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Protests Continue in Egypt; Unrest in Yemen; The Tea Party Caucus Meets; American Missionary Murdered
Aired January 27, 2011 - 15:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And now just about the top of the hour here. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN (voice-over): Someone sent threats to a school district warning their children will die. Now an arrest, and the suspect has a shocking connection to the school. I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
(SHOUTING)
BALDWIN: Age doesn't matter. Religion doesn't matter. They're coming in droves to try to take down their government. And as the rage builds in Egypt, a Nobel Peace Prize winner heads to his homeland to help fight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have to listen to the people.
BALDWIN: But will Cairo crack the whip?
Plus, another uprising, this one in a place where terrorists plot and extremists train, so what does the unrest in Yemen mean for al Qaeda?
Tens of thousands of guns missing across the country, just disappeared from gun shops. And this alarming mystery is sparking fears they have ended up in the wrong hands.
Plus, 30 years after appearing on "The Dating Game," a convicted killer and rapist is sitting on death row. But now prosecutors say his killing spree includes even more murders. We're on the case.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Hello once again. I'm Brooke Baldwin. A lot of news happening right now.
Rapid fire, I want to begin with this. Just minutes ago, President Obama speaking out on the uprising there in Egypt. He says violence is not the answer. His comments come just one day before a massive protest is planned and as a Nobel Peace Prize winner arrives in Cairo to join this battle against the government. We will bring you more video and new developments there from the streets of Cairo here in just a minute. But next, also developing now, Charlie Sheen rushed to the emergency room. An ambulance took the actor from his home to a hospital in Los Angeles. We're told he suffered from some kind of stomach pains. Updates as soon as we get them.
Next, the lockdown at an Army base in Utah is over. The facility tests chemical and biological weapons and the military shut it down after a nerve agent vial went missing. Well, it has since turned up. The Army not saying where it was found or if anyone is being disciplined in connection with that incident.
Next, a wild update on this chase through the Chicago suburbs. Remember this? We showed you this yesterday, that white van. It ended when that cab collided with that school bus. So it turns out it all started with a fast-food worker fighting off a would-be robber.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM RYAN, SUBWAY: I mean, he put his hands up like Oscar de la Hoya and he went after this guy and it was on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: It was on. The fight broke out after a suspect put a dollar on the counter to buy a cookie. When the cash drawer opened, he punched the clerk in the head. The clerk refused to back down, even though he's half the suspect's size. He fought the bad guy out the door and into the cab that was parked outside.
Next, did the suspected Grim Sleeper kill even more women? "The L.A. Times" is reporting that police are investigating two more murders that may possibly be linked to his case. Lonnie Franklin is accused of killing 10 women over a couple of decades, which is why they call him the Grim Sleeper. Recently, investigators released dozens of pictures of women found in his home. And there are fears some of them may be victims.
Next, in 20 years, Muslims will make up a quarter of the people on Earth. That is according to a new study. So where will the biggest number of Muslims call home? Pakistan.
Next, we have a follow-up to the New Zealand mine explosion that happened back in November. You remember this? The chief coroner in the investigation says that all 29 victims died quickly, either immediately from the blast itself or minutes later from the toxic gas that built up in the mine.
Next, Nelson Mandela is in the hospital today. The former South African president says he is very, very sick, but it is not life- threatening. He was on vacation at the time. By the way, Mandela is 92 years old.
Next, a fire at an apartment building in Texas. Look at these pictures. Look at that smoke. This is out of Grand Prairie near Arlington. At one point firefighters had to cut holes in the roof just to vent it out. We're told, amazingly, everyone is OK. Next, another fire, another state, this one at a Naval base in Norfolk, the flames ripping through an entire empty warehouse. We're told everyone there fine as well. Crews trying to figure out what caused it.
Next, Japan's Mount Shinmoe volcano is spewing a massive plume of ash, something like 10,000 feet high. It is erupting for day two now. As a precaution, some people who live there had voluntarily left the area. They did return today, despite these pictures. The last time the volcano erupted was back in July.
Next, a circuit court judge in Maryland had a different perspective for one particular trial in Montgomery County. That is because Judge Joseph Quirk was not sitting in his usual spot, the bench. He was in the jury box. Quirk was a jury in a criminal trial but he wasn't there very long. The 11 other jurors acquitted a woman of theft.
Next, yikes, a courtroom brawl, you see it playing out here on video. The guy grabs a chair. They're down there on the floor for now, but he grabbed that chair, goes after the man who is accused of killing his pregnant sister. As you saw, officers got him out of there pretty quickly, tackling him. All that yelling, the bleeping you hear, he was screaming that he wants to kill the defendant.
There he goes again, the chair back and forth. Deputies quickly take him down there and out he goes. By the way, no one was hurt. The guy will not face charges for that outburst.
