Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Hurricane Tomas Targets Haiti; Cancer Detection Breakthrough; Nancy Pelosi to Run for Minority Leader; Obama India Trip: Myths & Realities; Chilean Miner Goes on Letterman; Al Qaeda Takes Credit for Cargo Bomb; New Reality Show Features Brides and Plastic Surgery
Aired November 05, 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 nightmare earthquake, a deadly outbreak, and now the storm that just won't go away. Tomas is headed straight for Haiti. In fact, forecasters say the most severe weather will be hitting in the next two hours. We're all over this breaking story in just 60 seconds.
I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
(voice-over): A mother and daughter both going to prison. The violent hit-and-run accident killed five people, including three children. But is justice served? It's a verdict that affects all of us on the road.
George Clooney played him in the movies. Wait until you hear what former CIA agent Bob Baer says about the terror plot involving cargo bombs.
What new movie is making audiences pass out, throw up, and walk out? I will tell you what's shocking theater-goers and the big-time movie star in the center of it all.
This man and this man are the same person. How did he board an international flight in disguise and why?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: In a terrible year of deadly disasters right now, Haiti is being slammed by Hurricane Tomas. Take a look with me here. These are some of the pictures coming in from the island nation that, keep in, mind still is recovering from that one/two punch. You had January's earthquake and then most recently that deadly cholera outbreak.
Already, we're getting reports of destroyed homes, downed trees, flooded streets, tent cities. I'm going to be talking with a Red Cross official here live from Port-au-Prince in just a second.
But, first, I want to get right to Chad Myers, who has been watching Tomas very, very closely.
Do we know when the worst of it will be hitting Haiti? CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The eye of the hurricane -- still 85 miles per hour -- big hurricane still, not Category 2 or 3, but it's still a hurricane.
BALDWIN: Still big.
MYERS: Yes -- is as close to Port-au-Prince as it's going to get. It moves away from here. So, this is as bad as the winds are going to get...
BALDWIN: Right this moment.
MYERS: ... but not as bad as the rain is going to get...
BALDWIN: Ah.
MYERS: ... because of the way the whole circulation thing works. Because of the way a hurricane spins in direction this way and this way, we know, because of that, that this entire system isn't done.
When the low that is now right there moves up here, now this arrow that's down here won't be there anymore. When the low is up here, the arrow will be right there. And that's right into Port-au- Prince. And that's when the rains will probably be the heaviest in that capital.
There have been many reports of flooding along that peninsula that is on the south side of Haiti, right here, the south side of Port-au-Prince, right through there.
I even have one new iReport. Dan Shumaker (ph), one of the ministers from one of the ministries, he's working down there...
BALDWIN: Oh, wow.
MYERS: ... been down there 25 years, took this picture. Literally, I got this from iReport.com about 15 seconds before I hit the air.
BALDWIN: Huh.
MYERS: So, there's no -- no -- no print -- names on there, but that's what's happening in parts of that lower peninsula.
BALDWIN: Shows the power of the wind.
(CROSSTALK)
MYERS: And -- yes, exactly, and how much rain has already come down.
Here's the problem. And I know it is hard to see this two- dimensional map, but this is three-dimensional, mountain, mountain, mountain, mountain, mountain, mountain, mountain, mountain, mountain, mountain, Port-au-Prince.
Guess what happens when all of that water has to come all the way down through Port-au-Prince and out into the ocean?
BALDWIN: Flooding?
MYERS: They built it -- exactly. And people were living along these creeks and streams, because they could at least get some running water, whatever good it was doing them. It wasn't really fresh...
BALDWIN: Mm-hmm.
MYERS: ... but it was still running water. And now they're scrambling to get away from those rivers or those creeks and streams, because that's where the flooding is occurring right now.
BALDWIN: Chad, come back over here. I want to bring to this with me here.
I want other bring in Andrea Koppel.
MYERS: Yes.
BALDWIN: She's in Port-au-Prince right this very moment. And she's joining me now on the phone.
You may remember her as a former CNN correspondent. She's now with the American Red Cross.
And, Andrea, thanks for hopping on the phone with me.
You know, Chad was just saying that this is the closest the eye will actually be to Port-au-Prince. I don't know where you are this second. Tell me where you are. And if you have a vantage out of a -- a -- a window, what -- what does it look like?
ANDREA KOPPEL, AMERICAN RED CROSS: Yes.
Well, I'm actually standing out looking over downtown Port-au- Prince, Brooke. For those who may know the -- the capital, I'm just overlooking Petionville. And since the last couple of hours, when I spoke with -- with Ali, I can tell you that the skies have gotten a little cloudier, but people are out and about. The cars are out and about. People are -- the music is blaring from -- from some of the communities here.
