice president is a victim of sound bite politics. >> i beg america, listen to the whole speech by the vice president. don't let the sound bites that the media is presenting to you affect your mind. listen to the whole speech. this was a substantive speech about how we're going to reform wall street. about how we're going to protect nsumers. >> booker says he's tired of politics fueled by super pac money and sound bites. former new york city mayor rudy giuliani has been ripping into joe biden questioning the vice president's intelligence and his capacity to lead after making those controversial remarks. listen to what giuliani told piers morgan last night. >> the vice president wasn't very nice yesterday. the vice president did something disgusting yesterday. if vice president cheney did this, if sarah palin did this, if paul ryan did this, it would be on the front page of "the new york times" and you all would have been outraged. someone had to be outraged and it's going to be me. >> giuliani has been saying that

in all his years, he says he's never seen a vice president who has made as many mistakes or said as many stupid things as joe biden. that was rudy giuliani's words. only one winning ticket was sold for last night's $337 million powerball jackpot purchased in purchase and not here. unless you live in the great lakes state, call off the retirement party. you may have won something smaller. winning numbers, 6, 27, 46-51-56 and powerball is 21. if you hold that number, i love you. you're my new best friend. call me. >> michigan, huh? >> it's a bummer. >> i guess i'm at work tomorrow. all right. thank you. right back to our top story. fires ravaging california and washington. the fire chief is the director of forest ry and fire protectio.

talk to me about what the strategy is especially in california where you are dealing with so much. the pictures we've been looking at are horrible. >> we have nearly a dozen fires burning across the state predominantly from lightning. we've had storms come through the state in the last week or so dealing with temperatures well over 100 degrees for almost a week. this is on top of fuel conditions that are very, very dry. we had well below normal rainfall throughout the state this winter. so we're seeing over 1,200 more fires this year than we did last year. this is combined to keep us very busy but this is not something that california hasn't seen before. we are prepared for it and used to these kind of conditions. we're coordinating resources with all of our partner agencies across the state and nationally. >> the marines, i understand, have come in to help out the 8,000 or so firefighters that you have working the lines. tell me about that.

how many people do you have helping? >> again as you said, we have over 8,000 firefighters from local, state and federal agencies. and that includes our partners with the california national guard, navy and marine corps. >> rob marciano who was just giving us a weather update does not have a good picture for you. the weather is not going to be helping you. what's the plan without a forecast that has a lot of rain or at least cooler temperatures for you? >> the plan is to continue to do what we're doing. we are every day coordinating resources. we prioritize the fires both in northern and southern california. we get with our partner agencies to determine those highest priorities and we move resources to meet those priorities. fortunately we've been able to as new fires emerge, other fires are being contained and we're able to quickly move resources from those contained fires to the new fires and this is something again we're very practiced at in california.

we're very busy obviously and resources have been on duty for quite a while but again we're able to rest folks when we can and again move them where we need to get them. >> director of california's department of forestry and fire protection, thank you, sir, for your time. we know you're swamped so we really appreciate it. still ahead, the shooting at a conservative group headquarters in washington, d.c. now sparks a debate over hate group label. and latest move in the fight over the so-called 9/11 cross up. a powerful symbol to many. the 9/11 museum fighting atheist over that cross now. it's our get real this morning. we'll tell you about that. you're watching "starting point." back in a moment. you can feel. introducing the all-new cadillac xts. available with a patented safety alert seat. when there's danger you might not see,

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minding your business today. i'm poppy harlow. a day of reckoning for facebook. investors can sell 271 million shares of facebook today if they want to. today marks the end of facebook's first lockup period. facebook stock is down 45% since that nushl public offering in may. meantime, stock futures are pointing higher today. investors are waiting on several important reports including weekly jobless claims and housing starts. cisco systems is seeing shares move up 5% right now. the tech giant reported very strong earnings and boosted itsiits dividend. ikea branching out reporting that the swedish company plans to open hundred hotels across europe catering to cost conscious customers. no word on whether guests will have to assemble their own furniture in the rooms. >> for a discount, why not.

that's easy to assemble. i don't know why they don't keep that ikea name. >> i wonder if swedish meatballs will be at the restaurant. >> what's not to love. all right, poppy. thank you. no word on a motive for that shooting at the washington, d.c. headquarters of the conservative family research council. the suspect is 28 year old floyd lee corkins in custody now charged with assault with a deadly weapon. a security guard was wounded in the shooting and he was able to help capture the gunman. the gunman made comments about the council's work before opening fire and we know that he volunteered, the gunman, at a local lgbt center. sandra endo is live in washington, d.c. this morning at the scene. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, soledad. this morning we saw the blood splatter still left behind in the lobby of the frc building here and they are cleaning it up as we speak. we also saw an armed security guard enter the building with

the bulletproof vest but yesterday police would not say if the security guard who was shot was actually armed or protected. we're learning more about the suspect in this case. 28-year-old floyd corkins. we know that police retrieved a 9 millimeter handgun they say he legally purchased at a virginia gun shop recently. we also know that law enforcement officials retrieved a backpack from the lobby they believe belongs to the suspect and have identified and found his car which was parked at a nearby metro station in virginia. and of course as you mentioned, we do know that he was a volunteer at the d.c. center of lgbt community and the center's leader says that he's outraged that a volunteer would perform such an act of violence like this one. so of course heightened security here today at this center and investigators are still trying to piece together a motive in this case. soledad? >> earlier we were talking to brian brown, president of the

national organization for marriage. he was saying in his interview on "early start" that he felt labeling frc as a hate group which has been done by various organizations brings scrutiny and anger and he says that's correlated then in some ways to this shooting. what is frc saying about that? >> reporter: we're still trying to figure out in terms of the investigation where law enforcement stands on piecing together alleged comments the suspect may have said before the shooting broke out. we understand from a law enforcement source the suspect said that he was against the policy of frc. frc only said the police is investigating the case and their concern is for their employee who was shot yesterday. luckily that guard is in stable condition but again this investigation is just beginning as they are piecing together the evidence. >> it will be interesting to see if they are considering hate crime charges or terror charges

they start to consider in cases like this. sandra endo, appreciate that. remember the 9/11 cross that cross shaped steel beam found among the wreckage of the world trade center? it's now under assault by atheists on get real this morning. our "starting point" headi ing to talk about that. we're back in a moment.

