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Florida Judge Strikes Health Care Law; Thousands Fleeing Egypt; Monster Snowstorm Targets Midwest
Aired January 31, 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: Drew, thank you.
Yes, Jeff Toobin, stay on the line.
We're going to continue following this breaking story. We have got our crew assembling right now from those folks who cover the -- the U.S. Supreme Court. We will talk to them. We will talk to White House and we will try to get a -- a reaction from -- from the administration as well. So, we're all over that.
Also, though, another -- a couple other items I want to pass along at this hour, this story here. Thousands of Americans, they are trying to get out of Egypt. Look at the pictures. This is inside of the Cairo Airport. We're going to speak with some of them. Here's the caveat to that -- that is, if they're not able to board flights out of Cairo as I speak.
At the same time, a group of elite U.S. Marines heading into Egypt to protect the American Embassy in Cairo.
As for the Egyptian people, the seventh day of their uprising is now coming to an end. They are seven hours ahead of us, at least on the East Coast -- so, that makes it at just about midnight -- or just after midnight there -- where their focus turns to the -- to the simple supplies here, food, water, gas.
We're also keeping an eye on how easy it is for companies doing business on the Suez Canal, because that can affect food and oil prices for all of us watching from afar. So, we're going to get to all of those issues this hour.
Plus, the monster snowstorm bearing down on the Midwest, airlines, I'm told, already canceling flights left and right.
But I want to begin this hour in Egypt. And I'm about to show you something right now that is actually reassuring a lot of people. Take a look with me. That is a uniformed policeman. There he is on the street, on the job in Cairo. And it's reassuring because the police presence in Cairo pretty much vanished over this past weekend.
Now, the protesters had the city to themselves. They ignored that dusk-to-dawn curfew. In addition to that, thousands of prison inmates busted out with no one there to stop them, to police them. And those who live there took up arms. They actually were the ones who patrolled their own neighborhoods against all the looters. So, Egypt's state-run news agency says police officers are back on duty now in all districts of Cairo.
And I want to take you now live there to our own Ivan Watson.
And, Ivan, I know we saw you all weekend long covering -- covering all the demonstrators and what's been happening. We have seen you in the thick of things in very angry crowds. Do me a favor and just set the scene for me today vs. what you were in the middle of just yesterday.
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'm -- I'm in a central square of Cairo, Tahrir -- or Liberation -- Square, where thousands of people are very peacefully gathered and demonstrating.
It's becoming more of a sit-in, with tents and campfires under the palm trees. We saw a handful of police officers, traffic police, at some points in the city today, but, for the most part, Brooke, what we saw were Egyptian soldiers and tanks spreading out through this sprawling city.
Take a look at this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON (voice-over): One of the world's most famous landmarks now guarded by army tanks.
(on camera): Soldiers have been deployed all around this city, and the tanks are even parked here at one of the ancient wonders of the world, the Great Pyramids of Giza.
(voice-over): An army officer insisted the Pyramids are still open for tourists, but the soldiers wouldn't let us come any closer. On Monday, the troop presence was dramatically increased in Cairo, soldiers trained to defend their country from foreign enemies now taking on the duties of largely absent police -- an effort to restore law and order in a frightened city bearing the scars of several days and nights of unrest.
(on camera): This is part of what has Egyptians so scared right now, a number of hotels and cabarets and casinos like this that were torched and looted in the first days of the protests.
(voice-over): Most of the businesses in town are still closed. With the normal working day cut in half by a curfew that started at 3:00 p.m., Egyptians had a few short hours to shop for groceries -- among those foraging for food in largely empty streets, this family from Taiwan stranded while on vacation, hoping to catch a flight out of the country on Tuesday.
After a week of sweeping historic changes, some Egyptians taking it upon themselves to clean up the debris left by days of protests.
(on camera): There is a civic-minded dimension to this protest movement here. We have come to the street, and ordinary people, they're not being paid to do this. These are volunteers, students, demonstrators who are out cleaning up the streets.
Is somebody paying you to clean these streets?
ISRA NASRI, EGYPTIAN PHARMACY STUDENT: No, no, no. No somebody pay me. No, I'm just -- I'm volunteer. I'm coming -- no, no, no pay, no -- no money, no.
WATSON: And why -- why -- why are you volunteering?
(CROSSTALK)
NASRI: Because this my country. No reason. This my country. I wanted to clean it.
WATSON: What is going to happen to your country?
NASRI: I don't know, but I want it to better. That's all I want, to be better and to be -- to have a good president.
WATSON (voice-over): After years of fear, these Egyptians are no longer afraid to repeat this simple demand: They want a better government.
(CHANTING)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: Now, Brooke, it's 10:00 p.m. local time here, hours after the 3:00 p.m. curfew.
I'm going to step out of the way and Joe's (ph) going to zoom in, so that you can see this peaceful defiance against the government of President Hosni Mubarak. For the first time, we have seen a screen set up, a makeshift screen, people showing (AUDIO GAP) some campfires under the palm trees of Tahrir Square, and people continuing to chant, calling for the resignation of their president -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: Ivan, we can barely make out -- obviously, our signal not the best at the moment there looking over into Tahrir Square.
