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War in Libya?; Government Shutdown Looming?; U.S. Weighs Libya Options; 'Political Pop'; Supreme Court: Military Funeral Protests OK
Aired March 03, 2011 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm going to speak about this a little bit with Reince Priebus. He's the new chairman of the Republican National Committee. He will be in "THE SITUATION ROOM" with me as well.
Finally, one thing that the president over at that news conference with the Mexican president did say, he's butting out, he's staying out of the dispute between the NFL owners, the NFL players. You know what? These are rich guys. The players are all millionaires. The owners are almost billionaires. He says he's got enough on his plate right now. He's not going to try to mediate some sort of resolution between of NFL players/owners' dispute.
He's got a lot going on.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: He said he has got some other stuff going on and I think we all kind of agree with him.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: I certainly do.
BALDWIN: Wolf -- Wolf, thank you so much. We will get another "Political Ticker" update for you in half-an-hour. You can always go online. Go to CNNPolitics.com. And they're also on Twitter. Go to @PoliticalTicker.
Top of the hour now. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Libya is not like Tunisia or Egypt. Our own Ben Wedeman says this is becoming a war. I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
(voice-over): Moammar Gadhafi is now officially on notice, international prosecutors warning, bomb your own people, we will come after you. So, if there is now proof, what happens next?
Let the battle begin. In two weeks, the government could shut down unless Congress makes a deal. Well, today, something is happening behind closed doors at the White House.
Also, a dad is shot to death in broad daylight outside his son's preschool. We are now learning he had met with the man accused of pulling the trigger. I will show you their e-mails.
Plus, forget about brake problems. Apparently, spiders are targeting certain cars -- the new recall over critters.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: The countdown begins. Hello once again. I'm Brooke Baldwin.
Democrats in Wisconsin have exactly one hour, one hour to return to Senate chambers, or else. If they do not, they would be held in contempt and police could be sent to take them into custody. Now, of course, this is all over this budget battle and the rights of all those union workers. This thing is now in week number three.
The Republican governor, Scott Walker, wants to do away with most workers' collective bargaining rights, and the Democrats are opposed to that.
Protesters have been out and about speaking there for several weeks. CNN also confirms that live ammunition was found at that capitol during some sort of security sweep. We are still gathering facts there. We don't know if it was found inside the rotunda or outside. We are going to take you live to Madison coming up here.
But, first, if it is interesting and it's happening right now, you are about to see it. Rapid Fire, let's go. Vice President Joe Biden expected any minute to meet with lawmakers there on Capitol Hill. We are told he's talking with House and Senate leaders on a possible compromise over the federal government.
Remember, the government will shut down in two weeks if some sort of deal is not reached. We are monitoring that.
And a Pakistani court today says the CIA contractor accused of shooting and killing two Pakistani men does not have diplomatic immunity. Raymond Davis says the two men were trying to rob him when that shooting happened. The court will reconsider the case on March 14.
And a disturbing discovery in Delray Beach, Florida. The bodies of two children were found in that canal. A girl's body had been stuffed into a duffel bag. And just a couple hours later, a boy's body was found in a suitcase. Police say they now believe the children are brother and sister. No arrests have been made.
Indiana drivers about to get an eyeful here. Take a look at this billboard with me. The new campaign later this month is going to read: "You don't need God to hope, to care, to love, to live." It's being sponsored by a group called the Center for Inquiry, which started a similar campaign this week in Washington with train and subway posters. The group says it is just trying to foster a secular- based society.
Vets euthanized a sick pooch and declared him dead, but the next morning, a worker spotted a pair of puppy eyes staring back at him. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would say that he's an angel dog.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: A woman put this story on Facebook. Now people all over the U.S., all over Canada asking to adopt the pup now called Wally.
All you bike lovers, you may need a tag for that. There's a move in New York to put license plates on your bicycle. Every owner would be required to register and renew each year or risk being pulled over by police.
And take a look at this murky surveillance video. This is coming to us from Los Angeles. This is one efficient jewelry heist. You see, the burglars actually dug a tunnel into that store for fast entry and exit. They ignored the safe, hit the display cases. Their haul, not too shabby, three million bucks in wedding bands and engagement rings. The store owner says it takes him six hours a day to display the jewelry and put it all back in the safe.
He dropped his routine on this one particular night. It took the burglars minutes to clean out the place.
You know, we told you about the president. He said just a short time ago he's now exploring this whole range of options concerning Libya. In fact, Roger, let's replay some of that. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There is a danger of stalemate that over time could be bloody. And that is something that is something that we're obviously considering. So what I want to make sure of is that the United States has full capacity to act potentially rapidly if the situation deteriorated in such a way that you had a humanitarian crisis on our hands. Or a situation in which civilians were -- defenseless civilians were finding themselves trapped and in great danger.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: That was the president speaking just this afternoon at the White House, obviously expressing deep concern for civilians, thousands of them caught in that chaos in Libya.
