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Egypt Arresting Journalists?; Could Fort Hood Shooting Have Been Prevented?

Aired February 03, 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: Ali Velshi, as always, thank you.

And want to begin with the chaos in Egypt. It is gripping the country now and also taking an ominous turn. Throughout the day here, we have seen more and more of the presence of the army throughout the streets of Cairo, and we have heard even more gunfire. I want you to just watch and listen to this.

And as we continue to watch these pictures coming in here, I want to pass along something we have just received. This is to us from Washington. This is from the U.S. State Department.

And here it is. I want to read it for you. They say -- quote -- "The United States has information suggesting the Egyptian Interior Ministry is involved in rounding up journalists."

Now, that confirms what we have been hearing, we have been reporting, and it's very, very significant, not because, you know, it happens to be my profession and those are our colleagues, but because the signals of violence, the violent turn really of this government crackdown may be about to intensify in Cairo.

I want to go to Ian Lee in Cairo.

And, Ian, you know, I was watching last night, and things were very, very vicious, extremely vicious right around Tahrir Square. Tell me what's happening there right now.

IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, right now, I actually heard just a gunshot go off right when you were asking me that question.

Things are tense. They're not as bad as the previous night. Things are a lot calmer, at least down -- I'm at the southern end of Tahrir Square. In the northern end, I know when we were hearing reports and we were seeing clashes up there, skirmishes, we have had pro-Mubarak groups trying to test the lines around the square.

But the anti-Mubarak protesters within the square seem to be alert and well-organized and are able to push back any kind of advancement on their position. But, you know, the situation is still very, very tense.

BALDWIN: Still hearing gunfire, you say. And, Ian, I want to bring this in, because this has just developed here for us in the last half-hour or so.

We have gotten word of this interview that actually was given to by President Hosni Mubarak. And he spoke with a former colleague of ours, Christiane Amanpour, talked to her via ABC News.

And I want to quote. This is what she says he told her -- quote -- "If I resign today, there will be chaos."

But, Ian, from this vantage point, it seems -- and looking at the pictures -- it seems people there, the people, his people, are causing the chaos. How does it look from there?

LEE: Well, Brooke, that's kind of what we're seeing, too. You know, this -- the protests challenged the police in the first few days. And then once the police retreated from the city, the army took over, there was a real peaceful atmosphere. Going to Tahrir Square seemed almost more like going to a music festival.

BALDWIN: Hmm.

LEE: People were talking. People were celebrating. You know, people were, you know, upbeat.

And then you had President Mubarak speak, and the following day you saw pro-Mubarak supporters go to the streets. And that's when the violence really hit the streets again and that's when the situation deteriorated. And now --

BALDWIN: That's when it all changed.

LEE: Yes, exactly. That's when it all changed. And, you know, today, like you said before, the situation is very tense and dangerous for journalists on the streets. I have had many friends who had close encounters with mobs just trying to go out and do their jobs.

BALDWIN: You know, sitting here this time yesterday, it seemed to be, though, slightly more heightened. We were watching Molotov cocktail after Molotov cocktail sort of being launched from some of those buildings. So perhaps there is just a little bit less movement on the street right now.

And, Ian, is that because of the crackdown? Or you mentioned journalists being attacked. Or is that because you as a journalist are being prevented from getting out there?

LEE: Well, Brooke, it's definitely quieter tonight. And talking to some people, you know, definitely we don't know, you know, really what the cause is behind it. But, you know, some people are speculating that yesterday, these groups were -- the big numbers that we were seeing, a lot of them were paid.

And we were -- when people were captured from that side, from the pro-Mubarak supporters, they were captured. They were confessing that they were paid, less than $10, to go and support Mubarak.

BALDWIN: Huh. LEE: Granted, there are still people who are genuinely supporting Mubarak because, you know, their jobs are being affected by these supporters.

BALDWIN: So, perhaps it's a mix.

LEE: It is -- it is a mix.

But today we saw a real lull in violence compared to yesterday. So it does raise a lot of questions on why -- why the lull today.