Next, my, how the school dance has changed. Listen to the rules for the upcoming Sweetheart Dance at Medina High School in Ohio: no risque clothing, no dirty dancing, blow into the Breathalyzer at the door entrance. This school so serious about checking students for alcohol, it is buying not just one, but two Breathalyzer machines and borrowing two more. The new rules will cover all future dances at Medina High.
And finally, to a story out of Humble, Texas, an accidental police shooting recorded on a dead man's cell phone. This whole thing happened while two brothers were cornered by police, who suspected the two were in a stolen vehicle. The surviving brother claims the cell phone recording proves -- actually proves his claim that he was trying to get his brother to give up when his brother was shot.
Here now, here's Kevin Reece to explain how this whole thing went down from our Houston affiliate KHOU.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOAQUIN CARLON, VICTIM'S BROTHER: I tried to call my brother and tell him like it's over with, because I know the difference between right and wrong. I know when I'm wrong. I know when to give up.
KEVIN REECE, KHOU REPORTER (voice-over): And Joaquin Carlon claims he was ready to give up after a morning of breaking into cars at Deerbrook Mall, but that his brother Esteban urged them to make a break for it in the stolen truck they were driving.
CARLON: Then my brother said to me (INAUDIBLE) go. And that's when I looked at him. And the next thing you know, the glass shatters, man. And that's when his face crumbled up.
REECE: Esteban in the passenger seat was shot in the head by an Humble police officer. Joaquin's cell phone recorded the confrontation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have got to give up now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, man, that's the police.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take these guys out?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. No man, please. He told me to just stop. (INAUDIBLE) You didn't have to shoot him.
CAPTAIN JAY WROBLISKE, HUMBLE, TEXAS, POLITICS DEPARTMENT: Attempted to break the window out with his handgun. At that time, his handgun accidentally discharged fatally shooting the suspect.
REECE: Now two days later standing side by side with a community activist Quanell X, the surviving Carlon brother doesn't make excuses for the crimes he was committing or the two previous times auto theft and other felonies have landed him and his brother in jail. Yes, they want the officers' tactics investigated, but they also offered Esteban Carlon as an object lesson for other aspiring criminals.
QUANELL X, ACTIVIST: If you decide to go and commit crimes, know that before you go, you may be putting your life on the line and you may never come home again. Soon, your lifestyle will bring you prison or death.
REECE: Message received for the surviving Carlon brother, who says his life of crime is over.
CARLON: And I see all the grief that it's caused my family. I cannot continue doing what I have been doing, man. So a job is my next step.
REECE: A job and taking care of the two young children his brother leaves behind.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: The paid officer -- or, I should say, the police officer is on paid administrative leave pending an investigation.
A murder mystery along our own border. An American missionary, here she is, she was shot to death sitting right next to her husband. And her killer, maybe killers, are still on the loose. Coming up, I will talk with one of her closest friends.
Also, a Nobel Peace Prize winner returns to his homeland, returns to Egypt to help protesters take on their government, but how will leaders in Cairo react?
And this whole new uprising in Yemen, not too far away, could have a big effect on how we fight extremists. It's all unfolding this very second. We are all over it, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: It is time take you globe-trekking with stories from overseas. And really I want to talk two countries today specifically with Hala Gorani here from CNNI.
Let's talk about Egypt. I know today is day three of those demonstrations, but the big piece of news that developed just recently is the fact that Mohamed ElBaradei is back.
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: Right, a very well-known international figure, the head of the IAEA, a Nobel laureate, so somebody very much known globally.
However, whether or not his base, his supporter base in Egypt is strong enough to help him out politically is an open question. This is him arriving at Cairo International just a few hours ago. Our Ben Wedeman was telling me there were more journalists than security than supporters at the airport.
BALDWIN: Really?
GORANI: Mohamed ElBaradei hasn't spent much time at all in his own country. As the head of the IAEA, of course he was outside of the country. And he hasn't even pronounced himself as to whether or not he will run this year for a presidential election, but he will join demonstrators tomorrow.
BALDWIN: We were reporting just a moment ago that President Obama has now sort of come forward saying -- and we know Egypt is a big, big friend of the U.S., but saying no to the violence.
GORANI: Right. All right, no to the violence.
Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, saying this is not about taking sides. Mubarak is -- quote -- "a close and important partner." Now, this is very different from the rhetoric used to describe demonstrations and demonstrators in Tunisia.
The U.S., and this was during the State of the Union speech by President Obama, stands with the people of Tunisia. It's worrying for the United States, aligned and allied with authoritarian regimes for the sake of stability in many cases. And it's the same as we're going to see in Yemen. I'm sure that the United States will have the same issues with how to react to demonstrations in that country.
BALDWIN: Before we talk about Yemen, though, talk to me about what's happening tomorrow. Is it just Cairo specifically where this million man march will take place?
