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Gadhafi Bombs Own People; Help Wanted Signs & Pink Slips; Wildfires Still Burning in Central Florida; Talk Back Question; The Fish Butcher; CNN Challenge; Puppy Survives Euthanasia

Aired March 03, 2011 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour, I'm Suzanne Malveaux. I want to get you up to speed now.

Moammar Gadhafi sent fighter jets to bomb two towns in Eastern Libya.

(VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: The port city is Brega, it is home to Libya's second largest oil facility. Gadhafi fighters tried to retake that town yesterday, but rebels pushed them back into the desert.

The international criminal court says -- at the Hague says it is already investigating Gadhafi and his inner circle for alleged war crimes. Civilians in Tripoli say they are targets for Gadhafi's forces; that is a violation of international law.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The city is trapped by all forces, by mercenaries, by the battalions of Khamis, his son, by the battalion of Gadhafi. We are all trapped, and there are snipers everywhere. And they just shoot randomly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Egyptian officials say that former president Hosni Mubarak will return to Cairo next week to answer corruption charges. He is believed to be secluded now at his home in the Red Sea resort, Sharm el-Sheikh.

And a German official says that the Frankfurt airport shooting suspect deliberately targeted American troops. The official calls the man a recently radicalized Muslim. Police say that the young suspect from Kosovo opened fire on an airport shuttle, killing two U.S. airmen.

And the soldier accused of giving secret government files to WikiLeaks is facing new charges today. Twenty-two of them, to be exact. One charge, aiding the enemy, could mean the death penalty for Private Bradley Manning if the military court convicts him.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon is at the White House right now for talks with President Obama. The two leaders are going to hold a news conference at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, 10:00 a.m. Pacific, and you can see it live here on CNN.

Now that President Obama has signed a bill averting a government shutdown Friday, he has sent Vice President Joe Biden to Capitol Hill to work out a budget for the rest of the fiscal year. Republicans want to cut $61 billion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: No more! No more! No more!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Rhode Island teachers are ranting over termination letters. The school board fired all 2,000 Providence teachers last week. Most will be called back. The exact number of layoffs are going to be determined after the budget for the next term is finalized.

And Wisconsin's 14 wayward state Senate Democrats are going to have to pay for their disappearing act. They left the state to block a vote to cut most public union bargaining rights. Well, now Wisconsin's Senate Republicans have approved a $100 a day fine on each Democrat until they return.

Want to get now to more details on our lead story, Libya's Moammar Gadhafi's bombing his own people.

Our CNN senior international correspondent, Ben Wedeman, he joins us by phone from outside Brega. That is the area that is under attack.

And Ben, you and I talked about this yesterday. You described the scenario about what had taken place. That was just the beginning.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that was the beginning. It does appear though that the area around Brega has been Ajdabiya has been relatively quiet, Suzanne.

There were morning air raids on both Brega and Ajdabiya, but since then, the situation seems to have calmed down. We were at the main checkpoint outside the refinery in Brega, and there are a lot more opposition forces there.

They've been much better organized. They now have a lot of anti- tank weapons, anti-aircraft weaponry, including shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles. Many more soldiers -- or, rather, volunteer fighters than we've seen before.

And now they're talking about moving ahead their next target, if they advance on the road to Tripoli. It is the town of Raslanuf (ph), where there's another major refinery. They want to take that town before moving on to Sirt, which is sort of halfway between Benghazi and Tripoli, and also significantly the hometown of Moammar Gadhafi -- Suzanne. MALVEAUX: And Ben, you had described yesterday about people being shocked and then angry that they were being attacked from the air. What is your sense of what people are feeling now? Are they afraid? Are they determined?

WEDEMAN: Well, they're still very wary of whatever flies around in the sky. Nerves are very on edge in Brega, but there is a feeling that they achieved a major victory today by being able to stop (ph) Gadhafi's forces from the town.

And my feeling was that they want to maintain that momentum and start moving forward. But their main concern at the moment is, of course, the possibility of more air attacks by the Libyan air force. Many of them saying that what they'd like to see is this much-talked- about no-fly zone which would deny the Libyan air force the ability to, at the moment, strike at will -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Ben, thank you. We know that's a complicated scenario, the idea of the potential of a no-fly zone. Ben, thank you.

Well, it's your turn to "Talk Back." The clock ticking on the NFL labor dispute. The collective bargaining agreement between players and owners, it expires in just a few hours. If no deal is reached, next season could be canceled.

