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Gadhafi Strikes Back; Wisconsin Union Battle Continues; Star Basketball Player Suspended At BYU; American Gone Missing in Iran; Arizona Shooter Jared Loughner Indicted By Grand Jury

Aired March 04, 2011 - 15:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And hello to you. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM.

And I want to begin in Libya. Colonel Moammar Gadhafi is striking back hard, his forces targeting rebels and firing on unarmed demonstrators. I want you to stand by because, of course, we do. We have some dramatic new footage here at CNN.

But first let's establish our bearings. Take a look at this map with me. I know there are a lot of cities we throw at you, so just look at these towns. These are the key towns we're talking about. And Gadhafi holds the green ones. You see some of those green dots? The rebels hold the red ones. And the black ones, those are contested cities. Those are still up in the air as to who has power there.

Here's another map for you. There is a town 40 miles from Tripoli. It's called Zawiya. And just a couple of hours ago, forces loyal to Gadhafi opened fire on peaceful protesters, just as they did last week.

I want you to look at the video. This is what we just got in today. You hear those ambulance sirens? I know this is tough stuff to look at, but, folks, this is the reality there in this one particular town. Again, this was shot earlier in the town of Zawiya.

CNN's Nic Robertson, he has been to this town. He is live there in the capital city of Tripoli for me now.

And, Nic, what do we know? Walk me through sort of what we saw in that video. What has happened there today, specifically in Zawiya?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, I have to say at the moment we're really examining that video to just see exactly when it was shot, because obviously there was a very similar incident there about a week-and-a-half ago where 16 protesters were killed.

We do know from talking to a doctor in the nearby hospital that he said 15 people have been killed, 200 wounded in an attack by government forces using heavy machine guns and mortars, small artillery fired into that area.

However, what we're hearing from the government is that they now say that they have now taken control of Zawiya, that they have killed what they described as a terrorist leader there, captured a number of tanks, anti-aircraft guns and other such devices.

So the picture from what is actually happening in Zawiya is not entirely clear at this time. On the one hand, our sources there say that the rebels still control it. On the other hand, the government says they now control it.

But what we do know is, when we were there last weekend, that many of the protesters there were armed with heavy machine guns, they had rocket-propelled grenades, they had at least a couple of tanks and some anti-aircraft guns as part of their anti-government protest.

Of course, a week ago, they were very afraid -- an incident like this, where the government would attack them, they were very afraid of that last week -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: You had mentioned that doctor in Zawiya. And I just want to quote something you had been reporting. The doctor says running out of medical supplies. There is -- quote -- "a river of blood here in the hospital."

In terms of, Nic, who has control, does it appear to you from what you have seen that perhaps Gadhafi is marshaling on his forces and is taking on the rebels who are seizing these towns?

ROBERTSON: I would say that's what we're looking at. Gadhafi has sort of gone on his back foot a week or so ago by the speed of events. Now he's regrouped, brought on more loyalists, had more talks with more tribes.

We have been told by government officials that they didn't want to do this, that they didn't want to go into these towns and cause a bloodbath, that they managed to do it through negotiations. But judging what we're seeing in Zawiya here and what's happening in the east of the country, it appears that the government and everyone else here must have given up on negotiations and now they're just going ahead by military means, which by any other way looks like a civil war at this time.

And we saw a crackdown today of anti-government protesters by the police in Tripoli today in an eastern suburb, tear gas fired at protesters who wanted to come out with an anti-government protest earlier today, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Civil war, isn't that exactly what one of Gadhafi's sons had predicted?

Nic, before I let you go, I want to talk about the city where you are, the capital city of Tripoli. Of course that's Gadhafi's stronghold. And I know there was talk today that people would emerge from Friday prayers and march against Gadhafi. Did that happen, or no?

ROBERTSON: It didn't. The government here has very strong control of the city, and we saw that today.

