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New Voter Rules in Egypt; Michigan Lawmakers Approve "Right to Work"; Secret Military Shuttle Launches; The World in 2030; Missing Link to Mona Lisa Mystery; Boys Age 7 and 11 Attempt Carjacking; "Choose Life" License Plates Banned; McCain, Lieberman, Graham Sit Down With Piers
Aired December 11, 2012 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Bottom of the hour. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has put in place his new voting rules as the protests turn violent ahead of this Saturday's vote on the controversial constitutional referendum. The new rules restrict voters from casting their ballots outside their electoral districts, which had been allowed in the past.
This announcement comes just hours after masked gunmen attacked these opposition protesters, happening overnight in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Nine protesters were injured, four of them critically. Their attackers fired bird shot pellets, tossed Molotov cocktails.
Let's go to Cairo, to Reza Sayah. Reza, what will the new voter rules mean for this week's referendum?
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): I don't know if you hear me. I'm having trouble hearing you. But about an hour ago --
BALDWIN: We're having a tough time hearing Reza. We're going to work on that connection and we will bring him back up because it is important to talk about what is happening now in anticipation of the weekend. Let me get you caught up, though, on our lead story out of Michigan. Take a look.
In spite of strong opposition, Michigan's Republican-led legislature passed two right-to-work bills just within this past hour. One is for public workers. The second covers workers in the private sector.
With the passing of both of these bills, Michigan will now become the 24th right to work state. All that is left for that to happen is for the Republican governor to sign it. You see the yellow states.
These are the right to work states on your screen. The governor promises to give this bill his autograph, probably, we're hearing, tomorrow. Want you to listen as Poppy Harlow who is there in the thick of things in Lansing, questions the head of the United Autoworkers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: Does this mean the beginning of sort of a death of unions in this country? Are you concerned this is that big symbolically?
BOB KING, UAW PRESIDENT: No, I think unions -- I think things like this are waking a sleeping giant. I think workers and working families are tired of losing. They want a fair share of the prosperity of this state, this country and I think that's going to help build the union movement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Again, just this past hour, lawmakers voted to turn Michigan into the 24th right to work state. The governor of Michigan, Governor Rick Snyder expected to sign the bill into law tomorrow.
How about this, this top secret military space plane has now launched from Cape Canaveral, take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five, four, three -- we have ignition -- two, one and liftoff, liftoff of the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 Rocket carrying the third OTV mission for the United States Air Force.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: It is a long name. Now we know the name, but its mission is still a mystery today. Once owned by NASA, the unmanned spacecraft now in the hands of the U.S. Air Force.
John Zarrella, our go to guy on all things space there joining me from Miami. John, this is this super uber, you know, highly classified mission, we don't know where it is going or what it will be doing, but there are crazy claims out there. What are you hearing?
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know it goes about 200 miles up, about the same height that the space shuttle does and it's totally autonomous. There are no people on board. It can stay in space for a really, really long time.
They have gone up twice before and the last one, which came back in I believe October or so, it had been up there for 469 days, for 15 months, and nobody knows what it was doing. But some of the wild stuff out there, Brooke that we're hearing is a lot of people are saying, well, maybe this is a spy killing vehicle.
It can go out there and shoot down other satellites out there, spy satellites or, you know, maybe it is a vehicle that can do other things like, you know, actually be moved into position itself as a spy satellite and take immediate pictures when necessary of things the military wants. So lots of crazy stuff out there, the military says none of that's true.
BALDWIN: And by the way, yes, asterisks, none of it is confirmed, what we know you say it's been up there for like 15 months, it will be in space for several months. Anything else we do know?
ZARRELLA: Yes, well, if you listen to what the military says about it what we do know is that it is a, quote, "test platform," according to the Air Force, where they're testing all kinds of new technologies.
Things like thermal protection, avionics, command and control, the heat system, which is very much like the shuttles. It has a tile system too that the shuttle did so.
Advanced technologies that would be used in the military, down the road, is what they're saying that this thing is. But, you know, one person that I talked to -- that I -- a --
BALDWIN: A source.
ZARRELLA: An analyst. Yes, an analyst, an analyst we have known for a lot of years said in a recent article that I read. He said, you know what, this simply may be nothing more -- its entire purpose may be to have the Chinese wondering what its purpose is. So it may not have a purpose at all.
BALDWIN: So just a big quandary into --
ZARRELLA: Yes.
BALDWIN: A whole lot of nothing.
ZARRELLA: Yes.
BALDWIN: Who knows. Maybe one day we'll find out. Maybe it will be you. John Zarrella, thank you so much for it in Miami on this mini spacecraft.
Move over America, from money to natural resources. One country stands out as the lead come the year 2030. Who might that be? We'll tell you next.
Also, from the famous smile, if you want to call it a smile, to the woman herself, archaeologists say they may have discovered the remains of Leonardo Da Vinci's most famous model.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: Hi, there, everyone. Today on the "Help Desk," we're talking about financial aid, very, very important, with me this hour, Lynette Khalfani-Cox and David Novick. Lynette, take a listen to this question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How do you get a government loan to go back to school?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: This is a big question because through the government it is going to be more affordable than private student loans, but a lot of people are worried about accessing that money.