But, Ivan Watson, we appreciate you live in Cairo.
And I want to switch gears. We promise to get back on the breaking news here. We have also heard from the White House in the last hour. This is on Egypt. The phase -- the phrase of the day coming out of the Obama administration appears to be orderly transition.
Here is Robert Gibbs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I do believe orderly transition means change. And what we have advocated from the very beginning is that the way Egypt looks and operates must change. That's that's -- that's why we believe we should increase the amount of freedom that is had by the Egyptian people on association, on assembly, on speech, on Internet, and communication -- open communication.
But that's not for us to determine what the parameters and what the limits of those are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Remember, President Obama called on President Mubarak on Friday night. He said the United States wants to ensure the freedom of the people of Egypt.
But we have not seen a strong demand for free and fair elections, which is what the leaders of Germany, France, and Great Britain have called for.
Want to also stay here in Washington. This is the story I wanted to get to. We're -- we're -- we're waiting to hear from the White House on the other breaking story. This federal judge out of Pensacola, Florida, has now struck down key parts of the health care law, striking them down as unconstitutional.
And I have two people on the line with me. I have Jeff Toobin, our senior legal analyst, and Bill Mears with us covering the -- the U.S. Supreme Court.
And, Jeff, I just want to begin with you, because what I understand is this federal judge -- let's see -- his name is Roger Vinson -- he has struck down parts of this health care reform bill. And I -- I'm assuming this -- this includes that mandate requiring most Americans to purchase health insurance in -- in four years or else face stiff penalties.
What does this mean? Is this part of the greater perhaps momentum that's going forward in addition to the ruling out of Richmond a month ago, or does it simply mean this has to go to the Supreme Court?
TOOBIN: Well, it really means it has to go to the Supreme Court.
It -- it is very similar to the ruling in Virginia. It's important to mention there are several federal judges that have found the law constitutional, which -- which have disagreed with the judge in Virginia in -- and Florida. It is not surprising that judges appointed by Democratic presidents have tended to uphold the law, judges appointed by Republicans have found it unconstitutional.
This is why we have a United States Supreme Court, to settle when judges disagree with each other, and here, on a very important issue, that's exactly what we have.
BALDWIN: Jeff, stand by with me, because I want to bring in Bill.
And my question regarding this whole mandate, is the government- mandated-health-insurance-for-individuals provision under the Affordable Care Act, is that constitutional?
BILL MEARS, CNN SUPREME COURT PRODUCER: That's the whole issue. Does it step on -- by requiring Americans to purchase a product, the big question is does that violate the constitutional protections against -- that Americans have -- have long held? That's -- that's the big issue here.
This judge has found that it's -- the individual -- the individual mandate is unconstitutional, and, as such, he has declared the entire act to be void. That includes the Medicare provisions that states are under. It's a pretty sweeping ruling that -- that -- that goes against what Jeff -- as Jeff said, against what other federal judges have said.
BALDWIN: I'm just curious, because I remember sitting here a month ago, and Jeff alluded to the -- the federal judge in Richmond who also was appointed by a Republican president. Is -- are there other federal cases pending? I mean, where do we go next?
MEARS: This is the biggest one, because it's one of two dozen federal lawsuits that are floating around the courts. This one is the biggest one because it involves 26 states that have signed on to Florida's challenge to the -- to the Obamacare act.
So, it's the biggest one that they have been following. What it -- it's -- it really is one of just two dozen that are floating around.
BALDWIN: And we should also mention, in addition to that ruling in Richmond, I think it was last month, where that judge essentially agreed with this judge today out of Pensacola, Florida, this is all after the U.S. House of Representatives voted earlier this month to -- to repeal the law.
So, Jeff, you know, obviously, some people really pleased with the -- the -- the sweeping health care reform, and some not -- not at all. What do you see going forward here --
TOOBIN: Well --
BALDWIN: -- beyond the fact that this has to go to the -- the highest court.
TOOBIN: Well, I think the -- the time has now come for handicapping how the United States Supreme Court will rule on this.
And, as most people know, this Supreme Court is very evenly divided between liberals and conservatives. Anthony Kennedy tends to be the swing vote. I would not be at all surprised that he would be the swing vote in this case as well. When you consider that this is the signature achievement of the Obama administration, and that it is hanging by a legal thread right now --
BALDWIN: Hmm.
TOOBIN: -- it's -- it's a cause of great concern to supporters of the law.
BALDWIN: At -- at what point would we even begin to anticipate that -- the Supreme Court taking this up? Do we know?
TOOBIN: That's a -- that -- it's -- it's tough to gauge -- gauge how the Supreme Court will handle this.
I think, at the earliest, it would be heard this spring, but I think probably next fall would be a -- a more likely time. The Supreme Court operates by its own stately pace, and they --
BALDWIN: Hmm.
