have known where osama bin laden was hiding. we'll talk to peter king about his hearing next week into the death of bin laden and what he hopes to learn. i'm wolf blitzer and this is "the situation room." let's begin with breaking news on the case involving the head of the international monetary fund jeffrey toobin is getting new details on what is going on. jeff is joining us on the phone. what are you picking out, jeff? >> it looks like the defense will go back to court tomorrow to ask for bail for their client. they think that they have a package that the court will accept. there is no deal yet in the works but this is the main preoccupation for the defense. they think it's bad for his health and there may be another court hearing in the case tomorrow. >> and dsk, dominique strauss-kahn, is at rikers island, in a small cell. why would they give him bail if potentially he is what they call a flight risk if he would give up $1 million if he were to be able to provide $1 million in bail and still leave the country along the lines of roman polanski or something like that? >> that's the argument that has kept him in prison. the argument that would get him out is that he would agree to such onerous conditions, including electronic monitoring, an ankle bracelet. including very restrictive conditions, not to leave an apartment, not to leave a hotel room or office. and an enormous amount of money. plus, the surrender of his passport. all of these conditions that would make his escape from the united states impossible. >> i believe, jeffrey, and you probably know this better than i do, his lawyers, one of the best criminal defense attorneys in new york, didn't they make that case to the judge earlier in the week, that he would do all of these things and she rejected all of those conditions. >> she did. but that initial appearance was so soon after his arrest. the defense hadn't had a chance to make the full presentation. they hchbt hadn't had a chance k to the people that do the ankle bracelets. this would be a more comprehensive presentation but he's still not a united states citizen. he's still a very wealthy man. those are all arguments to keep him in jail but the defense thinks that they want another bite at the apple here and they think it is very important both to their client and to their chances of winning to get him out of jail as soon as possible. >> i want you to hold on for a moment. i'm about to interview the man representing the woman at the center of this case. can you hear me okay? >> i sure can. >> let me get your immediate reaction to what jeff toobin just reported. how do you feel about dominique strauss-kahn being let out on bail? >> the idea that this man would somehow or another be on the streets and free, i'm sure it would cause her a great deal of concern. she's very concerned about her security. she's very concerned about what has happened and what this man is capable of and the fact that he would be free is something that she would be very alarged about. >> so you would argue against any -- i assume the prosecution in new york, with the prosecution argue against him being freed on bail? >> you know n. this particular situation, here's a man on the plane on the way to france and would have done that but for the intervention of the police that arrested him and got him off. if he's not a flight risk, i'm not sure who is. >> it would make the case that he doesn't have a criminal record and not a threat to the community given that he would be under such restrictive conditions and given the notoriety of the case, it would simply be impossible for him to flee the country and the argument that the defense would make is that bail is not supposed to be punishment. it's supposed to be a community to make sure that thus he should be released. >> mr. shapiro, how is your client doing? >> i think she's doing remarkably well considering what she's been through, starting with this attack she's not had a moment of peace since then. she's been separated from her daughter for a considerable amount of time. she doesn't know what her future will be. she hasn't been able to get professional help of any sort. she's been subjected to the interrogation but in cooperation with the new york city police department and disstrict attorney's office, she's had trouble sleeping, had to wear the same clothes for three days because she didn't have a change of clothes but if someone can with c wi withstand all of that, she's been able to do that. >> i know you went with her to the grand jury and you couldn't go in with her. based on what you heard, how did that go? >> you know, i cannot comment on anything which took place within the grand jury. that solely is within the province of the grand jury. so i would like to keep that commitment. >> i understand. walk us through what you can share with us what happened? she goes into the room at the hotel, thinking that she's going to clean the room, walk us through what happened next look, what has been reported in the press and essentially as she went into the room, thinking that it was unoccupied, this event took place and she was assaulted sexually and physically. she reported this to hotel security who then contacted the new york city police department and came to the hotel, interviewed my client, examined the crime scene. based upon their professional judgment, the trustworthiness of her and also what they saw they caused this man to be arrested. >> did she immediately go to hotel security, her supervisors, and tell this story right after this event, or did she wait? >> no, she went there. she thought that was her obligation to do that. i mean, she was, you know, a very respectful and grateful employee of this hotel and believed it was her responsibility to make this report, which she did. >> she made the report right away. in terms of the forensic evidence -- and i don't know how much you can share with us, is there bodily harm? were there bruises or cuts or anything that would show that there was a struggle going on? >> again, all of the forensic evidence in this case has been gathered by the district attorney's office and it's within their control. they have it and i can't comment on it with you unfortunately today. >> in some way that might interview with what the district attorney is doing and i don't wish to do that. >> you know her lawyers, benjamin, among others, are among the best criminal defense attorneys not only in new york and the country, they