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Tunisia in Turmoil; "Walk for Peace" in Tucson; Peering into Loughner's Past; Big Changes at the RNC; 14-Year-Old Prodigy; NFL Playoff Time; Floods Ravage Australia; Search Continues for Missing Teen
Aired January 16, 2011 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Let's begin the top of this hour with your headlines right now.
Americans are being urged to leave Tunisia. That word just came to the U.S. -- came to us from the U.S. State Department. Social unrest led to the long time ruler fleeing the North African country on Saturday. Many people now must fend for themselves amid chaotic circumstances.
Interim leaders will attempt to form a new government Monday and restore order. But it won't be easy. Fighting broke out today near the presidential palace between government troops, armed gangs and loyalists of the ex-president. A live report from Tunis is just ahead.
Next, in the mountains of north Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, flooding and landslides have now claimed at least 631 lives. Health officials now warn of diseases lurking in the floodwaters. Thousands of tetanus and diphtheria vaccines have been distributed to ward off an outbreak of deadly illnesses.
Next, Australians are reeling from devastating flooding that has engulfed much of the eastern half of the country. Flood warnings are still in place in Victoria. Water is receding in places, leaving behind thick mud.
Fixing damaged infrastructure could take months even years. And with businesses now out of commission, many Australians could be out of work for months. A live update is coming up later this hour.
Next, New Jersey police have arrested a man they believe shot and killed a Lakewood police officer Friday at point blank range. 19- year-old Jahmell Crockham was taken into custody early this morning. Police found him at a Camden, New Jersey apartment complex. Crockham was the subject of a huge police manhunt after he allegedly shot and killed Officer Christopher Matlosz in his patrol car.
Earlier today the Lakewood police chief talked about the arrest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT LAWSON, CHIEF OF POLICE, LAKEWOOD, NEW JERSEY: This is not a time of celebration. But it is some small solace to the family of the officer Matlosz --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' condition has been upgraded from critical to serious. The hospital made the change because she is breathing on her own through a tracheotomy tube without using a ventilator.
Giffords friend, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand tells CBS that Giffords is now moving both sides of her body. She was one of 13 people wounded in the shootings that left six people dead in Tucson last weekend.
Next, one survivor of the Tucson shootings is being evaluated at a mental health facility. 63-year-old James Fuller was wounded in the January 8th shootings and he has publicly tried to link gun rights advocates to the attack.
Fuller was detained at a Town Hall meeting yesterday after an outburst during a discussion on gun control. He told Tea Party member, Trent Humphries, quote, "You are dead", unquote. Fuller was arrested for disorderly conduct and making a threat. Authorities say he'll be held for observation for at least 72 hours.
Next, a middle school student in Lakeland, Florida is getting rock star treatment for being so smart. He's won a whole bunch of academic awards and as a seventh grader last year; he had the highest SAT scores in the entire state of Florida. He scored a perfect 800 in English and 790 out of 800 in Math.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABHINAV VENIGALLA, STUDENT, LAWTON CHILES MIDDLE ACADEMY: I was kind of like really mad, sort of. Because I was trying to think back, what did I miss? What did I do wrong?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The secret to his success? Well, he says, his parents push him, but he really does actually enjoy the challenge.
One of the astronauts set for the final mission has been injured in a bicycle accident. NASA says mission specialist Tim Kopra is going to be ok, but is looking into whether Saturday's accident will have any impact on his shuttle duties. He is scheduled to be on the February 24th Discovery mission to the International Space Station.
We are hearing actress, Zsa Zsa Gabor is doing better after having her leg amputated. Her husband says doctors in Los Angeles report the wound looks very good, better than expected. Surgeons amputated her right leg on Friday because of a large deep lesion that would not heal.
Zsa Zsa's husband said he waited until Saturday to tell her about the surgery. He says the 93-year-old actress joked, "I'm going to die anyhow." The 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards happening tonight; the stars have been arriving on the red carpet for a couple of hours now, looking as fab as you would expect. The awards are what the foreign press rate as the best in Hollywood in film and TV in 2010.
Some tarnish though has recently hit the glamour of the awards. A lawsuit was filed against the group behind the Golden Globes, accusing the Hollywood Foreign Press Association of selling nominations. The association says the suit has no merit.
Stick around. We'll be live at the awards ceremony within the hour here on CNN.
I want you to take a look at this video that just came in to CNN from Tunisia. Where fighting broke out today near the presidential palace.
To look at that, it shows an apparent arrest, a blond man with a bloody face answers "Sweden" when asked by a person off camera in English where are you from? And holds up a photocopy page of what appears to be a foreign passport with the man's photo.
