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Senator Evan Bayh Announces he Won't Seek Re-Election; Battleground Marjah; Update of Winter Olympics

Aired February 15, 2010 - 13:59   ET

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

ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Here's what I've got on the rundown. It's day three of Operation Mushtarik (ph). Allied troops are facing sniper fire and booby traps, but they say they are making headway. We've got exclusive pictures, and we'll talk to Frederick Pleitgen in Kabul very briefly.

In Belgium, the death toll is rising from a deadly train collision. At least 18 people are dead, 55 injured, and we don't know what caused the crash.

In Vancouver, Americans are making history. Apollo Ohno wins his sixth career medal, the most by an American in the Winter Games. Plus, Johnny Spilane takes silver in the Nordic Combined, the first medal ever for an American in that event. We're live in Vancouver, and we'll bring you that as well.

All right. We are also talking about -- and you're looking there at live pictures from Indiana. We are talking about an announcement that is going to happen momentarily.

Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, two-term Democratic senator from a famous Indiana family, is set to announce his retirement -- set to announce that he is not running again for senator. This press conference is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time from Indianapolis.

Gloria Borger joins us live as we stand by for that announcement.

Gloria, we believe that Evan Bayh is going to say that he is not running for Congress. That makes him the third Democratic senator to say that he's not running again.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. I'm told and our political editor, Mark Preston, has been told that he is not going to run again because he's frustrated with the way things are going in Washington. He always preferred being a chief executive. As you point out, he's a former governor of the state of Indiana, has been in the Senate a dozen or so years.

And what was sort of the tipping point, I'm told, for him was the fact that they couldn't even get together on a Deficit Reduction Commission in the Senate, and the jobs bill seems to be stalled and all over the place, and Republicans and Democrats can't even get together on things that are so important to the American economy, that he kind of said, you know what? This is not where I think I can do the most good anymore.

And he was polling last week in the state, Ali. So this is clearly a last-minute decision. He was 20 points above Dan Coats, former Indiana senator, Republican who was coming back to run against him, $12 million in the bank. So wasn't in any real trouble here, but decided he just didn't want to do it again.

VELSHI: And Dan Coats, when he decided not to run, that's when Evan Bayh ran and took that seat. What made him think he couldn't win with good poll numbers and that much money? Is it the anti-incumbent sentiment or is it back to his frustration?

BORGER: Well, I think when you talk to people that are close to him, I think he thinks he could have won. And I think he thinks he could have won very handily. He's very popular in the state, still. He's always been able to sort of buck this anti-incumbent sentiment.

He won the state when George Bush won the state as a Democrat. So he's always been somebody -- and don't forget he's got a great name in that state of Indiana. So people like him, but I think it wasn't about the fact that he thought he couldn't win. It really was about the fact that he wasn't sure he wanted to spend six more years in the United States Senate.

VELSHI: Interesting. It's always tricky when we see governors becoming senators and senators becoming governors. But is there sort of a back-of-the-hand cheat sheet on which they like better?

BORGER: Well, you know, it's interesting, because you see a lot of governors who decide they want to become senator, but it's interesting that Evan Bayh, every time I talked to him, would always talk about the power of the chief executive as a governor. You can actually propose something and you can actually get something done.

And when you look at the way things have been working in the Senate over this past year, you can't get anything done. And so chief executives who wind up as one of 100 in the United States Senate often end up saying that they don't have the kind of power to change things that they did when they were actually the chief executive of a state.

VELSHI: And I think we're expecting him to say that he is frustrated a little bit with Congress.

BORGER: Yes.

VELSHI: I don't know what words he'll use, but I don't know that we're expecting him to say that he's frustrated with all of politics, which means he could be leaving the door open.

BORGER: No. I think he is, and I think he's going to try and make it clear that he is not frustrated per se with the Democratic Party. That's what I've been hearing from a lot of his advisers as well. But I think deep down underneath this is a centrist Democrat who feels that he doesn't have much of a home in the Democratic Party anymore. You know, just as much as we see the centrists in the Republican Party shrinking, you also see the centrists in the Democratic Party shrinking. And I think these folks are kind of looking for a home. The irony is, of course, Ali, is that the centrists in the American public are growing.

VELSHI: Let's listen in. He's right there at the podium.

Gloria, stay with us.

(APPLAUSE)

SEN. EVAN BAYH (D), INDIANA: Thank you very much, and thank you all for joining us today. I know how busy you are, and I'm very grateful to you for taking the time to be with us.