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welcome back to "starting point." you're going to have to wait longer to go from new york to london if you want to do it in under an hour. a hypersonic test flight

spiraled out of control. the pentagon saying the wave rider aircraft was destroyed before reaching its target speed of 4,600 miles per hour. the air force said a problem with a tail fin caused it to spiral. the jet was talked about as a game changer for the military and civilians much further down the road. scientists discovered a new cluster of galaxies more than 5 billion light years from earth. it's one of the most eluminus ever identified. are hackers known as unanimous trying to hijack the curiosi curiosity rover? some say it may be a fake or attempt to track hackers. as far as mars rover motion,

it's now becoming a pop song parity on youtube. you have to look at this. ♪ ♪ we're nasa and we know it >> i love this. obviously a spoof on the song "sexy and i know it." lyrics filled with references from the mission if you watched it you're familiar with them. what i really, really truly like about this is over the last two weeks, all of a sudden nasa has become cool. it really has. cool and sexy. >> right. of course. that's the whole point. got a video. >> and sexy. i'm going to have to think about that. >> nasa is sexy. >> what's with the shirts? >> those are nasa shirts. >> they look like best buy employees or something. remember the old days when they put guys on the moon they had the suits and ties. >> times change, man.

our team this morning, richard is with us. a writer for new yorker.com. ryan lizza is a columnist for the new yorker and will cain is a columnist. and john berman staying with us. the national september 11th memorial and museum fighting a group of atheist in or the. the issue is that amazing 17-foot tall cross, the word trade center cross. the museum is trying to get this lawsuit that's been filed by the group american atheists thrown out. the group claims the cross shaped steel artifact in the museum's collection violates the first amendment. according to the museum, the cross is a key component in retelling of the story of 9/11 in particular the role of faith in the events of that day and particularly during recovery efforts. they are fighting this group to get that cross removed. what i find strange about it is the cross was taken obviously out of its area which was by

world trade 6 i believe and moved and lowered by crane into the museum. i don't know how you could effectively argue that an artifact, a religious artifact is violating church and state in a museum. >> given its historic importance, it also has importance as art and as history of the city and history of what happened to us. >> it's part of the story. not just a religious symbol. part of the story of 9/11 now. >> even if it were just an amazing looking religious symbol, it's in a museum. >> how many nationally funded museums have religious artifacts. >> they need a better case. this case may not work for them. >> i mean, i respect their opinion to believe or not believe whatever they want to but i wouldn't say that they are really on the upswing. >> they're not catching -- >> it's not catching on. >> i didn't know that. still ahead this morning -- >> i don't base that on anything

scientific. it's just my hunch. >> a small asterisk on that comment. >> there are no foot notes for this comment at all. this is just how richard feels. it's not siding against or for atheists. to me who is not a lawyer and will cain is, there is no legal ground for removing a religious artifact from a museum. >> from a nongovernment agency. >> a crazy lawsuit. >> that's what i would say. still ahead on "starting point," we'll talk about vice president's joe biden back in chains comment was that comment to black voters intentional. remember, this is what he said. >> he said the first 100 days he's going to let the big banks once again write their own rules. unchain wall street. they're going to put you all back in chains. >> put you all back in chains. the he there was he was talking about mitt romney. up next we'll talk to congressman emmanuel cleaver, chairman of the congressional black caucus about that and more

and a new video on the web features former special forces officers blasting president obama for something he did after t the killing of osama bin laden. stay with us. you're watching "starting point." [ female announcer ] ready for a taste of what's hot? check out the latest collection of snacks from lean cuisine.

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president joe biden's remarks and does it take away from the party's message or is it trying to reinforce something? that's ahead in just a moment. first, we want to talk about diplomatic tensions that are rising across the pond where eee is wondering if he'll have asylum. british authorities have threatened to assault the embassy if they don't hand assange over to face those sexual assault allegations in sweden. security right now tight outside that embassy. we go live to london. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, soledad. you can see increased police presence in front of the he can dorian embassy where julian assange is waiting and watching and waiting to hear whether he'll be granted asylum by ecuador. even if he is, there's no guarantee he won't be arrested if he walks outside of the

embassy and that's why we have the standoff we're having today. i want to show you the scene quickly. police are on this side. protesters over there. you can see quite a few of the wikileaks supporters with v for vendetta masks on. there's an ecuadorian contingent here and of course the media staked out here to see what will happen with julian assange at this diplomatic standoff. >> all right. thanks. what's the time line that we're expecting to know because i have seen certainly a growth in the noise and the police presence. i know there's a decision coming down soon. when? >> reporter: we are hoping to get a decision within possibly the next hour. that time could slide a bit. once that asylum decision is made, it doesn't mean that anything substantially changes here because julian assange must remain in the ecuadorian embassy. if he steps outside of the embassy, he risks arrest by

british police because he's on british soil. >> interesting to see how the decision comes down. thanks. john berman has a look at the rest of the day's top stories. >> thanks, soledad. penn state university announcing it will host a conference on sex abuse. sugar ray leonard and elizabeth smart, victims of sex abuse, both scheduled to speak there. also a hearing later this morning for two former penn state administrators accused of lying to a grand jury in the jerry sandusky child sex abuse case. both men are facing perjury charges. their lawyers will have to try to have that case thrown out. a court hearing scheduled today in the aurora movie theater massacre. not known if shooting suspect james holmes will be in the courtroom. the hearing was supposed to determine if holmes had an established doctor/patient relationship with a psychiatrist who received a package from the suspected shooter but the judge postponed that part of it until next week. police in sparks, nevada, say a man with a gun

accidentally shot himself in the backside in a movie theater during a showing of the bourne legacy. several calls were received reporting gunfire inside the theater. the victim apologized to people sitting around him and made his way to a local hospital to be treated. he had a permit for the weapon but he may face charges for illegally discharging a firearm. health officials in louisiana have issued a drinking water advisory. they say the water is perfectly safe to drink but higher in salt because salty water from the gulf of mexico is creeping in. people on dialysis or low sodium diets are encouraged to drink with their daughter before drinking the water there. a person's blood type may affect those with hard disease.

those with type ab had a 23% higher risk for heart disease but that's also the least common type of blood. and there they go again. another major league perfect game. seattle mariners pitcher felix hernandez tossed that gem last night. 1-0 win over the tampa bay rays. 23rd perfect game in american league history but the third one this year. i thought king felix was the best of the year. he had 12 strikeouts completely dominant. this is the first perfect game ever in the history of the mariners franchise. >> my son who comes in all the time and helps out the guys here. he is so obsessed with perfect games. it's been crazy. there have been so many. >> 23 in the history of baseball. 11 of them have happened since 1990. >> what explains it? >> pitching is getting better. the athletes in the game in general are getting much better. the pitchers are more impressive physical specimens i think.