might argue that this was consensual -- his lawyers, i'm sorry. excuse me. his lawyers may say that it was consensual and there was no physical evidence showing of coercion. how do you deal with that? >> when you're a victim of sexual assault, you can't take the public stage because you want to be protected. your identity wants to be protected. but one day she will be able to walk in court and tell a jury what happened. and when that day comes and the jury tells her story, it will be quite clear that there was no aspect whatsoever about this encounter which was in any way construed as consensual. >> what can you tell us that would make us all appreciate what happened? >> my involve in this case with this young woman is to support her and help her figure out how to put her life together from this point forward. so with respect to, again, evidence at the crime scene and what may or may not exist in terms of prosecuting this case, you know, it's not been my concern with her and not something i could comment on. >> so you can't comment on this other report that when she went in she left a door opened as opposed to closing the door right away. you've seen those reports? >> i can't comment on that. i can't do it. >> this woman is an immigrant and came here several years ago. she's described as a good muslim. does she wear a head scarf? what does that mean? >> i don't know what anybody means by it but what i think it means, in her case and from my observation of her, is that this is a woman who is an observant woman. she's strong and came here under adverse circumstances. had a lot of difficulty there and came here with her young daughter and limited education and virtually no opportunity for professional career. in her homeland she came here, found this job, was able to support both herself and her daughter. was very grateful to have this job and to be in a country in which there is laws and justice and freedom and hopes for a better life for her daughter as anyone that comes to this country does. i have to tell you, i have great, great admiration for her and based upon the hours that i've spent talking to her. >> have you prepared her for what is in store in the next coming days and weeks and months and maybe years? >> here's the problem. somebody that is a victim of a physical assault and a rape needs lots of help in many different areas and here is someone that hasn't had the opportunity to begin that process to find any peace at all. so what i've tried to do is tell her what exists today is not going to exist tomorrow. her life will be okay, that she will be able to come back to a life of normalcy, that she will be safe, that she is safe, that her daughter is safe, and life will be okay for her in the future. >> i don't know if jeffrey toobin is on the line. if you have a question, go ahead. >> i'm sorry. i was distracted. i did not have a question. i'm sorry. i don't. >> mr. shapiro, anything else thaw want to tell our viewers that you think they need to know right now before i let you go? >> i would just say to you that i've heard from people around the world who support her and there's been a lot of things stated out here of conspiracy theories and various other things and they are not true. the most important thing is for her to be vindicated. she has no other agenda other than to tell the truth and to be able to live her life the way she did before this event took place. >> and getting back to the breaking news that jeffrey toobin reported at the top of the hour, his lawyers will ask for some sort of opportunity that he can be released from rikers prison and be released on bail. what i heard you saying is that that would be a horrible mistake? >> look, i'm devoted to this woman and this client and i want what she wants. to the extent that his freedom would impair her feelings of safety and security, that would deeply concern me. >> explain that -- if he's out in new york, he's got an ankle bracelet and he's in new york, she would feel threatened by that? >> this comes from a world in which safety is not guaranteed. the police are not necessarily your friend. this is the background that she comes from. so the idea that this perpetrator, the person that attacked her is free and can do what he wants to do, whether he flees the country doesn't mean that he can't do something, in her mind, that could cause her some harm. >> jeffrey, thank you very much. we'll continue our conversation of the days and weeks to come. appreciate it very much. please wish her the best. obviously she's gone through a lot. >> thank you very much. thanks for letting me come here and tell at least part of her story. >> thank you. appreciate it. jeffrey shapiro. i should point out that we invited benjamin and his attorneys to come on our show. they declined our invitation at least for now. they have an invitation to join us at any time. much more on this story coming up later here in "the situation room." we'll go to paris. jim bitterman is getting reaction from the french, the media, and government officials are saying is. you're going to be fascinated by the kucultural divide. also, president obama is giving syria new reasons to ease up on protesters. but will it be enough to stop the bloodshed. and maria shriver tries to show the world that she's not falling apart. the scandal is playing out very publicly. 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[ speaking chinese ] [ gasps, speaks chinese ] do you guys like dumplings? i love dumplings. working with a partner you can trust is always a good decision. massmutual -- let our financial professionals help you reach your goals. quality education and quality teachers are in jack cafferty. >> the union back safety net that will protect safety net from school teachers from being fired. there is job security in a time with cash-strapped states are trying to make cuts everywhere they can. critics say the policy can harm students more than it protects the teachers because they often lose their jobs and going through the motion until their pension kicks in can't be touched. that's because when the district announces layoffs, the last in, first out union rule generally takes over. that means the least experienced teachers take fewer years of service and more senior teachers do. in many cases no matter how well they do or don't do their jobs and how well the students perform but states have all passed bills to end the last in, first out layoff policies in the past