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Uprising in Egypt; Charlie Sheen Rushed to Hospital; Worrying Financial Crisis Report Released; Snow Pounds Northeast

Aired January 27, 2011 - 15:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Christine Romans, good to have you here in Atlanta, by the way. Thank you so much. And hello, everyone.

I want to show you some tape here. I want to begin with this. It just actually fed into our newsroom, so we quickly turned it around for you. This is the scene. It was captured just a short time ago. This is the Egyptian capital of Cairo. And you see that man in the center of that crowd. That is Mohamed ElBaradei. He is the Egyptian diplomat and former Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Now, Mohammed ElBaradei returned today just a short time ago to his homeland to take part in this mass demonstration that is actually scheduled to take place tomorrow. And this is what the protests have looked like up until now.

Just watch and listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CHANTING)

(SHOUTING)

(HORNS HONKING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Thousands and thousands of people. You see the police. You see those who are part of the demonstrations. They have been fired upon by rubber bullets. There have been water cannons.

And this is primarily within the capital of Cairo. But it also has spread much, much farther than that. I'm going to get that in just a moment here. But, really, here's -- here's the bottom line as we look at all these pictures.

The people in the streets, they want this guy out. This is America's friend. This is Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in power now for 30 years. He's our guy. And a lot of people in Egypt are saying Washington needs to wake up because Mubarak's day is past, that we're backing -- we here in the United States are backing the wrong horse.

So, hold those thoughts, though, because we want to get to Egypt really quickly here.

Live for us, there he is from Cairo, Fred Pleitgen.

And, Fred, tell me just quickly, if you would, about Mohamed ElBaradei's return just a short time ago and what role he is expected to play.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN BERLIN BUREAU CHIEF: Well, certainly, Brooke, there's a lot of people here in Egypt who expect him to really spearhead these protests from now on.

When he landed here in Egypt just a couple of hours ago, he said he that -- that he believes that these protests have now gone beyond the point of no return. And he said that he is going to advocate peaceful change here in this country and that he believes that this change was going to come about peacefully.

Now, the big question is going to be, first of all, how much momentum are these protests going to have in the long run, and, second of all, is he really in a position to challenge the leadership of Hosni Mubarak, the current president, who -- who you've just been talking about before. That's certainly things that people are going to see.

However, it is no question that he does have a lot of followers here in this country and that he does have a lot of clout of course internationally as well -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: I want to show everyone something that ElBaradei had said just before he flew home. He was in Vienna, flew there to Cairo. It's something he actually told "The New York Times."

And I want to quote him. He says: "America is really pushing Egypt and pushing the whole Arab world into radicalization with this inept policy of supporting repression."

Fred Pleitgen, I want to -- to hold that thought for just a moment because I want you and our viewers to listen to the secretary of state. This is Hillary Clinton. She spoke this month at a forum of Arab leaders in Doha, Qatar. She calls them out. She calls these leaders out. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Corruption is a major problem.

And, in the 21st century, where information is so readily available, people know now maybe what they did not know 10, 20, 30 years ago, that much of a government's wealth is going to a few, instead of the many in too many countries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Going to a few, instead of many.

And, Fred, we wanted to pull that clip. That was Hillary Clinton's message. It was actually delivered two weeks ago today.

And my question to you there in Cairo was, was that message heard there on the Arab street?

PLEITGEN: Well, it certainly was, and it's certainly something that a lot of people that I have been speaking to have been telling me for a very long time.

In fact, I was in one place that had a lot of clashes today, the town of Suez, where people were really going at it. And they were telling me again and again they feel that America has been backing the wrong horse for a long time.

They said that, while leaders like Hosni Mubarak are of course on America's side, for them, it's been really difficult. They don't have any jobs here. They say that inflation is so high, that they can barely live off their wages. And, really they say the worst thing for them is, they feel there's a lack of opportunity. They feel they have no future in this current government.

So, if you look at Hosni Mubarak, you look at other leaders also in the -- in the Middle East, Hosni Mubarak has been in power for about 30 years now. That's a very long time. And a lot of people here are saying they're fed up with it and they feel that America shouldn't be backing him.

One interesting thought also...

BALDWIN: Yes.

PLEITGEN: ... about these whole protests is, this is not something where you see this is an Islamist movement or anything . These are secular people. This goes across the board really. This is something that's -- that -- that's coming about on Facebook and Twitter, where people are organizing.

