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Same Sex Marriage Ban In Court; Mechanic, Continental Blamed; "Stoned Driving" Limit Proposed; Tea Party Movement's Request; New Details on Possible Tax Deal; 'On the Case'
Aired December 06, 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: Tensions are escalating on the Korean peninsula, and now, the U.S. is stuck in the middle. Tonight, Admiral Mike Mullen is leading for South Korea, and now, the north is in investigation for possible war crimes. There are major developments in this clash. I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN (voice-over): A 52-mile rampage with a teenager behind the wheel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was just thrown (ph) his car. It was unbelievable.
BALDWIN: Look at this mangled police cruisers. He's in a truckload of trouble. I'll show you how this one ended up.
A facelift for Facebook. Have you updated your profile lately? This company has, and it affects 500 million of us.
And makeup for a murder defendant? Can tattoos really sway a jury?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN (on-camera): The battle over California's same-sex marriage band in court today, rapid fire, let's start it. A federal appeals court hearing two sets of arguments. The first set over the legal standing of the group appealing a judge's earlier ruling that struck down prop 8. The second set of argument is over whether the same-sex marriage band is constitutional. It's been two years now since 50 percent of California voters approved prop 8 which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
Next, the U.S. government actively going after the website, WikiLeaks. This is Attorney General Eric Holder (INAUDIBLE). He was announcing what he has said in motion what he's calling significant action against the site and its founder, Julian Assange. Holder was not specific about exactly he authorized, but he did say WikiLeaks put national security at risk, and he intends to hold people accountable.
We are still awaiting for confirmation on reports that came in the last hour. Reports that Assange and his lawyers are in the process of arranging this meeting with British police. We will let you know as soon as there is something significant to report there.
Next, the U.S. is standing by South Korea in the escalating standoff with the North. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton being told -- these are live pictures. There she is, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hosting South Korea's top diplomat in Washington. By the way, tonight, Admiral Mike Mullen heading to the region and the international criminal court is investigating whether the north is guilty of war crimes. Coming up, we're going to get a live report on the next step in this bitter standoff.
Next, a young basketball player's heart stops beating during practice, but an iPhone app and his quick-thinking coach saved his life. Xavier Jones is 17 years of age, has a condition that sometimes slows blood flow to his heart. So, when he collapsed, the day before Thanksgiving, his coach, Eric Cooper, beside him in second, and get this, the night before Cooper had downloaded the CPR refresher course on, of all things, his iPhone that helped him and his assistant coach perform CPR and get their young player's heart beating again. An iPhone. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC COOPER, COACH: The way I looked at it is God put it on my heart to go through that iPhone app, and I just said, man, what would happen if we needed it.
XAVIER JONES, PLAYER WHO COLLAPSED: I'm just happy to be here, you know? It's a miracle that I'm alive, and you know, this doesn't happen every day so --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Amazing. Next -- oh, look, everyone. Spaceport -- in New Mexico. Yes. This is the spot where your space flight dreams come true, possibly as soon as next summer if, of course, you can shock out the hefty ticket price. The terminal construction building months, we're told, from completion. But take a look at this little piece of video. This is from CNNs John Zarrella, and guess who is leading the way into commercial space flights?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic Company has taken the lead. A year or so from now, a mother ship will roll down this runway, lift of at 50,000 feet, release a space plane. The six passengers and two pilots will reach 350,000 feet and weightlessness for four minutes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Weightlessness. I like that idea. So, here's the deal. This is Branson's space plane, by the way. If everything goes as planned, those flights will take off and land from that spaceport you saw under construction in New Mexico. But the ticket price? wait for it -- 15-minute flight, $200,000. Yikes! So far, about 350 people ponying up, paying either in full or in part for that flight. Next --
Continental Airlines and one of its mechanics being blamed for causing the deadly crash of that Concord Supersonic jet happened in France back in 2000. 113 people died. So, this French court ruling that some equipment fell off of the Continental flight just before the Air France flight took off, the jet took off. Now, the mechanic was sentenced to fines and a suspended prison sentence. The airline also being fined calling the verdict absurd.
Next, emergency crews picking through a small plane wreck north of Salt Lake City. It clicked two houses, caught fire on approach to land. We still don't know yet what caused the crash. But get this, the pilot -- he survived his plane ripped to pieces. Witnesses say the pilot was hurt, but talking to responders as they took him to the hospital. In fact, even more good news to report to you right now. No one on the ground or any of those houses you can see there was hurt. And firefighters were able to put that fire out pretty quickly.
Next, the police can test you for alcohol if they suspect you're drinking and driving, right? Well, what if they suspect you being high on pot? A Colorado state lawmaker wants a standard set for drivers found to be under the influence of marijuana. The proposed law would create a scale of penalties, kind of like the existing DUI alcohol law, but specific to marijuana use. A Colorado sheriff says pot use shows up in 8 percent of people, 8 percent killed on the roads there.