We now have on the phone with us a woman in Tripoli, which is under control of forces loyal to the 42-year leader, Moammar Gadhafi, but for her own safety, we cannot tell you her name. We have spoken to her last week.
Tell me, do you still feel like a prisoner in your own home?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, especially that the hours are counting down for tomorrow. Tomorrow, we are all expecting a bloody scene happening.
BALDWIN: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So we are on the wait of the -- the protest tomorrow.
BALDWIN: The protest tomorrow. It's supposed to escalate tomorrow, tomorrow, the day of prayer, is that right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Yes, tomorrow, it's supposed -- it's expected everybody to go out, because it's the safest for them to act as a group, to go on protest in different areas at the same time. So everybody wants to go out tomorrow to protest and to show the world that they are just standing up and want Gadhafi to step down.
BALDWIN: We had talked before about women in Libya and how they're fearful for their lives. You told me that rape is worse than death in Libya, because you lose your honor.
How are the women? How are the women you speak with?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The women are just trying to support the men. Some of the women actually are planning to go out as well tomorrow and join the protesters.
There are two scenarios expected tomorrow, but I think I'm going to see more of the women coming out, more courageous women sacrificing their lives in order to help this situation to end.
BALDWIN: We have seen Gadhafi. His speeches are rambling. Most recently, he's been blaming prisoners in Guantanamo Bay. He's also blamed al Qaeda. He's blamed drugs. Has he lost all credibility in your country by now?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He has lost it years back, but now he's just trying to seek last results or seek very desperate attempts in blaming what he's doing and trying to accuse others.
He's the one who released prisoners to attack civilians. He's the one who recruited mercenaries to attack civilians. He's the one who's handing weapons to more troops and more dangerous criminals in order for him to kill civilians and implement fear for them not to go out.
BALDWIN: Well, you say he's lost his credibility. You said he lost it many, many years ago, but, still, in that city of Tripoli, the capital city, it is still under his grip of power. There are people who defend their loyalty to this man. How? What do they say?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The reason there is somehow a loyalty to him, it's not because they're volunteering to do so. It's because their families are under pressure.
I know a few have been kidnapped in their homes. He kidnaps their nephews or their relatives and some of their children as well. And I'm not talking about old people. I'm talking about young children, like 7-year-olds and 5-year-olds. He kidnaps them in order to put -- to add pressure for those people to be loyal to him.
BALDWIN: Thank you so much for joining me, for risking your life there within the comfort of your own home in Tripoli. Stay safe. Thank you.
A new twist in a shocking murder case. A father is shot and killed, broad daylight, after dropping his son off at preschool. Well, now we are hearing the victim in this case has already met with the suspect, who went on to several trips with the victim's wife. You following me? Why did this happen? We're going to look into that with Randi Kaye. That is next.
Also, we're following a breaking story. A former FBI agent disappeared in Iran four years ago, may not only be alive, but we know where he could be right now. That is ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: It was a cold-blooded crime, a man gunned down while dropping his son off at day care. This happened in this affluent area, this suburb of Atlanta. Now, the alleged suspect in this case was the former boss of the victim's wife.
So, now we're hearing investigators are looking into the nature of the contact between the victim's wife and the suspect, both before and after the funeral of the victim here, Rusty Sneiderman.
Randi Kaye's been following this story.
And, Randi, I know so far the police have been sort of tight- lipped about this whole thing.
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
BALDWIN: So why are they taking this direction?
KAYE: Well, we're getting a lot of new information today, Brooke, much of it coming from "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution," the newspaper here in Atlanta that has been following this.
And it turns out -- this just gets more bizarre as the information comes out -- it turns out that the alleged killer in this case actually was one of the mourners at the victim's home in the days after the shooting. He spent some time mourning with the family, paying his respects, talking to the victim's brother, talking to the victim's wife, the widow in this care.
BALDWIN: He was there?
KAYE: He was there.
BALDWIN: Wow.
KAYE: Now, he knows the wife, Andrea Sneiderman, because he is her boss. The two of them work together at General Electric Energy. But also, the newspaper got its hands on e-mails that show that the victim, Rusty Sneiderman, and Mr. Neuman, the suspect, were actually pretty well-acquainted. They had been e-mailing. They even had lunch just a few months before the shooting on August 12.
That lunch had been arranged by Mrs. Sneiderman, the window in this case, and even after that lunch, they continued to stay in touch. Mr. Sneiderman sending an him an e-mail saying -- quote -- "I can see why Andrea is enjoying working with you." He then sent him some anecdotes about business school, passed on some business contacts, because apparently Mr. Neuman was unhappy at General Electric. He had complained of more responsibility and no promotion.
