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All Eyes on Libya; Four Americans on Pirated Ship Killed; U.S. State Department Deploys Search Team to New Zealand; How North African & Middle Eastern Unrest Affects Your Gas Prices; All Eyes on Chicago and Rahm Emanuel; Former Chicago Bears Safety Leaves Suicide Note: Study My Brain

Aired February 22, 2011 - 11:05   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: You have been listening to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi there in Green Square addressing the supporters of his regime, those he says represents the real Libya. This is capping off eight days, at least a week, of dramatic protests inside of that country, a very violent crackdown from the government of Libya on those protesters, but a very defiant Gadhafi saying here that it is not possible that he leaves the country, that he will be a martyr, that he is not giving up power, certainly not anytime soon. Those are the indications from the leader there.

This comes amid a great deal of turmoil inside the country, just the last in the Middle East, in North Africa, to face massive protests against his regime, against his leadership. This is someone who has led his country for some 42 years or so, and has had a turbulent relationship with the United States.

But all eyes obviously on that country, what is taking place on the ground there. A deteriorating circumstance and situation, and now a very defiant Moammar Gadhafi coming out and saying that he refuses to give up power.

We're going to have more on this breaking news right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We're following breaking news out of Libya. We have just seen Moammar Gadhafi there in Green Square before a group of people he says are his supporters.

This follows eight days, at least eight days, of protest and a brutal crackdown from the Libyan regime. He is speaking to people there through state television.

I want to bring in our own Fran Townsend, former homeland security adviser in the Bush administration. She comes to us through Skype in D.C.

And Fran, you met with Moammar Gadhafi -- this was last May -- as well as his son. What do you make of his comments here when he says he's not going anywhere, that he will die a martyr?

FRAN TOWNSEND, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Well, I think we need to take him on that statement at his word. But let's be honest, the rhetoric and the speech sounded to me desperate and delusional.

I mean, U.S. planes are not firing on Libyans. This is his desperate attempt to retain power.

He's lost control of Benghazi. And this also explains why we saw Saif Gadhafi, who speaks fluent English, who is articulate --

MALVEAUX: That is his son.

TOWNSEND: -- who at least comes across, while blood thirsty, rational.

MALVEAUX: And Fran, when you see him before the crowds and you say it's a desperate attempt to hold onto power, are there other signs that you see that he may be losing a grip on his hold over the country and the people there?

TOWNSEND: What's important, Suzanne, is the military in Libya. We saw two fighter pilots defect to Malta and claim asylum. If he can't hold onto the military -- he has lost them in Benghazi -- if he loses them in Tripoli, he's done.

MALVEAUX: Why do you suppose he's out there today?

TOWNSEND: Well, I mean, there were questions about whether or not he had fled to Venezuela. We saw a small video clip of him earlier, but it wasn't clear when that was taken. And so he really needed to come out and be seen in a live shot to show he was still there inside Tripoli, at least claiming control.

MALVEAUX: And Fran, you have seen him before. He's known for his blustery, colorful, idiosyncratic personality. Do you believe anything that he says? I mean, he's behaved in a way that's rather erratic before. Do you take him seriously today?

TOWNSEND: Well, look, he comes across as not -- he comes across as delusional and not in touch with reality. It sort of is a rant.

In Iraq, when we invaded, and the public information minister saying that U.S. forces were not in Baghdad, and we saw U.S. tanks going by him, it's that sort of delusional. But I do think he is tyrannical. And I do think he will fight to the bitter end to retain power, and I fear for the Libyan people and the protesters, because I think he will unleash the power to the extent he is able, Libyan security forces and the military.

MALVEAUX: Fran, we appreciate your insights there. Obviously, we'll get back to you as we watch what is taking place there on the ground in Libya.

Our own senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman, he was the first Western TV journalist to enter and report from inside Libya during the crisis. We want to get his perspective.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the democracy, Gadhafi. This is the real democracy.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): But Gadhafi no longer controls this eastern city of Tobruk. The old Libyan flag from the days of the monarchy now flies over the main square.

Here, they chant the same slogan heard in Tunis and Cairo. The people want to topple the regime, and they don't want to stop there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I talk seriously. I will kill you. Leave us alone. Go away. Don't come back.

