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No End in Sight to Wisconsin Standoff; U.S. Gravely Concerned about Libya; Turn Your Passion into Profit; Iman: The Brand; Protests Begin in Tripoli, Libya; Mom Lashes Out at "Cash for Kids" Judge
Aired February 20, 2011 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: We continue to follow the story out of Libya where things are developing and changing hour to hour. Here is the very latest. We have just learned that Libya's ambassador, the Arab League, has resigned, saying that he wouldn't be a part of a regime that kills innocent people, his words. He is referring to the report that hundreds of Libyan people were killed or wounded in clashes with security forces in the past few days of the anti- government protests.
Also, the U.S. State Department is pulling out embassy staffers and their families if they want to leave, calling it a safety measure in face to the violent unrest there. And Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader for 41 40 years, we haven't heard from him, but Gaddafi' son is expected to address the nation at any moment.
We are watching Libyan State television and we will let you know what he has to say on behalf of his father. So, stay with CNN. We're live from Cairo as close as we can get right now to Libya for just a moment.
In the meantime, it is a cold, wet day in Madison, Wisconsin, but inside the state capitol, well, it's hotter than ever as thousands of people protest the governor's plan to cut public workers' benefits and bargaining rights. It's the sixth day of the standoff with no end in sight.
And joining us from inside as well, actually live in Madison, rather, is CNN's Casey Wian - Casey.
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I was inside, Martin, earlier today and it was quite a scene inside. Outside, it's much quieter than it was yesterday when we had tens of thousands of protesters on both side of - sides of this issue, but because of the weather, many of the protestors are now inside the state capitol building, some of them have been spending the night there all week. Hundreds of them have been spending the night there camping out in the hallways.
We watch an interesting scene earlier today, where a group of firefighters walked into the state capitol to show their support for these protesters who have been here all week and they were applauded loudly. And the reason for that is these firefighters along with police officers and other public safety workers, they're actually exempt from this controversial bill which would strip the state unions of many of their collective bargaining rights. Despite that, these firefighters showed up today to show their support for the teachers and other public sector unions who will be affected by this bill if it passes.
Now, as we speak, some of those teachers are actually meeting to decide what to do next. They were off the job, many of them, for three days last week. Here, protesting at the state capital. And interestingly enough, some of those teachers who are off the job are actually not going to lose any of their pay and that's because a group of sympathetic doctors were writing notes excusing their absences.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The doctors that were handing out notes yesterday was more of a protest against the decimation of BadgerCare. They were BadgerCare doctors, you know, and that was the way that they were protesting.
I did get a doctor's note but I'm not going to use it, because, you know, I'm standing up for what I believe in and whatever repercussions come to me, I'm going to face them because it is totally worth it. They put their I.D., their physician I.D. and everything on there. They are prepared for the ramifications.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIAN: As far as this legislation is causing so much controversy, it remains on hold right now because the governor says he is not willing to sit down with these unions who are so upset about the potential loss of their collective bargaining rights. And Democrats in the state legislature remain outside of state lines so they don't have the quorum that they need to move the legislation forward.
We're just going to have to see what happens next week, whether either side is willing to budge - Martin.
SAVIDGE: And, Casey, I presume that means that all work in the legislature then has pretty much come to a halt while this standoff continues?
WIAN: What's interesting, most of the legislation has come to a halt, but some of these protesters are actually testifying and have been testifying for 80 hours straight. Some of the Democratic lawmakers in the assembly are actually keeping these sessions open inside one of the hearing rooms inside to hear these protesters complain. So there's not actually any official movement on legislation, but legislative business, believe it or not, despite the crowded conditions inside this capital is still going on.
SAVIDGE: You're right. It is interesting. Casey Wian, thanks very much from Madison.
Well, we're getting a response today from friends of a California couple whose yacht was hijacked by Somali pirates. Jean and Scott Adam have been sailing the world since 2004, distributing bibles. Friends in California were shocked by the news that they had fallen into the hands of pirates. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PASTOR LLOYD TORGERSON, SAINT MONICA'S CHURCH: My reaction was - was I was brokenhearted and - and I spoke to some parts of their family today and tried to share our concern and our love. And, of course, our community tonight and tomorrow will be in - and through these days will be in prayer for their safety and for their return.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: Two other Americans from Seattle are also believed to have been on board the Adams' yacht.