BALDWIN: It's a good -- it's a good question. And, though, also, another question not just about Egypt, Ian, but about Syria -- you know, we have gotten word that this anti-government rally is now being planned tomorrow for Syria.

It's organized on Facebook. My question to you is whether the demonstrators in Cairo there on the streets, these -- these men and women who we have been watching, are they aware that other parts, you know, their neighbors within the Arab world are watching their every move and following their cues?

LEE: Well, Brooke, they definitely are.

You know, talking to people on the street, they're well aware that the whole world is watching.

BALDWIN: They are?

LEE: Yes. They definitely -- from the people I talked to, you know, they -- they kind of see the -- the torch was passed from Tunisia to them. And so, if they fail, then they see that as a failure of not only, you know, trying to bring what they -- they -- their -- their hopes of Mubarak leaving, trying to bring what they hope for the future of Egypt, but it would also, in their eyes, they have told me would fail kind of this movement sweeping across the Middle East.

So, a lot of eyes are on Egypt, and the Egyptians I have talked to, they definitely know that.

BALDWIN: Ian Lee for me from Cairo -- Ian, thank you.

And I know some of these pictures are tough to look at. But really that's the reality of the situation, makeshift triage units, medics volunteering, helping with some of the head wounds you just saw.

And we have been continuing our conversation with a number of correspondents there throughout Egypt.

In fact, Anderson Cooper was on last night on air live. And I want to just show you. In case you missed it, watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": This is not exactly how we had planned to bring you tonight's program, but the situation changes here minute by minute in Cairo, especially today. Given what we have seen today, this is just yet another development. Just in the last few minutes, we have heard heavy fire in Liberation Square. We have got video that was taken just a short time ago, heavy-caliber fire heard in the square. We will talk to our Ivan Watson, who is there, in just a moment.

But I just want to tell you we are broadcasting from a location that we thought was pretty safe, up until about half-an-hour ago. Then, after that heavy fire, we got a report that pro-Mubarak forces have left the area around Liberation Square, and have now fanned out in some other neighborhoods.

And the security situation, where we are, has changed somewhat in the last 30 minutes or so. We have been advised to actually turn off our lights, get down on the floor and try to barricade ourselves in the area that we're in.

What did you see today?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What we saw was this just massive confrontation and what appears to be essentially a state-sponsored effort to rout the pro-democracy demonstrators of Tahrir Square.

COOPER: You have no doubt this was state-sponsored?

WEDEMAN: It's been going on for 15 hours. Imagine in Times Square if you had two gangs fighting together for 15 hours and the government didn't intervene. There's no other explanation.

This is a country when 50 demonstrators come out on the streets under normal times, you will have 500 riot police around them. This has been going on for 15 hours, and the army stands by, and these men are allowed to come and go. And I have seen them walking up and down the (INAUDIBLE) outside on their way to Tahrir, on their way back from Tahrir.

There's been a constant refreshment of the troops -- troops -- excuse me, of the pro-government people in this square.

COOPER: We can't hear it where we are, but, Ivan, I understand there's more gunfire right now in the square?

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What is amazing is that the opposition activists have been able to hold on to this territory in the center of Cairo in the face of a very serious onslaught.

They have held their ground, and they have been digging in, setting up barricades, and are determined to fight. And many of these men who are going to the front lines are already walking wounded.

COOPER: I'm understanding there is now a tweet from the U.S. State Department. I'm going to read it to you as I'm being told it in my ear.

Go ahead.

"All remaining U.S. citizens must depart Egypt."

Is that correct?

"All remaining -- all remaining U.S. citizens who wish to depart Egypt on a U.S. government flight should report to the airport immediately. Further delay is not advisable."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: That was Anderson sitting alongside Hala Gorani, Ben Wedeman, hunkered down in I guess we could call it in a makeshift studio, hardly that, because of the violence nearby. You heard the screaming and the gunshots.

