Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Hurricane Irene's Aftermath; Where Is Moammar Gadhafi?; Gadhafi Still at Large; Damage Left By Hurricane Irene Assessed; Alabama Governor Interviewed; Nancy Grace Joins 'Dancing with the Stars'; Poll Show Americans Now Want U.S. Out of Libya

Aired August 30, 2011 - 15:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Now we will hand it over to Brooke Baldwin, who will pick it up from here.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, guys, thank you very much.

Of course, we will keep our eye there on that still developing scene, the smoke there over Oklahoma City burning away. Chad is looking at that.

Hello. I'm Brooke Baldwin. We will stay on that.

But also the number has risen again, 41 people now confirmed dead from Hurricane Irene. This hour, Vermont is still trying to pull people out of these rushing rivers. I will be speaking with several people who are still trapped there, including a groom, just got married Saturday, hoping to leave on his honeymoon in a matter of 48 hours. We will get a live update from him, Also from FEMA and the governor of Vermont. Stay tuned for that.

Also, in addition to those wildfires, let's talk about a possible formation here off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula.

(WEATHER UPDATE)

BALDWIN: But let's talk about a lot of rain and flooding now.

I'm going to take you to northern New Jersey here. You're going to see a baby being swaddled by a rescue worker. This is Paterson, New Jersey. You see him in just about knee-deep water there rescuing a little child. Also, they're up to their hips evacuating people on this raft, hundreds of people rescued in that one city alone, Paterson, Passaic county one of the areas hardest hit by Tropical Storm Irene. The Passaic River expected to crest today at double its normal flood stage, double.

So what are we talking about here? We're talking about an area, this is just west of New York City. You can zoom in. We're going to look close here. You can see the Passaic River here, and you can see it better as we zero in. There's Paterson. Authorities tell us today they have rescued 500 people. Down in the southeast, city of Passaic, they have got the city, the county, the river, all the same name. This whole area is prone to flooding to start out with. And then out to the west here, there's major flooding reported today in the city of Little Falls. You can see Little Falls there, right there. You also have flooding in Wayne, Woodland Park, Pompton Plains, Pine Brook, lots and lots of hamlets there in northern New Jersey with the river cresting right about now. That's the story, the developing story there in New Jersey.

But let's look northward now to Vermont. Not exactly -- you think of Vermont, you don't think hurricane alley. That's where the sudden high water was especially surprising and because the state has no coastal outlet, it's not going away very quickly. That's the issue.

In fact, three days since the storm, many rivers in Vermont have yet to fully crest. It will soon get worse before it gets better. Much of the state of Vermont, it is simply at a standstill with people either trying to stay safe and salvage their homes in these flooded areas or nervously watching that water rise.

We're live in Cambridge, Vermont, now, CNN's Amber Lyon.

And, Amber, just describe what you see around you.

AMBER LYON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, I see a center of a city that has essentially been turned into an island after this river over here came through, it crested and flooded, just taking out this road, tearing it into pieces, taking out the road also on the other side of the center of this town.

And now the only way to access it is through these back roads on ATV -- 800 people are currently in the center of this town waiting for supplies, essentially trapped because the only way they could get out would be to walk or to ride on an ATV. And officials are out here hurrying as quick as they can to clean up this road. Their major concern is the ability to get emergency vehicles in there in case a type of emergency should arise -- 260 roads look just like this across the state.

It's almost impossible to drive from one end of the state of Vermont to the other because it takes so long and there's so many roadblocks. Now, we have been told by emergency management -- excuse me -- emergency management officials that 30 trucks from FEMA have arrived and National Guard troops are starting to distribute some supplies to these areas that have been cut off -- 19 towns in Vermont are currently isolated.

And the National Guard is expected to start today and tomorrow airlifting and driving in supplies to these residents. So far, three confirmed deaths here in the state of Vermont. But the governor expects that number to rise as more and more people are able to access these towns. And also there are still people in these small mountain communities, Brooke, that are unaccounted for today. So the death toll could go up as well from that, Brooke.

