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Medal of Honor Recipient Speaks Out; Royal Engagement; Congressman Charlie Rangel Found Guilty of Ethics Violations; iTunes May Be Adding Beatles Songs to Catalog; Tina Fey's Award Acceptance Speech Edited On Television; Lisa Murkowski Criticizes Sarah Palin
Aired November 16, 2010 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Ali Velshi, thank you.
Hi, everyone. I'm Brooke Baldwin. CNN NEWSROOM rolls on.
We have the latest on the search for the mother and brother of that 13-year-old girl who was found tied up and gagged in the basement of a convicted arsonist.
But , first, I want to just pause and just show you a live picture right now. If you have been watching CNN with Ali in the last hour, we brought you the Medal of Honor ceremony there at the White House. And so any moment now -- in fact, there he is, the recipient of the Medal of Honor, Staff Sergeant Giunta.
Let's listen.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
STAFF SGT. SALVATORE GIUNTA, MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT: This is truly an incredible experience.
But, although I'm the one standing here wearing this medal right now, I want to make it be known that this represents all service members from all branches that have been in Afghanistan since 2001, Iraq since 2003, who were there yesterday, are there today, and will go again tomorrow.
I really appreciate them, because, without their service, I have nothing. It means the world to me to have the great men and women of the United States military behind me, supporting me, to the left of me, to the right of me, and leading me forward.
I would like to thank my mom, my dad, my brother, sister, Mario, Katie, and my beautiful wife, Jenny.
This is -- this is an incredible time, but it's also kind of a bittersweet time. Times like this, because of this day, I lost two dear friends of mine, Specialist Hugo Mendoza and Sergeant Joshua Brennan.
And although this is so positive, I would give this back in a second to have my friends with me right now. And -- and there's so many others, other than Sergeant Brennan and Specialist Mendoza, that are the unsung heroes of this war and will never come back and return a handshake or give a hug or see their family again.
And we have to take time to remember them, because that is the quality of American soldiers we have, willing to go to war, fight and do whatever is necessary until the battle is done.
Thank you for coming again. Take care.
BALDWIN: Staff Sergeant Giunta.
Did you just hear what he said as he walked away from that podium? This really struck me. He said he would give the Medal of Honor back in a second if he could have his friends back. He says, with their -- "Without their service, I have nothing."
Of course, our own Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, she has had several interviews with him. We're going to get a little bit more context into what heroic effort he made in the Korengal Valley back in 2007, the Valley of Death. She will give us a little bit more color on that a little later on the show.
Meantime, though, I want to get back to the search for that mother and the brother of a 13-year-old girl who was found just this past weekend bound and gagged in a basement. That basement belonged to a convicted arsonist.
So, a news conference on the investigation, it's set to begin any minute, so we're watching that as well for you.
But, also, we have learned in the last couple of minutes bond has just been set at $1 million for the suspect, whose name is Matthew Hoffman. And he just appeared in court by camera from jail. They didn't bring him in person -- by camera, because this is such a huge story for this small town in Ohio.
Also today, you see these dogs? These are teams of cadaver dogs who have joined the search for Tina Herrmann, her son, Kody, and their friend Stephanie Sprang.
So, this is the video. This is fresh from today just into us here at CNN. We have turned this around for you, dogs searching for some sort of clues.
And our affiliate in -- out of Columbus, Ohio, WBNS, is reporting that investigators, they are honing in on about six specific areas, including a trail that runs between the suspect's hometown and the town where the family lives.
So, it's a trail that apparently passes near the spot where Herrmann's pickup truck was found abandoned last week. And, also, as you can imagine, relatives of these missing -- missing three, they are still holding out some kind of hope that they will be found alive.
But the sheriff out of Knox County says three factors indicate a much different outcome.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SHERIFF DAVID BARBER, KNOX COUNTY, OHIO: The amount of blood, the fact that -- that Sarah was found with one person, with the suspect, no one else was found there, and we haven't -- no one has apparently heard or seen anything out of Tina, Kody, or Stephanie since then.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Now, today, we are learning a lot more about this man, Matthew Hoffman. He is charged with kidnapping Herrmann's daughter, Sarah Maynard, as we mentioned, tied her up in his basement, gagging her in his basement.
So, it turns out he was on supervised parole until just last month for setting fire to a condo complex out in Colorado and causing $2 million in damage.
Ron Fowler just lives next door to Hoffman in this town of Mount Vernon, Ohio.
Ron, are you with me?
RON FOWLER, NEIGHBOR OF MATTHEW HOFFMAN: Yes.
BALDWIN: Want to begin with, if you can, just describe Hoffman. Describe his character. What was he like?
FOWLER: He -- he was a little odd. He -- he climbed the trees a lot. He even had like a net hammock in the tree that he would sit in occasionally, and just look around, you know, watching everything around the neighborhood.
