just that, alleging he illegally solicited donations during the campaign to hide his affair with rielleunter and the child he fathered with her. the indictment stating, quote, the public revelation of the affair and pregnancy would destroy his candidacy. though edwards did not confirm the affair until after he was no longer in the race, it did, in fact, destroy his political career and personal life. edwards denied that anyone was ever paid to cover up the affair when he first admitted to the relationship with hunter here on "nightline." >> i never paid a dime of money to any of the people that are involved. i never asked anybody to pay a dime of money. never been told that any money's been paid. >> reporter: it's the latest and likely final chapter in one of the most sordid sex scandals in american political history. your assumption is that you would never be caught? >> first of all, it was short, it was a huge judgment -- mistake in judgment. but yeah, i didn't think anyone would ever know about it. i didn't. >> reporter: why did you continue to deny it? and not tell the truth? >> bec

but as 2008 dawns and edwards drops if the race, rielle hunter gives birth to a girl. "the enquirer" reports seeing edwards at a los angeles hotel visiting the baby. the questions heat up. >> have you or anyone affiliated with your presidential campaigned provided any financial help to rielle hunter or andrew young. >> i have no idea what you're asking about. i have responded to consistently to these tabloid allegations by saying i don't respond to these lies. >> reporter: then in august 2008, "the enquirer" publishes a photo they claim was edwards with hunter and the baby. he goes on abc news to admit he cheated on his wife. >> she's mad, she's angry. i think furious would be a good way to describe it and it was hard and painful for her. but she responded exactly like the kind of woman she is. she forgave me. >> reporter: he still denied being the father of the child or hired hunter because of the affair. it takes another year and a half before edwards admits the child is his. coming clean in a written statement. within a week, he and his wife of 32 years separate. to

rielle hunter worked for the campaign and got paid. questions have been raised whether funds may have been used to keep the affair quiet. andrew young said he was persuaded to claim hunter's child was his own and he went to great lengths to help conceal the affair. >> this was john edwards' idea from the beginning. >> reporter: which brings us back to the golden boy. something like this could never have been part of the plan. >> an extraordinary rise and fall. candy crowley joins me now with jessica yellin and jeffrey toobin. jeff, obviously the point of a grand jury is to keep things secret. on the other hand, the indications that this case is coming to a head tomorrow are coming from a source that cnn feels comfortable relying on. how strong is the case against john edwards and what are they looking at? >> this is a paradoxical situation. here he is, his wife is dying, he has this affair. they construct this ridiculous story that andrew young, the aide, is the father. and they get all this money together to give to rielle hunter. tha

he pleaded not guilt to using campaign moan for an affair with rielle hunter who later had his child.ver this, but it could mean jail time too. we want to bring in maureen o'connor. hello, maureen. what happened between edwards and hunter since this broke? >> so edwards and hunter have been living together, raising the child they had together as well as edwards's two other children who were still children he had with elizabeth and he had an adult daughter. the question is close to $1 million he received from two most prominent donors he used to pay for rielle's living expenses, whether that violated campaign financing laws and whether they were from a friend used to finance his wife. he said i was a bad husband, but not a bad politician. >> they are living together, including elizabeth edwards's children. >> her two children he has custody of. i don't know how much time. they have been keeping a low profile. they bought a house in a hidden area. specifically to stay away from the press. >> here is facing criminal charges, but is it to say that a lot of people want to see him pay for m

the money was used to hide edwards' mistress, rielle hunter, and later their child, while he ran for president. the six count indictment said it payment contributed to unlawful campaign contributions, and convicted edwfrdz of trying to solicit them and cover them up. as proof the money was intended to help the campaign, prosecutors cite a note by mellon, written after an uproar over edwards' 400 daler hair cut. she wrote, the next time, anything that can help our friend, sent the receipts to me. >> no wwaas s charged either civilly or criminally, with what edward has been. >> edwards joked with the number of lawyers present. five for him and seven for the government. >> rielle hunter and her daughter now live in charlotte, two hours from the edwards estate. what he told his young children about today? >> that i love him. >> reporter: he walked away without another word. sources clo s close to the case nbc that they were close to a last minute plea deal but negotiate eions broke down with prison time. >> we spent a lot of time last night talking about the mounting time of the sloping

rielle hunter worked for and got paid as videographer.ions have been raised whether campaign fund to support edwards might have been used improperly, and not reported or used to keep it quiet. he -- young went to great len h lengths to conceal the affair. >> this was john edwards idea from the beginning. >> i want to bring in our cnn legal analyst, jeffrey toobin and chief political analyst, gloria, for insight on this case. first for you, jeffrey, explain for us in very simple terms, what are the charges here? what is this criminal indictment about? >> it's not a charge he had an affair, it's not a charge that he lied about fathering this baby. the charge is very specific. what happened here was two wealthy supporters, bunny melon, a philanthropist in virginia and fred barron, a trial lawyer in texas, paid almost a million dollars to rielle hunter, to andrew young, the aide, to keep them quiet, to take care of them while the campaign was going on. the charge is that those funds were in a legan illegal campaig contribution. you're only al