But CNN is there. We're committed to telling the story. And as we told you moments ago, the State Department is now telling us that the U.S. government has information suggesting -- and I want to read it for you once again -- the U.S. has information suggesting the Egyptian Interior Ministry is involved in rounding up journalists.

So, we're committed to this. We will continue watching the story as it plays out of course in Egypt and across the Middle East.

But, for now, let's move along to this. And here is something you definitely do not see every day. Listen to that. And watch this. The roof, really the whole building collapses, and that's not the only one buckling from all that snow you got in the Northeast. We're going to have more pictures. That's next.

Also, first, it was the restaurants. Now can you guess where else they're banning smoking in New York City? Hmm.

That is ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Welcome back.

I want to show you some pictures that we got out of Oklahoma today that just really made us stop and watch. And so I want you to stop and watch as well. Take a look at what rescue crews had to deal with, not only freezing temperatures, but some cold, icy water. You see what that is? Or it was half of it we could see. It was an SUV carrying eight people. It slid off an overpass, plunged into that frozen river.

This is right around Miami, Oklahoma. Victims had to be carried up the steep, steep embankment to the top of the bridge. Traffic was backed up for hours. There's just the -- the top of it, totally -- halfway, I should say, submerged.

TV stations are reporting though that three of the eight inside that SUV didn't make it out.

And this winter, you know this. I don't have to tell you. You have seen a lot of snow and ice and something many of us have never heard of, thundersnow. Apparently, it's so rare, it got the Weather Channel's Jim Cantore all excited about it when he witnessed it. Take a look at his reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM CANTORE, WEATHER CHANNEL: Well, I heard it was a bus spin out. Plus, cars are -- oh, Jesus! Listen to that! Son of a -- that's unbelievable!

Oh, my goodness. Holy smoke! Just incredible.

Robby! Twice in one storm, baby! Holy smoke.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: I think he was a tad excited.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: Weather geeking out.

(WEATHER UPDATE)

BALDWIN: Could the Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people back in 2009 have been prevented? We have the results of a new report. We will share that with you.

Also, some judges are ruling it unconstitutional. And others say, hey, it's OK. But what exactly does that mean for the health care law, and how, most importantly, does it affect you? Coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Time to catch up with Jessica Yellin.

And, Jess, there has been this huge, huge story. It's been brewing in Washington, all around the country. And that is the fate of health care reforms. And here's the deal. Let's take a look at this federal judge. He is Roger Vinson. There he is.

Now, on Monday, he declared the new health care law to be unconstitutional. But follow me here, because he didn't explicitly order that the law be suspended, but he said his ruling should be interpreted essentially as an injunction against the law.

So, Jessica Yellin, a little bit of confusion. What -- what is going on -- on out there, I guess, you know, throughout the country here and in hospitals and in insurance companies? Are the reforms still being applied?

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, Brooke, it is so messy. The Obama administration says, look, the law is alive, implementation is moving forward. And most states are cooperating. But two states say the law is dead and they're not applying it at all. That's in Wisconsin and Florida.

So, it's so confusing because really what does that mean to stop implementing the law? Does that mean that, in Florida and Wisconsin, popular benefits go away, like can insurance companies there say they will no longer cover kids up to age 26 on their parents' insurance?

Lawyers disagree. And that's one reason that some states continue to implement the law. And it's just too confusing. They want to move forward until they get clear direction.

Otherwise, amazing confusion in the country over this.

BALDWIN: OK. I feel better. If you're confused, I feel better about me being confused over all of this.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

YELLIN: Everyone is confused.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: Well, let's go back to the judge. Let's go back to Judge Vinson, because his biggest beef with the law is how it forces people, right, as part of this whole mandate to purchase health insurance.

YELLIN: Yes.

BALDWIN: And I want to read now from his decision. And here's what he said -- quote -- "If Congress decided that everybody needs to eat broccoli because broccoli is healthy, they could mandate that everybody has to buy a certain amount of broccoli every week."

So, OK, broccoli, that's one legal argument. Congress can't tell you what you -- what -- what to buy. But here's another.

