that's we're talking about here, the ones that prosecutors amounted to fraud, they were made during john edwards' very serious bid for the presidential nomination 2008 when he finished third behind obama and hillary clinton. it was mr. edwards' personal flaws that were his own undoing. unbeknownst to everyone at the time, john edwards with this story book marriage was secretly carrying on a salacious affair during the campaign. while he was still running for president, some of i had wealthy donors stepped in with cash to keep mr. edwards' mistress out of the public eye. they paid to fly her all over the country and put her up in hotels. they paid for her medical care which became important when it emerged she was pregnant with mr. edwards' child. in total, they shelled out $900,000 for the purpose of hiding john edwards' mistress during and eventually after the campaign. according to federal prosecutors, this $900,000 amounted to an illegal campaign contribution because it was meant to preserve his image as a family man and thus preserve his candidacy. he was charged with six counts of campaign

appear. >> kimberly: what are your take-away, remarks, tenor and tone of what the future holds for john edwards? >> andrea: this is astounding. this is the first time we heard from edwards, it will be a year this summer. 2008 is when the affair broke. it's been a lot of time. we have heard from elizabeth edwards, we heard from hunter in a magazine. we haven't heard from him. this was his apology to the nation. but he at the crux of it, he did a very, very bad thing, but it wasn't an illegal thing. apology to the nation. i think it struck the right tone. he is done in politics, i'm not sure it can repair or decenter people. >> brian: get a talk show. >> bob: because he is a good lawyer is the reason he thought he'd beat this. he knew the laws were impossible the way they're written to prosecute somebody. that's why he was confident throughout the trial. >> eric: quick observation. when o.j. simpson was acquited he came out saying i'm going to spend the rest of my life looking for nicole's killer and it went on the side. john edwards comes to podium and says i'm going to work for kids going forwa

one of the counts against john edwards. that was the count that hemmingedly accepted illegal campaign contributions in 2008 from rachel bunny melon. they announced they could not reach a verdict on the other five counts. realizing they had not cop up with a unanimous verdict, the judge sent them back in the jury room while she met with the lawyers. the prosecution wanted the jury to continue deliberating. the defense wanted the judge to declare a mistrial. the judge instructed jurors to go back and continue their deliberations and try to come up with the unanimous verdict on the other count. 45 minutes later, juror sent a judge a note saying after nine days of deliberations they were confident in their conclusions saying "we do not believe a different verdict will be reached." the judge declared a mistrial on the other five counts. the judge spoke to the jury briefly before dismissing jurors saying, "i know you're probably frustrated but you worked hard. you have done your job and you can hold your head up." back to you. >>

you have been a great reporter hampton, for the good of john edwards, i hope i don't see you for awhile. we could be back on this case in a matter of days. savanna guthrie has to go work to work for nbc. more on the edward's trial coming up, we have the politics on this trial. what it means for the man that came so close to 30 years in prison or a couple years ago to being president of the united states and a few years before that being the president of the united states. he could have been a contender, this is "hardball," place for [ male announcer ] raise your hand if you've got savings whiplash. you know, from car insurance companies shouting, "save 500 bucks over here!" "no, save 300 bucks over here!" "wait, save 400 bucks right here." with so many places offering so much buck-saving, where do you start? well, esurance was born online, raised by technology, and majors in efficiency. so they're actually built to save you money... and time... and whiplash. esurance. insurance for the modern world. click or call. esurance. insurance for the modern world. those surprising little still m

