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Cardinals Prepare to Choose New Pope; Bin Laden Relative in Court

Aired March 08, 2013 - 15:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: The men deciding the next pope finally reveal the big date. But what the heck have they been talking about behind closed doors?

I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.

(voice-over): The medical examiner needs help identifying bodies. So he's posting their graphic pictures online.

Plus, another asteroid buzzing near Earth. Find out when.

And...

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Are you the great man we have been waiting for?

BALDWIN: A lot of hype, a lot of cash, how the new version of "Oz" in theaters tonight is playing with critics.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Here we go, top of the hour. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

First up, first lady Michelle Obama honoring women from all around the world who put their lives at risk in the fight for women's rights. There is a little controversy here as we look at these live pictures. One honoree just found out she won't be getting an award because of alleged anti-terrorism tweets.

The Egyptian activist denies writing them. We will watch this for you and bring you news as it happens here.

But, first, we are getting ready for smoke watch 2013. We now know the day. It is next Tuesday, March 12. You have these 115 cardinals, they will meet to choose Benedict's successor. And the world will be watching and waiting for that moment when white smoke rises from the chimney at the Sistine Chapel.

CNN's John Allen is live in Vatican City.

And, John, I was shocked to read this morning that even the chimney to ultimately provide the white smoke signaling that a new pope has been revealed, that has not even finished being built yet. Tell me in these final days before Tuesday what needs to get done. JOHN ALLEN, CNN SENIOR VATICAN ANALYST: Well, first of all, Brooke, that was a great sound bite. Smoke watch. I'm going to steal that for one of my conclave tweets.

But what is going to be happening, there are some logistical things that still have to be organized. As you know, the chimney has to be put up. They aren't finished yet installing all of the tables in the Sistine Chapel where the cardinals will sit.

But, Brooke, the important thing that has to happen in the next few days is that the cardinals have to get their act together politically speaking before they file into this Sistine Chapel, in the afternoon Rome time on Tuesday, because the last thing these guys want is for this to become a protracted conclave, creating images of chaos and division and infighting.

They want to have the kind of game plan before they get in there. And I think everybody watching this process would say that right now that game plan is not yet in place. There is no clear front-runner in this race. One cardinal said a couple of days ago, the list of candidates seems to be getting longer rather than shorter.

So over the next four days, before the magic moment comes, I think there is going to be a lot of important political heavy lifting going on in various Roman venues to try to cobble together a consensus.

BALDWIN: But, John, once the magic moment happens, the conclave begins, take me inside that room, under the Michelangelo frescoes. How many hours do they meet? Do they debate? Is this all on paper? How does it work?

ALLEN: Well, you know, I think in the popular imagination people envision a kind of smoke-filled room where cigars are being chomped and horses are being traded, but, you know, the truth is, inside the Sistine Chapel is more like going to mass than it is a political convention.

The way it works is each cardinal has to fill out in silence a ballot. Then they each individually have to process up to the table in front of Michelangelo's fresco of the last judgment. They have to swear an oath in Latin promising before God that they are voting for the man they believe should be elected. Then they return to their tables.

There's a bank of three cardinals that counts the ballots, another bank of three cardinals that does a check. Soup to nuts, each round of balloting takes about an hour-and-a-half to two hours. You do two in the morning and two in the afternoon. That's pretty much your day.

So, the conversation and debate and caucusing and horse-trading, all of that doesn't go on in this Sistine Chapel. Instead, it goes on in this hotel on Vatican grounds called the Casa Santa Marta, which is where they're spending their downtime, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

That's where the political action really unfolds.

BALDWIN: So, no cigar chomping. I can't say that's was my -- where my imagination went with a bunch of cardinals, but quite the visual nonetheless.

John Allen, thank you very much in Rome for us.

And now to cruises. Heads up if you like to cruise. Getting sick on a cruise is definitely a buzzkill. That is the case for at least 100 people who just got back from that 10-day cruise with Royal Caribbean. It arrived at a dock in Florida with a virus just a short time ago.

Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joining us.

Here we go, norovirus, sick, sick, sick.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: So not fun. So not fun.

BALDWIN: What does it do?

