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Jailed Over School Boundaries; Snowbound Again; Arab World Rocked by Revolution; Tea Party Get-Together; Trending Online; Taliban Recruit Inside Prisons

Aired January 27, 2011 - 12:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now the top of the hour. I'm Carol Costello, let's check CNN's big stories.

Oh my gosh, another 19 inches of snow smothers New York. That makes this month the snowiest January in the city's history.

In Washington D.C., heavy wet flakes brought down power lines, drivers got stuck for hours.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been a mile in two hours.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People got no clue. They should just stay home and just get cozy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not driving for the next few days. It's crazy out here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Protests in the Arab world spread to a third country today, Yemen, that's at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula.

(CHANTING)

COSTELLO: You see it there. Thousands jammed the streets today to protest the three-decade rule of Yemen's president.

Just a smattering of anti-government protests in Egypt though today. But there's talk of a huge outpouring tomorrow after Friday prayers. Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the U.N. nuclear agency, and an Egyptian, is due in Cairo any time now. He's flying in from Vienna to join protesters.

Parents want their children to attend the best schools. But what happens when a parent crosses the line, literally and legally, to get their kids in a good school? For an Akron, Ohio mother, it meant nine days in jail.

Kelley Williams-Bolar sobbed as she was led from the court. A jury convicted her on felony charges of tampering with records. She illegally used her father's address to enroll her two daughters in a better school district. Williams-Bolar is out of jail now, but our affiliate, WEWS, talked to her behind bars.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLEY WILLIAMS-BOLAR, JAILED FOR SCHOOL RESIDENCY VIOLATIONS: Like I said, I did this for them. So there it is. I did this for them.

My primary residency was both places. I stayed at both places. I don't think they wanted money. I think they wanted me to be an example.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: During the trial, the prosecution said Williams-Bolar owed the school district $30,000 and that this was a case of deception.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL CODY, ASST. PROSECUTING ATTORNEY: Ask yourself why, oh why, oh why would you believe a word she told you on the stand?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Whoa. Kelley Williams-Bolar, just out of jail, as I said, after she served nine days of a 10-day sentence. But the case has set off a national debate.

On the phone with us from Copley, Ohio, is Brian Poe. He's superintendent of the school district where Williams-Bolar improperly sent her daughters.

Thank you for joining us, Mr. Poe.

BRIAN POE, SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT: Sure. Good afternoon.

COSTELLO: Thousands of people have been giving very public support to this mother who only wanted to send her kids to the very best schools. And now she's a felon, she served time in jail.

Do you regret that this came to this?

POE: We never wanted to see this come to this level. Since 2005, we've had 48 residency cases, and we were able to effectively resolve 47 of those 48 cases.

COSTELLO: Why did it come to this? Why did it come to this?

POE: You're able to -- when we hold a residency case, you're able to move into the district, you're able to apply for tuition, you're able to withdraw your students if we have question about your residency, or you're able to provide evidence for us. And the mother actually went to juvenile court to get a grandparent affidavit that the court voided and said that the mom and the children were living in Akron. COSTELLO: But obviously this mother couldn't afford to pay the tuition. She's a single mom. She just wanted her kids to go to the best schools.

Why -- because there's 30 to 40 cases, similar cases, that have been handled by your office that came out in court. Why this woman? Why charge this woman?

POE: Because we worked from 2006 to 2008, over a two-year period, in terms of communicating and sending information. And we didn't have the cooperation from this situation that we had with our other cases.

COSTELLO: But you knew who her kids were. Why not just bar the kids from going in the school building? Instead, you hire this private detective to follow her around at a cost of $6,000 to your district.

POE: And, you know, the $6,000 cost is a hefty cost, and we understand that. Our district could actually be subject to criticism that we tried to work with the situation for two years.

We are educators. We do have the students' best interests at heart. And therefore, that's why we try and work with the parents and leave the children out of it.

COSTELLO: Well, then why didn't you just bar the kids from going into the school building? You knew who they were.

POE: That's correct. That's correct. And we wanted to continue to work with the parent. And once again, we don't want to appear as if we're a district that just is interested in throwing students out of our district.

COSTELLO: Instead though -- I mean, I know what people are thinking right now. Instead, you want their mother to become a felon and spend time in jail?

POE: No. Actually, as we -- as the court told us that the mother was living in Akron, and she continued to say that she was living in Copley-Fairlawn, that was information that we then had to pass along to the authorities. We don't have the ability to prosecute, and so we sent that information on to the prosecutor's office.