LYNNETTE KHALFANI-COX, FOUNDER, ASKTHEMONEYCOACH.COM: Right. Well, this is actually a good time to start thinking about it because January 1st kicks off FAFSA this season. And that stands for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
If you want a loan or grant or scholarship of any kind for college, you must fill out the FAFSA. Don't wait until April 15th. Some people make the mistake of thinking I've got to wait until I file my taxes.
You can estimate your income figures. You want to do it immediately. But there are loans out there. There is the federal Stafford loan, which one of the most commonly granted loans for people who want to go back to college. Depending on income, she might qualify for free money, like the Pell Grant.
HARLOW: I was just going to say, the money into Pell Grant has actually been increased under the Obama administration.
DAVID NOVICK, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER, PROMETHEUS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: Correct. I mean, that could change, but it is important you do this as early as possible. There are also may be programs through the school. There may be available work study programs, apprenticeship program and they're on a first come first served basis. So the earlier you get the application in, the better chance you have of getting it.
HARLOW: Do the leg work and do it early. Guys, thank you. Appreciate it. If you have a question you want our experts to tackle, just upload a 30-second video with your question to ireport.com.
BALDWIN: Poppy Harlow, thank you.
Asia will take the leading roll on the world stage in the years to come. The rest of the world falls behind. This is according to projections by the U.S. Intelligence community.
A new report sees a huge shift in global influence and big fights over natural resources. Christine Romans has more in New York. Hi, Christine.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, a world where Asia is on the rise and an era of western dominance is over, it is not that far away. A 140-page assessment by the National Intelligence Council predicts it will be a far different world by the year 2030.
A world undergoing, quote, "tectonic shifts," comparable to the French revolution and the industrial revolution, the late 18th century, but happening faster, a lot faster, by 2030, the report says China will have already passed the U.S. economically and power will shift from North America and Europe to Asia, which we'll see the power it last held during the middle ages.
The report says, quote, "The uni-polar moment is over and Pax Americana, the era of American ascendancy and international politics that began in 1945 is fast winding down." Expect food and water demand to soar 35 percent and western middle classes to see even more competition from new rising workforces around the globe -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: Christine Romans, thank you.
We all know the face and soon the mystery could be solved. Who was Mona Lisa? CNN goes inside the search for Da Vinci's most famous muse.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: She had one of the most famous faces in history. And more than 500 years later, this team of archaeologists say they may have found the missing link to the mystery of Mona Lisa. Ben Wedeman reports from the site.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The smile has perplexed art historians for centuries, Leonardo Da Vinci's priceless masterpiece, the Mona Lisa.
In the frigid bows of what was once a convent in Florence, television producer turned art researcher Silvano Vinceti is leading a project to find and identify the remains of the woman who posed for Da Vinci more than 500 years ago.
(on camera): Historical documents seem to indicate this is the place where Lisa Gardini, otherwise known as Mona Lisa, was buried. Beyond that, it is all a mystery.
(voice-over): The remains of five females have been found here. The skull may be that of Lisa Gardini, the second wife of a wealthy Florence silk merchant. The remains will be compared with the DNA of two relatives buried elsewhere.
No other likeness of her has ever been found, and given that Da Vinci spent years working on the painting, it is possible the real Lisa Gardini bears no resemblance to the Mona Lisa.
Once we identify the remains, Vinceti tells me, we can reconstruct the face with the margin of error of 2 percent to 8 percent. By doing this, we'll finally be able to answer the question the art historians can't, who was the model for Leonardo?
The smile on the other hand will probably remain a mystery. Vinceti claims scientific analysis suggests the smile came later. When, he says, Leonardo began painting the model in front of him, he didn't draw that metaphysical ironic, poignant elusive smile, but rather he painted a person who was dark and depressed.
The smile, Vinceti and others have suggested, may belong to Da Vinci's long time assistant and some believe lover Giacamo. While other art historians claimed the painting was actually a surreptitious self- portrait.
So we may never know if the smile was, as Nat King Cole sang, to tempt a lover or to confound humanity. Ben Wedeman, CNN, Florence, Italy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: How about that? Ben Wedeman, thank you.
They had a loaded handgun. They tried to carjack a woman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is fully loaded and cooked and ready to blow your brains out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: These two suspects even ran from the police. So why won't they face any jail time? We're on the case next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Listen to this. This Portland woman said she was held at gunpoint by two boys, not young men, boys, 7 and 11 years old. Amy Garrett says she was sitting in the car when these two boys come up to her. They threatened her, demand she hand over her truck and all of places, this is happening at a church parking lot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMY GARRETT, VICTIM OF ATTEMPTED CARJACKING: The 7-year-old told the 11-year-old, show her the piece, show her the piece. So he showed me -- he flashed me his gun and I was, like, is that real? He said, you don't ever ask if it's real, that's how you get shot.