I'd like to begin by acknowledging some people to whom I owe a great debt of gratitude.

First, my wife Susan, who for 25 years has stood by my side and without whose love and support, so much I have been privileged to accomplish would never have been possible. As my father told me on the day we were married, "Son, you definitely married up."

I love you, Susan.

(APPLAUSE)

Second, my wonderful boys, Beau and Nick, who I love so much and of whom I am so proud. Being their father is the most important job I will ever have.

Next, my staff members, many of whom are assembled in the room here today, both past and present, who have worked so hard and sacrificed so much for the people of our state. There is not one that couldn't have made more money or worked fewer hours doing something else. They have always managed to make me look much better than I deserve.

Most importantly, I am grateful to the people of Indiana who, for almost a quarter century, have placed their trust and welfare in my hands. No one could ask for a better boss or a greater honor.

I was raised in a family that believes that public service is the highest calling in the church, that what matters is not what you take from life but what you give back. I believe that still.

For almost all of my adult life I have been privileged to serve the people of Indiana in elective office. As secretary of state, I worked to reform our election laws to ensure that every vote counts. I cast the deciding vote in the closest congressional race in the nation for a member of the other political party because I believe that he had legitimately won the election.

As governor, I work with an outstanding team to balance the budget; cut taxes; leave the largest surplus in state history; create the most new jobs during any eight-year period; increase funding for schools every year; make college more affordable; and reform welfare to emphasize work. We raised water quality standards, created more new state parks, and in any time since the 1930s, and raised the penalties for violent crime.

In the Senate, I have continued to fight for the best interests of our state. I worked with Hoosier workers and businesses large and small in the defense sector, the life sciences, the medical device industry, autos, steel, recreational vehicle manufacturing, and many, many more to save and create new jobs.

Since 9/11, I fought to make our nation safe with a national security policy that is both tough and smart. I've championed the cause of our soldiers to make sure they have the equipment they need in battle and the health care they deserve when they return home.

I have often been a lonely voice for balancing the budget and restraining spending. I have worked with Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike to do the nation's business in a way that is civil and constructive. I'm fortunate to have good friends on both sides of the aisle, something that's much too rare in Washington today.

After all these years, my passion for service to my fellow citizens is undiminished, but my desire to do so by serving in Congress has waned.

For some time, I have had a growing conviction that Congress is not operating as it should. There is much too much partisanship and not enough progress; too much narrow ideology and not enough practical problem-solving. Even at a time of enormous national challenge, the people's business is not getting done.

Examples of this are legion, but two recent ones will suffice.

Two weeks ago, the Senate voted down a bipartisan commission to deal with one of the greatest threats facing our nation -- our exploding deficits and debt. The measure would have passed, but seven members who endorsed the idea, actually cosponsored the legislation, instead voted no for short-term political reasons. Just last week, a major piece of legislation to create new jobs, our nation's top priority today, fell apart amidst complaints from both the left and the right.

All of this and much more has led me to believe that there are better ways to serve my fellow citizens, my beloved state and our nation, and continued service in Congress.

To put it in words I think most people can understand, I love working for the people of Indiana. I love helping our citizens make the most of their lives. But I do not love Congress.

I will not, therefore, be a candidate for re-election to the United States Senate this November. My decision should not be interpreted for more than it is -- a very difficult, deeply personal one. I am an executive at heart. I value my independence. I am not motivated by strident partisanship or ideology. These traits may be useful in many walks of life, but unfortunately they are not highly valued in Congress.

My decision should not reflect adversely upon my colleagues who continue to serve in the Senate. While the institution is in need of significant reform, there are many wonderful people there. The public would be surprised and pleased to know that those who serve them in the Senate, despite their policy and political differences, are unfailingly hardworking and devoted to the public good as they see it.

I will miss them. I particularly value my relationship with Senator Dick Lugar and have often felt that if all senators could have the cooperative relationship we enjoy, the institution would be a better place.

My decision should not reflect adversely upon our president. I look forward to working with him during the next 11 months to get our deficit under control, get the economy moving once again, regulate Wall Street to avoid future political crises, and reform education so that all of our children can fulfill their God-given potential.

This is the right agenda for America.

My decision was not motivated by political concern. Even in the current challengingly political environment, I'm confident at my prospects for re-election.

Five times over the last 24 years, I have been honored by the people of Indiana with electoral success, but running for the sake of winning an election, just to remain in public office, is not good enough. And it has never been what has motivated me.

