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Public Unrest Rocks Libya; Thousands Protest in Wisconsin; Judge Convicted of Sending Juveniles to Detention Centers for Personal Gain; Invites to Upcoming Royal Wedding Sent Out; Organized Crime Becoming More Involving in Smuggling Drugs and Guns Across the US- Mexico Border

Aired February 21, 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: Martin, shall I take it? Are we going to break? I'll go for it.

Let's begin, shall we? Top of the news here.

We're closely watching developments in the latest Arab nation to bend under the weight of public anger and the people's demand for change. Not talking about Tunisia, not talking about Yemen or Bahrain. Today, it is Libya, where one man has been in charge for more than 40 years, Moammar Gadhafi's Libya.

Across the nation this weekend, crowds inspired by revolutions in Tunisia and just next door in Egypt rose in even greater numbers and clashed with security forces sent to break them up.

Dozens of people were reportedly killed on Saturday, and then more died yesterday when a funeral procession descended into violence as well. One witness tells CNN that uniformed -- should be troops without uniforms opened fire on the crowds of demonstrators.

And this whole story, it is moving very, very quickly now. In fact, last night , the U.S. State Department tells embassy people, their families, get out of Libya. And we start hearing about these riots reaching now the capital city, that being Tripoli. So far, the violence has flared up only in other cities.

Libya's ambassador to the Arab League resigned saying Moammar Gadhafi is in his words finished, done. Then Gadhafi's son goes on Libyan TV, here he is, saying the protests must end or, he says, -- quote -- "Forget about democracy, forget about reform," and warns of a bloody civil war.

We need to point out that obtaining independent confirmation on events happening now in Libya is very, very difficult. Why? Well, the Libyan government maintains tight control on communications and has not responded to repeated requests from CNN for access to that country.

So, CNN's Ivan Watson is nearby, joining me on the phone from Cairo.

And, Ivan, as we pointed out, so much happening right now and so quickly in Libya. And though all of -- through all of this, we have yet to see the leader here of 42 years, Moammar Gadhafi. First, I just have to ask you, does anyone know where he is?

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No.

And, in fact, you have gotten the top diplomat of the United Kingdom, of Britain, who's come out and said that he has information indicating that Gadhafi may have gone to Venezuela. He has good ties with the Venezuelan government. And that charge has been denied by Libya's ambassador to London.

We do not know where Gadhafi is right now. He has had some phone conversations with the prime minister of Turkey and with the U.N. secretary-general, Ban Ki-Moon. Meanwhile, I have to say we are having -- facing really a telecommunications blockade, blackout.

We cannot call the Libyan capital, Tripoli, to find out what is going on there. We have gotten some secondhand reports of helicopter gunships opening fire on demonstrators there, very ominous news coming out of there. And the deputy ambassador from Libya to the United Nations actually coming out, with the television cameras, a few hours ago, Brooke, and accusing his own leader, Moammar Gadhafi, of committing genocide against his own people.

BALDWIN: Right.

WATSON: Very ominous signs of what could be going on...

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: I saw that, saying Gadhafi has declared war on Libyan people.

But I want to ask you, Ivan, and I know it's difficult to entirely confirm what you're hearing, some of these reports out of Libya. But I want to talk to you about Malta. It's the small island off the Libyan coast about 250 miles. And we understand that there are reports of some of these fighter jets that landed on this tiny island. What can you tell me about that?

WATSON: Another disturbing signal here, Brooke.

Two Libyan air force Mirage F-1 fighter jets landed at Malta. It's less than 250 miles from the Libyan coast.

BALDWIN: We are looking at pictures, Ivan. I just wanted to interject we're looking at picture of some of these jets.

WATSON: That's right. That happened this afternoon here, landed there, and we have since learned from government sources inside Malta that the pilots were defecting because they had been ordered to bomb their own citizens in Libya.

And we actually have learned from that government source also that the fighter jets were armed with bombs and that the machine guns were loaded when they appear to have fled the country.

BALDWIN: So that's what's happening, as we look at these pictures out of Malta. But you also mentioned Tripoli. We know this revolt started in the number-two city of Benghazi. But it's issuing to point out, this is the capital city. What do we know? Are there now new signs of cracks in the capital?

WATSON: We don't know very much about Tripoli because we haven't been able to get through. This is another sign -- Moammar Gadhafi has been in charge for 42 years.

