i turn you over to wolf blitzer.way. >> jake, thanks. >>> happening now, government spying on a really massive scale. new details of a secret sur violence program targeting potentially millions of american phone users. >>> also tropical storm andrea taking aim at the rest of the east coast. >>> plus an exclusive interview with mitt and ann romney. they talk about their regrets and jarring transition to life out of politics. i'm wolf blitzer, you're in "the situation room." >>> a terror attack alleged by thwarted by a

up next, we'll talk to wolf blitzer, about the implications this choice may have here on chris christie, on the republican party, on democrats looking ahead. [ male announcer ] this is kevin. to prove to you that aleve is the better choice for him, he's agreed to give it up. that's today? [ male announcer ] we'll be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. i was okay, but after lunch my knee started to hurt again. and now i've got to take more pills. ♪ yup. another pill stop. can i get my aleve back yet? ♪ for my pain, i want my aleve. ♪ [ male announcer ] look for the easy-open red arthritis cap.

i'm wolf blitzer, you're in "the situation room." >>> a terror attack alleged by thwarted by a stunning secret surveillance program that's just been revealed. it was first reported that the national security agency has been collecting the phone records of millions of verizon customers every day. they reportedly show who they call, who's called them and the date and duration of each conversation. but as controversial as the surveillance may be, lawmakers are split right now over whether it's appropriate or legal. jim acosta has been working this story for us. jim, what are you picking up. >> reporter: obama administration officials are neither confirming or denying the report.

i'm wolf blitzer in washington.om." >>> just the mention of the name justin bieber and people start opening up their wallets, stooms without even asking questions. as gary tuchman reports, a california investor has a million reasons to regret hooking up with the concert promoter who turned out to be a con man. >> reporter: to todd weinberg, a wealthy investors and entrepreneur from northern california, 22-year-old walid ahmad was the picture of success, so he felt very comfortable trusting the young man with his money, a lot of his money. after all, ahmad was the toast of norway, where the press hailed him as an innovative genius for supposedly inventing a solar energy cover that could charge iphones. the norwegian government put up this video of ahmad and his business partner to show off his invention. >> walid is supposedly a celebrity in norway. they call him the mark zuckerberg of norway. >> reporter: and then there are the pictures with famous people, from royalty to business leaders. >> we have kofi annan here

wolf blitzer is off today. i'm jim acosta and you're in "the situation room." >> we're starting with the big blow to wall street and most certainly your retirement accounts. the dow plummethed almost 350 points today and over 500 in two days. tom, what's happened here? >> ben bernanke came out and said we're going to back off of this government program that has helped push the economy along and that has sent the markets in a tail spin. he used the word "taper", he's going to taper the program. what does that mean? well, imagine the economy to be like a kid trying to ride a bicycle after a spill, trying to get back on balance. the fed has been helping out to steady and push him along with about $85 billion a month in stimulus. ben bernanke has been looking at numbers saying housing is up almost 7% in may, unemployment 7.6%, not getting better but not getting worse, gdp, 2.6%, all of that he's saying is that all of this that is good enough that the government can start backing off and let the economy stand on its

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> privacy advocates demand full scale investigation into the federal government surveillance of americans' phone records and data they keep on the internet. bombshell reports this week by "the washington post" and "the guardian." britain exposed widespread snooping under programs aimed at preventing terror attacks. several u.s. officials acknowledge intelligence agencies are secretly collecting millions of americans' phone records on a daily basis. the director of national intelligence indirectly confirmed the existence of a program to mine data from some of the world's biggest online companies, including microsoft, apple, google, yahoo! and facebook. he says only online activities of foreigners, people overseas are being monitored. these revelations reignited the debate over protecting americans' privacy rights while defending the home land at the same time. here is what the president said about all of this on friday. >> if these folks, if the intell