There was an incident in the center of the city at the main mosque near the Green Square, where anti-government protesters came out of that main central mosque. There were pro-government forces outside. The police intervened came between them, fired shots in the air and ushered the anti-government protesters back into the mosque for their safety.

Elsewhere in the city in an eastern suburb, the police were firing tear gas on an anti-government protest there. And you could see those tear gas canisters rolling through the streets, people firing slingshots, throwing rocks at the police.

BALDWIN: Yes.

ROBERTSON: But that was a very sort of dynamic situation and we have seen through that the police were able to put it down. When we were out there late this afternoon, that rally marching along the seafront road into the capital here that should have -- that the protesters were planning to take place, it didn't happen. They couldn't get out of their neighborhood -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Amazing, after prayers, tear gas filling the streets. Nic Robertson for me in Tripoli -- Nic, thank you.

And I'm not quite finished with Libya just yet, because there's some more I want to pass along to you. I want you to take a look at what else happened there today. And again, let's reset. Take a look at the picture. Now we're going to talk about Benghazi. That's the second most populous city in Libya.

That's the rebels' main stronghold. And CNN's Ben Wedeman was driving westward today towards Ras Lanuf with a group of armed rebels. Take a look at what Ben saw.

Help me understand, Ben Wedeman, live for me now. Ben, what was that guy shouting? What was going on there on the road to this town?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Actually, you know, because of the audio, I couldn't hear it, but what I can tell you is that the anti-Gadhafi forces are, according to sources within the fighting force, more or less in control of the town of Ras Lanuf, a very important town because it's a petroleum refining center.

And it really represents the first offensive by the anti-Gadhafi forces since they took over the eastern part of the country. They are gradually getting closer to the capital, Tripoli. They still have several hundred miles to go, but this is a significant victory for them.

And, of course, speaking to these fighters today, they say they are getting ready to move next to Surt, which is Gadhafi's hometown, and they're even talking about making it all the way to Tripoli. So they're very much on a high after this major victory in what is actually central, not eastern, Libya -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: As they're gaining ground, I want to just tell our viewers we're looking at some new video that's coming in. It appears -- you saw of some of it -- burned-out cars, charred cars. I'm not quite sure what happened, if they were bombed, shot at.

But, Ben, you mentioned this is so key because it's the first offensive. In terms of those rebels, who were these people you were traveling with there?

WEDEMAN: An amazing collection of all sorts of people, teenagers, old men, people from sort of all over the place.

A lot of them have no military training whatsoever, and it's sort of warfare training on the job. They're learning how to fire anti- aircraft guns, surface-to-air missiles. They have a lot of technical problems as they go along.

But there are sort of a group of experienced professional soldiers who, on the one hand, are trying to train them on the use of the weapons, but these professional soldiers, as we saw today, are a bit frustrating -- frustrated because they're dealing with men who are incredibly enthusiastic and determined to take the fight to the enemy, but they're not really big into discipline and organization.

But, nonetheless, they seem to have achieved this victory and they're still eager to move forward -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: So if they're learning on the fly, Ben, and from what you're saying, not entirely organized, how well-coordinated is the effort here perhaps for orders going out of Benghazi to these scattered rebel groups? What's to say the rebels won't eventually turn on one another?

WEDEMAN: There doesn't seem to be any indication that that's going to be the case.

But there are no orders. That seems to be obvious on the ground. And what we saw is that, as the attack on Ras Lanuf proceeded, that more and more cars and pickup trucks full of fighters were just showing up because word had spread that they were making progress, that they were getting some ground within the city, and just people came and came and rushed to the front, in many cases, simply ignoring the orders of those few experienced military personnel who were there on the scene trying to direct the effort.

It seemed to be a completely sort of spontaneous, chaotic, disorganized attack, but, as we saw, it did achieve their ends.

BALDWIN: Their goal. Their goal.

Ben Wedeman, amazing stuff once again today. Ben, my thanks to you.

