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Terror in Wisconsin Classroom; President Obama Meets With Republicans; Electrician Claims Picasso Sketches Estimated at $80 Million Were Gift From Artist; Student Protests Continue in U.K. Over Tuition Hikes; Lots Of Praise, Little Progress; Here Comes The Volt; Survey on Gay Troop Ban; 'On the Case'; Urgent Search for Three Brothers
Aired November 30, 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 real quickly, take a look at the Big Board. Dow is down 46 points today at right about 11000.
Now this --
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN (voice-over): Terror in the classroom. For six hours a teenager is accused of holding his classmates, even his teacher, hostage. So, why did he do it? Police have found some huge clues hidden in his duffel bag. Also coming up, you will hear from one of the hostages himself.
I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are ready to give tax cuts to every American making $250,000 a year or less.
BALDWIN: Will the Slurpee summit help these guys reach a deal on those expiring Bush tax cuts?
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MINORITY LEADER: Republicans aren't looking for a fight.
BALDWIN: Or are your taxes about to go way up come January 1? Joe Johns has the political pop.
A master's treasure trove discovered, but Picasso's son insists these works are stolen property. So who do they belong to and how much are they really worth?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Imagine your worst nightmare come true. How would you respond?
BALDWIN: Police are not buying one father's story about what happened to his three missing boys. Sunny Hostin is on the case for us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Hour number two. Here we go. I'm Brooke Baldwin with a lot of news happening right now.
Rapid fire, let's roll. First, the teenager suspected of taking his classmates and teacher hostage has died. The standoff happened Monday inside a Wisconsin classroom, lasted more than six hours. Can you imagine? Police say he fired his gun several times throughout that ordeal. We are told he shot himself as police began to approach him. You're going to hear how it all went down from one of the hostages just minutes away.
Next, the last unemployment check is in the mail now for about two million jobless Americans out there. Today is that deadline for Congress to extend federal unemployment benefits. But there is no indication that lawmakers plan to do that. Many jobless Americans simply have run out of federal unemployment benefits in the coming weeks.
Next, "The New York Post" is reporting port authorities are discreetly trying to terror-proof four packed subway tunnels running under the Hudson River. Defense contractors are apparently installing thick metal plates along the walls, and huge flood-prevention gates also being built on either end of the two main lines. The work comes after 2006 reports showed the tunnels were vulnerable to terrorist attacks.
Next, to the roads we go. A first-ever drug analysis found one in three drivers -- let me read that again -- one in three drivers killed in car crashes tested positive for drugs last year. Those include illegal drugs and prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy calls the numbers alarming and should be a wakeup call to all of us.
Next, Mexican law enforcement officers have uncovered a mass grave on a ranch with 18 bodies. This is in the northern state of Chihuahua. The grave was found Friday after the Mexican military interrogated five men for marijuana possession. Investigators are still trying to figure out the bodies' identities and the cause of death.
Next, more disturbing news, this also coming out of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. A female police chief there was murdered on Monday. She was gunned down on her way to work. This is 38-year-old Hermila Garcia. She became the top officer in Meoqui, Mexico, two months ago.
Next, on Capitol Hill, the Senate approved the biggest overall haul to food safety laws in the U.S. since the 1930s. The Senate vote came more than a year after the House passed a similar bill. The measure gives more power to the FDA, the Food and Drug Administration, including the authority to order direct recalls, rather than rely on all those voluntary recalls by manufacturers.
Next: Another NFL quarterback graces the pages of "Sports Illustrated" as the sportsman of the year. And, no, no, no, I'm not talking Brett Favre, not talking Tom Brady. I'm guessing you know this guy, though. The distinction goes to the New Orleans Saints quarterback, who dat, Drew Brees. It's not just for leading the Saints to Super Bowl victory, though, we should add, also for what he has done for the whole city of New Orleans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DREW BREES, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: I just feel like I have been blessed with so much in my life and have had so many unique opportunities and had many great people around me, that I just want to be able to give back what's been given to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Brees will receive that award tonight in New York. Congratulations to him.
Next, patients recovering at New York Presbyterian Hospital are being forced out of the VIP floor. Why, you ask. Well, according to a number of reports, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah apparently has booked the whole wing, the whole wing, treatment and recovery rooms to protect his privacy as he's recovering now from back surgery. The king underwent surgery for a blood clot and slipped disc last week.
