an incident that allegedly occurred ten years ago. banon caused a sensation in france when she recounted the incident in 2007. meanwhile, dominique strauss-kahn is spending the night in rikers island, a notorious jail. it's a long way from the 3,000 hotel suite. first, a look at the other stories we're drilling down on tonight. the arabs spring. good news -- maybe. but not for israel. the cia veteran says it wasn't democracy you saw in tahrir square. it was islamic fundamentalism and donald trump has been fired by -- donald trump. >> it's my latest decision. >> his latest stunt may boost his tv ratings. but what did it do to the republican party? diplomatic immunity. e.d. hill asks if it applies to rape. now, the scandal sending shock waves across the world. let's go to rich ordard roth. he joins me live. >> reporter: this man, dominique strauss-kahn used to the high life. first-class airplanes, luxury suites now settling in on rikers island off manhattan. he was transported there after a court hearing several hours ago. a hearing which featured arguments by the prosecutor and defense attorneys for strauss-kahn regarding bail and could he indeed obtain it after that purple luck we had over the weekend and hours spent in police custody. the authorities alleging six criminal counts including abuse, sexual abuse, sexual acts of violence against a hotel maid, in the times square hotel the sofitel. the authorities argue he is a flight risk, similar to roman polanski, the film director, someone who wouldn't return once he got to europe. >> to the case as it now stands and the potential for additional evidence to be generated, the defendant has additional motivation to flee. we also know that the defendant has personal, political and financial resources to in fact flee. >> reporter: the defense countered by saying he could put up $1 million in bail, and he would be no flight risk. that he could have stayed in a manhattan apartment where his daughter lives. >> he is presumed innocent and indeed is this a very defensible case. there are significant issues that we have already found simply with preliminary investigation and a nonjudgment makes it quite likely that my client will be exonerated. >> reporter: the judge said she's ace fair woman but she's got to treat strauss-kahn like any other defendant. and she said she agreed with the prosecution, strauss-kahn in her opinion was indeed a flight risk. so now he sits at rikers island. elliott. >> thank you, richard for that update. i'm joined by deborah faeyerick. she has fascinating information. deborah, what did you learn about the evidence? >> what we're learning about the evidence, investigators in sex crime unit they're looking at everything. the key card to access the door. the times that the chamber maid entered. they're looking at the mini bar to see if perhaps alcohol was a factor. they're looking at whether he rented any adult films, pornography. whether that played a role. think about it, this is a man who polls show could have been president of france, instead, he may have been taken down by a chamber maid. linda, you were head of the sex crimes unit for the manhattan office for 26 years. a very quick check of hotel records would have discovered who was in that room, still, detectives, investigators, special units, they did not blink going after him. >> they're taught to take every victim -- to start by believing everyone coming forward is telling the truth. are there exonerations or cases where the crime has not happened? absolutely. and they would be able to work that out, i think as well. here, the beauty is that this woman reported immediately, which is not always a factor with sexual assault victims. the police were called in immediately. uniform cops refer it to these very specialized and specially trained detectives. and it seems from the outside at this point that everything was done right, most especially crediting the victim. >> reporter: you have a hotel worker going up against one of the most powerful menner the head of the international monetary fund. what sort of evidence needed to be met for police to believe that something in fact occur? >> that's a great question. obviously, body fluids and where it is. if it's on the bed of the alleged offender may not be terrifically significant. if it's on the clothing of the victim, and i don't know where it is, that's going to be awfully significant. most hotels in this day and age have cam fleras in corridors. is there tape of this woman leaving the room. what condition was she in, both in clothing disarray and emotional disdistress. what condition was he in. >> reporter: will this lady have to testify? >> oh, yes, this case is entirely based on the testimony of the young lady who made the complaint. this case could not proceed without her. >> reporter: investigators and police went immediately to the airplane to get him off the plane. is that an extraordinary measure? >> if the detectives had probable cause, meaning a witness who they believe told the truth, found evidence to support it which is not needed but icing on the cake, but they did the only thing they could do is stop this man before he left the country. >> reporter: this young lady has been tour terrified. >> this is why they're so good at it, one of the detectives who i saw today in the picture, he's not only a great detective, he's one of the best in the business. they are chosen not only for skilled detective work but because they have the manner to hand hold scared witnesses through this process. >> now, strauss-kahn's lawyer says he plans to plead not guilty. keep in mind, eliot, that fayerstein says that a new package will be presented and he will be able to get out just not on the one presented today. >> somebody of this statue is now sitting at rikers island. folks should know that's what happens when the judge says remand. they go to rikers and they could sit there for weeks and that's what's going to happen to dominique strauss-kahn until they somehow turn it over. >> this is just the beginning of the process. right now, she had to make an immediate decision. what do we know and what decision do we make. she says, he was on plain and planning on leaving. she had no choice but to make sure he stayed. the amount of money, who's going to vouch for him, whether he can get an electronic bracelet, all of those factors. then she'll make another determination. still has to go to a grand jury, whether or not this can be brought