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Last Chance for Convicted Cop Killer; Hunt for Moammar Gadhafi Intensifies; Interview With NAACP President Ben Jealous; Pleas to Save Life of Troy Davis; Manhunt for Fugitive Soldier; Possible Capture Deal for Moammar Gadhafi; Son of Moammar Gadhafi in Niger; Rick Perry Criticizes Socialized Medicine; Brad Pitt Says He Was Bored During Marriage to Jennifer Aniston; Atlanta's School Cheating Scandal; Biker Pulled From Fiery Crash Speaks; Police: Mom Suffocated Twins

Aired September 16, 2011 - 16:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And as we have been following the breaking story here out of Tucson, Arizona, out of this Air Force Base, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, we do have some sound from a briefing from a camera from our affiliate there, KVOA.

Here is Tech Sergeant James Martin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TECH SGT. JAMES MARTIN, DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE: Earlier today, there was an unconfirmed spotting of a man with a weapon. Like I said, that is unconfirmed, and so as the base goes into -- is this live, by the way?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it is live. I'm sorry. It is live.

MARTIN: Awesome. All right. So the base is going into crisis action mode. And we're just locking down the base for the safety and security of the people on Davis-Monthan.

Any ambulance that you saw leaving here earlier, not too long ago, that was actually a woman who was giving labor. So, bad timing, as always. But we will take her to make sure she gets the medical treatment that she needs. Like I said, this is all unconfirmed reports and security officials are currently investigating the situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Again, quickly, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, we have been reporting on this for the better part of the last hour, still on lockdown.

You just heard the tech sergeant there denying the shots were fired. The parents of children who have been on base, they have been told not to come on base. The base has been on lockdown for indefinite period of time this afternoon. Again, people off base cannot go on base and vice versa. There have been reports from the fire department according to our affiliate that they had been called to the scene to respond to someone with gunshot wounds, but, again, CNN reached to a spokesperson for this Air Force base and they told us no injuries have been reported, no shots fired. We're going to keep updating that.

Meantime, it is at the top of the hour. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you for being with us here on CNN. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: As the clock ticks, people across the country tonight are getting ready to protest the imminent execution of a convicted cop killer.

I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How scared are you of being executed?

BALDWIN (on camera): NAACP president Ben Jealous will join me live and tell me why he is trying to save Troy Davis' life.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a situation very fluid at the moment.

BALDWIN: As rebels move south in Libya, a potential game-changer up north, Moammar Gadhafi's hometown under attack.

Plus, a little girl dies wishing not for presents, but that people give their money to other children.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's jumping up and down in heaven right now.

BALDWIN: Now we're hearing from the man who got her kidney.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I received a gift that you can't even describe.

And "Weekend at Bernie's" comes to life, two men accused of taking their dead buddy out for a night on the town. Sunny Hostin is on the case.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(NEWS BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The officer ran over, and seconds later, Officer Mark MacPhail was shot and killed. It was tragic, horrifying and chaotic. And two decades later, it all still is.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: Next week, next Wednesday, 7:00 p.m., Troy Davis expected to be put to death for killing a police officer, but, tonight, many will make their case about why they say he should stay alive. Coming up next, I will talk live with NAACP president/CEO Ben Jealous here live in the studio about why he is calling for Georgia to call off this execution because of new doubts about whether Troy Davis even did it.

Stay right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: The clock is ticking for convicted cop killer Troy Davis. He is scheduled to be executed Wednesday night here in Georgia, but more than half-a-million people at least don't believe he did it showing their solidarity by signing this petition.

Activists are holding a candlelight vigil tonight in downtown Atlanta. Davis sits on death row for the 1989 murder of a Savannah police officer by the name of Mark MacPhail. The 27-year-old husband and father was shot three times before he could even draw his sidearm.

There was no physical, no DNA evidence linking Troy Davis to that crime scene. He was convicted on witness testimony alone. And since his 1991 conviction, seven of the nine witnesses, the non-police witnesses against him have either recanted or contradicted their original testimony.