And, most importantly, it appears that all of the disaster- preparedness work that the American Red Cross has been doing over the last eight months -- eight months -- seems to be paying off. We have been sandbagging hillsides, digging ditches around many of these tent communities.
We have sent out millions of SMS text messages alerting people to the fact that the hurricane was going to be coming, telling them to activate their emergency evacuation systems for the most at-risk camps, telling them to go to family and friends who may be in higher ground.
And, right now, we're very happy to report that all of this disaster-preparedness work has paid off.
BALDWIN: So, that has paid off. But let me...
KOPPEL: We don't...
BALDWIN: If I may, Andrea, let me ask you about this. You know, we know, in terms of sheer numbers, about a million-and-a-half, about 1.3 million people were essentially displaced, they were homeless, because of that January earthquake. So, a lot of them -- you mentioned those tent cities -- they're living under plastic, essentially.
And from what I understand, what little they have left -- I mean, imagine, your whole house is gone, so whatever precious mementos you have, it's in this tent. And from what I understand, a lot of these people, they don't want to leave.
KOPPEL: Listen, that's perfectly understandable. And, in fact, the government had been going through parts of the country telling people to leave.
The fact of the matter is that that's why we have had these disaster-preparedness activities, because we know that many of these people had no other place to go. They didn't have the money to even take a bus to leave.
But I'm looking over some of these tent communities right now, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Mm-hmm.
KOPPEL: The tents are up. Those tarps are up. They have not been torn. The winds were not as heavy as we expected.
So, fortunately for them, we...
BALDWIN: Thank goodness.
KOPPEL: ... we can say that they appear to have made it through.
I can also tell you, Brooke, that we have about half-a-dozen American Red Cross and Red Cross assessment teams that are fanning out now across Port-au-Prince to see what, if anything, is needed.
We had prepositioned emergency supplies all across the country. We did that months ago, knowing that this was hurricane season that was approaching, so that we would be able to get emergency supplies of tents, tarps, blankets, kitchen supplies...
KOPPEL: Sure.
KOPPEL: ... the needs -- be able to get those needs -- the...
BALDWIN: So, it -- it...
KOPPEL: ... supplies to the people as quickly as possible. BALDWIN: It sounds like the -- the supplies are in place. You know, you get an A-plus-plus, I guess, for being so prepared.
Chad, I want you to jump in, though, because you made a point.
MYERS: Mm-hmm.
BALDWIN: Even though the eye is as close as it will be right now, still, though, the rain...
MYERS: Yes.
BALDWIN: ... is coming.
MYERS: Andrea -- Andrea, try to describe to the viewers what's going to happen to the cholera, so to speak, when now, all of a sudden, the water is up and the water is moving from place to place? And you -- like you're saying, people are out there -- I don't know that you said playing in it -- you said the kids were out there kicking balls around in the mud.
BALDWIN: Life -- life is going on.
MYERS: Exactly.
Power must be still on, because they're still playing music. What's going to happen to this cholera? Does anybody -- is anybody concerned about this?
KOPPEL: Of course.
The United Nations, the American Red Cross, our Red Cross partners, are all very concerned about this. One of the -- one of the activities that we have been doing that we -- we were very proud of is, we have been distributing water, safe drinking water, to about a quarter-million people over the last eight months here in Port-au- Prince.
That means these people, unlike the folks that were up in Saint- Marc, north of here, are not drinking river water. They're drinking safe, clean water.
BALDWIN: That's great.
KOPPEL: Cholera is spread through all different ways, but it's through the river and through septic areas. That was one of our concerns, that, if there were a lot of flooding here in Port-au- Prince, which, at this point, there has not been, that some of those septic systems would overflow.
MYERS: Mm-hmm.
KOPPEL: That has not happened.
But we are all very concerned about that, Chad.
BALDWIN: Of course.
KOPPEL: And, certainly, if, as you're saying, we're expecting more rain, that's something that we're going to be, you know, watching very closely and responding to as quickly as possible, if it happens.
BALDWIN: Listen, Andrea, keep in close touch with us, especially even through these next two hours.
MYERS: Mm-hmm.
BALDWIN: You know, if the rain continues, if the situation changes, let's just bring you back on the phone and do it again live. How about that?
MYERS: Great.
BALDWIN: Andrea Koppel, I -- I thank you.
And, Mr. Myers, we will be seeing you again.
MYERS: I will be here.
BALDWIN: Now to an apparent breakthrough. A CAT scan procedure could detect a certain kind of cancer at a very early stage. That is ahead.
Plus, authorities are calling it unbelievable: an airline passenger going to have great lengths to hide his identity. So, why did he put on this disguise?