Next, hey, if they can put Spiderman on a Broadway stage, can a story of yuppies? Phil Collins and serial murder make it as well. We're going to see -- remember this movie? This is "American Psycho." It's starred Christian Bale. Well, apparently, a full-on stage musical is in production right now. Broadway insiders say the show will definitely be for adults only and stay true to the original book. So, if you read it, lots of killing, lots of blood. The show has an impressive list of award-winning playwrights and composers onboard. Who would have thought? (ph)
Next, get ready to pay a lot more at the pump. A new survey suggests a gallon of gas could hit $3 or more by Christmas. Prices, you probably noticed, already going up. According to Triple A, the national average for a gallon of gas, about 30 cents higher now than this time one year ago.
Next, fed chairman Ben Bernanke says the biggest threat to the U.S. economy is not inflation. He said it is unemployment. I bet you could have guessed that. His prediction on that issue? It's pretty dire. Here's what he said if you watched. This is last night's "60 Minutes."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN BERNANKE, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: Between the peak and the end of last year, we lost 8.5 million jobs. We've only got about 1 million of them back so far. And that doesn't even count the new people coming into the labor force. At the rate we're going, it could be four, five years before we are back to a more normal unemployment rate, somewhere in the vicinity of say 5 percent or 6 percent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Vicinity, 5 percent or 6 percent. Well, you remember, unemployment went up not to 9.8 percent, up from 9.6 the month before.
Next, speaking of those numbers. Take a look at the big board. The Dow is down about 20 points right now at 11,362. Want to bring in Carter Evans live for us at the stock exchange. And Carter, a lot of people tune in last night to "60 Minutes" and heard Ben Bernanke did his comments affect the numbers today.
CARTER EVANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it certainly did not give anyone reason to buy it today, but the market took it in stride for the most part. It's no secret. Unemployment is a huge problem. We know that it's going to take years to get it back to normal. What significant is we're hearing this in plain English, straight from the source, and the message was very clear. It could take a long time for the unemployment picture to recover and that had the potential, Brooke, to rattle people a bit, but it seems the people are taking it in stride.
BALDWIN: Carter Evans for us in Wall Street, thank you.
And if you're on Facebook, who isn't, right? Listen up. There are huge changes apparently in store for all of us when it comes to our profiles. Here's a little sneak peek for you. But the question we're asking is, are they better? Are you sick of all of the changes? We're going to break it down for you. That is ahead.
Also, a wild chase caught on video. The pursuit went for 50 miles, this high-speed chase. Wait until you hear what's behind the wheel of a dump truck. You will see it, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: OK. Listen to this. The police, they go on this high- speed chase. They go for 52 miles going after of all cars or trucks, a stolen dump truck. A dump truck is what this 17-year-old kid hops in the driver's seat. The whole thing is caught on camera. At one point, the truck goes in reverse on a major road. Hits and totals -- yikes. Hits and totals a police cruiser.
According to police -- take a look at this with me, the teen driver intentionally rammed not one, but two police cruisers and tried to drive over another. What is this -- like monster trucks? All of this while officers obviously chase this guy -- this is their dashboard video. Chasing this dump truck, trying to stop the 17-year- old, which at one point hit 74 miles per hour. I didn't even know dump trucks could go that fast. Now, police chased the team through three different Ohio counties before a flat tire finally, thank goodness, sent the truck crashing into a guardrail.
Two officers, they were injured in the chase. They were treated and released from area hospitals. By the way, that teenage driver who wanted to go free wheeling in a dump truck now facing numerous charges, we're told.
By the way, we promised some live pictures. We're going to turn around some sound from Hillary Clinton meeting with some nation's leaders, Japan leaders. She just wrapped up talking about the situation on the Korean Peninsula. We know Admiral Mike Mullen is heading there tonight. So, we will get a full wrap as to what was said there in that meeting and why this is all significant with Barbara Starr at the bottom of the hour with "Reporter Roulette." But here is Secretary Clinton -- Secretary Clinton moments ago. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: We all agree that North Korea's provocative and belligerent behavior jeopardizes piece and stability in Asia. We are deeply concerned by its unprovoked attack on the island of Yongpyong resulting in the loss of South Korean lives. On behalf of the American people, I would like to convey our sympathies to the victims and their families.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you. We want the people of South Korea to know that we are standing shoulder to shoulder with you, and we are deeply committed to your defense.
We all agree that North Korea's provocative and belligerent behavior jeopardizes peace and stability in Asia. We are deeply concerned by its unprovoked attack on the island of Yongpyong resulting in the loss of South Korean lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Again, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. We turned that around for you real quickly. We will talk to Barbara Starr. She can put this whole thing in perspective for us during "Reporter Roulette" in just a couple of minutes.
