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Bomber Hits Airport; Officers Die In Shootout; Campuses In Ohio Closed
Aired January 24, 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: Terror at one of the world's busiest airports. An explosion kills dozens. It was designed to kill many more than that, and now the hunt is on to find those responsible for this deadly attack. I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN (voice-over): Moments of hell on this busy highway.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Holy (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
BALDWIN: A truck carrying 30 tons of sand. The driver loses control, and the dramatic moments caught on video.
Plus, a mammoth's wave crashing down on one group of surfers, 25 feet high. No warning. Now, one man is fighting for his life.
And they call her Foxy Knoxy. The American convicted of killing her roommate during a drug-fueled sex game, but could a new look at evidence clear Amanda Knox? We're about to find out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN (on-camera): Here we go. Top of the hour. Hello. Once again, I'm Brooke Baldwin. Lot of news happening right now. Rapid fire. Let's go. Beginning with developing right now. A terror attack in Russia. Police say a bomb went off in the middle of this crowded airport in Moscow. At least 35 people are dead. Dozens others injured. This very second, police are on high alert around the country. We'll get a report live from the scene minutes away.
Next, at least ten police officers have been shot across the country in the past 24 hours. First, to St. Petersburg, Florida. A man suspected of gunning down two police officers this morning has now been found dead in his home. The alleged shooter was holed up in his house for about six hours after this whole police shootout. Investigators think the guy started shooting at the officers when they showed up, trying to serve an aggregated battery warrant.
Next, to Washington state, two deputies there were wounded in a shootout yesterday in a Wal-Mart parking lot. According to police reports, the man who shot them was killed by another deputy. Another person, believed to be a teenaged girl, was also killed. Police think she was connected with the gunman.
Next, police in Detroit have now identified the gunman who barged into a police station yesterday and just started shooting. The suspect, apparently, had a relative being sentenced today on murder charges. Still, the city's police chief does not want to speculate on a possible motive here. Four officers were wounded. All of them will be OK. The shooter was killed by police in the exchange of gunfire. The department says it does plan to release surveillance video of that rampage.
Next, also in Detroit but to the northeast side, police arrested a man from this home they say is the serial rapist. They say DNA evidence ties this man to six sexual assaults reported in that part of Detroit ever since January 1 of this year. One of the alleged victims, just 17 years old.
Next, a bomb threat shut down two college campuses in Ohio today. Police evacuated Stark State College and heart (ph) of Kent State University Stark Campus, but students and staff are now being allowed to return tonight starting at 9 o'clock eastern time, though, it's still not yet clear where the threat came from.
Next, recognize this guy. Ooh. Yes, it's a python, and police just removed 20, 20 of them from one home in Cleveland. Some of them as long as 15 feet. Keep me away. Thank you very much. One neighbor says the homeowners would bring them out on their yard. An alligator, apparently, showed up one time, having even one exotic snake, by the way, is illegal in Cleveland.
Next, at least nine houses caught fire this morning in a suburb of Cleveland. Emergency officials blame a sudden gas leak. They initially tried to evacuate this entire town of about 3,000 people but called off that plan. The gas is now off, all the fires are out, and no one is reported hurt.
Next, emergency of a different flavor here. Take a look at this street with me. Obviously, a lot of water, because it's flooded after a water main broke just before dawn today near the capital beltway in Washington, D.C. This is on the Maryland side of the city. This is P.G. County, Prince George's County. The gusher shut down the southbound interloop during rush hour. Not a good beltway commute today.
Next, this. Look at that crash. Did you see this? So, the driver making his way down the highway. this is Canada, and you see the left side of your screen. Let's replay it. I want you to watch this again. Suddenly, watch the left side. Watch for it, there you go. Yikes. Tractor trailer flipping over, smashes into the guardrail. The truck was carrying 30 tons of sand. Amazingly, police say the driver was not injured.
Next, I want you to get you right back to Moscow where at least 30 people died at Russia's busiest international airport. A bomb went off. Authorities believe it was a suicide attack, and they are calling it terrorism. Our senior international correspondent, Matthew Chance, is there outside of that airport here just after midnight in Moscow. And Matthew, any update?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the death toll has been confirmed that 35 people killed in that suicide bomb blast in this Domodedovo Airport, the busiest international airport in Moscow. Another 154 people have been confirmed as injured, 35 of that 150 critical. And so, the expectation is, unfortunately, the death toll may go significantly higher in the hours ahead. Authorities saying that this was a suicide bomber that detonated explosives in the arrival hall after -- after you collect your baggage. You go out to where all the taxi drivers are.
That's where the bomb exploded. A very crowded area. Hundreds of people in that location at the time of the blast causing absolute carnage. It was hours it took the emergency workers to move the injured away from here and the dead bodies and to move them to the hospitals that have been earmarked to -- to take part and to look after this emergency. And so, a very serious situation. Police forces being placed on high alert, not just here but in other key transport installations around the Russian capital as well.