edwards has fathered a child with rielle. hunter was a gift, not a campaign donation. let's go straight to joe johns who is covering this for us from the beginning. he joins from winston where edwards spoke earlier this hour. joe, i know it's hot. i see you wiping the sweat off your forehead. i imagine it was pretty hot sitting in that courtroom. quite a circus there in winston today. >> reporter: yeah. i have to tell you the circus, just a lot of people -- >> now you can. >> reporter: is that better? i just moved it a little bit. i thought the circus was outside. inside, very calm, john edwards surrounded by his lawyers. five different attorneys, including greg craig who i talked about a minute ago, a really high powered lawyer. edwards wasn't expected to talk much and he didn't. it was greg craig who actually said in court that he had wards was entering a plea of not guilty. edwards was asked a series of questions. at one point he sounded just a little bit like annoyed almost with one of the questions and he told the judge,

the government charges that $925,000 edwards raised to hide his affair with rielle hunter and his child were illegal campaign finances meant to provide text his chances of becoming president. edwards' lawyers say the money was raised for personal reasons, not political ones to conceal his affair from his wife. they argued the government is applying an overly broad definition of campaign contributions, even a former head of the federal elections commission argues this is a weak case. he's been retained by edwards' lawyers. a loss would be humiliating for the justice department. many say john edwards is taking a huge risk here too. edwards could have agreed to a plea deal, making him a felon costing him his law license but is instead choosing to fight the charges all the way, even though a conviction could send him to prison. >> i will regret for the rest of my life the pain and the harm that i've caused to others, but i did not break the law and i never, ever thought i was breaking the law. >> reporter: there's one more gamble. in going to trial, john edwards will force his family to aga

thousands of dollars of donations from two individuals in order to cover up an affair he had with rielle hunter during a time when his wife elizabeth was sick and dying of cancer. edwards and his defense team signaled quite quickly they were going to fight these charges. first they entered a not guilty plea and then edwards addressed the cameras. >> there's no question that i've done wrong and i take full responsibility for having done wrong. and i will regret for the rest of my life the pain and the harm that i've caused to others. but i did not break the law, and i never, ever thought i was breaking the law. >> reporter: edwards was released on his own recognizance with a few conditions. he's not free to leave the country, had to verndz his passport, and he was told to stay away from one of the witnesses in the case. 100-year-old rachel bunny melon who is says to have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to help edwards cover up his affair with rielle hunter. t.j., back to you. >> thanks as always to joe johns. for the first time in the libyan civil war, nato is using attack helicopt

was brought down by these charges that he misused campaign funds to cover up his affair with rielle hunter, a campaign worker, and hide the fact that she fathered one of his children. he asked a campaign aide to say he was the father of the child. he's now facing federal charges. we'll begin with bob woodruff in north carolina. bob? >> reporter: well, george, we're hearing new news now that it looks like john edwards has been indicted. we've been waiting this morning. we confirmed earlier that they would indict him unless he pled. now it looks like he'll fight it. the indictment is done. now it's up to that. >> reporter: it's expected that he'll be indicted today after a two-year federal investigation, calling on more than 100 witnesses trying to connect the former senator to a scheme to cover up an affair. this boils down to money. money used to seclude and support hunter so edwards could continue his campaign. the invest gagts started a few months after he was cornered by "the national enquirer" in a hotel. months later, he admitted to the affair. but denied the paternity of the child. a

they have emails in which he acknowledged payments were made to his mistress, rielle hunter. he has turned down a plea deal because it included six months in prison. >>> coming up on abc7 news at 6:00 from a deadly day for american forces in iraq. >> i think about you every day. i feel your hard ship. your sacrifice coming your burden. >> a tearful goodbye in his final visit to afghanistan. but defense secretary robert gates had to say about the future of that nation. >> we will put today's weather in the win column. >>> you are watching abc7 news at 6. on your side. >>> five service members are dead after a deadly attack in iraq. they served as advisers to iraqi and security police. the deadliest single day for american security forces in two years. the service members names have not been released. 2500 american troops have been killed in iraq. >>> defense secretary robert gates says the u.s. should stay the course. he spoke with troops today in his final trip to the wars on. he says it is too soon to end the war in afghanistan and urged fellow leaders to be more strategic w

he's accused of basically using money from some wealthy donors to hide his affair with rielle hunter,e says clearly is morally wrong. the question is whether or not it is legally wrong. avery, i'll let you go first this time. do you think the prosecution has a case here? >> well, there's something there, richelle. they are using a theory that is untested in american jurisprudential history. there is no case law supporting it. this is the first indictment, frankly, i've seen in decades, if ever, that relies on a "national enquirer" article. a federal district judge may very well throw the case out because of the unprecedented nature of the case. >> richard, do you agree? is this ever going to get to a jury? >> i think there's a chance it gets to the jury, richelle. but the problem here is that he's relying upon -- edwards acknowledges, yes, this money was used to cover up his relationship with rielle towards his wife, elizabeth. but it was personal donations to him which he's allowed to use any which way he wants. that's going to be his defense. the statute is extremely vague. it's nev