A second hand report though, through the Swedish foreign office citing a Swedish local employee at the consulate says this, that the video seems to show the event. Well, the Swedish foreign office is still trying to gather details of the incident and locations for the missing men. We will follow that story for you.
CNN's Rima Maktabi live now in Tunis. So Rima, what is it like there now? How dangerous is it?
RIMA MAKTABI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: At the moment, Don, things are calm, but our day was really difficult. We've been stuck in this hotel in downtown Tunis, the capital, for many hours. The battle -- fierce gun battle started at 2:00 p.m. local time and ended by 5:30, 6:00 local time; it was between the Army, Tunisian Army and the presidential guards.
We're stuck in this room, we're not allowed out, anyway the curfew here starts 5:0 p.m. local time. And we've been requested by the police and Army to keep even the windows shut and the curtains shut and not to shoot anything towards the streets as there are snipers outside. CNN team is stuck here. It's pretty much dangerous. It's a bit of chaos here and no one knows what happens next -- Don.
LEMON: So Rima, tell us what was the impetus behind this? How did it all start?
MAKTABI: It started with a simple man burning himself to death because of the police. They arrested him and they took his vegetable -- small shop on the streets. It started mid-December, then there were riots and demonstrations regarding unemployment, poverty and poor living conditions. It escalated until the people of Tunisia decided they have had it. They've had enough with President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the Tunisian president who ruled this country for 23 years -- Don.
LEMON: And there's already been discussion about how this will affect other countries in the Middle East -- Rima.
MAKTABI: The majority of countries in the Middle East have been ruling for many years. Even when the fathers die, the sons take over. And I've spoken to some officials in the region, they are observing this quite seriously. And there may be changes in some other Arab countries.
In this region, the youth is the driving force. And the people of Tunisia have proved that they can revolt against those regimes by themselves without any help from any foreign country or without the support of opposing political parties or any other factor.
So it's alarming for other countries and the region -- Don.
LEMON: Rima Maktabi, thank you and be safe.
It is one of Hollywood's biggest nights. The Golden Globe Awards, we're live on the red carpet alongside some of the biggest celebrities. That straight ahead.
Plus, we're learning more about Arizona mass shooting suspect, Jared Loughner from the people who remember him before his apparent downward spiral. You'll hear from one of them.
I'm online so check us out now on our social media. Let's connect.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A show of sympathy and solidarity in the streets of Tucson today. Hundreds of people turned out to take a walk for peace honoring the victims of the mass shooting in their city last weekend.
Now, here are some of the sights and sounds from that march.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: May the peace of God be with us always. And let us walk for peace.
AMANDA HUTCHISON, PEACE WALK ORGANIZER: The stories they totally touched me when I saw Christina Green's face. It just hurt like somewhere, even though I don't know any of them. You have to have done something I just wanted to get the community gather and show that there are still decent people in the world and like just bring everyone and unite the community.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We really love the south -- the Tucson community. So -- and I think it's rocked us all. So this -- this is kind of for us today.
GAIL URBANSKI, ATTENDED PEACE MARCH: I don't want to be alone. I want to be with the people of Tucson. Because this has hurt us all and I think this is where -- I'm looking forward to healing. I'm looking forward to maybe appreciating this community more than we already do.
And so many good things have been said about Tucson. It's all true. And we'll heal together. We are in this together.
AMANDA LOPEZ, PEACE WALK ORGANIZER: It's a walk for peace so we could get the community together and just bring everybody together after the tragedy that happened on Saturday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The disturbing facts about shooting suspect Jared Loughner are adding up to a truly chilling portrait. But at one point he had friends, he had dreams and he even had a musical gift.
Our Thelma Gutierrez spoke to some people from that -- about that earlier in his life. And Thelma, what did you learn from those people?
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, they're definitely offering another glimpse to a different side of Jared Loughner. One of his friends reached out to us today and she says he has been portrayed as a monster, as a loner. But she says that as a teenager, he was actually part of a large group of friends.
She says he was off beat, but definitely well-liked. Cathy Harris told us that on the weekend she and about 25 friends including Jared Loughner would go out to the desert on the northeast side of Tucson. They would light a bonfire and quote, "hang out and party". She says, he had a biting sense of humor. She described him as smart, as very kind and a gentlemen to all the girls who went out in this group.
She says he was also very talented musically. He played the saxophone in a jazz band here in Tucson and she said he always dreamed of being the best musician that he could possibly be.
She says about two years ago, though, things started to change. The friends noticed that he would rant about literacy -- about things that she said made no sense.