TOOBIN: -- they -- they have the last word. Nobody can tell them what to do --
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: Sure.
TOOBIN: -- or when to do it.
BALDWIN: I guess, get in line.
Jeff Toobin and Bill Mears, I appreciate you both.
And I also want to let you know, since this federal judge is out of Pensacola, Florida, we have now gotten a response from the governor of Florida, just responding here to the news about the federal judge's ruling from his state. I'm going to check in with Gloria Borger for that.
We're also about to hear from an American student -- taking you back to the story Egypt -- who's been stuck in Cairo. He's on a plane. We're about to hear his own -- about his whole ordeal. And it's very similar to a lot of Americans, sort of stuck. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Want to take you back to what's happening in Egypt now -- hundreds of Americans evacuated by plane. Dozens of others are still sitting there waiting at the airplane.
In fact, on the phone with me now is Nick Kourides, a New Yorker trying to get out of Cairo.
And, Nick, I understand you actually got on a plane, so you may have to bail at any second, because the plane may leave, but let me just ask you this, who's on the plane with you, primarily Americans, or is it a mix?
NICK KOURIDES, AMERICAN STUDENT ATTEMPTING TO LEAVE CAIRO, EGYPT: As of now, it is mostly Americans.
There are a lot of people, families from people who work at the embassies, and there are probably about maybe 80 students from the AUC campus.
BALDWIN: What was the sense -- I mean, we're -- and we're looking at pictures. I mean, this airport in Cairo just looks absolutely packed with people. Describe it for me.
KOURIDES: It was a little chaotic. I was standing in line for about six hours today. And there were roughly about 1,000 people outside at all times. I was standing still most of the time.
After a while, I ended up getting inside and everything else. But there were people outside from the embassy there helping us out. People were in good spirits for the most part, talking and trying not to succumb to frustration and boredom. So --
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: -- it was OK.
Frustration and boredom.
I'm happy to be --
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: I'm for you that you're on a plane. We're hearing reports, though, that -- that they were running low on even just, you know, the simple things like food and water. Did you see that as an issue?
KOURIDES: They were passing out things like water, and people who were hungry, I mean, people were all sharing food. I made sure to bring a lot of supplies, so that wasn't too much of a worry.
But, yes, it was OK.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: Well, why is it -- and I'm just going to ask the question -- perhaps the answer is obvious -- but why is it you're leaving Egypt and who advised you to get out ever out of the country?
KOURIDES: In the past few days, we have heard a lot from the U.S. Embassy and the State Department about how they had advised us to leave and try to get out of the country if we could.
And then, earlier today, the president of AUC actually came and addressed the students on the Zamalek campus and the campus in New Cairo and talked to us and told us, if we would like to go, they think we should probably go, to get on the bus. And they took us to the airport and left us there. And we found our way onto our flight. So --
BALDWIN: Well, Nick, I know you're a native New Yorker. And, you know, for a lot of us back here in the United States, if you can, just -- just bring this home for me. I mean, what is it like to actually see and experience all of what we have seen on television in person? What do you take away from this?
KOURIDES: You know, I think -- I think, in a lot of ways, it's a lot different experiencing it than the way you see it on TV.
In a lot of way, it really is sort of a community thing. People are out in the streets. And with everything, I'm sure you hear about the looting and see a lot of destruction.
BALDWIN: Yes.
KOURIDES: But, I mean, so much around my neighborhood and where I was living, there were people out and about on the streets protecting their area, their community around them. They would announce from the mosques for people to come out into the streets and defend the people there from looters.
I mean, women who were walking by themselves were escorted home. And everyone is always checking on each other --
BALDWIN: Really?
KOURIDES: -- to make sure everyone is OK. So --
BALDWIN: Well, that's --
KOURIDES: -- umm --
BALDWIN: -- nice to hear. That's nice to hear.
Nick Kourides, hey, safe travels. Thanks for hopping on the phone. We appreciate it.
Want to take you back to -- back to the breaking news. A federal judge in Florida has struck down key parts of the health care law, striking them down as unconstitutional.
I want to bring in Gloria Borger from Washington.
And, Gloria, I know we're getting reaction from -- from the Florida governor now.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes.
What is Rick Scott saying?
BORGER: Well, Rick Scott is quite happy about this, as you can imagine.
He said: "I applaud the ruling today by Judge Vinson. In making his ruling, the judge has confirmed what many of us knew from the state." He calls it Obamacare, by the way.
BALDWIN: Hmm.
BORGER: "O -- "
(LAUGHTER)
BORGER: Huh.
"Obamacare is an unprecedented and unconstitutional infringement on the liberty of the American people. I command Attorney General Bondi and her team for their work to present the state's case, and I will continue to work with her to protect Floridians from this overreaching federal mandate. Patients should have more control over health care decisions than a federal government that is spending money faster than it can be printed."
BALDWIN: Now, remind --
BORGER: So --
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: -- remind us, Gloria, while this -- why this is not a surprise, his reaction. I mean, he ran.