and she was trying to persuade john edwards to come clean about the mistress rielle hunter and their love child. now, according to the reporting of the associated press, mr. ed wards in the e-mails and notes averaged knowing about the payment to rielle huntedder but what they don't reveal is whether he ordered the payments and most critically legally is whether he knew the payments were coming out of campaign finance cash. >>shepard: we don't know if this will actually go to trial? >>jonathan: no. obviously it will take a long time to get to trial. i spoke to judge napolitano and he said likely to be at least a year before it gets to trial. and there will be ongoing conversations about a plea deal. he could be interested in one for obvious reasons but, also, according to the judge, prosecutors could be interested because the judge says this is a very difficult case to prove, and they have brought up some unique charges here and, therefore, they may be looking for a plea deal, as well. so watch this case, that is the bottom line. >>shepard: thank you, jonathan. not too late to join in

edwards turned down a plea dail deal saying he didn't break the law trying to cover up his affair with riellethere is growing criticism that the government may have overreacted. senior investigative correspondent lossa lisa meyers. >> when a politician is indicted, there is applause. not this time. even some who find his behavior despicable question the strength of this case. john edwards faced a media throng reminiscent of the high point of his career. this time he was charged with six felonies, booked and fingerprinted. >> i did not break the law. >> edwards spent the weekend out of sight at his estate, focused on getting daughter emma clair ready for camp. a friend of his late wife said despite john's betrayal, nobody wanted him to face criminal charges they worry about the young children, jack and emma clair. >> i have no trust in someone that continually lies. >> he has become a prophetic figure. >> he is charged with covering up almost $1 million provided by two wealthy children. he used it to keep hunter and their child hidden away while he ran for president. the payments did not go to

. >> the core of the case is this, john edwards had this child with rielle hunter. he wanted her kept away from the press. $1 million came from two of his closest supporters and they went to his aide andrew young who used it to keep her out of the press to support her. the question in the case is was that nearly million dollars a campaign contribution which would have been illegal under the campaign laws or was it simply a gift to their friend john edwards? >> now, the edwards camp, his lawyers are arguing vehemently. they're saying forget it, he's acknowledged his wrongdoing in terms of the morality of this and his personal shame, but they're saying there's absolutely nothing in the case law, the rules and the regs and no prosecution ever to suggest that this was an illegal campaign contribution. do they have a point? >> and they have put out statements by former high officials saying we know the facts, this is not a crime. i don't know. >>> to talk about the koll compelling legal questions raised by this case, i'm joined >> the edwards camp, the lawyers are arguin

. >> edwards spent 920,000 to hide his mistress rielle hunter and their child in the 2008 run for the white house. >> there is no question i have done wrong and i take full responsibility for having done wrong and i will regret for the rest of my life the pain and the harm that i have caused others. but i did not break the law and i never, ever thought i was breaking the law. >> edwards didn't have to post bond but surrendered the passport and not allowed to leave the united states. >> tonight on 20-20 bob woodruff will share his interview with edwards. that's tonight. >>> and u.s. defense secretary gates in singapore. sees improvement in military relations between the two countries. gates refrained from responding to chinese charge that is the united states is using internet to bring down other governments. goog was went on attack because hackers from china have broken in g-mail accounts. >> you have heard so much about the state's budget problems and the affect on social programs and the rest. another casulty oakland public library . the city may be forced to take a drastic step. >>

there's a range, based on the amount of money that he allegedly misspent on rielle hunter.ut it could be several years. >> it could be several years, you say. he did make this apology that we saw in your piece. how big of a factor is that going to be as far as jurors and when they look at this case and determine whether or not there's guilt here? >> well, what he is doing is saying, look, i may be a total scum bag, i've done terrible things in my life, but that is no reason to convict me of a crime that i didn't do. and i mean, that is really smart. he's really basically fronting that issue. because jurors are not going to have a lot of sympathy for him at this point, based on, you know, all of the stuff that he acknowledges that he did. so he's not a sympathetic figure. he's just fronting that. saying, look, i did terrible things, but let's move on. let's look at the law. i didn't break the law. i think that's very clever. and he's got to handle that. i mean, we all know, you can't convict people just for being a jerk. i mean, his argument that you can convict half the peo