BALDWIN: Forty-two years.

WATSON: The second largest city in the east appeared to have fallen to rebels yesterday and the fighting has been going on intermittently in Tripoli, the capital, which is in the west, since yesterday.

What had been described as a pro-government newspaper showed a photo of what it said was the parliament building on fire, also reported that the head of the security, the headquarters, had been torched.

And probably one of the best signs, Brooke, of the real cracks in this regime and the signs that Gadhafi's government is probably fighting for its life right now are the number of high-ranking officials, including the justice minister, including a number of ambassadors from around the world, that have now either resigned or publicly broken with Moammar Gadhafi just in the past 36 hours.

BALDWIN: Signs perhaps they are losing faith.

And I can't let you go, Ivan, without mentioning Gadhafi's son. He was on Libyan state television yesterday in this address that was described almost as rambling. And help us understand here in the U.S. who he is, how powerful he is within Libya, and if, in fact, he even speaks with his father.

WATSON: Well, Saif al-Islam Gadhafi is almost the English-speaking face of the Libyan regime.

BALDWIN: OK.

WATSON: He was educated at universities in Europe. He runs a charity in Libya. And he's often been the -- at the forefront of Libya's efforts after being a rogue state for decades of trying to reconnect with the outside world.

But this speech was very strange, because, in it, though he did offer some concessions, like trying to draw up a constitution for the first time in recent Libyan history, or perhaps even changing the Libyan flag, he also made some very clear threats.

He said, if the opposition doesn't sit down and talk, there will be rivers of blood running through Libya. There will be a civil war that is far worse than anything we have seen in Libya's neighbors to the west and the east, Tunisia and Egypt.

And the fear among some opposition activists right now, Brooke, is that is what exactly is happening in Tripoli right now. But we can't get through to anybody to confirm it. BALDWIN: Yes. Ivan Watson on the phone from next door in Egypt, because, as you pointed out, Libya will not respond to our requests to get in the country. Ivan, thank you.

And now big-name celebrities joining these thousands and thousands of protesters there in Madison, Wisconsin. That ongoing budget battle showdown continues here. We're going to take you there live next.

Plus, what the U.S. Navy is now doing to help those four Americans believed to be held hostage by Somali pirates. Stay right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: We have got this developing story for you out of Wisconsin. And you know the story by now. And this is about the strike by teachers. And there they are. They're indoors inside that capitol building, folks today marking day six. They say Wisconsin's Republican governor is trying to break up their union, trying to balance the state's budget by crippling collective bargaining.

But I want you to hold that thought for now, because Governor Scott Walker has announced a news conference. It will happen early this evening. And it comes amid reports that moderate state Republicans are talking compromise, potentially undercutting Governor Walker in this whole showdown with public employees.

Casey Wian has been on the ground now for days and days there in Madison.

And, Casey, what are you hearing? Might the landscape possibly be shifting here? Would teachers potentially head back to work this week?

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, in terms of the political landscape, it doesn't seem like things are going to be shifting here, despite the fact that Governor Walker has called a news conference for this evening, Brooke.

My colleague Chris Welch just spoke with a key Republican state legislator inside this building here where protesters have gathered by the thousands to protest this legislation. And said that despite that talk of a compromise, which may suspend these collective bargaining rights for a temporary period, say, perhaps two years, and then resume them after that period extends, no matter what the language of that potential compromise is, this Republican says he doesn't think it's likely that the governor and other Republicans are willing to compromise.

Now, we can see that the other side is not willing to compromise either. You can see there's a human chain that has formed around this state capitol.

BALDWIN: Oh, wow.

WIAN: And, inside, the scene is even much more raucous, if you will. Thousands of people have gathered to continue to show their opposition.

Now, as for the teachers going back to work, many of the schools in Wisconsin do not recognize Presidents Day, so a lot of teachers are not back to work today. They are here at the capitol protesting. But the teachers unions have said that they expect their employees to be back to work as early as tomorrow.

And that's when we're expecting state lawmakers to be back as well, trying to do the legislative business. But for right now, the Democrats remain outside of state lines, so this bill is not going to go forward until and if and when they return to town, Brooke.

