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Fighting Continues In Libya Between Pro-Gadhafi and Anti- Gadhafi Forces; Police Make Arrest in East Coast Rapist Case; Republican Presidential Hopefuls Begin Process of Putting Together Campaigns; Airfare Prices Rising; Foreign Workers Robbed While Trying to Leave Libya; Wisconsin Budget Conflict Still Unresolved; Protests Continue in Ivory Coast Over Fraudulent Presidential Election
Aired March 05, 2011 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
Police say they've arrested the so-called East Coast Rapist, a man accused of attacking 17 women in four states. We're standing by for the latest on the case that has baffled investigators since the 1990s.
The fight for Libya intensifies. Rebels take control there. Tear gas attacks give way to gunfire and helicopters in other parts of Libya. CNN is on that story and the growing refugee catastrophe affecting thousands of desperate Libyans.
The chaos in Libya could soon be affecting air travelers worldwide. When can we expect soaring prices, and when can we expect some relief?
From CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's March 5th. I'm Randi Kaye. So glad you're with us this morning.
We're about to get more details in a news conference on the so- called East Coast Rapist. Police believe they've got their man. Aaron Thomas was arrested Friday at his home in New Haven, Connecticut. Investigators say he may be involved in 17 sexual assault cases in four states along the east coast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. KIM CHINN, PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, POLICE: In the last few days the task force received an anonymous tip from a Crime Solvers caller as well as they were able to put some information together themselves. Both of these things coincided with the same time and they came up with the name of a suspect that was picked up today in new haven by the U.S. marshals.
The work is not over, but I think it's probably a relief for everyone including and probably especially the victims. And we're relieved, too, because hopefully now there won't be any more victims out there.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KAYE: That was a sergeant from prince William County, Virginia. DNA evidence links an attack there in 2009 to similar cases in this investigation. As we said, we'll be watching the news conference this hour, and we'll bring you any new developments when we get them.
Let's move to the budget battle in Wisconsin. Many states are watching how this plays out as they look for ways to cut their own budgets. Despite more protests from organized labor supporters, Governor Scott Walker sent out warning letter to unions saying massive layoffs are coming in April if no deal is reached on a new budget.
Senate Democrats are blocking a vote on the governor's controversial budget which would eliminate most collective bargaining right for public employees.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SCOTT WALKER (R), WISCONSIN: When they realize we're not doing this as a threat or a pawn in a chess game, we're doing this because we're legally obligated to inform our employees by virtue of their contract that at the beginning of April we'll have to do these layoffs to get that $30 million of savings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Coming up later this hour, we'll talk to the leader of one of the largest teachers' unions and find out how the decision in Wisconsin could impact schools nationwide.
Now from Wisconsin to Washington, a budget battle on Capitol Hill threatens to shut down the federal government. Democrats and Republicans agreed to a two-week extension to get a deal done, but both sides are sticking to their guns. It's a battle that's already shut down several federal programs. CNN's Sandra Endo takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carolina Espina enjoys school lunchtime with her two kids. She's part of a language program called Even Start geared toward low income immigrants who want to learn English but can't afford to pay for classes. While she's in class her daughter gets to play in day care. When Espina first moved here from Honduras six years ago, she didn't speak a word of English.
ENDO (on camera): If this program wasn't available, what would you do? Do you feel like you would be this far along in your English and being able to spend time with your kids?
CAROLINA ESPINA, MOTHER: This program is great because you can stay, learn English at the same time. We don't have -- I don't have worry about my daughter because my daughter is in play.
ENDO (voice-over): But maybe not for much longer. While the program helped Espina, federal funding for Even Start just got cut in the recent two-week extension of the budget after officials deemed the program ineffective. Other programs included in the $4 billion spending reduction include election assistance grants, the LEAP educational program which helped states give need-based student aid, and highway funding. The cuts also included earmarks for Homeland Security, education, and housing. And the budget ax is about to fall again as lawmakers wrestle over more cuts as part of a longer term spending plan for the rest of the fiscal year.