BALDWIN: I was wondering if all 800 there are unaccounted for. And I'm also sitting here thinking, you think of Vermont, it's a landlocked state. People aren't exactly thinking, oh, let me safeguard my house from a hurricane. Do we know if these people who are losing their homes, do they have any kind of flood insurance?

LYON: This area near the river has flooded in the past. We have talked with people that do have insurance. Whether all 800 in that town do, I don't know.

But, Brooke, the 800 people are there in the town now and they are OK. They have been accounted for as well. So that's good news. But as far as the property damage, as you're saying, they're not used to seeing tropical storms and we have seen houses being rushed down the rivers. We have seen -- just right over here, there's about three mobile homes that are destroyed. There's cars going down the side of the bank, another building that has been destroyed. This entire state, you don't have to search hard to find destruction like this in Vermont, Brooke.

BALDWIN: And, quickly, Amber, is there any kind of ETA as to when those people who are stuck will be able to get out? Are we talking days? Are we talking weeks?

LYON: We haven't been given any type of a figure as to when they will be able to get them out, because 19 towns are currently isolated like this one. And you see the condition of this road. And you can imagine how long that's going to take to repair. The only other way into town is where you see this man on the bicycle over there, is this little side road on the corner and then you can take an ATV through there.

We tried to get our news cars through there, but we saw electrical lines that have fallen down over the road. And we decided it was too unsafe to go through there. And this is just one of the 19 towns. Some of them are completely isolated. There are no roads. There's no way to access them through ATV or walking -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Yes, don't risk it. I know there is a news crew from a cable outlet up there who got stuck in Paterson, Vermont. Don't take any chances, Amber Lyon, to you and your crew. But I appreciate it very much.

Unreal, those pictures.

LYON: We will be safe.

BALDWIN: Thank you, Amber, for us in Vermont.

And stay with us, because when we come back, I will talk to perhaps the unluckiest groom in the country right now, because he and his new wife had planned, get out of the city of Manhattan, escape to a picturesque setting there in Vermont. But then came Hurricane Irene. And now the couple, along with 40 of their closest family and friends, are stranded in that state.

Also ahead, an update to a story that touched so many of you yesterday, that nanny to Hannibal Gadhafi who was scalded with all that hot water finally getting some help.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Well, this lovely couple thought they got out of New York City just in time for Hurricane Irene. But a couple who planned their picturesque wedding in the Vermont mountains ended up right in the middle of it.

Take a look here. The happy couple, Marc and Yamina (ph), getting hitched. Little did they know their very first challenge as husband and wife would be riding out a hurricane and being trapped, stranded in Pittsfield, Vermont, along with just a couple dozen of their closest friends and family.

All of the roads in this town are flooded. Bridges are collapsed. Look at these images. This is where they're stuck. Homes floating there in the street.

On the telephone with me now, the groom, Marc Leibowitz.

Marc, congratulations, I guess.

(LAUGHTER)

MARC LEIBOWITZ, STRANDED BY HURRICANE: Thank you very much.

BALDWIN: I know you're 48 hours away from your Hawaiian honeymoon. Do you think you're going to get out?

LEIBOWITZ: Yes, we're not making that trip. We're hoping that we can still get there at some point. But it's not going to be on Thursday.

BALDWIN: OK. So for now, the honeymoon is in Vermont. Let me ask you, just explain how exactly, Marc, you're stuck. Describe how you're stuck.

LEIBOWITZ: OK.

Well, we had our wedding at beautiful Riverside Farm. And they have been great to us. But they're in a town called Pittsfield, Vermont. And it's basically a one-mile stretch of town. And on one side, a bridge completely collapsed and on the other side a roadway completely collapsed.

Where one of those houses tipped into the river is where that roadway has collapsed. And, actually, even the access bridge into Riverside Farm where a lot of our guests and we were actually staying there through the duration of the wedding, that roadway to get into the farm and out of the farm has collapsed.

BALDWIN: Wow.

LEIBOWITZ: So just before I got on the line with you, we were actually passing up and down supplies. We have rigged up some planks to get across the river and some ladders to get up to the collapsed part of the bridge.

BALDWIN: To do what? Where are you trying to go?

