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Hollywood Murder Solved?; Sarah Palin Visits Iowa; House Censure Vote on Rangel
Aired December 02, 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: All right, two stories on the trending agenda. I want to bring Brooke Anderson live from L.A.
Brooke, what do you have?
BROOKE ANDERSON, HLN HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": First I'm going to start with Aretha Franklin, Brooke, because a prayer vigil was held in Detroit for the queen of soul. For what you may ask? We don't know. That's what everybody is curious about.
"SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" has confirmed that she's scheduled to undergo surgery today, but for what nobody is sure. Last month the singer canceled all of her tour dates until the spring because of health concerns.
Her publicist says thanks to the Detroit City Council for their prayer vigil and many thanks to the city for their support. All prayers are good. Brooke, her reps would not disclose any more information.
And interestingly we got a statement last month at the time saying that she was out of the hospital but nobody knew that she had even been admitted. We just don't know the extent of her problems and how concerned everybody should be. But I get it. It's understandable, right, because health concerns can be a very personal and private matter.
Grammy nominations are officially out. CBS had that big live prime-time concert marking the event last night. Eminem, Slim Shady, Em, Marshall Mathers, whatever you want to call him, is really feeling the Grammy love today. He's got 10 nominations. And it's well-deserved. His new album, "Recovery," has sold millions of copies, a huge commercial success.
Now it's an incredible critical success. He's up for album of the year, which he's never won, despite numerous Grammy wins over the course of his career. The album is a tribute of sorts to his long battle with prescription drugs.
He spent some time in rehab. I spoke to him earlier this year. This is actually video from the interview. And he told me that he's now through the dark times, completely sober, and the Grammys sent out a congratulatory tweet. I want you to check this out. "Congrats to Eminem with 10 nominations, the most of the night." Also to Bruno Mars, with seven and Jay-Z, Lady Antebellum and Lady Gaga each with six.
Brooke, they are going to be handed out on February 13.
BALDWIN: Very cool, Brooke Anderson. Thank you so much.
ANDERSON: Good to see you.
BALDWIN: Now this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN (voice-over): Police close in on a possible suspect of a Hollywood publicist, but the interrogation takes a violent turn and now everyone is asking, did someone hire a hit man to take out this Hollywood power player?
I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
MARY VOYTEK, NASA: A life from Earth that was discovered that does something very unusual. It's terrestrial life, but not life as we know it.
BALDWIN: Scientists have spent year scouring space for signs of alien life-forms, but the answer may have been close to home all along.
BILL NYE, THE SCIENCE GUY: In the big picture, is it possible that there are other living things here on Earth that do not share a common ancestor with you and me?
BALDWIN: A jail guard under investigation and caught on camera. The prisoner punched, beaten, and held down with a foot on this throat. We will tell you what went down.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sarah, I love you.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: Sarah Palin makes another stop in Iowa. We are live at her book signing in a key presidential state.
LeBron James back in Cleveland. How all know it will not be a happy homecoming, but how brutal will Cavs fans really be?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: We are rocking and rolling today. Hi, everyone. I'm Brooke Baldwin.
A lot of news happening right now, rapid fire. Let's begin with this.
A death sentence in the Connecticut home invasion trial. This man convicted in the 2007 murders a woman and her two daughters will pay with his life. A judge says Steven Hayes wrote the sentence for himself in flames. Prosecutors say he and an accomplice raped and strangled the mother, molested one of the girls, and then set their home on fire.
Only the father managed to escape that. Hayes says he was tormented, has had nightmares about what happened, and believes that death will be a welcome relief. Find out what Dr. Petit did in court today when Sunny Hostin joins me for "On the Case." That is ahead.
Next, the people in charge of protecting us say they are working at a relentless pace to deal with homegrown terror. In fact, the head of the National Counterterrorism Center says the past year has been as intense as any time since 9/11. He says the face of al Qaeda is changing, the threats are growing, the enemy evolving. In fact, his comments come nearly a week after a U.S. citizen tried to blow up a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland, Oregon.
Next, remember the Arizona sheriff's deputy who claimed he was wounded by drug smugglers, but a lot of people out there kind of questioned his story? Well, he's now in trouble for allegedly threatening a reporter. For now, Deputy Louie Puroll is on paid administrative leave while the latest incident is being investigated. But according to reporter Paul Rubin, Deputy Puroll told him a friend had offered to murder Rubin and that Rubin was lucky to be alive.
Puroll's boss says he is taking the issue very seriously.