COHEN: Two words, vomiting and diarrhea. I'm sorry to be so blunt, but that's what it is. And you feel -- it is disgusting. You feel horrible. If you're generally a healthy person, it lasts a couple of days and you're fine.

If you're very old or if you're very young or if you have any immune problems, it can be much more complicated.

BALDWIN: Do we know how it starts?

COHEN: It just spreads around. This is a bug that just spreads around. It spreads to person to person. If you were sick and you touched this table and then I touched this table, I could get the bug that way.

This bug is so contagious, Brooke, that if you have it, chances are your family is going to get it too.

BALDWIN: We have heard about this before on cruise ships. So is this common?

COHEN: I would say that it is not uncommon.

BALDWIN: Not uncommon.

COHEN: It is not uncommon at all. It is so not uncommon that the CDC has very strict guidelines for sanitizing these ships. They are supposed to be really rigorous about sanitizing them, and they're supposed to be rigorous about talking to people as they board.

They're supposed to ask passengers as they board have you had a gastrointestinal illness in the past three days? And they -- this cruise line says they did that, but you know what? If you forked over, you know, couple thousand bucks, you might not be so honest.

BALDWIN: Right.

(CROSSTALK)

COHEN: Exactly.

BALDWIN: Hopefully, these people are able to kick this quickly.

COHEN: I hope so. I really hope so, because it is definitely not a fun way to spend a cruise.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Elizabeth, thank you.

COHEN: Thanks.

BALDWIN: Got some great news on the employment front today. Take a look, 236,000 new jobs. That is the Labor Department reporting today on the hiring from the month of February.

It was a heck of a lot stronger actually than the experts had predicted, which is what we love to hear. The rate of unemployment is down two ticks to 7.7 percent. Folks, this is the best reading we have seen since 2008.

But hold it right there, because, as you know, President Obama has warned all who will listen that the $85 billion in those forced budget cuts we were talking about a week ago today will eventually cost the country 750,000 jobs.

So, yes, reality check time.

Gloria Borger in Washington, our CNN chief political analyst, bottom line, is this the reason why we're seeing this, you know, nice, nice coming from the president, a little dinner here, a little lunch here. We know, you know, Republican Paul Ryan invited to the White House just yesterday. We have, what, multiple visits to Capitol Hill next week.

Does the president see this thing possibly heading south if they don't come together on a way to undo this?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, I think so.

Look, in the big picture here is on the forced budget cuts is that their strategy did not work. They thought because their strategy on the fiscal cliff worked and they got Republicans to agree to new tax increases on the wealthy, and there were not budget cuts there that they could do it again, and they could raise the tax issue again and that Republicans would salute and say, yes, sir, because that's what the election was about.

The answer to that is, that didn't happen. The Republicans dug in. They said, we just raised taxes two months ago. You think we're going to do that again? So, when the sequester came, these forced budget cuts took effect, the president said it would be Armageddon, and then he kind of backed off of that. And now he's reaching out to Congress.

I think there are reasons for that, which is that he understands he has to get some fiscal deal in the long-term and that he's got a new staff there that is pushing him a little bit more towards the -- towards the outreach plan. And he needs to do this for his own self- interest to get the rest of his agenda through and he's hoping Republicans believe it is in their own self-interest as well.

BALDWIN: And so he's breaking bread. You write about this on CNN.com.

BORGER: Yes.

BALDWIN: Let me quote you -- quote -- "So, even if this is a cynical and calculated dinner hosted by a president in danger of losing political altitude, I will take it. Even if the president is doing it to prove it won't work, I will take it."

BORGER: Right.

BALDWIN: Is it possible that something is happening here, maybe something to break the logjam that has really seized Washington for, you know, the last four-and-a-half years?

BORGER: It is. It is possible.

But every time you suggest that something is going to work in Washington, something gets in the way, and it doesn't work.

BALDWIN: We're jinxing it.

BORGER: I don't want to be accused of being Pollyanna here, but I do think that there are people on both sides of the aisle who believe that a big deal possibly over the summer would be a very good thing for the nation's economy and the country.

However, they have to get there. And, you know, the question is, you know, the president has got his Democrats who don't want to give on those entitlements, like Medicare. The Republicans believe a lot of them would lose their congressional seats if they did anything on taxes.

