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Egyptian Americans Celebrate Mubarak Departure; Arizona Sues Feds; Meeting of 10,000-plus Conservatives

Aired February 12, 2011 - 15:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: There is jubilation, euphoria, and sadness, in Cairo young people who triggered a revolution prayed over a monument to the hundreds of people killed in demonstrations and riots. Let's take a look at these pictures.

This is Algeria, west of Egypt. Thousands of protestors there today, clashing with riot police and demanding change in their government. And then take a look, here, London, Egyptian ex-pats and supporters of the movement that ended the presidency of Hosni Mubarak, gathered to show their solidarity.

So, from Cairo to cities around the world, Egyptians are celebrating historic changes in Egypt. Let's turn now to CNN's Sandra Endo, who is outside the Egyptian embassy in the nation's capital, where Egyptian American are gathering in a very big way--Sandra.

SANDRA ENDO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Fredricka. You are talking about jubilation, certainly here on the streets outside the Egyptian embassy. You can see the dancing that they are having, a big party here. They are waving the Egyptian flag, also, cheering, and having a moment of pride for their country, obviously, in this historic moment and the events that have been unfolding.

Also they just observed a moment of silence for those who have died during this demonstrations, these past 18 days, but also they say for the past 30 years, under the leadership of President Hosni Mubarak.

Now, I'm joined by Hedda (ph), who has been out here protesting for many days now. And, where were you yesterday when you heard the news? What went through your mind?

HEDDA: I was at work. And I didn't believe them, when one of my coworkers told us that hey Mubarak stepped down, I thought she was joking. Because the day before I told them that and they didn't believe me. We partied all day long and all night long. I am an Egyptian-American. Every year of my life, I have been to Egypt. This is our Tahrir Square. We are enjoying every bit of it.

ENDO: All right. Enjoy. I have been watching you dancing and celebrating and also crying because of this momentum occasion for you and your country.

HEDDA: Thank you so much. Thank you all for helping us and showing your support. ENDO: All right. Fredricka, the party continues out here out in front of the Egyptian Embassy. The music will continue, the dancing, the cheering. You can see the signs just happy for this momentum occasion. And I just want to show you this one sign right here; Egypt's revolution inspires the world. That is certainly the message they are trying to convey to the rest of the world and of course here in the U.S. as well.

Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Sandra Endo thanks so much outside the Egyptian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

All right. Well almost immediately after Hosni Mubarak stepped down as Egypt's president, Switzerland's government moved to free any assets that he may have in their banks. CNN business news correspondent Stephanie Elam joins me now. Stephanie do we have any idea just how much money might be in these Swiss banks?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS NEWS CORRESPONDENT: No Fred. The short answer to that question is no. We don't even know how much Hosni Mubarak is actually worth all together, we have heard many estimates they range anywhere between $1 billion to $70 billion. That is a huge range which just tells you no one really has any idea. Now when you take a look at these accounts that are in Switzerland by themselves, we don't know how many accounts they are. They could have the equivalent of $10,000 in them for all we know or they can have $1 million. We don't know how much money is involved here.

What we do know is that Switzerland says that they have made this move to freeze these accounts that they think are related to Mubarak and his family members because they want to make sure that as this is process continues that none of the assets that actually belong to Egypt get embezzled during this time that there is this transition. They are saying this political exposure is a term that they use coming out of Switzerland is what they are concerned about. And notice they didn't do this on Thursday when everybody thought that was the point that President Mubarak was going to step down. This did not happen until Friday until the word came that he had left the capital and he had moved to Sharm el-sheikh. And at that point they made this move Fredricka, so saying that this is how they do things. They even did this before with the Tunisian leader, same thing they froze those assets. It doesn't mean that the assets won't end up going to Mubarak because right now they are frozen.

WHITFIELD: OK. So a couple of things there. I thought a lot of people turned to the Swiss banks accounts for that kind of security and accessibility and privacy. And B if he has millions, billions, that are his assets or money that he is counting on, isn't it conventional wisdom that perhaps he would have secured that days prior to him stepping down?

ELAM: That's a good point. He did have 18 days right since January 25th to yesterday to kind of make some moves. Also, we are just talking about the money that is in Switzerland. Who is to say he doesn't have accounts in other parts of the world. As far as Switzerland is concerned, they have come under heat even from the U.S. government for the way that they have protected assets. You know that you have money of people either owe back taxes here or done other illegal things we need to get that money. They came under heat and they finally exposed those people.

