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U.S. Response to Libya; Wildfire Burns Out of Control; Measles Alert for Air Travelers; Charlie Sheen Claims He's Not an Addict; Damaging Winds and Heavy Rain Across South; New Budget Today in Wisconsin; "Sweat Lodge" Trial Begins
Aired March 01, 2011 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I was wondering the same thing, Kyra, and I didn't know if you could drive a stick either, Ali.
CHETRY: If Ali could drive a stick. I don't -- he doesn't strike me as somebody who could drive a stick, but he claims --
VELSHI: I'm coming in in a motorcycle jacket tomorrow.
COSTELLO: OK. Well, take pictures. I want to see them.
Thanks, guys.
It's 9:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 6:00 a.m. on the West. I'm Carol Costello sitting in for Kyra Phillips.
Here are some of the stories that have us talking this morning.
Today, in Libya, new concerns after some disturbing comments from Moammar Gadhafi. He says the protests are not against him and that his people would die to protect his regime.
Firefighters in Florida this morning are hoping rain will bring some relief. Wildfires have shut down parts of U.S. one in I-95 in Volusia and Brevard Counties. More than 10,000 acres have burned.
And Charlie Sheen is raising eyebrows with his latest media blitz. He's railing against CBS and its decision to suspend production on the sitcom "Two and a Half Me." Sheen tells CNN's Piers Morgan that he's now clean, sober, and angry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLIE SHEEN, ACTOR: It's been a tsunami of media and I've been riding it on a mercury surfboard. Right off the bat. Sorry. But it -- no. I just -- I'm on a mission right now. It's an operation actually to -- write some terrible wrongs because there's been some things that have happened as a result of, you know, of -- rehab or crisis management.
The show's temporary suspension thus far and -- and I just think it's important that people hear the truth and hear it from me because I'm at the dead epicenter of every single moment of what's been going on in this thing. (END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Sheen does concede that maybe he should have been a little quieter and a little softer in dealing with his bosses, thorough.
We begin in Libya this hour. The protests grow larger in the streets. The criticism grows larger in the international community.
One hour from now Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appears on Capitol Hill and this piling crisis is sure to be her focus. Moammar Gadhafi's own diplomats are signaling a call for change. At noon in Washington the Libyan embassy will take down its current national flag, that's the green one on the right.
They'll replace it with the one on the left that flew before Gadhafi took power in 1969. Libya's ambassador to the United States has worked for Gadhafi for 40 years. He now says, quote, "I think we realized that he's crazy."
But Gadhafi says his regime is not responsible for any of the violence. In fact, he says none of the protests are even against him or his government.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOAMMAR GADHAFI, LIBYAN LEADER: They love me, all my people with me, they love me all.
CHRISTIAN AMANPOUR, ABC: But if they do love you --
GADHAFI: They will die to protect me and my people.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The U.S. Navy -- the U.S. is moving Navy ships, rather, closer to Libya. The Pentagon will not say if any American ground forces have been put on a heightened state of alert.
Let's get to the U.S. response to this crisis. Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence joins us from Washington.
And Chris, the Pentagon is repositioning Army/Navy ships to prepare for things like what? Safe zones for Libyan refugees? But is there more to it than that?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: At this point, no, Carol, but there could be, you know, in the next few days or weeks. Right now, the State Department has already sent some response teams to both Egypt and Tunisia. There is an option on the table to consider using the U.S. military to sort of set up a corridor to help handle some of the refugees that have been and may continue to stream out of Libya.
One of the ships that is now at the northern part of the Red Sea, right near the Suez Canal is the USS Kearsarge. It is an amphibious assault ship with the ability to land Marines on the ground, but it's also one of the U.S. Navy's largest floating hospital bays. It's got an intensive care unit. It's got six operating rooms. It can handle up to 600 patients. So it could be primly positioned to handle a huge part of that humanitarian relief if it comes to that.
COSTELLO: I want to talk about these no-fly zones. I mean how much pressure is there on the United States, on the administration to impose these no-fly zones?
LAWRENCE: Well, a lot of it has been building. You know Senator John McCain on Sunday on CNN told the Obama administration it's time to get tough. Senator Lieberman, a lot of others are calling for the U.S. to immediately start to impose this no-fly zone. So we don't see events like what we saw yesterday with our reporters there on the ground reporting that the -- that air power was being used against some of the Libyan protesters again.
But this is not something the U.S. would go into by itself. It's going to need to get some allies and partners on board. For one, almost impossible to truly stage and impose a no-fly zone simply from aircraft carriers themselves. You would need some planes on the ground.
Italy might be open to that in that they just suspended their friendship treaty with Libya but more than likely they're going to have to get consensus at the United Nations.