And Nancy Pelosi just made a huge announcement for her own future -- why the decision may lead to some pretty interesting battles.
That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Welcome back to the NEWSROOM.
You know, a couple of other stories, big stories, unfolding right now.
First, of course, the president's trip to India sparking some controversy -- more on that in just a moment.
But, first, one of his biggest allies in Congress still wants to stay in Congress. Talking about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announcing she will run for House minority leader. You remember, Republican John Boehner expected to be the one to take her top spot, since the GOP will soon be the majority in the chamber.
And guess where Speaker Pelosi made that announcement?
Mark (ph), if we can, Twitter of course. Here she goes -- quote -- "Driven by the urgency of creating jobs and protecting HCR and WSR" -- that is health care reform, Wall Street reform -- "Social Security and Medicare, I am running for Dem leader" -- end quote -- Nancy Pelosi tweeting.
Also, it is another no-go for the space shuttle Discovery. We were all excited about it today, but NASA scrubbed the launch after finding a gaseous hydrogen leak near the external fuel tank. This is the latest in a series of glitches that has delayed this mission. Yesterday's launch was stopped because of bad weather. The next liftoff date has been pushed back all the way to November 30, we're hearing, at the earliest. But, whenever it does finally lift off, Discovery is expected to deliver a storage module way up there to the International Space Station.
And how about this story? An unbelievable case of passenger deception under investigation in Canada right now. Look at these two pictures. This is the same guy. Asian man in his early 20s boarded this Air Canada flight in Hong Kong disguised as this old man. So, he takes his old man face off mid-flight. And you know those flight attendants said, wait a second. They definitely noticed.
When the plane landed in Canada, the man was grabbed by Canadian security officers in Vancouver. He says, claims he needed refugee protection. The silicone head and neck mask were found in his bag.
A matter of minutes, that is how close we're told one of those cargo bombings was to exploding. So, just ahead, I'm going to talk to a former CIA agent, Bob Baer, about why this latest plot here a week ago last Friday is a sign of a -- what he is calling this new, more dangerous wave of terrorism. I will press him on that and ask him why.
Also, have you heard all the heat President Obama is now taking for his trip to India? We're asking, is it warranted? You're going to hear some of the myths vs. the reality.
That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Just got some information in to CNN.
You remember, it was this time a week ago where we were essentially wall-to-wall with breaking news about those two cargo planes originating in Yemen. You remember, they were on their way to Chicago, stopped in both England and Dubai. And what they found were these explosive packages, here, bits and pieces of them. They were laced with all kinds of PETN, which was very, very explosive.
We're just now learning here in a message that has now surfaced on various radical Islamist -- Islamist Web sites, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is in fact now coming forward claiming responsibility for the Yemen plot, parcels from last Friday.
As I mentioned, I will be talking to a former CIA guy who also writes all kinds of intelligence articles for "TIME" magazine. We will be talking about this development, if he is surprised. And I will push him a little further on how sophisticated these bomb plots have been getting. Meantime, though, let's talk about the president. The president is out of here. Take a look with me. Air Force One, there it goes, barreling down the runway, ushering the president toward Asia, first stop, India, 10 days away from Washington and right on the heels of his party's shellacking -- his word -- in the midterm election.
Suzanne Malveaux is our White House correspondent.
The president left on a bit of a high note today, Suzanne. And the news, the economy added jobs last month. In fact, it was 151,000, to be exact.
But I want to ask you -- I want to ask you this. There seems to be this assumption that, if the economy gains steam, then, of course, you know, America is happy, Mr. Obama, you know, gets reelected. But does anyone fear that the president's problems go a little bit deeper than that?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, that's a very good point.
There are two things that the president has to be concerned about. One of them that you mentioned obviously is going to be jobs after that shellacking that he took. He has got to somehow make a connection, and he's already trying to do that, that, by traveling overseas to places like India, and going to these economic summits, that in fact it is going to create jobs for Americans back at home. That's the first thing.
But the other thing that he has to make sure that he does is, he still has to connect with the American people. He has to show that he gets it, that he understands that people are still suffering. And it's one of the things that we heard this morning, Brooke. When those good numbers came out, immediately, after, he said that, yes, this is great news, but it's not enough. We have got to do more.
He has got to connect with the American people and show that it's his responsibility, he understands what they need, and, somehow, what he is doing overseas connects with them in a very real way.
BALDWIN: And, you know, Suzanne, speaking of really connecting with the American people, there was a really -- there was telling moment from -- from the president's news conference, a lot of people calling it reflective. He almost appeared a little bit sad.