WEDEMAN: Tobruk was one of the first cities to rebel against Gadhafi's 42-year rule, ripping down one of the symbols of one of the Arab world's most repressive regimes.

(on camera): This is what remains of Tobruk's main police station -- a hated symbol of the Gadhafi regime. On the 17th of February, protesters came out into the streets. They were fired upon by the security services. But eventually, the people here were able to overpower the police, and they came and ransacked this place, and then came and burnt cars belonging to the intelligence services.

(voice-over): Adris (ph) says he was brought to this room, the torture chamber in the police station, four times. He police, he recalls, used electric shocks and beatings to extract confessions.

Much of Libya's oil is exported from the east. Local leader Abdallah Sharif warns the people here have a weapon against the regime.

SHARIF ABDALLAH, TOBRUK COMMUNITY LEADER: Unless this massacre is stopped immediately, we are going to stop the oil. Burn it. We'll burn it. Either we burn it or we just stop exporting it.

WEDEMAN: Gadhafi isn't giving up without a fight, but, then again, neither are the people.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Tobruk, Libya.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Our own Ben Wedeman inside of Libya.

We are following that breaking news story, obviously. The president of Libya is very defiant. Moammar Gadhafi saying that he will remain in power and that he will die a martyr. No signs of any of the unrest that he will give up any of his authority. Meanwhile, hundreds of people who have been killed there inside Libya asking for him, demanding that he go.

Another major story that we're following, four Americans who were killed by Somali pirates. This news just coming in.

They were sailing on their yacht and came under attack from Somali pirates. They were being followed by U.S. forces who were hoping to negotiate with the pirates. It all ended very badly. Those Americans killed.

We'll have more on that after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We're following breaking news. The U.S. military says that four Americans held aboard their hijacked yacht have been shot to death by suspected Somali pirates.

Our CNN's David McKenzie is following developments from Nairobi, Kenya.

David, can you give us a sense of how this happened, what actually took place?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, a very tragic end to what we potentially hoped would be a rescue or, at the very least, these four Americans would have been taken toward Somalia and negotiating ransom from the pirates. But the worse possibly scenario, Suzanne.

What happened, according to the U.S. military, is that they heard gunfire, saw gunfire on the Quest, this 58-foot yacht somewhere off the coast of Somalia, that they had been closely monitoring. In fact, four Navy warships had been monitoring that boat with the hostages.

They rushed out a team of Special Operations Forces to that boat. When they arrived there, according to the military, they received no real resistance, but they did find those four hostages had been attacked and were, in fact, dying very tragic deaths. They said they gave first aid to them but weren't able to revive the hostages. So a very terrible development in this case -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Does it surprise you that that's the way it went down, that this turned so badly?

MCKENZIE: Well, it is surprising in a way. There are many questions left unanswered at this point, Suzanne.

Sometimes when the U.S. and other navies go in, there's worry that there will be some kind of retaliation against the hostages. As it seems now, there wasn't any kind of action on the pirates at the time when they killed these four hostages.

It seems that they might have been -- and again, this is sort of speculation, but based on my experience, there might have been some disagreement amongst the hostages, 19 hostages -- 19 pirates who were on that small boat. And, in fact, when the U.S. Navy arrived, they found two pirates already dead, which indicates that there had been some disagreement between them.

So it could have been some disagreement about whether they should negotiate, whether they should give the hostages over to the U.S. military, or whether they should try to fight or go for ransom. But certainly it all went horribly wrong, and now those pirates seem to have been captured by the U.S. Navy and might be heading back to the U.S. for trial.

MALVEAUX: And David, do you know if there were any signs that the Americans tried to fight off the pirates or any struggle that actually occurred?

MCKENZIE: At this point, we just don't know that. Certainly, there was very little information coming from the Quest.

These are two retired people from the West Coast who had been sailing for a number of years around the world. They said on their blog they sailed about 50,000 nautical miles on the Quest. So very experienced sailors.

And one thing we're trying to figure out is why, in fact, they were sailing through this area. They would have known the risk of Somali pirates. And, in fact, it seems they were part of a group of yachts that had been sailing together, and they decided to split from that group.

We might never know why they decided that, but certainly it led to this very tragic end. And certainly the U.S. Navy will be putting out more details I'm sure in the coming hours.