Meantime, former Delaware Senate candidate, we talked a whole heck of a lot about this woman, Christine O'Donnell. She is back in the news. Apparently, she's hoping to accomplish something that Sarah Palin just did. Joe Johns is joining us from Washington to tell me what is up in our political pop. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: So, here's a name you heard a fair amount from us during midterm time, former Delaware Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell, remember her? Apparently, she's back in the news. Joe Johns joins me now from Washington with the political pop. And Joe, what's the big news? What's the skinny about Christine O'Donnell.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Brooke. So, now, we know Christine O'Donnell is writing a book. She actually -- she actually got a publisher. It's going to touch on her recent race for the Senate. She says it's time to set the record straight. No doubt it's going to deal with her run-end with the Republicans, with the Democrats, with the media. I asked my friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter for suggestions on what the book should be. What do you think? What do you think the book should be titled for?
BALDWIN: What should - "I'm not a witch, I'm you."
JOHNS: There you go. Honestly -- I was really surprised at how many people had to go there on the I'm not a witch thing.
BALDWIN: Well, it's the ad seen round the world, right?
JOHNS: Right. Yes. Exactly. She did say I'm not a witch. So, I asked people on Facebook and Twitter for suggestions on what the book should be titled. Some of those included, "Which are you?" "Do you believe in magic?" "Hocus-Pocus." "Witch needs love too". My favorite is "Wiccan leaks." I just love that one.
BALDWIN: "Wiccan Leaks?"
JOHNS: Wiccan leaks. Right. We do know that "Bewitched Forever" is taken that. Of course, it's the book about Elizabeth Montgomery's TV show.
BALDWIN: Yes, maybe not so much. Let me ask you this because, you know, Christine O'Donnell is sort of perhaps following in a path, you know -- Sarah Palin is out and about promoting her own book. Do you think, though, because Sarah Palin has the big Alaska reality TV show, are there reality moves in Christine O'Donnell's future at all dare I ask?
JOHNS: Well, "Dancing with the Stars" actually is the hot speculation right now. Apparently, Sarah Palin thinks it's a pretty good idea, and we all know what it did for Bristol Palin. And just like Sarah Palin, of course, whether you like the idea probably depends on whether you like Christine O'Donnell. And let's just talk about the Palins for one second. It may not be such a bad idea for Christine O'Donnell to follow what you might call the media model that Sarah Palin laid down.
But of course, what we really want to know is how far Christine O'Donnell will take this. How far out on a limb are you willing to go? Because it's really not that easy being Sarah Palin. Does Christine O'Donnell, for example, want to go caribou hunting to fill up the freezer like Sarah Palin did? Did she want to go looking for grizzly bears? What she going to do? Hunting and fishing or what have you?
BALDWIN: I'm not doing it (ph) Joe Johns in grizzly bears in Delaware. I could be wrong.
JOHNS: Yes, I don't think so.
(LAUGHTER)
JOHNS: You never know, though, you never know.
BALDWIN: You never know. That's interesting.
JOHNS: At the zoo. BALDWIN: We will see. Exactly. She'll be heading to the zoo for her big reality show. Let me -- on a much more serious note, taxes looks a little bit more like the president meeting with top Congressional Democrats, you know, right now, behind closed doors at the White House. But it sounds like the Democrats there a lot of jitters, Democratic jitters, about this whole compromise.
JOHNS: Yes. It's part of the negotiation that is the hardest part. You know, before the election, the Democrats were very bold. They could strike out on their own. They had it all. Now, essentially, the Republicans are asking them to eat crow on tax cuts and, you know, a lot of people have to do that in Washington. Nobody ever likes it.
Democrats are saying, even Democratic analysts around this town are saying, if they don't eat the crow in the lame duck session, they're going to have a much fuller plate to swallow in January. So, maybe we should call this -- how about a lame crow session -- I'm sorry. I know. I had to do that.
BALDWIN: Badambam (ph). Joe Johns, tip your waiters and waitresses. Thank you so much, Joe Johns. It's good to see you. Thank you so much. Joe Johns with the political pop.
And now this, look at this video. Devastating landslides burying people, entire neighborhoods. Rescue crews -- there's a couple of guys out there. They're still trying to find survivors. Coming up, you're going to see the video and find out just how common these are.
Plus, Facebook getting a makeover. So, does it change anything? We've talked so much about your privacy. Would that change? And will the changes make Facebook better? We're going to walk you through it, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Aha. Still talking on this guy over here. Have you checked your Facebook today? Did you notice anything different? Some of you perhaps did. And yes, Facebook's new look did roll out today, and they tweaked the way about 500 million of you are going to reacting and interacting with your online friends. So, we're not exactly sure, though, you know, why they did it. Maybe it's aesthetics, maybe they want to, you know, be ahead of the curb, perhaps something to be more unusual or useful.