(CROSSTALK)

LEIBOWITZ: Well, we have been getting supplies in and out to the people that are on the farm. And, you know, they have some things that we need and we have some things they need. So we were moving a generator just now before we got on the phone with you.

We were getting some baby formula in and out. And it's been a little crazy. But everybody has been chipping in together and pulling their resources and pooling manpower. Every one of our wedding guests that's up here has been working, doing various tasks and chores around town.

BALDWIN: Yes, I hear you're on a first-name basis with everyone in town. I mean, have you witnessed -- I'm sure you have also taken part in some of these rescues. Can you describe what that's been like?

(CROSSTALK)

LEIBOWITZ: Yes, absolutely. Yes, it's been a little scary.

But a lot of us, we were New Yorkers and we have been through a few crisis situations. And so we knew kind of how to react and respond. And we all kept our faces straight and got busy, instead of going into shock.

We started doing whatever we could to help. But people in this town are amazing. The people of Riverside Farm have been amazing. Everybody was so welcoming to us when we got here before the storm. And we have been giving back everything we can.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Forgive me. You have no running water, no electricity? Do you have drinking water?

LEIBOWITZ: Correct.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Are there fears about running out of food?

LEIBOWITZ: There is drinking water. And there is food.

Depending on how long we're here, we're quickly draining the resources in this town. So that is a little scary. But everyone's doing their best to consume only what they need and conserve. We have had -- the general store in town has become the town center and has been distributing food and hot meals. And a lot of our guests have been there cleaning dishes and working behind the line cooking and taking money at the register --

BALDWIN: Yes, this is something.

LEIBOWITZ: -- and doing what they can over there. We also had people on the farm picking vegetables so they could make some dinner tonight.

BALDWIN: Marc Leibowitz, you have made some lifelong friends it sounds like in this picturesque town there in Vermont.

LEIBOWITZ: Yes, absolutely.

BALDWIN: Hey, best of luck to you and your wife and your wedding party and the people of this town. And I hope you do get to Hawaii eventually.

LEIBOWITZ: Thank you so much.

If you can do anything to help us get some people in here to fix the bridges, it would be greatly help our cause.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: You got it, Marc Leibowitz. Thank you so much. Stay safe.

LEIBOWITZ: Thank you.

BALDWIN: How about that

BALDWIN: Members of his family managed to flee the chaos in Libya, but there's still no sign of Moammar Gadhafi. Did he flee with them? Is he still hiding in plain sight? Coming up next, we will speak with a reporter with sources who claim the deposed dictator hasn't gone anywhere.

Plus, an update on the story of the Gadhafi family nanny, tortured, scalded with boiling hot water. CNN's Dan Rivers tracked her down at a Libyan hospital. Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Want to update you now on that horrific story we brought to you right here yesterday. And I have to warn you again, you are about to see images of a very badly, badly injured woman.

This is Shweyga Mullah. A CNN crew found her two days ago in Tripoli inside the luxurious home of one of Moammar Gadhafi's sons. She told our own Dan Rivers that Hannibal Gadhafi's wife burned her with boiling water three months ago when she was working at their home as a nanny. She says she was prevented from receiving medical treatment. Her face, her scalp, her upper body are still not healed after all this time.

We can tell you now that Mullah is now in a hospital in Tripoli. She is being treated with antibiotics. And we here at CNN, we are working with humanitarian organizations and medical officials to get help for her. As soon as we get some information available, we will let you know.

I know a lot of you are concerned.

Let's go now live to Tripoli.

On the phone is Abigail Hauslohner from "TIME" magazine.

And, Abigail, you know, we reported right around this time yesterday that Moammar Gadhafi's wife, three of his children, some of their children surfaced in nearby Algeria. What happens -- do we have her? Just lost her. I thought I heard that.

OK. Let's work on getting Abigail back.

And we will move along to this.

Coming up next, while the East Coast is still recovering from Hurricane Irene, more trouble is brewing in the Atlantic, more on that.

Plus, members of his family managed to flee the chaos in Libya, but there is still no sign of Moammar Gadhafi. Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right. Second time is the charm.

Let's get back you to Libya to Tripoli. On the phone now, Abigail Hauslohner from "TIME" magazine.

