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Pacquiao Goes to Washington; Wisconsin Teachers and State Workers Protest; Retail Sales Expected to Climb; Short Ecuadorians Resistant to Cancer and Diabetes; Police Attack Protesters in Bahrain; President Obama Courts Technology Innovators in CA; A Look Inside Marine Corps Sniper Training
Aired February 17, 2011 - 10:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Kyra, thanks. Live from studio 7, I'm Suzanne Malveaux. I want to get you caught up to speed on Thursday, February 17th.
Bahrain unleashes a brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters. Police lobbied tear gas and cracked clubs over the heads of sleeping crowds. Tanks and armored personnel vehicles rolled into pearl square. Chaos at Bahrain's main hospital.
Protesters followed victims to the hospital chanting slogans against Bahrain's royal family. Doctors frantically tended to people with head and chest wounds. The government says three people are dead. Some 200 are wounded.
New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof says Saudi forces may have a role in Bahrain today. Now he tweets one Bahrain ambulance driver told me a Saudi army officer held a gun to his head, said he would kill him if he help the injured.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am here because the -- because there are many people dead!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: "New York Times journalist Kristo -- rather, Nicholas Kristof says Saudi forces may have been a role in Bahrain today. Now, he tweets, "One Bahrain ambulance driver told me a Saudi army officer held a gun to his head, said he would kill him if he helped the injured." Tweets from others also point to possible Saudi involvement. Police beat an ABC journalist.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, ABC CORRESPONDENT: No, no, no! Journalist! Journalist! Journalist! No, no! Get back! He said no! (INAUDIBLE) He said no!
I just got beat rather badly by a gang of thugs. I'm now at a marketplace near our hotel, where people are cowering in buildings. I mean, these people are not screwing around. (END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Libyan protesters burned what they say are government buildings. Activists used Facebook to rally anti-government protesters for what they call a "day of rage" today. Unconfirmed reports from social networking sites say police opened fire on crowds from helicopters.
And protests in Yemen are escalating, as well. Governor supporters and opponents brawled in the streets of Sanaa. Police fired warning shots to break up those crowds. There are reports now the unrest has sped to Yemen's main port city, Aden.
And Massachusetts senator Scott Brown says a religious camp counselor sexually abused him when he was just a 10-year-old boy. Brown tells "60 Minutes" he kept the molestation secret for four decades.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, CBS "60 MINUTES")
LESLEY STAHL, CBS NEWS CORRESPONDENT: So you never reported it?
SCOTT: No. My mom will read about it for the first time. My wife is -- has --
STAHL: Didn't even know?
SCOTT: -- read about it. No, no one -- I haven't told anybody. That's what happens when you're a victim. You're embarrassed, you're hurt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And New York mayor Michael Bloomberg will present his 2012 budget at City Hall shortly. A number of reports indicate that the mayor plans to fire 4,000 to 5,000 teachers. Another 1,500 positions would not be filled as teachers quit or retire. The city faces a $2.5 billion deficit.
And teachers are back at the Wisconsin state capitol today, furious over budget cuts. The state senate gets the Republican plan at this hour. The bill guts almost all collective bargaining rights for teachers, as well as other state employees, and teachers would pay a greater share of their pension and health care costs.
That brings us to today's "Talk back." Is this about politics or our children? Our Carol Costello -- she joins us from Washington. And Carol, a lot of people -- they're very angry there, but this is something that we are seeing across the country, state budgets -- how are they going to make cuts and who's going to pay for it.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, and because of all of that, Suzanne, it is getting nasty out there, and it's about to get worse, now that public school teacher unions have become public enemy number one in Wisconsin, in Ohio, in New York and New Jersey. Here's new Jersey's governor, Chris Christie.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: I'm attacking the leadership of the union because they're greedy and they're selfish and self- interested.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Christie's remarks resonated. Many governors say overly generous union contracts are busting state budgets. That's why Wisconsin's governor wants to gut almost all union rights for teachers. He wants to control how much money they earn and make them pay a greater share of pension and health care costs. But union boss Dan Burkhalter says the governor's move is purely political, that Republicans don't like unions and they're using a fiscal crisis to advance their ideological agenda. In the meantime, at least 15 school systems in Wisconsin canceled classes today because teachers called a sick-out.