>> interesting. we didn't want that game last night. we were watching the yankees. we should have watched the other one. i went to bed. let's talk about the campaign. let's talk politics, shall we? heated battle on the campaign trail continues to show no signs of letting up. congressman paul ryan last night adopted some of mitt romney's language attacking the president saying this -- >> president obama is out of ideas. and that is why his campaign is based on anger and division. >> that anger word is the same word we heard from mitt romney a little bit earlier. of course all this comes since vice president biden made comments in virginia on tuesday when he told a crowd that he, mitt romney, would put them all back in chains and that led to attacks on biden from new york city mayor, the former mayor, rudy giuliani. we'll play a little bit of what he said in just a moment. first, we want to talk to congressman emmanuel cleaver, a

democrat, thank you for talking with us. >> good morning. >> let's play again what vice president biden said in virginia and in danville, virginia, which was a center where there were race riots back in the 1800s, where in 1963 they are using fire hoses on african-americans at the same time we saw that in other parts of the country. here's what he said. >> look what the they value and look at their budget and what they're proposing. romney said in the first 100 days he'll let big banks write their own rules. unchain wall street. they're going to put you all back in chains. >> he's going to put you all back in chains. what did you make of that when you heard that? >> absolutely nothing. i would never have even paid much attention to it except for the fact that campaigns nowadays are waiting for any kind of

little nugget to try to create an atmosphere of more and more discord and so it makes absolutely no sense that some kind of a little throw away line is now being used to make vice president biden appear to have been throwing out these words in order to somehow attract dumb african-americans who if they hear the words chains are going to automatically vote for him and president obama. >> i think you're extrapolating on dumb african-americans part of that. you cannot tell me that if we were talking about mitt romney saying a line like that and if we were discussing that and the quote was he wants to put you all back in chains and that was part of governor romney's speech that people would not go crazy and crying about race and talking about tone and tenure and coded language. i think we would, wouldn't we? >> i'm not sure. i think it depends on the

context. i know vice president biden. and when you look at the video that you just showed, there's only a sprinkling of african-americans there. clearly the minority in that crowd. if he were at a naacp event or some group with just african-americans, i would say maybe he tried to generate some thoughts about things gone by. in that setting, it made no sense. the people out there weren't thinking about the history of race relations in that community. they came to hear the vice president. >> our reporting shows -- let me stop you for a second. people who were there said the audience was divided similarly to how danville is divided. roughly 50-50 is the demographics in danville, white to black. that's what we are told was the makeup of the crowd as well. roughly half that crowd was african-american. >> yes. i mean, why would the vice president go into a setting like

that where presumably half of the people wouldn't have any understanding or feelings about what was going on? the reality is that the discourse in our politics has become unsophisticated, unpolished, unnecessary. and rather than try to raise the discord to some degree both sides look for little things that would remove the discussion from the things that matter to something that's completely a i assinine. >> when we talk back in june you were talking about i think it has some kind of a smell to it talking about contempt charges for eric holder. you said back in may there was a concern about ethics probes of black lawmakers. you were speaking about codes. there's nothing spelled out but we have a concern.

yet it seems to me like everybody turns the other way when similar things could be highlighted here. will, you wanted to jump in. >> i can't reconcile with what you're saying in the same sentence. you say our national discord is out of hand and we focus on silly little things and then you call this comment that he wants to put you all back in chains as a throw away comment. i don't understand how you can say national discourse is poor and then say that's no big deal. perhaps you can do this. just tell me what he meant? what did vice president biden mean by that comment? >> first of all, i've been black all my life so that comment i can tell you would have no impact on me. number two, the vice president if you look at what he said in context, he was saying wall street has created a major problem in this country and mitt romney wants to come in and give those guys the ability to do it again and it would put you back in chains.

you would have another wall street collapse that will impact the nation and the world. and i'm not here to defend vice president biden. i don't think that needs to be defended. i think the defense of vice president biden ought to be based on whether or not he made a proposal with regard to the budget or how we are going to deal with minimum wage and how we're going to deal with almost 9 approxima 9% unemployment. those are issues. i know the statement by the vice president had absolutely no impact. there's not a single black person in this country who is now going to say by golly i'm going to vote for obama and biden because biden said something about putting you back in chains. >> governor doug wilder who has been black all his life too said this about that. >> first of all, without question there were appeals to race.

i don't know why he felt he needed to do that at this stage. more importantly, the president doesn't need this now. the president needs to be a part of the bringing people together. >> does he have a point like let's move off this conversation because it's dragging everybody down and he's also saying clearly code language there. >> well, i agree with doug wilder that the president doesn't need this conversation to take place in this country. however, for the governor to suggest that this was some kind of plan is just not rationale. if you listen to it, you can see the vice president veered from the teleprompter as he is prone to do and made comments that he thought would be cute in the context of an unrestrained wall street. unchained wall street.

so i'm not -- you know, it doesn't bother me that comment doesn't bother me. what bothers me is the tone of things and the fact that right now we're practicing congress light. 61 bills reported yesterday that we've been able to deal with. we're on track to -- >> lowest since 1947. >> lowest since 1947 i believe. congressman cleaver, nice to see you. thank you for talking with us. we appreciate it. still ahead on "starting point," a group of special ops soldiers are attacking president obama for what they say is bragging about the killing of osama bin laden. we'll show you that next on "starting point." stay with us. [ female announcer ] research suggests cell health plays a key role

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former special forces officers accuse president obama of taking too much credit for the killing of osama bin laden. there's a new video on the web that takes the president and other politicians to task over in their view using classified information leaks for political gain. here's a little chunk of it. >> as a citizen it is my civic duty to tell the president to stop leaking information to the enemy. it will get americans killed. >> the group that produced the video says it's nonpartisan but shares an office with two republican political consulting firms in alexandria, virginia, according to brookings institution the president is blamed for leaks without proof that the president has actually leaked. they go on and some of the speakers talk about you didn't kill osama bin laden, the military did. and that there were some very detailed methods that were

compromised. >> that is not a nonpartisan ad. >> that's why i talked about -- you know, i think the point they're making is a point we've discussed on this show. outside of the ads and ads are done for political reasons so you're right. i don't think any ad is really nonpartisan. some of the people who are criticizing before did not. originally when the comments came out -- >> i think if anything he's been fairly restrained in not bragging about it. i would say that if it were someone from the military, he would be bragging about it. >> these former special forces officers are worried about details in leaks and they detail in their ad the effects of that. >> we'll continue this argument in a commercial break. i have to get to a commercial. hello. i have to get to a commercial. still ahead on "starting point," we'll take you outside the ecuadorian embassy in london

where they are about to announce whether julian assange will get asylum there. they were the darlings of the olympic games. the fierce five stop by our studio. you're watching "starting point." we're back in just a moment. wa point." we're back in just a moment. at purina one, we believe small things can make a big difference. like how a little oil from here can be such a big thing in an old friend's life. we discovered that by blending enhanced botanical oils into our food, we can help brighten an old dog's mind so he's up to his old tricks. it's just one way purina one is making the world a better place... one pet at a time. discover vibrant maturity and more at purinaone.com.

