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Space Shuttle Discovery Returns Home; Risk of Using Electronic Gadgets on Flights; Activist Targets NPR; Turmoil In Ivory Coast; Alleged Arizona Shooter In Court; Killer Wants To Donate Organs; Being Scott Walker

Aired March 09, 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: Discovery's final landing, a job well done is what the crew was just told.

Clay Anderson, you saw the landing there. It's the end of an era for Discovery. what does that mean to you?

CLAY ANDERSON, NASA ASTRONAUT: Well, it's a bittersweet moment. I spent 17 days of my life onboard of Discovery, and you know it's a wonderful experience. She's been a workhorse of the fleet. The folks that have put her together and gotten her ready have just done an outstanding job.

And it's just a testament to the team of people and wonderful folks that work on the space program that she's been able to do 39 missions and 1.5 million miles and 365 days in space. It's just an awesome achievement.

MALVEAUX: And John Zarrella, there on the ground, if you can hear us, what is the reaction from your vantage point?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, people were just standing and cheering. And I couldn't see it, but I can guarantee you there were some tears being shed from a lot of the workforce here.

And, you know, Suzanne, a year from now -- it's going to take about nine months for them to ready the vehicle. But a year from now, Discovery is very likely going to be in Washington, D.C., up at the Smithsonian. And millions of people forevermore are going to have an opportunity to get right up close and see, you know, a vehicle that one astronaut told me -- in fact, it was Alvin Drew, who is flying on this mission right now. He said to me, "We never in our lifetime again will likely see a vehicle like this, a lifting body that flies up, returns to Earth, and it will probably be something out of science fiction."

People will say they never built that, it never really happened. That's the kind of amazing technological achievement the shuttle fleet has been.

MALVEAUX: And Clay, this has been really described as a very emotional moment for many people such as yourself, the astronauts who are part of this program. Indeed, some people have described it as a family member, a child. Do you get emotional when you know that this is the end of the era for Discovery?

ANDERSON: Absolutely. We've invested a lot of time, a lot of money, and a lot of effort into Discovery as part of our space program, and there's a huge legacy that she leaves behind. And I think that what people should take away from this is the pride that we all should share in doing a job well done. I mean, it takes a lot of talent, a lot of money, a lot of effort, a lot of folks working together to pull something off like this.

MALVEAUX: And Clay, there's a new priority now with President Obama to look beyond the orbit and perhaps to Mars. Is it a bittersweet moment for you to give up this shuttle program? There are two others, but specifically for Discovery?

ANDERSON: Well, change is hard. And it's hard for anyone.

So the ability to move on, it would be nice if in a perfect world, if we already had a program set up that people could immediately turn their attention to working on the next challenge for NASA. But we're not there yet. It will take a little bit of time.

So people should, though, take the time to enjoy Discovery, to reminisce about Discovery, but then when the time is right, we're going to turn and focus on doing the next challenge for NASA.

MALVEAUX: John, let's turn to you, because I know the next challenge is going to be Endeavour. We're actually going to see that launch. Give us a sense of what is next.

ZARRELLA: Endeavour will fly, right now scheduled for April 19th. The roll out to the launch pad in the next day or so from here at the Kennedy Space Center. Then Atlantis will fly at the end of June -- June 28th right now is the scheduled date. That would be the last flight in the shuttle program.

And Suzanne, I can tell you, if you have an opportunity to come down here for one of the last launches, it is, as Clay said, time to reminisce. A piece of history. We're never going to see anything like this again.

And I know they're saying half a million people for the launch of Endeavour in April. And a million people this summer. It will be a lot of humanity to fight through, but well worth it to come and see one of these vehicles lift off from the Kennedy Space Center.

And ultimately, Endeavour may end up right here at the space center. I know they're vying for it.

Atlantis, which flew a lot of military missions, may go to Dayton, Ohio, to the Air and Space Museum there. It's going to cost $28.8 million for whoever gets these other two vehicles, a lot of money, but there are museums all over the country that would like to house one of these vehicles, no question about it. MALVEAUX: And Clay, if I could go back to you, what are the astronauts doing now once they've landed? What kind of process are they undergoing right now?

ANDERSON: Well, the first thing they're going to do is they're going to take off their gloves and helmets and try to get as comfortable as possible. They're going to be stuck in there for a little while. They're working through their checklist to shut down the critical systems, especially the engines that have the toxic stuff, so that the crew on the outside of the shuttle can come and do their preparations so the crew can come out.