Our Carol Costello.

You know, I know this is dear to your heart.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is. I feel the pain right now if the NFL season is canceled next year.

MALVEAUX: What are people -- what's the question?

COSTELLO: Well, let me get into my schpiel, shall we?

Want to see a nasty union fight? It's not in Wisconsin or Ohio. It's between the lines, between the millionaires and the billionaires of the National Football League.

With a midnight deadline looming, the players and owners are still far apart on a collective bargaining agreement. The sticking point, how to share the profits in a multibillion-dollar industry.

Right now, the NFL takes in about $9 billion. Owners take $1 billion off the top, and then they split the remaining $8 billion 60/40, in favor of the players.

The owners say, hey, we can't afford that anymore. We want $2 billion off the top. And no more multimillion-dollar long-term contracts for rookies, either.

The players union says phooey, and it says one more thing -- we don't want to play 18 games. You have to admit, this drama speaks what's going down in the heartland, especially in dollars.

The average salary for a Wisconsin teacher, about $50,000. Average salary for an NFL player, $1.1 million.

So, "Talk Back." Would you care if there an NFL lockout?

Facebook.com/CarolCNN. And I'll read your comments later this hour.

MALVEAUX: Did they really say "phooey," Carol, or did you make that one up?

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: Can you see one of those big, giant men saying, "Oh, phooey"?

MALVEAUX: Phooey. I don't think so.

I am so curious about what people have to say because I know you're a huge fan. A lot of people are. So --

COSTELLO: A lot of people. But I think it boils down to this, because some of that cost of these labor negotiations is being passed on to the consumer.

MALVEAUX: Right.

COSTELLO: To go to a Jets game, the cheapest ticket you can get is 95 bucks. That's crazy.

MALVEAUX: OK. So would you pay 95 bucks or would you decide, you know what, I give up on this, as much as I love it?

COSTELLO: A lot of people do. Well, if the players are locked out, maybe people will get mad at the NFL players and then boycott the game for a while like they did with the baseball strike. But who knows?

MALVEAUX: Would they come back? You'd come back. Wouldn't you come back, Carol?

COSTELLO: Yes. I finally came back to baseball.

MALVEAUX: You'd come back.

COSTELLO: I know. I'm such a -- I'm weak.

MALVEAUX: You love those guys.

COSTELLO: I do.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure.

MALVEAUX: Here's a look at what's ahead "On the Rundown."

Two very different views on the job market. Also, weighing a U.S. military role in Libya.

And a closer look at abuse of the elderly after Mickey Rooney's emotional testimony.

Also, on a lighter note, we're going to meet the fish butcher. That, in our Eatocracy segment.

And finally, our own Chad Myers, he is going to take the CNN Challenge. Will he walk away with the highest score? We're going to take a look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

MALVEAUX: And will employers be hanging out those "Help Wanted" signs or handing out the pink slips. It depends on who you talk to.

Our Christine Romans of our Money team, she's here with some very different views about the job market.

Christine, I guess it starts with who you actually talk to. And we heard from the Fed chair today, right?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: That's right. You know, I'll tell you what this means.

What it shows you is conflicting information, Suzanne, about what's happening in the jobs market. It shows you that it's very hard to get a grasp on where things stand.

I can tell you that the unemployment jobless claims, first-time jobless claims, fell to a three-year low. So that's very, very good news. But the Fed chief, he's been asked about the economy, he's been asked about jobs creation and budget cuts in particular.

If Republicans get their way and cut the budget by some $60 billion, what would that mean for jobs? This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN BERNANKE, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: It would reduce growth, but we think it's -- given the size, it's more in the couple -- one to two-tenths in the first year, another tenth in the next year, something in that order of magnitude. And that would translate into a couple hundred thousand jobs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: A couple of hundred thousand of jobs, so showing you the economy is still at a kind of critical juncture here.

What is the state of the jobs market? Well, we're going to know for sure tomorrow with the big jobs report that comes out. Here's what analysts and economists on average are expecting. They're expecting maybe 217,000 jobs added in February. That's with the private sector probably added. Economists predict 190,000 jobs overall, and a 9.2 percent unemployment rate.

You know we've been closely watching that ADP report. That's the one on the left, the 217,000 jobs the private sector added. We want to know if there are private sector jobs growing and not just government jobs. And, in fact, you're probably going to see government jobs cut because of all those state budget cuts, quite frankly.