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >> the mystery of the nsa leaker's whereabouts answered today by russian president vladimir putin. he says edward snowden remains at moscow's international airport. >> translator: snowden is still in transit area as a transit passenger. our special services never worked with snowden and are not working with him today. >> but putin is not complying with requests from the obama administration to turn edward snowden over to u.s. authorities. that once again raises the question is president obama tough enough to do anything about that? what can we expect to hear from the president? we'll hear from john king and fareed zakaria in a moment. it seems the president is getting criticized by a lot of different quarters, jim. >> that's right. we should point out that president obama is just wrapping up a meeting with top congressional leaders here at the white house. those congressional leaders are making their way out of the white house, we believe, right around

i turn you over to wolf blitzer. take it away. >> jake, thanks. >>> happening now, government spying on a really massive scale. new details of a secret sur violence program targeting potentially millions of american phone users. >>> also tropical storm andrea taking aim at the rest of the east coast. >>> plus an exclusive interview with mitt and ann romney. they talk about their regrets and jarring transition to life out of politics. i'm wolf blitzer, you're in "the situation room." >>> a terror attack alleged by thwarted by a stunning secret surveillance program that's just been revealed. it was first reported that the national security agency has been collecting the phone records of millions of verizon customers every day. they reportedly show who they call, who's called them and the date and duration of each conversation. but as controversial as the surveillance may be, lawmakers are split right now over whether it's appropriate or legal. jim acosta has been working this story for us. jim, what are you picking up.

he watches cnn, wolf blitzer. and it's funny, i was in the room with him and he was watching wolf blitzer and blitzer was asking the panel who do you think the leaker is? he was sitting in the bed watching it and to be fair, there was no chuckle, no smile. he watched it deadly serious. >> certainly interesting that he has been watching cnn and monitoring how this has all unfolded. obviously, cnn has extended the invitation to speak with edward snowden. we are waiting to hear back from him. hong kong and the united states does have an extradition treaty. however, china can step in and veto this. if china thinks that edward snowden has information that it considers highly valuable, which no doubt he does. they could step in and help the extradition from happening. >> fascinating. has snowden had any contact at all with his family? we knew he had a girlfriend and family members still in hawaii. >> yeah, living in hawaii with his girlfriend add aiin having $200,000 a year. he left this lifestyle to take this enormous

wolf blitzer is off.apper and you're in i am jake tapper and you're in "the situation room." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> we begin with the unraveling of a beloved tv figure's career and image. celebrity chef paula deen publicly apologized today for using a racial slur in the past, but her bosses at the food network announce they're dropping her anyway. the controversy exploded in recent days after deen acknowledged using the "n" word during a deposition in a lawsuit. earlier today, deen promised she would release a video responding to the uproar, and later, this video was published on youtube. >> i want to apologize to everybody for the wrong that i've done. i want to learn and grow from this inappropriate, hurtful language. it is totally, totally unacceptable. i've made plenty of mistakes along the way, but i beg you, my children, my team, my fans, my partners, i beg for your forgiveness. please forgive me for the mistakes that i've made. >> that video was later replaced by a new one. this

i'm wolf blitzer.d states and around the world. you're in "the situation room." >>> this hour, the internal revenue service is bogged down even deeper in controversy. a new report by a federal watchdog suggests the agency that monitors our tax dollars isn't spending it wisely. it details $4 million worth of expenses at an irs conference and a lot of it questionable at best. chief correspondent dana bash is breaking it all down for us. >> part of what is so stunning here is that this lavish spending happened at the very same time that the irs said it didn't have the resources to deal with, the influx of those tea party applications for tax-exempt status. and the way the irs wasted taxpayer dollars is stunning. paintings of albert yin stein, michael jordan, abraham lincoln and even bono from u2, all made on-site at an irs conference by an artist hired to perform leadership through art and paid $17,000. taxpayer dollars. it's just one example of irs excess. detailed in this new inspector general report wh