that from john edwards. so the question, does god have a plan for john edwards? jason?h and speak the gospel of campaign finance reform. i actually talked to a democratic strategist about this. if you look at this case, the reason edwards got in trouble is because his bundlers used this money to hide his mistress in 2008. under the current laws, they could have put together a restore our mistresses super pac and he could have been covered from any investigation from the s.e.c. so that is god's plan for him. campaign finance reform, the john edwards way. >> eric. >> oh, i think that god has a plan for everybody, but i'm pretty sure the voters don't have a plan for john edwards. >> we're having trouble with the shot. this is coming out of macon, georgia. we've lost eric ericson. should we take a break and come back? we're going to take a quick break so we can get eric back. sorry, jason. we'll be back. being hands on is key! i make sure every plate looks just right. [ male announcer ] don't miss red lobster's four course seafood feast, just $14.99. start with soup, salad

the john edwards story is a different story.ystematic corruption where a president will spend more time on fund-raising in the it 1st century than any president in the history of the country and i'm not blaming him. he thinks he has to do it to get re-elected because we have a system where there are no limits broad or narrow and there's not full disclosure. >> the reason i think the john edwards benchmark is so interesting in such an unexpected way because it makes 12 2008 seem quaint. there's always been money in politics. the john edwards money is disgusting for its own reasons. what we were worried about was how less than a million dollars might have been a corrupting or fraudulent influence in that race. we're talking about i mean two brothers from an oil and chemical conglomerate that they inherited from their dad say they are together as two people will spend $400 million in this election this year. >> i just read a book about outsourcing in the military. good book. at one point the author writes that in iraq in 2011 this

i'll end with john edwards. i think this example of the trial we've seen is really another example of the lack of trust between the american people and our institutions of power. whether it's congress with insider trading information or politicians rising above the law. i think at the end of the day just like the ban on sugary drinks, it comes down to our moral character and who we are as people. >> we're out of time for you, jeff. it means you're off the hook. >> my thought is have a good weekend. >> back at you. on monday, we'll talk to ledisi. "cnn newsroom" with carol costello starts right now. good morning. >> hi, soledad. happening right now in the "newsroom," all eyes on wisconsin. what happens there could happen nationwide. the big guns getting called in this morning. bill clinton on his way there right now. the recall election hitting unions and politicians and getting red hot. >>> sex, lies and campaign cash. the one shining star democratic politics now dirty from a fraud trial. he walks free and is no

john edward's mistress, rielle hunter tells all.s marjorie reyes, and i'm a chief warrant officer. i love the fact that quicken loans provides va loans. quicken loans understood the details and guided me through every step of the process. i know wherever the military sends me, i can depend on quicken loans. [ sirens ] ...tv dramas... or whatever else, then you'll love netflix. watch unlimited movies and tv episodes on your pc or tv instantly over the internet for only 8 bucks a month. start your free trial today. do a lot of sending... and receiving. sending...and receiving. sending...and receiving. sending...and receiving. sending...and receiving. [ bob ] i got the tickets. [ male announcer ] and with citibibank popmoney, it's even easier to keep sending...and receiving. let me get you back. , it's on me. i insist. no way. yes way. well let me chip in. [ male announcer ] send money from one bank account to another, with citibank popmoney. easier banking. every step of the way. >>> unlike jerry sandusky, john edwards is a free man t

john edward's mistress, rielle hunter tells all. is marjorie reyes, and i'm a chief warrant officer. i love the fact that quicken loans provides va loans. quicken loans understood the details and guided me through every step of the process. i know wherever the military sends me, i can depend on quicken loans. [ sirens ] ...tv dramas... or whatever else, then you'll love netflix. watch unlimited movies and tv episodes on your pc or tv instantly over the internet for only 8 bucks a month. start your free trial today. >>> unlike jerry sandusky, john edwards is a free man tonight after a hung jury ended a trial that laid bear a scathing scandal, involving an affair on the presidential campaign trail, a mistress with his secret baby and dying wife on the verge of a breakdown. tonight the woman at the center of it all, sits down with chris cuomo to tell her side of the story. >> i don't regret falling in love. i don't regret loving him nor do i regret our daughter. >> she's the other woman in one of the biggest political sex scandals of o

