it's a choke point, and as american officials have been warning privately and publicly, a serious flash point. >> what about if they decide to block us off at the straits of hormuz. >> we have made it clear that the united states will not tolerate the blocking of the straits of hormuz. we will respond to that. >> the question tonight is, what will iran do next? what happens then? what's being done right now to head it off. barbara starr is here, and on the phone, curt lithal, former commander of the u.s.s. cole. what do you believe to be the intent of the iranians. were they trying to bait the u.s. military, provoke an altercation? >> maybe just a little bit of both, anderson. the thinking is that the iranians were not looking for a shooting match. they were going to break off, but they were going to cause a little heart-stopping action before they did that. one of the things here is look, the iranians gained intelligence by getting so close to u.s. navy ships. they were able to gauge the u.s.itary response as they come at the shapes. that gives them valuable information if the next time it's not just a cat and mouse game. >> what is the reaction at the pentagon? >> a lot of concern. top officials will tell you, look, these kinds of activities happen out in the persian gulf, that they deal with them. that they have a very strong stance, and that the provocative actiity mainly comes from the revolutionary guard corps which operates the fast boats, but out there on the high seas, if you're a commander of the navy ship and you see three boats coming at you that way, and they come within 500 yards, that's your reality, and as a commander, you have to decide very fast what you're going to do about if. >> let's talk to the former commander of the "u.s.s. cole." everyone knows how dangerous the small vessels can be. what is your reaction to the video and the reaction of the iranian military? >> they were clearly trying to evoke a response from the united states navy. they were trying to gauge and judge, see what our reaction would be, how close they could get, and what kind of actions we were taking in anticipation of them continuing to close or whether we would back off, fire warning shots, what warnings we would give. clearly, the united states navy has indicated that we attempted communications with them. they refused to respond, and at 500 yards, they chose to break off the attack. but again, it is judging, probing, and checking to see how close they may come. every navy ship has an intarant right to defend itself. i'm sure there is within our rules of engagement a no-go bubble, but if they were inside, you would have warning shots fired first. if they continued to close, the officers of those ships must make a determination, sometimes on a split-second notice, that they present a clear and present danger. it's indicating hostile intent or a hostile action, and they'll take action as they see necessary to disable or destroy the boats from getting in close where they could present us with a danger. >> bill, you can count, there are so many incidents over generations where diplomatic issues have been played out at sea. with these kind of provocative actions. so many incidents at sea that have caused larger, larger military conflicts. what message is the state department sending now to the iranian regime, privately and publicly? >> it boils down to don't even think about it. that message is getting out both, you saw with secretary pennetta saying there are these red lines and at the state department, they're pulling out all the stops, using every type of channel they have, because remember, there are no diplomatic relations between the united states and iran. so they have to do it via other countries. the main one, usually, is the swiss because they're the protecting power, but there are other countries. there's qatar, oman, turkey, japan. >> this is a multidimensional chess game that is going on because you have a former u.s. marine who has now been arrested in iran, sentenced to death. his family is from iran originally. he claims -- his family claims he was visiting his grandmother. iran claimed he was spying for the united states. and yet the assassination of another iranian nuclear physicist. someone drove by on a motorcycle, attached a bomb to his car, and blew him and his driver up. explain why the strait of hormuz is so important. >> strategically important, 17 million barrels of oil that flow through there every day. that's a major reason the iranians won't shut it down. it would be economic suicide for themselves. they rely on it to get oil out. the one piece of substantial leverage the u.s. might have are the persian allies. they're quietly talking to the saudis, trying to get them to convince the iranians to take a deep broeth, because if you shut down the strait of hormuz, economic suicide for iran, economic suicide for all of the persian gulf countries that rely on the chan tool get a lot of the oil out and also for commercial and maritime shipping. >> commander, thank you for your time and expertise. let us know what you think. we're on facebook, google plus, i'll be tweeting tonight. >> up next, the pardon mess in mississippi. authorities now know where some of the pardon killers are. one is talking exclusively to cnn. what he has to say about the uproar coming um. >> and doctors who study to become specialists in one of the most prestigious hospitals in the country, cheating on the exam. not only common but encouraged. we investigate on that. >> and isha is here. >> he's a prime suspect in natalee holloway's disappearance, but it was the death of another woman who put him behind bars. he was sentenced today. we'll tell you what he got when we return. since i've lost weight i have so much more energy than i used to, when i'm out with my kids, my daughter's like, "mom, wait up!" and i'm thinking, "shouldn't you have more energy than me? you're, like, eight!" [ male announcer ] for every 2 pounds you lose through diet and exercise alli can help you lose one more by blocking some of the fat you eat. simple. effective. advantage: mom. let's fight fat with alli ♪ tonight, outrage in mississippi. outrage as four convicted killers, one of whom is only talking to cnn, all of whom were freed with full pardoned by departing governor haley barbour. they got out before a judge blocked the release of any more prisoners. keeping them honest, did the governor disregard procedure, as well as his own state's constitution, in setting them free? any way you look at it, it has turned into a real mess. the freed killers are joseph osment, charles