year. and trying to make changes to tenure as well, supporters are up in arms. tenure is an important policy that attracts teachers. so should tenure be taken away. violence and threats to the peace and democracy in the middle east as he prepares for a major policy speech. he's putting new pressure on syria by slapping top officials with tough sanctions today. let's bring in jill dougherty for us. tough sanctions. will it make much of a difference? >> in a way it won't, technically, because what they are doing is they are sanctioning the property or assets of assad and senior officials. actually, they don't have a lot of property. in that sense it's not big but it's very big in the terms of naming him and these officials and really saying this is it. we no longer trust your promises that you're going to perform talking to u.s. officials and international officials, they have been given a promise by assad that he would reform and change. he's been saying it literally for weeks. but all you had to do was look at what is going on on the ground and it's very clear that he was not the violence is getting much stronger and we don't believe that is he going to change. >> why isn't the president doing what so many members wanted to do, namely what he did towards gadhafi, libya, mubarak, simply saying that bashar must go. >> they have been fine tuning this and nobody know what is will come next. it's a great concern. so what they are doing is going right up to the edge. the phrase was, lead a political transition or leave but they are now to the point where they are saying, you must step down the people of syria must decide what to do and they really don't believe anything is going to change. >> the president has not recalled the ambassador from damascus. >> sometimes, right. but we talked with two state department officials who say they have no plans to do that and sometimes it's useful to have the ambassador there to tell him to go over and talk to the senior officials and deliver the tough messages. >> tomorrow's tough speech. is the president going to have more or is this it? >> we are believing that he will. and it's going to be a lot tougher. >> the future of u.s. policy in the region, our coverage will air at 11:30 a.m. eastern. 8:30 a.m. pacific right here on cnn. i'll be anchoring the coverage tomorrow morning. a congressional hearing on osama lynn laden's death could reveal more military secrets. i'll ask peter king if he's worried about helping terrorists and the politics of torture. likely presidential candidate rick santorum is on damage control. 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[ male announcer ] there's just something about werther's caramel that makes a chocolate so smooth and creamy, you don't just taste it, you feel it. ♪ magic [ male announcer ] werther's original caramel chocolate. what comfort tastes like. osama bin laden and reporters that pakistani officials know that bin laden was hiding in their country. the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, though, is warning that all of the publicity that is going on right now makes the u.s. military a little bit more at risk. >> we have, from my perspective, gotten to a point where we are close to jeopardizing this precious capability that we have and we can't afford to do that. and secondly, when you now extend that to concern with individuals in the military and their families, from my perspective, it's time to stop talking and we have talked far too much about this. we need to move on. it's a story that if we don't stop talking it will never end and it needs to. >> joining us now from long island, congressman, thanks for coming in. >> thank you, wolf. thank you very much. >> all of this talk is hurting so the question to you is, why have you decided to hold yet more hearings now before your committee on this killing of bin laden? >> well, the hearing is not so much to discuss hearings but it's important for the american people to realize that even though bin laden is dead, we are not going to find out anything about the special operations units or anything like that, but i think it's important for us to realize domestically what threats we face. that's what this is about. what threats the homeland faces as a result of bin laden's death. that's an obligation that i have as chairman of the homeland security. i think too many people believe that with bin laden dead -- >> do you believe that national security has been compromised, all of the details that have been released over the past couple of weeks? >> wolf, i believe it's been compromised as far as talking about the actual operation itself. for instance, i don't even know why we disclosed that it was navy s.e.a.l.s involved. i don't know why we gave any of the details as to how the helicopters landed, how they got out, how we got information on bin laden to begin with. i don't think we should have been giving any of those details out. it should have been discussed as a special operation successful and and all we did, and it's focusing so much on the s.e.a.l.s team that none of this should have been made public. >> you're the chairman of the homeland security. what do you know about this interim leader, this guy who has been named to take over for bin laden? is he a real problem? >> well, we know he's been active for many years. he's an egyptian and i'm not certain he's going to be strongly in command. i think this was an attempt by the egyptians to take control of al qaeda. but many of the elements within al qaeda do not want egyptians running it. they want somebody from saudi arabia, more traditional islam. what they see as traditional islam. so bin laden, the unique ability that he had, the saudis, the egyptians, i don't know if he's in a position to do that. so i think it's a bit of a power play by the egyptians to say al za raur ree is able to do t i don't think anybody has been heard from him since bin laden was killed. whether or not he can actually hold al qaeda together, i'm not so sure. >> looking ahead to your hearings, based on what you know, the information gleamed from the compound where bin laden was killed, is there an active threat, terror threat to the u.s. homeland right now that we need to know about? >> no, i'm not aware of any particular threat. this hearing is not to bring out specific instances of threats. we're going to have experts on, people close to you, like fran townsend, people like lee hamilton and they will talk in