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Wisconsin's Budget Stalemate; Charlie Sheen Fired; Mapping the Royal Route; Calls for International Action in Libya Grow Louder; Faith, Freedom and Presidential Hopes in Iowa

Aired March 08, 2011 - 10:00   ET

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

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: It's 7:00 now on the West, 10:00 in the East and 9:00 a.m. in St. Louis, where a S.W.A.T. team has moved into a house where two marshals and a police detective were shot this morning. We heard earlier that a suspect had been shot as well. We're gathering details on this story. We promise we'll bring you more on it as we're getting it but that's what's going on there.

Look at what people in a Massachusetts town are dealing with today. A lake of mud that stopped cars in their tracks and chased some people out of their homes. The ground just couldn't handle all the rain and melting snow.

Many towns in upstate New York and northern New England are dealing with the aftermath of, yes, more heavy snow, rain, and freezing rain. The average price of gas meantime crept a little higher as you slept, but oil prices seemed to have leveled off. Kuwait's oil minister says OPEC might boost production.

This morning, we begin in Libya. The red carpet of all things is rolled out in Tripoli where Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is expected to face international media. That comes amid reports that he's trying, possibly, to strike a deal to resign. We'll have the details in just a minute on that.

We're also keeping an eye on the latest violence across northern Libya. There's now little doubt the fighting has turned into an all- out civil war there. Today, government war planes launched at least four bombing attacks on the rebel stronghold of Ras Lanuf. The city is a vital link in Libya's oil industry and both sides are desperately fighting to control it.

And a group of Arab states around the gulf say Libya has rejected its offer of humanitarian aid. The Gulf Cooperation Council says it's got the -- it got the news last and the United Nations has accused Libya of blocking medical aid and supplies from reaching civilians and refugees. So much going on there.

Also, a Michigan high school basketball player's funeral begins in about 20 minutes. Just hours after his team's emotional playoff victory. It's something we've been talking about for a couple days now. The Fennville High School Blackhawks played their first game since Wes Leonard collapsed and died. Fennville beat Lawrence 65-54, before a crowd of 3,500, including Leonard's parents and his brother. Before the game, Bo Kimble talked to the Fennville team. Kimble was a college teammate of Hank Gathers who died of cardiac arrest during a game in 1990. You remember that video so well. Kimble now talks to athletes about heart risks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB KIMBLE, FMR. NBA STAR: I think it's a must that e get to a point that all athletes need to be tested and give the athlete and the athlete's family a choice. It's better to end a career than to end a life. And some people who may not want to get tested, fine, but for everyone that want to get tested, it's better to be proactive instead of reactive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Leonard died of an enlarged heart shortly after scoring the winning basket in the game last week. The shot clenched an undefeated regular season for Fennville. Fennville now advances to a semifinal playoff game next -- game tomorrow.

And a woman once hailed as Mexico's bravest is now seeking asylum in the U.S. you remember her, I'm sure you will. That's Marisol Valles Garcia who lived in a drug ravaged border town across from Hancock, Texas. In 2009, the police chief there was kidnapped and killed and that's when this young, single mother stepped up to fill his job when really no one else would. She was just 20 years old. Now customs officials say she's fled to the U.S. and will plead her case before an immigration judge to avoid being sent back there.

And 14 Wisconsin Democratic senators not budging. Feel like we've been saying that for a while now because we have. In their hardlined stand against the governor's plan to reduce collective bargaining rights for public works and neither is the governor.

Ed Lavandera is joining us from Madison, the capitol city. Ed, Governor Walker is calling the proposed border meeting with these absentee democratic senators ridiculous. Is there any indication what's going to finally end the stalemate?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, that's a great question here at this point. Both sides seem extremely entrenched in what they're doing. Governor Scott Walker convinced that he doesn't need to negotiate. Ultimately he will have the votes to do this. Democrats and several I've spoken to in the last 24 hours say that there were a series of polls that have been released that show a great majority of the public that support what they're doing and their side of the issue. So they seem willing to wait it out as long as possible. They think it's doing more damage to the Republicans. So, both sides convinced of their views and Governor Scott Walker responding yesterday to a request from the Democratic minority leader, Mark Miller, who had requested a meeting face to face along the Illinois-Wisconsin border. The governor of Wisconsin called that idea ridiculous.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. SCOTT WALKER (R), WISCONSIN: I authorized two members of my administration to travel to south Beloit to go across the state line to do exactly what Senator Miller's asking for in this letter to be done in the future, we did yesterday. We actually did this. Again, we didn't put out a press release because we're serious about getting this done on behalf of the people of the state. People talk about negotiate. We've been doing it for days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: Kate, we've put in several calls into senator Mark Miller and we have not had a response back from him. But in speaking with other democratic senators who have fled to Illinois, they say that there had been some talks in the works, that negotiations were moving along but everything fell apart leading up to last Thursday.