You know that's where you would get sort of the legal justification to impose a no-fly zone. But you know I talked with an analyst yesterday who said, you know, just the sheer sight, the mere sight of American fighter jets flying over Libya could be enough to not only to discourage Colonel Gadhafi but also let the protesters know that the U.S. military and its European allies are just over the horizon and are on their side -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Guess we'll have to see. Chris Lawrence, live from the Pentagon this morning, thanks.
LAWRENCE: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has blamed al Qaeda for the protests.
At the half hour, CNN security expert Peter Bergen who has firsthand knowledge of the terror group joins us in the NEWSROOM. We'll ask him how does al Qaeda factor into the current unrest across the Middle East.
Now to central Florida where firefighters are battling a wall of flames. A massive wildfire is burning out of control. It exploded to 10,000 acres overnight. The blaze has shut down a 20-mile stretch of I-95. Obviously, a nightmare for drivers in this heavily traveled tourist area.
Heavy winds and dry conditions have been fueling the flames. Homes have been evacuated. One school is closed. We're monitoring a live news conference as firefighters in the Forestry Department take stock of the situation, but let's get right now to our John Zarrella.
John, what is it like there?
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, you can see it. It's pouring rain. It's been raining for about an hour and a half now here, and firefighters couldn't have asked for anything more than this. Mother Nature really cooperating this morning.
A cold front is moving through the area. Expected to bring these kind of showers. At least for the next hour or so. Then once it moves through, the concern is that the winds will shift and change directions and that that could move the fire to the south. But firefighters have been out all night building fire breaks. They've got heavy machinery in there and right now they're pretty optimistic.
In fact, the governor was on CNN earlier this morning and said it looks pretty good, they may have this thing under control later today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RICK SCOTT (R), FLORIDA: We just got an update on the fire and we think we're going to be able to get it under control. It sounds like we're going to get a little bit of rain, so we're putting in more assets and more people so we should hopefully get it under control this morning.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
ZARRELLA: So the thing -- it is certainly looking up here. Really it's been a nuisance for drivers. When we drove up we had to get off at mile marker 223 in -- off of Interstate-95 in the town of Mims. And then you're re-routed, whether you're an 18-wheeler, whether you're a tourist.
All of the traffic at this point is being re-routed for about a 20- mile stretch from Mims up to about New Smyrna Beach on the north side. So that is a problem. But the way it looks right now, we're at a command post here.
Carol, it's actually pretty quiet right now. They're just finishing up a shift change and then they'll get some fresh folks out into the field to assess the situation. But, you know, although it was real difficult in the overnight hours, they were saying that, at one point, the embers were traveling half a mile on the wind. That certainly not the case this morning. Carol?
COSTELLO: Well, good news and thank goodness for the rains. Thank you very much, John Zarrella, reporting live from Florida.
ZARRELLA: Yes.
COSTELLO: If you've been on a plane in the last nine days you might have been exposed to the measles. Dr. Sanjay Gupta will have the details you need to hear next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: If you've been on a plane within the past nine days you might have been exposed to the measles. That contagious old folk from childhood.
Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us and -- this started with a passenger who flew in from Mexico and it's kind of scary actually.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Flew in from London. It was really interesting that, you know, they went through four different airports in a few-day time. So now it's sort of a public health investigation which is sort of interesting, because they try and find exactly where she's sat. They're not identifying who she is.
Then the people who sat within five rows of her on either side, because they are people who are likely within the most exposed, but they're talking about February 20th through the 22nd in the four airports. I think we have them listed but it was Dulles, it was BWI, Denver airport -- you can see on the screen there -- and then Albuquerque, her destination.
COSTELLO: So is it any specific airline?
GUPTA: Well, they're not saying yet. They're not saying yet. We have to --
COSTELLO: Well, doesn't that make it more confusing?
GUPTA: Well, they're going to contact the people who they think are most likely to have been exposed. But what's interesting is that people don't typically experience symptoms of measles for eight to 12 days so there's a good chance if anyone is going to develop and the chance is small that they probably haven't developed it yet.
This is a virus that you may remember lives in the throat and the lungs. If someone coughs, for example, and I think, you know, you're on a plane you're more likely to expose people, those droplets can get to a certain distance, they predict. You can see there. And they think it's about five rows.
But again, this is -- it's interesting. They have -- the people who are, obviously, most at risk are those who have not ever been vaccinated against measles. And that's one of the questions they're trying to --
COSTELLO: So kids are not vaccinated against measles nowadays. Since I don't have children, I don't know these things. Is that true?
GUPTA: Kids are -- no, they are vaccinated.
COSTELLO: Good. That's good. GUPTA: It's one of the big vaccines called MMR, measles, mumps and rubella. And the -- typically they recommend two shots. You get the one shot and then a booster shot.
COSTELLO: So why are they so worried?