All right. Now let's get back to where things are changing hour by hour, that's Libya. A key Libyan diplomat has resigned. The U.S. government is gravely concerned about developments there.
So let's go live to Fionnuala Sweeney who is watching events unfold from neighboring Egypt - Fionnuala.
FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we have heard on the ground coming from the ground in Libya is that Benghazi has fallen. These are unconfirmed reports, as you know, but as the military camp that had had been the focus, Martin, of much of the violence throughout the day has gone over to the demonstrators. They're also hearing - and I have to stress unconfirmed media reports that there are clashes in Tripoli, which would be extremely significant to put it mildly, as that is the stronghold of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
The ambassador to Libya to the Arab League resigning because he said he couldn't stand the mass killings and that the people wanted freedom and it was only right that they should have some rights. This, I think, a very significant development and I think the news that perhaps these clashes and series of demonstration and riots are heading westwards toward Tripoli itself. It's something that will be monitored throughout the night. But certainly fast-developing situations in Libya.
SAVIDGE: And Fionnuala, I know that there are some who represent the opposition that are in Egypt and I'm wondering what's their reactions to the news they've been hearing from inside the country they had to flee years ago?
SWEENEY: Well, everyone seems as united in opposition. But, of course, they're all united in one name, which is the overthrow of Colonel Gaddafi and that is very, very clear. I think it may be a little bit too early to turn to what happens after Muammar Gaddafi, because he still is in control of Tripoli.
And, again, I have to stress that these are unconfirmed reports as we can't get in there on the ground. But I think that the opposition - we talked to members of the Salvation for the Liberation of Libya. We also talked to former royalist (ph). We talked to people who really are involved in the grassroots. So monitoring what's going on there. People who are political exiles and they're all united and they're opposition saying that what happened in Egypt may have given the inspiration to the people - the youth and it's always back to the youth in Libya.
But this unlike Egypt has been a spontaneous uprising. It began in Benghazi six nights ago now with the arrest of a human rights lawyer who was investigating an alleged massacre at a prison back in the 1990s. Those clashes in Benghazi have grown and grown with tens of thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets.
And one thing I haven't mentioned so far is the rising death toll, at least 200 people killed today, significant numbers in Benghazi and we hear that the numbers of injured are in the hundreds.
SAVIDGE: Fionnuala Sweeney reporting to us live from Cairo, as we try to get teams inside of Libya. Thanks very much. We will, of course, continue to follow events there.
Meanwhile, here in this country, weather is a problem for much of the Upper Midwest as it has turned quite ugly in the winter department.
Jacqui Jeras joins us now.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, man. It's ugly out there. Take a look at this picture from Minneapolis St. Paul from our affiliate KARE 11. And it's kind of tough to see out there this morning - or afternoon. Temperatures 25 degrees, the winds are gusting around 30 miles per hour. It's already the fifth snowiest winter on record for you in the Twin Cities and that doesn't count the four to six inches you have on the ground right now.
This winter storm could rival the one we had back in December, if you remember that foot of snow and the wind so strong that it tore a hole in the Metrodome roof, remember that? Yes. This could be close to that. So we're looking for some really nasty conditions. You really don't want to travel at all across the Twin Cities metro area for today.
And this is a pretty widespread storm too for the Upper Midwest. Take a look at all the watches and warnings which are in play. The blizzard-type conditions, that means our winds are around 35 miles per hour or more, visibility less than a quarter of a mile and it has to be snowing or blowing snow for three hours. That's what the definition of a blizzard is and we're expecting the worst of that across parts of South Dakota and into western parts of Minnesota.
This is impacting much of Wisconsin, where you had some light rain and freezing rain in Dayton County, in Madison, where they've been dealing with the protests there and the whole thing is going to be moving into the northeast as well late tonight and tomorrow morning. So be aware of that if you have travel plans. New York City, down toward D.C., we could have some airport delays.
Speaking of airport delays, just one at this hour and that's Chicago O'Hare, ground delays over an hour. That's people across the country trying to get into Chicago O'Hare and we don't expect that to get much better throughout the day. Though, the good news for you, Chicago, is that at least this isn't a major snowmaker for you.