So the "Talk Back" today -- is the teacher union fight about politics or is it about our children? Sound off on FaceBook.com/carolcnn. FaceBook.com/carolcnn. We'll have your responses later in this hour -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And Carol, I understand some of those teachers are going to be docked from pay, that you know, some might even lose their jobs. We're obviously hoping we're going to speak to somebody from that school system. Give us a sense of what do they do next?
COSTELLO: What do they do next? Well, they called a huge sickout today. Will they do it again tomorrow? I guess it's kind of illegal there to strike, but they can call a sickout, so it's sort of like in that gray area. So you're right, it'll be interesting to see what happens ahead.
MALVEAUX: All right, Carol. Thank you so much.
Well, here's a look at what's ahead on the rundown. We're going to go live to Bahrain. Our Nic Robertson reports from a hospital treating protesters who've been hurt in the police crackdown.
Also, there's this fascinating medical study, severely short people in Ecuador who are resistant to getting diabetes and cancer.
Plus, three men plucked from a rising river in California. We're going to go and show you that rescue.
And his political endorsement -- well, it packs quite a punch. Boxing champ Manny Pacquiao makes the rounds in Washington.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Now it's your turn to "Choose the News." We're going to tell you about three stories, and here's what you do. You vote via text for the one that you want to see in detail in the next hour, and we will air it for you. So here it goes. Here are your choices. The nation's first all-boys public charter high school -- they've got a real reason to brag. It's all of its graduates are college-bound again.
Also, former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham is indulging her passion for fashion, designing a high-end line of clothing for the very rich and, she admits, very thin.
And a woman who survived the Haiti earthquake celebrates her 115th birthday -- that's right, 1-1-5. She shows no signs of slowing down.
So vote by texting 22360. Vote 1 for charter school accomplishment, 2 for Victoria Beckham's fashion line, or 3 for 115 and still going strong. The winning story airs in the next hour.
Now to what some might consider an odd pairing in Washington, if you take a look at this, boxing star Manny Pacquiao and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Well, we're bringing back Carol Costello on this one. And she went along for the ride.
COSTELLO: Have you ever heard of Manny Pacquiao, Suzanne?
MALVEAUX: No.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: A lot of people have not! But he's --
MALVEAUX: Tell me all about him, please. I admit it. I've never heard of him.
COSTELLO: Manny Pacquiao is a really famous boxer, and he knows his way around the boxing ring, but he also knows his way around American politics. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MANNY PACQUIAO, PROFESSIONAL BOXER: OK, welcome to my town.
COSTELLO (voice-over): If you don't know this guy, where have you been? Pound for pound, the Philippines Manny Pacquiao is arguably the greatest boxer in the world. He's rich and famous, worth by some estimates $70 million. And as it turns out, he's quite a force in American politics.
I was invited to ride along with Pacquiao as he made his way to D.C. at the invitation of America's Senate majority leader.
(on camera): So what are you going to do in Washington?
PACQUIAO: To meet Harry Reid, Senator Harry Reid.
COSTELLO: And what will you say to Mr. Reid?
PACQUIAO: Well, just talk about politics.
COSTELLO: Will you offer him advice?
PACQUIAO: Yes.
COSTELLO (voice-over): Actually, this is payback time for Senator Reid. Pacquiao campaigned for Reid when Reid was on the ropes in a tough reelection campaign.
(on camera): There are those who say that you are the reason that Harry Reid won. Are you?
PACQUIAO: I help. I help him a little bit.
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: For me, of course, I was happy that he was there. But I'm kind of like Marlon Brando "On the Waterfront." I could have been a contender, you know? So it was a big shot in the arm for my campaign.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
REID: Sure.
COSTELLO (voice-over): Turns out there are around 80,000 Filipino- Americans who live in Reid's home state of Nevada. Reid won in November by 30,000 votes. Pacquiao's promoter says, You do the math.
(on camera): That's great for Harry Reid, but what does Manny Pacquiao get out of it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, Manny Pacquiao now established a relationship with Harry Reid, and Manny Pacquiao is now a life-long buddy of the Senate majority leader of the United States.
COSTELLO (voice-over): Did I mention Pacquiao was also a congressman in the Philippines? And like the maestro he is in the boxing ring, he maneuvered Harry Reid into something more than a public thank you.
REID: Oh, I forgot to mention that. He is going to the White House. He has a meeting with the president.