BALDWIN: So those 14 Democrats, they have still -- they're still out of town. They skipped town a couple of days ago. And for those of you -- hang on, Casey -- because for those viewers who sort of missed this story, I want to do a quick reset, because just taking you back to Saturday, Governor Walker's Tea Party backers turned out for a counterprotest as well.

We want to show both sides here. And then you have the unions. You saw the human chain Casey just showed. But they really staged their biggest rally yet at the capitol building.

And, Casey, let's listen, if you would, to two opposing positions. First, you are going to hear from a teacher on the issue of health care and pensions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: his will cost us an additional $208 to $567 a month for our family just to have health insurance on an income of $50,000 a year.

TIM PHILLIPS, PRESIDENT, AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY: I think it's going to determine largely whether or not the pampered nature of these public employees unions is finally reined in, so that they're paying for health care and they're paying for pensions in a level that the private sector is doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: You heard the word he used, pampered. One side is talking about pampered public workers. The other side talking about the right to bargain collectively.

Casey, is there even any way to tell where the public is leaning on this divisive issue?

WIAN: My sense is the public here in the state of Wisconsin is split on this issue, just like the protesters you saw by the tens of thousands over the weekend.

It depends on which poll you look at and how the question is asked and who's doing the poll. But I think most people are split. You have had parents who support the teachers union, but they're upset because they had to make alternative arrangements for their kids who couldn't go to school three days last week.

You saw a group of firefighters who marched into the capitol over the weekend. They're exempt from this proposed legislation. The governor has exempted public safety, firefighters and police, from this proposed legislation, yet they marched into the capitol to loud applause in support of these teachers who have been off the job and other protesters.

I think there's a very deep divide among the public here, but the one thing I do want to stress is that despite all these bitterly divided sides, these strongly held opinions, these protests have been peaceful all week. There has not been any hint of trouble, no hint of violence.

Even inside the state capitol, the people who are spending the night protesting this legislation cleaning up after themselves. It's really quite an incredible exercise in democracy, that you have had this much bitterly divided opinions, but no serious confrontations.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Yes, it's still peaceful. Yes, I just can't -- I keep thinking about the moms and dad whose kids are stuck at home because so many of these schools have been closed because of this.

Casey Wian, thanks so much, in Madison for us.

And, hey, it's a holiday. Maybe you're home. We're not. We're working hard for you. But we're also marking this Presidents Day with a look at who could rise to the occasion and perhaps become president number 45. And it's all about contenders. Jessica Yellin has a look at who they are next in honor of this national holiday.

And indulge us, if you will. Here is a little political quiz for you about our very first president. And we're going to make it simple. Got to love the old-school multiple choice. Which political party was George Washington affiliated with? Was it, A, Democrats, B, Republicans, C, Constitutionalists, or D, none of the above? See if you can guess. We will have the answer right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: So do you know your presidential history? With which political party was George Washington affiliated? If you guessed D, none of the above, you were correct. Before politicians were ever identified as either Democrats or Republicans or liberals, conservatives, Washington's ideology leaned mostly Federalist. But he was, in fact, against a party system.

And he told our own Candy Crowley about it just this weekend in a rare CNN exclusive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: One of the other political questions that comes off as you prepare to leave office, that is the formation of political parties. You have been critical, you have looked askance at the idea that there might be two political parties that would drive politics. Why is that?

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I hoped we never would have seen this introduction of parties into our shores. The alternating domination of one political party over another, spurred on by the spirit of revenge, will always drive a nation further and further from its better interests and greater counsels. It causes a man to be not a servant of his nation, but rather to be a servant of his political party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: How old is he now? He's looking pretty good, right?

OK. Turning the corner, I want to show you some of the people being mentioned for George Washington's job. You know what I mean, the job he used to have. Here's our poll of Republicans. And these are their top choices one year ahead of the primaries.

Numero uno, Mike Huckabee, but you can see not by very much. You can read. It's all in the numbers here. Here is the list for you. It's Huckabee. Then you have Palin, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, and Ron Paul. Everyone else down in the low single digits. So these are now officially the contenders.

And Jessica Yellin has been out there sizing them up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Will she or won't she? If Sarah Palin's planning to run for president in 2012, she isn't saying.

SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: It is our right to vigorously yet respectfully debate ideas and intentions in this country. I'm going to continue down that path, and if that leads to being a candidate for a high office, then I will announce that at the appropriate time.