GUPTA: Well, there are people who opt not to get vaccinated. And you know -- so there's about 60 cases a year still of measles in this country. Not a lot. But this is a potentially very significant disease. I mean you can get, obviously, the rash that people characterize it by, but in a certain number of people it can actually cause death. It can cause body-wide infections that are just too significant.
In England, the case is about 1100 cases a year so there's probably due to the unvaccinated population over there. Now it's global travel, you get this back and forth.
COSTELLO: Got you. So one last question since I've had every type of measles imaginable to man. So that -- does that mean if I were on that flight I would be safe, I wouldn't need to worry?
GUPTA: If you've been vaccinated or you had the measles, and typically people -- not I'm saying that you were these, but people born before 1957 have -- who were all probably exposed to natural measles so they have immunity but then people who got the shots afterwards should be fine.
COSTELLO: They'll be OK?
GUPTA: Yes.
COSTELLO: OK. Good.
GUPTA: So --
COSTELLO: That makes me feel better.
GUPTA: Were you traveling? Because you're from that area.
COSTELLO: I was traveling, that's why I was wondering what airline it was.
GUPTA: Yes. They didn't say the airline. But 20th through the 22nd, and those cities. But again, the chance of anyone actually getting is pretty remote here.
COSTELLO: That's a good thing.
GUPTA: Yes.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
GUPTA: Thank you. You're welcome.
COSTELLO: CNN's Piers Morgan -- GUPTA: I like the way you say it like that.
COSTELLO: Sounds very official.
CNN's Piers Morgan asked Charlie Sheen straight up. Are you under the influence right now?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PIERS MORGAN, CNN'S PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT: And when was this taken?
SHEEN: It was taken -- when was it taken? Yesterday?
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: What does Sheen do? He gets out his drug test results and -- that claims he's clean. He had the -- he had the note right there in his pocket. There's a lot more where that came from, too. More of that interview in just a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Let's take a look at some of the stories making news across the country, starting in the Philadelphia area, where a struggling pizza shop owner might have used live mice to sabotage his competitors. Police say he walked into one shop and planted the critters in the bathroom ceiling, then went to another place and dumped more mice in a garbage can. He's now charged with disorderly conduct and animal cruelty.
An Arizona high school teacher has been fired because of the bumper sticker on her car. It says "Have you drugged your kid today?" Tarah Ausburn says society is over-medicating hyperactive kids, and this is her way to protest. She says some parents complained, and she was fired when she refused to take that sticker off. She's fighting to get her job back.
And in the Atlanta area, some burglars have found a way to get around the security system. Go through the roof. They've hit at least four businesses so far.
It is Tuesday morning, and who knows what Charlie Sheen will say today? Yesterday, he spent more time talking than partying and wrapped up a long day of interviews with CNN's Piers Morgan. This is raw Charlie Sheen talking, now. His publicist has quit. Sheen told Morgan that he's not an addict and slammed therapists.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PIERS MORGAN, CNN HOST, "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT": What would you call yourself, if you're not an addict?
CHARLIE SHEEN, ACTOR: I mean, what's another word?
MORGAN: Do you think it's simply a case of, you like to party? Is it as simple as that? SHEEN: Well, no. As long as I subscribe to the beliefs of others that build these models that don't leave any room for individuality or creativity or anything that -- they say you've got to surrender and you've got to get rid of your resentments, you've got to sit in a room and be all lame, you know?
I just -- I can't find a label other than just "alive." There's this great quote going around, "Yes, I'm high on a drug. It's called Charlie Sheen."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Hal Sparks is a pop culture pundit and comedian. He runs in the same circles as Charlie Sheen. Hal, thanks for joining us.
HAL SPARKS, COMEDIAN: Absolutely.
COSTELLO: We're all laughing and joking about Charlie Sheen, but at what point does this stop being funny?
SPARKS: Well, first of all, to say that Piers actually interviewed Charlie Sheen, I think, is slightly disingenuous in that nobody's really interviewing Charlie Sheen right now. They are interviewing a drug that is wearing Charlie Sheen like a skin.
As much as he may have proof that he's been clean for 72 hours, a lot of addicts know that they can go get -- wait their 72 hours, get their test, and they walk around saying, "See, I'm free of drugs," when the effects of the drugs they have taken will be in their system for months and especially the case of the drugs that he's been taking.
So, I would like to say, for the one thing, when people go, "What's Charlie Sheen like?" and "What's he doing?" No one really knows, because he's removed from the situation.
COSTELLO: So, you think he is on something besides himself?
SPARKS: Well, yes. I don't have an argument with him saying that there's a sort of a system in place socially to strangle creativity and individuality. I think society, for a long time, has been doing that just to keep the crazies at bay.
