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The "Baby Doc" Mystery; Mudslides and Flooding; Day Of Service Honors MLK Jr.; "Baby Doc" Duvalier's Return; Health Care Repeal Vote; 'On the Case'
Aired January 17, 2011 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And here we go. Top of the hour, watch this.
He's been described as brash, unembarrassable, shocking, and fun. I'm going to try to get all those qualities out of my mystery guest this hour. Who could it be? I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN (voice-over): A nation still reeling from a massive earthquake. A political void waiting to be filled, and an overthrown dictator returning after a quarter century in exile. What is Baby Doc Duvalier up to?
Strong words for the NAACP from Maine's new governor.
GOV. PAUL LEPAGE, (R) MAINE: Tell him to kiss my butt.
BALDWIN: What?
CEO, Steve Jobs, taking a medical leave from Apple.
And royal watchers and brides are in a tizzy. Has Kate Middleton chosen a designer for her wedding gown? Our wedding fashion favorite, Monty Durham, tells us if he thinks Kate will say yes to the dress.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN (on-camera): Hello once again. Happy Monday. I'm Brooke Baldwin. A lot of news happening right now. Rapid fire, let's go, beginning with Haiti.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN (voice-over): Still no official word as to what is going on there. Last night, the man who once ruled Haiti with absolute power before fleeing in exile suddenly returned. Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier remains in Port-au-Prince in a hotel there today. So far, he has not said anything publicly. Duvalier had been living in France for 25 years.
Next, part of the Pacific Northwest area bracing for even more flooding. Torrential rains and floods have already led to a number of road closures, and CNN affiliate, KIRO, says a falling tree in Washington State killed a transportation worker. Landslides, mud slides, also making other roads impassable. The downpours and flooding not over yet. In fact, the National Weather Service is predicting even more rain for that area.
Next, Sargent Shriver is not well today. JFK's brother-in-law, the first ever director of the peace corps, and a one-time vice presidential candidate was admitted to a hospital near Washington, D.C. Shriver was married to President Kennedy's sister, Eunice, and is the father of former California first lady, Maria Shriver. Sargent Shriver is 95 years old and suffers from Alzheimer's.
Next, the president and Mrs. Obama spending a little time doing some service projects there at a Washington middle school in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. They painted fruit on walls to urge healthy eating in Atlanta, the birthplace of Martin Luther King, Jr., a special message from U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder at King's church, Ebenezer Baptist.
ERIC HOLDER, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Six days ago, a devastating tragedy in Tucson, Arizona, really stunned our nation, and that senseless act of violence reminded each of us more than 40 years after Dr. King's own tragic and untimely death, that our long struggle to overcome and to eradicate cruelty goes on. In this time of inexplicable loss, the power of Dr. King's example and the importance of his commitment too and pursuit of justice are brought into stark focus.
BALDWIN: Next --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your Miss America 2011 is Miss Nebraska.
There she is. Not only is she Miss America. She is the youngest to win the pageant since those age requirements were -- first went in place and, you know, some high school girls dream of taking the competition's top prize, but she is actually still in high school. Theresa Scanlan, 17 years of age. As for the pageant itself, Saturday was its 90th anniversary.
Next, I don't know anyone who needs a quart of coffee in the morning, and I tell you I need my coffee, but (INAUDIBLE). Starbucks has identified some kind of demand in the cafe marketplace, so get this. They're introducing a new giant size for their ice coffee, tea and lemonade. They're calling in Trenta, 31 ounces. Folks, that is one ounce short of a quart.
Next, a few tense hours this weekend for some skiers trapped on the lift at Alpine Valley. This is Ohio. Apparently, a gear broke forcing this lift to stall with more than 80 riders just hanging there. Fire fighters used ropes to reach all of them 30 feet off the ground. Imagine. Thankfully, everyone is safe.
Next, a court in Yemen has sentenced U.S. born militant cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki to 10 years in prison for planning to kill foreigners. The court convicted al-Awlaki in absentia because his whereabouts are unknown according to state-run news. He is believed to be a senior leader of the group that claimed responsibility for last year's plot to ship explosives to the U.S. in cargo planes. Al-Awlaki has also been linked to the suspects in the Ft. Hood shootings and that attempted Christmas Day bombing in 2009.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN (on-camera): Next, Brett Favre officially submitting his retirement paperwork to the NFL. The league confirmed that earlier today. Need I say more? There is this.
U.S. markets are closed today in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr., so I won't be showing you numbers on the big board, but I will be showing you Alison Kosik who is still working today live with some other business news.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
BALDWIN: We're working. We're working ladies. And Alison, big news today about Apple's CEO, Steve Jobs. He's taking yet another medical leave. What do you know about that?
KOSIK: Exactly. That's exactly what's happening. Well, I mean, it all started this morning when all Apple employees got an e-mail saying that -- from him himself, by the way, saying that he's going to be on medical leave, so he's going to focus on his health. He's going to continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company, but, you know, this comes almost two years to the date that he took the other medical leave for a liver transplant.