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it's a whole new species of gator. see just how much the gator has evolved at johndeere.com/gator. they are america's newest golden girls. the fierce five are back home after winning gold in women's gymnastics at the london olympics. it was the first time the usa took gold in the event since 1996 in the atlanta games. they were unstoppable from the impressive vaults, powerful finishes on the floor exercise. we have the entire team with us, left to right. ma kayla maroney, jordan wieber, so nice to have all of you with us. and gabby, let's start with you

talking about your gold medal in the all-around. did you know going in, like did you feel confident, like you were going to nail it? >> coming in, i felt very confident. i trained so many years and put a lot of effort and determination into the gym. and you have to go in and be strong and courageous. and not be scared or be afraid of anything. so you've just got to treat it like any other competition. >> jordyn, how is your leg? is it ok? >> it's much better now. i've been able to rest it a little bit. >> one of the things i thought was most amazing about you, watching you closely, and i was watching the olympics with my daughters who are gymnasts, to see you come back from a tremendous disappointment and really come back in fine fashion and do really, really well. tell me what was the thing that made you able to come back. what did you draw upon to not just wallow in disappointment but really rebound? >> i think i just looked to the support of my teammates, and i knew that we had a quick turn-around. we had team finals two days

later. so even though i was a bit disappointed and sad, i had to turn it around and get ready for team because i still had an important job to do i knew the team was counting on me. >> aly, we have been calling you fab five, and then it was like, no, no, we're the fierce five. a quote, i guess fab five was taken by some basketball team or something. the fab five, of course, was the famous 1991 university of michigan men's basketball team. how did you come up with the fierce five as your new name? >> i think just we're all fierce when we go out on the competition floor. we're really, really focused and we just like to go in and hit our events. and i think we just like that name a lot. >> one of my favorite things has been mikhaila's tumbler account, it was hilarious, and it was fun for me to see you sending

pictures. that's not the impressed. and then they have moon landing. not impressed by the moon landing. she sees the sistine chapel. >> pretty much everything that's impressive, i'm just not impressed by. >> justin bieber, she's not impressed by that. and that kind of thing could be hurtful, right? [ laughter ] >> oh, my gosh. but you guys find it funny. and you started submitting your own. the pool is close. not impressed. all you are submitting your own. how do you navigate that into something fun and start owning it? >> you just have to laugh at what happens. everything happens for a reason. you just have to turn it into something positive because being disappointed about it is not going to help anything. so all the girls were really supportive about it, and they keep points out the face like randomly. they are like, you are doing the face again, mckayla. and i'm like, ok, i have to stop

doing that. >> it's been so much fun to watch. do you have any sense of how much of a big role model you are for young girls? my daughters are here, and they never come for anything. >> i think that's so important to know we could inspire young girls, gymnasts, athletes, anybody, it means so much to all of us and makes us so happy. and to be a role model i'm sure was all of our dreams. >> and also we used to be those little girls that looked up to the other gymnasts and the other olympians. so to be that for someone else means more to us than anything. i was the girl that would run up and ask people for their autographs. >> that's great to hear that, because my daughters are about to run in and ask you all for your autographs today. what's next? time off? >> a tour. we're really excited for that. 40 cities for three months. so it should be really fun and a new experience for all us. >> congratulations to you.

we are so proud of you. it was amazing to be able to watch you and root for you all. really a thrill for all of us. >> thank you so much. >> we appreciate it. we're back in just a moment. is this a bad time? no, i can talk. great -- it's the 9th inning and your hair still looks amazing. well, it starts with a healthy scalp. that's why i use head and shoulders for men. they're four shampoos for game-winning scalp protection and great looking hair... go on, please. with seven benefits in every bottle, head and shoulders for men washes out flakes, itch and dryness. and washes in... confidence. yeah it does. [ male announcer ] up to 100% flake free scalp and hair with head & shoulders for men. ♪ [music plays] ♪ [music plays]

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welcome back, everybody. "starting point" this morning, it is decision day for julian assange wanted in sweden over claims of rape, but he's been holed up in london for two

months. we are standing by for breaking news on the granting of his asylum. plus, heartbreaking loss this morning. >> my house is gone. all my friends, neighbors, people i care about. we're all going to have to move, rebuild. hug, shed some tears, and start over. >> wildfires intensifying, ravaging california and washington and other states. people packing their belongings, running for their lives. also, defining paul ryan. we're taking a look into mitt romney's choice for vice presidential running mate and how it is affecting and will affect his campaign. we have a busy show ahead. the actor steven baldwin will join us. actor dane dehaan. also, bryan curtis will talk a little sports. it's thursday, august 16. and "starting point" begins right now. it is jazzy music, but that's not new music, i don't think. welcome, everybody.

richard socarides is joining us this morning. he is a writer for thenew yorker.com. will cain is a columnist at theblaze.com. john berman is here as well. how long have you been here now? >> it's a month, but it feels like years. >> you start at 5:00 a.m., right? >> i do. >> and you're still here. it's a great show, my favorite show. next to this show, it's my favorite show. >> i get up at 1:45 in the morning. >> 1:45? >> 1:45 a.m. >> but it's got to feel great. >> i feel great. >> he is going out for drinks after this. let's start with our developing story this morning. we're expecting that decision any minute now on the decision on wikileaks founder julian assange's request. he has been holed up in ecuador's embassy in london since june, and british authorities have been threatening to take him out of that embassy if ecuador doesn't just hand him over so he can be

extradited to sweden. assange is facing sex crimes allegations there. and we have a live report now on this. this is a countdown as you stand there monitoring the situation. tell us how it's changed over the last hour. >> reporter: yes. it's a bit loud here, as you can see. we still have a lot of protesters coming through here in ecuadorian contingent here saying earlier hands off ecuador. that of course is in reference to what ecuador says is britain's veiled threat to basically go into the embassy and arrest julian assange. britain says they want to solve this situation diplomatically. but there is a basis, they say, by which they could basically take away the diplomatic status of the ecuadorian embassy if it's being misused. that doesn't mean they are going to raid it anytime soon, and of course so far we have seen nothing to indicate that police would go in and arrest julian assange. so meantime, we are waiting to