GORANI: All right, the organizers are hoping and are calling on a million people to come out on the streets of Cairo, but these protests and some of the most violent instances of the protests have happened in Suez, the port city, as well as in some cases Alexandria. And Suez is where some of the protester deaths occurred as well.
So tomorrow is going to be a big test. Why? Because we have the opposition leader, Mohamed ElBaradei, but, more importantly, because the most -- the strongest opposition party, the Muslim Brotherhood, is joining finally the party.
BALDWIN: Which is huge.
GORANI: Now, it is huge because the government has always said that all this unrest has been stirred up by the Muslim Brotherhood. Organizers and witnesses on the ground have said for days it is not the case.
But now that the Muslim Brotherhood joins the march, what will happen and how will the government then use that participation of the opposition party? Perhaps even to crack down a little bit harder on the demonstrators. So it's going to be a crucial day tomorrow for Egypt.
BALDWIN: So we watch Egypt again tomorrow, day four. But then also percolating in Yemen, in Sanaa, is the fact that all these people are now protesting to try to get that president out.
(CROSSTALK)
GORANI: And a very different country, Yemen, because Yemen is one of the most impoverished in the Middle East. It is a haven for al Qaeda in some parts. It is facing the threat of secession of a portion of its country. It has a very weak central government.
And these protesters don't seem to even agree all on the message. Some want the president ousted. Others want independence for a portion of their country. And, as we mentioned, al Qaeda, you know that plot --
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: AQAP.
GORANI: Right. The toner cartridge plot was hatched there. And al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is becoming rather strong and gaining a foothold.
So it's two very different countries, but again Tunisia inspiring some demonstrations in the Arab world. It is a very special time in that part of the world right now.
BALDWIN: It is. We will of course -- we will talk Egypt again tomorrow. Hala Gorani, thank you so much.
And now there's this alarming mystery, it's unfolding right now. You have tens of thousands of guns, poof, missing, gone, disappeared. Where are they? And how could dealers let this happen? That is ahead.
Also this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have members of the rules committee --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have a right to debate on the house floor.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: May I speak?
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody please take the roll.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Didn't we just talk about civility in politics? Apparently these guys did not get the message. So what on Earth is all the fuss about? Joe Johns has the "Political Pop." He's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Time now for some "Political Pop."
You know, it's been a couple of days since the State of the Union address when some Democrats, some Republicans in a show of symbolic bipartisanship sat together side-by-side for the president's speech. And the question on our minds is whether any of that, you know, symbolism will translate, will turn into a behavioral change for Democrats and Republicans.
Joe Johns here to talk about that with me.
Joe, is it too early to tell? What are you hearing?
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, of course I'm not cynical, as you know.
BALDWIN: No, not at all.
(LAUGHTER)
JOHNS: On the other hand, look, did anybody really think this was going to go very far? Right now on the Capitol, it's all organizational stuff but you can still sort of read the tea leaves, Brooke. It really doesn't look like Kumbaya.
Probably one of the really good examples is the first meeting of the Tea Party Caucus. Now these are all Republicans, the met today -- it's just three of them really, Jim DeMint, Rand Paul, Mike Lee, there might be another, might be a couple more that sign on. And they have gotten a lot of Tea Party support over the years.
So they get together with some of their, you know, organizers, some of their followers or what have you and just talk about what their purposes are, what they want to do, what they want to accomplish and so on.
Meanwhile, outside this room you're looking at, there are already a number of Democratic senators sniping away. We've already seen a lot of talk about how the Tea Party on Capitol Hill is a huge threat to Social Security.
Well, the fact of the matter is, I just said there are three of them. And except for Senator DeMint, the others are pretty much going to be Republican-backed benchers. So how much of a threat to Social Security could they really be?
That's one of those things that makes you think, uh-oh, just business as usual. That and the issue, of course, of the filibuster right now. There was a lot of talk about getting rid of the filibuster, that 60-vote margin, or at least fixing it and it doesn't look like they're going to happen to fix that either.
BALDWIN: OK. So, Joe "Cynical" Johns, I know we've been trying to talk about civil discourse, you know, people being polite, but there's some really great video that we wanted to pass it along.
Why don't you talk us through it. Getting a little extreme politically.
JOHNS: Right, right. Well, it sort of goes under the heading of how things in Congress are almost always civil compared to some of the stuff that goes on in the state legislatures. And a good example of this is the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives.
They have been working on some reform issues and then, as some of the reporting noted, the wheels just sort of came off. It was supposed to be democracy at work and it quickly descended into a screaming match, almost worthy of the European parliaments.
Let's just listen in.
BALDWIN: Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you telling us we can't debate into the bill anymore?
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that what you're saying?