And then in terms of pink slip predictions, another report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas found the highest total since March, 2010, of pink slip predictions, too. So it might very well be that right now, employers are still pretty nervous, Suzanne. And that's, I think, the consensus.

MALVEAUX: All right.

Christine Romans.

Thank you so much, Christine.

Well, should the U.S. get involved in the Libyan conflict? Military leaders are speaking their minds about a possible U.S. role in another war.

But first, "Fortune" magazine put out its annual list of most admired companies. Now, here's a look at number five, Procter & Gamble. Number four, Southwest Airlines. Berkshire Hathaway comes in at number three.

Number two, number one, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Now for the rest of "Fortune" magazine's annual list of most admired companies.

We told you number five through three: Procter & Gamble, Southwest Airlines, and Berkshire Hathaway. At number two, Google. And topping the list for the fourth year, Apple.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Time now for "The Help Desk," where we get answers to your financial questions.

With me right now, Ryan Mack is the president of Optimum Capital Management. And Doug Flynn, he's a certified financial planner and founder of Flynn Zito.

Thank you, gentlemen, for being here.

First question is from Vince in West Virginia, who writes, "Should I pay a fee to check my credit score online? Is this information that the bank will freely share with me when applying for a loan?"

What's the answer, Ryan?

RYAN MACK, PRESIDENT, OPTIMUM CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: Well, obviously, yes. I mean, well, you don't have to pay the fee. You can get your FICO score for free. But, I mean, getting the FICO score at the time of getting the loan is almost like putting your seat belt on after the car has crashed. You know?

So we want to do these things previously. And you can go to FreeCreditScore.com, and they have a seven-day trial waiting period, where if you can actually get your FICO score and cancel before that seven days is up, then you can actually get it for free. And MyFico.com has a 10-day trial waiting period, where you can do it before you pay that $89.95 annual fee.

So, you can do that. Or you can actually -- many lenders, as they're getting applications, are sending out free FICO scores. So, these are different ways you can get it, but definitely do it before the process starts.

ELAM: All right. The next question comes from Carrie in California, who writes, "Is my husband of eight months entitled to half of my 401(k)? He did not bring any assets into the marriage."

Hopefully the marriage is doing better than it sounds like it's doing, Doug.

DOUG FLYNN, FOUNDER, FLYNN ZITO: Yes. Well, she's in a community property state, and there are 10 of those in the United States. You need to know if you're in one.

But generally, no matter what, assets that you brought in prior are treated separately than assets you acquired during the marriage. It would be unlikely. But ultimately, it's up to the individual court. So you need to get with an attorney and really find out for your situation how that works.

ELAM: How it works. All right.

Well, good information, guys. Thanks so much for helping us out.

And if you have a question you want to get answered, hey, let us know. Send us an e-mail any time to CNNHelpDesk@CNN.com.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: We're going to go to a story that is happening out of Brevard County, Florida, where wildfires have been raging. And we are just seeing some signs that they are trying to contain this, but it is still a growing problem there in Brevard County, Florida.

I want to bring in our Chad Myers.

And Chad, you take a look at those live pictures of them trying to contain that, put out that fire, what are they dealing with? CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, they're dropping water from helicopters. About 130 men and women on the ground putting it out, as well. We have our helicopter shot from FTV (ph), and they're kind of flying away to a different position.

Let's just go to some tape that they just shot and just sent us.

The smoke is again back across I-95. But at least at this point, unlike yesterday, where they shut down 21 miles of I-95, it is still open at this point.

And there is smoke, although what we're expecting for the rest of the day is for the wind to pick up. And when the wind picks up, it's like taking a -- do you remember the old bellows that the blacksmiths used to use when you were as a kid and you went to a blacksmith shop, or you went to Sturbridge Village or something up across -- and they would blow this wind into the fire, and the fire gets increasingly more intense.

And when the wind comes across the plains again today, the flames will fire up, the smoke will fire up, and these fires are in the exact same spot that they were yesterday. And we could easily see I-95 shut down here at any time. As soon as that smoke gets too thick, highway patrol is going to say that's it, it's over, it's going to be shut down for the day.

So we'll see.

MALVEAUX: Chad, do we have any sense of how much of this fire has been contained? Anywhere from -- 25 percent is the last that I read. But, I mean, what's --

MYERS: Yes, the number is still 25 percent. And that's a hard number to get your mind around when you have 17,000 acres of fire.

