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Clash of Koreas; Disappointing News for Natalee Holloway Family; Troops Home for Thanksgiving; Royal Wedding Date Set; Georgia Dad Gunned Down Outside Daycare
Aired November 23, 2010 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: CNN has all your latest political news with "The Best Political Team on Television," and, of course, CNN = Politics. And Ed Henry joins us from, I think he's at the White House. I think he's inside the White House. Ed, good to see you.
With the holiday travel season in mind, I guess you have a new poll with how Americans feel about all these screenings and et cetera from the TSA. What are they saying?
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Brooke. I mean, you were just talking to John Pistole over there at TSA at the airport, and he's trying to find that balance, obviously.
It's interesting, though, in this latest poll from "The Washington Post" and ABC News, an overwhelming majority of Americans say that they're willing to go through these enhanced full-body scanners, but they're very much split on whether the pat downs go too far. This new poll basically says that when people are asked whether privacy or the ability to investigate possible terror plots is more important, almost seven in 10 say that combating terrorism is more important than protecting personal privacy.
But only 50 percent say that the enhanced pat-downs go too far, while 48 percent say it's justified. So you have got 50 saying that it goes too far, 48 saying that it is justified, a real split there in terms of the pat-downs.
This "Washington Post"/ABC News polls mirrors a CBS News poll from the second week in November that found that 81 percent of Americans agreed that airports should use the full-body X-ray machines. So, it's interesting where public opinion is right now.
A second item we have is the Chicago mayor's race. Basically, Rahm Emanuel, look out. There may be another candidate getting in that race, Roland Burris, the senator. That's right, that Roland Burris, the man who was appointed to fill out President Obama's term in the Senate by then Governor Rod Blagojevich.
He is about to be done and finished in office. He has not filed the paperwork, but supporters of Roland Burris have filed paperwork. They met the deadline of Monday, in case he wants to get in. And an aide to Roland Burris says he is taking a look at it, hasn't decided yet.
If he does get in, he would join a crowded field. I mentioned Rahm Emanuel. You've got former Senator Carol Moseley Braun, and also Congressman Danny Davis. So, it's going to be interesting to see how all that shakes out.
Finally, some big news here at the White House, CNN reporting first that David Plouffe is now -- the former campaign manager from 2008 -- he is coming in, in early January here to be a senior adviser. And David Axelrod, the president's current senior adviser, is going to be leaving a little earlier than expected, probably leaving right after the State of the Union in late January, early February.
Why is that significant? It's because of, look, we have heard about personnel moves around here, but in large part there has been -- while there have been calls for some new blood, some fresh faces maybe coming in here to the White House, so far the president has rejected that. He's really just making some moves, but doing it with existing personnel, some very familiar faces that he's comfortable with.
We will see whether or not he gets some criticism within his own party for not sort of shuffling a deck a bit more. You can find that story and others at our new White House blog, actually, CNN.com/1600report.
And I am here at the White House, Brooke. I'm in the basement of the White House. So, we're coming to you live --
BALDWIN: The basement of the White House.
HENRY: -- 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Is it not a nice day in D.C.? Come on now.
HENRY: Well, it's a decent day. It's about 54 degrees. But this is where we work. It's sort of like --
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: I hear you. I hear you. Ed Henry, got to go. Thank you so much, Ed, with the political update.
We will get another one for you in half-hour. You can get the latest political news. Go to CNNPolitics.com. They're also on Twitter at @PoliticalTicker.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: They protect us. They make sacrifices. They're our heroes. And with less than 48 hours now until Thanksgiving, they get to see their families, their kids for the first time in months. And you get a front-row seat to these emotional reunions. I'm Brooke Baldwin.
The news is now.
(voice-over): Clash of the Koreas. The North attacks. The South fights back. Could two bitter enemies be on the brink of war?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I think the army, the navy and the air force should unite and retaliate.
BALDWIN: The next 24 hours will mean everything. Plus, is North Korea trying to provoke the U.S.?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that we will get to the bottom of it, but I don't know if the body is recoverable.
BALDWIN: Natalee Holloway's parents have spent 5.5 long years looking for answers. Now how close are investigators to solving this mystery?
A new movie turns terrorism into satire. Jihadists plotting to kill innocent people, funny or offensive?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Hi, everyone. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Welcome back to the NEWSROOM.
