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Former Dictator Returns to Haitian Soil; Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' Condition Improving; Arizona Shooting Suspect's Chilling Campus Tour; Floods and Landslides in Pacific Northwest; Apple CEO on Medical Leave; New GOP Chairman Takes Over
Aired January 17, 2011 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And hello to all of you here.
I'm Brooke Baldwin. And we're continuing the story here out of Haiti. What in the world is Baby Doc doing back in Haiti? It's been nearly 24 hours since he arrived, totally unannounced. We still don't know.
Take a look with me. This the scene at the airport. This is Port-au-Prince -- supporters of the former Haitian dictator roused by his return. And there he is.
Now you see Baby Doc. That is him, Jean-Claude Duvalier, back on Haitian soil. But the big question this hour is why. After 25 years in exile, why return now with Haiti in the midst of this leadership crisis? Is there perhaps some mischief afoot?
Our John Zarrella has arrived in Port-au-Prince.
And I want to bring John in here.
John, I want you to just first set -- set it up. Tell me where you are, what you're seeing, and -- and do we know when and if Duvalier will announce his intentions?
(LAUGHTER)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF: Well, that is the -- the question --
(LAUGHTER)
ZARRELLA: -- Brooke.
We just left the hotel, the Karibe, where he has been staying since his return here last night. We thought there was going to be a news conference today where he would explain the timing of his return, why he has -- has come back.
But that did not happen. We're told perhaps it will happen some time tomorrow. Now, we did talk to someone, a friend of his, who grew up with him here, who told us that, in fact, he came back because he just felt as if he had to be here with the people.
He supposedly saw a lot of the -- the footage on television --
BALDWIN: Hmm.
ZARRELLA: -- of the -- the aftermath of the earthquake this past week during the anniversary, and that that really spurred him on to make this return.
Now, Brooke, we just this minute left the national unity party --
BALDWIN: Mm-hmm.
ZARRELLA: -- and the -- the men and women gathered here are Duvalierists. And, in essence, they're supporters (AUDIO GAP) always been supporters of his. And they were gathered around a TV set, perhaps about a hundred of them, watching broadcasts of (AUDIO GAP) talking about Duvalier's return.
BALDWIN: Hmm.
ZARRELLA: And they said to us that, look, things were much better back in the day when he was here. The streets were clean. The food was cheap.
It was safe to walk the streets. Now, you know, when they -- when you talk to the them about the -- the allegations, of course, that he plundered hundreds of millions from the country when he left, that tens of thousands of Haitians disappeared during his 15-year reign --
BALDWIN: Right.
ZARRELLA: -- they say, well, that's just talk.
So --
BALDWIN: Well -- well --
ZARRELLA: -- that's, of course, what you get from them. But, Brooke --
BALDWIN: John, let me --
ZARRELLA: -- real quick --
BALDWIN: -- let me jump in.
ZARRELLA: -- the point is that --
BALDWIN: -- let me jump in, John, though, because you -- you're mentioning all these different supporters. And we keep seeing video of people on the streets.
And I can't tell from my vantage if they're -- if they're in support of him or -- or if they're protesting. So, compare for me, big picture, majority --
ZARRELLA: Correct.
BALDWIN: -- of people of you've seen thrilled he's there, or not so much the case?
ZARRELLA: Exactly.
And that's the point I was going to bring up --
BALDWIN: Yes.
ZARRELLA: -- that life in Haiti is going on. Most people know he's back. They have seen the TV. They have heard the radio reports. But the shops are open. They're going about their business.
The numbers of people that are out supporting him, very small --
BALDWIN: Huh.
ZARRELLA: -- in comparison to the mass number of people just trying to get through the day in Haiti.
And that's still the -- the most compelling thing here in Haiti, is people just trying to get by day to day. And, you know, if he can help, his supporters say, great, by him being here.
But, you know, the government of Rene Preval has not said anything to this point a -- about his return. And that's still something that we're waiting to here as well Brooke.
BALDWIN: Let me ask you -- and I want to look back at Baby Doc just days before he fled Haiti to France. It was 25 years ago. And, given the timing, John, of his return, you know, just yesterday, should we assume he's up to no good?
ZARRELLA: No, I don't know that we can assume that.
I mean, a lot of the assumptions -- one of the assumptions I think we can make and which we're hearing a lot of here is that perhaps he is here to throw his support to one the candidates involved in -- in the runoff --
ZARRELLA: Of course, the election was disputed, supposedly wrought with fraud allegations.
So -- but it is possible that that's what he's here for. Now, we're not going to get a clear picture of this until he finally comes out and says why he's here. He did apparently tell someone that he was only going to be here for a few days --
BALDWIN: Three days --
ZARRELLA: -- and then he --
BALDWIN: -- right.
ZARRELLA: -- would leave. But the fact -- we asked his friend who grew up with him, who's been talking to him, is that true? And he didn't give us an answer. He said, well, I don't know. You're going to have to talk to Jean-Claude Duvalier about his timetable for how long he's going to be here on the ground.
BALDWIN: John, I want to -- I want to let you go here in just a moment, but the -- off the top, you mentioned how you and your crew have essentially been camped out, hoping and waiting and watching for Duvalier to speak.
Is that a definite, John, that that's not happening today? And are -- are you getting any guidance as when you may hear from him?
