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Champion Swimmer Dies in Water; Randy Quaid Seeking Asylum in Canada; Elections Heating Up; ATF Agent Charged with Murder; Countdown to Election Day
Aired October 25, 2010 - 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: A champion swimmer dies in the water. Now his sport is shocked. But did he have foreshadow his own death with letters to swimming authorities? His sister joins me live.
I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
(voice-over): Inside a twister.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Oh, my God!
BALDWIN: The power to kill and crush entire neighborhoods.
Eight days left.
MARCO RUBIO (R), FLORIDA SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: All this stuff about bipartisanship is important.
BALDWIN: CNN on the trail in Florida, Illinois, California, Rhode Island, New Mexico.
And why is actor Randy Quaid seeking asylum in another country? Who exactly are he and his wife running from?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: All right. Good evening -- good afternoon, everyone. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm going to tell you a tough story here about a young man 26 years of age. And he was aiming for the Olympics. Instead, a talented young athlete died doing what he loved most -- look at the picture -- swimming. His name was Fran Crippen. He died Saturday while competing in the last leg of the Marathon Swimming World Cup in the United Arab Emirates -- again, 26 years of age. Talk about an elite athlete here.
Now, an official with the UAE Swimming Federation says his death was caused by severe fatigue. Earlier, another official told us that preliminary results had indicated he had a heart attack. But other swimmers in the race say the water was just too hot.
Whatever caused Fran Crippen's death, obviously a horrific loss for the swimming community and, of course, his family.
Want to let you know, his sister Maddy, she will be joining us here momentarily. She is minutes away. You will want to stick around and hear what his older sister is saying.
Meantime, let's get to this developing story. I want to fill you in on some of the stories unfolding right now here at the top of the hour. We just found out what made those nine college students so sick. You remember this story? At that off-campus -- this house party in Washington State, they had to go to the hospital.
Well, it turns out their drinks were not spiked with drugs, as some were wondering. In fact, we have now learned they had been drinking this alcoholic energy drink. It's called Four Loko. Some people refer to this as blackout in a can. Well, authorities say the students were apparently so drunk, their blood alcohol levels averaged almost three times the legal limit for driving -- three times.
The highest we're told was more than four times over the legal limit.
University officials say more than three dozen students face conduct hearings because of that particular house party.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(HICCUPING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: You remember this girl? We -- We called her the hiccup girl. She was famous because she had the hiccups nonstop for months and months. This was back in 2007. Well, she's getting a little bit of attention today, not the kind of attention she wants. She is a murder suspect.
This is 19-year-old Jennifer Mee's mug shot. Take a look at this. She's charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of a Florida man during a weekend armed robbery. Police say Mee lured the victim to a home, where he was robbed at gunpoint, shot several times. The victim met Mee on a social networking site.
Mee did appear in court today. In fact, a judge denied her bail for her and her alleged accomplices.
And we have another apology here today from the head of NPR over the firing of senior news analyst Juan Williams. In a memo to NPR employees Vivian Schiller, this -- this woman here, says she is not sorry that Williams was, canned but she is sorry for the way it was handled.
Let me read this with you. She says -- quote -- "I regret that we did not take the time to better prepare our messaging and provide you with the tools to cope with this fallout from this episode."
NPR fired Williams after he said he gets worried and nervous when he sees people in Muslim dress on airplanes. Schiller apologized Thursday for saying Williams' feelings are between him and his psychiatrist.
And just to remind you, in just a couple moments here, I'm going to be talking to the sister of that swimmer who died doing what he loved. We're going to be talking to her about what she thinks happened, some of the safety concerns perhaps this young man had as he was traveling over to the UAE and what's next for this shocked and saddened swimming community. We will have that any moment now.
Also, a special agent charged with murder after he shot and killed a drunk man in the Virgin Islands. But fellow agents say: He's no killer. This guy was a hero.
You will hear how it all went down.
Plus, this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I took one sip of it. I immediately threw up without even a single drink. I mean, that's how powerful it was.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Again, this story, Washington State, about a dozen people rushed to the hospital after their drinks were allegedly spiked at a college party. Officials had no idea what might have been in these drinks. Well, now we're hearing. The school and prosecutors know exactly what they think happened. That is ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. Want to tell you about a young man who was aiming for the Olympics. He was thinking 2012 was it.
Instead, a talented young athlete died doing what he loved the most, swimming. Fran Crippen died Saturday while competing in the last leg of the Marathon Swimming World Cup at the UAE, the United Arab Emirates.
He was 26 years old. An official with the UAE Swimming Federation says his death was caused by severe fatigue. Earlier, another official told us that preliminary results had indicated he had a heart attack. But other swimmers say the race, the water was just too hot.