We're going to kick it off with rapid fire. Let's go.
First to Belgium, where seven people are under arrest right now in this terror investigation. Police say they're suspected of plotting attacks on Jewish and native targets in Belgium. Four others were arrested in Germany and the Netherlands. Investigators say the suspects were using a jihadist Web site to plan that attack. A Belgium counterterrorism official tells us investigators are looking at the links between the group and a Belgium Islamist organization.
Next, a loaded magazine, that's part of this -- the semiautomatic weapon that holds the ammunition. Apparently it was found on a Southwest Airlines plane that landed in Phoenix. Who found it? Guess who? CNN. CNN on that flight. CNN found that. In fact, they say a kid was kicking it around. They alerted the flight attendant. Three passengers were rescreened. Turns out that gun magazine belonged to a law enforcement officer who was on an earlier flight on that same plane and apparently misplaced it.
Next, take a look at this, finally some images, new images of that mine explosion in New Zealand. And you can -- you can see kind of the white smoke and dust blowing out through the mine's entrance. That is as the blast hit. You can also see that screen kind of flapping back and forth before it is blown out of the tunnel.
No one has heard from those 29 miners since the blast last Friday. In fact, police say it's simply too dangerous for rescuers to go in after them. One robot, we told you about this, sent underground, but it broke down about 1, 800 feet once it got inside that tunnel. A second robot arrived at the site today. Next, after three years in prison, Amanda Knox is appealing her murder conviction. A hearing gets going tomorrow in an Italian courtroom, with an expected trial date right around December 11. I know you remember this case. It was all over. Knox was convicted last year of murdering her British roommate in Italy. And the details are gruesome. The roommate, remember, found in a pool of blood with her throat slit. Knox's lawyer plans to argue that the forensic and DNA evidence was mishandled and, thus, inconclusive.
Next, it is being called the largest spy satellite ever. Take a look. This is the Delta IV rocket blasting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The Air Force says the rocket was carrying a classified payload when it took off Sunday. The commander in charge of the launch says the mission will help beef up our national defense.
Next, more than half of us will develop diabetes or pre-diabetes in the next 10 years. That shocking statistic from a new report by UnitedHealth Group. The study also says costs associated with diabetes will make up an estimated 10 percent, 10 percent of health care spending by the end of the decade. November, by the way, National Diabetes Prevention Month.
Next, what would you say if you got to talk to a real live, actual astronaut? Some lucky kids in Washington, D.C., got the chance today. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen from space?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, actually, I think probably everyone would agree that the most beautiful thing that we can see from the space station is our planet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: I totally went to space camp and would have died for that experience, by the way. Those astronauts the kids got to talk are on board the International Space Station. And the Q&A session was part of International Education Week. So cool.
Finally, yikes, ugly day on Wall Street. If you have been looking at the numbers, you see the Dow is down a whopping 142 points.
I want to bring in Carter Evans live for us at the stock exchange.
Carter, you have 30 seconds. What is up with the loss?
CARTER EVANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right, first, it's the clash in Korea. That is what caused a sell-off. We have got these nagging concerns over in Europe, Ireland's debt problem.
Also today, a reading on existing home sales in October with sales dipping a little more than 2 percent last month, that's not helping. Finally, we got minutes from the Fed's most recent meeting, central bankers basically slashing their outlook on the economy next year. Just a whole bunch of bad news.
If it makes you feel any better, Brooke, it's not just us. Check this out. We're seeing a sell-off around the world today.
BALDWIN: Sell-off around the world, yet we're learning about the GDP. Apparently, it is up. So, what's going on, Carter? You got mixed signals whether the economy -- is it, is it not picking up steam?
EVANS: Well, you know, you could call this a silver lining today. Our gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic activity in our country, now showing a growth rate of about 2.5 percent in the third quarter.
This is the second estimate. It's up from a 2 percent growth rate before. So, we're seeing more consumer spending. That's good. We're seeing more exports. That's good, too. But it's not good enough. Analysts say we need to see a growth rate of 5 percent to see a significant decline in the unemployment numbers. Not a lot of holiday cheer here today. We have got the red covered. Now we just need to some green to spruce things up.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: We need some green, Carter Evans. Need some green. Thank you, sir.