wolf blitzer is off today. i'm jim acosta. you are in "the situation room." >>> we begin with what senators are calling a border surge, a breakthrough deal to double the size of the border patrol and hundreds of miles of security fence. it may be the best hope for passing immigration reform. the senate will need a big enough vote to give the bill momentum because in the house immigration reform is a very tough sell. here's cnn's chief congressional correspondent, dana bash. >> reporter: for republicans in particular it's all about border security. that's why they call an immigration deal to beef it up a breakthrough. >> the border should not be an issue if this amendment passes. >> reporter: it includes doubling the number of border agents to 40,000 and completing the 700-mile southern border fence. republican supporters emphasize border security measures must be completed and certified before some 11 million illegal immigrants can get on a 13-year path to u.s. citizenship. >> 11 million people live in the shadows, and they li

now to jim accosta filling in for wolf blitzer in "the situation room with wolf blitze blitzer". >> thanks what used to be communist east berlin. can he ease growing concerns about american surveillance? the midair explosion that sent twa flight 800 into the atlantic was no accident. there could have been an fbi drone. >>> and would you like genetically modified ingredients with that burrito? what's happening at a major fast food chain that's coming clean. you're in "the situation room with wolf blitzer." i'm jim accosta.

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." a nasty and personal turn in the controversy over the irs targeting of conservative groups. republican congressman darrell issa leading a house investigation is in a bitter war of words with the white house. the first bombshell aimed at the white house press secretary jay carney. listen to what congressman darrell issa had to say about him on cnn's "state of the union." >> their paid liar, their spokesperson, picture behind, he's still making up things about what happens and calling this local rogue. >> president obama's unofficial adviser david plouffe tweeted this in response. strong words from mr. grand theft auto suspected arsonist insurance swindler and loose ethically today, referring to allegations issa faced decades ago. jay carney says he's staying out of it. >> darrell issa over the weekend called you a paid liar for the administration. i wanted to give you an opportunity to respond to that. >> i hadn't heard that. that's amazing. i'm not going to get into a back-and-forth w

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> we begin with what's been another fascinating day in the george zimmerman murder trial. on the stand today for the second day in a row as a so-called star witness for the prosecution, rachel jeantel, the last person believed to talk to trayvon martin before his deadly confrontation. amid hours of cross-examination from the defense, it was almost impossible to turn away from her animated expressions, combative answers and often irritated demeanor. now the big question is this -- did she help or hurt the state's case? cnn's martin savidge has been inside the courtroom all day. he's joining us right now with the very latest. so what happened? >> reporter: rachel jeantel is the kind of witness that journalists love but also the kind of witness that can be both a nightmare for the prosecution and defense and she probably lived up to that reputation over these past two days. however, that said, she did seem to be different today on the stand. her response

now to jim accosta filling in for wolf blitzer in "the situation room with wolf blitze blitzer". >> thanks, jake. president obama makes history in what used to be communist east berlin. can he ease growing concerns about american surveillance? the midair explosion that sent twa flight 800 into the atlantic was no accident. there could have been an fbi drone. >>> and would you like genetically modified ingredients with that burrito? what's happening at a major fast food chain that's coming clean. you're in "the situation room with wolf blitzer." i'm jim accosta. today president obama stood where the berlin wall once divided east and west where 50 years ago john f. kennedy once brought hope to isolated berliner berliners. it's not just what's in the president's speech making headlines but his administration's policy on surveillance. chief white house correspondent jessica yellin is live from there. this makes for tricky diplomacy. >> it does, jim. no doubt president obama would have preferred delivering a speech about big ideas and his vision for the future. instead he found himself explaini

mpl >>> i'm wolf blitzer in for erin burnett tonight. line of powerful tornadoes swept acrossed oklahoma tonight. it was in the path of this storm as well. missouri's governor has declared a state of emergency for that state. all have now expired, but, but, there are still two active tornado warnings in illinois right now. much of the plains and midwest

that is from the famous fairy tale, the boy who cried wolf blitzer. >> but it is not wolf biltzer. >> think i know more about wolf blitzer than you do. >> i don't know. i don't think you can find fight santa clause. >> he doesn't exist. sorry to blow your mind. >> we have children watching. >> he exists, kids, the easter bunny too. >> i am having a meeting tomorrow with the santa clause division. there is one you know. they are the ones keeping this whole hoax alive. there are like 30 of them. anytime you say there is no santa clause they show up and beat the crap out of you. the thing is they are skinny young guys. they are not fat and old. coming up, chinese stock fell further as the country's central bank indicated the tightening credit policy will continue. we are not doing that story. instead, is a show better if everybody is nude? that's how lou dabbs pitched lou dabbs tonight. he is an exhibitionist and i say good for him. >>> they were supported instead of deported. the irs sent more than $for46 million to unauthorized alien workers who claim he shares the same, the same exact

