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Top Terror Targets; Royal Wedding Announced; From Housewife to Sheriff; Jay-Z Shares His Story; Michael Vick's Amazing Comeback; Prince William's Engagement; Charles Rangel Guilty of Ethics Violations; Hero Dog Killed by Mistake
Aired November 16, 2010 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And here we go. I want to welcome the men and the women right now watching us on American Forces Network all around the world. We are going to move fast this hour. Let's go, beginning with some news just in to CNN.
Take a look with me. We will look at this for the first time together. This is the first video of the man -- there he is on the man -- charged with the kidnapping of that 13-year-old Ohio girl, tied her up, gagged her, held her for several days in his basement. This is from 30-year-old Matthew Hoffman's very first court appearance.
He went before a judge this afternoon via camera from the Knox County jail. The judge set Hoffman's bond at $1 million. The girl's mother, brother, and a family friend are still missing, been missing since last Wednesday. Cadaver dogs were added to the search for them this morning.
Next, also developing now, a bomb threat forcing an evacuation on the Ohio State University campus, huge campus. Police in Columbus say they got an anonymous message that explosives were placed in four different buildings. Three of those buildings were laboratories. Investigators are still out there. They're still searching for bombs. So far nothing has been found. The lockdown scheduled to end one hour from now or until the investigation is complete. Of course, we're keeping an eye on that. We will bring you updates as soon as we get those.
Next, so where does the U.S. rank on the list of biggest terror targets around the world? Number 33. At the very top, you have Somalia and you have Pakistan. That is according to a new report by the corporate security firm of Maplecroft. The group studied the frequency of terrorist incidents and intensity of attacks. Iraq and Afghanistan, if you're curious, also considered top targets.
Next, police in Texas say Four Loko may have played a role in a car crash that killed a 14-year-old little girl. Here's what I know happened. A 14-year-old boyfriend apparently drove his parent's car into this guardrail and she was not buckled up, died instantly in the car.
Also in the car, police found a 12 pack of beer and five cans of Four Loko. That -- we have been talking about it on this show -- is the controversial drink, has alcohol and caffeine. Several states are banning it. Not yet clear whether the teenagers drank the stuff, but the boyfriend is behind bars.
Next, over the past four years, 28,000 people have been killed in Mexico as the drug gang violence escalates there. So, what are more people doing protect themselves? Get this. They're bulletproofing their cars. The industry now valued at $80 million a year. You have Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen all selling bulletproof cars? The owner of one of these armor companies says many Mexicans beefing up their cars is a necessity, adding, everyone is a target.
Next, a who's-who of the Bush administration -- get a load of this picture -- reuniting. They're there in Texas to break ground on the former president's library. The site on the campus of SMU, Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Secretary of State Condi Rice, she grabbed a shovel as well. There she is in the red. So did former Vice President Dick Cheney, who looks, as we noticed, a little bit thinner.
As President Bush promotes his book, there has been a lot made about the tension in their relationship. And today, it definitely didn't show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DICK CHENEY, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When you and I started our association in Austin, we knew that big responsibilities awaited us. And though, of course, we couldn't have imagined all that was to come, somehow, your life had prepared you for some of the most serious decisions any president ever had to face.
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Dick Cheney was the right pick in the year 2000. And as I stand here, there is no doubt in my mind he was the right pick then. He was a great vice president of the United States. And I'm proud to call him friend.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: And there you have it. The multimillion-dollar library, by the way, set to open in 2013.
Next: Parents, this one is for you -- President Obama's new children's book hitting shelves today. You see the name, "Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters." The publisher says it honors 13 Americans who have done inspiring things in our nation's past. The president finished the book before he took office.
Book sales will be donated to a scholarship fund for children of fallen and disabled soldiers.
Next: A mystery buyer spent $380,000 on this rare copy of the Declaration of Independence. That's kind of cool, sold it in auction in Boston. The copy originally belonged to a New Hampshire judge. And after the founding fathers signed the document, dozens of copies were apparently printed on sheets to alert the public, and, apparently, this one never made to it one of the judge's homes.
Next, want to hear how a jail in Tennessee saves a little money? The sheriff is cutting coffee and Kool-Aid from the menu. Also, inmates will have to buy ketchup, mustard, salt, jelly if they want it. We're told the budget cuts will save taxpayers more than $110,000.
