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Afghanistan Report Released; WikiLeaks Founder Released From Jail; Despite GOP Promises, Spending Bill Loaded With Earmarks/Hackers Target Public Wifi; Security Chief Takes Out Gunman; 'On the Case'
Aired December 16, 2010 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Folks, we will get another political update for you in half an hour. You can always jump online, get your political fix. Go to CNNPolitics.com or on Twitter at @PoliticalTicker.
And now take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN (voice-over): Are we defeating al Qaeda? We are now hearing those answers in that critical review in the war in Afghanistan, but does the next generation of terror live in Pakistan?
I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
JASON MCDANIEL, SHOT ARMED SUSPECT: He was very calm, very, like, there to hurt somebody.
BALDWIN: This customer thinks he is stopping a robbery. What he doesn't realize, the suspect is wanted in a string of murders. The case of the so-called Honeybee Killer.
Plus, a former college lacrosse player is accused of beating his girlfriend to death. Now his lawyers suggest her death may have been her fault.
And is Ronald McDonald making your child fat? One mother says so. Well, guess what? She is suing. Sunny Hostin is on the case.
And he is the king.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See, I told you it was low to the floor.
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": I'm low to the floor.
BALDWIN: We are just hours away from a legend's final prime-time TV show.
RICHARD NIXON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I have never been in the Watergate.
(CROSSTALK)
KING: Never been in? Never been in the restaurant? NIXON: Well, no. Other people were in there, though, unfortunately.
BALDWIN: We have got the best moments from Larry King's quarter- century in your living rooms.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Hello, everyone. I'm Brooke Baldwin.
A lot of news happening right now. Rapid fire, let's go.
First, take a look with me at who is walking out of London's high court to applause and a whole lot of camera flashes. There he is, Julian Assange, free on bail today after nine days of being jailed for questioning on sex charges filed in Sweden. The Australian activist and founder of the Web site WikiLeaks says he was kept in solitary confinement.
Now, as a bail condition, Assange has to stay at the home of a friend just outside of London and wear one of those -- you know, those electronic tracking devices.
Next, are al Qaeda terrorists planning a Christmas season attack in Europe and here in the United States? An American official tells CNN captured al Qaeda insurgents are talking. They're talking to Iraqi authorities who say suicide attackers are eying targets both in the U.S. and in Europe. That information is reportedly being taken very, very seriously. But the U.S. official also adds there is no intelligence indicating either a specific or a credible threat there.
Next, Sweden has a significant number of what police are calling Islamic extremists living there, bent on causing violence. That is according to an official report commissioned months before last weekend's bombings in Stockholm that killed the bomber and also injured two other people there. About 200 individuals in Sweden were I.D.ed in this particular report.
It is a threat the Swedish government does not consider widespread or growing.
Next, you remember this picture? Remember this? This was the CNN exclusive picture. This was Christmas Day last year. The Nigerian now known as the alleged underwear bomber is escorted off of a Northwest flight in Michigan.
Well, today, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab appeared in a federal court arraigned on new charges, possessing an explosive and conspiracy. He pleaded not guilty. All parties agreed to a date in January to begin the process of setting a trial date.
Next: life in prison, no possibility for parole -- that is the sentence today for John Ditullio, found guilty of murdering a teenager and stabbing a woman back in 2006. Do you remember this story? We had mentioned him earlier this month in this newscast because the judge had agreed to use taxpayer money to pay for a professional makeup job.
Remember, he had that swastika as a tattoo, other tattoos on his face and neck? Well, prosecutors say he considers himself a neo-Nazi.
Next, we're getting word that a federal customs officer based at the Atlanta Airport is now facing federal charges in this huge alleged drug trafficking ring. Get this, the feds seizing nearly $3 million worth of ecstasy, which we are told this makes this bust one of the largest of its kind in the country.
By the way, 13 others also facing charges in the investigation they are calling Operation Rude Beast.
Next, you see that teeny-tiny hole in the ground? Yes, not so much teeny-tiny. That is a huge hole in the ground, and stand back. As we pan around, it is getting bigger. The hole suddenly opened up in this landfill that's been used for 30 years in the Tampa, Florida, area.
So, just to get your bearings, this is 75 feet wide, 50 feet deep and did I mention it is in a landfill? The county is checking public and private wells within a mile of its site. Check the water.
Next, devastating flooding in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. This is just north of Maine. Look at this. Heavy rainfall in recent days has forced people to just have to get out of their homes. That's why, these pictures. One St. George resident says he did not expect it to get this bad. He says he only managed to grab some food, get his family in a canoe, before all those floodwaters just inundated his home.
Next, if you drive a Honda, here is a heads up, Honda recalling some 143,000 of its 2007 and 2008 Fit vehicles in the U.S. and more than one million of them all around the world. The company is worried about potential problems with the headlights that could cause the wiring harness from the low beams to wear out prematurely and fail. Check your Hondas.