MALVEAUX: Thank you very much.

David McKenzie.

I want to go to former FBI assistant director Tom Fuentes, who's following this story out of Washington.

And Tom, if you can, help us understand how this actually played out, how this tragedy could even occur.

TOM FUENTES, FMR. FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Hi, Suzanne.

Well, as David mentioned, there are so many unanswered questions here. I can tell you what normally would happen.

The Navy would attempt to establish a communications link with the hostage-takers, with the pirates. And once that link is established, they would be patched through to FBI negotiators at Quantico, Virginia, to begin the discussions of what is it they want, and how do they expect to get it.

Now, this is different than many of the hijackings we've seen where they're taking a cargo ship which has tens of millions of dollars in cargo, and the shipping company gladly plays $2 million, $3 million, $4 million to have their crew and cargo released.

So, in this case, you have a luxury yacht with four Americans on it. And there are many questions as to whether the negotiations had begun. If they had, had they gone sour?

As David mentioned, the fact that there are two dead pirates, did they get into a squabble with each other and engage in gunplay themselves, then kill the hostages in the process? Did the hostages have guns on board? Although it wouldn't make sense to take on 19 armed pirates, but there are any number of things that may have happened on that boat within the discussions of the hostages themselves, the hostage-takers and the negotiations.

MALVEAUX: Sure. And Tom, being a former FBI man yourself, do you think that the government did what it needed to do? Did it do an adequate job? They were following this yacht for quite some time. Should they have intervened sooner?

FUENTES: Well, any intervention prior to negotiations or before negotiations break down is likely to have the hostages end up dead. You're trying to talk to them.

They have the advantage. They're on the boat, and basically have guns to the heads of the victims, can pull the trigger on a moment's notice. So any attempt to just take military action immediately to effect a rescue is likely to have an outcome like we have here, dead hostages. So the logical path and the one that's --

MALVEAUX: Sure. What do you think went wrong this go-around?

FUENTES: Well, that's going to remain to be discovered in the investigation. What will happen now is the killing of Americans overseas is a U.S. federal violation. The FBI will dispatch investigators.

They will probably be sent by helicopter to the ships or have the ship put into a nearby port to begin the interrogations of the surviving pirates. So those pirates will be interviewed. Hopefully, some information will come from one or more of them to indicate what happened.

Those pirates probably will then be transported back to the United States and prosecuted here. We just had the pirate that survived the Alabama Maersk incident from 2009 was just sentenced to 33 years in U.S. federal prison. So that's the likely outcome for these remaining pirates.

MALVEAUX: OK. Thank you very much. Tom Fuentes, we appreciate your perspective on all of this.

FUENTES: You're welcome.

MALVEAUX: An earthquake survivor trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building in Christchurch, New Zealand. You're going to hear from her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We have been falling breaking news out of Libya. We just saw its leader, Moammar Gadhafi, speak in Green Square before a group calling themselves Gadhafi supporters. He insists that despite of eight days of protests, a brutal crackdown by his regime against protesters, and a call for his ouster, that he will not step down, that he will remain in power and that he will die a martyr.

We are keeping our eye on that developing breaking news out of Libya. Also, dawn is about to break over Christchurch, New Zealand. That is a city shattered by a major earthquake.

Rescue workers are searching now frantically for survivors. The disaster struck during the midday rush, showering the area with concrete, glass and even huge boulders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GAVIN BLOWMAN, NEW ZEALAND RESIDENT: This is a live earthquake. You see the floors trembling, and the rocks are falling down. It's just outside Christchurch, and this giant rock has just fallen on the RSA building, and you can see it has crushed the building there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: New Zealand's prime minister says 75 people are known dead, but he expects the toll will quickly rise. Day (ph) survivors say navigating the earthquake was like trying to run on jelly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I was on the fourth floor, and I was just coming out of the toilets. And I got thrown backwards, down, and landed on the third floor. There was a guy on the second floor that was, like, covered to his waist in concrete and stuff. And oh, God, I've just never seen anything like it in my life. I don't know if I want to again, to be fair.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did everything crash down on you? Did you have to crawl out of there? What happened?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just a horrific scene.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: A search and rescue team from the United States is flying to New Zealand right now to help with the big job ahead. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has telephoned her counterpart in New Zealand to express her sorrow.