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll give you an opportunity, Representative (INAUDIBLE), to make your speech.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have members of the rules committee -- we have members of the rules committee -- we have members of the rules committee --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have a right to speak.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: May I speak?
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: May I speak?
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No!
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have a right to speak!
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: May I speak?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: You see the cameraman starting to pull out. I was just thinking, let me see what's going on.
Look at that back and forth.
JOHNS: It's incredible. I mean you would think this is sort of a precursor to World Federation Wrestling or something.
BALDWIN: We just thought it was worthy of passing along. Gentlemen, let's play nice.
Joe Johns with the "Political Pop." Joe, thank you.
JOHNS: You know --
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: What are you going to do? We're going to move on.
JOHNS: Exactly, exactly. I mean, needless to say, the Congress gets bad, but not that bad.
BALDWIN: Not that bad, thank goodness.
Joe, thank you.
Who sent a threatening letter to a school district in Texas? Now someone is behind bars. And coming up, I'll tell you why the suspect is a familiar face at school.
Also, an American missionary is gunned down south of the U.S./Mexico border. So what exactly was she doing there and who did this? Up next, we're going to talk with her very close friend. Stay right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: It was a life dedicated to helping others meets a brutal end just south of the U.S./Mexico border. Here's what police in Texas have pieced together, at least so far, about the murder of American missionary Nancy Davis.
Armed men tried to stop her and her husband, Sam, in their pickup truck just yesterday, this is right around San Fernando, Mexico. So the couple, obviously, tried to get away. Sam Davis hit the gas. The men shot at them. Nancy Davis was hit in the head. Her husband did not slow down, he drove against traffic in a 70-mile mad dash to the border, but he could not save his wife. She died at a south Texas hospital.
Mary Anne Wheeler is a friend of the Davis family.
Mary Anne, I understand you've known the Davises since back in 1996 doing missionary work. How would you describe Nancy?
MARY ANNE WHEELER, DAVIS FAMILY FRIEND (via telephone): I would describe her as a little petite lady that loved god and loved the Mexican people. Her whole deal (ph) was to help them, to encourage them, help them physically, with their health and also spiritually.
BALDWIN: You say she loved the Mexican people. She went down there with her husband very often. I think they also had a home there.
What were they doing? What sort of work were they doing?
MARY: Actually, they have been there about 40 years. Her husband was raised down there. His father was a missionary helping in different area churches. But when they got married, they went down there for a while, didn't have any place to live. You're talking 40 years ago. They lived under a tree for a while.
And their heart throb was to help the Mexican people draw close to god, help them to be all they could be spiritually. They would be the taxi drivers to take them to the hospital or take them places. She was a registered nurse. And any -- you could look at her for advice or for a shoulder to cry on or to say a prayer for you because she cared.
She was the kind of person when she asked you how you were doing, she said it for two reasons, she cared and she wanted to hear it.
BALDWIN: So, Mary Anne, this area, though, of Mexico, San Fernando, is this whole strong hold for this ruthless drug cartel, the Zetas. You talk about this stretch of highway here, it's very, very dangerous, there was a college student who was killed there. You know, and obviously Sam and Nancy stood out at Americans. So why risk the violence?
MARY: They felt like that it was their life. It wasn't a paying job like we're getting really good pay so we'll stay in this area for right now. They felt like that there were people that they had helped and loved and worked with for 40 years, and then to pull out -- there are a lot of missionaries still in Mexico that are not pulling out even though it's still dangerous, and they just felt like that's where god wanted them to.
In fact, back in September they were at a church up in southern Indiana, and they shared with the people, every morning and when we get up, we say to ourselves, is this our last day. Is this our last day? And so they literally lived each day wondering if that was the last day, and reaching out and doing what got wanted them to do that day.
BALDWIN: They knew it was dangerous. They knew it was dangerous. They had been chased down before in Mexico, is that right?
MARY: Fourteen times.
BALDWIN: Fourteen times. Chased down, yet they kept going back.
MARY: He was able to get away from them every time.
BALDWIN: Except for this last time.
And if I could just -- this is my final question to you. And he seems so dedicated to his work in Mexico, I think I probably already know the answer, but will Mr. Davis, will he stay at home in Texas or will he continue his work in Mexico?
MARY: I don't think he'll leave his people in Mexico. I think he'll be back there.
BALDWIN: Mary Anne Wheeler, thank you for coming in and telling me about your friends.
MARY: Thank you for allowing me to.
BALDWIN: Listen to this number, gun dealers lost 56 firearms a day over the past couple of years. Do the math, that is tens of thousands of guns now missing. Where could they be? That is ahead.