YELLIN: Any candidate would envy her advantages. With her TV appearances and mamma grizzly candidate endorsements, she's built a fund-raising machine, political capital, and intense support within her base. Her biggest weakness? Controversial remarks like this one after the Tucson shooting.

PALIN: No one should be deterred from speaking out and speaking up in peaceful dissent.

YELLIN: CNN's polling shows Palin's support among Republicans, eroding over the last year. Now a majority of GOP voters tell CNN they would not back her for the party's nomination.

The polling looks best for former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who has strong support among Christian conservatives. He told his current employer FOX News he won't announce his intentions before summer. MIKE HUCKABEE, FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR: I think people get sick of us if we're out there for too long, for too long a period of time. There's nothing new. You're the stale loaf of bread on the shelf and it's very difficult to make your message fresh.

YELLIN: Huckabee's challenges? Showing he can appeal beyond the Republican base and demonstrating foreign policy credentials. He made a recent trip to Israel, but few visits to key early voting states. And political insiders question whether he really wants to make the run. Like the others, Mitt Romney hasn't announced, but that just seems like a formality. Among insiders, it's an open secret the former Massachusetts governor plans to get in the race. He's been raising money, forming alliances and building a political impressive political operation. The former CEO has an unrivaled war chest, raising $6. 3 million and contributing nearly $1. 2 million to other candidates last election.

MITT ROMNEY, FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR: I'm doing the things like other folks are doing to keep the option open and moving forward in the event that I make a positive decision. But there are matters of health, of support, of the kind of network you'd like to have of individuals behind you. Those are things you've got to assess before you make a final decision.

YELLIN: Romney's greatest hurdle? Explaining away comparisons between the Massachusetts health care plan he championed as governor and the Obama plan so unpopular among GOP primary voters. He told ABC News:

ROMNEY: I'm not apologizing for it. I'm indicating we went in one direction and there are other possible directions. I would like to see states pursue their own ideas, see which ideas work best.

YELLIN: Then there's the former House speaker Newt Gingrich who says he's considering a run, quote, "very seriously."

NEWT GINGRICH (R), FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: By the end of February, we'll make a decision whether or not to have an exploratory committee. I think the country has enormous problems. I think it requires a totally different kind of approach.

YELLIN: He's punched his card in the key early voting states. He has broad name recognition and a gift for getting press and generating ideas.

But some Republican insiders fret he lacks the discipline for a presidential campaign. Others warn his past personal indiscretions and three marriages could cost him support among the values-driven Republican base.

(on camera): Top Republican consultants tell me, for many of the candidates, this is about seeing who can be the last to enter the race. That would minimize fund-raising demands and possibly allow time for other candidates to flame out.

Jessica Yellin, CNN, Washington. (END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Jessica, thank you.

BALDWIN: Coming up next, it is day four for those Americans believed to be held by Somali pirates. We will tell you how the U.S. Navy is now involved, what they're seeing. And we will tell you why Britain's prime minister has just arrived in Egypt.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right, just in to CNN here, we are learning that two Iranian warships just like one we will show you in a video here in a second, like this one -- not this one, but like this one -- will be crossing the Suez Canal tomorrow. That is four days after Egypt's post-Hosni Mubarak government gave the green light to that passage. This is all according to Egyptian state-run media, reporting it today.

Now to this: The U.S. Navy is shadowing an American yacht believed to be hijacked by pirates. Helicopters and a warship are trailing the S/V Quest. This is according to the military. Pirates seized this vessel just off of Oman on Friday, the owners, this couple, Jean and Scott Adam, and also two other Americans were on board. A Naval official says the U.S. government its options at this point.

Also, British Prime Minister David Cameron is in Egypt today for meetings with military leaders and its prime minister. Cameron's office says he wants to ensure a genuine transition from military to civilian rule. He also plans to meet with opposition members in Egypt. It's still not clear, though, if Cameron would meet with the banned Muslim group -- Muslim Brotherhood group.

And it looks like winter is hitting some places with more of a vengeance still here. Take a look at these pictures. This is the mess in Minnesota. And a lot of people probably very glad it's a holiday weekend, a long holiday weekend, so they can avoid that messy commute on this Presidents Day.