Thousands fill the streets in Bahrain for a protester's funeral. He died from wounds he got in last week's crackdown.

There's also a massive march in Bahrain's capital today, the biggest since the uprising began. All this as a key opposition leader says he'll return from exile in London today.

And they have been protesting the governor's proposed curbs on collective bargaining for about a week now. But today, teachers in Madison, Wisconsin, went back to the classrooms. It is the first time students have been in school in a week. Teachers say their protest, however, is not over. Organizers hope 20,000 protesters turn out at Ohio's state capital in Columbus this afternoon. State workers there are fighting a bill to end most of their collective bargaining rights. Republicans hope to vote the bill out of committee late today.

President Obama will lead a forum with small business owners at Cleveland State University this hour. We're going to listen to see what the president might say about Libya or perhaps the deaths of the four Americans killed by pirates.

The earthquake damage in New Zealand, it is horrific. All you have to do is just take a look. This building collapses onto a street. At least 65 people are confirmed dead in Christchurch, and that number is expected to rise. Much of the city is in ruins. The magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck during lunchtime. Dazed, bleeding residents were seen wandering through streets strewn with debris and concrete. Several people are trapped now in the rubble. We heard from one woman who was waiting to be rescued.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOICE OF ANN VOSS, TRAPPED BY EARTHQUAKE: I hope someone knows I'm here. I suppose they do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said earlier it sounded like rescuers were coming.

VOSS: Yes, yes. But there's other people on other floors and I suppose they're going up and trying to make it up, you know, everyone else. And I just have to wait.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes. What goes through your mind?

VOSS: Oh, well, a couple hours ago, I thought I'd had it. I thought, that's it, you know, good-bye. And -- but I managed to wiggle a bit out of the debris because I couldn't breathe, there was no air. And now I got to wait for a bit here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

VOSS: I'm a bit happier.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have your cell phone with you. Have you used it previously?

VOSS: I have. I rang my kids to say good-bye.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell me about that conversation.

VOSS: It was horrible, obviously horrible. My daughter was crying, and I was crying because I really thought that was it. But, you know, you want to tell them you love them, don't you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you see? You say it's dark where you are.

(CROSSTALK) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Has it been dark since the earthquake, Ann?

VOSS: Yes, it has. And I don't think we have got any power to the city. You know, it's going to be dark tonight. It's not going to be very good for people. I really have no idea what's going on out there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You sound like you're bearing up pretty well.

VOSS: I'm trying. I'm trying. I've my moments. As I say, a few hours ago, I was ready to -- just -- I thought, take me away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got to the point where you thought you might give up, but you clearly are hanging on there.

VOSS: I am. I'm not going to give up. I'm going to wait now. I've gone through this. They are going to come and get me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And we are trying to find out if rescuers have reached Ann Voss. It has been more now than 16 hours since the earthquake struck and we know that the first 24 hours are critical to the rescue effort. The State Department says a U.S. search team is en route to Christchurch. But aftershocks are a huge concern right now.

I want to bring in our meteorologist Chad Myers.

Chad, what do we know, in terms of what they might be seeing later today?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We've had three big aftershocks -- a 5.5, a 5.6, and a 5.7. And the latest was just a 5.7.

Let's give you a little bit of a primmer here. There's Australia, OK? We know all about that and the Wiggles live there and all that. Here is New Zealand down here, all part of this Pacific ring of fire. The entire ring of fire -- in most spots the reason why some of these islands and some of these valleys and some of these places exist in the first place.

So let's take you to what we're talking about here. Here's the city here of Christchurch. And right there, the earthquake only about three miles down into the crust of the earth. Very shallow. So whatever shook got all of the way to the surface, violent shaking.

Now, back six months ago, there was a bigger quake, there was a 6.0, 7.0 quake back out here to the west, about 40 miles out here. It was far enough away that there wasn't this violent shaking like we had last night.

Something I'm going to get into, in the next half hour, too, something called liquefaction. If you remember the big earthquake that happened during the World Series in the marina district, that was basically built on just kind of mud that shook. The wiggling, literally. The wiggling of the dirt shook some of these buildings to the core. I also believe that this 7.0, although that far away, a little bit ago, also did damage to buildings that may not have been found. Some of the damage that happened during this big quake -- go ahead, we're going to put this into motion. We're going to show you all of the other quakes that have happened.