David Mattingly joins me from downtown Atlanta, where a rally in support of Troy Davis is set to begin.

And, David, how many people -- set the scene for me. How many people are they expecting tonight and will Troy Davis' family be there?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, we're still a couple of hours from this event kicking off.

And perhaps the more important question of how many is actually who is supporting Troy Davis in this 11th hour as he tries to avoid the death penalty. He's getting some high-powered help from people like former President Jimmy Carter, 51 members of Congress, former FBI Director William sessions, all of them saying that there are too many doubts in this case as they approach this late hour, too many questions that have been unanswered about whether or not he is guilty or innocent.

And they are arguing not that he is innocent, but because of the doubts, that he should not be executed as long as these doubts exist, so that is what everyone is pushing so far. We see a lot of the usual organizations who are opposed to the death penalty like the ACLU, Amnesty International, the NAACP backing him as well.

But this goes beyond that. As you saw earlier this week, we had over 600,000 signatures on a petition delivered to the state. And those signatures belonged to people in some cases who believe in the death penalty, but who have looked at this case and feel that there are not enough facts to support an execution. So that's why there's been this tremendous groundswell surrounding this particular case, and Troy Davis' case now standing out among a lot of death row cases that we across the country just for that reason -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Yes, we saw pictures of the boxes and boxes of petitions that were just delivered yesterday. You mentioned a number of big names who were coming out behind Troy Davis, but what is it, David, that makes this death row case so entirely different?

MATTINGLY: This has been in the works for 20 years now. This was a case from 1989. Davis has been convicted since 1991.

He has gone through the entire justice system up to the Supreme Court and back down, the state and federal courts, and he has lost at every turn. And yet those who have been following his case starting with his own family have refused to relent. They have continued to push the fact that they believe that there is not enough evidence here to warrant an execution of this man.

A lot of people have looked at what they have been saying and a lot of people have been compelled to join at least in -- by signing these petitions and perhaps by joining the demonstrations that have been set up for around the country tonight to get involved in this case, to see if they can influence a state board that's going to meet on Monday that will decide if this execution goes forward.

And it's going to be a five-member Board of the Pardons and Parole here in the state of Georgia. Those five people will hear from his attorneys on Monday and they will decide if this execution will go forward or if perhaps they will commute his sentence to life in prison or to life in prison without parole. Those are options there.

But this is something to really pay attention to here, Brooke, because this board once in the past has already denied clemency. They denied Troy Davis any sort of chance that he would be able to change his sentence to life in prison. And this board has a history of never going back on a decision like that. So, if they do, that will be making history in this case.

BALDWIN: As we mentioned, Troy Davis set to be executed so far next Wednesday.

David Mattingly at the scene of a candlelight vigil. It will happen in a couple hours. David, thank very much.

As he pointed out, a number of prominent names, groups pushing to spare Troy Davis from execution. They include former President Jimmy Carter, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Pope Benedict, and of course, the NAACP.

The organization's president and CEO, Ben Jealous, joins me here.

And I know we were talking in the break about how many petitions, 660,000 --

BENJAMIN JEALOUS, PRESIDENT AND CEO, NAACP: Thousand and counting.

BALDWIN: -- and counting, people still going on NAACP.org and electronically signing them, what have you.

Have gotten any word from this state board, any indication that all of your efforts could be working?

JEALOUS: We have reason to hope.

You don't see the former director of the FBI come out or, for that matter, the former number two in George W. Bush's DOJ, Mr. Larry Thompson, come out on death penalty cases. It just doesn't happen. So, to see the two of them come forward and say there's too much doubt here, joining Jimmy Carter, Joining Tutu and so many others, it gives you hope that this time, the board will say, this is different. We need to take a step back.

And, you know, quite frankly, they would not be the first to do this even this year. There have been three states this year who have done the exact same thing, who have set aside a death sentence in favor of a life sentence because there was just too much doubt.

BALDWIN: How frequently does your organization, does the NAACP get behind, so, you know, vehemently behind, this kind of case --

JEALOUS: A death row case?

BALDWIN: -- a death row case?