But it -- I want -- I want to play a little clip. This is right after he talked about the Democrats getting shellacked. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The relationship that I have had with the American people is one that built slowly, peaked at this incredible high, and then during the course of the last two years, as we've together gone through some very difficult times, has gotten rockier and tougher.
And, you know, it's going to, I'm sure, have some more ups and downs during the course of me being in this office.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, the question being, you know, whose job is it for the president to be reconnecting here? Is it the president himself or, Suzanne, is it, you know, his image-makers?
MALVEAUX: Brooke, that's a very good question.
And I really think it's a combination of both. Obviously, you have this whole press apparatus that is here at the White House that also travels with him overseas to deliver the message, to make sure the message is getting to the world stage, as well as here at home, what he is trying to accomplish here.
So, there is a communications situation, even, some would say, a problem that you have got to have people understand his message, what he's trying to do.
The other part here is just getting the president out in places where he feels comfortable, where he can connect with folks, whether it's these town hall forums, these backyard events, or whether what we're going to see overseas is some of these big rallies, these big speeches that he's going to making to the world audience...
BALDWIN: Sure.
MALVEAUX: ... and to Americans.
Those are the kind of places at -- that he has to go and really make that kind of connection with folks where he thrives, not necessarily here in the White House, which is something that he had talked about, being too much in a bubble.
BALDWIN: But with...
MALVEAUX: It really is both sides of this.
BALDWIN: But with the people.
And I would be remiss to let you go without talking security. And I was sitting here at this time yesterday. It was a false alarm, but there was, you know, an issue with a package in the cargo hold of a Delta flight in Mumbai. That is precisely, you know, location number one where the president is headed.
And, you know, talk to me a little bit about the security concerns here, given also last Friday and those explosive packages that were indeed found that originated from Yemen.
MALVEAUX: Oh, Brooke, I mean, Security is at a -- a premium here. It's heightened security to the very highest level here.
But you have the president making a very clear statement. He is staying at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, where those attacks, those terrorist attacks, had occurred, to make the statement that they believe he is not going to be hindered. He's going to travel where he needs to travel and make -- and -- and make the -- known to the world that terrorists are not going to deter the American people or -- or peace-loving people around the world -- but heightened security very much at that hotel, throughout his trip, and, you know, some of the interesting things we heard from the Indian government side, that they're actually going to be taking off those coconuts from those coconuts trees...
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: ... to make sure they don't fall on the president's head.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: Oh, for the love.
MALVEAUX: So...
BALDWIN: But, hey, heaven forbid...
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: ... he would have a bunch of bruises on his head from all those coconuts outside the Gandhi Museum.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: But, Taj Mahal, that is fascinating. There we go.
Suzanne Malveaux for us reporting from the White House -- Suzanne, thank you.
MALVEAUX: Thanks, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Got some good news for you with regard to the fight against lung cancer: new CAT scan procedures now making it possible to detect the disease much, much earlier than before and help prevent its spread.
Elizabeth Cohen joining me next with the details.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: You know lung cancer is among the deadliest forms of cancer, but now medical experts say a simple change -- simple change -- in how patients are screened for lung cancer could save many, many lives.
Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has been looking at this extensive new study, joins me now with some details.
So, they studied like 53,000 people or so, looking...
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right.
BALDWIN: ... at them, and they discovered it's really all about these CT scans.
COHEN: Right, these C.T. scans that show a lot...
BALDWIN: Huh.
COHEN: ... maybe a little too much. And I will get to that in a minute.
BALDWIN: OK.
(LAUGHTER)
COHEN: But let me tell what they discovered.
What they discovered that, if you scan 25,000 smokers, you are going to save 80-plus lives, probably close to 90 lives.
BALDWIN: Wow.
COHEN: So, you scan about 25,000 people, and you save 90 lives with these C.T. scans. And they -- it was so successful that they actually stopped the study early, because the results were so convincing.
BALDWIN: So conclusive. So...
COHEN: Right.
BALDWIN: So, should all smokers sitting out there and watching, should they all get screened?
COHEN: Well, that's where the controversy begins...
BALDWIN: Aha.
COHEN: ... because C.T. scans, in addition to picking up cancers, pick up all sorts of other things, too. So, they...
BALDWIN: Like?
COHEN: Like just things that are fine, things that are benign. But because you're not sure if they're benign, you have to get it checked out.
So, for every cancer they pick up, they pick up many more of these things that turn out to be fine, but you have to investigate it. And investigation often means a biopsy. So, if you do start -- if they do start screening all smokers, you're going to end up with people getting needles stuck into their lungs for, ultimately, nothing.
And, so, it's a balance.