Almost 5,000 earthquakes have happened since that first earthquake that happened six months ago. And these are just the aftershocks that have happened since then in Christchurch itself. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. The bigger the circle, the bigger the earthquake or aftershock. It has been a violent night and things are still falling down on these people.

It happened during the middle of the day. People were out and about and literally the buildings were falling down on top of them. This was a big earthquake. A 6.3 doesn't sound big, but when it's that close to you, when it's that shallow in the earth, the entire earth above you shakes. And that's where the people were, right up in that city.

MALVEAUX: And they're still so afraid that there'll more aftershocks to come.

MYERS: There absolutely will be.

MALVEAUX: OK. Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: Sure.

MALVEAUX: Now you get to Choose the News. We're going to tell you about three stories, and you vote. Text message us about the one you want to see in detail in the next hour.

So, you know how it works. Here are your choices.

The dangerous game of smuggling people and drugs across the Mexican border. Agents take our Rafael Romo on a tour of a tunnel nearly a mile long.

Second story. Belgium sets a world record for the most days without the government in session. Some are celebrating. Others say it's a catastrophe.

And a reunion between a father and his kidnapped son goes viral in China. We're going to show you how bloggers are trying to solve the kidnappings of thousands of Chinese children.

So, all you go to do is text 22360.

Vote one, for Arizona smuggling tunnel.

Two, for Belgium's world record.

And, three, for Chinese family reunion.

Really easy. You'll get to see the winning story. And the crisis in Libya sending oil prices higher. You know what that means. Well, perhaps prepare for a shock at the pumps here at home. We're going to tell you just how bad that shock is going to be.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We want to get a quick check of the markets here. Taking a look at the Dow Jones down by about 97 points. Obviously a lot going on in the Middle East, as well as North Africa.

The crisis in Libya is also sending oil prices sharply higher. Crude oil was trading at nearly $95 a barrel. That is up five bucks from Friday's closing price.

So the question is, why is Libya creating more of a spike in prices today than, say, Egypt or Bahrain? That's our CNNMoney's Poppy Harlow who joins me from New York to answer that question.

Poppy, explain this to us.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: It's a great question. We are at $95 now. A huge spike, more than a six percent spike literally from where we were Friday.

And the reason for this is that Libya is the first major oil producing nation in the Middle East to get caught up in the turmoil there. Egypt did produce oil. They're not net exporter of it, so we're not counting on them for our oil. Libya, that's another story. They have about two percent of our oil. Bahrain, not as big a producer, Suzanne, but they are very strategically located.

When you talk about Libya, just look at the unrest on your screen. What's very important is the oil under the ground in Libya that hasn't yet been tapped. They have the single biggest oil reserve in all of Africa. So that is a big concern right now.

And what goes beyond this is the concern that this unrest in Egypt, and Libya, and elsewhere is going to spread across the region to other bigger oil producing nations. That's a big fear. Whether Saudi Arabia will get hit or not with this kind of tension is yet to be seen. But I hear more and more oil analysts and experts saying Saudi Arabia is now the region that is in question when you look at all this unrest across these Middle Eastern nations, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: So it's really a domino effect.

Poppy, tell us, what does this mean for you and I when we pull up to the gas pump? Are we going to see an increase, or how does it play out for everybody?

HARLOW: No question about it. We already are. In the last week, gas is it up a nickel maybe more depending where you live.

I want you to take a look at these numbers. Remember back in 2008, when we saw oil spike to well over $100. Well, you were paying $3.11 at the gas station when oil was $100. Today, you're paying more than that, you're paying $3.17 on average, and gas isn't even yet $100. So, yes, the answer, clearly we're going to feel this every single day at the pump that oil prices go up.