BORGER: This --
BALDWIN: He was a staunch Republican, very much so against --
(CROSSTALK)
BORGER: Exactly.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Right.
BORGER: Exactly.
And -- and don't forget, this is a -- this is a large lawsuit that's joined by 26 other states.
Also, we should say that our congressional correspondent Dana Bash just reminded me that 32 Senate Republicans here have filed an amicus brief in this. So they're quite pleased with this result.
The big issue here for Governor Scott and for the Republicans is that issue of the mandate that he mentioned, which --
BALDWIN: Mm-hmm.
BORGER: -- is whether the federal government can actually require you and me to buy health care if we decide we don't want to buy it.
The problem for the Obama administration is that, without this mandate, in which you have lots of healthy people then buying into the insurance pool --
BALDWIN: There goes the law.
BORGER: -- it's very difficult to make this whole plan work --
BALDWIN: Hmm.
BORGER: -- because you need to increase the size of the pool, so you can also cover the uninsured and -- who are now uninsured -- and also those who might become sick. So, it really strikes at the heart of health care reform.
BALDWIN: Yes, it's the constitutionality of that very mandate that ultimately --
BORGER: Right.
BALDWIN: -- you know --
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: -- we can all read the political tea leaves and realize it's up to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Quick question, and then I will let you go. Any word yet --
BORGER: Sure.
BALDWIN: -- as far as how the administration, how the White House is reacting to the ruling?
BORGER: Well, the White House has said in the past -- and I'm only looking to -- to the way they reacted to the Virginia ruling -- was that --
BALDWIN: Hmm.
BORGER: -- these are things that they anticipated, and that they fully expect that, at some point, as Jeff Toobin pointed out earlier, that this is going to go to the Supreme Court. And, of course, they say they have complete confidence that they would win in the Supreme Court.
But, of course, nobody has confidence when it comes to the Supreme Court about anything --
BALDWIN: Hmm.
BORGER: -- because we know that there's a swing vote there --
BALDWIN: Mm-hmm.
BORGER: -- and we don't know how that vote would decide.
BALDWIN: And, to Jeff's point, we should also point out there were also two other district judges who -- who rejected the challenge to that very --
BORGER: That's right.
BALDWIN: -- mandate. So --
BORGER: And the White House will surely point that one out, yes.
BALDWIN: Absolutely.
BORGER: Yes, exactly.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: Gloria Borger, thanks so much for hopping on with me. I --
BORGER: Thanks.
BALDWIN: -- appreciate it.
BORGER: Sure. No problem.
BALDWIN: We are also getting word here of a helicopter crash in Arizona. In -- the Pima County Sheriff's Department tells us it is one of theirs. Take a look at these pictures here. This is we turned around for you.
We are told there are injuries. You can see it looks like perhaps the underbelly of the helicopter there on that -- that wooded hill here. We're working to get a little bit more information, find out who was in that helicopter, try to get better updates as far as their conditions. As soon as we get in touch with Pima County Sheriff's, we will turn that around for you.
Also coming up: The only thing standing between this bank robber and police is a hostage, and the entire standoff plays out live. I will tell you the story you may not have heard behind this incredible video.
Also, better get ready to pay more at the pump, oil prices going up, up, up, as the chaos in Egypt continues. I will tell you what to expect in the coming days, maybe coming weeks.
That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: This just in here: The family of the former Pentagon worker found dead in the garbage is now offering a pretty massive reward, a $25,000 award to find out what happened to him. It's a case we have been following for you.
You remember this man, John Wheeler? Well, his body was found at that landfill in Delaware back on New Year's Eve. Police released this surveillance video showing Wheeler was, you know, a bit disoriented. He was walking around with his shoe in his hand before he went missing.
So, police say now he was murdered. And according to autopsy results just released, Wheeler died of blunt-force trauma after being assaulted. His family looking for justice and hoping that cash reward will help lead to an arrest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Wow. There are fists, hair-pulling, kicking. I'm talking about parents. And they're brawling at a high school basketball game. Wait until you hear what started that whole thing.
Also, police say an American wanted to blow up one of the country's biggest mosques, and he got very, very close, frighteningly close. So, who is this guy, and why is President George W. Bush a part of his past? That is next.
Plus, we will have more on our breaking story out of Florida. We're getting reaction now from Capitol Hill. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: OK. This next video, this is of a fight at a high school basketball game Friday night. Roger, roll video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Want to take you to Charlotte, North Carolina. Police say --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Look at them go -- this melee started when a security guard asked a girl to go back to her school's side of the court.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Well, according to officials, her father attacked the guard. So -- so, dad runs into this whole thing, and his daughter and wife join this.
So -- so many, many other people obviously here involved. And guess what? The guards won this fight. The father was arrested, and, amazingly, no one was injured, even that video. So, are you sick of the snow? Yes, I -- I can't say me, too, because I live in Atlanta, and I haven't really had to deal with it. But I'm sure a lot of you are sick of it as well. And listen to this: the Midwest now bracing for a massive blizzard. Millions of people are in the path of this storm. And I'm talking not inches. I'm talking feet of snow in some places.