he is accused of using campaign money to hide mistress rielle hunter and their child. edwards and a speech writer were preparing a statement to acknowledge paternity. the statement including admission of the payments. edwards pleaded not guilty in the indictment filed against him. >>> public opinion. the has come crashing down thanks to poor economic news. according to a new poll in the "washington post", president obama's approval rating is back to 47%. but fairs much worse when it comes to the economy. only 40% of americans approve of the way he's handling the economic recovery. only a third of the nation approves his approach to the deficit. on top of that, more than 50% say an economic recovery has not yet begun. nearly two-thirds of all americans say the country is on the wrong track. >> and there's bad economic news didn't stop here for the president. one of the white house's top -- rather the white house top economist austin goolsby says he's stepping down. he says he plans to return to his teaching job at the university of chicago. >>> tomorrow president obama

edwards accused of spending supporter money to hide his mistress, rielle hunter and their baby. he faces six felony counts including taking illegal campaign contributions. he just pled not guilty. >>> the man known as dr. death has died. assisted suicide advocate jack kevorkian passing away in a hospital near detroit. the cause was a pulmonary embolism. he had been hospitalized for several weeks with pneumonia and kidney problems. he served eight years in prison after a conviction of second- degree murder. kevorkian claimed to have assisted in at least 130 suicides. dr. jack kevorkian was 83 years old. >>> he was home on leave but not away from the violence. an army staff sergeant saved the day at a florida bank. a robbery suspect walked into the bank tuesday waving a gun. iraq vet eddie peoples shielded his two sons in the background with chairs. when the thief took off, peoples sprang into action and jumped into his own car and rammed the robber's vehicle. then the two went toe to toe. >> when he put that gun in my face after i got out of the car, i did a wrist lock on him, to

. >> the core of the case is this, john edwards had this child with rielle hunter. kept away from the press. $1 million came from two of his closest supporters and they went to his aide andrew young who used it to keep her out of the press to support her. the question in the case is was that nearly million dollars a campaign contribution which would have been illegal under the campaign laws campaign laws? or was it simply a gift to their friend, john edwards. >> the edwards camp, the lawyers are arguing vehemently. they're saying forget it. he acknowledged the wrongdoing in terms of the morality of this and the personal shame. but absolutely nothing in the case law, the rules, the regs, no prosecution ever to suggest that this was an illegal campaign contribution. do they have a point? >> they point out statements by former high officials in the election commission. saying we know the facts. this is not a crime. i don't know, it's a close question. it strikes me as a difficult road for the government to prove. because, you know, campaign contributions, i think we al

federal prosecutors say he used campaign money to hide his affair with staffer rielle hunter and a childin plea negotiations, sources say he wanted the case to have minimal impact on his two younger children. the justice department offered a deal only if he agreed to serve six months in prison but edwards would not agree to any time behind bars. >>> get ready for more confusion. if you take the 14th street bridge to work. the traffic pattern on the bridge will be changing again this week. the final phase of the two-year reconstruction project will begin overnight tomorrow. crews will begin setting up for the new configuration late tomorrow night. the project should be completed this fall. the construction zone will shift to right center lane of the north half of the bridge. three lanes routed to the left and one lane to the right >> that won't be the only traffic mess virginia will have to deal with. northbound lanes of the beltway will be closed near the i-395 intersection because of work on the hot lanes project. the lanes will be closed every night from 11:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. traf

he's accused of using those funds to cover up his affair with rielle hunter. >>> to protect the tiny town of hamburg, iowa, take a look at this eight-foot earthen barrier. it is keeping several feet of water from flooding the town but the heaviest surge is yet to come. officials say they're not sure how well the levee will hold if water levels remain high for months. >>> crews battling the largest wildfire in arizona's history are now facing a 50-mile-an-hour wind that is going to happen today. the governor is setting up for an aerial tour will happen today. a smaller one scorched nearly 10,000 acres. it is now about 30% contained. they've really been fighting that there. >> made a little bit of progress. >>> now for this morning's weather from around the nation, severe storms with gusty winds, hail and heavy rain stretching from omaha and kansas city to cincinnati and louisville. off and on rain from boston to d.c. showers around nashville, much. birmingham and much of florida. another scorcher from louisiana to west texas. showers and thunderstorms in the rockies. >>> and 75 degree

prosecutors claim the former senator solicited and spent $925,000 to hide his affair with rielle unit her during his -- during his 2008 bid for the white house. >> there is no question i have done wrong. i take full responsibility for having done wrong. and i will regret for the rest of my life the pain and the harm that i have caused others. i did not break the law, and i never, ever thought i was breaking the law. >> edwards' lawyer says the money was not a campaign contribution because it was never meant for the campaign. >> no one has ever been charged either civilly or criminally with the claims brought against senator edwards today. >> however, if edwards is convicted, he could face a five-year prison sentence and $250,000 fine for each of the six counts against him. >>> a disappointing unemployment report for may is fueling concerns that the country could be facing a double dip recession. the labor department reports employers added 54,000 new jobs in may, far fewer than the previous three months causing the unemployment rate to inch up to 9.1%. >>> supporters call it a medical

