husband, commander mark kelly, lead the mission. we'll speak to a former shuttle astronaut who knows them both. and the new man for "two and a half men." actor ashton kutcher will replace charlie sheen on the popular cbs show. but can he keep the show on top? all that and more, "early" this saturday morning, may 14th, all that and more, "early" this saturday morning, may 14th, 2011. captioning funded by cbs pretty shot of the water in new york city. good saturday morning, everyone. welcome to "the early show," i'm rebecca jarvis. >> we have great water here. >> it's fabulous. even for drinking. >> i'm russ mitchell. good morning to you. new details are emerging about osama bin laden's time in hiding. first there's his library of pornography that was found in the raid on his compound. and the cia is trying to get a second round of interviews with bin laden's wives, and there are new warnings of revenge attacks. cbs news correspondent whit johnson is at the white house with the very latest. whit, good morning. >> russ, good morning to you. well, for the white house, there's no such thing as too much information when it comes to osama bin laden. now, this latest discovery of pornography inside his compound, it's all enabling the u.s. government to paint a whole new picture of the al qaeda leader. hunkered down for years in a drab pakistani compound, pornography managed to find space on osama bin laden's computer files. sources tell cbs news the files contained inappropriate still images. some of which showed couples engaged in sex acts. it's unclear who the images may have belonged to, but the al qaeda leader's time in hiding is becoming less secretive by the day. u.s. officials will get a second opportunity to interview bin laden's three widows, all in pakistani custody. after days of maneuver being, the first meeting was granted just recently. it lasted about 30 minutes, with pakistani officials in the room. and bin laden's eldest wife doing most of the talking. sources say the cia obtained little information. there are also growing concerns over a different problem. the pakistani taliban claims this was a revenge attack for bin laden's death. at least 80 people were killed friday. following twin suicide bombings at a paramilitary training center in northwestern pakistan. it's the kind of violence defense secretary robert gates warned of while visiting u.s. troops at camp lejeune, north carolina. >> first of all there is a -- an awareness that the threat of retaliation is -- is increased, because of the attacks, or because of the action against bin laden. >> next thursday, president obama will deliver a comprehensive speech from the state department about the middle east. the white house says it will cover a range of topics, from the death of osama bin laden to political turmoil in the region. russ? >> whit johnson at the white house. thanks a lot, whit. rebecca? >> thank you, russ. for some perspective on the new information emerging about osama bin laden, including the cia's meeting with bin laden's three wives, we turn to cbs news national security analyst juan zarate. he is in our washington bureau. juan, great to have you with us. good morning. >> good morning, rebecca. >> so these attacks in pakistan yesterday, are these more of the lone wolf variety? >> no. i think what you see, rebecca is the pakistan taliban laying claim for this attack. remember, the pakistan taliban has been at war with the pakistani state, attacking the intelligence and military establishment over time. and so this is part of that ongoing battle, but clearly they use this opportunity to claim that it's a revenge attack. i think you're going to see more of these in the future. >> the question is, will we see more of them here in the united states? a number of american cities have beefed up their security. do you anticipate this is something that is going to come from overseas and come near home? >> well, i don't see any evidence of it yet. but it's certainly something counterterrorism officials are worried about. they're worried about two things, rebecca. first al qaeda or organized attacks that may be accelerated as a result of bin laden's death. revenge attacks like we just saw in pakistan. secondly, lone wolf attacks. individuals who may not be connected directly to al qaeda, who are inspired or emotional, after bin laden's death, and will attack fellow citizens. so counterterrorism authorities are on the lookout for those types of attacks. >> the u.s. has had one opportunity to interview bin laden's three wives. they didn't get much out of it. they will be going back to the drawing board on that. do you anticipate there's any kind of information, any kind of intelligence we could obtain from that? >> well, frankly, rebecca, i don't think so. i think, you know, not realistic to expect that bin laden's wives are going to like or trust american interrogators across the table. they're not going to be very open. you know, we would want to get the kind of information, intimate information about bin laden's lifestyle. whom he was meeting with, the types of things he was doing in the compound for five and six years. but i don't think a 30-minute session, or even a few more sessions, is going to do the trick. that's the kind of interrogation that takes a long time, and i'm not sure we're going to get that kind of time with the wives. >> speaking of that lifestyle, with new details, for example, the pornography that was found in bin laden's compound emerging, do you sense that the united states is trying to shape a new image of who this man was? >> absolutely. i think the united states, in the information it's getting out about bin laden's compound, about his lifestyle, is trying to reshape theibleage of this once heroic figure. they're trying to demonstrate that he was human. that he had faults. and he certainly wasn't the spiritual aesthetic that he claimed to be. and so this messaging campaign for the united states started the other day, when the government released videos. i think we're going to continue to see bits and pieces of this come out to reshape the image of bin laden. >> we also just heard from defense secretary gates talking about the need to increase security for navy s.e.a.l.s. how big of a concern is this, with all of these new details emerging, the fact that now a number of congressmen have seen the pictures of a dead osama bin laden? >> well, i think this is a real concern for the department of defense, and the navy s.e.a.l. community. i mean, the s.e.a.l. team 6 is a secretive, covert unit. they do not want their identities out there. and