So the two of them clearly knew each other.
BALDWIN: So, they knew each other. They were lunching together. He was at the house. They're exchanging e-mails. What about any possible motive? Do we have any idea?
KAYE: Well, we don't know on that just yet.
It's really very strange, but we do know a little bit more, though, about their relationship. So let me just get to that first.
BALDWIN: OK.
KAYE: In fact, from these search warrants -- there are search warrants now that the police are looking at -- they're looking at phone records and e-mails, dating from September 1 to January 15. Now, he was arrested and charged on January 4. So the search warrants even go past that charging date.
But it turns out that they were in contact -- I'm talking about Andrea Sneiderman, the widow, and the accused shooter were in contact both before and after the death.
(CROSSTALK)
KAYE: And in the days after the shooting -- this is really strange -- Mr. Neuman, the suspect, actually contacted one of those business contacts that the victim had given him before he died, and sent him an e-mail, and and -- even wrote about the shooting, saying -- quote -- "So tragic and unfortunate. Hard to find the words."
But in -- in -- in your question about the motive, no clear motive.
BALDWIN: No idea thus far?
KAYE: The investigators are still trying to figure this out. They certainly haven't implicated Andrea Sneiderman, the widow in this case at all. But they are looking at their relationship.
And here's something else that we found today that was also really bizarre. They took a couple of business trips, the boss, the accused shooter, and Andrea Sneiderman.
BALDWIN: And the widow?
KAYE: Right, the widow. They took a couple of business trips, one to Colorado, one to the U.K., and he had apparently organized this and planned all this. In the U.K., they took a castle tour, they went to a musical, and there was a dinner cruise.
BALDWIN: How are you getting that?
KAYE: That's all coming from the investigators telling "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution."
BALDWIN: So, that doesn't like very business --
KAYE: It doesn't sound very business-like. But again, there's very little information coming out about their relationship. But we know that the lawyer had actually confirmed to the newspaper that the two of them had gone on these business trips.
BALDWIN: Thanks for digging. I remember when this whole story came to light and we heard about this broad daylight shooting at a daycare, I thought, what in the world?
KAYE: It's so awful and so bizarre, as we're learning more and more.
BALDWIN: It's complicated. Thanks so much for having us understand it. Randi Kaye, thank you so much.
KAYE: Sure.
BALDWIN: President Obama says the leader of Libya must leave, must leave now. But will the U.S. military push for a no-fly zone? This is a huge, huge deal right now. What might that mean?
Also, he is being called a radical Muslim and he's accused of targeting American soldiers. So, who is behind that deadly shooting in Frankfurt, Germany? We are now hearing from the father of one of those survivors. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: OK. We are getting new details on that deadly attack on U.S. troops in Frankfurt, Germany.
Here's what we're learning: officials there say that the suspects made sure the troops were American before he opened fire. Two died, two were injured. Reportedly, the suspect has now confessed and a U.S. official says the suspect was, quote, "not on the radar screen of this country." One of the victims killed is identified as Airman Zachary Cuddeback. He's from Virginia.
And I want to share this piece of sound you. This is obviously pretty emotional. This is coming from Bruce Schneider, whose son is one of those two survivors -- one of several survivors, I should say. He talks about the last time he spoke with his son before that shooting in Frankfurt.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUCE SCHNEIDER, FATHER OF KRISTOFFER SCHNEIDER: He just told us he was leaving, how long he'd be in Germany, and how long he'd be in Afghanistan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Germany officials say the man who pulled the trigger on those Americans was a recently radicalized Muslim, 21 years of age, originally from Kosovo. The officials say Arid Uka seems to be influenced by local German radical Islamist Web sites.
And now we go "Globe Trekking," taking a look at world headlines.
And, of course, Libya is fighting rages there. The U.S. is now weighing its options, militarily speaking, potentially here. And the embattled leader of that country, serious words, comedic actions, leaving a rally in a golf cart, of all things.
Hala Gorani from CNNI is joining me now.
But I want to first talk about the no-fly zone. You know, we heard from President Obama a short time ago, not committing yea or nay to that. But it is kind of complicated. What does that really mean?
HOLA GORANI, CNNI ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Well, it would mean preventing the Libyan army from flying in airspace over Libya and bombarding strategic sites in eastern Libya and along the coast.
BALDWIN: It would involve air strikes?
GORANI: It would involve -- it would involve air strikes according to Robert Gates, the U.S. defense secretary, saying, "Let's be clear on what this means. It means taking out Libyan air defenses." So this is not as simple as saying, don't fly over Libya and in Libyan airspace. It involves a military intervention.