Next, don't give up and don't say rest in peace. That is the message from the community looking for these three missing boys in Michigan. But officers, they are now asking volunteers to stop their search tomorrow. These little boys disappeared last week. Their father told police he dropped them off with some mystery woman. But he's now being charged with kidnapping and fighting his extradition from Ohio back to Michigan. Still no word yet as to where this investigation is going from here.
Next, heavy snow, look at this, stranding drivers in Upstate New York. This is a mess. This is Buffalo. Some people behind the wheel stranded for a whopping 12 hours, not fun, crews helping drivers try to stay warm and hydrated. A lot of areas up there got as much as 24 inches of snow in just a single day, a single day, another system moving on through tonight.
Next, outrage in a neighborhood in Idaho. And you can see why. Do you see this? Look at this with me. One neighbor building what appears to be a KKK snowman. Look at it again. It's not only wearing a pointed hood. It's holding a noose.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I couldn't believe it. There's a noose on it. It's disgusting. It's appalling.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a disgrace to our neighborhood and it's something that we definitely don't want here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Are you outraged? Guess what? We're told this is not the first time this neighbor has caused a stir. A couple of months ago, he raised Aryan Nations and S.S. flags. Officers told him there's a law banning noose hanging, so he has to take it down.
Next, looking for a deal on a house? Listen to this. Foreclosures are selling at a average discount of 32 percent over homes that are not in foreclosure. The savings are even bigger for houses repossessed by banks. That number is 41 percent. The deals are so good, they say, RealtyTrac reports one in every four homebuyers is opting for a foreclosure.
And check this out. These are states where average foreclosure discounts top 40 percent. Take a good long look with me. Look at Ohio. That is almost half off. Hello?
Next, another big day on Wall Street, the Dow finishing in the green again, up 106 points, coming just 24 hours after a great day yesterday, stocks shooting up about 250 points. Investigators seem to be happy that in November the private sector hired the most workers in three years. That is great news.
Next, OK, Chuck Norris fact number 1,273. Chuck Norris walked -- so many bad guys on TV, Texas is making him a Ranger. You heard me. I speak the truth, friends. Norris becomes an honorary Texas Ranger today. Governor Rick Perry is honoring the actor for his positive portrayal of law enforcement and the Rangers in his '90s TV series "Walker, Texas Ranger." Let the flood of Chuck Norris facts involving one riot, one Ranger begin.
Next, oh, mothers, listen to this one. A pregnant woman, she goes into labor, but she doesn't quite get to the hospital. Where does she go? The golden arches, McDs. Yes, she gave birth in the parking lot of a McDonald's in southern Indiana.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CANDICE MOCKOBEE, GAVE BIRTH AT MCDONALD'S: I felt that push and it was like, whoa, and she was in my pants leg. And I was kind of holding her in my pants leg, like, OK, what am I going to do?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Get to the hospital.
An off-duty officer heard the chatter on the radio, came to help out until the ambulance arrived. So now the mom knows where she's going to have her daughter's first birthday party.
I wonder if she gets a freebie.
And finally this: Four hours from now, LeBron James -- everybody is talking about this one -- well, LeBron James will be walking into the court in Cleveland for the first time since he left down south to play for the Heat in Miami.
Now, Cavs fans, they have blasted him for this. They have even burned his jersey in the street. So, think about it. What kind of reaction do you think he's going to get tonight?
Carol Costello in Cleveland on the court -- Carol.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, security will be very tight at the Q. In fact, there will be extra security on the floor and also in the stands.
Fans wearing T-shirts with profanity will be asked to take them off. They will be given a Cavaliers shirt in return. Plastic beer bottles will not be sold. Beer will be sold in cups to prevent bottles being thrown on to the floor.
LeBron James said the homecoming for him will be very emotional. Well, I can tell you, Brooke, emotion is the name of the game here in Cleveland.
Right now fans are deciding exactly how they will vent. Will they boo loudly and utter a few profanities? Will they turn their backs as LeBron James is introduced or will they simply stay silent in a show that says, hey, LeBron James, we have moved on -- Brooke.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Carol Costello, thank you.
Also, a lot of excitement on Capitol Hill today. We have seen the vote now on tax cuts. Now we're moving on to veteran Congressman Charlie Rangel and his fate. The New York congressman is accused of breaking the rules, but he gets one last chance to defend himself. What will he say? In fact, we may be hearing from him, himself, defending himself. That is ahead.
And, by the way, I'm told that has begun. In fact, Congresswoman Lofgren from the House Ethics Committee, there she is. She is speaking now about that. We're keeping our eye on this as well. And we will bring you this story. Will he get censure? Will he simply get a reprimand? Find out.
Also, did someone hire a hit man to kill a veteran Hollywood publicist? The mystery, it is still unraveling after a deadly development overnight. We're live in L.A. next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: We are going to take you live to Los Angeles.