Whatever it was that caused Fran Crippen's death, it is a terrible, terrible loss, of course, especially for his -- his parents and his sister, Maddy.
Maddy Crippen good enough to join me.
And, Maddy, I am -- I have a little brother. I cannot imagine. I'm sorry for your loss, but I thank you for coming on and joining me.
Let's talk about your brother. And I -- I'm sure your goal right now, Maddy, the goal of your family, is -- is to get your brother home. But I have to ask, do you -- have you heard anything from investigators as far as a possible cause of death here?
MADDY CRIPPEN, SISTER OF FRAN CRIPPEN: The official word coming out of the UAE -- excuse me -- as -- as Fran makes his way home is that he died from drowning.
So, now we have to go and figure out exactly how that happened, because, obviously, Fran was a swimmer who was in -- in peak physical shape, a national level. He was on the national team swimming really with the world's best in his event.
And he -- no one, whether you're a 4-year-old or an 84-year-old, swimming in a swimming event should drown. And so we need to -- once Fran gets home and is back with our family and laid to rest and we're able to all gather and celebrate his life, then we will start putting those puzzle pieces together and figuring out how Fran -- how exactly Fran passed, what the circumstances were, and...
BALDWIN: Well, let's -- let's talk, Maddy, if we can, about some of those puzzle pieces. And I know -- we don't know how. Let's just put that out there. But let's talk about what we do know, the facts.
We know this was a two-hour race. We know that the UAE, in terms of the water temperature, they were saying, at the start of the race, it was 84 degrees. Others swimmers CNN has heard from said, no, it was more in the 90-degree range, and the air temperature pretty hot, around 100.
From what you know of -- of Fran, as this uber-elite athlete, was he used to this, these -- these conditions?
CRIPPEN: Yes. Fran actually swam in the UAE last year. So he had been to the site before. He had swam this race before. So he had done all of these things.
And Fran has swam in very cold water, very hot water. That's just the nature of that sport and that event, which is why I didn't like it, because I'm not a big fan of cold water.
(LAUGHTER)
CRIPPEN: But he -- he really did like the -- like -- like the different elements. And there was a lot of psychology behind that. And that's what he liked about the sport.
BALDWIN: So, he was...
CRIPPEN: And so...
BALDWIN: ... physically tough...
CRIPPEN: ... used to it.
BALDWIN: ... and mentally tough as well, obviously, to...
CRIPPEN: Yes.
BALDWIN: ... to -- to endure this kind of race.
But, Maddy, have you talked at all to anyone within the race, someone perhaps administering water to him? I mean, did anyone report to you any kind of condition that was out of the ordinary?
CRIPPEN: We -- I -- I talked to the -- the person that we had on-site there -- when I say we, I say the -- the United States. The United States, we sent a delegation swimming.
And he was feeding Fran water. He said that the swimmers were hot, but they -- they thought that they would be, and Fran was taking water. So, he -- they go through feedings on these races.
BALDWIN: Mm-hmm.
CRIPPEN: And he was taking his regular feedings. He wasn't himself in terms -- during -- as the race continued, there was -- there was some...
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: What do you mean by that, he -- he wasn't himself?
CRIPPEN: Fran usually -- he started out the race at the top of the pack, supposedly. And he just felt -- he supposedly, he just wasn't charging like he used -- like he usually does, and so which can be a ton of things. We all know we have good days and bad days.
And some days it's easier to get out and go to work than others. So I think that we have to figure out what -- what the conditions were and...
BALDWIN: With...
CRIPPEN: ... how they affected Fran.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: With regard to the conditions, you said something earlier today that struck me, is that Fran did have concerns months before this UAE race about some of the safety issues, or perhaps lack thereof, the -- the safety out on the water.
Tell me about some of the letters he wrote. And what specifically, Maddy, were his concerns?
CRIPPEN: I know that, over the course of the last six months, that he has taken a -- he has made a personal commitment to making sure that safety at these races was a -- a -- in the forefront.
And I'm -- I don't want to quote him, because I don't know it off the top of my head.
BALDWIN: Sure.
CRIPPEN: But I know that he was committed to making sure that he was -- that -- that he was involved in making sure that there were rules and regulations in place, because, every time you go to a pool in any -- any international swim meet, there is a -- there is a sanity rule and regulation. There's a water temperature rule and regulation. There's an air quality rule and regulation.
There's a number of medical people...
BALDWIN: Sure.
CRIPPEN: ... lifeguards...
BALDWIN: Had...
CRIPPEN: ... et cetera, et cetera.
BALDWIN: Had anything, though -- following up on that, had anything happened for him to, you know, red-flag something for him to want to write these letters, or was it simply precautionary?
CRIPPEN: I -- I think, Fran -- I mean, he -- he had -- this -- this was a World Cup circuit that he was doing, sponsored by FINA, which is the national -- which is the international governing body of swimming.