There really isn't any sort of religious touch to this. And I think that is something that makes this protest very interesting also, of course, to America.

BALDWIN: No...

PLEITGEN: Brooke.

BALDWIN: ... it's -- it's a good point. I think it's -- a lot of people are wondering who these demonstrators are. Apparently, they don't discriminate, old, young, secular.

And -- and, given the fact, Fred, that this is day three of the demonstrations -- we have been covering it the past couple days -- talk to me about the momentum. Talk to me about what's supposed to be happening tomorrow.

PLEITGEN: Well, tomorrow is really the day that everybody's looking at here in Egypt, and, of course, I bet you everybody's looking at, at the State Department as -- as well. A lot of groups have called for a national day of protests here tomorrow. Of course, Friday is a very important day in the Muslim world. You have the Friday prayers, which are going to be going on around midday, and, after that, there is a call to action, where everybody believes there's going to be mass protests, not just here in Cairo, but in cities across the nation, in places like Alexandria, places like Suez again.

And there's a lot of people who believe that a lot of attention is going to be there. There could be violence on that day as well. So, certainly, we will see how that goes. The biggest opposition group has called for its followers to go on the street.

There's been a big posting on Facebook and Twitter to call people to action tomorrow. So, right now, it appears as though that's what people are looking at. But the protests really haven't lost any momentum in the past couple days.

I told you before...

BALDWIN: Wow.

PLEITGEN: ... I was in Suez today, and a lot of people were very angry. And then, on the streets, you could just see all of that mood explode later in the day -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: You can see it. You can hear it.

Let me just finish, this, Fred. You know, you mentioned Hosni Mubarak. He's been president for -- for 30 years. You have Yemen's president, President Saleh, 32 years in power. Both of these men are feeling the heat. Tunisia's Ben Ali driven out of power already, just two weeks ago.

Do the rulers in this region maybe fear that this could be -- and here they all are -- that this could be their Berlin Wall moment?

PLEITGEN: It could be.

I mean, the -- right now , it's very hard to say whether or not this is going to pick up to the point where it -- it's going to topple this government or anything in particular. A lot of people are telling us they don't necessarily need Hosni Mubarak, the -- the current president, to step down. They just want fundamental reforms, more social freedoms, more economic opportunities.

But you never know. I mean, I remember that, a couple of days before the Tunisia in government fell, we were talking about that protest possibly, you know, losing momentum as well. So, you never know.

So, right now, there is certainly an air here in Egypt and in other countries in the Middle East, where it appears as though these leaders at this point are -- are very, very nervous.

And, also -- and this is probably even more important, it appears as though people here who are going on the streets are more fearless than they have been in the past.

BALDWIN: Hmm.

PLEITGEN: And there have been demonstrations in places like Egypt in the past as well, but they have never been that big and they haven't really held on for such a long time, really even for a couple of days...

BALDWIN: Yes.

PLEITGEN: ... like they are right now.

So, this is -- certainly could be a pivotal moment. It's not, though, whether it be just yet -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Yes, I think that's an excellent point. I think, perhaps, because of that lack of fear, you know, one can really not predict the momentum as we move forward there in Egypt.

Fred Pleitgen, thank you so much for us live in Cairo.

And I -- I want to just pass this along to you. This is just into CNN. Actor Charlie Sheen was rushed to a hospital in Los Angeles this morning. What we know so far is that his rep has told CNN that Sheen has been suffering some sort of abdominal pain. We do have a CNN crew en route. And as soon as we get more information on the actor out of L.A., I promise we will pass it along to you live right here.

But do you remember that story we covered just a little while ago? It was about death threats at a Texas school. Well, you may never believe who authorities think is responsible for this letter.

Also, a shocking new report out today on the nation -- the health of our nation's financial system. Is it really worse now than it was before?

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: OK. Here is something you definitely do not see every day, at least not here in the United States, lawmakers getting out of control. I'm shouting over one another, cursing, throwing papers. Yes, this happened, all in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Check it out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) yourself!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please take a roll call.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Chairman...

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When this nation was founded, Mr. Chairman, similar activities occurred with the monarchy. And what did the people do? They formed a Tea Party.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Members will be able to be heard on the floor. We're having...

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Members of this committee have the right to speak on the bill.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Speaker...

(CROSSTALK)

(SHOUTING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't care what...

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... rules committee.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Yowza.

Apparently, it all started when they got ready to vote on several bills that would change the way the government -- the state government operates.