Next: A North Carolina family wants everyone to know Jesus is coming back, and they have put up these billboards all over the state with the date -- there is it is -- May 21, 2011. The family follows the controversial radio ministry of Harold Camping. Heard of this guy?
But his radio show is not broadcast in North Carolina, so they say they moved there to spread his message. Camping says he figured out the actual date by calculating 7,000 years from the date that Noah took pairs of animals into his Ark to save them from the flood. There you go.
Next, when it comes to guitar smashing, what better place to do it than the Hard Rock Cafe? This one at the Hard Rock Casino and Hotel, this is Hollywood, Florida, just last night. Remember the '80s group Huey Lewis and the News? He led that smash fest. Well, customers, casino VIPs and members of the local Seminole Indian tribe helped smash these guitars. I'm talking 1,914 acoustic stars to set this new record. According to folks at Guinness World Records, the guitars had to be totally wrecked, totally wrecked, for it to count.
Next, speaking of records, a Nova Scotia mutt named Misty, aww, could be the oldest living dog in the world, but very difficult though to verify that. Her owner says she was seven years of age when rescued from this animal shelter. And he adopted her 18 years ago.
But Guinness World Records says they need to document Misty's age in order for her to get the title. By the way, 25 human years translates roughly into, do the math, that equals 175 dog years. Misty's got some grays. Makes sense, right?
Now to the Big Board. Here we go, the Dow up about 41 points this hour, around 11499.
Want to bring in my gal Poppy Harlow live in New York.
And, Poppy, we have some encouraging news on the unemployment front this week. Do tell.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I guess. You know, Brooke, it is all relative these days, an OK end for the market today. We ended higher basically because we got an unemployment report that wasn't as bad as expected.
Still, though, this morning, we learned that 420,000 Americans filed for those first-time unemployment benefits last week. It's a decline of 3,000. It's the second week in a row that number has gone down, but what economists across the board say, Brooke, is, look, if we are going to see any decline in our unemployment rate, we need to see that weekly number fall below 400,000.
And guess what? It has been between 400,000 and 500,000 first- time jobless claims every week, Brooke, for the past year. So, that is really the big problem here. It is a little ray of light. I guess you can see a silver lining, still, though, not a very strong number, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Talk to me, Poppy, about the foreclosure notices. That is on the decline last month.
HARLOW: Yes. This was a little bit of good news. So, what we with saw, according to RealtyTrac, which looks at all these numbers, is that they said foreclosure notices that were filed in November dropped 21 percent.
That is the biggest month-over-month drop they have ever seen. The reason they are saying this happened is because of that robo- signing scandal that we talked so much about, banks having their employees sign off on thousands upon thousands of foreclosures without allegedly verifying all the paperwork.
So a lot of the big banks, like Bank of America, they suspended foreclosures this fall. So what that did is that brought that number way down. The overall story here though is expect those numbers to go back up, because just even in the last week, Bank of America has said they are restarting that foreclosure process. They have corrected the error, so you're going to see that number go back up.
But good news for people ahead of the holidays, that number a very, very big drop in those foreclosure filings for the month of November, Brooke.
BALDWIN: We like that. We like that. Poppy Harlow, thank you.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Hey, we have got some dramatic moments. Of course, it's caught on video and we are passing it right along to you.
Here is what happens. A customer confronts a robber and the suspect is wanted by police. Is the case of the so-called Honeybee Killer closed? And why is he called the Honeybee Killer? Those developments next.
Plus, new video of the search for those clues in New York. Remember those four bodies told you about earlier this week all found on this remote stretch of beach? Well, police say there could be a serial killer on the loose. And now several families are waiting to see who those victims are. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Welcome back.
Evidence still being analyzed, but there are solid new links between a man killed over the weekend and the so-called Honeybee Killer.
Here's story. Police say 48-year-old Gary Amaya, who was killed with his own revolver over the weekend -- during this weekend robbery gone bad, I should say, was killed by the same gun used to kill one person and wound two others back in October.
But here is the thing. And look at this with me, Saturday's incident capture on video. And this is pretty amazing. Here is what happens. A man later identified as Gary Amaya walk into this -- this is a tanning salon, pulls out his pistol, points there at the clerk, orders her to back away from the counter and later makes her tie her hands together.
So a short time later there is a customer walks in and he is ordered behind the counter as well. But it is what happens next -- there he comes right around the counter, but it's what happens next, it's really incredible. The gunman gets out even more rope.