Abigail, you with me?

ABIGAIL HAUSLOHNER, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Yes, I can hear you.

BALDWIN: OK, good deal. I just wanted to make sure.

As I was saying, right around this time yesterday, we were reporting the news that Moammar Gadhafi's wife, three of his children, some of their children had surfaced in nearby Algeria. My question to you is what happens next for them? Can they stay legally in Algeria? I know leaders in the NTC, the rebel movement, certainly want them back in Libya. How does that work?

HAUSLOHNER: Well, Algeria at this point is looking unlikely to return them to the NTC. That's the rebels' Transitional National Council, which has requested that Algeria extradite them.

But Algeria had good relations with Gadhafi, and it's been toeing the African Union line -- or the African Union's refusal to recognize the council as the legitimate government in Libya. And so Algeria may prove to be a viable safe haven for the Gadhafi family.

Alternatively, there are a number of other African countries that Gadhafi kept good relations with and they could be transferred there.

BALDWIN: So who could -- could anyone intervene and force them out, force them back home?

HAUSLOHNER: I'm sorry. I didn't hear that.

BALDWIN: Could anyone intervene and force them to return home?

HAUSLOHNER: That's unclear at this point.

I mean, there could be United Nations pressure or pressure from one of Algeria's allies, which include the United States. But, again, the most sought-after targets are going to be Moammar Gadhafi himself and his sons, particularly Saif al-Islam, his heir apparent.

BALDWIN: Of course.

HAUSLOHNER: And right now the people who have crossed into Algeria, as far as we know, are his second wife and two other two other sons -- or two other sons and a daughter who are not as wanted by the rebels.

BALDWIN: Abigail, stand by. You bring up an excellent point and one I wanted to ask -- I'm now being told we have Nic Robertson with me as well out of Libya.

And, Nic, I know you have been in communication with Saif al- Islam since this revolution began. You have heard from him recently. Have you heard from him in the last couple of days? Any idea where he or his father might be?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, I don't know where he is, Brooke. I have been talking to Saadi Gadhafi and I heard from him just within the last hour here.

He said that the rebels, the NTC, the National Transitional Council, aren't negotiating with them, that he's called for negotiations. He wants to bring about a cease-fire, he says, to save lives. He said most recently that he would be prepared to come to Tripoli if the National Transitional Council could guarantee his safety to negotiate here.

Well, I was just speaking with the National Transitional Council's new deputy prime minister. He's also the minister for oil and finance, Ali Tarhouni. And I asked him that very question. Could one of the Gadhafi sons come here to the capital and negotiate with you. And he said, look, if any of them come here, we're going to treat them fairly. We're going to put them on trial. And they will get justice for everything that they have done in the country.

He said that we're absolutely not going to negotiate with the former leadership. He said, what we are doing right now is the elders of tribes that support the Transitional Council, the rebels, if you will, that support them, and now reaching out, he says, and talking to some of the elders in the tribes in the south.

He seemed pretty confident that he can win them over. He even told me that, within perhaps a week, 10 days, maybe a bit longer, he said he was patient, and they may be able to win influence across the rest of the country. But he did say that he believes all Gadhafi's forces are fleeing to the south.

I also said to him, do you know where Gadhafi is? He said yes. And I said, where? And he said, I'm not telling you. And I said, in the south? And he said, I'm not telling you. And I said, Sabha in the south, which is a lot of people believe.

He won't say. They do say they know where he is, but they won't say where he is. So the rebels seem quite confident improving negotiations. But, absolutely, they're not going to negotiate with Gadhafi. They want him locked up and in court here -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Of course. And you mentioned the south.

And Abigail, of course, I read your piece in "TIME." And you talked specifically about clues to the Gadhafi family whereabouts and the popular rebel suspicion that members of the Gadhafi family have been hiding out in the desert in this one town. How would they have gotten there and then how would they then go from there potentially to Algeria?

Abigail, that's to you.

HAUSLOHNER: Sabha is a stronghold in the south. And that's a town where Gadhafi and his sons have recruited a lot of their fighters from. So it's still very much under regime control.