And then she says he became very interested in firearms, almost obsessed. She says that he would ask this group of friends to go out and shoot. While they were all into sport shooting, she says, nobody wanted to hand a firearm over to him to go out with them. They just didn't trust him and they felt that something was going wrong.
She says about a year ago, they noticed that they would go to the mall and he would want to yell out people to kind of get a rise out of them. She says that she felt that that was not the way to behave and that it was almost dangerous for the friends.
So one by one, they started dropping off. And she says feels guilty now because she says had I reached out to him, had I remained friends, maybe I could have done something. And she also broke down and she was very emotional. She said that she was in mourning for this friend that she once knew who is now portrayed as being a monster. She says she feels that he's very sick, though -- sick, though he did she says commits a monstrous act.
LEMON: Yes. And it's -- the more we hear, the more unbelievable it gets.
Hey Thelma, do you mind just turning around or having -- stepping out of the way because look at that memorial. I want you to talk to me about it. Let's talk about the people who are in that hospital and who are recovering.
We heard that the congresswoman's condition has been upgraded from critical to stable. But look at this memorial. It is a week after this happened and it is still growing -- Thelma.
GUTIERREZ: Don that is what is so amazing when you stand out here and you talk to some of these people. They say they come here not only to remember the victims who have died, but also those who are still struggling to survive. They say they're overjoyed at knowing that the congresswoman's condition has now been upgraded.
When you look at that memorial, Don, and you look at things that people have brought: stuffed animals, flowers, balloons; they created a pathway through this lawn right in front of the medical center. It tells you exactly how people feel about the victims; about what happened. You see a man in the distance playing the violin and lots of American flags; a very touching scene to be out here.
LEMON: After the tragedy that happened, Thelma, this reminds us that there is good in the world. Thelma Gutierrez, thank you so much for your reporting.
Again, live pictures you're looking at outside of the University Medical Center there in Tucson, Arizona. Look at that memorial. People gathering -- have been gathering since this began last weekend.
All right. Let's move on now. Hollywood honors the best in movies and television tonight. We're live on the red carpet with movers and shakers and entertainment. So keep your eyes peeled for stars as they swing by. There they are on the red carpet.
And Michael Steele is out and Reince Priebus is in as the new chair of the RNC. So what does the future look like for Republicans? Mark Preston is all over it, he's going to join me next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL STEELE, FORMER CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: You have all proven and shown the Republican Party is a good party.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And so ends Michael Steele's reign as head of the RNC. Michael Steele is out and Reince Priebus is in as the new chairman of the Republican Party. So, how did a relative unknown with a funny name take down a well-known incumbent like Steele? Let's bring in our senior political editor, Mark Preston. He was there for all seven rounds of the voting.
If we can get that video back, let's get it back and I want Mark to take a look at it again. So, Mark, what -- we'll talk about the new guy. Look at that. He is saying it's all a great -- boom. I'm stepping down. Does that sort of signify what happened to Michael Steele's reign?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: It did. You know Michael Steele has had -- he had a very difficult two years. He had electoral successes but so did the Republican Party as a whole. But you know, of course, the last couple of months it was apparent Don that Michael Steele was not going to be the chairman for the next two years.
We saw someone like Reince Priebus who was very close to Michael Steele. One of his biggest defenders broke away. He took away some of his top supporters, ran his own campaign and, of course, Reince Priebus was the Wisconsin Republican Party chairman finally won it late Friday afternoon.
LEMON: Ok. We're going to talk a little bit more again, about Reince Priebus, find out about the new guy. But Mark, do you remember, I called you up and said I'm coming to Washington. Can you help me out? Study up for an interview and it was with Michael Steele not long after he took office. He had interesting things to say.
Even then, Mark, it was rocky and people were questioning his style. Here's what he had to say about his sort of shoot from the hips style then.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEELE: I'm very introspective about things. I don't do -- I'm a cause and effect kind of guy. If I do something, there is a reason for it. Even it may look like a mistake, a gaffe; there is a rationale, there's a logic behind it.
LEMON: Even with the current events and news, there's a rationale behind Rush, all of that stuff?
STEELE: Yes. Yes.
LEMON: You want to share is with us?
STEELE: Sure. I want to see what the landscape looks like. I want to see who yells the loudest. I want to know who says they are with me, but really isn't.
LEMON: How does that help you?
STEELE: It helps me understand my position on the chessboard. It helps me understand, you know, where the enemy camp is and where those who are inside the tent are.
LEMON: It's all strategic.
STEELE: It's all strategic.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: He got a lot of criticism for that interview, for his response in that interview. Mark, I guess he believed it, but did people in the party believe that it was all strategic.