There's the rope. You see him using that, apparently to tie up the customer, but he drops the rope on the floor. And see the guy moving in really quickly? That gives the customer enough time to make his move. He hit the gunman, took his gun and they struggle off camera. Watch it again with me. Got the rope. Drops it on the floor and the guy moves in. There you go. Now, shots are fired. The gunman is wounded. He later dies. And that courageous customer, his name Jason McDaniel. And he says he does not think the gunman was there just to get money.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCDANIEL: There was no, no type of, OK, give me the money, I want to leave. There was no type of hurry. He was very calm, very like there to hurt somebody, I think. Really, that was his intended goal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Now, the Honeybee Killer nickname arose because the gunman in the October attacks reportedly once kept beehives and because he talked about beekeeping just before shooting one of his victims, thus Honeybee Killer. Today, police said Gary Amaya once worked with at a bee farm. Spooky.
Pork in Congress, lawmakers always vowing to stop the spending on the side, but apparently nothing changes. And we have some numbers for you. You are going to hear this.
Also, it is not for an episode of "House Hunters," but the Home and Garden network, HGTV, paying visit to this house, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Why? Well, Joe Johns knows why. He always has got the good stuff, the stuff we never know, but Joe Johns in "Political Pop" going to share that with us next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: And now to one of my favorite parts of the show. When we're looking for answers that just aren't getting answered, we turn to our guy in D.C., who's inside the Beltway for just about three decades, Joe Johns, for "Political Pop."
And Joe, let's talk about this spending bill. It is loaded with all kinds of earmarks. Seems to be the word of the day here. But correct me if I'm wrong, didn't we hear it was Mitch McConnell, the GOP, voting to ban these earmarks?
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a bunch of people. I mean, it's almost Christmas, I guess this is in honor of the Christmas season or something. The Congress has loaded up this giant catch-all spending bill -- the call it an "omnibus" -- but it's just a great, big, old bill with all kinds of stuff in it. And they've got so many earmarks, it looks like a Christmas tree decorated with every kind of gift, trinket, bauble, bangle imaginable for folks back home. And Taxpayers for Common Sense -- Brooke, you've heard of these guys, right?
BALDWIN: Yes. Yes.
JOHNS: This is a watchdog group. They track this stuff. And they say the bill has 6,700 earmarks worth about $8.3 billion. And Senator John McCain's been railing against the stuff for years, made another one of his trips out to the Senate floor to point out some of the wacky-sounding things that got in the bill. Listen up, Brooke.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: One of my favorites that pops up all the time, $349,000 for swine waste management in North Carolina. Another one of my all-time favorites that's always in there, $413,000 for peanut research in Alabama, $247,000 for virus-free wine grapes in Washington, $208,000 for beaver management in North Carolina, $235,000 for noxious weed management in Nevada. One of my another all-time favorites that is always on here every year, $300,000 for the Polynesian Voyaging Society in Hawaii.
Now, some people are watching and thinking I'm making this up! I'm not making it up -- $300 had,000 for the Polynesian Voyaging Society in Hawaii.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: The Polynesian Voyaging Society -- I still haven't been able to figure out what that is. It's like --
BALDWIN: Nor have I. I heard that.
JOHNS: That's in there every year.
BALDWIN: Nor have I. And look, maybe some people in Washington say it's very important to have virus-free grapes, and maybe, you know, a senator or congressman say it was very important. But here's the -- here's the thing. I thought a lot of members of Congress were supposed to be swearing off these earmarks. I thought that's, you know, that the voters wanted. That was the message that the voters sent this past election, no?
JOHNS: Yes, well, some of these guys were sort of -- how do you say --
BALDWIN: Wink, wink, nod, nod?
JOHNS: -- for earmarks before they --
(LAUGHTER)
JOHNS: For earmarks before they were against them, you know? I guess what you can say, this is kind of putting them in a tight spot, a lot of people up on the Hill. Senator John Cornyn of Texas -- he was one of the people I talked to just a couple of weeks ago, two or three weeks ago, who said he was swearing off of earmarks. At the time, he said it was the right thing to do. But here's the problem. Cornyn has about $100 million worth of earmarks in the bill. So how is he going to handle that? Well, he says he is going to vote against his own earmarks, he says. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R), TEXAS: I think that's, to me, the context. And we've said very clearly -- we voted for an earmark moratorium. We will abide by that. And we will reject any earmarks requested by us or anyone else because that's what the American people told us they want.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: So put them in the bill, and now he's going to vote against the bill. OK. We're looking forward, obviously, to the coming Congress, when Republicans who swore with off all these earmarks start seeing what the world of politics really looks like when they can't take pork back home anymore -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: Real quickly, Joe, talk to me about the White House Christmas tree.
JOHNS: Oh, yes, yes. This is -- we've been trying to get this on TV for so long.
BALDWIN: Today is the day, Joe.
JOHNS: Yes. I'm really excited!