So you don't just have a circle that's a mile around, and you go, OK, we've got -- from 12:00 to 3:00, we've got that shut off. That's good. We're done. Now we just have to fight this part of the fire.

No. We have hot spots all over the place. So 25 percent containment means that 25 percent of what could be spreading is now out enough that when the wind blows, it's not going to fire up anymore.

But the rest, 75 percent, still, when the wind blows, the fire goes, and the big bellows go again. Then, all of a sudden, all of that, 75 percent of that line, is going to fire up this afternoon.

MALVEAUX: All right. We'll be watching closely. Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

MALVEAUX: Well, a Hollywood legend makes a passionate plea to Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICKEY ROONEY, ACTOR: I'm asking you to stop this elderly abuse. I mean to stop it now. Not tomorrow, not next month, but now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Mickey Rooney's abuse story. Plus, an expert discusses this growing problem in a graying America.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Here's what's ahead "On the Rundown."

Abuse of the elderly. Mickey Rooney speaks out about his experience.

We're going to meet, as well, the fish butcher who works at one of the country's most famous seafood restaurants.

And you can "Talk Back" about the NFL labor dispute.

Well, victims of elder abuse have a new advocate -- Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney. The 90-year-old is pushing Congress to strengthen protections for seniors. He says his stepson abused him physically and financially.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROONEY: For years, I suffered silently. I didn't want to tell anybody. I couldn't muster the courage.

And you have to have courage to -- I needed help. I knew I needed it.

Even when I tried to speak up, I was told to shut up and be quiet -- "You don't know what you're talking about." It seemed that no one -- no one wanted to believe me.

But, ladies and gentlemen, I want you to know that I never gave up. I continued to share my story with others.

I told them about the abuse I and my family have suffered, that I'm now taking. I'm not taking steps to right all the wrongs. I'm now taking steps, ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, to right all the wrongs that were committed against me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Rooney's stepson denies the abuse allegations.

Experts say that elder abuse cuts across all socioeconomic groups, cultures, races.

Marie-Therese Connolly is working to advance elder justice. She's a senior scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center, and she joins us from Washington. Thank you for being with us this afternoon. If you could, give us a sense of whether or not this is a big problem. How common is this, the abuse of the elderly?

MARIE-THERESE CONNOLLY, SENIOR SCHOLAR, WOODROW WILSON CENTER: It's a very common problem. Recent prevalence data from New York, one of the biggest studies ever, shows that about 7.6 percent of older people are victims of abuse, neglect or financial exploitation. And that's only the people who can answer their telephones.

So, that doesn't include people who don't have telephones, who can't answer the phone. Who are scared to speak because there's an abuser there. Or people with dementia. And the numbers relating to people with dementia are really staggering. There was a study last year from the University of California-Irvine that indicated that some 47 percent of people with dementia who are cared for at home by caregivers are victims of abuse or neglect. So, it's really --

MALVEAUX: Why --

CONNOLLY: Go ahead.

MALVEAUX: Why is this happening?

CONNOLLY: Well, I think that we have spent countless billions of dollars trying to extend life so that we live longer. And to deny aging on our anti-aging. But we have not spent the same kind of resources on trying to assure the safety and well-being in old age.

And you know, one of the things that happens in old age is that, unlike younger people, where you have the command performances of either school or work, old age often is accompanied by extreme isolation and then invisibility. And so we lose track sometimes of the most vulnerable older people. And they can be very, very vulnerable, and nobody notices.

MALVEAUX: And you speak of this vulnerability. If your relatives has -- doesn't have the mental capacity to explain or to tell you that they're suffering or being abused, if they have Alzheimer's or dementia, how can you tell if they're being mistreated?

CONNOLLY: Well, there are some -- we know some ways to tell, but we don't know as much as we need to know. So, for example, if you see unexplained bruising or unexplained falls or if someone seems to be in distress, it's very important to listen, even if someone has dementia. And to call either a physician or adult protective services, or 911, or to talk to somebody about it. To get advice.

But we really desperately need more research to detect the problem. Because, for example, we don't know what kinds of fractures are indications of abuse or neglect versus might be just a more benign cause. So, we need research for all kinds of reasons. We need to know --

MALVEAUX: Sure.