All right, where is this storm going? This is going to be tracking off towards the east, through the Great Lakes, and into the northeast for tomorrow and this is really going to be pushing out of here by Tuesday, so a fairly quick-moving storm. Everybody on the south side of this thing looking good, but everybody on the north side, not looking so good as we're getting that wintry mix.
We'll show you some of the snowfall accumulations and where we expect the worst of those to be and really the big area we're talking about is that I-90 Corridor and northward for the heaviest of snow and just south of there, that's where we will be dealing with the ice accumulations. We can be talking some power outages, because the ice could be so thick collecting on power lines.
SAVIDGE: All right, Jacqui. Thanks very much.
JERAS: Sure.
SAVIDGE: American history had a secret that has just been revealed. A photographer who documented the civil rights movement for history was documented also for the FBI.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: A live picture now from Libya Television, where we are expecting that Muammar Gaddafi's son will address the public any moment now. We are watching this closely and we will, of course, bring you live coverage when it happens. Again, state television coming out of Libya as we're monitoring it.
Long before today's anti-terrorism efforts, the FBI was spying on fellow Americans, including people active in the civil rights movement. Who better to keep an eye on the community or help them was a man with a camera. A fascinating story, part of a CNN documentary. Soledad O'Brien has a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The perfect informant would be someone good with names and faces, someone who could get inside both large community meetings and small strategy sessions. In Memphis, Tennessee, that someone was photographer Ernest Withers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As an established, universally known photojournalist -
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: We apologize for that technical difficulty. It will be a fascinating report. You can join Soledad O'Brien for that special investigation, "Pictures Don't Lie" CNN Sunday night at 8:00 Eastern.
Making money doing something you love. It is a dream that can come true. We will tell you how, right after the break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: And we want to remind you that we are continuing to monitor Libyan Television as we anticipate a statement coming from that country from the son of Muammar Gaddafi. When it comes along, we'll tell you.
In the meantime, they say do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life. I can attest to that. In a moment, we'll hear from a career coach who explains how to turn your passion into profit.
But first, let's check the headlines. It is the sixth day of a heated standoff over budget cuts in Wisconsin. Protesters are again swarming the capital. They call the governor's plan to cut the benefits of public employees an assault on their rights. Republican Governor Scott Walker is trying to reduce a budget deficit in his state. Walker's plan also involves slashing collective bargaining rights.
In Iran, police on motorcycles and using batons cracked down on protesters. Opposition websites say that a person was killed in Tehran today, but the government is denying that there were any deaths. Security forces have gated off access to one opposition leader's home. Iranian authorities have been rounding up opposition figures following revolutions in other Mideast nations.
Hundreds of Auburn University fans and supporters gathered at their beloved oak trees this weekend. The trees were allegedly poisoned by a disgruntled University of Alabama fan. A 62-year-old man is charged with putting a very harsh herbicide in the soil around the trees - it depends where you're from. Experts are racing against time to try and save them.
All right. Turning your passion into profit. It can happen if you know how to prepare yourself for the challenge.
Joining us now to tell us five ways that we can do that is life coach Valorie Burton. And, welcome.
VALORIE BURTON, LIFE COACH AND AUTHOR: Thank you.
SAVIDGE: And first of all, let me ask you, you know, how do you use your things that you are passionate in to make a difference in your life?
BURTON: Well, I think one of the biggest things that take us just having the courage to go forward to actually dream a bigger dream and I think so many people, whether it's a layoff or they're retired and they want to go into a new career had have these dreams of turning their passions into something that they can earn a living doing.
SAVIDGE: Have you mastered that craft?
BURTON: You know what? I have done it. Fourteen years ago, I left the first and only job I ever had and - and launched my own business. And I've been doing it ever since. SAVIDGE: And, you know, are you passionate in a way that you're driven for profit or - where does the passion come in? Should I be focused on the money end or the fun end?
BURTON: Well, I think it's both. I think, first and foremost, people have to look at how does my passion make a difference for people. I think we have to recognize that customers and employers aren't necessarily going to pay you specifically to pursue your passion, but they will pay you to solve a problem. They will pay you to help them meet a need that they have.
So it's very important to know that this is about your passion, but you have to make sure you're looking at how you make a difference for others.
SAVIDGE: And you have to make a profit. I mean, you have to make money out of it.
BURTON: Absolutely. Absolutely. And that's where the passion comes in. Passion really fuels perseverance. People who are very passionate about what they're doing are excellent at what they do. And so the product or service that they're providing if they're passionate about it tends to lead to a greater profit.