Next, parents, listen to this, teenagers these days using a favorite holiday spice to get high. Have you heard of this? Drug experts are finding more kids are smoking, they're snorting, they're drinking, and they're eating nutmeg. I think I just used that in my pumpkin pie. They're smoking the stuff, using it as hallucinogenic. For some, even a tablespoon could lead to serious health risks. Experts warning now that nutmeg could be a gateway drug.
Next, mark your calendars. Today is officially the end of the Atlantic hurricane season. This was the second busiest hurricane season on record with more than two dozen storms and hurricanes that caused more than a billion with a B. dollars in damages. Remarkably, the U.S. was spared any hurricane landfall, thank goodness.
He has been saying it as a senator and as a president. The rich will not get tax cuts. But could President Obama find himself eating those words soon? And will your taxes go up? That is ahead.
Plus, for almost six hours, they didn't know whether they would live, whether they would die. Next, you will hear from one of the students, he's just a teenager, who survived that hostage situation in Wisconsin. Find out what happened inside that classroom.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: A hostage drama ends at a high school in Wisconsin, but everyone still waiting for the answer to the big question, why did this happen in the first place?
The 15-year-old suspected of taking his classmates and teacher captive yesterday, this time yesterday, has just died. His name was Samuel Hengel. Hengel shot himself when police broke into this classroom to end this six-hour standoff. And, parents, imagine, you know, moms and dads, they're waiting outside. Tense, tense time. Hengel's classmate, meantime, engaged him in conversations about everyday teenage stuff. In fact, I spoke with one of the students who was trapped inside that classroom. This is Austin Biehl.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AUSTIN BIEHL, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT HELD HOSTAGE AT SCHOOL: One of my classmates started talking to him about hunting and fishing. And then everyone just started talking with him about movies and just -- we just kept talking. And he didn't threaten anyone, none of that.
BALDWIN: At any point in time, did he appear agitated, angry?
BIEHL: No, not at all. He seemed -- he was laughing with us at some of the jokes and the funny movie scenes and stuff like that.
BALDWIN: But, obviously, you realized this whole situation wasn't funny at all. Did any of you try asking him why he was doing this?
BIEHL: No. I don't -- no one asked.
BALDWIN: No one asked why?
BIEHL: Yes, no one did.
BALDWIN: I understand, Austin, that, at some point, he asked you guys to hand over your cell phones. Is that right? Did he explain why?
BIEHL: No. His cell phone went off. And then I think that might have triggered something to tell everyone else to get their cell phones out.
BALDWIN: You say he wasn't acting threatening. He wasn't yelling. Was he at all -- you mentioned he -- he shot at the wall. Did he ever aim his gun at you or any other students or the teacher in the classroom?
BIEHL: No. He did not aim the gun at any of us, except the principal when he came in. Just, he wasn't expecting it and he aimed it at him. And then the principal backed off and went outside.
BALDWIN: Do you know why the principal came in? Had the principal somehow heard the original gunshot?
BIEHL: I think one of the students got let out beforehand in an announcement call and -- to the office, and he let her go to the office. So, maybe she told him, and they went down.
BALDWIN: What about the teacher? Is it Mrs. Byrd (ph)? What was she doing at that time? Was she still sitting at the front of the classroom? Was she sitting at you all? Was she talking to Sam?
BIEHL: Yes, she was talking to him, asking if she could do anything for him. And she was sitting at her desk to the side of Sam. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: And now take a look at this, obviously a pretty angry crowd. You think your child's college tuition is high? Well, what if they tripled it?
And what started out as a daylong down-to-business meeting in the minds of Washington turned out to be, well, a quick session, short on face time, big on headlines. You know it. I know it. But did anything actually come out of it? And what about those tax cuts?
Joe Johns, we can't get enough of him. He's still staying in Atlanta. He's cutting through it all with his political pop. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: When President Obama first proposed a summit with high- ranking Republicans, it was supposed to be this, you know, whole-day affair. But today, this meeting lasted less than two hours.
So what happened to this lofty idea of working together in this nonpartisan way? To help explain what exactly happened, Mr. Joe Johns with the "Political Pop."
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This should be "Political Fizzle," maybe.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: We're fizzling today.
JOHNS: Right, right. Political Slurpee, I don't know.
BALDWIN: Well, needless to say, some people were expecting this big day-long, you know, food, drink, Slurpee, whatever, and it was just this 90-minute meeting.
What happened? Why did it change?