I want to bring in our severe weather expert, Chad Myers, who was good enough to come back from vacation in sunny California --
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: -- just in time for a blizzard.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And not only -- this is a devastating -- it's a devastating storm. This is a big deal --
BALDWIN: Big, big.
MYERS: -- for a lot of people, a lot of -- you know, we have talked about how many nor'easters we have had, how the East Coast ran it with the -- D.C., Philadelphia, New York, Boston.
This is not a storm for you, although Albany and Upstate will get a lot of snow. This is not a New York City storm, so to speak.
But look at some of the computer models. They're very I will just say confused. From Oklahoma City's potential forecast on this one model, RPM -- just forget the model letters -- 6.7 inches, that's a good forecast. Maybe 10 is a great forecast.
But look at this one -- 33 inches! It's going crazy. I don't even understand how we get numbers like that. You can't get a snow like that in Oklahoma City. It just doesn't happen. The storm cannot hang around long enough.
You see the confusion weather people are looking at when they say, this is a normally pretty good model. How can we see 35 inches in Springfield? Maybe more like 15. This is a juggling act. And to be honest, the storm's not here yet. There is maybe another 24 hours before I can tell you which one I believe.
Here's what will happen in upstate New York. All the snow will be very well north of the city. There could be ice in New York City. We certainly don't want that. Back farther to the west, here's another model. Look at that -- Albany, 38 inches. Do not believe that. Do not get scared. Don't go out and buy stilts.
But there's potential for this storm as it runs in from the southwest right up through the Midwest to spread a devastating area of snow right through Chicago as well, probably south ever of the city of Chicago it will be worse. But then an ice storm, too, into Indianapolis, into Columbus, and maybe even toward Binghamton. It just depends on how much rain-snow mixes together. There could be a lot of sleet. Sleet is the one that goes tink, tink, tink, on your window because it's frozen on the way down. The storm is still here over Albuquerque, where it is now, it's going to run up the Midwest in the next 24 to 36 hours and affect a lot of people, millions of people in the way of a big storm.
BALDWIN: So snow ETA you say 24 hours-ish.
MYERS: Starts in Oklahoma City tonight, St. Louis tomorrow morning. Then the farther you get up to Chicago, almost 36 hour as way before that.
BALDWIN: Chad, good to have you back.
MYERS: Nice to be back. It was nice to be gone, though, to be truthful.
BALDWIN: We missed you.
(LAUGHTER)
And I want to keep you updated on this breaking story out of Florida. Let me look down at my e-mail to make sure I get this all to you. A federal judge out of Pensacola, Florida, struck down as unconstitutional key parts of President Obama's health care reform law.
Officials in Florida and 25 other states have all been challenging sections of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act including the whole individual mandate, the whole key provision requiring most Americans to purchase health insurance in four years or face stiff penalties. So we are trying to get reaction on Capitol Hill. I know our senior correspondent Dana Bash is there.
Also, there are fears they could soon be running out of food in Egypt. And that includes the airport. We were just talking about this, where many Americans are sitting stuck. They want to leave. We are live in Cairo once again.
Plus, a woman loses control of her SUV. Look at that. Suddenly she's stuck in a fast-rising river. Rescue crews race to get her out. You'll see this amazing video. That's ahead. Lots going on. Stay right there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: We are hearing from Cairo now that the new vice president has been given his first official duties. Omar Suleiman says President Hosni Mubarak has directed him to begin working to reform the constitution and working with the various political parties in Egypt.
And I want to talk about that with CNN's Arwa Damon live in Cairo. And Arwa, I know it's nighttime there, just around 10:30 in the evening there. Quite a different city there are you stand today than, what, 24 hours ago.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it most certainly is. And the demonstrators are definitely not backing down from their demands no matter what sort of direction the president might be giving his new government that he is trying to put together. Demonstrators are adamant that no matter, no matter what the hardship, no matter what any sort of concession might be, they are not going to back down from their demand that President Mubarak step down.
Meanwhile, though, there have been city and countrywide repercussions because of this ongoing demonstration. We were driving around Cairo earlier today, pretty much all day, and in the city itself there were no open gas stations. Some of them closed because of security, others closed because they simply ran out of fuel.
BALDWIN: Arwa, if I could jump in, we were seeing pictures, long lines of people, were they in line for gas? Were they in line for food? Is it short these days?
DAMON: Those lines are people that were pretty much lining up for bread, one of the main staples here. The government has even gone so far as to set up a bread hotline for people to call. Daily life has been pretty much paralyzed.
You drive through the streets here and it's really quite eerie because shops, most of them are shuttered closed or they've whitewashed over their windows, newspapered them. Many of them have also been looted on some of the main roads through the city. You see ripped awnings, broken glass.