(WEATHER UPDATE)

BALDWIN: Coming up next here: Outside the courthouse, a grieving mother lashes out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's not here anymore! My kid's not here! He's dead because of him! He ruined my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) life! I would like him to go to hell and rot there forever!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ma'am, come on.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: That anger directed at a former judge. We will tell you what he was convicted of. And you're going to hear more from that angry, angry mother next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right, I want to get an update to you now in the fast- changing situation in Libya. The country's second largest city is apparently no longer under government control. Instead, protesters who want the 42 year leader Muammar Gadhafi to leave office are in charge.

In the capital, Tripoli, we're hearing about fresh clashes between protestors and riot police, tear gas, fires -- you can see perhaps one on the other side of the car. U.S. diplomats are getting out of Libya for their own safety, and many people are asking, where is Gadhafi? Is he still there? Has he fled?

I do want to chime in here. I was just handed this urgent. We are hearing from a Libyan diplomatic source telling CNN, unlike other reports that he possibly fled to Venezuela, this individual says Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi remains in Libya. That source, by the way, also denied the Libyan air force was conducting those air raids against protesters in country.

I want to be clear. Getting information on what's happening on the ground in Libya is very, very difficult. Why? Because the Libyan government maintains tight control on communications and has not responded to repeated requests from CNN for access to the country.

But I want to speak to now to Asma Yousef. And Asma, I know you are a Libynan-American, you're from Benghazi where all the revolts started. I want to know what you think as you watch these events unfold in a country you once called home.

ASMA YOUSEF, LIBYAN-AMERICAN/POLITICAL ACTIVIST: It's a very tragic situation indeed. At the same time, Libyans feel a sense of empowerment, excitement, and they feel that this is an opportunity in a lifetime to rid themselves of this oppressive dictatorship that has ruled the country for 42 years.

Libyans have been through so much, and I talk to my relatives and friends over in Libya and they tell me we've been through hell and back and we really don't care what happens at this point. We want to reclaim our country and we want to be free and have a democracy and we want to have unity and we want to be done with Gadhafi and his family. He's brought so much to the country --

BALDWIN: As they talk, though, Asma, about being through hell and back and talk about empowerment and excitement, we see these images of violence, reports of hundreds of death although we can't independently confirm that, Libya's deputy ambassador to the U.N. essentially coming out condemning Gadhafi saying his regime was committing genocide.

In talking to friends and family still in country and given these images we're all seeing here, do you think that they would agree with that?

YOUSEF: Oh, absolutely. This is, if anything, reflective of the fact this is a very fragile regime. We haven't had free or open elections in Libya in over 42 years. Gadhafi disbanded the constitution. He brought in revolutionary decrees that basically make the formation of political parties in the country a crime punishable by death.

So his diplomat at the U.N. is not the first one. His representative at the League of Arab States also yesterday came out and denounced these actions by Gadhafi and announced his resignation. His ambassador to China did the same thing yesterday. If anything, this is reflective of how much hatred Libyans feel toward this man.

BALDWIN: That was a point one of our correspondents was pointing out as well, these people perhaps signs of cracking, signs of not supporting Gadhafi.

I want to get to the point of Tripoli because I know you're from Benghazi, the starting place of the revolt, now according to reports under demonstrator control. But now we see or are hearing reports of Tripoli starting to crack as well. And Asma, why is that significant?

YOUSEF: Oh, it's absolutely significant because this is I think many Libyans feel that the final battle is going to be fought in Tripoli. Gadhafi's forces are very well entrenched. It's the capital city. Three-quarters of the population live in Tripoli. Millions are trying to protest, but every time they come on the street, my sources tell me, mercenary sources paid thousands of dollars by Gadhafi come randomly shooting at them.

Gadhafi has his big military base in Tripoli where many attempts were attempted against Gadhafi. So the city carries as lot of significance. And last night we had reports of 61 people dying in the center of the city. Today people are telling us that helicopters carrying mercenaries, are bringing in more ammunition and more of those recruits to kill Libyans.

BALDWIN: Right. There are reports that are coming in, unfortunately because Libya is not getting back to us, we cannot independently confirm that.

YOUSEF: This is exactly the problem with Libya. Absolutely, you mention the media blockade. The media has been trying to play catch- up essentially since the protests started in Benghazi. We hear reports from relatives and friends, and then a day later the numbers are confirmed by the media. And you're absolutely right. You have to verify every single number.