COSTELLO: There have been some allegations that this was -- this had shades of racism to it because this was an African-American single mother, and she was sending her kids to a mostly white school district. So I would like you to answer those charges.

POE: Sure. Sure.

We have approximately 18 percent African-American population in our district, a total of 25 percent minority, and 75 percent white. And with the other families, they came from all different backgrounds, and so we don't look at this as a situation of race. We're bound by Ohio law, and I'm bound by our board policy. And because we don't offer open enrollment, and because we've got the conflicting information, I felt -- our district felt we had no choice but to send the information off to the prosecutor's office.

COSTELLO: The judge said that the case of this particular woman was an example. Was it, from your perspective, too, to make an example of this particular mother?

POE: I don't believe it was an example from our perspective because of the fact that we spent two years trying to work with that situation. And I think if it were an example, I don't think we would have been able to resolve the 47 other cases.

COSTELLO: So there are no other cases that you can think of, no other mothers or fathers that you would send -- that you would charge like this, that you would want to see them go through a court trial?

POE: We don't want to see anyone go through a court trial. And that's why we give so many options on each of the cases.

COSTELLO: You know, the saddest thing about this is this Kelley Williams-Bolar, she wants to become a teacher. And now that she has this on her record, she's a convicted felon, she can no longer be a teacher. I mean, it's just sad.

POE: It is a very, very difficult case. And it puts people in different camps. And the only thing I would ask that people would look at all of the information and look at all of the evidence, just as when the prosecutor moved forward the jury looked at all the evidence and came to a decision.

COSTELLO: I guess my final question would be, the kids are the most important part of all of this, and now they have gone through this. They've seen their mother punished because of where they went to school because they were trying to get a good education.

What lesson does this teach those children?

POE: And, you know, that's a lesson that we tried -- we tried desperately to avoid that for two years. And that's why we spent so much time from 2006 to 2008 trying to work with the family.

And it's a tragic situation, because the message that that sends is a difficult one. But we're required to operate within state law. And in Ohio, in order to attend our school district, you need to reside in our school district.

COSTELLO: Brian Poe, many thanks for joining us. We appreciate it.

POE: Thank you.

COSTELLO: More travel problems, shuttered schools, and power outages along the East Coast, as another bring snowstorm moves through. New York's Central Park broke a one-day record yesterday with more than a foot of snow, and more fell this morning.

It's so bad in Philadelphia, the mayor declared a snow emergency. The city, pounded time and again this winter by one storm after another.

And in Washington, D.C., half a foot of snow disrupted air travel and forced government offices to delay opening this morning.

We've got live coverage this hour. Reynolds Wolf is in Boston. Karen Maginnis is tracking the storm for us in the CNN Center.

So, Reynolds, let's start with you. You're in Boston. The roads don't look too bad behind you.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'll tell you what, Carol, if you are just tuning in right now, if you happen to be in Boston, you happen to look down at my feet, or even look down the street, you know, conditions look pretty good. You'd never know that we had nearly a foot of snowfall that fell in about 12 hours. But if you look down the street, it tells a bit of a different story.

Yes, the roads are clear, but on either side you see plenty of snow that was moved aside by snowplows during the overnight hours. Not only the roads in good shape, you see a lot of the city buses moving through, a lot of the cars. Sidewalks are in great shape, too. A lot of folks have been able to make it up and down roadways, a lot of people had really no issues getting to work.

And because of that, the city offices are all open. So that's certainly some good news.

However, public schools remain closed. So yet another snow day for the kids. Something tells me that they're not complaining too much.

But there are plenty of complaints out there with the snow. It's been a very wet, heavy snow. There have been power outages, some 3,000 homes without power at this time. They're restoring it as we speak.

And I'll also tell you that we found some issues with the snow. It's been a very heavy, wet snow.

We've had structural damage on some homes. In fact, over towards -- let's see, it was Lynn, Massachusetts, where we had structural damage that actually trapped some people within. Again, the news is pretty good for the time being. They're cleaning it up, people have been taken it out. So that's the good part.

But, still, it was a very quick-moving, very hard-hitting storm. If it had slowed down just a little bit, just a smidgen, we could have seen some heavier snowfall. If it had moved faster out of here, well, then we would have seen all together lower totals.

But it was a quick mover. More snow is in the forecast. But thankfully, the snow we expect this weekend, not nearly as heavy. Back to you.