eastern, wolf blitzer will have the very latest. but up next, anderson with a 360 special on the olympic hero known as the blade runner who is now facing murder charges on the shooting death of his girlfriend. oscar brastorius brutal murder or grave mistake. that's just ahead. ♪ let me play among the stars ♪ and let me see what spring is like ♪ ♪ on jupiter and mars ♪ in other words [ male announcer ] the classic is back. ♪ i love [ male announcer ] the all-new chevrolet impala. chevrolet. find new roads. ♪ you chevrolet. find new roads. we know it's your most important videoconference of the day hi! hi, buddy! that's why the free wifi and hot breakfast are something to smile about. now, get great getaway rates and feel the hamptonality identity thieves. they can find your personal information and do some serious damage. like your birthday or your mother's maiden name. you need a new friend. lifelock. we scour billions of data points every day, and if we discover that any of your personal information is misused... lifelock is there.

on the situation room wolf blitzer is going to take a look at his trail. >>> nelson mandela remains inritical condition. crowds have been gathering there. earlier today white doves released in his honor. >> tell us what we know so far in terms of his condition and what is the anticipation? >> reporter: all we're getting at the moment is an update coming from authorities a few hours ago which said his condition is unchanged. that's not good news because he's in a critical condition. many people hoping that he improved. clearly he hasn't. with that news throughout the afternoon you may see a lot more activity outside this hospital. you can hear the people, see the people singing, dancing behind me. ordinary south africans, people who live around this neighborhood coming here paying their respects in song. the songs have been coming over the last few hours. they are singing a hymn now. earlier on they were chanting a song about nelson mandela. they were chanting out his name over and over again. crucially there's been an increased police presence outside this hospital. at the entrance to

i turn you over to the cable hands of wolf blitzer.y, he was given this great award and walked around prancer style. >> everybody in urbino, italy was great. thanks very much, it was a great honor. >> where in the world is edward snowden? he looks for a country to give him asylum. >> the george zimmerman murder trial, a bizarre beginning in the case that's gripped the nation. >> and celebrity chef paula deen takes another big hit after admitting she used racial slurs. i'm wolf blitzer and you're in "the situation room." >>> the man who stunned the world by leaking secrets about nsa surveillance is now the object of a world wide man hunt.

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room."

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." we begin with a massive and sudden building collapse right in the heart of downtown philadelphia. one woman is confirmed dead. 12 people have been taken to area hospitals after authorities say a vacant building being demolished collapsed onto a thrift store trapping those inside. some of them for hours. and you can see the chilling before and after pictures from that scene showing just how severe the damage is. the mayor, michael nutter, says an active and dangerous search and rescue effort is still under way to find any remaining victims in the rubble. cnn's don lemon is standing by. we're going to him shortly. but first, listen to the mayor, michael nutter, speaking out just a little while ago. >> they're doing a spectacular job out here. and they are diligent. they're focused, they're determined, and as i said earlier and i know you have carried this. if there is anyone else in that structure, in that building, under that rubble, our folks will find them, and they will not stop unt

let's get out to wolf blitzer.ollecting various information from phone and internet companies. wolf, i think a lot of people are watching thinking, how worried do i need to be about this? >> a lot of people are learning that the scope is immense, it's been going on for years. let's discuss with two guests, jim walsh, the international security analyst and research associate for security studies at mit and ari fleischer the former bush white house press secretary also a cnn political analyst. ari, this is a case where you think the president of the united states is doing exactly the right thing. i suspect you would tend to agree with huffington post which had this picture of president obama having been morphed into president george w. obama. take a look at that. why is the president right? >> well, wolf, when you take a look at the steps he's taken to aggressively fight terror to keep us safe is much of what george bush started, it's wiretaps, keeping guantonomo opened, drone strikes. i refer to it as problem's four