At this time, I simply believe that I can best contribute to society in another way -- creating jobs by helping to grow a business, helping guide an institution of higher learning to educate our children, or helping run a worthy charitable or philanthropic endeavor.

In closing, let me say this: Words cannot convey, nor can I adequately express, my gratitude to the great people of Indiana. I will never forget those I have been privileged to serve and those who have so kindly supported me. I have always tried to remember that my job is to work for Hoosiers, not the other way around. I am constantly reminded that if Washington, D.C., could be more like Indiana, Washington would be a better place.

Lastly, let me reiterate my deep and abiding love for our country and my optimism for our future. These are difficult times for America, it is true, but we have seen difficult days before, and we will see better days to come. With all of our faults, we are an exceptional nation.

I look forward to continuing to do my part to meet the challenges we face as a private citizen to work for solutions, not slogans, progress not politics, so that our generation are do what Americans are always done -- convey to our children an America that is stronger, more prosperous, more decent and more just.

Thank you all again. May God bless you all.

(APPLAUSE)

VELSHI: OK. Senator Evan Bayh, two-term Democratic senator in Indiana, announcing that he will not run again. He is leaving the U.S. Congress, saying, "My passion for public service is undiminished, ,but my desire to do so in Congress has waned."

It was a bit of a slam on Congress. He said the people's business is not being done. He said, "I am an executive at heart," "I value my independence," and says those are not qualities that are getting him far or serving him well in Congress.

Let's go to Gloria Borger, who's standing by. She's been listening to that with me.

Evan Bayh's retirement -- he is a centrist Democrat, he came within a hair of being chosen as President Obama's running mate. Joe Biden got that instead.

Is Evan Bayh's retirement from Congress bad for the country, bad for bipartisanship?

BORGER: I think it's sort of a symbol of the fact that Congress isn't working and that it's broken. I mean, he said, "I do not love the Congress." Well, join the club, right? The entire country doesn't love the Congress.

And what was interesting to me to hear him today was it's very clear to me that while he wants to do something else, he is not ruling out a future in politics. He said, "I am an executive at heart."

Well, that goes back to our previous conversation, which is a governor -- because, don't forget, the Republican governor in the state of Indiana is term-limited until 2012, at which point I wouldn't be surprised if we saw Evan Bayh deciding that perhaps he wanted to go back to being a chief executive. He clearly is frustrated by the fact that Congress has made a mess of the jobs bill and that they couldn't even get this Deficit Reduction Commission through. And I think that was the tipping point for him.

VELSHI: And he's popular and he's got money in Indiana. And he did list -- it was like a resume of what he did as governor. And then when he got to what he had done as senator, it was, I helped do this, I helped --

BORGER: It was a little shorter.

VELSHI: Right. He was clearly talking about -- he seemed to talk with some glee about when he was the governor of Indiana.

So it was interesting that he didn't -- he said, I could be with a company, I could be with a charity, I could be with an educational institution. He didn't say governor again, but it definitely sounded like he may be laying the groundwork.

BORGER: Sure. Sure.

And the reason Evan Bayh has always been so attractive to people in the Republican Party is that he's a Democrat who has succeeded in a red state, a Republican state. And so that made him attractive on a national level, but it will also make him attractive again to statewide Democrats who see that the polling right now shows him running ahead of Dan Coats, a conservative Republican, that he may have some appeal statewide if he and his family decide to take their young sons and move back to the state of Indiana.

VELSHI: All right. Good to talk to you, Gloria.

BORGER: Sure.

VELSHI: Thanks very much for your analysis on this big development in politics today.

BORGER: Yes.

VELSHI: Evan Bayh deciding that he is not running again for a third term as the Democratic senator from Indiana.

OK. When we come back, we are going to go back to Kabul, talk to Frederik Pleitgen. The allied offensive in Marjah, Operation Moshtarak, is now more than 72 hours old. It started on Friday afternoon our time here in the United States.

Is it meeting with success? What does it mean? And if it were to succeed, what is it going to mean for the future of Afghanistan and American involvement there?

We'll talk to Fred about that when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: A major story we're covering. It is Operation Moshtarak in Afghanistan.

That is the Dari or Afghan word for "together." It's a NATO operation with NATO countries -- troops from NATO countries including U.S. troops and Afghan troops.

They are moving into Marjah, the city of Marjah, in Helmand province. You can see it here.

This is the province that still remains under great Taliban influence. And Marjah is the one city that they still influence very heavily and control. It's the headquarters of the Taliban shadow government. It's also very central to the drug trade which the Taliban has some hold on in Afghanistan.