ZARRELLA: Well, the guidance we got was initially maybe it would happen later today. Then we were told, no, probably not. He's resting today, a long flight from France, some time tomorrow, and we will let you know --
BALDWIN: Hmm.
ZARRELLA: -- when and where.
They still don't even have a location for where that might be or the time -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: OK.
So, I'm going to take away from that that we -- no one really knows yet.
John Zarrella, as soon as you -- if you get a definite time, definitely, let -- let us know. A lot of people want to know why Baby Doc is there. John, thank you.
And I want to go from John to Jacqueline Charles. She is "The Miami Herald"'s Caribbean correspondent. She's also there in Port-au- Prince.
And, Jacqueline, you know, I got John's perspective. Let me get yours. What was it like when word spread through the streets that Baby Doc had returned to Haiti? And do people --
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: -- do people also want to know why the French government allowed him to get on that plane?
JACQUELINE CHARLES, CARIBBEAN CORRESPONDENT, "THE MIAMI HERALD": Well, that is the question today in terms of, France, what they knew and when they knew it.
What I can tell you is that he arrived here yesterday with the -- an expired diplomatic passport. My sources are telling me that it was issued to him June 2005. Word first came in the form of rumors and just BBM and text messages.
So, when I arrived at the airport, there was, in the beginning, hundreds, and then it became thousands, about 2,000 people that greeted him. A lot of the young Haitians, 20-something-year-olds who either weren't born when he left or they were kids, they have had a certain nostalgia for the Jean-Claude Duvalier era.
And, so, that's what we're seeing today. And what they say is that, again, when the country -- when he was in power, the country was not in this condition. There was electricity 24 hours -- many of the things that John spoke about.
BALDWIN: Well, let me -- let me pick up on that -- that sense of nostalgia, Jacqueline. Do you get the sense, from people you're talking to there in Port-au-Prince and elsewhere, that Haiti is better off today or worse off since he left?
CHARLES: Well, it -- it depends on who you talk to, because there are a lot of people in this country today who are traumatized. You know, they lost family members during his reign, during his father's reign.
And there are people who talk about the GDP and how it was different, and there were jobs: We made American baseballs in Haiti during that time.
BALDWIN: Hmm.
CHARLES: So, it's just a matter of perspective.
I mean, the one thing today about this visit, there are a lot of mixed emotion. There's a lot of confusion, surprise, what does it mean, how (AUDIO GAP) complicate the political landscape today. He arrives on the day that there were supposed to be runoff elections for a presidential election that's been held in limbo.
So, very much (AUDIO GAP) the attitude in this country. Does he leave in two days? Does he stay?
BALDWIN: Hmm.
CHARLES: What is his purpose? A lot of questions, very few answers.
BALDWIN: A simple question for you. Is he there legally? And do people want him arrested, given his past?
CHARLES: Well, the police chief, I can tell you, was at the airport prepared, and was waiting. But there are no active warrants out for his arrest.
BALDWIN: Hmm.
CHARLES: People have to remember it has been 25 years. And just as in the United States, there is a statute of limitations. We can assume the same thing exists here in Haiti.
But we are starting to hear calls by different groups, Amnesty International, others, that are asking that he be tried or arrested for human rights or alleged human rights violations.
But he is a Haitian citizen. Under the Haitian constitution, he is entitled to return home. President Preval and former presidents have also said this. But his return today, for supporters of Jean- Bertrand Aristide, for supporters of Cedras and a litany of other, you know, Haitian leaders who are in exile, the question is, will this open the door for their return, and will we start to see their supporters now demanding that they come back home?
BALDWIN: Jacqueline, I know you have been working your sources. Any word from Rene Preval at all?
CHARLES: We have not heard from Rene Preval, but I did speak to the prime minister last night, who told us, told "The Miami Herald," that they only received word an hour before the flight landed --
BALDWIN: Hmm.
CHARLES: -- that he was on this flight coming from Guadalupe.
He had an expired diplomatic passport, so that they were very much taken off guard by this. Hopefully, we will hear more from the government, and, hopefully, Mr. Rene -- President Rene Preval later today about what this means and how does the Haitian government view this.
BALDWIN: All right, Jacqueline Charles with "The Miami Herald," their Caribbean correspondent -- Jacqueline, thank you so much for the latest there in Port-au-Prince in Haiti.
It is an eerie video posted by Jared Lee Loughner, the accused Arizona shooter. It is part of the reason why he got suspended from that community college. We're going to come back and I'm going to play some of it for you. You are going to hear his voice.
Also, we will take you to Oregon, where flooding and landslides are literally washing some of these houses away.
We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: I do have some encouraging news I want to pass to you out of Arizona today.
Doctors say Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords could be out of the hospital and transferred to a rehabilitation center in maybe days, maybe weeks. Doctors gave us an update on her condition just about two hours ago.
And here's what they're saying. They say the congresswoman had minor surgery Saturday to repair fractures in the top of her right eye socket, and they say -- and this is huge -- Giffords is now breathing on her own without a ventilator through this tracheotomy tube.
She still can't talk. No air can get to her vocal chords right now because of that tube, but -- get this -- she can smile, according to -- there he is -- her husband. Doctors say astronaut Mark Kelly told them his wife has been smiling occasionally.
