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Kidnap Suspect Surrenders; Interview with Mary Jo Buttafuoco; Two Detroit Police Officers Shot in Detroit; Winter Weather Continues Throughout U.S.; Woman Arrested For Repeatedly Calling 911; Documentary on Elmo Premieres Sundance Film Festival

Aired January 23, 2011 - 18:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Developing right now:

We're talking to the cops who now have that woman suspected of kidnapping a baby from a hospital 23 years ago. We're also reaching out to the kidnapped girl's family. How do they feel and why did she do it?

And remember Mary Jo Buttafuoco. Her husband's teenaged lover shot her in the head back in the 1990s. She says she knows what Congresswoman Giffords is facing and in the future what she'll face as well. She shares her personal recovery battle tonight in a rare television appearance.

And why the JFK mystique still ranks so high on the minds of Americans 50 years after his inauguration. Presidential historian Douglas Brinkley on Camelot past, present, and future -- right now.

(MUSIC)

LEMON: But we start this hour with some breaking news that comes to us out of Detroit.

At least two police officers were gunned down today inside a precinct on the west side of that city. That is according to our Detroit affiliates which report a gunman walked into the precinct and then opened fire. The two officers were taken to the hospital. Their conditions are not known at the moment.

Now, the affiliates also report the gunman is dead but CNN has not confirmed that yet. We'll bring you more information on this breaking news story as it comes in.

A nationwide manhunt is over for a kidnapping suspect. The FBI in Bridgeport, Connecticut, says Ann Pettway turned herself in this morning. Pettway is wanted for questioning in a 1987 kidnapping of an infant from a New York hospital -- now, allegedly raising the girl as her own daughter during that time. That girl, Carlina White, recently discovered her true identity and was reunited last week with her biological family.

A live report on the circumstances leading up to Pettway's surrender in just moments here on CNN. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is still in intensive care at a Houston hospital at this hour, but doctors say she is surprising them with her progress that she's made already. Giffords was transferred from Arizona to Houston for a rehabilitation, where she's doing exercises that involve moving, sitting, and standing. Giffords still has a breathing tube in her neck and can't speak, but doctors say she is trying to communicate.

Meantime, the man accused of shooting Congresswoman Giffords and others will be in a federal court tomorrow in Phoenix. Jared Loughner will be arraigned for the attempted assassination of Giffords and the attempted murder of two of her aides. He will probably face more indictments for the other victims in the future. Six people were killed and 13 wounded in the rampage in Tucson January 8.

The battle over repealing the new health care law is headed to the Senate and top leaders in both parties are vowing to stand their ground. Republicans say they will push for a vote to repeal the entire law but Majority Leader Harry Reid says that's simply not going to happen. In that case, Republicans insist they'll try to dismantle the law piece by piece. A full repeal has already passed the house.

President Obama is telling supporters that Tuesday's State of the Union address to Congress will focus on jobs and the economy. Meantime, a White House official tells CNN that Gabrielle Giffords' husband, Captain Mark Kelly, was invited to sit with Mrs. Obama during the speech but that he is likely to stay where he is. He's unlikely to attend the State of the Union.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell told CNN's Candy Crowley today that he's not ready to endorse anyone in either party for president in 2012. And you might remember, Powell crossed party lines and gave then-Senator Barack Obama a big boost when he endorsed him back in 2008. Next time, maybe not.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: So, I'm not committed to Barack Obama. I'm not committed to a Republican candidate. I will see who emerges. Right now, I do not see on the Republican side any one individual who I think is going to emerge at the top of the pile.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Powell, a Republican, as you know, refused to grade President Obama's White House performance. But he said, quote, "We didn't elect Superman. We elected a human being."

You know, it's all about name recognition at this point but Mitt Romney this weekend's New Hampshire GOP presidential straw poll, he got 35 percent of the vote in a survey of state Republicans. Congressman Ron Paul was second with 11 percent. Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty was third with 8 percent. And Sarah Palin was fourth with 7 percent.

For a week now, the world has been asking, why former Dictator Jean- Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier has returned to Haiti. Now, one of his lawyers may have provided the answer to CNN. Attorney Ed Marger says he's trying to reclaim millions from a frozen bank account that belongs to a family foundation. But Marger says Duvalier doesn't want it for himself. He wants to use it to rebuild Haiti after the devastating earthquake. Next hour, we're going to ask Marger about this when he joins us live.

Now to the big story -- the woman being sought for questioning in the kidnapping of a baby girl more than 23 years ago has turned up in Connecticut.

And CNN's Susan Candiotti is in Bridgeport to describe the circumstances that led to the surrender of Ann Pettway.