And they he had gone to these events. And he just wanted to make sure that he -- Fran doesn't -- didn't complain ever, really, about anything. But, when he takes action, that must have meant that he felt that there could -- things could be better.
BALDWIN: Hmm.
CRIPPEN: And the really great perspective that Fran had was, he was on the national team in the pool, so he had been a pool swimmer. So, he -- he had the ability to compare the staff that was involved and the rules that are involved as it being a pool swimmer on the national level and traveling to international meets...
BALDWIN: So, perhaps...
CRIPPEN: ... to being...
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Perhaps, though, in you saying, things could be better, that would be the reason, since he didn't complain, perhaps he was thinking things could be better at this UAE open-water race. Is that something to deduce -- deduce?
CRIPPEN: Yes. I don't know if he -- he had the UAE in his -- I think he had the whole -- every single event, he wanted it to be the same across the board.
And I think he thought that was only fair to the athletes who are traveling there. And because different countries got different events, each one, a lot of times, had their own -- their own way of going about handling the athletes. And Fran -- Fran wanted to make sure that, no matter where you were, you -- you did everything the same way.
BALDWIN: Maddy, let me ask you just one more question. I want to read you this statement, speaking of how authorities are handling things.
This is from the UAE, the swimming association director. And here's the statement that they released: "We are sorry that the guy died, but what can you do?" They go on and say, "The guy was tired and pushed himself a lot."
I'm sure, by now, in all the interviews you have done today, you've heard that statement over and over. But the fact that they refer to your brother as the guy, what are your thoughts on that?
And, number two, was he tired?
CRIPPEN: I will take the first question first.
I think that -- and I have said this all day long -- it was extremely insensitive. A part of me hopes that it was just misconstrued in translation. I don't know.
BALDWIN: Hmm.
CRIPPEN: But I am taking a little solace in maybe that part -- part of it.
BALDWIN: Mm-hmm.
CRIPPEN: I just can't believe that somebody would be that insensitive to somebody who passed and had so many people who loved him. And then the second part of the question, what -- could you repeat...
BALDWIN: Was he -- I know.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: How about this bottom line? Let's just talk about his legacy just briefly, Maddy.
I mean, Michael Phelps -- Phelps is writing about this on his Facebook page, I mean, your brother, well-respected guy, passionate guy.
CRIPPEN: Yes. Yes.
And passionate is a great word to wrap him all up. Fran lived every minute of his life filled with passion, whether it was swimming in the pool or cheering for the Philadelphia Phillies. He did it to -- he did it and you knew it.
BALDWIN: Yes.
CRIPPEN: And -- and he held himself to a high level -- the highest level.
BALDWIN: Hmm. CRIPPEN: And he expected everybody else to. And that's one thing that everybody loved about him. And he -- he will be missed here, but we know that he is with us always and we love him.
BALDWIN: What an impressive young man.
CRIPPEN: And we will do -- yes, he's awesome.
BALDWIN: Yes.
Maddy Crippen, I thank you. I appreciate your strength. I don't know if I would be so put together in the situation that you're in. But I thank you.
God bless.
CRIPPEN: Thank you very much.
BALDWIN: Take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unbelievable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: A powerful tornado -- look at this iReport -- rocking parts of Texas. I'm talking winds up to 125 miles an hour, sweeping through the region. It is all, as you see, caught on video.
I'm going to talk to this -- this young man who experienced it firsthand, with his girlfriend holding on for dear life, apparently.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: That is ahead.
And did you hear what a gubernatorial candidate said in Rhode Island? Here's what he said. He told -- he told President Obama to -- quote -- "shove his endorsement."
Jessica Yellin standing by with some heated words on the campaign trail.
Jessica and I will be back right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Lincoln Chafee is a former Republican U.S. senator from Rhode Island. And back in 2007, he officially became an independent and one year later endorsed the presidential bid of then Senator Obama.
Well, Chafee is now in the midst of this three-way race for governor in the state of Rhode Island. And while President Obama has not endorsed Chafee, the White House has let it be known that there would be no formal endorsement of the Democratic nominee, Frank Caprio.
And I want you to listen to this. This is what Caprio told a local radio station, exactly how he felt about this presidential snub.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
FRANK CAPRIO (D), RHODE ISLAND GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I have never asked President Obama for his endorsement, and what's going on here is really Washington insider politics at its worst.
You have two former senators, Senator Chafee and former Senator Obama, who, You know, have, behind the scenes, tried to, you know, put together an endorsement.
He can take his endorsement and really shove it, as far as I'm concerned.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Whew, take his endorsement and really shove it.
Jessica Yellin joins me now from New Mexico.
And, Jessica, wow.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: A Chafee spokesman calls the lack of endorsement -- quote -- "a big victory."