BALDWIN: Yes. I mean, Matthew, talk to me about security at the airport. Coming and going, and also I imagine it's just swarming with police right now.
CHANCE: That's right. It's been swarming with police. I have to say, the security presence has diminished slightly over the past couple of hours. There are less people here than there were before. It's getting quite late at night, but throughout the last six or seven hours since the explosion, amazingly, the airport stayed open. Thousands of people were still coming to take their flights overseas.
It's the main gateway in and out of Moscow, and so there's still many people taking their flights out of the -- out of the airport. There was a big police presence here, obviously, to make sure that there weren't any more suicide bombers in the crowd, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Matthew, we know Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has come out. He's spoken. What has he said?
CHANCE: Well, he's saying, first of all, that those who are responsible for carrying out this atrocity will be tracked down. And so, undoubtedly, the gaze of the Russian security forces now is focused in very much on suspect groups, particularly, in the North Caucasus region of Southern Russia, places like Chechnya where there has been an Islamist conflict there. He's also saying that he wants to make sure that all the victims of this explosion are probably compensated for.
BALDWIN: Matthew Chance in Moscow. Matthew, thank you.
The man accused of carrying out that shooting massacre in Tucson was back in court today. So, what is Jared Lee Loughner saying? And will he face new charges? Coming up, we're live on the scene there in Phoenix. Also, a bombshell in the TV world, Keith Olbermann, out, suddenly, without warning. So, what's behind his abrupt exit and where could he wind up next? We've got the scoop, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Time for "Trending." This is what a lot of people are talking about. Keith Olbermann, hasta la vista, baby.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEITH OLBERMANN, FORMER HOST, MSNBC: This is the last edition of "Countdown." There were many occasions, particularly, in the last two and a half years were all that surrounded the show but never the show itself were just too much for me. And your support and loyalty, if I may use the word insistence, ultimately required that I keep going. Again, all of my greatest thanks. Widen the shot out just a little bit so we can do one of these last time. Thank you, Brian. Goodnight and good luck.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: And with the throwing of the papers, he was gone. The big Friday night surprise. No warning. No tears. Mark Joyella, television editor of mediate.com. Mark, wow. What's the word on the street? I mean, I imagine this was months and months in the making, but have you gotten to the bottom of this? Do we know why Keith Olbermann is packing his bags?
MARK JOYELLA, TV EDITOR, MEDIATE.COM: Brooke, we don't know exactly why. We do know the atmosphere that led up to it. Now, as you said, this does appear from all sources to have been something that has been coming for a long time, months and months, by some suggestion even a year. But what precipitated Friday night, we don't know. That did come out of left field, and especially, for the fans of "Countdown" and Keith Olbermann who went to Twitter immediately saying what is Keith saying?
Is he leaving the show? I mean, it really did come out of left field, and it was a great, great shock to the hundreds of thousands of people who really feel very strongly for Keith.
BALDWIN: Absolutely. I think it left a lot of people confused, and perhaps, this question perfect to you since you cover members of the media, you cover the media. Did Keith Olbermann lead MSNBC to the left or did the network make this whole political/ratings decision when it first hired him?
JOYELLA: Yes. Brooke, it seems from people who are very close to Keith Olbermann and people who are well connected with management at MSNBC that this was, if not a mutual decision, at least, an understanding on both sides that something was going to happen, and if you look at the -- the nitty-gritty of the words that Keith Olbermann chose, and, of course, he is known for carefully choosing words, his final words reveal if not an answer, at least a lot of hints. You know, he said that the atmosphere around the show became too much for him.
It's an indication that he was not comfortable with everything that was happening around "Countdown." He loved being on the show. He loved the audience of the show with a great passion, almost as much as the topic that he usually delved into every night, but I think that beyond that, from everything that we've heard, it was the corporate culture that he didn't enjoy a bit.
BALDWIN: So, Mark, let me jump in.
JOYELLA: I don't think it was any surprise to Keith.
BALDWIN: Right. You talk about the atmosphere and what we might deduce from his language that final night. Do you think it was, and, again, this is just sort of pure speculation, but from what you've learned, was it more a Keith Olbermann decision or was it a more MSNBC decision?
JOYELLA: It's -- it's really -- depends on who you talk to. They give you the percentage breakdown on which side really pushed for this.
BALDWIN: Yes.
JOYELLA: And I don't think there's any way to know at this point, and maybe never, if you're not a friend of Keith Olbermann's or, you know, you know somebody very high up at NBC, what the real answer is. But, clearly, both sides saw it coming. Both sides were prepared for it, and both sides talked -- whether, you know, whether Keith Olbermann went into work on Friday and knew that he was going to be saying what he said, I don't know. We'll have to wait and see what he ever reveals to us.