prosecutors accuse edwards of failing to report nearly $1 million allegedly spent to keep rielle hunterut of the public eye. the "associated press" says e-mails prove edwards was working on a speak acknowledging his out-of-wedlock child with hunter while denying the affair. he's pleaded not guilty after being indicted. >>> another member of government under investigation for corruption. tonight harry thomas, jr., a councilman is accused of spending taxpayer money meant for kids on lavish trips and an suv. craig melvin is at the wilson buildings where he asked leaders if a culture of corruption is in play in the city. >> reporter: right now, five of the 13 d.c. council members are or have recently been under investigation. despite accusations of wrongdoing, one council member told me it's not culture but coinciden coincidence. >> allegations are allegations. fact is fact. >> reporter: with that, harry thomas jr. became the latest council member to declare his innocence. according to the suit, thomas secretly diverted about $300,000 meant for youth baseball programs and spent much of the

campaign contributions to cover up his long-term affair and out of wedlock child with former aide rielle hunter. edwards has always denied any criminal wrongdoing. his lawyers call the investigation unprecedented and wrong on the law and the facts. but justice department officials have approved charges though it's unclear whether they'll come in the form of an indictment or a plea deal. it's a stunning fall for a man once so near the pinnacle of power, a multimillionaire trial lawyer who was elected u.s. senator in his first campaign for office. the democratic nominee for vice president in 2004 and then a white house contender in 2008. the downfall began in 2006 when he began a relationship with hunter who produced videos for his campaign. a year later "the national enquirer" reported the affair and later that she was pregnant with his child. after denying it all, edwards eventually came clean acknowledging the affair and the baby. he and his wife elizabeth separated, and she died of cancer last december. if edwards is convicted or pleas to the felony charge, he could be stripped of his

center on almost $1 million secretly provided by two wealthy donors and used to keep edwards' mistress rielle hunter and later their child, hidden away in lavish homes and on private jets. while he ran for president. the government argues that even though the payments did not go to edwards' campaign, they amounted to unlawful campaign contributions. meant to keep his candidacy viable. edwards' lawyers say the money was a gift from friends to help hide the affair from elizabeth. the indictment has triggered unusual criticism of the justice department. even among those usually pleased to see a politician prosecuted. >> i think that john edwards is a lousy human being, but i think this is a really lousy and flimsy criminal case. >> reporter: a "washington post" editorial said it is troubling that the justice department would choose to devote its scarce resources to pursuing this questionable case. >> i did not break the law. and i never, ever thought i was breaking the law. >> reporter: for this to be a criminal violation, prosecutors also must show edwards knew he was breaking the law. >> i thi

nearly a million dollars in illegal contributions and using the money to hide his pregnant mistress, rielle hunter. >> there's no question that i've done wrong, and i take full responsibility. >> reporter: but despite his personal failings, in court today a soft spoken edwards told a judge he was not guilty of breaking the law. for much of his life, edwards seemed like the quintessential american success story. the first in his family to go to college, he became a multimillionaire trial lawyer and was elected to the u.s. senate in his first campaign. but then came the bombshells. the "national enquirer" reported he and hunter, a campaign aide, were having an affair and she was pregnant with edwards' child. all the while he looked like the devoted father and husband to wife elizabeth who was diagnosed with breast cancer after the 2004 campaign. >> first of all, it happened during a period after she was in remission from cancer. >> reporter: he only admitted he was the father of hunter's baby last year. he and elizabeth separated and she died last december. by then, prosecutors were closing i

just that, alleging he illegally s ly solyd donations during the campaign to hide his affair with rielleter and the child they their. the indictment stating that the public revelation of the affair and pregnancy would destroy his candidacy. the indictment lays out how the money was spent. to keep hunter away from the attention of the media and in the lap of luxury. there are pricey flights for hunter on chartered jets, including one for $29,000. payments to resorts in florida, colorado and california, one hotel bill alone costing $8,000. a $58,000 bill for a rental property. in just one month alone, the government claims $180,000 was spent on keeping hunter out of the public eye. to help the cover up, the government claims edwards asked his campaign aide andrew young to pretend he was the father of the baby. >> he also asked me to arrange for a fake paternity test. >> reporter: and in the indictment, prosecutors point to our interview with edwards as proof that he not only lied about being the father -- a report has been published that the baby of ms. hunter is your baby. true? >> not tr

prosecutors claim that the form are senator solicit spent 925,000 to hide his affair with rielle hunter008 attempt to run for president. >> there is no question that i have done wrong and i take full responsibility for having done wrong and i will recret for the rest of the my life the pain and the harm that i have caused others. but i did not break the law and i never ever thought i was breaking the law. >> edward's lawyer said the money was not a campaign contribution because it was not intended for the campaign but hide the affair for his wife. >> in the history, no one was charged eitherly civilly or criminally with the claims that are brought against senator edwards today. >> if convicted edwards could face a 5 year prison sentence and a fine $250,000 for each of the six accounts. we'll have more tonight at 10:00 with an brew with senator edwards. >> they are wondering if an update in unemployment is a double dip or blip. >> schools is government laid off the most. net gain was a megar 5 much i new jobs and a national unemployment rate that inched up. high gas prices and food price