PRESTON: No, off course not. And if he believed it, he was delusional and if he said what he said to you because he thought it was strategic then he wasn't very good with political strategy.
The problem of Michael Steele was -- is that he got out in front of himself too often. He would get out and do an interview like that with you, seemed like he was very introspective and say that everything that he does, he has thought out beforehand. If that's the case then he wouldn't have had all these missteps and gaffes over the past couple of years including what he was alluding to in there where he said, you know, some sharp things about Rush Limbaugh as he tried to pump up his own candidacy rather than his chairmanship.
LEMON: All right. Now, on to the new, Reince Priebus; so who is he and where is he going to take the party in your estimation.
PRESTON: Ok. So he's a very young guy. He's in his late 30s. He's from Wisconsin. He's been a political insider his whole life. He's kind of an "oh, shucks" kind of person. And really, he comes off that way on camera and he's that way in person.
His biggest challenge right now Don is to raise money. It comes down to money, money, money. I was talking to a lot of Republican National Committee members over the past couple of days. I said, "What's the biggest challenge for you all now?" And they said, "Look, we are $20 million in debt."
The chairman has got to raise at least $425 million over the next couple of years and he has to put on a convention. So, Reince Priebus taking some very decisive steps actually in the past 45 minutes, Don, where he has let go all of the staff that Michael Steele hired to run the convention down in Tampa --
LEMON: Wait, wait, wait -- that's breaking news. Explain to us. He's let go all of the staff that Michael Steele hired in Florida to run the convention. What's the truth behind that?
PRESTON: To run the convention.
(CROSSTALK)
PRESTON: To run the convention because there was concern and there's been some stories that the folks that Michael Steele hired to be down in Florida were getting paid very high salaries. That they were hired too early and the fact of the matter is they were Steele cronies.
So Reince Priebus has gone in, he has let go of the staff members. He is going to go down to Florida. He's probably going to try to rebuild the organization very quickly because these conventions are $100 million conventions. They cost a lot of money. There's a lot on the line. So Reince Priebus -- decisive action. He needs to clean out the building or he's going to clean out the building, the Republican National Committee headquarters and he has to raise money.
LEMON: Very interesting. Mark Preston, thank you. There is a new sheriff in town and he is pulling no punches. All right. Thank you, sir. We'll see you a little bit later on here on CNN.
We are following this story as well. Heavy rains cause massive flooding and destruction in Australia. We'll have a live report from Melbourne, straight ahead.
And residents in Missouri may be delayed in getting their mail delivered. I will tell you why right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Time now to take a look at some of our best video. Everybody knows about rock climbing. Well, here's a slippery twist that you have to see.
Ice climbing -- extreme ice climbing, I should say. This is the 16th annual competition for that very original, and I must say, very dangerous sport. Yikes.
Ok this one happened on the ice, but it will warm your heart. Little Elizabeth Hughes made her singing debut at a Norfolk Virginia hockey game. Technical difficulties stole the moment, the microphone cut out, but the big-hearted crowd jumped in to her rescue. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(ELIZABETH HUGHES SINGING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Very nice. That was adorable, I must say.
All right. If you live in Missouri, your mail well, it may be delivered. We're not sure. Authorities had to pick up pieces of mail scattered for 45 miles on Interstate 55. Apparently the mail truck traveled for quite some time with the door open before the driver even realized the mistake.
Local, state, and federal law enforcement officials are all on the look-out for this missing honors student. And you're going to hear her mother make a very emotional plea straight ahead here on CNN.
And I have a special guest who knows a little about football -- ok, a lot about football. He's going to join me next and we'll ask him about the playoffs.
But first, I want to introduce you to 14-year-old Stephen Stafford (ph) who is a sophomore at Morehouse College. CNN education contributor Steve Perry profiles him and his family about being home schooled in tonight's "Perry's Principles. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: Like any typical teen, Stephen Stafford loves video games. But unlike his peers, this 14- year-old is a sophomore at Atlanta's Morehouse College.
Morehouse man?
What is it like to be a Morehouse teen?
STEPHEN STAFFORD, SOPHOMORE AT MOREHOUSE COLLEGE: I've been doing this for a while now so it seems like (INAUDIBLE) for me normal. It's not that big of a deal.
PERRY: Well Stephen and his sister Martinique were home schooled by their mom when they showed early promise.
STAFFORD: When I was in kindergarten, she had me reading second and third grade books. I was going multiplication and division when I was in kindergarten.
PERRY: What you would do is you -- on some level accelerated your children's learning by not stopping.
MICHELLE BROWN STAFFORD, STEPHEN'S MOTHER: Exactly. You have to be resourceful. It's just no way because you become the teacher, the administrator; I mean you just really have to pull the resources together. You have to invest time in doing that.