(LAUGHTER)
JOHNS: Let's just sort of roll the tape so you can look at it. This is time-lapse photography. The White House photographers wanted to show just what goes into putting up the White House Christmas tree. These guys have much better access, obviously, to the White House than any of us do. That's the only reason they can set up a camera in there like that. And there you see it, pretty cool stuff, frankly. I was told it took hundreds of people to do this. I don't see hundreds of people in the video, I don't think, but it's certainly a lot of people.
BALDWIN: Just a couple people working really, really, really fast.
JOHNS: Yes.
BALDWIN: That looks like the Blue Room. Is it the Blue Room?
JOHNS: You got me, Brooke. I mean, I've been in there, but I don't know the Blue Room from the Yellow Room from the --
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: I'm just cheating by looking at the wallpaper.
JOHNS: There you go.
BALDWIN: I've only been there once. There you go. That's kind of cool, Joe Johns. Thanks for bringing us that video. We've been wanting to get that on the air. Joe Johns, thank you, with today's "Political Pop," always the stuff we never really get to from Washington. Joe, thank you. We'll see you tomorrow.
JOHNS: You bet.
BALDWIN: And have you ever used -- who hasn't? -- public wifi, right, especially if it's free? But be careful because hackers may be targeting your information. The warning you need to hear. That is next.
Plus, what is happening now with Aretha Franklin? There are some concerning reports about her health, and now her camp is speaking out today.
Also, the death of a Hollywood legend. "The Pink Panther" will never be the same. "Trending" next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Here's what you're talking about. Here's what's "Trending" today. First up, Aretha Franklin. The 68-year-old Queen of Soul is back home recuperating today after being released from the hospital following surgery. Now, her publicist says it was from a, quote, "undisclosed malady" and asbit (ph) doctors say the surgery was highly successful. Obviously, we certainly wish her well, to a full and speedy recovery.
Also "Trending," some sad news out of Hollywood today. Director Blake Edwards has died. You may not know his name. You probably, though, do know his movies. According to his publicist, the 88-year- old died of complications from pneumonia. The Hollywood icon and husband of Julie Andrews is best known for the "Pink Panther" movies and other flicks like "10," "Victor/Victoria." Edwards died Wednesday night at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, his wife and family by his side.
And after weeks and weeks of speculation from we, the media, we can finally confirm for that you Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon are indeed having twins. The actor revealed the news to eager listeners today on a morning radio show. The couple was understandably apprehensive about confirming the pregnancy in the first place, but Mariah did suffer a miscarriage. She's been public about that. That happened in 2008.
So what else did he say? Well, apparently, there were a few people in on their secret, like the president and the first lady. Apparently, they knew. Cannon told listeners that during a performance at TNT's "Christmas in Washington" last Sunday, the Obamas asked Mariah Carey what she was having, and she was so excited, she let the news slip. The sex of the babies, though, still a mystery to all of us.
And this week here at CNN, we have been all about your privacy and those people and groups trying like crazy to get your personal information. And you know, one of the biggest targets -- have you thought about this? -- public wifi. Listen to this warning before you go log in on the go. Here's Ted Rowlands with his report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Inside terminal 5 at the Los Angeles International Airport, dozens of people are on their computers. Gregory Evans is a former hacker whose resume includes two years in federal prison.
GREGORY EVANS, CONVICTED COMPUTER HACKER: We were doing almost a million dollars, if not more, a week against some of the biggest corporations in the world.
ROWLANDS: We set up in a corner of the terminal so that Evans, who now owns a cyber-security company, could show us just how vulnerable people are to hackers.
EVANS: I will go and set up a fake wifi and watch everybody connect to it. And once they connect to it and they start surfing the Internet, now what I'll do is just grab all their traffic.
ROWLANDS: We launched a fake network named LAX Free Wifi. Within minutes, people started connecting to it. Evans then showed us how a hacker can record everything off a computer that joined our network by tracking what I was doing on my laptop.
EVANS: So if they go to their bank, it'll grab all their banking information. If they go to their FaceBook, it'll grab all that. And their Twitter accounts, if they're writing love letters, I can grab all of that.
ROWLANDS: Or Evans says, even worse, if a hacker has enough time, spyware can be installed which stays with the victim.
EVANS: You get on the plane, you go to one country, I go to another. But everything that you do, as long as you have that computer, is going to be e-mailed back to me.
ROWLANDS: During our experiment, we stumbled across what appeared a real hacker at work. Along with our fake network, there was another one called Free Public Wifi. Airport administrators told us T-Mobile is the only authorized wifi provider.
(on camera): So you think that there could be a hacker here right now?
EVANS: That's correct.
ROWLANDS (voice-over): Catching and prosecuting a hacker, especially at an airport, is extremely difficult. E.J. Hilbert is a retired FBI agent who specialized in cyber-crime.