Next, listen to this. All this talk of weddings today. I'm talking about a wedding, a different wedding, called off at the last minute. So what does the bride decide to do with all the reception food? Gives it to the homeless. It happened in Colorado. The family got together with the Salvation Army and a bus company. They invited 150 people from shelters to the place where the reception was supposed to be held. Listen. Here is the father of the bride.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAC SHAFER, FATHER OF THE BRIDE: She is a super giving young lady. And when it was apparent we were not going to be able to do anything else, she said, you know, dad, I want to feed the less fortunate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: How about that? He goes on to say she turned heartbreak into a heartwarming situation. And in case you're wondering, no word on why the couple broke up. Huh.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRINCE WILLIAM, UNITED KINGDOM: We met at University at Saint Andrews. And we were friends for over a year first. And it just sort of blossomed from then on. We just spent more time with each other, had a good giggle, had lots of fun, and realized we shared the same interests and just had a really good time. She has got a really nice sense of humor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: He said it, a good giggle. Apparently she makes him laugh. Does he make her dinner? More romantic details about the relationship between the future king, future queen of England. Richard Quest is joining me here in just a bit. He is a royal watcher, as you know.
Also ahead, a tragic mistake at a county dog shelter. What happened to the soldier's best friend from the battlefield? Stay there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BALDWIN: It's official, the next royal wedding. And we all know who Prince William is, but who is Kate Middleton? We're about to share some things you may not know, including how their engagement honors Princess Diana.
I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
(voice-over): Symbolic timing.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Three decades to the year since Charles and Diana.
BALDWIN: A special place.
QUEST: He proposed in Kenya. It was in Kenya that the queen found out she had acceded to the throne.
BALDWIN: Even similar conditions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eighty-one was also a time of austerity.
BALDWIN: But the parallels don't stop there.
What forced one of America's largest college campuses to shut down today?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Columbus office of the FBI received an anonymous message that several explosive devices had been placed.
BALDWIN: Then skeletal remains found on an Aruban beach are shipped to the Hague for identification. Could this be a break in the Natalee Holloway case?
This dog saved American lives in Afghanistan, and then she was euthanized in Arizona by mistake. How and why?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: So, the news from Britain today not so much unexpected, but it still managed to spread around the globe in about 0.2 seconds. Countdown to royal wedding begins now.
William the prince, Kate, his long time girlfriend -- check that -- fiance, since today's official announcement and the presentation of the ring. Have you seen it? Watch this. It is William and Kate telling a British reporter how their romance began more than eight years ago. And, by the way, they already know a thing or two about one another's, shall we say, domestic habits. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRINCE WILLIAM, UNITED KINGDOM: No we moved in together as friends and then -- because we were living together. We lived with a couple of others as well. And it just sort of blossomed from there really.
We just saw more of each other, hung out a bit more and did stuff. So, yes.
KATE MIDDLETON, ENGAGED TO PRINCE WILLIAM: You liked my cooking?
PRINCE WILLIAM: Well, your cooking was all right. It has gotten better.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does William ever cook or indeed do anything useful around the house?
(LAUGHTER)
PRINCE WILLIAM: Define useful, Tom.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's not go there.
MIDDLETON: No, he does actually. He did cook for me quite a bit at university, and it would always come with a bit of angst and a bit of anger if something had gone wrong, and I would have to wander in and save something that was going.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, being honest, is that a skill that's declining over time or improving?
PRINCE WILLIAM: I would say I'm getting better at cooking. Kate would say I'm getting a lot worse.
MIDDLETON: I don't give you enough chance to practice.
PRINCE WILLIAM: No, that is true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The royal couple. Apparently they cook. Who knew?
William and Kate already talking like a married couple. Royal wedding, we're hearing spring or summer of next year. Kate today is also -- I mentioned the ring, sporting that famous diamond and sapphire ring that William's mother, Princess Diana, wore as her engagement ring.
We're not finished with this yet. More on this later in the hour with our own set of, we will call them British royal watchers, including Richard Quest, all the way from Buckingham Palace. You won't want to miss that.
But in another story we're all over, what is Mexico's newest weapon in the war against drug cartels? Would you believe if I told you it was a couple of housewives and mothers? We will tell you why they just might succeed where so many others have failed.
And later, the Jay-Z interview. He tells us about the CNN of the ghetto and how some of his best money lessons came straight from the streets -- that with Poppy Harlow.
We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: There has been a bone that was found on a beach in Aruba. It is being tested now to see if maybe it is from Natalee Holloway. The Alabama teenager disappeared on a high school graduation trip to Aruba. It has been five years now.