Susan, apparently, Pettway used Facebook to turn herself in. That's what the report said?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And I'll give you more details on that in just a moment. But we have some breaking news for you right now, Don, and that is that Ann Pettway is now facing federal kidnapping charges. She is now under arrest on those charges. And she will make her first appearance in Manhattan federal court Monday morning.

Now, we learned from a law enforcement source -- CNN exclusively reported first news of her surrender -- we learned from a law enforcement source that she contact a Bridgeport, Connecticut Police Department officer via Facebook before she turned herself in to the FBI here in Bridgeport today.

Another key development seemed to come after she was sighted yesterday in a pawnshop here in Bridgeport where she used to live. She had gone inside the store, tried to sell some of her jewelry, didn't like the price she heard about and walked out. But an employee who thought he recognized her contacted the police, and here's how they confirmed who she was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DET. KEITH BRYANT, BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT POLICE DEPT.: Our detectives also responded to that location. And they were able to obtain some video of surveillance from the store and they -- based on what they observed and what the photographs that we had of her -- they confirmed the fact that it was her in question.

CANDIOTTI: And she came in by herself?

BRYANT: She came in by herself, yes. And she turned around and she left, you know, on foot. The clerk advised the detectives that he didn't observe her get into a car. You know, he immediately jumped on the phone and called the police department and made him aware of his sightings.

CANDIOTTI: Are you surprised that she would be in this area?

BRYANT: Without a doubt, yes, I am surprised, you know, seeing -- reading from what I've obtained from the news media of her being down in North Carolina, you know, and then so quickly being sighted here in the city of Bridgeport has surprised all of us. We believe she'd probably stay in the southern states in that location.

Bridgeport being, I believe, more of a comfort zone, you know, for her. This is where she was raised, went to the local schools here. And she still has family here in the city. So, this was her comfort zone where she felt more secure in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: So, Don, developments have really come together quickly in this case.

LEMON: All right. Susan Candiotti -- Susan with the breaking news: she's going to face federal kidnapping charges. Susan, thank you very much. We're going to get back to you.

In the meantime, we have some other news to report.

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords suffered a gunshot to the head at point blank -range and survived. Few people can relate to what happened -- one of them, the victim of one of the most famous love triangles ever. Mary Jo Buttafuoco joins us live next in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Also this hour -- caught on camera. A state trooper on paid leave after he punches a driver. Excessive force? Hear the full story before judging.

And, President Kennedy, 50 years after his inauguration. His popularity might get him elected in a landslide today. Hear live, we're talking about the legacy of JFK with a presidential historian.

And I'm online and I know you are two. Make sure you check out my social media accounts and let's connect.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. As we told you at the top of this newscast, we have some breaking news that we want to tell you. It's coming out of Detroit. This is the very latest that I know right now.

At least three police officers were gunned down today inside a precinct on the west side of Detroit, Michigan. Again, you're looking at pictures from our affiliate there, WDIV. They report a gunman walked into the precinct and that gunman opened fire. The officers, they say, were taken to the hospital. Their conditions are not yet known. The gunman, we're hearing, is dead.

And again, the information on this is just coming in. There you see the scene there. And I want to tell you, I'm just getting this from my producers. I'm being told that -- waiting a press conference from Detroit's police chief. It could happen at any moment now within the half hour, a press conference on this. Three officers -- at least three police officers gunned down today inside a precinct on the west side of Detroit, Michigan. That is our breaking news.

Let's move on now. We have some other news to tell you about.

Gabrielle Giffords is now at the hospital in Houston, getting ready to begin the next phase of her recovery. It is an amazing. It's an amazing, some would say "miraculous," development two weeks after the Arizona congresswoman was nearly assassinated with a bullet through the brain.

One woman who can relate to surviving a point-blank gunshot to the head is Mary Jo Buttafuoco. There you see her there in the hospital during her recovery. Although her brain was not hit by the bullet, the wound was life threatening, her survival remarkable as well, and her recovery was incredibly difficult though. The young woman who pulled the trigger in 1992 was her then-husband's 17-year-old lover, Amy Fisher, who media quickly nicknamed the "Long Island Lolita."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

AMY FISHER, SHOT MARY JOE BUTTAFUOCO: I hit her on the back of the head. I went to hit her again and the gun went off. I guess obviously I shot it.

MARY JO BUTTAFUOCO, SURVIVED GUNSHOT TO HEAD: This girl is an attempted murderer, a liar, a prostitute, and the D.A. is accepting her statement that she and Joe were together. Something's wrong here.

JOEY BUTTAFUOCO, HAD AFFAIR WITH AMY FISHER: On July 2nd, 1991, I had sexual relations with Amy Fisher at the Freeport Motel.