E.J. HILBERT, RET. FBI AGENT/ON-LINE INTELLIGENCE: It's virtually impossible to catch them. Law enforcement's aware of this. And there's always the next piece. You steal the cards, you steal the information, you got to use them somewhere. And that's when you start getting the real investigations going.
ROWLANDS (on camera): Experts say there are a few things you can do to protect yourself. If you're at an airport or a public spot, find out who the wifi provider is and use that. If it costs some money, pay the money. They also say change your password every now and then, and use different passwords for different accounts. Another tip, turn your computer off when you're not using it.
(voice-over): And if you do go on line using a public wifi, keep in mind that someone may be watching you.
EVANS: You don't know if you're getting on a true wifi or you're connecting to some hacker's network. Like, you don't know if you're connecting to me or if you're really connecting to the airport.
ROWLANDS: Ted Rowlands, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: President Obama says the U.S. is making strides in the fight against terror, but he says those gains are fragile. That was his word today -- and the battle there very much so (ph) urgent. We'll get a live report on where we stand in Afghanistan next.
And there are urgent new developments in the tensions on the Korean peninsula, warnings that a South Korean military drill could cause a chain reaction. We've got our A-team lining up right now. "Reporter Roulette" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: We're going to talk about a review of the war, the tensions on the Korean peninsula and the health care law facing yet another judge. Spin the wheel. Time to play "Reporter Roulette." I want to begin with Nic Robertson there for us in Kabul. And Nic, talking about this war report, talk to me about the areas of success.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Success in the south in the city of Kandahar, some of the towns of Helmand, security gains, the people in those cities and places feeling that they can go out, do business. Business is picking up, trying to pass off to Afghan security forces, build up the Afghan police. Problems, though, getting everything that they need from the central government in Kabul to kind of reinforce that security process, Brooke.
BALDWIN: How realistic, Nic would a surge be -- a surge in the Taliban strongholds?
ROBERTSON: There aren't the number of troops at the moment. They are concentrated in the south. Until they can be freed up, as long as they are not the ones being rotated out next summer, it would be very difficult to put them in all the different places where the Taliban are getting stronger in the numbers that it needs to make the surge successful.
We have seen how the surge can be successful, but the numbers are limited. President Obama said the numbers are not going any higher, no more troops.
BALDWIN: Nic Robertson for us in Afghanistan. Nic, thanks to you.
Next on "Reporter Roulette," Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon with new worries that tensions on the Korean peninsula between North and South Korea could be heating this up weekend. Barbara, what are you learning?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: This weekend, indeed, Brooke. South Korea is scheduled to begin a series of live fire artillery exercises, and they are going to take place right off that same island that was shelled by the North Koreans just a few weeks ago.
Everyone is very tense about this. The South Koreans have announced that it is all routine. But here at the Pentagon, top commanders say they are concerned. They are worried about a North Korean reaction. They are worried that firing and counterfiring could erupt and they are willing (AUDIO GAP) a small number of U.S. troops on those South Korean islands observing the whole thing. Brooke?
BALDWIN: Barbara, just following up. What are you hearing as far as whether or not these are legitimate exercises? What are you hearing from the Pentagon? What are you hearing from the State Department?
STARR: These are very standard exercises conducted by the North Koreans. If there hadn't been these recent tensions, it might have passed unnoticed. But remember, it was just a few weeks ago when North Koreans shelled this South Korean island where these artillery installation are that they will be using on this training range to fire out into the open sea. It is because of the recent stresses and tensions with North Korea that everyone is keeping a sharp eye on all of it this weekend. Brooke?
BALDWIN: Barbara Starr, thank you.
And next on "Reporter Roulette," Brian Todd. Brian Todd is in Pensacola, Florida where this federal judge is weighing in on the latest legal challenge to this new federal health care reform law. Brian, what's the story there?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A key provision of that law, Brooke, is under siege today. And that is the provision that says that everybody has to buy health insurance, even if you're healthy, even if you don't want health insurance, you have got buy it for the government to have enough money to bring everyone into the insurance pool.
That's what was battled out here in this courthouse today. Government lawyers arguing that you have got to have that in there in order to bring everyone in and insure everyone.
Lawyers for 20 states saying that is not constitutional. You cannot force people to buy a product in this case, insurance. And the judge may have tipped his hand that he sympathizes with that argument it is not constitutional. He said of the right that currently exists to not buy insurance, quote, "there are some people who have a different way of dealing with a situation, and that is being taken away from them."
So, he is maybe tipping his hand that he will rule against the Obama administration and maybe rule that that law that makes you buy insurance is unconstitutional. We will know probably in a few weeks.
BALDWIN: Brian, 30 seconds. What is the story with the big battle over Medicaid?
TODD: Well, that's another key part of this law that may go to the Supreme Court, along with that other one we just talked about. The Obama law wants states to expand the Medicaid rules; the states are saying that we don't have the money to do it. It is going to make us bankrupt, it's going to add millions of people to it. That is what was battled out today, those two provisions very likely end up in the supreme court.