I remember we were working feverishly, working hard, but very excited to be back on the ground. Very excited to have had a successful mission. But we'll keep our focus to make sure that we go step by step methodically through the checklist, because the quicker you do it, the quicker you can get out of the vehicle and get cooled off and recover, and get something to drink and something to eat, and that sort of thing.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

ANDERSON: So they're very focused, they're very methodical right now.

MALVEAUX: All right, Clay. I want you to stand by, as well as John Zarrella.

I want to give our viewers another opportunity, if they will. This is tape that we're turning around from just moments ago, the final landing there of the shuttle Discovery.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NASA MISSION CONTROL: Space Shuttle Discovery now on final approach to the Kennedy Space Center. Just more than 30 seconds to go.

Gear is down and locked.

Main gear touchdown. The nose of the shuttle being rotated down toward the flight deck. The parachute being deployed.

And nose gear touchdown. And the end of a historic journey.

And to the ship that has led the way time and time again, we say, farewell, Discovery.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: "Farewell, Discovery."

We are seeing live pictures now as Discovery is there. It has successfully landed its final landing. We are talking about 39 missions. It spent the equivalent of a year in space. It will have orbited the Earth more than 5,800 times, logged more than 148 million miles. Truly the end of an era for shuttle Discovery.

I want to thank Clay Anderson, an astronaut who has been on Discovery, as well as our own John Zarrella there on the ground watching this with us, this live coverage of this historic moment.

Thanks.

Top of the hour. I'm Suzanne Malveaux. I want to get you up to speed.

Intense fighting in eastern Libya today. Rebels launched anti- aircraft missiles at Moammar Gadhafi's warplanes. On the ground, Gadhafi fighters appear to be advancing on the oil town of Ras Lanuf today.

A private Libyan jet flew from Tripoli to Cairo today. A number of reports indicate that a Libyan general carried a message from Gadhafi to Egypt's military rulers. Greece confirms that the plane was in its air space for about 10 minutes or so. Now, Greece's prime minister reportedly spoke to Gadhafi last night.

And new chaos rattles Egypt. Egyptian television says men armed with knives and machetes attacked democracy activists in Tahrir Square today. Just a day earlier, battles between Muslims and Coptic Christians left nine people dead in Cairo.

And heavy duty thunderstorms drenched southern Louisiana today, prompting flash floods in the New Orleans area. Officials in St. Tammany Parish, on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain say, report 30 homes damaged, possibly by a tornado.

And fire investigators are facing a tough day in Pennsylvania. Seven children died after their farmhouse erupted in flames. The father was at work. The mother, milking cows in a barn. The dead children were between 7 months and 11 years old. One child escaped.

Jared Lee Loughner will be arraigned on an updated grand jury indictment this afternoon. Witnesses say that Loughner shot and killed six people outside a Tucson supermarket. He is already charged with the attempted assassination of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

And President Obama announced today that he is sending his commerce secretary to Beijing as U.S. ambassador to China. Now, if the Senate confirms him, Locke would be the first Chinese-American to hold that diplomatic post.

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

First, when the flight attendant says turn off all electronic devices, pay attention.

Also, lost and found. Rescuers located two missing snowmobilers in Utah. Plus, more fallout after an NPR fund-raiser is caught badmouthing the Tea Party.

And a Muslim activist in favor of those hearings on radical Islam.

And finally, a death row inmate denied from donating organs. That, in today's "Law and Order."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Well, don't forget the "Choose the News." Vote by texting 22360 for the story that you'd like to see in detail. So here are your choices.

Look at the difficult decision that Arizona has had to make when it comes to Medicaid funding for organ transplants.

Also, how two guys with the same name as Wisconsin's governor are getting a lot of flak for it lately. Take a look at that.

Or how a small New Orleans business has found gold in plastic Mardi Gras beads.

Vote by texting 22360. Pick 1 for "Arizona Transplant Crisis"; 2 for "Being Scott Walker" or 3 for "Mardi Gras Bead Art." The winning story will air later this hour.

So, you've been through it. How many times have you been told on a flight, shut off your electronic devices? And you notice that, you know, there's some passengers, they don't do it. Well, it turns out, probably, they should.

Our CNN homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve, has the results on a new study.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys with me? All right. So give me a stomp, clap, stomp, clap.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Southwest's rapping flight attendant got passengers to perk up and listen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): Before we leave, our advice is put away your electronics devices.

MESERVE: But on the average flight, a lot of us tune out that safety instruction.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At this time, please turn off and put away all electronic devices.