Kelly, who, you know, I'm sure you would be as well here, who has been her husband, been by her side ever since last Saturday's shooting, says she is still the unselfish person she's always been. And here's what he said told ABC News -- quote -- "It is so typical of her. She's gone through this traumatic injury, and she spent 10 minutes giving me a neck massage. I'm like, 'Gabby, you're in the ICU. You don't need to be doing this. No matter how bad the situation might be for her, you know, she's looking out for other people."
Also in that ABC interview, Kelly talked about whether he would ever want to meet shooting suspect Jared Lee Loughner's parents. Here's what he said: "I would probably see them. You know, I don't think it's their fault. It's not the parents' fault. I mean, they have got to be hurting in this situation as much as anyone."
And I want to show you this video here. You're going to see some video that Loughner allegedly shot on the campus of Pima Community College. This was last September. I want you to listen to his voice. And keep in mind he's the one behind the camera.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JARED LEE LOUGHNER, ARIZONA SHOOTING SUSPECT: This is Pima Community College, one of the biggest scams in America. The students are so illiterate, that it affects their daily lives.
Here's the best part, the bookstore, the bookstore, the bookstore, the bookstore. It is so illegal to sell this book under the Constitution. We are also censored by our freedom of speech. They're controlling the grammar. They control the grammar.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Do you see him, his reflection in that door?
This video was released to "The L.A. Times" after a public records request. And it has been cited in campus police records as among the top reasons here those college officials suspended Loughner.
Two federal judicial sources tell CNN Loughner's attorneys are expected to ask for a change of venue for his trial, all because of this publicity. They may want it, actually, moved away as far as San Diego.
The Justice Department is saying they will oppose that.
And I want to show you one more image from Arizona today. This is -- there she is -- survivor Suzie Heilman. She is the neighbor who took 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green to see Congresswoman Giffords at the Safeway.
Christina, you know, she was the youngest of the six killed. Suzie Heilman made a visit to the memorial just outside the hospital last night. And a lot of people stopped to talk to her, to share their condolences and to show their support.
Even after her death, we now know the 9-year-old girl killed in the Tucson shooting has helped save the life of another child. Christina Green's organs were donated to young -- a young girl in Boston. We're going to have more on that and a conversation perhaps we should all be having next.
Also, we're going to take you to the Pacific Northwest, where flooding -- look at this -- landslides, mudslides blocking many, many roads and highways.
Stay there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Welcome back.
The father of Christina Green, the youngest victim of the Tucson shootings, says his daughter is helping others out even in her death. John Green said his daughter's organs went to a little girl in Boston.
He said he and his wife would love to meet the girl one day and give her a big hug.
And that brings us to the question today: How would any of us make a decision about organ donation, especially when it involves our children?
Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joining me now to talk about a really tough, tough topic, but it's something that we should all be talking about.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And not enough people do.
BALDWIN: So, I mean, I can't imagine. You know, you're a -- you're a mother, you're a father. You lose a child. It -- it would potentially be one of the lowest points in your life.
But you want to give life at the same time. I imagine some parents, perhaps like in this situation, they find solace.
COHEN: Right. Exactly.
I have talked to families who have donated their children's organs to -- to -- to other children. And they say that it -- it really wasn't a tough decision. They want to --
BALDWIN: It was not?
COHEN: It was not.
They said --
BALDWIN: Huh.
COHEN: -- they wanted their child to help someone else. Their child was dead. There was nothing that could change that. There was nothing that could bring their child back. And they were happy to know that their child's liver or kidney or -- or pancreas or whatever was able to help out another child.
BALDWIN: And, you know, you can fill out -- or if it's a license or -- or an organ -- organ donor card, a lot of adults can fill those out --
COHEN: Mm-hmm.
BALDWIN: -- yes, I wish to -- to donate my organs.
Obviously, a child can't do that. But could a parent do that on behalf of a child?
COHEN: Well, the -- a -- a doctor or nurse would really want to talk to the parents.
They would want to hear the parents say, yes, we would like to donate our child's -- our child's organs.
BALDWIN: Mm-hmm.
COHEN: So, an adult can fill out the card like the one you see here.
But whether it's a child or an adult, but especially with a child, the -- the people around them, you know, need to -- need to say, yes, please, you know, we want these organs to be donated.
A child -- a -- a card in a child's wallet or pocket really wouldn't mean very much. You would need to hear from the parents: Yes, this is what we want to do.
BALDWIN: So, if you're a parent -- heaven forbid, if you're a parent --
COHEN: Mm-hmm.
BALDWIN: -- you're in -- you're in an accident with your child, you both don't make it.
COHEN: Mm-hmm.
BALDWIN: You had -- had wishes to have your child's organs donated, but perhaps your other spouse who survived doesn't want that. Who overrides? Is it your wishes or your spouse who's living?
COHEN: It's the spouse who's living, because you're dead. You can't make that -- you can't make that wish known.
I mean, one would hope --
BALDWIN: Hmm.
COHEN: -- that that wouldn't happen and that -- and that parents would be in agreement with each other.
But it's the one who is alive who is going to make that decision about what happens to those child's organs.
And this is -- this is in very particular situations. This is in a situation where there is, for example, a wound to the head --
BALDWIN: Hmm.
COHEN: -- and the child dies, but the organs are still viable. But that child is dead. That child is not coming back to life.
BALDWIN: Hmm.