accused of using melon's wealth to cover up his affair with rielle hunter. >>> attorneys for accusedthony put two key experts on the stand to begin their case. >> the defense wasted no time, finding holes in the prosecution's forensic evidence. diana alvear joins us. now with the very latest. good morning, diana. >> reporter: peggy, daniel, good morning. on the defense's first day, it was all about forensics, namely testing for blood, dna and even the identity of little caylee's father. on day 20 of the casey anthony trial it was the defense's turn to make their case. first on the stand, a crime scene investigator who searched casey's bedroom. he tested a pair of pants for evidence of blood, the pants she was allegedly wearing the day her 2-year-old daughter caylee was reported missing. >> i checked the item, which no stain was found. >> reporter: next an fbi examiner, heather subert said she tested samples from the trunk liner of anthony's car. the place prosecutors say she >> you tested all those areas for blood? >> yes, sir, all of those areas, all of those items were tested and w

. >> they broke the rielle hunter/john edwards story. >> agreed. in a little trouble with his wife, if nobody else. >> that's tough. it's apparently another journalist as well. >> yes, that he was with. >> as you mentioned, a younger woman. >> exactly. >>> okay, also we're talking now about "american idol," when we all know you have a bizarre, weird, bizarre crush on steven tyler. he's coming back. so is randy jackson, dawg. the bibiquestion mark, j. lo. will j. lo be returning to the judging table at "american idol"? so far, as we said, those other two fellows there, they're signed on. i'm sure seacrest will be back. >> oh, absolutely. >> because he doesn't have enough jobs. >> or money. >> yeah, whatever. but j. lo is the question mark. is she holding out for more money? she debuted her big single -- >> do they not want her back? >> i don't know. >> maybe they don't want her back. we'll have to wait and see. >> i can't imagine that. she's actually been very good. she's very positive and encouraging. i like that. >> she's kind of like paula abdul

rielle hunter, for instance. >> absolutely. we'll have to wait and see. oprah has previously said she would want this interview, that this would potential be on her new own network. her own television network. >> which would certainly put it on the map because it's sort of struggling right now. >> huge get if this is true. again, so many ifs. underline the we're not sure about this, but fascinating if true. >> that would be. she has said many times this is the get that she always wanted to get, only if he would be honest about what really went down. >>> moving on to somebody else who's had a lot of trouble with the law. it's almost like, do we go back and talk about this again? it's really sad when you think about it. we're talking about lindsay lohan. we're sorry. but it looks like she has once again violated her probation. she's tested positive for alcohol. she's going back to court tomorrow, which you know the judge is going to throw the book at her. >> absolutely. >> she's been given chance after chance after chance. we had necklace-gate. remember tha

the candidate and north carolina senator is accused of using campaign money to hide his mistress rielle hunter and their child. edwards and a speech writer were preparing a statement to acknowledge paternity. that statement included admission of the payments. edwards pled not guilty in the indictment filed against him. >>> former vice president nominee sarah palin version of paul revere's wide triggered a tug of war on wikipedia. people have tried to make dozens of changes. monday the page was electronically padlocked. they lock pages when there are a number of attempts to edit. >>> the positive poll numbers the president has been riding have come crashing down. according to any new poll in the "washington post", his approval rating is back down to 47%. it's even worse when it comes to the economy. only 40% of americans approve of the way he is handling the economic recovery and only a third of the nation approves of his approach to the deficit. on top of that, more than 50% say an economic recovery has not begun and nearly two-thirds of all americans say the country is on the wrong tra

year he admitted to fathering a child with rielle hunter while his late wife was battling with cancerthis is just crossing the wires, this is very big news with regard to anthony weiner and facing ethics charges. we are now learning that minority leader nancy pelosi has now formally sent the weiner investigation to the house ethics committee, and also, moments ago, listen to this. this is what senator -- senate majority leader harry reid is now saying about all this. he said, quote, i know congressman weiner, i wish that there was some way that i could defend him, but i cannot. so these are the biggest guns in the democratic party, now seepingly aimed at anthony weiner, and the big question now is can he survive this if his own party has started to turn on him. scott sa inform dal, former deputy secretary under george w. bush joins me to talk about this. no support clearly from harry reid, the we're question asked of harry reid is should he resign and he said i'm not here to defend. the next question after that, if he were to ask you for advice, what would you say, and he said i would