MESERVE: Now listen up. A new study cites 75 instances since 2003 where personal electronic devices may have interfered with the communication, navigation or surveillance systems of a plane in flight.

DAVE CARSON, SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES: If that interference happens at the wrong time, then it can be a threat to the aircraft and safe operation.

MESERVE: It is impossible to say conclusively that electronic devices were to blame, but they have been implicated in malfunctions of an autopilot, rudders, a GPS, and more. The Federal Aviation Administration forbids any electronics during takeoff and landing, and at altitudes less than 10,000 feet. Above that, airlines must demonstrate devices are safe before the FAA will authorize their use.

With new portable devices being introduced at a dizzying pace, it's hard to sort out what can be used and when.

CARSON: I was on a flight one time and the person next to me got out their electronic reader book, and just after the announcement was made to turn off all electronic devices. And I asked, "Well, why did you take it out just after the flight attendant said turn them off?" And this passenger said, "Well, this isn't an electronic device."

MESERVE: The best guide, listen to the flight attendant.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If it has an on and off switch, we ask that you turn it off now.

MESERVE: But you can't do that if you're talking on your phone.

VEDA SHOOK, ASSOCIATION OF FLIGHT ATTENDANTS: People want to say good-bye to their loved ones. You know, we get that. But there's a time and a place for it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: I want to bring in Jeanne Meserve to figure this all out for us, work this all out for us, because it can be confusing. And, you know, it got people's attention, that guy's rapping. But now that Wi-Fi is also available on planes, could that interfere with the plane's functioning? Why do they even allow that?

MALVEAUX: Well, Wi-Fi has been tested by the airlines. And they have been able to demonstrate to the FAA that that technology is safe. But that technology is different than cellular telephone technology, for instance. The testing on that is still going forward.

But, Suzanne, all of them are banned under 10,000 feet. That's because they want the pilot to have time to respond to a problem if there is one. But even more importantly, they want you to listen to that flight attendant when they're giving that safety message at the beginning of the flight -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. They don't all rap that safety message. I certainly was paying attention in your piece there.

MESERVE: No. It's really too bad, isn't it? It would make it a lot more lively and fun. (LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: All right. Thanks. Great tips. Thanks, Jeanne. Appreciate it.

Well, a top executive at National Public Radio is caught on hidden camera calling the Tea Party "racist and scary." Now, the fallout is going all the way to the top of NPR.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You're looking at a sting operation, a setup by people who know how to do it. NPR Foundation executive Ron Schiller thinks he's meeting with a potential donor, but he's actually being punk'd.

Here are clips of what he's caught saying about Republicans and the Tea Party.

RON SCHILLER, NPR FOUNDATION EXECUTIVE: The current Republican Party, particularly the Tea Party, is fanatically involved with people's personal lives and very fundamental Christian -- and I wouldn't even call it Christians, this weird evangelical -- kind of move.

TODD: In the edited video, an actor posing as a Muslim Foundation executive is heard prompting Schiller for his views.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The radical, most Islamophobic Tea Party people?

R. SCHILLER: And not just Islamophobic but really xenophobic -- I mean, basically, they are -- they are -- they believe in sort of white, middle-America, gun-toting -- I mean, it's scary.

TODD: This meeting was set up by a group headed by conservative activist and filmmaker James O'Keefe. I spoke with O'Keefe via Skype.

(on camera): Why NPR?

JAMES O'KEEFE, ACTIVIST/FILMMAKER: My colleague, Sean Adalay (ph), who posed as one of the members of the Muslim Brotherhood, was pretty with what happened with Juan Williams, and he suggested looking into NPR after that incident back in -- back in the fall.

My other colleague, Simon Templar, came up with the idea to have a sort of Muslim angle, since Juan Williams was fired due to his comments. So we decided to see if there was some type of greater truth or hidden truth amongst these reporters and journalists and executives.

TODD (voice-over): O'Keefe and his operatives went to great lengths for this sting, even setting up a fake Web site for the Muslim Education Action Center. Then the operatives posing as wealth Muslim donors set up a meeting at this D.C. restaurant and set up a hidden camera inside. I spoke with NPR president and CEO Vivian Schiller, who's not related to Ron Schiller, over the phone.

V. SCHILLER: The comments of Ron Schiller are an affront to this organization and are contrary to everything we stand for as a news organization. We stand for diversity of opinion, and tolerance and open mindedness. And I -- his comments did not reflect those values.