M. BUTTAFUOCO: What happened the day that Amy Fisher came to the store and changed our lives forever.

I learned what I suspected all along, that she had a lot of rage and anger and isolation. That there's too much violence and anger and I don't understand why.

What happened to you in your childhood should not happen to anyone but that is no excuse for trying to take another human life. There is no excuse for what you did. I pray for you and your continued recovery.

I have to forgive to continue to move on with your life.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

LEMON: Well, Mary Jo Buttafuoco stayed with her husband for another decade before finally divorcing him in 2003. She now lives in Las Vegas and in 2009, she published her memoire and it's called "Getting It Through My Thick Skull." She joins us now live to tell us about her experience and what she thinks about Giffords' situation.

Mary Jo, thank you so much for joining us.

And let's begin with your experience, how you're feeling and your experience. How are you doing right now?

M. BUTTAFUOCO: Well, thanks for that walk down memory lane, Don. That was really something.

I'm a lot better. It's been a long time. It's been over 18 years. So, I am as good as I can be. You know, looking at those pictures made me cringe. I was very, very sick and I had a lot of issues and that's what we're here to talk about, is the survivors of this shooting and what's on the path for them ahead.

LEMON: Yes, I have to tell you, I remember that story. I was living and working in New York back then. And no one thought you were going to survive this. Everyone, you know, had pegged you for dead and you made it through.

M. BUTTAFUOCO: Yes. Yes. When they found me, I almost bled to death because the bullet nicked my carotid artery, and I was airlifted to the hospital and they told my family they didn't give me the night. So, every step that I made broke the odds, which is what Gabrielle seems to be doing.

LEMON: Yes. You have -- you're in pain, I'm told, right? Constant pain, you have paralysis on the right side of your face and you have hearing loss, if not complete deafness in your right ear.

M. BUTTAFUOCO: I do have complete deafness in my right ear and the right side of my face is paralyzed. You know, I don't like to complain. I'm very blessed. I lived through this. I got to see my children grow up. I made a remarkable recovery.

I liken it to living with arthritis or some kind of, you know, disease or something. You just have to live with it. And that's -- this is what's going to happen with all these shooting victims is you become -- your life becomes before the accident and after the accident and they will never, ever be the same again.

LEMON: Mary Jo, tell me -- what's your memory of being shot?

M. BUTTAFUOCO: I knew something happened. I never saw a gun. I turned to my right to walk into the house, and apparently, she had a gun in her pocket because the next thing I knew I just felt this massive explosion on the side of my head and I honestly thought as I went down that I got hit with a baseball bat. It was that quick, it was that sudden, it was that explosive. But I had no idea that I had been shot.

LEMON: So, you know, you have taken a special interest in Gabby Giffords, and we're going to talk about that, Mary Jo, right after this break. Don't go away.

M. BUTTAFUOCO: OK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We're back right now with Mary Jo Buttafuoco who survived being shot in the head back in 1992. So, Mary Jo, you've been following Congresswoman Giffords' case very closely.

Obviously, I would imagine it struck a chord. Did it bring back some memories for you?

M. BUTTAFUOCO: Of course, it did. I was so amazed that within 13 days being shot point blank in the head, through the brain, that she's strong enough to withstand the ride from the ambulance to the airport, from the airport to the helipad and from the helipad to the rehab center. That's fantastic. I mean, to do that, she's got to be feeling very, very strong physically.

LEMON: OK. Let's -- Mary Jo, let's hear from the congresswoman's doctor in Houston and then I want to get your reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. DON KIM, TIRR MEMORIAL HERMANN: She looks spectacular in all ways. From a neurological point of view first, she came into the ICU, and she was alert, awake, calm. She looked comfortable. I think we were already feeling some interaction, which is important.

She's got very good movement on the left side of her body and was very purposeful. And we were testing her vision, and she didn't like us shining the light in her eye and wanted to keep them closed. And these are all very good signs. She also had pretty good tone in her leg.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Mary Jo, what do you thing when you hear that?

M. BUTTAFUOCO: I think that's wonderful. When they said about shining the light in her eyes, I'm sure she's starting to feel pain now.

The first few days, you don't even know what has happened to you. You can't imagine. You're in this cocoon -- you're sedated. And you've got people, you know, kind of yelling in your ears to try and make you wake up and stay awake. But it sounds now like maybe, you know, she's in pain, which is the next step.

Once she does start to come out of the anesthesia and does start to -- and they start to say to her, OK, get up, you've got to walk, you've got to talk, you've got to do all this, it's going to be a very, very long, long painful recovery.

LEMON: And you were responsive as well. But you said you don't remember anything they asked you. There was one day all of a sudden that clicked, that they had told you a long time before what had happened to you, but you didn't -- you didn't remember any of that.