the overall policy sense about what the death of bin laden means, how we believe al qaeda is, i believe wants to make an attack on the u.s. if i -- right now my best estimate is that the attack will come from forces that are already within the u.s. and whether it's a lone wolf or operative here, i don't believe al qaeda is capable of carrying out an attack from overseas. i can tell you we're not going to give away any intelligence, a projected attack. i'm not aware of any particular information that we've gotten about an attack or scheduled to be plan. if i get any details at all, they are not going to be brought out. i can tell you that. >> what did he repeatedly made at their news conference, that there is no evidence of "high level pakistani knowledge that bin laden was in that compound." they stress high level. maybe lower level pakistanis may have known that bin laden was hiding out there. what is your assessment? >> wolf, i believe someone had to know. there is no escape route, as far as i understand. he had several people with ak-47s and that was it. he seemed very complacent there. he must have had some reason to believe that he was being protected on the outside. so again i think it could be a definition of how far you have to go before you are considered a high up. but i would think that people in pakistani intelligence or military had to have knowledge of this. i just can't believe he would be able to live there for almost six years right in the heart of a populated area, right near a pakistani military base, right among so many retired intelligence and military professionals without somebody being in on it. it could be a question of definition. maybe it's not the top two but it may be the eighth or ninth. i don't know. but things in that country especially, it's hard for me to believe that with the intelligence being as good as it, listen, i wish they would spend more time going after bin laden than they did after the cia. >> congressman, thank you for coming in. >> wolf, thank you. reprieve for fourn journalists retained in libya. we'll tell you what happened next. and the head of the international monetary fund jailed on sexual assault charges could get bail. we'll keep you updated of the breaking news that we report at the top of the hour. jeffrey toobin is standing by. you're in the situation. 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[ male announcer ] in 2011, at&t is at work, building up our wireless network all across america. we're adding new cell sites... increasing network capacity, and investing billions of dollars to improve your wireless network experience. from a single phone call to the most advanced data download, we're covering more people in more places than ever before in an effort to give you the best network possible. at&t. rethink possible. in an effort to give you the best network possible. beer and wine, and cupcakes. i was doing the corporate grind, like everyone else. but to be successful, i knew i had to be different. ink, ink, ink, ink, ink... i mean i love that card. it does things differently too. great customer service, going above and beyond to help me out as a small business. it's accepted in twice as many places around the world as american express, and if i ever need to give my employees ink cards, they're free. announcer: make your mark with ink. chase what matters. go to chase.com/ink. all right. let's get right to our strategy session. joining us is jamal simmons and mary matalin. something is going around with the republican candidates but they seem to be from pennsylvania, now wants to get the republican presidential nod. he said this about john mccain. he said john mccain doesn't understand how enhanced interrogation works. i mean, after you break someone they become cooperative. he is questioning whether john mccain who opposes torture really understands torture. he apologized sort of today saying he didn't mean to question mccain's military service as a prisoner of war in vietnam. what's going on here? >> obviously the -- what -- john mccain -- suffered at the hands 40 years ago bears no resemblance to the united states intelligence community's efforts to get intelligence today. it is a limited and effective. we know that. everybody from from leon panetta on down said it contributed to the capture and killing of ubl. he was making that distinction. certainly wasn't attacking john mccain. what's going on, you have been there, wolf, these guys are out there doing one-on-one retail politicking in iowa and new hampshire and south carolina. and you know what the voters are like there. you will talk to each of them individually four times and they will set the field right. >> this notion that rick is an tore sum telling john mccain he doesn't understand interrogation techniques. i mean, that's -- that's ridiculous when you figure john mccain is very forceful and has been very consistent and saying torture, enhanced interrogation techniques, waterboarding, whatever they are doing to mohammed, the united states should not do it. they should abide by the u.s. army's field manual in terms of interrogation. or for -- santorum to lecture mccain on this, that sounds sort of ridiculous i would assume, jammal. >> it does. i will give john mccain a lot more credit on this topic than santorum. i think santorum -- today talked -- tried to clean it up and the tough thing for all these candidates is -- it is hard to run for president. it is hard to stand in the glare. we saw newt gingrich have this problem this week. i remember -- i worked for a guy, wesley clark, in 2003. 