Now, the rhetoric has cooled quite a bit in the United States. Hillary Clinton saying that possibility would be much, much further down the road, even if it is a consideration and no option is off the table.
What I find interesting is that European countries are being a lot more forthcoming with the idea that they might consider talking seriously about establishing a no-fly zone over Libya. For instance, the French foreign affairs minister and his counterpart, William Hague of the United Kingdom, said that if things get worse, if attacks against civilians in Libya get much worse, that they would consider the idea and consider discussing the implementation of a no-fly zone.
But, again, this is not something that's going to happen tomorrow.
BALDWIN: Right.
GORANI: This is not something that's going to happen with one European country or a group of European countries acting unilaterally. This will happen within the framework of discussions with NATO. And everyone is very clear about that.
BALDWIN: Give may quick lay of the land because it changes -- the landscape changes every day as far as where Gadhafi has control and where he doesn't.
GORANI: And I think this might be an opportunity to show that -- I mean, you know, you have to chuckle. You chuckle until you see the images of the --
BALDWIN: A golf cart?
GORANI: You do, the golf cart images. But you chuckle until you see the images of some of which we can't broadcast, because of how graphic they are, of death and destruction and bloodshed in Libya.
But, yes, he's attending this rally of supporters in Tripoli. Moammar Gadhafi, essentially -- his forces are essentially in control of the northeast corner of Libya, along the Mediterranean coast, Libya, other cities in the northwest, the east mostly under the control of the rebels. But you have to remember, 90 percent of Libyans live along the coast. So, if you, you know, everything under that is 10 percent of the population, a big, pretty much, empty desert. So, it's really that coast that you have to look at. And the eastern section, by and large, controlled by the rebels and the northwest section by and large controlled by Gadhafi, pro-Gadhafi forces.
But the army, the army, apart from those who have defected, is under the control of Gadhafi still, including those airplanes that have been key strategic sites in eastern Libya.
BALDWIN: Fear of more violence (INAUDIBLE) in Tripoli. Tomorrow, the day of prayer. And Ben Wedeman flat-out saying, this is -- this is like a war, it's like covering a war.
GORANI: You know -- and I know we have to go, but Saif Gadhafi said these bombardments of Benghazi were, quote, "a big misunderstanding." He said this to a British news channel. And we spoke with Ben Wedeman after that, and he said, it's very hard to believe that there's a misunderstanding. You know exactly where those bombs are going to fall.
BALDWIN: Yes. Hala, thank you.
GORANI: Yes.
BALDWIN: So what is really behind Newt Gingrich's appearance in Atlanta? The media is all over this one. But did he announce something big? That's what they were there for, right? Jessica Yellin is live with that.
Also, spiders! Spiders could be nesting in your cars right now.
And 3D porn is coming to a TV near you. I know, I know. Alison Kosik teased this segment on Twitter -- you are getting all kinds of feedback, some of which I don't even want to hear about.
We're going to go there, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Jessica Yellin joins us from Atlanta with the latest political headlines.
And, Jessica, we know you came down to Atlanta, supposed to be this big, big announcement, Newt Gingrich at the state capital. But was it what you thought it would be?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: He announced -- that's right -- he announced that he's entering an exploratory phase of his campaign, which means that Newt Gingrich, the former speaker, is closer to taking the legal steps necessary that allow -- to allow him to raise money and contact donors and form a proper organization to run for president.
He stopped short of actually saying he's forming that exploratory committee, and he also did not take many questions from the press. He let one reporter ask a question and then shut it down, left the room. We were told he'd take about a half hours' worth of questions.
So, it seems they're not quite ready to maybe answer a whole lot here. I'm guessing we'll hear more from them in the coming weeks.
Somebody I'd like to say thank you to former Governor Buddy Roemer of Louisiana. He said he was going to make an announcement today. He said he was going to form an exploratory committee and then, Brooke, he came out and did exactly that. Awesome, right? Great.
So, we like when people do what they say. So, he was -- he said in his announcement that he will enter this case and take no special interest money. He's particularly concerned about special interests. He'll take no PAC money. He'll limit contributions to $100 per person and he is very concerned about the future of this country. He is a former congressman from the state of Louisiana and one-term governor who began as a Democrat and then became a Republican.
And then, finally, the head of the Republican Party in the crucial state of Iowa, the crucial early voting state of Iowa, has a warning for Sarah Palin. He says that Sarah Palin is pursuing a risky strategy if she plans to run for president. That's because she has not spent much time in Iowa lately, shaking hands, holding town hall meetings, meeting with voters one on one, and he says, even in this day of Twitter and Facebook, in Iowa, you have to be on the ground doing that. And other potential candidates have been, Sarah Palin has not been there for quite some time, working the crowds in that way.