CONNOLLY: -- who's at greatest risk. And what are the effective interventions to stop -- to both prevent it and to treat it. MALVEUAX: Clearly, more information needs to be done. More research. Before someone potentially gets into a situation where they may be abused. How do you protect your loved ones? Whether they're receiving care from someone who's coming into the house or whether or not they're at a facility? How do you prevent this from happening?

CONNOLLY: Well, it's -- it's hard to prevent. One of the ways in which you can prevent it is through vigilance and through really staying there and being attentive and making sure that you are -- you're keeping track of what's going on in terms of the care and whatever setting it is. And also, just asking questions. Asking questions of whoever -- of your loved one and to make sure that you're finding out whether they're scared or whether they have any sort of concerns.

MALVEUAX: Marie-Therese Connolly, thank you so much. Obviously, a very disturbing trend that is taking place. And a lot of people who need to watch out for their loved ones. Thank you very much. Appreciate your time.

CONNOLLY: Thank you so much for doing this. It could really help millions of people.

MALVEUAX: Thank you.

Well, a reminder, your chance to "Choose the News." You vote by texting 22360. Vote 1 for dangerous journey home. Vote 2 for race to nowhere. Or 3 for puppy survives euthanasia. The winning story will air later this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Politicians and military leaders are weighing a tough question on Libya. Does the U.S. get involved to protect lives beyond just sanctions and censures? Our Michael Holmes is here. Michael, a lot of Americans very hesitant about getting into another war.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

MALVEAUX: And now we're hearing from military leaders who also seem to be quite hesitant about jumping into this one.

HOLMES: Exactly. We touched on this yesterday. It's worth doing so again today because there are pretty strong opinions forming on Capitol Hill about this. Now, the defense secretary Robert Gates, he spoke very frankly on Capitol Hill about what it means to set up a no-fly zone. And he does seem a little hesitant.

Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT GATES, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: If it's ordered, we can do it. But the reality is -- and people, there's a lot of frankly, loose talk about some of these military options. And let's just call a spade a spade. A no-fly zone begins with an attack on Libya. To destroy the air defenses. That's the way you do a no-fly zone. And then you can -- and then you can fly planes around the country, and not worry about our guys being shot down. But that's the way it starts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not endorsing it --

GATES: No, I understand. But it also requires more airplanes than you would find on a single aircraft carrier. So, it is a big operation in a big country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: A little dose of realism there. Gates' comments just the latest from a string of top military brass concerned about setting up a no-fly zone, and at a time, as you were saying, Suzanne, when the U.S. is already engaged in Afghanistan, Iraq. Gates talks about the need for more ships to supply fuel to planes in a no-fly operation. As he points out, Libya is a big country. They're going to need more planes than are in the neighborhood at the moment.

MALVEAUX: And there are a lot of people who are weighing in on this debate. Because clearly Americans are looking at this wondering, am I going to be impacted by this? Am I going to have loved ones over there getting killed? W've got Congressmen also weighing in on this. What are they saying?

HOLMES: That's right. Two senators in particular, very vocal about U.S. taking stronger action in Libya to protect Libyans from Colonel Gadhafi. Here's John Kerry,for starters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), FOREIGN RELATIONS CHAIRMAN: They do need the tools to prevent the slaughter of innocents on Libyan streets. And I believe that the global community cannot be on the sidelines while airplanes are allowed to bomb and strafe. A no-fly zone is not a long-term proposition. Assuming the outcome is what all desire, and I believe we ought to be ready to implement it as necessary.

(END VIDEO CLIUP)

HOLMES: Yes. Now, as you saw there on the point, Kerry is pretty important here because he is the chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee. Powerful committee. Also senator John McCain has been supporting the notion of the no-fly zone.

Also, though you've got to look at the broader picture, too. You know, you've got the U.S. being accused already that it meddles in other country's affairs.

MALVEAUX: That's a problem. They don't want to have to deal with that perception or even that misperception that they are policing the world, and this is another, you know, heavy-handed move.

HOLMES: Yes, big risks involved in efforts to protect the Libyan people. Although well intentioned, it could all backfire. The Arab League, for example, they've said the no-fly zone, they're going to think about it, but only if the African Union or other Arab nations should be involved in that, not the West. The U.S. has got to be very aware of that, not wanting to look like it's interfering.

MALVEAUX: All right. Michael, appreciate your time. Thanks.

HOLMES: Thanks.