BALDWIN: Brian Todd in Pensacola. Brian, thank you. And that is your "Reporter Roulette" for this Thursday.
And now this. Many, many, many political analysts are wondering, could Sarah Palin challenge President Obama come 2012? Look it is possible, but could she win? Jessica Yellin is next. She has a little bit of that, a little bit of this, next on the political ticker.
Ah, but first this. Looking for a job? Got two words for you: social media. A growing industry, perfect for you tech-savvy folks. Mashable.com released its list of the top four employers. And here are the top four.
Coming in at number four, Weber Shandwick. That's the company that encourages employees to be themselves online as well as try out emerging services. Number three, huge company, IBM, the tech giant offers employees tons of hands-on training and conferences to stay on the cutting edge.
Who else made the list? Who's top two? That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: If you are the tech savvy type, looking for a job, listen up. Mashable.com released its list of the top employers in social media. We told you the number three, number four. Number two, Best Buy. The company's "the best idea wins" policy allows all employee ideas to be heard.
And coming in at number one, Adobe. They offer employees tons of training and encouraging hands-on experience. All of that from Mashable.
Now, to Jessica Yellin, joining me now with the latest news from the political ticker. Ms. Yellin, good to see you.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT. Hi, Brooke, good to see you again. Well, the new development. Newt Gingrich, you may have heard, has come out against two major measures that are before the U.S. Senate. One is the START Treaty. That's that nuclear anti- proliferation treaty that President Obama is trying to get done. Newt's asking 1.2 million members to oppose that, and he's also asking them to block -- support Republicans in blocking the appropriations bill that Democrats are bringing up for a vote, which funds the government to stay open.
Fascinating, of course, Newt Gingrich says in his criticism it threatens a shut-down of the government if we don't accept this omnibus bill with all of its pork-barrel spending. What is so ironic about that is when Newt Gingrich was speaker, he may have been involved in shutting down the government himself. Yes, he was. No one knows the dangers of that better than Newt Gingrich.
Turning to the 2012 race, Sarah Palin has a little bit of news in a new "Wall Street Journal"/NBC News poll. It shows that she has her work cut out for her if she plans to run for president. The latest polling shows in a match-up between Sarah Palin and President Obama, the president is 22 points ahead with 55 percent of the vote and Palin at 33 percent of the vote. Of course, plenty of time to change opinions out there.
A little bit more news in that poll shows that most Americans, they find his job approval is at just 45 percent. That's below the crucial 50 percent mark any president wants to hit. But Americans, a majority still like the president personally. 72 percent say they like Mr. Obama. They just -- many of them don't approve of the job he is doing as president. Some do.
All right. And on a lighter note, remember a place called hope? You remember that? That was the theme --
BALDWIN: Yes. Yes. Go ahead. Go ahead.
YELLIN: That was Bill Clinton's convention back when he was running for president the first time in '92. He talked about a place called hope, but he was also referring to his hometown of Hope, Arkansas.
Well now, Bill Clinton birthplace, the home he came to when he was born, is a national park. It is the place he lived for the first four years of his life with his mother, who had been widowed and his mother's parents. And he joins a very small club of ex-presidents whose actual birthplaces are national parks. They include George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. Many other presidents have places that have turned into national monuments, et cetera, but only that very small club whose birthplaces are national parks. Pretty good company to keep.
BALDWIN: The town of Hope. The town of Hope. Jessica, thank you.
You can also get the latest political ticker, your political update. Just hop online, go to CNNpolitics.com or on Twitter @politicalticker.
And the frozen, bitter, bitter cold lighthouse of Lake Erie, you got to see this.
And the king of beasts down for the count. Coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: A giant bird joyriding on, of all things, a Zamboni machine. This is a job for apparently some quick police work. You've got to see this.
Yes, I said giant bird. Wait for it. There he is.
This is our scene I'm pulling in Atlanta, dashcam action here. The mascot of the Atlanta Thrashers hockey team pulled off the zamboni after a low-speed chase. "Thrash," as he is know, cuffed, taken down town, back of that cruiser.
What's going on? It can't be possibly real, right? Right.
The whole thing was faked. They even had a helicopter up there to capture this. The Thrashers are trying to drum up some ticket sales after getting creative with their online ads.
Maybe had some people -- maybe -- fooled for a minute.
Also, take a look at this ice sculpture. This is on the shores of Lake Erie. Chad made a good point. This is looks like something you'd see on top of a wedding cake, but this is a lighthouse totally encased in ice.
The frigid wind fused the freezing water spray as a sculpting tool, and apparently other markers along the pier coated in ice as well. Brr.
OK, doctors. Let's make sure this guy doesn't wake up anytime too soon.