But here's the best part. It comes little more than a week after Pennsylvania's new governor was sworn in and called for lawmakers to be -- quote -- "firmly dedicated" to civil discourse.

Not so much, we decided.

Also, check this out. I want you to watch the guy who's going to come from the left side of your screen. You see?

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: There he goes.

His name -- listen to the bleeps...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: His name is Gerald Carter. He grabs the chair, goes after the man accused of killing his pregnant sister. As you saw -- and we will roll it again -- deputies tackled him pretty fast.

But all the yelling you hear, that is Carter screaming he wants to kill the defendant. There he is taken out of the -- the courtroom. No one was hurt. There won't be any charges filed against Carter for his outburst.

And do you remember that letter we told you about that threatened to kill students in a town in Texas called Bay City? Well, the investigation has now led to the arrest of this man, a substitute teacher.

Paul Nolen May is charged with making those threats. He's jailed on nearly a quarter-million dollars bond. CNN affiliates in Houston report the charges involve multiple phone calls made yesterday that threatened students.

Now, police are still investigating whether May also wrote that December letter -- and there it was -- that -- that railed against school detention procedures and threatened to kill children if the letter writer's rules were broken -- laced with profanity and misspellings, mind you.

Also, the lockdown at Army's Dugway Proving Ground has been lifted. The facility, it's in Utah, Utah desert, just south of Salt Lake City, tests chemical and biological weapons. So, the military shut it down simply as a precaution after this vial of V.X. nerve agent went missing.

Well, that missing agent turned up today. There is no word as to where it was found or if anyone is being disciplined in connection with that incident.

And mystery solved. You remember -- I know you do -- that -- the 5,000 birds that just up and fell out of the sky into an Arkansas neighborhood back on New Year's Eve? Well, in this new report, experts say the birds died of blunt force trauma -- hmm -- saying such injuries occur when wild birds fly into stationary objects like trees or power lines.

I'm still scratching my head over that one.

Also, was the financial crisis that plunged us into recession actually avoidable? Details from a shocking new report, that is next.

Also, the roads are getting kind of, sort of back to normal now. But schools remain closed in much of the Northeast. So how much snow did they ultimately get? We have totals for you coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Let's all try to wrap our heads around this one.

You know we had that financial crisis, and we had to save the banks to the tune of, hmm, hundreds of billions of dollars. But are you ready for this? The financial system is worse off now than it was pre-crisis. Really?

Jessica Yellin, who is saying that?

OK, well, the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, Brooke, which was formed by Congress to find what were the root causes of the economic meltdown.

So, today, the majority of that commission presented its conclusions, and one of the commissioners there said, basically, don't think the problem is solved. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BYRON GEORGIOU, COMMISSIONER, FINANCIAL CRISIS INQUIRY COMMISSION: Our financial system is really not very different today, in 2011, than it was in the run-up to this crisis in 2006 and 2007.

In fact, the concentration of financial assets in the largest commercial and investment banks is really significantly higher today than it was in the run-up to the crisis, as a result of the -- the evisceration of certain of the institutions and the consolidation and merger of others into larger institutions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Uh-huh.

YELLIN: So, a lot of technical jargon here, but...

(LAUGHTER)

YELLIN: ... but his big point is, the big banks are bigger now than they were before the meltdown. And this group believes that stepped-up enforcement and regulation is essential.

BALDWIN: OK. So, that's one conclusion they came to. And I...

YELLIN: Yes.

BALDWIN: I imagine this is a very long, very thorough report. What -- what else can we glean from this?

(LAUGHTER)

YELLIN: Yes.

And would you know I left it at my desk? It's like... BALDWIN: Oh.

YELLIN: ... that fat.

(LAUGHTER)

YELLIN: It's very thick. I wanted it as a visual aid.

(LAUGHTER)

YELLIN: Sorry.

BALDWIN: We can imagine.

YELLIN: It is hefty.

One eye-popping...

(LAUGHTER)

YELLIN: One eye-popping finding, Brooke, is, Goldman Sachs made $2.9 billion from AIG after the taxpayer bailout. Now, remember, Goldman has been saying all along that it did not profit from the AIG bailout.

BALDWIN: Hmm.

YELLIN: A spokesman at -- at Goldman says, look, they did not receive a windfall. But the commissioners today say, uh-uh-uh, that's not true.