My question is, one, why. And, two, is this a way, I don't know, maybe for the president to endorse a former Republican without officially endorsing him?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's not a non-endorsement endorsement, but it is a big way to show appreciation for Chafee's loyalty to the president during the campaign, during the 2008 campaign.
And, look, this is what politicians do all the time. Bill Clinton, we see him going around the country campaigning for Democrats who don't really sometimes have a shot of winning. But, because that Democrat endorsed Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton is there.
Now, this, what President Obama did, takes that a step further. And I will tell you, some other Democrats are not happy about it. One top Democrat called it sloppy and unprofessional in a year that Democrats really need every little bit of help they can get.
BALDWIN: Hmm.
CRIPPEN: But there you have it. It's politics, Brooke.
BALDWIN: It is politics. And let's talk politics in New Mexico, where you are covering that governor's race that has become possibly the meanest in the country. First, let's show you what we mean.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, CAMPAIGN AD)
NARRATOR: A department in Denish's cabinet gave sanctuary to criminal illegals, like child molester Juan Gonzalez. Denish promised to review their policies, but the sanctuary policy stayed. So did Juan Gonzalez. And he just attacked another child.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, CAMPAIGN AD)
NARRATOR: When a New Mexico high school janitor and coach were both charged with sexual contact with students, district attorney Susana Martinez cut deals and allowed these child predators to avoid publicly registering as sex offenders.
Today, we don't know where these sex offenders are lurking, because Susana Martinez didn't do her job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, CAMPAIGN AD)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Remember this attack ad?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Jessica, I feel like you and I were just talking about this New Mexico race last week as an example of how some races are flying under the radar. My, oh, my, how things have changed.
Tell me who these women are and why I should care about this race if I don't live in New Mexico.
YELLIN: OK. I will give you a couple of reasons. One is, the truth is, Brooke, you and I have covered a lot of gaffe-prone female candidates this election season.
And here are two women running against each other. No one ever questions their credibility or -- for office. And neither of them is given to making gaffes. It is the only governor's race in the nation where you have two women competing against each other, two women in the race.
And one of them, Susana Martinez, would become the first Latina governor in America if she were to win. Now, Susana Martinez is a Republican. She's tough-on-illegal-immigration conservative in this state, and she's running ahead.
Her Democratic challenger, Diane Denish, is the lieutenant governor. And she's being attached to Bill Richardson, the current governor here, who is very low in the popularity polls right now.
And Democrats are trying to bring Martinez down, trying to run against her by comparing her to other Republican women elsewhere, Sharron Angle and Christine O'Donnell.
So, I asked Ms. Martinez what she thinks of that comparison. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: A left-leaning organization, EMILY's List, has described you as an extremist in line with Christine O'Donnell and Sharron Angle. What do you think of that comparison?
SUSANA MARTINEZ (R), NEW MEXICO GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I don't have any response to be made to anyone who would make such a comparison like that.
I'm my own person. I'm a person who works hard for those who don't have a voice in the courtroom. I have worked hard for the most vulnerable in our community. I deliver results. And because I'm pro- life, I make no -- no apologies for that whatsoever.
YELLIN: Why don't you welcome the comparison to Sharron Angle and Christine O'Donnell?
MARTINEZ: I'm my own person. And I -- I'm focused on what New Mexico needs. What I need to make sure is what's important to New Mexico and getting rid of the corruption, getting people back to work, securing our borders.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: And, Brooke, just for the record, we did try to interview Diane Denish, but she's trying to get out the vote and didn't have a time for us.
BALDWIN: Of course. Of course.
I like how you said that. No one is questioning their credibility. They're just being plain mean. Ladies can be tough, can't they?
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: Jessica Yellin for us in the beautiful state of New Mexico. -- Jessica, I thank you.
So, with just a week here before voters, you, get to go out to the polls, speak your minds across the country, what's the mood like in Chicago? Wait until you hear what voters there are thinking. We are live there on the ground.
And a college football player shot to death by police. Now, his friends and family say this shooting not justified. Now someone, though, is talking, and what they're talking about has to do with the results of his autopsy. His family is livid. You will find out why next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right. A Massachusetts family has made it through one heck of a week, a week since their 20-year-old son was shot dead by police outside of a bar near New York City.
We do have some new developments today, but the bearing on the case here still not known. I'm talking about the death of Danroy -- or D.J. -- Henry. Happened last weekend outside of this bar in Thornwood, New York. He was shot in this car here you're looking at here during a street brawl. You see the crime scene tape.
Now, police say he gunned his car at them, forcing them to open fire. But some witnesses say that's not the right story. Another different story here is what condition Henry was in at the time of the shooting. Now, the -- the family's attorney says Henry was not drinking that night and was a -- a designated driver, you know, waiting for friends, as a good D.D. would, outside of the bar.