But that doesn't mean that's happening in his case. And a lot of times, if you listen to anyone who's on the same cocktail of drugs that he's known to take, they behave almost identically. His manic episodes are almost identical. His languaging (sic) is almost identical. And so, to say we know what Charlie Sheen is about right now, I think it's not possible.
COSTELLO: Yes.
SPARKS: On a positive note, though, I know that ABC has just launched a new sitcom starring Moammar Gadhafi called "Everybody Loves Me."
COSTELLO: I knew you couldn't resist the jokes. I got you there.
SPARKS: Well, I've --
COSTELLO: Seriously, isn't talking about Charlie, he can't stop giving interviews, he won't shut up. It's like watching someone self- destruct publicly.
Sheen told Piers Morgan no one from his show "Two and a Half Men" are offering any kind of support. Is this just how it is in Hollywood, or is Sheen so far gone that people just want to stay away from him because he's poison?
SPARKS: No. Well, for the record, he is, at this point, so extreme. Imagine what was leading up to this. This is the part we're seeing. This is the part that we're dealing with sort of in the public regarding this.
But leading up to this, there were episodes like this, hospitalization, there were addicted episodes getting here that the public really didn't see. So the idea that Hollywood just kind of hangs you out to dry and -- is -- is, I think, also slightly disingenuous. I think they actually tend to put up with it, perhaps, more than they should.
COSTELLO: Ah, interesting.
SPARKS: They let it go, because it's millions of dollars to keep a show running. And so, the idea that you would have to swap out one of your leads at the first sign trouble, or even the second, or the fifth, or the tenth sign of trouble --
COSTELLO: Yes, you wouldn't want to lose the millions of dollars for someone's mental health.
SPARKS: Right, so they -- so, yes.
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: But, I also wanted to ask you about this --
SPARKS: That's what I mean, I don't think they try.
COSTELLO: I also wanted to ask you about this.
SPARKS: Yes.
COSTELLO: It sort of makes you wonder how this will all end for Charlie Sheen. This is what Sheen told Piers. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: The premise of their argument with you is that you're in some kind of denial about this and, actually, you've never really stopped and thought, "I've got to sort myself out properly." That if you do follow that program --
SHEEN: Right.
MORGAN: They can work.
SHEEN: Sure.
MORGAN: And lots of people would be watching this saying, "It worked for me."
SHEEN: And then I can have a life like theirs? I'm going to pass.
MORGAN: Really, why?
SHEEN: Why? Because I'm a winner. And their lives look like they're ruled by losers. Just to put it in black and white terms. I don't want their lives, and they want my mine, but they want to criticize the hell out of it, you know?
And now, they've run the gamut from, like, "OK, he's not loaded, now what? Oh, he's manic." I don't even know what that means. I guess it would imply that there's going to be a crash. I don't know when that's coming, but maybe you can cover it when it does.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And sadly, I'm sure that we will. How do you see this ending?
SPARKS: You know, I actually don't see it ending per se. I think our fixation on sort of closure in a circumstance like is this our own social affect. He -- if something bad does happen to Charlie, and I certainly hope it doesn't, that would be a very personal thing for his family.
But the truth is, there are addicts who live this way over long periods of time. They just don't get the attention he is getting at this point in it. And so, we're very fixated on the social and celebrity aspect, that there will be a definitive end to this that we will all somehow see.
I don't necessarily think that's going to be the case. And a lot of these addicts in his similar situation do tend to hump on for years and continue to behave this way. So, I hope -- I hope we see Charlie himself come back through this.
But, right now, in all honesty, the drugs will be clearing out of his system for a very long time if he does stay clean. So you can't take -- the value you can have for Charlie Sheen is not taking what he says too seriously, so that you get panicked and we all get sort of focused on what may be a negative end to something.
COSTELLO: Yes.
SPARKS: The truth is, he's got a healing process that may or may not involve AA, that may or may not involve closeness with his family or separation from his family. Everybody's personal in their healing of things like this. So --
COSTELLO: Well, we hope he gets it together and, of course, sadly, I think we'll all be watching. Thank you very much, Hal Sparks, for joining us today.
SPARKS: We definitely will. It keeps us from looking at our own stuff.
COSTELLO: Maybe so. Maybe you're absolutely right about that one. Thanks, Hal, we appreciate it.
Let's turn our attention to the weather, now. It will be a day of cleanup in many places after a day of wild storms, and it's not over yet. Let's get the latest from Rob Marciano. Rob?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Severe weather across, really, the eastern corridor of the country yesterday. Let's take you to parts of Tennessee. Franklin County, just south of Nashville, where a deadly tornado ripped through this area. Winds well over 120 miles an hour, and there, you see the results of that.
And numerous reports, over 350 reports of severe weather over the past two days. That's how large this system was. Thankfully, it's moving off the coast. The tail end of it is sliding across Florida, and this is where we have that wildfire between Titusville and Daytona Beach.