BALDWIN: It's difficult. Asma, help me understand this, though, and help our American audience understand this, because you cannot paint the Middle East with a broad stroke here. It's very, very different from what we saw in Egypt. In Egypt you had a central city and for the most part a bureaucracy.

Libya, it's a divided society, and the significance there is you have all these tribes. Help me understand what tribal society is like and how all of these tribal rivalries can help or perhaps hurt Gadhafi's rule. YOUSEF: Well, actually, you make reference to tribal affiliations in Libya. They are very significant. But the tribal divisions are not that significant. If anything, we've seen various YouTube videos that have been posted from Benghazi, other cities, Tripoli, all these various cities in Libya from the east to the west to the south, that all the Libyan people have the same united message, it that they hate Gadhafi and they want him out.

These tribal affiliations are very important in the sense that, for example, yesterday the biggest tribe in Libya, which has 1 million members. Now Libya's population is 6 million so this constitutes a sixth of the Libyan population, and they came out yesterday in support ever the protestors. And that's a very significant development.

BALDWIN: Right. Asma, we're all going to have to wait and see as we continue to see the images and try to get independent reporting. We'll have to wait and see what happens next. But I appreciate your perspective of someone who was born and raised in Libya. Asma, thank you so much.

YOUSEF: Thank you.

BALDWIN: A judge using kids in trouble in a scheme to make himself rich. That is what this story boils down to. Let me tell you about Mark Ciavarella. He was convicted Friday of taking nearly $1 million in kickbacks for putting juveniles into detention centers his friends own.

Now, he says none of this is true. The families of the kids who endured this harsh justice say it's about time this judge and another one who pled guilty last year got what was coming to them. Jason Carroll has the details.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, as you know, CNN first reported on this two years ago when it was alleged two Pennsylvania judges had received kickbacks for sending children to juvenile detention, some as young as 10 years old, hauled off for minor offenses such as trespassing and fighting on a school bus.

Now a jury has found Mark Ciavarella and another former judge guilty of racketeering and receiving payment for nearly $1 million. Prosecutors say the payments coming from the builder of a privately- run juvenile detention center where the judges sent many of the children. The facility made money by increasing head count.

The guilty verdict is too little too late for one mother. Sandy Fonzo berated Ciavarella after he was convicted on Friday. Her only child was one of the teens sent to the juvenile detention facility. Fonzo believes it ultimately led to her son's suicide.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDY FONZO, SON TOOK OWN LIFE AFTER INCARCERATION: He's not here anymore! My kid is not here! He's dead because of him! He ruined my 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 everyone in court? They need to be held accountable for their actions. He needs to be. Do you remember me? Do you remember me? Do you remember my son, an all-star wrestler? He's gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Ciaverella faces a minimum sentence of 13 years. He's currently free pending sentencing. Fonzo later told CNN the former judge was even allowed to walk out of the courthouse after the verdict.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FONZO: 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. He 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 VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Ciavarella plans to appeal the decision. The other judge in the case, Michael Conahan, pleaded guilty to racketeering last year and is awaiting sentence.

And Brooke, this particular case makes you wonder about the some 5,000 young men and women, children, who were sentenced by these two judges, what happens to their cases. That is the big open-ended question at this point. Brooke?

BALDWIN: Wow, 5,000. Jason Carroll in New York, that's a good question. Thank you, Jason.

Coming up next, we'll talk about cracking down on illegal border crossings.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have to search every crevice and crack because they can hide anywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Anywhere -- why border agents say they're now fighting a new enemy along the U.S./Mexican border. Stay right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Listen to this. Their job used to be about keeping out undocumented immigrants. But border patrol agents are now consumed with keeping out a much, much more dangerous element -- smugglers. CNN's Rafael Romo got a firsthand look at the perils now facing U.S. border patrol agents -- drugs, guns, people all being smuggled across the border.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, SR. LATING AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The call comes in and we rush to the scene. It's dark and the agents know they only have minutes to find the suspect.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He jumped the fence, and he didn't stop. He just kept running.

ROMO: Agent Rudy Garcia finds the men hiding underneath a platform in a backyard. The migrant says he comes from southern Mexico. Not far from there, seven more would-be immigrants have been arrested, including this 32-year-old man. Before the night is over, agents say they will detain more than 300 people. This is Nogalas, Arizona, a battlefront in the fight against smuggling organizations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They like to try to operate under the cover of darkness because they think they won't be seen.