2003 he had trouble getting out of the gate about contradictory statements about this dance and war in iraq. good news is that -- it is a long time between today and election days. they have time to recover. skrut i? just so intense and can't slip up like this and hope to be president. >> what does it say that so many republicans out there, mary, don't like the field as it exists right now, potential republican candidates. they are literally begging mitch danie daniels, governor of indiana to throw his hat in the ring. >> jammal's point about scrutiny is absolutely right. the scrutiny is as intense as it is because everybody on both sides understands that there is a weak incumbent, barack obama has -- is being beat by generic republican and -- particularly amongst independent. zeitgeist of the country, high anxiety. people think they are going to be worse off next year than they were last year. they are worse off today. he -- there are people that are solidly -- ten times more -- excuse me, ten points more people say -- >> let's get back to the question. what does it say that so many republicans are unhappy with the current candidate? they are begging not only mitch daniels but rick perry and -- so many others like jeb bush even, people that said they are not interested in running, they are begging them to run. >> what they are saying is -- i'm sorry didn't this is a weak incumbent. he can be beat. they want to get going. but the unenthusiasm as the field is -- coming together is not unusual. that happened in -- nobody was enthusiastic early in the democratic parties of '08 and '04. enthusiasm grows as the race unfolds. believe me, there will be plenty of enthusiasm for the ultimate nominee. republicans want to get going and started. this is a dynamic psych. >> jammal you, you think the president is a weak can't indicate now? >> i'm not so sure he's had a weak. just in the last few weeks we have seen him really take on donald drum and helped dispatch trump from the race. then we saw with the capture of osama bin laden, him make a strong stance on national security. lit make it very tough for the republicans that mount a national security argument against this president. . you are starting to see in the states where the governors' poll rate rings starting to fall down in wisconsin and ohio. just in florida, yesterday, we saw a mayor's race in jacksonville, small race, but jacksonville hasn't had a democratic mayor in 20 years. alvin brown, democrat, 600 votes ahead in that race. i think this is a big deal. last thing i will say on this is there is going to be -- if it is amazing when mitch daniels, former budget director of the bush administration, person everyone is pining for, he is not exactly mr. excitement. all of these guys -- you have to want to run. keep trying to draft people into this race. one thing i know has to be true for someone to win the white house, they have to want to be in the white house more than then want anything else. >> we have to leave it there. mitch dan gels a very smart guy. thanks, mary, jammal. let's get more on the breaking news. you saw at the top of the hour. imf chief, dominique strass-kahn, possibly could be out on bail as early as tomorrow. we are getting new information. stand by. somewhere in america, a city comes to life. it moves effortlessly, breathes easily. it flows with clean water. it makes its skyline greener and its population healthier. all to become the kind of city people want to live and work in. somewhere in america, we've already answered some of the nation's toughest questions. and the over sixty thousand people of siemens are ready to do it again. siemens. answers. personal pricing now on brakes. tell us what you want to pay. we do our best to make that work. deal! my money. my choice. my meineke. jack is joining us with the cafferty file. >> question this hour, should tenure for school teachers be done away with? b.j. writes -- yes, it should. it should be like other unions. seniority based system that protects you some but not totally. bob in florida -- yes, jack. nowhere else can you be guaranteed employment regardless of your performance. we increased spending on education every year the last 40 years and our ratings in science and math keep falling. reduced class size, we made everything so politically correct and our students just get dumber. maybe we ought to fire all the teachers and start over. larry writes -- i'm a retired teacher. i feel doing away with tenure is not a good idea. it can be used to get rid of older, more expensive teachers in favor of lower paid teachers to help balance the budget. experience would count for nothing. it leaves the door open for local dirty politics, too. i have seen both of these instances in my 38 years in the classroom. donald in mexico i don't think anybody should earn a permanent position based on performance during a short period of time when they are working hard just to get to the point where they are given tenure. short-term contracts of five years or less might work. lou writes best and worst teachers i ever had were the ones who had been there forever. the best ones use their experience to teach even the dimmest kids because they had seen it all and knew what worked. the worst ones used their experience to keep a job despite giving up on the process a long time ago. rick writes with the entire country singling out teachers to be scapegoats for the problems in education, perhaps it is time for those in the profession to re-evaluate whether they should continue to teach at all. largely an issue of the inability of government to run anything efficiently and cost-effectively. teachers being at the bottom of the food chain get the grief while the superintendents and principals take home the cash. ed writes for maryland no. give tenure to journalists. that way you can say what you want to say without losing your job. if you want to read more on this go to my blog, cnn.com/cafferty file. >> jack, thank you. to our viewers, you are in the situation room. happening now breaking news. defense lawyers may be close to arranging a deal for bail in a sexual assault case against the head of the international monetary fund. we are going the hear from the alleged victim's lawyer this hour. stand by. top pentagon officials say it is time to stop talking about the raid on osama bin laden's compound. why they are so worried about details emerging from that once secret mission. presidential hopeful newt gingrich apologizing for attacking one of his own party's key proposals. will that satisfy angry republicans? breaking news. political headline jeanne moos all straight ahead. i'm wolf blitzer. you are in "the situation room." let's begin with the breaking news right now. accused of sexual assault against a hotel maid, the jailed head of the international monetary fund could be released on bail as early as tomorrow. that's the word we are getting from a source familiar with the case. let's go to our senior legal analyst, jeffrey toobin. broke to story for us an hour ago. getting more information. jeff, tell our viewers what you are learning. >> reporter: what we now know is that the prosecution and the defense will be back in court tomorrow. and the -- defense will have a new package. i don't know the details of what is in it but a new package that -- where they will ask