Winds aren't extreme any more on either side of this front, because the core of the wind field and the core of the storm has moved out to sea. But nonetheless, some helpful rain showers are moving right over that fire, and that probably would give them help in getting the upper hand on this thing later on today.
More quiet weather across parts of the -- really, much of the country. Some storms setting up for Pacific Northwest and low elevation snows again, and another shot of cold air coming down from Canada. So, enjoy the quiet and somewhat seasonably warm temperatures the next couple of days. We've got more chilly air coming down from our friends up north, even though it's March 1st. Carol, back over to you.
COSTELLO: And they're still our friends.
MARCIANO: Yes.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Rob.
MARCIANO: OK, see you.
COSTELLO: Turning to the Middle East next. How does al Qaeda factor into all of these protests? A CNN security expert with firsthand knowledge of the terror groups joins us in THE NEWSROOM, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
COSTELLO: Checking our top stories now. In Florida, interstates are closed, a campground evacuated and 10,000 acres are either ash or burning right now. Wildfires have destroyed one home so far but entire neighborhoods are under threat. Heavy winds and dry conditions make fighting the fire difficult.
There are two new suspects in the death of an American on the U.S. border with Mexico. They are known drug traffickers but have not been named yet. Tourist David Hartley was fatally shot on the Mexican side of Falcon Lake in September. His wife Tiffany survived. Mexican authorities have been quiet since the investigator was found dead.
And the first deep water drilling permit has been issued for Gulf of Mexico since last year's BP oil spill. Houston-based Nobel Energy met all the new safety rules and will drill a well like the one you see here, about 75 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal says it's time to ramp up the permits so oil and gas workers can get back on the job.
We're keeping a close eye on the uprising in Libya and reverberations around the world. At the top of the hour we'll hear from Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton. She's on Capitol Hill and this spiraling crisis is sure to be her focus. More Libyans are fleeing the violence. The United Nations says 140,000 refugees are pouring into neighboring Egypt and Tunisia. The U.N. is warning that a humanitarian crisis is building.
At noon in Washington, Moammar Gadhafi's own diplomats will signal a call for change. The Libyan Embassy will take down its current national flag and replace it with the one that flew before Gadhafi took power in 1969.
CNN correspondents are covering all the latest developments in the Middle East. Let's get right to senior international correspondent Nic Robertson. He's live in Tripoli.
Nic, from our perspective, the walls seem to be closing in on Gadhafi and sometimes that means things can get really ugly. Is there fear that that could happen?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's what the government is saying. The government here is saying that if conflict happens here, if they can't negotiate a resolution to the current impasse with the opposition, then there could be wide bloodshed. They say hundreds of thousands of people could die.
And the basis for that, they say, is this is a tribal society that even if you have government and anti-government forces, if one person kills somebody from the other tribe on the other side, that a blood feud started, they want to kill 10 from the other tribe and et cetera.
They're also -- the government here is also telling us that they believe that Europe and the United States is going to intervene in Libya and this is something they're telling people here, as well. So they're saying this would further compound and destabilize the situation. They say they're trying to negotiate with the opposition right now, but there's no indication from the opposition that those negotiations of governments operate (ph) are going to work any time soon, Carol.
COSTELLO: Nic Robertson reporting live from Tripoli. Thanks. And as we watch as Libyan cities fall into opposition hands, Moammar Gadhafi is laying blame in many places, including al Qaeda. He's claiming it is behind the protests. So what role has al Qaeda played, if any, in the uprisings across the Middle East? If we're talking al Qaeda we're talking with CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen.
Welcome, Peter.
PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Carol, good morning.
COSTELLO: Peter, a lot of people who say, in fact, al Qaeda may have wanted to play a bigger role here, but they have been shut out. Why?
BERGEN: Yes, opportunistically, Ayman al Zawahiri, who's an Egyptian, the number two in al Qaeda has released some audio tapes trying to sort of position himself and al Qaeda generally in the event of what's going on in the Middle East. But I think everybody understands that al Qaeda and its ideas have had nothing to do with the revolutions that we're seeing across the region.
This is what al Qaeda always wanted -- regime change in places like Egypt and Libya. But it's not being achieved with their ideas or their people. And the outcome is probably not going to be to their satisfaction because what do they really want, Carol? They want Taliban-style bureaucracies around the Middle East.
COSTELLO: I know. And it's interesting, Peter, because it appears that bin Laden and al Qaeda totally misjudged what people in the Arab world really wanted. In Egypt, there were Muslims and Christians -- and gasp --- women speaking in one voice for a democracy.
And as Osama bin Laden and his henchmen sit back and watch from the cave, what do you think they're thinking?