JOHNS: Yes. It's incredible. You know, they're actually supposed to have dinner, a whole day of it and then they were going to have a Slurpee or whatever, talk about all kinds of policy. Then, remember, it got cancelled, got postponed for awhile.
BALDWIN: Right, got pushed back.
JOHNS: The Republicans said they had some organizational issue. And then, they come in today and it's, what, an hour and 50-some minutes? Not much to it actually. We thought we were going to get something pretty grand and all we got was a couple pictures taken White House photographer. Not much at all.
BALDWIN: Not exactly the political op we were waiting for.
JOHNS: Very different. BALDWIN: Very different.
And also, though, was president thinking that a lot would get done in this 90-minute meeting?
JOHNS: This is total political theater.
BALDWIN: Right.
JOHNS: Go back to February, the health care summit, this was a deal where they're all going to sit down and roll up their sleeves --
BALDWIN: That was the last photo-op. Right?
JOHNS: Right, right, but they talked all day. And what the Republicans discovered there and also at a retreat in Baltimore with the president is that, number one, this guy is a very tough debater; and, number two, there's a whole bunch of them and just one of him. So they sort of look like they're sort of nipping around at the heels of the president of the United States. Meanwhile, he's lobbing bombs back and forth. They don't come off looking very good in these situations.
That's at least according to both Democrat and Republican strategists I talked to today. So, you know, we don't want to sit down in a room with the president and the cameras on.
BALDWIN; So what did happen? What did they get accomplished?
JOHNS: Well, it's clear that the Republicans went into this thing in a very strong position saying, hey, we've got one position, we want the Bush tax cuts extended permanently. Two, if that doesn't happen, we want the Bush tax cuts, all of them, extended temporarily. So they have two bargaining positions, and that's all.
BALDWIN: Temporary meaning like one year?
JOHNS: One year, two years, perhaps until the end of the president's first term, get it? So that's their position.
Meanwhile, the Democrats who are not in such a great position, are saying, well, maybe we could, like, take that $250,000 cutoff up to $500,000, up to $750,000 or whatever, let's bargain a little bit. Republicans are say, no, no, no. They figure either we'll get it right now and make it easy on the country or we'll get it in January when we've got more power.
BALDWIN: So what if, though -- let's play the what if game, Mr. Johns. What if nothing happens this year? What if they expire? Then what?
JOHNS: You put the IRS in a trick bag.
BALDWIN: That's not fun.
JOHNS: Because the IRS has got to figure out these tables to tell people how much is coming out of their checks or whatever, and that takes time. So that's a bit of a problem.
Still, if the Republicans come in in January and get some kind of a deal, they can do it retroactively. It's a little bit more of a mess for the country, at least businesses uncertain about what kind of taxes they're going to be paying until next year, but Republicans perhaps get more of what they want if they wait until next year.
BALDWIN: I mean, it's not like taxes are fun anyway.
By the way, did you check the weather? I don't know if you're leaving us.
JOHNS: Yes, I can't see my hand in front of my face in the fog.
BALDWIN: Look at this, this is downtown Atlanta right now.
JOHNS: I've never seen it like this.
BALDWIN: This is our grand plan to keep you in Atlanta.
JOHNS: So much for Hotlanta.
(LAUGHTER)
JOHNS: I'm stranded.
BALDWIN: Thank you, Joe Johns. "Political Pop," thank you.
Sp what happens when George W. Bush and the CEO of Facebook get together? Answer -- one heck of an interesting conversation. You're going to hear the back and forth, that is next.
Plus, a retired electrician -- I'm loving this story today. A retired electrician drops this bombshell, he says he has hundreds of unknown works by Pablo Picasso, but now he's being accused of stealing them. That is next.
But first, the new Picasso discovery can mean big bucks if the works actually ever make it to auction. We can't be sure exactly how much, but if CNNMoney.com's list of the top five pieces are of any indication here, it could mean a lot.
So look at this. Number five, Francis Bacon's Triptych, the three-paneled painting went for a little more than $86 million.
Number four here, Gustav Klimt, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II. This thing raked in just about $88 million.
And number three in terms of the most expenses pieces of art, Picasso. This is the Dora Maar Au Chat, brought in a whopping $95 million.
Folks, this is not chump change here. Wait until you hear what the top two most expensive pieces of art in the world. Can you guess? That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Now to the top two most expensive pieces of art, this is from CNNMoney.com.
Number two, this is another Picasso. This is -- say it again, Hala.
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT: "Garcon a la Pipe."