Let's put up that live picture on the House floor guys. This is Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren. She's on the House Ethics Committee.
Today, we're waiting for the vote to happen with regard to Congressman Charlie Rangel, serving 20 terms on the Hill. So the full House today, they are expected to vote on the House Ethics Committee's recommendation to censure Mr. Rangel. Will he get censure, basically a public rebuke there from the well of the House? Or will he get a written reprimand?
We're going to wait and see. They are going to vote on that today. And we could also be hearing from Rangel himself. So, we will bring that to you live as soon as that happens.
But, meantime, let's switch gears and let's talk about this story that is still developing out of Hollywood. Could the murder of a popular Hollywood publicist have been a professional hit?
A bizarre turn of events overnight has a lot of people asking that exact question. In fact, look at these pictures with me. This is the scene last night. Police were closing in on this guy they considered a person of interest.
But as soon as they got close to this guy, tried talking to him, he killed himself. And what people are saying about this particular man raising a lot of questions today.
Kareen Wynter has been following all the developments out of Hollywood. She joins me live there from the scene.
And, Kareen, talk to me about what specifically happened last night. And would that lead anyone to think that Ronni Chasen's murder might have been a hit, a professional hit?
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, police are not saying whether or not this was targeted in any way. Was it a professional hit? Was someone just paid to kill this popular publicist?
Well, it all went down behind me in this Hollywood apartment complex that's called the Harvey Apartments. It's in a gritty part of town in Hollywood. And there are a lot of transient people, a lot of low-income people who live here, about 145 units.
And we have been talking to neighbors all day. A lot of neighbors have also been speaking to the press. And they said that they have some insight into what may have happened here. Again, we haven't been able to confirm with police because they have just been so tight-lipped all along with this investigation.
But they say this guy, he was recently evicted from this apartment complex. He came back several times, Brooke, wondering if police had shown up looking for him, asking if they had visited the premises, and saying that he had stumbled on some fortune, a significant amount of money, roughly $10,000, for a job, but didn't elaborate what was going on there.
Other neighbors who have spoken out to the press, they say that he was a bad guy, had quite a rep, he had been in and out of prison, served several stints there.
So, it's really difficult to pinpoint who exactly that person was police tried to speak to. Why didn't they call him a suspect? They did, after all, show up with a search warrant. And they are still saying that that person was not a suspect. By the way, we don't even have his identity. We know that it's a black male. He was in his 40s, but, again, such a big mystery. And he could have been a really big part of this puzzle -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: Still a huge question of many -- and as many people are wondering was this a Hollywood whodunit, was it a professional hit or not.
Kareen Wynter, we appreciate you staying on the scene for us. Kareen, thank you.
Also, just want to remind you, we're keeping a close eye on the action on the House floor. As I mentioned just a couple minutes ago, lawmakers expected to vote soon on Congressman Charlie Rangel's fate. Will he receive a censure as the House Ethics Committee has recommended? Will it be less severe? Will he get a reprimand?
That is next. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right, this moment we're watching the House on Capitol Hill, the House of Representatives, for this possible censure vote in the case of veteran House Democrat Charlie Rangel. Joe Johns had to get into the thick of things. He's on Capitol Hill with today's "Political Pop."
And, Mr. Johns, I know you were out there all day for us, you are all over the story. Let me ask you this, have you bumped into Charlie Rangel today?
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I haven't bumped into him, I can't say that, but I have seen him. I was over in the House chamber just a little while ago and he's apparently been sitting out there for quite a while. Pretty loose, smiling, working on some type of a statement, surrounded by friends.
Right next to him was one of the constitutional law experts in the House of Representatives, Congressman Bobby Scott of Virginia. Also saw Jim Clyburn, who is the House majority whip, talking to him for awhile. And I'm told he also spoke very briefly to the speaker of the House while he was out there.
So Charlie Rangel has sort of planted himself on the House floor in advance of this proceeding which just got started, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Joe, let's talk punishments here. The House Ethics Committee, we know, recommended censure, which is essentially him, Charlie Rangel, standing at the well of the House being publicly dressed down in front of his peers. So, it's either that or the lesser of the two, the reprimand, the written punishment.
What is Charlie Rangel's strategy to get a reprimand instead of a full censure, Joe?
JOHNS: He's sent out letters, he's been calling his colleagues and people have been working on his behalf. Some members of the New York Delegation, I'm told even a Republican or two, have been saying they would like to see Charlie Rangel get a reprimand instead of a censure.
That said, I mean, he's still in a lot of trouble and it's not clear what is going to happen. And this is a very serious punishment in terms of what the House can do. This is the next worst thing to essentially expelling a member.