to trial, whether or not there's enough evidence. this is a guy who is in jail, whose reputation is not only on the line, but now he's basically got to reclaim it. >> as a prosecutor for many year, the pressure is on the prosecution to come forth with an indictment. we're talking about an alibi, what do we know about the alibi, how strong is it, obviously an alibi about this could shoot a hole through the case. >> that's right. that's what we didn't hear about today. his lawyer is saying that the forensic evidence will not be consistent with the attack alleged in this complaint. what does that mean? well, that's what brafman has to prove. what we're learning, apparently, he had lunch with somebody in the nearby area. the reason he was rushing, he had to get to the airport. we're also told this was an itinerary he had planned for weeks. it wasn't he was running to get out the country. in fact he was hurrying, he had to check out of the hotel negotiation to lunch and go to the airport. he also forgot his cell phone. in a way, he led investigators to him, he called the hotel, called security and said, i think i left my phone. could you bring it to the airport. he told a stewardess, by the way, i'm probably going to get paged, they're bringing my phone to him. when they came, they certainly was not bringing the phone to him. >> i think that was a setup. i think the hotel arranged to set him up. ben brafman, his lawyer is a powerhouse lawyer. this is going to be a battle royale if it goes to trial. a tragedy from every perspective. fascinating stuff. now, to the question of who exactly dominique strauss-kahn is. a short while ago, i spoke with two prominent journalists who covered him for years. for more, i'm joined by reuters editor krista free handand he's in paris tonight, thank you both for joining me. >> great to be here. >> pleasure. >> dickey, let me go to you, does the behavior he's been charged with surprise you or anybody else who has followed his career? >> reporter: it doesn't surprise anybody who's followed him in his career that he's interested in women, very interested and thinks that he's a great seducer. it surprises people that any kind of incident involving him would take this kind of apparently violent turn. of course, all of these allegations have yet to be proven. but there's one thing to be a skirt chaser, and everybody thought he was one of those. and it's another thing to be accused of criminal sexual assault and attempted rape. that's a whole different ball game. and i think everybody is just stunned by that. >> not to put too far of a point on it, there have been not only rumors but issues of infidelity in the marriage in the past. but none of it, am i correct, had bordered on the violent enforceable? >> reporter: well, there was one allegation that a friend of the family who was 22 at the time found herself in a position where she had to fight him off in a very ugly scene. that supposedly happened in 2002. she talked about it on television with his name bleeped out in 2007. all of that has come back now. but everybody's tried to turn that into a great pattern of behavior. it isn't clear that's the case. what is clear, yes, he had an affair with somebody at the imf only months after he got there. he's thought to have any number of mistresses and lovers over the years. in french politics, that's not such an unusual thing. but certainly, these allegations of violent aggression against a maid in a hotel, that's something else. >> you know, as it stands right now -- hold on one second -- as it stands right now, he is being held without bail in new york city. krista, what does this do to the political scene in france? >> well, i think it makes it very, very complicated. i did want to source of reinforce what chris has said. i think we have to be incredibly careful to make a sharp distinction between someone who has a history of affairs and saying that person say rapist. these are two very different things. to say, well, because he has a history of sleeping around, that means it's not hard to believe he's a rapist. there was actually a report on french radio today saying that his lawyers are now claiming he actually has an alibi that he was at lunch with his daughter at the time that this alleged assault happened. so, you know, we have to be careful to prejudge. i think if he emerges from this with some kind of a shad doshgs th shadow, then he's out of the picture as far as french politician goes. there's still a possibility he doesn't do it. if that can be proven, maybe he can go back to france a hero. >> chris, let me ask you point blank. there are rumors out of there conspiracies, what do you make of that? >> well, look, people in france don't like president sarkozy. his approval rating is below 30%. and he's seen as a machiavellian character. all of a sudden, the man to defeat him, all the polls showed strauss-kahn to defeat him in the election, all of a sudden, that man's career is wiped off the slate. he's no longer a factor in next year's election. cristea is correct, he may be in some cabinet some day as a minister, but he's not able to come back to france anytime to run for the presidency. so he's not going to be president in 2012 which is what most people thought. naturally, they say, uh-huh, sarkozy must have done this somehow. but there's absolutely nothing to support that kind of conspiratorial thinking. >> what if he's proven completely innocent? what if it turns out he really didn't do that? >> well, how long is that going to take to prove that? right now, he can't even get out of jail on bail. if you look at the case of somebody completely unrelated. kobe bryant, an american basketballe star was accused attacking a woman in a hotel in colorado in 2003. in the summer. it wasn't until the fall of the following year that those charges were finally dropped. so i think we're looking at months of legal proceedings ininvolving strauss-kahn, he's not going to get back and run for the presidency anytime soon. >> i think as somebody who is a prosecutor in the state system here, it's clear that this will take several months barring some unforeseen reversal. the witness recants her testimony, it would take months at least to clarify this. as of now, he's held without bail. he may even be held for some period of time, presumably not forever. chris and cristea, thank you for joining us. >> pleasure. >> my pleasure. coming up next, trump is out, so is huckabee. gingrich is in. romney is thinking tab. the republicans players musical chairs. more on that in a moment. e.d. hill is here. she's been looking at an interesting ainge on the dominique strauss-kahn situation. >> he's a powerful man. the imf is an agency of the u.n. we know there are numerous understandings and agreements between immunity deals between the u.n. and the u.s. and other organizations. so can he potentially claim immunity. the imf says he wasn't on official business but because he was on a trip from the headquarters in d.c. over to meet wilt german chancellor, stops in new york, could he, if he needs to, claim that and get away scot-free, if he's guilty. we'll find out. >> interesting question. thank you. don't go away. we'll right back in a moment. ♪ [ 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. the doctor leaned over and said to me, "you just beat the widow-maker." i was put on an aspirin, and it's part of my regimen now. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. go see your doctor now. time is running out to be one of the 10 people to win the chevrolet, buick, gmc or cadillac of your choice. just push your blue button and tell the advisor you want to enter to win a car. ♪ you don't even have to be an active subscriber. so push it now. before all 10 cars are gone. no purchase necessary. see rules at onstar.com to enter without a blue onstar button. sweepstakes ends may 31st. first ever half price sale. we've slashed prices 50% off our everyday low pricing. it's time to man up and slim down with nutrisystem for men. i'm dan marino, and i lost 22 pounds on nutrisystem for men. join dan marino and nearly a million other men just like you who've gotten dramatic results with nutrisystem for men, because it's the first weight loss system designed for men and men only. order now and get five hearty meals a day: pancakes, pasta, meatloaf, chocolaty desserts, and dozens of satisfying snacks. guys want to feel good and look great without starving themselves on a diet designed for women. call now and save 50% on your first order. but hurry, at 50% off, this sale won't last long. guys, this is it, the offer you've been waiting for. go online or call now... to get this limited time offer. now, for a segment we like to call "the clash." the donald is out. donald trump announced that he will not run for president in 2012, ending weeks of speculation and self-promotion. this after former arkansas governor mike huckabee said he will not run. in the clash, who is joining us is republican strategist and romney spokesman kevin madden. and cnn political analyst, welcome, gentlemen. >> thank you. >> kevin, let me start with you, donald duck, as we say, is there a huge breath and sigh of relief from the republican candidates? >> i think from the establishment, that is true. a lot of people are worried that the campaign wanted about issue, the campaign that people wanted to be about substance is quickly coming with distractions like the birther issue being front and center. most candidates want to run on complete, want to run on national security, this is a campaign that essentially will be a contrast on the issues. >> david, let me ask you this question because kevin mentioned it. health care. which the republican party thought was going to be a slam dunk winner. first romney's medical care, and gingrich and romney have said conflicting things about obama care, romney care, is the republican party flubbing on an issue that they thought would be their path to victory? >> i think it's too early to say that. there's no question that newt gingrich, you know, started i lot of resentment among house republicans by attacking the ryan plan on medicare and has called it right wing social engineering. there's a lot of resentment today in the house. at the same time, mitt romney, it looked like health care would be a real albatross. that was last week. this week, romney is the one, i think, that gets the greatest benefit from both huckabee and donald trump pulling back. he does now emerge, i think, as a clear front-runner, and today, he had a fund-raiser out in nevada. he raise aed $10 million in one day. are that's a substantial amount of money, compared to four years ago when he ran when he raised $6 million in a similar effort. this time, he raised $10 million. you have to say, i think he's the big winner of huckabee and trump pulling back. >> you know, david, that certainly makes sense, but, kevin, let me ask you this. i'm still grappling with the speech that former governor romney gave last week in which he defended the individual mandate which is the center. piece of obama care as did newt gingrich over the week. it seems that both of them have embraced the point or piece of obama care that the republican party is most upset about. how does that play, the root of primaries, and theoretically into the general election? >> well, i think it's certainly a challenge. and i think there are many folks in the conservative circles that watched that speech and they weren't satisfied with the answers that they got from governor romney. i think this is not really a debate or issue that's going to be decided just on editorial pages or just amongst the political class. i think, ultimately, health care is a value issue that candidates have to argue out in some of those early primary states. it's very much about what it is you want to see done with health care. we see a calcified level about obama care. many believe it's not the right approach. i think it's up to romney and all the other candidates to describe what they would do differently going forward. i think the arguments that governor romney did is what he would do with the health care in massachusetts and why he thought it was right. but ultimately, what does the future of health care look like in this country? how do we get down costs? how do we increase access? >> david it seems to me there's an interesting dance going on between the republican candidates for president and speaker boehner on the other side. speaker boehner has to govern, he has to be part of the process of compromise. and yet, the republican candidates want to distance themselves. how will that dance play out? and how will they work together to craft a message for the republican party over the next year or so before there's a clear candidate for the republicans? >> that's a very good question, eliot. i think it's going to require some greater discipline than the republicans have shown so far. espec