SAVIDGE: How do you know how to make money off of a passion? I mean, in other words, you can be very fired up about something and say, look, I want to do this, I love doing this, but I'm not sure where the money angle is. How do you figure that part out?
BURTON: I think this is really big, because a lot of people that are very good at what they do aren't necessarily the best at making money.
SAVIDGE: Right.
BURTON: So it's very important to educate yourself financially, put those people in your life and in your business that can help to mentor you, really, really critical. And then if you're looking at not necessarily transitioning a career, but perhaps starting a business, you need to make sure you're living below your means. You need to make sure that you're saving that money. You need to make sure you're understanding how to make money.
And for a lot of people, they only look at the passion, they only look at their talent, they don't look at do I know how to run a business?
SAVIDGE: The hardest part here I think is the leap of faith.
BURTON: Yes.
SAVIDGE: That is required because I know a lot of people who, look, they have these dreams, they have these ideas, but then they always say, you know, I just don't know how to get started or they back off.
BURTON: Yes, yes. You meet so many people who launched into what they really wanted to do after they were forced out of their other career. So they might have had the dream but they never had the courage to actually do it on their own. And so you have to be able to muster up that courage.
And I remember when I turned in my resignation letter for that job I had 14 years ago and I was at home that night after turning it in, and I was trying to go to sleep but I thought what on earth have I done? But you know what, I've never looked back.
So, at some point, you have to make a decision, it might be a little baby steps that you take in the right direction, but you have to muster the courage to go for it. I heard a quote once that we - we typically don't regret the things that we have done. It's the things we haven't done that we most regret. So go for it.
SAVIDGE: Yes. I agree with you, Valorie. Thank you. You're an inspiration and I certainly believe the idea that you - you have to love what you do.
BURTON: Yes.
SAVIDGE: It's the only way you will be fulfilled. Thank you. It's a pleasure talking with you.
BURTON: Thank you. You, too.
SAVIDGE: Well, her iconic name is synonymous with beauty and fashion, but did you also know that Iman is a business mogul? She'll explain how she did it when she goes "Face to Face" with our Fredricka Whitfield.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: We are expecting Muammar Gaddafi's son to address the public any moment now, so we're watching closely and we will bring that statement to you live when it happens.
Well, she is one of the most photographed women in the world and is known by a singular name - Iman. These days, she is a fashion icon, but she's also synonymous with very big business. Iman talks "Face To Face" with Fredricka Whitfield about transforming from model to mogul.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: She has graced the covers of dozens of magazines around the world and she is Terry Muggler's, Donna Karan's and Oscar de la Renta's all-time favorite face and body on the catwalk. Known simply as Iman, she is a powerful force in fashion, business and philanthropy. She tells me "Face to Face" how she recognized the power potential in her modeling, created the brand of Iman and transformed it all into a multimillion dollar empire.
What made you different, however, that you recognized in yourself that I am Iman, I am a brand, designers are now looking to me as they create - with their creation and that I can take this further that I'm not just promoting their brand, but mine as well? Not all models have been able to - to see that and take that opportunity, but you did and create that opportunity. IMAN, FASHION ICON, BUSINESS MOGUL: Yes. Ego comes in the way because you get older. And there's always young new girl coming around the corner. So, at any given time, this is an industry that is built a newness. It's not even age, it's newness. You have to be - that newness is always what they're after.
So, after 14, 16 years, you're not new anymore, so - and I wanted to leave it when I was ready to leave, I wanted to leave at the height of my career.
WHITFIELD: But you're iconic, and being an icon is different than just being there and being a player.
IMAN: I know. And that's when you become even more iconic, when you leave at the top.
WHITFIELD: On your terms?
IMAN: On your terms. And I literally did it as I got here, overnight, I left overnight. I said one morning, called everybody at my agency and I said good-bye and they didn't believe me. And they started to believe me 20 years later because I never went to a fashion show since I stopped modeling. I have totally divorced myself from that because I was building on a career as an executive. And I play a hide and seek with my industry because my industry doesn't - they get tired of you very fast. So I know how to play them. I show up and they love it. And then I disappear for a year. You know -
WHITFIELD: You are good at that disappearing.
IMAN: I made myself new and relevant all the time.