Nonetheless, all it is is standing, as you said, in front of the speaker of the House, the speaker of the House reads the charges, it's supposed to be a humiliating experience.
Another thing that is hard to imagine is Charlie Rangel who is a very proud, gregarious guy on Capitol Hill with a lot of friends acting like he's humiliated, even though he won't be.
BALDWIN: Proud, gregarious veteran. I mean, Joe, this guys has served 20 terms in the House, so this has to be quite a bitter pill for him to swallow if he receives censure.
JOHNS: Yes, but you know, the thing about this is, it's kind of historic. The last time there was a censure of the House of Representatives goes all the back to like 1983, and there haven't been very many in my lifetime that I can remember. So it's a pretty serious thing. Only 22 members of the House of Representatives have ever been censured.
That said, one of his strategies has been to tell his colleagues, look, I haven't engaged in any sexual impropriety, I haven't engaged in any sexual impropriety, I haven't been convicted of a crime, therefore, because I haven't done some of the serious things that people get censured for, I shouldn't be censured. He's making that argument, but the question is whether it's going to fly today, Brooke.
BALDWIN: It was sexual impropriety that got Gary Studs, he was the last person to be censured from the well of the House back in '83 that you mentioned, and that was sexual misconduct with a page. So we'll just have to wait and see. And, Joe, you and I will continue this conversation as soon as we see this come to a vote.
And then, of course, if before that happens we see Mr. Rangel himself standing up, trying to defend himself one final time, we will bring that to you live. So, Joe Johns, don't go too far. Thank you.
Which countries will hold two future World Cups? They are huge prizes, the answers are shocking, actually, a lot of people today. We're going to have that answer for you. That's ahead.
Plus -- uh-oh, the bedbugs are back. This time at a big-time clothing store and, parents, I know your children are begging to you buy this particular clothing. So just think, there are bedbugs, apparently, at this high dollar spot in New York. That is trending. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BALDWIN: All right we're breaking away from the break because we see him, himself. This is Congressman Charlie Rangel on the floor of the House.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
REP. CHARLIE RANGEL (D), NEW YORK: I was haunted by the fact that on November 30th, 60 years ago, I was in Korea as a young 20- year-old volunteer in the 2cd Infantry Division, and on that occasion in subzero weather, 20 degrees below zero, Chinese surrounded us and attacked, and there were hundreds of casualties wounded and killed, captured. Bugles blared and screams were heard, and I was wounded and had no thoughts that I would be able to survive.
But God gave me the strength not only to survive the wounded, but to find my way out of the entrapment. And for three days, I had the strength to lead 40 of my comrades out of that situation, and we all were haunted by the fact that so many of my comrades did not survive.
I tell you that story not for sympathy, but to let you know that at that time, in every sense, I made up my mind that I could never complain to God for any events that occurred in my life and I would dedicate my life in trying in some meaningful way to improve the quality of life for all Americans, as well as much as I could do for humankind.
It is for that reason that I stand to say that I have made serious mistakes. I do believe rules are made to be enforced. I do believe that we in Congress of a higher responsibility than most people. I do believe that senior members should act in a way as a model for new and less experienced members. I do believe that there should be enforcement of these laws, there should be sanctions.
But if you're breaking new grounds, I ask for fairness. None of the presidents in the history of this great country has anyone ever suffered the humiliation of a censure when the record is abundantly clear and never challenged that in those two years of investigations, which I called for council, and the committee found no evidence of corruption, found no evidence of self-enrichment, found no evidence that there was an intention on my part to evades my responsibility whether in taxes or whether in financial disclosures.
And there's absolutely no excuse for my omissions for my responsibility to obey those rules. I take full credit and for the responsibility of that. I brought it on myself. But I still believe that this body has to be guided by fairness.
And so that is all I'm saying. I'm not here to complain, I have too much to be thankful for being from where I am and where I am today.
And once again, it's been awkward, especially for my friends and supporters, but I want to support the dignity of the community that elected me to serve them. I want to continue to serve this Congress and this country, and do what I can to make life better for other people. And I think we all agree that in 40 years I've tried my darnedest to do this.
And so, at this point, by unanimous consent, I would like to turn the remainder of the time that the chair has given to me to my fellow colleague, Bobby Scott.
Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Without objection, the gentleman from Virginia may control the time.
BALDWIN: So you have been listening to veteran Congressman Charlie Rangel essentially defending himself in front of his colleagues, in front of his peers there on the floor of House of Representatives.
He is standing down there because he faces a vote of censure as to whether or not he will be publicly dressed down there at the well of the House as a result of those 11 ethics rules violations that that committee essentially found him guilty of.