see what the decision is from ecuador, will they grant assange asyl asylum. and even if they do, does that mean he'll be inside the embassy indefinitely? >> a lot of questions there. because as you point out, if they are threatening that they might still revoke the diplomatic status of the embassy in london to allow the extradition, not only do you have this argument over julian assange, but you get the debate that's going on behind you between sort of the colonial power versus ecuador. and it's kind of ramped things up, hasn't it? >> well, this is the problem. even if they felt that the embassy was being misused in some way, excuse me, sorry, we have a lot of protesters working in and out of the shot, as you can imagine. but if they feel that the embassy is being misused, they say they have the ability and the legal right to withdraw diplomatic status. but even if they did do that, that is something that would take months to do. it would probably be legally challenged not only by ecuador

but by other countries. so this is something that even if it happened would take months. and so realistically speaking, sorry, a lot of protesters getting in the way, it doesn't mean we are likely to have anybody go into the embassy and make an arrest anytime soon. >> atika shub ert cool as a cucumber this morning. we'll come back to you as we get word of what that decision is. also, homes and lives being threatened. 13 states in a battle with wildfires and there is no end in point. there are 70 large wildfires burning, 13 states west of the mississippi. they have already consumed 1.3 million acres, burned more than 60 homes. a dozen more homes are in danger. and the victims literally are shell-shocked. >> oh, there goes another one. >> i just think the wind is the biggest factor. >> we have been here for 25 years. we moved over from belgium.

and it hurts. >> everybody's house is gone. all my friends, my neighbors, you know, people i care about. and we're all either going to have to move, rebuild, hug, shed some tears, and start over. >> oh, my goodness. california, of the 13, has the most fires, 13 states, has the most fires burning right now. they have 13 fires burning. they have called in the marines to help 8,000 firefighters try to beat back those flames. for the folks in central washington state, they have been hit the hardest. wind-whipped taylor bridge fire has destroyed 60 homes there. rob marciano is in cle elum this morning. >> the heat is creeping up and the humidity is dropping, so that's the bad news there. this is the one large uncontained fire in washington, but it's done the most damage. it's the worst one that this

area has seen in decades. it started monday night near a construction site and spread rapidly. this is an area no stranger to winds. they get them all summer long out of the west. and that can whip up those flames quickly and koz dozens of homes being burnt as that fire whipped through. not only inside of town but on the outskirts of town as well. and some farming areas. it sent livestock and other animals fleeing as well. all in all, at least 450 families have been evacuated and no word on when they can go back. 10% containment now. they hope to get a better grasp later but they are worried about it creeping further north into wooded areas. california, that's where the heat has been building. and that's where those big fires have been building. but the heat now is building here. and even though the winds have died down, soledad, temperatures will be near 100 degrees in some sports of or or and washington. and with those high temperatures, that's just one more thing that firefighters will have to contend with. >> it's got to be just horrible.

thank you, rob. this just in this morning. we are receiving word that an international security assistance force chopper has gone down in southern afghanistan. 11 people killed, afghan and coalition service members. at least three of them are u.s. service members. not sure what caused the chopper to go down. an investigation is now underway. we continue to follow those developments as well, and we will continue to bring them to you as they come in. turning now to politics and the race for the presidency. it's been five days since paul ryan has started hitting the campaign trail as a candidate for the vice presidency. true impact, of course, that he'll have on the race remains to be seen. an article called "ryan's hope" in the new "time" magazine asked this question. can a wisconsin wonk help mitt romney win? michael, nice to see you. we appreciate it. >> thank you. >> when you look at tracking polls, and this one is from gallup, you see no immediate

bounce in the polling for governor romney. before the announcement, romney was at 46% and president obama at 45%. after the ryan announcement, governor romney at 47%, obama at 45%. what do you take away from a poll like that? >> well, i think it's got to be a disappointment for the romney campaign. everybody wants a bigger bounce. and i think that this pick was a risk, a toss of the dice. i think the dice are still tumbling. it's possible what they are looking at here or what they are hoping for is a boost in the turnout. this is a pick meant to energize romney's base. you might not necessarily see the numbers in a poll like that move dramatically, but what would happen, the romney campaign hopes, is that on election day, conservatives are more fired up than democrats and the people who actually get up off the couch and wait in line to cast their ballot will make the difference because they will be more motivated and excited and more inspired by romney, who i think was not really inspiring the conservative base. although they have always been

pretty motivated by the desire to knock out president obama. >> crowley, it's ryan lizza. >> hey, ryan. >> at the beginning of the piece, you start off with this idea that the ghost of sarah palin sort of haunted the search for a running mate with romney. and at the end of the piece, you note there's an echo of sarah palin in the ryan pick. what do you think? what do you think the -- you think they got it wrong here? even though they were driven by not doing another palin they may have gone down that road anyway? >> well, that's a great question and the question to ask. one thing that interests me about this story is that, yes, i think the specter of palin was there from the beginning. everybody said you have to pick somebody serious and substantive. we don't want any reminders of the fiasco from 2008 when john mccain picked someone who just wasn't ready. but i think there is an echo in the sense that it looks like this was a pick designed -- it's become a cliche, but i do think it's a good descriptor, a kind

of a game changer to reboot the campaign. that the romney headquarters in boston felt that the status quo they were on was not a winning one. so they had to reframe the debate, reenergize their campaign. they may be switching to more of a base strategy. but i think it's a very open question as to whether it's going to work. and i think conservatives with palin were very excited by the pick initially, but they are not seeing the base. a lot of republicans particularly down the ticket in congressional races are nervous about the way medicare has become a front and center issue. and i think it's entirely possible that as with palin, they are going to end up regretting this. i think it's too early to say for sure. but it would be sort of ironic if we saw it play out the same way the palin pick did after they tried so hard not to repeat history that way. >> let me ask will cain a question on this. it seems to me that not getting a bounce is not unusual for many campaigns actually, right? you saw some bounces in the past, but give me the history of this. do you always see a bounce from the presidential pick? often there is no bounce, right?