COSTELLO: Oh, thank goodness.

We just got some live aerial pictures from our affiliate in New York City, WABC, just so you can take a look at what New York looks like via air.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Revolution in the Arab world, how it could impact the United States and other Western nations. We'll look at the worst-case scenario.

First, though, our "Random Moment" is moments away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A revolution is spreading across the Arab world. Tunisia is setting it off with anti-government protests that forced its longtime president to flee about two weeks ago. That's inspired Egypt and Yemen to stage similar protests.

(CHANTING)

COSTELLO: This is one of at least four demonstrations today in Yemen's capital. Thousands of people taking to the streets to demand their president step down after 32 years in office. Security was out in force, but there were no reports of violence.

In the meantime, the Tunisians are continuing their push for change. More demonstrations have been held in Tunisia since the president was ousted. The demand now from activists is for all politicians with links to the old regime to step down. That would include the prime minister. The protests have now turned violent.

Protests in Egypt have also been violent, but that's not stopping activists from demanding that President Hosni Mubarak step down.

Our Brian Todd explains how unrest in Egypt could impact the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Like their counterparts in Tunisia, they're calling for the ouster of a longtime heavy-handed ruler. As in Tunisia, they're frustrated by government corruption, sagging job prospects, and a rising cost of living. But there's no question, the stakes in Egypt are much higher than in Tunisia.

AARON DAVID MILLER, WOODROW WILSON CENTER: If this regime were to collapse, or massive street demonstrations in response to violence and counter-violence on the part of the regime, you could see changes happening quickly in other areas.

TODD (on camera): Where else?

MILLER: Jordan, for example, which suffers from some of the same economic and political problems.

TODD (voice-over): Aaron David Miller advised six U.S. secretaries of state on the Middle East. He doesn't think the regime of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak will fall soon, but Miller and other analysts point out.

Egypt is a crucial U.S. ally. It's the largest and most powerful Arab country. And unlike Tunisia, instability in Egypt directly impacts the national security of the U.S. and it's other allies.

(on camera): Instability in Egypt could cause real problems along the border with Israel, right?

MARC GINSBERG, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO MOROCCO: No doubt, because in the event that the Egyptians are preoccupied with internal issues, Hamas could very well take advantage by, in effect, breaking the blockade once again and bringing missiles in from Iran that could actually target Israel again.

TODD (voice-over): Marc Ginsberg is a former U.S. ambassador to Morocco. Like Miller, he worries about the rise to power in nearby Lebanon of a leader backed by Hezbollah, which the U.S. considers a terrorist group.

These analysts say Egypt's military likely wouldn't' let radical Islamic groups there like the Muslim Brotherhood take power, but they say those groups could stir violence that would disrupt something else near and dear to the West.

(on camera): Oil could be in the balance here, not only because of Egypt's production of oil and natural gas, but because of the Suez Canal, right?

MILLER: Absolutely. Geography is everything, and Egypt controls the canal, which is a key transshipment point not just for patrolling, but for other products from the Persian Gulf. You could also see a rise in prices if you have serious instability throughout of the rest of the region in Egypt.

TODD: Other big oil producers nearby, like the key American ally Saudi Arabia, are also nervous about Egypt's problems, but analysts say Saudi Arabia is more able to preempt that kind of instability because the Saudi government gives its people a lot more financial support and social services than Egypt does.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: A would-be robber gets more than he bargained for at a fast-food restaurant. And in the end, he stopped by a school bus. We'll unravel that story for you.

First, though, our "Random Moment" moments away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The piano prankster faces the music. Here's a "Random Moment" update.

Sixteen-year-old Nicholas Harrington admits he stranded a baby grand on a sandbar off Miami. He hopes the stunt gets him into a prestigious art school.

Nicholas used his dad's boat and mini crane to maroon the piano. He says it was the most artistic way he could think of to make the castoff piano a castaway.

Your "Random Moment of the Day" explained.

The world's business leaders are meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. For years, it's been an event dominated by men, but the event's organizers are working hard to change that.

Poppy Harlow joins us live from Davos with more.

Hello, Poppy.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Hi there, Carol.

It truly is a forum that has for years and years, dominated by men. World leaders, President Medvedev of Russia here yesterday, along with President Sarkozy of France, CEOs, and pretty much any company you can name. But a lot of them have been men.