hooker and david gatlin and anthony mccray. charles hooker and gatlin are in touch with the authorities. we caught up with him at relative's home in missouri. >> everyone deserves a second chance. >> do you think people should be angry at governor barbour? >> no, sir. he treated us like we his children. >> you'll hear more of that exclusive interview when martin savidge join us. he tracked down mccray. mccray since his wife's killing was accidental. the judge who tried his case says otherwise. there's no dispute about what one of the other pardoned killers did to his estranged wife. and her friend, randy walker. >> i fired the first gunshot. he stepped up to tammy with her holding that baby in a cradled position and shot her with that baby's head no more than 8 inches from where he shot her, just real close. came to the edge of the bed. put the gun between my eyes. i turned my head sideways. he shot me in the side. that probably saved my life. >> he lives in fear gatlin will try to finish what he started. heigate thought gatlin would be behind bars for years to come. instead, he was set free. governor barbour granted pardons to more than 200 convicts overall. the vast majority were on parole already. a court blocked their release because there is reason to believe some prisoners didn't follow the right procedures. under section 124 of mississippi's constitution, inmates seeking pardons have to run notices in local papers for 30 days. anthony mccray says he didn't run any notices and the mississippi attorney general says the governor didn't do what he was supposed to do, make sure the proper procedures were being followed, including by the inmates. we've been covering this story from the beginning. we spoke to the attorney general on wednesday. >> former governor barbour, he kind of ran the state and the governor's office like boss hog. he didn't follow the law. this is a very simple constitutional provision. governor barbour didn't follow it. it's clear he had to have this information. he didn't obtain it. before he signed the pardons. that's caused a public safety issue. these families are afraid out here. these victims have been through a terrible amount. it's a slap in the face to all in the state of mississippi. >> we asked the governor to come on the program. give his side of the story. he declined. all four killers worked in the governor's mansion under the prison's trustee program. governor barbour knew them all. we wanted to know whether he thinks he followed the right procedures. and whether he showed good judgment. his people initially said he was busy. when we reached out again today, we got no reply at all. he did, however, go on fox. >> the reason they work at the mansion is the experts in correction say people who commit a crime of passion, a murder, a crime of passion, are the least likely to ever commit another crime. when my grandchildren are over at the governor's mansion, we trust them to play with and to be looked out for by these people. if i trusted them to be around my grandchildren, i think that makes a pretty plain statement. >> joining us now with the latest and more of his exclusive interview is martin savidge. first, how were you able to find mr. mccray? >> actually, we had gone into that area, that neighborhood, to do a profile on jennifer mccray. that's the woman who anthony mccray had killed, his wife. we wanted to talk to the victim's family to find out what they thought of this pardon and feel really what they thought about the governor's pardoning process. in doing that, we found out, somebody said, you know what, mccray's actually in the neighborhood. we couldn't believe it, but we went and checked and knocked on the door and sure enough, he was there. it took asking the right questions to the right people. >> he was in prison for murdering his wife. you asked him about that. what did he tell you? >> well, when you ask him about it, he'll tell you it was all an accident. i'll talk about that later but listen -- did you mean to kill jennifer? >> no, i didn't. we were tussling over the gun. .25 automatic went off. >> she was shot in the back. >> it went straight through. we were tussling the gun. we were up so close. tussling the gun. went off. >> she started struggling with the gun? >> yes. the table -- knocked over. the trailer -- i turn myself in. and everything. >> when the gun went off and she goes down? >> no, she said -- she was talking to me. >> what was she saying? >> she was saying anthony. she says anthony. i didn't know she was shot. >> you didn't hear the gun go off? >> it went off but i didn't know she was shot. i thought it shot in the floor. that was it. i didn't even know she was shot. because she still was talking. said anthony. like that. >> then she died. >> then she fell. oh, man. like that. you know? i said, somebody call the police. call the ambulance. by that time, i went and turned myself in. >> that is a total fabrication. all witnesses maintain one thing, that there was an argument, that anthony mccray left, came back with a gun, shot his wife in the back. we talked to the judge in the case. he says that anthony mccray stood in the courtroom, stood and looked the judge in the face and admitted to killing his wife. that's not the way it happened. the important thing to note here, anderson, is that this is the same man who was able -- talked to the governor and basically say this is what happened when, in fact, it's a fabrication and apparently the governor bought it. >> it's fascinating to hear governor barbour talk about these are crimes of passion. they're not likely to do it again. my dad was from mississippi and wrote a book about growing up in mississippi. on a book tour, we got to stay in the governor's mansion one night. i was 7 years old or something. in the mid-'70s. back then they had the exact same thing. i remember my dad saying all the guys who work here are convicted of -- they're murderers but they're convicted of crimes of passion. there is this notion in mississippi that it's a crime of passion, therefore, you're not likely to do something again. that seems to be what's behind the idea of pardoning these individuals. >> it's incredibly naive. the account you heard from the governor is ridiculous. he says, look, you can't trust the robbers apparently but the person you can trust is the man who kills. i mean, that is just an outlandish statement. on top of that is you have to realize of course these prisoners, of course they're going to be on their best behavior. they get to chat up the governor every day. that was admitted by anthony. talk to the governor