BALDWIN: She says it better than me. This thing went for $104 million.
And the most expensive piece of art is -- this is Alberto Giacometti, this is a bronze statue, L'Homme Qui Marsh I, it sold for more than $104 million.
And now to "Globe Trekking," tracking international stories. It got us definitely talking today. CNN international anchor who speaks perfect, fabulous French, Hala Gorani joining me with more.
This Picasso story, I just can't imagine so many Picassos hidden away. I'm just such a fan.
Now what? His family is outraged.
GORANI: His family is saying that this French electrician who's 71 years old, Pierre Le Guennec --
BALDWIN: Thank you.
GORANI: -- who says for the last almost 40 years he had these Picasso drawings priceless and non-referenced. That's what's important, nobody knew apart from him and a few others, some who may even be deceased, that these existed.
So he's saying he had these 271 pieces all drawn and executed by Picasso between 1900 and 1932, estimated value at least $80 million, but Picasso's son is saying, you know what, there's absolutely no way this electrician who worked for my father and then later for my father's last wife actually was given these.
BALDWIN: There's no way. They're saying stolen.
GORANI: He's saying it would be completely out of character. They're not dedicated to him. They're not signed. They're not dated. This is not something that any of the friends or family members of Pablo Picasso and the Picasso estate say would have been in character for Pablo Picasso, who died in 1973.
BALDWIN: Amazing, amazing.
Story number two, a story we've seen multiple days, protest in London and outside, not just London but the outskirts of really the U.K., over these tuition hikes. GORANI: Other big U.K. cities, Brighton, Birmingham and others. This isn't France, the U.K. This isn't usually a country where you see big protests like this and this is the third wave of student protests against tuition hikes in U.K. university.
BALDWIN: Tripling.
GORANI: Tripling them to $14,500 per year. So they're saying it's outrageous.
And these, by the way, protests have shocked security services and police forces. They're not used to this.
Today, we had fewer demonstrators, possibly because we've seen historically low temperatures in the U.K., freezing temperatures. So maybe the police are hoping for cold weather for the next few months.
BALDWIN: And finally, number tree on the "Globe Trekking" roster, Google getting investigated.
GORANI: Listen, I was looking into Google, Google's presence in the search engine market in Europe, because here in the United States, 66 percent of all search engine -- searches and search engines are performed on Google. In Europe, it's 80 percent.
So competitors and some online businesses who compete with Google's online businesses are saying -- are complaining to antitrust authorities in Europe, look, we have been downgraded in the search engine in Europe, which means we've lost business, and we've lost that business to Google-sponsored businesses online. We're complaining and we want antitrust authorities looking into this.
But this is not an immediate investigation that will provide immediate results. It takes months if not years to come up with the results and the results of these inquiries.
GORANI: All right, Hala Gorani, "Globe Trekking," thank you.
Now time for "Trending."
And first up here, this is a first-ever Facebook live interview. You have former President George W. Bush speaking with 20-something Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg about his -- former president's new memoir, "Decision Points."
And if you're wondering, you can see his page there, Mr. Bush is on Facebook. In fact, he talked to the audience about how he uses it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Lesson one in marketing, always go back to the task. So I use -- and I use the Facebook as a way to stay in touch with people who are interested and who either worked in our administration or interested in what Laura and I are doing. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: "The Facebook," that sounds like what my mother would say.
Almost 7,000 "The Facebook" users around the world tuned in to the hour-long broadcast yesterday. And when asked how he dealt with all the criticism during his presidency, Mr. Bush said he was used to it after witnessing his father in office.
By the way, former U.S. President George W. Bush has his own Facebook fan page with more than 600,000 fans.
And British Airways is selling royal wedding trip packages to London. So he puts a ring on her finger and a crown on her head, mark your calendars, April 29, 2011, and even you can be in the middle of this four-day weekend holiday in the U.K. for a price of about $865 per person. You can upgrade the package. That starts right around $1,000 per person. It includes round-trip airfare from the U.S. and hotels, but that does not include the wedding gift.
And have you heard about this today? This is huge, huge news in Georgia. It's believed to be one of the largest methamphetamine busts in all of the country. Investigators confiscated a total of 933 pounds of meth with an estimated street value, listen to this, they're putting the price tag at $44 million.
This home where you're looking at all these undercover drug agents, this home is the business city limits of Norcross and Gwinnett, that's a suburb of Atlanta. And because of the size of the lab and the extremely hazardous situation, the investigators requested the assistance of the DEA. They helped them out.