And I want you to take a listen to an oil trader I just spoke with about an oil trader an hour ago. He explains why this is and why you should care about what's happening in Libya.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN WOODS, OIL TRADER: Higher oil prices, it's a trickledown theory. It's going to hurt your transportation, even your cab drivers. I mean, you're going to be paying $4.00-plus at the pump for a gallon of gas. So, it's just not a good thing, these higher oil prices. The economy really can't sustain it, especially the U.S. economy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: So, not only are you going to be paying more at the pump every day that oil prices go up, this is hurting our overall economic recovery, Suzanne. So we're going to keep a very close eye on what's happening in Libya, Bahrain and the rest of the region. If this indeed spreads and oil goes higher, I mean, we're $5.00 away from $100 crude oil. Not long ago we were at $40 oil -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Wow. Unbelievable. Thank you, Poppy. Appreciate it.

HARLOW: Sure.

MALVEAUX: Well, it is Election Day in Chicago. Will the president's former enforcer, Rahm Emanuel, come out on top in the race for mayor? Our Ed Henry has the latest news crossing in the CNN political ticker.

And are you ready to take the CNN challenge?

Here you go. Here's the question. A new study ranks the world's most livable cities. So which one topped the list. A, New York; B, Sydney, Australia; C, Vancouver, Canada; or, D, London, England?

See if you're right. Up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Now, the answer to today's CNN challenge question. A new study ranks the world's most livable city. So which one topped the list? A, New York; B, Sydney, Australia; C, Vancouver, Canada; or D, London, England? The correct answer? C, Vancouver, Canada.

A group called the Economists Intelligence Unit based it on various issues including health care, infrastructure and education.

One place I haven't been there. I have to go visit Vancouver.

Well, it is election day in Chicago. All eyes are on Rahm Emanuel in the race for mayor. Our Ed Henry, part of "The Best Political Team on Television," -- hey, Ed -- live from the Political Desk in D.C.

How does it look for Rahm Emanuel? What do you think?

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it seems that he's all but a shoe-in when you talk to top Democrats there. The only real question today, Suzanne, is whether or not he's going to get the 50 percent-plus-one that he'll need to avoid a runoff with the second- best candidate in this race.

Interesting that overnight there was a couple of inches of snow there in Chicago. That, of course, you would think on paper you would think affect turnout. but CNN spoke to the spokesman for the elections board there in Chicago scoffing and he scoffed at this saying, quote, "this is a mild dusting. We are tougher than that."

I don't think he was pointing a finger necessarily at Washington, which is known for being a little bit wimpy during these storms. But nonetheless, they are tough in Chicago. They're saying they're still going to turn out. We'll see whether Rahm Emanuel avoids that runoff.

Secondly, speculation now heating up about the possibility of Virginia Governor Bob McDonald being on the short list for vice president on the Republican side in 2012. He obviously hails from a swing state, Virginia, was carried by President Obama, you'll remember, in 2008. But he's a Republican, he's got a 57 percent approval rating.

Now most governors in his position will just refuse to answer the hypothetical question. In this case, Governor McDonald was asked, if you are tapped to be the vice presidential nominee, will you accept it, and he said, flatly, probably.

So hats off to him for answering the hypothetical question and saying what a lot of governors think but just won't say out loud, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Refreshing. You don't normally hear that, Ed?

HENRY: You don't. He has some ambition. He wants the job, maybe.

MALVEAUX: Yes, he does.

Donald Trump, he's obviously made a lot of statements, a lot of noise at the CPAC convention, the conservatives there. What are people saying about a potential presidential run in 2012?

HENRY: Well, it's interesting. As you know, a lot of people analysts are sort of scoffing at the idea that "The Donald" will get in, but it's interesting, there's a new poll by "Newsweek" and "The Daily Beast" that suggests he might actually be a more formidable opponent against President Obama than you might think at first.

Basically, this new poll is saying that he is only -- the president is only two points ahead of Donald Trump in a hypothetical matchup, 43 percent to 41 percent. Essentially a dead heat because the margin of error is 3.5 points.

The same poll showing that Sarah Palin would lose to President Obama by 11 points, Mitt Romney trailing, just like Trump, trailing the president by two points. Whereas Mike Huckabee, most interesting of all, knotted up 46 percent to 46 percent in this hypothetical matchup with President Obama. But Huckabee is saying he may not even run at all.

So this is still very early, but these numbers are kind of interesting, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Very interesting.

All right. Well, Ed, I understand you got a little snow there, yes, in D.C.?