WHITFIELD: So - but there was a moment, you know, when you got to that 14-year part, you're saying, how am I going - how am I going to come up with that second act, that third act?
IMAN: Well, the seed of it was planted on my first booking, literally on the third day I arrived here in New York in 1975. I was - my first job was for American "Vogue" and it was with another model, Caucasian model and when I walked into that studio, the makeup artist asked me did you bring your own foundation. And, first, I really had no idea what foundation was and I was - it was a very perplexing question because he was just addressing to me, he didn't ask the white girl.
So, I said, no. And he proceeded to put something on my face and when I looked at myself in the mirror, I was mortified, because I looked gray, you know? And - and thank God the pictures came out in black and white. So, black and white hides multitude of sins. So -
WHITFIELD: How did you exude confidence knowing that you were not looking yourself and you had to ignore that and just play the part?
IMAN: I - it - I have no idea how I survived that day, but I remember when the magazine came out, I didn't wait for the magazine to come out. Literally, the next day it went on the market and started buying product, foundations from different companies and - anything that had a pigment and I would mix and match at home and put it on my skin and Polaroid it. That's how long ago it was when Polaroid was around. There was no digital.
WHITFIELD: Nice instant developing.
IMAN: I know. And that's what I did for all those years and every time I stepped to the street, women would ask me, Latinas and African- Americans or black women, people in general, what foundations do you use? Where did you buy it?
WHITFIELD: And you would say? I created my own.
IMAN: I didn't know. They didn't exist, because I was mixing and matching.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
IMAN: And so when I stopped modeling, I knew that's what I was going to do. So I created Iman Cosmetics in 1994.
WHITFIELD: And it's huge, $25 million a year, products that are extremely accessible you can get at Wal-Mart, you can get at Ulta cosmetics -- a number of accessible outlets. And you wanted to create this make-up not just for women of color but for women's accessibility (ph).
IMAN: Yes. And more importantly, I wanted also to change the language. Here comes politics again. When I was creating it, I -- this is -- I termed it "women with skin of color." Everybody in the industry was telling me, Why don't you create something for black women only? I wanted to create it for Latina, Asians, multi-cultural women across the board.
But I tried to make people understand this is not about ethnicity, is about skin tone. And if you go to Asia, Filipino women are as black as I am. So you know, I -- when I say Asians, everybody thinks Japanese, you know? And they don't think about the whole of Asia. Indians, they are as dark as I am, you know what I mean? And then you have Latinas who are blond and blue eyes and girls who are as dark as I am. And so I was talking about skin tones. So then I changed the language from women of color to women with skin of color.
WHITFIELD: Did you get any, I guess, flak even, from other cosmetic companies that said, you know, You don't have the experience in cosmetics like we do. You can't do this. We can.
IMAN: Well, they can, but they did not, so that is the difference. And they gave me a shelf life of maybe two years.
WHITFIELD: So what's the secret to your staying power?
IMAN: Because it was created from a point of view that I -- I had the same need, like all of my customers have, and I don't believe in the old rules of how to make an Asian eyes look bigger and an African- American nose look smaller. I don't believe in that. So it's not (INAUDIBLE) It's how to make you look the best that you can be, you know, and also to celebrate our God-given features.
WHITFIELD: And you've coupled that philosophy with your other book -- I mean, these two beautiful books. You know, this really talks about kind of the image of beauty...
IMAN: Yes.
BROWN: ... from the fashion industry, "I Am Iman." And then your "Iman: The Beauty of Color" really helped empower women of color, embrace the color, the uniqueness of who they are.
IMAN: And it's global. Each girl -- the picture or the photograph of each girl in the book, next to her is her name and the country of origin. And it's amazing what you find. You find it from -- we have Malaysians, Japanese, Chinese, Brazilians, South Africans, you know, North Africans. From every part, there was a beauty there.
WHITFIELD: I love what you wrote in your "I Am Iman." You said, They didn't build me, I built myself.
IMAN: I know. It's like I always said also. Peter Beard (ph) didn't discover me -- if anything -- because I wasn't lost to be discovered!
WHITFIELD: Right. He saw you.
IMAN: Yes. If anything, I discovered him.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: So did you feel like you always had that approach? I realize you -- you know, take -- give great credit to your mom...
IMAN: Yes.
WHITFIELD: ... you know, that she said, you know, You've got to make things happen.