RYAN ALEXANDER, PRESIDENT, TAXPAYERS FOR COMMON SENSE: There may be very deep cuts where there's going to be some immediate pain felt on the ground in communities, and it may be that they look at their own communities and try to protect what's in their own communities.
ENDO: For Even Start, they'll have to find other ways to stay alive.
JENNY LINDENHAUER, EVEN START: We'll work hard to make sure the program continue to exist.
ENDO: Sandra Endo, CNN, Arlington, Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: In Libya, anti-government forces are celebrating victories today. These are new pictures from Ras Lanuf. Rebel fighters say their forces have taken control of that city. It is a strategic oil town in eastern Libya. Pro government forces have been firing at rebels from helicopters there.
There's also a fierce firefight going on in Zawiya. That's not far from the capital of Tripoli, about 30 miles or so. A witness tells CNN that government forces are moving back into parts of the city with tanks and armored vehicles. The heavy fighting has forced tens of thousands to flee for the relative safety of the border, but that's causing a humanitarian crisis now. Many are huddled into tent cities at the Tunisian border. Our Ivan Watson will have their story just a little bit later on in this hour.
I've got a new picture of Congressman Gabrielle Giffords to show you. It shows the congresswoman meeting with two of her supporters shortly before the shooting. She's there with Jim and Doris Tucker. Jim Tucker was actually one of the 13 people wounded in the attack. His wife Doris left without any injuries.
A grand jury in Arizona has a new indictment against the suspected Tucson shooter, Jared Loughner. He's now charged with 49 counts including murder, attempted murder, and attempted assassination. This carries the penalty of the death penalty. Loughner is expected to be arraigned on the new charges on Wednesday.
The federal mediator overseeing the labor negotiations between pro football team owners and players says the talks have been extended once again, this time for a week. Their new deadline is now March 11. Both sides seemingly agree on one thing, and that's finding consensus without litigation. But for now the 2012 pro football season is still a big TBA. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROGER GODDELL, NFL COMMISSIONER: We continue to work hard. I think the fact that we're continuing this dialogue is a positive sign.
DEMAURICE SMITH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NFLPA: There's a commitment from both sides to engage in another round of negotiations at the request of the mediation service. We look forward to a deal coming out of that. What we have always had as our core is the football that our players love to play and the fans who love to watch them. And there's never going to be a day where we're not going to have those two things first and foremost in our minds.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And Charlie Sheen is hoping to put all the recent attention to him to good use, so he's going to Haiti. He says that he'll join up with Sean Penn while he's down there. Penn has been involved in humanitarian efforts in Haiti since the earthquake struck over a year ago. Sheen thinks his celebrity will shine a light on the problems. Penn thinks working in Haiti will actually do Sheen some good.
Possible salmonella contamination is the reason behind a limited recall of two peanut butt are products made by Skippy. We're talking about the reduced fat creamy peanut butter and reduced fat super- chunk. No one has gotten sick, that's the good news. But Skippy's parent company suggests tossing them if you do have them and they'll send you a coupon for a replacement.
And we have a little Lady Gaga for you this morning. We know Lady Gaga is used to being the center of attention. But in Toronto she turned over her spotlight to a very talented fan. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The little girl's name Ria Eragon. The 10-year-old has been burning up YouTube with her version of Lady Gaga's "Born this Way." Gaga is a big fan, so during her show in Toronto this week she invited the girl on stage to perform. At the end Maria said she hoped the crowd enjoyed the show. They certainly did.
If you're putting the final touches on your spring break plans, you may be in for sticker shock. Is there any way to cut those airfares? We'll find out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER BREAK)
KAYE: As gas prices go up, some airline ticket prices are going up, too. I'm going to talk to a guy who tracks all this stuff. And he may be able to help you save us all a few dollars next time we all head to the airport.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: They are doing it again and blaming it on the rising cost of gasoline. For the sixth time this year airlines are bumping up ticket prices. Take a look at this. This week American Airlines added $10 per round trip. That was matched by United, Continental, and then U.S. Airways. Delta's jump is higher, up to $20 depending on the destination.
However, none of the low cost airlines, Southwest, JetBlue, AirTran have raided their prices yet.