And one more development here I want to share with you out of Libya. We have some video. You are going to see the very first American C-130s -- there it is -- landing in nearby Tunisia. That's Libya's neighbor to the west. Thousands of refugees have set up along the border with Libya. And so these planes are there to deliver humanitarian supplies, things like blankets, waters and plastic sheeting for tents for thousands and thousands of these refugees. And coming up in just a bit here, our own Fareed Zakaria will be here to talk to me about what's happening in Libya. In fact last time I spoke with him, he was pretty critical of President Obama, saying the president needed to be tougher, step up to the plate, call on Gadhafi to step down. Well, now the president has done precisely that. So what does Fareed think now about the administration's reaction? I'm going to ask him.

Also, they have been threatened with contempt, told they would be fined 100 bucks a day. And now if these 14 Wisconsin Senate Democrats do not return to the capital soon, that governor right there on the left side of your screen says he will start laying off thousands of state workers. So why don't these lawmakers just come back? Let's find out. I will speak with one of them live next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Joining me now from New York, Fareed Zakaria, his show "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS," which we watch of course every Sunday.

And, Fareed, good to see you. I know the last time you and I spoke, which I think is -- I think was last week -- the time is running away from me -- we spoke about President Obama and Libya and you had said how the president needed to take a stronger stance when it came to Moammar Gadhafi and going away, essentially, in Libya.

I want to listen -- let's both listen to what the president said just yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Colonel Gadhafi needs to step down from power and leave. That is good for his country. It is good for his people. It's the right thing to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: It's the right thing to do. So now that the president has said, essentially, Gadhafi, get out, he's moved some warships around, and today we saw the U.S. C-130s arriving, delivering that humanitarian aid in Tunisia.

So, Fareed, what do you think? How is the president doing now?

FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN WORLD AFFAIRS ANALYST: I think much better. I think he's gotten a clear strategy. He is now clearly and unequivocally on the side of the Libyan people.

I think he's being correct also to be somewhat cautious about the one thing everyone is clamoring about now, which is a no-fly zone. You know, we sort of suddenly had a strange swing in mood where first people didn't want to get involved, and now they're saying, well, let's start shooting Libyan planes down.

I think that's a pretty big step. That would be the United States effectively going to war, going to war against another Middle Eastern Muslim country. That would be the third in 10 years. And I think military actions have larger consequences and they get you into a much larger train of events. So he's right to be cautious about it, but I think he has to keep the screws on.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: But on that point, and I'm paraphrasing, the president said something to the extent of we're going to examine all options. So he really didn't come down on one side or the other in terms of a no-fly zone. Do you think he should?

ZAKARIA: No. I think he did it exactly right, which is you want to be -- you want to maintain all the options you have. But my point is, short of the no-fly zone, there are lots of other options.

I think that the key is that he must keep the pressure building on Gadhafi, international pressure, U.S. pressure on Gadhafi. Look, we can secretly arm the rebels, we can provide them with ammunition, with supplies, with food, with all kinds of resources. We can help them with logistics.

If Gadhafi begins to realize that he is up against a contra war that would be funded and armed by the United States, it's a losing battle and he's got to understand that. So as long as the pressure keeps mounting, in the long term, Gadhafi cannot hold out. There is a short-term problem, which is he has more firepower than the rebels, but the long term, Gadhafi is going to leave at some point.

BALDWIN: We're all watching. The world is watching, aren't we?

Fareed, let's turn the corner. I want to talk a little bit about your special this weekend, and also as part of that conversation, you know the president, we're waiting for him in Miami, probably making some education news, kicking off a drive on our kids' education, wanting to out-educate the world.

So we will hear in him at the top of the hour. But I know you, Fareed, you had the "TIME" magazine cover story, "Yes, America Is in Decline." There it is. And I know within that you had some pretty telling statistics. You're also hosting this prime-time special Sunday. You're calling it "Restoring the American Dream: Getting Back to #1."