TODD: As head of the NPR fundraising arm, Ron Schiller is not involved in NPR's news operations, and his views are not aired on NPR.

CNN's separate efforts to watch Ron Schiller were not successful. NPR says he's on administrative leave. Schiller had announced last week he was leaving NPR for a new job. Schiller did not flinch when the supposed Muslim Foundation leader said that Jews control the media and that the fictitious Muslim group was founded by members of the Muslim Brotherhood. But NPR said it rejected a $5 million check they offered.

Critics have long lambasted NPR as slanting liberal. Last year NPR was criticized by conservatives for taking a grant of more than a million dollars from George Soros, the billionaire who supported left- leaning causes, and for firing analyst Juan Williams after he confessed on FOX News that he's uncomfortable when he sees Muslim- garbed passengers on a plane. The House Republican budget passed last month would eliminate funding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting by 2013.

PAUL FARHI, "WASHINGTON POST": NPR has -- is part of the public broadcasting establishment that is attempting to preserve the relatively small amount that it gets from the federal government. It doesn't need another PR headache like this.

TODD: For O'Keefe, NPR is not his first target. Past undercover sting videos of his embarrassed liberal groups like Planned Parenthood and ACORN.

He's accused of creatively editing out parts of his sting interviews. But O'Keefe says the unedited NPR video is posted on his Web site.

O'Keefe pleaded guilty last year after being caught trying to access the phone system of Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu. Last summer he even tried to embarrass a former CNN correspondent on a boat set up with sex toys and hidden cameras, according to a 13-page planning document. A former O'Keefe associate warned CNN at the last minute.

TODD: Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: And O'Keefe's stunt is hitting home. Just hours ago, NPR CEO Vivian Schiller stepped down.

Howard Kurtz, host of CNN's "RELIABLE SOURCES," and Washington bureau chief for "The Daily Beast," weighed in on her decision to resign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD KURTZ, HOST, "RELIABLE SOURCES": Vivian Schiller had no margin for error left. In other words, even though this is isn't her fault, she had no way of knowing what this guy was saying in this videotaped scam, she is taking the heat, she is taking the fall because of these other incidents, particularly the Juan Williams situation, where it just seems that NPR is the gang that couldn't shoot straight lately when it comes to its public image.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now, Ron Schiller, who also resigned yesterday, was supposed to be leaving NPR for a job at the Aspen Institute, an esteemed nonprofit research organization. The Aspen Institute now says that move is no longer happening.

Severe weather is tearing across parts of the South. We're going to have a look at some of the hardest-hit areas.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We've got some breaking news on weather here.

I want to bring in Jim Loznicka. He is actually a meteorologist with WJHG, who just happened to be driving through Mobile, Alabama, when a possible tornado hit.

What can you tell us? What did you see?

JIM LOZNICKA, METEOROLOGIST, WJHG: Well, Suzanne, I was there. It was literally probably five minutes before that tornado apparently touched down.

I got a couple of buzzes on my phone about a tornado warning. I had just dropped my daughter off for school. School had been closed because of Mardi Gras and reopened today. So she was just going back to school.

And I kind of sat around for a few minutes, getting the information on the phone. I was going the exact direction I had to go to get to the interstate where the damage was. So I figured, well, I'll check it out and see what's happening.

And I pulled up on the scene. It was pretty nasty stuff. It looked like they were taking a shopping center and getting ready to demolish it and build something brand new. There had been so much damage in that intersection where I was this morning.

MALVEAUX: Do you believe it was a tornado?

LOZNICKA: From what I saw, I don't, because I rode back around the back side of the building where most of the damage was located at that intersection. And the back side of that shopping center was still pretty much intact. And all the houses behind there as well, I didn't see a whole lot of damage either.

So, it looked to me more like wind damage because of the way -- the gas stations across the street had a lot of the awnings and the siding had been ripped apart, and kind of thrown into much of the power poles. So it looked more like wind damage to me.

But a lot of the cars flipped over. You know, it looked like tornado damage. But I know it was pretty heavy winds at that point this morning. So a lot of it looked like wind damage from my perspective.

MALVEAUX: All right. Jim, we really appreciate those pictures that you just sent to us.

LOZNICKA: Sure.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MALVEAUX: A Muslim author says that hearings on radical Islam are a good thing. We're going to talk to her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Highly controversial hearings on homegrown Muslim radicals start tomorrow on Capitol Hill. Peter King, the congressman behind these hearings, says that al Qaeda is recruiting in America and Muslim leaders are not cooperating enough with authorities to try to stop it.