Let's bring Frederik Pleitgen in to update on us this story, plus some civilian deaths that took place yesterday as a result of a strike by a NATO missile.

Let's talk about that and this mission in general, Fred.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Ali.

Well, the civilian deaths happened yesterday during a strike with an artillery battery during that operation, Moshtarak. Basically, what we're hearing from the U.S. military are kind of conflicting reports as to what actually happened there.

According to the first report that we got from NATO, apparently the U.S. military was taking fire from a compound during that operation, Moshtarak. They then brought in the artillery battery, which then fired a rocket that then hit the wrong house.

Now, today, however, we got a different report from the U.S. military saying, yes, we did want to target that house, but we didn't realize that civilians were inside. In any case, NATO apologized very publicly to the Afghan president, also to the Afghan people for making this happen or for having this happen.

One thing that's always been at the centerpiece of this operation, Moshtarak, was minimizing civilian casualties. And one of the things, Ali, that NATO said after this artillery strike yesterday, they said in the future they would be more careful to minimize civilian casualties. And then, today, we're hearing reports of something similar happening again.

This was not part of Operation Moshtarak this time. This is in relation to an air strike in Kandahar where, apparently, a patrol saw some people digging a ditch at the side of the road. They thought those people might have been planting bombs, called in an air strike. It turned out these people were civilians.

Five people were killed in that air strike. So certainly --

VELSHI: This is an issue.

PLEITGEN: -- that does not bode well for NATO strategy here in Afghanistan -- Ali.

VELSHI: Frederik, this is an issue, because this isn't just a military offensive against the Taliban. This is involving trying to convince people, particularly farmers and village-dwellers, to be supportive of a movement to push the Taliban out, to win the hearts and the minds of the Afghan people. So, accidental civilian deaths are not going to help this cause.

PLEITGEN: Yes, absolutely. I mean, and it's a major issue and it's a major problem on a lot of levels. I mean, on the one hand, you're hearing the U.S. military, you're hearing NATO saying we have to minimize civilian casualties.

If you look at Operation Moshtarak, for instance, the U.S. has massively restricted the use of air power in that operation. And what that's leading to is that U.S. forces on the ground are making slower progress, U.S. troops on the ground are in greater danger of being hit, being engaged by the Taliban, because they simply can't use that air support for the danger of killing civilians.

On the other hand, though, what NATO wants to do is it wants to hit the Taliban hard. But every time it brings in these heavy weapons, you always have the danger of hitting civilians as well.

So it's a very, very big problem that the U.S. military here in Afghanistan is facing. They know that this is key to the mission. They know that protecting civilians is going to be key to the mission, to winning these civilians over, but it is really hard to do if you're going to fight a tough battle against the Taliban -- Ali.

VELSHI: Frederik Pleitgen, you're on top of this. Same with Atia Abawi, who's embedded with a Marine unit. We'll stay on top of this with you.

Thanks very much.

Frederik Pleitgen.

When we come back, we're going to update you on what's going on in the Olympics, the winter games in Vancouver. Mark McKay is live with Apollo Ohno's glide into history.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: Let me bring you up to speed on what's going on in the medal count at the Olympics right now.

We have the U.S. in the lead with six medals -- one gold, two silver and a bronze. Germany coming up second. They're the country to beat based on the last winter Olympics with four medals -- one gold, three silver. France has three, two gold and one bronze. Canada, the host country, has one of each color.

Let's go to Mark McKay. He's standing by live in Vancouver with the update.

And, of course, the story we're following very closely is Apollo Ohno.

MARK MCKAY, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. He provided the headlines over the weekend, Ali. After a long day of doing live shots, I decided to make the call and head to the Pacific Coliseum here in Vancouver, and what I witnessed was Olympic history made by Apollo Anton Ohno in the men's 1,500 meter short track speed skating final. He won silver, and for Ohno, it's another glittering entry on an already impressive resume.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCKAY (voice-over): Short track speed skaters also seem to have short careers.

APOLLO ANTON OHNO, SIX-TIME OLYMPIC MEDALIST: Usually athletes in short track go to one Olympic game and you never see them again. Maybe two Olympic games.

MCKAY: Apollo Anton Ohno has been an exception to that rule. He was world junior champion at the age of 17, won gold in the 2002 Olympics, and is still a medal contender entering his third winter games, far outlasting other contenders.