YELLIN: Right.

BALDWIN: We heard this yesterday at a hearing that the Senate called. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KROGER, OREGON ATTORNEY GENERAL: The Constitution does not create or protect the freedom to freeload. Right now, we have 40 million Americans who don't have health care coverage. Those 40 million people have the right to go to a hospital emergency room, and hospitals are legally required to provide that care.

I would simply suggest that there is no constitutional right to force other people to pay for your own health care when you decline to take responsibility for yourself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: No constitutional right to freeload. So, I guess that's one way to put it, Jess, but we all know where this is headed, the U.S. Supreme Court. When would they start tackling this thing?

YELLIN: Right. OK, so there are four cases on the health care law working through the court system right now. Two of them struck down parts of the law.

Now, unless the Supreme Court takes one of these on an emergency or an expedited basis, Brooke, it won't even get to the justices until the next session, so, next year, basically, if they decide to take it. We wouldn't expect a ruling until next -- next spring or summer, smack in the middle of the 2012 election.

BALDWIN: Hmm.

YELLIN: So it becomes a very political issue then.

And one state's attorney general in Virginia is asking the high court to expedite the whole system. He says -- the whole thing. He says that state governments and private businesses are being forced to expend enormous amounts of resources to prepare to implement a law that, in the end, could be declared unconstitutional.

So, he wants the court to take it up right away. The Obama administration says not. They say it should follow the normal course. Again, even if the court takes it up, most likely, we would not get a decision until more than a year from now.

BALDWIN: This was a huge, huge deal for President Obama. This was his signature achievement.

YELLIN: Yes.

BALDWIN: So, how is the White House responding?

YELLIN: Well, OK.

So the White House is saying first of all, that this ruling that happened this week is -- they have just basically -- they're laughing at it in a sense, saying that it was based on conjecture, that it was essentially judicial activism, that the judge ignored legal precedent. And they're fairly confident that this week's ruling will get overturned.

The bigger question for the White House is, how will the courts find on this narrower argument about what you pointed to earlier, the individual mandate, which requires every person to buy health insurance?

BALDWIN: Mm-hmm.

YELLIN: That's, you know, very tenuous. And if that gets thrown out it, really does call into question the entire sort of logic of how this particular law works. It would be a big problem for the administration.

BALDWIN: I thought that was kind of the crux of the whole issue.

YELLIN: Yes.

BALDWIN: But we will wait and see how it all plays out.

Jessica Yellin for me in Washington -- Jess, thanks --

(CROSSTALK)

YELLIN: It's going to be a long time coming.

BALDWIN: Yes, it will. Jeff Toobin was thinking like next fall would be maybe be when SCOTUS would take it up. So we have a while.

Jessica Yellin, thank you.

Have you heard, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has a new book out? And in it, he actually admits to something he regrets from his time in the Bush administration. What could that possibly be? We will share that with you next.

Also, have you seen this, this video, Anderson Cooper getting roughed up there on streets of Cairo? Folks, he is by far not the only one. We are now hearing of one American TV reporter who was escorted back to her hotel at gunpoint. More on that coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Want to get you caught up on some of the other top stories here, beginning with this bipartisan Senate report on the 2009 killings at Fort Hood.

It accuses the FBI and the army of ignoring warning signs which it says could have prevented that massacre. The report also says the government failed to identify and confront a homegrown Islamic extremist. Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Hasan is accused in that attack. He is expected to be court-martialed and could face the death penalty here.

In total, 13 people were killed, 32 others were injured in that shooting.

And Donald Rumsfeld's new memoir not due in stores until next week, but the details, they are leaking out. And here's what we have learned. The former defense secretary known for his tart one-liners says he has no regrets about how the war in Iraq was handled, but, according to "The Washington Post," there is one regret he admits to in his new book. It's called "Known and Unknown."

As the military searched for weapons of mass destruction, Rumsfeld said -- quote -- "We know where they are. None was ever found." Rumsfeld would like to take that back.