JEALOUS: It's been at least 10 years.

(CROSSTALK)

JEALOUS: It was Gary Graham in Texas was the last time that we were pushing a case of doubt like this.

The reality is that we know that people have been put to death for crimes that they did not commit in this country. It's a mathematical certainty, many economists have said. But now that we see these waves and waves of people who come out based on DNA, we know that before we had DNA, the same types of mistakes must have been made.

And as you pointed out at the top, he was put there by nine people's word, that was it, and seven of those people now say that they lied, and many more people, in a sense, have come forward to say that one of the two who has not recanted is the actual killer.

It's a very disturbing case.

BALDWIN: In addition to the seven of the nine recanting some of what they said on the stands some years ago --

JEALOUS: Where I'm from, we call recanting admitting that you lied. BALDWIN: Lying, admitting that you lied on the stand. Also, that there's a juror coming forward saying had she known then what she knows now, she wouldn't have gone the way she did.

JEALOUS: That's right.

BALDWIN: I want to play this sound in case you haven't heard it. There they are.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DARRELL COLLINS, WITNESS AT TRIAL OF TROY DAVIS: I've told them over and over that I didn't see this happen. They put what they wanted to put in that statement.

BRENDA FORREST, JUROR AT TRIAL OF TROY DAVIS: If I knew then what I know now, Troy Davis would not be on death row. The verdict would be not guilty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, Ben Jealous, though, the contrarian view of that could be, OK, if these people now are coming forward and they're admitting that they lied on the stand, why should we believe that they're not lying now? Why are they credible now and not then?

JEALOUS: Well, you could ask the same question, right, why did their word matter then and not now? And the reality is that in this country, we believe that no one should be killed by our government if there's any doubt. It has to be beyond a doubt.

Even the federal judge who went the other way because the thing had flipped and, all of a sudden, Troy had to prove his innocence, rather than the state prove his guilt, said the case wasn't iron-clad. When a federal judge says the case against him isn't iron-clad, that means there's a shadow of a doubt, that means that we shouldn't kill him, because you can't take it back.

BALDWIN: Right. We know Monday, as David Mattingly pointed out, the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, they're meeting to hear his clemency position, right? And we also know he's been hours away from execution multiple times in the past.

JEALOUS: Within 45 minutes last time.

BALDWIN: Within 45 minutes last time.

What if he is put to death? Then what does the NAACP do?

JEALOUS: You know, one of the things that we will do is we'll make sure that his nephew, who will have lost a father, really, because Troy has helped raise him, is taken care of, that he gets the guidance, that he knows that he has a family of people he knows care about him that extends beyond his household. This young man lost his grandmother who lived with him, his mom's now fighting cancer. She could have died last week. His uncle, who's really been more of a father than his own father -- he sees him every single weekend -- may be put to death next week.

So one thing that we will do is make sure that that young man has a future. But the other thing that we'll do is we'll make sure that the world doesn't forget this case, that the world understands what this means, that when the former head of the FBI can say there's a problem here, Georgia, we have a problem, and if they go forward anyway, that that really calls into question a whole bunch of questions that right now really are on the table.

Right now, this is about, is justice being done? This is about -- it doesn't matter if you support the death penalty or not. It doesn't matter if you think Troy's guilty or not. What matters is that there's such widespread doubt, that even the former head of the FBI is saying stop the execution.

BALDWIN: I know you're here, you're going on to, ultimately, Ebenezer Baptist Church, with a candlelight vigil.

JEALOUS: Yes.

BALDWIN: I thank you so much for stopping by here in the studio, Ben Jealous.

JEALOUS: Thank you for having me.

BALDWIN: Thank you very much. It's nice to meet you.

Tomorrow morning, we should also point out, right here on CNN, you're going to hear from a woman who is convinced that the right man is scheduled to die for this killing. Anneliese MacPhail, the mother of this slain officer, Officer Mark MacPhail, who was gunned down in that parking lot in Savannah so many years ago, she's going to join my colleague T.J. Holmes, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Do not miss that interview at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

And now, this very minute, police are looking for a missing soldier considered armed and dangerous, escaped the Fort Drum Army Base in New York. I'll speak live with the state police about where that search stands right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: There is another developing story this hour in New York. Police there are searching for this escaped soldier they consider to be armed and dangerous.