And so, it's sort of a warning that if she does plan to get in, the head of the Iowa Republican Party is essentially saying -- Sarah Palin, come visit us. You better get here if you want to play here.
So, that's sort of a roundup of some of the 2012 news. Not a lot on the Gingrich front, but some for Buddy Roemer.
BALDWIN: Why? You don't like the wild goose chase, Jessica Yellin? Come on.
Jess, thank you -- live for us in Atlanta.
YELLIN: We live for it.
BALDWIN: I know you do.
Time to get some pretty big talkers today, including the launch of, and I know some of you are already tweeting me about this, 3D porn. What is that? How does that work? We'll go there.
Also, spiders could be targeting your car.
Alison Kosik live in New York.
But, first, we get to the serious stuff here. Apparently, there's been a huge rally on Wall Street? What's behind that?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know, the bulls were definitely in charge today on Wall Street for two reasons. Oil markets are coming down, Brooke. Oil closing a bit lower. But the second and bigger factor is the jobs, the number of filing for those weekly unemployment claims unexpected fell to 368,000.
You know, we've been above that 400,000 level for years. Now, analysts say we're kind of moving to the next threshold, to the 350,000 level. And what that pretty much signals is we're having fewer layoffs and firings. Now, we just need to see some hiring going on. We'll have some answers tomorrow when we get the big jobs report tomorrow. Brooke?
BALDWIN: OK. Now to this. This latest car recall. We were sitting around the editorial meeting, and I got to be honest, Alison. We kind of thought it was a joke. It involves spiders? But it's not a joke.
KOSIK: Yes. Nothing like a creepy crawly to spawn a big recall with a carmaker. I mean, can you say bizarre? So, there were 20 cases of spider infestation with the Mazda 6 sedan. So, a certain type of spider. Not the real, cute fuzzy ones, but the yellow sax spider. Do we have a picture of it? It's got these really long and creepy legs. Can you imagine driving and having one of those crawl up your leg while you're driving?
BALDWIN: Did you say, not the cute, fuzzy ones? Because I'm thinking no spider is under the cute and fuzzy category.
KOSIK: Yes, you know, tarantulas are kind of cute! Tarantulas are kind of cute. They're fuzzy. You can pet them a little bit.
BALDWIN: C'mon, now, Kosik. I'm not with you!
KOSIK: I'm just kidding!
BALDWIN: Now, what about this -- let's move on from the spiders, shall we? Let's move on to this idea of 3-D porn coming to a television near you. Dare I ask what this entails?
KOSIK: Yes. You know what I was thinking when I had to do this story. I was thinking, if porn's not graphic enough, let's go ahead and make 3-D porn, so it feels like it's jumping right out at you. So, you can feel like your part of the action.
BALDWIN: Right in your living room!
KOSIK: Exactly. So, Penthouse magazine has launched a full 3-D satellite adult channel in high definition. Now, I don't want to ruin the mood, but this is right now only in Europe. But, hey, the good news is, for those of you who are interested, it offers both softcore and hardcore porn every night from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.
You know, they're actually not the first, because the porn industry has been playing around with this 3-D concept for some time. Hustler is expected to launch something similar. So, we could see this new advent of 3-D porn -- can you imagine with the glasses, how fogged up they must get while you're watching these 3-D scenes jump out at you?
BALDWIN: Alison! Come on! I can just imagine all the people now, like, on their laptops looking up flights to Europe right this second.
KOSIK: Oh, yes, just to watch it.
BALDWIN: Ugh.
KOSIK: To practice.
BALDWIN: Alison, thanks so much. I don't know how we come up with this stuff for you, but you do it so magnificently. Alison, thank you.
KOSIK: Thank you.
BALDWIN: Let's go to Capitol Hill, shall we? Let's look at live pictures. Let me tell you what's going on right now. Vice president Joe Biden right now meeting with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. The government, federal government, will shut down in two weeks unless they reach some sort of deal. We'll find out what's happening behind closed doors right now.
Also happening right now, if you're just joining us, the clock is ticking in Wisconsin. Huge, huge story there today. State Democrats could be arrested, all 14 of them, if they do not show up for work. We'll take you live to Madison. Tell you the story, next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: The clock is ticking for those Democrats in Wisconsin. The vice president heads to Capitol Hill. And some new information today about a former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran four years ago. Time to play "Reporter Roulette."
I want to begin with Casey Wian, live in Madison. Casey, is it true that those Democrats, all 14 of them who fled the state a couple of weeks ago, have to come back to Madison within the next hour or they get arrested?
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're not going to get arrested unless they cross the state lines, Brooke. They remain across state lines, out of the reach of the governor and the Republican-controlled legislature here. But they are trying to turn up the heat on those absentee Democrats by saying that they will be in contempt of court if they -- or contempt of the legislature if they don't return by today. And also fining them $100 a day if they don't return by today.