COHEN: But what you can do is, you can keep the -- you can use a machine to keep blood going through the child's body, so that those organs are still OK, but the child is -- is -- is dead. And then you take those organs and you give those to another child.
And it's -- it has saved countless lives. And I really admire the Greens for what they did, because it's -- you're obviously in a terrible situation --
BALDWIN: So do I.
COHEN: -- and a social worker or someone comes up to you and says, I'm so sorry for your loss, but would you like to donate those organs? Some people can't hear that. Some people don't want to talk about that. Completely understandable. But the Greens did. And they saved lives after by making that decision --
BALDWIN: And it's --
COHEN: -- after they had lost their daughter.
BALDWIN: It's just a conversation. It's a tough conversation. I was talking about this over dinner last night. It's something that you don't want to talk about, but at the same time you want to be on the same page with your spouse, with whomever, in -- in the case of, you know, tragedy.
COHEN: Right. You want to be on the same page for a child and you also want to be on the same page for one another.
If, you know, God forbid, you know, you were to have some kind of terrible accident, they might see you show me that you signed your organ donor on your --
BALDWIN: Mm-hmm.
COHEN: -- your license. But, if your husband were to say, no, don't take them, his wish could very well override what you wrote on your card. BALDWIN: Even though --
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: -- my Georgia license says, organ donor, my --
COHEN: Yes.
BALDWIN: -- husband could override me --
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: -- if he doesn't know my wishes?
COHEN: If he doesn't know your wishes, and he says, no, I don't want you to do that, my guess is, is they are going to listen to him --
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: -- because he's alive --
BALDWIN: Yes. .
COHEN: -- and you're not. And maybe he says, oh, the person changed their mind or whatever. That's why, whenever you talk about organ donation, any Web site that talks about it, they say, sign your card --
BALDWIN: Mm-hmm.
COHEN: -- tell your next of kin. It's a --
BALDWIN: Yes.
COHEN: -- two-part process. Both are important.
BALDWIN: It's something we all need to be doing.
COHEN: Yes, it doesn't take long.
BALDWIN: Yes.
COHEN: It's -- it's --
BALDWIN: Quick -- quick conversation.
COHEN: It's difficult.
BALDWIN: Honey, here's how I feel.
COHEN: Yes. Here's how I feel. I want them to take everything, right.
BALDWIN: Elizabeth Cohen, thank you --
COHEN: Thanks.
BALDWIN: -- so much.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs tells his workers he's taking a medical leave of absence again. That is ahead.
Also, exactly who is this new leader of the GOP?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REINCE PRIEBUS, WISCONSIN REPUBLICAN PARTY CHAIRMAN: My name is Reince Priebus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Reince Priebus, we are going to tell you who he is; we are going to tell you who he is all -- all about him and why he might have been chosen to replace Michael Steele.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: If you were here with me on Friday, you know the Republican Party was busy choosing a new leader. They were voting for this new leader. And we all watched together as Michael Steele dropped out.
And after we left you, the Republican National Committee, the RNC, did settle on this guy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRIEBUS: Well, first of all, my name is Reince Priebus.
Well, first of all, my name is Reince Priebus.
Well, first of all, my name is Reince Priebus.
(LAUGHTER)
PRIEBUS: And, if -- if you need some help with Comedy Central, I'm sure you can -- you can Google it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: We get it. I'm sure a lot of people have botched that.
Reince Priebus --
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: -- the newly elected chairman of the RNC.
And I want to bring in Mark Preston, our CNN political editor.
And I'm going to take a wild guess and say Reince Priebus is perhaps a little tougher than he looks. MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: He is a little tough than he looks.
(LAUGHTER)
PRESTON: And, look, you have to give him a little credit, Brooke, for being able to have a little fun with his name, which just seems that everybody is mispronouncing.
But, you know, we will get to know him over the next couple of years, and people will get it right.
But he is a -- a little bit tougher than what he comes across. You know, he's not the tallest person in the world. He's in his late 30s. And he's a political insider.
But he is somebody who has taken decisive action just in the first couple of days since he was elected chairman. He has fired everybody down in Florida that was overseeing the Republican Convention for 2012. These are people that Michael Steele hired. And there was a lot of criticism that Steele put his cronies into these jobs and gave them big salaries.
Well, Reince Priebus has fired all of them. He's going to build the organization up from scratch himself. And, look, he's got a big, big job ahead of him. He has to raise upwards of $400 million over the next two years. He's already $20 million in debt. But he says he's going to stick to his guns and he is going to raise money. And that's what he's going to focus on.
BALDWIN: Four hundred million dollars, that is --
PRESTON: Yes.
BALDWIN: -- that is a large number, sir. But we -- obviously, this makes Priebus, you know, the face of the Republican Party. And -- and he was asked about that, and here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRIEBUS: We have and we are blessed to have Speaker Boehner, we are blessed to have Senator Mitch McConnell as our leaders. And, you know, we're going to work with them. We appreciate them. And, as chairman of the party, it's part of my job to support them as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, Mark, he was rattling off a couple big-name Republicans. So, who -- who is the face of the party?
PRESTON: Well, I think Reince is exactly right, that, when it comes to congressional matters, when it comes to legislation and policy, you are going to go to Mitch McConnell and John Boehner.