COSTELLO: Arranged for Filipino congressman Pacquiao by U.S. Senator Reid. Now, that's a knockout punch!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Pacquiao is so famous, Suzanne, that when he left the White House, he caused a four-car accident because so many people were trying to take pictures of him. And the other interesting tidbit about Manny Pacquiao is his English improves as he likes the question. So while I was asking him questions about politics, he pretended he didn't understand me. But when I asked him about boxing, he responded in perfect English. She's a great politician.
MALVEAUX: He's (INAUDIBLE) a great politician. Now I know exactly who he is (INAUDIBLE)
COSTELLO: He has a fight coming up in May, too -- fight coming up in May on Showtime.
MALVEAUX: So he still boxes?
COSTELLO: Oh!
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: He does it all.
COSTELLO: He does it all, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Unbelievable.
COSTELLO: I'm going to make you watch the fight in May with me on Showtime.
MALVEAUX: OK. I'd like that.
COSTELLO: All right.
MALVEAUX: Thanks, Carol.
Well, imagine setting up camp and bedding down for the night, and you wake up on your very own island. Yes, that's right, this dramatic river rescue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: More than a dozen school systems in Wisconsin are canceled (SIC) classes because of budget protests, and teachers and other workers -- they're angry over plans to require them to pay for their benefits and their pensions. It also strips them of collective bargaining rights. The governor in the state -- he says he has no choice in the matter. But details from Heather Shannon of our affiliate WTMJ tell the full story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEATHER SHANNON, WTMJ CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Thousands of state workers and protesters packed the capitol rotunda and front lawn for the second day to protest the proposed budget repair bill.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- because teachers are already massively underpaid, and stripping away the one thing, the benefits, one of the benefits of teaching, is just incredible. I fear for the future of education in the state of Wisconsin.
SHANNON: More than 900 of the protesters shared their concerns with the joint finance committee. Republicans say their concerns prompted them to make some amendments to the bill.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We heard from members and some of the people who testified during the course of the hearing. They were concerned that the opportunity to grieve things would not be included anymore. We are offering an amendment that's going to change that and put some of those provisions back into the bill. SHANNON: Despite the amendments, the bill still requires state employees to pay some of their pension costs and about 12 percent of their health care costs. And it still prohibits collective bargaining.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're broke. We have to do things differently. And so this puts Wisconsin on a track to get control of our labor costs.
SHANNON: Governor Walker says passing the bill is necessary to balance the state's budget and will prevent thousands of state employee layoffs.
GOV. SCOTT WALKER (R), WISCONSIN: We're (INAUDIBLE) crisis. We've got an economic and fiscal crisis in the state.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Well, the budget battle in Wisconsin -- it's playing out across the country. In Connecticut, for example, the governor proposes a wide range of tax increases to deal with a huge budget shortfall.
So what are we talking about here? The plan would eliminate a $500 property tax credit. It would increase the general sales tax, raise existing taxes on alcohol, tobacco, gasoline. It would add taxes on everything from non-prescription drugs and cosmetic surgery to haircuts and manicures.
We want to take a look at the big picture here. Let's bring our own Christine Romans of our money team. And she has the bottom line on how many states are facing these budget crunches and how they got there.
Christine, it's hard to imagine -- talking about haircuts, manicures, pedicures, people being taxed. This is like everyday folks, just, you know, things you need that are going to be more expensive.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And that's why the cost of you living is going to go up because in your states and in your local municipalities, you're going to be seeing the cost of doing business, of living your life going up simply because so many of these states, Suzanne, have these big budget gaps, 45 states trying to close very big -- very big budget gaps.
And how did they get here? Well, a couple of different ways. I mean, during the bubble, they were spending money and building out programs that now they don't have the money to pay for anymore. A lot of these states were relying on property tax revenue and real estate taxes and transaction taxes that have now completely vaporized. In some cases, they've been using -- they were using money like that to build out their schools.
MALVEAUX: Right.
ROMANS: Now they don't have that money at all and they're really trying to rein in. So you're seeing some really tough choices across the country, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Christine Romans, thank you so much.
I want to get a quick check of our CNNMoney.com's lead story. Take a look at who got high-speed rail money from the federal government. Just log on to see if your state benefits, federal dollars for that program. We also want to take a quick check and take a look at the markets there. It looks like up 8 or so. That's the -- oh, up 9. Quick check, the latest check on the markets. And we'll have more after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Here's a look at what's ahead on the rundown. Hundreds of sharks -- yes, that's right, sharks -- spotted close to shore. We're going to tell you where.