I think this is their effort to do something on the front end and say, look, here is what we are going to do to make sure and then everything should move on past that and be clear of that. Keep in mind; they are talking about political leaders that they are doing this too who are now no longer in their position. I don't think this affects the everyday people as it usually does. There is nowhere else they can go to have an account as secure as they do in Switzerland. But if you look at the amount of money you think about the fact that he could still have some money that was in Egypt, he could have accounts all over the place. If he has that much wealth, and everyone agrees he is a very wealthy man.

He will not have it in one place. I think the other thing to Fred is that just simply put, when they are doing these investigations, more of it is going to come out. The thing that everybody is concerned about is a lot of people believe, a lot of people claim that President Mubarak was living off some of the money that should have gone to the Egyptian people. A lot of people believe that. The question is, to what extent was he doing that?

WHITFIELD: Right. And that is why you heard some people who were among those demonstrating that they didn't necessarily want to see him leave the country. Because they were hoping that there was some potential that he might be tried and get some of that money back too.

ELAM: Yes.

WHITFIELD: We will see how it goes. All right. Stephanie Elam thanks so much, appreciate that.

Of course, there have been a lot of I-reports. Here is just two because you can't show all of them to you. Here are the highlights. This one coming from Maria Miranda in Miami, Florida. She and her ten- month-old daughter watched the celebration on television. Her husband was in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Miranda said as soon as she learned Mubarack was stepping down, she put her daughter in a t-shirt that reads, and I love my Egyptian dad and snapped this photograph.

And this I-reporter captured the sounds of the celebration in Cairo. He tells us the atmosphere on the street is amazing. You cannot tell what social class everyone is from. Everybody is just saying Egypt is the greatest. End quote. This I-reporter also says he lost his voice in all that excitement.

A company sues a woman for selling her used purses on eBay. This may make you think twice before you put something up on eBay. Does this case have any real merit? Our legal guys will be weighing in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In Cairo the revolution is just a little more than 24 hours old and jubilant protestors packed Tahrir Square again today. Some vowing to stay until civilian rule is implemented. CNN's Nic Robertson is there. Nic I can hear the voices far off in the distance. How large a crowd are we talking?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka it is huge, the carnival goes on here. It is one mammoth party. Tens of thousands of people have flooded in, if you look down off the balcony where we are now you can see them down there waving flags, dancing, people blowing horns. What is different about tonight, well there are a lot more families here.

Yet, last night, it was a lot of young men and young women. Down here now we are seeing a lot of young children coming in with families. This really is an historic event here. Everyone knows it. Parents want to bring their children in so that they can feel the atmosphere, capture the spirit and see history being made in the country all day long, people, families, young families, and older families have been coming in here. Fireworks are going off all the time. It is almost like July the 4th.

The crowd very happy in the middle of the square there. They are supposed to be a midnight curfew coming in to place here. The army still in place around the edge of the square, no indication, though, that people are going to abide by that curfew. Looks like everybody is here for a party all through the night again, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Nic Robertson thanks so much from Cairo. Appreciate that update.

In the meantime, back in this country, a Seattle woman was selling her used Coach purses online when she received a cease and desist letter from Coach's law firm. What does this mean for people selling goods on eBay? Our legal guys Avery and Richard were all over this topic earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: They are Coach and their lawyers are a bunch of bullies in my opinion and try to push people around. Look it the fact of counterfeiting is a problem. They have to be aggressive about that. They knew that Kim was a former employee. It is a used purse. How are you going to buy a used purse at Coach? For goodness sake. In fact eBay acknowledged that she was right, Coach was wrong, put the ad back up there. Now there is a counter suit under consumer protection laws for trying to interfere with commerce against Coach.

WHITFIELD: So Richard, Coach is suing her. Now, she is counter suing. When does it end?