individuals who not only have families, but also are engaged in ongoing counterterrorism operations, this isn't the end of their career. but with an event like this, they're getting more attention than at any time in recent memory, and so this is a real danger, and i think a concern, a legitimate concern for secretary gates. >> was it to be expected that these pictures would make their way out into public hands? >> i think so. this is something i said from the get-go in the age of wikileaks it's very hard to control information within the government. i was in the white house, i saw that firsthand. it's very hard to control things from getting out of the government. even if you try very hard. and so, i think the administration's going to have to reshape the narrative, as these images come out. and i think they're going to try to control the message. but it's hard to do in the age of wikileaks. >> juan zarate, we appreciate it. great analysis. >> thanks, rebecca. and tomorrow night on "60 minutes," katie couric talks to defense secretary robert gates about what it was like in the situation room during the raid on bin laden's compound. >> i worked for a lot of these guys, and this is one of the most courageous calls, decisions, that i think i've ever seen a president make. for all of the concerns that i've just been talking about. the uncertainty of the intelligence. the consequences. of it going bad. the risk to lives of the americans involved. it was a very gutsy call. >> you could see it in his face in that photograph. what was it like being near him in that room? >> let's just say there wasn't a lot of conversation. by anybody in the room. >> and you can see katie couric's entire interview with defense secretary robert gates on "60 minutes," that's tomorrow night at 7:00 eastern, 6:00 central. and it's right here on cbs. in louisiana, the army corps of engineers is today expected to open a spillway to protect baton rouge and new orleans from the ravages of the mississippi river flooding. but the move will bring a torrent of trouble for other communities, and cbs news correspondent dean reynolds is in morganza, louisiana, with the latest. dean, good morning. >> good morning, rebecca. well, by opening the gates of the spillway behind me, the hope is to lessen pressure on the floodwalls from here all the way to the gulf of mexico, and prevent a catastrophe. they haven't opened the spillway at morganza, louisiana, since 1973. but they have to do it again. the mississippi is still rising. they're putting portable dams on top of the levees in baton rouge. and hoping the maneuver at the spillway, 35 miles away, will keep the river navigable. the last thing they want to do is close the river to barge traffic. >> they won't be able to receive product or send product out, so things just come to a standstill. >> reporter: meanwhile, farther up the river near vidalia, louisiana, concerns of another kind. the humane society has created a makeshift shelter for pets, whose owners have been forced to flee the floods. >> they feel like it's a part of their family, but they can't take them where they're going. it's difficult. it's a very emotional thing. >> reporter: nor can anyone say when they'll be reunited. the mississippi won't crest around here for another week. no wonder the mayor is worried. >> we've seen what katrina did. we hope we don't have another katrina. >> later today the army corps is supposed to have a press conference, when they'll give us more details on the scope of this operation. although we understand they're going to open just a few gates at a time, and not all 125 gates at once. rebecca? >> and, dean, what effect do we expect that opening of the spillway to have? >> well, over time it's going to flood about 3 million acres of farmland, and affect some 25,000 people who live in that area. it's going to be a very difficult time for them. rebecca? >> yeah, these are some tough choices. dpeen reynolds in morganza, louisiana, thank you. now here's russ. >> okay, rebecca, thank you. this was a very busy week for republican presidential hopefuls. there were announcements, major speeches, and potential candidates jockeying for position for the 2012 election. for a look at what it all means, let's turn to cbs news political analyst john dickerson. he's in our washington bureau. good morning to you. >> good morning, russ. >> it looks like the republican field is shaping up. do you expect any wild cards to show up in the next few days? >> well, that's right. the souffle is starting to set up a little. we have newt gingrich coming in, ron paul made it official. we still have some wild cards out there, though, mitch daniels, the governor of indiana is thinking about it. says he's going to have a decision. a lot of people are waiting for him to speak up. and ambassador huntsman who was the recent ambassador to china, john huntsman, is going to get into the race. so there's still a few more big names, but it's moved along a little bit this week. >> okay, let's talk about some names out there. mike huckabee says he's going to make a major announcement tonight, or at least calling it a very important announcement. what do you think he's going to say? and how important of a factor could he be in the race? >> well, he's keeping a very close hold. he hasn't done the things that a candidate needs to do on any front to prepare the way, so the betting among the experts is that he will say he's not running. his big effect is that he has a strong following in the social conservative community within the conservative base. and he does quite well in some polls, and he does very well in iowa, where he won the caucuses the last time around. he gets out of the race, that puts iowa in play in a different kind of way. some candidates have been sitting out, or planning to sort of sit out iowa. now, if it's an open contest, that sort of changes and might change their calculations. >> mitt romney caught some flak from his fellow republicans this week for trying to -- after he was trying to explain the difference between the health care law he pass in massachusetts and the obama health care plan which he opposes. will he be able to overcome this with his own party? >> the specifics of the case are very tricky. he supported a plan in massachusetts that had at its center an individual mandate forcing people to get insurance. that's what the obama plan had at the national level. that individual mandate is something a lot of conservatives just don't like. and the speech was not well-received. "the wall street journal" editorial page really went after