Want you to think long and hard about what you think about this. You have actors. They're posing as jihadists. They're plotting to kill innocent people. Is terrorism satire funny or is this offensive stuff? We will tell you about a new -- controversial new movie. You are going to hear about it. We're ahead of the curve with this.
Plus, are two countries on the brink of war? North Korea attacks the South. Now the South is threatening enormous retaliation. I'll tell you why the U.S. could be right in the middle of it all. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right, here's the story. North Korea opened fire on a South Korean island. Now two South Korean marines, they're killed -- 15 South Korean soldiers and civilians are wounded.
This all started -- and you can see the mess, the smoke, the flames here. This is when North Korea fired about 100 rounds of artillery at Yeonpyeong Island. South Korea responded with more than 80 rounds in return. They also deployed some fighter jets, trying to fight back here, and this whole back-and-forth firing lasted for about an hour there along the Yellow Sea.
Now, there is speculation that this action coupled with reports that North Korea has this highly advanced new uranium enrichment facility is really sending a message to us, the U.S. That notion was also addressed by the State Department just this afternoon. International diplomats are urging both sides to show restraint, despite very aggressive language from both directions about who is to blame, how to retaliate.
So, joining me now, John Park. He's an expert on all of this.
And, John, let's get right to the fact that, look, a lot of people are saying North Korea did this to provoke, not South Korea, but the U.S., and that this is a message to the U.S. What is your take?
JOHN PARK, CENTER FOR CONFLICT ANALYSIS AND PREVENTION: Well, that is one interpretation, but I think we have to look very carefully at the chronology of events in this area.
This is where we find the Northern Limit Line, which is the maritime boundary that is disputed between the two Koreas. And there have been a number of naval clashes in this area as well. In the lead-up to this exchange of fire, we saw the South Koreans launch what they call the Hoguk military exercises.
These were supposed to be nine days of South Korean military exercises, starting with a live fire exercise. The North Koreans warned the South Koreans not to do this exercise. The South Koreans went ahead. North Korea retaliated with this -- what the U.S. is now calling an artillery attack.
BALDWIN: Now, John, we have American soldiers in South Korea. I want to say 20,000. Correct me if I'm wrong. But, so, we have even just a physical stake there in that country. So, how should -- if we should, how should the U.S. respond militarily?
PARK: That's correct. We have 28,500 to be exact U.S. personnel there --
BALDWIN: Yes.
PARK: -- but also their dependents and also a large number of U.S. citizens working and living in South Korea. So there is a significant U.S. presence in South Korea.
In terms of the U.S. response, that is a priority right now. I think the United States is working very closely with the South Korean allies to figure out the next steps. But, frankly, if we remember the Cheonan sinking that occurred in March, we were in a similar type of situation where we were trying to evaluate the different responses, be it a Security Council measure, a resolution.
BALDWIN: Right.
PARK: What eventually came out was a presidential statement there, more sanctions, and also looking at things like more joint U.S.-South Korean naval exercises in that area. Those are all being evaluated right now. BALDWIN: What about -- John, what about China, huge ally for the North? How important is it to work with China as everyone moves forward?
PARK: That's a very important question.
And I would add in addition to that what part of China, which group within China? There are different groups dealing with the North Korean issue. And if you look at the North Korean-Chinese relationship, since October of last year, when Premier Wen Jiabao went over, led a big delegation that included the Chinese commerce minister, they signed and are now implementing economic deals, we see a dynamic between the two countries where something like an artillery attack by North Korea on a South Korean island is very difficult within this capacity, institution-building occurring between the two countries.
BALDWIN: Also, John, the bit of news, it was a Stanford professor who was over there, saw this highly-advanced uranium enrichment facility. How worried does the U.S. need to be about this and the world, for that matter?
PARK: Well this had been something that had been on the U.S. books in terms of monitoring and long suspecting this uranium program. So, this isn't really a surprise to the United States, but it does raise concerns in the sense that we know that the North Koreans have the plutonium route to develop nuclear weapons and now with this early stage facility on the uranium front, while the North Koreans claim it is for civilian use and generation, the U.S. concern is that here is another part to more proliferation.
BALDWIN: John Park for us from Washington. John, thanks.
PARK: My pleasure.
BALDWIN: I want you to take a look at this. Take a look with me. There' we go.
It's snow, it's pretty, it's serene. No, not at all. This stuff is bad news if you are in western Washington. Big-time problematic. Pretty pictures, blue skies over Seattle but, apparently, looks can be deceiving, according to Mr. Chad Myers. We'll talk about some of the travel trouble spots ahead.