Plus, what happens when a TV anchor zings a reporter about his size? We'll get that.
And Michael Vick cancels on "Oprah." It's one of the stories that's trending right now.
Well, 2011 is proving to be a better year for the economy, and there's another sunny forecast. You will reach for your wallet a lot more this year. We want to figure out what that means. Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange with the details. Alison, is that good or bad news?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know, this is great news. And if you ask the National Retail Federation, Suzanne, we're all expected to go on a $2.5 trillion shopping spree at the mall this year. You know, this projection is up 4 percent from last year. And look at this line I want to show you. If this does, in fact, happen, it would be the biggest jump in five years.
And you know what? It does continue a really positive trend in spending that we've been seeing. Spending actually helped drive economic growth in the last part of last year. In fact, the Federal Reserve has said that if spending stays at this elevated pace, we could wind up seeing a stronger economic recovery. So you know what? Buy a little something for yourself, could help the economy in the long run -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: We've also been hearing a lot about prices rising. How is that going to factor into all of this?
KOSIK: Yes, you know what? Our paychecks aren't growing, but prices are, and that could wind up being a really dangerous combination. What it means is that we would have less buying power out there, and people may wind up honing in on the basics again. And because of that, many companies are really reluctant to go ahead and pass these higher costs that they're experiencing on to us.
But I'll tell you what. Some of these companies really don't have a choice. Get ready for Kellogg's, Kraft, Procter and Gamble -- they say those higher prices are around the bend because their raw material costs are rising. Even if you look at gas prices -- you know, gas prices are sitting within one dollar of a record high.
But still, let's focus a little on the positive here. We do have this strong spending forecast out today. But you know, it is early in the year, and there are a lot of X factors that could really throw a wrench in this forecast. We'll just have to wait and see and keep on spending and see what happens.
MALVEAUX: OK. All right, Alison, thank you so much.
Well, severely short Ecuadorians -- they seem to be resistant to diabetes and cancer. This is a fascinating story. A study with (ph) scientists wondering if there is a connection now between growth hormones and these diseases.
Our CNN senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen -- she has more. Elizabeth, it's good to see you. I mean, this is incredible when you look at the study. What does it -- what does it actually mean?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first, I got to show you a picture of these folks in Ecuador because it really is quite stunning when you see them. So there they are. So this in the back, one of the gentleman in the white shirt back there, is Dr. Jaime Guavara Adire (ph). And he has treated these patients for two decades. You can see they're all very short. And then his team is in the back there.
And so he started noticing, These folks get sick like the rest of us, but they don't seem to get cancer or diabetes. And he started to keep track -- there he is with one of his patients -- and he realized that out of 99 patients who had this short stature, only one of them got cancer. That's a very, very low rate.
There is he again with his patients. So he set out to sort of figure out what was going on here. And what he thinks is happening is that they have a genetic mutation -- you can actually see it when you do DNA studies -- that has kept them short, and it also changes the way they produce and treat insulin in their bodies. So they deal with insulin very different than you or I would, and he thinks that that's the reason why they have such low rates of cancer and diabetes.
MALVEAUX: That's great news for them. What does that mean for the rest of us?
COHEN: It doesn't mean anything right now for the rest of us, but what they're hoping to do is to study these folks to look at exactly what their bodies do with insulin, and maybe there would be a drug that kind of does what their gene does -- hopefully, wouldn't make people short, as well, but that maybe could train our bodies to deal with insulin the way they do because they seem to have it down pat. They're doing that very well.
You know, of course, this would be years and years and years, if not decades in the making. But it is an intriguing theory. Can we make our bodies to be like theirs as far as insulin goes? MALVEAUX: Wow. Amazing. Thank you so much, Elizabeth.
COHEN: Thank you.
MALVEAUX: Well, remember the summer of the sharks? I know I do. Well, the waters -- they're warming up again. And see this guy? Well, he's got a lot of company. Wait until you see how many were sighted off a Florida beach.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Peaceful protests have been met now with deadly force in Bahrain. It is one of the latest flashpoints in the reform movement that's rocking the Arab world. Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson -- he reports from this tiny but strategically crucial island nation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Doctors and nurses struggle to save lives. It's 5:00 AM in one of Bahrain's principal hospitals. The emergency room is overflowing, victims of a violent confrontation with police. According to medical workers, hundreds wounded as police cracked down on peaceful protesters sleeping out at a makeshift protest camp in the center of the city.