And mind you, he is a survivor of pancreatic cancer. Now, he didn't say how long he's going to be gone, but there is going to be somebody in his place. Tim Cook, that's Apple's chief operating officer, but keep in mind, if you're an investor, Apple shares have soared in job's absence. They're up 170 percent over the past three years, up more than 400 percent in the past five years -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: Now, we wish him well, Steve Jobs, obviously, a very long history with Apple, but it's not been entirely without some drama.
KOSIK: Yes. I mean, he founded the company back in 1976. He was dismissed in what was basically, you know, a board room coup in 1985, only to return to Apple in 1997, but Jobs is really the guy who's credited for reviving what was really a struggling computer- maker. He's considered a true visionary. I mean, think about it. On his watch, he created the Mac desktop computer, the iPod, iPhone, most recently the iPad.
"Fortune" even put in him saying that the decade, the past decade, the business basically belongs to Jobs. So, this could be a big hit for Apple, though, once again, its shares didn't take a hit in his absence before. We'll have a better idea tomorrow when markets open. It is interesting that this announcement came today with U.S. markets closed. Brooke, it's given investors some time to process the information.
BALDWIN: Alison, we'll check back and see how the numbers do respond tomorrow. Thank you.
KOSIK: OK.
BALDWIN: Coming up next, you may know him from TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress." Monty Durham. Hey, Monty. He is here to tell us about the designer now believed to be the one designing Kate Middleton's wedding dress. Which dress should she say yes to? We'll talk.
Also, it's looking more like it will become a reality. Republicans and Democrats sitting side by side at next week's State of the Union. We're going to tell you which high-profile lawmakers say they're on board.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: It is equally the most talked about wedding of the year. It's only January. I'm talking about Prince William and Kate Middleton, and the buzz around the world today, the dress. Kate reportedly has chosen fashion legend, Bruce Oldfield to design her wedding dress. And in his name, maybe sounds familiar to you, that's actually because he has been a designer to the stars for decades and decades and was one of Princess Diana's favorite, favorite designers.
And we have a picture of some of his designs, actually, during some diplomatic events, and she was also a huge fan of his eveningwear, and I have our favorite wedding gown guru. Do you like that, wedding down guru?
MONTE DURHAM, TLC'S "SAY YES TO THE DRESS": I like it, bring it on.
BALDWIN: Monte Durham, TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress."
DURHAM: Hello.
BALDWIN: And we want to bring you here to see which dresses she should say yes to.
DURHAM: Right.
BALDWIN: First of all, Bruce Oldfield.
DURHAM: Right. I do not believe that was a surprise to anybody in the know or in London. His name came to the top of the list immediately as the engagement was announced. And his connection with the late Princess Lady Di, and, of course, the wedding ring was given, the engagement ring, so we felt that this was going to fall in place already.
BALDWIN: So, we have a bit of a slide show.
DURHAM: We do.
BALDWIN: Of some of his bridal collection.
DURHAM: Right. BALDWIN: What do you think?
DURHAM: What you see here is a very modern, understated, expected for a true royal bride. You don't see a lot of embellishments. You don't see a lot of showing. I think what we will see, though, is a sleeve, and we definitely will see some sort of coverage on the shoulder.
BALDWIN: But if you look at some pictures of Kate.
DURHAM: Yes.
BALDWIN: She has -- she likes "V."
DURHAM: Right.
BALDWIN: She likes the waist cinched.
DURHAM: Definitely so. But I think already you're seeing that she's taking a nod to the royal house, and she's following a royal designer who will pay respect to, not only the marriage, but the fact that she is a royal, and there is a protocol. And it's interesting that they say that her mother and her sister were in his shop shopping this week.
BALDWIN: Right.
DURHAM: And that gave everybody head's up, but there's no one from the palace with them, and I think there will be a strong influence from the palace saying, yes, that's a great dress. Let's cover it up.
BALDWIN: And we should be clear. Obviously, we don't know for sure.
DURHAM: It's speculation.
BALDWIN: If this is the designer.
DURHAM: Speculation.
BALDWIN: Because she, like many ladies, they don't want to get it out there because she doesn't want her hubby to be to know what the dress looks like.
DURHAM: Right, and, you know, it's a very daunting task to pick one's wedding dress as you well know.
BALDWIN: I do know that. Thank you very much.
DURHAM: As you all know. So, it's emotional. And you want to make sure you look good and did I make the right choice?
BALDWIN: As I've learned, it's easier to say what you don't like versus what you do. What do you think she definitely won't have? She won't have the embellishments but what else? DURHAM: She will not have puff. I definitely do not see a big flowing ball gown. I see very sleek and very modern. She's minimal in her jewelry and her taste level. Her hats and some of her accessories have been whimsical which is great. She's a young lady.
BALDWIN: Right.