And we're going to go live to a beautiful Aruba, but some sad news there, at least for one set of parents. Another frustrating turn in the search for the Alabama teen, Natalee Holloway missing for five and a half years. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Here is the word out of Aruba today. That human jawbone discovered on that beach by a tourist just walking along, it is not that of Natalee Holloway. Not hers, not a match.
If you take a quick look with me, here's the map just to get your bearings. You'll see the bone was found fairly close to where the Alabama teen was last seen alive. That was way back in May of 2005. And the fact served to raise some expectations, this finding here, but just minutes before noon Eastern time the lead investigator stepped forward, explained how dental experts ruled out a match.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TACO STEIN, ARUBA SOLICITOR GENERAL: We obtained the dental records from Natalee Holloway from the United States; They were sent in last week. Late Friday, in the afternoon, they were sent to Holland, and during the weekend it had been established that the molar that was in the jawbone that had been found is a wisdom tooth and from the dental records we got from the United States, we learned that with Natalee her wisdom teeth were taken out.
QUESTION: So it was obvious right there.
STEIN: Yes, it was obvious. Right there and then, it was obvious it wasn't Natalee.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: It was obvious, they knew it wasn't Natalee.
Joining me from Aruba, reporter Martin Savidge, who was there to hear that announcement.
Martin, what is the sense just even on that island? Are people surprised by the fact that it is not her?
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I don't think they're surprised. I think that there is, this case that I've covered for five and a half years and the people here have lived for five and a half years and, of course, the family has had to endure has had so many ups and downs and so many false leads and false hopes so that any time new information, new evidence comes to light, I think on the island of Aruba here it is taken with a great big dose of skepticism that has been built up over time.
So yes, they're hopeful that, of course, the family would get some sort of definitive outcome, but it still just seemed to be, perhaps, as they put it, too good to be true to expect that a bone found on a beach would immediately be tied to Natalee Holloway and the case would essentially be solved what happened to her, but not who is responsible.
And that's the thing that investigators point out. They said, you know, even if it was Natalee Holloway, it wouldn't answer the two big questions they want to know, which is, number one, how did she die; and number two, who is responsible. Those questions would still linger even if it were hers. Of course, it's not.
BALDWIN: Yes, yes. That is what one of the investigators was sort of underscoring, that even if it had been hers, that wouldn't have answered so many other questions, it may not have solved the crime. But I want to talk about Joran van der Sloot, it's a name we all know here. He was detained twice in the case, never actually charged, Martin. He's still in the mix, potentially. In fact, you talked to the investigator about him specifically.
Let's listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEIN: Joran will be, of course, a person of interest in this case because he still is one who can give us the information. Up to now, he hasn't proven very trustworthy. So that's about it.
SAVIDGE: You believe he has more information that he could reveal to you?
STEIN: At least he is pretending that he has more information, because every now and then he comes up with something, which is relevant to the case and that means he -- he's, in effect, still busy with it himself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Still busy with it himself. Martin Savidge, what did he mean by that?
SAVIDGE: Well, it's an interesting choice of words, Brooke, no doubt. I mean, clearly, even though the investigators here have no direct hand in the investigation in Peru, which is now where Joran van der Sloot, now 23 years of age, is under arrest for the murder of Stephany Flores earlier this year, clearly the investigators are watching that case very, very carefully. They're listening to his words and as you just heard from the head of the prosecutor's unit, they believe Joran has more information to tell them about the disappearance of Natalee Holloway.
He was, after all, the last person to be with her on the night she vanished. So that puts her -- puts him, rather, in a category unto himself. They just don't believe he's been forthcoming and when he's been forthcoming, they don't believe he's honest. He's still the man they have most interested in this case.
BALDWIN: Martin, 30 seconds, reaction from Natalee's family. What are they saying?
SAVIDGE: Well, you know, there was never a good way for this day to end for the Holloway family. If it was Natalee Holloway, then no matter how much of a fantasy you might consider it to them, any hope that she would come back alive is over and done with. The fact that it's not her just perpetuates this horrible nightmare that their daughter comes to Aruba for vacation and never returns home.