Gwinnett County Police investigators have one person in custody, charged him with trafficking in met methamphetamine. Take a look at this guy. How old do you think he is? Guess what? He's 33. Thirty- three-year-old Jose Galvez Vela of Texas.
And now this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am determined to see that if the law is repealed, the changes are implemented in such a way as to minimize any negative impact.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So the Pentagon says the majority of men and women in uniform don't mind serving alongside service members who are openly gay. So what will the Senate do with that information?
Also, the top dog at GM has a lot to be thankful for. Poppy Harlow has a lowdown on the Volt when we play "Reporter Roulette" next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: I want to begin today's "Reporter Roulette" with Chad Myers who has some breaking news here in the world of weather. Chad, possible tornadoes around Atlanta.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, maybe.
BALDWIN: Maybe.
MYERS: There was a little rotation. We have six houses that are damaged. Weather service is still saying wind damage. There's just no way to know there's a tornado, but we do have a rotation that's a little bit farther down toward Covington in Georgia. That would be on the east side of town. Notice that this tornado watch box no longer is in Atlanta. It has been canceled for Atlanta. It has been moved off to the east because that's where most of the significant weather will be later on tonight.
Here's what our tower cam looks like. This is downtown. We're probably 30 or 45 miles behind where the weather is. So, if you would look out into the distance, 35 or 40 miles, if you can't see that far, that's where the severe weather would be, Gwinnett County and also a little bit farther down toward the south.
BALDWIN: All right.
MYERS: It was I-85 that had -- right along I-85 by the mall in Georgia is where we have those six houses that are damaged.
BALDWIN: All right. Chad, keep us posted. Thank you. Continuing with "Reporter Roulette," I want to head next to Dana Bash on Capitol Hill. And Dana, we know the president met with Republicans and some Democrats in what some have been billing this is the Slurpee summit at the White House today. Tell me about the tone of the meeting. What was the tone?
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. The Slurpee summit sort of came and went without happening. This was a very short, very different kind of meeting, but the tone was really striking for anybody who has been paying attention to politics lately. It was striking because of the fact that all sides, all sides made such a concerted effort to strike a tone of bipartisanship, of cooperation, of being willing to compromise.
We're talking about from the president to Republican leaders to Democratic leaders. Whether or not that tone will translate into action is a whole different question.
BALDWIN: What about the action? I mean, at least today, did they walk away with anything concrete?
BASH: No. No. They didn't. And that's actually to the point of rhetoric versus action. That speaks to it right there. They did not have anything actionable so to speak coming out on everything from tax cuts to unemployment to the START treaty, whether the Senate should ratify that to a host of other issues that are really pressing in this lame-duck session.
What they did do, however, Brooke, is set up a negotiating team pretty quickly, actually, with representative from the administration and two Democrats and two Republicans from Capitol Hill. And they're going to get together, maybe even as soon as today, to start to try to hash out that very thorny issue of how to extend the Bush tax cuts. So, very, very different philosophically. Everybody agrees that.
BALDWIN: We'll wait and see what happens later today. Dana, thank you from Capitol Hill.
And also, next, this is hard to hear, especially during the holiday season, but don't look for another extension of unemployment benefits anytime soon. Next on "Reporter Roulette," Poppy Harlow joining me in New York. Poppy, this affects many, many people.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Yes, and it goes to the point of what Dana was saying in terms of Republicans and Democrats talking but little action. They did not extend unemployment benefits. They've been extended up to 99 weeks for some people, almost two years. That ended today, Brooke. What we're going to see in December is 2 million Americans, 2 million, losing those unemployment checks, and what the National Employment Law Project is saying is that 800,000 people could lose those checks within four days.
To give you a sense of how big the 2 million number is in terms of people losing their checks all together in December, it's about the size of the state of New Mexico. This is a huge impact. Economists are very worried, and they're saying what happens to the money that those people spend to boost our economy? That could hurt us. No agreement. Our Republicans say any extension is just too expensive, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Poppy, what about this big, new exciting car? At least, that's how GM is putting it out there. The big, new Chevy Volt rolling off the assembly line. I know you talked to the CEO of GM. How did he sound, pretty upbeat?
HARLOW: This is some great news for General Motors. They rolled off the first electric volt. I actually drove one. That's me driving one a few months ago, a neat experience, but they rolled off the first one of the assembly lines in Detroit. Some other good news on the jobs from, Brooke. They said they're going to hire a thousand more people at GM in Detroit to work on the volt, but the question is are people going to buy the car, $41,000.