Will he receive censure, as that committee has recommended? Or, will he receive the lesser punishment, which is reprimand?
I want to bring in congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar. And, Brianna, I guess we can't really be surprised. I mean, that was really his closing argument. Again, proving the point, as you and I were talking earlier, that he says he did nothing corrupt. Specifically, he said, I take full credit for the responsibility of that, I brought it on myself, but I still believe that this body has to be guided by fairness.
What do you make by that?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, and he's saying that it comes down to the intent, that he wasn't trying to do this.
And let me show you something that some of his supporters, some members of Congress were passing out, Brooke. This is actually called "Ten Reasons Why Charlie Rangel Should Not Receive Censure." This is basically literature that they were passing out, 10 different reasons. And it really comes down to his point where he says, I'm not corrupt, I wasn't intending to do this. Was I sloppy? Yes. Do I take responsibility for that? Yes. But it doesn't mean that I should be censured.
What really struck me, though, as we listen to the Democratic chair woman of the ethics committee, the Democratic chairwoman, Zoe Lofgren, and she said that it's not just about following precedent, it's also about setting precedent. And, yes, in the past, censure has been reserved for bribery, selling military appointments and the like, but this is something that we found to be worthy of censure.
Remember, the ethics committee voted nine to one, this was five Democrats and five Republicans and they voted almost unanimously to recommend a censure here, Brooke. BALDWIN: So, basically, Brianna, this would come down to -- I mean, let's just call it what it is, public humiliation, standing in front of your peers and having -- I mean, a friend of his, right, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi be the one to dress him down. I mean, it's humiliating.
KEILAR: That's right. It is.
And, you know, one of the things that we've been talking about, Brooke, was, oh, this was kind of a slap on the wrist, he just stands there and this is -- I'm holding before me the actual resolution that Speaker Pelosi would read if he is to get a censure.
Is this just a slap on the wrist? He's just kind of like, you know, spoken down to and then he gets to move on with things? It is. But it is also public humiliation.
It is something that doesn't happen very often. It's only happened 22 times in the history of the House since the ethics committee was established in recent decades. This has only happened four times before. This is a big deal.
And for someone who has a really amazing story, he was a Korean War vet, a high school dropout who somehow managed to ascend to one of the most powerful chairmanship in Congress, the head of House Ways and Means Committee, the tax-writing committee -- he's in the twilight of his career, and this is certainly going to tarnish really what will be one of the last chapters of his career, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Sure. Well, we will wait. We know his colleague is speaking there on the floor of the House. We're going to wait and see. The next step is, of course, the vote and then we'll see if he receives what the committee recommended being censure or if it's the lesser of the two, the reprimand.
Brianna Keilar, do not go too far from that camera. We're going to have that conversation when it happens live on CNN.
Meantime, there is something interesting, staying on vein of politics here, about Sarah Palin's book stop in Iowa. We're live at her tour signing. That is still coming up.
Plus, how about this question for you: do aliens exist? We're talking E.T., extraterrestrial, little green guys? Oh, I don't know. But the folks at NASA are apparently very excited about a new discovery and they did not even have to go very far. In fact, they didn't even have to go to space to figure it out.
"Reporter Roulette" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right. Outside of Washington, there's a lot going on in the world today as well. Time to play "Reporter Roulette."
We have Karen Maginnis in the studio. Jim Acosta in Spirit Lake, Iowa.
I want to begin with Dan Simon. He's live for us in San Francisco.
And, Dan, it sounds like today from this NASA announcement, these scientists were basically turning what they thought we knew about life and the universe upside down.
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, NASA knows how to write a press release. That's for sure. Because there is a lot of buzz in the blogosphere.
But let me talk to you about what's at play here. We got six things here on our white board, carbon, phosphorus, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur -- these are the six ingredients for life. Well, what NASA figured out is, hey, if you get rid of phosphorus and add in arsenic, Brooke --
BALDWIN: Yes?
SIMON: -- well, guess what, they were able to create a micro bacteria that could sustain itself with arsenic instead of phosphorus.
Now, that may not sound all that exciting, but what it does is it leaves open the possibility that there could be life and some other form on some other planet. That's what NASA was saying today.
BALDWIN: So, how is that? I mean, connect the dots for me a little bit fuller, Dan. In 30 seconds, are we closer to finding life somewhere out there?
SIMON: We're not any closer, but what it does is it opens up the possibility that these are the things that we always thought you needed to have life, right? These six things. Well, what they discovered is that if you get one of these things, phosphorus, and you add in arsenic, which was pretty common, but arsenic was always thought to be toxic, that maybe there is a chance that there's some organism on some another planet that doesn't have phosphorus but instead has arsenic and perhaps that could lead to some other life form. That's what NASA was saying today, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Interesting. Dan Simon for us in San Francisco -- Dan, thank you.