Beth Twitty says that she is emotionally exhausted she's not happy by the way al this was brought out or investigated by Aruban authorities, but Aruban authorities maintain they did it as best as they could and as quickly as they could. BALDWIN: Martin, thank you.
We are all of 48 hours less than from Thanksgiving and most of us will be with our families and friends, if not working, but many U.S. servicemen and women will be halfway around the world and some of them, though, will not be. Wait until you see some of these emotional reunions -- we love seeing this -- as American troops, our heroes, surprise their families at home. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Now is the point in the show where I get to stop talking, you get to watch these very cool, very real, emotional moments. We love these at CNN, your soldiers, sailors, airmen and the marines returning home from war to happily surprise some of their loved ones, some they missed the most.
Watch who came home just in time for Thanksgiving.
(VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Surprise, mama's home.
Next one, this is kind of a trick, so watch this with me. You see that lady? This is a lady and a daughter, they are at the Tennessee Titans game in front of quite a crowd, 75,000 people. They're standing by, they're looking at the big board. They think they're about to see this special video message from dad in Afghanistan.
Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TENNESSEE TITANS STADIUM ANNOUNCER: Here is his video message.
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: I'd like to say congratulations to my wife and kids.
TENNESSEE TITANS STADIUM ANNOUNCER: We direct your attention back on to the field for a very special surprise. Here he is!
(CROWD CHEERING & APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: I don't know about you, I just got goose bumps.
One more for you. We love these. Watch this little girl's face, he she is, and watch her drop her pencil when her dad walks into her classroom.
Let's rewind and let's play it.
(VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Is this real?
That is Madison Petty (ph). She's a fifth grader in Little Rock, Arkansas. Her dad got a no notice trip home for Thanksgiving and then he has to go back onboard a ship to the Persian Gulf.
We thank, of course, all our servicemen and women for our affiliate stations for sharing these personal holiday moments with us. Just awesome.
It may be the biggest save the date of the decade. Prince William and Catherine Middleton announcing the when, the where. All of this having to do with the big day. When are they getting hitched? We'll hear all the details from our royal watcher, that is ahead.
Also ahead, Gloria Borger standing by with breaking news from the world of politics. The CNN Political Ticker is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Welcome back to the NEWSROOM. CNN has all your latest political news with The Best Political Team on Television. CNN Equals Politics and there she is, Gloria Borger, at the CNNpolitics.com - hello -- desk. Gloria, the GOP numbers in the House continue to swell. What are you seeing?
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I'm keeping count and right now, as of today, they're up to 63 seats. That's 63, Brooke. I never expected that number to get that high when we were making our predictions, but Republicans gain their 63rd seat when House Democrat Dan Mafay called it quits and said he did not win. The winner in his upstate New York congressional district is a woman who's a political neophyte, Tea Party candidate Ann Marie Burkell. She's a former nurse, a former lawyer and now an official mama grizzly.
Congressman Mafay was hurt by his support of the entire Obama agenda. The stimulus, the health care reform package, climate change. And, so, you know, this is a lesson to lots of those Democrats, the moderate ones who may still be left that that could get you in trouble.
By the way, this is the sixth Republican pickup in the state of New York and that's the largest number of pickups in any state in the country. Now, there's still another election, though, Brooke, that is not decided and that is in the state of Minnesota. The governor's race. Let me get this right. There's one half of one percent percent that separates the Democratic candidate from the Republican candidate.
BALDWIN: One half of one percent. That's teeny tiny.
BORGER: Whoa! You remember there was another recount, a famous one in the state of Minnesota in the Senate that gave us Al Franken as a senator, and you know how long that recount took? Nine months. That's long enough to give birth, right? But we'll see what happens. We'll see what happens here in the governor's race.
And last but not least, there's going to be a new book out and it's going to be written by senator-elect Rand Paul. Famous Tea Party candidate. It's called "The Tea Party Goes to Washington." Has a familiar ring to it. Usually people write books after they've been to Washington. But Rand Paul has decided to write a book giving voice to the Tea Party movement. And who knows? Maybe he'll write a sequel after he's been here for a while, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Maybe he was just really, really confident, that Rand Paul.
BORGER: Maybe.
BALDWIN: Gloria, thank you.
You can also get the latest political news. Go to CNNpolitics.com and see what's on the ticker and also on Twitter @politicalticker.
Now, watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This kind of practice is worth laughing at.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Really? Meet the movie director who combines comedy and real-life terror to make his point. That's next.