He spoke with our senior congressional correspondent, Dana Bash.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the chairman's seat. This is the chairman's gavel.

REP. PETER KING (R-NY), CHAIRMAN, HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE: Yes, it's the whole bit right here. This is where it's going to be.

BASH (voice-over): Homeland Security Chairman Peter King preparing for his hearing on what he calls radicalization of Muslims in America. To some, akin to Joseph McCarthy's 1950s communist witch hunt.

(on camera): That Peter King is the modern-day Joseph McCarthy?

KING: I would say, first of all, no basis for it and, secondly, I tell people to wait and watch and listen to the hearing.

BASH (voice-over): King has not always been at odds with Muslim- Americans. In the 1990s he backed U.S. action in the Balkans to defend Muslims there.

KING: I was not popular in my district. But I did it because it was the right thing to do. I thought the Muslim community in those countries were being victimized. BASH (voice-over): He had a close bonds of leaders of this mosque and others in his New York district. Then came 9/11.

KING: It switched when I saw the Muslim-American community not responding the way they should have. When they were trying to cover up for al Qaeda, when they were trying to blame it on Jews and the FBI and the CIA. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

BASH: Like comments from now former friends like Ghazi Khankan.

GHAZI KHANKAN, FORMER MEMBER, ISLAMIC CENTER, LONG ISLAND: I said we should also investigate the possibility of Israel being involved and that changed his opinion 100 percent.

BASH (on camera): You've been called a man obsessed, obsessed with the Muslim radicalization. Are you obsessed?

KING: No, I am very focused. I had lost so many people on my district on September 11th and within a 30-mile radius of my home, probably, a thousand people -- over a thousand people murdered on September 11th.

BASH (voice-over): His office is filled with reminders of the attack.

KING: Funeral after funeral after funeral. And that one sort of -- I don't know -- to me captured it all. If you ask me what I think about going to work every day, it's 9/11 and preventing another 9/11.

BASH: King says that requires cooperation from U.S. Muslim leaders which he insists law enforcement is not getting. But some call King's efforts against American Muslim terrorism now, hypocritical. King is Irish-American. In the 1980s, he was an active supporter of Gerry Adams and Irish group the State Department then deemed terrorists -- the Irish Republican army.

(on camera): The IRA was responsible for hundreds of civilian deaths and effectively what are terrorist attacks.

KING: During the 1980s I knew what Gerry Adams and Mark McGinnis were attempting to do within the IRA and I was saying that continually, that there is a real opening here if the United States would take advantage of it to be an honest broker. Bill Clinton did that.

BASH: He insists the IRA was a legitimate force that had to be dealt with to achieve peace.

Back in his committee room, King says he knows his hearing on radicalization of U.S. Muslims is stirring anger against him, accusations of bigotry, but has no apologies.

KING: Hey, listen. I would love to be loved. I'm not a masochist but on the other hand, I have a job to do and would not want to wake up the day after an attack and say I should have done something differently. (END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEUAX: Dana joins us live on Capitol Hill. Dana, excellent report there. We really got a sense of the congressman and what he believes and the evolution of his thinking there.

He says that he believes the Muslim community is not cooperating with law enforcement. Why didn't he invite anyone from law enforcement the testify tomorrow?

BASH: It's so interesting. He does. He says over and over again that he is somebody who is the son of an NYPD cop and that he has tremendous relationships with law enforcement. They tell him all the time that they're getting no cooperation.

So, I asked him that question, okay, why don't you have the FBI director, the attorney general or even some of the cops that you said that you talked to? His answer was, well, they all have civilian leaders and they will be either pressuring them or coming themselves to say they do have cooperation.

But I want to quote here. He said -- told me that "they might have cooperation and contact, but it is usually useless cooperation." He effectively said it would be a waste of time because he won't believe what they're saying.

Now, I will tell you that there will be one member of the law enforcement community there, the sheriff from Los Angeles, but he was invited by the top Democrat on this committee. They had one slot to invite a witness, and that's who they invited. They said because they wanted somebody who was close to the ground, who they believe actually has good relations with the Muslim community and helped them.

MALVEAUX: All right. Dana Bash. Thank you very much, Dana.

Muslim groups are speaking out against these hearings. We just heard from the Council on American-Islamic Relations or C.A.R.E. Now, its leaders disputes represent Representative King's main points.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIHAD AWAD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COUNCIL ON AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS: Representative King's (INAUDIBLE) allegations that American Muslims do not cooperate with law enforcement and that 80 percent to 85 percent of their leadership are extremists are demonstrably false.