OHNO: There's been four generations of Koreans, three generations of Canadians, three generations of Chinese. I have been lucky enough to be able to evolve with the sport and actually help revolutionize the sport to get it where it is today.

MCKAY: Ohno has arguably been America's face of the winter games for nearly a decade. And rightfully so. After winning silver in the 1,500 meter Saturday night, Ohno became the most decorated U.S. male athlete in winter Olympic history.

OHNO: I try not to think about it too much. It's pretty amazing to have my name even mentioned in the same sentence as some of those other great speed skaters, Bonnie Blair and Eric Heiden. But that's not what truly drives me and fuels me.

MCKAY: The Vancouver games are a homecoming of sorts for Ohno, who first learned to lace up his skates in the Pacific Northwest.

OHNO: It's really like I'm coming full circle. What I mean by that is I grew up in Seattle. I learned how to speed skate by my father driving me back and forth to Vancouver, BC. That full circle, hopefully there is some symbolism there. I believe there is.

MCKAY: Ohno is no longer just a speed skater. After winning the American reality television show "Dancing With the Stars" in 2007, he's now a celebrity with a whole new following.

OHNO: I think I really brought the Olympic games to the spotlight for many viewers and many people who maybe never would have watched the Olympic games. And hopefully they're going to watch in Vancouver, BC.

MCKAY: With his skating career winding down, Ohno wants to use his Olympic fame to help teach others about healthy living.

OHNO: The Olympic games is a lot for people and it's treated me very, very well in terms of just giving me the opportunities to basically stand on a platform and have a voice now with a microphone and speak to people. But there's a lot of opportunities out there, post-games, and I'd like to definitely explore them.

MCKAY: Mark McKay, CNN, Vancouver.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCKAY: And Ali, I thought I would be watching South Korea standing in the gold, silver and bronze position. It looked as if South Korea was going to win that race in a sweep, but that crucial error made by one South Korean skater taking his teammate out and allowing Ohno and his U.S. teammate, J.R. Selski, to win silver and bronze is amazing.

If you ever go and want an Olympic ticket, make sure you get short track speed skating. It is amazing -- Ali.

VELSHI: Good advice. It looks like you've got a good gig up there, Mark. But we know you're working very hard and you're moving between venues and stuff. Great job. We'll continue to visit in with you all during the Olympics.

Mark McKay up in Vancouver.

When we come back we are going to -- say I don't have to do this. Are we going to check in -- is he working hard there? Because every time I put him on TV, I miss a flight and something bad happens.

We're going to talk to Chad Myers in just a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

VELSHI: Thanks, buddy.

When we come back, we are going to talk about school lunches. Do you know 31 million kids get their lunches at school provided for them and there's a question about the meat that they get served. We're going to talk about some developments in that story that we've been following very closely when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: All right, the first time in a decade, the Agriculture Department is launching new safety standards for school lunch food and the first step is safer beef for kids. Now, how did this come apart -- come about? "USA Today" did an investigation into what 31 million school kids are eating every day. They discovered fast food restaurants like McDonald's, Burger King, Jack in the Box all have higher meat-safety standards than schools. The chains test the meat they buy a lot more often than the government does and the limits they set for bacteria are much lower.

Joining me now from D.C. is "USA Today" reporter Blake Morrison who has been involved in this investigation and other stories which have led to changes in the way the government does things.

Blake, your investigation led to some activity. It's sort of surprising to those of us who haven't followed it that closely that the government standards are more lax than, say, fast food restaurants. Why did that come about in the first place?

BLAKE MORRISON, "USA TODAY": Well, Ali, this is, first, very good news, obviously, for those 31 million children who depend on this food.

It came about in part because the government didn't move forward when the industry did. The industry started tightening its regulations after some food-borne illness outbreaks and as a consequence they ended up having more rigorous standards than the government. The three areas that we sort of took a look at in our investigation, one was those standards issues. And now the government is responding to what we found by saying, we're going to test the beef more rigorously, more often. We're going to look harder, essentially, for things that could hurt your children.

The second thing they did was that they improved communication. Believe it or not, within USDA there weren't the kind of conversations going on that could head off possible food-borne outbreaks. And now they are going to be talking between the people who buy the food and the people who may inspect the facilities or know about problems within the industry.

And then the third issue that we highlighted was that some commercial products that were made by companies were bad and yet the government was still doing business with the companies. Now, the government's going to consider the commercial records of those companies before they enable them to sell to schools.

So that's all good news.

VELSHI: And let's talk about a couple of those changes that you're talking about.