Whew. How do we do that?

ZAKARIA: Well, the first thing to realize is we're not number one in lots of categories. We're 23rd in infrastructure, 79th in elementary school enrollment around the world. Our 15-year-olds come 15th or 24th in science and math, depending on which tests you look at.

Look, I think it's -- we really have to focus on two things. One, we have got to spend a lot more money, time, energy investing in future growth for the country. That means education. That means science. That means technology. So, you know, that's one piece of it, which is, we can't look at the budget and just say, well, everything has to be cut. We have to cut the parts of it that are consumption, that are waste, that is Social Security, the military. Those are not areas which are going to create future growth. Education, science, infrastructure is.

The second part is, we have got to focus on young people. One of the most stunning statistics in doing these -- this program and this "TIME" cover, the federal government spends $4 on old people for every $1 it spends for children.

BALDWIN: Really?

ZAKARIA: You know why? The cruel truth is, old people vote. People under 18 don't vote. And think about what that says about our society's...

BALDWIN: Well, we can get them to vote, can't we?

(LAUGHTER)

ZAKARIA: Well, you know what? If you were to have -- if 15- year-olds were allowed to vote, maybe we'd finally spend some money on them.

BALDWIN: That's interesting. It's interesting. No, we have sort of teased your special the last two days and I am interested to hear some of these conversations you had.

Fareed Zakaria, thank you. It's always such a pleasure to get to have you on our show here during the day. I appreciate it.

And I just want to remind everyone, do not miss Fareed's special. He's calling it "Restoring the American Dream," just as he was talking about, "Getting Back to #1." It is Sunday night, 8:00 Eastern.

And again we will be watching again for the president, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, in this big bipartisanship show, talking education. They're going to be live in Miami. That is going to be at the top of the next hour today, 4:00 Eastern. So, certainly stick around for that.

Also, it is deadline day in Wisconsin. The governor has said, if Senate Democrats do not return to the state capitol by the end of the day or perhaps just back to the state, for that matter, thousands of those state workers will start getting pink slips. So is that happening there right now? What is happening across state lines? I'm going to speak to one of those Democrats coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Also, he disappeared on a trip to Iran four years ago. But now there's this new evidence that a former FBI agent might be alive and not at all in Iran. We have some new details and reaction from his family coming up.

Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: A lighthearted moment actually at the Wisconsin state capitol I want to share with you. It happened last night as capitol police were carrying out the judge's order to kick out all the pro- union protesters, sleeping bags and all. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLES TUBBS, WISCONSIN CAPITOL POLICE CHIEF: You have got to trust us. What we're doing tonight is trying to make the best for everyone. We want, again, this positive reaction (OFF-MIKE) want us to wrap things up, get people on their way, because I heard somebody shouting showers earlier.

(LAUGHTER)

TUBBS: That sounds like a great idea, even for me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So maybe they say some of them need some showers. but there they go, the protesters with their drums, leaving the capitol rotunda.

But, look, there's a lot of serious news coming out of Wisconsin in this whole union battle today now that we're in week number three. Right now, thousands of state workers are facing the threat of losing their jobs. The Republican governor, Scott Walker, says he will send out 1,500 layoff notices today unless at least one of those 14 Senate Democrats returns to the state capitol to fix this whole budget fix, to vote on this budget fix, I should say.

David Mattingly live for me in Madison.

And, David, let's just first talk about that number, 1,500 pink slips. Any notice that that's happened yet today?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the governor's offices says those notices are going out today. We haven't gotten confirmation directly from him, but we're hearing that they are supposed to be going out today.

And that's a very serious note in this standoff. The governor says as long as those 14 Democratic senators remain in political exile in Illinois, they can't pass the budget repair bill and without that they can't make up for that $137 million shortfall in the state budget.

So, he says we're going to have to lay people off. And so he's sending those notices out. It's in a sense ratcheting up the pressure already in a very tense situation here politically, letting these people know that your job could be on the line if these senators don't come back and we don't pass this budget bill.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: But, David, is there any indication...