if he had used money of his own to cover up his affair with rielle hunter.? >> well, i'd have to say that there are lots of ways you can do things legally and lots of ways you can do things illegally and when you make bad choices sometimes the implications turn out to create the basis for criminal prosecution. >> well, it looks like at this point, he's going to take his chances by going to trial unless there is another kind of a plea deal that's arranged between now and then. you are the attorney for his former aide, andrew young. thanks for your thoughts this morning. >> thank you. >> your e-mails and tweets are pouring in on this story, the federal retirees still collecting pensions from the grave. we'll share some of your thoughts when we come back. plus the country hit is already skyrocketing to the top of the charts. fresh off his trip on a fighter jet here to sit down on the curvy couch. [ male announcer ] look outside. it's grow time. so let's plant some perennis that'll turn up every year. trees and shrubs to give us depth. and fill it out with flowe

federal prosecutors say he used campaign money to hide his affair with staffer rielle hunter, a rip thatted tphpb out of-wedlock child. in plea negotiations, sources say he wanted the case to have minimal impact on his two younger children. the justice department offered a deal only if he agreed to serve six months in prison but edwards would not agree to any time behind bars. >>> get ready for more police are looking into a string of assaults along the metro branch hiking/biking trail in northeast washington. specifically in a mile and a half stretch in d.c. megan mcgrath has more on these incidents. megan, good morning. >> reporter: well, there are a number of different locations where you hop on the met branch trail. we're near catholic university. you can rent a bike, hop on the trail and go all the way to union station on this location. if you do that, though, police are warning you to be extra careful, to go out with other people. perhaps don't use the trail by yourself. that's because of a string of incidents that occurred the last several weeks along the trail. a number of people

if convicted, john edwards is looking f ining at 30 years in for covering up an affair with rielle hunter. he denies breaking the law. jeffrey toobin says it's a tough case for the government to win. in the trial of casey anthony. another round of videotapes showing casey anthony's repeated and blatant lies. jailhouse conversations with her family, showing them to you including a detailed story about a nanny that never existed. all of that and more at the top of the hour. that's a coffee and two pills. the afternoon tour begins with more pain and more pills. the evening guests arrive. back to sore knees. back to more pills. the day is done but hang on... her doctor recommended aleve. just 2 pills can keep arthritis pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is lara who chose 2 aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels. and fewer pills for a day free of pain. fore! no matter what small business you are in, managing expenses seems to ...get in the way. not anymore. ink introduces jot. a real time expense app that lets yo

and these were personal gifts and they were only given to rielle hunter so that they could hide the affairizabeth edwards because she was dying from cancer. they are saying these were not campaign contributions. of course, i will say this is sort of unprecedented of the federal campaign law. it's never been done before. the government is sort of -- so it's not the easiest case to prove, but in front of a jury given the types of allegations and given this sorted past, especially that he had this affair, had this child, his wife was dying of cancer. factually, t.j., really, really good case for the prosecution. >> anybody else just to wrap up, anybody else possibly could face some charges related to this? >> no one else has been charged, of course. some people talked about andrew young being commrisaplicit in t and i think he will be one of the star witnesses. he is not named in the indictment that he is likely person a when people read the indictment. i don't think at this point that the government is considering any charges. it's all about john edwards right now. >> now, another case that

given to him by supporters, that were then allegedly used to essentially hide edwards' mistress, rielle hunter. edwards claims he was hiding the affair and the child he fathered with hunter, for personal reasons, to protect his wife and family. and that money was a gift. but the government alleges he was hiding them for political reasons. that the revelation of an affair would, quote, destroy his candidacy. and there are limits on donor funds for political purposes. limits he broke. the indictment lays out how the money was spent, to keep hunter away from the attention of the media and in the lap of luxury. and in just one month alone, the government claims $183,000 was spent in keeping hunter out of the public eye, on private jets and luxury hotels. to help the cover-up, the government claims edwards asked his campaign aide, andrew young, to pretend he was the father of the baby. >> he also asked me to arrange for a fake paternity test. >> reporter: and in the indictment, prosecutors point to our interview with edwards as proof that he lied about being the father. a report had been pub

how much would the media care if it wasn't for rielle hunter and this out of wedlock child?eapot dome scandal we wouldn't be talking about it as much. sex sells and that's a big component to the media. it's still a big story. the fact, he created this image of being, you know, such a jfk meets jesus sort of guy and we all knew his wife on tv as well. look, you're right, sex sells and that's the driver of this. >> you mentioned elizabeth edwards. margaret, haven't journalists enthusiastically embraced this story, fall from grace, which is undoubtedly is, because they think edwards is a low life who betrayed his wife? >> yeah. and, you know, the -- >> and his daughter, too, the court proceeding on friday. >> to see her standing behind him, the way elizabeth edwards did, who would -- who would do that to their child? is reinforces the notion that he's a low life. you know, the human condition, we want the guy to be punished. we want a ritual humiliation. so, we're going along with -- >> is that influencing the tone of the coverage? >> yes. with a case very weak. i don't think t