DURHAM: But I think she's going to bow to tradition on this one. I think the sleeves are going to be covered.
BALDWIN: How long, sleeve here?
DURHAM: Yes. I just think the shoulder, yes, it could be a cap or could be a full sleeve, depending on -- very well, but surprisingly, may be a bolero, something that she removes for a party that her future father-in-law is going to throw for them that evening.
BALDWIN: You were just in London?
DURHAM: Yes. I was over there on some other --
BALDWIN: Give me some scoop, Monte Durham.
DURHAM: Well, there's a lot of things. I mean, between the British bride and American bride, first of all, traditionally, their cake is a fruit cake.
BALDWIN: It's a fruit cake.
DURHAM: A fruit cake of all things. They save it for the birth of their first child, and a fruit cup will save for that.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: You can eat fruit cake a year later, didn't know that.
DURHAM: Months later, yes.
BALDWIN: OK. So, fruit cake is the wedding cake.
DURHAM: And always a luncheon, usually. Evening parties are very rare for a British bride, very rare. I don't think the excitement is as strong as we have it here in the U.S. simply because we forget that there is still Prince Charles. He is the direct descendant to the throne.
BALDWIN: And I think that's an excellent point that I didn't realize that, technically, this is not a royal wedding.
DURHAM: It's not. It's a socialite wedding, definitely. And it will be on a royal command, if you will, but, there is still a direct heir to the throne.
BALDWIN: Final question, and you know, there's been a lot of debate over why we care. Why do we care about this wedding happening in London? DURHAM: You know, it's got all the earmarkings of a princess fairy tale.
BALDWIN: It's a fairy tale.
DURHAM: We've got a father who is going to be a future king. We've got a young handsome prince. We've got a beautiful commoner marrying into this, and rumor has it a little bit of a wicked stepmother. So, it plays into all that.
BALDWIN: Monte Durham, lovely to see you.
DURHAM: My pleasure, always, any time.
BALDWIN: TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress," is where we know you.
DURHAM: Yes.
BALDWIN: Still ahead, we have a mystery guest for you today, and it's going to be, I think a pretty fun, pretty interesting interview.
Also, listen to what the new governor of Maine had to say when a local reporter recently asked him a question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEPAGE: Tell them to kiss my butt.
BALDWIN (voice-over): Oooh. You heard that? You heard that right, Monte Durham. We're going to find out who he was talking about. Paul Steinhauser with Political Pop. He's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN (on-camera): Time now for a little Political Pop, and you probably know by now that you have Senators Udall And Murkowski, both of whom are spearheading this idea to have Republicans and Democrats sitting side by side at this year's State of the Union, something they never, never do. There aren't rules that they have to do it, but it's sort of tradition.
Well, this weekend on NBC's "Meet The Press," Senator Schumer, a Democrat from New York and Senator Coburn, a Republican from Oklahoma, had some words, news-worthy words, on that arrangement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER, (D) NEW YORK: My colleague, Senator Mark Udall, called for Democrats and Republicans to sit together at the State of the Union. I called up Tom after he did that, and he graciously agreed we're going to sit together Wednesday night at the State of the Union, and we hope that many others will follow us.
SEN. TOM COBURN, (R) OKLAHOMA: What we can't question is our president's love for our country, Chuck Schumer's love for our country, and where we get in trouble is when we start looking at motives rather than differences of ideology.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, perhaps, this seating idea might actually come to fruition. Political discourse, obviously, the big topic right now in the wake of what happened in Tucson last weekend. Paul Steinhauser joins me in D.C. And Paul, talk about the different sort of tone and tenor now. What are Americans, though, saying about this seating idea?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes. This is fascinating. I think a lot of Americans do like the seating idea, and just because what you mention, Brooke, some Americans blame that political rhetoric, that tough political rhetoric we've seen, very tough, over the last couple of years, as one -- maybe one of the contributing factors to the shootings out in Arizona nine days ago. Take a look at this. This is a brand new number from CNN Opinion Research Corporation National Poll, we can talk to it over the weekend.
And we asked just that, and Americans seem to be divided. You can see right there. was the political rhetoric -- is it being blamed, you know, for the shootings, and 48 percent say yes, a great deal or moderate amount, about an equal amount there 49 percent, saying not so much. But, go to the next graphic. This is interesting as well. Do Americans think that because of the Arizona shootings, things will change, whether they'll be more civil tone here in Washington? Look at that right at the top. 70 percent say, yes, we'll see it, but it's not going to last so long.
So, maybe, things will change briefly. And you can see the bottom there, 18 percent say, no, nothing will change. We've seen this before. The Oklahoma bombings in the mid 1990s and, of course, after 9/11, sometimes partisanship disappears, but not for long -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: Not for long.
STEINHAUSER: Not for long.
BALDWIN: A lot of people also, Paul, talking about this governor in Maine, Paul LePage, and the words he had. Tell me what he said and who he was talking to.