But now we're hearing differently. We're hearing some reports who cite sources familiar with the young man's autopsy that there was a illegal blood alcohol level found in Henry's system.
So, whichever is true, the college student's parents a full week later here say they're still not getting straight answers from anyone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANROY HENRY SR., FATHER OF DANROY HENRY: We, as parents, haven't even seen an autopsy. And where there is conflicting eyewitness testimony or statements that say D.J. was refusing to drink, wasn't drinking, was a designated driver. So, it is just mind-boggling to us that -- that this would happen.
ANGELA HENRY, MOTHER OF DANROY HENRY: That's all we want to know, is what happened. We have yet to have anyone sit down and tell us what happened.
As parents, we just want to know how our son left this earth. We know how he got here. We just want to know what happened. We just want the truth, just the truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: As the parents are searching for the -- the truth here, we have no firm word yet as to who leaked those autopsy results or why.
Also, over this weekend, we heard from Henry's friend. Remember Brandon Cox, who was sitting in the passenger seat? He was in the passenger seat when police were firing at the car.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRANDON COX, INQUIRED IN POLICE SHOOTING INCIDENT: We were just enjoying each other's company catching up. We generally enjoy being together. We have always fun when we're together. So, it was good until everything happened.
REPORTER: They're saying D.J. was actually drunk at the time. Can you comment on that? Was that true? Were you guys drinking? COX: I mean, I can't speak to that either because it's a case. But, like I said before, the truth will prevail and he -- and D.J. will get justice for what was done to him.
REPORTER: Does it matter? Does it matter if he was drinking or not?
COX: I mean, no. I mean -- they still had no right to fire on him. So, either way. I don't -- I don't -- I don't see them being able to justify that either way. But -- I mean, like I said, we'll see what happens when we finally go to court.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The Henry family will hold a funeral this coming Friday on what would have been his 21st birthday.
Switching gears here -- hero or villain? The future for an ATF agent charged with second degree murder could hinge on what a jury decides about that very question.
Let me -- here's some of the back story. I'm talking about Special Agent William Clark. So, he goes on trial today for the 2008 shooting death of a man in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Clark, keep in mind, he was off duty at the time. The guy he shot was his neighbor in the Virgin Islands. His lawyers say he intervened in a domestic dispute. Prosecutors, though, say he overreacted. Clark has pleaded not guilty.
And our Jeanne Meserve is following the story.
And, Jeanne, we know from at least the federal side -- federal officials, they are outraged. They say Clark was just working as a Good Samaritan.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In fact, some of them say, Brooke, that Clark is a hero, not a murder. But a jury selection in his murder trial is getting underway today in the Virgin Islands.
Back in September of 2008, Clark, an Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agent came to the aid of a neighbor in the Virgin Islands who is fighting with her boyfriend. The girlfriend got in Clark's car but then, according to a police affidavit, the boyfriend approached the vehicle, wielding a heavy flashlight. Clark fired and killed him.
According to Clark's lawyer, the victim weighed 260 pounds and toxicology tests showed he was under the influence of alcohol and had barbiturates and morphine in his system.
Jon Adler is with the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON ADLER, FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ASSOCIATION: When someone in that condition, that physical/mental condition charges at you with an 18-inch metal flashlight, that's akin of trying to negotiate with a bull who charges at you. Unfortunately, a verbal defense won't stop the bull from inserting his horns and killing you. He took the appropriate level of force to stop the charging man with the 18-inch flashlight and he saved both his life as well as the battered girlfriend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: So, a federal investigation said the shooting was justified. The Virgin Islands government concluded Clarks used excessive force in a domestic situation where he did not have jurisdiction. He shot the boyfriend five times, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Now, we know that federal authorities are so angry as we just heard in that sound bite -- so angry over this. They pulled the ATF agents out in the Virgin Islands in 2008. But my question is, though, looking, you know, big picture here, Jeanne, this decision here could have a far-reaching impact for federal law enforcement, not just in the Virgin Islands but any U.S. territory, couldn't it?
MESERVE: Yes, the U.S. Virgin Islands is an unincorporated territory of the U.S. But a judge ruled that Clark was not entitled to the protections that are usually given to federal agents. Senator Charles Schumer of New York has written that could have a chilling effect on federal law enforcement. And as you mentioned, the ATF removed its agents from the Virgin Islands back in 2008. They're still not back there.
BALDWIN: What a story. We will be following this right along with you this week. Jeanne Meserve, thank you.
MESERVE: You bet.