Beef for school lunches now will be tested every 15 minutes, which is four times the frequency with which they are tested now. And beyond that, companies with poor safety records -- you were just talking about this -- companies with poor safety records are going to be barred from supplying meat to the school lunch program. Companies with a recall history that's dangerous could be suspended from the lunch program all together.

MORRISON: Yes, that's right.

Now the standards part, the testing part is particularly important, in part because the way the government does business, if they find that the beef has problems with say salmonella or a certain kind of E coli, they'll boot that beef right out. That won't get served. The problem is that they weren't sampling often enough to make sure that they were catching all of it. So by increasing the amount that you sample, you stand a better chance of preventing those things from getting through.

As far as the companies go, we wrote about a company that had beef recalled last summer. In a number of states, consumers were warned to throw it away, and yet the government still bought beef from that very company during the same window that beef was being recalled commercially. And this USDA effort now aims to address some of those things by saying, look, we're not going to just look at whether this company can meet the specs of the contract. We're going to look at whether they're actually a good actor.

VELSHI: And what are the next steps? Like, what happens next? So they're dealing with beef, I assume there's a whole lot of other foods that need to be addressed in the same manner. MORRISON: Yes, it looks like they are going to take a number of steps to do that. They are talking about setting up a center of excellence for food safety in schools. This also goes to a story we highlighted dealing with norovirus, the idea that and that cafeterias themselves are breeding grounds, that school cooks who might not be sanitary and are causing kids to get sick. This is something that the USDA is committed to look at more rigorously.

They are also going to be looking at ways to keep pace. So that if the industry does changes its standards down the road, that USDA can try to establish itself as perhaps the gold standard for food safety so that kids, who are the most vulnerable to these kinds of illnesses, are really protected.

VELSHI: Blake, it must feel good as a journalist when you do a story that has a good outcome where the government is taking notice and changing things and, you know, people are going to be better off for it. Congratulations on it.

MORRISON: Thank you very much.

VELSHI: Blake Morrison is one of a team of reporters from "USA Today" who have been following this food safety issue. We'll continue to bring you updates you on this story, including those changes that Blake was talking about.

OK, Kevin Smith, you probably know him. He's a movie director, he's an actor, he's a big guy. He was removed from an airplane because he was too big -- even though he had taken some steps to try and deal with that. We're going to talk about that when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: Kevin Smith -- this is him right here -- he's a big-time director. Is he too big to fly? The man behind the movie "Clerks" had a bit of a problem over the weekend flying Southwest. He tweeted that he was taken off a flight by employees for being too big for just one seat on the plane. He's actually originally booked two seats on a different flight, but got bumped off of that and could only get one seat when he had to switch flights.

Smith said on Twitter that he booked two seats, by the way, because he's anti-social, not because of his weight. Let me tell you, he got a lot of hardcore support on the website. Southwest has since apologized and offered Smith a $100 voucher.

All right. Getting a check on top stories now, Belgian authorities now put the death toll in today's train collision at 18 with 55 others hurt. They still don't know what caused the two trains to collide during rush hour. The accident has disrupted rail service in much of northern Europe.

In Qatar, tough talk from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She says the White House believes Iran is becoming a military dictatorship. Clinton was speaking to Arab students this morning. She said the Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran seems to have gained so much power that it is supplanting the government.

And in the San Francisco Bay-area, two teens were wounded inside a church during Sunday services after a gunman opened fire in front of the congregation. No arrests have been made, but police say they are looking for three people -- the shooter and two companions. The victims, 14 and 19, are both expected to recover.

All right, he's back -- there he is. You've been missing him. I know you've been missing him. Ed Henry with "The Ed Henry Segment." By the way, you can follow us both on Twitter. Follow me on Twitter @alivelshi, so I don't have to continue to lose to him cause he's going to be back and tell me about how badly I'm losing not just to him but to a new player right where he is. Ed Henry with "The Ed Henry Segment" when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: There he is -- Ed Henry with "The Ed Henry Segment." He's been away for a little bit. For those of you who don't remember, we're going to do this every day. We talk to Ed at this time every day. Ed is our senior White House correspondent, but he's going to bring us something a little different. He brings us what you don't always see from the senior White House correspondent, which is sometimes very serious and very political. Ed's going to take us a little behind the scenes and give us what he does.

First of all, welcome back, Ed. It's great to have you back. The viewers have missed you.