There's no denying that people of evil intent took the opportunity to recruit Americans, including those of the Islamic faith (ph), and to pull them away from the straight part of Islam into the deviated path of violent extremism. C.A.R.E. and the Muslim community are natural allies in the fight against violent extremism. In fact, we are natural enemies to those who promote violent extremism.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MALVEAUX: Americans are weighing in on the Radical Islam hearings. Now, poll by the Public Religion Research Institute with Religion News Service finds that 56 percent of people say the hearings are a good idea. Seventy-one percent of those saying yes, it's essential are Republicans; 45 percent Democrats.

There is one author who says that the hearings are needed. And she's Muslim. We'll talk to her next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Back to the highly controversial hearings on Muslim radicals in America. Many Islamic groups call the Republican-led inquire a witchhunt essentially that could demonize Muslims.

But there are some in the Muslim community who say these hearings are necessary. Author Asra Nomani, she joins us from Washington to weigh in. Azra, thank you for being here this afternoon. You have a different point of view. You wrote an op-ed. You believe that these hearings are necessary. Tell us why.

ASRA NOMANI, AUTHOR: Yes, I don't believe that these hearings are a witch hunt. And I don't believe that Senator -- Representative King is any Senator McCarthy. I believe we need to have the hearings because we need to have an open conversation about something that a lot of people don't understand and that a lot of people fear. And that is this issue of extremism within the Muslim community. I feel like we've had a conspiracy of silence inside the community related to this threat because, like most communities, we don't want to deal with our dirty laundry. And we don't want to talk about it openly.

MALVEUAX: Why do you suppose that's true? Where does that feeling come from?

NOMANI: Well, you know, I don't think we're much unlike the South in the 1950s when it had to deal with issues of segregation. The KKK did not define the South. We're not much unlike the Catholic Church when it had to deal with issues of clergy sexual abuse. Not every priest is guilty.

But yet these are the conversations that all societies have to have, and our Muslim community is not exempt from that conversation. There's a Duke University survey that's being circulated about how many Muslims are participating in FBI investigations and helping, that one out of three homegrown terrorists alleged to have involvement with a crime were turned in by somebody in their family or their community.

But the more interesting statistic to me is that two out of three weren't. And that's our conspiracy of silence, unfortunately, inside the community against this extremism.

MALVEAUX: And why do you suppose that happens? Is that because there are Muslims in the community who fear that if you come forward, give that kind of information, you will paint everybody a broad brushstroke badly? NOMANI: Well, you know, like most communities, we want to circle the wagons. In our Muslim community we have this concept of the oma. It's considered -- an Arabic work for community. And if you turn against another Muslim, people in the community intimidate you and say that you're acting against the oma.

But to me, the greater imperative for us is this other Koranic (ph) injunction that tells us we have to stand up against injustice even if it's against your own kin. And in that way, we have to be whistleblowers inside of our own community. And we have to turn in those that espouse the extremist ideology. The reason why I don't think we do so is because there's a lot to -- a lot of costs inside a community whenever you are the whistleblower.

MALVEAUX: And Asra, one thing that many people bring up, including a Muslim congressman I spoke with yesterday, they fear that the community of Muslims will be vilified. That they'll be stereotaped because of these hearings. Do you not share that concern?

NOMANI: You know, I think that we have already been vilified because of our silence. You know, I don't know that we as a community like many have completely grasped the fact that we do ourselves a better service by being honest about our problems.

I think that the, you know, frustration that Peter King felt, for example, when he got responses from the Long Island community that the Jews had to be behind 9/11 was disbelief. That you know, really people are going to just go and deny this kind of a problem inside the community. So, that hurt becomes anger, and that's what I think we're see seeing expressed against Muslims and Islam. And our best response can be honesty.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you very much. Asra Nomani, for giving another point view. Another perspective. We appreciate it.

NOMANI: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: Later this month, CNN's Soledad O'Brien looks at the question, does freedom of religion mean freedom from suspicion? The dramatic fight over plans a mosque in the heart of the Bible Belt. "UNWELCOME: THE MUSLIMS NEXT DOOR." Sunday night, 8:00, March 27.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: While the United Nations weighs its options in Libya, the one place the U.N. now says it's staying neutral is Ivory Coast. Our John Vause is here with that story in today's "Globe Trekking."