STEPHEN STAFFORD, STEPHEN'S FATHER: If you're not actively participating in their education in school, they're not going to succeed.
PERRY: What about those critics who say that you are just pushing your kids too hard? Let them be a kid?
M. STAFFORD: We acknowledge that we have to develop the whole child. Ok. But a lot of parents tend to, you know, focus more on the socialization than the intellectual. We let them grow at their own pace, the emotional.
PERRY (on camera): What do you think about what you're doing in school?
M. STAFFORD: I think about getting the work done so I can come home and play.
PERRY (voice-over): Steve Perry, Lithonia, Georgia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK. It is the best time of year for millions of NFL fans. The playoffs are heating up and the Super Bowl just three weeks away. I wish it was three days away. That would be nice. Who better to talk about it than Hall of Fame quarterback, Fran Tarkenton. I can't believe I'm actually sitting here next to you.
FRAN TARKENTON, HALL OF FAME QUARTERBACK: Here we are man.
LEMON: You're my hero from my era. That's incredible.
TARKENTON: Oh, that goes back a few. I like it.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: So obviously we know you led the Minnesota Vikings to three Super Bowls during an 18-year NFL career. Again, thanks for joining us. We had so many upsets leading up to the bowl games and to the Super Bowl. What do you make of this? All the favorites.
(CROSSTALK)
TARKENTON: It's hard to win in the playoffs. Everybody in the playoffs is good. You know, what's interesting, Atlanta had the best record at the NFC. They are at home. The Dome Stadium and that's a great advantage.
LEMON: (INAUDIBLE) here in Atlanta, did you see it?
TARKENTON: It gets blown out by Green Bay. And Green Bay barely got into the playoffs. They had to beat the Bears the last week to get into the playoffs and then tonight of all things, (INAUDIBLE) best record in the FC, getting beat. They are getting beat by the hated New York Jets. The Steelers come back from a 14-point deficit at half time and come back and win against Baltimore. It's crazy.
LEMON: so I want to ask you again. You are one of the all-time great quarterbacks of the Patriots, Tom Brady, has had a fantastic year. Does his loss hurt his image as the best quarterback in the league?
TARKENTON: No. But it's interesting, if he loses tonight, Peyton Manning is not there. Drew Breeze is not there. Philip Rivers, Bret Favre, the best quarterbacks in football are not going to be in the championship games. And they say that quarterbacks are the ones that make a difference, well, maybe not.
LEMON: Let's talk surprises. Any big surprises to you?
TARKENTON: I think the biggest surprise, if the Jets end up beating the Patriots tonight, that's the biggest surprise of all. Even more so than last week when Seattle who has a sub500 record. They beat New Orleans but New Orleans is not a very good team this year.
LEMON: You want to talk Cam Newton? What do you make of that?
TARKENTON: I think he has a chance to be a special quarterback. I think he's better -
LEMON: Turning pro?
TARKENTON: Yes. I think he is better than (INAUDIBLE) and I think he can throw the ball. He's got a natural throwing motion. He is big. 260, 6'4" and he can move. But I think he's got great leadership. I think he has a chance to be special.
LEMON: What about all these controversy surrounding - there's always been controversy with professional athletes. Maybe we romanticize the past a little bit. What do you make of all the controversy surrounding him?
TARKENTON: He's doing the right thing. Get out of college. Go to pro football. If they find something out, (INAUDIBLE) Who cares? They took the Heisman trophy away from Reggie Bush. But he's going to pro football. He had a great one year at Auburn. They won the national championship. They can't take that away really.
And he's going to go off to a pro career and I think he has a chance of being special. People are desperate for quarterbacks and the top quarterback of the draft is not coming out of Stanton this year, Andrew (INAUDIBLE). Cam Newton has a chance to - he will be a first round draft. Probably a top 10 pick.
LEMON: I am so glad you're here because I wanted to get your opinion on this. This created so much news for years now and then back in the news now because he is playing again, Michael Vick. What do you make of sort of his redemption and people who are against him and the people who love him?
TARKENTON: You know, I think Michael Vick had a terrific year this year. But the way he plays, he's a spectacular athlete and run over the football. But by doing that, he gets hit a lot. (INAUDIBLE) He missed four games this year and the number one thing a quarterback has got to do to be great, you got to be there every week. You got to play. I'm not sure going forward, he's going to be older, I think Philadelphia has a tough decision to make of where they (INAUDIBLE). Are they going to commit to him for five years or not. He's a special player though.
LEMON: Is it time to put the controversy behind and move on?