So what they've done here in Davos this year at the World Economic Forum is they have mandated that for every company or strategic partner that sends their officials here, one of the five has to be a woman. And I want to show you why. Take a look at these numbers.

OK. In 2001, a decade ago, only nine percent of the attendees -- nine percent -- were women. This year, they're estimating about 17 percent. Clearly, though, we have a long way to go.

But, for the companies that are sending mixed-gender delegations, take a look at this number. We've seen a huge increase from last year.

Last year, only 33 percent of the companies sent at least one woman. This year, Carol, that is up to 80 percent.

So we had a chance today to talk with Indra Nooyi. She has been voted Fortune's "Most Powerful Woman." She's the CEO of Pepsi. And very interesting things she had to say when it comes to women in Davos at this forum, and the importance of women leading businesses.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) INDRA NOOYI, CEO, PEPSI: Because I think it's very important that women who come to Davos feel included in all the discussions, that there isn't a conversation going on between CEOs, and sometimes men, and then the women just stand there because they were represented.

HARLOW: I have a feeling you don't just stand there.

(LAUGHTER)

NOOYI: You know, but you know what? I have the privilege of being a CEO. Right?

But there are not too many women CEOs around the world. So we're going to bring other senior executives, but we have to figure out ways to make them feel included. That's our next challenge. But, you know, we're up to challenges.

HARLOW: And you have said that women in business are a force to be reckoned with.

NOOYI: Absolutely. You know, when I was in Peru and Chile, a reporter asked me a question which I'll never forget. He said, "What if most of the important positions were run by women? How different would the world be?"

HARLOW: And?

NOOYI: I thought about this and said, "Wow, what a wonderful world. There'd be less wars, there'd be less arguments, there'd be ethics all over the place. It would be a kinder, gentler world." Man, I can't wait for this world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Carol, clearly, we know where she stands. She's pushing for many more women here and many more women leaders in business.

What do you make of that, women leading in business, a much kinder, gentler world, Carol?

COSTELLO: Well, the first thought that came to mind is she hasn't met some of America's female politicians. Because I wouldn't describe some of them as kinder and gentler.

HARLOW: This is a very good point.

COSTELLO: Exactly.

So, you're in Davos, there's more women there. Do you notice a change in mood and in tone?

HARLOW: Yes. It's a good question.

It's only my second year here in Davos, but you can feel that there are more women here, but particularly more women executives, more high-ranking women at banks, banks like Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan. I saw one of their top women leaders there this morning.

And Carol, I just came out of a meeting. It was a private meeting with Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Google. And also sitting right next to him was a young woman who is near the top of that company, Marissa Mayer. And she was explaining all the new Google search tools and Google Maps.

So you really get a sense that women are taking more leadership here. But, at the same time, you talk to the experts here on women, and they say you need at least 30 percent women in this group of SALT (ph) leaders or decision makers to make a real difference, for their voice to be heard.

So, 17 percent this year. I don't think we're going to get to 30 next year.

But there is also this coalition of young leaders at Davos. And what they're trying to do is get 50 percent of those young leaders to be women by 2014.

So, Carol, I think we'll take the little steps of progress. But, still, a very male-dominated meeting here at the World Economic Forum -- Carol.

COSTELLO: But just so there's progress. That's a good thing.

Poppy Harlow, many thanks.

HARLOW: You bet.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Twenty years ago there were 1.1 billion Muslims in the world. But according to a new study, 20 years from now that number could double.

By 2030, Muslims will represent more than a quarter of all people on the planet. And here in the United States, the number of Muslims will more than double to 6.2 million in the same time period.

So how will this trend affect the face of the nation?

Dean Obeidallah is an Arab-American comedian who tackles these sorts of questions through the lens of comedy.

And Dean, thank you for joining us this afternoon.

DEAN OBEIDALLAH, ARAB-AMERICAN COMEDIAN: Thanks for having me.

COSTELLO: I know a lot of your comedy is based in calling out American Islamophobia. So what do you think a population jump of this size could mean for the Muslim community -- for Muslim-American experience in this country, I should say? Well, first of all, I must say, I only have a few minutes, because I have to go out and help double the population. I'm going to be busy, apparently, the next few years, as will all Muslims. It's going to be a lot of work, but we're going to do it.

I think that it's somewhat sadly alarming to people. When you really look at the numbers, it's teeny. We're talking about maybe six or seven million Muslims in the country. That's less than two percent of our population. But some on the right will use it to exclaim "The Muslims are coming! The Muslims are coming! Go hide your alcohol and pork. No more BLTs, just LTs."