Also, the report laid blame with regulators, pointing fingers -- guess what -- at this particular person in particular, Alan Greenspan. This was him testifying before the commission earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAN GREENSPAN, FORMER FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: I was right 70 percent of the time, but I was wrong 30 percent of the time. And there are an awful lot of mistakes in 21 years.

What we tried to do is the best we could with the data that we had. And all I can say is, did we make mistakes? Of course we make mistakes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: Now, they -- the commission found a different balance. They didn't quite think he was right 70 percent of the time, but...

(LAUGHTER)

YELLIN: ... his replacement did not escape unscathed either.

They say the current Fed chair, Ben Bernanke, missed the coming meltdown. And I thought this was a pretty damning line. One commissioner said, bottom line, the regulators fundamentally don't understand the financial institutions they're supposed to be overseeing.

And, Brooke, my amazing producer just brought this up to me.

BALDWIN: Oh.

(LAUGHTER)

YELLIN: He was watching.

BALDWIN: They're good. Look at that thing.

YELLIN: That's the report.

BALDWIN: You weren't kidding. That thing is honking big.

Now, now, you're -- we're...

YELLIN: Yes.

BALDWIN: ... talking about sort of mea culpa and some of the reports findings here, but it -- it's also distressing, though, because we're also hearing that this panel assigned this massively important task is -- is split along partisan lines. Is that right?

YELLIN: Exactly.

That -- and that's a fundamental flaw. There are 10 people on the board. The Democrats came out with this thing we're talking about right now. But the Republicans issued dissenting reports. And the big difference is, the Republicans say what caused this major financial collapse and our current economic woes were global forces, not so much the regulators and individual bad apples.

They also point the finger at mortgage giants Fannie and Freddie. And what is interesting is that each side's conclusions happen to back up the political views of their own parties. Now, they say...

BALDWIN: Hmm.

YELLIN: ... oh, politics played no role. But you draw your own conclusion there, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Uh, Jessica Yellin, good luck with that bedtime reading. That is quite the book, Ms. Harvard.

(LAUGHTER)

YELLIN: Right.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: But we trust you can get through that whole thing.

(LAUGHTER) BALDWIN: Thank you.

YELLIN: I...

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: Thank you very much, Jess.

Now to this. And this is something, Jessica, and you in Washington are dealing with, but also in the Northeast, digging out today after another storm dumps more than a foot of snow in New York City. We're on that.

Also, we keep showing these dramatic pictures. They keep coming in from Egypt. We're turning them around for you. We're also checking in with our reporters there.

But, when we come back, I'm actually going to speak with someone who lives there in -- in -- in school there. I'm going to ask him how safe he fees, how safe his family feels right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: OK. We're going to talk about beet juice and snow in just a moment. That's my little tease for you.

But let's talk about this, much of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast digging out again today -- maybe that includes you, you know, from all the aftermath from yet another snowstorm.

Now, the snow is tapering off today. Lucky for kids, maybe not so much for you parents...

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: ... schools are closed. So are government offices and hundreds of businesses.

So, with so much of the white stuff slamming the Northeast since Christmas, many cash-strapped states are looking for ways to stretch their snow-removal budgets. Enter beet juice, including adding a saltwater mixture -- it's actually referred to as a pickle juice -- to create a brine that makes it easier to push snow off roads.

Are you with me? Other areas are using a mixture of beet juice and rock salt. I did a story on this in Washington, D.C. I'm not making -- making...

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: ... this stuff up. It actually really has a -- a high freezing point. It doesn't stain the roads either.

Heavy snow caused a partial roof collapse at a parking garage. Look at that. There they are right now in Lynn, Massachusetts. But there are no reports of any serious injuries there, thank goodness. Air travel is disrupted across much of the Northeast, as you can guess. Hundreds of flights yesterday and today have been canceled. Clearing out the backlog of passengers could take a while.

Ooh. And I want to bring in...

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: ... meteorologist Karen Maginnis. I feel for those people sitting...

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: ... there in the airports. And they're like, oh.

KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh, it is the most frustrating thing.

BALDWIN: It is, isn't it?

MAGINNIS: It is.

And people that are stuck in their neighborhoods, their kids are home. They haven't been out for a while. Got to show you some of the snowfall totals before time gets away from us.

Central Park, typically for the season, by this January date, we have seen 27 or so inches. That was a record. 1925, no, we got a new record for you, 36 inches of snowfall...

BALDWIN: Look at that.

(LAUGHTER)

MAGINNIS: ... in Central Park...

(LAUGHTER)

MAGINNIS: ... for January. And winter's not over.