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: You know, what do you want to do here? You're saving lives, but on the other hand you're causing all sorts of other problems.
And I would be remiss if I didn't say, if a smoker was really, truly concerned about lung cancer...
BALDWIN: Mm-hmm.
COHEN: ... what should they do? Stop smoking...
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: ... I mean, just to put it simply.
BALDWIN: Hello.
COHEN: They ought to just stop smoking, right.
BALDWIN: So, let's say you're a smoker. If you're a -- not -- not a smoker, could just anyone get the test? Or does -- how does that work? And then I guess the obvious follow-up would be, I mean, if you voluntarily get this -- get this test, get this scan, I would imagine insurance doesn't exactly want to foot the bill.
COHEN: Right. Exactly.
BALDWIN: Yes.
COHEN: There's the other problem.
So, if you hear about this study and say, wow, 90 lives saved, you know, sign me up.
BALDWIN: Great.
COHEN: Great.
You can go to your doctor and say, hey, could I get a C.T. scan? I want to know if maybe I'm -- I might get lung cancer. And your doctor might give you a prescription for one. But you might very well have to pay for it, which could be, you know, hundreds and hundreds of dollars.
And, also, there's an excellent -- there's a very, very good chance that they're going to find something benign, something perfectly fine, but then you are going to have to get a needle stuck into your lungs to biopsy it. So, this is not sort of like an easy peasy day at the beach. There are reasons not to choose screening.
BALDWIN: So, I guess I'm left here, though, scratching my head. I mean, while this is wonderful and they're realizing this is great, especially for who are smokers, but, bottom line, I mean, what -- what -- do you just take your doctor's guidance?
COHEN: Yes. You would want to talk to your doctor. And you want to talk about your lung cancer risks. You want to talk about if you have any symptoms of lung cancer, because that would play into the decision. This is a real tough one. I mean, the doctors I have been talking to today who gave us those numbers before, they said, we don't completely know what to do with these numbers...
BALDWIN: Huh.
COHEN: ... because does it save lives to screen? Yes, this study says that it does. On the other hand...
BALDWIN: You find something else.
COHEN: ... you cause other problems when you start screening.
So, it's a -- this is a -- it's a bit of a conundrum.
BALDWIN: It is.
COHEN: It is. And everybody has to make that decision with their doctor: Do you really want to get screened or not?
BALDWIN: Talk to your doctor.
COHEN: That's right.
BALDWIN: Elizabeth Cohen, happy Friday.
COHEN: OK. You, too.
BALDWIN: Thank you.
We all know him as miner number 12. There he is taking the Big Apple by storm. Folks, he sings Elvis. He's talking to Letterman and preparing for a good old 26.2 miles this weekend. You're going to see it all and hear from him next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Rescued Chilean miner Edison Pena has a pretty big weekend ahead of him. So tomorrow he's running that little race, a marathon in New York City. Also last night he appeared on David Letterman's show. So even with the language barrier it made for pretty interesting late night chatter. Here's just a portion of it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW": Have you run a marathon before?
EDISON PENA, CHILEAN MINER (via translator): A big marathon like this one, no, never. Little ones. This is a huge challenge.
LETTERMAN: But you know -- I've never run a marathon, but I do know that the people when they see you on the course will give you the support to finish.
PENA: Yes, I don't doubt it.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Now, keep in mind he was dubbed "the runner" down in the mine. He was running like six miles down there and apparently listening to a bunch of Elvis. Huge Elvis Presley fan, who knew? He treated Letterman to his impression of the king of rock 'n' roll.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Wow. Almost on his knees rock 'n' rolling like the king. With those moves he'll do pretty well with that 26.2. We'll most definitely keep you posted and let you know Monday how he fared in that marathon.
So what happens when you mix brides and plastic surgery? It's a new reality show. That's bringing all kinds of controversy. Brooke Anderson is all over it.
But first, take a look at this here. A young opera singer nearly lost her life and her beautiful voice due to this rare lung disease. But now a second chance at life after undergoing a double lung transplant. Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta sat down with Charity Tillemann-Dick for today's human factor segment.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(SINGING)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That soaring voice belongs to Charity Tillemann-Dick, a voice that almost went silent. Six years ago she was diagnosed with a rare lung disease. Without treatment, doctors said, she'd be dead within five years.
CHARITY TILLEMANN-DICK, HAD DOUBLE LUNG TRANSPLANT: And it just -- it didn't seem real.
GUPTA: For a while, medication was enough. But by last summer, her only option was a double lung transplant at the Cleveland Clinic. Her family, 10 brothers and sisters, had always been at her side. But when she was rushed to surgery, she was alone. She pleaded with her doctor.