but even a decision in his favor is a bittersweet victory for john edwards, a man who has seen his life ruined by his attempts to hide his affair with rielle hunter. edwards met his mistress while he was running for president in 2007. >> so glad you like it. >> i like it. >> reporter: soon after, he hired her to work as a videographer on his campaign and travel with him. >> john edwards for president. >> reporter: the once promising democratic star who ran for president twice and was once the vice presidential nominee now faces an uncertain future. friends say he is eager to keep his law license so he can practice again. perhaps on behalf of the underprivileged. >> i don't think god's through with me. i really believe he thinks there's still some good things i can do. >> reporter: and waiting for him at home will be his two younger children, emma claire and jack, who have lived with him since the death of their mother, elizabeth, in 2010. his eldest daughter cate, 20 years old and recently married, was prepared to care for her younger siblings had her father been sentenced to jail time.

it starts on the day i met john edwards in this book. i lived 43 years before i met john edwards. >> let's talk about this night. let's just tee it up. you want me to respect your privacy. i let go of my resistance and he wanted him to lead. and lead he did. it was the most extraordinary night of my life. >> this is a great speech. >> can you read it? >> yes, i can read it. >> you can? >> yes. that is a great speech. >> i'm so gle he was so flirty. then. he's changed a lot. he's not like that now. >> you're talking in graphic. you don't want to talk about john. >> i want to talk about what's in the book. you're talking to me about john today. >> i'm going to talk about the first time you went to bed with him. the detail of the bed hopping. >> why does the media make everyt and, you know, you use phrases about her, venomous, crazy, witch on wheels. >> i did not s the book on what john edwards told you. >> when you're in a relationship with a married man, that's how you're going to receive information about their marriage. >> do you believ

after a day of courtroom confusion and drama, there's a verdict and a mistrial in the john edwards case. a trial about campaign finance corruption that included weeks of sensational testimony about his private life and his very public fall from grace. late this afternoon, following the verdict, we heard from edwards himself for the first time right outside the courthouse. >> i want to make sure that everyone hears from me and from my voice that while i do not believe i did anything illegal or ever thought i was doing anything illegal, i did an awful, awful lot that was wrong. and there is no one else responsible for my sins. i also want to say a word about my own children. cate who most all of you have seen, has been here every single day. she has been here no matter what. no matter how awful and painful the lot of the evidence was for her. evidence about her dad, evidence about her mom, who she loved so, so dearly. but she never once flinched. she said, dad, i love you. i'll be there for you no matter what. and i'm so proud to have had her with me. this is the last thing i'm going to s

john edward's mistress, rielle hunter tells all.s marjorie reyes, and i'm a chief warrant officer. i love the fact that quicken loans provides va loans. quicken loans understood the details and guided me through every step of the process. i know wherever the military sends me, i can depend on quicken loans. [ sirens ] ...tv dramas... or whatever else, then you'll love netflix. watch unlimited movies and tv episodes on your pc or tv instantly over the internet for only 8 bucks a month. start your free trial today. [ male announcer ] for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories, america's beverage companies are delivering. >>> unlike jerry sandusky, john edwards is a free man tonight after a hu

tavis: your opening line of our john edwards was something like, john edwards, sort of not guilty. for those who did not see your post-mortem on the john edwards trial, assuming he will come back again -- let me start with that. do you think he will be retried again? >> of all the things that americans do not want to do this year, number two is to have another deficit debate. number one, you'll have another john edwards trial. tavis: what is your sense of what did transpire in that north carolina courtroom? >> it was a very complicated case. all of the campaign finance is hard for average people to understand under the best of circumstances. and you had a very narrow question. and you had a main witness who is as possibly as slimy as the guy who was being tried. it did not work out on any level. i was surprised all along this thing ever went to trial. tavis: your sense of the serra -- sincerity and the path forward for john edwards, you mentioned that he wanted to spend his life working on issues of poverty. what is your sense of the connection between john edwards and the issue of