So, the problems are still there, but I think it is always a good sign -- you know, I'm a sucker for bipartisanship, right? I think it is always a good sign when you see them sitting around a table and actually having some kind of unvarnished conversation.

BALDWIN: Agreed. I'm right there with you on bipartisanship.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Gloria Borger, thank you.

BORGER: Sure.

BALDWIN: Coming up, he's the son-in-law of Osama bin Laden and now he's in custody of the United States. Some critics say he shouldn't be in Manhattan; he should be in Guantanamo Bay. Our next guest from New York says no. We will talk to him after the break.

Later this hour, the so-called cannibal cop on trial in New York today -- the fate now in the hands of a jury.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWS BREAK)

BALDWIN: Osama bin Laden's son-in-law nabbed in Jordan in this cloak- and-dagger escapade. He appeared today in federal court in Manhattan. That's him on the right. This is Suleiman Abu Ghaith. That's his name. He pleaded not guilty.

Susan Candiotti is in New York for me.

And, Susan, tell me about the specific charges and also just the scene inside the courtroom.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right.

Well, the specific charge is he is facing one count of conspiring to kill Americans. And if found guilty, he could spend the rest of his life in jail, this because he allegedly was involved in -- with al Qaeda, he was the spokesperson for al Qaeda, he worked with bin Laden for many years and he's been seen in dozens of videos blasting the United States, in particular after the 9/11 attacks, warning Americans that more attacks were to come.

Now, how he appeared in court this day, when we have seen him in the past in all the videotapes, very dark hair, very fiery. This time, he's very quiet. He's now balding on the top of his head, and, in fact, his beard has now turned gray. He didn't say much, except through his lawyer, to plead not guilty -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: We all remember it was just from a couple of years ago the whole hubbub over Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. He was the 9/11 mastermind. Justice Department wanted to try him there in New York. Huge public outcry over security, and costs, and inconveniences really that would have been caused by the massive security there.

Now we are hearing the start of some of the same kind of complaints, like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KELLY AYOTTE (R), NEW HAMPSHIRE: He should be going to Gitmo. He should be kept there and questioned to make sure that we have every -- we know everything he knows.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: So, it is clear to me they snuck him in, if he's here, under the nose of most members of Congress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Susan Candiotti, you're in New York. What are you hearing from folks? I know a lot of New Yorkers awoke this morning to learn that there is now a terrorist in their midst -- behind bars, of course. CANDIOTTI: There hasn't been a huge public outcry about this as yet. But we continue to hear from many Republicans who remain very critical of the Obama administration, saying that they slipped this man secretly into this country, that he should have been tried in their view as an enemy combatant at Gitmo.

However, the administration this day continues to defend its decision, saying that this follows all the national security guidelines. They have successfully prosecuted other alleged terrorists in the past. And 9/11 families that we have spoken with, some of them anyway, are very supportive of this, saying it is finally about time after all these years that they will be able to actually attend the trial of someone with alleged direct ties to the 9/11 attacks and that they will be able to watch it right here in a courtroom in the United States -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Susan Candiotti, thank you.

I want to stay on this. Joining me now, Nicholas Valentine, former mayor of Newburgh, New York.

Welcome, sir. It's nice to have you on here.

During -- as we mentioned with Susan, during the -- really the huge brouhaha over KSM, the Khalid Sheikh Mohammed controversy, he offered up his town as a site for the trial. You did in Newburgh, New York.

When we're talking about Osama bin Laden's son-in-law being tried in New York, do you think it is a good idea to happen in Manhattan or is the federal government about to repeat the same mistake all over again?

NICHOLAS VALENTINE, FORMER MAYOR OF NEWBURGH, NEW YORK: Well, I think it is a good idea that they're doing it as a trial.

And that was part of the reason that I volunteered, you know, the city of Newburgh as a potential site. If you remember back then, they were so afraid of having a trial in New York City, and rightfully so at that time. I think that the aspects of terrorism, et cetera, might be something that they would want to avoid.

The city that I'm in, which is Newburgh, New York, is a small city. We had a brand-new courtroom that we had just finished. And I kind of, like, offered that up and saying, look, if you want to have a trial that is public, this is a spot that you can have it.