And then the desert is very lightly populated. It's easy for them -- for anyone really to cross over those borders, which are completely permeable at this point, with absolutely no border control, no government in place.

As far as how they got there from Tripoli, that's anyone's guess.

BALDWIN: Yes.

HAUSLOHNER: But a week ago, when the rebels said that they had caught Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, they turned out to be incorrect. And that was made embarrassingly clear when Saif al-Islam turned up at the Rixos Hotel and drove away in an armored convoy completely free.

BALDWIN: You also though in this piece, Abigail, you cite this source, a Gadhafi family contact, who claims to have seen Moammar Gadhafi in an underground bunker back in Tripoli back on August 10. What exactly did he share?

HAUSLOHNER: That's right.

I spoke to an evangelical preacher named K.A. Paul who has a history of dealing with different dictators. He's a controversial figure. And he said that he had spoken with Colonel Gadhafi in recent weeks, including on August 10, which is fairly close to when the capital was overrun by the rebels. And he said that Colonel Gadhafi was still pretty defiant about what seemed to be happening in the country.

He said that Gadhafi had asked him whether what was happening, whether the NATO airstrikes were just, and K.A. Paul told him that, no, they were not just.

BALDWIN: Nic, one more question to you.

You just got out of this interview you mentioned with the member of the rebels. And tell me a little bit more about this deadline that's set by the NTC. They obviously -- as you mentioned, they want the Gadhafi troops to surrender by Sunday, or else what?

ROBERTSON: Or else they're going to start moving in and engage in battle.

There's a number of reasons they have pushed this deadline back to Saturday. This is the end of Ramadan for the -- in the Muslim world, generally three days of sort of holidays, if you will. The fasts break. People really relax and enjoy themselves and get together with their families.

It's like Christmas in many ways. They're not going to start a fight in Sirte right now because it's the wrong time of year.

But it also shows that they have goodwill, and what they say they're doing while they're waiting is, again, that they're using their elders to talk to the elders of the tribe and say, look, let's just end this by putting down the weapons. Let not have a fight. It does seem that at least both sides are willing to hold back.

But what we've seen in other places is Gadhafi's forces runaway. I think Abigail made a good point. We've got to be cautious with some of the things the rebel officials tell us. As she said, just a week ago, the rebels claimed to have captured Saif, Mohammed, three of Gadhafi's sons. We've been told by a rebel commander that they knew they were lying. They intentionally lied because they wanted to psyche out the opposition and get the force toss lay down the weapons.

And I think some of what they tell us today is an aim to do the same thing right now. They admit that they will lie to us for their own effect on Gadhafi's forces. So we have to watch some of the things that they explain to us here, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Excellent point both of you make. Nic Robertson, my thanks to you and Abigail, thank you very much. Both of you in Tripoli.

Half past the hour here. I want to take a look at some of the other stories we're keeping a close eye on. First, as much of the east coast struggles to recover from Irene, a new tropical storm there in the Atlantic ocean is on the verge of becoming a hurricane. Katia is about 630 miles west, southwest of the Cape Verde Islands and moving west, northwest. You can see the path. The national hurricane center says Katia could become a hurricane tomorrow or Thursday.

And a former NBA player wanted for a murder in Atlanta sitting now in a jail cell in Los Angeles. L.A. police arrested Javaris Crittenton as he boarded a plane for Georgia. His attorney says he was flying back to face charges but that his client is not guilty. Atlanta police say Crittenton shot 22-year-old Jillian Jones, a mother of four, as she walked with two men back on August 19th down the street. They say one of men was the intended victim. Crittenton, who was robbed back in April, wanted apparently -- wanted to seek retaliation, but killed Jones by mistake.

A hearing for the suspect in the Aruba mystery will take place today or tomorrow. Some observe oars say the judge may let Gary Giordano may go free because there's not enough evidence. Robin Gardner, a Maryland woman, went missing back on August 2, but despite an extensive search on the island, she has yet to be found. She was vacationing with Girodano. He was arrested amid the doubt of his account of her disappearance.