(CROSSTALK)
TARKENTON: Oh yes. I think people put that behind. It's in the rear view mirror. Tiger Woods' controversy is in the rearview mirror. People like to see Michael Vick play football. They like to see Tiger Woods hit golf balls and go forward.
LEMON: I can't tell you how excited I am to meet you. Seriously.
TARKENTON: Good to be with you.
LEMON: Yes, good to be with you. I hope you're around much, much more.
TARKENTON: Good.
LEMON: Thanks so much for joining us. All right.
OK. Have we seen any stars yet, guys? Well, don't go anywhere. Brooke Anderson is live in Hollywood. Well, there's one right there. There's Angelina Jolie. She's on the red carpet in Hollywood. Do we want to listen? Let's listen in. Our Brooke Anderson is there. Listen.
ANGELINA JOLIE, ACTRESS: ... any way we can be of assistance. I'm very curious about what the International Criminal Court is doing and I want to learn more about it and follow-up on spreading information about it and about what it is pushing for. And I would go back to Pakistan and Afghanistan. Many things.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: And you are educating your children on these issues as well and the countries that they are from. How are you doing that? Especially at such a young age?
JOLIE: Well, they travel the world and I think that's the best way. We spent Christmas in Africa and playing with local kids and getting to know the local children and customs and so without it being as if we are trying to school them, we just allow them to enjoy the world and appreciate it. So hopefully, that will sink in. We're hoping.
ANDERSON: On a lighter note, this is a party. Ricky Gervais is back as the host. What are you expecting from him?
JOLIE: Oh, I think we're all going to have a great night. I love his work. So it's fun to be able just to be here just to watch him.
ANDERSON: Thanks for stopping by.
LEMON: Timing is everything.
There is Angelina Jolie talking to our very own Brooke Anderson, red carpet at the Golden Globe Awards, the 68th annual awards. We're going to take you there live and see who else is showing up, right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Tonight in Beverly Hills, the stars are coming out in full glory. It is the 68th annual Golden Globe Awards. "Showbiz Tonight's" Brooke Anderson joins us live on the red carpet. Oh, my gosh.
Brooke, I can't believe. Will you please tell Julianna Margulies that the "Good Wife" is my favorite show. I have two. "Southland" and the "Good Wife". Awesome.
ANDERSON: So, Don Lemon, the anchor in CNN wants me relay to you that he loves the "Good Wife." It is one of his favorite shows and he's really excited. I can hear it in his voice. He's really excited to see you.
JULIANNA MARGULIES, ACTRESS: Thank you very much.
ANDERSON: You won this Golden Globe for this role last year and here you are again. You and I were talking before we came on air. No pressure this time? MARGULIES: No pressure at all. They never give them out two years in a row. So I didn't bother learning a speech or anything. I can just sit and have some champagne and enjoy.
ANDERSON: OK. Julianna, this could be the year, they give it out -
MARGULIES: You know, I don't think they do. They just don't. That's what's so great about the Golden Globes. They like change. So I'm so happy to sit back and enjoy.
ANDERSON: And your co-star Chris Noth is also nominated for a Golden Globe.
MARGULIES: Yes.
ANDERSON: It's really exciting. What does this recognition mean to you as an actress, mean for your show?
MARGULIES: Well, for us, it's a great feat because we are the only network-nominated show and everything else is cable that we're up against. And it makes us realize we are doing something right and I'm a little different than the norm and hopefully blending in a little bit more. It's not only cable, but network also is worthy of these recognitions. It infuses life and energy into the show and it makes us feel proud.
ANDERSON: And the show is so solid and so good. In a way, how many times have we seen the same situation, the same instance in American politics. It's art imitating life, isn't?
MARGULIES: And it's going to happen, I think, for the rest of eternity. So it's nice -
ANDERSON: Say it isn't so.
MARGULIES: Well, we're flawed human beings so it's nice to be on a show where they actually can take any story, any day of the week and make a television show from it. So it, you know, it gives us a lot of great material.
ANDERSON: All right. The Golden Globes is a party. They are serving champagne on the red carpet. For goodness' sake. So what - quickly, are you excited about tonight? Ricky Gervais, it's a loose night. It's a relaxed night. Boozy night.
MARGULIES: It's the best. You just want to see people drinking more and getting up and talking. That's my favorite part. It's a fun celebration of old Hollywood glamour. I don't think anyone takes it too seriously. Because there is a real infusion of goofiness and with Ricky Gervais who is brilliant, the night is just going to be funny.
ANDERSON: Congratulations.
MARGULIES: Thanks very much.