(CROSSTALK)

MATTINGLY: They're not being laid off right away.

BALDWIN: Not yet, but the governor says today. Is there any indication -- you mentioned the standoff -- that that might end anytime soon?

MATTINGLY: This could end at any time. And the governor's office is hoping that there will be some sort of fragmentation among the 14 Democrats because all it takes is one for them to come back for all of this to start going through.

And as long as they stay unified and all 14 of them remaining in the state of Illinois, then that's not going to happened. But it could happen anytime, people believe, as long as one of the 14 decides to come in.

BALDWIN: Right. That's what they need for the quorum to get this vote passed.

We saw all the protesters leaving. But what happened -- I saw this video when this lawmaker tried to get to his office inside the capitol last night. David, what happened there?

MATTINGLY: That's right. Well, let's take a look at this video. You can see for yourself what happened.

This is State Representative Nick Milroy. He's a Democrat. He was trying to come into the office to retrieve some of his personal belongings. The police didn't want him coming in. There was a little bit of a shuffle and the representative goes down. They take him down. Then they have a very intense conversation there about, why did this happen?

Well, now, today, we're getting a statement from that representative. He says, look, no harm done. I was very aggressive in trying to come into the building. Law enforcement was very aggressive in trying to keep me out of the building.

And get this. He blames the governor. He says this armed palace environment created by Governor Walker has everyone feeling very tense and emotions running very high. So, this Democrat toeing the party line, blaming the Republican governor for this happening.

BALDWIN: Yes. OK. David Mattingly live in Madison -- David, my thanks to you.

And Jon Erpenbach is one of those Wisconsin Democrats, one of those 14, who has run to Illinois rather than vote on Governor Walker's what he calls the budget repair fix.

And, Senator Erpenbach, I appreciate you calling back in. In these past couple of weeks and really in the last few days here, is there anything that you have heard from perhaps Governor Walker or the Republicans that convinces you maybe you should go back to your state?

JON ERPENBACH (D), WISCONSIN STATE SENATOR: Well, we were actually from what I understand pretty close to an agreement. And the governor actually even admitted that yesterday during his press conference, that he thought there was movement. And then the Senate leader puts out arrest warrants in response to us reaching out to try and come to compromise.

So there isn't anything new today. I'm assuming at some point in time the talks are going to resume. But we were, from what I understand, pretty close to reaching an agreement yesterday.

BALDWIN: How close? How close were you?

ERPENBACH: Pretty close.

BALDWIN: Be more specific.

ERPENBACH: Well, you heard what the governor said. He thought there was going to be movement yesterday.

BALDWIN: Well, I have heard...

(CROSSTALK)

ERPENBACH: And then apparently the governor and the majority leader weren't on the same page, and they issued the resolution to have us arrested if we crossed state lines. So, yes, it was kind of a distraction. It was really kind of off the point of, look, we were making some progress yesterday and trying to come to resolution over this. So, well, here we are today.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: You tell me because I know you or perhaps some of your colleagues have been part of these negotiations with the Republicans. And from what I understand from reports it was the governor who's willing to maybe walk back a little bit or compromise when it comes to the part about the bill where the members of the union have to vote every single year to remain -- to retain the union status. Is that part of the compromise? Or is it something relating to the collective bargaining rights?

ERPENBACH: I actually can't get into the specifics of it, but I can tell you there's one, easy quick way out of this.

BALDWIN: What's that?

ERPENBACH: And it's something we have wanted from the very beginning. We talked about it. This in the end is coming down to process. Rather than trying to make it law the way they were trying to do it within a week, take the language out of the budget repair bill and put it in the big budget, so we can have more than one hearing on it, so we can really openly debate this and have a good discussion on it. That's the simplest, cleanest way to do this.