This 15-year-old boy with buckshot wounds to his abdomen and arms tells me he was asleep when the police attacked around 3:00 AM. Friends carried him to the hospital, he says. Another older man describes how he was awakened by tear gas being fired, explains where a canister of gas hit him high on his thighs.
Outside the emergency room, on the hospital forecourt, angry protesters chant, "The people want to bring down the regime."
Barely two hours earlier, more than 1,000 armed police in a carefully coordinated operation swarmed the protest camp. Until then, it had been peaceful. Families, tents, food, a festive spirit, protest placards being prepared, a defiant stand against the ruling regime being mounted.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Bahrain, we need freedom.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson joins us from phone -- by phone, rather, from Bahrain.
Nic, for the most part, these protests have been peaceful. Today we've seen a clear shift. Why?
ROBERTSON (via telephone): The government is treating this as a law and order security situation, and they're tackling it as such. That is, they have now removed the protesters, they've set up a cordon so that the protesters can't get back in there, and it's a clear signal that's being sent that protests, even peaceful protests, even won't be tolerated.
They fear what they have seen in other parts of the Middle East. They see these protestors as being small and not significant, and they're struggling at the moment to catch up with the implications of their actions -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And, Nic, do you get a sense this is going to squash the protests or are people reorganized, this is galvanizing their movement?
ROBERTSON: It's a very fluid situation, there are a lot of dynamic elements to it. Last night, the protesters we talked to last night were absolutely incensed by what they really perceived as a violent action against the peaceful protests against them.
They said the king (ph) had apologized for the deaths of two protestors earlier in the week, but then here is the action that he follows through with, actions that led to the death and injuries of others. So that's made them angry, and that's -- they -- last night they were saying that they'll continue.
But the government appears to have a very strong hand to play here. It is a small island, a relatively small island, a relatively small population. They have a military and a police force that are prepared to do their bidding. This is not a conscript army. The police force, many of them or at least a significant number of them are recruited from other countries, and they have less at stake in standing up to the population that we're seeing in other countries. So the government has a very strong hand.
Right now, the Gulf Cooperation Council is meeting the foreign ministers here in Bahrain in emergency session. It is going to be very telling, the communicate that they issue afterwards -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And, Nic, explain to us what it is that they're looking for, what do they hope to accomplish. Why are they demonstrating? Why are they protesting? It's a different situation there.
ROBERTSON: It is, it's very different from Egypt. These are long- held grievances, the majority of the population here are Shia Muslims, 70 percent. The rulers are from an elite ruling family, a Sunni Muslim family.
Mostly, the Sunnis and Shias in the population get on just fine. But the Shia community, the majority, feels that their rights and aspirations aren't being properly met by this ruling -- ruling royal family that has top ministers. They want better jobs. They want to see access to the security forces, the right to be able to buy properties elsewhere in the country. They feel that the government is bringing in Sunnis from other parts of the Arab world and increasing the Sunni population to the disadvantage of the Shias.
So it is a sectarian disagreement at its basic level that's been going on since this small island archipelago had its independence some 40 years or so ago, and right now it's responding to the situations going on in the Middle East. The people feel braver about making a stand and that's what's happening right now, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Nic, thank you so much. (INAUDIBLE) keep a close eye on the latest hot spot there in the Middle East.
Well, a reminder now to your chance, "Choose the News." You vote by texting 22360, and you vote 1 for charter school accomplishment, vote 2 for Victoria Beckham's new high-end line of clothing, or vote 3 for -- this is -- well, this is an amazing story -- 115-year-old woman who shows no signs of slowing down. The winning story airs in the next hour, so please text.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: It's time to go cross country for stories CNN affiliates are covering.
First stop, Phoenix, where Douglas Gravagna was told last fall that the state would not cover his life-saving heart transplant. Well, two weeks later the decision was reversed, but he never got word.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUGLAS GRAVAGNA, HEART TRANSPLANT PATIENT: I live each day day-to- day, not knowing if I'm going to wake up. Do I need to worry about the fact that I'm approved or not approved? I don't believe so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: A state spokeswoman sent Gravagna a letter apologizing.