ROMO: From a nearby control room infrared technology gives agents eyes in the dark. Daylight reveals other resources like surveillance towers, vehicles and a source that has more than doubled to more than 3,400 for just over 250 miles along the Arizona border. Agents say they're fighting a new enemy.

AGENT DAVID JIMAREZ, U.S. BORDER PATROL: The whole smuggling organization has changed. It's not your mom and pop shop anymore. Now everything is organized crime.

ROMO (on camera): One of the things you notice when you come near the fence at the border is that you find rocks everywhere. Agents say that they're victims of attacks every day and some rocks like this one can cause some real harm.

ROMO (voice-over): SUVs show the signs of damage and agents riding by cycles are especially at risk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can see the medium-sized rocks to brick-sized rocks, they're pretty big. They are not your average-sized rocks.

ROMO: Many times rock throwing is a diversion. Agents recently confiscated 110 rounds of ammunition going south into Mexico presumably to be used by a drug cartel. This manhole had to be welded shut because it was being used to smuggle marijuana.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For a long time they couldn't see from the cameras because of this low ravine here, so it took a long time to figure out what they were doing.

ROMO: As night falls again in Dallas, there's a new arrest, an 18- year-old girl from the Mexican state of Veracruz. For her, it's the end of a 1,200-mile trip in search of a dream, for the agents, one of more than 300 arrests that they will make before the night is over. (END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: And Rafael now back from the border. You heard the patrol agent saying this is it not your mom and pop operation anymore. How many arrests are we talking now?

ROMO: Well, if you'll look at the numbers, back in the year 2000 it was more than 600,000. Now it's just over 200,000. When you look at those numbers by themselves, you think, well, they seem to be getting control of the situation.

But the problem now is they're dealing with organized crime, so less people, but they're now dealing with crimes like smuggling of drugs and weapons to not only from Mexico to the United States but weapons from the United States to Mexico. So it's a much more dangerous and bigger enemy.

It used to be just economic migrants, people who were just looking for a job in the United States. It's not the case anymore.

BALDWIN: We talked to that guy, and he said I wanted to do it. I wanted to support my family. But it is breaking the law. Rafael Romo, thank you.

ROMO: Coming up next, the surprises and snubs on the invite list for Prince William's wedding to Kate Middleton. Maybe Michelle Obama and Sarah Ferguson can commiserate. I mean, really, who wants to go to London in April anyway? Maybe this is Queen Elizabeth's payback for the lousy iPod the Obamas gave her last year. Kidding, sort of. Seriously, there are some people not included on the wedding list that might surprise you. That is trending. That's next.

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BALDWIN: If you are a bit of a royal watcher like me, then you're probably counting down to the big day. And one big sign of the wedding of the year is almost upon us, the formal invites have been sent out. So who is going and perhaps maybe even more interesting who is not going?

CNN's Kareen Wynter is joining me now from L.A. to help me figure this one out. And Kareen, I know the invitations are causing a huge frenzy around the world. Give me the scoop.

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, of course, they are, Brooke. This is a huge deal, the big wedding date. It's a little over two months away. Prince William and Kate Middleton are getting ready to tie the knot, and a very selective group of lucky VIPs have already gotten their special invites in the people.

According to "People" magazine, invites for the royal ceremony have gone out to 1,900 people. Those who made the exclusive list, the royal family, their friends, the Middleton family, their friends, as well as world leaders and families from foreign countries and old school mates, of course.

But, Brooke, what would a royal wedding be without a few celeb attendees? Some big names there are topping that list.

BALDWIN: Let's talk specifics. Who do we know of that will be there?

WYNTER: Oh, my gosh, so where should we start, that's the big question. First of all, let me tell you Kanye West made the list.

BALDWIN: Interesting.

WYNTER: That's a little bit shock because some people may say where's the connection there, so he made the list. Also Victoria Beckham and her soccer stud David Beckham, Sir Elton John. If you can remember he actually performed at Princess Diana's funeral. Good for them. That's a short list and you can bet a lot more big names are coming out as well.

BALDWIN: OK. So who got the royal snub, that's what I want to know.

WYNTER: Well, actually this may be more surprising those who didn't make the star-studded list, maybe in fact a little more shocking than those who did get the fab invite. President Obama, imagine that. The most powerful man in the world has been left off the guest list.

BALDWIN: Wow.