BALDWIN: I just have to put you on the spot. You can't harm a gal for trying. I'm a reporter at heart here. Might you have a compromise by the end of the day?

ERPENBACH: I don't know. I hope so. We have wanted a compromise from the very beginning. We don't want to do this. We want to be home. So, I would hope so.

BALDWIN: All right. Jon Erpenbach, little bit of a different tone there from you, Wisconsin State Senator. Thank you. Let us know what happens here if something changes in the next 12 to 24 hours. Appreciate it.

He disappeared four years ago on a trip to Iran. Now the State Department says there's new evidence that a former FBI agent is alive. So where do they think he is now and what are his wife and seven children saying about this news? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: A surprise development in the case of awe missing former FBI agent. New evidence indicates Robert Levinson who vanished during a trip to Iran some four years ago is alive somewhere in southwest Asia.

CNN's Susan Candiotti has been following Levinson's disappearance really since the beginning. Susan, I know of after four years officials are saying they have proof he's alive. What kind of proof? Where is this coming from?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, it's a mystery because officials won't say what the proof is or how they got it. But as you indicated, next week marks the fourth anniversary since American Bob Levinson disappeared in Iran. Until now, the family has heard virtually nothing what happened to him since he vanished.

Now Secretary of State Clinton says there's information that Levinson is being held in southwest Asia. Sources reveal to CNN that? Recent months the U.S. received convincing prove he's alive. The official as we said won't elaborate on what the evidence is.

The retired FBI agent was last seen on the island of Kish, part of Iran off its coast in southwest Asia. Levinson's family says he was a private investigator who may have been working on a cigarette smuggling case, Brooke.

BALDWIN: We know that he has seven children, Susan, and a wife. Do we know how the family is reacting? Also, what is the State Department doing right now?

CANDIOTTI: And grandchildren, too. The family is remaining low- key, Brooke. They're very worried about Mr. Levinson's health because he's a diabetic who needs medication. Levinson's wife has issued this statement. She says, "Our family is tremendously encouraged by the news Bob is alive but remains concerned for his safety and well- being."

And as for Secretary of State Clinton, she issued a statement yesterday asking Iran to, as she put it, "undertake humanitarian efforts to help find Levinson and return him to his family."

The only other thing we can tell you, Brooke, is that of after this convincing proof of life emerged, a senior U.S. diplomatic official tells CNN that a fresh round of mid-level discussions began between the two countries. Since Levinson vanished Iran's government publicly has said it has no information on him. So, for now, we wait.

BALDWIN: We wait, yet still full of so, so many questions. Susan Candiotti, my thanks to you.

Have you heard about this story? I bet you have. A star basketball player suspended now from his college team reportedly for having sex with his girlfriend. Folks, this is a violation of the school's honor code. And today the school is standing by its decision. When we come back, I will speak to the school's athletic director about that decision.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: The story of the star BYU basketball player who got dumped from the team for violating the team's honor code got us wondering really what's going on at the university where the guy most likely to win games for you gets suspended for having sex with his girlfriend? Something people are definitely talking about today.

So we asked the school's athletic director to join us by phone. He's good enough to do that. I welcome Tom Holmoe. Tom, for people not familiar with the BYU honor code, here's the cliffs note version. "Students must be in good honor code standing to be admitted to, continue enrollment at, and graduate from BYU. All students upon admission to BYU, are required to observe the standards of the honor code at all times whether on or off campus." And finally, "Violations of the honor cod may result in actions up to and including separation from the university."

Tom, not that we got that out of the way, I do know it's university policy to not talk specifics about any student who breaks the code, but I have to ask you, how did the zoom find out about Brandon Davies breaking the code? Did he come out, come clean, or did someone snitch?

TOM HOLMOE, ATHLETICS DIRECTOR, BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY (via telephone): It came through the honor code office, and that's something that I'm not aware of directly, but Brandon came to coach rose and to me, and we were able to start talking about that time, to try to work with him to determine how we could best work through the situation, get him back in good academic standing and get him back to the basketball team as soon as we can.