A lot of anger amongst the population that we've been talking to away from those who are at the demonstration site, anger directed at the demonstrators, anger also directed at the media because they feel that the international media is portraying Egypt and Egyptians in a negative light, and they're saying there's too much focus on the demonstrations, too much focus on the calls for President Mubarak to step down.
They make the point that President Mubarak still does have a lot of support in the country. People are also afraid because they've grown so used to living under Mubarak's harsh rule for so long that they can't quite picture an Egypt without him. So even though some people do want reforms, they're afraid of what the country will look like if he does eventually step down, which is what the demonstrators of course want him to do, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Arwa Damon in Cairo, everybody taking it one day at a time.
And back here at home, a man a carload of fireworks is in jail for allegedly plotting to blow up the biggest mosque in the entire Detroit area. This is 63 year old Roger Stockham. He is held on $500,000 bond on explosives and terrorism threat causes.
Joe Nahhas, the man who called police from a bar, the suspect frequently joins me on the phone as well. Niraj Warikoo, who is covering the story for the "Detroit Free Press," I want to get to you in a moment. If I can, Joe, I want to begin with you. Just take me back to your bar. It's the J.S. Fields bar. You see this guy come in and he's talking about harming innocent people. Obviously, you know, your ears perk up when you hear that. But what did he specifically say?
JOE NAHHAS, MANAGER, J.S. FIELDS (via telephone): He said that, I will have magic moments, and I will have historic moments with him because he is going to have big explosion tonight and he had a computer and he said that he is writing letters to the press to be released after the explosion, and he wanted to leave a package with me to be given to the press later after the explosion.
BALDWIN: Joe, did you engage with him? Did he try to stop him? Did you ask him what mosque?
NAHHAS: When he said "explosion" I wanted to know where the explosion. My main concern is if he's going to harm people I need to know where so that it can be stopped.
And at the beginning he kept saying about himself, that he fought in Vietnam and he's a high ranking member, used to be high ranking member in the army, and there is going to be explosions. I kept repeating to him "Where?" at the end he said three words, "here," "there," and at "the mosque."
BALDWIN: So basically it was your astuteness in conversation that really ultimately helped police find this guy, and Niraj, question to you here. They found him with his car with all kinds of fireworks inside. Talk to me specifically about what was specifically in his car, what he could have done with that.
NIRAJ WARIKOO, REPORTER, "DETROIT FREE PRESS": The car full of high-end fireworks, including m-80s, it was the max you could buy legally. Speaking with the police chief and with other officials, it could have caused a lot of damage. How much exactly we don't know, but police were saying that there was an intention to blow up that mosque, which as you noted is the biggest mosque in metro Detroit. It's known nationally. The leader of the mosque has personally met with both President Obama and President George Bush. So it's a well- known symbol of the Muslim community here.
BALDWIN: Not only that, not only is it a huge symbol, but there was a funeral inside. Some 700 people were inside. Do police in conversations they had with them, do they think there's anything significant with the timing?
WARIKOO: No. It was true there was a funeral inside, but it does not appear the suspect knew about the funeral. That that was not related to it.
BALDWIN: Do me a favor, Niraj, run down his rap sheet. We found out he's been arrested before and he has an odd connection with President Bush?
WARIKOO: Right, exactly. He has a long history of run-ins with the law. As far back as 1979 he was convicted of child stealing. He's also been convicted of threatening former President Bush, of also threatening to blow up veterans' center in Vermont. He served time for that. But he was released in 2005.
Of course, the question is, how did this guy get out after committing so many crimes? And there's kind of questions being raised about that locally here in Dearborn.
BALDWIN: They're good questions. I'll look to the "Free Press" to read what you end up finding when you talk to police. I thank you and thanks to you, Jonah Hass. Nice job to you.
Back to the breaking news here. A federal judge in Florida has struck down key parts, key provisions, of the health care law striking them as unconstitutional. As promised, I want to bring in CNN Senior Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash there on Capitol Hill. What is the reaction?
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The reaction is flowing in from both sides of the aisle, probably predictable in the terms of the how Democrats and Republicans are viewing the judge's decision.
Democrats, let's start there, the Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, I just got a statement from him, and he is saying this lawsuit is nothing more than an attempt by those who want to raise taxes on small businesses, increase prescription prices for seniors, and allow insurance companies to once again deny sick children medical care.
He is saying this is the law of the land and that Democrats will continue to focus on other things and make clear that this is something the Democrats believe should be the law of the land.
You've heard politically over the past month or so since Congress has been in session Democrats trying harder to talk about how they believe this benefits real people with giving specifics. You'll hear more about that.
Also hearing Democrats say that they believe that this judge was an activist judge, Brooke, reminding us that Judge Vincent is a Reagan appointee and some pretty harsh statements saying Republicans don't care about activist judges if it benefits their political perspective.
BALDWIN: So how are Republicans responding?