john edwards did not testify. the only person who was really intimately involved in this was andrew young who's kind of the bag man. and i just think it's weird to expect the jury to convict when they're not hearing the full story. >> mark, how tough is it when you have a client who's done some, you know, shady behavior and trying to get the jury to separate, okay, what you may think of him personally from the charges. >> well, i think it makes a difference if you've got -- and i have argued this for years i depends on if your client is infamous or famous. john edwards was famous before he became infamous. you get to some degree a presumption of innocence. remember this was at one time a golden boy out of that state. i think, as joe said, it was a polarized jury, it's a polarized state. i expect this case was lost in jury selection for the prosecution. as most cases, high profile cases are. i don't see how they can ever get over that where in a case like this, where at the end of the day the prosecution's chief wi

raise your hands if you think john edwards is a bad guy. ing. >> well, they chose wisely there. is edwards planning a comeback or out of touch with public opinion on that? let's ask bob shrum a long time democratic strategist who first met john edwards in 1997 while working on his '98 senate campaign, which he won. and we also have an msnbc contributor. now, what's wrong with john edwards? is he all delusion? a guy with so much optimism he does not really connect with reality and like yesterday talking about how god has a plan for me and all that? what is all that about after basically beating the judge by a few feet? >> well, the people don't have a plan for him. look, he can maybe redeem himself as a person if he does not talk about himself. that's what was wrong yesterday. whenever he does, it can't be about him. he has to quietly give himself to a cause he genuinely cares about. he has to stay in the valley, no oprah-like interviews. he has to do something good, and not because it is good for the image, but because it is right. and maybe

the presidency of the united states. >> it began in 2006 with so much promise for then senator john edwards know how it ended. his affair with rielle hunter ruined his career, his marriage and left his life in a shamble. rielle edwards wrote a book "what really happened." how are you? you're shaking your head already. what are you shaking your head for? >> i've had an interesting few days. >> you've been beaten up, mainly by women who have taken against stuff in the book. i guess, taken against you and trying to paint you as the scarlet woman in all this. really to blame. how do you feel about that? >> i feel that is it is an unfair judgment and usually made from assumptions and from people who haven't read the book. >> the chapters in the book each have a quote at the start. an interesting way of doing it. they tell a little story of their own. introduction has fame means millions of people have the wrong idea of who you are. do we have the wrong idea about who you are? and f., if so, who is the real rielle hunter? >> i believe most people have the wrong idea about me, yes. >> what do you

and i am so close to and so, so grateful for. >> that was john edwards outside the courthouse this afternoon. joining us now, two people covering the trial from the beginning, joe johns and diane diamond a reporter for "newsweek." her latest headline "why johnny walked on a mistrial," and jeff toobin. is it possible the justice department could refile charges? >> absolutely? >> it's likely? >> well, it's possible. they have the legal right to say tomorrow we are going to retry him on the last -- on those five counts. i think it's unlikely. i think cooler heads will prevail. this was a very marginal case to start with. very unusual use of the campaign finance laws. they had their shot -- >> you say marginal -- because -- >> because it was not a conventional crime. there has never been a justice department prosecution for similar activity. you know, the deterrent effect of this case is negbecause the facts are so odd. and in a world where the supreme court is essentially deregulating american campaigns, the idea they would try to put john edwards in prison again after failing so dramatically a

it starts on the day i met john edwards in this book. i lived 43 years before i met john edwards. >> let's talk about this night. let's just tee it up. you want me to respect your privacy. i let go of my resistance and he wanted him to lead. and lead he did. it was the most extraordinary night of my life. ♪ send a note stay informed catch a show. make your point make a memory make a masterpiece. read something watch something and learn something. do it all more beautifully, with the retina display on ipad. assure my patients get evthe very best care.ake but look at our health care system. everyone agreed we needed reforms -- but this new health care law -- it just isn't fixing things. president obama promised my patients that they could keep me -- but what if because of this new health care law -- i can't keep them? i've looked at this law. i know the consequences: delayed care and worse yet -- denied care. studies show the president's health care law is projected to add hundreds of billions of dollars to our deficit -- and increase spen