I'm only fearful of the negative that would go with this report. Not of the reality of the -- most people will yawn at it. It's really meaningless.

COSTELLO: Representative Peter King - I'm sure you're aware of him. He is scheduled to hold hearings on the radicalization of American Muslims next month. He thinks there is cause for concerns about American Muslims in this country. What are your thoughts about that?

OBEIDALLAH: Well, Congressman King has been talking about Muslims for many years, saying ridiculous statements like there are too many mosques in America, which is just completely un-American to make a comment like that. He goes on to say all the time 85 percent of mosques preach radical Islam based on a statement from 1999.

Peter King has to update his script. You know, the old adage, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, not their own facts. I implore Congressman King to be more responsible. And if he has facts that there are radical Muslims in America, turn them over to the FBI. Turn them over to the Justice Department. We don't want them, either. So, let's work together to stop this.

COSTELLO: I was going to say, Dean, it's not like there aren't any examples of American Muslims being radicalized in this country because there have been more than a few. Isn't that a cause for concern, even in the Muslim-American community?

OBEIDALLAH: I think it is a cause for concern. It's a teeny percentage. You know, I adhere to the philosophy of individual responsibility. If someone commits a crime, whatever their race or religion is to me is not as relevant as who are the co-conspirators, who are the people working with them who are helping them, assisting them materially with carrying out their plan. Those are the people that should be demonized, prosecuted. Not a whole religion, nor should a whole race or whole ethnic background when a minority in America commits any crime. It should be those people involved.

It's a teeny percentage of people causing problems. I think the Muslim community is getting involved. I see more and more reports of Muslims working with law enforcement, turning people over. That's part of the world we live in. But a teeny part. I mean, that's not the typical life of Muslim Americans. COSTELLO: I think, though, some of them who are charged with these crimes have been spotlighted in the media because they're such huge crimes. I mean, Fort Hood comes to mind, the guy who tried to plant a bomb in Times Square. Those things resonate with Americans and make them afraid, quite frankly, many of them.

OBEIDALLAH: That does! Those are the worst examples. I wish every time there's a negative example of a Muslim, we could show the overwhelming other side of Muslim-Americans who are living their lives. Being Americans. They're working, they have jobs, they're teachers, they're policemen, they're congressmen now, they're involved in the government. They're doing all the positive things that all the other groups do.

Unfortunately for us, and I don't think it's alone for our minority group, but we talk about the negative ones are the ones who define us. Our worst examples define us. And it's up to us, and I think in working with the media to try to counterbalance that. To show the positive, funny ones out there, the good ones, the typical ones.

COSTELLO: So, when you go on the comedy circuits and you tell your jokes to bring Americans together, in the audience, what is the reaction from those who are not Muslim-American?

OBEIDALLAH: Hopefully, it's laughter. I'm a comedian first and foremost. I talk about the issues. We're cut from the same cloth as comics like Richard Pryor who talked about the Jewish-American comics in the 50s who did the same thing. They use their comedy to try to show Americans that we're just like you. Bill Cosby did it. It's no different than that.

And you hope you can write jokes that make them laugh and show a little -- able to hold a mirror to some of the Islamaphobia and laugh about it and go, you know what, like, that is ridiculous.

COSTELLO: Dean Obeidallah, thanks for joining us this afternoon. We appreciate it.

OBEIDALLAH: Thanks for having me.

COSTELLO: Top stories now. A week of violent antigovernment demonstrations in the streets of Egypt could intensify tomorrow. That's when the Muslim brotherhood has called for its followers to demonstrate after the weekly Muslim prayers. Mohamed El Berrahdi (ph), the opposition leader and former head of the U.N. Nuclear Agency, is reportedly returning home to join the protestors.

And a sad anniversary. Tomorrow marks 25 years since the Challenger space shuttle tragedy. NASA is marking the occasion by remembering those crew members that gave their lives in the name of discovery. Memorials are taking place today at Arlington National Cemetery, the Kennedy Space Center, and the Johnson Space Center in Houson.

And police in Davos are calling it, quote, "a little explosion." A spokesman says a small firework went off at the back entrance of a hotel where high powered guests are gathering for the World Economic Forum. Former president Bill Clinton scheduled to speak there tonight. No injuries and little damage reported from that tiny explosion, but it certainly perked up authorities.