And he also -- he had his own, like, tree-climbing equipment that he would just climb trees. And he took every leaf out of one tree. And I guess they found these in his house, along his wall hanging in bags or something.
BALDWIN: Let me stop you there, because that -- that --
(CROSSTALK)
FOWLER: OK.
BALDWIN: -- we're hearing that, and I wanted to follow up on you. We had heard that some of the -- the investigators have been talking to some of the neighbors -- and I don't know if you're one of the neighbors they are talking to -- about, apparently, some -- some bags of leaves.
And they have indeed found some of these leaves sort of I guess strung on his wall inside his home. Do you -- have you been questioned about that? What do you know about that?
FOWLER: No, we actually haven't seen inside the home. We just know what they told us they found in there. All's I know is we have seen him actually in the tree taking all the leaves down. Plus, he trimmed certain branches down. And he would -- sometimes, he would hang out on his roof. And, you know, he was always, you know, wandering off with backpacks, which is up towards the Fountain Park, which is one of the areas they have been searching.
BALDWIN: Right.
FOWLER: You know, he always took off on foot with a backpack and sometimes a -- an extra bag. And -- and we -- I have actually seen him leaving Friday afternoon about 4:30.
And he had a backpack on and walked up towards that park. And this was two days after they were missing. But it was before anybody knew he had anything to do with it.
So --
BALDWIN: Huh.
FOWLER: -- it wasn't --
BALDWIN: So, you saw him --
FOWLER: -- out of the ordinary.
BALDWIN: Sure. So you saw him walking in with a backpack.
I want to go back to a point, two points you made. One, you said he would sit on his roof, and the other, you said he would sit in his tree and sort of take some of the leaves off. Did you find that behavior odd? And, if so, did you ever converse with him and ask him, what are you doing?
FOWLER: No, we never really asked him about it. You know, he was always in the trees. That's -- he said he did that for a living, was trimming trees. So, he was -- he was always up in the trees and doing stuff like that. So, you know, we thought it was odd, but never thought anymore about it, that he was just an odd person.
BALDWIN: An odd person. And -- and --
FOWLER: Yes.
FOWLER: So, since you brought this up, what -- what did he do for a living? Because we found out he -- he owed like $30,000 on his mortgage, and also $2 million in restitution for -- for some condo he set fire back in Colorado.
So, we're just curious, do you know how he managed to make a living, make money?
FOWLER: No, we're not quite sure.
Actually, he was told -- well, his girlfriend was friends with my girlfriend. Our sons hung out together, so they played football together. That's how we, you know, met. And --
BALDWIN: I see.
FOWLER: Yes. And she -- she -- she said that he was drawing unemployment a while from working for a tree service, but it ran out.
So, I mean, here at the end, she said he had no electric and no gas in that house.
BALDWIN: Wow.
Ron, you bring up the girlfriend. So, I have, you know, read a couple of different interviews from several different neighbors, the fact that he was dating this woman. In fact, I had read that she was a live-in girlfriend with her young son, and, at time -- for a little while, Hoffman was a pretty happy guy, but then things turned sour about a month ago.
FOWLER: Yes. Yes. Yes.
I mean, last summer, when they first started dating, our son has actually stayed the night over there a summer ago, with her son. You know, they were little buddies and hung out. And, you know, nobody thought nothing about it. He made a tire swing for him in the backyard.
And he was just -- he was just a weird guy climbing the trees. But he seemed OK, you know? And, as far as we know, he told us he got in trouble for robbery before. So, he never mentioned the arson, but he did always have -- he was always have been firing outside.
BALDWIN: He was having fires outside.
So, you were not aware of his arson conviction from back in Colorado? He never --
FOWLER: No. He told us --
BALDWIN: -- came out and talked about that?
FOWLER: -- it was a robbery gone bad, is what he told us.
BALDWIN: A robbery -- a robbery gone bad.
FOWLER: Yes.
BALDWIN: You mentioned, to use your word, he was kind of a weirdo, but I guess you didn't really think too much of it.
So, here, if we can loop back full-circle and the story that now he's charged in the kidnappings and we don't know what else, are you surprised that he's involved, possibly, here?
FOWLER: Yes, I kind of am, because we would have never thought that of him. But, you know, how it all come about, as odd as he was, now it makes sense that he might do something like that. But it never struck us at the time as him to be someone like that, because they never had any problems until recently. She was moving out, getting her own place, like a month ago. And they were going to see each other still, but then they had the altercation at the house. And she said she was just going to be done with him. And --
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: So, there was an altercation?
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: There was a bit of a -- a fight that led to her --
FOWLER: I -- I guess, yes. That's -- that's what I was told, but yes. I don't --
BALDWIN: Did he --
FOWLER: I don't believe, yes, she wants very much said about that, or --
BALDWIN: I -- I see. Well, we won't really go there.
FOWLER: Yes.
BALDWIN: But let me ask you this. Did he seem depressed at all? Did his mood change?