Look, John Boehner is the speaker of the House of Representatives. He is just a couple of steps away from the presidency. Reince Priebus is also going to have to step up. He's going to have be the face of opposition for the Republican Party and provide a John Boehner and Mitch McConnell with cover when it comes to real political issues.
But let's not forget about some of the Tea Party activists or some of those folks who were elected to Congress on the Tea Party ticket, even people like Michele Bachmann, who really led the effort, or Jim DeMint, who helped lead the effort. So, they are also going to be spokespeople.
And, then, Brooke, in about 13 months from this day, we are going to have our Republican nominee, very likely, or very close to a Republican nominee. And that will be the true face and certainly the true leader of the Republican Party.
BALDWIN: Mark, what about the guy who used to have the job, wanted to keep the job, and didn't get, Michael Steele? Do we know what's next for him?
PRESTON: I think he's doing a lot of soul-searching. You know, I asked him that question a couple weeks ago, before the election.
I said, look, are you thinking about your future? And he said to me, I'm thinking about it every day. And I said, well, what are you thinking? And he said, well, I will keep that to myself.
But, look, he was a talking head on cable television before he became the Republican National Committee chairman. He is really good at -- at turning a phrase. I suspect we will see him on cable TV probably --
BALDWIN: Aha.
PRESTON: -- in the next month or so. And, of course, he will probably join some law firm here in town, as most politicians do, Brooke.
BALDWIN: On cable, you say.
PRESTON: Yes.
BALDWIN: So, before I let you go, though, I want to mention something a little bit different, the fact that we're -- we're noticing the president's approval rating doing a bit of an uptick.
In fact, let's show the poll. It shows his approval rating actually eclipsing his disapproval rating, 52-47.
What's going on there, Mark?
PRESTON: Well, I think what we're seeing is -- is the -- after the election, we saw President Obama, you know, not doing very well before the election.
In fact, you look at those numbers right after the election, he was still at 45 percent. However, there was the lame-duck session. They were able to get a lot of things done, specifically the tax cut compromise. We also heard President Obama talk a lot about compromise and the need to be working together and the whole idea of bipartisanship.
So, I think that's where we're seeing the numbers tick up. They could continue to kick up -- tick up over the next couple of weeks, specifically after the State of the Union express -- address.
If he's able to go out there and deliver a very sharp address, if he's able to talk about bipartisanship and the need for the country to come together, I expect those numbers are going to climb, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Hmm.
Mark Preston there for us in Washington, thank you, sir. Appreciate it.
Want to take you next to Oregon, homes there -- look at these pictures -- homes being washed away, several major roads along the coast there now covered by flooding and mudslides. We are going to take you there coming up next.
Also, talk about a survival story. Imagine you're stranded at sea for nine long days. You have very little food, very little water, and no way of getting in touch with anyone, communication gone. It happened to a Mississippi man. And, coming up, I'm going to ask him -- ask him what it was like and how he managed to survive those nine days.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: We want to take you right out of the break and show you some live pictures of a Days Inn hotel. You're seeing a lot of smoke coming out of the some area of the roof it looks like. If you know Roanoke, I am told this is near the Roanoke Civic Center, maybe three stories there in the Days Inn. I don't know what happened or where the smoke is coming from. Again, live pictures from our affiliate WSLS in Virginia. We'll get on that for you.
Also we are watching a couple other story this hour, including Steve Jobs. He says he's going to take it easy for a little while. The Apple CEO announced a leave of absence today for health reasons. Keep in mind this is the second time in two years he's taken off citing medical concerns. Jobs is 55. He says he will still be involved in the company just not day to day. You remember Jobs had a liver transplant in 2009 and has hi history of pancreatic cancer.
This time he says he means it. It looks like he means it. Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre has formally filed paperwork for retirement. That has been confirmed by the NFL. It is not the first time he has hung up his helmet, as you know. Favre holds the record for consecutive regular season starts at 297.
And several United States senators, all Republicans, spent the weekend in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Here is a couple of pictures of the trip. Their fact-finding mission is over. They are now headed home. They were led by minority leader Senator Mitch McConnell. Here is North Carolina Senator Richard Burr. In all seven GOP senators made the trip overseas, they met with political leaders this both countries and U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
And we are still watching these pictures coming out of Brazil. This is Rio de Janeiro state where the streets literally disappeared beneath the raging floodwaters this weekend. Now it's just a lot of mud and aftermath here. About 600 people are now dead, mostly in these mountainous areas just north of Rio and mostly from the rushing water and landslides.
This is the deadliest ever natural disaster in Brazil. We'll have much more on the horrific flood crisis coming up.
Bonnie Schneider is here from CNN's severe weather center. I know she's watching what's happening in Brazil right now. And a lot of us are looking in amazing at what's happening down there. But stay with me because I want to talk about the Pacific Northwest. We're also really keeping our eyes on the flooding, the landslides, mudslides there, Oregon, Washington state.
On the phone with me is Lisa Larson. Lisa tends bar at the Rodeo Steakhouse, a restaurant in Tillamook, Oregon. Lisa, I've been to Tillamook, a beautiful part of the state. It's not so beautiful right now. Do me a favor, look out your window and tell me what it looks like right now.
LISA LARSON, BARTENDER, RODEO STEAKHOUSE: Like a lot of mud and water.
BALDWIN: Are you able to get around at all?
LARSON: We can. The roads are slowly reopening.