a judge -- it will be a different judge than the judge that denied strauss-kahn bail earlier in the week. so they hope that -- that he will not have to spend this weekend in rikers island which is where he is now. >> the last time around earlier in the week when the judge refused to grant him any bailey think they were willing to post a million dollars, make sure he wore an ankle bracelet. take away his passport. that wasn't good enough for the judge earlier in the week. why do some folks think that it -- situation might be different now? >> caller: well, the -- amount of money -- i believe will be increased. there will be more specificity with -- there was no detail in the last proposal about where strass-kahn would be. they plan to put forth where he will be tomorrow in their proposal. it is a new judge. frankly, wolf, this is a pretty close case. there are some judges, i think, who would grant strass-kahn bail under these circumstances. so i think they are going at another -- just for another bite at the apple. bail applications are frequently made on fridays. mob wants to spend a weekend in prison. so -- it is not a surprise that they are coming back at this one and i don't think it is a foregone conclusion they are going to lose. >> how significant is it that he has no criminal record but another woman has come forward in france alleging that several years ago he tried to sexually assault her? >> caller: well, i think -- there is a lot of bad news for strass-kahn out there. this case looks like -- again, we are very early in the process. this case looks like it is a very serious matter. it looks like it will proceed as a full-fledged case against him. the fact he's a foreigner, biggest strike against him. the most people who are not united states citizens have a built-in motive to plea. they don't have roots in the community. those are major factors when it comes to granting or not granting a grant ing a defendant bail. that will remain a big problem for him with any judge that hears this. >> one of the arguments his attorneys made earlier in the week, brafman, well known defense attorney, you probably know him, in new york, jeffrey, his face has been plastered all over the media and newspapers, television. everybody knows what he looks like. so there's month way he could simply escape. is that an argument that a judge would listen to? >> caller: absolutely. bail is not supposed to be punishment. there are always two factors the courts consider most when it comes to bail which is one is the person a danger to the community? two, is the person a risk of flight? given the set of circumstances that the defense can bring forward here that he will be isolated, that he will have an ankle bracelet, that -- he -- he will be under a very narrow range, and the fact he's so famous now or infamous, he -- it is an argument many judges will may find persuasive, he's not going to flee and not a danger to anyone and -- he should be granted bail. >> jeffrey toobin reporting for us. thank you, jeff. we will continue this tomorrow. just a little while ago i spoke with the attorney, jeffrey shapiro, who represents the alleged victim in this case. listen to this. >> this is a woman, observant woman, strong, came to this country from guinea. you know, adverse circumstances. had a lot of difficulty there. came heres enly under asylum type arrangement with her young daughter. she is a single mother. with limited education and limited -- virtually no opportunity for professional career in her homeland she came here and found this job and was able to support both herself and her daughter. was very grateful to have this job. very great until to be in a country there are laws and justice and freedom. hope for a better life for her daughter as anyone that comes though this country does. i have to tell you i have great, great admiration for her. and based upon the hours that i have spent and talking to her. >> have you prepared her for what's in store over the coming weeks and months, maybe years? >> boy, you know, here is the problem. somebody who is the victim of physical assault in a rape needs lots of help in many different areas. here's someone that hasn't even had the opportunity to begin that process to find any peace at all. >> his lawyers will ask for some sort of opportunity that he can be released from rikers prison in new york and be released on bail. what i hear you saying is that you think that would be a horrible mistake. >> listen, you know what, i'm devoted to this woman and -- this client. and -- i want what she wants. and i want her to feel safe. and to -- the extent his freedom would impair her feeling of safeness -- safety, security, that would deeply concern me. >> explain what -- i will let you go in a second. explain that. if he is out in new york, let's say he has an ankle bracelet, and -- he is in new york, she would feel threatened by that is that what you are saying? look. >> this is a woman that comes from a world in which -- safety is not -- is very difficult. it is not guaranteed. there are no -- police are not necessarily your friend. this is the background she comes from. the idea that this perpetrator person who attacked her is preand can do what he wants to do, whether he flee it is country doesn't mean that he can't do something in her mind at least and based upon her experience in the world that could cause her harm. >> dominique strass-kahn was a possible challenger to the french president sarkozy in next year's election, at least he was until his arrest. strass-kahn downplayed his political prospects with an interview with fareed zakaria last year. >> i'm heading international instay tugsz and happy with what i'm doing. i think it is -- it is pretentious but important for the global economy to have that working well. i have no other projects. >> when you are done with the imf, would you rule out the prospect of returning to french politics? >> for years and years and years, who knows. >> joining us now from paris, correspondent jim bittermann. this allegation of rape leveled against dominique strass-kahn, how is the french media handling it? the french media ignoring politicians and their sex lives. this is an allegation of rape. >> exactly. i think it is being treated differently because i saw a mini debate tonight on one of the television channels in which the two opposite sides were basically taking the same side saying look, you know, it is one thing not to talk about