BASH: Thank you for asking that. You give me time to pull up the Mitch McConnell statement on my blackberry. I'm reading this on the fly. We're just getting the statements as we speak. Mitch McConnell the Senate Republican leader, probably not surprisingly, says he's very happy with this decision. He and 31 other Republicans actually filed an amicus brief for this case, saying just effectively what the judge said, that they believe it is unconstitutional to have this individual mandate.
And he says this confirms what Americans have been saying for months, the health spending bill is overreaching and the Democrats, quote, "exceeded the bounds of congressional authority." So therein lies the response. The question is how this affects the congressional debate because there is still debate going on. The House of course has passed the repeal, the question is what's going to happen next. The reality is there aren't the votes in the Senate to push and actually pass the repeal. But it's not going to stop Republicans from trying. We are told by Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, he is going to try to push this very, very soon.
BALDWIN: No surprise. The opinions fall along party lines. As Jeff Toobin was pointing out, this obvious ultimate home will be the Supreme Court. Dana Bash, thank you for getting that on the fly for us. We appreciate it.
Totally switching gears. What exactly happened before Charlie Sheen went to rehab? A porn star is talking about some sort of wild 36 hours inside his home. And apparently that's trending. So Kareen Wynter has the scoop, next.
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BALDWIN: Some interesting details are out today about Charlie Sheen's alleged house party last week. Joining me now, live from L.A., Kareen Wynter with all the trending details. Kareen, we know he's in rehab. What we're learning is what happened in his home for hours upon hours. What's the story?
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: And it's a little shocking, Brooke. But Charlie Sheen shenanigans, they're getting wilder every day. And we are hearing a little bit more about that crazy night that Sheen had right before being rushed to the hospital. Remember that last week?
Casey Jordan, one of the adult film stars Sheen was reportedly partying with. She tells "Good Morning America" this morning that sheen was on a suicide binge and repeatedly used a pipe to smoke chunks of cocaine throughout the night.
Jordan says Sheen also offered to move her into a rented mansion with him, but she'd have a little company. She'd be shacking up, too, with several other porn stars and claims Sheen told her she could have anything she wanted. Imagine that. Brooke, I think the most shocking part of the interview was Jordan's claims that sheen even told her she could babysit his kids. Wow. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CASEY JORDAN, ADULT FILM ACTRESS: The babysitting part was important to him so that maybe when he was, you know, doing his drinking, maybe that he didn't have to have his kids see him be one of us girls watch them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you see anything wrong with that?
JORDAN: Yes. Well, the kids was what bothered me.
(END VIDEO CLIP) WYNTER: OK, Brooke, a little bit of drama here. Sheen's ex- wife, Denise Richards, apparently saw this interview and fired back today on twitter saying, quote, "If you caught "GMA Today," FYI, no adult film star will be babysitting our kids."
BALDWIN: Just in case anybody was confused.
WYNTER: Just in case, got to clear it up.
And Sheen's camp of course responding to this, they are not happy either. They tell us the actor entered an undisclosed rehab facility on Saturday, and "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" we obtained a statement from Sheen's attorneys regarding Jordan's interview reading in part that, quote, "It is a shame during this time while Mr. Sheen has sought treatment on his own opportunistic women are trying to take advantage of his celebrity. People should be supporting him and wishing him well in his endeavor to conquer the medical issues that have presented themselves."
So Brooke, the Sheen saga, I tell you, it continues. It's just Monday.
BALDWIN: I don't even know how to respond to this so I'm doing zip, zip and thank you very much, Kareen Wynter.
WYNTER: Yes.
BALDWIN: Thank you.
You remember the gun show that was held in Tucson just about a week after the deadly shooting? Well, some investigators went there undercover. What did they find? That is ahead.
And are you hungry, because this is making me hungry over here? Maybe not all of it. But forget everything you've actually heard about eating healthy. The government has new guidelines on the foods we eat. Are you considered healthy? Kat Kinsman joins me live talking food, there she is, and that's next.
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BALDWIN: It's January 31st. Are you still holding on to those New Year's resolutions, you know, going to the gym, eating better? Yes. That's what I thought.
So how is this for a kick start? The new dietary guidelines for Americans are out today, and there is a four-letter word we all need to be wary of, s-a-l-t, salt. I invited our resident foodie Kat Kinsman to walk me through some of these guidelines. And Kat, I hope you had a healthy lunch, because I guess I'm about to make us hungry with some of this stuff. I had a nice little frozen treat.
But we're going to get to these samples in a second, but, first, I want to walk our viewers through this, the takeaway from the guidelines released today. First of all, your dietary -- daily dietary cholesterol should be limited to 300 milligrams or less. You need to keep your alcohol consumption they say to one drink a day and keep your salt intake to 2,300 milligrams a day. Maybe that sounds like a lot, it's not. It's just actually one teaspoon of salt.
However, an here's really the biggie, if you're going to take something away, take this away. If you're over the age of 51, African-American or hypertension, diabetes or kidney problems in your family you have to cut that teaspoon of salt in half. You got that? So walk me through. We went someone shopping in our ford court, and these are foods walking distance from our newsroom and really easy for anyone to get. What do we have?