This is 300-plus pounds of a grouchy male African lion, a zoo resident in Kenya with a bum shoulder. Poor guy. A unique project for these veterinary students who did a full work-up on him, including x-rays and ultrasounds. They say he had a congenital bone defect, so no surgery in the end.
Nice kitty. There he goes.
And there is a mystery unfolding in New York here. Police found four bodies on this remote beach, but they still can't crack the case yet. They are turning their attention to a possible serial killer. We've got some new developments on this story coming at you next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Want to show you some new video we've gotten and share some new information with you. Take a look with me. These are aerial pictures. This is the southern end of Long Island, teeming today with police, homicide investigators. They are at it again at this hour.
They are expanding the search for clues connected to four sets of human remains. Remember, they were found starting Sunday and then into Monday on this remote stretch of beach road. And they reportedly have at the scene more than a dozen cadaver dogs, which would seem to suggest they're not ruling out the possibility of unearthing even more bodies out there.
As we told you, law enforcement officials have warned this may possibly be the work of a serial killer, maybe even killers. All four sets of remains are believed to be those of women. And remember, the first set found Saturday by an officer and his dog, Blue, who just so happened to be out in the area.
The were searching for clues in the case for a missing New Jersey call girl. She was 23. She was Shannon Gilbert (ph). She was last seen in the area back in May.
And here's another call girl who disappeared on Long Island. She is a mother from Maine, Megan Waterman. And her distraught mother is speaking out. She has this to say --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LORRAINE ELA, MOTHER OF MEGAN WATERMAN: I've had mixed feelings about it. At one point I -- deep down inside I feel that she's not here. But then on the other hand, part of me still thinks that she still is with us. We have that little bit of hope.
It disgusts me, why somebody would want to murder people and dump them off in a failed (ph) wooded area anyway. Why would somebody do that?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: And let me return to the new video and add one piece of the puzzle for you. "The New York Daily News" is reporting today that investigators are now exploring this theory -- that the victims on Long Island may have been slain by the same killer who four years ago, dumped the bodies of four prostitutes behind a hotel in Atlantic City.
That case is still open, and you know we are making calls on this. We're going to keep following this story for you.
And now to a story that has a lot of you talking this week. It's the story that happened Tuesday afternoon.
There was a gunman who walked into the Bay County School Board meeting and essentially opened fire. And there are several people in that case who have been called a hero, but the main guy who refuses to say he's hero, but everyone else says he is, is Mike Jones, who is good enough -- we have now got him on the phone.
And Mike, are you with me?
MIKE JONES, SECURITY OFFICER: Hello?
BALDWIN: Hello, Mike. This is Brooke in Atlanta. Can you hear?
MIKE JONES, SECURITY DIRECTORY, BAY COUNTY SCHOOLS: Yes, ma'am. Go ahead.
BALDWIN: Mike, I saw you today and I know I have heard from the school board superintendent. We talked to Ginger, one of the other members of the school board. They're all calling you a hero. I know you're being modest, but you were pretty teary-eyed talking about this whole ordeal today.
Why are you so teary-eyed? Because you got a sudden lesson in the fact that life is very, very precious?
JONES: Exactly. And, you know, I just want to thank the news media. I asked them yesterday to have that private time with my pastor -- my retired pastor and my family, and if they would just wait until today, and they did. I needed that time with my family.
You know, and today, I'm lucky to be here. There's a lot of emotions. I have been up and down all day doing these interviews, and kind of hard to get it out of my mind that I almost lost my superintendent. And a pretty emotional day today.
BALDWIN: Mike, talk to me about that split-second decision. You get the call, you're in this building. And what was that phone call? Did they explain that there was a gunman in the room, and then the decision you made from the back of that school board meeting to take down the gunman -- help do that?
JONES: Yes, I just got a call there is someone in the board meeting with a gun. They didn't know if it was real or fake, and I came down a four-story stairwell and made everybody get out of the hallways.
And I had to open door the to get an assessment, you know, what I had, what I was dealing with. And as soon as I opened the door, the gunman was there in front of the board members, and so I kind of scanned the room to make sure that's all I had.
At that time, I conversed with him. I said, "Hey, is that a real gun?" And he turned around and said something like, you know, "OK, now the cops are here. You're the police, huh?"
And I said, "Why don't you come here and let me talk to you?" And I was trying to lure him out of that room, and maybe the board members and the superintendent could escape, and let me and him engage each other, because I was armed and they weren't. So he didn't fall for that, so I had to fall back to plan B.
BALDWIN: And plan B was shooting?
JONES: Plan B I wasn't even wearing a vest. I'm an administrator-type position. I had on a weapon.
My vehicle was parked, I mean, just so lucky, like 30 feet outside the door. I ran out there. I was out there maybe 30 seconds.