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: It ends when Coach turns around and silently gives her a few dollars and the whole case walks away. Coach were bullies here. She has every right to sell that bag on eBay. For them to send the kind of letter that they sent out, obviously, counterfeiting is a huge problem on eBay. Coach is suffering from it. So they send this vicious letter suing for $2 million, legal fees, and trouble damages and pay us $300 immediately. How many people Fred do you think just automatically send $300 whether they are right or wrong just to end this problem? It is a big problem for Coach and they are going to be called to task on this one, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Richard Herman and Avery Friedman, always a wealth of knowledge. And of course this means that all you eBay sellers; maybe you can breathe a sigh of relief now.

All right. The governor of Arizona said the Obama administration is sticking her with the bill for its failures. We are about to hear from both sides.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: On one side, Arizona, on the other, the federal government. This the latest chapter in their long battle over illegal immigration and border security. Last year, the Feds sued the state of Arizona. Now, the governor of that state is suing back. Here is CNN's Casey Wian.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JAN BREWER, (R) ARIZONA: Security and border control is by far the number one issue right now in Arizona.

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Governor Jan Brewer announcing her state is filing a counter suit against the federal government seeking the authority to implement its own border security efforts.

BREWER: Illegal immigration is costing us $1 billion. $1 billion a year to try to maintain at the level we are at. The federal government sits by and does nothing.

WIAN: Last year, Brewer signed a controversial measure known as SB 10-70 into law. It would among other things require local law enforcement in Arizona to help apprehend and help deport illegal immigrants. The Obama administration sued and wanted an injunction temporarily blocking the law arguing only that the federal government has that authority.

TOM HORNER, ARIZONA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Here is the federal government claiming under preemption that Arizona can't do anything to help defend the border but yet they are not doing their job to defend the border. That's what precisely this counterclaim is.

WIAN: The counter suit alleged that the federal government has failed to achieve operational control of the border; it has failed to protect Arizona. Also to enforce immigration laws. They have failed to pay for the costs of incarcerated illegal immigrants and violated Arizona's constitutional rights.

KRYSTEN SINEMA, (D) ARIZONA STATE SENATE: Clearly I feel that frustration, I share that frustration. But I think we have to find solutions that are real and that work. Counter suing the federal government without a legal basis simply wastes money and doesn't solve the problem.

WIAN: A similar suit filed by California during the 1990s failed.

Arizona is in the midst of a major budget crisis. So Governor Brewer says no taxpayer money will be spent on the counter suit against the federal government. He said the state will try to raise funds from private donors nationwide.

Casey Wian, CNN, Phoenix.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: In response to the lawsuit, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security told CNN, quote, "A merit less court claim such as this does nothing to secure the border. Smart strategies, dedicated law enforcement personnel and strategic partnership with state, local and tribal governments and agencies do."

And then goes on to say this, "Not only do actions like this ignore all the statistical evidence, they also belittle the significant progress our men and women in uniform have made to protect this border and the people that live alongside of it." That coming from the Homeland Security Office.

Anytime a woman helping to reduce the devastating effects of flooding in Guatemala. She is a CNN hero. Her story is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In our "CNN Heroes" this week we want to introduce you to a woman who was literally saving lives with a shovel and hiking boots and a bag of food. She is dedicated her life to protecting Guatemalans from deadly mudslides one tree at a time. Meet Anne Hallum.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNE HALLUM: In Guatemala it is typical to have hundreds of mud slides. The rains come in downpours. The mountain sides will simply give way and collapse. Houses are washed away and people have been killed.

UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: They die here. They were like my children. The rains came. The mud took them away.

HALLUM: They just live with it and make the best of it. I say, here are some things you can do.

I am Anne Motley Hallum; I am helping the people in rural Guatemala protect their family and fields from the dangers of mud slides. Pine trees with tap roots hold a mountain together. The trees are cut for fire wood and to make room for the crops. Without realizing it, they have taken away their protection. We started to teach the villagers how to use the trees.

We will start with a little seed bed and we will build that and then we transplant those seedlings on to the mountain slopes. We watch the trees grow. That's why we stay for five years. Notice that the mudslides aren't happening here. We say all right, you have got it. You know how to do this now. I can go back to areas that were nothing but mudslides and soil erosion and now I see forests and they are still there and they are beautiful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Extraordinary, remember, every one of this year's "CNN Heroes" is chosen from people that you actually tell us about. To nominate someone that you know who is making a big difference in your community, go to CNNHeroes.com.