Also, remember how taxpayers -- you, me -- we bailed out wall street and millions of people lost their jobs? Well, apparently the whole financial crisis could have been avoided. "Reporter Roulette" once again, "Reporter Roulette" times four is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Thousands of missing guns, the financial crisis could have been avoided, snow weary in Boston, and the latest drug craze. Time to play Reporter Roulette today. Jeanne Meserve joining me live from Washington. Jeanne, I know you crunched the math here. 62,000 guns missing. How is that possible?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's over a three-year period. Just last year, it was 21,000.
Here's how they say it happens. Dealers don't have records of sales. They say we lost them, they were stolen, but some people who believe there are some corrupt gun dealers and what they're doing is selling them under the table and letting them go out to people who have not had background checks.
BALDWIN: What's -- how does one solve the problem here?
MESERVE: Well, some people say it has something to do with ATF resources, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. They're the ones who do the inspections and get those numbers on how many are missing. They only have about 600 inspectors. There are like 60,000 licensed gun dealers. They can't inspect all of them every year. In fact, it's usually one inspection every six years or so.
So, some people say if they had more inspectors, more money and more authority. Right now there's federal law that says that gun dealers do not have to do annual inventories of their guns. There are some people who believe that if they did have to do that, it would help the ATF get a handle on the problem.
BALDWIN: Still, it's a shocking number, 62,000. Jeanne Meserve live in D.C. Jeanne, thank you.
Next on Reporter Roulette, the 2008 financial meltdown that sent this whole country into turmoil didn't have to happen. At least, that is the finding in a government report released today. On that, here is Alison Kosik in New York.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, how's this for a headline. The financial crisis could have been avoided. That's what we heard from a federal commission today. What does this mean?
It means that the millions of jobs that were lost and millions of foreclosures, the huge hits to all of our portfolios all could have been avoided. So, who does the commission blame for all of this? Pretty much everybody. Federal regulators under both presidents Bush and Obama, the banking industry and really, just everyday Americans.
The fact is, there just weren't enough rules and regulations in place. Too many financial firms took on too much risk and acted recklessly. And it even said Americans borrowed more than they could afford. And don't forget this about the greed and the loss of accountability and ethics here. You know, the scary part in all of this, the commission says, is that this all could happen again if we don't learn from this. Brooke.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Alison Kosik in New York. Alison, thank you.
Next on Reporter Roulette, I want to go to meteorologist Reynolds Wolf and a very snow-weary Boston. Reynolds.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: The situation in Boston is actually pretty good. In about a 12-hour span, we had some 11.5 inches of snowfall. Much of the snow gone from the roadways. They have had plows like this one working around the clock keeping things nice and clear. Sidewalks, you can see right over there also in pretty good shape, which is also good news.
I will tell you, though, that the Boston Area Public schools remain closed. City services, though are back on track. City hall, everyone was expected to show up for work today. I'm sure they are there. And community service centers actually opened this morning right on time at 6:30. They'll be open till 7:00.
Although the roads are fine, another mode of transportation has been a little bit troublesome, and that has to do with the airports. There have been some 300 cancellations, either to planes arriving or taking off. That should get better overnight and certainly into tomorrow. One of the reasons why, dry air moving into the region. The sun is out, the wind has died down, the snow is going, going, gone. However, there is in the forecast the possibility of 1 to 2 inches of snowfall.
Shouldn't be as bad as this particular storm, though. Let's get back to you, Brooke.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Reynolds, thank you. You know the roads were better because of salt on some of those roadways, but what about bath salts? Could that be the next new drug trend? Fourth and final Reporter Roulette, here is Elizabeth Cohen with that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, who knew that Americans were using bath salts to get high? But people who use them say it feels like they're snorting coke or doing amphetamines because there is a chemical in the salts that actually is a stimulant.
Now, there are reports all over the nation of people using these bath salts. They're all over the place. You can buy them in stores, they're relatively inexpensive. Now, in Louisiana they have some statistics that really are quite terrible. They say that since September, they have had 84 people coming to the emergency room paranoid or having hallucinations or even thoughts of suicide. They say their poison control center gets four to five calls a day about people who have taken these and have become paranoid or agitated or very, very angry.
Brooke, in addition to smoking these crystals, people are also injecting them and snorting them, and they are truly dangerous. Brooke.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Bath salt. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you. And that is today's Reporter Roulette.
Next, someone sends a letter to a school district threatening the lives of children. There's the letter. Now an arrest today. But the link between the school and this alleged suspect might surprise you. I'll talk with that school superintendent. That is next.
Also, we are starting to get some hints as to who may or may not be running for president come 2012. And the announcements could be coming very soon. Jessica Yellin is standing by. We'll get your CNN political ticker next.