But want to show you another aspect of winter from this iReport. This is from Lee Jones. He's in Philadelphia. He said: I poked my head out the window. I saw all the snow.

He looked around. Buses weren't running. Cars weren't running. He said everybody was really happy, in a good mood, until they dig their car out, and then somebody takes a parking space, and the good feelings all disappear...

BALDWIN: Hmm.

MAGINNIS: ... at that point.

BALDWIN: Wonder if you can still get parking tickets if the parking meters are covered in snow. MAGINNIS: Oh. I don't know.

BALDWIN: Points to ponder.

MAGINNIS: Have to investigate that.

BALDWIN: Hopefully not. Maybe no one is really driving...

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: ... and so they won't get tickets.

Karen...

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: ... thank you.

MAGINNIS: All right, Brooke, see you.

BALDWIN: And now: mystery solved.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We used this, the crane that you can see right there, that, we used to lift up the boat. To lift up the piano, we had straps around it. And then we simply lowered it onto the boat. And then, once out there, we had four people help us, and we had -- we brought the...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Our -- our...

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: ... big get of the day. Kind of kidding. But that's the team behind it all. We're going to ask him what it's like to get all this attention. He's the piano boy.

Also, check out this video from Egypt. This is actually what we just got in. I told you, we keep getting more and more video there. When we come back, I'm going to talk to the guy who shot this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: I want to talk a bit more about Egypt. This time yesterday, our senior international correspondent who lives there, Ben Wedeman, was reporting to us from a tear gas filled, siren soaked CNN Cairo bureau. I want you to see what Ben was able to capture when he was outside the security of our bureau, our office there in Cairo.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The clubs come out. The crackdown is in full swing. Outside Cairo's journalists union, they put notice practice the government's latest decree.

WEDEMAN (on camera): After Tuesday's passive demonstrations across Egypt, the ministry of the interior announced it would have a policy of zero tolerance for any kind of demonstration, like this one.

(SHOUTING)

WEDEMAN (voice-over): This crowd didn't get the memo or e-mail or twitter, as the case may be. They chanted "Mubarak, Saudi Arabia's waiting for you," referring to the country where deposed Tunisian president Ben Ali was granted refuge.

The model of Tunisia and its revolution increasingly inspiring protesters like magazine editor Nour al-Hoda Zaki.

NOUR AL-HODA ZAKI, MAGAZINE EDITOR: We ask President Mubarak to go out and his son Gamel and all his family to go out like president Ben Ali.

WEDEMAN: Wednesday, demonstrations in Cairo were more scattered, hindered by a dramatically larger police force, but they were persistent, and the protests are spreading. The message remains the same -- it's time for change.

RAOUF PROTESTER: The people are oppressed. They can't handle Mubarak during 30 years, doing nothing but corrupting the country.

WEDEMAN: Plainclothes policemen grabbed stragglers and dragged the them away. Hundreds have been arrested, but more keep joining. Cairo's pain roads now warm with security forces trying to control what is increasingly difficult to control. The people have suddenly discovered how much power they actually have.

Ben Wedeman, CNN.

(END VIDETAPE)

BALDWIN: And now I'm joined over the phone from Cairo by an Egyptian student named Ahmed Naguib. Ahmed, before we show some of your video and talk about what you saw and heard, I want you to explain why you wanted to call in versus be on television. Are you fearful for your safety?

AHMED NAGUIB, PROTEST OBSERVER: Well, yes, of course. Who isn't? It's a frightening experience to be on TV. Nowadays entirely with al that's happening in the streets.

BALDWIN: Of course, and I'm hearing some of the video. Guys, let's play some of the video full, and Ahmed, we'll talk in a moment. I just want to hear this and see this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: So, we're hearing a lot of people there on the streets. I don't know. Walk me through some of this video. Let me ask you this. Did you partake in any of the protests?

NAGUIB: What?

BALDWIN: Did you participate in any of the protests?

NAGUIB: No, I didn't. I was just an observer.

BALDWIN: And why then, why did you want to get in the thick of things in the first place?

NAGUIB: Well, because at the beginning, I began getting news through Facebook and twitter about it. I wasn't sure that the news were true. So I had to go there and see it by myself.

BALDWIN: And, you know, I watched some of your video earlier. You can hear sirens and you hear chanting. What are they chanting, Ahmed?

NAGUIB: Well, they're going for the tumbling of the regime and they were calling for the change. They wanted the regime to be changed, and just not reform. They want real change in the regime so.