That's what this car is going to cost before tax breaks. That's a lot for Americans especially right now, but this is sort of the new phase, the electric phase of cars that we're seeing from the volt -- from GM. There's one from Nissan, some Chinese competitors. So, certainly a push forward for the industry, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Poppy Harlow, thank you.
Also today, we have results of a new Pentagon survey on "don't ask, don't tell," and it reveals how servicemen and women feel about serving alongside openly gay troops. Next from "Reporter Roulette," Chris Lawrence from the Pentagon. Chris, what's the bottom line here?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Bottom line, Brooke, is that, basically, the Pentagon is saying, look, you know, if you overturn "don't ask, don't tell", it's not going to have much of an effect on how well troops can fight. That a lot of the opposition is based on misconceptions and stereotypes. The Pentagon basically says, look, they could implement this and allow gay troops to serve openly even during two wars, and if they did so, there would be no separate housing, no segregated housing based on your sexual preference.
BALDWIN: Chris, 30 seconds. Any more specifics, though, about how troops would feel about serving alongside openly gay men and women?
LAWRENCE: Yes. For example, the study found that of the people who responded, nearly 70 percent say they've already served with a gay or lesbian service member. So, there's a lot of people out there who are not asking and not telling already. They also found that of those folks, more than 90 percent said that, you know, when they did serve with gay or lesbian service members, their ability to get along and work well with the unit was either very good, good, or not bad at all.
BALDWIN: Chris Lawrence for us at the Pentagon. Chris, thank you. That is today's "Reporter Roulette."
Next here, to the man accused of kidnapping Elizabeth Smart had to be physically removed from the courtroom today. I'm going to tell you what happened. Plus, what expert witnesses are saying about what he does behind bars. We're on that case ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: I want you to take a look at what happen just a couple of minutes ago. This is the floor of the U.S. Senate. Let's watch this together. Here he is. A standing ovation for retiring Connecticut senator. This is Chris Dodd. He just made his final speech to colleagues in that chamber. Mr. Dodd served in the Senate for 30 years. And there's everyone on their feet, standing ovation.
CNN has all your latest political news with the best political team on television, of course. CNN Equals Politics, and Gloria Borger is at the CNNPolitics.com desk. And Gloria, I know you just heard the co-chairs of the president's commission came out and they're postponing that vote, aren't they?
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, they are postponing that vote until Friday. It's a big item on our Political Ticker right now, Brooke. They came out and they said, look, we're just going to give you our recommendations tomorrow, putting off the vote till Friday, but no matter what happens with that vote, the co- chairman, Erskine Bowles, said that they have finally defined the extent of the serious problem for the American people. Just take a listen to him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ERSKINE BOWLES, CO-CHAIR, NATL. COMMISSION ON FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY: The era of deficit denial in Washington is over. I don't think there is a soul left in America who doesn't understand that this deficit and this debt is like a cancer and is going to destroy our country from within if we don't face up to it and face up to it quickly. And Washington is learning that, and, boy, they are learning it fast.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BORGER: You know, Brooke, Washington is learning it fast. You've been talking all day about that mini-summit at the White House. The problem is that they're not going to get 14 out of 18 members to vote for this deficit commission plan when they do vote on Friday. And that means that it's not going to wind up on the floor of the Senate
So, good intentions, but these are very, very tough problems and very difficult to solve, and the deficit commission is a prime example of how you can work real hard to get it done, and in the end, not get the votes for it.
BALDWIN: So, Gloria, I guess, we can't all agree on the -- they can't agree on the report recommendations whether useful exercise.
BORGER: Right. They're not. Well, it was a useful exercise in many ways because it does define the extent of the problem. It's going to be a useful document as they go ahead in the future. And it did talk about some very serious things we have to look at as a country. For example, it talked about cutbacks in Social Security, Medicare, cutbacks on some tax breaks, cutbacks on defense spending.
And even with all of these proposals, Brooke, it still doesn't get the deficit down to zero for decades. So, in terms of defining how large the problem is, the deficit commission was a useful exercise. But in the end, folks are not going to agree to get it to the floor of the Congress because they don't agree on how to get to zero. Republicans don't want to raise taxes, and Democrats don't want to cut as much spending.