The question now as summer creeps closer, is there a way for you to avoid higher ticket prices? Here are some answers. Rick Seaney, the CEO of farecompare.com joins us this morning from Dallas. Rick, good morning to you. Is there anything that travelers can do to try and not get burned as these ticket prices are going up?
RICK SEANEY, CEO FARECOMPARE.COM: Yes, there's quite a few things they can do, but to be honest, if you're going to be traveling this summer, especially with few prices so high, it's going to be about getting a better bad deal. And to get a better bad deal this summer, you have to have a little bit of flexibility.
So let me give you a couple tips. The perfect time to shop is Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. eastern time.
KAYE: You know, I've heard that before, that you can actually get a deal. And that really works?
SEANEY: Yes. So what happens is typically what happens is an airline, one of them, will file a sale late Monday evening. All the other airlines scramble to match in the morning. The last airfare feed is at 1:00 p.m. eastern time. It takes two hours for it to hit the reservation system. That's when the maximum number of cheap seats are in the system.
You got to be careful though because typically these sales are only lasting for about three days. So if you're shopping on Friday or Saturday, you're probably paying too much for your tickets.
KAYE: So that was Tuesday afternoons around 3 3:00 p.m., right?
SEANEY: That's correct.
KAYE: I'm marking that down.
So is it better to buy now as fares seem to be going up, or is it better to wait and give them a chance to come back down? Is there any hope of that?
SEANEY: Yes. It depends on when you're traveling. If you're traveling for March and April, you need to go ahead and lock in right now. If you're traveling in the summertime in June you need to be waiting two or three weeks. I hate to turn travelers into commodity traders for oil prices, but we saw back in 2007/2008 a lot of people when oil was at $140, lock in their tickets in the summer time for Christmas travel. Then oil prices dropped from $140 to $70 and everybody else got great deals and they locked in too high. So you'll be spending way too much money for June travel. Wait about three weeks.
KAYE: I know that we're watching what the airlines are doing. But are the airlines watching what the consumer is doing as well? Is this a bit of a test to see how far they can push the traveler?
SEANEY: It is. So yes, when you see airlines hiking airfares every week, that tells you exactly one thing, that demand is strong. Seats are completely full on airplanes. No middle, empty middle seats out there. And they'll continue to hike airfares until they see that we're not buying those tickets. When they see that people are not buying those tickets, they're going to start ratcheting back.
It's a lot different today than it was three and a half years ago during the fuel crisis. Back then, a third of the plane was typically empty. Now every seat's full. So the airlines have a lot more power, you know, to raise prices than they did back two and a half, three years ago.
KAYE: Getting back to the dos and don'ts. One do is to buy a ticket on a Tuesday afternoon. What else can you tell us? We should be flexible.
SEANEY: Sure.
KAYE: What about last-minute trips? Is that a good idea?
SEANEY: Yes. You know, there's only a few last-minute deals out there. If you want to leave on a Saturday and come back on a Tuesday or leave on a Thursday and come back on a Sunday, those are the only last-minute deals inside of 14 days before departure that you can get out there.
If you can travel on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday, those are the three cheapest days to fly. Even half your trip, if you fly on those days, you'll be able to get half the benefit. So that's another great tip.
And if you're shopping for your family of four, there's another great tip that I always tell people. Always shop for one person first because if there's three cheaper seats and you shop for four people, the reservation system kicks all four people to the next higher price. So if you do see a cheaper price for one person, you can split your ticket purchase, get those three cheap seats, and one of the more expensive ones.
KAYE: Oh, that is such a good idea. Look at each one separately and see what you get instead of in a group.
SEANEY: Yes.
KAYE: Great advice. Rick, we really appreciate it. You might have saved our viewers some cash this morning. Thank you again.
SEANEY: I hope so.
KAYE: We're going to get the latest on what authorities are saying about the East Coast Rapist right after this break, so stick with us.
(CROSSTALK)
KAYE: Welcome back. It's 23 minutes past the hour.