Now to Long Beach, California. Three homeless men camping along the banks of the L.A. River woke up surrounded by frigid, rushing water. They were res skied by Long Beach firefighters and they're just fine.
In Mobile County, Alabama, a bizarre accident. A deer ran through a school parking lot, slammed through the back window of an SUV and struck a baby.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DARREN KIDD, SAW DEER SLAM INTO CAR: The deer come around like so. I caught it, watched it come around in the mirror. And it come flying through, hit right here of the head -- I'm thinking the head hit right here cause this was dented in and this right here was dented in -- and went through the window and in on a baby.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Well, we understand that the baby is OK, just a bump on the head, and the deer was killed on impact.
A South Dakota senator fires back at calls for a truce on social issues. Our Ed Henry, part of "The Best Political Team on Television," live from the White House.
Ed, what are you up to? How are you doing? ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good to see you again, Suzanne.
It's interesting, John Thune as you were talking about, South Dakota Republican, mulling a presidential bid, he's sort of mixing it up with a potential rival in the Republican presidential primary field, Mitch Daniels, the Indiana governor, who as you noted, suggested last week that maybe there should be some sort of a temporary truce on social issues because of the economic crisis. That could suit Mitch Daniels because he's the former Bush budget director known much better for economic issues than he is social issues.
John Thune telling the Christian Broadcasting Network he thinks that's a bad idea and the eventual Republican nominee has to be someone who has the enthusiastic support of Republicans who care deeply about social issues.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump also taking a look at whether he might run in 2012. There is a new movement "Draft Trump 2012" movement that's popped up now by an Iraq war veteran in Missouri. This comes as political analysts are weighing whether or not Trump has sort of been flip-flopping in recent interviews. He is stressing his opposition to abortion, same-sex marriage. This from somebody who has been a Republican, an Independent, a Democrat and now an Independent again; has changed his party affiliation a few times.
He has got to make a decision probably by June the reason being that's when the new season of "The Apprentice" kicks off. Interesting because he can't sort of star in that and not have to -- you know, also deal with the equal time issues if he's running for president.
I think he might want to run, just so he could try to say in President Obama in a debate, "You're fired" -- Suzanne.
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: You're fired.
HENRY: I think he's just issued to do that.
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: OK, we'll see.
And I understand that President Obama is heading to Silicon Valley. Who is he meeting with?
HENRY: Well, he's going to have a dinner tonight with some tech executives. And you know, if the president had a Facebook account, a personal Facebook account, he'd probably be friending these folks from long distance, but instead he's going to do it in person.
He's flying out to San Francisco. It's going to include Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook cofounder; Steve Jobs from Apple; Eric Schmidt from Google; other tech executives. White House aides say this is part of that innovation agenda he talked about in the State of the Union. But, of course, we can't forget this is really the first high profile meeting we've heard about Steve Jobs with the president or any of his competitors since he announced late last month he was taking a medical leave of absence, battling an illness. He hasn't disclosed a lot of details about that, so a lot of people are going to be watching that meeting tonight very closely, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right, we all will. Thank you, Ed, appreciate it.
HENRY: Good to see you.
MALVEAUX: Good to see you.
Well teachers are staging a showdown. Jobs and pensions on the chopping block. So here's your chance to talk back. Is the fight about politics or our children? Your responses straight ahead.
Plus, a deeply personal reservation. A senator says he was sexually abused as a child. He is our "Most Intriguing Person of the Day."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: He shook the political establishment when he took over the Senate seat for the late Ted Kennedy. All eyes are on him again. Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts. He tells "60 Minutes" he was sexually abused by a camp counselor when he was a child.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, CBS "60 MINUTES")
LESLEY STAHL, CBS NEWS CORRESPONDENT: You tell us that you were actually sexually abused more than once?
SEN. SCOTT BROWN (R), MASSACHUSETTS: Yep. Fortunately, nothing was ever fully consummated, so to speak, but it was certainly, back then, very traumatic.
He said, if you tell anybody, I'll kill you. I will make sure that no one believes you. That's the biggest thing, when people find people like me at that young, vulnerable age, who are basically lost, the thing that they have over you is they make you believe that no one will believe you. You know, you can't --
STAHL: So you never reported it?
SCOTT: No. My mom will read about it for the first time. My wife is -- has --
STAHL: Didn't even know?