STEINHAUSER: OK. So, let's set the table here. Last week, LePage, brand new governor up in Maine, a Republican. He was invited by the NAACP to some Martin Luther King Day events today up there in Maine, and he declined because His office said his schedule was too packed. They criticized him. Take a listen to what he said late last week in response to the criticism by the NAACP.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEPAGE: Tell them to kiss my butt.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: Whoa.
STEINHAUSER: Yes. It's pretty straightforward. That's pretty straightforward. I'm going to ask here, Nick Michael (ph), our cameraman to zoom right here in the CNN Political Ticker. The story is hot, as you can imagine, online, on TV, it's on the ticker right now. A couple of things here about LePage. First of all, he said that if they, they meaning the NAACP, want to play the race card, he said come to dinner and my son will talk to them. That's a reference to his son who is adopted and who is black.
Now, the NAACP, they blame LePage saying that he was trying to, you know, play or incite race here. OK. Fast forward to today. What happens? LePage, who used to be mayor of Waterville, Maine, goes to an NAACP -- I'm sorry, goes to a Martin Luther King Day event today in Waterville, his hometown. Now, was this in response to the controversy? He says no. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEPAGE: I have a lot of friends here. It has nothing to do with the controversy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: Well, yes, he's standing by his guns, but I tell you, this story is being talked about all over the place, Brooke.
BALDWIN: It is, it is. Paul Steinhauser, that's why we had to include it in Political Pop. Thank you.
STEINHAUSER: You got it.
BALDWIN: And in Brazil, we have been talking a lot about Brazil because of these pictures. It is a tough story down there. There doesn't seem to be an end in sight for this death toll that keeps rising. The flooding and mud slides. We'll get a check on that. Hala Gorani is going to join me live with the latest there and a couple of other stories in globe tracking.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: And hello to Hala Gorani dropping by as you do every day for globe trekking from CNN International. We've been talking a lot about Brazil.
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: We have been.
BALDWIN: This is very clearly the country's worst natural disaster, and the death toll even more than the last time.
GORANI: Absolutely. Keeps going up, Brooke. It's at 655 at least here in Brazil as a result of not just the floods but the mud slides, and the big fear is that those areas rescue services haven't reached yet, well, that there might be people trapped, still in cars and homes, and that the death toll will get much higher. BALDWIN: Do they have flooding, typically? Is this normal for this area?
GORANI: Well, there are periods of high rain. This is one of them, but this is a lot more. And there is criticism against the government because some of the homes that were engulfed in the mud were built on hillsides and on slopes. Some people are saying, you know, you should not allow these homes to be built in areas where there is a much higher risk of mudslides.
BALDWIN: So, some people are blaming the government for not reacting properly.
GORANI: Absolutely. Not reacting properly, not reacting quickly enough, not getting quickly enough to those people who need their help.
BALDWIN: What about the question I ask every single time we talk about Brazil and that is when will this recede?
GORANI: Well, the problem here is that -- there is in the forecast. There are forecasts for more rain.
BALDWIN: More rain.
GORANI: More rain even. Now, the question is how do you quickly evacuate people who are in --
BALDWIN: Stuck.
GORANI: These areas who are stuck, but, also, people who are still living in their homes on hillsides? You have to get them to move, and for that, you need the army, you need government officials, you need security, and sort of personnel to get to them.
BALDWIN: Yes. Let's talk Sudan. We've been following -- you've been following some of the numbers, the voting. It's unofficial, yet but how is it looking?
GORANI: It's looking almost near certainty that Southern Sudan will secede from Northern Sudan. Southern Sudan is mainly Christian, got most of the oil. Northern Sudan, with its capital Khartoum. Of course, people, as we discussed, Brooke, when you hear the word Sudan, the name of the country Sudan, you think Darfur right away, but there was another war between the north and the south. That was with a peace deal which ended in 2005, and one of the provisions in that peace deal was that this referendum would take place. So, we should, by July, have a brand new country.
BALDWIN: So, by July, that quickly.
GORANI: Mm-hmm.
BALDWIN: That quickly. And finally, how is President Obama reacting? He's spoken. GORANI: Well, he reacted positively, congratulated Southern Sudan on what was mainly a peaceful process, but there's still a very tricky area of DA (ph), and this is a disputed region between north and south. And, really, that needs to be resolved. It hasn't been yet. It was excluded from the referendum.
BALDWIN: Hala Gorani, thank you. Globe Trekking. See you back here tomorrow. We're going to talk, maybe, more Tunisia then.
GORANI: Right.
BALDWIN: Coming up next, we're going to take you to Haiti where the former dictator known as Baby Doc has returned after more than 20 years in exile.
Also, could eating fish, nuts and eggs actually help ease PMS symptoms? Really? Stay there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: An exiled leader returns, a new study about women and PMS, and a big night for CNN -- time to play "Reporter Roulette."