IMAN: Yes.
WHITFIELD: But it seems like there was never a period in your career, in your adult life, where you were uncertain about what to do, how to brand yourself and what to do with that brand. It seems like you have always just known.
IMAN: It's a learning curve, you know? It's -- but it -- I never wanted to go into anything without me doing the research of it -- research it, research it, research it to death, so you know exactly what you're talking about and what you're really getting involved in. And that is the big difference in -- from my generation, I think, and the young generation now. They're very fast and furious. They want it now. They want it yesterday.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
(LAUGHTER) IMAN: You know? And nobody wants to work for it, you know? So that's the different -- the different part of it. You know, when I was creating Iman Cosmetics, my reading was the Census Bureau because I kept on hearing...
WHITFIELD: Who's out there?
IMAN: Yes.
BROWN: What are people's needs?
IMAN: And who is -- yes, they kept on talking about the "browning of America," and I wanted to know what is their median income, what's the numbers, how are they broken down (INAUDIBLE) And I knew. And that is why I created something. When I saw while I was creating it, I had that validation that there is a consumer here that is not met.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: Now, to see all of Fred's "Face to Face" interviews with Iman so far, you can go to CNN.com/fredricka.
Some unusual moments at the Grammy Awards, Cee-Lo's wild outfit and Bieber fever -- just some of the things ahead when comedian George Wallace weighs in with his take on the news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: We are expecting Muammar Gadhafi's son to address the public any moment now. We're watching this close, and we will bring it to you live when that coverage happens. We anticipate it will come on Libyan television.
Now we want to go to a beeper, actually, that is coming to us from an unidentified male -- oh, now I'm told that we don't have it. So we'll continue -- as we say, it's a very fluid situation on the ground in Libya, and as things change, we will, of course, bring those developments to you.
Let's move on. Funnyman George Wallace with his spin on the news less than a minute from now.
But first, we are going to check the top stories. And we'll begin in Brooklyn, New York. Flames fueled by high winds light up the night sky after a residential complex catches fire. Nearly 200 firefighters responded to the scene. The blaze killed one person. Dozens were injured, including firefighters and people who lived in the building.
New developments out of Libya. As bloody battles continue, Libya's ambassador to the Arab League has resigned, saying he cannot be a part of the regime that kills innocent people. More than 200 have been killed across Libya since the protests began. There are also eyewitness reports that Benghazi, Libya's second largest city, has fallen and is now in the hands of protesters. CNN cannot independently confirm reports, as the Libyan government has a tight control on communications. And then look at this radar map. Winter storm warnings are in place from Montana to Michigan. Heavy snow is a major concern. Minneapolis is expecting up to 14 inches. In some areas, the winds are howling with gusts up to 40 miles an hour.
It is that time again. Comedian George Wallace joins every Sunday for his take on the news.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: And George, I know you've just flown in there to Los Angeles. Last week, you were in Atlanta. So you obviously get around in your tea (ph) half hour, as my mother would say. How's that working out for you?
GEORGE WALLACE, COMEDIAN: Martin, people ask me, where do I live? I tell them I live at United and Delta. I'm always at the airport. I just travel so much every day on an airplane. And people are constantly asking me stupid questions. I'm on the airplane. I'm coming here. I'm on the airplane. The lady sitting next to me, she asks me, Are you going to LA? We're on the same plane. I told her, Everybody on this plane is going to LA. Why do people ask stupid questions? Another lady says to me, Mr. Wallace, you're mighty quiet today. I said, Well, I'm standing here by myself. It's just constant stupid questions.
SAVIDGE: Are you...
WALLACE: And another lady tells me, Martin...
SAVIDGE: Do you fly beyond the blue curtain? Are you one of those up front?
WALLACE: Of course I'm up front. What's wrong with you? Martin, I have six million miles. Of course I fly up front. I'm too fat to fly in the back. Have you sat in those things back there lately?
SAVIDGE: I think I want to ask about the Grammys. Did you see them? There were quite a few unusual moments there -- Cee-Lo, Lady Gaga just to name a few.
WALLACE: I knew you were going to bring up Cee-Lo. Cee-Lo is my favorite singer. Did you see what Cee-Lo was wearing?
SAVIDGE: It was unusual.