BERGEN: A mixture of glee that these authoritarian regimes are being overthrown. And despair because nothing -- they've had nothing to do with it. As you point out, Carol, you know, Muslims and Christians were manning the barricades together in Egypt and, of course, as far as al Qaeda is concerned Christians are infidels.
And, in fact, even the Muslim Brotherhood which people have had hysterical reactions to their involvement in all of this is an organization that is very much at war with al Qaeda. Al Qaeda rejects the Muslim brotherhood because they engage in conventional politics and elections.
COSTELLO: So, Peter, does this mean that we need not fear al Qaeda any longer? I mean, is this the beginning of the end?
BERGEN: I think the end was beginning, Carol, in the sense that if you look at polling data from around the Muslim world, support for bin Laden and al Qaeda, suicide bombing has been cratering in Muslim countries for quite some period of time, because Muslims understand many of the victims of al Qaeda and its allies are actually Muslims.
And for groups that position themselves as the defenders of Islam it's not impressive that so many of their victims are Muslim civilians. And plus, they well understand that groups like al Qaeda are just offering the kind of violence we're seeing on the screen, they're not offering a plan to get the tens of millions of men who are unemployed to work in the Middle East. There's no al Qaeda a minister of economics.
And I think that people understand that these groups aren't really offering anything. That doesn't mean they're not a threat of some kind but they are losing the war of ideas in the Muslim world.
COSTELLO: Interesting, though. Fascinating.
Peter Bergen, thanks, as always.
BERGEN: Thank you.
COSTELLO: From a monstrous gun to a stripper's breast implants? We'll look at some of the more bizarre tax deduction the IRS will allow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Tax season is in full swing and all day today, CNN is focusing on your tax filing experience. So right now, we want to take you inside the world of the obscure tax deductions. From creative, to sketchy, to downright bizarre.
Our Allan Chernoff shows us some of the unbelievable ways folks have reduced their tax bills.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JERRY SPRINGER, HOST, "THE JERRY SPRINGER SHOW" Please welcome Chesty Love (ph).
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Yes, those are deductible. As exotic dancer Chesty Love told Jerry Springer, she fought the IRS and won.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was my own attorney. I represented myself.
CHERNOFF: The U.S. tax court ruled her breast implants were a stage prop that boosted her income and, therefore, deductible as a business expense.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My breasts are very, very much a part of my job. My salary as a dancer went up in direct proportion to the size of the chest.
CHERNOFF (on camera): No matter how off-beat the profession, the tax code encourages us to earn money so the IRS can collect more. So for those who learn a living as Elvis impersonators? Yes, the costume is deductible.
(voice-over): Business expenses can take many forms. There's the case of a junk yard that was infested with rats and snakes. The owner deducted the cost of cat food he put out each night to attract felines to take care of the pests.
Criminals are supposed to report their income from illegal activities. IRS Publication 17 says it goes on Form 1040, Line 21. So criminal enterprises are allowed to deduct the cost of business expenses, like buying guns.
EVAN SNAPPER, ACCOUNTANT: A drug dealer should, under the regulations, report the cost of his inventory, the drugs that he's purchasing for resell, the cost of the guns to protect the inventory. The cost of the suitcases to carry it. You would put all of that on a tax return.
CHERNOFF (on camera): Odds are you're not engaged inside a legal or bizarre activities to earn a living. Even so, the same principle for deductions applies. Money spent to earn taxable income can be written off.
So, for example, if you have a home office that occupies, say, 10 percent of your house, 10 percent of the operating expenses, heat, electricity, even outdoor landscaping can be written off.
(voice-over): Some taxpayers, though, have taken it a bit too far. The IRS has disallowed attempts to deduct hot tubs and pools for those claiming the home office deduction.
Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Our tax guide continues all day. Coming up at 11:00 a.m., the dreaded audit. Find out who gets hit most often and how you can steer clear of the tax man.
Wisconsin's governor unveils a new budget while some protesters refuse to budge. They are ignoring a police request to leave the state capitol building. We're following developments.
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COSTELLO: It's do or die time in Wisconsin. At 5:00 p.m. Eastern today, there will be a new move in the standoff. Governor Scott Walker plans to release his new state budget even as protests over his repair bill for this year' budget enters a third week.
Thousands of people have been protesting inside the capitol building. Police asked them to leave yesterday so the building could be cleaned but not everybody left.
In the meantime, state Senate Democrats are still out of the state to prevent a quorum on the budget repair measure. The bill would strip collective bargaining rights of most public workers. The Governor is calling on Democrats to come back now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SCOTT WALKER (R), WISCONSIN: It is now time for them to come home. If they choose not to, let me be clear. This is not a threat. This is not a strategy. This is not a negotiation. The bottom line is if they do not come home, there are dire consequences. Dire consequences I don't think any of us, Republican or Democrat, alike would like to see happen here in the state of Wisconsin.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: A new poll from the PEW Research Center shows how Americans feel about the Wisconsin dispute: 42 percent support the public workers; 31 percent support the Governor; nine percent don't take sides; 18 percent don't know.