Plus, we are live in Arizona for the first stop of the Sarah Palin book tour. Is she drawing any kind of crowd? We'll find out from Shannon Travis in two minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: British terrorists dream up a plan to put bombs on birds. And that goes ridiculously wrong. And then they make one of those jihad video, but they keep flubbing their lines. Obviously, this isn't real, right? But it's funny, right? Maybe not.
A new movie is one of those projects that the director should have known would cause major controversy, and oh, has it ever. But as Kareen Wynter shows us here, real-life bad guys can be kind of funny, too.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The way you stop the Feds tracking you is very simple. You eat your SIM card.
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dim- witted jihadists.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can I cook my own?
WYNTER: Bone-headed schemes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are we going to blow up, Waj?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Internet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What?
WYNTER: This is the world of "Four Lions," a film that does what might seem unthinkable. Satirize terrorists.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Plant - to put a bomb on a crow.
WYNTER: Writer/director Chris Morris makes no apology for ridiculing Islamist terrorists and their deeds.
CHRIS MORRIS, WRITER/DIRECTOR, "FOUR LIONS": This kind of practice is worth laughing at. Why not?
WYNTER: The film centers on a group of radicals who plot against their native Britain, but they're not the sharpest tools in the shed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's with the gun? It's so small, man!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not too small.
WYNTER: One jihadist dies in a shocking mishap.
But, in the end, while disguised in silly costumes, the conspirators succeed in killing innocent people.
(on camera): To those who say terrorism isn't the proper subject for humor, Morris replies, his script was inspired by actual events.
MORRIS: How could you argue with the real-life cases we come up with? I mean, they're absurd.
WYNTER: He cites the case of a Canadian terrorists who devised a remote-controlled detonator with a maximum range of 30 feet. Terrorism expert Brian Jenkins agrees some attempts at attack sound farcical.
BRAIN JENKINS, CONSULTANT, RAND CORP.: In many cases when you look at it, especially when the plot is interrupted, you say this is a hair brain scheme.
WYNTER: Take the attempted bombing in New York last spring.
JENKINS: Faisal Shahzad putting together his infernal device in Times Square didn't work. Bought the wrong kind of fertilizer, didn't know what he was doing. Of course it's a hairbrain scheme.
WYNTER: There is the so-called underwear bomber who scorched his private parts. Jenkins also points to a group of Hamas suicide bombers.
JENKINS: Photographed before they undertake their mission holding AK-47s which, in fact, are plastic. They're toy AK-47s. WYNTER: Jenkins screened "Four Lions" at our request, and he says it can serve a purpose by portraying terrorists as fallible and foolish.
JENKINS: I think it's useful. So long as it does not lead us into the notion that they're not still dangerous.
WYNTER: "Four Lions" recently opened in the United States after playing in the UK. Despite sensitivities in both countries about terrorism, Morris says audiences have understood his humor.
MORRIS: You would take offense if the film was saying, look at terrorism. Haha, blowing people up is funny. But that's the last thing it's doing. It's actually just looking at the people behind it.
WYNTER: People in the case of "Four Lions" with serious dilutions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To all you nonbelievers. To all you Jews.
WYNTER: Kareen Wynter, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: From Los Angeles, let's stay out west. Let's go to Arizona. Phoenix, the first stop of Sarah Palin's book tour, which kicks off today. There he is, Shannon Travis. There live. And Shannon, I'm looking behind you. I'm not seeing a line, don't know if that's a good sign or bad sign for Sarah Palin.
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Well, this is Sarah Palin, Brooke. If you write it, they will come. They came earlier today, basically, lined up. Sarah Palin, she's a reality TV star, she's a political star and she's hoping to submit her reputation as a publishing star also. This is the book that she hopes to cement that reputation with. Hot off the presses. "Sarah Palin, America by Heart."
Right now, the lines are not here any more, but, again, we're probably seeing people lined earlier today to basically get wrist bands. The wrist bands have a number, a letter on them that basically places you in a certain line. Once you come back in about two hours from now, a little under two hours to actually have your book be signed by Sarah Palin. So, that's why you don't see any people now. There were throngs of people earlier today though, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Wow, so it's like hardcore organized, Shannon.
Let's read into the political tea leaves. You're looking at the states in which her tour meanders, is there anything to make of those states?