BALDWIN: As we wait and see where he perhaps might pop up next, you mentioned hundreds of thousands of fans. Where might we see him? Let's -- let's guess.
JOYELLA: Yes. I think that everybody, and this would include people who love to hate Keith Olbermann, and there are certainly plenty of those folks as well. Everyone would agree, this is a very, very talented guy. This is a guy who knows how to get in front of a camera. He could also get on a radio microphone, and he could probably immediately begin some kind of broadcast or show that would be immensely popular. Where will that be? What form will that be? Will he go to the internet, radio? Probably a lot has to do with the exact details of the agreement he struck with NBC when he left.
BALDWIN: Right.
JOYELLA: From what we've been hearing, our sources say either he's off television at least for six months up to a year, but, of course, he could show up some place else a lot sooner than that, and it will be very, very interesting to see where he decides to go. He's been so many places already.
BALDWIN: So, perhaps we will be first hearing from him instead of seeing him. Mark Joyella, we will look for your column at mediate.com to see where that may be. Mark, thank you so much.
JOYELLA: Thanks, Brooke.
BALDWIN: And coming up, the massive wave that rocked a surfing contest. Look at this. More than a dozen surfers riding this wave. This thing is like as high as 25 feet. We're going to show you more of this incredible video and tell you what happened.
Also, call it date night in Congress. Lawmakers are looking for their perfect match before tomorrow night's State of the Union, but while the courting begins, some say they're riding solo. Joe Johns has the seating chart scoop. "Political Pop" coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: A surfer is in critical condition today after nearly drowning at Mavericks. That's what they call this famous surfing spot north of California's Half Moon Bay. And you saw the waves. The "San Francisco Chronicle" is reporting that the 30-year-old man was riding 15 to 18-foot waves when an even bigger wave hit him, surprised him. The paper goes on and said the guy was an accomplished surfer but had only ridden the waves at Mavericks once before. Look at this. Look at the wave.
Time now for some "Political Pop." You know, we've been following this idea about Republicans and Democrats sitting together at tomorrow's State of the Union, and they're calling it, and maybe you're cringing, maybe you think it's cute. They're calling it date night. Joe Johns for me today with "Political Pop." Joe, I know we've been talking about this a lot since Senator Udall talked about it on our show, but give me the update. How many people have actually signed on to this idea of sitting side by side?
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, we don't really know, Brooke. What we know is there's this letter floating around Capitol Hill right now that says 59 members of Congress from both Houses of Congress and both parties have signed on, but it also has a caveat. It says there are a lot of members who have said they have agreed to sit next to a member of another party, but they haven't signed on to the letter. So, it's anybody's guess, but it does sound like, you know, that wave you were just talking about, this is --
BALDWIN: I was looking for a segue.
JOHNS: This is an idea that's a wave on Capitol Hill.
BALDWIN: Thank you, Joe Johns. Where were you 20 seconds ago? It's a wave on Capitol Hill, but you know, I know we do know about some of the pairings, some people have come out and said, yes, I will be sitting next to him or her. Tell me about that.
JOHNS: All right. So, we have different categories, and the first category, a lot of people here on our show were talking about this morning, was sort of a beautiful people category, the best looking category, and, you know, everybody has different standards, but I, for my purposes, would go with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Senator John Thune. These are just two really good looking people, but apparently, there's no big secret behind it, you know, and, I mean, they're both married. They both have families and all that.
Nonetheless, apparently, according to the office, Kirsten Gillibrand actually called John Thune's office and asked him if they wanted to sit together and he said yes, and end of story. That's how you get best couple.
BALDWIN: Yes. I think somebody was laughing about how there are prom king and queen. So, then, you have another couple, and this is not prom king and queen. Charles Grassley and Ron Wyden.
JOHNS: Yes. This is one of my odd couples. We got a couple odd couples here. Ron Wyden is a very progressive. In other words, a lot of people would say hard core liberal. Chuck Grassley is a very conservative guy who is always trying to root out waste, fraud, and abuse on Capitol Hill. So, the idea that these two guys get together and are going to make an evening of it is pretty interesting. They kind of come from different generations, different points of view. So, that's one of those coalitions you'd like to see develop on the Hill.
BALDWIN: And then, these next two guys. I think I've seen them on Sunday morning shows saying if we can do it, anyone can. You have Schumer and Coburn.
JOHNS: Right, right. Another odd couple. A great other odd couple, too. Schumer, again, everybody knows him as sort of the classic New York liberal. I'm sure he would disagree with that characterization, but, hey, that's what people say. Senator Tom Coburn, extremely conservative, sort of a bomb thrower on the right who never saw an earmark he liked. So, these two guys getting together. Again, wonderful things could happen in politics if they can see eye-to-eye on much, if anything, and they probably have in the past.