He is 20-year-old Private First Class Russell Marcum. He was being held at the U.S. Army base in Fort Drum facing burglary charges, but last night police say he stole a car, took off. Police chased him across multiple counties before they were able to disable the car.

That's when the camouflage-clad soldier ran off. They lost sight of him in a wooded area.

Marcum reportedly has a handgun and may be wearing a bulletproof vest. Police say he is suicidal. Marcum reportedly telephoned a family member and said that he won't be taken alive.

Joining me now by phone, Jack Keller with the New York State Police.

And sir, do you have any idea where this young man might be?

JACK KELLER, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, NEW YORK STATE POLICE: Not currently. We are searching the area around where the car was left last night, and we're hoping to come to a peaceful resolution soon.

BALDWIN: We know that Russell Marcum was arrested back on September 12th for burglary. He was bailed out by his parents, taken back to Fort Drum, into custody there.

What exactly do you know -- what did he do?

KELLER: Well, we're still investigating it. Fort Drum notified us after he assaulted one of the soldiers that was driving him back to the base, where he was confined to special quarters until after his criminal matters were taken care of.

At that point, he took what appeared to be a family vehicle from the base and pursued south. And that's when law enforcement, through four counties, attempted to stop him. And then, eventually, we did stop the vehicle out here in Eagle (ph) County.

BALDWIN: But back on September the 12th, do we even know what he burglarized or attempted to burglarize?

KELLER: He was facing charges for burglary to several storage facilities near the Fort Drum base.

BALDWIN: OK. I know you all are considering calling him armed and dangerous. My question then is, how would he be armed if he was in unit custody? Would they not have stripped him from weapons ahead of time, or were weapons in the car?

KELLER: We're still looking into that investigation still, trying to figure out exactly. We don't believe it's a weapon from the military. It may be a privately-owned weapon that he may have concealed after he assaulted that soldier and got into that vehicle.

BALDWIN: I see. We know he's 20. He joined the Army August of last year. He had recently been deployed, had he not?

KELLER: I'm not too sure on his deployments across -- overseas.

BALDWIN: I believe he was deployed to Afghanistan back this past March.

What about the report that Marcum may be suicidal? Does that change the way New York police handles the search for him? State police?

KELLER: No, we're concerned, of course, first for his safety, and also for (INAUDIBLE). We don't change -- we're still going to look for this suspect, and right now we're currently looking in the area where the car was left.

So, again, hopefully if the public sees somebody in that area that doesn't belong, or notices his description and notices him walking along the highway, to notify 911, but we certainly hope to come to a peaceful resolution.

BALDWIN: OK.

Jack Keller, New York State Police.

Thank you so much, sir, for calling in.

Ahead, the hunt for Moammar Gadhafi now includes a big attempt to capture the ousted leader's entourage. Nic Robertson, standing by live in nearby Niger, where some of Gadhafi's family has escaped. Nic is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Want to take you back to the hunt for Moammar Gadhafi, and a lot of news this Friday out of Libya, and out of Libya's to the south, Niger.

Take a look at the map here. We're going to show you Libya. You can see the capital city. There it is. A couple cities highlighted.

The capital city, Tripoli. There are three other cities here. These are the remaining Gadhafi strongholds.

Today, the rebels are zeroing in on all three. And about an hour ago, we had a live report from Sirte, Gadhafi's hometown.

CNN's Phil Black told us that the rebels, they pushed into Sirte today, they came up against resistance, pulled right back out. They say they're going to try again tomorrow.

Another city, Bani Walid. Today, we heard reports of fighting. We were seeking confirmation, and here's your confirmation. These pictures right here, fighting in Bani Walid.

(GUNFIRE)

BALDWIN: And then way down south here, this is the desert. CNN's Ben Wedeman is with the rebel forces there.