SCOTT: -- read about it. No, no one -- I haven't told anybody. That's what happens when you're a victim. You're embarrassed, you're hurt.
(END VIDEO CLIP) MALVEAUX: Brown's memoir "Against All Odds" hits the bookstores next week.
Well, veteran actor Len Lesser died on Wednesday after complications from pneumonia. Now, you may remember him as the loud, bald Uncle Leo on "Seinfeld." Who could forget the famous greeting.
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MALVEAUX: Hello. Loyal fans are sounding off on twitter.
Jeff says, "I must admit, I smile thinking of the image of Uncle Leo arriving at the pearly gates and exclaiming, hello!"
And Rob says, "Thanks for the laughs."
Also trending online, Michael Vick says no to Oprah. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback was supposed to appear on "Oprah" next Thursday. His representatives contacted the show Tuesday night, said he had to pull out for personal and professional reasons.
And check this out. LeBron James assists his own basket. Watch. There, LeBron throws the ball off the backboard and finishes off the play. Miami beat the Indiana Pacers 110-103.
Well, across the country, states are scrambling to find solutions for their budgets that quite frankly are in crisis. In Wisconsin, at least 15 school systems cancelled classes today. Teachers, other public employees, they're at the state Capitol protesting the budget repair bill, which brings us to today's Talk Back.
Carol Costello has your responses.
Carol, a lot of people weighing in on this because it affects people across the country, every state impacted by the shortfalls.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You never know where it's going to happen next. Will teachers call a sick out in, what, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, who knows? Just like they did in Wisconsin.
The Republican governor there in Wisconsin does not want to renegotiate teacher contracts. He wants to gut the union by stripping it of collective bargaining. The teachers' union says this is more about busting the union than balancing the budget, hence the sick out today. In the meantime, 15 school systems in Wisconsin had to cancel classes today because of that sickout.
So, Talk Back. Is the teacher/union fight more about politics than children? You can sound of on my Facebook page, facebook.com/carolCNN.
I already got some comments.
This from Madge. She says, "We as a society say that we love children and our children are number one. In reality, we don't care at all. We let greedy politicians get raises while teachers and support staff suffer."
This from Riley. He says, "It's about teachers' unions using the holy grail of all political issues, our children, for monetary and political gain."
And this from Carla. She says, "The children of today will be running things in a few years. If we don't invest in them, we are not only letting our kids down, but ourselves down as well.
As I said, keep those comments coming. Facebook.com/carolCNN -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And Carol, it's really a fascinating case when you look at Wisconsin there because you look at the governor who says, look, it means layoffs and furloughs if we don't actually make these kinds of cuts and take away the bargaining power. And then you've got the teachers who say, look, that's busting the unions. We should have the right to be able to bargain and negotiate.
It is a tough case when you look at that. And who's caught in the middle? Kids are out of school, you've got classes that have been cancelled, schools shut down. A lot of people looking at Wisconsin, in particular.
COSTELLO: In Ohio, they're trying to do exactly the same thing. The governor there wants to take away collective bargaining rights for teachers' unions and public employees. So the very same thing could happen in Ohio. That bill is in the state legislature there.
In New York today, Mayor Bloomberg is talking about laying off 4,000- plus teachers. But one of the reasons he's thinking about doing that is he wants to take some of the things that are in the teachers' contracts away and he's using these layoffs as a bargaining tool.
So, you see, it could happen in many more places than just Wisconsin. And, you're right. The kids are caught in the middle because a lot of kids in Wisconsin are out of school today.
MALVEAUX: Right. Second day. We'll wait to see what happens later on in the week and whether or not they actually can agree on something before Monday, but I understand the process is rolling through fairly quickly, getting through the legislator. So we'll have to see how that all unfolds.
Thank you so much, Carol.
COSTELLO: Sure.
MALVEAUX: Marine Corps snipers, they're some of the best in the business. They're capable of hitting a target for more than a half mile away. But even they find that there's a mountain course that is quite a challenge.
Our CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr, she went to Bridgeport, California, to learn how tough it is. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (on camera): We've come nearly 9,000 feet into the Sierra Nevadas to join these Marines on the most elite training the military conducts. For these snipers it's all about one shot, one kill.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The open door to the rear and person crouching down behind it. Distance 560 meters.