BALDWIN: And then early on, one of the names that came out was John McCain. John McCain said, OK, I'll sign up for this, and he's sitting next to Tom Udall.
JOHNS: Yes. Well, that's sort of the classic case of we've known each other from long ago. They come from states that are close together.
BALDWIN: Southwest.
JOHNS: Apparently, these two are friends, and they just decided, OK, we're going to go ahead and sit together. We're comfortable with each other. End of story.
BALDWIN: In the category of pairings, Joe, we would have expected you have democratic Senator Dick Durbin and Republican Senator Mark Kirk.
JOHNS: Yes. That was the one I was trying to remember just now. Interesting pairing here because it's sort of a natural. They both come from the state of Illinois. Richard Durbin has been there a long time, the Democrat, very forceful. Mark Kirk, sort of the newcomer, and that's the kind of thing people in the state of Illinois would probably like to see. They've had some divisive politics over the years there.
Mark Kirk, by the way, is now holding the seat that was once held by now President Barack Obama. So, good to see these two guys come together. I mean, you've got to say, this is all symbolic, and nobody is expecting these people to walk out of the house chamber singing "Cumbaya" tomorrow night, but, you know, for what it's worth, perhaps, it's a start.
BALDWIN: Yes. I know a lot of people are wondering is it just symbolic, is it just Cumbaya or might we see action from this show of bipartisanship? By the way, Angie Massey (ph), thank you very much. She just reminded me, we're going to have Senator -- the other Udall, yes, Senator Mark Udall from Colorado. He was the one came on our show. What was that? Like two weeks ago.
We first had this idea, so he's good enough to come back and tell me how it goes come Wednesday. So, we'll be talking about this Wednesday, Joe Johns. Thank you very much. Good luck with all your State of the Union planning there in New York.
And I want to move on and talk to you about this. She's supposed to spend 26 years behind bars for killing her roommate during a drug- fueled sex game, but, Amanda Knox could be getting a second chance in court. Hala Gorani has backed. She's going to join me live with that item in "Globe Tracking" with couple of others. Stay right there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Now for the stories that have been percolating overseas. We've, of course, been talking about that horrific suicide bombing in the Moscow airport, but we have a couple other items I want to pass along to you as well. And for that, lets go to Hala Gorani here with "Globe Tracking." And I know we've been talking a lot about Tunisia, but now, connected to that, there's Algeria.
HALA GORANI, CNNI ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT: Potentially, a domino effect but possibly not. And in my opinion, it's not. We're seeing the types of protests we saw in Tunisia on a smaller scale, and, for instance, neighboring Algeria, but there, security forces immediately and riot police immediately clamped down on the protest. Yemen, for instance, we even saw a more or less stable Jordan. The monarchy protests against government officials. Demonstrators are saying, look, you're corrupt.
You've kept us in a state of poverty. You profited financially from us, and we've gotten nothing in return. The difference between Tunisia and other countries is huge. One is size, two is size of the middle class in Tunisia, much larger than other countries. So, it is still very much an open question whether or not what we saw in Tunisia might replicate itself.
BALDWIN: There are a lot of fears of who could be the next Tunisia. So, we just don't know for sure if that could go in a full swing in Algeria or not.
GORANI: And what kind of impact would it have? Would it lead to more instability or would it lead to a more open Democracy? That's still very much up in the air.
BALDWIN: Other stories.
GORANI: Yes.
BALDWIN: These Palestinian papers.
GORANI: Right.
BALDWIN: What did Al Jazeera find?
GORANI: Al Jazeera says it has 1,600 to 1,700 documents that are behind-the-scenes accounts, basically, minutes of conversations and meetings that have happened between Israelis and Palestinians between 1999 and 2008. Here's why it's interesting. What they show, and we, CNN, have not been able to independently verify the authenticity of these documents.
BALDWIN: OK.
GORANI: What they show is that Palestinians were willing to concede a lot more than they were admitting in public. Many Palestinians are seeing this as a sellout. For instance, East Jerusalem, Palestinians publicly always say East Jerusalem will be the capital of any future Palestinian state. What we're seeing in these papers, that they were willing, if these papers are accurate, that they were willing to give away big huge portions of East Jerusalem, for instance, right of return of refugees, another big sticking point.
They were willing to make concessions. So, Palestinian now negotiators and politicians from the Palestinian authority are coming out and attacking Al Jazeera to defend their own positions.
BALDWIN: Has Al Jazeera come forward and explain? Obviously, as a journalist we find this fascinating. Have they explained how they found this?
GORANI: No, they have not. Very much the WikiLeaks model. It's interesting. They're actually publishing them in tranches.