FOWLER: Yes. Yes. But we -- like we said, we -- we didn't see him very much. Like, if they needed something from the store, she always went. Like, he was more of a hermit, except for coming out, getting in his trees, and taking off on walks. So --
BALDWIN: Huh.
FOWLER: You know, he wasn't out much. And, you know, if I see him, it was a, you know, hi and -- you know, hi bye, and that was it --
BALDWIN: Hmm.
FOWLER: -- you know, just passing out front in the yard or something.
So, you know, I didn't really hang out and actually talk to the guy that often.
BALDWIN: There were, from what I understand, two vigils last night in this town of Mount Vernon. And now, as we have heard from the Knox County sheriff, things aren't looking good. It's looking grisly. It's really more of a recovery mission.
And I know there were these vigils last night. How is this small, you know, Middle America community coping with this, huge story?
FOWLER: Yes, there's -- there's a lot of people that care, and -- and helping out and volunteering their own time to do this. And, you know, we are -- or my girlfriend was part of getting one vigil together. And then I'm not sure who got the other one together.
But they had two, one on the local square here in town.
BALDWIN: Hmm.
FOWLER: And the one my girlfriend was at was down the street at the church. So, you know, everybody -- I mean, they had 100 -- 100 seats in the church and there was standing room only, so, you know, they're -- everybody's coming together and really concerned about this and putting forth a lot of effort. So --
BALDWIN: Coming together, concerned, hopeful, but perhaps at this late point, many days later, some of the hope there is fading.
Ron Fowler --
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: -- thank you so much.
There is a Senate panel just a few minutes away from hearing testimony on the recent cargo plane terror plot. And, also, we talked about this yesterday, the passenger backlash against some of the body scans, the pat-downs that you have to go through at the airport, so both obviously huge concerns for you, if you're hopping on a plane any time soon, especially considering the busiest travel season, or really seasons of the year right around the corner.
TSA Director John Pistole is in the hot seat today. And so, once he starts answering some questions, we will take you live to Capitol Hill.
Also, we had to wait a generation, but there is finally another royal wedding in the works. What can we expect from Prince William and Kate Middleton? Check out that beautiful ring from Princess -- the late Princess Diana. And will this rival perhaps the last wedding of the century, Princess Diana, along with Prince Charles? That is ahead.
And rain not exactly the problem in Seattle. Apparently, vicious winds are. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right, welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM.
A couple other stories we're watching for you, this: rumors fueling riots in northern Haiti, and the target, United Nations peacekeepers trying to help the cholera victims. The U.N. says there is no truth to these rumors that Nepalese peacekeepers started this cholera epidemic, which has now killed more than 1,000 people there, but it was that rumor that fueled the protests Monday.
So, today, the head of the U.N. Mission in Haiti is blaming political agitators for all of those attacks, saying they are trying to disrupt elections set for the end of this month.
And I want you to take a good long look at what some strong winds can do. Folks, this is Seattle, Washington, winds up to 50 miles an hour, wind -- you see it there -- totally whipping over the scaffolding into a building, brought down a tree on a home. More than 100,000 houses and businesses in western Washington State lost power last night. And some drivers, you see them there, finding highways -- and some roofs -- blocked by trees.
And get ready to see some crowded planes, trains, and automobiles come Thanksgiving holiday, AAA out with some numbers. Check them out. More than 42 million people will travel at least 50 miles. That is an increase of about 11 percent from last year. More than 1.5 million people will be traveling by plane.
Congress rarely moves this fast. Can you believe, after one full day of hearings, Democrat Charlie Rangel been found guilty of ethics violations? Up next, Jessica Yellin has more on the fall of one of Capitol Hill's most powerful men.
And have you heard about this? A tourist's discovery on a beach in Aruba could maybe -- maybe -- be a break in the Natalee Holloway case. Some grisly new evidence has been sent now to Europe for investigation. That is ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Today's news from Great Britain wasn't uniformly received here at CNN. The less romantic among us groaned -- you know who you are out there -- while the rest of swooned watching Prince William and his now fiance, Kate, talking about the relation and the upcoming wedding.
Before I get to the snippet of the interview, I want to let you know that we finally have heard from Prince William's little brother, Prince Harry. Want to read this for you real quickly before I move on.
He has released this statement. He says: "I'm delighted that my brother has popped the question. It means I get a sister, which I have always wanted."
Prince Harry has been in flying training in Middle Wallop today. So, that is just from harry -- Prince Harry. And, meantime, London, couple of -- in a couple of minutes here, I'm going to talk to a royal watcher about really what all of this means.
But, first, I want you to watch this. This is Prince William and Kate. They have given this interview. They're -- they're telling an ITN reporter about the moment their engagement -- engagement became official.
Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRINCE WILLIAM, UNITED KINGDOM: It was about three weeks ago on holiday in Kenya. We had a little private time away together with some friends. And I just decided that it was the right time really.