ANDERSON: Good to see you. MARGULIES: You too. Thanks a lot.
ANDERSON: Don, she's great.
LEMON: She is great.
ANDERSON: This will be the year that they award it two years in a row, right?
LEMON: Yes, great. I love good writing and I like good dramas. And I forgot to mention, of course, my other favorite is "The Walking Dead." But we have seen a lot of stars, Brooke, since you have been standing there. We saw you talking to Angelina Jolie. We saw Collin Firth walk up there. There's Tom Hanks. We saw Kate Capshaw. Who else did we see walking? Steven Spielberg, obviously.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Oh, yes, the night is star-studded.
LEMON: And Johnny Depp. Listen, I want to ask you, let's talk about the controversy that's happening with the Hollywood foreign press.
ANDERSON: Yes, well, last week, Don, the former publicist for the Golden Globes and the group behind the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, he represented the Globes for 17 years, this former publicist filed a lawsuit against the Hollywood Foreign Press, claiming fraud, alleging payola, bribery, basically saying that the Hollywood foreign press accepts pay, accepts lavish vacations among other things, in exchange for nominations and also possible wins.
Now I spoke to the president of the Hollywood Foreign Press here today, just a few minutes ago and he told me basically that it's nonsense and he says that it's all untrue. And then it's sour grapes because they fired the publicist. So Don -
LEMON: Brooke, is that Michael Douglas right there?
ANDERSON: Michael Douglas.
LEMON: Can you ask him how he is doing?
ANDERSON: - and his beautiful wife, Catherine Zeta Jones.
My wonderful colleague, Kareen Wynter.
LEMON: Can you tell Kareen, we're in a live feed.
ANDERSON: I hate to interrupt you, Kareen, I'm live on CNN, the anchor is asking me to speak to you.
LEMON: A battle!
ANDERSON: OK. You guys look stunning. How are you feeling? You have beaten this thing. MICHAEL DOUGLAS, ACTOR: I'm feeling great. I just found out last week that the tumor is gone. We have not too much this year. Catherine is doing her Broadway show and then the cancer. So we are having a good time and a chance to see a lot of old friends that we haven't seen for a while and we really thank them all of their support. You know, so many friends in the industry and fans who sent in so many good words. So it's a treat to be here.
ANDERSON: Monthly evaluations going forward?
DOUGLAS: Yes. I start my first monthly evaluation. I probably will be a little bored after two or three evaluations, you know.
ANDERSON: How are you handling this and how are your children handling it all? I'm sure it has been very stressful and difficult.
CATHERINE ZETA JONES, ACTRESS: Yes, it has been a crazy surreal, emotional six months. The children have been fantastic. (INAUDIBLE) They watched the radiation and they thought it was very "Star Trek." "Star Wars-ish." But they are doing great. He never lost his dignity, his courage, his strength and most importantly his sense of humor, which has been great for me.
DOUGLAS: I did lose my weight.
ANDERSON: You are putting it back on.
ZETA JONES: The only person who is upset that he lost weight.
DOUGLAS: Yes, I got about 25 more to go.
ANDERSON: You are planning to play Liberace?
DOUGLAS: Yes, I'm going to have weight on. Not that he was that heavy. So yes, planning that in June.
ANDERSON: We're so glad to hear -
DOUGLAS: Fun tonight, huh?
ANDERSON: Nominated for his role in "Wall Street, Money Never Sleeps." Thank you, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta Jones.
LEMON: Brooke, nice job. And stop fighting with Kareen there.
ANDERSON: I know, I've got to apologized again. I don't steal interviews from here, but I wanted to do that for you.
LEMON: Yes. Thank you very much. Great interview. We wanted to know how Michael Douglas is doing. Of course, his beautiful wife there, Catherine Zeta Jones. Thank you, Brooke. We will check back with you. OK.
Next on CNN -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JANICE SALLIS, MOTHER OF MISSING GIRL: The perpetrators who have been involved in her disappearance, I'm going to ask you to please let my baby go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: A mother shares her grief over the mysterious disappearance of her daughter. You will hear it for yourself, straight ahead.
And massive flooding plagues Australia. A live report from Melbourne, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: I just want to get you back now to Australia where floodwaters have ravaged much of the country. We know at least 18 people are dead and it could take years to undo all that damage. Tracee Hutchison is with the Australia Broadcasting Company and she joins us from Melbourne with an update. What can you tell us?
TRACEE HUTCHISON, AUSTRALIA BROADCASTING COMPANY: Don, you're absolutely right. This is an unprecedented flood event here in Australia, being described as the largest disaster in our history. 18 people confirmed dead in the state of Queensland, which effectively takes up all of the northeast corner of the country, but effectively this rain event, this water event, has affected the entire eastern seaboard of the country.