Next, Sarah Palin, she's in Iowa today. So, next in "Reporter Roulette," we have Jim Acosta joining me from Spirit Lake.
And, Jim, I've seen your TwitPic, I know she's attracting crowds.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A very big crowd out here in Spirit Lake, Iowa. This is a very conservative part of the state and, obviously, it make as lot of sense as to why she's on this book tour right now. She wants to sell books.
But there might be another motive going on. She could run for president. And so, we were inside this Wal-Mart behind me earlier today when hundreds of her fans were filing in to get an autograph of her book, and we were escorted into an area to observe some of the signing. Her handlers had the music turned up pretty loud, but that didn't stop us from trying to ask the question of the former governor about whether or not she's going to run for president.
Here's what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: Were you the one who turned off the music?
ACOSTA: I did not turn off the music. No, ma'am.
PALIN: OK, cause that wouldn't be cool if you did that.
ACOSTA: No, Governor, I would not do that. I promise.
PALIN: These Iowa people they got my back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: So, she asked us if we had turned off the music. We didn't turn off the music. But as for how she answered that question, she said she hasn't made up her mind about running for president yet, and we just want to point out, we did not turn off the music, just to put the governor's mind at ease there.
BALDWIN: I was going to say, awkward. Jim Acosta for us in Iowa -- Jim, stay warm.
ACOSTA: Yes.
BALDWIN: Thank you.
Finally, our "Reporter Roulette," some fascinating pictures out of New York.
Karen Maginnis, dare I ask, more snow?
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, it is going to be piling on. They've been hard very badly for the last day and a half. Some areas reporting as much as a couple of feet of snowfall, but it's this area right along Lake Erie, also a portion of Lake Ontario. But, specifically, this Buffalo area, we've seen some reports up to 24 inches. It's been officially reported.
Take a look at this. Interstate 90, both eastbound and westbound for a good 15 hours shut down. People were there overnight. They had ATVs, bring them food and water. Also, emergency vehicles for who have true emergencies who were stuck overnight in this bitterly cold air, with the snow that's still coming down.
And, Brooke, there's still lake-effect snow warning until 6:00 a.m. tomorrow, before it's all said and done. An additional foot, foot and a half, but there could be some locally heavier amounts. We've already seen some reports of as much as two feet.
BALDWIN: Brrr. But I have a feeling people in Buffalo, they can handle it. Karen Maginnis, thank you.
MAGINNIS: All right.
BALDWIN: Coming up next, big day in Washington, are we lucky? We get Candy Crowley doing the Political Ticker coming up next. We'll talk about Mr. Rangel with Candy Crowley, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Welcome back to the NEWSROOM. CNN has all of your latest political news with the "Best Political Team on Television" -- "CNN Equals Politics."
And Candy Crowley is at the CNNPolitics.com desk.
And, Candy, we're going to take a break from Charlie Rangel for a moment. I understand that vote hasn't even started, and let me talk to you about the Alaska Senate race. It's still not over.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, Alaska certainly is in a different time zone than Washington, D.C., but now, they're kind of in a different month, because that Senate race in Alaska is now in the courts and we know how long that can take. But a state court judge said today that he will try to take the next step at least in resolving this dispute next Wednesday.
What's the problem here? Joe Miller, who was the Tea Party- backed Republican candidate, went up against Lisa Murkowski, who was the sitting Republican senator. She currently is leading -- according to "The Associated Press," who, in fact, declared her a winner a couple of days after the race. But the problem is that Miller is saying, listen, Alaska's state law is that you have to spell the names correctly. So, let me say Lisa Murkowski again and tell you that not everybody who signed those probably spelled her name right.
So, the problem is that the elections commission prior to the election said, well, voters' intent ought to be taken into account. So, if you get kind of close to Murkowski, that vote would count. But Miller is challenging that. He says he wants a hand count.
You know, the Congress goes sort of late January comes back into session and we're assuming that Alaska will have a sitting U.S. senator by then. But at the moment, it's tangled up in the courts.
And while they are sort of busy, still stuck in 2010, there are a lot of folks out there already thinking about 2012, as you know, that presidential race. One of them, not so much a national household race, Rick Santorum, that used to be the senator from Pennsylvania. And he has been looking very much like a presidential candidate.
And while he may not be familiar to those on the national basis, he's making sure he's familiar in some of those really crucial early states in the primary season. He's been to Iowa. He's been to New Hampshire.