But first this, if you are a dog person like me, listen up. The American Kennel Club, AKC, have released this annual list of the most popular dogs in the U.S. I want you to look through the list, we've got the top five for you. Did your favorite breed make the list? Let's find out. Number five, golden retriever. Number four, for all you Snoopy fans, you'll appreciate this, the beagle. Number three, look at that hair! Yorkshire Terrier. So, what could be the two most popular dogs in the U.S.? We're going to have that for you, and a shameless promotion for my own dog after the break.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: You know, the saying dogs are a man's best friend, but which dog breeds are the most popular? I now have the top two most popular dogs in the U.S. Did you guess? This is all according to the American Kennel Club. First let's go to number one, the German Shepherd. And number one, for the 20th straight year, the Lab. Aww, Labrador Retriever.
But you know what, look, I'm the anchor of this show, so I'm allowed to go a little rogue here. I'm not so happy with this top five list, so Roger, let's roll this picture. My pug! My pug, kayaks with me. I mean come on, AKC. No pug love? Come talk to me next year, for next year's list, will you?
Let's get to Jessica Yellin with the latest news here from the political ticker. Jessica, are you a dog girl? JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I am. I've had labs my whole life, but that is a pretty cute pug, I must say. That's a winner. Put him on the list.
OK, we do have a little bit of news coming in in what we can call "Republican roulette," the big game of who is going to run and who will not run for president. One name is now off the list. A Republican Congressman, Mike Pence from Indiana, is going to announce later today that he is not seeking a presidential bid, but he might actually explore a run for governor. CNN has gotten three sources on this -- or multiple sources, and we expect that announcement sometime later today.
But there's a long list of other possibles, and among those who are studying time frames without announcing decisions, South-- North Dakota's Senator Thune and also Newt Gingrich say they'll decide sometime later in February. Mitt Romney says that he doesn't know when he's going to decide, but this moment calls for a candidate who seems just like him. And then Mike Huckabee is playing it awfully coy. The bottom line is the game is who can get in the latest. So, everybody seems to be pushing the clock.
One name we always talk about when it comes to presidential politics, Sarah Palin. Some news about her PAC. Her PAC currently has $1.3 million. Now, in the world of campaign finance right now, that doesn't seem like a lot of money, but it is a lot because we have no elections right now. And to have that much cash on hand means -- whether she runs for president or if she doesn't, she will still have a hefty war chest to contribute to other candidates and help influence the next races.
And here's a little bit of political dish. There's this novel out, "O," which is about what the Obama campaign might be like in 2012. And it's been written by Anonymous. So, one of the big guessing games is who wrote it.
OK, is that just here in Washington, like no one there is guessing about this?
BALDWIN: Of course they are.
YELLIN: OK, good! Because "Time" magazine's Mark Halperin is reporting it is Mark Salter who wrote it, a long-time aide to John McCain. He said there's all sorts of reasons why he's deduced this, but he gave a non-denial denial that's convinced him it's definitely Mark Salter. So I don't know. Go out and buy the book and see if it seems written by a McCain aide.
BALDWIN: So, there's that one name, Jessica, and thank you, by the way. But I have another name for you. It looks like a major staffing announcement will happen today at the White House. According to our colleague, Ed Henry, here with us at CNN, he is reporting - or, that this guy, Jay Carney will be named the successor to Robert Gibbs as the White House press secretary. He has been the vice president's communication director, actually, since the start of the Obama administration. So again we're expecting that announcement a little later today.
So, Jessica, thank you very much.
YELLIN: Thank you. We all know Jay is a good guy.
BALDWIN: Yes. That's what Wolf was saying earlier. Been around D.C. for a long, long time, good friend. Thank you.
And do you remember this story? Horrifying threats aimed at schools in Bay City, Texas. Threatening e-mails sent along with a letter threatening to kill students unless, quote, "bleeding heart liberals crack down on discipline." Substitute teacher Paul Nolan May has been arrested on suspicion of making terroristic threats.
Keith Brown is the superintendent of the Bay City Independent School District, and he is good enough to join me once again by phone. Keith, Paul Nolan May, how confident are you that you have the guy?
KEITH BROWN, SUPERINTENDENT, BAY CITY INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT (via phone): We definitely believe that we have the person who made the 12 threats by phone yesterday.
BALDWIN: You do. Do you know him at all? Did he have a child at the school? Did he substitute a lot?
BROWN: Yes, he did substitute. He was a frequent substitute since October of 2008 until now. He was a very reliable substitute for us, and he does have children in our district.
BALDWIN: Can you speak to his character at all? What was he like?
BROWN: As far as I know, he had a great rapport with all the students, faculty, parents and all the constituents of our school district.
BALDWIN: Huh. So, he was arrested on -- the charge exactly is suspicion of making terroristic threats. So, I guess it's still unclear as to whether or not he really is the one who wrote the text messages or wrote that letter that we talked about at the beginning of the year that was riddled with profanity and misspellings, is that correct?
BROWN: Yes, ma'am, that's correct. All he was arrested for was making 12 phone calls yesterday.