Those rebels are meeting resistance. They are pushing their way southward toward the pro-Gadhafi stronghold of Sabha. And now, as you probably know already, Gadhafi's son Saadi has fled to Libya's southern neighbor, Niger.

That is Saadi Gadhafi, these images. This is a couple of months ago with our own Nic Robertson there.

And the new regime, they want Saadi Gadhafi back. But this is turning into a mess with the new Libya and Niger.

Nic Robertson is live in Niger for us.

And, Nic, what happened there today?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, today, the justice minister came out and told a group of journalists he wasn't going to send Gadhafi back to Libya. He said he's still waiting for this delegation to come to Libya for the transitional government. He said he's been told that they're coming, that they're going to come and ask for Gadhafi back, but that's not going to happen. He said Niger is going to honor the international commitments, honor the Geneva Convention, honor the protection of people in their humanitarian situation. He said to send Gadhafi back into a war and potential trial that could end in a death penalty, this government right here is not about to do that, Brooke.

BALDWIN: If Niger isn't going to do that, should we assume Niger, Nic, will take the same position should Moammar Gadhafi himself manage to escape there as well?

ROBERTSON: You know, that could be a slightly different situation, because Moammar Gadhafi's has got an Interpol red alert out on him. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court, so the sort of international obligation obligations would be different.

The justice minister there said he wasn't going to get into hypotheticals. He's dealing with the situation here and now, so is not going to speculate on what he would do. But it seems the inference is that Gadhafi might be treated differently to his son Saadi.

But the bottom line is that this government's under no internal pressure to send any of the Gadhafis back because Moammar Gadhafi spent millions and millions and millions of dollars here and people, on the streets say, no one else has been spending money on us, so we'll support Gadhafi if he needs to help.

BALDWIN: We just don't know yet, I guess. Nic Robertson for us in Niger. Nic, my thanks to you, so much.

And now, from Africa, we go to Washington. To Peter Hamby with the latest news fresh off the particularly, including news about Republican presidential candidates Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry. Peter Hamby, nice to see you, sir.

PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Rick Perry just finished up a press conference in Iowa where he went after Mitt Romney, his chief rival for the Republican nomination. He's in the middle of a two-day swing out there in crucial western Iowa, which is where a lot of conservative folks are going to participate in the Republican caucuses early next year. But he's been hitting Romney all day over Romneycare. Take a listen to what he said earlier today in Des Moines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The model for socialized medicine has been tried before and it didn't work. It failed miserably, whether it was in western Europe or in Massachusetts. The problem with state sponsored health care is if you cannot contain it just within the border of your state, and here's what I mean by that. It's not just about Massachusetts, because when that plan took effect, it also increased Medicaid and Medicare costs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMBY: So, the gloves are really off between Romney and Perry. A lot of Republicans believe the race is becoming a two-man race. Michele Bachmann meanwhile, who was the Iowa frontrunner not a month ago, is in California today. You may wonder why would a Republican be in California, a very blue state. The Republican fund raising deadline, the third quarter deadline, is coming up in two weeks. California, despite being Democratic, does have some Republican strongholds. She's in Orange County, which has been a hot bed of Republican activism back to the Barry Goldwater days. So she's out there raising money in California ahead of this final two week sprint until the fundraising deadline, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Money, money, money, Peter Hamby. Thank you very much. Have a good weekend to you, sir.

And now here's a question for you. Where do Rick Perry and Donald Trump go for fun? Two words -- Fashion Week. We're going to show you the proof of that.

Plus, usually it's the women strutting down the cat walk. Wait until you see who's slapping their rear ends wear skimpy clothes. The bizarre video is next.

And there's a lot of buzz over an interview Brad Pitt gave. You heard about this? His comments about Jennifer Aniston created such a stir, Brad Pitt felt compelled to issue a statement. That story is trending, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: It has been Fashion Week in New York, so that of course is trending today with the tall, lean, svelte models slinking along the cat walk, how could this not be trending? But you might be surprised, actually, at this Fashion Week offering. Watch this.

(VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: OK. Not -- not your usual high fashion presentation. This is a six-year-old gyrating in some sort of skimpy clothing. I guess that's considered clothing, on a cat walk during New York's Fashion Week. She is a veteran of TLC's "Toddlers and Tiaras," also no surprise. Pictures of the hot pants clad tot heating up online chat rooms, many a mom saying shame on her mom. By the way, if you noticed the jacket before she ripped it off, it had the SIMP. Apparently it stands for "squirrels in my pants." OK, we have an even more unlikely fashion trend here. Rick Perry, Texas governor running for president, he was in New York visiting the Donald as in Donald Trump. They had dinner together and afterwards the two stopped by a fashion show to meet celebrities. Today it was back to politics as usual for the Texas governor. But for one night, he was the trendiest of trendy New York has to offer.

And do you want to see the real trends shown at New York's Fashion Week? CNN of course has a backstage pass. It's a Fashion Week special airing tomorrow afternoon, 2:30 eastern time.

And now, Brad Pitt, a new Brad Pitt interview, it is firing up fans of his ex-wife, actress Jennifer Aniston. Lisa, our good friend at CNN.com is here to talk me through this. First, just what did he say?

LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN.COM CONTRIBUTOR: He said that when he was married to Jennifer Aniston he was looking for interesting movie roles because his life was not interesting. He was bored.

BALDWIN: Who was he telling this to?

FRANCE: He told "Parade" magazine in an interview that's going to be in the paper this weekend.

BALDWIN: Is that just the gist of it.

BALDWIN: Yes, well, he talked a lot about his kids and how happy he is with Angelina Jolie, a lot of love for Angelia Jolie, not so much --

BALDWIN: OK, so, they're divorced.

FRANCE: Since 2005. We're still talking about him.

BALDWIN: Why is he still talking about her? It's 2011.

FRANCE: I feel like America still thinks of them as America's sweethearts. And I like he just can't stop talking about her. And I feel bad for her.

BALDWIN: What's he talking about? Who?

FRANCE: He's backtracked now.

BALDWIN: What is he saying now?

FRANCE: Now, he's saying that it's really hurtful to him that people think that's what he was referring to. He actually gave us a statement, and the statement said "It grieves me this was interpreted this way. Jen is an incredible, giving, loving, and hilarious woman who remains my friend, and that's an important relationship I value greatly. The point I was trying to make is not that Jen was dull, but that I was becoming dull to myself, and that I am responsible for." He was the boring one. But do you want to see that in an interview? I don't want to see that on my Facebook page from an ex. BALDWIN: I'd be defriending the ex. What about Jennifer Aniston? Is she reacting at all?

FRANCE: We haven't heard anything from her as of yet, but she was quoted years ago that he lacks the sensitivity chip. So this probably was no surprise to her. Brad Pitt, we still love him, though. I love him enough for the both of us.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: Thank you. Thanks for making me laugh.

Still ahead though, it sounds like this is not a laughing matter here. It sounds like "Weekend at Bernie's." Remember that movie? Two guys accused of taking their dead buddy out for a night on the town. We're on the case.

Plus, a cheating scandal rocks a school system in one major city and now some new employers are trying to clean up the mess. We'll show you how, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Of all the things Atlanta is known for, school officials are hoping it is not the cheating scandal that's pointing multiple fingers at several principals and teachers in town.

Julie Peterson shows us how Atlanta's trying to fix their schools and erase that stigma.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, ladies. Did you have breakfast?

JULIE PETERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Principal Pete Settelmayer has his work cut out for him. In his new job at Atlanta's Dobbs Elementary School hired just 10 days before the start of classes. At a school with more than 550 students, most of his Settelmayer's responsibilities are obvious.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have one child with severe, chronic asthma.

PETERSON: Like motivating, but there will be even greater challenges for Settelmayer, who has brought in an interim replacement for a principal implicated in Atlanta's test cheating scandal, cheating not by the students, but by their teachers and administrators.