BALDWIN: I think we all agree that we do not want this cancerous debt to metastasize. We'll just see how we can improve it, and we'll wait and see -- we'll wait for that in the end of the week, as well. Gloria Borger, thank you. You can always get the latest political news and stories, hop at Political Ticker, go to CNNPolitics.com or hop on Twitter@PoliticalTicker.
And this poor child gets stuck in a washing machine. Need I say more? No. You got to see this, next.
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BALDWIN: All right. Taking you back to my childhood, hide and go seek was one of my favorite, favorite games growing up. I've got to be honest, I was kind of good at it.
My brother and I would spend hours and hours playing in and around the House. We came up with some pretty sweet places to hide.
But you know what? One spot I never actually thought of was the washing machine. And maybe that's a good thing as you're about to see. You've got to see this.
This video coming in to us from China, where that little boy, yes, he's stuck. Him and his mom playing a game of hide and go seek. When it was his turn to hide, the boy hopped in the washing machine.
The only problem, you see, he can't get out. Firefighters, called to the scene, had to take apart the washing machine using a saw.
Quite an adventure for this little guy. Fortunately, he's OK.
Next, so this is Friday night. This is a college football game. This is UCLA versus Arizona State.
UCLA is scoring a touchdown against AZ State. And then you see that? We spotlighted it for you.
What was that? Who was that?
That was a little boy falling from the stands. We'll roll it again. You can get a closer look. It happens really quickly.
The 2-year-old fell over the rail, down 10 feet, into the end zone. Stadium officials apparently looked all over for the little boy for minutes before one worker was able to grab him, carry him off the field.
Apparently, he's a tough little guy, though, didn't cry. And more importantly, no serious injuries. Yikes.
Wolf Blitzer up next with a look at what's ahead in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
Stay there.
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BALDWIN: Now I want to "Fast Forward" for a look at tomorrow's headlines right now.
First, Wednesday is the deadline for the president's debt commission to submit their report. They announced today that they will postpone that vote until the end of the week. It was supposed to happen tomorrow. Now at the end of the week. They've been working for months to come up with suggestions, recommendations for the president to put a dent in the nation's $14 trillion debt.
And former President Bill Clinton travels to Switzerland, where he's going to be making a pitch for the U.S. host the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
And also tomorrow is World AIDS Today. And to mark the global effort, Grammy Award-winning artist Alicia Keys -- there she is -- she is joining me live in the NEWSROOM tomorrow.
Did you know that she staged her own digital media death? What does that mean? No tweets, no Facebook until she raises enough money to buy back her digital life. This is a campaign to raise money for people with AIDS.
Don't miss that. Alicia Keys talking to me tomorrow.
And now more help for the president's goal of ending the ban on gays in the military. This Pentagon survey essentially is revealing that more than two-thirds of service members do not object to gay and lesbian troops serving openly. And these numbers, they are similar to the CNN/Opinion Research poll.
We asked if openly gay people should be allowed to serve in the military, and our poll showed us 72 percent of respondents said yes. And today, Defense Secretary Robert Gates urged Congress to lift this ban.
Wolf Blitzer joins me from "THE SITUATION ROOM."
And Wolf, Secretary Gates says there would not be much risk to military readiness.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": And he bases that in part not only on the survey that they did, but on the experience that so many of the NATO allies, other friendly countries like Israel have had, who allow gay gays to serve openly in their respective militaries. They really haven't had any serious problems, and that's helped to convince a lot of the top U.S. military commanders that there wouldn't be a serious problem in the U.S. military as well if they decided to go ahead and repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which prevents gays from serving openly in the military.
So now it's up to Congress, if they're going to pass the legislation. They've got to pass legislation. If they don't pass legislation, there may be a loophole, there may be some opportunity for the president to sign some sort of executive order lifting that ban, sort of like the way President Truman did in desegregating the U.S. military after World War II.
But those are real sensitive issues right now. And we're going to discuss that in part with David Axelrod, the president's senior adviser. He's going to be here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
We're also going to be talking with Eric Cantor, the number two Republican in the House of Representatives. He was at that meeting --
BALDWIN: He was at that meeting.
BLITZER: -- that summit meeting over at the White House.
So we're going to try to get a little sense of when they say yes, good stuff happened at the meeting, well, how good was all that stuff that happened in the meeting? And we've got two participant, two players, one from the White House, one from Congress, who are going to help us better appreciate what's going on.
BALDWIN: We know you will be pressing Mr. Cantor as to perhaps what they've been talking about and looking ahead to some of what they hope to accomplish in the weeks ahead and into the next Congress.