We had been talking about -- about marriage for a while. So, it wasn't a massively big surprise. But I took her out somewhere nice in -- in Kenya, and -- and proposed.
KATE MIDDLETON, ENGAGED TO PRINCE WILLIAM: It was very romantic. There's a true romantic in there.
(LAUGHTER)
PRINCE WILLIAM: There is.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you said yes, obviously?
MIDDLETON: Of course, yes. Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you knew you were going to do this from day one of the whole day? Or you -- you waited until the end?
PRINCE WILLIAM: I had been planning it for a while. But as every guy out there will know, it's -- it takes a certain amount of motivation to get yourself going. So, I was planning it. And then it just felt really right out in Africa. It was beautiful at the time. And I just -- I had done a little bit of planning to show my romantic side.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kate, you had been on holiday a while, so did you see this coming?
MIDDLETON: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was he getting a bit nervous and jumpy?
MIDDLETON: No, not at all, no, because we were out with friends and things, so I really didn't expect it all.
I thought he might have sort of maybe thought about it -- but, no, it was a total shock when it came, and very excited.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And produced the ring there and then?
MIDDLETON: Yes. PRINCE WILLIAM: I did, yes. I had been carrying it around with me in my rucksack for about three weeks before that. And I literally would not let it go. Everywhere I went, I was keeping hold of it, because I knew this thing, if it disappeared, I would be in a lot of trouble.
And, yes, because I planned it, it sort of -- it went fine, as -- you hear a lot of horror stories about proposing and things going horribly wrong. It went really, really well. And I was really pleased she said yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it's a family ring?
PRINCE WILLIAM: It is a family ring, yes. It's my mother's engagement ring. So, I thought it was quite nice, because obviously she's not going to be around to share in any of the fun and excitement of it all, so this is my way of keeping sort of her close to it all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I guess we better -- we better have a look at it. What -- what kind of ring is it? Are you an expert on what's --
PRINCE WILLIAM: I'm not an expert --
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
PRINCE WILLIAM: -- not at all.
(LAUGHTER)
PRINCE WILLIAM: I have been reliably informed it's a sapphire with some diamonds. But I'm sure everyone recognizes it from -- from previous times. So --
(CROSSTALK)
MIDDLETON: -- beautiful.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And, Kate, you're going to be the envy of many --
(CROSSTALK)
MIDDLETON: Well, I just hope I look after it.
(LAUGHTER)
PRINCE WILLIAM: She's loses it, she's in big trouble.
MIDDLETON: And it's very -- it's very, very special.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It has to be said, you both look incredibly happy and relaxed. PRINCE WILLIAM: We are. We are. We're -- we're like sort of ducks, sort of very calm on the surface, but with little feet going under the water.
(LAUGHTER)
PRINCE WILLIAM: But, no, it's been really exciting, because we have -- we've been talking about it for a long time. So, for us, it's kind of -- it's a real relief, and it's really nice to be able to tell everybody, because especially the last two or three weeks have been quite difficult, not telling anyone, keeping it to ourselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Keeping the secret to themselves. Obviously, the secret is now officially out. Did you hear what he said? They were on safari when he popped the question. He had kept that ring. You saw how gorgeous it was, Princess Diana's ring, her engagement ring, kept it in his rucksack for more than three weeks.
Well, that sucker, I bet, was burning a hole in that pocket.
Prince William, of course, the groom here, Kate Middleton, the bride, and I'm sure nobody will pay any attention to their wedding plans between now and next year, right? Not so much. We will be. And I know you will be, too.
But, coming up next: Charlie Rangel found guilty -- there he is -- by the Ethics Committee, that coming down to -- today. So what happens now to this powerful congressman? Jessica Yellin joins me next to explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: The verdict is in on Congressman Charlie Rangel: Rangel guilty of 11 ethics violations now, obviously facing punishment. The verdict was ready shortly before noon today by the head of the House Ethics Committee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ZOE LOFGREN (D), CALIFORNIA: Count I, Conduct in Violation of the Solicitation and Gift Ban, has been proved by the clear and convincing evidence.
Count II, Conduct in Violation of Code of Ethics for Government Service, has been proved by clear and convincing evidence.
Count III --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The violations cover a range of unrelated issues, including failure to pay taxes on a Caribbean condo, misuse of a rent- controlled apartment in Manhattan. And then, a short time later, Congressman Rangel refused comment as he made his way to a meeting room. You know we were there. We were following him along, didn't say anything.
A short time ago, though, he did release a statement, calling the guilty verdicts unfair. As you remember, just yesterday morning, he walked out of yesterday's trial claiming he needed a little bit more time to raise funds to pay a lawyer.
Jessica Yellin is our national political correspondent there for us in L.A.