TILLEMANN-DICK: Please, please keep me alive so I can say goodbye to my mother. And I told him that if he could do anything to save my voice, to do it.
GUPTA: She was in a coma for a month. It was another month before she could speak a word. TILLEMANN-DICK: They took me off of the trache and they told me to say "e" and nothing would come out. And I wouldn't stop. And finally, finally, you could take "e," "e," "e." And it started coming out and tears were streaming down my face and I remember thinking to myself, I am so deeply grateful I can make sound.
When I got home, the first song that I sang -- and I had this real connection to -- was "Smile" by Charlie Chaplin. "Smile when your heart is breaking, even though it's aching." When I sing, I feel like I'm taken to another place. And it's this place of pure sound and transcendent beauty.
GUPTA: Beauty saved by the grace of an organ donor.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: So there's the news and then what's trending around the news, what you're talking about and blogging about and tweeting about. What's trending today a couple of things. You have this new movie that apparently is causing some people to faint and a new reality show for brides-to-be.
Brooke Anderson -- a lot of B's going on -- Brooke Anderson is the host of HLN "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." She joins me from Los Angeles. Brooke, I've been reading a little about the movie and read actually the memoir. But first tell me we're talking about "127 hours." What's it about?
BROOKE ANDERSON, HLN HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": It's about that true story that captivated all of us and the nation when he seven years ago the guy Aaron Ralston was mountain climbing in Utah and a boulder fell on his arm so he became pinned and trapped.
And in order to survive he cuts off part of his arm to extricate himself. The movie is based on the book that you read that he wrote about his experience. Actor James Franco plays the lead here. It is new in theaters this weekend in limited release. It will then expand to more cities.
Brooke, it is rated "R" for disturbing violent content and bloody images.
BALDWIN: Let's talk about that. Let's go there. Let's talk about the bloody images. We know James Franco plays Aaron Ralston. He's out hiking, gets this big boulder comes down on his arm. What does he do? He ends up having to sort of saw his arm off.
ANDERSON: Right.
BALDWIN: And he survives. But a lot of people reportedly have been fainting watching the movie.
ANDERSON: Yes. It becomes too much for some people reportedly. There are 10, 12 people who have reportedly just hit the deck, fainted in early screenings of the movie.
"The L.A. Times" reports that one woman said she felt dizzy, felt sick to her stomach. Her heart was racing. And then she just passed out. "the L.A. Times" also reports that the director Danny Boyle doesn't really shy away from the amputation at all and that he uses sound effects to dramatize and amplify the snapping of tendons and the breaking of bones.
Listen to what James Franco told us at the film's premiere about why people are having such a visceral reaction to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES FRANCO, ACTOR: What people have told me is they feel very close to the character, that it almost feels like a ride. It's an unusual movie-going experience.
And so that by the time you get to that scene, the audience is sympathizing with the character. They're in it with the character. And so people that normally would want to turn away during a scene like that are actually trying to will the character through that experience. And so -- and they are just invested in a different way.
And in this movie all you have is just one little arm being cut off. But because of the relationship to the character, people are just feeling it in a different way. And I think that's why some people are having a very intense reaction to it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Brooke, just one little arm being cut off. But I think he's right. People probably feel such a connection that if they go to the movie, unless they're getting carted out by the paramedics, they're probably going to stay until the end.
BALDWIN: I read the book. I think I'll probably see the movie, but I think this will be me in the movie theater. I'm not going to be watching.
ANDERSON: Turning away.
BALDWIN: Yes.
Let's also talk about this new show on E! this month. Tell me about it.
ANDERSON: OK. It's called "Bridal Plasty" and premieres on E! later this month. And in it 12 bride-to-be's, all engaged to be married, they compete against on another not only for their dream wedding but for extreme plastic surgeries to transform themselves for their big day. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: November 28th on E! -- something old, something blue, something borrowed, something new, new, new, new, new, new, new, new, new, new. This November, 12 brides will compete in the only reality show where the winner gets cut. The series premiere of "Bridal Plasty." Sunday November 28th at 9:00 only on E!.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: OK, Brooke. The folks over at E! tell us in the finale the bride who has won the competition will reveal her new look to her groom for the very first time at the altar.
BALDWIN: So he won't even recognize her.
ANDERSON: That could be a good thing or a bad thing.
BALDWIN: People in here, the crew are like, no way, you got to be kidding me. Push the envelope yet again. Are we surprised? It's reality TV.
ANDERSON: And it's a reflection of the women who have participated in this show and how they are unhappy about themselves. It's sad that they want to dramatically transform themselves in this way. But we know Brooke that these wacky bride shows do really well. "Bridezilla," "Say Yes to the Dress."