BALDWIN: What does it look like? Is it a lot of dried mud? Is the rain still coming down?
LARSON: It's not raining right this moment. Give it a couple of minutes and I'm sure it will. There's just -- it's not dried mud yet. It's like sludge.
BALDWIN: Like sludge. How's the restaurant? How's business?
LARSON: We did fine. We are right above the water levels so we got all the people that couldn't get anywhere. So we had a busy night, and today we're just doing all right, you know. People are trying to get out, but with the roads around us closed, it's hard.
BALDWIN: Very hard. So I see the people who are stuck are perhaps thrown back a few there at your restaurant. You're saying business is doing well, at least last night. But for a lot of other people I think they're stuck elsewhere.
Do you have any other family in other parts of Oregon? What's the biggest challenge for them and people you've been talking to? LARSON: I have family that's over in Salem, and they can't get here. The roads to the main major cities, Salem and Portland, both of those roads are closed with long, long detours, extra hour and a half detour if you can take that one. And then an extra probably 70 miles you have to go around if you need to go to Salem. So, yes, you can't get to really anywhere from where we're at.
BALDWIN: What are you hearing -- are you seeing any kind of aid agencies, maybe Red Cross in town? What are they telling you?
LARSON: I haven't talked to the Red Cross, but I have -- I know they're always here when we flood. They park up at the fairgrounds and then we send people there, like last night people couldn't get to their hotels because of the water. They couldn't get to their reservations. So we send them over there.
BALDWIN: So did it happen really quickly?
LARSON: We knew it was coming. We had about a day. Just yesterday morning they kept saying it might. But we get those warnings a lot. And then within a couple of hours, yes, I went to a store, the other side of town, and drove there fine. And when I left an hour later there was water above my tires in a van. So it happened pretty quick.
BALDWIN: And I heard you when you were talking about the Red Cross, Lisa, just a second ago you say they're always here when you flood, which makes me think you've seen flooding there before.
LARSON: Several times.
BALDWIN: Compare this, Lisa, to floodings past.
LARSON: Not as bad. This isn't a horrible one. You know, unfortunately we flood a lot, at least every couple of years. Hopefully this will be the only one this year, but this one is not near as bad as they've been in the past.
BONNIE BALDWIN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I want to bring in Bonnie Schneider, she's our weather gal who's been watching the situation in the pacific northwest. Do you have a question?
SCHNEIDER: Yes. Lisa, there were road closures in your area due to landslides, mudslides in the region. Have you heard or encountered people who were impacted by that?
LARSON: There's still several road closures. Yes, my daughter got stuck several miles up on one of the highways.
BALDWIN: Oh, no.
LARSON: You really just -- we're kind of an island at this moment, you know. All of our -- pretty much all of our routes out are closed. You can get around, but, like I said before, it's a very long way around. BALDWIN: Lisa, thank you so much. We wish you well. Bonnie, you heard her. She said it's like an island, and I know it's not an island.
SCHNEIDER: Now it is because of the water. We can show on Google earth where Tillamook is. We're zooming the region. There's Portland, and to the west where the worst flooding has been, this part of the country, western Oregon and western Washington has seen so much rain, several inches over five days. There's only so much the soil can take. It becomes completely saturated.
And when you have the areas near a river and certainly near steep mountainous terrain, you do get the landslides and mudslides. In this region, there were road closures and also landslides in western Washington state as well.
I want to show you some of the improvements in the forecast. This is the Snoqualmie River in Washington State. Notice the river arriving at its crest 11:00 a.m. Monday. That's good. It will be a slow go to recede. It will get below flood stage 11:00 p.m. Tuesday. We're monitoring a slowly improving situation because less rain is in the forecast for the northwest.
You can even see some breaks. Yesterday we had more of a steady stream of moisture coming in from the tropical pacific so some good news. It's just going to take a while.
Another place getting a lot of water that needs the water but not in the severe fashion is Florida. Two tornado watches continue for much of Florida, south of Orlando, particularly on the eastern half of the state, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton into Miami-Dade. We are all under a tornado watch until 7:00 p.m. tonight. You can see very powerful thunderstorms rolling through south Florida right now. A lot of this weather has been intense. We'll keep an eye on it for you.
BALDWIN: Let us know if anything pops up there. We're also watching the Pacific Northwest. Going from people stuck on land surrounded by water to a man who was stranded at sea. Imagine, nine days.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSIAH HOFFMAN, SURVIVED BEING LOST AT SEA IN GULF: Everything went bad. I mean, that storm came up on me so fast I hardly had time to do anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Anything like prepare more food or water. He had very little of that. When I come back, I'll talk to Josiah Hoffman, how he was able to survive and what his rescue was like that moment when he was rescued.
Also, it was a big night for movies like "The Social Network" and TV shows like "Glee." did you stay up and watch the golden globes? We'll have the winners and losers and show you some big moments you may have missed.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: A Mississippi man has one amazing survival story after being lost at sea for nine days. Seasoned sailor Josiah Hoffman ran into trouble in the gulf of Mexico after taking off from Galveston, Texas. And he joins me from a beautiful beach in Biloxi, Mississippi, to talk about weather, little food, water.
Josiah, it is nice to be speaking with you. In those nine days, sir, did you ever think, I am not going to make it?