destroyer of john edwards. >> first and foremost, i'm a mom. i'm also a woman who fell in love with a married man. >> reporter: hunter first met edwards in 2006, a chance encounter in a new york hotel. that same night he would offer a dangerous invitation. >> reporter: he invites you a hotel room. usually a situation you avoid with a married man, fair point? >> yes. >> reporter: why did you go. >> i believed i could help him. what a joke. the outside world looking in, boy, did you sure help him. >> reporter: this situation would become very serious, very fast. when hunter became pregnant while edwards was seeking the presidency. >> you tell john. his reaction? >> gracious. >> reporter: gracious, you mean like goodness gracious. what do you mean gracious. >> he was kinder and more gentle than i thought he would be. >> reporter: hunter would become a participant in a cover up that another man would claim paternity. a real father face criminal charges over it. >> i know it's not possible. >> reporter: then she watched with horror as the man he lov

i don't know if i want one. >> we will get one for you. >> sean: i got some tape of john edwards i wantow you guys when you get back. maybe things you haven't seen before. we will continue coming up more with the edwards trial jurors. and check in with karl rove. bad unemployment numbers today. and also coming up the great, great american p man: there's a cattle guard, take a right. do you have any idea where you're going ? wherever the wind takes me. this is so off course. nature can surprise you sometimes... next time, you drive. next time, signal your turn. ...that's why we got a subaru. love wherever the road takes you. so how much do we owe you? that'll be $973.42. ya know, your rates and fees aren't exactly competitive. who do you think i am, quicken loans? [ spokesman ] when you refinance your mortgage with quicken loans, you'll find that our rates and fees are extremely competitive. because the last thing you want is to spend too much on your mortgage. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. ♪ why you fell in love with her in the first place. and why you still feel th

i don't know if i want one. >> we will get one for you. >> sean: i got some tape of john edwards i wanto show you guys when you get back. maybe things you haven't seen before. we will continue coming up more with the edwards trial jurors. and check in with karl rove. bad unemployment numbers today. and also coming up the great, great american panel and more straight ahead. [ creaking ] [ male announcer ] trophies and awards lift you up. but they can also hold you back. unless you ask, what's next? [ zapping ] [ clang ] this is the next level of performance. the next level of innovation. the next rx. the all-new f sport. this is the pursuit of perfection. 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. we provide the exact individualization that your body needs. wow, that feels really good! once you experience it, there's no going back. during the final days of the sleep number memorial day sale, save 50% on our innovative sleep number silver edition bed. sale ends sunday. only at the sleep num

john edwards is humiliated, he is discredited. he is appropriately out of american politics. but i don't see any reason why this case should go forward. >> jurors deliberated the case for nine days. outside the courthouse, edwards was happy, but contrite. >> while i do not believe i did anything illegal or ever thought i was doing anything illegal, i did an awful, awful lot. that was wrong. and there is no one else responsible for my sins. >> cnn's joe johns has been covering the trial. and he is live in greensboro, north carolina. i've got to tell you, i was watching you yesterday as you're running in and out of the courthouse bringing in all of those little nuggets of details that we're sprinkling through. now what happens? a lot of people say there will not be a retrial. >> that's for sure. and it's anybody's guess, you know. the government didn't really hint at what they plan to do. it is their right to bring the case if they want to. just wanted to show you the greensboro, north carolina, news and record this morning. edwards walks free. the question, of course, what happ