M. BUTTAFUOCO: Yes. My vivid memories was I was told after the fact that when I was in the hospital, my son came to me and they said, you know, squeeze her hand, and I squeezed it back. I don't remember that. My mother also said the same thing, that they would touch me and hold my hand and I would squeeze them. So -- but to this day, I don't have a memory of it. But I guess I must have unconsciously felt that connection to them.

LEMON: Yes. Yes, and that's very important. Her family, her husband, and her friends being there. That's what doctors are saying that's very important.

M. BUTTAFUOCO: It is. It's very -- and when the doctor then finally was, like, kind of, they yell because you're in this state of semi- consciousness to tell you what's happening because they don't want to frighten you. They want you to realize where you are, what's happened to you and everything like that.

LEMON: OK. Mary Jo, I want to bring in Dr. Sanjay Dhall. He is chief neurosurgeon at Grady Hospital right here in Atlanta.

So, Dr. Dhall, Mary Jo says that she, you know, really didn't fully understand what had happened for a long time. Is that typical, and do you think that's what Gabby Giffords -- do you think she knows the situation right now?

DR. SANJAY DHALL, CHIEF NEUROSURGEON, GRADY HOSPITAL: Yes, absolutely. I've had many, many patients who have seen me many months after their injury who tell me that they have no recollection of the injury they suffered and the time that they spent in the hospital, and that's for a variety of reasons. One of which, obviously, is being the head injury and also the different kinds of drugs that are constantly being administered.

LEMON: And because of the drugs. Mary Jo, tell us about the medication. That's a very important point because you became dependent on that medication.

M. BUTTAFUOCO: Yes. Yes, I did. Unfortunately, for me, nobody says no. No doctor says no when you have a bullet in your head. When you say I'm dying, and I'm in pain, I need this -- they'll give it to you.

And they always said -- they were very good about it. They always said, you know, Mary Jo, you have a chance of getting addicted to this. And when you're just suffering like that, you just say, I don't care. I need this to survive.

So, they tried, but I think my trauma of everything else I went through with my husband and Amy Fisher and all that stuff, it just was -- it became easier for me to self-medicate myself when I was going through all this other trauma and I couldn't just learn to heal on my own.

LEMON: Yes. It wasn't just -- it wasn't just physical pain. It was emotional pain as well for you.

M. BUTTAFUOCO: Exactly, exactly.

LEMON: So, Doctor, what will -- what will doctors do? Will they do anything to keep the congresswoman from becoming addicted? DHALL: It's a very challenging problem to simultaneously try to control pain and simultaneously try to prevent dependence on pain medicine. If somebody's on a narcotic pain medicine for a long enough time period, they will absolutely develop some form of dependence. It's almost inevitable. So, doctors will walk a fine line and decide at some point to start to wean those drugs away.

LEMON: So, it's going to be a long process here. She's got a long road ahead.

DHALL: Absolutely.

LEMON: It's good for the long road ahead.

Thank you, Dr. Dhall -- Dr. Sanjay Dhall from Grady here.

And also, Mary Jo, thank you so much and we wish you the very best of luck, OK? Take care of yourself.

M. BUTTAFUOCO: Thank you so much, Don. And my prayers go out to all of the victims for a full recovery.

LEMON: All right. Thank you. We second that.

We're following some breaking news here on CNN from Detroit, where two police officers have been shot inside their precinct house. That and the hour's top stories straight ahead here.

Plus, recognize this guy, take a look. His need for some quick cash turned him into a food network star. The ace of cakes' advice for anyone who wants to start a business. He says you don't need a lot of money to get started.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: I want to update you now on our breaking news story. That was the lead of this newscast.

This one is coming out of Detroit. At least three police officers were gunned down today inside a precinct on the west side of that city. That's according to our affiliate, our Detroit affiliates, which report a gunman walked into the precinct and just opened fire. The officers were taken to the hospital. Their conditions again are not known. Police say the gunman is dead.

We'll bring you more information on this story as it becomes available to us. We're also awaiting a press conference there in Detroit at any moment.

A nationwide manhunt is over for a kidnapping suspect. The FBI in Bridgeport, Connecticut, says Ann Pettway turned herself in this morning and she now faces federal kidnapping charges. Pettway is accused in the 1987 kidnapping of an infant from a New York hospital, allegedly raising the girl as her own daughter. That girl, Carlina White, recently discovered her true identity and was reunited last week with her biological mother. (VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Egyptian officials now say they know who was behind this attack at a Christian church New Year's Day that left 23 people dead. The interior minister says a Palestinian group linked to al Qaeda called the Army of Islam planned the suicide bombing. But a spokesman for the Army of Islam says it had nothing to do with the attack in Alexandria.