BALDWIN: So he came to you guys. And this honor code at BYU, you know, it's strict. You can't drink coffee, no tea, no alcohol, obviously. And part of this honor code statement says you have to live a chaste and virtuous life. What does that phrase cover? Premarital sex?

HOLMOE: There's various consequences for the various violations of the honor code. I mean, certainly if someone broke the honor code by having a cup of coffee, it would be different than if they committed a serious crime in the community that was, you know -- that everybody would know about.

I know that every honor code violation is handled individually with the student in mind and what it -- how it pertains to the honor code through time.

BALDWIN: So premarital sex could be seen as an egregious issue at BYU, strict BYU school. But I do also know -- I've heard Brandon is a good kid, obviously a good player. Can you talk to me at all about his character?

HOLMOE: Brandon is a great kid. He went to the high school, Provo high school, that's right across the street from BYU. And my -- one of my daughters is a cheerleader at Provo High so I've seen Brandon play basketball for the last five years. And I love the kid. He's a great kid. And I think he made a decision that has consequences at BYU.

But the first thing we did when we found out and Brandon came to us was to put our arms around him, tell him that we love him and help him to get back on track to achieving the dreams he has set for himself.

BALDWIN: I had read that you and the coach had both embraced him. But, you know, at a personal level, though, Tom, did you think, do we really have to do this? He's such a star player. You guys maybe had a number one seed going into the NCAA tourney. Come on.

HOLMOE: I knew the answer because I've been at the university for eight years. I actually played football at BYU many moons ago. And people say, wasn't that a hard decision? It really wasn't a hard decision. It was just dreadfully difficult to know the consequences were going to be.

The decision has been made many times before, and knowing that Brandon is such a valuable member of our basketball team, although it hurt us to know that he wouldn't be able to play and that the team would be affected and many fans would be disappointed, we knew that the right thing to do would be to have the consequences of that violation be what they normally are.

BALDWIN: And I think just another layer to this is, look, we're in a day and time athletes are held to this category, for better and for worse, slapping high five-s when someone is highly sexually active, let's say, but BYU, you're sticking to your guns and your honor code.

HOLMOE: Yes, we are. And we believe it's the right thing to do. And Brandon has been very good with us. He was fully accountable for the mistake that he made, and he's working with us to make sure that he can get become. BALDWIN: Is he going to get back? Is he back next season, Tom?

HOLMOE: Well, he's in school. He never was out of school. He's in school.

BALDWIN: He's just not playing ball.

HOLMOE: He's not allowed to represent the university, which means you cannot play for the university. There's other layers that are -- that the university and the honor code office will go through during the investigation. But at this point in time there's -- all our intentions are to have him back after some time next year and hopefully get him back with our team as soon as we possibly can.

BALDWIN: I'm sure all of the BYU campus is hoping that right along with you.

HOLMOE: We are.

BALDWIN: Tom Holmoe at BYU, thank you for calling in. I appreciate it.

We are now getting word of a new development in the NFL negotiations. From basketball to football we go. We're going to tell you what the owners and players union have just agreed to. That is next.

But first, each and every week we try to look at ordinary people who are accomplishing extraordinary things. For a long time, being a successful long distance runner was the primary goal for Toby Tanser. But as our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains, one particular run in Africa totally changed his focus.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Toby Tanser was an elite runner, talented to keep up with the best in the world, the Kenyans.

TOBY TANSER, FOUNDER, SHOE4AFRICA: I run 15 minutes for the 5k. I think it was 4:28 or 4:30. I did a half marathon at 4:49 pace.

GUPTA: While running one day in Africa, though, this happened.

TANSER: Two guys came working towards me and he pulled out a machete and down on my head. The other one had a homemade baseball bat and he swung like this and it smashed against my skull. They robbed my shoe and watch and sunglasses. They were just stealing my other shoe when I woke up.