wolf blitzer is off today. you're in "the situation room." >> this is cnn breaking news. >> we begin with breaking news. congress has been notified that the united states will acknowledge syria has used chemical weapons multiple times. that's been the red line for the obama administration, and that red line has now apparently been crossed. let's go straight now to cnn pentagon correspondent barbara star. what's developing? >> this story has been brewing behind the scenes in washington all day. now at this hour wouhite house officials briefing reporters is about to tell them that syria has used chemical weapons. this dates back to two incidents in march when it's believed small amounts, relatively small amounts of sarin was used against civilian populations in syria. this puts the president in a difficult position because it's been his position that it will be his job to act when the red line is crossed. but congress is getting more concerned about all of this. the ranking republican member of the senate republi

i'm wolf blitzer.the situation room." >>> we begin with what's been another fascinating day in the george zimmerman murder trial. on the stand today for the second day in a row as a so-called star witness for the prosecution, rachel

i'm wolf blitzer in washington. the house says edward snowden is probably in russia right now and they are pretty irritated at hong kong and china for letting him go there. snow d snowden is wanted on espionage charges. he's been hiding out there since leaking classified information. hiding out in hong kong but now apparently in moscow. he's already applied for asylum in ecuador and also in iceland and other countries. the wikileakss founder praise snowden a couple of hours ago. listen to this. >> this morning the u.s. secretary of state called edward snowden a traitor. he's not a traitor. he's not a spy. he is a whistle blower who was told the public very important truth. >> what do we know about wikileaks's involvement in snowden's global odyssey to try to avoid prosecution? >> he wouldn't say when wikilea wikileaks got involved but snowden requested their expertise on gaining asylum and what he described as the persecution of him as a whistle blower. assange made it clear they are providing help and legal counsel

i'm wolf blitzer reporting from washington. george zimmerman trial set to resume any minute now. they broke for lunch more than an hour ago. jurors have been listening to a fifth day of dramatic testimony. the last witness offered different account from previous witnesses about what happened the night zimmerman shot and killed trayvon martin. george is howell outside the court in sanford florida. jane velez-mitchell is joining us from new york. george, zimmerman's neighbor, george good, he's a state witness but he corroborates zimmerman's story he was being pummelled in that fight. tell us about the testimony that occurred today. we don't have george. maybe jane can brief us. are you there? >> i am. jonathan good is good for george zimmerman because he corroborates his story. he says he heard a tussle, goes outside and the person he describes as being on the bottom fits the description in terms of the clothing he was wearing of george zimmerman. he also said he saw a ground and pound meaning the person on the top was grounding and pounding which he modified saying he didn't see a

mpl >>> i'm wolf blitzer in for erin burnett tonight. a line of powerful tornadoes swept acrossed oklahoma tonight. it was in the path of this storm as well. missouri's governor has declared a state of emergency for that state. all have now expired, but, but, there are still two active tornado warnings in illinois right now. much of the plains and midwest are also getting a great deal of flooding. 6-8 inches of rain already has fallen in much of central, oklahoma, causing a life-threatening situation there. right now, more than 190,000 customers across the midwest are without power. oklahoma city's will rogers airport is still without power, as well. all flights to and from the airport have been cancelled. also, in oklahoma, parts of interstate 35 are still shut down. interstate 40 has reopened. a spokesperson from the oklahoma highway patrol called conditions on the roads, though, a nightmare situation. chad myers is joining us now on the phone. he's in oklahoma and rode through this storm, watched it all unfold and got very, very close

>> i'm wolf blitzer in for erin burnett. we have a special live edition of "outfront" happening right now. a shooting spree in southern california ends in a college library with seven people dead. including a suspected shooter. police say the carnage began in a home that was set on fire. the suspect, then, according to police, carjacked a woman and drove towards santa monica college. that's when the gunman who was dressed in s.w.a.t. gear got out of the car and began firing at passing vehicles. inscluding a city bus. he jumped back in the car and went on the left and took off. >> i heard one bang, stopped, bang, bang, bang, bang. i ran, grabbed my stuff as fast as i could, hid in a study room and i just walted there. >> police say the gunman than ran on to the santa monica campus where he exchanged fire with police and was ultimately killed. there was one person in custody who police are questioning at this hour. our miguel marquez is joining us. what do we know, first of all, about this suspect? >> well, we know he is dead.