I grabbed my vest, threw it on, grabbed some extra clips for my gun, ran back to the door. And just in time to kind of open that door and take a peek again. And he done squared up, and with both hands on the weapon, and was fixing to shoot the superintendent.
And by the time I snatched the door, he had already fired one round. And when I snatched the door open, the gun battle was on.
BALDWIN: Well, we have heard from several of the members of the board. They say you are a hero, making that split-second decision, very much saving lives. And for all the people who have been listening to this story, sir, what one message do you have to them?
JONES: Don't ever say it can't happen here. I have heard that so many times. That's not going to happen here, we are small town USA. It happened here. It can happen anywhere.
BALDWIN: Mike Jones, the hero.
Mike, thank you for calling in.
JONES: Thank you.
BALDWIN: Tonight is the night. Twenty-five incredible years on CNN come to an end. Larry King is ending his regular primetime show.
Don't miss tonight. And apparently, he's got some surprise guests. You know the time, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: A couple of fascinating stories for you for "On the Case" today.
I want to bring in Sunny Hostin of "In Session," on truTV, of course, as always, to help me sort all of this out.
And Sunny, let's talk first about this story out of New York. You've got this on-air meteorologist, this woman for New York's WABC- TV. She's been arrested. Heidi Jones is her name.
She reported that a Hispanic male attacked her while she was jogging in Central Park, but during questioning she recanted her story. Sunny, what has Jones been charged with?
SUNNY HOSTIN, "IN SESSION," TRUTV: Well, at this point, Brooke, she has been charged with filing a false police report. And that is punishable. It's a Class A misdemeanor. You could end up in jail for one year. You can be fined $1,000.
And many people don't realize that filing a false police report is a crime, and you can end up in prison for something like that. BALDWIN: You mentioned prison. Do we know how long she could end up being in prison? What is the punishment?
HOSTIN: The punishment is at least a year, up to a year in prison. I understand that she has also been suspended from her position at WABC. Some sources are saying that she will be fired.
But I think it's unlikely that she will spend time in prison. Probation is probably the likely sentence.
But let me say this -- as condition of her probation, I would make her meet with real rape victims. I would also make her work with the Innocence Project and have her meet with men that have been falsely accused, because to falsely accuse someone of rape really could have a chilling effect on rape victims. It's very hard for rape victims to come forward because they don't think that people will believe them. Shat she did is a serious, serious crime.
BALDWIN: Next, McDonald's, being sued by a group of consumers and nutrition advocates. They want to force the fast food chain to stop using toys to entice kids to buy meals they say are unhealthy. And the suit was brought forth on behalf of a Monet Parham. She's a mother of two from Sacramento.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like that it's fun and exciting, and it surprises me.
MONET PARHAM, BROUGHT SUIT AGAINST MCDONALD'S: I can tell them no all day long. They still see commercials that convince them that you have really got to have this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: "You've really got to have this," Sunny. McDonald's has pledged to fight the suit, but, Sunny, we have heard stories like this before, have we not? This is not necessarily a new thing.
HOSTIN: It's not a new thing. And let's face it, you know, McDonald's has been giving away these Happy Meals for a long time. Kids love the toys within them.
This time, they are saying -- the plaintiffs are saying in this case that it's illegal, that they are forcing kids and luring kids into eating this junk food. But, you know, Brooke, I have two children. And the last I checked, they don't have jobs and they don't have money, and they can't buy Happy Meals for themselves. If my kids have Happy Meals, it's because I have purchased them for them.
So my suggestion to parents everywhere is if you don't want your kids to have a Happy Meal then just don't buy them.
BALDWIN: Just don't buy one. HOSTIN: Simple as that. Right?
BALDWIN: But some people like to be litigious.
Sunny, would the suit -- does this carry any water? Would the suit have any chance?
HOSTIN: It's definitely possible. I mean, it passes the smell test.
They filed a suit saying that it's illegal under consumer protection laws. We know that obesity, childhood obesity, is a big deal right now. Fifteen percent of American children are, you know, suffering from obesity.
But McDonald's, their spokesperson, says, "We are proud of our Happy Meals and intend to vigorously defend our brand, our reputation and our food. We are confident that parents understand and appreciate that Happy Meals are a fun treat with quality, right-sized food choices for their children that can fit into a balanced diet."
So it's another round of junk food justice -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: I was just about to ask -- we were talking about Starbucks the other day and a woman who was frustrated. She poured hot water on herself.
Junk food justice, Ms. Sunny Hostin. That is the phrase.
HOSTIN: That's right.
BALDWIN: That is great.
Sunny Hostin, "On the Case."
Wonderful to see you, as always. See you tomorrow, Friday. Thank you so much.
And now, I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thanks so much for watching CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm going to pass you off to my colleague, Suzanne Malveaux, with "THE SITUATION ROOM" -- Suzanne.