BALDWIN: How violent? Was it violent at all? Let me ask that. Did it appear violent? A lot of people keep talking about peaceful protests.

NAGUIB: Yes, the protesters were peaceful protesters all over the country but what was happening was that officers and thugs were getting inside the protests and they started fighting with the people within the protests.

And that was the reason behind why the security forces were attacking the people. They weren't attacking them because the people were attacking them, but they were attacking them because their friends and their workmates were inside trying to start fights within the protests.

BALDWIN: Were you frightened being this close to it all?

NAGUIB: Well, yes, I got stopped by a group of thugs with a couple of my friends. And they were -- they had these big wooden sticks and they were ready to beat us, but we managed to get out.

BALDWIN: I'm glad you're OK, Ahmed. Thank you so much for calling in from Cairo and sharing your observations and video with us. Thank you.

And when we come back, did they know they were going to get this much attention? I'm going to ask the teen who got the piano out on that sandbar that made national news.

And you may want to think twice before you decide to like something on Facebook. We'll tell you why. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Trending today, a solution to the mystery of that baby grand that was castaway on that Florida sandbar. And we want to set the record straight for you. Cue the piano man music. If you heard that the piano was left in Biscayne Bay as part of a filmmaker's prank, guess again. A Florida teenager says he and his friends did this.

And they say they have the video to prove it. Here it is. It shows the teens loading this baby grand on a boat before they took it out there to the sandbar.

So I know you want to know. What prompted we'll call it ambitious project? There he is. Nick Harrington is that very teenager who put the piano on the sandbar with a little help from his friends. Nick, I just want to begin with this. I was flipping between the network morning shows. Now you're on CNN. You're a pretty busy guy. How are your 15 minutes of fame treating you?

NICHOLAS HARRINGTON, TEEN LEFT PIANO ON SANDBAR: Oh, it's hectic. I'm getting calls from everyone. There's cameramen filming cameramen. It's very hectic.

BALDWIN: Yes, today, it's safe to say you're kind of a big deal. Let's talk about that baby grand. From what I understand you got it from your grandmother. By the way, is she OK with this?

HARRINGTON: She's very worried. She's scared for her safety in the situation.

BALDWIN: I'm sorry, why is that? Why is she frightened?

HARRINGTON: She was just worried for -- that I wouldn't get in trouble.

BALDWIN: OK. Well, let me just follow by this. So sort of long story short, you and your friends decide to set your grandmother's baby grand piano on fire. Why?

HARRINGTON: It was just, we were planning it for a long time and just because it was a cool thing to do. It was -- it was stored. It wasn't my grandma's. It was my dad's and it was stored at my grandma's.

BALDWIN: I understand, it was stored at your grandmother's. Connect the dots for me. For some reason you wanted to set this piano on fire. Connect the dots. You have a charred piano now and a sandbar in Biscayne Bay. Connect the dots for me.

HARRINGTON: Well, we starred of taking it out of my grandma's garage, and then we put it on my boat and brought it down to my house. And then from my house during New Year's, we had a very big New Year's party. And then during New Year's, we burned the piano so everyone in the party could see. It was a great spectacle. BALDWIN: I just have to get back to the point of why you burned this. I mean, are you like frustrated after having to take piano lessons for years as a child? Why burn this piano?

HARRINGTON: It was just an artistic expression, just for the sake of art.

BALDWIN: OK, final question here. I understand, you know, you're going to write about this whole experience as part of your college entrance essay. So you know, as part of that you have to talk about some sort of lesson learned. What lesson, nick, have you learned from this?

HARRINGTON: I learned not to dump pianos in the bay, for it is against the law. And, yes, I'm glad that it put Miami on the map for tourism.

BALDWIN: Put Miami on the map for pianos on a sandbar. We're going to leave it there. Nick Harrington, thanks.

A speeding truck chasing a married couple down the highway. They spent their lives spreading word of god. The window rolls down, a gun pops out. What happened next to Sam and Nancy Davis is shocking. Why was this couple targeted?

Also, Wal-Mart says fine, we won't build the new store we wanted to build. What has stopped America's largest retailer in its tracks? That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Have you heard about this couple? A life dedicated to helping others comes to a brutal end just south of the U.S./Mexican border. Here's what police have pieced together thus far about the murder of American missionary Nancy Davis.