BALDWIN: Any indication, perhaps from police or conversations you've had with anyone else, that he could have acted alone versus working with others?
BROWN: At this time, they haven't given me any information to indicate that way.
BALDWIN: You know, when you and I talked I think it was early January, you talked a lot, obviously, about placing a priority on students and student safety and upping security. Are those precautions still in place, sir?
BROWN: Absolutely, they have been, and we've done a great job. We've had no incidents on any of our campuses and we've been on high alert since this took place.
BALDWIN: What about parents, though? I know you went public with that letter, you sent that letter to parents to raise awareness of what was going on. What sort of feedback have you been getting from moms and dads?
BROWN: They were very happy with our response and the fact that we are totally transparent with the situation. Our attendance suffered for a few days, but we're back to our normal attendance rates at this time.
BALDWIN: So you are back. Because I had read that absenteeism was down to 50 percent. So now, today, you can tell me it's back to normal?
BROWN: Back to normal attendance-wise, yes, ma'am.
BALDWIN: All right.
Keith Brown for me in Texas.
Keith, thanks so much for that update and that arrest news.
Now, the feds say Jared Lee Loughner surfed the Web before the deadly shootings in Tucson just a couple of weeks ago. He Googled everything from assassinations to solitary confinement. So with that information that investigators have now gleaned, would it help or hurt his defense? We are "On the Case."
And if you were guaranteed -- think about this, if you were guaranteed $12 million, would you say, hey, no thanks, walk away? One athlete did just that. His reasons? You're not going to hear this very often. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: You know, it seems that drug smugglers try just about everything to get across the border. We've seen boats and planes and tunnels, even clever disguises for the contraband. You think you've seen it all? Then "You Gotta See This!"
Alas, the cannabis catapult. It's a far-flung smuggling attempt, perhaps.
And then look at the surveillance video. I know it's kind of grainy, but that actually shows this thing in action.
The half-baked operation, a high-flying failure. Agents closed in and the criminals cleared out, leaving the pot and the catapult behind.
And here is something you've got to see, but you might never want to see. Not in your neighborhood, at least.
A five-foot-long lizard -- look at that tongue -- it had been, you know, strolling its lizardly ways down a street. That is just the surprise that got people in Riverside, California, yesterday. Animal control called in, wrangled this roaming reptile. Officials expect someone will eventually claim it.
And here is a topic for conversation for you over the dinner table tonight. Would you walk away from $12 million if you didn't think you had earned it?
I ask you this question today simply because this man -- this is Gil Meche, and according to reports, in this picture for the Kansas City Royals, is retiring at the ripe old age of 32. He still had $12 million left on his contract for one more year. He told "The New York Times" he didn't feel like he deserved the last year of pay from his contract.
He is also not going to have surgery on his right shoulder. By the way, if we're keeping tabs on his finances, he had already made more than $40 million. He says he appreciate the millions for him and his children. During his four years with the team, he won 29 games, lost 39.
And with that, we turn to Wolf Blitzer with a quick little preview of what he is doing in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
Wolf, what do you think? Twelve million dollars -- do you think you could just say, hey, thanks, but no thanks?
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: I don't think I could. What about you?
BALDWIN: I don't think so.
BLITZER: No.
BALDWIN: That's a lot of money.
BLITZER: No. It's a lot of money. You know what they used to say? My dad would always say it.
BALDWIN: What?
BLITZER: He would say, rich or poor, it's good to have money.
BALDWIN: It is. A little bit.
BLITZER: So that's very important.
All right. Let's talk a little bit about what's coming up in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
BALDWIN: Yes.
BLITZER: We've got a lot of politics coming up. We expect the official announcement, as you've been reporting, Jay Carney to be Robert Gibbs' successor as the new White House press secretary. That announcement we expect to come up later today, probably during the 5:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. Eastern hour. We'll bring that to our viewers, of course, as well.
We're all over what's happening in Egypt right now. They're gearing up. Tomorrow could be a huge day.
It's Friday, a day of prayer in the Muslim world. But the streets probably will be very, very active tomorrow. Young people, the Muslim Brotherhood, others, Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the IAEA who won a Nobel Peace Prize a few years ago, he's back in Egypt. He'll be demonstrating. President Mubarak's government in deep trouble right now.
We also have a special interview with Congressman Anthony Weiner, who's standing by, a live interview. We're going to talk to him about what's going on.
I'm going to ask him what's going on in Egypt. He knows a lot about the Middle East, what the stakes are for the United States right now as well.
So it's a full two hours, Brooke. We'll be here.
BALDWIN: We will see you in a few minutes, Wolf Blitzer. Thank you very much.
And they call him the "Dating Game Killer." He appeared on the popular show, then went on to kill multiple women. Well, now, as he is sitting on death row, there is word of even more murders.