BALDWIN: Ratings, ratings, Brooke Anderson. Lovely to see you, have a fabulous weekend. Catch Brooke on HLN's "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT."
Is the Yemen cargo bomb plot -- is it a sign terrorists are becoming increasingly sophisticated? My next guest says that is precisely the case. Former CIA officer Bob Baer joining me live next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: We want to take you back to a story that we have followed all week long and early on the show because it is quite frankly too important not to. Various radical Islamist websites say Al Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula is now coming forward claiming responsibility for the package bomb plot from a week ago today.
That's the foiled plot out of Yemen, and it may have been aimed at blowing up cargo planes over U.S. soil. So the more we learn here, the more it appears this thing was nipped pretty much in the nick of time.
Bob Baer is a former CIA guy, and among other things he's writing about intelligence for time.com. Bob, good to see you. You write this article in time about this recent PETN-laced bombs and write there are signs of a new more dangerous wave of terrorism. More dangerous how?
ROBERT BAER, FORMER CIA OPERATIVE: Well, they're using PETN. It's a military explosive. It has a high cutting power, would cut through the skin of airplanes very easily. It's easy to conceal. It's malleable. We normally associate it with the Palestinian groups from the '80s. They went out of business.
And the fact that this is a long distance attack, it's never happened before where they can route it through all these airports and get it to the United States and blow up the cargo plane or hope that it gets transferred to a passenger airplane. This is a new level of sophistication, no doubt about it.
BALDWIN: And virtually undetectable obviously part of the appeal of PETN. But Bob, I want to get your take on a little information we got yesterday. French officials are reporting one of those two bombs from last Friday was 17 minutes -- there was some kind of clock -- 17 minutes from detonating.
We reached out to the White House. They're not confirming that. But what do you make of that? If that is in fact true, does it go more to the fact we were so, so close from telling a much different story?
BAER: Oh, Brooke, I think we were very lucky on this attack. As I said, it was sophisticated and it very nearly got through. If it hadn't been for Saudi intelligence calling up at the last minute, identifying the plane, the package and the rest of it, this thing would have gone off.
Now, we still don't know -- it's too early to tell whether it was meant to blow up over a city or just take down the cargo plane.
BALDWIN: We talk about sophistication, increasingly sophisticated these bombs. We need to be very specific. How have we seen them evolve over time?
BAER: Well, you know, you mean -- they used suicide bombers which we could check these people at airports and screen everything they're carrying. And they've side stepped this into getting something that's much more technical, using cell phones.
And PETN is virtually undetectable in cargo planes. To detect it, you u have to take a plane and actually divide it up into sections and suck the air in, check the ion composition and decide whether it's explosives. It could really slow down international transportation if we want to be 100 percent sure these things aren't on the planes.
BALDWIN: And something else that struck me about this article -- you suggest that perhaps the field of battle here may have shifted, that perhaps Al Qaeda's base is moving from Pakistan to Yemen. I'm curious why you may think that. And if that's true, what makes Yemen a better playing field for these kinds of terrorists?
BAER: Well, one is we have to consider the possibility that the war on terror in Pakistan has actually been successful. We've taken out the leadership of Al Qaeda. They can't move around the tribal areas of Pakistan as easily. And the smart thing is any guerrilla force would do is get up and move.
Now, the problem in Yemen, if indeed this has happened, is that the tribal groups up there protecting Al Qaeda will be much more difficult to go after. The government in Sana'a, the capital, is less likely to take on the tribes. And so it's a whole new battle for us if indeed this happened, they've moved from Pakistan to Yemen. BALDWIN: And other intelligence officials say Al Qaeda in Pakistan, they disagree and say it's very much alive and well. In fact if you read the "Wall Street Journal" this morning there was a report that some are maybe saying the release of that bin Laden audiotape may have been a signal to AQAP to set that cargo package bomb plot in motion. Would you buy that -- that connection?
BAER: Not at all. Al Qaeda is franchised out. It works in cells. You don't need central direction from Pakistan or even within Yemen. I mean, these people are cold-blooded murders. They know who the target is. They don't need direction and they don't even really need timing. And a lot of this they've gone to couriers, personal face-to-face couriers.
And we can speculate on, in fact it maybe, but it's just speculation at this point.
BALDWIN: Bob Baer, former CIA and now writing Time.com. Bob, thanks. Come back.
BAER: Thanks.
BALDWIN: Breaking news a short time ago, a cable news host has been suspended. We'll tell you who and why coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Got a pretty big story that's brewing right now. From the world of journalism, politics, and cable TV, taking about Keith Olbermann. MSNBC suspended him today indefinitely, suspended by his own network, suspended after reports emerged that Olbermann made donations of money to three political candidates, keep in mind all of them are Democrats.