And in New York City, more restrictions on lighting up. The Big Apple already bans smoking in restaurants. Now New York's Council has voted to ban smokers from taking a puff in parks and on beaches. They defend the move saying it will prevent children from being exposed to the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.

And now I want you to take a look at a tweet. This is from a guy who makes a living tracking journalists in dangerous places. And I'm going to speak with him live here in just a moment. But here's one of his tweets. He says -- quote -- "This is a dark day for Egypt, a dark day for journalism. We are overwhelmed documenting detentions."

And it was followed by this one. "CPJ board member Lara Logan escorted by her hotel in Egypt at gunpoint."

And we know foreign correspondents, look, they have a tough task. Danger is very much so in that job description. But that's not what I want to talk about. What I do want to talk about is this. If the press can't work freely there in Egypt, who is controlling the flow of information in and out of that country and are things about to get a lot more ominous in Cairo?

Stay right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: I want to show you live images coming out of the State Department. We're waiting for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to sit down and speak there. We are awaiting some sort of statement on Egypt very, very shortly. As soon as we see her, we'll bring that to you live.

But first I want to get to something that, fair warning, this is very troubling video out of Cairo. It surfaced today online. So before we show you these pictures, I have to warn you that this is very tough to watch. But it's the reality of the situation there. And we think it's important for you to see.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: What you saw clearly speeding through the street was a dark green van. It approached the crowd. We are told that was an Egyptian police van. You saw it was not at all slowing down. It sped right through the crowd. The video that's been posted online shows the van speeding through. It hit several pedestrians and then off it went.

I want to bring in Salma Abdelaziz. She helps CNN cover the world from our international desk. She also has family in Egypt. And Salma, for more than a week now, we have seen very powerful and difficult images to watch coming out of Egypt. And so we wanted to show how the story is being told within country.

And so I know you've been watching state TV out of Egypt. Tell me what you see and what happens equally if not more important what you don't see.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENT EDITOR: Well, Brooke, what you are going to see on state television which is right behind me here, Nile TV, you're going to see mainly pro Mubarak demonstrators. Rarely if ever do they show anti-Mubarak demonstrators.

And yesterday when you and other members of the staff were covering the violence going on in Tahrir Square, state television focused on pro Mubarak rallies outside of the square that were very peaceful. You did not see any violence really on television while the Tahrir Square rallies were going on.

BALDWIN: So not showing the clashes. It's important to point out who it is the viewership of state TV. Is it younger? Is it older within Egypt?

ABDELAZIZ: State television is an option mainly for people who are rural and poor. Satellite television costs a bit of money. So if you don't have the means, then most likely, you have to watch state television.

Also, older generations which aren't quite used to this new trend of social media and satellite television stations and 24-hour news networks really rely on state television just because it's what they're used to.

BALDWIN: We decided was important to point out to viewers what people would see on state run television on Nile TV within Egypt. Salma AbdelAziz, thanks you very much for watching that for us.

And we have seen a troubling trend over the course of the last 24 hours in Egypt. There is this growing number of journalists either attacked or arrests. This is a very partial list. In the past hour, "time" magazine is reporting CBS's Correspondent Laura Logan and her crew have been detained in Cairo. ABC news Christiane Amanpour's car was surrounded by men who pounded on the sides of it, pounded on the windows.

And ABC producer and cameraman were carjacked, threatened with beheading. Two "New York times" reporters arrested, even an Egyptian state TV reporter was attacked.

Then this from the State Department. Here's what they're saying, "The United States has information suggesting the Egyptian interior ministry is involved in rounding up journalist who are covering all that unrest there."

I want to bring in Joel Simon. He's the executive director of CPJ, the Committee to Protect Journalists. He's good enough to join me from New York. Joel, I tell you what, I'm on this Egypt e-mail alias. These keep coming in about journalists there. You tweeted today that this is a dark day for Egypt and journalists. Would you say these arrests and attacks are unprecedented?