And I want to begin with John Zarrella in Port-au-Prince -- John.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The return of Jean-Claude Duvalier, Baby Doc, is puzzling at best, and we still don't have any answers as to why he came back, why he chose this time to come back or how long he's going to be here. We're outside the Caribe Hotel where Jean-Claude Duvalier has been holed up since his arrival back here suddenly on an Air France flight at 6:00 last night local time here.
Now, when he arrived at the airport, he was greeted by about 200 supporters, and then he was whisked away to the hotel.
We were expecting to have a news conference here a couple of hours ago, but we were told that was not going to happen, not today -- perhaps tomorrow. We talked to a longtime supporter, a friend, who said he grew up with Duvalier from the time they were boys here on the island. He told us that Duvalier told him he returned here after he saw the images of Haiti in the one-year anniversary stories that were being played last week, and his heart just told him he needed to be here with the people.
When I pressed his friend on how long he would be staying, because there had been reports he would be here for two or three days, I was not given much of an answer at all, just that it would be up to Duvalier to explain why he was here and how long he was going to be here. But, again, we don't know when that's going to be.
As for the government in power, Rene Preval's government, they have said absolutely nothing about his return to this point -- been very, very quiet. One minister is supposed to have said late yesterday that, "Well, if he comes back, so what. It doesn't change the realities here in Haiti."
John Zarrella, CNN, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Next on "Reporter Roulette," senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen here in Atlanta with news that every man and every woman who cares about a woman probably should listen. Elizabeth, talk to me about the study.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: All right. Let's talk about PMS. These women -- everybody wants to get rid of it, right? It just doesn't help anybody.
BALDWIN: Right.
COHEN: And these women took supplements that contained essential fatty acids and it actually helped with the cramps and the bloating and the general crabbiness.
BALDWIN: So, that's -- that's a good thing, I guess.
COHEN: That's a good thing.
BALDWIN: Do we all need to be loading up on nuts and eggs then?
COHEN: That's right. These are -- these are fats that are found in those foods. You know, it's not clear from the study whether you could eat enough food to get enough of these things. You may have to take supplements. It's really something you ought to talk to your doctor about.
BALDWIN: And this was experimental.
COHEN: Yes.
BALDWIN: So, what do you know helps?
COHEN: Right. We do know vitamin E can help someone with PMS to eating foods that aren't so salty. It can also help. And another thing is if it's really bad, anti-depressants can help.
BALDWIN: Elizabeth Cohen, thank you.
COHEN: Thank you.
BALDWIN: And finally on "Reporter Roulette," our mystery CNN- er revealed, let's go check that set, Piers Morgan. Live from New York, it is Piers Morgan.
Hey, nice digs. I'm liking that, and, Piers, I want to begin with this. I read about how I guess above your desk you have a newspaper clipping. It talks about Madonna, and it says, "Piers makes enemy of Madonna." So, my question to you, sir, what did she do, or what did you do?
PIERS MORGAN, "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT" HOST: Well, she just incredibly annoying, isn't she? So, I decided to get in first and ban her. So, Madonna is hereby banned from my show for the rest of her natural life.
BALDWIN: But why?
MORGAN: Although there is a way out for her.
BALDWIN: What?
MORGAN: There is a way out. I said that the ban will be lifted if she goes to Times Square, gets on bended knee and makes a public apology to me for the sheer volume of crimes she has committed, mainly against music and fashion, and also against the British accent which is she is now trying to adopt.
BALDWIN: You weren't into the cone bra, Piers? That wasn't working for you?
MORGAN: I actually was there when she was there and she was incredibly irritating then. I'm sorry, just one of those things. Everybody has to have a banned list. It makes life go around in a much more amusing way, don't you think? You must have a banned list, don't you, Brooke?
BALDWIN: Well, if it's -- hold on. If it's amusing, then who, if you could pick anyone that you could, you know, ban as well, who would be next on your feud list?
MORGAN: Oh, well, I have actually added Heather Mills McCartney because I remembered that I introduced her to Paul McCartney, and that decision cost him about $50 million. So, she's had to be added to the banned list, too. So, at the moment, it's Madonna and Heather Mills.
BALDWIN: That's not a bad list.
(CROSSTALK)
MORGAN: I think it's fine. Yes, and I'm prepared to add a few. Howard Stern thought he was a pretty pathetic list actually when he came in. I'm interviewing him for tomorrow night's show and he thought it was appallingly small. So, I must ramp it up a bit, he thought.
BALDWIN: Well, we can work on it. We'll work on it together, Piers.
Let me ask you about "The Guardian." Because I read this article -- they describe you as un-embarrassable. But, come on, there has to be something that embarrassed you in life. Give it to me.
MORGAN: Literally, I'm completely shameless. I mean, there's nothing can you say now that would remotely embarrass me.
BALDWIN: Nothing.
MORGAN: And I'm prepared to test the theory.
BALDWIN: Well, let's go. Give me something, come on.
MORGAN: Go ahead.