A Dutch newspaper is reporting the bone that was found near a spot that Joran van der Sloot had mentioned in the connection with this case. Van der Sloot, you know he is in jail down in Peru waiting to go on trial on charges he allegedly killed a young Peruvian woman. We're waiting on results there.
Also, I don't have to tell that you parts of Mexico today are really as dangerous as a war zone, maybe more so, especially when the illegal drug trade and gangs operate with no respect for the rule of law.
I'm about to show you what happened when a couple of housewives -- housewives, moms -- not too far from the U.S. border saw that no one was going to step up, take charge of their own town security. So what did they do? They stepped up themselves.
Watch this report. It's from our senior Latin American affairs editor, Rafael Romo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR (voice- over): In the middle of the Juarez Valley, also known as the "Valley of Death," lies the city of Samalayuca, across the border from Texas. Samalayuca is located in the middle of a drug route that has been plagued by violence. Its mayor had been struggling to find sheriffs for two towns under his jurisdiction.
Meet Veronica Rios and Olga Herrera, housewives and mothers of school-age children. When nobody stepped forward for the position of sheriff, they decided to take charge.
SHERIFF VERONICA RIOS, "EL VERGEL" (through translator): We are women and regarding how brave we think we are, well, if no men step forward, we will take charge as sheriffs. Our main concern is to come up with something positive for the community, for the municipality.
ROMO: Veronica Rios is 38 years old. Sheriff Herrera is 43. To say that providing security for a population of 3,000 will be a challenge is an understatement. The only police car Samalayuca owns doesn't run and the three deputies under their command have no weapons.
MAYOR JAVIER MELENDEZ, SAMALAYUCA, MEXICO (through translator): What we're trying to do here is come up with new ideas and work hard for the good of our people. But people also need to understand that the mayor's office does not have a magic wand, nor does the president of our country. ROMO: Dunes around Samalayuca have been featured in Hollywood films, but filmmakers haven't gone there recently. The city is about 25 miles from Ciudad Juarez, the most violent city in Mexico with more than 2,100 killings so far this year.
SHERIFF OLGA HERRERA, "VILLA LUZ" (through translator): My children and my husband support me as well as my neighbors, especially those who know me. They tell me to do my best and not be afraid.
My goal is security. We're here to talk with the people. So far we haven't had anything serious here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: We just heard her. Her husband, her kids support her. Yet, Rafael, I'm thinking no, weapon, no formal training, no official police cars. How do they had they'll pull this off?
ROMO: This is more of a goodwill project. They have absolutely no law enforcement training, no knowledge of how to fire a weapon and no desire to do so. They're going to act more like community policing. Getting in touch with the community and if they see any sort of situation that will later -- has the potential of later becoming a problem of violence, then they will coordinate with other officials.
And the agreement with the local authorities was that if anything major happens, they're going to call in the state police with the kind of weapons and police power to really face the drug cartels.
But really here is more of a community policing idea than conventional sheriff as we know it.
BALDWIN: Community policing. Still, though, they're living and carrying out these duties in very, very violent areas of Mexico. I feel like that's what you and I are always talking about when you come over.
And I'm also, though, confused. We keep referring to them as sheriffs, yet here in the States we have police and sheriff. Maybe I'm getting too in the weeds here, but who are they?
ROMO: They get the title commissario (ph), which roughly translates as sheriff. They do get the title, but the function is a little bit different.
They're more of a liaison between the municipal mayor and people. Talking to the people, what are the needs, what's going on, what are your fears. And also try to get good will from the people so they can cooperate and help other authorities solve crime. And you know, one of the things that is very interesting to note is that they only make $500 a month.
BALDWIN: So it's nothing.
ROMO: It's really nothing. It is really these two very brave women who nobody wanted to step up to the plate and they decided they were going to do something about it.
BALDWIN: Quick, quick, with 10 seconds. Do they have any kind of protection?
ROMO: No. We saw an old clunker, no weapons. It's just good will.
BALDWIN: Wow. Wow. Rafael Romo, keep us posted on that one. I'm curious to see how these young women fare. Thank you.
Coming up next, the Jay-Z interview.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: From teenage crack dealer to multiple Grammy winner and millionaire. Do you recognize this song? Talking about rap mogul, entrepreneur Jay-Z. He has sold 50 million records worldwide. By the way, married to Beyonce.