MALVEAUX: Well, it is a role the United States has played on the international stage since the 1950s. Police of the world. And whether it was Korea, or Vietnam, Somalia, or Iraq, the U.S. military has always been there.

But there's also an equally long list of humanitarian disasters that the U.S. stayed out of. Think of Darfur. The killing fields in Cambodia.

So, when do you think a military response is warranted by the United States? And when do you want to see our country react? I want to hear from you. Send your thoughts to facebook.com/suzanneCNN.

Well, we know that the U.S. has just sent at least two warships into the Mediterranean. I want to bring in our Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence to give us a sense about the military assets. There are a lot of them that are in that area, and they are moving around. Chris, obviously this is a big investment from our country.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, Suzanne. And there's more military assets now in that area than there were even just 48 hours ago.

Let's take a look at a map and started in Gaida, Italy. That is where the USS Mount Whitney -- it's a command and control ship, is in port there. It's the type of ship that could be used to coordinate missions of other ships. Also in the Mediterranean sea, you have two U.S. Navy destroyers, the USS Stout and the USS Barry, which came through the Suez Canal yesterday.

Now, also, some of the other ships in that area, the USS Ponce and the USS Kearsarge. The Kearsarge is an amphibious assault ship. But most of its Marines right now, ironically, are fighting in Afghanistan, so the Pentagon has ordered another 400 Marines to deploy from Camp Lejeune to augment the Kearsarge.

Kearsarge, despite being able to land Marines, is also a floating hospital bay. It's got six operating rooms, can care for up to 600 patients. Could be used as the base for a big humanitarian mission there.

And if we take you back over to the Red Sea on the other side of the Suez Canal, there is the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, which would be sort of the base for any no-fly zone. Of course, as Secretary Gates, no one carrier has enough planes to run a no-fly zone. But just last night, the chief of naval operations says if commanders needed more jets, what he could do was speed up the deployment of another carrier and get it out to the Med faster.

MALVEUAX: Chris, obviously it is not an easy thing to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya. A lot of different moving parts.

LAWRENCE: No, exactly. First of all, they've got to decide whether they're going to concentrate this no-fly zone simply over Colonel Gadhafis command and control center in Tripoli, or are you going to try to blanket the whole country? As Secretary Gates mentioned, you've got to take out the air defenses. Some of that could be accomplished through jamming some of Libya's radar sites, but there would have to be some level of bombing. And then you've got to decide are you going to run it like northern Iraq, where you're running a no-fly zone in random, six-hour intervals, or are you trying to go 24 hours a day to start?

And most of all, before these U.S. pilots would take to the air they've got to have clearly defined rules of engagement. Such as, can they fire on a Libyan jet on the ground? Or do they have to wait for it to take off and fire first? What constitutes the hostile act? Is it a Libyan jet firing on other Libyan people? Or will they have to fire on U.S. or coalition jets? All these are questions that have to be worked out first before you launch those planes in the air.

MALVEAUX: All right. Chris, thank you very much.

Well, the official Web site for the wedding of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton is up. It's running. The palace promised the site will be the first place to find all those details of Kate's dress. One detail we already know, the reception is going to be held at Buckingham Palace. Not surprising.

But how many rooms does the palace have? Is it 550, 625, 775, or 850?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Chad Myers is standing by for today's CNN Challenge. But, first, it's your turn. Prince William and Kate Middleton plan to hold their wedding reception at the Buckingham Palace. Not surprising. Before the break we asked how many rooms are in the palace? The answer, 775. And, do you believe this, 78 of those rooms are bathrooms.

NFL fans who are watching and waiting, the owners and players are in last minute negotiations right now to extend their collective bargaining agreement. It expires tonight. And if an agreement is not reached, the next NFL season could be canceled. That's the topic of today's "Talk Back." Our Carol Costello.

Carol, I was at Buckingham Palace once for a Bush trip. Had a chance to use one of those restrooms.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One of the 78 bathrooms?

MALVEAUX: One of the 78.

COSTELLO: I'm still getting over that.

MALVEAUX: You could get lost in that place, don't you think?

COSTELLO: It's a lot of bathrooms to clean. I'm sure they have help, though.

MALVEAUX: They do. They have lots of help.

COSTELLO: As if they do.

OK. To our "Talk Back" question because we've got an avalanche of responses. "Talk Back," would you care if there is an NFL lockout?

This from Jim. "Go ahead and lockout. Just remember how long it took Major League Baseball to get its fan base back. It is the fans who have the power, not those idiots in the NFL." Oh, that's hard core.