And, Jessica, I guess what really the next question is, I can't imagine that he -- an expulsion would be the result of something like this, but what sort of punishment might the congressman face?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it -- first of all, it now has to go to the full committee, and then the full House has to vote on any punishment. And it could be anything from a fine to an expulsion, Brooke.
But you're right. Conventional wisdom is he probably won't be expelled. More likely, he will get a reprimand or a censure. But, you know, that could require him to stand on the floor of the House and listen to his colleagues look at him -- or see them look at him while the punishment is read out.
So, it's sort of much more of an embarrassment than anything else. And just to be clear, these are not criminal charges. He hasn't been found guilty of a crime.
BALDWIN: Right.
YELLIN: He's being punished by his colleagues for professional breaches, but after 40 years in Congress, truly an embarrassment for this man -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: Let's go back to kind of how this whole thing started. Let's look at Congressman Rangel. He was photographed in front of that condo, remember, that he failed to pay his taxes on.
YELLIN: Yes.
BALDWIN: And at the time he was head of the tax writing committee. So, there he was, hanging out, I think, in the Dominican Republic.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Getting a little sun.
(CROSSTALK)
YELLIN: It happens.
(LAUGHTER) BALDWIN: Jess, so, as we sort of are emerging here, after the midterms emerging, into the next Congress being sworn in, in January, is this some sort of black eye on the Democrats?
YELLIN: Well, let's put it into some context. So, it's an embarrassment for the Democrats, to be sure.
Nancy Pelosi when she became speaker promised to reform the ethics process and drain the swamp. Those were her words. So -- and then, remember, Congressman Rangel's charges came out while voters were just beginning to focus on the election last -- in the fall.
And also around the same time, the Ethics Committee revealed plans to hold another trial for another Democrat, Maxine Waters.
BALDWIN: Mm-hmm.
YELLIN: And her trial is in two weeks, late November. So politically, this is damaging for Democrats, but it's not what really turned this election for the Republicans. The election was much more about the economy and about -- than about ethics. It was not a repeat of 2006, the year of that Mark Foley and Abramoff scandals.
But, you know, it still is not ideal for Democrats. You could probably mark this as a low point for them right now.
YELLIN: Maxine Waters, Charlie Rangel, two very senior congressmen, congresswomen.
What about Republicans? Is there a lesson perhaps, Jess, in a -- in a takeaway for them as they prepare to take control of the House in January?
YELLIN: Yes, sure. The lesson is, if you make a promise, stick to it.
(LAUGHTER)
YELLIN: You know, Nancy Pelosi promised that this would be the most ethical Congress in history, so it might not look so good right now.
Her allies would argue, look, this actually proves that he reform of the ethics process worked, because a Democratically controlled Congress has an Ethics Committee went after one of the most Democrat -- one of the most powerful Democrats. That's a sign of a working ethics system.
On the other hand, you would prefer that no Democrats in your own Congress have to go before the committee, clearly. So, the lesson for Republicans is keep your hands clean and stick to what you promised.
BALDWIN: Keep your hands clean and stick to what you promised -- promised.
Jessica, do me a favor. I want you to take off that national political correspondent hat.
YELLIN: Yes.
BALDWIN: I got to be honest. You and I both I think are a really a little geeked-out by this Kate Middleton-Prince William news today.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: It was the first thing I was tweeting about at 6:30 this morning. Here are the pictures just coming in. You know, we were also sort of glued to this interview.
YELLIN: Oh, I haven't seen these.
BALDWIN: You haven't? Yes, so here they are. They're walking in. They're about to do the ITN interview.
YELLIN: Uh-huh.
BALDWIN: She's showing off the rock, if you will, the -- the sapphire and diamond from Princess Diana.
What do you make of all of this? Are you as excited as I am?
YELLIN: I love it.
BALDWIN: Yes.
YELLIN: Can I tell you something? All those people who say we shouldn't be covering this, it's fun.
(LAUGHTER)
YELLIN: I remember, when I was a kid, I woke up in the middle of the night to watch Princess Di get married, because I lived in Los Angeles.
BALDWIN: Yes.
YELLIN: And it was like 1:00 a.m.
BALDWIN: Yes.
YELLIN: And she said, "Philip Charles Arthur George." She was so nervous. She said she married -- she read his father's name, instead of his name.
BALDWIN: Yes.
YELLIN: And he joked, "You just married my dad."
Do you remember that?
BALDWIN: Yes.
YELLIN: I just -- she was -- it was so romantic.
BALDWIN: I know. I just --
YELLIN: I think it's maybe more a story for girls, but it's fun.
BALDWIN: Perhaps so. Perhaps so. But you wouldn't believe who -- who was producing the segments today on the royals.
YELLIN: OK, then I take it back.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: So we're having fun with this today. Jessica Yellin, thanks for letting me squeeze in that question. I appreciate it. We'll be seeing you tomorrow.
Speaking of, what is next for the couple? We're going live to London where wedding preparations, dare I say, already underway? That is next.