And he came about it the hard way, learned some pretty tough lessons, so he told our own Poppy Harlow who sat down with Jay-Z to talk about becoming a superstar in business and in music.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAY-Z, ENTERTAINER & ENTREPRENEUR: I wanted to make the case that rap is poetry for one. And some of the decisions we made, to give those decisions context. Why these songs are the way they are. Why there is this certain gangsta rap. Why this is taking place in America. And it felt like the perfect time to write it.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: You've said President Obama had the courage to tell the press that he had your songs on his iPod. You've been a big supporter of his the entire way through.
Has he followed through on the hope that he promised?
JAY-Z: I think he has, he's on his way to delivering that. But it is impossible for someone to take eight years of our last administration and turn them around in two years. It is very difficult to deliver on everything, you know.
I think he is moving in the right direction, yes.
HARLOW: You spent hours meeting with him, and you write in the book about that meeting and you say, I wish could I remember one thing. But it was more what President Obama represents for you, the people you grew up with, black children, black adults across this country.
JAY-Z: Yes, and which means all children across this country. That, you know, us first, because it gives us another face. The hope of, OK, maybe I can be president of the United States. It takes for someone to do it for you to believe that you can achieve such lofty goals. HARLOW: You insist that rap is poetry and you wrote, Chuck D famously called hip hop the CNN of the ghetto. Does hip hop and rap have a responsibility to report and not just entertain? To take it one step further?
JAY-Z: Yes, of course. You can entertain. It's everything. Rap is, you know, it's entertaining, it's informative, it is provocative, it is funny, it's silly. It is all of these things. So absolutely.
HARLOW: What is your advice to other people coming up who are trying to make it and trying to become moguls in and of their own right? What is your advice to them?
JAY-Z: My advice is to do things that are true to you. Most of things that I'm involved with are an extension of being creative. Rocco Wear is a clothing company, you know, it's part of who you are in hip hop is your attitude and what you're trying to express how you dress.
So I would just say, get involved in things that you love and also, have a standard for yourself and have some sort of integrity and try to, you know, find some sort of truth in what you're doing.
HARLOW: What did you learn on the street? Because you talk about being 13 and selling crack. Did that teach you something of how to be a successful businessman? How we all are common --
JAY-Z: All the things that you apply in business, you know, they say that he has great instincts. You know, well, while on the streets, having great instincts can be the difference between life and death, not just losing a deal.
HARLOW: Or incarceration.
JAY-Z: Or incarceration, which is less than death. Right? And having, being a person of high integrity. People want to deal with you in business.
HARLOW: Trust?
JAY-Z: Trust and honorable and a man of your word, you know. All these things come to play in the business world. I'm not condoning anything, any street activity, but it is just the way it is.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Poppy Harlow sitting across from Jay-Z.
Poppy, it is interesting you talk to Jay-Z about the fact the president very much said yes, I have Jay-Z music on my iPod. The president has even gotten a little slack about that, right? Because he was a rapper, a former crack dealer on the streets.
HARLOW: Yes.
BALDWIN: He seems to relate to the president in a way that many people wouldn't see.
HARLOW: He does, and we talked extensively about that.
What he learned from a fellow rapper when he was a kid he saw a kid, Jay-Z did, and he said, I can do that, too. And he said now what the president represents for children across this country is, I can do that, too. And that was an amazing moment to hear him say that and to sort of hear his vulnerability and hear how he became the superstar that he is.
What also was very interesting to me was the fact that he said, when he was 13, his friend got arrested, Brooke, and was thrown in jail for I think more than a decade. And Jay-Z said if he didn't have his music, if he didn't have his lyrics, if he did not have the pen and he wasn't writing and doing that, not only could it have been him in jail, he said it most definitely would have been him in jail. So clearly he says music saved him.
BALDWIN: How about that? What moment, Poppy, and perhaps it wasn't a moment we saw in the piece, what moment will you take away that was your favorite moment with him?
HARLOW: I think we were talking about advice to other people trying to make it, and he said, you know, we all have to deal with success and failure. And I said, you think you failed, someone that we all view as so successful? And he said, of course I do. And it was this raw, real moment. And I understood and I said, I get it, too.
You know, in any career you have successes, you have failures. It was just sort of him talking to us and being a human being, a person. Just another person, not the superstar that we all think he is. It is really the face behind the music and the person behind the music.
And in his book which came out today, "Decoded," Brooke, he talks about that. He breaks down the lyrics to 36 of his songs and he explains how they actually symbolize his life and what they actually mean. And how he came up from living pretty much in poverty to where he lives now.
BALDWIN: Poppy Harlow, hats off to you for drawing the real and raw moments out of someone who is very used to the press.