This from Andrea. "I love the NFL football season. However, with our country's economic woes, it seems a bit selfish to me. My husband is an active duty service member and makes less than $40,000 a year, even when he is deployed."

This from Adam. "How come a sports star rakes in over a million a year but teachers, the ones actually making a difference in people's lives, get paid pennies?"

This from Marc. "Yep, I care. However, my wife would love a world with no football."

Keep the conversation going, facebook.com/carolcnn. And thanks, as always, for your comments.

MALVEAUX: Now, Carol, I know you would -- you have to have football in your life. You're a huge fan.

COSTELLO: I would -- I would be really depressed if they locked out the players. I must say, I would miss the season. That's what I do in the fall and winter.

MALVEAUX: I know, that's what you do.

COSTELLO: I would have no life.

MALVEAUX: I want to go to one of your parties.

COSTELLO: They're fun.

MALVEAUX: Thank you, Carol.

Well, you may know him from "Top Chef" or (INAUDIBLE) medium raw. Our CNN photo journalist Jeremy Harlan introduces us to a chef. An Eatocracy look at the man behind the fish at New York's best seafood restaurant.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ERIC RIPERT, LEBERNARDIN EXECUTIVE CHEF: He's like a machine.

JUSTO THOMAS, FISH BUTCHER CHEF: Friday, I do like a thousand pounds, eight hundred. Regular days, six or seven hundred, everyday.

RIPERT: He's definitely essential. It's a big job. He's in charge of receiving the fish, inspecting the fish, to see the quality, if it's very fresh or not. He's also in charge of filleting (ph) the fish, (INAUDIBLE) the fish and giving us an update every day.

THOMAS: This is a clean fish. Very clean. Nice.

RIPERT: We had a fish butcher that stayed with us for long time. But when Justo heard that he was leaving to go live in the south, he came and applied and we gave him some fish to fillet and we were like, oh, OK.

THOMAS: I love my job. I love what I do. I don't care if some people say it stink or dirty. I don't care. When you got good tools, you make a good job, you know. The one thing I don't like. I don't like using a very sharp knife. I like using like a medium-sharp. Because when I'm medium-sharp, they no go in the bone. You know, like, here, you see, I pass the knife, you see, on the top of the bone. If the knife very sharp, they cut the bone. And then the bone go in the fish. Going to be hard to remove.

RIPERT: He's here every day. He's here all the time, on time. The only thing that it's a little bit of a problem for us is when he goes on vacation.

THOMAS: They need like three people to do my job.

RIPERT: Justo arrives in the morning early, but by 1:00, 2:00 maximum he's home. When he's not here and we put three actually senior cooks, or sous-chefs, they're still here at 9:00 filleting fish and they still struggle.

THOMAS: When I come back from vacation, everybody happy.

RIPERT: Oh, he's definitely passionate and very artistic about the way he's working.

THOMAS: One thing I don't like is complaints, you know? That's why I try to do the best I can.

RIPERT: It's definitely for us a fun show. Probably might think filleting fish (INAUDIBLE) fish is almost like a meditation.

THOMAS: No, not really. When I'm out of here, I don't want to see nothing about fish.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Kat Kinsman joins us now. She's the CNN Eatocracy managing editor.

And, Kat, I understand this restaurant also does something that helps out the community as well.

KAT KINSMAN, CNN EATOCRACY MANAGING EDITOR: They certainly do. And I think a thing a lot of people don't understand in this age of the celebrity chef and these incredibly expensive restaurants is that the chefs there are putting their time and their money where hungry people's mouths are. So, chefs love feeding people and they hate waste.

So Justo and Eric will take the extras from that fish that they can't necessarily serve to the customers there because it's not pretty enough, perfectly edible, and they'll donate it to organizations like City Harvest, which were developed with restaurants in mind. They take the overflow from restaurants, from grocery stores, from farmer's markets, even from people's weddings, and they redistribute it to food banks.

MALVEAUX: Really?

KINSMAN: They do.

MALVEAUX: OK. All right. Well, Kat, thank you very much. We appreciate that. That's excellent work that they do there. Thank you, Kat.

Well, your votes are in. The winner for "Choose The News," that's up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: It's time to have some fun with our CNN Challenge. We're taking some of the stories making headlines, quizzing a CNN correspondent. In the hot seat today, our own Chad Myers.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I don't feel right because I'm supposed to be over there by that wall.