BALDWIN: She is the teenager who couldn't stop hiccupping. You hear her? You remember this? Guess what? She is now charged with murder. You will hear the shocking turn of events -- ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Irwin gave a hug and kiss.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: We're getting a couple of tweets from you. You watched my interview with Maddy Crippen. She is the older sister of Fran, who is the 26-year-old who died over the weekend in that UAE race. They're citing drowning for now but a lot of people are questioning the water temperature, the air temperature.
I spoke with his sister just a couple of minutes ago and some of you are already weighing in.
Let's go to the Twitter board because she was a pretty strong sister talking to me about her brother.
Jesse (ph) says, "That is one amazing sister right there. I'm in awe of her strength." Me, too.
One more from ConHake: "When I see people this strong right after the death of someone close, I wonder if they are still in shock."
Those tweets again on the Fran Crippen -- Maddy Crippen interview. We're going to replay that for you in case you missed any of it -- it was pretty compelling -- next hour here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Meantime, it is not too surprising when drugs are found inside of a dorm room, right? But how about a drug lab? Wait until you hear what police found on Georgetown's campus. I'm talking D.C., Georgetown University. That's ahead.
And witnesses said they saw hail the size of golf balls. I'm going to talk to a guy who hid in the freezer of a fast food restaurant as powerful tornadoes ripped across Texas. We're going to hear his story and see his pictures -- next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: You ever actually been inside of a tornado? I haven't. Some people recently have been. And I'm going to take you inside to show what it really looked like. This big one ripped through Navarro County. This is southeast of Dallas yesterday.
Look at the destruction, the damage. This destroyed five homes, tore the roof off of an elementary school that was in the town of Rice. Take a look with me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are in a tornado! We are in the tornado! It is tremendous! We're in the tornado! We are in the tornado!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: A little close for me but we appreciate that iReport. That is Navarro County emergency management director. That was Eric Meyers, the voice you just heard.
That tornado also tossed an 18-wheeler on to a car. This is how strong these tornadoes are. It knocked 11 train cars off the track. Four people were slightly hurt and hail pounded as that storm approached. Several people dashed inside a fast food restaurant and rode out the tornado in a freezer.
Take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my goodness!
(INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the cooler! In the cooler! Everybody get in the cooler!
(INAUDIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: You saw that funnel cloud. That was taken by Joey Romero. He shot the video. And he's now on the phone with me from Houston.
And, Joey, wow, when you saw the funnel cloud, let me just ask you, were you inside the restaurant already or were you on the road?
JOEY ROMERO, WITNESSED TORNADO (via telephone): We were already inside the restaurant when the tornadoes formed. We had pulled over when we started seeing some hail, to get under some cover. And I was actually recording the hail falling when the tornado formed a few hundred yards behind the restaurant.
BALDWIN: And I think I'm looking -- I'm looking at some of the pictures you took and I see what I think what is hail on the massive almost -- what did you say golf ball size hail kind on the parking lot and maybe pelting the roof? Was that some of the noise I heard in your video?
ROMERO: That's definitely hail and started of about the size of golf balls and then ended up the size of baseballs. And a few people got hit and left with some big bruises. But, you know, a bunch of the windows got shattered and a lot of the glass end up cutting a few people who are in the cars outside.
BALDWIN: So, we saw the people inside. You know, at what point did you -- and I imagine -- a number of other people hop in the freezer just to try to seek shelter?
ROMERO: Well, we heard the tornado sirens going off in the background. Nobody had actually seen one yet. We'd just heard reports of one potentially in the area. And then a few people started screaming. We went to look out the back window and sure enough, there it was.
So, at that point, we were much more concerned about everybody's safety and, you know, decided that -- to put people in the freezer and call (ph) people to safe spot.
BALDWIN: Now, Joey, I realize you're calm now. This is all over and done with. Maybe -- you know, you live in Houston. I don't know if you've been through tornadoes before.
But for someone who hasn't, how do you describe it? What does it sound -- we see what it looks like. But what does it sounds like?
ROMERO: Sort of sounds like a train passing by. It's really loud. But really, everything about it is, you know, 30, 45 seconds before it came really close it was dead quiet. And then it got really loud and the lights went out. That was a pretty scary moment.
BALDWIN: And then your girlfriend -- your girlfriend was hanging on to you for dear life?
ROMERO: Oh, yes. She was terrified.
BALDWIN: Joey Romero, awesome pictures. Hey, thanks for thinking about -- thanks for thinking about us and sending us an iReport, whipping out that cell phone or that camera. We appreciate it. Glad you're all right.
ROMERO: Yes. Of course, no problem. Thank you.
BALDWIN: Thanks, Joey.
Now, I want you to take a look at this. This is a house teetering on the edge. You've got to see this video. This is a home just washing away. That is ahead.
Also, with just eight days until voters head to the polls, CNN, we're on the road. What's firing you up?
Don Lemon is talking with voters on the ground in Chicago. He's next. Stay with there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Here we go. Eight days now until Election Day.