They are calling Egypt's monumental change an internet revolution. I have a guest who says, not really. We will talk online uprising in a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: On line uprising. The story behind the social media coming up. But first a look at our top stories.

House Republicans in this country have unveiled a spending bill that calls for massive cuts to many government programs and agencies. Among the proposed cuts, slashes the environmental protection agency by 30 percent, a total of $3 billion cutting more than $1 billion from the Head Start Education Program, and reducing the money available to food safety and inspections by $88 million.

An Oscar-winning actress, Elizabeth Taylor, is being treated at a Los Angeles hospital for symptoms caused by congestive heart failure. Taylor's representative says the 78-year-old star checked into the hospital this week for what's being called an ongoing condition.

Crowds are still in Cairo's Tahrir Square on this day after Hosni Mubarak stepped down as president of Egypt. The scene one of celebration. The country is now ruled by a care taker government controlled by the military. Many Egyptians are now vowing to remain in Tahir Square until civilian rule is implemented.

For the people that triggered Egypt's revolution said that's exactly what they intended to do. This was no accident. It started with a few voices that became many very fast. That's what I want to talk to Andrew Rasiej about; he founded a group called the Personal Democracy Forum. He tracks how social media is changing the political world. Good to see you.

ANDREW RASIEJ, FOUNDER, PERSONAL DEMOCRACY FOROUM: Great to be here.

WHITFIELD: Well except for what we witnessed, almost two years ago in Iran, there haven't been a whole lot of examples of how social media has galvanized an entire country to try to challenge authority. What was different about this one in Egypt to you?

RASIEJ: Well it is different because everyone is noticing it and calling it the reason why the revolution happened. The reality is that many people were organizing in Egypt for many years prior to this time. And they were in a position once the protest started to be able to take advantage of technology to a large degree. Internet penetration and cell phone use in Egypt is actually pretty small, only about 20 percent of the population has internet access and only 40 percent of the population are using mobile phones. We have to be careful not to overstate how important social media was in this particular revolution. It was important but it wasn't the only factor.

WHITFIELD: So do you feel like it at least ignited the fire. You said there was kind of a movement and maybe the example to that is the many opposition groups. That the example that you would want to associate with that?

RASIEJ: I don't think it sparked it. Obviously, Tunisia had a great deal of effect and also there was the incident of the young man that was tortured and murdered by the authorities that also created a great deal of rage.

WHITFIELD: The message I'm getting out through these social mediums that has to take a tremendous amount of credit for helping the fire to spread, this movement or sentiment of opposition to spread.

RASIEJ: It certainly helps getting the word out to the west. Having the west pay a lot of attention to what was going on inside. They were sophisticated enough to use the internet and use twitter and use youtube to get information out. Ironically, when the authorities shut down the internet, people were frustrated in that they wanted to help the protest. Instead of being able to get online, they actually went out into the streets, because it was the only way they could help.

WHITFIELD: The old-fashioned way?

RASIEJ: The old-fashioned way. They were angry that the internet was shut down. But that's not what brought them out to the streets. They were already engaged in fighting for democracy. When the internet was shut from their homes, the only way to participate was to go out into the streets. So in effect it fueled larger protests because that was the only way they could get their voices heard.

WHITFIELD: So if that communication was shut down, people continued, they went to the streets as you say, now, with a future that's being painted now that might be very different from what people have been accustomed to for 30 years, what do you see or how do you see that social media will continue to play a role, maybe a bigger role if in your view it didn't play that significant, that big of a role in this revolution?

ANDREW RASIEJ, FOUNDER, PERSONAL DEMOCRACY FORUM: Well, I think it's important for people to realize that individuals, people can connect to each other faster now than governments can connect to their citizens. And any government or politician that doesn't realize that dynamic is slated to go to the history books. People are able to connect with each other using all kinds of tools. And yes, it's true that governments can also use these same tools to monitor and watch what's going on and try to suppress descent, but the genie is out of the bottle into a large degree. People want to communicate with each other. Information wants to be free. The ways in which people are going to use these tools to organize themselves is now forever changed, and this way, it's really not so much of a technological revolution as a sociological revolution. The public internet could be shut down by various regimes, but this generation of young people is really an internet public, and they think differently. They act differently.