JOEL SIMON, COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS: I really can't remember anything like this, certainly not in some time. And what's particularly alarming about it is, it's laying the groundwork, I'm very fearful for something worse. There seems to be a strategy of eliminating witnesses. This is a systemic effort. Journalists are being attacked in the streets. Cameras are being smashed. We're focusing on the international correspondents, but Egyptian journalists are also bearing the brunt of the systemic effort to suppress their work.

BALDWIN: I just said the state department is saying they have information that it's the Egyptian government, the interior ministry involved in this. But President Mubarak speaking through Christiane Amanpour saying he's troubled by the violence he's seen over the past couple of days. His government is not responsible for it. Who are you hearing is behind this violence?

SIMON: Well, I mean, look, you just have to see the pattern. Let's focus on journalists. In one day it turned. Journalists were welcomed, were filming the events, journalists were moving around freely, interviewing people in the street. And then suddenly everywhere they went they were set upon by mobs. Their cameras were confiscated. We know there have been systemic efforts to remove cameras positioned on the square.

They definitely do not want the international media out there and what is happening covered. There's no question that only the government has the means to carry out this kind of action. It's systemic, it's sustained, and it's deliberate.

BALDWIN: Joel, this isn't new. This is an old strategy, eliminate the witnesses, eliminate the journalists so the message cannot get out. Thus far in watching global coverage out of Cairo, is it effective?

SIMON: Well, it's having an impact. I mean, I think what we're talking about today is journalists being detained and attacks on journalists. And I'm obviously very, very concerned about that because these are colleagues and friends.

But I'm even more concerned that they're not able to do the work and the attacks have become the story, because I am certain that there are many other events happening in Cairo, in Egypt, violent events that we need to be informed about and we're not because journalists are not able to do their jobs.

Unfortunately, we have to acknowledge the strategy can be effective and that's why it's so important that we demand that President Mubarak, we hold him accountable to for this, reverse the strategy and allow journalists to do their work.

BALDWIN: CNN is committed to telling the sorry. So many news outlets are committed to telling the story. What if the situation there is so volatile, that so many people have to pull out, that they have no choice? I mean, what then? Do we rely on citizen journalism? SIMON: Well, that's certainly, there have been instances in which journalists have not been able to operate freely. Let's be fair about that kind of information. It tends to be fragmented. It tends to be partial. It reaches a smaller audience. It's making an enormous contribution, but it's not a substitute for having professional journalists on the ground bringing the broad story to all of us. So there's a lot at stake here.

BALDWIN: There is a lot at stake. Joel Simon with CPJ, I appreciate it. I recommend anyone to follow you on twitter. You are posting updates about journalists @JoelCPJ. Thank you so much.

From Egypt to Yemen, protesters are filling the streets. You remember, this is where Al Qaeda terrorists, we talk a lot about AQAP, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. They are building their network. So what does the fight mean in the case against extremists? We're going to take you there live next.

Plus a manhunt underway for the people who robbed this gun store. They stole more than two dozen firearms, and now they're on the run. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Live pictures from the State Department. We are still watching and waiting to see Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. A little bit of action there. She is supposed to be doing some non- Egypt business, but we anticipate some sort of statement regarding Egypt.

I want to let you know, the state department has just tweeted saying Ambassador Frank Wisner returned to Washington this morning and did brief Secretary Clinton on the situation in Egypt. Perhaps she might touch upon that. We'll get that for you live when we see her.

But first this -- you ahead across the red sea and southeast of Egypt lies Yemen where demonstrators are filling the streets again today. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: What do they want you ask? You saw the sign get out and freedom, demanding the country's leadership step down. Government supporters rallying, as well. Keep in mind Yemen is a vital concern to the United States because of the alleged Al Qaeda and terror training camps there.

Mohammed Jamjoom is in Yemen joining me on the phone. Mohammed, we know kid has an influence in Yemen. Could they potentially influence politics there?