And all this week, we are rolling through the Midwest ahead of the midterm elections. And today, CNN's Don Lemon is at Manny's Deli -- by the way, this is Don's old stomping grounds in Chi Town, downtown Chicago.
And, Don, by my count, you have eaten like a pastrami sandwich, apple pie, stuffed bell pepper. I'm starting to think this is like lunchtime with Don with a side of politics.
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, oh, my gosh! Don't tell everybody. And you know, you're E.P., my pal, Angie Maggie --
BALDWIN: Yes.
LEMON: -- sent me an e-mail saying, by the time you leave this place, you'll have gained 15 pounds. And she's right -- I mean, look at this. You can put that on.
BALDWIN: Yes.
LEMON: I'm fascinated by how they do that, how they do this here. And, Brooke, you know. I mean, you're out in the field a lot. You're a seasoned veteran correspondent.
And you know, every time you go someplace like this, there's always a character. And our character, the person we found who had the most to say in the whole place is going to talk to us about politics. Come here, Marshall.
Marshall has been here forever, off and on.
What -- what's your response when I say what do you think about this election? What did you say?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the election, I kind -- I kind of wonder about it because, you know, they got Democrats and they got Republicans. And it's like America going against Russia, you know, with the Democrats and the Republicans. We're supposed to be Americans, supposed to be freedom. It seems like they all should be fighting for America for one cause. You know, they say together we stand, you know?
LEMON: You don't see -- Marshall said to me, Brooke, "I don't see why they can't work together." And he sees all -- you see all of them come in and out, the president and everyone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, to Mayor Daley. Just like Mayor Daley, he cleaned this city up. The city was a dump before he cleaned it up. But then he do one wrong thing, he's no more good.
Same thing with Blagojevich. He made it possible for senior citizen to ride the CTA free.
LEMON: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, that was a great thing, that people trying to --
LEMON: But then, now, he's, of course, in the middle of a controversy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
LEMON: I said, I said to him, I said, Marshall, I don't have a lot of time. Don't go on for a long time. But, you know, you get him going. And he doesn't -- he -- thanks, Marshall. I'll be back to see you. Marshall is a late-night guy.
Hey, Brooke, a little time because I want to talk to this guy. We got a veteran over here. Ed right here. We got Tim and we got Linda.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
LEMON: Good to see all of you.
So, I want -- I want to ask you as a veteran. You said your number one issue is what, Ed?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To think that Illinois has been about 35th in service to veterans. And whoever that takes charge of the state should make sure that we get the service we deserve.
LEMON: Yes. And the bickering, you're like, that's not an issue for you. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The bickering is almost acceptable, but it's overdone.
LEMON: Overdone.
Linda, you work at the polls.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, every year.
LEMON: And what do you think?
UNDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll be so glad when it's over with. I cannot stand anymore of those negative ads on TV. They're terrible.
LEMON: And is that what's turning you off mostly in this election?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, yes. Terrible negativity and talking about each other and no proof, just say it, you know?
LEMON: And people believe it without looking it up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Right.
LEMON: You know what? I was talking to you. You see the picture of the president all over the place, he was, you know, the candidate Obama then when he came in. And, of course, he used to live here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I worked for him.
LEMON: And you have worked for him?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
LEMON: And you see all the other politicians come in. Now, what if his seat goes to a Republican?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it would be a disgrace to the residence of the state of Illinois if they allow Mark Kirk to get his senatorial seat.
LEMON: But what does it say about the Obama administration or about the Democrats that something like could happen? Or about the state?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think what is happening, Don, I think that too many of the Democrats who went out in '08 and voted for Obama and who voted for that change that he talked about, they aren't giving the president enough time to implement his plan.
The Republicans are blocking him every time they get an opportunity to. They're not doing anything to help support the changes that he's trying to implement to see to it that Americans get back to work. And more importantly, the health care bill that he put through is going to help millions of Americans who have no health insurance.
LEMON: I can see, obviously, that you work for him because you are --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I don't work for him. But I helped to get him elected.
LEMON: Yes, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, in closing, I'd just like to say this, there is a difference between the Republicans and Democrats.
LEMON: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just to give you an example --
LEMON: I don't have that long.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
LEMON: We'll only have a certain amount of time here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, the Republicans, they're just being the elephant, if you look at their message. They got the elephants. They're just like being --
LEMON: Stubborn.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, the elephant. He walks around in the circus in a circle and all he does is take dumps all day. And the donkey may --
BALDWIN: Lord help us.
LEMON: This is real talk.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The donkey is --
LEMON: No, this is what you have to say, let's listen to this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The donkey is stubborn, sure footed, OK, but strong on the issues. That's what the Democrats do.
If the Republicans -- if you don't stick with the Democrats, you'll find yourself being dumped on.