STARR (voice-over): It's freezing, rugged terrain. The Marines keep watch from hidden positions. They are dug deep into the snow.
The men are already qualified snipers but in this advanced training, they learn to operate in some of the worst conditions. Senior snipers are nearby.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How was your movement up here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not too bad.
STARR: It's a climb to the top that takes hours.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What time did you get in last night?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About 2:00.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 02.
How long did it take to dig your --?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three or four hours.
STARR: Sniper operations in steep mountains are especially tough. The Marines learn to stay hidden and shoot at steep angles accounting for wind and weather.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The objective, about 500 meters down the slope.
STARR: One of the snipers will only tell us his name is Chris. He shows around their fortification.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Off to my right we have our observation post where we have eyes on with the sniper spotter down at the objective at the bottom of the valley. We have a trench set up here on my left.
STARR: As Chris walks us through the position, it becomes clear how very real this training is. Many of these Marines will head to Afghanistan in the coming weeks, using what they have learned here to fight the Taliban with the ultimate skill taught by men like Gunnery Sergeant David Williams.
(on camera): For a Marine Corps sniper, how far does he have to be able to shoot and kill?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A thousand yards.
STARR: Which is? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Which is 10 football fields roughly.
STARR: If you want to understand how tough the mountain sniper course here really is, consider this. About 25 percent of the Marines who come here wash out.
Barbara Starr, CNN, Bridgeport, California. (END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Warning to stay out of the water, unless you want to take a swim with the sharks. That is right. Wait until you see how many of them were seen lurking near a Florida beach.
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MALVEAUX: It is time for your Guilty Pleasure, stories that are hard to resist.
A news photographer spotted hundreds of sharks just off the coast of Boca Raton, Florida. Now you can see the shadows through the water. One group was just 50 yards from shore.
And they are calling it taco-palooza. Emery University's dining hall staff built what they hope will be the world's longest line of tacos. No word yet from Guinness. The idea was to advertise. A third of their food comes from sustainable sources. What that means is using methods that don't deplete the fish populations, including the fish in those tacos.
Well, a news anchor zings a reporter about his size and we don't mean stature. Yes, that's right. We got that from Jeanne Moos going on anchors behaving badly.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's February, the month for sending hearts and flowers, unless you're a TV anchor, in which case it's the month to belittle the guy sitting next to you at the news desk.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What have I done?
MOOS: She did it to the sports guy for Australia's Network 10.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Proudly showing off a little urn.
MOOS: Mark Aston (ph) was talking about a miniature sports trophy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Belinda, I can't understand how something so small can be so impressive.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, Mark, you would know about that. Thank you very much. Weather's next with Jane Riley (ph).
MOOS: Many folks assumed the worst, those have issues. But when the sports reporter tweeted his small willy response, he linked to his blog where he posted the video and noted just for the record, Belinda and I get on fine.
Meanwhile, Belinda Hagan went on Nova radio and assured folks, Mark's always the one making jokes but this time --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He just set it up and I -- I didn't even think. I just had to lob it back.
MOOS: And speaking of lobbing, watch the snippy remarks back and lobbed forth on Valentine's Day on "Good Day New York," between the medical correspondent and the anchor who doesn't seem to think energy drinks and soda are as bad as the doctor suggests.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Depending on how much caffeine is in there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're all right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to move on. You just decide what -- you say what you want to say.
There was a really great event --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At equinox.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let me know when you're done. You're done?
MOOS: But those were love taps compared to another encounter on the very same show years earlier.
(on camera): It was a classic case of on air hostility, the standard against which all subsequent talent testiness will be judged.
(voice-over): The segment was titled landlord versus tenants and turned into anchorman versus reporter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So what do you want now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, if I have to teach you how to be a reporter, Oli (ph), I'll do that later.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why don't you do that later, Jim.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll give you some lessons on how to be a reporter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll give you some lessons on how to be an editor because I was your boss once.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. You were and are no longer. How did that happen?
MOOS: It so happens the cat fight was so memorable that just the other day "Saturday Night Live" reprised it all these years later.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not taking reporter lessons from a can of hairspray.
MOOS: This just in, Anchor Rancor. Jeanne Moos.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something so small can be so impressive.
MOOS: CNN.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, Mark, you would know about that.
MOOS: New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Well, Hollywood seems to have a troubled actor who can't stay out of the spotlight. Case in point, today's Punchline.
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