Playing the lottery may run counter to some church teachings, but a congregation in Columbus, Georgia isn't complaining much. Someone, we don't know who, left a winning $80,000 lotto ticket in the offering plate at the Cathedral of Prayer church. Anyone know where that is? The financial officer says the church is thrilled and will use the money to fix the air conditioning system. It has been hot in Georgia. It broke down three weeks ago after someone stripped the unit of its copper wiring.

And now this -- coming here hurricane Irene, follow the path experts predicted nearly to a tee. But so why are some still saying the hurricane center got it wrong? Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Irene is gone but this is what it left behind, these images. You'll see homes, businesses destroyed, more than three million people still without power here. And people trapped, communities are cut off by all the raging floodwaters. These rescues continue. All of this despite the fact that Irene didn't turn out to be a monster storm as it was expected to be. Analysts say it's better to be safe than sorry, of course. But why did the hurricane center get it wrong? John Zarrella takes a look at the science of hurricane prediction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Max Tucker owns a bar and grill just outside Philadelphia. It flooded. Tucker says no way did the government overreact to Irene.

MAX TUCKER, BAR AND GRILL OWNER: I think we all got really lucky. It could have been a lot worse. I would rather be safe than sorry, and I think that they did what was necessary. I think always better safe than sorry.

ZARRELLA: This is where the information comes from that helps keep you safe rather than sorry, the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Here the science of forecasting is digested, regurgitated. All that science, everything the super computers were computing, told forecasters Irene would be a major hurricane when it hit North Carolina.

BILL READ: At least in the guidance we were looking at, there was no indication of anything that would cause the storm to weaken, so we thought we would have a category three storm at landfall.

ZARRELLA: Instead, Irene was a category one, the weakest. So what happened? Simple. Hurricane forecasters say they're pretty good at telling where a storm will hit, but technology and science aren't there yet when it comes to forecasting how strong a storm will be. Despite all the modern day advances, they just don't fully understand what makes these storms tick. And in every storm, Reid sees a curveball.

READ: In this case, it was one where it went downhill. Charlie, just a few years ago, one that went uphill. Neither case did we see that coming. And that's my measure of the fact that we have a long way to go.

ZARRELLA: Aside from the might of the wind, Reid says the forecast was on the money -- heavy rainfall, storm surge up the east coast, and inland flooding. For portions of the northeast, the rain was a one in 100 year event. In Vermont is anyone saying there was an overreaction?

GOV. PETER SHUMLIN, (D) VERMONT: I do not think that there's any blame to go around. I think that, frankly, those that got hit have their hearts broken and understand how serious this storm was.

ZARRELLA: It's estimated overall damage could reach $10 billion or more. If that happens, Irene will rank as one of the top 15 costliest hurricanes ever.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA: It's estimated overall damage could reach $10 billion or more. If that happens, Irene will rank as one of the top 15 costliest hurricanes ever. Hurricane forecasters say they are no better now than they were 20 years ago at forecasting the intensity of hurricanes. With that in mind, emergency managers tell the people that live in their areas to prepare for a storm one category higher than what the hurricane center is forecasting. Brooke?

BALDWIN: John Zarrella, thank you.

FEMA says it will get disaster aid to the victims of hurricane Irene. But what about victims of the other national disasters. There have been many, like the devastating tornadoes in Alabama. Will Irene delay aid for them? Alabama's governor says he's ready to fight for it. Governor Robert Bentley joins me live next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Alabama's governor is ready to fight for his state's share of FEMA disaster money. Hurricane Irene, of course, has our attention right now. But how could we forget, late April, these scenes? The tornado damage in Alabama and also across the south had us riveted to our televisions wanting to help. And 241 people died in those tornadoes in Alabama.

And the secretary of homeland security explained to me that the current Irene recovery effort will not bump victims in terms of FEMA funding for previous disasters like in Alabama or in Joplin, Missouri.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANET NAPOLITANO, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: We're not diverting any funds from reconstruction in Joplin, Missouri. All we have done is to make sure that all survivors are paid, all ongoing projects continue. But no new projects will be approved until we see what the immediate survivors of Irene need.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Secretary Napolitano also explained to me over this past weekend that they did declare immediate needs funding, and that essentially means the priority goes to those with the immediate needs, i.e. survivors of these disasters, and that the other long-term, the brick and mortar projects will be put on hold.