WALLACE: I thought -- I love this guy, but I'm thinking, Is he applying for the -- he wants to be the NBC peacock. I said, Maybe I'm watching the wrong station. Did you see all the colors he had on? I think George Clinton and Lady Gaga got together and had a baby and now it's Cee-Lo. Did you see what he was wearing?
SAVIDGE: I just saw it again.
WALLACE: It was crazy.
SAVIDGE: Yes. Wow.
WALLACE: Look at that! Now, how about Justin Bieber? Do you know what happened? This young lady, young lady, she -- Esperanza -- I can't pronounce her name...
(CROSSTALK)
WALLACE: But she's -- Esperanza. She beat Justin Bieber out, and there's 20,000 young ladies out there after her, can you believe that, because she won Best New Artist. Bieber fever is like the swine flu now. They're going crazy.
(CROSSTALK)
SAVIDGE: ... the slam dunk contest? What did you think of that in, the slam dunk contest?
WALLACE: Now, you want to talk about Blake. This guy is so good. I love this guy, playing at the Staples Center. This is his home. He jumped over a car last night. Did you see that, Martin?
SAVIDGE: I did. I did see that. Pretty amazing.
WALLACE: He jumped over -- he's an NBA All-Star, right? When's the last time you've seen an NBA All-Star near a Kia?
SAVIDGE: Never!
WALLACE: Near a Kia. Never!
(LAUGHTER)
WALLACE: He jumped over the Kia and jumped right into his Bentley, you know?
(LAUGHTER)
SAVIDGE: We call that product placement.
WALLACE: Right into his Bentley!
SAVIDGE: But yes.
WALLACE: That's what you call that, product placement? But it was amazing. Look at that. It's amazing. But it is crazy here in Los Angeles. I wish you could be here. The traffic is crazy. I just made it here. I didn't even have time to put on make-up. And you know when you come to Hollywood, you need make-up on. Everybody, man, woman, babies, every here has make-up on.
SAVIDGE: Are you going to be in the front row for tonight's game?
WALLACE: No. Why would you ask me a question like that? I'm going to be in about 13th row. I work for CNN. You know I don't have any money.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: There you go, a humorous look at the events taking place in the news this week.
But now to something more serious, updating you on the situation in the Libya. We have been telling you about the events that have been unfolding in Benghazi. That is the second largest city in Libya. Now on the telephone, we have one of those involved in the protests -- again, we are not identifying people -- this time in Tripoli. And this is significant because Tripoli had so far only had some demonstrations.
Sir, tell us what you are seeing tonight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (via telephone): We started protesting since the sunset here in Libya, in Tripoli. We gathered a lot of people, about 150 people. We started from a mosque, and we -- after praying the Isha (ph) prayer, we went to the street, the main street that takes into Tripoli, which is about six miles of (ph) the center of Tripoli. We were protesting against the Gadhafi. We tried to keep it -- sorry -- we tried to keep it as safe as possible. But were shouting against the Gadhafi. We were shouting that, We are with you, Benghazi, and all that stuff.
So we went about two miles walking until we have the police or the protectors (ph), the guys who despaired (ph) the protesters, they came onto us and they shot a lot of gas tears -- of tear gas, and we throw some rocks on them. They left away (ph). After a few minutes, we gathered again and we went to one building of the Gadhafi's conference (ph) meeting (ph) (INAUDIBLE) people. However, with the Gadhafi, they call it Mataba toria (ph). We went and burned one of these.
SAVIDGE: And so this is the beginning of what, uprisings that you're now seeing there in Tripoli?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly. Yes. So a lot of places in Tripoli did the same thing. So it's happening all in parts of Tripoli, sir.
SAVIDGE: And you have been told of the events that have happened in Benghazi today, and I presume that's an inspiration?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
SAVIDGE: And the police -- what do you know of the whereabouts of the police and the military on the streets of Tripoli tonight?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We hear -- I don't see it with my eyes, but we hear that the military is gathering around the piazza, which is where the Gadhafi lives, and the guy who is -- the admiral (ph), his name is Nadi (ph) Larbi (ph), I think he is in power now with -- with the control of the military next to the piazza.
SAVIDGE: Well, if he is in power, then where is Moammar Gadhafi and members of his family? Do you know? Have you heard anything?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We hear he left the country to Venezuela, and some people say to Italy. So I'm not sure what's happening, to be honest. And the Libyan TV, they have a sign saying the Saif Islam, the son of Gadhafi, is going to speak soon for the past five, four hours now, and he doesn't speak yet. So I'm not sure if he is going to do.