I asked our tech guy, Derek Dodge, to come out here -- so I've been talking to you through the commercial break to talk about Facebook and their whole new look. And Derek Dodge, you know, I did not notice this morning my Facebook changing, but walk me through it. I mean, is this a dramatic facelift of Facebook?
DEREK DODGE, ON TWITTER: @DEREKCNN: The reason you didn't notice is because unlike some of the Facebook's other features, this is opt- in. So, right now, if you want to get the new Facebook profile design, you have to go in and opt in to have it. They're not going to roll it out to everyone automatically until January. So, right now, if you want it -- and this is what it looks like, you've got to go and -- I think it's facebook.com/about/profile and you can get it.
Now, you want to say why did they do it? Is it aesthetics? Well, it is aesthetics. It looks a lot nicer. See right at the top you have your recently tagged photos. That looks nice. But really -- this is just me thinking, but I think it's probably right. This design is all about information. Facebook wants more information from you. So right at the top. Look at the snapshot. As soon as you come to my profile, if you're friends with me, you're going to see that I'm a producer at CNN.
I went to NYU. I live in Atlanta, Georgia. And this is stuff that was buried before. It used to be in the info section.
BALDWIN: Right.
DODGE: And now, it's right at the top of your profile. And that's interesting because a lot of people didn't fill that out before. And now, it's sort of an incentive for you to fill out that information and give that data to Facebook because it's the first thing people see when they come to your page.
BALDWIN: And so, this is the kind of thing that we like, you know, can all customize. I mean, that's kind of the nice thing about Facebook is sort of if a user has power and, I guess, we can change some things around, right?
DODGE: Right. And now, the privacy settings are all the same. So, whatever your privacy setting was before the new design, it's the same now. So, if you don't want people knowing this information, you can lock down your privacy settings. It's all the same. Another thing about this read (ph) that I actually like again. This is my sister's profile page. And when I come here and I visit, right on the side here, I can see photos that both of us are in. I can see how many mutual friends we have. And then right here where said C- friendship, if you click on that, it's going to bring you to a whole separate page, and this is all of our content that we've shared across Facebook together since we've been friends.
So, you can see our mutual wall post where we've been talking to each other. The photos that we're both tagged in. And you can see some of the things that we like down there at the bottom, and that's what this redesign is all about. It rewards you for liking more things. It rewards you for all of the information that you're giving to Facebook because it's putting it right there at the top, and it's putting more emphasis on it.
BALDWIN: So, you know, how sometimes like when Facebook or Twitter changes, everybody kind of moans and groans. I know for me I would (ph) click that box like not now, not yet. I'm not yet ready for change. What is -- if you could think of -- the coolest part of the new change? Why we should embrace it? What is it?
DODGE: Well, it just looks nicer.
BALDWIN: Yes. DODGE: It looks nicer and it's -- it's great to see your friends right there. Look, my friends' popular places. You know, it brings that content and it makes the forefront of the experience. In honestly, you know, the home screen that you go to, this is the wall or your news feed, actually, where all your data is coming in -
BALDWIN: Yes.
DODGE: I actually don't like that anymore. I -- to me it looks ugly. And when I click on my friends, you know, I get this -- this crappy screen. I just want to stay at the profile, right, because that looks beautiful.
BALDWIN: Facebook is not loving you right now, Derek Dodge.
DODGE: No, no, I love the redesign, but like I said, you have to opt-in right now. So, when you're log in, you're not going to get --
BALDWIN: OK. So, I need to opt in. Do not be afraid. Opt in.
DODGE: No.
BALDWIN: All right. Derek Dodge, thanks for the quick skinny on Facebook.
DODGE: Yes.
BALDWIN: To globe trekking now. I want to begin with a deadly blast. Look at this. This is the Netherlands. At least one person died in this apartment building explosion. Four others were seriously injured. This, by the way, cell phone video. This is the flames of thick smoke. The police are trying to figure out what started this. At least four apartments in the building near Amsterdam were damaged.
And rescue crews, they are trying to find survivors, hoping to find survivors in this big mess. This is the latest landslide in Colombia. The Red Cross now says at least 50 homes were buried in this wall of mud. So far, they have found 16 victims. The search we're told slow going. They are just trying to pull some survivors out.
Apparently, a lot of flooding, a lot of rains there. The government says the rains have affected more than a million people. The president of Colombia cancelling his trip to the U.N. climate change conference because of all the flooding.