Beyond Wisconsin's borders, governors are split over the labor standoff.
CNN's senior White House correspondent, Ed Henry is here with that side of the story. Hey, Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. good morning Carol.
A very feisty debate on "AMERICAN MORNING" today about this budget standoff, Republican Rick Scott of Florida was on the show and basically saying that -- he was trying to reframe it really say this is about treating taxpayers fairly, about treating public employees fairly.
Maybe not having a sharpened edge as Scott Walker has had in Wisconsin and Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley also on "AMERICAN MORNING" really kind of jumped on that and said that he believes this is all about union bashing and that Republicans like Rick Scott are running from Scott Walker because they think he sort of mishandled this.
Now, Rick Scott, the Florida Governor, made clear that he's not running away from Scott Walker saying that Scott Walker in Wisconsin is doing what a lot of Republicans and Democrats around the country are trying to do which is to make some tough budget choices so this debate obviously continues.
The other big budget debate here in Washington of course is whether or not there is going to be a government shutdown at the end of this week. Interesting new poll basically says the public is split on who would get the blame if the government would shut down. This poll saying 36 percent of the public says Congressional Republicans would get the blame; 35 percent saying they would blame President Obama's administration and Democrats.
Interesting if you dig deeper there even though that's a split the poll indicates independent voters, those critical voters have been so pivotal in 2008 and 2010; they say they would blame the President by 37-32 percent margin.
So a little bit more than independent voters would blame Democrats perhaps more than Republicans but the bottom line is that both sides right now indicating they think they are edging closer to a deal by the end of this week that would avert a government shutdown, at least temporarily. It might only be a two week or four week measure.
But the bottom line is both parties, perhaps because of a poll like this suggesting that either side could take the blame here, edging towards some sort of a compromise -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, it's kind of interesting to listen to all the -- the political analysts and the pundits out there saying the Republicans think the Democrats are to blame if the government shuts down. And the Democrats thinks the -- like who cares? Why can't they just sit -- sit down and get something done and quit pointing fingers? Isn't that what voters really want?
HENRY: Sure. Well, that's what they say they want. And you know but there are Republicans on the Hill, especially those freshmen lawmakers who are elected in part on a mandate to really cut spending who say maybe they would be willing to have a government shutdown to make a point that there needs to be some really dramatic change here in Washington so that's -- that's part of what's playing out.
COSTELLO: Yes, I can't -- I know you are. But what am I? That's what this all reminds me of. Ed Henry, live in Washington, thanks.
We'll have your next political update in one hour. And a reminder for all the latest news -- political news go to our Web site, CNNpolitics.com.
So Wonderlic Test tells NFL scouts how smart their prospects are. We'll tell you about one quarterback who tied a record for it
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COSTELLO: A bit of news just coming into the CNN NEWSROOM. CNN now confirms singer Christina Aguilera was arrested on misdemeanor charges and she was released on $250 bail. We can't tell you yet what she was charged with, but, of course, well, we're efforting (ph) that and we'll tell you as soon as we know.
As you know, Christina Aguilera has been in the news of late for flubbing the national anthem at the Super Bowl and for tripping on stage at the Emmys. Again, when we get more information we'll pass it along.
The infamous Arizona sweat lodge, three people died in there and more than dozens others ended up in the hospital. Now, the man who led them inside faces justice.
Gary Tuchman has covered this case from the beginning. So thanks for joining us, Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sure.
COSTELLO: It's nice to see you in person.
TUCHMAN: It's nice seeing you in person too, Carol.
COSTELLO: I know we're always in other parts of the country. TUCHMAN: That's right.
COSTELLO: But -- but remind us what this case is about first of all.
TUCHMAN: James Arthur Ray was so famous, so well known, two and a half years ago, he's a new-age guru. People had paid thousands of dollars to attend these events. And this particular event October 2009, the end of it, the culmination was a sweat lodge. It was room the size of a hotel room, about 50 people; it was like a sauna but much hotter.
And native Americans do this. It's tradition for generations. They don't pay to do it when you do it with Native Americans but James Ray you pay thousands of dollars. Like hotter, hotter and hotter and hotter and people started collapsing and people needed CPR. And James Ray allegedly kept continuing on with the ceremony even though he knew people were in desperate need of help. He walked outside when this is over and people were getting CPR.
And the prosecution is going to say he just ignored it, he got hosed off, he drove off. Three people ended up dying, 18 people were hurt.
COSTELLO: So what's he charged with? And what should we expect in the coming days?
TUCHMAN: He is charged of manslaughter, being responsible for the deaths of these three people. He could face 36 years in prison if he's found guilty.