TRAVIS: Well, how about this? You won't see many blue states on the tour. There are 16 stops. Mostly all red states.
But how about this, Brooke, you've got two stops in Iowa. Why Iowa? Why are we even talking about Iowa? Obviously the caucuses are there. That's important for any potential presidential candidate.
You've also got a stop in South Carolina. Why is that important? Because that's the first southern primary in the presidential race. You've also got a stop in Ohio, which is a bellweather. Basically she needs to win Ohio if you want to win the White House.
So, maybe we read into the tea leaves there that she's cementing her reputation with her conservative supporters in a lot of these red state visits. She's also going to important presidential battlegrounds.
BALDWIN: Shannon, 30 seconds, you have your book in your hand. Any big surprises?
TRAVIS: A lot of surprises. I saw some talk about Simon Cowell and "American Idol." she mentioned a few other things, but, for a woman who a lot of critics say is very divisive, this one quote kind of jumped out at me. She said, "Near the end for me the idea of unity among commonsense Americans regardless of their voter registration is not a difficult concept to grasp." So, again, that kind of stood out at me because a lot of her critics said she was pretty divisive. But she's talking about unity, and that's not to hard to understand.
BALDWIN: Hmm. What is up with this "American Idol" issue she has? I'm kind of interested to read about that. Shannon Travis, thank you. Good luck with the crowds tonight. Thank you, sir!
Coming up next, it is official, the royal wedding is set. There's the lovely couple and we have all it details from our royal watcher. Stay right there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: It will be one of the most anticipated events in all of the year 2011. Prince William, Catherine Middleton will be married Friday, April 29th -- we now have a date as of today -- at Westminster Abbey in London. The royal family will pay for the wedding, and the day has already been declared a public holiday.
Katie Nicholl is a royal watcher for us and the author of the book "William and Harry: Behind the Palace Walls." And she's live in London with the scoop on the wedding of the century.
Katie, we have a date. Any significance here? Can we read into April 29 at all?
KATIE NICHOLL, AUTHOR, "WILLIAM AND HARRY": Well, you're right. We finally have a date, Brooke. And it's wonderful, because we waited a whole week for this information.
It's incredibly rare. When the royal family announce an engagement, you usually get the venue and the date, but we were left hanging, as we often are with Prince William. He likes to do things his own way, and the reason that it's the end of April is because Easter falls quite late this year. The queen will be fasting and recognizing lent. Then there will be Easter. And the couple have said for a while that what they want is a spring wedding, and they wanted it to fall on a Friday so that the British public could have a bank holiday.
Now, the lucky thing for us, whether you're a royalist or not, you're going to love this couple for getting married this weekend because it's a May bank holiday the following Monday. So, actually, we get another four-day weekend.
So, I think the headlines over here in the U.K. -- I'm just quoting you from "The Evening Sun, of which I've got in front of me -- April 29th, "Let's Have a Party." And that's what this is all about.
This is a very -- I think this is going to be a very different royal wedding from what you've seen before. This is about these two celebrating their nuptials and finally tying the knot after nine long years.
BALDWIN: We were looking at pictures of it. Beautiful. I visited it, it's gorgeous, Westminster Abbey. It's really sort of the royal family's church.
And if you can -- I know sort of the significance, but tie together the significance looking at both Diana and also Queen Elizabeth.
NICHOLL: Well, absolutely. I think this might well be the 13th royal wedding at the abbey. Let's hope it's not unlucky for them. I'm sure it won't be.
But the princess royal was married out there. As you point out, the queen was married there. The queen mother was married there.
So, it's got a lot of history for the British royal family. And I think, really, the only other contender for a London wedding would have been St. Paul's. And I think that was almost a little too close to home.
I don't think Prince William wanted either himself or Catherine in a position where they were being compared back to Diana and Charles back in July, in 1981. So, this way, they escape the comparisons, and yet they're also able to have a London wedding on a huge scale. You know, the capacity at the abbey is actually 8,000 people.
BALDWIN: Eight thousand people inside.
We're looking at the pictures inside.
Let me get to the guest list, because that's the good stuff. And we were reporting earlier at least when it comes to the engagement party, Snoop Dogg, I guess per Harry, will be at this. So, do you know about the guest list? Do you know who will be coming?