John, with everything going on that we are seeing in the Middle East and North Africa, this is a story and this is a circumstance that's largely gone unnoticed and uncovered by much of the international media.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the situation in the Ivory Coast started a long time before we saw the uprisings in Tunisia and in Egypt, as well as now Libya. It's been going on for some time. But, as you say, it is being overshadowed by everything going on in Libya.

What happened is that a few months ago, back in November, they had this presidential election. And it was being disputed. Now, the U.N. said that the election, which was held there, was free and fair. And the incumbent, Laurent Gbagbo, who's been in power for a very long time, he refused to step down to the man who won. A man called Alassane Ouattara.

Now, what's happened since then, both sides of the (INAUDIBLE), the supporter of both men, have actually been engaged in violent clashes. And 365 people have died since December. And there's now concern that the country is slipping towards civil war. Some of the worst violence happened over the weekend.

Now, we have some video that we want to show you. A warning, though, this is very, very graphic video. It started out as a peaceful demonstration by women who were, in fact, supporters of the opposition leader. The man who the international community recognized as being the winner of this election, Alassane Ouattara. It was all very peaceful. They were singing. They were dancing. But then suddenly they were attacked and there was bloodshed on the streets and it is believed that they were, in fact, attacked by supporters of Laurent Gbagbo. This video is very emotional. It's very dramatic. It is a very compelling piece of citizen journalism because it was put on to YouTube. It was also widely played by the opposition TV channels across the Ivory Coast.

MALVEAUX: And it's also very graphic, I understand, as well.

VAUSE: Yes.

MALVEAUX: Seven women who were killed?

VAUSE: Yes, seven women were killed there. That's according to the U.S. And there are those who say that more people were actually killed. The death toll was much higher. Supporters of Alassane Ouattara, where those women were, they say the death toll was closer to 12, including a pregnant woman who was shot as well.

MALVEAUX: So, John, as horrific as that is, what has been the international community's response?

VAUSE: Well, there were protests yesterday outside the United Nations. Because what happened, the U.N. actually said, we are staying neutral on the issue of the election when it comes to our forces on the ground. Because what's been going on inside the Ivory Coast is that the U.N. is actually -- the forces that are being attacked by supporters of Laurent Gbagbo. The Gbagbo supporters are accusing the U.N. peacekeepers who are there, about 9,000 of them on the ground, because the Ivory Coast has been a scene of a lot of upheaval, a lot of civil war in the past. So the peacekeepers have been attacked by Gbagbo supporter who -- they're accusing them of supporting Alassane Ouattara.

So officially the U.N. says that Gbagbo must go. He must step down. But for the people on the ground, they're saying they're neutral on the election. There is word that 2,000 more peacekeepers are on their way, but that's being held up because of lack of training, lack of supplies.

MALVEAUX: OK. So, still violence remains there.

VAUSE: Yes.

MALVEAUX: Very difficult situation. Yes, Ivory Coast --

VAUSE: Yes, it won't be resolved soon.

MALVEAUX: All right, thanks for bringing that to our attention, John. Appreciate it.

A killer on death row in Oregon wants to donate his organs, but the state is not going to let him.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Time for a little law and order now with Sunny Hostin of "In Session" on our sister network station truTV.

Hey, Sunny, good to see you.

SUNNY HOSTIN, LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR, "IN SESSION" ON TRUTV: Good to see you.

MALVEAUX: Let's go through a couple of things here.

Jared Lee Loughner, the Arizona man accused of opening fire at the Tucson Safeway. He's going to be arraigned on additional charges in about three hours. We know that six people died in the shooting, 13 were wounded, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who has a long recovery of her ahead after being shot. What is supposed to happen at this arraignment, Sunny? What do we expect?

HOSTIN: Well, today he is certainly, Suzanne, expected to plead not guilty to the new indictment, a 49 count indictment. But there are other things on the court's agenda today, which I think will be rather interesting. Prosecutors just asked on Monday that Loughner be evaluated psychiatrically to determine whether or not he's competent to stand trial. Also on the agenda today is that the defense has filed a motion seeking to prevent the FBI from access to all sorts of psychological reports, as well as reports regarding his behavior while he's been incarcerated.

And then, finally, the media wants access to certain search warrants. And so the judge has asked all side to be prepared to address those issues. So this is going to be a very different arraignment than what we saw last time in which a plea of not guilty was entered and you saw Loughner sort of standing there with that glazed smile on his face. I think we're going to see a lot more today during the arraignment.

