Herman Cain's Rising Stock; Michael Jackson's Doctor on Trial
HOLMES: Well, it's the bottom of the hour on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Welcome back, everybody. I'm T.J. Holmes. Glad you could spend part of your weekend here with us. And did you hear about the controversy last night? Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney again facing criticism for being a Mormon, but this time it's coming from the pastor of a mega church in Dallas. The pastor's name is Reverend Robert Jeffress. He introduced Rick Perry at the Conservative Values Voter Summit in Washington. Now, Jeffress was critical of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Mormon Church, and told our Jim Acosta and told other reporters that Mormonism is a cult.</s>ACOSTA (on camera): If you don't mind me saying, Pastor Jeffress, you've created a bit of a stir coming out of that speech. Because in talking to reporters, you said in pretty strong plain language what you think of Mormonism. You described it as a cult. And you said that if a Republican votes for Mitt Romney, they're giving some credibility to a cult. Do you stand by that comment?</s>JEFFRESS: Oh, absolutely. And that's not some fanatical comment. That's been the historic position of evangelical Christianity. The Southern Baptist Convention, which is the largest Protestant denomination of the world, has officially labeled Mormonism as a cult. I think Mitt Romney's a good moral man, but I think those of us who are born again followers of Christ should always prefer a competent Christian to a competent non-Christian, like Mitt Romney. So that's why I'm enthusiastic about Rick Perry.</s>ACOSTA: But what do you say to those voters out there who say that religion, his Mormonism, shouldn't be an issue in this campaign? He's just as American as everybody else?</s>JEFFRESS: Oh, I agree he's just as American as anyone else. And Article Six of the Constitution prohibits --</s>ACOSTA: And Mormons do say they are Christians.</s>JEFFRESS: Yes.</s>ACOSTA: They say that. They believe in Jesus Christ.</s>JEFFRESS: A lot of people say they're Christians and they're not. But they do not embrace historical Christianity. And I, again, believe that as Christians we have the duty to prefer and select Christians as our leaders. That's what John Jay, the first chief justice of the Supreme Court, said. And, again, I think when we've got a choice as evangelicals, between a Rick Perry and a Mitt Romney, I believe evangelicals need to go with Rick Perry.</s>HOLMES: Again, this is not a new idea. This is not the first time we heard someone call Mormonism a cult at the Southern Baptist Convention as he was just referring to there a moment ago that's called Mormonism a cult. And this certainly is the first time that Mitt Romney and his political career have come under fire for being a Mormon during his last run for the presidency four years ago. He got some of these same questions, even got kind of some nasty responses from potential voters. Look at this.</s>ROMNEY: Hello, sir. How are you?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm the one person who will not vote for a Mormon.</s>ROMNEY: Oh, is that right? Can I shake your hand anyway?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No!</s>HOLMES: Well, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Mormon Church, was founded by a farmer named Joseph Smith in the early 1800s. He says an angel guided him to a hill in New York State and there on that hill church doctrine says Smith found golden tablets detailing how Christ visited an ancient civilization in the Americas. Those tablets are the basis for the Book of Mormons. Smith claimed he saw God and Christ in the flesh on a hill in Palmyra, New York. He and his followers fled persecution in New York, headed out west, eventually settling in what became Utah. Presidents of the church are considered prophets and apostles of God. Mormons believe in Christ and God and they do consider themselves Christians. Now, the pastor, Pastor Jeffress backing Perry says basically Americans should not vote for Romney because of his Mormon faith. Well, another GOP candidate, Herman Cain, he was talking about faith not too long ago. Got him in still hot water, talking about Muslims, you may remember. But that was then, this is now. He is near the top of a number of GOP presidential polls. Friday at the Values Voter Summit, the former talk show host and CEO of Godfather's Pizza was feeling pretty good about his new found popularity.</s>CAIN: Three months ago the pundits -- the political pundits said Herman Cain can't get the nomination. Herman Cain cannot win the presidency because he doesn't have high name ID. He doesn't have a kajillion (ph) dollars and he's never held public office. But let me tell you what the American people are saying. They don't care about a kajillion dollars. America wants to raise some Cain, not more money.