President Phil Griffin said the donations violate network standards. These donations were made to Senate candidate Jack Conway and to House Democrats Gabriel Giffords and Raul Grijalva, violated network standards there.
Howard Kurtz is joining me on the phone. Do we have Howard? Going to Howard? Someone get in my ear. We're going to move on, I'm told.
All right, you've probably heard of the TV show, "The Dog Whisperer," maybe even watched the movie "The Horse Whisperer," but I'm pretty sure you've never heard of "The Buffalo Whisper." You've got to see this.
Here is Jim Songer and his beloved pet buy son Bailey, a pretty big guy. It's a pet buffalo, folks. Anything else they can do, so can Bailey. Hand around the house, saw him go for rides in the car. Bailey weighs a light 1,600 pounds and isn't fully grown. Bailey is surprisingly gentle and well behaved.
Next, can blowing up buildings actually help in the fight against terrorism? You've got to see this. The engineers for a Lubbock, Texas company that designs and tests how windows and doors would stand up to an attack. There you go, emphasis on the testing here. They're used on embassies, overseas military barracks, and big corporate buildings terrorists may want to target.
Next, I heard of falling asleep on the bus, but waiting for the bus? You've got to see this. This guy appears to be sleeping while standing. Bus pulls up, there it goes, sliding doors open, boom, that's got to hurt. Let's watch it one more time, if we can. Luckily, his friends -- oh, some guy runs up to him. Helps him get up and hop on the bus.
Call it the house of honey, incredible video of what happens if bees decide to shack up in your home. You don't want to miss this. That is ahead. Also Wolf Blitzer standing by with brand new information just in from the world of politics. Your CNN Political Ticker is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEN STILLER: CNN has all of your latest political news with "The Best Political Team on Television," CNN = Politics. Wolf Blitzer at the CNNpolitics.com desk. Wolf, the balance of power has shifted here on Capitol Hill. The president trying to get everyone on the same page here when it comes to the economy.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": It's not going to be easy by in means because there are serious differences between the president and the Democrats on one side, at least a lot of the Democrats, and the Republicans, the new Republican leadership on the other side although the president today did meet with his cabinet. And at the end of the cabinet meeting just before he left the White House to begin his week-long trip to Asia, he did speak out and he made the case that everyone's got to work together.
He was hailing as impressive the latest jobs numbers, about 150,000 jobs, private sector jobs were created in October. It's another month that there's been a positive increase at about 1.1 million private sector jobs have been created this year, which is good compared to the year before and the year before that.
On the other hand, if you only raise -- increase 100,000 or 150,000 jobs a month, you're barely treading water. That's how many people come to the job for us every month. You need -- you're going to reduce that 9.6 unemployment rate, you're going beyond 100,000 or 150,000. You have to create 200,000 or 300,000 jobs a month to bring that 9.6 number down.
As a result of only 150,000 jobs being created in October, the 9.6 unemployment rate remains the same. It's still 9.6 percent.
Another item we're following at the CNN Ticker at CNNpolitics.com, Marco Rubio, the newly elected senator from Florida, the senator-elect. He crushed his two opponents. He's certainly a rising star in the Republican Party, and that's underscored by the decision of the Republican leadership to ask him to deliver this weekend's radio address -- radio and Internet address. That's always an honor for the Democrats and the Republicans to do it. Marco Rubio, underscoring his new fame, he will be delivering it on the Republican side. That's good for him.
Finally, everyone is already, Brooke, as you know, looking ahead to 2012, not just the presidential contest -- there will be plenty of discussion on that -- but if you take a look at the Senate races in 2012, there's going be 33 seats up for grabs. Most of those seats are currently held by Democrats.
And some of these Democrats, they're already nervous. Look at these Democrats who will be up for reelection, Sherrod Brown of Ohio. Ohio went Republican. Jim Webb of Republican. Virginia went Republican. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Jon Tester of Montana, Kent Conrad, North Dakota, Bill Nelson of Florida.
Florida, like these other states, pretty Republican right now, if you look at the results of the governor's race and the Senate races. So, these guys are going to have a tough time. And they're already positioning themselves. They're trying, at least, to make sure they can get themselves reelected.
It's not going to be easy in this current environment. Having said that, I say what I have often said. Two years in American politics a long time. And just as things changed dramatically from 2008 to 2010, they can change again by 2012.
BALDWIN: Can change on a dime.
Wolf Blitzer, thank you.
We're going to get another political update for you in half-an- hour. You can get the latest political news, CNNPolitics.com or on Twitter at @PoliticalTicker.
