joins us now live, congressman king, the would be suicide bomber is actually a double agent. what can you tell us about it and about him? >> i'm in a position, i really can't tell you very much at all. i've been briefed on this and as far as i know this has not been in any way declassified the cia. this could interfire with operations overseas. i really cannot comment on any of those details. i know it's out there, i know it's being reported and i also was had a briefing this afternoon with top officials and there's a really great concern that this got out. this is my understanding that a major investigation is going to be launched because of this. >> are there any new details that you can say? >> i don't believe so, anderson. i late to do this to you, i mean yet i did say to you that i was told and i could say yesterday that the bomber, the alleged bomber was no longer of any concern to us and now i guess a different interpretation can be put on that and everyone was reading into it last night. but from what i understand, i'll be surprised if you find anyone confirming this on the record. what you're reporting, and again by tomorrow or the next day, it could be a different story. i will say this is one of the most so much fist indicated and successful intelligence operations that i have been aware of. i have never seen anything so tightly held. it was held as close as anything i have ever seen. and that's why the leak when it broke, i guess a week ago, really put a lot of risk including human lives, and even now the fact that it's coming out can be dangerous. >> congressman king, i appreciate the position you're in and i appreciate you joining us tonight. thank you. >> thank you, anderson. >> i'm joined also now by cnn contributor bob bayr, for, and a former fbi supervisory special agent. also author of the book the black banner, the inside story of 9/11 and the war against al qaeda. fran, you have been talking to your sources, what are you hearing and what you do feel okay by say ing. congressman king is absolutely right, the more tactical operational details that comes out, it makes it more difficult for intelligence and law enforcement to determine, were there others besides the informant they did control that volunteered to take a bomb? and did the bombmaker in yemen, presumably it's al qaeda in the arraiabian peninsula. al qaeda's mo is to go and to plan for a multiple simultaneous attacks. so it would be very odd if they had just one bomber and one bomb. so when the congressman says to you, it puts things at risk, it puss the investigation at risk. it makes it harder for them to try and find out. because sources have said to me we don't know if there are more bombers or more bombs out there. >> the sources have been talking to the "new york times" who broke the story just a few hours ago and also other news organizations which had the story days ago and have actually been holding on to it. >> once it began to come out, then sources are -- they don't feel as if they're betraying a secret, they're just confirming something you already know. sources have said, exactly as have you reported, the informant was who -- and it's their way of being able to get their hands on because cia, working with saudi intelligence controlled this informant. that's the reason we got the device. and the fbi is now able to usary bomb tech facilities to go through it. they're going to look to see, is it petn which is the same substance al asir has used in the past. those sorts of things will be incredibly important, one to understand this plot, two to understand the sophistication of the bombmaker and three to be able to try and release enough information to allow screeners to know what exactly are they looking for. i'm told that there's a real debate now, whether or not they'll release the photos of the device, which you typically would consider doing so that screeners knew if they had a picture of what they were looking for. >> the "new york times" account that i read is that this is a new type of underwear bomb with actually two types of detonators, with the detroit underwear bomber, there was only one type that failed and this now has two types which would be basically showing that the enemy again is a learning enemy and learned from their mistakes in the past. >> absolutely. talk about how the cia works with a double agent like this? i mean sit possible the agent didn't even know he was helping the united states? >> no, you want to get control of these guys, what they did was recruited him and ran him back into the group, a serious group if indeed that was the group. this is a classic intelligence operation and frankly it's brilliant. you know, controlling one of these guys, getting them to the meeting, turning the bomb over, getting a copy of it. and the guy will go in and figure out how many more are out there. and of course that's the big question. was there just one? are there multiple bombs? and this is why, you know, all these leaks is not the way you want to go. because, you know, i can read between the lines, and the administration is worried there's more out there. and it's unfortunate that that was leaked because this is a source and they really, really hard to come by. i have seen a couple of these in my career, it's a brilliant operation and they did a great job. >> is it possible also that they send somebody in rather than turn somebody who's already there? >> either way. you know, whether they found a cousin or somebody like that and ra ran them into the group or he was already there and they intercepted them in sort of a cold meeting and pitched him. i can't tell you, the details aren't out there. but getting control of one of these people that are committed, that are believers that are ready to commit suicide is really, really tough. >> you know a lot about yemen, you investigated the u.s.s. cole bombing. what are the details out there that you can comment on. >> i think we have success and we have to basically a congratulate the cia for doing it. i hope many years from now, we don't know exactly what happened. because there are sources and meths and these sources and methods are protecting american lives, saving airlines from being