GUPTA: He almost died, but it was a chance for Toby to find his calling.

TANSER: Who is going to be number one?

CROWD: Me! TANSER: I believe in fate. I believe it happened to me for a purpose.

GUPTA (on camera): They wanted to kill you for your shoes. And now you've taken that experience and said, if they want shoes, we'll give them shoes.

TANSER: Two years ago we took 7,000 pairs to the island where I was robbed.

GUPTA (voice-over): His organization is called Shoe for Africa. As you might guess, he donates running shoes to those living in Africa. What he found is even one pair makes a difference.

TANSER: So this boy, he took the shoes and he started training, boom, boom, boom. Five years later he won the world championships.

GUPTA: In case you're curious, yes, Toby is back to running.

TANSER: I thought, what is something somebody has never done? Come from sea level to the top of the world's highest free-standing mountain, and as fast as possible.

GUPTA: But his main focus is giving everyone a chance to run.

TANSER: If you come in and buy a pair of sneakers, why don't you put another pair in the box and send them over.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, New York.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: This in just a couple of minutes ago. A federal grand jury indicts Jared lee Loughner on 49 counts. This whole thing obviously relates to the mass shooting in Tucson that critically wounded Representative Gabrielle Giffords. A grand jury indicted Loughner in January with three counts of attempted murder. This new indictment includes those charges and also charges him in the deaths of several other people at a federally provided activity.

The NFL still open for business. No time-outs here, at least not yet. The player players union and the league are meeting with a mediator in Washington, D.C., today. Just within the last hour they said they would extend the deadline for a new labor agreement now to March 11th.

Still at stake is how they will divide that whopping $9 billion in revenue. If these talks fail, the owners are expected to lock the players out, causing the first work stoppage in the league since 1987.

And you have probably heard the talk. I know you've checked in here, but is there any truth to this? Is Oprah planning to hop a plane and do her show from Tahrir Square in Egypt? She just tweeted about it. We'll tease you with that tweet. We'll show that to you after the break.

But first, here's Stephanie Elam with some free money advice -- Steph.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's time now for the help desk where you get answers from your financial questions. Joining me this hour is Ryan Mack, the president of Optimum Capital Management, and Doug Flynn, a certified financial planner.

Our first question comes from Edie in Washington, writes "Is there a way to remove charge-offs from my credit report? I try to pay them off and the company started charging me interest on the charged off account. I ended up owing even more." Doug?

DOUG FLYNN, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER: Well, it sounds like she just started paying directly without negotiating beforehand. What you want to do is find out who owns the loan. Does the lender that originated it still have it, or did they sell it off to a credit collection agency? What you want to do is call and negotiate. Can I pay you some partial amount? And then if you do pay them, you want it in writing. When you get it in writing, make your payments and you'll be fine.

ELAM: So there is a way. Our next question comes from Talia in Georgia who writes "I have a CD that's renewing. I had been advised to put the money in a municipal bond. Is that a good idea?" Ryan?

RYAN MACK, PRESIDENT OPTIMUM CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: I think municipal bonds have gotten a bad rap. Last year they said they were billions in default, the year before that $8 billion. Sounds like a lot but when you're talking about a $3 trillion market, that's a less than 1 percent default rate.

So talk to a good qualified financial adviser and get you some good obligation, AAA-rated bonds. These people are making that they are going back with a bond, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, you're in a good state. But make sure again but talk to a qualified financial adviser to make sure they can put it together and make sure it's part of a diversified portfolio.

ELAM: Very good. Thanks so much, gentlemen, for helping us out.

Do you have a question you'd like answered? We'd love to help you. Send us a question anytime at thehelpdesk@CNN.com.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: And here we go, a couple minutes early. The president of the United States speaking in Miami. Let's listen.

(INTERRUPTED BY COVERAGE OF A LIVE NEWS EVENT)