somebody having an affair, mistress on the side. quite another when there is violence involved and -- both of -- parties of the debate agreed on that. i think it is -- this is a different state. it is a different sort of thing. kind of thing that's normally kept under cover here. >> is there consensus emerging in france now, jim, political career no matter what happens in the courtroom in new york is over? >> i think so. the -- only people seem to be still holding out hope is a thing called the club dominique strass-kahn, a club of his supporters urging him to run for president. they would like to see the socialist party primary move from june 28 to later on in the summer i guess hoping his legal problems would be over. two letters, k.o., knocked out. i think that's what they really sort of feel about his political career now. >> you had a chance to meet with him, including relatively -- what's he like? >> i have run into him and done interviews with him probably four, five times over the last ten years here. you know, he is a very charming guy. you can get very personal with him. he's very open. and he's a great campaigner. i can see that. this side, this kind of dark side, i don't think anybody -- i think some of the members of the press here who knew him very well -- i just interviewed yesterday a guy who spent two years doing a book on him and just cannot believe these rape charges. he is not a violent sort of man. i don't know. we are going to have to see how this plays out in the if they can prove he's guilty of this violence, that will clang everybody's opinion. >> thanks jim bittermann reporting from paris. one of the biggest stories of the years. killing of osama bin laden. why are top u.s. military officials saying the aftermath is hurting efforts to fight terrorism? also, one leader cracking down on another. details of what president obama is doing to syria's president. new details of schwarzenegger's sex scandal. we know the identity of the woman with whom he had an affair and child. ♪ [ male announcer ] in 2011, at&t is at work, building up our wireless network all across america. we're adding new cell sites... increasing network capacity, and investing billions of dollars to improve your wireless network experience. from a single phone call to the most advanced data download, we're covering more people in more places than ever before in an effort to give you the best network possible. at&t. rethink possible. ♪ things are gonna get easier ♪ ooh-oo, child, things will get brighter ♪ ♪ ♪ someday, yeah [ male announcer ] wherever you are, whatever it takes, like a good neighbor, state farm is there. ♪ while i took refuge from the pollen that made me sneeze. but with 24-hour zyrtec®, i get prescription strength relief from my worst allergy symptoms. so lily and i are back on the road again. with zyrtec® i can love the air®. i can. because hertz is giving one away. along with other cool stuff. go to hertz.com for details. jack cafferty is here and has the cafferty file. >> to paraphrase benjamin frankl franklin, the only two things in life that are certain are death and taxes. of course, one has always been easier to calculate than the other until now perhaps. a spanish has develop ad blood test that it claims can give you a pretty good idea how long you will live. the test is called life length. can allegedly convert your life expectancy into numbers and will reportedly be available in britain later this year. all this according to the british up in the independent. it is a simple blood test that measures something on your chromosomes called telemirs which scientists say can help determine your biological age rather than chronological age. the shorter they are the closer you are to death. researchers say the test can provide valuable information including a person's risk of things like heart disease, alzheimer's and cancer. some scientists and medical ethicists have raised concerns, though, that people who will take the test and then become fatalistic and stray from healthy practices like eating right, exercising, and quitting smoking. critics also worry that information could be used by insurance companies and by companies that could make and market fake anti-aging drugs and treatments. but all that aside, you can bet people will line up for the life length test as soon as it becomes available. it will be sold over the counter in britain for the equivalent of about $700. it ain't cheap to find out how long you are going to be around. here is the question. would you want to know how long you are going to live? go to cnn.com/caffertyfile and post a comment on my blog. >> here is my answer, jack. you want to know my answer? >> yes. >> no. don't want to know. >> i don't either. >> all right. thanks. a lot of viewers will want to know. new details are just coming out about arnold schwarzenegger's affair. we know the identity of the woman with whom he father ad child while married to maria shriver. let's go straight to los angeles now. thelma gut vez standing by. thelma, who is she? >> wolf, according to "the new york times," her name is mill dr -- mildred. she lives in bakersfield, california, 100 miles away from the los angeles area. brentwood area mansion where she once worked for the schwarzenegger family. two of the friends of hers told "the new york times" that she is a former housekeeper who worked for the schwarzeneggers for 20 years before retiring in january. just one day after the scandal broke, the former first couple of california are both off in different directions. this time it is maria shriver in the limelight in chicago while her action star husband remains in los angeles away from the cameras. on the day maria shriver made a grand appearance at the taping of one of the final episodes of "oprah," her high-profile husband was laying low trying to stay out of the spotlight and away from reporters. a source close to former california governor arnold schwarzenegger told cnn the fallout from the revelation he fathered a child outside of his marriage has been very hard for him. that he realizes the terrible mistake he made and has a lot of work to do to repair his relationship with his family. the power couple who were married for 25 years have four children. since the scandal broke, two of them have posted their feelings on twitter. 