Now, he's going to South Carolina, which is a huge state for any Republican. It tends to be a firewall for Republican candidates who may be rolling into thereafter victories in New Hampshire, or losses in New Hampshire and Iowa. So, very important to say Rick Santorum is going there and then going back to New Hampshire, looking very much like a presidential candidate.
And, finally, the other thing that we have of our ticker is about this whole tax cut vote that the House just took. You know, the soon- to-be speaker of the House, John Boehner, a Republican, they asked him what he thought of the House Democratic leadership, still the old Congress, pushing forward a vote on tax cut extensions for the middle class.
And I just want to like read this to you because it's a quote. So, when he was asking -- reporters asked him, Boehner said, quote, "I'm trying to catch my breath, so I don't refer to this maneuver going on today as chicken crap."
BALDWIN: Right.
CROWLEY: So --
BALDWIN: We're hearing a "chicken crap" with John Boehner and then apparently the Democrats are saying, "Our goose is cooked today." So, I don't know what's up with these feather analogies.
CROWLEY: There seems to be a poultry thing going on. Yes.
BALDWIN: Apparently so.
Candy, if I can, just pick on your, you know, political expertise, let's -- stand by. Let's take a look at this live picture. We understand --
CROWLEY: Sure.
BALDWIN: -- Republican Pete King is there in the House. He is apparently defending Charlie Rangel right now. What do you make of all this? I mean, I was talking to Joe Johns earlier, and he said, look, bottom line, whatever happens, censure or reprimand, this is historic.
CROWLEY: Yes, and it's a big deal. And it is something -- I mean, Charlie Rangel has been trying to get something less than censure. The recommendation from the ethics committee was censure. That's huge. I mean, the next step is throwing you out.
BALDWIN: Right.
CROWLEY: So, he's trying to get that brought down. Why? Because, you know, he still stays in the House. He was just re- elected from Harlem, his district that he's represented for decades.
Why fight that so much? Because you know what -- that's in your -- that's in the opening graph when people right you into history. It is -- so, you know, he is fighting this tooth and nail. You're seeing a fellow New Yorker, at least, up there talking about them.
It looks as though the Democrats who were in charged made a big deal when they came into the majority and said, listen, we're going to have an ethically clean House. So, it's kind of hard for them to back down now. And it looks as though, anyway, that this will go, as the ethics committee recommends, a censure of Charlie Rangel.
BALDWIN: Yes. And, Candy, thank you.
I just want to read to you at home, quickly, part of Pete King's statement. He apparently has said this, "If expulsion is the equivalent of the death penalty, censure is life imprisonment." This is Pete King, out of New York. We're going to stay on that story at the House.
Meantime, I want to remind you real quickly, you could always get the latest Political Ticker. Hop online to the CNNPolitics.com, or they're also on Twitter. Their handle is @PoliticalTicker.
And now, something interesting showed up on a pedestrian crosswalk signal in Washington. Got to wait for it. People there are very, very angry. They are outraged. You're going to see it -- next.
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BALDWIN: All right. We are caught on cam. Detention officers allegedly beating an inmate, also kicking him, slamming his head -- look at this -- against a table. Coming up, you're going to see the video. Plus, find out why one of the officers was already under investigation when this whole thing went down.
Also, still waiting -- waiting for that vote on Congressman Charlie Rangel. We're going to be right back.
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BALDWIN: We all get frustrated in traffic sometimes more than others. But it's (INAUDIBLE) in Washington this week, even the signage appeared angry. You've got to see this.
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BALDWIN: Take a look at this. Oh, how about this for a traffic signal? It says, don't walk and oh, so much more. This isn't some teen prank though. Apparently snow is the culprit, just enough got into the sign to block out three very important fingers.
And now this, to Washington. We're the House for a possible censure vote on veteran House Democrat, Charlie Rangel. Rangel already spoke, defending himself to his colleagues from the well of the House, asking them for fairness.
I want to bring back in Wolf Blitzer, joining me from "THE SITUATION ROOM," where he will continue to monitor, of course, that vote in the next hour.
And, Wolf, we also just got reaction -- before this vote happened on the House floor, we got a vote on the tax cuts as well. So, two stories I know you're watching very closely.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Right.
And on the Charlie Rangel issue, you know, it will be a dramatic moment once the final vote is passed. And we assume it will be passed overwhelmingly. It was passed in the ethics committee, what, nine to one. So, we assume all of the Republicans, at least most of them, if not all of them, and most of the Democrats, will vote for censure.
It's more stringent than reprimand. It's more than just a simple rebuke. It's censure. It's not expulsion or anything recommending criminal action, but it's still very, very serious.