The crazy stories about Charlie Sheen, you've heard them. But you've got to hear what his "Two-and-a-Half Men" co-star tells Conan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Are you keeping up with the Kardashian sisters? Piers Morgan is. He's got a true hour of reality TV on CNN tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIM KARDASHIAN, REALITY TV STAR: Kourtney is the most practical. I think that she, you know -- I've always kind of just gone for it and made the wrong decisions. Kourtney really takes her time --

KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN, REALITY TV STAR: I do.

(CROSSTALK)

KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN: Yes. It's been about, like, almost a year since Scott's been cleaned himself up. And I just - I don't know. I'm just kind of taking my time.

KIM KARDASHIAN: You just need to go for it.

PIERS MORGAN, CNN HOST: If he went down on bended knee tonight, watching this -

KIM KARDASHIAN: What would you do?

MORGAN: -- and proposed, would you say yes?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Like, I don't know! Anyway, you'll have to watch tonight to find out Kourtney's answer. "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT." CNN at 9:00 Eastern. Tomorrow night, Piers talks to Colin Firth.

"Two-And-A-Half Men" star Jon Cryer dishes on "Conan" about his co-star, Charlie Sheen and his rumored problems. Entertainment correspondent Kareen Wynter joins me now live from Los Angeles. Looks pretty interesting.

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORERSPONDENT: Well, Carol, you know, he is one of Hollywood's most notorious bad boys, Charlie Sheen. If you think of all the stories we hear about Charlie Sheen, they get more unbelievable by the day. But you have to listen to what it's like for his co-workers. Charlie's "Two-and-a-Half Men" co-star Jon Cryer had Conan cracking up last night. He described, well, what it's like keeping track of Charlie on set. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JON CRYER, ACTOR, "TWO AND A HALF MEN": I'm checking TMZ as I do every day to know if I have to go to work at all -

(LAUGHER)

CRYER: And there was a story they found Charlie's car, which at that point was not yet a Maboc but was another pricey car at the bottom of a cliff. So, you're thinking, "Wow, sure hope Charlie is okay." And he comes into work, "Hey, Charlie, how is it going, man?" And you're checking for scratches because my mind had come up with this whole thing that he crashed the car and clawed his way back up the cliff.

CONAN O'BRIEN, HOST, "CONAN": Sure.

CRYER: But he said, well -- I said, how are you doing? He said, "I'm doing okay except that somebody stole my car and ran it off a cliff last night." And normally you would not believe that from somebody.

O'BRIEN: That just sounds like such a - yes.

CRYER: But from Charlie Sheen you believe that!

(LAUGHTER)

CRYER: Because that happened to him!

O'BRIEN: It did happen.

CRYER: Twice!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WYNTER: Twice. Hilarious. You've got to love that, Carol. I guess that comes with the territory when you're dealing with such an A-lister like Charlie, right?

COSTELLO: At least he has a sense of humor about it. It's his job, too, if Charlie Sheen goes down, right?

WYNTER: I know!

COSTELLO: All right. News of Jennifer Aniston, rumors flying around. The rumors are always flying around about Jennifer Aniston.

WYNTER: Yes. Believe it or not, Carol, this is something that was pretty widely reported. But apparently it's not happening! Nope, Jennifer Aniston, forget what you heard. She is not adopting a baby.

So, Carol, here is where things really got going. Stories started popping everywhere online yesterday that Aniston had somehow visited an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico and decided to adopt. There's more. There were details about a $250,000 gender-neutral nursery in Jen's home. And Carol, some stories got specific here, claiming that she hired her pal Courtney Cox's - her pal Courtney's nanny. But a rep for the actress put the brakes on all this. She said calm down. She squashed those rumors, according to people.com. The site is quoting Jen's rep as saying that the stories there are completely untrue and the original report was, quote, "fabricated" and called all the stories a work of fiction. I guess, Carol, people, they love making up all these stories about Jen. If it's not her love life, I guess it's about her adopting a kid.

COSTELLO: I remember two years ago, when -- the baby bump craze. Any little like, stomach any actress would show, it's like, oh, they're pregnant!

WYNTER: You wonder why they don't eat? They eat, and like all of us eat and get a little pooch down there. Poor Jen and all these celebrities, they starve themselves because otherwise - "Oh, they're preggers!"

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: Thank you, Kareen! We appreciate it.