And to Australia where they're also dealing with a similar story. Flooding there. More than 4,000 people stuck in their homes, isolated by the flood waters. Look how high they are. Disaster declarations are in place in 17 different rural and suburban districts in the southeastern part of the country. And we're told, more heavy rain on the way later on in the week. We'll keep an eye on that for you as well.
Huge developments, though, in this tense standoff between North and South Korea. I mentioned, Admiral Mike Mullen, he's headed to the region tonight to South Korea. Just as the South Korean diplomat meets with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington. So, what is the next move here? That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: There's a lot going on in the world today. Right now, I want to play "Reporter Roulette." We have Deb Feyerick for us in New York. Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.
But, first, to Tim Lister here with me in Atlanta on the latest on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
We heard about some kind of meeting possibly with him, his lawyer and police. What do you know?
TIM LISTER, CNN EXECUTIVE EDITOR: His lawyer says there will be a meeting in a foreseeable future. It could be tonight, could be tomorrow. It's going to be soon. And it's a meeting by consent. In other words, this will not be a meeting so that he could be arrested. And the lawyer has made it absolutely clear that any attempt to extradite Assange to Sweden will be resisted. So, this is just the start of what probably will be a long presence.
BALDWIN: Did he mention the timetable when the meeting would happen?
LISTER: They are not disclosing that. The police will not talk about that. And certainly, Mark Stevens, Assange's lawyers will not give any details about that.
BALDWIN: He seems to be running out of options these days.
LISTER: There's certainly plenty of places that would like to see him in front of a judge -- Australia, the United States, Sweden amongst them. The Swiss have said it's unlikely that his claim for asylum would be accepted in Switzerland. And, of course, his bank account in Switzerland has been frozen as well, because he gave some information that wasn't true when he opened the account. So, he is short of options right now.
BALDWIN: Short of options, arrests truly imminent. Tom Lister --
LISTER: Possibly.
BALDWIN: Possibly.
Thank you. Thank you.
Now, Washington out to reassure South Korea, it has a friend. Next on "Reporter Roulette," Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us.
And South Korea, Barbara, getting a lot of attention today as tensions rise with the North.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Brooke. Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will leave Washington tonight and fly to South Korea, a very unexpected trip planned on very short notice. The Pentagon says it's not an emergency trip, but there is plenty of tension in the air. So, Mullen is flying out there to reassure the South Koreans that the U.S. has their back.
BALDWIN: Hmm. Then, Barbara, why the short notice?
STARR: Indeed, why the short notice? Well, look, there's a lot of concern. We saw that the State Department today, when diplomats from South Korea met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the South Koreans have been talking about having live fire exercises.
The concern, Brooke, somebody might have a surprise out there. What if there is some sudden skirmish yet again like we saw over the last many days. What if things escalate and can't be stopped. That's what Mullen is trying to prevent. He doesn't want any surprises in the region.
BALDWIN: Also, Barbara, 30 seconds -- we've heard about the North, the news with the North, international court now investigating the North for war crimes.
STARR: International criminal court prosecutors say they are looking at North Korea for war crimes both in relation to the artillery barrage against a South Korean island and sinking of a South Korean warship. Remains to be seen what happens on that one, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, thank you.
To WikiLeaks posting American cables over the weekend, even more here, to show just how much Google worried China's government.
Next on "Reporter Roulette," Deb Feyerick for us in New York.
So, Deb, these cables indicate China went too far as to hack Google, is that right?
DEB FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. And it wasn't just a random hacker. It seems to have been coordinated at the highest levels of China's government, specifically the politburo standing committee -- that's the top of the top when it comes to sort of communist power in China. They used hackers for hire, basically, people in the private sector who they sanctioned to carry out these attacks according to the memos.
And it's unclear whether China's president or premier actually knew about this when Google went public back in January of 2010 that the system had been hacked. But the attacks did target the e-mail accounts of activists in China. Also, they were able to access Google's code. So, a pretty big score on there.
BALDWIN: Do we know -- do we know, Deb, why -- what prompted these attacks?
FEYERICK: Well, you know, it could come down to good old- fashioned vanity.
One of the top Chinese officials in charge of propaganda actually was on Google China, according to one of these cables. And he went to a link for Google.com, which is not censored. When he put in his name, a lot of critical, unflattering comments about him came up. And that's when he began putting pressure, for example, both economic and political pressure, getting in touch with Chinese telecom companies saying they should stop negotiating with Google.
And, clearly, Google was trying to make inroads in China, specifically to the mobile Internet service that China offered there. So, a lot of pressure before they pulled out.
BALDWIN: Deb Feyerick in New York -- Deb, thank you. And that was today's "Reporter Roulette."
Just in: the Tea Party movement asking Sarah Palin to run for the chairmanship of the RNC. Could that hurt? Could that help a possible presidential run for the former Alaskan governor? Jessica Yellin has her answer -- next.