HOFFMAN: Well, not really. My biggest concern was freezing to death because the temperatures kept dropping. I mean, actually when the officers picked me up from the Chevron Environmental barge, it was like about 22 degrees.
BALDWIN: That is cold.
HOFFMAN: By the time we got back, we had -- yes -- more than three-quarters inch of ice on my boat before we got to shore. That was my biggest concern.
BALDWIN: Let's start at the beginning. The weather was clear when you set out for Mississippi. Then a big storm hit. Talk to me about the damage done to the sailboat.
HOFFMAN: Oh, boy. All right, well, I left Clear Lake Shores which is north of Galveston. It took me most of the day to get out because there was a very strong east wind blowing to the west. It was not favorable for the trip I was going to make.
And I listened to the weather radio and everything to find out what the forecast was. I had even investigated the night before, which I did with a friend of mine, Glen, in the Legend Point Narina. And I should have had four or five days of clear sailing weather.
BALDWIN: But you didn't have that. You ended up with a huge storm. Tell me what happened.
HOFFMAN: No. I sure did. Well, as a practice, if you've got a wind blowing from east to west, you can tack northeast or southeast. Well, northeast was not going to help me at this point. That put me in the shoreline. So I tacked southeast. I got down far enough to where I actually picked up a good south wind, about 75 to 80 miles out. And that was sailing all through the night and everything.
And what basically happened was, after I had been on a good course to northeast, which actually put me somewhere in the area of Grand Bay, Alabama, if I had continued, I all of a sudden seen the water change direction and the stars began to be blackened out of the sky. I said, you know, I don't understand that because there weren't any real storms predicted.
BALDWIN: But you have a huge storm. I wish I had more time with you, but, sir, just with this storm, talk to me about what happened with your sailboat.
HOFFMAN: Well, there were waves that went up above 12 foot in depth -- height I should say. I had water coming over my cabin, a foot at a time sometimes, and the gushes of wind that came down were strong enough that my mast was actually battering against the waves coming at me. So I was literally standing sideways in my cockpit.
BALDWIN: Which is not a good thing.
HOFFMAN: No, not necessarily, especially when you're by yourself.
BALDWIN: -- and totally losing communication.
HOFFMAN: Yes. It knocked my radio out.
BALDWIN: I heard you pulled your shoulder out of joint.
HOFFMAN: Yes. What happen was when I hit the second part of the storm, which was the tail end of it, the winds were not coming from above as much as they were sideways and whipping in several different directions. And it literally tore all three of my sails and I saw -- it actually took my jib completely off of my boat, ripped it out.
And my main sail, it tore it just below the brass eye. So I got -- I tied my wheel off and actually climbed up, got the brass eye, and while I was trying to hold the brass eye so I could get a rope, it actually pulled my shoulder out of joint.
BALDWIN: So your shoulder is out of joint. Josiah, describe the moment, though, when you finally see this big Chevron barge. What was that like?
HOFFMAN: Oh, boy. Well, what happened was after the second storm it calmed down. We had a decent day, but there was no wind. Then when the wind did pick up, I couldn't really -- I didn't really have good control of the boat because of the makeshift rudder I had made wasn't big enough. I didn't have anything big enough to make a real-size rudder out of.
And so I was being whipped back and forth. So I had to tack northeast, southeast, northeast, southeast all day. Actually about 12 hours sailing I only made it like about 30 miles further east.
BALDWIN: And you saw the barge.
HOFFMAN: I saw the Cajun Courage. I said, I've got to get there. I had already had clothes myself. I said If I've got to stay awake for the next two days I'll do it. I'm going to get somewhere where I can get some communications, talk to my wife, let everybody know I'm still alive.
BALDWIN: Which you were able to do it. Josiah Hoffman, we just love your story. You've got all of these wonderful details. You need to write a book about your nine days stranded at sea.
(LAUGHTER)
We're so glad to see you. I'm sure your family is as well. I really appreciate you talking to me there from Biloxi. Thank you.
HOFFMAN: Thank you.
BALDWIN: Thank you.
Did you see this? Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL DOUGLAS, ACTOR: There's just got to be an easier way to get a standing ovation.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: It was a wonderful moment towards the end of the night, Michael Douglas getting a standing ovation after bouncing back from cancer, just one of the amazing moments from last night's Golden Globe awards last night. When we come back we will have more and tell you who the big winners and losers are.
Also, the rumors are getting louder today about who is designing Kate Middleton's wedding dress. I will be talking all about it with one of the hosts of the popular -- popular TLC show "Say Yes to the Dress."
And we are still watching this fire and a whole lot of smoke there. Remember, this is the Days Inn in Roanoke, Virginia. You can see some of the flashing lights. Obviously they are responding to the scene. We're making phone calls trying to figure out how this thing started. Stay right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Hire a comedian to host your show, and you're going to get a lot of jokes. Hopefully they will be funny, but did Ricky Gervais go too funny last night when he hosted the Golden Globes? A lot of people the talking and tweeting about that.
Our Brooke Anderson is here with what is trending today. Brooke, I watched every single minute of it, and of course not being the butt of many of the jokes, I thought he was hilarious, but perhaps the Hollywood foreign press maybe not agreeing with that.