Now, I just spoke with one of those Democrats and he says, no one flinched at those measures by the Republicans. He called them bullying tactics. He says no negotiations to try to break this impasse over the budget repair bill continue. But as of right now, these Democrats are not planning to come back to the state, so they're in no danger of being arrested, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Okay. And I think those must be protester drum beats I hear behind you. But let's talk -- seriously, let's talk about the live ammunition that police found in and around the capital this morning. What have you learned about that?
WIAN: It was at a court hearing to determine whether these protesters that you hear behind me are going to be allowed to stay, either overnight or during the day. They may limit their numbers. But the capital police did testify as part of their argument that this is a public safety hazard. That 41 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition were found this morning outside of the state capital. They have no idea whether that ammunition had any relation to these protests, who left it there, what the circumstances were. But they're clearly concerned about this becoming a public safety issue, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Clearly. Casey Wian in Madison. Casey, thank you.
Next on "Reporter Roulette," Vice President Joe Biden meeting with House and Senate leaders on a possible deal over the federal budget. Dana Bash live on Capitol Hill. And Dana, what do we know?
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We know that the vice president is now here. They're meeting as we speak, along with other White House officials, leaders from the House and Senate and both parties. It is the first time that they're actually sitting down to try to come up with a long-term solution to fund the government this year. Let me put up a graphic to show you what they're talking about. This is -- remember, Republicans claimed that they in the House cut $100 billion. So, what the Democrats' talking point is going into this meeting is, we're willing to meet you halfway at $50 billion in cuts.
But reality check here, you see up there on the screen, never enacted. This is based on a budget that was never enacted. So, let me take you to the next graphic to give you the real deal of what we're talking about in terms of what those two sides are looking at, the numbers as we speak. House Republicans really cut in terms of current spending, $61 billion.
So, what Democrats are going into this meeting, Vice Oresident Biden himself saying is, OK, we have about $10 billion in spending cuts that we're willing to put forward. Those are the parameters of the talks that are going on right now. The question is, how are they going to come up with a compromise? No matter how you look at it, there's a huge gulf between two sides, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Yes, I mean -- so we saw the numbers. And are these leaders, though, getting pressure, you know, to stand their ground, to not compromise?
BASH: Oh, big time. That is such a huge dynamic here. On the Democratic side, I know when we have - our Ted Barrett, our congressional producer, talked to some Democrats in the Senate saying, look, we do not want our leadership to cut anymore, because we believe that the programs that are being funded right now are very important.
On the Republican side, we know that there are, especially conservatives in the House, who are really pressing the House speaker, John Boehner, not to go any further in compromising and doing fewer cuts. It's a very, very real dynamic. And it's making these negotiations, even though they just started, very difficult.
BALDWIN: Making them interesting. Dana Bash, thank you very much.
Finally here on "Reporter Roulette," we have Jill Dougherty in Washington on a breaking story of the case of a missing former FBI agent who we thought, Jill, was in Iran. What's the story now?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: You know, Brooke, this is really quite amazing. Bob Levinson was a career FBI agent. He went to Iran -- he had retired -- he went to Iran on a business trip and simply disappeared. And that happened almost exactly four years ago.
He was on Keish Island, doing this business, and never came back to his hotel. And now for years, the Iranian government has been saying, we have no further information. The U.S. government would push and ask and ask for more information, but it was really believed that he had either disappeared or -- in fact, I spoke to some people in the government who said they, unfortunately, believed that he might even be dead. And now, suddenly, out of the blue, this statement from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying that they have received recent indications that he is being held somewhere in southwest Asia.
Now, it's not defined where, exactly, but, of course, Iran is in southwest Asia. And then that statement -- very polite statement, by the way -- saying they're asking Iran to undertake humanitarian efforts and safely -- to the safe return and reuniting of Bob Levinson with his family. And then also, asking, they would appreciate efforts from the Iranian government in this matter.
So -- and it's important, too, I think, Brooke, because of the timing. This past week, we've been hearing some very strong rhetoric about Iran on other subjects concerning the uprisings in the Mideast and northern Africa. And then all of a sudden, this surprising news.
BALDWIN: That is surprising. Now four years later, we hear this. Hopefully, we'll eventually figure out what kind of information. How secretary Clinton arrived at this point in time. How about that?
Jill Dougherty, thank you so much. And that is your "Reporter Roulette" for this Thursday.
OK. Let's get this straight here. Fox News, they suspended two of its Republican contributors on the possibility that they may run for president. But, what about the other Republicans on the payroll? There are two others here, including Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee. So, why did they get to stay and the others go?