>> ryan is much more versed in polling and presidential races than i am. but i think michael is exactly right. this pick is designed to energize the base. and both campaigns, that's what their focus is right now. energize the base. not really strong efforts to win over the middle. i disagree with one thing that michael said. i think republicans are comfortable with medicare being part of the national debate. not so much, hey, we're going to reform medicare for the long hall, but try and make it like 2010, barack obama is cutting your medicare. that's the argument they want to have. >> what? no, no, no. what? no. one quick point. >> over time the bounce on vp picks has been reduced. >> ok. >> and the medicare thing, look, this is a funny test in the middle of a presidential campaign to test the idea that republicans can suddenly win the medicare debate. certain issues are owned by one party or the other. the democrats own the medicare issue. >> i have -- the more and more i

think about this, the think that romney picked ripe juyan just b he liked him the best. there is some report being this that it really wasn't meant to be an ideological game changer. he just liked the guy and now they are dealing with the fallout. do people tell you that? >> yeah, we definitely can't underestimate chemistry here. it's hard to know exactly how the different percentages broke down. you know, how much was this reason or that reason. i think there's no question there's chemistry. these guys are both numbers guys, data geeks. it's been said that ryan reminded romney of someone hoe would hire at bain or one of his sons. i think that rings very true, and you can kind of see the dynamic between them. one quick thing i would add -- >> not three points that you want to make? >> no, it's my best one. i'm a little more selective than my friend ryan lizza. which is just that i do think, you know, medicare -- republicans do get some traction with that cutting medicare line they used in 2010. i think that's an excellent point. but remember that the conversation right now about the

romney/ryan ticket is not getting people jobs right now. so if you're unemployed, this is what we will do to get you a job in the next few months. they are talking about reforming medicare 20 years out. it's an interesting question. is this what voters want to hear right now? i know they are concerned about the debt. health care costs are a really problem. but to win an election in november, don't you want to be talking more about i'm going to get you back to work in a few months, and here is my plan, and they are not saying that right now. >> there might be time for that, right? we still have 80 some-odd days. >> nice point. >> thank you. >> ryan, thank you for reading my article so closely. >> appreciate it, michael. always nice to have you. still ahead this morning on "starting point," ecuadorian officials are making the announcement right now whether wikileaks founder julian assange will get asylum. live pictures. we're going to bring you that decision the moment it is delivered. and then defining the president. arizona governor jan brewer issues her own executive order. it happened last night, banning benefits to young illegal

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welcome back, everybody. we are following developing news as ecuador officials are right now going over their decision in the julian assange case. you're watching ecuadorian tv. those are the pictures we are slowing you on the left side of your screen. and they are reviewing just exactly how the case developed. a little bit about the history of the case. so they haven't gotten to the point yet where they are announcing whether they are going to allow, in fact, julian assange to have -- to come to their country. cnn's atika shub ertis live for us outside of the embassy. he faces allegations of sexual

abuse in sweden. obviously she is monitoring ecuadorian tv and those officials remarks. right now in arizona, the governor there, jan brewer, a few hours ago signed an executive order, and that order directs state agencies to deny benefits, including driver's licenses, to deferred action recipients in that state. the deferred deportation program was created back in june by the department of homeland security. secretary janet napolitano. it went into effect this week. rafael romeo is joining us from atlanta this morning. the governor says the deferred action program doesn't give any legal status, so she thinks not giving out arizona licenses is a perfectly fine thing to do. legally, is she on steady ground or on weak ground there? >> well, soledad, when you talk about the deferred action program by the obama administration, it essentially gives not only the opportunity to stay in the country to these young immigrants for a period of

two years but also very important, it gives them a social security number and also a work permit. that means that in any state, they have the ability to get a driver's license. what the governor in arizona is arguing, jan brewer, is saying that that is not the case because they are only temporarily here in the united states. they don't actually have legal status. and so therefore, they are not entitled to any local or state benefits. in essence, this means a driver's license. so what she's doing is issuing her own executive order to counter president obama's executive order although the administration doesn't like to call it that. they call it a policy memo from the department of homeland security. and as you can imagine, soledad, already protests in arizona. the dream act coalition.

there was a march there to the capital in arizona. the aclu criticizing arizona. and many people saying the same thing, that the governor just went ahead and is doing her own legislation in a manner that should be federal. >> rafael, do you think there's an expectation that the justice department will step in and get involved in some way? >> well, if history is any indication, if you think about what happened in arizona in 2010, right after governor brewer signed sb 1070, the law cracking down on illegal immigration in arizona, the justice department stepped in suing arizona, and the decision didn't come up until a couple of months ago in june when the supreme court overruled three out of four provisions in arizona. but one of the most important ones, the one that allows police to ask for legal status to anybody they stop suspected of being in the country illegally stands.

so you can imagine that the justice department right now is taking a close look at this, and deciding what they're going to do. and just let me show you some of the reaction that has been in arizona. influential columnist ej montine says this is. it's cutting off your nose to spite your face, soledad. >> rafael romo for us this morning in atlanta. appreciate the update. much more ahead this morning on "starting point." we continue to follow the asylum request of wikileaks founder julian assange. ecuadorian officials are making that decision as we speak. plus, why investors could start dumping their facebook stock today. maybe that's an opportunity for the rest of us. we'll tell you that straight ahead. stay with us. we took the best of the old and combined it with modern technology. together you get quality services on your terms, with total customer support. legalzoom documents have been accepted in all 50 states,

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minding your business today. i'm poppy harlow. it could be a day of reckoning for facebook. investors will be able to sell as many as 270 million shares of the stock today if they want to. today marks the end of facebook's first lockup period. the stock is down 45% since the initial public offering mid may. meantime, stock futures are pointing higher ahead of the opening on wall street. cisco systems, that tech giant, saw shares rise 5%. but dividends, no one will be talking about cisco. they are going to be talking about facebook at the opening. >> would you ditch your stock? >> i don't have it. >> if you had it. >> how do you evaluate a company like that? >> you sound the guys like

berkshire hathaway. >> would you take the opportunity to ditch it where the value has gone down or would you say i'll keep it and see what happens? >> i'd hold that. >> why would you sell that? unless you want the money. you've been holding this paper money and now you want the cash. >> go buy your mansion right now or half a mansion as it might be. still ahead this morning on "starting point," breaking news on the wikileaks founder julian assange asylum request. there is police action outside of the embassy in london, as london seems to be threatening the ecuadorian embassy. we'll tell you what's happening there. plus, look at this videotape. this little boy gets his head lo lodged in a stone balcony. we'll tell what you happened to him. >> wow. >> that looks like a miserable position to be in. and a man who's known for his strong opinions. the actor steven baldwin will join us and talk politics. the tone of the campaign. he is walking in right now. you're watching "starting point." back in a moment. hatch a design. kill the design.