romney. they knew this was going to happen. the key for romney is that he has to be able to at least get past this enough so he can make his primary case, which is i was a businessman. i know how the economy works. with the country in difficult economic situation, i'm the person. and he, if he can make that case, he should be age to get past this. >> at this point, would mitt romney be the front-runner? >> well, he'd like to think so. there is no front-runner. and some polls he comes out at the top. and in certain states in new hampshire he does very well. but, the field is very loose. and part of what we're seeing as republicans are looking to candidates like mitch daniels, who've not really gotten in the race and who may not get in the race, they're sort of pleading for some others to get into the race that might be slightly more exciting candidates, who might have flaws that are -- that are less big than some of the ones in the race now. >> let me ask you about mitch daniels. a lot of republicans want him to come to the race, as you just said. what makes him such an attractive candidate for so many republicans? >> well, he -- the unknown in part makes him attractive. he is a vessel into which people can pour all their hopes and dreams. that's a problem for daniels. his best day may be the day he announces he's in the race. we've seen this in the past. fred thompson was the great mystery candidate who was going to come in in 2008 and have a glorious campaign. and it fizzled almost immediately. what happens is that voters are always kind of looking around for their star candidate. what makes daniels attractive, though, is he's been a good, competent governor, which means he's not from washington. he's an executive. means he has actual solutions that have had to be tested by voters and by actual, you know, seeing if they actually work, rather than just a lot of rhetoric. and he's got a good, sort of sense of humor, and he has a very clear story to tell about what he believes the next president has to do about the debt and deficit. that's a very important issue with republicans and conservatives. >> texas congressman ron paul says he's going to run again. what effect did he have an other tea party candidates who may want to enter the race? >> well, ron paul's best argument is against washington. and there are no current sitting senators or -- running so that it's harder for him to make the case that other candidates are captive of washington. sort of everybody is trying to be the tea party candidate. which might diminish his influence a little bit in terms of taking votes away from others. but he has a very strong following and he will shape the debate here because he's not just a novelty candidate in the way he was the first two times he ran. his chances are still very slim of getting the nomination. but he does have a role to play, and that will affect other candidates. >> two more names. quick answers on both. chris christie, new jersey governor, in or out? >> out. he can't say he's not running enough apparently for people. but he's going to, but people still want him to get in the race. >> and another name we don't hear a lot about. donald trump. >> part of the reason we don't hear any more about him is he was kind of considered not just a novelty candidate but sort of a clown candidate now. he's fallen back in the polls, and his moment seems to have come and gone. >> okay. john dickerson in washington. as always, thanks so much. we appreciate it. >> thanks, russ. >> it is now 16 minutes past the hour. time to swing over that away to betty nguyen for the other headlines. >> not very far away. good morning russ and rebecca. good morning, everybody. libya's leader has emerged from hiding, >> good morning. the nato campaign here in libya has led to a strange game of hide and seek with moammar gadhafi periodically appearing to prove he's still alive and hurl insults at his enemies. once again overnight tripoli was hit by a series of strikes. the latest raids came just hours after libyan state tv broadcast an audio message from gadhafi in which he called the nato attacks cowardly. and said it was beyond the alliance's reach because, quote, i live in the hearts of millions. the libyan regime regularly takes foreign reporters on tours of bomb damage. they say it proves civilians are being killed. nato insists it's only hitting military targets. this latest outburst came after italy's foreign minister says he believed gadhafi had fled the capital and may have been wounded. >> the leader is in very good health, high morale, high spirits. he is in tripoli. he's fighting the fight forward. he's leading the country day by day. >> reporter: this tit for tat propaganda war has a serious downside for gadhafi's image as leader. the fact that he has to frequently pop up to prove he's still in control only shows that he's hiding from the nato strikes. and that could lead some members of his inner circle to reconsider their allegiance to him. betty? >> all right, mandy clark joining us live from libya. thank you, mandy. at least six people were killed friday in syria's ongoing bloody crackdown on anti-government protests. nearly 800 people have died since the protests began, almost two months ago. tanks and snipers were deployed friday to fire on demonstrators in three cities. amateur video caught the action. activists say opposition crowds have diminished following mass arrests. george mitchell apparently has had enough of the stalemate in the middle east peace talks, and is resigning as special middle east envoy. the former senator from maine has not been in the middle east since talks collapsed in september. mitchell held the post for two years. he brokered the accord that ended years of bloodshed in northern ireland. president obama wants to increase domestic oil production. in his weekly radio address, mr. obama said he wants to extend existing leases off alaska and in the gulf of mexico. mr. obama has come under increasing criticism as the average price of a gallon of regular hovers around $4 nationwide. his announcement comes following passage of three republican controlled house bills that would expand offshore oil and gas drilling. speaker of the house john boehner is delivering the commencement address at catholic university today. but not everyone at the washington, d.c. school is looking forward to it. a letter signed by dozens of faculty members says boehner has one of the worst records in congress on programs for the poor. it also asks boehner, who is a catholic, to refamiliarize himself with church teachings on the subject. shirley she