Joe Johns has done some digging. He is next with that "Political Pop." Stay there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Fox News just shelved the contracts of two Republican presidential hopefuls, those being Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, who are contributors for that network. And it's been grabbing all kinds of attention today.
So, Joe Johns has been digging on this one with today's "Political Pop." So, Joe, what do you know?
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Brooke. It's a tough position for Fox. They hire all these big-name Republican politicians, they put them on their payroll. And then when the time rolls around to fish or cut bait on their presidential aspirations, everybody involved is going to have some tough decisions to make. And that time is almost here.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: You decide. Fox News Channel.
JOHNS (voice-over): For Fox News, it's a soap opera that doesn't make much sense. Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum got his reported $100,000 contract with the network suspended and was all but kicked to the curb because he might run for president. So was former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who makes $1 million a year over there, according to the "L.A. Times," which published a breakdown of the salary.
Meanwhile, two of the most talked about potential contenders on the Fox payroll didn't get suspended -- Sarah Palin, with a $1 million contract according to the paper, and Mike Huckabee, with a $500,000 contract. Go-figure. Some kind of bizarre media straw poll? Santorum can't explain it.
RICK SANTORUM (R), FMR. PENNSYLVANIA SENATOR: I don't know. I mean, I don't know why Fox differentiated, whether there's been conversations. They didn't talk to me and ask me whether I'm ready or not. It was not something that we had a conversation about. I don't know whether other people have had conversations.
JOHNS: And why is this news? Well, it would be a conflict of interest for a news network to report on its own employees running for president.
Fox did not respond to our request for an interview, but the way they explain it to their viewers is that Santorum and Gingrich signaled they might run. Gingrich, entering an exploratory phase; Santorum, talking about doing primary debates.
BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS: The suspension is effective for 60 days. Then on May 1st, their contracts will be terminated unless they notify Fox that they are not running for president.
JOHNS: But for the record, Palin's made it quite clear she's considering her options. Huckabee even said last week that a book tour he's doing would help him decide whether to run.
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), FMR. ARKANSAS GOVERNOR: It's very much an option that I'm considering. And I'm seriously and genuinely contemplating it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS: Contemplating it. Fox says if and when Huckabee and Palin show intention to get into the presidential race, they'll be suspended also.
Fox also has another guy who might run on its payroll, former U.N. ambassador John Bolton. Don't forget about him. Frankly, he hasn't gotten as much attention as some of these other guys. And even though Fox didn't get back to us on our interview request, they say the same rules apply to Bolton -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: So, to be fair here, let me ask you this -- has anything ever happened like this at CNN?
JOHNS: Well, yes. As a matter of fact, this was years ago, in the 1990s. Patrick Buchanan, the conservative Republican, was one of the hosts of "CROSSFIRE" back in the '90s, and he had to take off after it was clear he was running for president. So, you know, it's just one of those things that happens.
BALDWIN: One of those things. Joe Johns, thank you. Coming up next, I'm speaking with a man who buried his son while hateful protesters shouted outside that funeral. You're going to hear this emotional and heartbreaking comments about the Supreme Court decision ruling that these protests have a right to be there. Don't miss this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: The family that calls itself a church, the Westboro Baptist Church, is now emboldened by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision, 8-1, that it is OK to protest at military funerals. In fact, they say they're going to be stepping up their picketing.
But a Marine's father who started this whole thing got this case to the Supreme Court, sued the group, says he hopes the court's ruling will help put an end to this hate speech from the Westboro Baptist Church.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALBERT SNYDER, FATHER OF MARINE WHO SUED WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH: What I'm hoping is that this case has opened the eyes of the American people so that when they go to those protests, they will be blocked out so bad. And believe me, Brooke, something is going to happen.
BALDWIN: What do you mean by that?
SNYDER: Something is -- somebody is going to get hurt. You have too many soldiers and Marines coming back with Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome. They're going to do the wrong funeral, and a gun's going to go off. And when it does, I just hope it doesn't hit the mother that's burying her child.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: My thanks again to Al Snyder coming on and speaking with me. You can watch that entire interview, by the way. Just go to CNN.com/Brooke.
Now, the Supreme Court ruled that Westboro Baptist protests, no matter how full of hate they are, are protected as free speech under the First Amendment.
And now let's go to Washington and check in with Wolf Blitzer for a look at what's happening in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
And Wolf, we saw the president fielding some questions about Libya, specifically the possibility of a no-fly zone. Did you watch? Did you think the president struck the right balance in his comments today?
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: He was very forceful, saying that Gadhafi has to go, it's over for Gadhafi. Gadhafi himself might not realized it, but the president says he's on the wrong side of history, he's got to go. He said all military options are on the table. He wouldn't get into specifics on what options he might be authorizing as commander in chief, simply saying options are on the table. He's including, obviously, the no-fly zone, trying to create some sort of no-fly zone.