So, you're seeing a few today, a few up until Friday -- I think Friday or Saturday is the last day. And they are giving accounts of sort of a glossary of terms. You know, that's how WikiLeaks did it with some of those war documents, for instance.
But it's been really interesting to read what has come out today and yesterday already online.
BALDWIN: Also fascinating to follow, as we here in the U.S. are following, she's called Foxy Knoxy --
GORANI: Right.
BALDWIN: -- Amanda Knox in Perugia, Italy. And what happened on Saturday?
GORANI: Yes, this is what - Amanda Knox, the American college exchange student, what her lawyers wanted all along, and that is a re- evaluation of some of the evidence that led to her conviction for murder.
BALDWIN: DNA, right?
GORANI: DNA evidence. For instance, blood found on a knife that prosecutors said was used to commit the murder of Meredith Kercher, who was killed in 2007. Another bit of evidence as well was blood found on undergarments, a bra in this case. So, the DNA evidence will be analyzed and re-evaluated by independent experts. They have 90 days. And --
BALDWIN: So, wasn't this looked at before, or they're just finding all this now?
GORANI: No, it's what the defense attorneys are saying is that the evaluation of that DNA evidence was done in an unfair way, that it was not performed by independent investigators. And they have won in this appeal.
And so, this is pretty much a very significant victory for Amanda Knox and her lawyers and her former boyfriend, by the ay, Raffaele Sollecito. They are now having Italian courts accept the idea that this evidence, this blood evidence that led to the conviction of the pair, can be re-evaluated.
BALDWIN: And I think it's 90 days and then they turn it in.
(CROSSTALK)
GORANI: Yes, and she was convicted, as you mentioned there to 26 years.
BALDWIN: She was.
GORANI: It is the difference between life and death.
BALDWIN: It is. It's huge. Imagine being her parents. That's who I think about.
Hala Gorani, as always, thank you so much.
GORANI: Thank you.
BALDWIN: Have you ever worried about someone watching what you do online? Well, Firefox could be the first web browser to use a "do not track" feature. You've got to hear this. It affects all of our online privacy.
Also, he just asked Oprah about everything, from her childhood to her love life, to her new network. Well, now, guess what, Oprah is revealing a big secret. So, is Piers Morgan a little bit bitter she didn't give him the big scoop? I'm going to ask him.
Piers Morgan live, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Jared Lee Loughner in court, someone watching you online, and two words, "Piers Morgan." Time for "Reporter Roulette."
Ted Rowlands, I want to begin with you live in Phoenix. We know Jared Lee Loughner, he pleaded not guilty just a little while ago.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, made a very quick court appearance here in Phoenix, Brooke. He had that grin back on his face, the smug grin that he had on that photo released by investigators while he was back during his brief appearance. His not guilty pleas were entered by the court.
He didn't say a word throughout this process. He just came in, sat down. The judge entered the pleas for him.
From here, there will be a March 9th status hearing. We do expect the federal government to add a couple more charges -- those murder charges at that point, and that March 9th court date will be held in Tucson. The defense said they had no problems moving the proceedings from here in Phoenix to Tucson for the rest of the proceedings against Loughner.
Of course, the government wanted to do that so that they could be closer to the crime and, therefore, the victims' families.
BALDWIN: Of course, Phoenix several hours away. Ted Rowlands in Phoenix -- thank you, Ted.
And next on "Reporter Roulette," Alison Kosik live in New York.
And, Alison, Firefox, apparently, is trying to use this "do not track" feature on its web browser.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
BALDWIN: So, what does that mean? Does that mean companies won't be able to track us online?
KOSIK: Not necessarily. So, here's the deal with this. The "do not track" feature will be available soon on Firefox, but here's the catch. It's not an automatic thing, Brooke. You have to opt in and tracking companies actually have to agree not to monitor what you're doing online.
And guess what? Not one company has agreed to do that yet. So, it's probably because it's not mandated yet. Congress is expected to look into this issue later this year -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: Thirty seconds, Alison. What's going on at the U.S. Postal Service? We've been talking about major, major closings.
KOSIK: Yes, I mean, the plan is to shut down 2,000 stations and branches mostly in rural areas. These are more like retail stores. There's no mail processing at these places. Sometimes, there aren't even mail carriers. So, no actual post offices will close.
But they are going ahead and cutting back because mail volume is down and it's really the main source of revenue for the USPS. It was hit hard by the recession, and, of course, we're all doing our mail electronically. The post office lost $8.5 billion last year. So, they've got to do away with these thousands of postal locations to make up for that -- make up that ground -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: Alison Kosik, thank you.
And last here on our "Reporter Roulette," we're lucky enough to talk to him this time last week -- maybe it's a weekly thing.
Piers Morgan, why do you get the music? There, your official music.
PIERS MORGAN, HOST, "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT": Love your dancing to my theme song, Brooke. It's so exciting.