HARLOW: I think he gets the credit, but thanks.
BALDWIN: Nice work, Poppy, thank you.
HARLOW: Thanks, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Could we be witnessing one of the greatest career comebacks in the history of sports? Even if you are not a fan of football, not a fan of Michael Vick, you still have to hear this story.
Seventeen months after being released from prison, the quarterback put on perhaps the best performance of his career last night. Did you watch this game? I sat there. I watched all the yardage. He scored six touchdowns to lead the Eagles ahead of the Redskins. The Eagles scored 59 points, that is rare in the NFL.
So why is it rare? Why is this so significant? You remember, we covered all of this. Vick spent nearly two years in prison for bankrolling a dog fighting ring. So his image, you know, it's been shattered. He even went bankrupt and many analysts doubted if he would return to the game. But now he is not only leading a very solid team, but playing some unbelievable football, as we showed you.
What is Vick saying the day after? I checked his Twitter board, we all have. I want to go to the Twitter board and show you what he is actually tweeting. He said, "God can turn mistakes into miracles. Good morning, Twitter Family."
And we have something else from T.O. "Is this really a game? 59-28? I'm happy for Mike Vick."
Dion Sanders, "What do you do, Mick Vick? Wow. I thank God for second chances. We've all messed up somehow, some way. Truth."
There you go from some of the players both former and current of the NFL.
There has been a shakeup at the RNC. Michael Steele gets blasted by a critic. Jessica Yellin up with the Political Ticker, that is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: CNN has all your latest political news with The Best Political Team on Television. Jessica Yellin is in Los Angeles. And Jess, what do you have on the RNC? The political director calling it quits? That's huge.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is huge, Brooke because this really should be the best of times for the Republican National Committee. They just had such a successful midterm election.
But no. More fallout over the always-controversial chairman, Michael Steele. The political director of the RNC has resigned with a biting letter saying on its current track, the RNC will not be a major force in the 2012 elections.
And the accusation is that essentially, Michael Steele did not do enough to build the fundraising base, maintain the fundraising base, and his political director claims they left up to 21 House seats on the table that Republicans could have picked up had they raised more money and worked harder on that front.
So, big picture, what does this mean? This guy served loyally through the election, but now, another nudge to make sure the party as a whole does not give chairman Steele a second term. A lot of pressure on that guy right now on. On chairman Steele.
OK, here, Brooke, in the state I'm in, California, some major immigration news. This one is a victory for champions of immigration reform. California state supreme court has ruled that undocumented residents who have graduated high school near California are eligible for state tuition benefits. So, if you're an illegal immigrant in this state's college system, you can get a lower tuition scale. Up to $23,000 less that's offered to citizens as well.
Now, this is controversial, obviously, for opponents of immigration reform. And you can expect that they will challenge this all the way up to the Supreme Court. It could conflict with federal law, and once again, draws another point on the pressure to resolve these issues nationally and in Washington, D.C. This happens the very same day that President Obama met with some Democrats to see whether they can push ahead with some form of immigration reform. Either now or in the next Congress.
So, two heavy stories. We'll give you a light story, Brooke. We always like a little something fun. What do President Obama and Madonna have in common?
BALDWIN: I have no idea.
YELLIN: Not a lot. Not a lot, right? OK, I'm reaching on this one. They share the same book illustrator. They've both written children's books --
BADLWIN: That was a reach, Jess.
(LAUGHTER)
YELLIN: Sorry. I had to come up with something.
"Of Thee I Sing" is a book that President Obama has written about 13 renowned Americans, including the artist Georgia O'Keefe and Jackie Robinson. And it is going to sell. They say, it will sell with all proceeds going to veterans. And they say he wrote it before he, before 2009, before he took office. And as you can see, a nice children's book for the holidays and 500,000 copies is the initial printing. I have a feeling a lot more than that will sell.
BALDWIN: Absolutely. Jessica Yellin, thank you so much. You can also get the latest political news. Just go to CNNpolitics.com. Hop on Twitter @politicalticker.
And how about this for you? A coyote roaming the streets. There he goes. Chicago. Animal control could not be happier. What is wrong with this picture? It is something you have to see. That's next.
Also later, will Kate Middleton be more like Princess Diana or Fergie, Duchess of York? We're going to get the scoop on the woman who stole Prince William's heart.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: For decades, law enforcement has used dogs, even sometimes horses to fight crime. But could coyotes be joining the ranks? You have to see this.
(VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Yes. That's not a dog, folks, running on the streets of Chicago. That's a coyote. And get this. The police are not chasing him. This wily coyote turned road runner hard at work, patrolling the city, looking for rats and mice. Animal Control said he is pretty timid, stays away from people, wears a radar collar so police can monitor his whereabouts. So, if you're in Chicago, coyotes are apparently accepted on the streets.
Next, get a load of this one.
(VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Oh, my goodness. A fishing trip turns more into, you just saw whale watching. Check this out. Can we roll it again? Let's watch that again. There's another one. Did you se that? The whales obviously at play. No, this is not off the Alaskan coast. This is near Los Cabos, Mexico. The expedition got a little bit more than they bargained for and had a - oh, goodness, here I go -- had a whale of a time. Ba-dum-bum.
All right. Moving on. Prince William, Kate Middleton, they announced their engagement. And now what? The date, the dress, the budget. The guest list. We've been reaching out for our global contacts for wedding details. We'll bring you the very latest right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: The big news today out of London. The engagement of Prince William, the second in line to the throne. So, let's look together. We'll see Wills. There they are. The big photo op of the day with his bride to be, Kate Middleton. In an interview that was arranged by Buckingham Palace, William explained the couple's lengthy courtship by saying he wanted Kate to know what she was getting herself into. And from there, the topic turned to William's mother, the late princess Diana.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATE MIDDLETON, PRINCE WILLIAM'S FIANCEE: Well, obviously, I would have loved to have met her. And she's obviously an inspirational woman to look up. And I feel that to this day and going forward and things, you know, it's just -- you know, it's a wonderful family. And they're very inspirational, too.
And yes, I do.
PRINCE WILLIAM: Like Kate said, it's about carving your own future and no one's going to come -- no one's trying to fill my mother's shoes. And what she did is fantastic. It's about making your own future and your own destiny. And Kate will do a very good job with that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Joining me now from London, we have CNN's Richard Quest. And then here in Atlanta to my left, is Roger Clark from our CNN International Desk.
And so, huge, huge news today. We've got the announcement. We've seen the ring. We finally heard from them. And I'm sure did you listen to the whole interview. He was asked, if you calm? excited? He said sort of like ducks. We appear calm, but our feet are fluttering beneath us. You know, he almost seems a bit nervous but very much in love.
ROGER CLARK, DIRECTOR OF COVERAGE, CNN INTERNATIONAL: Yes. And kind of normal. A couple who are in that situation, who are getting married, you know -- he expressed all the emotions that any couple who are getting married express. You know? Really excited, but also a little bit nervous and not quite knowing what will happen next. It's a mixture of emotions.
I mean, you know. You're in a similar situation. So, you experience all those emotions. I'm sure when you saw him, you must have thought, oh, yes, I kind of know what you mean.
BALDWIN: Absolutely. Absolutely I did. You think it's coming, but you're not really sure and you're shocked nonetheless.
Richard Quest, I know you're out there somewhere in London. And I want to ask you because Roger and I were talking, and it was interesting hearing Prince William say words like hanging out. And he is very much so it seems --of a modern role here when it comes to royalty there.
You know, they were talking about how he was cooking to try to impress her, I guess, at the university. This whole announcement coming by Facebook.
I mean what do you make of this sort of Royals 2.0?
QUEST: Well, let me quote, paraphrase, if you like, the words of your own late President Kennedy in his inaugural speech. "The torch has been passed to a new generation." And what we see here is a quantum leap difference from the very stilted way of Charles and Diana when they did their engagement interview.
You had a young woman, a young girl, effectively, looking up, flutteringly, adoringly at Charles. Here, you had two equals in the sense of man and wife.
You had two people who have lived together and been together for eight years, who have talked about marriage, who have traveled together. And I think that's the core difference. For the first time in a royal relationship, we saw partnership, not merely accommodation, to get an heir in despair.
BALDWIN: Partners -- you say yes?
CLARK: I would agree with Richard there. And what I thought was significant is that these two lived together for years.
BALDWIN: They've been dating for years, they lived together for years.
CLARK: So they know their good points, they know their bad points, and everything in between. And it's widely reported that Prince Charles and Diana, they met on something like 13 or 14 occasions before they got married. So, you can see, there is a huge difference there.
And I remember in 1981, when Charles and Diana were interviewed in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, and a reporter said, "Are you in love?" to Princess Diana. And she said, "Well, yes, of course." And Charles said, "Whatever love means."