Listen to this. Armed men tried to stop she and her husband, Sam and Nancy Davis in their pickup truck just yesterday near San Fernando, Mexico. The couple tried to get away. Sam Davis hit the gas. The men shot at them and Nancy Davis was hit in her head. Her husband didn't slow down. He drove against traffic in a 70-mile-per- hour -- or 70 mile. I'm sure he was probably also doing 70 in a mad dash to the border.

Rafael Romo is our senior Latin American affairs editor. What have you learned about Sam and Nancy Davis? This is horrible.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: It's incredible. There's no arrests yet, and what we have learned is that the Mexican authorities say they're working with their American counterparts.

And this couple was just an incredible couple, Brooke. They dedicated their life to Mexico. They lived there since the 1970s doing missionary work. They knew the region. They knew where they were. And this particular town that you mentioned, San Fernando is notorious for another reason.

Back last year, there were 72 migrants found shot dead, too. So this incredible tragedy now adds to the bad reputation of San Fernando, an incredibly violent place.

BALDWIN: Wasn't there also a college student killed along some roadway? This is Zeta's territory, a dangerous part of the world.

ROMO: Not only that, but also the investigators in the massacre of the migrants, they themselves were found dead. So that gives you an idea how violent this part of Mexico is. These people, Sam and Nancy Davis, they were just doing what they normally do, trying to help people in Mexico doing missionary work. They loved people.

And one incredible quote that they gave us, their friend Mary Ann Wheeler said that Nancy was a petite lady who had the tenacity of a bulldog. She used that kind of attitude to help people in Mexico.

BALDWIN: We're talking to Mary Ann Wheeler next hour. She said she was a size 5 shoe but she was a pit bull. It's sad for them. Also, though, in terms of the investigation, who's working on this on both sides of the border?

ROMO: Well, the Mexican federal police have taken over the investigation. I called the prosecutor about an hour ago and they don't have anything yet. But they say they're working with the American side officials trying to do this investigation. And if there's anything good when it comes to the history of investigations of American citizen who have died in Mexico is, if we go back to March of last year, Leslie Enriquez, an employee with the American consulate in Juarez, she and her husband were shot and killed. Two months later, the suspect in that shooting was caught.

Then in September, not too far from there right at the border in Falcon Lake --

BALDWIN: But that person hasn't been caught.

ROMO: There's two suspects that were caught. However, the Mexican justice system is so complicated and it takes so long to prosecute a case that, you know, there's all kinds of questions. At least suspects are being caught. And we sincerely hope in this case, it will be the same story.

BALDWIN: Good, let's hope justice is done. Rafael Romo, thank you for the update.

ROMO: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Now Facebook users beware. You might want to think twice before you decide to like something. More on that.

Also, we're just learning who President Obama plans to name as his next press secretary. Wolf Blitzer tells us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BALDWIN: CNN = Politics. And now President Obama has been taking your questions on YouTube of all places. Wolf Blitzer joins me now with the latest on the CNN Political Ticker. Wolf, good to see you.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Thanks very much, Brooke. I want to get to the YouTube in a moment, but our senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry reporting now the president is likely to name Jay Carney, the communications director for the vice president, the next press secretary succeeding Robert Gibbs. Jay Carney is well known to many of us here in Washington. He used to be a correspondent for "TIME" magazine. He made the transition from journalism to the White House working the past two years for the vice president, Joe Biden.

And now we expect, according to Ed Henry, him to become the next press secretary. We'll see how he does and watch him very closely, but a lot of us wish Jay success, obviously, if in fact this does happen. He's a very good guy and we've known him for a long time.

Let's get to YouTube right now. The president spent some time in his first interview he did since the State of the Union address answering YouTube questions. I was watching a big chunk of it. Very serious questions. For example, what's happening in Egypt right now. Brooke, I know you've been focusing in on that situation.

The president is saying President Mubarak has been a good ally of the United States, it's a country that made peace with Israel back in 1979, it's been a reliable partner. But at the same time they still have a long way to go on issues involving democracy and human rights. He'd like to see them do a better job.