Check the "Showbiz Team" on what's happening in Hollywood every night at 5:00 and 11:00 on HLN. Tonight, more on what Charlie Sheen's co-star is saying about his troubled private life.

A Tea Party rally on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers meet with the people who helped put them in office. Details ahead on our political update.

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COSTELLO: A Tea Party pow-wow on Capitol Hill. Dana Bash, part of The Best Political Team on Television, live from the Hill. So, Dana, what's this all about?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is the first-ever Tea Party caucus meeting -- the first ever Tea Party caucus, really, Carol, in the United States Senate. Of course, there was already one in existence in the House of Representatives, but never before in the Senate. There are three official senators -- actually probably four that are going to end up joining in the near future.

They held a meeting with activists from -- it was supposed to be from around the country. The snow hindered some people getting in, mostly from Virginia and Maryland, about 100 people there. And the whole point, according to the senators who ran it, Jim DeMint, Rand Paul and Mike Lee, Mike Lee of Utah, was to make sure that the Tea Party activists who elected them understand that they're not going the lose connection with them now that they are here in office. Listen to what Jim DeMint told the crowd.

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SEN. JIM DEMINT (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: The seats that we sit in every day in the Senate are not ours. They're yours. And they're lent to us to speak for you here. And we want to make sure that as we try to represent the Constitution, our oath of office and you, that we listen to you.

And some folks were questioning, why are you bringing in these Tea Party folks from the outside? You don't need a hall pass. This is your place. You own it. You can come any time. And you are building it, in effect, with the passion and the idea that we saw in the last election.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, the members of the Tea Party who came in for this event, the activists, did most of the listening, not so much the talking or questioning officially. There were a lot of speakers, both the three senators, actually four, and, in addition, some Tea Party leaders who were there. But it was a very interesting moment. Something that we have never seen here on Capitol Hill on the inside. Many of them told me, look, we're used to holding signs up on the outside. This is the first time they've gotten in.

Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: But I understand not all senators who were Tea Party backed were there, like Florida's Marco Rubio. Why wasn't he there?

BASH: Very interesting. It is controversial that this Tea Party caucus exists. Marco Rubio, for example, he, of course, was the darling of the Tea Party movement. Elect with a lot of Tea Party support in the state of Florida. He is saying that he's not sure if he's going to join this caucus because he's worried that it -- the whole idea of having a caucus with politicians, called the Tea Party Caucus, dilutes the whole message of the Tea Party. He said that it is about main street and the movement should be run by that. And he's worried that politicians having this much of an impact will make it so that the Tea Party loses its effectiveness.

Carol.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Dana Bash, many thanks.

For the latest political news, go to cnnpolitics.com.

Jimmy Buffett falls off stage. It's all on tape and it's trending online. We'll show you the video right after this.

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COSTELLO: OK, this is a sweet story we hope has a happy ending. A British soldier in Afghanistan phones his pregnant girlfriend, her name is Samantha, to propose. Just one little thing, the soldier dialed the wrong number and popped the big question on the answering machine belonging to a 44-year-old woman of three. The woman released the message hoping Samantha somehow hears it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, baby, it's me. And I'm sorry I couldn't call you last month but you know what it's like out here (ph) and I should be back in three months. I've got just one more guy that's just been blown up (INAUDIBLE). I feel sad. I really feel sad. I feel so sad that I didn't get to speak to you just now. And -- but I'll speak to you next month, you hear. I love you with all my heart and I was going to ask you, don't answer, well, you can't answer, but -- and will you marry me?"

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Oh. The soldier won't be able to call for another month and won't be home for another three months. We hope Samantha somehow gets the message before then.

Too hot for an Arkansas grocery store. The decision to censure a picture of Elton John with his new baby has causes quite a stir online. Sandra Endo has the story. She joins us from Washington.

So, what are people saying about this?

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, you know Sir Elton John. We all know his music and love him or hate him. He is not usually one stirring up a continue. But an "US Weekly" magazine cover featuring him and his same-sex partner with their new baby Zachary, well, it's triggering quite a controversy when customers complained the cover was obscene. Managers at Harp's Grocery Store decided to pull the cover and cover it up, usually -- actually using a family shield. That's what they called it. But, you know, customers complained and the complaints kept pouring in, so the shield was removed and now the magazine is now being sold openly again. So we're seeing controversy.

COSTELLO: The people have spoken.

ENDO: Yes.

COSTELLO: Jimmy Buffett, he's OK now, right?