And Jay Z, very wealthy, very influential, very private. But the wrap mogul sits down with Poppy Harlow with a surprising and touching interview. You won't want to miss this coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: They used to call her "Waity Katie," now they'll be calling her "Your Highness." A short time ago Britain's Prince William presented his bride to be, his long time gal, Kate Middleton -- there they are. Imagine being there with all the flashbulbs.
The future king and queen have known each other since 2001. They endured a brief breakup, leaving many to wonder if Wills would ever get around to popping the question. But he did during a recent trip to Kenya on safari, and he gave the bride to be the ring of his late mother.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRINCE WILLIAM: I had been carrying it around in my rucksack, and wherever I went, I was keeping it with me. So I planned it, and it went fine. You hear a lot of horror stories about proposing and things going horribly wrong, but it went really, really well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it's a family ring?
PRINCE WILLIAM: It is a family ring, yes. It's my mother's engagement ring. So I thought it was quite nice because obviously she's not going be to be around to share all the fun in excitement so it's my way of keeping her involved in it all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: As the Brits say, the two met at university. Here is the bride-to-be on what it's like getting to know royalty.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATE MIDDLETON: Actually I think when you said that the ring is very special to us, I was very sad about not meeting her, but when I wasn't there for quite a bit of the time. And so it did take a bit of time for us to get to know each other. But we did become, you know, very close friends and confidants.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The story goes around that you had a picture of him on your wall.
PRINCE WILLIAM: It was just one of around 20.
MIDDLETON: He wishes. No, I had the Levis guy on my wall, not a picture of William, I'm sorry.
PRINCE WILLIAM: It was me and Levi, obviously.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Pretty cute. Joining me now from London, royal watcher Katie Nicholl, author of the book "Behind Palace Walls." Katie, we were talking about your book last week, we were talking about a wedding, and now we're hearing officially and either spring or summer. Let me jump right to it. Do you have any details?
KATIE NICHOLL, ROYAL CORRESPONDENT, THE MAIL ON SUNDAY: We are hearing that it's going to be spring or summer, it's certainly going to be in London. You remember I have always said, 2011 will be the year, and I think what's significant is that prince William said he would get married when he was 28, maybe 30, and he turns 29 in June next year.
So I think I'm going to hedge my bets on the June wedding and I think it's going to be at Westminster Abby. It's been a wonderful day in London. I just returned from my tour of the states to this very happy news, this beautiful weather, and a very, very happy couple.
BALDWIN: Very happy couple glowing. The ring is glowing. There's a picture of it. Can we talk about the ring, Katie? This is so significant.
NICHOLL: The ring is huge. I got a good look at it today. It's beautiful, it's been cleaned up and polished and it's a beautiful blue sapphire. She chose to wear royal blue today by her favorite designer and it complemented, the dress complemented the ring, she looked stunning.
It is of course Princess Diana's engagement ring. 2011 is a significant year. It would have been her 50th birthday and it would have been the 30th anniversary of her marrying Prince Charles. And Prince William said that he wanted to give Kate that ring so that his mother wasn't forgotten, and I think that's also why he chose 2011.
BALDWIN: So much significance next year for this couple obviously. Let's talk about this engagement. We heard they got engaged on safari in October, and they kept it a secret. I'm not sure how. I'm sure that ring was burning a hole in his rucksack.
NICHOLL: The poor boy, he was absolutely terrified of losing it. But this is a couple that's used to keeping secrets. They really are. I lifted a lid on their relationship years ago, but they kept that secret for about six months.
I think it's because Prince William is essentially a very private person. He likes to do things his own way, and very quietly. The Prince of Wales didn't actually know about this engagement announcement until today. When I was at the palace today it was frenetic. There was so much going on, because it caught everyone unaware. And that's what he wanted to do, keep us on our toes.
BALDWIN: I'm sure you watched the interview when he talked about how worried he was about asking permission from Kate's father, worried he was that he would say no?
NICHOLL: I think it's terribly sweet. Prince William actually calls Kate's father "dad." They are that close. He's really embraced the Middletons. He loves the fact that they can have such a normal life together, Sunday roasts, walks in the countryside.
So I think really he knew that Michael was always going to say yes. But there's a point that I make in the book, they are normal just like the rest of us, so he's going to have the same anxieties, the same panics that I suppose any man about to ask the biggest question in his life is going to have.
BALDWIN: Katie, was there any scuttlebutt between perhaps the queen with the announcement versus it coming from Clarence House and his father?
NICHOLL: Well, as I said, Prince William likes to do things his own way. This announcement came out from St. James' palace, with the queen's blessing. She would certainly have been consulted. I'm certain that Prince William didn't go against any protocol at all. So, no, I'm not hearing of rumors of rifts between the households.
This is a wedding that's going to be coordinated between Buckingham Palace and Clarence House. It's going to be a big occasion. There's plenty of room, space and jobs for everyone.