Investigators are talking this morning about the East Coast Rapist case. They believe that they have their suspect in custody after many, many years. Our Susan Candiotti is following developments in new haven, Connecticut, right now where there was just a press conference. Susan, any new information coming out of that?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Randi, just the basics and not much more than that. But officially police now have confirmed that finally they believe they have their man that they're calling the "East Coast Rapist." This is someone that they so far believe is being charged or will be charged with at least a dozen rapes, possibly more when the investigation is complete over the course of 13 years from 1997 to 2009 across four states including Virginia, Maryland, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
So they confirm today that yesterday they took in to custody a man by the name of Aaron Thomas who is 39 years old who lives here in New Haven, Connecticut, and evidently traveled across that period of time over the years allegedly attacking these various victims. Here's what police say about his arrest that happened, they say, without incident.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. JULIE JOHNSON, NEW HAVEN POLICE DEPARTMENT: Recent information was developed in this case. DNA was collected and subsequently matched by the Connecticut state forensics sciences lab confirming that Thomas was the East Coast Rapist.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEANEY: And in fact just this past week alone, they have put up a Web site, electronic billboards. That apparently had a great deal to do with an anonymous tip that led them to make this arrest. He will be making a court appearance, his very first one on Monday. But for now they're not even releasing his mug shot because, authorities say, of the sensitivity of the ongoing investigation and they don't want to potentially taint other witnesses or victims. Randi, back to you.
KAYE: Susan Candiotti in New Haven for us this morning, Connecticut, watching that.
In South Africa, the numbers are staggering. Nearly two million children have been orphaned by aids. That's where this week's CNN hero steps in. She's using the Internet to redefine family by helping to build meaningful relationships between teens in Africa and caring adults from all over the world. Meet Amy Stokes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMY STOKES, CNN HERO: In 2003, my husband and I went to Johannesburg and adopted our son. Seeing all of the children and so few adults to help them grow up, if none of the adults you care about has lived past the age of 35, why would you care about yourself?
I had to find a way to bring the caring, nurturing effect of other adults for that child to invest in themselves.
I'm Amy Stokes. I use the Internet to create a global village where the mentors and the kids can interact face-to-face on a regular basis.
STOKES (on camera): How was your day at school? Did you work in the garden?
STOKES (voice-over): That mentor shows up every week. A relationship starts between one person here and one person there. Then that relationship expands.
"My mentor is so good. I like him very much."
Because they want to connect with that special someone, they're going to learn keyboard skills, the skills that they will need to have jobs and to be able to do whatever they need in the future.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love you.
STOKES: Love you, too. Bye.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jill is part of my family and part of my life.
STOKES: It's a bite-sized opportunity to change a world. And there's no commute.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Remember, every one of this year's CNN heroes are chosen from people you tell us about. To nominate someone you know who is making a big difference in your community, it's very easy. Just go to CNNheroes.com and tell us about that person.
The fallout from Libya's conflict can be found in the tears of those trying to flee the country. We'll take you to be border to hear their stories, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: It is 30 minutes past the hour. Welcome back. I'm Randi Kaye. Thanks for starting your day with us. Checking top stories for you now. Police say they've arrested the so-called East Coast Rapist, a man wanted for 17 sexual assaults in four states dating back to 1997. And 39 year old Aaron Thomas was picked up at his home in new haven, Connecticut.
Wisconsin's Republican governor has sent letters to the state's 13 public employee unions warning of possible layoffs. Governor Scott Walker says the layoffs could be avoided if and only if 14 state Senate Democrats return to the Madison to debate a controversial budget bill there.
We're getting word of fierce fighting in Libya today with rebels claiming success on two key fronts. Rebel fighters say they've captured the oil town of Ras Lanuf in eastern Libya and in western Libya, a witness says armed protesters pushed the forces loyal to Gadhafi out of the city of Zawiya after some very fierce clashes there as well.
Getting out of Libya is the top priority for foreign workers caught in the middle of the chaos that's been playing out there. But our Ivan Watson, who's near the border between Libya and Tunisia, says escaping the violence may be the easy part. It's holding on to their possessions that's proving difficult.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Misery and squalor at the Libyan border, hoards of refugees caught out in the open in constant dust storms. Almost all are migrant laborers. They're accustomed to hardship, but not like this.