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I missed you, Ali. And you know, I was really angry when the guy up in New Jersey last week -- I was a little under the weather, plus we had the snow storm and I was snowed in -- and there was a guy called you a certain name on the air. And I thought, where does he get off doing that? He's not supposed to be -- I'm supposed to be insulting you on the air. That's my role.

VELSHI: You're the guy. He knew you were away and he took the mantle.

HENRY: I was jumping off the couch. I almost came back to work that day, but I was still under the weather. So now I'm back, but I was angry at him.

VELSHI: Well, you have a good story to be back on today because Evan Bayh, the two-term democratic senator in Indiana, announcing he's not running again. He's a democrat centrist, middle-of-the-road guy, an institution in the democratic party.

What does this mean to you and to the guy who lives in the house behind you, the president of the United States?

HENRY: I think what it means more than anything is incumbents in both parties are scared to death right now about the political climate. I know the senator said in his statement -- you just played it -- you know, that this doesn't have anything to do with the polls out there; he was up in the polls. But there are a lot of people in both parties who are very nervous about the anger out there, mostly about the economy and jobs. He's clearly frustrated with the process in general.

But what it really means for the guy behind me here and the president is the fact that we spent so much time talking about how he might lose a super majority -- and he's now lost that, they're down to 59 seats in the Senate. I think the bottom line now is, will the democrats even have a simple majority of 51 seats when the election year is over? In 2011, will this president be staring at a republican Senate? That will have major ramifications for his agenda. If he can't get health care through right now with this many democrats, how in the world could he get it done if they lose a lot more seats?

And when you go down the line -- we should point out in fairness to the democrats that there are more republicans retiring in the Senate, six to five democrats. There's more House republicans than House democrats retiring. So both parties are retiring a lot of members, but a lot of those republican seats are what as seen as relatively safe republican seats. A lot of these democratic seats like Evan Bayh In Indiana are very likely to go republican. That could be really rough on the democrats in the days ahead.

VELSHI: Ed, let's talk about one of our favorite topics -- Twitter. You are a little ahead of me in the count of people, the "Tweeple" who follow us. You can follow Ed, @edhenry --

HENRY: Is the tweeps.

VELSHI: -- or me, @alivelshi --

HENRY: You always try to give out the wrong handle, it's a little trick of yours so that less people end up finding me and don't follow me. So it's @edhenrycnn.

VELSHI: @edhenrycnn. But there is some other guy also in that place behind you who now has his own handle and he's beating both of us?

HENRY: He's beating both of us. Now, I will point out, Robert Gibbs is now on Twitter. His office is right over here. The lights are off right now and in fairness to him that's cause of the federal holiday, not a lot of people working in Washington. He works very long hours throughout the year. And on Twitter he decided to join this weekend and he's now at 19,443, which leaves both of us in the dust. It's @presssec.

But I think, in all seriousness, what's sort behind this is that the democrats realize in recent months they have had sort of had some difficulties with the message war overall and that maybe the president has to start pushing back on republicans a little bit harder in general. And Twitter, in all seriousness, is one of those parts of the social media where republicans --

VELSHI: Are ahead of democrats. HENRY: -- have outgunned the democrats. More republicans on the Hill, for example, and the political world are using Twitter. And so I think this is part of Robert Gibbs, people of the Democratic National Committee, getting more involved because they're realizing that social media is a key part of getting the president's message out.

VELSHI: It certainly is a lot fun. That does not -- even if he's outgunning us, it does not mean our competition is over -- @edhenrycnn or @alivelshi, and we can follow Robert Gibbs too.

Ed, great to have you back. We're going to do this every day.

HENRY: Thanks, Ali. Appreciate it.

VELSHI: All right, Ed Henry, "The Ed Henry Segment" everyday here at the same time.

When we come back, we're going to Ed Lavandera. He's got a report on American guns taking Mexican lives. Causalities in the drug war, an angle you haven't heard before. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: All right, astronauts at the International Space Station will have an extra day to work. NASA extended the Shuttle Endeavor's mission now scheduled to end on February 21st. The astronauts are asleep right now. The crew is asleep. Overnight they started installing a window on the Space Station, allowing for a panoramic view of earth. I would have thought that was done earlier, because really what's the point of being up there if you don't have a panoramic view of earth? They are planning one more spacewalk. We'll keep you up to speed on what they're doing.

Let's go now to Ed Lavandera. He's in Dallas with a very interesting about gunrunning and the contribution that American guns are having to the violence in Mexico.

Hi, Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Ali.