NICHOLL: Well, it's funny that you pick up on Snoop Dogg. I mean, who knows? The invitations haven't gone out yet. I know that (INAUDIBLE) -- you have to remember when William and Harry put on the memorial concert for their mother back in 2007. They made some good friends in the industry -- Rod Stewart, Supertramp, a whole plethora of stars.
So, I think in many ways, these young royals are the closest that we have to a sort of Hollywood A-list couple. So, you can certainly expect a --
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: We will wait for the big names to be dropped.
NICHOLL: Absolutely.
BALDWIN: But also, Katie, what about the cost here? I mean, I'm hearing -- and I don't know if this is right -- $40 million, and that that doesn't even include security costs.
Who is footing the bill?
NICHOLL: Well, we haven't even been able to put a figure on the cost alone because it's still very early stages.
BALDWIN: I see.
NICHOLL: What has been said is that the prince of Wales is going to be picking up the cost for all of the entertaining, all of the drinks, for the reception, et cetera. The Middleton family, very unusually, are also going to be contributing. I think the idea is they will host some sort of an engagement party.
But the bill that's going to hit the taxpayers hard will be for security costs. But, let's face it, the royal family costs us 62 pence a year. That's it.
The whole of Britain is going to have a three -- or actually, a four-day holiday. We need this wedding. We've had a tough, tough couple of years of recession.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Austerity issues, and also though, hopefully, it will be counteracted by maybe billions in tourism because of this long weekend.
NICHOLL: Absolutely.
BALDWIN: Katie Nicholl, thank you so much for jumping on the phone. This is so exciting. What a beautiful bride she will be.
Katie, thanks.
NICHOLL: Thank you.
BALDWIN: And coming up next, some videos you've got to see. You have a dancing panda. Who can go wrong with a dancing panda? Also, a rat versus a cat.
Stay there.
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BALDWIN: You've heard the saying "Music soothes the savage beast." Well, they must not have been talking about pandas or hip- hop.
You've got to see this.
(MUSIC)
BALDWIN: What is that panda doing? I've got that song on my iPod.
The panda is dancing to "Like a G6," the hot 100 billboard single by Far East Movement. Sorry, I've got the giggles now.
Now, that is one panda who knows his music, and he's got better moves than, hey, most guys I've seen. Let's be honest.
Next, where there is a will, there is a way. Check this out.
What is going on? Wow, this man doesn't have any arms.
Look at this. Look at his feet. Look at his right toes.
He didn't let that stop him from doing what he loves, shooting guns. I feel bad for the person who tries to break into this guy's house. Watch out.
Next, this is Moscow. See the rat? Now see the pack of cats?
For any other rodent, that would spell disaster, but apparently, not this fellow. Rat one, cat zero. He had no trouble letting these alley cats know who's boss. Obviously, the rat has watched one too many episodes of "Tom and Jerry."
All right. Snow, ice, busy travel week, bad combo. Just how bad? You all have been sending me your TwitPics from Seattle. Love it. Going to show some of them live, talk to Chad about what's going on in the Wild West. That is next.
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BALDWIN: Police called it cold and calculated murder. They say somebody wanted Russell Sneiderman dead. He's this man in Georgia. Here's a picture. The details of the story are really chilling.
The 36-year-old father of two was shot and killed just after dropping his son off at daycare last week, middle of the day, morning time. This happened in an affluent suburb of Atlanta.
Witnesses told police a man came up from behind him, opened fire, shot him multiple times, point blank. The guy then got away in a silver minivan that didn't have a license plate.
So police are looking -- they've just released this sketch -- they're looking for this guy. They're also trying to figure out a motive. They say it looks like a professional hit, not something that would be random.
Russell Sneiderman's family -- they called him "Rusty" -- trying to deal with this tragedy. There's his wife.
His brother says they're struggling to understand how and why this could have happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE SNEIDERMAN, BROTHER OF MURDERED MAN: My brother was murdered. No one should have to face that.
Our family has been devastated. My niece and nephew will never know their father. My sister-in-law has had an entire lifetime of dreams ripped from her. Our whole family has lost its brightest light, and we don't know why.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The Sneiderman family is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. An awful story for this family out of Georgia.
(WEATHER REPORT)
BALDWIN: All right. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thanks for watching the CNN NEWSROOM.
Sending it off to Suzanne Malveaux, taking charge in "THE SITUATION ROOM" -- Suzanne.