MALVEAUX: No, no, no, no. No. No.

MYERS: I never get to sit down.

MALVEAUX: You have to sit down for this.

MYERS: But it's hot (ph).

MALVEAUX: You only have 20 seconds to respond. OK.

MYERS: All right, ready.

MALVEAUX: Are you ready? You got this? All right. So, first question, Newt Gingrich is expected to announce that he will explore a presidential run today. So, Fox News has suspended the contracts of Gingrich and what other contributor, is it, a, Sarah Palin, b, Mike Huckabee, c, Rick Santorum?

MYERS: Well, I don't know this but I know that it was another man, so Sarah Palin is out. Mike Huckabee is still employed. So it's former Senator Rick Santorum, by process of elimination.

MALVEAUX: You're good. You're good. You're absolutely right. That's right. And don't be looking over at my screen right here. No cheating.

MYERS: Oh, I'm not. I'm looking at Don Lemon over there. He's --

MALVEAUX: OK, look at Don. Don't look at the teleprompter. OK.

MYERS: All right.

MALVEAUX: Gas prices --

MALVEAUX: Continue to rise. What state currently has the highest price, a, Hawaii, b, Wyoming or, c, Montana?

MYERS: Oh, this has to be some kind of trick question, because everything's expensive in Hawaii. So that -- they must have the cheapest gas or something. Montana, because they have to truck it too far.

MALVEAUX: All right. Let's see what we got. Hawaii.

MYERS: Oh, it was -- yes, everything's expensive in Hawaii.

MALVEAUX: It's Hawaii. But it was the first -- that was the first the one you thought, yes.

MYERS: It wasn't a trick question.

MALVEAUX: Yes, highest gas prices. Drivers are now paying $3.82 a gallon.

MYERS: Wow. Wow.

MALVEAUX: Yes.

MYERS: I put $45 in my little car yesterday.

MALVEAUX: Yes.

MYERS: It's amazing.

MALVEAUX: Isn't that crazy?

MYERS: Yes.

MALVEAUX: All right, another -- we've got another one here. London. Giant set of Olympic rings will be unveiled today ahead of the 2012 summer games. So where are the 2016 games going to be held? Is it a, Chicago, b, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, or Tokyo?

MYERS: Seems like I remember this. And Chicago didn't get it. And so I'm going to go with, b, Rio.

MALVEAUX: Yes. You got it. MYERS: Is that right? Yes, I remember Chicago wanted it and didn't get it.

MALVEAUX: Two out of three. Chad, you're pretty good.

MYERS: What, that's a d. That's 66.

MALVEAUX: But that's better than some of the others, I'm telling you.

All right, thanks, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

MALVEAUX: Good to see you.

Well, you texted it. We're going to air it. It is the winning story for "Choose The News." It is the puppy that defied death. He was euthanized and left in a dumpster, but somehow survived. That story from our CNN affiliate KYTV.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three-month-old Wally is very much alive and well, despite the fact that he was euthanized and declared dead about a week and a half ago.

SCOTT PRALL, ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER: You might say that he's an angel dog.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Scott Prall found Wally and five other puppies inside this cage outside the Sulfur Animal Shelter Friday evening. Since they were very thin and appeared to be sick, Prall couldn't put them in the shelter with the other strays, so he called the vet and had them euthanized.

PRALL: Each one was pronounced dead with the stethoscope.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The dogs were disposed of in this dumpster that was supposed to be unloaded later that night. But for some reason, it wasn't. And the next morning, Prall looked inside and found Wally.

PRALL: He was as healthy as can be.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Arbuckle (ph) Veterinary Clinic took Wally in and checked him out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The vet listened to his heart. His heart's fine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And thanks to the Internet and FaceBook, Wally's story has gone viral, and the clinic has been inundated with people from across the country, and even Canada, who want to give this dog's tale a happy ending.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He needs a really special home because he's a really special pup.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Well, if you're interested in learning more about Wally, he has a profile on petfinder.com. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Don Lemon, in for Ali Velshi.

Hey, Don.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: What a cute story, huh?

MALVEAUX: Oh.

LEMON: The viewers chose --

MALVEAUX: A lot of people -- a lot of people want Wally now, too.

LEMON: They chose the right story.

MALVEAUX: Yes.

LEMON: Thank you, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right, thanks, Don.