Alabama's Governor Robert Bentley has already been disappointed by FEMA already. He wanted more time for tornado victims to apply for aid but was turned down in June. Governor Bentley joins me live from Montgomery.

Governor, nice to have you on.

I did talk to Secretary Napolitano just yesterday multiple times. She stressed to me that really survivors take precedence. But is that what you're seeing in your state? What assurances are you getting that the tornado victims in Tuscaloosa and the other towns won't get bumped by those affected on the east coast from Irene?

GOV. ROBERT BENTLEY, (R) ALABAMA: Well, there is a trigger with the disaster relief fund. It's $1 billion. When it goes below that, of course, you know, the long-term projects are bumped temporarily until the supplemental funding from the federal government, which will take place. That's taken place four or five times in the past.

The immediate needs, the disaster cleanup, the -- all the damages that we see in Alabama have almost been completely cleaned up. And the protective services will go on. So we're not losing any of the essential services we need at the present time.

BALDWIN: So you don't feel neglected. You aren't frustrated. You're getting what you need from the federal government?

BENTLEY: You know, it's good to have a trigger point. It's good to have that $1 billion trigger point. We're a Gulf state. And if we have a hurricane in Alabama next week, we're going to need that money.

BALDWIN: Yes.

BENTLEY: So it's good to have that billion dollar trigger.

BALDWIN: Secretary Napolitano, also explained to me she started talks with Washington. She's been speaking with the head of the OMB, also the president about securing more aid. As you mentioned, heaven forbid, something else happens in your state or other state. You saw the debt ceiling fight. Granted, we're talking about a very different situation, natural disasters here. But how confident are you that Congress will give you what you need?

BENTLEY: Let me say this. You know, you hear a lot of people complaining about FEMA. FEMA did everything that I asked them to do. The only thing that they were not able to do was to extend the 90/10 match towards the end there. But other than that, they did everything that I asked them to do because I took charge in Alabama and they -- because of that, I told them that I was in charge of the disaster. They were very cooperative. They've done everything I've asked them to do. I appreciate that.

BALDWIN: Governor Bentley, because I have you here, I have to ask. The news broke on this show yesterday that the federal judge has temporarily blocked your state's immigration law, which you touted as the toughest law in the land essentially. If people aren't familiar, Alabamans can't give illegal immigrants a ride in their car, can't rent them an apartment, requires educators to check on kids statuses in school. What is your reaction to the judge's move?

BENTLEY: Well, that was up to the judge. We stand ready to implement the law. We asked for a tough immigration law. The legislature passed it. I signed it. If the federal government would do their job on immigration, we wouldn't have to pass laws like that. But they don't do their job, and so the states are having to do it.

BALDWIN: You know, the four Alabama church leaders, they've sued to block this law, saying it criminalizes acts of Christian compassion. What do you say to your critics who say that this law terrorizes children, sir?

BENTLEY: Let me tell you, they're totally off base. First of all, they have not read the law. There's nothing in the law that says you cannot do evangelistic work, that you cannot do humanitarian work. There's nothing in the law that says that. They obviously have not read the law and they're off base with their argument.

BALDWIN: But with all due respect, there is a portion in the law that does require schools to check the status of the children, correct?

BENTLEY: That's different from the humanitarian aid. That's different from evangelism in churches. And the reason we do that is so that we will know how many children are undocumented. That's all thus far. It's not to keep children out of school.

BALDWIN: I understand. It sounds like some of the critics and there are a number of them, if this goes into effect, it's unique that it targets children, would be terrorizing these children.

BENTLEY: Well, we -- we're not keeping children out of school. But we do believe in upholding the law. It's obvious that the federal government does not believe that. But we believe in upholding the law, and we're going to do that in the state of Alabama.

BALDWIN: Governor Robert Bentley from Alabama. Thank you very much. Thank you.

BENTLEY: Thank you.