every day. make their point. show how pleasant, how good, how reformed they are. this is the man who holds their fate in his hands. of course they're going to be on their best behavior. anthony mccray said this, once you got into the governor's mansion, it was pretty assured you were going to be set free. in fact, he said, it was tradition. >> it's unbelievable. for folks who maybe aren't from mississippi, you know, they're surprised by this. i'm not that surprised by it. it's incredible so many have been released. clearly without following the proper procedure. great reporting, thank you. let's dig deeper now. mississippi democratic state representative david barea. also senior analyst jeffrey toobin. you actually introduced legislation back a couple years ago that would change the way pardons happen in the state of mississippi. >> that's right, anderson. in 2008 when the governor commuting the sentence of mr. graham who killed adrian in cold blood while she was stopped at a stop light in mississippi, we decided to change the way pardons are granted. but ever so slightly really. we just wanted to make sure that the victims of the crime and the family members of the victims and the law enforcement personnel who worked so hard to put these folks behind bars had an opportunity to be heard prior to the pardon being granted. and that -- so i've tried to pass a bill that would allow for that here. and for results of the hearing to be communicated to the governor prior to the granted of a pardon, and i was unsuccessful in doing that. >> how have your constituents reacted to the news of the recent pardons? >> not only my constituents but everybody i come in contact with on a daily basis, inside the capital, outside the capital, folks from all over the state are all reacting similarly with equal measures of shock and revungz. you know, just the sheer number of pardons is astounding. >> we had the attorney general on the program. he pointed out that under the constitution in mississippi, you have to publish 30 days in advance in a local newspaper where the crime happened or in an adjacent jurisdiction, the fact that this pardon has been applied for. it seems like that was not done. >> that's why the judge issued a temporary restraining order, saying release no one else, till we assure this very unusual provision, this notice provision, has been followed. it seemed almost certain to me. i know the jackson newspaper has said that there was no publication for any of the four murderer es from the governor's mansion so it seems almost certain they'll be returned to prison. what an insane operation. can we just discussion the sexism at the heart of what haley barbour said, the idea that crimes of passion, when you kill your wife, it's somehow less bad, less dangerous, then when you kill a stranger. it's just an appalling idea that i thought went out in about 1957. >> i remember hearing this as a kid and, you know, it was totally accepted. that because it was a passionate act. the idea there's a passionate act is also kind of weird. it wasn't this person was a bad person, they just got caught up in the passion of it all. >> folks from mississippi, friends i have, one of the things they have fought for so long, they say you know, it's not the old mississippi anymore. mississippi has changed. undoubtedly that is true. haley barbour's comments today suggest that at least the long-term governor hasn't changed that much. it's an appalling way to view crime. >> you plan to introduce three new bills on monday regarding these pardons. what are you hoping to achieve? >> first of all, the notice provision in our antiquated constitution is completely ineffecttual in terms of providing any notice. my idea is to provide direct notice, actual notice to the district attorney attorney for a hearing so victims and law enforcement personnel can actually be heard. the other two things i want to do is i want to eliminate the ability for any convicted murderer to become a trustee at the governor's mansion because apparently that's become a path to a pardon. i would like to amend our constitution so no governor can grant a pardon in the last 90 days of his or her term. i think that will be effective at stopping this en masse pardon, while the governor's on the way out the door. >> thank you, representative. appreciate it. we'll follow what happens to your bills. up next, some big surprises in the republican race for south carolina, including which candidate makes an unexpected run for the lead. some new polling and our panel coming up. also tonight, a cnn investigation on a widespread practice among young doctors. you're not going to believe this. training to be radiologists, how they study for their exams to become board certified, it's going to stun you. some leaders in the field are calling it downright cheating. we're keeping them honest. [oinking] [hissing] [ding] announcer: cook foods to the right temperature using a food thermometer. 3,000 americans will die from food poisoning this year. check your steps at foodsafety.gov. raw politics now. this is getting interesting. not only is the race in south carolina getting tight, but it's not ron paul or rick santorum who are closing the gap with mitt romney. it's newt gingrich. they're in a statistical tie in the four-point margin of error. speaker gingrich today literally laughing at governor romney. >> he has a new ad out today that basically says he created thousands of jobs at bain, not $100,000. do you think he misstated the facts? >> of course he did. you know he did. now the question is -- >> are you saying he lied? >> i'm saying he misstated the facts. i'll let you use the language you want to. clearly misstated the facts. "the washington post" gave him three punoekios for the claim. >> they gave that commercial four pinocchios for bending the truth. speaker gingrich called them to either edit the ad or take it off the air. democratic strategist paul begala. republican strategist mary matalin. you saw the numbers, romney, 29. gingrich, 25, paul, 20. race has tightened a bit toward the end. are these numbers to strike fear in the heart of team romney? >> i think not. i'll defer to the panelists who know the party better than i do. if i were advising romney, i'd say you know, so far, good. if he hangs on, he doesn't have to win in south carolina. the only person who ever ran the table in the primaries was al gore when he ran against bill bradley in the 2000 primaries. so i think he's actually in this poll in pretty strong shape. i would worry a lot more about the lasting damage of the attacks on his record as a vultu