Four states, Queensland, the worst affected, with massive flash flooding last week that literally swept people away. One of whom was found some 50 miles from where they actually were living. The state of Victoria, where I am now, is the state that's now bracing for rising floodwaters. A third of the state is currently flood affected and some regional centers bracing as what's being described as one in 200-year flood event where only a country of 200 years old (INAUDIBLE). That gives you some idea of the magnitude of the weather event here.
LEMON: Tracee, it is unbelievable. Tracee Hutchison with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, thank you very much.
A mother makes a passionate plea to find her daughter. You will hear it for yourself next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, tonight a North Carolina family is aching for relief and answers. 17-year-old Felicia Barnes is missing. She disappeared three days after Christmas while visiting her half-sister in Baltimore. Her mother, Janice Sallis, joined us just a short time ago on CNN. And she said so far she is satisfied with what police are doing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SALLIS: I am. Now they're doing all that they can do. Like I mentioned and stated, the first 48 hours were crucial and they were ignored from my perspective, from a mother's point of view.
LEMON: Before we go into this, my first question to you should have been how are you holding up? How are you even able to walk and get into a car and come here today?
SALLIS: It's funny that you ask because it seems like some days are worse than others, but bottom line, god is who is responsible for holding me up and being my rock and sending me the pillars of strength for me to lean on during this time of crisis that has struck my family.
LEMON: You have a lot of people who support you out there, and I have been hearing from a lot of people. Listen, the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, she went to stay with her stepsister for Christmas and you trusted -
SALLIS: Not step, her half-sister.
LEMON: Her half-sister. And you trusted this older person, I think her name is Adina.
SALLIS: Yes.
LEMON: And you trusted her and you said for you there were some odd circumstances on the evening that your daughter disappeared that you're concerned about?
SALLIS: Well, from what I read from the typed itinerary, it was very disturbing of what I read. And still a lot of loose ties that - and a lot of dead fish that's continued to smell that makes sense to me.
LEMON: Like? Do you want to talk about it?
SALLIS: The time frames and that she had fallen asleep on the couch and it wonders if she fell asleep because she was doped up because that's not her character, to get dressed just to fall asleep. When she gets dressed, she's anxious to go to where she's planning on going.
LEMON: This is completely out of character for her.
SALLIS: Completely out of character that I know.
LEMON: OK. We talked about that. Some of the criticism we got in e- mails, social media, even the police said that he felt that some of the national media, that it was anemic. They're calling this Baltimore Police say it's their Natalee Holloway but they're not seeing it all over the media. Do you care to comment on that?
SALLIS: Not really because that's not important to me. The issues that racial and social issues, that's not important to me.
LEMON: You want your daughter back.
SALLIS: I want my baby back, and if - even if I had her back, the racial and social issues still wouldn't be important to me because to me its wasteless and I don't focus on wasteful situations.
LEMON: I'm so glad you say that so I don't have to respond to everyone who wrote me a letter and asked about that. Do you have some idea of what you believe happened?
SALLIS: I can't honestly answer that because all type of ideas go through my head on what happened, what could have happened, what may have happened.
LEMON: And I have to ask you this question, are you prepared for the worst?
SALLIS: For reality, as best as I - well, you really can't prepare for a tragic. You have to deal with it as it comes. There's no way to prepare.
LEMON: Yes.
SALLIS: You just have to keep asking god for the strength.
LEMON: Do you believe she's still with us?
SALLIS: I don't feel that she's disconnected from me.
LEMON: Alive?
SALLIS: I feel that she's still out there. However, I feel that she's being terribly mistreated inhumanely so.
LEMON: We hope she's alive. Thank you so much.
And we admire your courage and we're going to continue to follow this story and put her picture out there and thank you for being so honest. Best of luck. Our thoughts and prayers, OK.
SALLIS: I need to say something to anyone who knows any information or the people who may have her.
LEMON: Uh-huh.
SALLIS: Each and every day I feel that I am having labor pains because my daughter is not with me. I'm going to plead with all shut lips who knows about it, the perpetrators who have been involved in her disappearance. I'm going to ask you to please let my baby go.
However, if you choose not to listen to what I'm begging of you, I have already went to god and have written down in black and white the punishment that I have requested for each and every individual who is involved, and it's not very nice and it's going to be way, way far than what you think you can bear.
However, first come, first serve would get the least punishment from God.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: That was Felicia Barnes' mother.
I'm Don Lemon at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. The CNN Documentary, "Presumed Guilty, Murder in West Memphis" is next.