Interestingly enough, I got comments even this morning when we heard about what was going on now with another trial potentially starting in New York City that, you know, Mayor, you wanted to do that many years ago, and nothing happened. So it is amazing even after this many years, I still hear the comments almost weekly about what I volunteered to do back then.

BALDWIN: That's interesting. We had a hot topics panel discussion about precisely this subject. A lot of New Yorkers weighing in, some of them saying that they would fear a potential retaliation. We all know the horrendous acts that happened on 9/11. Even if it wasn't to that degree, do you not fear at all that something like that could happen by having this person, this, you know, al Qaeda operative on our soil being tried in New York?

VALENTINE: No, I don't.

And I think the reason being is I think we're strong enough as a country to say that, you know what, let's put these people on trial. Let's put an end to this, rather than having it linger as it has been lingering year after year.

People want answers. They wanted a verdict. And I think the overwhelming response when I volunteered to do this in the city of Newburgh was over 95 percent were people saying I want to be in that courtroom, I want to be part of the process that all of us as citizens go through. Why should somebody be exempt from that?

BALDWIN: Wow.

VALENTINE: And I think that feeling is still just as strong now as it was then.

BALDWIN: Now we will have this trial in New York of this son-in-law of Osama bin Laden.

Nicholas Valentine, former mayor of Newburgh, New York, thank you, sir.

VALENTINE: Thank you very much.

BALDWIN: This weekend, be on the lookout. Another asteroid, this one they're saying right around the size of a football field, set to fly by Earth. How close? Can you watch? Those answers are next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right, get ready, another asteroid set to buzz past Earth this weekend. Comes in less than a month here since that other asteroid we saw passing by and also that meteor that we saw exploding in the skies above Russia.

Want to walk over to Alexandra Steele, as we have been talking and hopefully...

ALEXANDRA STEELE, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Welcome to our asteroid world.

BALDWIN: We're coming into your layer here inside the Weather Center.

So, I'm hearing different reports as far as how big this thing is. Basically, what are we going with, football field size?

STEELE: Aren't they all?

I think that's the best way to describe what 300 feet is, you know. I think there is a move afoot I think for some asteroid detection, because this asteroid we will see on Saturday, the one last month and of course the Russian meteor now on February 15 that really did some damage that you saw had all been undetected until just days before.

BALDWIN: That's the frightening part. We know that there are asteroid hunters.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: We have talked to Ed Lu. He's an asteroid hunter.

STEELE: Right.

BALDWIN: Because that's the frightening part. We didn't know until a couple of days ago.

STEELE: Right. So, I think maybe a move afoot to have a little more asteroid detection out there, although there are about a million asteroids. Certainly, we know that out there, kind of bits of rock floating around. But we have only discovered about 9,700 of them.

So, there is certainly a lot more to know. This one is called 2013 ET, 2013 for the year discovered. And this is the distance.

BALDWIN: Very creative.

STEELE: Oh, yes, aren't they all? And maybe ET for extraterrestrial out there in the world.

To show you that where it is and how far it is, so it's the size of a football field. It's about 2.5 times the distance between the moon and the Earth, so certainly far away. It is too faint. We won't see it. Even outside, if you're one of those people who are out there with your telescopes like I am, you won't see this one. Too faint and too far.

So, that's how big it is. That's how far it is, again, no threat to Earth at all. But I think what is most interesting, because, of course, now the Russian was a meteor. This is an asteroid. An asteroid is kind of bits of rock that are flying at us up there. What a meteor is, is an asteroid coming through our atmosphere. Think more shooting star. Those are the differences.

BALDWIN: I think I love you even more since you said you have a telescope in your backyard.

STEELE: Of course. I thought everybody did. We're all geeks in here. You're coming to the geek department.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: The realm of geeks.

Thank you, Alexandra. I appreciate it.

STEELE: Yes, sure.

BALDWIN: And coming up next, we have news on everyone, everything, including some old faces popping up in the new "Star Wars."

Plus, Michael Jordan about to tie the knot. And global temperatures are higher than they have been in a really long time. The power block is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)