(LAUGHTER)
CLARK: You know, pretty weird. But this, today --
BALDWIN: And they seem very in love. Do they not? They seem very in love.
The relationship survived. A little bit off again, on again, for years and years.
Richard, what do you make of this, the fact that -- all these different comparisons to Diana? And you know they'll continue, but is it really fair?
QUEST: No, I don't think they will continue. I think it is -- and I'll tell you why not.
I mean, she has been dead a long time. Yes, William is her son, but he said in the interview today, he said, this is not about filling Diana's shoes, this is about Kate Middleton carving out her own destiny and her own future.
Now, of course, giving Kate his late mother's engagement ring was a way to show that Kate was as special as the ring is, and as his mother was. And also, that it enabled him to make him feel that his mother was part of what was taking place. But I don't for a moment think that the comparisons continue that much more. It's only in certain minds.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: So perhaps it ends with the ring on her finger.
And also, though, the economic situation in the U.K., we saw the austerity, the cuts, the issues right now. And so a lot of people, I think, perhaps, on this side of the pond wondering, who foots the bill for this thing? Is it the people in the U.K.? Is it the queen?
CLARK: Yes, the queen will foot a little bit of it, but the taxpayers will also foot a big chunk of the bill.
BALDWIN: They will?
CLARK: Just like they did in 1947, two years after the Second World War had finished and Britain had no money, was rationing food. Yet, the queen, the present queen, as Princess Elizabeth, was married to Prince Philip, and it lifted the national spirit.
This will lift the national spirit. I'm absolutely sure it will put a smile on people's faces. And yes, it will cost some money.
BALDWIN: How much money? What's the ballpark?
CLARK: Well, I don't know how much money.
BALDWIN: We don't know.
CLARK: But Richard will come in now and tell you that, actually, it will also generate huge amounts of money for the United Kingdom.
BALDWIN: Richard Quest, real quickly, 30 seconds, how does it generate -- obviously it generates -- boosts morale. How does it generate that for the U.K., generating money?
QUEST: It boosts morale. It boosts money by bringing tourism in, by creating production, by generally lifting the morale of the country.
Yes, Americans, Australians, Canadians, people will flock to the country next year to sleep on the streets outside this very place, outside the palace and see it. And the trinkets will be there. Briefly, in a word, it makes people feel better in a little bit in their everyday life.
BALDWIN: It does. It's a fun story that we've gotten to could have this day.
Richard Quest, Roger Clark, thank you, guys, so, so much.
Thank you.
Guilty on 11 of 12 ethics charges. What is next for congressional power player Charlie Rangel now? We'll ask Wolf Blitzer next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Want to bring in Wolf Blitzer on the news we were following yesterday when, of course, Congressman Charlie Rangel walked out of that hearing. And, today, when the head of this committee essentially ruled guilty on 11 of those 12 ethics -- the allegations, these violations.
And Wolf, what happens next? This essentially goes to a House vote, does it not?
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: It goes to a full committee. You know, he's going to be reprimanded. There's going to be some sort of sanction imposed.
It's not a criminal thing. They're not going to file criminal charges, by all accounts. But it's obviously a huge, huge embarrassment to someone who has had a distinguished 40-year career in the House of Representatives, a public servant, a Korean War veteran, someone who is well known to all of our viewers, Charlie Rangel.
He was just reelected from his district in New York that includes Harlem. So it's a sad story personally for a man who is now 80 years old or so to have to see his career end, to a certain degree.
It's not over with. He's just been reelected for another two years. But to have this blemish on that career is a huge, huge stain, especially some of the theatrics, some of the stuff that went in over the last 24, 48 hours.
He didn't have a lawyer, did have a lawyer, spent $2 million on legal fees. Now he doesn't have money to hire the appropriate attorney.
It's a back-and-forth. It's ugly, it's nasty, it's not very pleasant. And it's uncomfortable for so many members of Congress, especially, because, generally speaking -- I've been in Washington for a long time -- Charlie Rangel has been a very, very well-liked, popular guy not just with Democrats, but with a lot of Republicans as well.
BALDWIN: Sure. Serving for just about half a century. I'm sure you'll have much more on Charlie Rangel in the show.
What else, Wolf, do you have coming up in "THE SITUATION ROOM"?
BLITZER: You know, the interview, the royal wedding that's going to take place, we're going to have a lot more of that fascinating interview between Prince William and Kate Middleton. Now Catherine -- she's going to be called Catherine.