Sunny Hostin is "On the Case." She is next.
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BALDWIN: Now to tomorrow's news day. Let's "Fast Forward."
NASA will remember those seven astronauts killed in the space shuttle Challenger explosion. Can you believe tomorrow marks 25 years since that disaster?
Also, the Department of Transportation will be revealing a brand new method of keeping drunk drivers off the road. We're told it will be the first time the public has seen this.
And more than 350,000 people will get together at the oldest and largest winter carnival in the country, the St. Paul event known as the coolest -- get it -- celebration on earth. Of course you get it.
Revelations about the Tucson shooting suspect, Jared Lee Loughner's Web surfing. A law enforcement source says he searched for information on political assassinations, lethal injection, and also searched for information on solitary confinement.
Sunny Hostin is "On the Case." And Sunny, how might prosecutors use that information?
SUNNY HOSTIN, "IN SESSION," TRUTV: Well, this is significant, Brooke. They're going to use it of course to combat any alleged insanity defense, because we know that that is probably where this defense is going.
If this becomes a death penalty case, which many, many are saying that it will, they need to be able to combat this insanity defense. If he is planning something, if he's looking at assassinations, and not only his actions, but the potential consequences like lethal injection, that really speaks against someone being insane at the time they committed a crime.
BALDWIN: Would this -- all this Web surfing indicate some sort of obsession with killing Congresswoman Giffords. And can someone who's obsessed be insane?
HOSTIN: Well, someone that's obsessed certainly can be insane. Certainly, it appears that he was obsessed not only with this congresswoman, but also with just assassination altogether.
But I will say that does not necessarily mean under the legal standard that he was insane at the time that he committed these crimes. The prosecution is alleging sort of premeditation. And the fact that he was doing this research indicates to me that an insanity defense, Brooke, is going to be a bit difficult.
BALDWIN: Let me ask you about this possible distinction. Would there be a legal difference between someone who say, boom, suddenly snaps and someone who's mentally unstable, yet is able to plan ahead?
HOSTIN: Absolutely. Absolutely. There's a big difference under the law with someone who snaps, and then maybe is insane at the time they commit a crime and they just can't appreciate their actions, they don't know the difference between wrong or right at that moment, as opposed to someone who could be mentally ill but knows what they are doing and is planning what they are doing. The latter, Brooke, would not be a successful insanity defense.
BALDWIN: That's interesting.
Next case.
New charges against the "Dating Game Killer." You remember Rodney Alcala. He was the winner on "The Dating Game" way back in 1978. In fact, we pulled this clip out of the archives. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's your best time?
RODNEY ALCALA, "DATING GAME KILLER": The best time is at night. Nighttime.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: Well, that man already on death row in California for killing four women and a 12-year-old girl. Today, the Manhattan D.A. announced has been charged with murdering two women in New York.
So how did they link this man who is in California, Sunny, to these two other killings on the other side of the country?
HOSTIN: It's just so unbelievable. I think it's just good old- fashioned detective work.
What I think was wonderful here was that the district attorney in Manhattan said cold cases are not forgotten cases. We built this case one brick at a time.
They had a lot of DNA evidence from some of the other murders. They had his pretty rare blood type. And they connected him to the crimes here in New York. Really just wonderful for the New York detectives that worked on this.
BALDWIN: Good old-fashioned detective work.
HOSTIN: That's right.
BALDWIN: And who were these two New York victims? What are you learning?
HOSTIN: Well, what I'm learning is one is Cornelia Crilly (ph), who was a 23-year-old TWA flight attendant. She was found raped and strangled, Brooke, inside her Upper East Side apartment in 1971, the summer of 1971.
The other victim, Ellen Hover (ph), who was also 23, living in Manhattan. And she was found murdered in Westchester County in 1977. A long time ago, certainly cold cases. Not forgotten, though.
BALDWIN: So we have these victims. Might there be other victims the police don't even know about yet?
HOSTIN: There really very well may be. I mean, this is apparently a serial killer, a serial rapist.
His profile is one of violence, someone that hates women. And now we have not only crimes in California, but also on the other side of the United States, in New York. And so certainly this may be the very beginning. Maybe we're going to hear a lot more about this "Dating Game Killer."
BALDWIN: Twenty seconds. You mentioned cold case units, cold cases. How successful are they really?
HOSTIN: You know, I think we're hearing more and more successes. Traditionally, they weren't that successful. That's why they were called cold cases. But with DNA and all of the progress that has been made, I think we're going to be hearing a lot more about cold cases being solved, Brooke. Good news.
BALDWIN: Sunny Hostin -- that is great news.
Sunny Hostin, "On the Case."
Thank you so much, Sunny.
I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thanks for watching our show.
We'll turn to it Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
Wolf, to you.