He said, do you want to see the bullets? Yes, sure. They pulled the bullets out of the 7-year-old's backpack. That's when I realized that it was actually real because they were real bullets.
He was like it is cooked and fully loaded and ready to blow your brains out. Now, you want to let me drive your truck?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: These are children. Portland Police Sergeant Pete Simpson said because of the boys' ages, they would not be taken to a juvenile detention home. Criminal defense attorney, Anne Bremner, joins me now live.
And Anne, this is one of those stories where we're talking about it this morning and everybody's jaw is on the floor, the affiliate here in Portland, K2, said they had a loaded handgun, ran from police and then were handed over to their parents.
I mean, I know they're -- I want to say itty-bitty, but apparently not so much, can you not charge them?
ANNE BREMNER, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes, it's just is an astonishing story. I mean, my jaw is dropping right here. You think, Portland and these kids, you know, and the gun and the bullets and everything else. But they can't -- they're too young.
I mean, they're so young, it is an astonishing story, but they are too young to charge because they don't have the capacity to commit a crime. They don't have the requisite knowledge about their criminality, potential criminality to commit a crime.
So they don't go to juvi. They go to their parents and it's just an amazing, amazing story. How do they get there? I don't know. Where are they going next? Who knows?
BALDWIN: So that's just it, like, they just go home to their parents. You hope their parents punish them. I mean, so you're talking under the eyes of the law, there is no recourse?
BREMNER: That's right, at least in the criminal laws. Now, under the civil laws, the parents can be potentially held liable for the criminal acts of their kids, but they -- it is basically should have known standard with parents on a civil standard.
But on the criminal, one thing they can do that authorities could have gone in and asked for capacity hearing for these kids and said, you know what? This is so extraordinary this crime, that we're going to go back and ask a judge to decide do they have the capacity to commit the crimes and should they be tried criminally.
BALDWIN: OK.
BREMNER: But they didn't do that.
BALDWIN: But they didn't do that. So maybe -- let me move on to the next story.
BREMNER: Grounded or something, right?
BALDWIN: This federal judge ruled that North Carolina's new choose life license plate says they're unconstitutional because the state doesn't offer a proper alternative, a pro choice alternative. Tell me about the judge's reasoning.
BREMNER: Well, basically, it is called viewpoint discrimination. It violates the first amendment if you don't offer an alternative choice. What they did in North Carolina is, they simply said, this is your one option.
Respect life, without coming up with another option, which was respect choice, for example. In fact, that latter option was rejected by the legislature. And that's really what it comes down to you gave the one choice. Your viewpoint is discriminated against if you have the other view or choice.
BALDWIN: Well, we're looking at this plate, apparently 376 of them were already getting made. Do you think the state could appeal the ruling?
BREMNER: I think they can, but I don't know they'll be successful. I mean, I think what they did, it is showing they considered the alternatives and rejected them when it is clear under the first amendment, you can't discriminate against people's viewpoints.
That's what America's all about, is embracing all different viewpoints. So is the state. You can't come in and say, you just think this way, or our license plates will read this way.
BALDWIN: Anne Bremner, thank you so much, on the case with us today.
BREMNER: Thank you.
BALDWIN: Moments from now, Jim Hoffa will join me live to react to this right to work bill, one step closer to becoming law in Michigan. You know what he says? He says it is about to tear the state of Michigan apart. We'll talk to him.
Plus, new video, just in to me, Piers Morgan sits down with Joe Lieberman, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, for this rare interview. You see them all three together and apparently got a little lively on one particular issue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: We are just getting in new video of Piers Morgan and sit- down with the three senators. You have John McCain, Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham, all together, same room, and the issue of gay marriage came up. Here they were.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: My state, we're not going to change the traditional definition of marriage. And I would support the traditional definition of marriage, not out of hate, but I believe that's just best for society. At the end of the day, states will come out differently on this issue and I think that's the way it should be. I think each state --
PIERS MORGAN, HOST, CNN'S "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT": Could America really stand for freedom and genuine equality if half the states continue to view the rights of the homosexual couples to get married in a completely different way to the way they view the rights of a heterosexual couples?
GRAHAM: Can people in a republic -- can people in South Carolina and New York differ? I hope so. But can we do it in a way --
MORGAN: Can they both be equal? Can they both espouse equality if in one state you can't get married and another --
SENATOR JOE LIEBERMAN (I), CONNECTICUT: That's the basic question. Two, one is, is it unconstitutional to prohibit same sex marriage.
MORGAN: What do you think, yes or no?
LIEBERMAN: What do you think they should say?
MORGAN: What do you think they should decide? LIEBERMAN: I think marriage ought to be decided by the states. That means some states would have the right to prohibit same sex marriage though I must tell you --
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: That's the principle of the conservative federalist belief.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: That is just a portion of the interview that you can watch in full tonight, 9:00 Eastern. "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT" right here on CNN.