Their cultural perspective on technology and democracy is different than what we've seen in the 20th century. So, you're going to se a continuing movement here that's related to the way people want to connect with each other that's going to be very, very hard for governments and politicians to get their minds around.

WHITFIELD: It's been fascinating, and it continues to be so. Andrew Rasiej, thanks so much for your time. Appreciate it.

RASIEJ: Pleasure to be here. Thank you very much.

WHITFIELD: So, Egypt's revolution. It began just 18 days ago, and demonstrators in Cairo's Tahrir Square, flew (ph) flag boldly marking a date that seems likely to be celebrated in years to come, January 25th. And CNN correspondents have been there to record this remarkable uprising.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Demonstrators seem to have one basic demand. They are demanding the ouster of Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, who's been in power now since 1981.

(CHEERING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The army has come out into the streets. This was an armored personnel carrier full of army soldiers just up there. This is the first time we've seen that the army has become involved. The army has stayed out of any civil disturbances since 1985.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone here wants to speak to us, everyone. Everybody has an opinion. And as you can see, some people would like to push -- have their voices out and to get themselves on camera, but despite that, it is quite relaxed and it is quite friendly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The demonstrations getting much closer to one of the army posts. So, the gun fire that we can hear rocketing through the air. The demonstrators say that's the army firing to warn them to stay away. More gunshots. It's long after curfew right now. And if the government was controlling the situation, the people (INAUDIBLE). These people wouldn't be out on the streets if the government was in control.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is no question that after days and nights of protests here in Tahrir Square, this is the biggest gathering we have seen yet.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Let me set the scene for you right here. The Egyptian museum is behind me. That is now kind of ground zero for the confrontation between the pro-Mubarak forces and the anti-Mubarak forces.

We've been hit now like ten times.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. I'm being told walk, walk. Don't stay. OK. This is a little chaotic. I have someone helping me out here. This is the scene.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People on horseback charging in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First, there was a day of rage, then the 1 million Egyptian march, and today, is the day of departure or farewell where Egyptians say farewell to their president of 30 years, President Hosni Mubarak.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thirty-year-old Wael Ghonim is one of a group of young Egyptian activists who helped organize the first seminal protests here, and he was released on Monday after spending a week and a half in solitary confinement.

WAEL GHONIM, EGYPTIAN ACTIVIST (translator): I'm not a hero. I slept for 12 days. The heroes were in the streets. The heroes are the ones that went to the demonstrations. The heroes are the ones that sacrifice their lives.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: I just got off the phone with a senior Egyptian official who told me there's a lot of speculation going on at the moment, but the decision for President Mubarak to resign is his and his alone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought that I would delegate powers to the vice president according to the constitution.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are angry people because the Egyptian leader, Hosni Mubarak, did not say he was stepping down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're very, very angry. I look up with folks with me. You, guys, are speaking English as well, right? What did you think of Mubarak's speech?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mubarak, game over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you (ph) keep it up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at all these people. No one is going to go home. No one is going to go home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are in this to the end, even if it means we're going to die because people have died for us, and all of us are prepared to die for this. We're in this together.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hosni Mubarak has decided to step down as president of Egypt. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Moments ago, the crowd just exploded into cheering and flag waving and chanting the words freedom.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. This was the scene today late afternoon in Central Cairo, the center of that city's anger and defiance for 18 days now being replaced with a lot of exuberance and sheer joy about this transition about to take place as revolution. Let's talk to Ralitsa Vassileva. She's an anchor and correspondent for CNN International, and we're going to make some interesting comparisons here because your country of Bulgaria went through its own revolution back in 1989.

And as you were watching all this unfold in Cairo, were you starting to see some similarities or maybe even anticipate what Egypt will be going through given what Bulgaria went through after 1989.

RALITSA VASSILEVA, ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT, CNNI: Absolutely. I was looking for -- I was really relating to the elation, to the joy, to the feeling of letting go of your fear and of the high, high mile sky hopes for the future, but then, very soon, this was all tempered, because Bulgaria's economy was in a shambles. It collapsed. There were food shortages. It was very difficult, but people didn't quite care.

All they cared about was that they had freedom, but then it turned out that the whole system had to change in order for us to really have freedom in genuine elections, because the whole constitution for more than four decades was geared towards granting one party, the communist party, the ruling party, absolute power, absolute monopoly on everything.