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's one of the key concerns for western allies of Yemen and also regional neighbors of Yemen. Because there has been more volatility here, and this is already a place with so much internal strife but, because there is a lot more volatility right now --

BALDWIN: Mohammed, I apologize. I've got to interrupt you. I want to take you live to the State Department. Hillary Clinton, here she is.

HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: This is a violation of international norms that guarantee freedom of the press and it is unacceptable under any circumstances. We also condemn in the strongest terms attacks on peaceful demonstrators, human rights activists, foreigners and diplomats.

Freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, and freedom of the press are pillars of an open and inclusive society. It is especially in times of crisis that governments must demonstrate their adherence to these universal values.

There is a clear responsibility by the Egyptian government, including the army, to protect those threatened and to hold accountable those responsible for these attacks. The Egyptian government must demonstrate its willingness to insure journalists' ability to report on these events to the people of Egypt and to the world.

Vice President Suleiman spoke today about the need for free and fair presidential elections. That is essential. And I urge the government and a broad and credible representation of Egypt's opposition, civil society, and political factions to begin immediately serious negotiations on a peaceful and orderly transition. The Egyptian people expect a meaningful process that yields concrete changes.

And now let me turn to this important matter, too. United States and Croatia enjoy a warm and enduring relationship and friendship. My meeting today with the deputy prime minister and foreign minister comes at a promising moment in Croatia's history -- it's pending membership in the European Union.

BALDWIN: So what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was essentially saying, she had strong words basically condemning the violence on journalists as we were just discussing with a member of the CPJ, and condemning the violence on peaceful demonstrators.

She says there is a responsibility. This is an important point, not just on behalf of the Egyptian government but on behalf of the army who thus far has been very passive, to protect those threatened and hold those responsible for the attacks. And she's also urging for a peaceful transition with concrete changes, significant hearing, of course, from the U.S. and from Secretary Clinton.

I want to go back to Mohammed Jamjoon making the point about the situation in Yemen. There many anti-government demonstrators and also pro-government demonstrators on the streets of Yemen. Mohammed, if you are still with me, if you want to pick up where you left off, we were talking about fears of Al Qaeda perhaps transcending into politics.

JAMJOOM: Brooke, I'm still here. Exactly. The concern has always been about Yemen, because there is so much internal strife here and because Al Qaeda is a resurgent and growing threat here that Al Qaeda could become more of a threat in the country.

Let me try to set the scene a little bit. You have a secessionist movement in the south. You have a rebellion going on in the north. You have deep poverty, very porous borders. You have a government seen by many to be corrupt. It's very weak central government, as well.

You talk all those together, the allies of Yemen are concerned of how much of a threat Al Qaeda could be because Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has attempted to launch attacks in the west from their base there over the past two years. Because now there is this protest movement, if they succeed in sustaining momentum on this, if the demonstrators continue to turn out en masse the way they have been, the concern for regional neighbors and key allies like the U.S., what happens if they have to step down? Who fills that void?

And even though the opposition voice here is very loud, what they're demanding primarily is that Saleh step down and nothing more. Nobody knows who would fill that void, and the opposition groups are fractious. The agendas are very different. Right now they're rallying behind one cry of reform and change and regime change. If that happens, who steps in?

BALDWIN: It's a big question in Egypt as well, who fills if the vacuum. Mohammed Jamjoom, thank you live for me from Yemen.

And now a monster cyclone wreaking havoc in Australia. We'll show you pictures and find out why experts are in shock over the situation. That is ahead.

Also, have you Rihanna's new video? It's pretty racy and making all kinds of waves. She even treats a big media personality like a dog putting him on a leash. We'll show you the video and talk about it coming up.

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BALDWIN: Take a look at this video, will you? You're going to see a woman. Here she is. She is a clerk at a gun store, and this is her new work uniform. You saw it. It was a nine-millimeter gun and a bullet-proof vest.

Here is the reason why she's wearing this. She says the guy tied her up in the back of the store. This is suburban Atlanta. His buddies come in and they went to work. They filled one bag with more than two dozen pistols. There they go, just taking them off the wall. Two assault rifles off the wall. All this happened in broad daylight.