BALDWIN: Come on. Most embarrassing moment right here live on CNN, Piers Morgan, what is it?
MORGAN: Well, I really don't have embarrassing moments. Even when they are embarrassing, I find them funny. That's what I mean. I'm not embarrassable.
BALDWIN: Nothing from your childhood.
(CROSSTALK)
MORGAN: -- embarrassing moment. It's kind of non sequitur. There isn't.
BALDWIN: Let's go back to your childhood. Piers Morgan as a child, tell me about your parents. How are your parents? And what advice did they give you?
MORGAN: Well, the embarrassing thing there actually, that wasn't embarrassing. My parents ran a country pub in England and the problem with that is when I was 6, they got me to do what's called the "bottling up," where I used to replace all the bottles of beer that had been emptied the night before in the pub. And then I used to trot down my local school stinking of alcohol. That's not a good look when you're 6 years old.
BALDWIN: And your teacher said --
MORGAN: That was pretty embarrassing, but for my mother more than me.
BALDWIN: And your teacher said, Piers, stop throwing back juice.
MORGAN: Well, my teachers, Piers -- she said, Piers, you stink of alcohol at 6. I can only see one career path for you, and it ends at CNN.
BALDWIN: I don't know where to go with that. So, I'm going to ask you about one other theme that apparently is pervasive in a lot of your interviews, and that is romance. And I know you have a lovely wife, Celia.
MORGAN: Yes.
BALDWIN: But let's -- and there she is. But let's say, wife aside, let's say prior to marriage, who would you -- if you could pick anyone you could have been romantically linked with, anyone, who would it have been?
MORGAN: I always used to say, it's quite prescient, I always used to say that if Scarlett Johansson and I were single at the same time, it would be an unstoppable collusion.
BALDWIN: Well, she is single now.
MORGAN: She is now single. So, I need to get single quite quickly. So, if my wife is watching, sorry about this, but things have changed.
BALDWIN: What do you think your wife is thinking right now if she's watching you having the hots for Scarlett Johansson? Is she OK with that?
MORGAN: Well, she's probably shopping in Manhattan. So, I wouldn't worry too much.
BALDWIN: Let's talk about the show tonight. You have someone -- I think we've heard of her, Oprah. Oprah is on tonight.
MORGAN: Yes.
BALDWIN: We have a clip. Let's play the clip, and then we'll talk on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST, ACTRESS, MEDIA MOGUL: I had been betrayed by somebody in my family who had gone to the tabloids, and for, you know, $20,000, had sold me out. And Stedman came into the room with tears in his eyes. We knew that it was coming out.
Stedman came into the room with tears in his eyes, and he said, "The story's out. I have a copy of it if you want to see it. And I'm really sorry. You don't deserve this." It was that moment.
MORGAN: And you looked at him and you thought, "I love this man."
WINFREY: No. I looked at him, and I thought, here's somebody who is willing to stand in and stand up for you. And that's what love is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Wow. Talking love, very nice.
MORGAN: Yes. It was pretty -- it was pretty extraordinary interview. She supposed to get 45 minutes, and Oprah gave us nearly two hours.
BALDWIN: Wow.
MORGAN: And, you know, I asked her some very direct questions and that one simply came about when I said, you know, tell me about Stedman. When did you realize you were in love with him? And all of a sudden, the story behind it was a really powerful and poignant one. But -- I mean, Oprah will fascinate people tonight. It's a -- I would say it's the most revealing interview she's ever given.
BALDWIN: Well, I'll be watching? Will you be watching yourself?
MORGAN: Of course, I'll be watching myself. There's nothing I like more. Get a couple of beers in, few crackers and watch myself on TV all night. What can be more fun than that?
BALDWIN: Well, maybe I'll do the same and I'll be thinking of you, Piers Morgan. I'll be watching you tonight. Thank you so much.
MORGAN: Thank you, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Best of luck to you. Nice to meet you over the television. Piers Morgan --
MORGAN: Well, I hope we meet again very soon.
BALDWIN: I hope so. I hope so. "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT" debuts tonight, 9:00 Eastern. You just saw his first guest, Oprah Winfrey. Other guests this week -- check out these names: Howard Stern, Condoleezza Rice, Ricky Gervais and George Clooney. Very exciting.
Coming up, a governor still recovering from controversial civil rights remarks announces new honors for some civil rights activists. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: "CNN Equals Politics" and Peter Hamby joins me in Washington with the latest news from the Political Ticker.
Hey, Peter, what do you have?
PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Hey, Brooke, how are you?
I want to start out today with the Senate race in 2012. As you know, a lot of red state Democrats might be in trouble in the next election cycle next year.
But one of them in a more purple state, Bob Menendez in New Jersey, he could also be vulnerable as he seeks reelection next year. A new poll out today from Farleigh Dickinson though has him beating a slate of Republican challengers by decent margins. However, he's still in trouble because if you look at all these poll numbers, he's still not cracking that 50 percent mark that you really need to win election.