</s>HOLMES: I like that. Did you, Reynolds? Kajillion dollars, raise some Cain.</s>WOLF: Yes.</s>HOLMES: Reynolds is feeling out (ph) this morning. Well, Cain got a lot of attention. A lot of applause, a lot of standing ovations. Really fired up the crowd there at the Value Voters Summit. He continued to slam as well the Occupy Wall Street Movement calling the protesters anti-capitalists. Well, 35 minutes past the hour. Give you a look at some of the other stories making headlines. And let's start with those demonstrations. They began as demonstrations against corporate greed along New York's Wall Street. But they now have grown into demonstrations across the country like this one you're seeing in New Orleans. More demonstrations are slated for today and tomorrow as the movement enters now its fourth week. Also, CNN has learned the same government group that said most women in their 40s don't need routine mammogram tests will soon recommend something similar for healthy men that they not get screened for prostate cancer. The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force says screening with the PSA blood test results in, quote, "small or no reduction in prostate cancer deaths." Also, police in Kansas City still searching for missing 10-month-old Lisa Irwin as her parents come under greater scrutiny. Deborah Bradley, the baby's mother says police told her she failed a lie detector test and investigators say both parents have stopped cooperating with police. The couple says that's not true.</s>DEBORAH BRADLEY, MOTHER OF MISSING GIRL: She's - she's everything. She's our little girl. She's completed our family and she - she means everything to my boys. And we need her home. I can't - I can't be without her.</s>HOLMES: Well, the parents say Lisa Irwin, the baby, was last seen in her room on Monday night. We turn now to the Conrad Murray trial. Testimony wrapped up for the week in that manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's personal physician with a recording of a conversation between Dr. Conrad Murray and investigators. Earlier this week, we learned more about the day Jackson died from Murray's former girlfriends. Ted Rowlands is keeping us updated from L.A.</s>TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): T.J., the Murray trial ended the week with riveting testimony from Conrad Murray via an audio tape that jury listened as Murray talked to investigators and this was done just two days after Michael Jackson died. He talked about the fact that when he came onboard to take care of Michael Jackson, he found out he'd be giving him Propofol on a daily basis. He said each and every night he put Michael Jackson to sleep using Propofol, except, he said, for the three days leading up to Jackson's death, he said he was trying to wean him off of Propofol and that was the only time that he didn't give it to him. Listen carefully as Murray tells investigators what happened during those crucial minutes where Jackson was unresponsive.</s>DR. CONRAD MURRAY, MICHAEL JACKSON PERSONAL PHYSICIAN: And I came back to his bedside and was stunned in the sense that he wasn't breathing. Immediately, I checked for a pulse and I was able to get a thready pulse at the femoral region. His body was warm. There was no change in color. I then lifted his leg, which can give you an auto transfusion and then I continued to do CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until paramedics came. And the paramedics came. They called UCLA. They hooked him up to the pulse oximeter. He was not breathing.</s>ROWLANDS: The headline from this audio, of course, is that Murray never mentions any of the telephone calls that we've already heard in court. Phone calls to his girlfriends and to his office staff during those critical periods. It's something that the defense will have to grapple with in closing arguments. Looking forward to next week, what we're looking at is Monday is a dark day. There's no court at all. And on Tuesday, we'll hear the tail end of this audio tape. It's about a two-hour long tape. We got through about an hour and 40 minutes. So we'll finish that up. And then it will be cross-examination time of the detective that's on the stand - T.J.</s>HOLMES: All right. Thanks as always to our Ted Rowlands. Thirty-nine minutes past the hour. Say good morning to Mr. Reynolds Wolf. Good morning, again, kind sir.</s>WOLF: Good morning, my friend. We're going to be seeing some interesting weather across parts of the nation. Just the boom of thunder across parts of the Central and Southern Plains. In spots around the nation, especially Texas and Oklahoma that were as dry as could be through the summer are now dealing with flash flood watches and warnings. We're going to talk about that coming up in a few moments, plus your holiday travel forecast - or weekend travel forecast. It kind of feels like a holiday. We'll see you in a few.