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> to our top story now, where in the world is edward snowden? he was expected to be on a flight due to land in cuba in the next hour. there's no indication, though, that snowden ever boarded that plane but another cuba flight is due to lead in a few hours. he flew from hong kong to moscow yesterday and reportedly spent the night at the airport. it's presumed he is still in russia. he's being helped by wikileaks who says he's in a "safe place." he's applied for asylum in china and ecuador. ecuador is now weighing the request. the united states is calling on other nations to cooperate with the manhunt. president obama spoke briefly on the matter today. >> what we know is that we're following all the appropriate legal channels and working with various other countries to make sure that rule of law is observed. and beyond that i'll refer to the justice department that has been actively involved in the case. >> talk about the political fallout from all of t

wolf blitzer is off today. i'm brianna keilar, you're in "the situation room." >>> a topbl

i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." the news can'ts next on cnn. oan. . . cnn. uan'ts next on cnn. esan'ts next on cnn. n'ts next on cnn. 'ts next on cnn. ts next on cnn. s next on cnn. . >>> oim don lemon. we're going to begin with new information on the deadly shooting in california. they've identified the suspect. they're not releasing his name yet because his next of kin are believed to be out f the country. we also have new surveillance pictures of a suspect seen entering the library on the campus of the college. the suspect would have been 24 years old today. santa monica's police chef says the deadly shooting that left four people dead were almost certainly planned. i want to go live outside the police station. what are we hearing about the suspect's weapons? >> reporter: what we know about the suspect, even though we don't know his name, police are identifying him as quote a cowardly murderer. he was 23 years old. would have been 24 had he survived that deadly shoot outout with the police. what we also know is he was heavily armed. take a look at this ar

wolf blitzer is off today. i'm jim acosta, and you're in the situation room. .ing public outrage over massic government surveillance, the nsa and other security

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room."asty and personal turn in the controversy over the irs targeting of conservative groups. republican congressman darrell issa leading a house investigation is in a bitter war of words with the white house. the first bombshell

wolf blitzer's off today.you've ever pulled out your checkbook to send money to a worthy cause, pay attention to this next story. over the last year, cnn has teamed up with the "tampa bay times" and the center for investigative reporting to expose some scandalous charity practices. what we have learned is that a small but aggressive group of charity operators appears to be more interested in enriching themselves with six-figure charities -- excuse me, six-figure salaries while helping others. watch what happens as drew griffin of cnn's "special investigations unit" tried to get some answers. >> reporter: drive down these country roads outside knoxville, tennessee, and into this small industrial park and you'll find the headquarters of a family conglomerate of cancer charities that return lavish salaries to their owners. but according to their over tax records, donate very little to dying cancer patients. and the last thing the people running this charity want to do is answer questions. >> don't, don't turn you

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room."udden building collapse right in the heart of downtown philadelphia. w

wolf blitzer is off today. i'm brianna keilar, you're in "the situation room." >>> a top sblel jens official is -- the director of the national security agency says the details are still classified, but he tells lawmakers that phone records were critical in foiling numerous terror threats. >> it's dozens of terrorist events that these have helped prevent. i want the american people to know we're being transparent in here. >>> while u.s. authorities build a case against the man who blew the lid off those survaluance programs, edward snowden has dropped another bombshell, the self-declared nsa leaker hiding out in hong kong, tells a newspaper there the u.s. has been hacking chinese computers for years. meantime, vowing to fight any extradition attempt, he continues those. let's go live to andrew stevens in hong kong. revelations today, andrew, what did snowden say? >> absolutely. this is just fanning the flames. what happened is there was an hour-long interview with edward snowden by the "south china morning post