And if you had to guess which country uses cell phones the most, you probably say us here in the U.S., right? We're always yakking on the phone. Well, not necessarily the case. We -- we don't even crack the top five.
So, my question is this: which countries have the most cell phones per person? Check out this list. Number five, Bulgaria. Number four, Italy. Number three, Hong Kong. What are the other two? After the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Back to our cell phones. If you think we Americans are addicted to our cell phones than people, you know, of the rest of the world -- we were a bit mistaken. Wait and see here which countries top the list with the most cell phones per person. Did you guess this? I don't know if you did.
Number two, Estonia. And number one: UAE, the United Arab Emirates. Just FYI: The U.S. didn't even crack the top 10.
Also to this now: college students in Ohio took advantage of a winter weather this weekend, getting into a snowball fight during a football game. It was all in good fun, until -- according to Kansas police -- someone took things a little too far.
Who? You've got to see that.
That was the University of Cincinnati's Bearcat mascot during Saturday's game against Pittsburgh. What seemed like a playful, you know, snowball tossing to you looked like an assault to police. So, apparently the mascot, the Bearcat, was pelting the opposing team's fans. There he is. Pelting -- I don't know.
After being told to stop, he initially refused. He was actually cited -- there he is on the ground. Look at this -- cited for disorderly conduct. Needless to say, Cincinnati students were not -- you hear them booing. Not too happy.
Next, from one stadium in Cincinnati over to Fort Worth, Texas, where the west side of TCU's Amon G. Carter stadium was imploded on Sunday. Wait for it, marking the beginning of a $105 million renovation project. There she goes. It took about 30 seconds for the portion of the football stadium to go down. Talk about an extreme stadium makeover.
And, finally, to California, where a wayward sea lion was in some need of rescuing. Crews were called out Saturday afternoon. They got the nets and they've almost got the sea lion. This is a 170- pound sea lion found wandering near an elementary school of al places. Imagine it running into your kids on the playground.
By the way, this is not the first time the 5-year-old female has needed some saving. This is her third time escaping and being rescued this year. Fortunately, the feisty sea lion is now safe and back where she belongs.
And now to Jessica Yellin with the latest news from the CNN Political Ticker.
And, here we go, Sarah Palin -- she's still in the news, isn't she, Jess?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Sarah Palin --
BALDWIN: What do you have?
YELLIN: -- she's always in the news, Brooke.
She's saying thanks but no thanks to running the Republican National Committee. A Tea Party organization tried to recruit Sarah Palin to run for the job currently held by Michael Steele. But she says, it's not really for her.
First of all, she said the job requires a lot of fundraising and she tweeted in respond to this that it would be more appropriate for somebody who's, quote, "more comfortable asking people for money." She did use the money to make a dig at the Republican establishment, saying she understands why the Tea Party Nation would want the RNC run by somebody who listens to the people, not the, quote, "vested interests in D.C."
OK. Well, while we're talking about Republicans who haven't said whether they're going to run for president in 2012, let's talk about Rick Santorum. You might recall he was a Republican senator from Pennsylvania. He lost his seat to Bob Casey, the current Democrat in the job. But he became very well-known because he was a fiscal or social conservative who was almost a Tea Party personality before the Tea Party existed.
Well, he has formed the PAC and reports show that he's given tens of thousands of dollars to politicians running for office in Iowa and South Carolina. Why do we care? Because if someone were running for president, that's exactly what they might do -- give money to politicians in key early voting states. Of course, Rick Santorum hasn't said whether he actually plans to run.
And yet another possible Republican contender for president in 2012 -- this is an unusual item, Brooke. A guy who might run admits to having smoked weed as recently as 2008. Yes, we're about a Republican, not a Democrat, yes. His name is Gary Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico.
He broke his back in a paragliding accident some years ago and has admitted in the past to using marijuana to relieve the pain and the difficulties of recovery. But he's never before said it's as recent as 2008. You should note he was out of the governor's mansion by then. But it would certainly make for an interesting topic on the campaign trail if he should decide to run. He supports legalizing weed -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: I'm going to keep my mouth shut. I'm not getting myself in trouble.
So, Jessica Yellin, we're going to leave it there. Thank you.
You can also get the latest political news, go to CNNPolitics.com. There are also on Twitter, you can go to @PoliticalTicker.
And huge here potentially, we are hearing of some breaking news on a possible tax cut deal. We're live at the White House -- next.
And also, there's word of a building fire. Take a look at this with me. This is downtown Baltimore, clearly in the city. This is just about rush hour. We're going to show you some more of the live pictures and get more of the details as they're unfolding at this hour here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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BALDWIN: We have just gotten a good look, and I want to -- let's just make this full, guys, this live picture in Baltimore. According to affiliate, WBAL, this is East Baltimore Street. I mean, I'm looking at the clock Eastern Time. It's a quarter until 5:00.