One hundred seventy eight teachers and principals were accused of either changing students' answers to improve scores on standardized test or failing to stop the cheating from occurring.

At Settelmayer's school, the principal and four teachers were implicated and have been placed on administrative leave. PETE SETTELMAYER, NEW PRINCIPAL, DOBBS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: I think my job as well as any other school leader's job is to create culture, a positive culture. Give yourself a big pat on the back because that's amazing.

PETERSON: His message to teachers appears to be sinking in.

SETTELMAYER: We have a family and families change through marriage or through deaths and our family's changing, but in a positive way.

RUBY CHAMPION, FIRST GRADE TEACHER, DOBBS ELEMENTARY: His positivity has really rubbed off on the rest of us here. So when you have a great leader, it really guides us. We're just following his lead and we're supporting him 100 percent.

PETERSON: And there's one point he emphasizes when talking with teachers and staff.

SETTELMAYER: The one thing that I did not care about was the standardized tests, the CRCT test. I said, what I care about most is that we can bring a child in here with a certain set of knowledge and that they exit in May with a greater sense and a greater understanding of the world they live in.

PETERSON (on camera): It sounds like you think people really moved on, the staff, the families.

SETTELMAYER: Sure. And I probably would be naive to think that, you know, there isn't some skepticism out there or some, you know, what's it going to be like, and I try and be as proactive as possible.

Excellent job, Miss Champion's class. Have an excellent Friday, OK. You can either low in the past and think about all the things that could have happened or you can think of the things that need to happen.

PETERSON (voice-over): Julie Peterson, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: The 178 educators allegedly involved in that Atlanta cheating scandal received letters this summer asking them to quit or they would be fired.

And need to remind you it is Friday and Friday means you can ask me some fun questions. Behind the scenes video, we're calling it "The Week Wind Down." Check it out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: I've been tweeting a lot about my guitar lessons. So George asks, what was the first song you learned on guitar? That was back in high school, "Stairway to Heaven."

(END VIDEO CLIP) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: A student is thanking those who risked their lives to save his from a fiery crash. We have shown you this video. It's amazing video.

Brandon Wright was that 21-year-old who was trapped underneath the fiery car covered in gasoline. A group of these good Samaritans, looks like 10 or so of them. They come by. They lift this 4,000- pound car pulled right to safety.

Here was what Wright who's now speaking up about this. This is what he remembers about that accident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I blacked out and I came to for about five seconds while I was under the car. I just screamed a couple of times and I threw up some blood and it was lights out again.

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BALDWIN: The 21-year-old is there recovering in a hospital in Utah. Got a little choked up yesterday as he thanked those total strangers who saved his life.

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BRANDON WRIGHT, MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT VICTIM: I just wanted to thank all the heroes that put their lives on the line to save mine. I'm forever in debt. I can't thank them enough. I just hope they know how much they mean to me.

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BALDWIN: Wright has burns. He has several broken bones, but says the crash will not stop him from riding again.

And now, let's get a quick check from Wolf Blitzer. See what he was coming up on "THE SITUATION ROOM" in a matter of minutes. Wolf, what do you have?

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, CNN'S "THE SITUATION ROOM": Lots going on. There could be fireworks at the United Nations. Next week as you know, I'll be reporting live all week from New York next week, Brooke.

But the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, he spoke out today. We're going to hear what he's saying about the creation of a Palestinian state. Some sort of declaration that he expects the U.N. to pass next week.

We'll get reaction from the Israeli ambassador to the United States, Michael Orrin. He is here in "THE SITUATION ROOM." We'll talk with him live.

Also, Thomas Friedman of "The New York Times." He's here, got a brand new book out, a powerful new book. We're going to talk about a book, the Arab Spring, a lot more. Got a big show as I say every single day, but it happens to be a really big show every single day.

BALDWIN: That's just how you roll. Wolf Blitzer, thank you so much. We'll see you in a couple of minutes.

Meantime, this is a tough story coming up. Listen to this.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the time that I've been with Hendersonville for 17 years now, this is the only time that I've seen a crime such as this.