OK, everyone. It is seriously getting cold in some parts of the country -- seriously cold -- and there's snow as far south as the Carolinas.

Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras, what is going on with this bitter cold and is there any relief? Come on.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: There's not really. You know, we've been kind of stuck in this negative pattern and what we called the -- we don't get dogged with technicalities of Arctic Oscillation. But, basically, it's just keeping us with this periodic drop in the temperature if you're east of the Rockies.

LEMON: Oh, boy.

JERAS: So, yes. So, we just keep getting it over and over again. And take a look at the pictures for you out of the Carolinas. Yes, you had some decent snowfall there yesterday. This is from Moorhead City. You know, this was like on a beach almost. This is right near the coast.

So, the eastern Carolinas had an average anywhere between three and seven inches of snowfall yesterday. A lot of that got -- you know, some of them got melted anyway today as temperatures were well above the freezing mark. However, now that the sun is down, we're going to ice back up. We'll be real concerned about travel and some of that black ice and for that morning commute tomorrow as well.

All right. Now, the northeast, let's talk about you. Yes, it's been kind of cold as of late, but the coldest day of the season is now invading your region. It started in the Midwest, moved through the Great Lakes, and is now hitting you. And you're really going to feel the greatest impact of this tomorrow morning.

Here's your current feels-like temperature, the wind chill, which is the temperature your body feels based on the combined effects of the cold and the wind. It feels like 14 in Philly, 8 in New York, 1 in Boston already. And look at Albany, 13 degrees below zero. That is getting dangerously cold. There you can see the wind chill watches and advisories which are in effect. It's going to be feeling anywhere between five and 25 below zero tomorrow. So you don't wasn't to have any exposed skin out there. You want to bundle up tomorrow because you could get frostbite in a very short period of time. Just a couple of minutes, believe it or not.

We're also watching a southern system, which is going to be developing here, Don. This is going to be affecting the southeast for the early to mid-part of the week, and then riding up the coast. And there's still a lot of uncertainty with the storm. But the best thing I can tell you right now is the models are trending warmer for the south as opposed to a big snow event. Cross your fingers they will be dealing with rain this time around. Snow in the northeast, but rain, yes.

LEMON: Cross them for everything.

JERAS: Yes.

LEMON: Thank you.

(LAUGHTER)

Appreciate it, Jacqui Jeras.

A small business success story in Baltimore to tell you about. And the man who created it all is sharing his recipe for success without Tom Foreman in this "Building Up America" report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the shadow of the Baltimore skyline, on a rough edge of town, Duff Goldman is building up a remarkable business.

DUFF GOLDMAN, BAKERY OWNER: Good to see you.

FOREMAN: He's a star on the "Food Network" and this is where his team spins out those dazzling creations that have captured the imagination of millions.

(MUSIC)

FOREMAN: It wasn't always this way. Eight years ago, Duff was a struggling musician, just looking for a way to pay the bills.

(on camera): What did you play in the band?

GOLDMAN: I'm a bass player. I still am.

FOREMAN: Oh. So you were essentially unemployed?

GOLDMAN: Pretty much, yes.

(LAUGHTER)

So I called my dad. I said, Dad, how do I start a business. He said sell a cake. OK. What?

FOREMAN (voice-over): By creating what others did not, Duff caught the attention of cable TV scouts and turned his small bakery into a big brand. Ever since, people have listened to his ideas about business.

GOLDMAN: When I started this place, I sold a cake. That first cake I sold, I got a deposit. With that deposit, I bought some cake pans, flour, eggs, butter. That's literally how simple it was.

FOREMAN: By buying only what he could afford and focusing on quality, he avoided the debt that doomed so many others have and so the jobs have lasted and the customers keep on coming, some for a few hundred, some for many thousands of dollars per cake. And for Duff, the cakes are spectacular, but the recipes are simple.

GOLDMAN: To build in tough times, you need to do things correctly. There's no shortcut, no formula, no magic pill, no spell, there's no anything. You just need to pay your bills and keep your employees happy. You just have to do a good job.

FOREMAN: Tom Foreman, CNN, Baltimore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right, Tom.

We've heard about the calls to 911 for some pretty ridiculous reasons but this is a new one. One woman's bad nail day and the 911 calls -- that's right calls, with an "S," plural -- that landed her in jail.

But first, President Kennedy, 50 years after he was inaugurated, his popularity might get him elected by a landslide today if he were alive. We're talking about the legacy of JFK with a presidential historian.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. So call it Camelot, call it charisma, call it whatever you want. 50 years after President Kennedy was inaugurated, 85 percent say they approved of his job performance. Bill Clinton is second at 72 percent. Ronald Reagan, third, at 68 percent in the new CNN Opinion Research Poll. They're followed by the first President Bush and Gerald Ford. 53 percent approved of Carter's performance. Lyndon Johnson is close behind, followed by George W. Bush, and finally by Nixon.

