Leonard Bernstein: ‘charismatic, pompous - and a great father' His daughter Nina tells Ginny Dougary about the joys and traumas of life with one of music’s greats

   CNBC's audience falls 28% in last 12 months.   CNBC's Jim Cramer           

  Former Scientology members tell of group's efforts to track them downFlorida newspaper exposé reveals allegations of campaign to gather information on high-level defectorsDavid Miscavige, leader of the Church of Scientology. Photograph: Luke MacGregor/Reuters In the latest chapter of an extraordinary exposé of the Church of Scientology, the St Petersburg Times has described the group's strenuous efforts to track down and bring back members who try to leave.Former Scientology members have told the Florida newspaper of being pursued and detained, cut off from family and friends and subjected to months of interrogation, humiliation and manual labour. What is particularly damaging is that these allegations come from former high-ranking Scientology officials who allegedly coordinated the intelligence gathering and supervised the retrieval of staff at the behest of the church's leader, David Miscavige.The latest instalment of the series – What Happened in Vegas – includes detailed allegations of a campaign to gather information on a group of high-level defectors.According to the paper, two couples and a man who left in 1990 to set up a mortgage business in Las Vegas were infiltrated by a mole who would send reports on the group to the church's office of special affairs' (OSA) intelligence unit back in Hollywood.The church's alleged interest in the group's activities had to do with the two women, who were sisters. Terri and Janis Gillham were two of the original four "messengers" for L Ron Hubbard, the pulp novelist who founded Scientology. As his messengers they fetched people for private audiences and carried his handwritten notes – bulletins in red ink and policy orders in green.For the story, the St Peterburg Times interviewed high-ranking defectors, including Mike Rinder, the former director of OSA, and Marty Rathbun, the former inspector general of the Religious Technology Centre, the church's top ecclesiastical authority. A Scientology spokesman "categorically denied" that Miscavige knew about or was involved in the pursuit of runaways or spying on former members.The Church of Scientology has been battered by negative publicity in the last few days. Last week one of the most high-profile members, Hollywood film-maker Paul Haggis, quit the organisation in protest at its stance on same-sex marriages. In an explosive letter of resignation, Haggis claimed he could no longer "be a member of an organisation where gay-bashing is tolerated".On this side of the Atlantic two flagship branches of the church in France were ordered to pay fines of over €600,000 (£550,000) after being convicted of "fraud in an organised gang" by a court in Paris. The latest piece from the St Petersburg Times just piles on the bad publicity for the church founded by Hubbard in 1952.   

   Fiscal Conservatism and the Soul of the GOP      
California needs a strong leader, says Texas governor Rick Perry. That strong leader, Mr. Perry thinks, needs to go to Sacramento and "take special interests out" of government. He needs to "make massive cuts" in spending and taxes. And he needs "to make major changes in the constitution," including tort reform. What about Arnold Schwarzenegger? "Arnold—I think Arnold squandered that chance."           

  Once Spilled, Charlie Weis Can't Remove Carroll StainJohn Walters John Walters is a College Football Writer for FanHouse  SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- In coaching jargon, Charlie Weis used to define the term "explosives" as any pass play that went for 20 or more yards and any rushing play that went for 10 or more yards. The recently dismissed Notre Dame football coach redefined that term on Saturday when he dropped this bombshell of sorts during an exit interview with five hand-picked media members.

Q: Is it frustrating to Pete Carroll, for example, portrayed in one way...

CW: Let me ask you this question: You guys know about things that go on in different places. Was I living with a grad student in Malibu, or was I living with my wife in my house? You could bet that if I were living with a grad student here in South Bend, it would be national news. He's doing it in Malibu and it's not national news. What's the difference? I don't understand. Why is it okay for one guy to do things like that, but for for me, I'm scrutinized when I swear. I'm sorry for swearing; absolve my sins."

A few points:

1. For what it's worth, Pete Carroll does not own any property in Malibu, at least not under his name. Carroll owns one home each in the neighboring beachside communities of Rolling Hills, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach, Calif. It may be a triviality, but should Carroll choose to sue Weis for slander, such a factual error would only further erode Weis' credibility. Carroll, who was apprised of the accusation by Trojan sports information director Tim Tessalone, responded, "It's untrue. It's irresponsible."

2. On Saturday, Weis invited five members of the media to the Hannah and Friends Farm, the special needs facility just a few miles north of campus that Weis and his wife, Maura, worked so hard these past five years to make a reality. The five invitees were Jeff Jeffers of WNDU-TV, Tim Prister of Irish Illustrated, Eric Hansen of the South Bend Tribune, Mike Frank of Irish Sports Daily and Ryan O'Leary of Blue and Gold.

Weis told them, "I believe that you guys now, you five guys care about Notre Dame ... You do not wish ill will on Notre Dame. I don't believe that's the case with everyone."

******
A few points on that:

1. This was an 80- to 90-minute roundtable. All comments made by Weis were heard by everyone assembled, and yet only Prister included them in his piece. Why did the other four media members at this session not run this comment?

2. Prister is a Notre Dame alumnus, has a son who is a student, and has been covering Fighting Irish football dating back to the days of Gerry Faust. There is no one on the beat…