So this is what a lot of you in Baltimore have to deal with when it comes to your rush hour out of the city, multiple -- you can see the multiple fire trucks treating this fire from different angles. It appears to be maybe a three-to-four-story building there in downtown.
We are hearing again from our affiliate that this might have started in the Gayety Show World. And if you are familiar with Baltimore, this is the area known as "The Block."
And that is about all we know right now. But pretty staggering pictures for a downtown skyline, to have this sort of fire there at a quarter until 5:00 on their Monday afternoon. We're going to stay on top of that. We're making phone calls, trying to get in touch with the Baltimore Fire Department. As soon as we get more information on that, we will bring it to you.
Also, we're still waiting for some possible breaking news out of the White House. Do we have a deal when it comes to this extending a temporary extension of the Bush tax cuts? We know congressional Democrats have been meeting with the president behind closed doors at the White House this hour. We are waiting to get confirmation on that. As soon as we get that, we will bring that to you live.
Also, it is one of the largest class-action lawsuits in history. And at the center of this whole thing, Wal-Mart. I want to tell you what the retail giant is accused of doing. And could the outcome of this particular case affect your workplace?
Stay there.
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BALDWIN: Breaking news. CNN has learned of a deal regarding tax cuts.
Want to bring in White House Correspondent Dan Lothian.
Dan, this is huge potentially here. What do you know?
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It is big. My colleague Ed Henry hearing from a senior Democratic source at the White House that Republicans have reached a deal in principle.
Now, as part of that deal, it would mean an extension of those tax cuts for all Americans for two years. In addition, an extension of the unemployment insurance for 13 months. That's something that the president has talked about as critical, especially for the millions of Americans who are out of work during this holiday season. And then, thirdly, an extension on estate taxes.
Now, as part of this deal, this source saying that no one would be able to make any amendments to it, because both sides would be able to strip something out which could unravel the deal. So that's the very latest we're hearing from Democratic sources.
BALDWIN: And Dan, this deal in principle. Where do we go from here? What's the next step?
LOTHIAN: Well, as you know, the president and the vice president were meeting with those congressional Democratic leaders here at the White House. And this deal, in principle, presented to them, for them to then go back to the Hill and sell it to their membership.
Obviously, a lot of concerns about extending these tax cuts for those upper-tier Americans, because believing that this could really hurt the economy, it could cost this country more than it can afford. So this is a chance for the president to point out that, listen, this is a deal, the best deal that we have at this point. Now is the time to do it. Now go and sell it to membership up on the Hill.
BALDWIN: Dan Lothian, thank you. And, of course, also thanks to Ed Henry for passing along that information. Thanks to you both.
Also, New York Democratic Representative Charlie Rangel was formally censured by the House last week. He was censured for violating 11 different House ethics rules and tax laws. He is standing by his assertion that the vote against him was due to pressure that his colleagues felt from home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CANDY CROWLEY, HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": You think that other members in the Democratic Party didn't want to go home and say, yes, we let Charlie rangel go?
REP. CHARLES RANGEL (D), NEW YORK: Especially at a time when the reputation of the Congress is at an all-time low. We've just had a real combative election. And if you do anything to look like you're going easy on anybody in Washington, I can understand that feeling back home. But I can tell you that individually, whether it's Republicans or Democrats, they knew that what I had done did not reach the level of a censure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: And Wolf Blitzer joins me.
Wolf, I know you're going to be talking to Congressman Rangel next hour, but I have to imagine you guys are now leading with this tax cut deal that Dan was just breaking with us.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it's a huge deal if in fact it works out. And it's not a deal until it's signed, sealed, delivered, and voted on by both the House and the Senate. And there are going to be a lot of Democrats who are going to be furious if they're forced into supporting the Bush-era tax rates for the wealthiest Americans. They're not going to vote for it.
But the question is if all the Republicans go for this deal and if there are enough Democrats to support it, it will be passed. But it's not a done deal yet. It's still got to go through the legislative process.
On the other hand, if the president and the Democratic and the Republican leadership are on board, it looks likely that there will be the deal. They will be able to pass it, continuing the Bush tax rates for everyone, continuing unemployment benefits for those who have been unemployed for more than 99 weeks, and continuing some of those Obama tax cuts that were part of the economic stimulus package as well.
So, it gets complicated. It's still up in the air. But it's moving toward that compromise direction.
BALDWIN: All right, Wolf. We know you are all over every single bit of that story, as well as talking to Congressman Charlie Rangel. We will see you in "THE SITUATION ROOM" in just a couple of minutes.