Nancy Pelosi will have to read the formal censure in the well of the House of Representatives. So, it will be a dramatic moment and we'll, of course, watch that in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
On the other issue, extending the Bush tax cuts for the middle class, those earning under $250,000 a year, largely symbolic act in the House of Representatives. It's not going to go anywhere in the Senate. They are still setting the stage, as you know, Brooke, for some sort of compromise whereby all of the tax rates for all taxpayers would continue at the same rate for maybe two years.
BALDWIN: Right, one or two years.
BLITZER: And then they'll have this debate all over again.
BALDWIN: All right. Wolf Blitzer, a lot going on in Washington. We will see you in just a couple of minutes in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
In the meantime, guess who we have in the studio. Here with us in Atlanta, the lovely Sunny Hostin. She's "On the Case" -- next.
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BALDWIN: Two disturbing legal cases today. In just a minute, I'm going to show an alleged inmate assault on a psychiatric ward that has the toughest sheriff in America up in arms over this, and it happens to be Sheriff Arpaio's jail. Sunny Hostin is "On the Case" and right here in the house of Atlanta.
So, welcome to you.
SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Thank you. Thank you.
BALDWIN: Before we get to that story, for the first time, we're hearing directly from home invasion triple killer, Steven Hayes. He spoke today at his formal death sentencing today. The question is: what did he say about the horrific killing of a mother and his two young daughters? HOSTIN: Well, he apologized to the Petit family. He said he's remorseful. He said he has nightmares. He lives with it all the time. But he also said that he welcomes death. He looks forward to the death penalty and to being put to death, and that was really fascinating. It's the first time, Brooke, we've heard from him.
BALDWIN: I think we have a couple -- two quotes. Let's pull those up, guys, if we can.
He said, one, "I destroyed innocent lives and took away a family, a family of very, very good people. I know what I did. I love with it. I make no excuses. But this was not the real me. This was an angry monster that I have never known, a monster so full of rage, it was impossible to control." And one other quote.
HOSTIN: That's right. he said, "Death for me will be a welcome relief, and I hope it will be some peace and comfort to those who I have hurt so much."
BALDWIN: That was happening in Connecticut.
Let's go to Maricopa County and this is unbelievable video. This is a psychiatric ward in Maricopa County. This is Joe Arpaio's jail. Walk me through what we're looking at.
HOSTIN: Really unbelievable. We have an inmate in the psychiatric ward with this detention officer is stepping on his neck.
BALDWIN: So, it's foot on his head right now.
HOSTIN: That's his foot on his head, and stepping down, and applying pressures with other detention officers, Brooke, watching and standing right by him. He's got this thing on his head and people are wondering about that. That's a spit cap and that --
BALDWIN: What is that?
HOSTIN: Sometimes that's put on prisoner if you think that they are going to spit at you. They may have some mental health issues. And so, that is done routinely, but certainly, it's not routine to put your foot on someone's neck.
BALDWIN: So, here's one of the thing that's bothersome about this piece of video you see. It looks like almost two detention officers involved here and people -- a couple of people milling about.
HOSTIN: That's right.
BALDWIN: No one is doing anything.
HOSTIN: No one is doing anything. And our viewers should know, this is not typical protocol. This is not something that happens often as you can see. There are other people walking around. But this was videotaped, and apparently it came to light because other detention officers reported it. This is highly unusual. These things don't happen. And I commend actually the sheriff's office and the Department of Corrections for being completely transparent, quite frankly, and coming forward and saying, we don't approve of this and we're going to do something about it.
BALDWIN: Could these guys get charged?
HOSTIN: Absolutely. I think -- certainly, this officer is going to be charged with assault. He's already been arrested. There's another officer that they are investigating, who sort of went there and also sort of pushed this inmate's head down, saying that he was trying to keep control because the inmate was speaking fitfully to these officers.
But, still, completely inappropriate. The investigation is ongoing. I would imagine that the other officer is going to be charged as well.
BALDWIN: And Sheriff Arpaio is the one you mentioned.
HOSTIN: In Arizona.
BALDWIN: He released the video and says he wants to be upfront, totally transparent about what goes on.
HOSTIN: And I think that's commendable, especially given Arizona's enforcement of the immigration laws and that sort of thing.
BALDWIN: Right.
HOSTIN: He's really been under the microscope and he did the right thing here.
BALDWIN: Sunny Hostin "On the Case" in Atlanta. We'll get you tomorrow.
HOSTIN: Definitely. I'll be here.
BALDWIN: Tomorrow. It's a date.
I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thanks so much for watching here. I'm going to send you now to Washington, my colleague Wolf Blitzer with "THE SITUATION ROOM" -- Wolf.