BALDWIN: I sure would like to be there. Katie Nichols, thank you that behind the scenes. And I imagine looking at that ring, perhaps a little bit blinding for you today. Katie Nichols with us from London today, thank you.
Take a look at this. Coming up next, why the president and the country honored this man's sacrifice and made him the first living Medal of Honor recipient since Vietnam. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Today President Obama put Washington politics aside, and as the commander in chief, oversaw a moment that made American military history. Did you watch this? I know I did. He decorated an army sergeant with the highest U.S. military award of bravery, the Medal of Honor.
He has presented the medal before, so has every president before him, decades before him. But today was very different. The soldier who received the medal is alive. He survived the combat action that earned him the Medal of Honor.
The medal ceremony happened just about an hour ago at the White House. We brought you some of Sergeant Giunta here at the top of the hour. We want to go to CNN's Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr, who is at the White House right now.
Barbara, I know you have met Sergeant Salvatore Giunta and talked to him at length. At the top of the hour, he said he would give this Medal of Honor back in a second if he could have his friends back.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Brooke. We travelled to Italy a few weeks ago to chat with him and went on to Afghanistan to meet some of his buddies that served in that ambush in Afghanistan.
They served in a place in Air Force that came to be known as the "valley of death." They saw things through ambushes, through firefights through months on end, but one night, Salvatore Giunta ran into the fire to save one of his friends, Josh Brennan, he got him back. Sadly Sergeant Brennan died a few hours later, but he did not die in Taliban captivity.
Sal Guinta in that ceremony was very honest, very unassuming. And let's play that sound one more time about what the staff sergeant had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STAFF SERGEANT SALVATORE GIUNTA, MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT: Of course, this is an incredible time, but it's also kind of a bittersweet time. Times like this, because of this day, I lost two dear friends of mine, specialist Hugo Mendoza and Sergeant Joshua Brennan. And although this is so positive, I would give this back in a second to have my friends with me right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: And that is really how he feels. He's honored, but he wants his friends back, he wishes they could come back.
BALDWIN: And I know a lot of his friends, some of them came all the way from Afghanistan to be in that room in the White House today, this is so important for all of them.
Barbara, I just want to ask you as you talk to him about that night in the valley of death, what did he tell you about the events that day?
STARR: Well, you know, it's very interesting. This young man is just 25 years old. It happened three years ago, he was 22. He will start telling you about the ambush. He will take you to that mountain side, so that night, he will start with you, walking down the path, about what happened.
But when it gets to what happened with Josh Brennan his friend, whom he tried so hard to rescue from the Taliban, he becomes very emotional and he says he just can't talk about it even after all this time.
This is a very private young man. And I'll tell you, we even spoke to General David Petraeus about him, and General Petraeus said this young man is making history by being the first living medal of honor recipient in more than 30 years, but he will bear a burden for many years to come according to General Petraeus because of this piece of history that he's made for us.
BALDWIN: It's been since the Vietnam War since we have had a living recipient.
STARR: It has been since Vietnam a living recipient for an ongoing current conflict. There have been some elderly men that have been recognized, they have gone back into their files years ago into World War II, Korea, Vietnam era.
But for those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan in current ongoing wars, up until today, all of them were killed in action. The Medal of Honor has always been presented to their families. It was very different today to have a service member actually standing there.
BALDWIN: We saw the president today went off script and pent a little time with the guy and really like the guy, really liked Sergeant Giunta. It was a nice moment. What a humble young man. Barbara Starr, thank you so much.
STARR: Sure.
BALDWIN: After years of resistance, disappointment as a music fan, Beatle mania, finally coming to your iTunes. That's next in "Trending."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Welcome back to the newsroom. There are a couple stories trending today. It's time for a little Brooke and Brooke, we can all it. Brooke Anderson with "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" is with me. Brooke Anderson, I'm looking for you. I see you.
I want to begin with, I read about a story this morning, I thought, huh, the bit about Tina Fey and she was at the awards center at the Kennedy Center, the Mark Twain Awards, and I guess PBS sort of -- I don't know if they creatively edited it or not, creating a little bit of a controversy. What's the deal?
BROOKE ANDERSON, HLN HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Yes, you're right. And it took people a couple days to notice, Brooke, but here's the story. Tina Fey, the comedian known for her impersonations of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, apparently got a political makeover by PBS last week. She gave her acceptance speech a week ago at the Kennedy Center when she received the Mark Twain prize for American humor. But Sunday night, when the ceremony was broadcast, viewers saw a toned down version of Fey thanking Sarah Palin in essence for helping her career. Listen to what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TINA FEY, COMEDIAN: I would be a liar and an idiot if I didn't thank Sarah Palin for helping get me here tonight. My partial resemblance and her crazy voice are the two luckiest things that have ever happened to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: That's cute.