WATSON (on camera): No food?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No food.
WATSON (voice-over): These men from Bangladesh say they were robbed at gunpoint by Libyan troops. This oil worker doesn't know how he'll feed his son back in Bangladesh.
EMRE SHAHBEDDIN, BANGLADESHI OIL WORKER: I called my family, my wife and my mother cried. My son only two years, I cannot give them the milk money, I cannot give you it. So I can't do anything.
WATSON: Thousands of Bangladeshi migrant workers are now stranded in this filthy plot of land by the border. Many of these people were already born into crushing poverty and took out unbearable loans sold what little property they had to try to get jobs in Libya, and many of them complain their bosses did not pay them months of salary, and then they were robbed on their way to the Tunisian border. If they can ever get back home from here, they'll be arriving empty handed.
And this will likely be their point of departure, an airport where air traffic controllers are working around the clock directing an air bridge, more than 60 flights a day transporting an estimated 10,000 refugees every day back to their countries of origin. On Friday, the first American plane arrived, carrying aid for the refugees. Until now ordinary Tunisians have borne the brunt of the relief effort, donating food to refugees lined up for flights at the airport. Among them is this group of Bangladeshis. Many of them don't even have passports.
MOHAMMED SHAFIQ AL ISLAM, BANGLADESHI REFUGEE: No, I have no passport. Only passport is --
WATSON (on camera): Why?
MOHAMMED SHAFIQ AL ISLAM: Libyan people take money, passport. They say "I will kill you, kill you."
WATSON (voice-over): These men were effectively indentured servants working in Libya for years for just $250 a month. Now, they say they're destitute.
MOHAMMED SHAFIQ AL ISLAM: So we are beggars now. That's all our family crying out for attention.
WATSON: I'm sorry.
MOHAMMED SHAFIQ AL ISLAM: Really, we are very, very helpless now.
WATSON: Ivan Watson, CNN, Tunisia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: And Libya isn't the only powder keg in Africa that's ready to explode. An ongoing dispute over who won last year's presidential race in Ivory Coast is getting ugly and deadlier by the day. And this disturbing video illustrates the descending levels of violence.
CNN's senior state department producer Elise Labott is watching both Libyan and Ivory Coast situations for us this morning. She's live in Washington. Good morning.
ELISE LABOTT, CNN SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Good morning.
KAYE: Let's start with Libya. The U.S. still yet to decide on a no-fly zone. Are we any closer to seeing movement on that?
LABOTT: Not yet, Randi. There's a lot of talk about it. You heard from senators John McCain, Joe Lieberman, and even John Kerry calling for that no-fly zone.
But you also heard a very sober assessment from Defense Secretary Gates this week saying, listen, let's be clear about what this is. This is military intervention because a no-fly zone really means that the U.S. and its partners would have to take out Libyan air defenses and that could really put troops in harm's way.
And frankly officials are saying it's very bad but not really rising to the level yet of a no-fly zone because they're not really sure whether it would help or whether it's really need right now. There's also not a lot of international support for it at NATO or the United Nations where the U.S. would have to get authorization, Randi.
KAYE: We talked with Ben Wedeman earlier this morning. He was on the road to Tripoli. He was describing for us how a chopper was actually firing down on the rebel forces. So I'm just curious. Is there anything from the U.S. standpoint that the country can do to help the rebel forces or do they not want to even touch the opposition right now?
LABOTT: Well, right now they really don't know who is the opposition. You've heard them talking a lot about these various groups. Some are former military, former officials who were loyal to Gadhafi. Some are tribal leaders. The only thing right now that they're unified in is that they want Gadhafi out.
And so the U.S. is really trying to reach out to all of its contacts in Libya to get a better sense of who this opposition is and what they really want. Right now it's not unified enough and they don't want to give any training or weapons to anything -- to people in the wrong hands because they feel some of these people might just want to get rid of Gadhafi but they might not be any better and they might not offer the kind of democratic changes or political participation that the Libyan people and the international community are calling for.