ENDO: Yes, this is interesting because there is actually video of it all. Check this out. He was performing on stage and there he is. He falls right off the stage. The 64-year-old singer was knocked unconscious by the fall and his radio station on Sirius XM Radio says he got several stitches for a cut on his head. Yes, quite a fall there. You know, it's really shocking to fans who were watching. And, as you mentioned, he was released from the hospital this morning and Buffett has been playing sold out shows all week in Sydney. So good for him. Hope he's feeling better.

COSTELLO: Well, this one, this next story you're going to tell us about, is my favorite. This pitcher for the Kansas City Royals who gave up $12 million.

ENDO: Would you give up $12 million? I know. This guy is an amazing pro athlete and he has an amazing story, really, to tell. If my board can work right. There he is. He is a stand-up guy. Gill Meche had a contract that called for a $12 million salary this year. Well, he will not be reporting to Arizona where the rest of his Kansas City Royals teammates are there for spring training because he announced he's retiring last week. His body and shoulder is just not up to par for his performance, but his retirement, Carol, means he will not be paid at all.

And here's a good quote that I love. He says, "when I signed my contract, my main goal was to earn it. Once I started to realize I wasn't earning my money, I felt bad I was making a crazy amount of money for not even pitching."

So, yes, he --

COSTELLO: I know he could have gone to spring training. He could have tried to become a relief pitcher. But he decided -- he knew he wasn't going to pitch well, so he said, I'm going to retire and I won't take that $12 million. That's just insane.

ENDO: I know. And it's such a good thing for people to hear about this story because so many kids look up to pro athletes as having money, bling, whatever. But this guy is a standup guy. He didn't want to go through the shoulder surgery. And he says he's just going to spend time with his kids.

COSTELLO: Oh, we love him.

Thank you, Sandra. We appreciate it.

ENDO: You got it. Sure.

COSTELLO: The Taliban always looking for new recruits. Now Afghanistan's prisons are becoming a prime breeding ground for terrorists. We'll take you there.

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COSTELLO: The Taliban continues to be an elusive enemy in the war in Afghanistan, but the very prisons that are supposed to reform them are proving to be a ripe recruitment center for terrorists. CNN's Arwa Damon has an inside look.

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ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The prison in Mazer-e Sharif is like many in Afghanistan, overcrowded, unsanitary and, in the winter, bitterly cold. The makeshift cells at the bulk prison are so cramped that some prisoners are even forced to sleep outside.

DAMON (on camera): We haven't been allowed to film inside, but this jail was originally built as a house. And now there are around 450 prisoners here, literally living stacked one on top of another.

DAMON (voice-over): Around half of the prisoners are ordinary criminals, but the rest are Taliban, and the prison is their perfect recruiting ground. GEN. MOHAMED AZIZ, MAZER-E SHARIF, AFGHANISTAN (through translator): According to the law, they should be held in separate facilities. We have serious criminals, like the Taliban, next to those who have committed small crimes. It's a constant worry for us.

DAMON: Aziz says Taliban fighters typically target vulnerable youth and drug addicts. Islamudin, serving time for carjacking, started using opium behind bars. The 27-year-old says he's clean now and swears the Taliban never tried to recruit him. Aziz says it's a typical response. His spies behind bars have told him otherwise.

It's a problem across Afghanistan, according to the official in charge of the country's jails.

AMIR JAMSHED, GENERAL PRISONS PRESIDENT (through translator): This is very risky. If we put 1,000 Taliban behind bars, they will recruit 1,000 more prisoners.

DAMON: At this balk prison workers are building extensions to separate the prisoners. Similar projects are underway around the country.

JAMSHED: We are also continuing with a deradicalization program. There are two groups of Taliban, the ideologues and those who join for economic reasons. They can be reeducated.

DAMON: The results have been not bad he says. This is a religious class at Kabul's Poly (ph) Turkey (ph) prison, intended to lure prisons away from extremism. It doesn't always work. One inmate told us he went from being an Afghan nationalist to believing the Taliban is the only solution.

Afghanistan's prisons have become another front in the battle for the country's future. And it's far from clear who has the upper hand.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Mazer-e Sharif, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Christine Romans, in for Ali Velshi.

Hi, Christine.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Carol. Nice to see you.

I'm Christine Romans, in for Ali Velshi today. It is just a few seconds after 1:00.

Fifty-seven years after a racially segregated