Let's talk with Douglas Brinkley. He is a professor of history at Rice University and his new book is called "The Quiet World: Saving Alaska's Wilderness Kingdom."

So, Doug, thank you for joining us. So why is he so popular?

DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, RICE UNIVERSITY & AUTHOR: For starters, he was a very good president. He created a lot of institutional legacy organizations, like the Peace Corp, the Green Berets, the U.S. Navy SEALs. All Americans love those organizations. He handled two of the flashpoints of the Cold War so astutely, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Berlin crisis. And when we read and listen to these transcripts of the White House tapes, we see a Kennedy very much in charge.

But there's another factor, I think, Don. We all get older and John F. Kennedy always stays the handsome, gallant, young man who was gunned down in Dallas. There's that charisma factor, you mentioned, that's very real.

LEMON: You touched on my next question. I was going to say, are his achievements that impressive? You mentioned the Peace Corp and others. Or did his tragic death contribute to the popularity through the years, because you know how we have a tendency to romanticize history.

BRINKLEY: Well, there's no question of that. Let's be candid about it. I mean, what happened in Dallas, the assassination of Kennedy is America's great murder mystery. Nevertheless, Kennedy really started the 1960s, which is such an iconic decade. Eisenhower's farewell address, the oldest president in American history was in black and white. Kennedy's inaugural parade was in color, with the younger president coming in. So there was a real turning point with Kennedy. In many ways, the whole family is one of the most important political families in U.S. history. Bobby Kennedy, who was very loved, and Ted Kennedy, who just died. The whole nation likes the Kennedys in that poll, at 85 percent, which is high, and it's higher than historians rate him. But for the general public, they're still in love with John F. Kennedy.

LEMON: Plus, the beauty of the pictures. When you look at the inauguration, the '60s, the design and that era, and design and fashion and all that.

Douglas, let's talk about the other poll results. Bill Clinton is at 72 percent Ronald Reagan at 68 percent. Clinton ahead of Reagan?

BRINKLEY: I was a little bit surprised about that. But, you know, Bill Clinton has his fans. He's a two-termer. People are looking back at his presidency and remembering how the economy did well. Hillary Clinton, secretary of state. He's in the news all the time. And Reagan, who was very popular, and his hundredth birthday is coming up right around the bend here, is still seen by some people as a conservative leader, a leader of the Republican Party. So I was a little surprised that Clinton was ahead of Reagan. The rest of the numbers made a great deal of sense to me.

LEMON: Even George W. Bush? Do you think that Bush's reputation will improve as time goes on here?

BRINKLEY: It's hard for him, because of the economy just collapsing at the end of his watch. Also, the longer these wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Bush's wars, drag on, people aren't very happy with them. We're a country that likes quick results. We rate, as presidential historians, Polk very high for winning the Mexican War quickly or McKinley fairly high for winning the Spanish War. Those were wars of choice. If the Iraq war was war of choice, history and current events aren't playing in the president's favor. But he did have a hot memoir. It's been the number-one book, President Bush, and he has his presidential library opening.

What's interesting, Don, I think about those numbers is how most presidents, except for Nixon, you know, are above 50 percent. You usually get a bit of an upward revision when you leave office. Nixon's reputation is in shambles because of anti-Semitic and anti- black remarks that he's made on the tapes. He was never all that likeable to start with.

LEMON: Yes. Thank you, Doug Brinkley.

The book is called, "The Quiet World: Saving Alaska's Wilderness Kingdom."

Thank you, Doug.

BRINKLEY: Thank you.

LEMON: Tuesday night is date night. That's for members of Congress. That's among the stories that will be making news in your week ahead from Washington to Wall Street. We'll tell you what you can expect.

But first, caught on camera, a state trooper on paid leave after he punches a driver. Excessive force? Hear the full story before you judge.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Now, for some of the stories that are happening across the country.

A Utah trooper is under investigation after a video shows him punching a woman. You can see Sergeant Andrew Davenport on the right in this dash cam video as he tries to handle the 53-year-old woman behind the wheel by hitting her several times. The confrontation happened in August and the officer is on paid leave now. Authorities say Darla Wright had tried to escape patrol cars that had trapped her by ramming back and forth between them. Another officer tasered Wright, who faces several charges, including DUI, resisting arrest and assault on a police officer.