KAYE: I want to switch now and talk a little about the Ivory Coast. I want to show our viewers some of this video but I want to warn them that it is very graphic. There was a group of people there that were attacked. I just want to put that warning on this video as we talk to you, Elise.
Tell us what the U.S. is saying about this video as you see these people struggling to escape an attack on them, a slaughter, really.
LABOTT: Really, it was a horrific video that has really gone viral, Randi, over the last couple of days. Protesters, mostly women, were attacked by forces loyal to the self-proclaimed president Laurent Gbagbo who basically stole the election several months ago.
Secretary Clinton came out with a tough statement saying that Gbagbo and his forces have shown a callous disregard for human life and the rule of law, preying on the unarmed and the innocent, and he should step aside immediately. The U.S. has been really tough on Gbagbo saying he should step down. But, as we see, it's getting much bloodier, Randi.
KAYE: Yes, Two very intense situations that you're watching for us. Elise Labott, thank you so much from D.C. this morning.
The billionaires and the millionaires have given themselves another week to work things out. Yes, we are talking about pro football. Will you get to watch pro football next season? Will there be a season? We will find out.
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KAYE: HLN Sport's Ray D'Alessio back in the zone this morning to talk a little bit about football. A lot of people are wondering what am I going to do sitting on my couch this fall? What am I going to watch?
RAY D'ALESSIO, HLN SPORTS: Yes, Randi, and I think the approach that we have to have is cautiously optimistic. These two sides continue to talk. Now, if they broke apart yesterday and said we don't know when we're going to meet again and the collective bargaining agreement expired, then you'd have to be worried.
But they extended it 24 hours Thursday night. It was supposed to expire midnight Thursday night. They extended it 24 hour. Obviously the talks were going good, so they say they extend it another week. Now the deadline is next Friday by 5:00 p.m.
Are they going to get a deal done by then? Probably not. I mean, there's so many parameters that they have to go over. There's the issue of how do we divide this $9 billion a year in revenue.
KAYE: What's the problem with $9 billion in revenue?
D'ALESSIO: We've got to decide that. There's the issue as far as extending the season by two games. So there's a lot of things that these two sides really have to iron out. It's not going to happen in a week, it won't happen in a month. I can see it happening possibly, possibly before the NFL draft.
KAYE: I'm going to hold you to that. Marking it down.
D'ALESSIO: So I can see it possibly happening before that. But I don't see the season being canceled, I really don't.
KAYE: That's good news. What else do you have for us?
D'ALESSIO: Talking about NFL bad boy Trevor Gillies. He's back in the dog house. He might stay there for a while. This was after serving a nine-game suspension for a similar hit. First game back he takes out another guy from behind.
KAYE: Ooh, that's ugly.
D'ALESSIO: Now he's been suspended for ten games effective immediately. Because he's a two-time offender he's been fined $61,000 in salary, which this guy makes $500,000 a year. That's a lot of money to people like us, but to him, $500,000 a year as opposed to someone who makes a million a year, $61,000 is a lot of money.
KAYE: In our last 30 seconds, can you show us this crazy soccer game?
D'ALESSIO: Crazy soccer video out of Argentina. We love the craziness from soccer overseas. But this got out of hand. Here 36 players were ejected from this game. You see guys throwing some hooks there. Other guys are running away -- 36 players ejected, set a new worlds record. The old number for players ejected was 20.
KAYE: That's not really a record you want to set.
D'ALESSIO: No, nothing to be proud of.
(LAUGHTER)
KAYE: Wow. All right, Ray, good to see you.
D'ALESSIO: Good to see you, too.
KAYE: Thank you.
The politicians who want to be president are getting very busy. And some of their supporters are having fun with websites. We're following the 2012 campaign as it all unfolds.
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KAYE: Welcome back. It's time now for a CNN political update. Newt Gingrich is having some trouble on the web, but we start with some good old fashioned campaigning. CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser joins me this morning from Washington. Paul, lots of folks getting ready for 2012 already. Who is on the trail this weekend?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Randi, you and I are not the only ones working this weekend. A couple of guys thinking about running for the Republican nomination. Let's start with Mitt Romney. Tonight he's in New Hampshire. to kick of the presidential primary and caucus calendar. He headlines a party event up there.