And one of the candidates though that wasn't listed in this poll that I've been talking to New Jersey Republican insiders who could challenge Bob Menendez in 2012 is Jets owner Woody Johnson. That may or may not come to fruition, but his name has come up in discussions. Obviously, his approval rating would go up if the Jets win the Super Bowl this year.
Also in 2012, the presidential race will obviously suck up a lot more attention than the Senate races. And Mike Pence, the Indiana Republican congressman, is getting some support today. A group called the America's President Committee has launched today. They are launching an online petition drive to get Mike Pence, who is very popular among conservative grassroots activists, to jump into the presidential race.
Pence is thinking about running for president. He's also thinking about running for governor in Indiana, and he will be making that decision in the next couple of weeks, Brooke. So, we shall see if this online petition does have an effect on his thinking -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: We will be watching. Peter Hamby in Washington -- Peter, thank you.
HAMBY: Thanks.
BALDWIN: And how many warnings do people need? Two young women are facing charges right now for creating this fake Facebook page, and it apparently targeted a classmate. We are on the case.
Also, did you watch this Saturday? Our very own Anderson Cooper making a cameo on "Saturday Night Live," and we think it's just one of the videos today you've got to see.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: And now tomorrow's news today. Let's "Fast Forward" and begin with this.
China's president arrives in Washington for a three-day visit. That includes meetings with President Obama and a State Dinner. And one topic expected to be high on the leaders' agenda, trade disputes between the two countries.
Also in Washington, House Democrats will be holding a hearing to discuss the potential impact of repealing the nation's health care law.
Also in New York, five Columbia University students -- you remember this story? -- accused of selling thousands of dollars worth of drugs to undercover officers will be in court. They were arrested after this five-month investigation named Operation Ivy League.
And time for "You Gotta See This."
And for all of you out there who are annoyed with people who text on their phones in public places -- I'm talking walking and texting and maybe bumping into things -- well, you're about to be vindicated. Watch this with me.
Let's watch this woman -- you see her on the bottom right -- walking, texting, falling, splash. A distracted shopper, she walked right into the mall fountain because she couldn't be bothered to notice anything other than her phone. She hops out -- there she goes -- and keeps going.
No word as to whether or not her phone survived the fall. In she goes.
And here is one you've got to see. Maybe you saw it, Anderson Cooper on "Saturday Night Live." First, he got beat over the head with a chair by an inebriated Pee-wee Herman, only to show up an at intervention.
Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE")
ANDY SANDBERG, ACTOR: Hey, what are you guys doing here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is an intervention, Andy.
PAUL REUBENS, ACTOR: What's the big problem? He is just trying to have some fun.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's not the only one with a problem, Pee- wee. Your friends are here, too.
REUBENS: Jerry?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, Pee-wee.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're a bad influence on each other.
SANDBERG: We are not.
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "AC 360": Oh, really?
REUBENS: Hey, Anderson.
COOPER: You almost hit me in the eye. Do you know what would happen if I lost these eyes? They're a national treasure.
(END VIDEO CLIP, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE")
BALDWIN: A national treasure. How about that? That was pretty funny, actually, the whole thing.
Coming up next though, we're going to get a quick look at what is expected to make news tomorrow.
And also, two high school girls arrested and charged for what they allegedly posted on Facebook. We'll take a closer look at the case with Sunny Hostin, next.
And if you're a small business owner, listen up here. CNN Money has some of the new tax breaks that can actually help you hold you on to some of your money.
So, at number five here, the health care tax credit. If you pay at least half of your employees' health coverage, you might see a significant refund.
Number four, if you bought new software or furniture for your business, you might be able to get that money back faster than before because of the bonus depreciation extension.
Number three, did you hire someone who was previously unemployed? There could be a tax credit waiting for you.
That is just one of nearly two dozen new deductions under this general business credit.
So what are some of the other new tax credits for you, small business owners? We'll have the top two on the other side of the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Small business owners might have a reason or two to look forward to doing their taxes this season thanks to some new tax credits they might be eligible for. So take a look at our list here.
Number two on our list, if you are your own boss and you pay your own insurance, you will be able to pay income tax and self-employment taxes on your business profits, and all of this after health care has been deducted.
And number one, you might be in for some extra cash back if you bought a vehicle for your business thanks to the new depreciation credit.
By the way, you can check out these and several other breaks. Just go to CNNMoney.com.
Is the new health care law going to work out? We will be finding out shortly.
The U.S. House of Representatives set to vote on a repeal of health care reform this week. In fact, tomorrow they will be debating it, and then they will be voting Wednesday. It was actually supposed to happen last week, but you know the leaders postponed the debate because of the shootings in Tucson.
Wolf Blitzer joining me there in Washington, D.C.
And Wolf, with this new Republican majority in the House, what do you think we will see happen?
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the Republicans have the majority in the House. The rules are pretty straightforward.