OK, we have heard of a bad hair day, right? But a Florida woman is facing charges after repeatedly calling 911 to report a bad manicure. Cynthia Colson's bad nail day started with a trip to the manicure salon in Deltona. She said the nail technician manhandled her after she complained about the length of her nails. Police say she called 911 at least four times. They say once was enough.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CYNTHIA COLSON, ARRESTED: You don't handle my hand like this. She had a nail clip in her right hand and she was talking with it. And at the time, she hit my top lip.

GARY DAVIDSON, VOLUSIA COUNTY SHERIFF'S SPOKESMAN: After you place the initial 911 call and a deputy is responding to investigate, then there's no longer an emergency.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, police say Colson called 911 a final time while a deputy was inside the salon trying to settle the dispute over payment. That's when she was arrested. It's the kind of killing we usually hear about happening overseas, but in the week ahead, a case of an alleged honor killing will in the headlines in this country. The trial of Fal Amaliki (ph) begins tomorrow in Arizona. He's accused of running over his 20-year-old daughter, Norr (ph), in October 2009 because she was too westernized. That's according to police in the town of Peoria near Phoenix. They say he also ran over his daughter's fiance, who did survive the attack.

Now to our correspondents. From Washington to Wall Street, with their preview of the big stories in the week ahead. We begin tonight at the White House.

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ed Henry at the White House, where on Tuesday night, the president heads to Capitol Hill for the big State of the Union address. Senior aides say it will have the twin themes of creating jobs and promoting American competiveness around the world. On Wednesday, he'll immediately test that message on the road when he heads to the swing state of Wisconsin.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Brianna Keilar, covering Capitol Hill. And the big story we're following this week is the State of the Union. From where the president stands, the House chamber could look a little different this year. Many lawmakers have already committed to sitting next to someone from the opposing party for Tuesday's address. We'll also be following the Republican's official response to the State of the Union. Paul Ryan, the new chairman of the House Budget Committee and the House GOP's top guy on spending cuts, will be giving that rebuttal. He may not be a familiar face to many of you right now, but he'll become very familiar as Republicans focus on spending cuts this Congress.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: I'm Paul Steinhauser at the CNN political desk. Trip this week by two Republicans seriously thinking of running for the White House are creating buzz. Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty speaks in New Hampshire tomorrow and Tuesday. That same day former house speaker, Newt Gingrich, speaks in Iowa. Both states play crucial roles in the race for the White House as they go one-two in the primary calendar. Back here on Wednesday, the first meeting of the Tea Party Senate Caucus. Senators Jim DeMint, Rand Paul and Mike Lee will meet with Tea Party leaders from across the country.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. Economic growth, that's going to be the big focus this week. The government will report fourth quarter GDP on Friday, and it's expected to show that the U.S. economy grew at about a 3.8 percent annual pace during the past three months. That would be an improvement from the third quarter pace of 2.6 percent. Meantime, ahead this week, Federal Reserve policy makers will meet in Washington to discuss the economic recovery. And it's a pretty big week for corporate earnings. McDonald's, 3M, Boeing and United Technologies are set to report their numbers. We'll track it for you on "CNN Money."

LEMON: Thanks, guys. And we've got you covered domestically. You saw it there.

International editor, Azadeh Ansari, join us with the stories that we're covering around the globe.

Azadeh, and first up is Afghanistan.

ANSARI: That's right, Don. Their parliament -- the Afghanistan parliament is at a political standstill. And lawmakers are putting pressure on President Hamid Karzai to go ahead and inaugurate this newly elected parliament that he's had in place.

LEMON: We'll be watching that this week. A lot of consternation over the -- Tunisia has seen a lot of violence. What is going with the dictator?

ANSARI: Well, the thing is, what's interesting is that our senior international correspondent, Ben Wedeman, got a tour of the palace of the nephew of ousted President Ben Ali. And the question is, when we have these protests around the world and these leaders leave their country, what happens to their living quarters. You know, what do they do with their palaces? Most of them turn into post-revolutionary tourist attractions. And as we saw when Saddam Hussein was forced out of power, his residence became the U.S. Army's main headquarters.

LEMON: I was going to say, that reminds me of the palaces there.

So let's talk about much lighter news. World Pastry Cup?

ANSARI: OK. This is a really sweet story.

(LAUGHTER)

And what we have is the creme de la creme of these pastry chefs --

LEMON: That looks yummy. Look at that.

ANSARI: -- that are gathering in Leone, France for -- hold on, let me say this -- (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE). Excuse my French. It might not be that great.

LEMON: Sounds nice.

(LAUGHTER)

ANSARI: It is the World Pastry Cup. It happens once every two years and these guys work in dreams of three to put together these yummy culinary concoctions, as you see here.

LEMON: Next time bring samples.