Also Romney this weekend joins Tim Pawlenty and Haley Barbour at an event in Florida this weekend they're all going to be speaking it's being put on by a fiscal conservative you group that's pretty influential.
Let's talk about Newt Gingrich as well. We saw him on Thursday that he'll talk about exploring to run to president. You saw this on the CNN Political Ticker. He filed the IRS. He filed as a political organization. That allows Newt to begin to raise money as he thinks about running for the nomination as well.
KAYE: And speaking of Newt, what's this glitch in his exploratory commit that we're hearing about?
STEINHAUSER: This is his website that he set up Thursday in Atlanta Georgia. It's called "Newt Explorer 2012." But let's say you get it wrong. You go to explore "Newt 2012." If you go to that Web site, which sounds like his, it redirects you to former Louisiana governor Buddy Roemer's Web site. Roemer announced that he's also thinking about running for president. He said he had nothing to do with this internet trick.
KAYE: So it's simply reversing just the beginning of that website and you end up at Buddy Roemer.
STEINHAUSER: Funny how that happens.
KAYE: Funny how that happens.
(LAUGHTER)
That was interesting. Paul Steinhauser, great to see you.
STEINHAUSER: Thanks.
KAYE: Wisconsin's governor has thrown down the gauntlet to government union workers. I'll get reaction from a national teachers' union representative to his latest moves and his latest threats.
And ahead next hour, some of you may remember when the do-se-do was a class you had to take in school.
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KAYE: Now, square dancing could be a dying art. Say it isn't so.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: It's just about ten minutes before the hour. To Wisconsin now, where the state's well publicized budget battle takes a whole new front. Not in the state capitol of Madison but rather its biggest city, Milwaukee.
That's where we find Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.
Randi, good to see you. I know you're just back from a protest nearby the studio that you're in for us this morning. Were folks fired up about the governor's plans and threats of issuing these lay justifies?
RANDI WEINGARTEN, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS: Actually, folks are really fired up about the budget. What the governor did here -- and no wonder he tried to eliminate workers' voices because they're the only ones who know what the effect of this is going to be before it happens.
He's proposed a billion dollars of cuts, basically slashing public education, slashing senior care, and slashing all sorts of other things that will help the most vulnerable Wisconsinites and will hurt the future of Wisconsin children.
KAYE: Well, I know, though, that -- I mean, the latest news is that he's issued union layoff notices which would take effect I believe April 1st. WEINGARTEN: Right.
KAYE: How concerned are you that union members could lose their jobs? We're talking about 1,500 layoffs.
WEINGARTEN: Look, Randi, what he has done here is that there's a couple of choices here. There's a budget issue that he's made worse by creating corporate tax breaks. And when nurses and teachers and firefighters said that we would do our fair share and give him the concessions he asked for, he said no and instead is threatening layoffs.
But what that is really obscuring and obfuscating is the fact that in his budget he's actually giving corporate tax breaks, creating no-bid contracts, eliminating transparency, and slashing services for kids. It's no wonder that when you look at Wisconsin polls public school parents are saying no way.
So what's happening here is that the governor, you know, has decided that whoever his friends are, they're more important than the people in Wisconsin, and whoever his friends are, they're more important that the vital services that the people in Wisconsin want.
I've talked to people on the streets in whether it's Milwaukee or Madison, and they just don't get this. They don't understand. This guy never ran on this. They don't understand why he's so at war with regular working folk.
KAYE: Let me ask you about this. The Wisconsin Senate passed this resolution calling for the police to take the 14 Democrats into custody, those who are avoiding this budget bill vote, take them into custody for contempt for fleeing Illinois -- fleeing to Illinois, I should say, to avoid this vote. I guess it gives them really the permission to bring them back with or without force. How do you feel about that?
WEINGARTEN: So look what these folks have done, the folks that are in Illinois, the Democratic senators. They are actually heroic because of the following. The governor refuses to negotiate with his employees, refuses -- refuses any entreaty, any conversation.