LEMON: OK, all right, thank you.
And, listen, when I talk to people, you know what they say? This whole election, I can't say it on TV, they say it's full of manure. All of these politicians are full of manure.
Here's why I love Chicago. I come back to visit. This guy walks over and he goes -- he says my name and he goes -- no one can say it like a Chicago. Say my name?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don Lemon.
BALDWIN: Oh, my goodness, Don Lemon.
LEMON: There's no "O" in there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don Lemon.
BALDWIN: Don Lemon, this has been -- this has been --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We appreciate what he does. He speaks his mind and we appreciate that.
BALDWIN: Don?
LEMON: Thank you. Thank you. It's good seeing you guys. Brooke, honestly again, it's real talk.
BALDWIN: Don, it's been enlightening.
LEMON: We spent a lot of time here. Bye, Brooke. Thank you.
BALDWIN: Bye, Don.
LEMON: Thank you, guys.
BALDWIN: Enjoy your apple pie.
All right. Wolf Blitzer next with the CNN Political Ticker.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Before we talk politics and get to my favorite, Wolf Blitzer, let's just let you know that we have a wonderful interview coming up this hour. The U.S. Army does this Warrior of the Year competition each and every year. It's been described kind of the Super Bowl of all the Army competitions. And for the first year out of all nine years they've been doing this, it is a female. We're going to be talking with her coming up this hour.
Now, we'll talk politics. Eight days until Election Day, and CNN has all your latest political news with "The Best Political Team on Television." CNN equals politics.
And Wolf Blitzer is at the CNNPolitics.com desk.
And, Wolf, as -- let's say, an Ohio Republican here has some free choice words for Democrats.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST, CNN'S "THE SITUATION ROOM": You know, it's eight days. And we are certainly counting over here at CNNPolitics.com, Brooke.
Ohio is critically important. It's a battleground state as everyone knows. If President Obama wants to be reelected in 2012, as he certainly does, he's going to have to carry Ohio, some of these other battleground states like Florida, certainly California, and New York, the big Democratic states.
But let's focus in on Ohio right now. There's a gubernatorial contest. John Kasich, the former Republican congressman, is trying to unseat the Democratic Governor Ted Strickland. It's close, very close, neck-and-neck in all of the polls. Kasich says this. He says, "In my entire political life, I have never seen the kind of negative, smearing, lying stuff that these Democrats have done and brought on the people of this state. Shame on them," he says. "Do they have one good, positive, decent idea in their brain?" He says, "I don't think so."
It's getting tough in Ohio.
Sticking with Ohio, George Voinovich, he's the retiring U.S. senator of the Republican. He's saying, you know what, as tough as it is, as bitter as it is right now, in the lame duck session of the Congress after November 2nd, when all of the members come back, the incumbents, all of those, including many will be either unseated or are retiring, he says, let's try to work together before the new Congress is sworn in to get something done.
You know, I'm not sure he's going to succeed in that effort, but he's calling on everyone to try to come together especially in some of the deficit-related issues because it's so critical.
Finally, I just wanted to point out, Brooke, that in our 6:00 p.m. Eastern Hour in "THE SITUATION ROOM," John Heilemann of "New York" magazine has got a fascinating article. Remember, he wrote that book, "Game Change" with Mark Halperin, the best seller. A fascinating article laying out a scenario how Sarah Palin in 2012 becomes president of the United States.
A lot of us think she's going to run. A lot of us think she has a potential of getting the Republican nomination. But he lays out how she wins and becomes the next president of the United States.
Heilemann will join us in the 6:00 p.m. hour. I think our viewers are going to find that fascinating. Either good news or bad news, depending on their perspective.
BALDWIN: Yes, depending on what you think of Sarah Palin. Interesting there.
Also, Wolf, you mentioned lame duck Congress. Let's go back to Voinovich. You know, we've seen this before, where senators, free from having to fight for re-election, they finally speak their mind and vote their conscience.
BLITZER: That's what's supposedly supposed to happen. I don't know if it will, because the atmosphere -- I covered politics for a long time -- is very bitter right now. And one of the problems is the day after the November 2nd election is November 3rd. And you know what happens on November 3rd?
BALDWIN: Race for the White House.
BLITZER: The race for the presidency starts. The Republicans will start lining up. And if there's going to be a challenge for the president from within the Democratic Party, that could become clear sooner rather than later. And if there's a third party candidate, like Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, that will be become clear pretty soon as well.
So, if you think politics is going to end on November 2nd, forget about it.
BALDWIN: Yes. You will be sorely mistaken, as we've all learned.
Wolf Blitzer, you got a long night going to the 2nd. But we will look forward to all your coverage. Wolf, good to see you. Thank you.
BLITZER:P thank you.