Now, the defense says James Ray was just kind of in shock, that he never would have expected people to die. He's done this before, although there are allegations that in previous years, people also got sick.
But this is really important. The prosecution will not be allowed to bring up other cases in other years during this trial. But it all begins in about an hour. And this trial is expected to last, Carol, about four months.
COSTELLO: Wow, you're going to be busy.
TUCHMAN: Yes, it's a long trial but it's a very serious and sad situation.
COSTELLO: It really is that. Thank you very much, Gary Tuchman.
TUCHMAN: Thanks Carol.
COSTELLO: We are following lots of developments in the next hour on the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's check in first with our Pentagon correspondent, Chris Lawrence. Hello, Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hey Carol. Well, the buzz here at the Pentagon is that the U.S. military is moving naval ships closer to Libya. A lot of options on the table for providing humanitarian relief all the way up to imposing a no-fly zone. But there are risks involved in all of those. And we'll tell you about that coming up at the top of the hour.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm John Zarrella on Florida's Space Coast where firefighters battling a raging wildfire got a break. It rained. I'll have that story coming up.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Elizabeth Cohen in Atlanta. Kids and teens are getting a high from fake marijuana that they're buying in stores and online. It's perfectly legal. We'll tell you how the government is trying to crackdown. All of that at the top of the hour.
COSTELLO: Also ahead, every month you pay your water bill. It's usually $30 or $40 bucks. So imagine your surprise when it's $1,200 for just one month, and $6,900 the next. That's what happened to one woman and she wasn't alone.
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COSTELLO: The Bulls have been title contenders since the days of Michael Jordan. Jeff Fischel from HLN Sports, boy, they're grabbing the league by the horn and they're going to town.
JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORTS ANCHOR: Thanks to their new superstar. Right. It's turning out he's a bit of a science buff. Derek Rose, yes, he knows a thing or two about chemistry. He says he didn't want the team to make any changes near the trade deadline. And boy, it looks like it's working out.
Rose taking on the Washington Wizards last night. And look at them go -- there he goes. And no one is faster in the open court. Now, watch this fancy pass to Joakim Noah, in case you missed it, this is what he did -- right between the legs for the dunk.
The Bulls were doing everything right. This is the end of the first half. Derek rose gets it over to Luol Deng in the corner for three. At the buzzer, good. The Bulls win easy, Deng and Rose both had 21 points, 105-77 the final.
A great ending to the game between the Suns and the Nets. Final seconds, Channing Frye, he had a buzzer beater just Sunday to win. This with six seconds left puts the Suns up by one. The Nets have a last chance.
Deron Williams, just came over on a big trade, drives, it's tipped-in by Chris Humphries at the buzzer, good. But did he get it out of his in time. The refs had to take a long look at it on replay. And no. It was still on his hands, so the Suns hold on and win by one.
All right. Let's do NHL, Minnesota Wild desperately trying to send the game with the Chicago Blackhawks to OT. The Wilds Pierre-Marc Bouchard dives to keep the puck in the offensive zone. No and from there, Jonathan Toews, goes the other way, two on one, perfect pass to Marian Hossa for the score and the Blackhawks win 4-2.
Ok. The NFL is poking and prodding and testing all of the college players who get drafted next month. That includes Alabama QB Greg McElroy. And if IQ counts for anything, he'll be drafted very high. He reportedly scored 48 out of 50 on what's called, Carol, the Wonderlic Test. It's problem solving. The score 48 is almost unheard of. Most quarterbacks get in 20s and maybe 30s.
So Carol now here's the time for your quiz.
COSTELLO: I didn't even know they took this kind of test. Bizarre --
FISCHEL: It's not enough to be able to throw the ball 50 yards down the field. Right. They have to be able to problem-solve quickly. 50 questions in 12 minutes. We won't give you 50 questions, 12 minutes. But here's a sample question.
A boy is 17 years old and his sister is twice as old. When the boy is 23, what will the age be of his sister?
COSTELLO: As I look at this question, I think back to my algebra class when I was a freshman in high school and I'm becoming ill.
FISCHEL: Yes, I know, right?
COSTELLO: Because you know those questions with, the train is traveling from Arizona -- no. I worked it out in the break. I'll be on it. She'll be 40.
FISCHEL: She will be 40. Ding, ding, ding. That is the correct answer. So you are on your way to becoming an NFL quarterback, I think.
COSTELLO: I throw a mean football. But you're right. I couldn't answer all of those questions in like --
FISCHEL: Greg McElroy, truly one of the all-time scorers. Coaches, actually some don't like to see super high scores because it could means he might question authority because he is so smart. So he may have done too well on the test.
COSTELLO: Unbelievable. Thanks so much, Jeff.
FISCHEL: All right.
COSTELLO: Interesting.