blown up. i think it is very immaturish for people to leak. >> why does somebody leak this? if this is -- assuming that people leak this, are people who have direct knowledge of the operation, people who are in the law enforcement community, or in the intelligence community, why would they leak? >> i agree with what representative king said and i think they should have an investigation got this. i did undercover al qaeda related cases and i know how dangerous it is when you are with a group and they can kill you in a second and they know you're a federal agent, and you're a source on other government, it is very dangerous and you have to keep your eye on the ball and you have to go back to your family. so doing something like this for any reason, even if just to make the american people happy that we're winning against al qaeda is very selfish. >> because to your point, these operations also have multiple arms to them and it's not just initially one attack? >> that's right, and this is a particularly poignant victory for the cia. remember it was the cole bombing where there was a double agent used against them, that goes on to a forward acting base in afghanistan and kills a whole bunch of cia officers because a double agent was used again them, so the notion of using a double agent is a particularly satisfying thing for them. >> you have actually worked on devices, on bombs, what can you talk about? what can you say about this? >> the skrooichlt has gcia as gy of going after these bombs, they have a facility where they remake these things. when i was in beirut, we were coming across suitcase where is groups there were putting in the walls of sampson ite suitcases. >> so petn has been around for a long time. >> it's the most dangerous bomb to use against airplanes. some of them were heroin smugglers and they had been putting heroin in the linings of suitcases but they switched over for the terrorist groups and put in petn and it's very complicated making these things, and the fact that these have been reintroduced into this milieu again is what's so dangerous. because, you know, as we have said the other night, as fran said, one of these things are going to get through. and unless we keep going the way we are with these operations. >> we have tried to be as responsible as we can in reporting this. that's why we wanted all three of you to have direct experience in all three of these things. i appreciate the sensetivity of it. coming up, voters in north carolina today deciding the fate of an amendment banning same-sex marriage, and all same-sex civil unions and partnerships. and a fiery sermon a few weeks ago said to punch their sons if they sew feminine behavior. >> what would you have said differently? >> i would say straighten that wrist. >> he also claims when he said to punch their sons, he didn't actually mean punch, we'll hear more from that pastor when we continue. providing more than just the essential nutrients, so i'm at my best. centrum. always your most complete. the key is to have a good strategy. the same goes for my retirement. with the plan my financial advisor and i put together, a quick check and i know my retirement is on course. 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[ laughter ] we're servers at red lobster. and we sea food differently. raw politics tonight, the polls are closed in tree states, romney is expected to win in virginia and north carolina. but there are other contests that are drawing the focus tonight. an end to senator dick luger years in the senate. cnn -- and in north carolina, we're waiting on results of a constitutional armendment bannig same-sex mare. eric, you're someone who came out last year supporting senator luger's challenger at a time when he was down by 20 patients or more. enator lose? >> well, there were a couple of things, remember, it wasn't just tea party activists, it was about 2/3 of the republican party asking him to run. and richard luger got disqualified from voting in indiana by his own county because he doesn't live there anymore. he just grew out of touch with indiana. he completely lost touch with indiana. the tea party saw an opportunity to pick up a seat and move it to the right and they did so with richard murdock. >> are there any lessons in the luger defeat? >> i'm married to a hoosier, i go there regularly. this is the problem when you have been in washington so long, you forget who elected you and you forget your people back home. is he really a hoosier anymore, or has he forgotten about us? he didn't return home often enough. when republicans turn against you from the very beginning of the campaign, that really shows you've been away too long. >> just more wi >> cornel, is that how you see it as well? >> when we talk about being out of touch, the truth of the matter is that the tea party is beginning to take over the republican party. and you see, from the outside looking in, i think most myrrhs look at this and they say, here's a party that increasingly moderate and people who want to compromise just aren't welcome. luger barely had a challenge last time indiana. he's someone who won that seat convincingly. the democrats are certainly target now because you have moved a moderate middle of the road republican out of that seat in a state like indiana where all of a sudden democrats on the senate side probably have a fairly good shot of taking that senate seat. the tea party is absolutely not helping the republican party. >> you said hetouc wi you said he had lost touch, or eric, you said he lost touch with indiana, but in part of it he was willing to compromise with democrats. >> it was on spending issues more than anything, where he was willing to compromise too much for the tea party. but again, 2/3 of the establishment republican party county chairman and state wide committee in indiana wanted someone new. unfortunately for politicians on both sides of the aisle, sometimes they don't know when it's time to retire. but cornel's point about the tea party taking over the moderate republican party. to say that the conservatives are taking over, this is what the democrats where are saying in 2010, that the american public wouldn't go along with the tea party