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BALDWIN: Here's the story. This woman doesn't tell anyone she's pregnant. She gives birth to twins, what police say happens next is both horrifying and it's baffling. Coming up next, where they found these lifeless newborns and why, why, this may have happened.

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BALDWIN: A disturbing case out of Tennessee. According to police, a 25-year-old woman suffocated her twin babies minutes after they were born. Her parents apparently didn't even know she was pregnant.

Lindsey Lowe is now charged with murder. She's in jail awaiting a bond hearing Monday and police say she confessed to killing her infant boys in the home she shared with her parents.

And then she hid the bodies, so she said, in a bedroom laundry basket. Detectives there say they have never seen anything like this before.

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LT. SCOTT RYAN, HENDERSONVILLE, TENNESSEE POLICE: We received a call from Miss Lowe's father and he reported to us that he had discovered a deceased child in his daughter's bedroom. She was very sad at the last point that I saw her.

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BALDWIN: Sunny Hostin is on the case and Sunny, it is a horrendous story. There are things one can say about this that one really can't repeat on television. Let me just go with this. What sort of defense, if anything, would this young woman have after confessing?

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: Well, you know, neonaticide, which is the killing of a baby, an infant within the first 24 hours of the baby's life, is not necessarily common, but not necessarily unique, Brooke. I mean, we see about 150 to 300 types of these cases in the legal community a year and that's probably under reported. The types of defense that you're usually seeing in cases like this are sort of people that have had insanity defenses.

You have women, usually very young girls under the age of 25, that say they had this sort of psychotic break because of the hormonal changes that go on when a woman is pregnant and when a woman is giving birth.

And because many of these girls hide the fact that they are pregnant from their families, from their friends and a lot of shame is a part of unfortunately, the reason why they kill their children.

BALDWIN: It happens, as you mentioned. There's the phrase, neonaticide. I do want to read a statement from Lowe's attorney. He says the family is devastated by this and that despite the overwhelming losses they have suffered, they are a strong and resilient family. I am sure they will somehow make it through this. How do you make it through this, Sunny? What could this tragedy do to a family?

HOSTIN: I think it can really rip a family apart. I think people have so many questions, Brooke and I've seen it in cases. Not necessarily like this, but other cases where victim advocates come in.

Advocates come in, psychologists come into play and they help families sort through this kind of thing. I mean, it's one of the worst things I think possible that would happen in a family and this family is going to need certainly a lot of help.

Because she didn't tell her parents, although she lived with them, that she was pregnant. This really came as a shock and as a surprise to them.

BALDWIN: Case number two, a strange one out of Colorado. It's like that movie, "Weekend at Bernie's." The movie where that, you know, a couple of guys dress up their dead boss, take him around to bars, restaurants.

Robert Young and Mark Reubenson are charged with abusing a corpse, identity theft and criminal impersonation. Here's what they allegedly did. Denver police say they placed the dead body of a friend into an SUV, drove the body to a bar, to a restaurant.

And buddy, Jeffrey Jarrett stayed in the backseat while these two men ran up a tab on his debit card. Later, they took him home, flagged down an officer, and told them that Jarrett might be dead.

Sunny, the two men haven't been charged with their friend's death -- I know. Throw your hands up. It's another one of those stories. The autopsy hasn't been completed. What kind of trouble could these guys face?

HOSTIN: Well, right now, they are in a lot of trouble. I mean, they've been arrested. They are in jail. They've been arrested on charges of abusing a corpse, which they've done, identity theft, which they've committed, criminal impersonation, again, which they've committed.

I mean, bottom line is, if they are found to be implicated in their friend's murder, they could be facing murder charges. So while this seems kind of funny, or obviously it seemed funny to them, this could be a very serious case. Remember people, "Weekend at Bernie's" was a movie and should have never happened in real life.

BALDWIN: Hollywood, why? Sunny Hostin, thank you so much on the case for us.

And that is it for me. I'm Brooke Baldwin. I hope you have a wonderful weekend, but still, don't move. Wolf Blitzer up next. "THE SITUATION ROOM" starts right now>