Wolf Blitzer, interesting. Two interviews there we'll be looking for in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
Wolf, thank you.
Another story we've been watching closely here on this show, three young brothers, they are still missing. But here's the new twist today. The dad is now in custody. The brand-new developments, that is next.
Plus, could thousands of prisoners in one state just be freed all because of overcrowding? It's sparking a lot of fears.
Sunny Hostin is "On the Case" next.
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BALDWIN: Before we get to "On the Case," I want to show you -- this is a live picture of I-85 in the Atlanta area. And take a look at the left side of your screen. That is just nasty out there.
The weather is abysmal. All of this because of these tornado warnings in and around the southeast area.
And we have some pictures of some of the homes that have been damaged. Look at this.
No confirmed tornadoes yet, but some may say this smells of tornado. We just don't know yet. Six total homes damaged in the greater Atlanta area.
Also this -- a big development this afternoon in the case of those three little boys still missing in Michigan.
This is a bizarre scene in court today as well in the trial of a man charged with kidnapping Elizabeth Smart.
Sunny Hostin is on the case.
And Sunny, I want to start with this story with these three boys who have been missing since last week, when their father tried to commit suicide. And at the top of the show, it was a huge development this afternoon. The FBI has arrested this father. We're going to hear whether or not he will be charged with parental kidnapping.
But there was another development this morning. It doesn't sound good. I want you to listen. Let's both listen to what the police chief told reporters this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CHIEF LARRY WEEKS, MORENCI, MICHIGAN, POLICE: There's been information that has developed since last we spoke that -- based on the information that we have, we do not anticipate a positive outcome here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: I mean, Sunny, I don't even know -- he almost looked like he was fighting back tears. What would lead this police chief to believe this won't end well?
SUNNY HOSTIN, LEGAL ANALYST: Well, you know, it's police speak, I think, for we've spoke on the suspect here and we have information now, positive information from the suspect that the boys likely have been harmed. And it's a very sad case.
I know when officers are involved in child cases, cases of child abduction, child murder, they do take it very seriously, they take it to heart. And we're talking about not one, not two, but three missing little boys, ages 9, 7, and 5. And so, certainly, I think that what this officer is saying is he has some new information from the father, and it isn't good information -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: So why, though, then today arrest this father with a parental kidnapping charge?
HOSTIN: Well, that is typically sort of an interim charge, Brooke, in a case like this. They don't have the boys. They don't exactly know where they are. The investigation is still fluid.
But they don't want the main suspect to be out on the lam, to escape, to flee. And so sometimes you do file kidnapping charges, and that is what happened here.
The FBI picked him up. He's going to be held at a local jail, and the investigation is ongoing. Unfortunately, it sounds like they are now looking to recover the boys' bodies or their whereabouts.
BALDWIN: Real quickly, Sunny, still no idea where these boys are?
HOSTIN: No idea whatsoever. I've been calling around, trying to find out some additional information. The police aren't releasing any additional information about the whereabouts of the boys.
BALDWIN: OK.
Case number two, let's look at this. Let's take a look at the picture.
This is the man accused of kidnapping Elizabeth Smart from her bed at knifepoint. And there he was, wheeled out of court this morning on a stretcher.
So, Sunny, what happened? HOSTIN: Well, apparently he collapsed, Brooke, at about 8:50 this morning, and he ended up beneath the defense table. But, you know, he has been on trial, but he hasn't been in the courtroom during most of the testimony because he starts singing these religious hymns, and he is being disruptive and he is escorted out.
So the question on everyone's minds is, was this really a seizure, as his attorneys are alleging, or was this sort of drama? Is this -- is he faking it?
And, you know, we've been calling around today to try and get some sort of update on his condition, and we haven't been able to get an update on his condition. And so, again, the question is, did he really have a seizure, did he really collapse, or is this just sort of more of the same? Because the issue here is whether or not he was legally insane when he kidnapped and sexually assaulted Elizabeth Smart, and that's what his attorneys are claiming.
And so, is he making it up or not?
BALDWIN: Perhaps one of the reasons why we're questioning the veracity of the seizure, is because he was also singing in court, so people aren't entirely sure about this guy.
HOSTIN: Daily.
BALDWIN: All right. Sunny Hostin, "On the Case."
Thank you so much.
And with that, I'm going to turn things over to my colleague, Wolf Blitzer, in "THE SITUATION ROOM" -- Wolf.