design something totally original. do it again. that's good. kick out the committees. call in the engineers. call in the car guys. call in the nerds. build a prototype. mold it. shape it. love it. give it 40 mpg. no, 41. give it a huge display. give it a starting price under 16 grand. take it to the car shows. get a celebrity endorser. he's perfect. "i am?" yes, you are. making a groundbreaking car. it's that easy. ♪ in he presented himself asdent obamasomething different. i had hoped that the new president would bring new jobs. not major layoffs, not people going through major foreclosures on their homes. he did get his healthcare through, but at what cost? he said he was going to cut the deficit in his first term. i've seen zero interest in reducing spending. he inherited a bad situation, but he made it worse. i think he's a great person. i don't feel he is the right leader for our country, though. i still believe in hope and change, i just don't think

obama's the way to go for that. the president has not earned re -election, in 2012, in my book. i've seen his now definition of hope and change. it's not the hope and change i want, and it's not the hope and change i thought i was going to get. i don't feel that i helped my grandchildren by voting for president obama and i regret that. americans for prosperity is responsible for the content of this advertising. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] you've been years in the making. and there are many years ahead. join the millions of members who've chosen an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. go long.

d welcome back, everybody. here's what's happening right now. officials in ecuador are reviewing their decision in the julian assange asylum case. what you're looking at is ecuadorian tv live. they have not decided to let him come to their country. the wikileaks founder has been holed up for two months hiding from british authorities, who are trying to deport him to sweden to face allegations of sexual abuse. atika shubert is live outside of ecuador's embassy in london. she's monitoring this news story. and as soon as that decision is made, she'll come to us with a live report. that's straight ahead. first, though, john berman with an update of the day's top stories. penn state university -- oh, we just received news that the

international security assistance force chopper has gone down in southern afghanistan killing 11 afghan and coalition service members. at least seven of them are u.s. service members. we don't know what caused the isaf chopper to go down. an investigation is underway. we are following developments and will bring them to you as they come in. penn state has announced it will be holding a conference on sexual abuse at the end of october. sugar ray leonard and elizabeth smart are scheduled to speak at the conference. and there is a penn state perjury hearing for two men who are accused of lying about the case. their lawyers will try to have the case thrown out. and you'll never see a more unhappy looking boy. he got his head stuck in a stone opening in a balcony. poor little guy. the good news is, he was freed using a hydraulic spreading

machine, some pliers, and he does appear to be unharmed though very, very sad. poor guy. seriously. >> yeah. i know. isn't that terrible? every time we have one of those little kids stuck in fill in the blank, it's always good when they are ok. let's talk politics. trash talk maybe getting out of control on the campaign trail ever since vice president biden talked about putting you all in chains, and sarah palin said she thought that the vice president should be replaced on the ticket. and ben la bolt said unhinged describing governor mitt romney. paul ryan picked up the line of angry from the governor. >> president obama is out of ideas. and that is why his campaign is based on anger and division. >> i think it's fair to say it's getting pretty ugly out there.

actor stephen baldwin is joining us this morning. he is a romney supporter and from a political family that like to duke it out on both sides of the aisle. >> well, i just saw that chinese kid, and it brought back a lot of memories. >> that's how they do it in the baldwin family. >> where are you in the pecking order? >> i'm the youngest. >> of six, right? >> the difference between me and that young kid is i was forced there. >> i'm five of six too. i know what you mean. >> we are going to start with a serious topic which is that shooting that took place in d.c. at frc. earlier we had brian brown on, and he was -- he said this. let me just play a little bit of his interview. >> everything points to the fact that this was politically motivated. and it's totally unacceptable. and groups like the southern poverty law center, which have labeled the family research council, which is a mainstream group, a hate group, that sort of talk, that sort of labeling

and attack, it's totally irresponsible and unacceptable. and i think this incident makes that clear. >> he is the president of the national organization for marriage. and it seems we are now learning about the security guard who was injured in the attack. but he seems to have stopped it and really probably saved a lot of lives because this guy was heavily armed. what do you make of what he's saying, which is there is an irresponsibility in the labeling that goes around the frc. >> well, i think that -- i know exactly what frc is. i know the founder of it. and anybody that tries to go in there with a weapon was probably pretty stupid, because those people are -- >> heavily armed? >> yeah, they are heavily armed people. huh. exactly. i think it gets back to common sense, regular joe philosophy. i think that there is a right and a left.

and a very conservative perspective about what the future of the country is. and there's a progressive movement. that wants what it wants. and we are now seeing all of these types of differences coming to extreme heads and confrontations. >> it sounds like you're saying that the hostility and the tenor and the tone is only going to rachet up, right? >> absolutely. >> you're saying harsher this way, harsher that way, and that bubbles into much of a clash and angry rhetoric and worse than angry rhetoric. >> yeah. i mean, obviously we're seeing more and more violence. where is that coming from? >> do you think, though, that maybe we're seeing more violence on the extremes, but that in the middle, i think the country is coming together around some core principles. we are all in this together. we are all about the same values. >> we should be. >> we should be, right? >> what are you saying? >> i think that there is a consensus around issues like gay rights. the family research council is a big advocate against gay ect --

basic fairness for all. >> well, there's a shift. >> there is a shift. >> in the perception, yes. but at the same time, you have organizations like family research council that say, ok, what about traditional? what about the foundations of what has been the origins and the establishment of this country? it doesn't mean don't try to do the right thing. but i believe, you know, listen, kirk cameron said something, you know, with piers morgan and got in a lot of trouble. and i said during that time, kirk, it's not what you say, it's how you say it. but i supported kirk cameron for being able to say and stand up for what he believes in. >> well, you have called vice president biden a potty mouth. you called the president a gangster. do you think that the words that people are throwing back and

forth are, you know, and i played just a bunch of clips of everybody saying just hostile, nasty things. and i know every couple of years, we say this is the worst ever. oh, my god, the rhetoric is so bad. but at some point don't you think it's ratcheting up? >> well, soledad, i call them like i see them. no. listen, there was a political move by this president to get health care passed that in my perception was criminal. meaning on a common sense level. you don't go do a deal behind everybody's back and work the system and, you know, pimp it out so to speak, in order to get your way. >> so i'm going to guarantee you that the fact you have used the words "pimp it out" is going to -- >> get me in a lot of trouble! >> yes, sir. >> i call them like i see them, soledad. >> so you are, though, comparing the president to a pimp in those words. is that what you're saying? >> no, no. i'm using an -- >> no, i'm asking.