ANDERSON: But instead what viewers did not get to hear why Fey's more controversial remarks which do remain unedited on the PBS website. Here's a portion that was cut from the broadcast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FEY: Politics aside, the success of Sarah Palin and women like her is good for all women, except of course those who will end up, you know, paying for their own rape kit and stuff.
(LAUGHTER)
But for everybody else, it's a win-win, unless you're a gay woman who wants to marry your partner of 20 years, whatever.
(LAUGHTER)
But for most women, the success of conservative women is good for all of us, unless you believe in evolution.
(LAUGHTER)
Actually, I take that back. The whole thing is a disaster.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: OK. So was PBS trying to shield its viewers? Well, PBS reportedly says it was not a political decision and that it clipped everyone because the 90-minute show was 19 minutes too long. You decide.
BALDWIN: We were sitting around wondering about that. That got a couple guys in here laughing.
We've got to move on. Let's talk Beatles. If you buy iTunes and I already hear it now, who doesn't have iTunes -- there's great news if you are a Beatles fan.
ANDERSON: And who doesn't like the Beatles, right, Brooke? So here's the news. It has really been a long road, a hard day's night, if you will. Now the Fab Four has finally made to it apple. Starting today, iTunes users can purchase the Beatles' 13 re-mastered studio albums and the red, blue, and past masters compilation albums, as well as individual songs by the Beatles.
So Brooke, basically you can get their entire catalogue now on iTunes. It's pretty epic because this is a band that, they like to preserve their music in its original form.
BALDWIN: Totally epic.
ANDERSON: It's a big deal.
BALDWIN: It is absolutely a big deal. Brooke Anderson, great to see you.
ANDERSON: Thank you.
BALDWIN: Talk about making the most of second chances. Did you watch the game last night? Michael Vick turned in a magnificent quarterback performance last night, one for the record books. Now, though, can he finally shake his notorious reputation? That is ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: George W. Bush and Dick Cheney back together again. We'll tell what you brought them together for the first time since leaving the White House. We'll tell what you this is all about.
Also, why is Newt Gingrich touring the state of Iowa? That's just one of the stories topping our Political Ticker. We'll get some answers and updates from Wolf Blitzer. Stay right there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: CNN has all your latest political news with "The Best Political Team on Television," CNN = Politics. And Wolf Blitzer at the CNN.politics.com desk. And Wolf, I know we like to talk to the road to the White House. We're talking about the big state of Iowa and a certain Newt Gingrich. What's the deal?
WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Any time, Brooke, that any of these potential presidential candidates visit Iowa or New Hampshire or South Carolina, some of the early caucus and primary states looking ahead to the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, we take a closer look.
Newt Gingrich is out promoting a new book that he's written about George Washington. He is making three stops in Iowa in the coming days. He is going to Cedar Rapids, to Ames, Iowa, to West Des Moines. He's going to be speaking at the university there, at Iowa state university. All of which is designed to promote his book, but also presumably designed to get him a little more known to some of those caucus-goers in Iowa.
He has said publicly he is interested in it. He won't make a final announcement or a final decision, he says, until early next year. But he is showing a lot of signs that he is certainly very, very interested in running for president of the United States.
By the way, he has a trip to South Carolina coming up as well. And he's been to New Hampshire. We're watching all these Republican candidates closely.
Another subject we're watching closely here in Washington, we've discussed it, earmarks. Not only are a lot of the Republicans jumping on the anti-earmarks band wagon, including the Republican leader Mitch McConnell. Yesterday, Claire McCaskill, another Democrat now, said she is with the Republicans on this. She says she will promote legislation with Republican Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma to do away with these earmarks.
The arguments against this, she said, "Every single one of them, I just don't think pass the smell test in explaining why she is now anti-earmark as well." She's been like that for a while, I should point out.
Finally, Lisa Murkowski, she's the Republican incumbent senator from Alaska. She ran as a write-in candidate because she did not win the Republican primary against Joe Miller. She is slightly ahead in the ballot downing right now.
She spoke to Katie Couric of CBS. She made it clear not only that she thinks she will win, she will stay in Washington. But she also made her disdain for Sarah Palin, her fellow Alaskan, very clear as well. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R), ALASKA: I just do not think that she has those leadership qualities, that intellectual curiosity that allows for building good and great policies. She was my governor for two years. And I don't think that she enjoyed governing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Pretty strong words between Lisa Murkowski right there, going after Sarah Palin.
We are going to have a lot more on this little fight that's going on between these two Alaska women in "THE SITUATION ROOM." That's coming up, as you know, 5:00 p.m. Eastern.
BALDWIN: We will see you in an hour, Mr. Blitzer.
Good to see you. Thank you, sir.
Want to let you know we will get another "Political Ticker" update in about half-an-hour. You can always get the latest politics. Go to CNNPolitics.com. And they're on Twitter at @PoliticalTicker.