BALDWIN: You like that? You like that? How is the 9:00 show feeling? How is the big chair?
MORGAN: It's great but I could do with you dancing here every night with me. It would be much more fun.
BALDWIN: Yes, I don't dance very often. That was very special, just for you, Piers. And, look, I wanted to -- we wanted to have you on because we're a fan of the show. We wanted to talk about what's going on this week.
But I can't -- you know, being a good interviewer, taking my lessons from you, we got to talk about Oprah. We all watched last Monday.
MORGAN: Yes.
BALDWIN: And so, today she drops this mega bombshell. She has this half sister and you tweeted today and to quote your tweet, you said, "Damn and blast."
So, Mr. Morgan, would you care to elaborate on that?
MORGAN: Well, actually, the rest of the tweet said, "You know, why didn't I ask Oprah, have you got any secret half sisters called Patricia?" And fact that I didn't think of asking that question means I'm obviously a complete failure.
BALDWIN: So, what do you do, you call her up and say, "Oprah, what gives?"
MORGAN: I said, Oprah, next time you have a secret half sister, tell me about it.
BALDWIN: Tell you about it. Well, we're all looking -- I'm really looking forward to it because I'm a big geeked out fan over Colin Firth and, of course, "The King's Speech" is amazing. Give me a little glimpse into that interview. What was he like?
MORGAN: You know, Colin Firth's biggest problem, he said to me, is that people mistake him for me. So, when he goes out to his local supermarket apparently in England --
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Is that a compliment or not so much?
MORGAN: Well, I assumed -- I assumed that he would take it as a huge compliment. But, unfortunately, it turned out he didn't see it quite that way. So, you have all these old grannies coming up to him in his local store saying, are you Piers? This has sort of taken the gloss off his Oscar chances, I think.
BALDWIN: Well, maybe, maybe not. Maybe, maybe not. Do you think -- I mean, is he like you? Is he un-embarrassable? Or what's he like in person?
MORGAN: He's actually very charming in person. He's very, very intelligent -- very thoughtful about his craft. He's a serious actor, and I think he's incredibly excited underneath the calm exterior.
BALDWIN: Yes.
MORGAN: About the prospect of potentially winning best actor. And I have to say, having seen all the contenders, you know, if I was voting, which I'm not, obviously if I was, I would definitely vote for Colin Firth. I think his portrayal of King George VI is absolutely spellbinding in that film.
BALDWIN: It's amazing. So, I look forward -- when is that Wednesday -- Wednesday night with you?
MORGAN: He's on Friday night, Baldwin.
BALDWIN: I got to wait until Friday.
MORGAN: Yes.
BALDWIN: Got to wait until Friday. Have you gotten --
MORGAN: We've got a big thing on Wednesday actually. Wednesday is a really good one. It's an interview with Joel Osteen. He's obviously the number one TV evangelist in the country. But he says some pretty extraordinary things about homosexuality and Sir Elton John, which I think will cause quite a few ripples in the world of religion.
BALDWIN: Well, have you received any ripples thus far? I mean, what kind of feedback have you gotten from your first week? And whose feedback do you really value?
Is it your E.P. Jonathan Wald? Is it your mom? Or as you admitted to me last week, your movie crush Scarlet Johansson? Whose feedback do you value more?
MORGAN: Well, if Scarlett is watching, my offer to have her on the show remains. I will ditch anybody literally for Scarlett. So, that remains an offer.
And my mother was very -- well, my father was the most impressed because I managed to quote my father in the George Clooney interview.
BALDWIN: With what?
MORGAN: About the advice he gave to me -- well, George Clooney was going on about the advice he'd been given by his dad, and I threw in that my own father's advice to me had always been very simple -- always be nice to policemen and always drink the best French wine you can afford, and George Clooney thought that was great advice. So, there's my dad watching in this little village in East Sussex in England and suddenly turns on the TV to see George Clooney actually commending him on his great parental advice, which for him was quite a moment.
BALDWIN: Not too shabby.
Piers, before I let you go, tell me --
MORGAN: Not at all.
BALDWIN: -- tell me about Rudy Giuliani, because maybe, maybe not he runs in 2012. And what did he say about Sarah Palin?
MORGAN: Well, it's very interesting with Giuliani because obviously he ran before. He was a red hot favorite and then he -- he didn't -- he didn't get very far. This time, he seems a little more focused on his opportunity which is that if Sarah Palin does run, then actually, it gives him a better chance because she may well polarize the party to such an extent that a moderate candidate like him can come through the rails, not as favorite but as somebody who comes when people don't expect it.
You know, he is a moderate. He is a guy who appeals to the moderate base there. Sarah Palin clearly isn't, and I think if it came to a shoot-off between the two of them, it could get very interesting.