BROOKE ANDERSON, HLN CO-HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Well, you make a good point, because actually the president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Philip Burke, is now speaking out to the "Hollywood Reporter," we're just getting this in, and he feels that Ricky Gervais crossed the line, some of his jokes unacceptable. But hey, when you hire Ricky Gervais, you're going to get the unexpected because he is unpredictable. Listen, Ricky's objective was to be over the top, and I certainly think he accomplished that goal. He really took aim at all the big stars, including Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, their movie "The Tourist." Plus he did take a shot or two at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. That is the group behind the Golden Globes. Let's listen to a portion of Ricky's brash humor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICKY GERVAIS, COMEDIAN: It was a big year for 3-D movies. "Toy Story," "Despicable Me," "Tron," seems like everything this year was three-dimensional except the characters in "The Tourist."
I'd like to quash this ridiculous rumor going on that the only reason "The Tourist" was nominated was so the Hollywood Press could hang out with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. That is rubbish. That is not the only reason. They also accepted bribes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: Ricky going straight for the jugular with the bribe reference, Brooke, and here's why. A former publicist for the globes is suing the Hollywood Foreign Press Association claiming that they take bribes in exchange for nominations. The Hollywood Foreign Press is saying that that's nonsense. It's completely untrue and sour grapes.
But I'll be interested, Brooke, to see whether Ricky is invited back next year. The ratings aren't that bad, about 17 million people watched the telecast.
BALDWIN: I'm interested also to watch Piers Morgan Thursday night. It should be a pretty interesting interview. Gervais definitely a little brash.
Finally before we go, very into the night, the moment of the night, Michael Douglas getting a standing ovation.
ANDERSON: My favorite moment of the night, Michael Douglas on the show closing the show as a presenter. He got a standing ovation. And then, you know, he's been battling, of course, throat cancer, likely has beaten it. But then he quipped after the ovation "There has to be a better way to get a standing ovation."
I did speak with Michael Douglas and his lovely wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, on the red carpet prior to the ceremony, and they talked about his recovery. Let's take a listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUGLAS: I'm feeling great. You know, I just found out last week that the tumor is gone. We haven't gone out too much this year. Catherine is doing her Broadway show and the cancer. So we're having a good time, a chance to see a lot of old friends we haven't seen for a while, and really thank them-for-all of their support. You know, so many friends of the industry and the fans who send in so many good words so it's a treat to be here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Yes. Brooke, it was a night of celebration for them, and Catherine told me it's been very hard for all of them. Michael has been great throughout it all and really kept his sense of humor, no matter what.
BALDWIN: Absolutely. And she was looking very lovely in the green, and you in the blue, my dear, very nice. Brooke Anderson, thanks so much.
ANDERSON: Thanks.
BALDWIN: Good to see you.
Another story getting a lot of buzz today, has Kate Middleton chosen someone to design her wedding dress? All signs point to one of Princess Diana's favorite. We'll talk to one of the hosts of TLC's popular show "Say Yes to the Dress."
And right after the break Wolf Blitzer will be joining me with the latest off the Political Ticker, including a trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan with several Republican senators. Stay there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: And CNN = Politics. I want to bring in Wolf Blitzer now with the latest from the CNN political ticker. Wolf, what do you have?
WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": We have a new poll, Brooke, a new poll on the aftermath of the tragedy in Tucson right now, and we asked folks all across the country in this brand new CNN Opinion Research Corporation poll if they think what happened in Tucson is going to really have much of an impact on gun control in the country.
Will the effect of the Arizona shootings impact your opinion on gun control laws? And 28 percent thought it was more likely that they would support gun control, three percent less likely, but 69 percent, almost 70 percent of the American public, doesn't think the Tucson tragedy is going to have much of an impact on gun control in the country, which I thought was an interesting number.
At another poll that we asked another question, we asked if they blamed Sarah Palin's website for the Arizona shooting. A great deal or a moderate amount of people who blame Sarah Palin's website, 35 percent. Not much at all 59 percent.
On another issue, as far as the aftermath of the Tucson tragedy and what's happening this week because, as you know, the House is going to take up the repeal of the health care reform law, it's interesting. We noticed that over at CNNPolitics.com, that John Boehner, the new speaker of the House, he's now no longer using the phrase job-killing health bill or health law or whatever they call it. No longer using the phrase job-killing. They're not calling it job- crushing or job-destroying.
Some have interpreted that as maybe a reaction to what happened in Tucson in trying to improve the tone a little bit, but the Republicans, as you know, in the House, they're going full speed ahead, probably on Wednesday to try to repeal the health care reform law. It's not going to go anywhere in the Senate. They don't have the votes. Certainly, even if it did, the president would repeal it. So, it's a symbolic gesture at least at this point because it will just stay in the House, at least, for the time being. They'll make their views known.
Finally, one other issue. A group of Republicans led by the Republican leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, they've been in Pakistan and Afghanistan. They're on their way back now. They should be getting back to the United States tomorrow, but it's interesting that McConnell took Lindsey Graham, Richard Burr of North Carolina, and Marco Rubio, a rising star in the Republican Party, the newly elected senator from Florida, a few others. They're on their way back.
We're anxious to hear what they have to say. This is one area where the Republicans, Brooke, as you know, they seem to agree with the president's strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan. You don't hear a whole lot of criticism of the administration's Afghan/Pakistan strategy from these republicans -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: More in agreement. Wolf Blitzer, thank you.