wolf blitzer is off today. i'm jim acosta, and you're in the situation room. . facing public outrage over massic government surveillance, the nsa and other security agencies took their case to the public telling a rare open door congressional hearing that those programs have helped foil more than 50 terror plots. then those officials took the unusual step of detailing those handful of threats. our correspondent dana bash is up on capitol hill. she has the details. hi there, there, dana. >> hi, jim. the goal of the hearing was to try to de mismystify the heariny giving more detail to the public than ever before, but even those on the panel who are mostly supportive have some skeptics. a plot to blow up the new york stock exchange was disrupted. the planes arrest and convicted thanks in part to a secret program monitoring internet activity abroad. that's one of two new terror plots top intelligence officials declassified in the hopes of convincing americans unprecedented government surveillance is work it. >> these programs are critical to the intelligence communi

wolf blitzer is off.e in "the situation room". >>> we begin this hour with a disturbing new airline scare. a passenger disrupted a flight today making outrageous claims about poison. it happened on a united airlines flight heading from hong kong to newark, new jersey. in a moment, i'll talk to a fellow passenger who helped subdue the man. first, cnn's renee marsh is here with details. >> that's right, jake. we can tell you just six hours left on a flight, a united airlines flight from hong kong to newark, new jersey, today. that's when this man that you're looking at right there on the string stunned passengers in midair. witnesses say he stood in the aisle, made reference to nsa leaker edward snowden. the cia. and claimed he had been targeted and poisoned by the u.s. government. that again the claim from this man who was onboard that flight. of course, people who were onboard, they were stunned. several people jumped in. first asking him to calm down. but one passenger says when this man reached for some

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> this is cnn breaking news. >>> the breaking news we're following, tens of thousands forced to flee as police fire giant clouds of tear gas and water cannons on demonstrations of turkey's taksim square right in the heart of istanbul. thousands of mass chaos refuse to be deterred. cnn senior international correspondent arwa damon and nick paton walsh are both right in the middle of it all. they have been in the past several hours. they're even being forced to put on gas masks to continue their reporter for us. we're joined by christiane amanpour. arwa set the scene. what's going on? we've lot arwa for a second. let's go to nick first. what do you see? >> reporter: the latest moves behind us here the police have sent bulldozers into the taksim square area ahead of gezi park. that sounds incremental, but it's key because it shows their positions to clear away much of the debris. there have been fires as well. we've been wondering what is the goal of the

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room."n shot and killed trayvon martin, we got some really detailed accounts of what happened in florida. two of zimmerman's former neighbors were among the witnesses. john goode told jurors he saw some of the tussle and that it appeared that martin was on top of zimmerman and that he was punching him. >> in terms of describing the individuals, are you able to describe the faces or anything but the descriptions? >> going back to when they were vertical, i could tell that person on the bottom had a lighter skinned color. >> what you saw was the person on top in mma straddle position, correct? explain what ground and pound is in your mind. >> the person on top being able to punch the person on the bottom. but the person on the bottom also has a chance to get out or punch the person on top. it's back and forth. >> mma, mixed martial arts. also testifying today, a neighbor who took photos of a bloodied zimmerman shortly after martin was shot. >> you also asked him what happened. >> yes. >> and h

wolf blitzer is on this for me in washington. christie had, you know, broad discretion here. whatever he chose could be criticized. but, first, explain to us what initially his choice was once he learned of the passing of senator lautenberg? >> the rules in new jersey are a little murky out there. he could have done -- he did -- he could have done what he did today, announce a date for a primary for the democratic and republican senate candidates and then a date for the special election, the election dating october 16th. he could have waited until november when he's going to be on the ballot and a whole bunch of other contests, state wide and local elections are taking place in new jersey. but he decided to have it on october 16th, his right, but a lot of republicans would have preferred is for him to name a republican to replace frank lautenberg, keep that republican as the interim senator until november 2014, another year and a half or so you would have had an incumbent republican who could have built up some credibility or wha