The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms is now offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to finding and arresting these guys. But the real goal here is to keep the guns off the streets.

Now to the other side of the world, Australia. It is reeling from one disaster after another here, most recently 170,000 homes in the state of Queensland. Look at that destruction, just leveled. Without power, after this major cyclone, this could be weeks and weeks to repair all the downed power lines, restoring the electricity.

And the catastrophe follows last month's record breaking floods and this storm being called one of the most powerful in Australia's history.

And a pretty stunning revelation in Egypt, a number of journalists being targeted. And just a short time ago, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton blasted those attacks. But who is behind them? I'll speak with Wolf Blitzer about the dangers and what happens next.

But first, what is it like to work at those big Internet companies? You have heard the stories. They sound more like fun houses than workplaces. But I want you to decide for yourself. Here is Tom Foreman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's 24/7, two by two, Zappos.com is moving shoes. More than $1 billion annually in Internet sales fueled by a wide selection of free shipping and money back guarantees. Not bad for a company starting a dozen years ago with a radical concept, success is about service, not selling. CEO Tony Hsieh --

TONY HSIEH, CEO, ZAPPOS.COM INC.: And for us, culture isn't just important, it's actually the number one priority of the company.

FOREMAN: The culture is raucous, infection and everywhere. Employees decorate as they choose, enjoying an unbelievable array of company services, including free lunch, ice cream, massages. We asked our guide Roy Andre about the business environment.

RAY ANDRE, ZAPPOS.COM INC.: This is a business meeting.

FOREMAN (on camera): There's a lot of giggling going on in there.

ANDRE: There is.

FOREMAN: Getting on is not easy. Zappos takes months to screen applicants, and even in training new hires are offered $4,000 to quit just to weed out those who might not really want to be here.

ANDRE: So we figure we can train most people to do their jobs, but we can't train somebody to fit into our culture.

FOREMAN: What is your key philosophy about running this business?

HSIEH: Internally, we have a saying we're a service company that just happens to sell shoes.

FOREMAN: You realize nobody in America who sees this is going to want to go to work tomorrow.

So they can laugh at comments like that because everyone here seems eager to come to work every day, building up this runaway success. Tom foreman, CNN, Henderson, Nevada.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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BALDWIN: I want to bring in Wolf Blitzer now with what's crossing the Political Ticker, specifically on Egypt, Wolf. And I know you're just tweeting about this. They don't want to be the story, but journalists are trying to cover what's happening in Cairo have sort of become the story. And Christian Amanpour with NBC news recently spoke with President Mubarak and said, look, we're not behind the violence in Tahrir Square. But you talk to reporters on the ground and it would suggest otherwise.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": It's really shocking when you think about what's going on the streets of Cairo, Brooke, because the list is getting longer and longer and longer. Journalists who have been arrested, who have been attacked, some of them spent the night in the hospital seriously injured. We're going to be speaking with some of them in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

But it's very, very alarming, and I was also especially alarmed when I heard that interview with the vice president, he was on Egyptian state television, Nile television. And at one point he said that foreign journalists associated with what he called brotherly nations, presumably referring to the United States or Britain or Al Jazeera's based in Qatar or Abu Dhabi, all friendly nations to Egypt.

He says these journalists are undermining Egypt, hurting Egypt. And to me, Brooke, when I hear a vice president of Egypt say that, say on Egyptian state television that these journalists are hurting the country, sort of giving the green light to negotiation to out and arrest some of them.

It's getting really, really ugly, dangerous, it's going to be impossible for our colleagues in Cairo and in Egypt to do their job which is basically to report the news and let the world know what's going on. I was happy to hear Secretary of State Hillary Clinton strongly condemning this violation of basic human right to have a free press, an open press, some transparency. And this is certainly not going in the right direction right now. Egyptians have to be embarrassed about what has happened.

Some other things that Omar Suleiman said as well which were pretty alarming, we'll get into that in "THE SITUATION ROOM."