no, no, i'm literally -- that's what wooi'm saying. you're going to get in trouble. that's the connection people will make, as you know. >> i'm trying to clarify it simply by saying he did something and made a move that most people on a common sense level would say, was that really the right way to get that done? but this president obviously is going to do what he thinks he needs to do to achieve his goals and achieve his agenda. >> let me ask you a question. did you really save some woman's life in a bar the other day? >> no. i was at the peninsula hotel. >> i read this. >> that's a good answer. no. >> but there are reports that you saved -- a woman had an epileptic fit, an attack, and -- >> i just held her hand. >> if someone asks that question, just go with it. >> tell us what happened. >> a woman was having a grand malseizure and i held her hand and made sure her airway was not blocked. >> how did you know what to do? by the stories i read, it seemed

like no one else was doing anything and you jumped in and saved her. >> yeah, it was weird. this woman fell over and started convulsing, and everyone screamed and ran to the other side of the room. and i just went over and said, dang, i hope she's going to be ok. and i talked to her and prayed for her and held her hand and she was fine. >> how did you know what to do when someone is having a grand mal seizure? >> well, i didn't really. but i just know it can be dangerous. but i'm willing to do that. >> well, that makes you a hero. clearing her airway, that saved her life. thank you for talking to us this morning. breaking news coming to us out of london. rec ecuador saying yes, they will grant asylum to julian assange. british authorities hoped assange would be turned over to be extradited to sweden where he faces allegations of sexual assault. we'll bring you a live report from london right after a short break.

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breaking news this morning, ecuador has now granted asylum to wikileaks founder julian assange in ecuador. let's get right to atika shubert live for us in london. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. it's good news for assange and his supporters, a bit of a cheer went up among his supporters here. but it does fundamentally change the situation on the ground. now that ecuador has granted hip asylum, it simply means he can stay in the embassy perhaps indefinitely. but it doesn't explain how to get from the embassy to ecuador. because as soon as he walks out of the door here -- sorry, a lot of protesters are walking back and forth here. but it means if he steps outside of the door that he could face arrest by british police. so a legal win for him because he has now been granted asylum, but no logistical way for him to get from there to ecuador. >> so apparently britain has

said that if in the event he was granted asylum, under the law they would have a week, and then they could go into the embassy and forcibly grab him and also revoke the diplomatic status of the embassy in london, which is right where you are. they said both decisions haven't been made yet, and they are hoping for a diplomatic solution. but this is really ratcheting up the tension. if you're talking even, you know, down the road a little bit, about going in and grabbing a guy out of an embassy, that takes this conversation to a different level, doesn't it? >> reporter: well, yeah. this is definitely ratcheting up diplomatic tensions quite a bit. and basically what britain has done is they said we want to solve this diplomatically, but there is an act, a law, that says we can revoke your diplomatic status if the embassy is being misused. now, if that is done, then they would have the ability to go in and arrest him. however, for that to be done, obviously, it takes months.

it could be legally challenged not just by ecuador but other countries as well. so possibly an empty threat by britain but a threat that ecuador takes very seriously. they said they are not going to be bullied, basically, and they stood up to britain and the way they have done that is by granting julian assange asylum. britain feels like he should be extradited to the united states, but as long as he is in the ecuadorian embassy they can't get in and get him without a long legal fight. >> atika, thank you. coming up next, actor dane dehaan is my guest. he is in a new movie called "lawless." we'll talk about that right after this break. stay with us. ♪ [ acoustic guitar: slow ] [ barks ]

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dave dehaan is a rising star in hollywood, best known for his portrayal of a troubled teenager in the hbo series "in treatment." he now appears in the new movie "lawless," based on a true story. it features shia lebeouf, jessica chastain. the movie takes place in prohibition era virginia, and involves a gang of bootlegging brothers who take on authorities. dane's character is a vital member of their inner circle with a magic touch when it comes

to moon shine. "lawless" will be in theaters august 29. nice to have you. >> great to be here. >> tell me a little bit about this movie. bootleggers, crime, guns. a little bit violent. but it also looks really, really good. you say it's about family ultimately. >> well, yeah. i think it is about family. the movie is a blood bath, you know, but it's a blood bath because it's about three brothers, and their heritage, and providing for their family with their heritage. and the law comes to town and tries to squash their operation. and as a family, they fight back and stick up for what they believe in. >> you play cricket, who is one of the brothers. tell me a little bit about the character. >> cricket is actually the best friend of the youngest brother. but he's in a way like the fourth brother. he lives in the garage at the guy's place. and he is like a mechanical genius. he soups up the cars. he makes big stills and creative stills to make different ways of making the moon shine.

>> he has a disability. >> he does. he has rickets, yeah. so he is like -- the three brothers are very like big dudes, very strong, and he's the feeble body but the bright mind. he relies on the brothers for protection. so that his mind can work. >> you know, it's interesting. it's a fairly violent movie, which i usually am not a big fan of violent movies. but i was watching parts of this and thought, this looks really, really good. harvey weinstein was asked about violence in movies. and this is what he said. i've been involved with violent movies, and then i've also said at a certain point, i can't take it. cut it. as a film maker, it's really a tough issue. gratuitous violence sometimes can bring people into the theater. >> i don't believe in putting anything gratuitous in movies. if you earn it, if it's a world that's a violent world and a lot of violent things happen, then to not have that blood would be

completely inaccurate. >> no one would believe the part. >> yeah. >> you won an obie. >> i did. >> you have had a lot of success in films so far. you're 26 years old. >> yeah. >> how do you navigate hollywood? we called you a rising star. how do you make sure you continue on the path to stardom without being sort of taken over by the celebrity or taken over, you know, by the craziness that's hollywood? >> well, i've never really done the studio celebrity. i've done it because i really love acting and i really love the work. so the work is what's important to me. and i've been really lucky to work at a really high level in the business, where a lot of the best people work. and those are the people i want to work with. so it does come with a certain amount of loss of privacy and celebrity. but that's just i guess a perk of the job. it's why i do it. >> dane dehaan, it's nice to have you. declaration congratulations on the new movie.

>> thank you. >> "end point" is next. we're back in a moment. if you are one of the millions of men

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and the good news for him, he's been given asylum by ecuador. but the bad news is, how do you get out of the embassy to get to ecuador, which is where he's been given asylum. >> remember, that ecuador is being run by a man who is very anti-american. his political views are in line with assange. and has also criticized great britain for their long-running dispute over the falklands with argentina, actually called for sanctions against great britain. >> what is the upside for ecuador? they are looking past the actual indictment against julian assange regarding a sexual assault case. what country grants asylum for sexual assault? obviously, what they are doing is looking to other issues. >> there is messaging there. >> and word is that sweden will send him to the u.s. >> you have seen movies about people living in embassies for years. >> how long could you do it, i wonder? >> i don't think in london not very long. i don't think it lasts forever. >> it's a