Meantime, coming up next here, a judge rules that a defendant can use a makeup artist to cover up his tattoos. Why? So his appearance won't sway the jury. But guess who is paying for that makeup artist?
Sunny Austin is on that case next.
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BALDWIN: Sunny Hostin is "On the Case." I want to bring Sunny in.
And talk about this story, Sunny -- I read about it this morning -- this murder defendant's tattoos. I saw some of the pictures. They are kind of scary.
But apparently this Florida court is paying for a makeup artist to come in and cover him up. So I imagine that the reasoning behind that is because they don't want to sway the jury. Is that right?
SUNNY HOSTIN, LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR, "IN SESSION," TRUTV: That's right. The defense really argued in this case that the jury couldn't treat this defendant fairly if they saw the tattoos that were on his neck. He had a tattoo of a swastika on one side of his neck and a tattoo of something pretty crude, a crude insult, on the other side of his neck.
And the court bought that argument. And I think another part of it, Brooke, is that he got these tattoos after he was put in prison. And so one could also say that they really aren't relevant to the crime at hand because they weren't there when he allegedly committed these crimes.
BALDWIN: So, got to talk money. What's the cost? Who is footing the bill? You laugh.
HOSTIN: Apparently, it costs $125 a day for the makeup artist to sort of work her magic. My understanding is that the defense had to call about 10 makeup artists, Brooke, before anyone would agree to do this.
He is standing trial. It's a death penalty case for the murder and the wounding of two people. And, so, who's paying for it? I suppose, some would argue, that we the taxpayers are paying for it because it is coming out of a court fund.
BALDWIN: Now, this is a retrial. Apparently, the first trial ended in a mistrial, even though I guess this has happened before. They had hired a makeup artist in to cover up his tattoos for that jury.
HOSTIN: That's right. This is the second makeup artist that he's had -- or the second time he's had a makeup artist. And it did end in a mistrial.
So, some would argue that this strategy of having these tattoos covered is working, because perhaps if he did have the tattoos, the jury may have found him guilty. And it may have been prejudicial. And so, yes, it's the second go-around for this defendant and his makeup artists.
BALDWIN: And with regard to the tattoos -- and Roger, let's pull up the picture where you can really kind of get a good view. There we go.
So here are all these tattoos around his neck, around his eye. You mentioned he got these tattoos after he was arrested.
So why -- is this, like, a fad, to get locked up and get tatted up?
HOSTIN: You know, it's something that happens all the time. And it's been happening for quite some time, Brooke.
Inmates do it for various reasons. Sometimes they do it to show gang affiliations or affiliations in prison. And sometimes they do it to appear scary to those that are in prison with them, to appear more menacing as a form of protection.
So, this is something that's been happening for a very, very long time. And defense attorneys have argued for a long time to try to cover up these tattoos because it unfairly prejudices their clients.
BALDWIN: Apparently, the makeup artist is used to doing weddings. I wonder if she's ever actually done an accused murderer. Interesting story.
HOSTIN: Apparently not.
BALDWIN: Story number two, you and I were talking about this last night, the Ronni Chasen story, the veteran Hollywood publicist. And apparently the investigation now back at square one.
I mean, we were talking last week about the guy who shot himself when police tried to question him, but what's the story now?
HOSTIN: Well, that's right. He was sort of the person of interest. Police said that he wasn't a suspect, but he was a person of interest.
Ballistic tests have come back, Brooke, and they have found that that person's gun had no connection with this murder. And so police are saying they're not quite back at square one, but they aren't releasing any names of any additional suspects.
There's so many theories going around. This really has become a Hollywood murder mystery.
The theories are now sort of ranging from did someone do her in for her money? Is this somehow related to the fact that her will was going to be changed? Or is this truly a road range incident? And I've got to tell you, many of the people that I've spoken to, Brooke, are starting to believe that this was a road rage incident in California.
BALDWIN: And can I just ask you, push you, why? Why road rage? Because so many -- you know, we've heard from former guys on the L.A. police force, and they say there's no way they could have even shot the car in the manner that it was shot. It looks like a professional hit, so they've said.
HOSTIN: That's right. Well, her brother has come out and said that he thinks that it was road rage.
Some people are saying that she was a rather aggressive driver. There is some surveillance video that police are looking at. Apparently, there was a Lincoln Town Car close to this incident, and so they're trying to find the driver of that Town Car.
That person could be a witness to what happened. But it seems to me that the emerging theory over and over again, the front-runner, is this road rage.
BALDWIN: Unbelievable.
Sunny Hostin for us "On the Case."
Sunny, thank you so much.
HOSTIN: Thanks, Brooke.
BALDWIN: And now I'm going to send it up to Wolf Blitzer with the latest on this potential tax cut deal talked about at the White House behind closed doors today -- Wolf.