You know, we've covered a lot, the Mexican drug cartel violence and along the border and that sort of thing. And one of the things you hear over and over again is the drugs come north and the guns and the weaponry flow south. We're going to kind of give people a better idea of how that works and we found that the best way to tell that, to tell that story is a fascinating case out of Houston, Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNDERCOVER ATF AGENT: The number of firearms that somebody's purchased.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): We are driving the streets of Houston with an agent from the Bureau of Alcohol and Tobacco and Firearms, ATF. We cannot tell you who he is because he is in the midst of the biggest case he's ever worked, battling lethal Mexican drug cartels on American streets.

UNDERCOVER ATF AGENT: We started seeing them popping up in Mexico, and then further down into Guatemala is where it really opened up our eyes and we were like, OK, we're onto something that's pretty big here.

LAVANDERA: What they found was a trail from Houston to Guatemala littered with almost 340 guns purchased by so-called straw buyers, 23 Houston-area residents, all of them with squeaky clean records and legally allowed to buy guns. Investigators say almost 100 of those guns have since turned up at crime scenes south of the border in the hands of the drug cartels.

DEWEY WEBB, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, ATF HOUSTON: They are fighting each other for turf in Mexico, and unfortunately, many law enforcement and civilians are being killed in that fight.

LAVANDERA: The man in this undercover photo shared exclusively with CNN is John Philip Hernandez. Investigators say that he was at the center of the elaborate straw purchasing scheme.

UNDERCOVER ATF AGENT: He doesn't stand out in the crowd, regular guy in his mid 20s.

LAVANDERA: According to ATF investigators, Hernandez recruited a crew of 23 people to purchase firearms for the drug cartels at gun shops across Houston.

(on camera): Court document show Hernandez bought six weapons and ammunition and this gun shop. One of those weapons was later connected to the kidnapping and murder of a Mexican businessman.

(voice-over): Hernandez also admitted to buying weapons used in the infamous 2007 Acapulco Massacre where seven people, including four police officers were slaughtered by a dozen, armed drug traffickers.

WEBB: It has very long range capabilities.

LAVANDERA: ATF Special Agent in Charge Dewey Webb showed us some of the group's favorite hardware.

WEBB: There is probably over a dozen different versions of each of these weapons on the markets today.

LAVANDERA (on camera): According to court documents, Hernandez purchased four weapons here at this shop. We spoke with the owner, he didn't want to go on camera, and he told us a few weeks after that Hernandez returned flashing $20,000 in cash and ready to buy 20 more weapons. The owner says he rejected the sale.

(voice-over): Investigators say the cartels paid Hernandez $100 to $200 each time they bought a firearm.

WEBB: People that are buying drugs in the United States have just as much blood on their hands as the people pulling the trigger in Mexico.

LAVANDERA: John Phillip Hernandez is now serving an eight-year prison sentence after pleading guilty. But this ATF agent says, as one ring is broken up, new rings can quickly emerge on Houston streets on the gun trail from America to Mexico.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELSHI: Ali, the ATF agents that we interviewed actually told a rather fascinating story about how this case came together. Many of the agents working on different aspects of this case didn't realize they were all kind of investigating the same group. It wasn't until they compared notes and saw what they had that they realized that this group reached almost two dozen people.

VELSHI: Ed, fascinating story. Thanks very much for bringing it to us.

Ed Lavandera joining us from Dallas.

All right, tomorrow is going to be the fifth Mardi Gras since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans nearly destroying that city, but tomorrow's Mardi Gras is going to be a little but different and I'll tell you why on the other side.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: Time now for "THE X, Y, Z of It." We've talked a lot about New Orleans in the last few weeks, all sorts of new developments in that city.

The election of Mitch Landrieu as the city's first white mayor in more than 30 years, now that election goes way beyond the color. Landrieu got 66 percent of the vote and proved to be a real consensus candidate who brought people of all backgrounds together.

Now, of course, you can't forget the upset. The Saints' upset Super Bowl victory, a real shot in the arm to the city. They really needed a shot in the arm.

And now it is the eve of Fat Tuesday. Mardi Gras, tomorrow. Mardi Gras is the one celebration that has happened consistently since Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. In years past though, it was sometimes tough to watch a city, a struggling city, muster every last stitch of pride to put on a brave face for the country and for itself. But now it looks like they have real reasons to celebrate. A lot remains to be done in New Orleans, but this year's celebration truly shows a city that it's coming back. (Speaking French).

Take it away with "RICK'S LIST."