So, there, you have this opposition of people who've never been in politics, and they're sitting across the table negotiating with the communist who are politically savvy, how to change the entire constitution so that everybody could participate and guarantee everybody's right.

And I remember going back home 20 years later and talking to the guy who led the opposition and asked him, how did you pull this up? How were you able to do it? He said, well, two, things, we decided that we were, you know, an umbrella organization, oppositionist parties with different ideas of what had to happen, but we had to stick together.

WHITFIELD: So, that had to be some kind of cohesion --

VASSILEVA: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Some unity.

VASSILEVA: Exactly.

WHITFIELD: Is that scene in Egypt, because there are so many opposition groups?

VASSILEVA: That's what I was thinking. And some of them don't even have leaders like the youth who really lead this. They don't even have --

WHITFIELD: They were kind of the surprise element.

VASSILEVA: Absolutely. This is a totally new political force. But, you know, they'll get it. You know, they'll get it. I was seeing the enthusiasm. Today, people were cleaning up the streets, and they were just trying to improve their country.

WHITFIELD: So, in the case of Bulgaria, you say it was about a year before those free elections, but in the case of Egypt, it may be seven months from now, and I wonder, will that be seven very agonizing months, seven very exciting, you know, months for people before this new change, this new experience?

VASSILEVA: Yes. Well, first, they have to really change the constitution, so that it actually opens up to everybody participating on an equal basis, and then, hold the elections, but then, you think about, well, the opposition wouldn't have enough time to really mature enough to build a base, to campaign, but still, it is a step forward. But what happened in Bulgaria, the opposition, they stuck together.

They continued rallies in the streets for those seven, eight months in Bulgaria before the first re-election, and they pushed the communist to keep on with the reforms that ultimately guaranteed and made sure that everybody could participate in these elections. And they were not as equitable for everybody, because, again, the opposition were just dissidents who had no experience, very little base, but they just started learning and getting things together.

WHITFIELD: It's going to be fascinating. It has been fascinating for, what, 18 days now. And, really, now, we're at the tip of the iceberg of what will be evolving over the next couple of months.

VASSILEVA: Yes. And the one word of caution, though. My thoughts go back to a very serious crisis at one point when the rallies were being held. There was a misunderstanding at one point when parliament communist dominated parliament was discussing what are the most important articles of the constitution which granted monopoly of power to the communist. And there was a delay in the vote. And the people who were outside in the rally thought that the communists were stalling.

They didn't understand that according to the constitution you have to wait a month for this vote. So, the tensions grew so high that at one point, the president, who was inside, he got scared of the protesters. He ordered the defense minister to bring in the tanks. The order, though, was never passed down the chain of command. So, Bulgaria really dodged a Tiananmen Square kind of bring in the tanks and crush the people. And people didn't know that. For the next six months, they continued to protest and push until a secret tape came out.

WHITFIELD: Fantastic (ph), but so extraordinary. Great look in history and now look at the future as well. Ralitsa Vassileva, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

VASSILEVA: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: OK. So, back to U.S. politics now. Who will run against President Barack Obama come 2012? Conservatives are gathering in Washington right now. And from the sound of things, they don't plan to play nice.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Many people in Minnesota embrace, even celebrate the cold winter. In Rochester, Minnesota is a cool place to be this week, in particular. The Annual Winter Festival features this 105-foot long ice bar and lounge and ice coach and real ice glasses. There is even a walk of ice that shows off several ice sculptures. It looks pretty in those pictures, but how chilly is it?

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Ice glasses like you put the beverage in the glass made of ice.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And then, you got a very cool beverages.

JERAS: I guess, you, too. I guess, there's no need to add extra.

WHITFIELD: No, no. Got it right there, straight up, cold.

JERAS: But must wear gloves.

WHITFIELD: Oh, yes.

JERAS: That's what I'm thinking.

WHITFIELD: And parka and all that. Don't get too comfortable in the lounge.

JERAS: How fun. You know, I mean, February in Minnesota, I can speak from experience here, Fred, when I say you got to do something, just keep yourself entertained and occupied, right?

WHITFIELD: An ice bar is it.

JERAS: In an ice bar.

WHITFIELD: Or at least an ice festival. And it works for people in Rochester. Good for you, guys.