So what the senators did by leaving the state is it has allowed people to create this debate. And look poll after poll across the United States of America, by a two-one margin, people who say, I don't know if I like unions, but people should not lose their voice in matters at work.
And you see that in Wisconsin, too. In Wisconsin a poll this week said if people knew this was what Walker was doing they wouldn't elect him. If he was running right now, they would elect the other guy. So what the senators did was allow the voice and the debate to happen, which Walker wants to foreclose.
KAYE: OK, Randy Weingarten, we'll have to leave it there. President of the united federation of teachers, thank you.
WEINGARTEN: Thank you.
KAYE: And $40,000, that's what someone actually spent on a celebrity's hair. Yes, it's true. That is not the most bizarre headline in the world of pop culture. Not even close. We are headed to the Gray Zone right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. In the gray zone today, from everyone's favorite "Jersey Shore" diva to Justin Bieber's luscious locks, we've got the pop culture scoop with Jack Gray, a CNN producer with "AC- 360." Jack, good to see you on this Saturday. Good morning to you. A lot to talk about.
JACK GRAY, CNN PRODUCER: Good morning, Randi.
KAYE: Justin Bieber's hair really sold for a whole lot of money. What do you know?
GRAY: Yes. Let's be honest. This is the creepiest store of the week by far. Justin Bieber, he gave a lock of his hair to "The Ellen Show." They put it on eBay and it sold for $40,000. The money goes to a good cause. It supports like an animal shelter or something. I love animals. You love animals, nothing wrong with that.
But the fact is that someone has a lock of Justin Bieber's hair on their coffee table. I'm just hoping that it's not you, Randi. Please tell me that your checking account is not $40,000 light.
KAYE: First of all, I would never do that. Second of all, I promise you it was not me. What do you do with that, display it on your coffee table?
Another interesting story though this week, Snooki has been inspired --
GRAY: Oh, Snooki, oh. Yes, America's drunken sweetheart, Snooki. She would like to have an empire, thank you very much, like Jessica Simpson. And I didn't even know Jessica Simpson had an empire. I knew she had a clothing line. Apparently it's huge. It's even bigger than the Roland Martin line of ascots. So it's really big.
Snooki would like a spin-off she told "Rolling Stone." She would like something like "Snooki's Getting Married." Good luck to that guy.
KAYE: I don't know about that empire, but you're right. Good luck. What about this new "Dancing with the Stars" cast? You like it or you don't like it?
GRAY: Yes. No, I was kind of disappointed. It doesn't excite me as more recent lineups. I was really hoping that Christine O'Donnell the rumor was true that the former Delaware Senate candidate would perform because you knew that producers would dress her up in a witch's hat and make her do a waltz with a broomstick. It would have been amazing.
But they have Kirstie Alley, which she is outgoing. Let's say outgoing and unpredictable. So I have high hopes for her. They've got talk show host Randy Williams which I'm excited about, because I'm hoping that her wig will fly right off during the show. But other than that, it's kind of a downer.
KAYE: It is sort of a strange flat cast. Speaking of strange, I can't talk to you this morning without bringing up Charlie Sheen.
GRAY: I know.
KAYE: I'm sorry.
GRAY: I know. No, it's all right.
KAYE: I like this because you have what, more than a million followers on twitter. Now I think you have agent competition from Mr. Sheen.
GRAY: Oh, no, he blew me out of the water. Yes, well, here's the thing with Charlie Sheen. Even I'm kind of getting sick of him, but you know, but we couldn't not do him for our celebrity tweet of the week, because he did, he's been bringing the crazy to Twitter for like four or five days now. He set a record for the fastest climb to a million followers.
And it all started with one tweet a few days ago. It was like, you know, choose your vice or something like that. But then he posted the picture of him and one of his goddesses. And they're drinking chocolate milk, which I think given the situation, that's a healthy choice for him. So good for him.
KAYE: I think you're right, Jack. Always a pleasure. Always fun to talk to you.
We've got to go. Jack Gray thanks again.
GRAY: Thanks Randi, bye.
KAYE: Bye.