He said he told that to Mubarak when he was recently here in Washington. We'll have a lot more on this in "The Situation Room" coming up at 5:00 p.m. eastern. A lot of people are focusing in on tomorrow. It's Friday, a day of prayer in the Muslim world. What's going to happen in the streets of Cairo, Alexandria, Suez, other major cities in Egypt tomorrow and what will the former head of the IAEA, Mohammed Al Baradei, who's now back in Egypt and a critic of President Mubarak, what will his role be. We'll have a lot on that coming up in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

And by the way, Brooke, I know you probably didn't have a chance because you were either getting ready for your show or on the air when it happened, the questions that YouTube interview for the president ranged from serious stuff like Egypt also to this. You know, this favorite class that he took when he was in college, what are you going to get Michelle, the first lady, Michelle, for Valentine's. What's your favorite part about being president, and your least favorite part about being president. So they went through the whole nine yards on stuff like that.

BALDWIN: So what did he say?

BLITZER: His favorite part about being president --

BALDWIN: Yes.

BLITZER: -- is making a decision and having an impact on someone. For example, health care reform and then meeting a cancer survivor who's going to benefit because this person is not going to be able to lose their health insurance because of preexisting conditions, for example. That's the best part, he says, of being president.

The worst part he said is being in a bubble and not getting to go out for a walk or go into a corner coffee shop, for example, something like that. You want more?

BALDWIN: I kind of want more. Hit me with the Valentine's Day gift.

BLITZER: "What will you get Michelle for Valentine's Day?" "I will tell you that the more I'm campaigning, the more I'm president, each Valentine's Day seems to get a bit more expensive, for good reason." He's not telling us this yet what he's going to get the first lady for Valentine's Day, only that he's going to spend more money this year for Valentine's Day than he spent last year or the year before.

He also says he wants to make sure that he has scheduled a date night with the first lady. He likes to have these date nights with the first lady. It's very important for any married couple. It's not just work, have a date night once in a while as well.

So some of the fun stuff that came up in this YouTube interview that I think the folks out there will probably like.

BALDWIN: I think that is fascinating. You're right, I did have to miss that, but we'll look for it on "THE SITUATION ROOM." Wolf, thank you so much.

BLITZER: Thank you.

BALDWIN: We'll get another update for you in half an hour. You can always get updates online at CNNpolitics.com. Before we hit the top of the hour, I want to get this in. The world's largest retailer basically says forget it. This isn't worth it.

And whatever you like on Facebook can now be used as an advertisement. Alison Kosik is live in New York. Allison, let's start with this Facebook story. What's the deal?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You can relate to this, I can relate to this. We're avid Facebook users. If you don't want to be an advertisement because you're a Facebook user, tough.

Here is what Facebook is doing. It's going to be like this. If you click "like," if you use the check-in feature, if you mention a company at all in your postings, it's fair game for Facebook. It means Facebook will grab it and use it as an ad.

So let's say you post something on Facebook about Starbucks, Brooke, and Starbucks can grab your post and push it to the right of -- the right side of your friends' pages where the ads are placed and they'll use your name, your picture, and what you said. They'll also link to the Starbucks Facebook page. You basically are becoming an ad, an unwitting participant in an ad that's built around your post, Brooke.

BALDWIN: So if I see Alison Kosik likes Starbucks, you know, that's not necessarily a bad thing. I just don't want them to take all my information and send it to the company.

KOSIK: You know what, it's kind of creepy, isn't it, though? I think it's creepy.

BALDWIN: It is a little bit. You start to wonder how they know all this information about you.

Before I let you go, let's talk about Wal-Mart. Apparently the retail giant giving up trying to build a new store. Where are we talking about?

KOSIK: This is in -- this was going to happen in Orange County, Virginia, right near a Civil War battlefield. It was pretty much sacred ground. This isn't just any ordinary battlefield we're talking about, you know, the location of what's known as the battle of the wilderness, you know, where the first clash between Generals Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. It was thought of as the turning point of the Civil War, so it's a big deal, this location.

So Wal-Mart got a special permit to build this store back in 2009. But you know what, everyone said no way, stop. Historic preservationists challenged it. It was stuck in legal limbo. The trial is ready to begin and all of a sudden Wal-Mart said, you know what, forget about it. We're not going forward with this.

BALDWIN: Can't be surprised.

KOSIK: So they scrapped the idea because there was too much controversy.

BALDWIN: I started TV in Virginia and that's Thomas Jefferson country, Monticello. And I remember there was a big fight I covered and they wanted to put in a grocery store. But from the view from Monticello you would see the grocery store, so they talked about putting grass on top of the grocery store, aesthetically, but I don't think that ever flew. So history takes precedence in a lot of cases.

KOSIK: There's too much historic value in that, sure, sure.

BALDWIN: Absolutely. Alison Kosik, thank you so much, live for us in New York.

KOSIK: No problem.