JERAS: All right. A little melting going on of those ice bars and all things frozen across the large majority of the lower 48. We have got what we're calling a major shift in the weather pattern. And this is good news for just about everybody. This is what our jet stream, and the jet stream is that fast ribbon of moving air in the upper levels of the atmosphere that helps divide the colder and warmer air, and you can see, right now, most of the cold air being kept at bay, one exception across the northeast.

And yes, you're getting a little lake effect snow because of it and a little breezy today as well, but the good news is, as that this part, which is really warm. We called it a ridge and pattern (ph), this is going to move eastward. So, hang in there. We're talking Wednesday. Almost everybody is going to be seeing temperatures way above average. In the meantime, it means high pressure is in place, and that brings you plenty of sunshine. So, a nice weekend, but that jet also brings an active pattern into the northern tear of the country, particularly, the Pacific Northwest.

So, we got winter storm warnings in effect across parts of the cascades. We're talking a foot of snow or more into the higher elevations. And then, we also have a big wind threat across parts of the inner mountain west as well as into the Dakotas where winds could be gusts as much as 80 miles per hour. A little breezy in the northeast right now. So, one delay, that's JFK, at over an hour, but overall, it's really nice to say, you know, there's not a major storm across the U.S. right now. So, feeling a lot better. A little taste of spring.

WHITFIELD: OK. I'm very excited about that.

JERAS: Me too. It's the weekend, so why not?

WHITFIELD: I know. All right. Thanks so much, Jackie. Appreciate that.

Everyone likes to make predictions, and that would include Donald Trump as well. He announced that Ron Paul cannot win a presidential election. And Mitt Romney plays the role of GOP front-runner that is. That's just a bit of what's happening right now at the annual gathering of the Conservative Political Action Committee. Mississippi governor, Haley Barbour, set the town this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. HALEY BARBOUR, (R) MISSISSIPPI: When America needed a growth strategy to revive our recession wrecked-economy (ph), the Obama administration and the Pelosi-Reid Congress gave us a $1 trillion stimulus bill that only stimulated more government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The CPAC conference is a good place for presidential hopefuls to work the conservative crowd. Here's a bit of what some of those hopefuls had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOV. RICK PERRY, (R) TEXAS: Do you agree with them that the only answer to our challenges is more taxation?

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: No!

PERRY: More borrowing?

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: No!

PERRY: More spending?

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: No!

PERRY: More central control?

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: No!

PERRY: Me neither.

TIM PAWLENTY, (R) FORMER MINNESOTA GOVERNOR: And the best thing we can do to empower people is to make sure they have access to a good job, and that means -- yes, that means remembering this next common sense principle. The private sector, not the government, is the answer to job creation.

REP. MICHELLE BACHMANN, (R) MINNESOTA: The all-important must have for 2012 is this, making Barack Obama a one-term president, right?

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERING)

BACHMANN: Stand up! Stand up! Stand up!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Conservative commentator, Ann Coulter is expected to start speaking at the CPAC in a minute from now.

All right. President Barack Obama has not made it official just yet, but he is already positioning himself to run for re-election. Senior White House Correspondent, Ed Henry, takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Call it the power of the presidency, especially that 416-ton taxpayer-financed jet that helps you rally voters, rake in millions, and grab headlines from coast to coast.

JACK QUINN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: When he goes into local markets, you've been all over with him, he sucked all the oxygen out of the air.

HENRY: Allowing President Obama to road test a potential 2012 campaign slogan, popping up on new t-shirts that say "We Do Big Things."

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We can do what this moment demands and focus on what's necessary for America to win the future.

(CHEERING) USA, USA.

HENRY: But incumbency also has a bad side.

ED GILLESPIE, FMR. REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CHAIRMAN: They do bad things. And the policies that they've opposed have not helped us, you know, get unemployment down to where it ought to be.

HENRY: The candidate of hope and change in 2008 was largely a blank slate. Now, he has to defend a controversial record, which is why he tried to hit the reset button and focus on jobs in his State of the Union. But the crisis in Egypt is a reminder. Sometimes, incumbents set the agenda. Other times, it gets set for them.

OBAMA: Our hearts are broken. And yet, our hearts also have reason for fullness.