okay, raise your hands if you think john edwards is a bad guy. >> reporter: later one juror explained the contradiction. >> in this instance i think he is a, possibly a good person who made a bad decision. >> reporter: why wasn't edwards convicted of anything? these jurors say the government simply failed to prove the allegations. that edwards orchestrated a scheme to use almost $1 million in illegal contributions from wealthy donors to hide his mistress, rielle hunter, and that he knew he was breaking the law when he did it. >> we all thought that he knew, but there just was not the evidence there to prove it. >> it was just a lack of evidence. we had to go back and ask for assistance and direction, but it just, it wasn't there. >> reporter: they said they didn't find the prosecution's star witness, andrew young, to be credible. two jurors said the fact that the youngs pocketed most of the money and poured much of it into this, their dream home, was huge. >> our goal in that jury room was to follow the money. that money just was never in john edwards' hands. >> reporter: jurors told

rielle hunter is a bigger part of john edwards's family life and the rest of us suspect. they talked about their child but the rest of his kids and he kept away from because she wanted to respect their privacy. this was about the obvious. this is potentially the biggest political scandal of a generation. we have followed it for six years. i finally wanted to hear why it started, how it started, what led to all the bad choices that wind up culminating in federal prosecution and something that has had literally all of us thinking about it for half a decade. >> was she able to answer those questions you have had? will we see them tonight? >> absolutely. you'll also see the push back at those choices. my job, as you know, is not to judge her. that is for everybody else, and there is plenty of that. i has never covered anybody who was not a criminal who had more anchor directed at her then rielle hunter. >> did she say why the timing was right for the book? >> the timing is right because the case ended. once the charges were dropped against john edwards and she was not concern

and now, what is with john edwards? is he all delusion?a guy with so much optimism he does not really connect with reality and like yesterday talking about how god has a plan for me and all that? what is all that about after basically beating the judge by a few feet? >> well, the people don't have a plan for him. look, he can maybe redeem himself as a person if he does not talk about himself. and that is what is wrong with yesterday, whatever he does, it cannot be about him, and he has to be about quiet and give himself to a cause that genuinely cares about and stay in the valley and no oprah-like interviews and do something good, and not because it is good for the image, but because it is right. and maybe he can never undo the nonjudicial verdict that is rendered on him, but he might ch change some people's lives, but if he looks like he is manipulating this, he will tarnish himself out. there. >> i wondered if he was making a call to the rich contributors there, and you have to wonder about a guy who describes god's plan, and that is str

the threat of prison time is no longer hanging over the head of former presidential candidate john edwards fraud but jurors were deadlocked on five others leaving the judge to declare a mistrial. legal experts say it's not likely the federal prosecutor also retry edwards, accused of using campaign funds to cover up an affair. >>> nancy reagan said her late husband ronnie would have liked governor romney's business background and strong principles and i have to say i do too. i look forward to seeing him elected president in november. >>> a surprise guest on the last day of school, a 200 pound bear tracked down by animal control wandering outside of a school of bakersfield, california, also crashed a graduation ceremony going on next door. >> girls came in running "there's a bear" and right in front of the school. >> a really big bear. >> authorities cornered and tased the bear, inside an apartment complex. it was then relsed back into the wild later in the day. >>> the indiana teen who was stuck in mexico because of a visa technicality is back in the u.s. this morning. she'll be able to gra

could the john edwards' trial ended any more strangely? one thing we're sure about, the votes by the jury are the last votes john edwards is ever going to get. >>> good morning from new york. this is "daily rundown" i'm chuck todd. a ton to get to. 158 days until the election and as we count down the days, each monthly jobs report is more important than the last one. it's a gut punch. just 69,000 jobs were added in the month of may, while the unemployment rate rose to 8.2%. the unemployment rate had been trending down. that is not necessarily good news since more people were giving up on the job search. the rise in the jobless rate, this time, is due in large part to the return of more than 600,000 people either getting jobs or looking for jobs. nevertheless, the trend line for jobs added is unmistakable. that number dropped dramatically in march and then again in april to falling to 69,000 in may with the president working to beat the clock and convince americans the economy is improving, this report is nothing but bad news. a perception