So I watched the whole thing. I don't know if you had a chance to watch --
BALDWIN: I watched the whole thing.
BLITZER: -- all 17 minutes of it.
BALDWIN: Absolutely.
BLITZER: And we're going to play in the 5:00 hour, in the 6:00 hour, a lot of it and let our viewers see and it learn a little more about this couple.
I was just interested, and my rule, generally speaking, is if I'm interested, I think our viewers will be interested. So we'll do a lot of that. But we'll have a lot of political news, a lot of the important news.
We're also going live to Haiti on a very, very different vain. A thousand people have now died from cholera. There are riots in the streets.
We're going to go there, update our viewers on what's going on, because a lot of the Haitians think the foreign troops brought cholera into their country.
BALDWIN: A little bit of everything on "THE SITUATION ROOM."
Wolf Blitzer, we'll see you in five minutes.
But I want to get to this story. There is a patient in Texas, went into surgery with arthritis, came out with just one leg.
One hospital's horrible errors in the spotlight. Our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, is going to explain how in the world this could happen not once, but twice a day. That is by the hospital's own count.
We're going to have more on that tomorrow here in the NEWSROOM.
But to a story that has really got a lot of you tweeting me, this dog here, this is Target. She wasn't just a treasured family pet, she was a certified war hero. So how did it end up dead at an Arizona shelter?
We talked to the owner. The answer is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: A hero dog makes it home safely from Afghanistan, but she is euthanized after a horrible mix-up at an Arizona animal shelter. The dog's owner, as you can imagine, devastated. He says his dog -- she was Target -- saved his life.
Nick Valencia, you sent me an e-mail about this last night. I sent it to my team and I said we've got to talk about this today.
This is horrible.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN NATIONAL DESK EDITOR: It's a very tragic story. This dog, by all accounts, was a war hero. It saved U.S. lives, U.S. soldiers abroad on a base in Afghanistan.
BALDWIN: In Afghanistan.
VALENCIA: There was a compound.
I spoke to Sergeant Terry Young earlier today. He is just so distraught, as you can imagine.
Hey says Target saved their lives. They saw the dog, noticed a suicide bomber coming on to the compound, attacked the suicide bomber, slowed him down enough. He did detonate the suicide vest that he had on. Target was injured, actually got her nickname because the U.S. soldier said that she was targeted by the Afghan militants there.
BALDWIN: Oh, I wondered.
VALENCIA: She has been shot. She's been blown up. She's been run over even. And to come back to a hero's welcome here, and then to be accidentally euthanized, Brooke, it's tragic. It's really sad.
BALDWIN: We have sound from the owner.
VALENCIA: We do. Actually, Sergeant Terry Young spoke to our affiliate, KPHO, and this is actually what he said about losing his best friend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. TERRY YOUNG, DOG OWNER: Even if you don't look at the suicide bomber equation, and you just look at what she meant to me as far as my peace of mind, and just actually feeling good, you know, on occasion while being over there, that alone, you know, my sanity factor. She absolutely saved my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: And, Brooke, this dog was extremely popular, had a Facebook page dedicated to her.
BALDWIN: It breaks my heart. I mean, as a dog lover. I'm sure a lot of other people out there are thinking the same thing.
VALENCIA: Absolutely.
BALDWIN: Facebook page.
VALENCIA: A Facebook page. It has over 300 friends on this Facebook page. And you should see these comment. These people are just heartsick.
You know, they can't believe that this happened. And such a mistake, such an accident. What a bad accident.
BALDWIN: What is the animal shelter, as we look at this Facebook page, what is the animal shelter saying?
VALENCIA: Well, they're taking full responsible for it. Actually, the official who made the unfortunate mistake of putting down Target has been put on paid administrative leave.
The dog, Target, was in a kennel with another dog. And that official, from what we're hearing, had made the unilateral decision to say this dog looked like a mutt, it looked like a "bag of bones," from what Terry told us. And after that, she made the decision to euthanize Target.
BALDWIN: And I hear his 4-year-old is just a wreck over all of this.
VALENCIA: Oh, the 4-year-old little boy is asking, "Please take the poison out, daddy." You know, bring the dog back. It doesn't really seem to settle that this dog, who was a hero, Brooke -- I mean, that's the objective part of this.
BALDWIN: Absolutely. Poor thing.
Nick Valencia, thank you for bringing this up.
VALENCIA: Thank you.
BALDWIN: Horrific story. Nonetheless, an important one to tell.
And now to Wolf Blitzer in Washington.