ANSARI: I will.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Thank you, Azadeh. All right. That loveable monster, Elmo, he's not on "Sesame Street" today. Instead, he and the man behind him are hanging out at the Sundance Film Festival. We're checking out the new documentary, "Being Elmo."

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LEMON: Hard to say what Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch are up to this weekend, but we know where their buddy, Elmo, is. He's a VIP at the Sundance Film Festival.

And our Brooke Anderson ran into him and the man who brings him to life in Park City, where they're shopping around a new documentary.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sundance attracts celebrities by the truckload -- James Franco, Suzanne Sarandon, Demi Moore, Kevin Spacey, to name a few. But there's one celebrity who's in a category all his own and brings joy wherever he goes.

Hi, Elmo. Are you enjoying the film festival?

ELMO, PUPPET: I'm having a great time but Elmo's kind of sad.

ANDERSON: Why?

ELMO: Because Elmo hasn't gone skiing.

ANDERSON: Oh, no. Well, later, we'll bundle you up in your snow gear and we'll hit the slopes. How does that sound.

LEMON: Yay.

ANDERSON: Yes, that would be fun.

I have to tell you, Elmo, my daughter, who's a year and a half old, Kayte (ph), loves you. And if she were here, do you know what she would do?

(LAUGHING)

Tickle, ticking, tickle.

ELMO: Elmo loves to be tickled.

ANDERSON: I know. Tickle, tickle, tickle, tickle. Well, you are so adorable.

ELMO: Thank you.

ANDERSON: Can I have a hug?

ELMO: Yes.

ANDERSON: Thank you, Elmo. Good to see you. ELMO: Good to see you too.

ANDERSON: Have fun.

ELMO: Elmo will see you soon.

ANDERSON: Not many people know the story of the man behind Elmo. His name is Kevin Clash, and he's the subject of a documentary premiering here at Sundance.

I spoke with him earlier, along with the director of "Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey".

I have to tell you, Kevin, you are not what I expected the voice of Elmo to be. Here you are this big, broad-shouldered, tall man, six feet tall.

KEVIN CLASH, PUPPETEER: I won't say my weight.

ANDERSON: How do you embody this child-like innocence, this high- pitched voice of Elmo?

CLASH: Well, you have to do it for about over 20 years. That's what I've been doing. It's constantly a lot of fun. A lot of fun.

ANDERSON: And you wanted to do --

CLASH: We're not to be seen, so that's why this is a little different for me.

ANDERSON: You wanted to be a puppeteer since you were a child. What captivated you about puppeteering and Muppets?

CLASH: You know, just the fascination of it. Just the animated -- the way they looked, the funness of them. I think that really was it. And I stay glued to the television. My mom said, if you stay that close to the TV, you'll go blind and stuff, so.

(LAUGHTER)

ANDERSON: I think my mom told me that too.

CLASH: Oh, really?

You know, so it was just the fascination about it.

ANDERSON: Director Connie (ph) Marks, were you ever concerned in making this documentary, about taking away from the magic, the illusion of Elmo?

CONSTANCE MARKS, DIRECTOR: No, I wasn't concerned about taking away from the illusion of Elmo at all. We've been making this film for six years. And we got into a shorthand and a rhythm, where everybody knew what the boundaries were. It just turned out great.

CLASH: Again, this is for adults.

ANDERSON: Kevin, when kids see Elmo, they lose their minds. And Elmo appeals to so many different demographics. It's got to be awe- inspiring for you to kind of be a part of that excitement.

CLASH: I'm like a fly on the wall because they don't normally see me. I'm normally behind the scenes. So they see me as somebody carrying around their friend.

(LAUGHTER)

But it's really -- I tell you, to see a kid running with arms wide open to grab their friend is always a really sweet thing to see.

ANDERSON: I'm sure. So heart-warming.

CLASH: Very, very.

ANDERSON: They are now shopping the documentary to distributors here at Sundance.

If you want to learn more about the magic of Elmo, just go to beingElmo.com.

Brooke Anderson, CNN, Park City, Utah.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right, Brooke, thank you.

New developments in a kidnapping case that goes back nearly 25 years. We're live from Connecticut where the woman who pretended to be the mother of the victim is under arrest.

But first, why Cake has the number-one album in the country this week, but this honor just doesn't carry the same distinction that it used to.

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(MUSIC)

LEMON: So that is the sound of the number one record but to coin a phrase, number one ain't what it used to be. That's the band Cake, of course. Their new "Showroom of Compassion" album is the poorest- selling album to reach number one since at least 1991. It sold only 44,000 copies last week. That's the number-one album? In case you didn't know, digital music is king now. Last week, music fans bought more than 400,000 digital copies of Britney Spears' newest single.