17-year-old patrick schwarzenegger who also goes by shriver on facebook and twitter tweeted some days you feel like expletive. some days you want to quit and just be normal for a bit. yet i love my family till death do us part. his sister, catherine followed with her own tweet. this is definitely not easy but i appreciate your love and support as i begin to heal and move forward in my life. i will always love my family. psychologist michelle says coping with infidelity is devastating for children. >> as parents, we are not only modeling to our children what it means to be a mother and father but a husband and wife. >> reporter: the source close to schwarzenegger says the action star talked to his children the night before he publicly admitted he fathered a child. and apologized to them. the source says he also talked to maria and told them that he wants to make sure that his family has everything they need to get through this. even space. according to the source, schwarzenegger said he would do whatever they want him to do to allow them time to heal. >> as for schwarzenegger's future plans, analysts cite the to his political career may be ear reversib irreversible. he signed three movie deals. >> we will watch and see what happens. thanks very much for that. new u.s. sanctions aimed apartment ending syria's brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters, syria's president now singled out for punishment by the obama administration. plus, why russia's president is talking about scrapping trainees with the united states and starting a sort of new cold war. you love the aroma of beef tenderloin, don't you? 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[ female announcer ] chef michael's canine creations. chef inspired. dog desired. you can do this... get the ball, girl. hmmm, you can't do that. but you can do this. bengay pain relief + massage with penetrating nubs plus the powerful pain relief of bengay. love the nubs! the obama administration is taking action against syria right now. lisa sylvester is monitoring that and other top stories in the situation room. >> the u.s. is stepping up pressure is on syria toned the crackdown on protesters. president obama signed off on new sanctions aimed directly at syrian president bashar al assad, breezing his as nets the united states. the order covers six other top syrian officials as well as two iranians accused of aiding the syrian crackdown. russian president medvedev says the u.s. needs to convince him that the planned european missile defense system isn't a threat to russia. otherwise he says moscow may scrap weapons treaties with the united states and start a new nuclear buildup resulting in a new cold war. but medvedev says russia is willing to accept the development of a european missile shield if it complies with clear rules. an unexpected travel glitch for president obama today. take a look at the video here. just as air force i was about to land at bradley international airport, outside of hartford, connecticut, the pilot executed a missed approach and circled around for another landing. the faa blaim blames overcast weather in the area. the president landed safably 15 minut -- safely 15 minutes later. have you ever seen anything like that? >> i have been on air force i and it was shake 45,000 feet over the ocean. when you are on air force i you feel so safe. that's the safest airplane in the world. >> i travel order air force i once before. you are in good hands. top pentagon officials say it is time to stop talking about the raid on osama bin laden's compound. why they are so worried now about the details emerging from that one secret mission. plus, newt gingrich apologizing for slamming his own party's budget proposal. p not good enough for fellow republicans. 15 years after the anti-technology terrorists known as the unabomer was arrested, technology is being used right now to auction off his possessions. ok. 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[ man ] omnaris. ask your doctor. battling nasal allergy symptoms? omnaris combats the cause. get omnaris for only $11 at omnaris.com. blunlt warning today from the pentagon brass. too much talk about the mission that killed osama bin laden. could hurt america's continuing fight against terrorism. our pentagon correspondent chris lawrence is here working the story for us. chris, what are they so concerned about? >> that almost every detail of the mission is now out in public. think about it. when this started we didn't know much. now we know exactly how many s.e.a.l.s assaulted that compound and how many s.e.a.l.s were in reserve on backup close by. we know the tactics they took to go room to room. we know how they shot certain targets inside. we didn't know they even had a stealth helicopter before this came out. now we know there's the existence of that blackhawk helicopter. the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff says that it is not so much about this mission. this one is over. he says will's now a risk and it will be more difficult to conduct similar missions down the road. >> from my perspective, it is time to stop talking and we have -- talked far too much about this. we need to move on. it is a story that if we don't stop talking, it will never end. and it needs to. >> they are not pointing the finger at any one person. we heard publicly from the counterterrorism officials at the white house, cia director leon panetta on background, defense officials, even retired s.e.a.l.s came out to start talking about the mission. it was all over. look, wolf, we were the ones hitting up our sources. we were the ones asking the questions getting these details. putting them out. "the new york times," "washington post." us. abc, nbc. this came from all over. >> general brennan immediately released a lot of details. the president of the united states gave a very long interview to "60 minutes." robert gates spoke in detail to "60 minutes" as well. it is not just the media. getting leaks. they are talking on the record. >> what the chairman said today was one step short of just saying shut up. >> chris lawrence, thanks very much. moving on now, just days after launching presidential campaign, newt gingrich has been forced to apologize for slamming a key republican budget plan. gingrich sometime billions, stumbled badly coming out of the starting gate that many question whether he can recover. cnn's joe johns is following the story for us. joe? >> the first few days and weeks are sensitive for campaigns. candidate, any candidate, would love to get off on the right foot. set the right tone. in the