a six month jail teem.edwards iss accused of using campaign monny to keep his pregnant mistress...rielle...in hiding hen he was running for pleaded not guilty last week. he faces up to 30 years in prison iffconvicted. former new york giants star plaxico burress is years behind bars.burress to attempted criminal 2009... - possession of a weapon. the casey anthony murder trial is entering it's 3rd week poddy. so far the court roceedings have been just as much cirrus freezy as they have been criminal investigation. spectttors have been racing to the court hoping for a seat in the courtrrom to hear more casey anthony pncluding first degree mmrder in the death of her 2-year old ddughher cayyee. the littleegirl was last seen in june of 2008 ... her grandmother reported her missinn a month child's body was found 5 casey anthonn has denied any wrongdoing ... but what does the evidence ay.. and why has this case become the media frrnzy attorney steve allen with hodes, pessin and katz joins us thissmorning.-is shh oing to be convicted of first degree murder-so much circumstanttal evidence in phis

federal prosecutors accusing edwards of using campaign money to hide an affair with a campaign worker rielle hunter. that's the same woman he fathered a child with. >> there's no question that i've done wrong. and i take full responsibility for having done wrong. and i will regret for the rest of my life the pain and the harm that i've caused to others. but i did not break the law and i never, ever thought i was breaking the law. >> now, edwards, who has been indicted now on six counts, including conspiracy, issuing false statements and violating campaign contribution laws could face up to 30 years in prison and a $1.5 million fine if convicted. >>> well, what do we do now? cell phones could cause cancer. could. that's the word we're getting from the world health organization. got that word this week. kind of sent everybody into a frenzy. why they're saying that and whether you should put that phone down. >>> also, thousands of people fleeing the dakotas as snow melt and spring rains fill the missouri river to record levels. reynolds wolf with us when we come back. hing changed. ♪ i saw what

prosecutors say he used almost a million dollars in campaign cash to cover up an attorney with rielleeir baby. this was during the 2000 will presidential race when edwards' wife was battling cancer. he eventually admitted he was the father of reel's baby. feds have to prove that he knew about the payments in order to convict him. now the associated press reports emails and other evidence suggest he did know. "the fox report's" chief correspondent jonathan hunt is here. what do we know about these emails. >> emails and notes of conversations between john edwards and a former speech writer webbedy button in 2009. the two discussed edwards' coming clean about the affair and about his love child. and according to the reporting of the associated press, in at least one of those conversations, he acknowledges knowing about the payments to his mistress reel hunter. but, again, according to the reporting of the a.p., the conversations do not indicate whether he ordered that money to be paid out of campaign cash. and, of course, if he was simply asking rich friends to give money to his mistress

prosecutors claim the former senator solicited and spent $925,000 to hide his affair with rielle hunter during his 2008 bid for the white house. >> there's no question that i've done wrong. and i take full responsibility. for having done wrong. and i will regret for the rest of my life the pain and the harm that i caused others. but i did not break the law and i never, ever thought i was breaking the law. >> edwards' lawyer says the money was not a campaign contribution because it was never intended for the campaign. but to hide the affair. >> in the history of the federal election campaign law, no one has ever been charged, either civilly or criminally with the claims that have been brought against senator edwards today. >> if convicted, edwards could face a five year prison sentence and a $250,000 fine for each of the six counts. president obama is thanking american auto workers for helping their industry make a u-turn on the recession and pay back u.s. taxpayers for emergency bailout loans. layoffs and concessions by auto workers have now helped the big three automakers turn a profit

prosecutors claim the former senator solicited and spent $925,000 to hide his affair with rielle hunteruring his 2008 bid for the white house. >> there's no question that i've done wrong. and i take full responsibility. for having done wrong. and i will regret for the rest of my life the pain and the harm that i caused others. but i did not break the law and i never, ever thought i was breaking the law. >> edwards' lawyer says the money was not a campaign contribution because it was never intended for the campaign. but to hide the affair. >> in the history of the federal election campaign law, no one has ever been charged, either civilly or criminally with the claims that have been brought against senator edwards today. >> if convicted, edwards could face a five year prison sentence and a $250,000 fine for each of the six counts. president obama is thanking american auto workers for helping their industry make a u-turn on the recession and pay back u.s. taxpayers for emergency bailout loans. layoffs and concessions by auto workers have now helped the big three automakers turn a profit f

trouble, in large part because of his own doing, this illicit if you will extra marital affair with rielley, my relationship with her is something i wanted to try to keep secret and the government saying that he got hundreds of thousands of dollars from two contributors, philanthropist buddy mellon and fred baron a lawyer out of texas to essentially try to cover that up. and this is wheretoday. so it's probably going to be a long and complicated legal battle and very interesting, too, and especially because north carolina is a place that's going to be the center of american politics next summer. >> joe, stay with us. jeff, i want to get to the particulars of the case, but john edwards is an accomplished attorney before he was a politician. i just want to ask you, did you read any significance into exactly what he said where he said i did not break the law and i never, ever thought that i was breaking the law, why would that intent be important? >> because this crime is what's called the specific-intent crime. it's not just that you broke the law. you intended to break the law. when you're