KAT KINSMAN, MANAGING EDITOR, CNN'S EATOCRACY: Right. I believe we went to Taco Bell and to Chick-Filet, so there's -- I think if they got the things I was thinking of, there is a Chick-Filet spicy sandwich which looks like heaven pretty much.
BALDWIN: Yes.
KINSMAN: So you're going to eat that whole thing after this, aren't you?
BALDWIN: Spicy chicken.
KINSMAN: That was -- so if you're in one of those risk groups that they mentioned, that is I believe 1,810 milligrams of sodium. When you're in one of those risk groups you're supposed to have 1,500 for the day so already you've blown your entire day's worth of intake on that.
You can do a little bit better if you're at Chick-Filet and go for the grilled sandwich which has a little bit less of the fat, a little bit less of the salt, so there's always some options.
BALDWIN: Voila, we have the grilled. Tell me about the grilled chicken sandwich.
KINSMAN: OK. The grilled chicken sandwich, it's 290 calories and four grams of fat as opposed to 27 grams of fat in the other sandwich. So it's a little bit better for you. It has only one gram of the saturated fat as opposed to the eight grams of saturated fat. It's still pretty bad on the sodium. Got 1,030 milligrams of sodium as opposed to the 1,800.
BALDWIN: So that's the sneaky part. Talk to me about the shake because I'm kind of --
KINSMAN: The shake, the shake, the strawberry milk shake which is an incredibly high calorie count. We've got 27 grams of fat in there, which is -- granted that is the large so you could opt for a smaller size. It's got 530 milligrams of sodium. That's one of those cases where sodium just sneaks in a little bit. Sodium --
BALDWIN: Half of it is whipped cream.
KINSMAN: Oh, yes. Now when you're eating at these places you can make smarter choices because I know for a lot of people they don't have access to the fresher food and things that the government wants us to eat, so even if these are your only options can you make smarter options.
BALDWIN: OK. So far I'm liking the charcoal chicken sandwich. We have time for one more Taco Bell item so I know there are a lot of Taco Bell-ies around this building. Pick one item and tell me the best thing. If you're going to eat the best thing, what would it be?
KINSMAN: The fresco tacos because those aren't loaded up sour cream and guacamole, maybe a little bit of salsa fresca on there, a little bit of meat. You'll get away with a lot less fat. I think there are around 170 calories or so. We've got the burrito in that case, but you're skipping out on some of these places where the salt sneaks in, the guacamole.
BALDWIN: Go to the Web site, and thanks to you, Kat, and maybe you can write about what you can and can't eat according to the new dietary guidelines. All you have to do is go to your eatocracy blog. Kat, thank you very much. I might have to try a part of this. Thanks very much.
Quickly here, Wolf Blitzer, with the latest from the CNN political ticker, Wolf, what do you have?
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Brooke, lots going on, but most of the focus is obviously on Egypt here in Washington. Right now officials from the president on down, the secretary of state, the vice president, they all want to know what's happening on the ground in Egypt and what happens next.
It's really eating up a lot of their time right now because the stakes are so enormous, as you know, Brooke, for the United States in that part of the world, first Tunisia and now it looks like Egypt, President Mubarak has been a very close ally over the last 30 years. He could be going down.
And what happens next? Will unrest spill over into other friendly countries, for example, like Jordan? And does it spill over into some not necessarily such friendly countries like Syria? So there's a lot of questions right now.
And the secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, there's no doubt she's spending an enormous amount of time on this though she did take out yesterday appearing on the early morning talk shows. She did go to Haiti to take care of business underscoring you can do more than one thing at the same time.
Finally, one interesting poll I saw, Brooke, I want to show you with you and our viewers on the Tea Party. Look at this. Some 90 percent of Republicans think the Tea Party has some good ideas that the Republican party should adhere to in this new Gallup poll, 53 percent of Republicans say it's very important that the tea party ideas, 35 percent say it's somewhat important. Either way, almost 90 percent of the Republicans who were questioned in this Gallup poll say it's important that the party itself, the GOP, adhere to some of these basic principles of the Tea Party and underscores the Tea Party's movement's growing importance, at least right now.
BALDWIN: And speaking of Tea Party -
BLITZER: We're going to have a lot more of this on "THE SITUATION ROOM" coming up at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. But, go ahead, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Speaking of the Tea Party, we're going to have something kind of funny. I don't know if you stayed up and watched "Saturday Night Live" on Saturday. But they spoofed Michele Bachmann. So, we'll talk to Joe Johns about what they might have done. I don't know if you caught it, Wolf.
BLITZER: I did. It was very funny.
BALDWIN: It was very funny. So, wait for that. We're going to see that.
Wolf Blitzer, thank you so much.
We'll get another Political Ticker for you in half an hour. Of course, you can go online and get any kind of update you would like. Go to CNNPolitics.com or go to Twitter @PoliticalTicker.