BALDWIN: When we come back, America's grim new milestone. Ten years later.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: I don't have to tell you this. You know it's a tough economy. President Obama says he will help returning vets from both Iraq and Afghanistan find work. It is an ambitious plan with the national jobless rate sitting at 9.1 percent. But the president's goal is equally ambitious, lobbying the private sector to hire our vets.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And 100,000 jobs for veterans and spouses. And to get this done, I propose a returning hero's tax credit for companies that hired unemployment benefits, and a wounded warrior tax credit for companies that hire unemployed veterans with a disability.

(APPLAUSE)

When Congress returns from recess, this needs to be at the top of their agenda.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: The president speaking there today at the American Legion's national convention in Minneapolis. And he also spoke about the war in Afghanistan, but he didn't mention one grim milestone. This has been the deadliest month for U.S. forces there since the conflict began as 66 soldiers died in the month of August, which you know it ends tomorrow. Nearly half of them died when the Taliban downed a U.S. army helicopter earlier this month.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: A big name causing a big frenzy online today. In fact, her name has been trending on twitter, Nancy Grace from our sister station on HLN. You know why she's trending. If you don't, here's why. She's joining the cast of DWTS, "Dancing with the Stars." She was all the talk of the social media world. Take a look here. Some of the other big names on board for the show's 13th season -- there she is -- you also have former talk show host Rickie Lake, L.A. Laker's forward Ron Artest, Chaz Bono, actor David Arquette, just to name a couple. So how does Miss Nancy feel about her foray from the courtroom to the ballroom? Here you go.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NANCY GRACE, HLN HOST, "NANCY GRACE": I feel I can try. Look, I know I'm not the youngest, the thinnest, the prettiest, or the best dancer, but I got a lot of heart. And that's got to count to something, right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And now someone who is the biggest fan of "DWTS" is all of CNN who makes me talk about it each and every Tuesday, this guy. Wolf, are you a little jealous of Nancy Grace? I mean, I know you want to be on that show.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": I don't want to be on "Dancing with the Stars," but I was waiting for you to show the video of me dancing on television. But you and your producers obviously messed up.

BALDWIN: Slow your roll, Blitzer. We actually tried looking for the jib-jab video --

BLITZER: Forget about the jib-jab. What about when I really danced on television?

BALDWIN: The Dougie.

BLITZER: On the BET Soul Train awards.

BALDWIN: Is it time to retire that video?

BLITZER: I was afraid you were going to show the video, and obviously you don't have the video right now, and also the video when I was dancing with Ellen Degeneres, you don't have that video either, right?

BALDWIN: What's that? No.

BLITZER: You obviously did not do your homework. Because if you lead into me with "Dancing with the Stars," you're doing Nancy Grace and then come to me and you don't have me dancing.

BALDWIN: You have everyone in here laughing. Laughing. Sorry, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Where am I going to be tomorrow?

BALDWIN: In Atlanta right here with me.

BLITZER: I'm going to be on the set with tomorrow. We're going to do this face-to-face in Atlanta for the CNN dialogues tomorrow night over at Emory University, a great university.

Let's get through some political poll numbers.

BALDWIN: Let's do it.

BLITZER: We have right now on Libya right now, our CNN/ORC poll. Take a look at these numbers. We asked what's more likely to happen in Libya in the next few weeks? And 67 percent say widespread violence. Only 30 percent or so say order restored. There's that number. We asked, are you confident that Gadhafi will be captured or killed? And 80 percent say that they are confident, 19 percent not so much.

And finally, we asked U.S. financial to rebuild Libyan business and educational structure, do you favor it? Only 26 percent favor it, 73 percent oppose.

One thing is clear, by the way, in this poll -- Americans by and large now that the dust is beginning to settle in Libya, they want the U.S. to step out, get out of the way, let the Libyans do what they want to do. They don't want to spend a whole lot of money in there, certainly don't want to send U.S. military personnel into Libya. They just assume let the Libyans do it as much as possible. The Libyans can get help from the Europeans, other Middle Eastern, North African states, that's fine. But Americans want the U.S. to stay out. Brooke?

BALDWIN: Blitzer, while you've been talking, I think I've hatched an idea for tomorrow. You might not want to come to Atlanta.

BLITZER: I'm worried already. I may cancel the whole trip.

(LAUGHTER)