SAVIDGE: I understand. All right. What is the sense of -- on the street? Is it quiet? Is it -- are people excited? Just what is happening right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of people excited, a lot of people driving around with horns and saying the Gadhafi has left and all that stuff. So a lot of people are happy here.
SAVIDGE: And since that confrontation you had, where you were throwing rocks at the police, have you seen or heard of any other violence?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We heard the town next to us, called Rutshael (ph), they have protests, too. Actually, I have people coming next to me with the horns. I don't know if you can hear the noise.
SAVIDGE: We can. We can definitely hear that. So you're standing on the streets and these are the sounds you're hearing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly. Yes. I hear some gunshots away, towards Dindoor (ph), which is the western part of Tripoli. And we're not sure what's happening there.
SAVIDGE: And you mentioned that security forces seem to be setting up around the -- Gadhafi's home, around the palace there, the plaza.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.
SAVIDGE: Are people headed in that direction?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not sure, to be honest.
SAVIDGE: All right. Well, we thank you, sir, for the update on the situation there, hearing from Tripoli.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No problem (ph).
SAVIDGE: We will continue to stay in touch with those on the ground. We want to stress to you that, of course, CNN has not been able to get correspondents into Tripoli and into Libya because of the tight control up to this point of the government, so we cannot verify what the gentleman has just told u. But he is calling and saying that he is part of the protest movement there.
We'll take a break, come back with more after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: We are continuing to follow events out of Libya, and they are moving very fast. We are expecting that Moammar Gadhafi's son will address the public any moment now, and we are monitoring Libyan television, as well as other sources. And as soon as that message begins or is received, we'll bring it to you.
We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: And we are expecting Moammar Gadhafi's son, that is Saif al Islam Gadhafi, to address the public any moment now in Libya. We are watching this closely and we will bring you live coverage when it happens.
Well, when a Scranton jury convicted a former Pennsylvania judge in a so-called "kids for cash" scheme, a distraught mom lashed out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDY FONZO, SON WENT BEFORE JUDGE CIAVARELLA: He's not here anymore! My kid's not here! He's dead! Because of him! He ruined my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) life! I'd like him to go to hell and rot there forever!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ma'am, come on.
FONZO: No! You know what he told everybody in court? They need to be held accountable for their actions. You need to be -- do you remember me? Do you remember me? Do you remember my son, an all-star wrestler? He's gone! He shot himself in the heart! You scumbag!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: The mother who screamed at former judge Mark Ciavarella was Sandy Fonzo. She says when her son, Ed, first got into trouble, Ciavarella told her he would scare him straight. Instead, it snowballed into an unending nightmare. Ed never got over it and took his own life.
CNN's Don Lemon spoke with his heartbroken mother.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FONZO: My son was my life. That's all I had, and now it's gone. So I don't have that same life. I don't -- you know, I exist right now.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: How did your son first come in contact with Ciavarella's court?
FONZO: He was 17 and he was going into his senior year of high school. Like I said, he was an all-star wrestler. He was expected that year to take states. He would have been the first one in high school to have that title, and would have received a scholarship to anywhere in the country.
And right before school started, he just start hanging with a different crowd and he was staying out later. You know, he was pushing the limits. And it just went on for a while. Ed lived just with me. I wasn't with his father. And he just -- I don't know -- things were just getting a little bit out of control. And when I spoke to his father, he had friends that we actually went to school with in the Wilkes-Barre Police Department. And we knew Ed was at an underage drinking party, so we sent them in just to get him out of there. We wanted to put a scare into him and just get him back on track, and you know, he just had too much to lose to go down that path.
LEMON: Can you ever forgive this judge?
FONZO: No, never. Never. There is no justice. He'll never receive my sentence, what I have to live with every day of my life without my son! He left on that beautiful day yesterday to go back with his family. I have nothing anymore, and he still has no -- nothing. It was -- it was all for nothing! It was all for greed and for more and more. He never had enough, and he took everything from me. And I'll never, never forgive him, no.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: Ciavarella is free on bond until his sentencing. He could face 157 years in prison.
I'm Martin Savidge. Don Lemon is up next with more of the day's headlines.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