MALVEAUX: Yes. And is -- I guess his attorney is expected to use the insanity defense. Are there signs, do you suppose, that he's insane? Do you think that's going to work?

HOSTIN: Well, there certainly have been signs, I think, and it's been reported that he may suffer from some sort of mental disease or defect. But what most people should know is that the insanity defense is rarely, rarely successful. Some statistics have it at less than 3 percent of the time is it successful. And so while that may be certainly the defense, I think it may be the only defense, the issue here really is whether or not there's going to be a plea on the table or whether or not this is going to trial and he will be put to death. It's a death penalty issue, nothing more, in my view.

MALVEAUX: And another case you're following, Sunny, I understand a man on death row for killing his wife and his children. He says now that he wants to make amends by donating his organs. And Christian Longo, he offers remorse to his wife's family. This is what he said back in 2003.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIAN LONGO: I know that I had a horrendous impact on your life and there's nothing that I'm ever going to be able to do to cure that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So, Sunny, now he says he wants to do something about it. Give back to society by donating his organs. Arizona state's not going to let him do that. Why is that?

HOSTIN: You know, this has been sort of a hotbed topic for many, many years. There are sort of practical issues, ethical issues. The only legal way right now in the United States to put someone to death is by lethal execution -- lethal injection. And so that sort of renders organs undonatable. And so that's one issue.

And the other issue, an ethical one, is, doesn't this exploit, you know, executions? What if the organs are sold for profit? The only time that this has been allowed on death row is when an inmate donates an organ to a family member. This type of donation is much more legally treacherous and I doubt that it's going to happen.

MALVEAUX: And, Sunny, that's the state of Oregon. I think I misspoke and said Arizona. It's Oregon, correct?

HOSTIN: That's right. That's correct.

MALVEAUX: OK, Sunny, thank you very much. Appreciate your report.

HOSTIN: Thanks.

MALVEAUX: Well, our producers now, they're tallying up the last minute results for the "Choose The News" winner. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) MALVEAUX: Well, you texted it, we're going to air it. The winning story for "Choose The News" is Wisconsin's governor, Scott Walker, has taken a lot of heat over a bill that would end most collective bargains rights for public worker unions. Well, there are a couple of guys who share the same name and they're getting some grief, too.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA GOMEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Madison, Wisconsin, these days it's not easy being this guy.

SCOTT WALKER, TECHNOLOGY SALESMAN: I'm Scott Walker, not the governor.

GOMEZ: The technology salesman says he's been explaining that a lot lately.

WALKER: I went to a party and introduced myself. And half of the room wanted to talk to me, the other half of the room was sneering at me like I did something. Like I'm actually the governor.

GOMEZ: His co-workers having a little fun with him.

GOMEZ (on camera): So this is not the capitol building clearly.

WALKER: No. And nor do I live in a house on the lake either, like the governor gets to.

GOMEZ (voice-over): And to avoid yet another political conversation, sometimes he even goes by a different name.

GOMEZ (on camera): So one of your customers is the state of Wisconsin.

WALKER: Correct.

GOMEZ: How does it feel walking in there? Does it feel like --

WALKER: I am Bill Walker.

GOMEZ: There are no shortages of opinions about what's happening here in Wisconsin. And if you have the name Scott Walker, you're certainly hearing them all.

SCOTT WALKER, REAL ESTATE BROKER: My name is Scott Walker. I'm a real estate broker and owner of Walker Real Estate. And I am not the governor of Wisconsin.

GOMEZ (voice-over): This Scott Walker had to amend one of his listing signs.

WALKER: It says "not the governor."

GOMEZ: After it was vandalized twice.

WALKER: Somebody had tagged my sign with some unpleasant, you know, verbiage directed at the governor, not at me.

GOMEZ: And the e-mails and phone calls keep coming despite this --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, you have reached Adam (ph) Scott. This is not the phone number for Governor Scott Walker, so please do not leave a message for him at this number.

GOMEZ: One caller even wanted him to change the name of the company.

WALKER: I've been in real estate for 13 years, so people know me in town. And so I have no plans to change the name. I'll ride this out.

GOMEZ: Until then --

WALKER: I'm still waiting to be mistaken, you know, when it comes to receiving the paycheck or something of that nature, but --

GOMEZ (on camera): That hasn't happened yet?

WALKER: Not yet, no.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Ali Velshi.

Hey, Ali.

ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Suzanne, have a fantastic afternoon.

MALVEAUX: You too.

VELSHI: Thanks very much.