So, you know, at the moment, there's no outstanding Republican candidate. That is why I think people, like Rudy Giuliani, are putting their hands in the air and saying, maybe I should do this. Who's the alternative?
BALDWIN: We will watch for you tonight at 9:00, and maybe, if I continue to dance to the Piers Morgan theme song, maybe you'll come back on my show next Monday. Deal?
MORGAN: Well, at the very least I'll dance with you at the CNN Christmas party, Brooke.
BALDWIN: It's a date.
Thank you, Piers Morgan. We'll be looking forward to tonight, at 9:00 Eastern, of course, and maybe Piers should try to interview this guy.
Rahm Emanuel thrown off the ballot today in this race for mayor of Chicago. So, what is behind the court's decision?
Jessica Yellin is standing by. Your CNN Political Ticker is coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Now to a story from Philadelphia that shocked many of you, including myself here, when we first started learning some of the details. A clinic that allegedly provide illegal abortions, initially raided by police as a suspected pill mill, what they found there led them to a much bigger investigation.
A grand jury indictment details deplorable conditions -- bodily fluids, animal feces littering this place, a sliding pay scale for anesthesia that targeted poor women and immigrant families. And a doctor who ran the clinic is now charged with infanticide and murder.
Nine employees in total here are also charged. Four of them also accused of murder. Others are facing conspiracy charges.
The murder victim is a 41-year-old immigrant from Nepal. She died when she went there to terminate a pregnancy in the 19th week. Now the district attorney says she has overdosed on anesthesia. This woman's daughter and brother are speaking exclusively to me here at CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAMBER GHALLEY, MRS. MONGER'S BROTHER: It's unforgettable. My sister will never come back. And it's said.
All the happiness is gone. They miss their mother every day -- every day and night -- and I just want the justice, and we want the justice.
This doctor has to be out of that clinic, or he should not be treating anybody. And things happened to my sister, and I want to not to happen to anybody in the future, and those are the demands we have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: He lost his sister. The woman sitting next to him lost her mother. You're going to see more of that interview tomorrow, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. And now for your "CNN Equals Politics" update, we have Jessica Yellin, joining me now for the, I guess, perfect trifecta in this show, these two hours, Jess.
"Political Ticker," and I imagine you are beginning with Rahm Emanuel.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, the Rahm Emanuel team. You know he's running for mayor of Chicago.
An appellate court in Illinois has said he cannot run. He is by far the leader of the pack there in the polls, Brooke. He has raised and spent a ton of money. But the appellate court has decided that he has abandoned his residency by becoming chief of staff here in Washington, and that disqualifies him.
Now, a local election board and a circuit court found otherwise. Their team is going to appeal. They tell me they have a good chance of winning.
His team thinks they do, but, of course, this is a real complication. The first voting happens on February 22nd, so that makes this something of a cliffhanger. We expect the appeal will happen in an expedited manner, so we'll be reporting on this in the weeks to come.
Switching gears, Brooke, looking to the presidential race, as you know, almost no one on the Republican side really has thrown their hat into the ring, but a lot of people dipping their toe in the water. And one of them is Tim Pawlenty, the former governor of Minnesota.
He is on a book tour. His book is called "Courage to Stand," semi-interchangeable with the titles of all the other presidential hopefuls who have written books, and he's taking his tour to New Hampshire and Iowa. Coincidence?
He says he's just, you know, promoting the book. Promoting the book, but it just so happens that those are two crucial early voting states, so it doesn't hurt. He says he'll decide if he's going to run or not in the next few months.
And then finally, you know, Joe Biden, our vice president, he likes to tell everyone he's just a regular Joe, he's a lot like you or me. Well, today he actually really was. He went -- and where did he go in Delaware? To jury duty.
BALDWIN: Jury duty. Hilarious.
YELLIN: Could you imagine --
BALDWIN: No.
YELLIN: -- getting called for jury duty and looking over, and there's --
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Hello, Mr. Vice President.
YELLIN: He really did it. I don't know if he'll be called to stay on the jury. We'll find that out. But he did do his patriotic duty just like the rest of us and showed up.
You would think he'd get a special dispensation to say no, but --
BALDWIN: Maybe he will. But, yes, I can't imagine sitting there and saying, "Hello, Mr. Vice President. There you are."
YELLIN: Right.
BALDWIN: We all have your civic duty to perform.
Jessica Yellin, thank you so much.
And guess what today? We have a couple of firsts in our must-see video block today, including a woman who loves her dog so, so much, she took this guy flying. Not on a plane.
"You Gotta See This!" next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: If you've heard the expression "When pigs fly" -- and we all have -- then "You Gotta See This!" Because here was a dog that beat the pigs to the punch.