WYNTER: He's reportedly been left off the guest list, at least for now. The president and first lady Michelle so far haven't received an invite.

Another big snub, and this one really shocked me, Fergie, the duchess of York, Prince Andrew's ex-wife, will not be attending the royal same, and perhaps many people say could this be because last year she was caught on tape, remember this, allegedly trying to sell access to Prince Andrew to a tabloid reporter who was posing as a businessman. Maybe a little bit of a connection there.

Brooke, as you mentioned, 1,900 invites have been mailed out, so we're more likely to hear about who is in, who is out for the royal wedding the next few weeks. So maybe, fingers crossed, we still have a chance. Brooke and Kareen might be attending.

BALDWIN: I wouldn't want to be in on that whole who-sits-with-whom thing. But Kanye is invited --

WYNTER: It should be a big affair.

BALDWIN: No Mr. and Mrs. Obama, OK.

WYNTER: I wonder if Kanye is going to accept.

BALDWIN: Of course, of course.

WYNTER: We'll see. He's a busy man these days.

BALDWIN: I know, but not too busy. Come on now. Kareen Wynter, thank you so much for the who's in and who's out list. BALDWIN: And with all the oil companies calling people out of Libya, what does the unrest there mean for the global price of oil, and how will that affect when you and I go fill up our cars at the gas station? That's coming up.

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BALDWIN: Now, for a quit political update. Let's go to Ed Henry with the latest on the Political Ticker. Mr. Henry, good to see you.

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: What do you have?

HENRY: Well, it wouldn't be presidents' day, Brooke, without a little bit of speculation about who might have their eyes on the White House. Mike Huckabee is at the top of a lot of the early polls in terms of the Republican field, and yet he continues to be very ambivalent about whether he'll run again.

He was on ABC's "Good Morning, America" today saying that, and he gave an interesting interview to the "Washington Post" where he said in there that he believes President Obama is going to be tougher to beat than a lot of Republicans think. He said at one point that he thinks this is basically going to be a demolition derby perhaps among the Republican candidates and that the eventual nominee will wind up, quote, "bloody, bruised, and broke," so no money, beaten up, and maybe more difficult to top president Obama. Something to keep an eye on.

Secondly, another big factor, of course, in the 2012 presidential race will be money, and both the Democratic and Republican parties have just put their bank balances on the table. Both show they are deep in debt. That's not a complete shock coming out of a midterm election so hotly contested, but the numbers are really interested.

The Democratic National Committee saying they are in debt to $17 million. The Republican National Committee has about $22 million in debt right now, no doubt in part because of the tenure of former chairman Michael Steele. That was a big part of why he was ousted as party chairman, the debt he was racking up.

Finally, even though it's pretty quiet here at the White House, aides behind the scenes say they are working very closely on trying to figure out this whole budget mess and trying to figure out how to avoid a government shutdown.

Now, you'll remember the last time the government was shut down during the Clinton administration, then Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich took a lot of blame for that, the political blame. That really blew up in the Republicans' face. That may be why current Speaker John Boehner is very careful to say he's not trying to shut the government down. He wants to try to work out a deal with President Obama.

President Obama was saying the same thing at that news conference last week that he doesn't want a government shutdown, he doesn't think people should be throwing around loose talk about that possibly happening because, look this, will have a real impact on people's lives if the government gets shut down. They will stop getting Social Security checks, for example, going to have a huge impact on people.

And the big date to circle on your calendar is March 4th. That's when the current funding for the federal government runs out. Without a budget deal by then, the government will be shut down, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Real quickly, 20 seconds. What's our own president up to on this Presidents' Day?

HENRY: It's actually pretty quiet. We have what we call a lid, look, can you go home, not going to be doing anything today a few hours ago. And so he's behind the scenes doing a little bit of work. He's obviously focused on the situation in Libya. We were told he got a briefing from his national security advisor, Tom Donilon.

But also maybe kicking back a little bit. He's got a lot of work in the days ahead. So, apretty relaxing day for him.

BALDWIN: Relaxing, for the time being.

Ed Henry, we appreciate you working on this holiday, and thank you --

HENRY: I'm not going home.

BALDWIN: I'm not going home either. We'll get another update for you in about half an hour. You can always get your latest poitical ticker update -- go to CNNpolitics.com or else on Twitter at politicalticker.