Unlike the Senate, where you need supermajorities and really supermajorities to get all sorts of things done, in the House it's much more straightforward. They have the votes. They have a lopsided majority in the House of Representatives, so the Republicans will vote to repeal the health care reform law.
There's no doubt some Democrats will join in that vote to repeal it. I don't think that many, but some will. And then it will go to the Senate where it will die because they don't have the votes in the Senate.
And even if it didn't die in the Senate, the president would veto it, and then you need two-thirds majorities in both houses to override a veto. They don't have those kinds of votes, so it's a statement that the Republicans are making right now in the House of Representatives.
They want to repeal it. They promised they would repeal it. They told the voters that they would repeal it. So that's going to be their first formal act of legislation, to go ahead and repeal the health care reform law.
And we're going to see what the political fallout is and we're going to discuss it in "THE SITUATION ROOM," Brooke. Is this good politically for the Republicans in the long run, over the next six months to a year, that they made this issue number one, their top priority, or will it turn out to backfire for them in the coming weeks and months?
We'll have some good discussions. I know James Carville and Ed Rollins, they're both in "THE SITUATION ROOM." They've got some strong ideas on what this means, and I'll pick their brains.
BALDWIN: We will be watching you picking their brain, Wolf Blitzer, as we love to do with your questions. Thank you, sir. We'll see you in five minutes on "THE SITUATION ROOM."
And before I let you go, "Mean Girls," it wasn't just a move. Two high school students in Florida allegedly posted two really obscene Facebook pages targeting a classmate because "nobody liked her."
Sunny Hostin is "On the Case."
And Sunny, the pictures they allegedly posted on this page were so sexually explicit, the comments so lewd, we can't even describe them on television. The girls say it was a joke. Now they have actually though both been arrested.
What are the charges that they are facing?
SUNNY HOSTIN, "IN SESSION," TRUTV: They are basically facing cyber-bullying charges. They have been charged with felony counts of aggravated stalking of a minor under 16. And so these are felony charges for doing really what has been -- become I think such an epidemic, this sort of cyber-bullying. And they are going to be held accountable for it.
BALDWIN: The victim, Sunny, reportedly told police she thought the pages were just going to go away, but apparently these two pages attracted just about 200 friends. And I know it's tough on the Internet. I mean, what you post on the Internet doesn't really seem to go away, does it?
HOSTIN: And that's the issue. It doesn't go away.
It's not sort of like back in the day, if someone spray-painted your name or phone number on the back of a bathroom door. You could have someone paint it or take it away. That is not the case. We know even when you take Facebook pages down, which is also difficult to do --
BALDWIN: Right.
HOSTIN: -- they can be screen-saved. All sorts of things happen. So they go on forever.
BALDWIN: You mentioned a lot of these cyber-bullying cases we've seen. Do you think we'll see even more?
HOSTIN: I really do. I think this is the year, Brooke, and I've been predicting it all along, that the bullies go down.
Mean girls are going to be held accountable. Prosecutors are getting very familiar with these laws. They are being very creative. And I think we're going to see a lot of cases, especially the Phoebe Prince case.
I think this is the year. Bullies beware.
BALDWIN: Right. Bullies beware, I like that, as it should be.
And before we move on to the next case though, what's next for these two young women who are facing these charges?
HOSTIN: Well, they are going to be in court, and they could go to trial. I do believe that because of their age, Brooke, this is a case that may end in a plea deal.
Will they serve time? Too soon to tell? Will they be made an example out of it? Too soon to tell. But no question about it, they will be in a court of law shortly.
BALDWIN: Case number two, we've been watching "Baby Doc" Duvalier in Haiti today. We know he returned yesterday. Still a lot of questions at to what he's doing there.
How is it that he's able to leave? After being in exile and being in France for 25 years, he's back. Does he face any outstanding warrants?
HOSTIN: Well, apparently, we're not sure, but I've been speaking to people today, and they are telling me that they have indicated that the authorities are waiting for instructions from prosecutors. Back about five years ago, they indicated that if he came back to Haiti, he would be facing charges for bribery, charges for the brutality during his 15-year dictatorship. And so certainly they are considering it, but we know that Haiti is in turmoil right now.
BALDWIN: Right.
HOSTIN: And so it could be very difficult to do that.
BALDWIN: And apparently there are hundreds -- in fact, I think they might have said thousands -- of people there very much so in support of him. I mean, let me throw a wild question at you. Could "Baby Doc" potentially run for president?
HOSTIN: I think it's a scary thing, but it is certainly possible. He said he's in the country to help his country.
He was a dictator, Brooke, for 15 years. Dictators don't typically run for office, they take office. And so I think there's no question that his eye is on the presidential seat.
BALDWIN: Sunny Hostin "On the Case."
Good to see you. We'll see you back here this time tomorrow.
(WEATHER REPORT)
BALDWIN: For now, I want to turn things over to my colleague Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM" -- Wolf.