HENRY: While the Tucson tragedy was also out of the president's control, he rose to the occasion, and his approval rating has been on the rise, now hitting an impressive 55 percent. At this point in their presidency, Ronald Reagan was only at 37 percent, Bill Clinton was at 47 percent. But after suffering big midterm election losses, they were both re-elected easily.

This president has learned lessons from Reagan and Clinton and has made key adjustments after last November's shellacking, shaking up his staff and moving to the center on issues like tax cuts.

QUINN: In order to move forward, he had to do that deal. And I certainly don't think he caved.

HENRY: Some liberals bitterly disagree, but so far, there's no sign of a serious primary challenge to the president. And he may also be helped by the Republicans' muddled field, so far. But Ed Gillespie argues that tough competition could help the GOP, just like the Democratic primary of 2008.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shame on you, Barack Obama.

HENRY: While the pundits warned that the long drama of Clinton v. Obama would hurt the party, just the opposite happened.

GILLESPIE: It made Obama better. When he emerged as the nominee, he was a stronger nominee for it.

HENRY: By 2012, the president will have had four years of hand-to- hand combat, this time with Republicans. The big question now is whether those battles have, once again, made him a stronger nominee.

HENRY (on-camera): It's fascinating to take a look at the map and see which states the president has been visiting since the midterm election. Take a look at it right there. Indiana, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and this Thursday, he's headed to Michigan. What do they all have in common? Huge battle grounds in 2012.

And so, while the president has not yet officially announced he's running for re-election, make no mistake about it, he's a contender in 2012.

Ed Henry, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And your next political update is in an hour. And for the latest political news, you know exactly where to go, CNNPolitics.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Wael Ghonim has become a reluctant hero of the Egyptian uprising. His Facebook page is credited with triggering the uprising, and his release after 10 days of detention brought huge crowds to Tahrir Square. So, here's how he reacted after President Hosni Mubarak's resignation was announced.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GHONIM: I'm proud to be Egyptian. I just want to say, you know, from the bottom of my heart, congratulations to all Egyptians and, you know, I want to say welcome back, Egypt. To me, I've read about Egypt in the history books. You know, they prevent us for 30 years, the Egypt died, and there's no more Egypt. We are just, you know, a generation that needs to eat and sleep. Tons of thousands decided to start a journey for Egypt, and then, they convinced hundreds of thousands and then they convinced millions of people.

We were all looking for Egypt, and thank God we found her today. I just want to say welcome back, Egypt. I just want to say to President Mubarak and to Omar Suleiman and to all those people who thought that being in power means that you can oppress people, you know, hard luck (ph), guys. You know, at the end of the day, we have a choice, and we've made our choice, by the way, very early enough and you should have respected that. You are responsible of the killings of 300 innocent Egyptians.

You guys paid the price are still going to pay the price. It's enough for you guys that in history books they're going to say one word to describe you, the dictators. Those people are the real heroes. Those people are the real heroes. You know, like, there are lots of people that we know that have died, and also, I wouldn't forget those who are arrested. There are about a thousand people that, you know, no one knows where are they right now. We are looking for them.

We want them back. And, you know, the real heroes are the ones in the streets. The real heroes today are every single Egyptian. There is no one who is leading this. Anyone who is telling you that he was one of the leaders is not saying the truth. The leaders, you know, on the square was every single person there. The leader in Alexandria, every single person there. This was a revolution. As I told you guys in my interview, this is a revolution 2.0.

This is like in (INAUDIBLE) how everyone is contributing to the content, and there's no -- our revolution, everyone was contributing to the revolution and there was no (INAUDIBLE). This revolution started online. This revolution started on Facebook. This revolution started in June, 2010, when hundreds of thousands of Egyptians started collaborating content. You know, like we would post a video on Facebook, it would be shared by 50,000 people on their walls within a few hours.

You know, I always said that if you want to liberate a society, just give them the internet. If you want to have a free society, just give them the internet. The reason why is the internet is like you know, helps you -- you know, help you fight the media war, which is basically a war that the Egyptian government, the Egyptian regime played very well in 1970s, 1980s, 1990s.

I'm going to talk a lot about this. I plan to write a book called "The Revolution 2.0" that will say everything from the start, when there was nothing until the end. And I'll highlight the role of social media.

(END VIDEO CLIP)