We're going to have a full discussion on how to deal with Libya extensively over the next two hours, Brooke. Nick Kristof, the columnist for "The New York Times," I don't know if you read his column today.
BALDWIN: Op-ed, yes.
BLITZER: It was really a good piece in "The New York Times." But one thing he noted about Gadhafi, back in the '90s, he invited a bunch of female journalists, well-known journalists -- I remember this incident -- to come to Libya and to do a joint interview with him.
They did that. He then began to invite each one of these journalists into a bedroom, one by one. He tried to seduce them. There was a bed in there, a TV. And in the end, the women would not cooperate with Gadhafi.
Nick Kristof's conclusion, this guy is nuts. "Nuts," his word. And we're going to talk about that and a lot more.
You're going to want to see this interview with Nick Kristof coming up in "THE SITUATION ROOM." I think you'll be interested.
BALDWIN: Yes. He's a fantastic columnist. People should read that op-ed.
Wolf Blitzer, thank you. We'll see you in a matter of minutes.
Meantime, listen to this story. Parents leave their 6-year-old at a police station to teach her a lesson. Well, now they're the ones in some big, big trouble.
Sunny Hostin is all over that. She's "On the Case." That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: I know you remember Casey Anthony. She's the young Florida mother charged with killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, back in 2008. Well, Casey Anthony is now back in court for some pretty important hearings about her case, and it is very tense inside this courtroom.
Sunny Hostin is "On the Case."
And Sunny, first things first, what are these hearings about?
SUNNY HOSTIN, "IN SESSION," TRUTV: Well, the defense is trying to suppress a lot of incriminating statements that Casey allegedly made to the police. How are they going to do it? They claim that she was not read her Miranda Rights and that she was in custody when she allegedly made these statements.
BALDWIN: What happened, then, when Casey Anthony's mother testified?
HOSTIN: Wow. Fireworks in the courtroom today. She was extremely combative with the prosecutor, she appeared to be very overwhelmed.
Brooke, take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you asking me a question?
LINDA DRANE BURDICK, PROSECUTOR: Yes, I am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, what is the question? I'm sorry.
BURDICK: The question is, when you call the police, they show up in response to your emergency 911 call. Is it not your expectation? That's the question part.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
BURDICK: Is it not your expectation --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. This is very difficult for me, Linda. It really is.
BURDICK: I understand.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was a very difficult evening for me that day.
BURDICK: I understand that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not stupid, it's just that this is very unsettling.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So Casey was there. How did she react to that?
HOSTIN: Well, she was crying during her mother's testimony. And if you noticed, her mother's now on a first-name basis with the prosecutor, calling her "Linda."
A very emotional day. She was crying. And I'll tell you, we haven't seen that kind of emotion from Casey recently. Just sort of a really interesting interaction between mother and daughter.
BALDWIN: What brought about the tears? We see her there. Why is she crying?
HOSTIN: It seems as if she was just crying about her mother saying that this was very overwhelming for her. That's what I gathered from it.
BALDWIN: OK.
Case number two raises the question, how far should parents go when their child is behaving badly? The story is that a Staten Island couple, they're in trouble now after taking their 6-year-old daughter to a police station. They say they took her there -- I'm sure parents are like, we would do this, maybe, to try to teach this child a lesson -- but they ended up getting arrested.
So what happened?
HOSTIN: They sure did. Well, the arrest rose when they took their 6-year-old to the police station -- 6-year-old -- because she had been acting up in school, and they wanted to teach her where bad kids go. Well, I'll tell you, I think they are learning where bad parents go when something like this happens.
Take a listen to what the mother had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She asked me, what type of parent was I? And at that moment, I just, like, looked stupidly like, I'm coming here for help. So I asked -- I said, "You know, what happens if a parent doesn't want their child?"
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely backfired. They tried to scare us instead of helping us straighten out the child.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So are the parents facing charges?
HOSTIN: They really are. They've been charged already, both parents, with child endangerment and attempting to abandon their child.
They're due in court next month. So the plan certainly backfired.
Again, I think they're going to learn where bad parents go, Brooke, when they take their children to jail to try to teach them some kind of lesson.
BALDWIN: OK. Five seconds. This is a bit of a no-no today, correct?
HOSTIN: Absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, child psychologists say maybe it works for teens, but remember, this kid is 6 years old.
BALDWIN: Six.
HOSTIN: Not a good idea.
BALDWIN: Not a good idea. HOSTIN: Not a good idea.
BALDWIN: Sunny Hostin, wise advice. Sunny, thank you.
That is it for me here in Atlanta. I'm Brooke Baldwin.
Now to Wolf Blitzer in Washington -- Wolf.