Yes. Look at the bottom of this whole thing. This is a canine sailing through the air with its owners, complete with a harness, custom made not just anywhere. This is Paris. Paragliding in Paris, it's a family affair for this engaged couple who say they may build it into their wedding.
The wipe that launched a thousand groans. Let's replay that.
Mark Sanchez there on the left doing -- yes, he wipe it had on his teammate's jacket. That is Mark Brunell. I'm sure he wasn't very appreciative of that. Calling foul play on that move, Mr. Sanchez.
I guess it's a wash, so to speak, because neither of them will be putting a ring on that finger after Sunday's loss to the AFC champion, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
We have more though. Let's get to the big preview of the president's "State of the Union" in just about 10 minutes here. Wolf Blitzer joining me now.
Wolf, what can we expect?
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we're going to go in depth and take a look at what the president is likely to say, why he will say it, and maybe even what he's not going to say. Is he going to talk, at all, for example, about guns in his "State of the Union Address"? There's some debate among his political advisers whether he should or should not. Is that a subject that's simply too sensitive to touch in the "State of the Union"?
Normally, if you go back over the years, Brooke, and you look at various "State of the Union Addresses," it's a laundry list. They do all the domestic stuff, all the foreign policy stuff. They get into a little theme, theme of the day, what's really big at that time, and they work on it.
To a certain degree, it's the work of a committee, if you will. But the president and his final speechwriters will put the finishing touches on it.
I wonder if he's going speak about guns in the aftermath of Tucson, or will that be a thunderously silent moment? We'll find out.
BALDWIN: We will find out what.
Who do you have coming up on your show?
BLITZER: Well, we're also going to go in depth and take a closer look at what's happening in Moscow, at that terrorist explosion at the largest, busiest airport in Moscow today, and what it might mean for us here. What happened in the baggage claim area at that Moscow airport?
Fran Townsend, our homeland security adviser, she is going to be here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
And on another subject, we're taking a look at the legal aspects of Rahm Emanuel. Is he going to be allowed to run for mayor of Chicago? Jeff Toobin, our legal analyst, he's got some insight on that and a lot more.
So we've got two good hours coming up at the top of the hour.
BALDWIN: Yes, how about that news dropping this afternoon?
Wolf Blitzer, we look forward to you. We'll see you in five minutes.
Meantime, Sunny Hostin on an unfolding kidnapping case, and there is new word of a motive.
"On the Case," next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: So there are new developments today in that 1987 kidnapping case that jumped back into the headlines just last week when the victim solved the case herself. She is suspected -- or rather she did suspect for years that she, being the daughter here of a woman who raised her, maybe wasn't her real mother. And she realized she might have been snatched when she saw pictures online looking a little bit like herself.
Sunny Hostin, "On the Case."
And Sunny, the woman who raised Carlina White appeared in court about an hour ago. But it's the paperwork filed in court today that's providing the big news. Documents filed by this FBI agent say Ann Pettway did confess to doing this, and that she said part of the reason that she did it, she suffered multiple miscarriages.
So do these alleged confessions, Sunny, usually hold up in a court of law?
SUNNY HOSTIN, "IN SESSION," TRUTV: Well, you know, we don't know the circumstances surrounding this confession, Brooke, and it is really the headline in this story today. We don't know whether or not she was given her Miranda Rights, we don't know whether or not she waived her right to have an attorney present. But if those safeguards were followed, if those procedures were followed, yes, these confessions often do times hold up in court. But we do know that defense attorneys often, most of the time, attack these confessions, and so that is certainly something that may come into play should this go to trial.
BALDWIN: Is this motive, Sunny, at least according to the paperwork, unusual?
HOSTIN: It really isn't. I spent a lot of today speaking to experts in this area, and they are saying to me that a woman suffering from miscarriages, a woman who has lost a child, is often the type of person that commits this type of crime, that abducts another woman's child. Apparently, in terms of crimes that women perpetrate, this is one of the number one crimes that are committed by women.
BALDWIN: So, one minute left, what charges would Ms. Pettway face, and what would her potential punishment be?
HOSTIN: Well, she's facing one count of federal kidnapping. That means she faces up to life in prison, Brooke.
The mandatory minimum is 20 years. And so if there is no plea in this case, which many are saying there may very well be a plea on the way, this goes to trial. If she gets convicted of even that one count, she could spend the rest of her life in prison.
BALDWIN: Before I let you go, could a kidnapping like this still happen in our hospitals today?
HOSTIN: Well, you know, it could happen. I spoke to some hospital administrators today also, Brooke. They are telling me that there are so many safeguards in place right now to avoid this kind of thing. Babies are given bracelets, they are given alarm tags, as well as mothers and fathers, and so it should not happen today.
BALDWIN: Hopefully not.
Sunny Hostin, we thank you so much. We'll see you back here tomorrow for "On the Case."
Now to Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM" -- Wolf.