and now they control the majority of state houses and the majority of the governor's mansions. >> and look what we're getting, we're getting stuff like in north carolina gay rights and abortion and attacks on health care front and center, when he came into office talking about the economy and deficit. and we haven't seen the republicans argument at all on the economy and deficit. we have seen all these social issues run front and center. and that's why the tea party has run favorable the way it has. it was a false bill of goods. >> this was just comical, all these socialists who just run center. this was the same group that was trying to do something about independents who were based in wisconsin and ohio. the tea party has been a healthy injection in the republican party, it has really brought republicans back. it's an effort to save our children from debt. but don't overread that it was a challenge from indiana. i just wasn't the case indiana. but i love democrats to spend money in indiana and trying to take that seat, it won't happen, not in indiana. >> we got to leave it there. ari, cornel, thanks, we got a lot to cover tonight. the constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in north carolina has led to some strong rhetoric. billy graham ran full page ads in north carolina saying that -- you might remember we brought you this story, pass sorry shaun harris said he was trying to communicate the truth of the world of god concerning marriage when he said dads should give a, quote, good punch, to their sons when they sew feminine behavior. >> so your little son starts to act a lil' girlish when he is four years old and instead of squashing that like a cook coach, get that dress often and get outside and dig a ditch because that's what boys do. you get out of the camera and you start taking pictures of johnny acting like a female and you upload it to youtube and everybody laughs about it. and next thing you know, this dude, this kid is acting out childhood fantasies that should have been squashed. can i make it any clearer? dads, the second you see your son dropping the limp wrist, you rock over there and crack that wrist. man up. give him a good punch. okay? you are not going to act like that. you were made by god to be a male and you are going to be a male. >> pastor harris's sermon went viral online, he sort of apologized. here's what he had to say then. i should not have said what i said about cracking or punching and a particular bias toward outward attraction of girls, nor should have i used the words special dispensation. i did not say that children should be squashed. i have never thought that children in the lgbt lifestyle should be beaten, punched or physically abused in any form or fashion. >> he said he never suggested children in the quote lgbt lifestyle be punched. he not only suggested it. he said it flat out. you just heard it. he said give him a good punch. we asked shaun harris to come on the program tonight, he said no, but he did sit down with cnn's david mattingly after his sermon on saturday. >> give him a good punch, squash like a cockroach, crack that wrist. what exactly were you telling your congregation to do here. >> i was telling them in strong words that we're not careful. what did i learn this week? be more careful with your words. >> harris says he became the target of angry, hateful messages filled wi ed wited wit and multiple death threats after telling parents how to deal with children and feminine behavior. >> i would say straighten that wrist. >> what about the punch remark? >> it's amazing how punch has been equated to inciting violence against gay youth. that's not what i meant. >> when you said give him a good punch, what exactly did you mean? >> a shove, an affirmation, you see coaches give their blares a good punch, a good slug, it's away of affirming the gender distinctions between a male and a female. >> harris preaches a biblical interpretation at the berean baptist church in fayetteville that homosexuality is a choice, a offensive behavior. anyone looking for an apology --. >> to be more careful, to make sure that no one thinks that sean harris is suggesting as was said, although i never said this, beat the gay out of children. those weren't my words, i don't even believe that there's such a thing as gay children. i wasn't saying that, i was dealing with efeminate behavior. >> is there anything you need to apologize for? >> i don't think i need to apoll ice for teaching to my followers what they need to know. >>. >> reporter: the protesters are down here, overyasway from theh. they were granted a permto say what they needed to say at this intersection. and the complaints they have are not just about the words that the pastor had in his service last sunday, but about the reaction from the congregation. >> give him a punch, i support you. and they were laughing. nc said wait a minute, hold on. >> i heard laughter, i heard a few amens on that recording. >> because they knew what i meant, they knew i wasn't advocating violence against gay youths. >> these members tell me harris has nothing to apologize for. >> he always has a little levity and i guess you should say into it. that's why we all laugh, because we know our pastor. >> we know that there was no way that he was advocating violence. that's why no one walked out. >> i don't think he needs to change words at all. >> yet when your words go outside of this church on to the internet they sound hateful to some people. >> absolutely, i know they did. i listened to myself and i thought, is that what you meant? of course not. but i can understand how someone would misunderstand that. >> but don't expect any changes at the berean baptist church. pastor harris's sermons will continue to go out to the world wide web as they always have only more disconcerting. >> polls are now close inside north carolina where they voted on amendment 1 which would constitutionally bar not only same-sex marriage in the state, but also civil unions, any form of domestic partnerships, any sort of recognition of same-sex relationships. it is expected to pass in north carolina. also the lives of two young girls are hanging in the balance. 12-year-old angela b