HENRY: Yes, you know, we got it. What's funny is that unlike Chicago, we had less than an inch of snow on the ground and my kids had their school delayed by two hours this morning and there's barely an inch on the ground. You know this well, Suzanne. You are now in the in D.C. anymore, but we're kind of snow wimps here.

MALVEAUX: Yes, President Obama said that before, too, that we're kind of snow wimps. Well, we can't help it.

All right, thanks, Ed. Appreciate it.

HENRY: Good to see you.

MALVEAUX: For the latest political news, you know where to go, CNNPolitics.com.

And also, a reminder to text us at 22360 with your "Choose the News" pick. Here you go, a reminder, vote 1 for Arizona's smuggling tunnel. We're going to show you the mile-long underground path where people are risking their lives to cross the border.

Vote 2 for Belgium 's world record. This is 255 days without a government, if you can believe that.

And vote 3 for Chinese family reunion. Thousands of for a Chinese family reunion. Thousands of Chinese families whose children have been kidnapped have new hope for being reunited.

Your choice airs in the next hour.

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MALVEAUX: Last Thursday, former Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson killed himself with a gunshot wound to the chest. But before he took his life, he insisted that relatives donate his brain to be studied; researchers are looking into football-related head injuries.

Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta spoke to Duerson's son this morning.

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TREGG DUERSON, DAVID DUERSON'S SON: The police showed up at my door around 1:30, and I let them in and they told me my father died.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Again, I am so sorry to hear that and I know it's difficult to talk about.

You talked about the fact that, you know, there were text messages, I mean, were you surprised? Was this a -- I mean, it's always a shock, but was there some indication to you that this could happen?

DUERSON: There was a text message the night before that was a bizarre text message that he sent to my mother saying that he loved her and he loved my family and that to please get his brain to the NFL Brain Bank.

My mother called me at work, we talked about it. And it was a bizarre text, you can't make sense of it. So we were trying to reach out to him, trying to get in contact with him. No one could get in contact with him.

And then, you know, when I'm getting up at 1:30 in the morning and I'm letting the police in, the first thing in my mind is, I think they're about to tell me my father died.

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MALVEAUX: You can hear more of their discussion on "SANJAY GUPTA, MD" that is Saturday morning at 7:30 Eastern right here on CNN.

Courageous rescuers and the search for survivors in New Zealand, that is what's trending online. We've got your tweets just up ahead.

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MALVEAUX: Time for your guilty pleasure, stories just too juicy to resist.

Want to know the moment that special someone you've been eyeing is out of a relationship? Well, now there is an app for it, if you can believe that. The Facebook breakup notifier sends you an alert as soon as they change their relationship status.

And Kathy Griffin landing a role on the hit show "Glee." Griffin tweeted the news to her fans last week. She is going to be playing a judge on an upcoming episode and her character, Tammy Jean, is said to be based on a middle-aged recent Tea Party candidate and homeschooler or what they are calling, "a Sarah Palin type."

And, of course, don't forget to text us at 22360 with your "Choose the News" pick. Vote 1 for smuggling tunnel, what border agents find underground in Arizona. Vote 2 for Belgium world record, 255 days without the government in session. And 3 for Chinese family reunion, why a video of a father and his kidnapped son went viral.

Well, we know that you're online right now. We are, too. The New Zealand earthquake is one of the hottest topics on CNN.com, Twitter, Google, and other search engines. Now here is what people around the world are saying. Let's get a shot here, New Zealand city, there you go. Twitter, "It's shocking the impact of Christchurch after the earthquake. Kiwis will respond professionally with strength. NZ is an amazing nation."

All right. Another one, "New Zealand really needs the world's support right now. Make a donation."

Let's see if we've got another one. "Amazed at the rescue workers who scale unstable buildings to find victims while aftershocks still shake the city."

All of this about the New Zealand earthquake that has struck so many. The many rescue stories in particular, they seem to be generating a lot of interest. A woman who was rescued from the ledge, if you can believe that, of her office building, she shares her story.

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QUESTION: How did you get out?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We crawled through a lunchroom to a fire escape, but it had all collapsed. So we were just on a concrete edge of the building and then the fire truck let us -- helped us down.

QUESTION: How many of you got out?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Five of us.

QUESTION: And do you know how many of your colleagues are still in there?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think there's about 10 people still from my -- from my -- from my work in there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)