So it's been several days since any kind of substantial talks have gone on. So here at the capitol in Madison, we're not seeing the signs and the number of protesters that have been here throughout all of this. A lot of different rules being put back into place here on the capitol grounds as to being able to stay in the capitol overnight and picketing and protesting and asking for permits and that sort of thing around the capitol grounds. So that's why it's a much calmer and peaceful scene at the capitol in Madison. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Meantime, what's the latest on the layoffs? I know the governor has been kind of talking about, warning about more than a week now, what's the latest on that?

LAVANDERA: Right. You might remember that the governor had sent out these letters to all the heads of the unions giving them the head's up that in a month that they might have to start laying people off. To kind of get a sense of just how many people would be affected, has been difficult, but there hasn't really been a whole lot of movement. It's a long process that has to go through to announce these layoffs and to carry them out. That letter that the governor sent out was simply the first step in that.

Clearly, the timing of the letter, also very influential in terms of the politics of this situation, so just the number of people that will be affected is very difficult to say at this point. The governor's office has said that would -- it would kind of determine on where the budget stands here in a month down the road or so. So that is a number that is still very much fluctuating from what we can tell.

BOLDUAN: We will continue to watch and see where this thing leads as we have for weeks now.

Ed Lavandera, thanks so much, Ed.

BOLDUAN: Let's get back to Libya. This is where CNN's Ben Wedeman is traveling in eastern Libya right now and he's joining me by phone. Ben, are you there?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on the phone): Yes, I'm here. BOLDUAN: Hey there. What are you hearing? I know we've been talking about it a lot this morning. But what are you hearing about this deal from the opposition and other folks on the ground to possibly get Moammar Gadhafi to step down?

WEDEMAN: Well, what we're hearing is that nobody is actually admitting they made even an offer of a deal. It seems to have come up in the media, I think it first appeared on Al Jazeera where it was suggested if some sort of popular congress is held to give legitimacy or a feel of popular approval to Moammar Gadhafi being allowed to step down peacefully from power, but on the one hand we're hearing from our Nic Robertson in Tripoli that government officials there say it's nonsense and in Benghazi where the opposition is based, we're hearing from them that they would never trust Moammar Gadhafi, if he were to make such an offer.

So there seems to be skepticism on both sides. We're hearing, for instance, when word came out on the front lines in Ras Lanuf that a possible deal was in the works to have Moammar Gadhafi step down, that many of the fighters celebrated by shooting their guns in the air, but now it appears that it all seems to have come to nothing. So it was a lot of talk, but clearly no action in that direction.

On the one hand, you have Libyan forces advancing, taking more ground in central Libya, not far from where we are, and in the west, they seem to have besieged and encircled the towns of Zawaia and Misrata (ph). It would appear that Moammar Gadhafi is feeling stronger than he was a few days ago, possibly not interested in any deals, but rather, with the hope that he may be able to militarily regain much of the territory he's lost over the last three weeks.

BOLDUAN: And Ben, it may be impossible to kind of calibrate this, as there's so many moving parts, but are you getting a sense that the opposition, the rebels, that they feel like they're gaining or losing momentum at this point?

WEDEMAN: Definitely. I would say they seem to have lost momentum at the moment. We left Ras Lanuf late last night and saw that there were fewer opposition fighters there, that there's the spreading realization that they're outgunned. They don't have the kind of heavy weaponry that hundreds of tanks, surface-to-surface missiles, they don't have aircraft or helicopters. They have a lot of enthusiasm, but when it comes to sort of a straight fight between the two sides, the opposition is severely outgunned and what they're hoping for, and what they're more and more insisting upon, is they really want some sort of no-fly zone over Libya because their Achilles heel is the fact when they move on these roads, these long, open stretches of desert highway, they're sitting ducks to the Libyan air force.

BOLDUAN: Meantime, that debate over the no-fly zone continues among the international community.

Ben Wedeman traveling in eastern Libya, thanks so much, Ben.

And another story that we've been following, for those living in a busy cities, traffic means time lost. Yes, it does. And our friends at the "Daily Beast" compiled a list of the five most congested areas in the entire country. I'm sure you know them if you live there.

Coming in at number five, the Bruckner Bronx Express way in New York. It's been known to take travelers nearly four minutes to drive one mile during rush hour. Four minutes or more than that, I'm sure, more than that. And at number four, i-95 southbound in Washington, D.C., I know that very well. It's very congested.

What about -- what other areas are making our list? We're going to show them to you throughout the hour and in just a few minutes. We're also going to give you quick tips how to make your gas budget go just a bit further if you are one of those people who are unfortunately stuck in that traffic.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: The hits just keep coming for troubled actor Charlie Sheen. He was fired from "Two and A Half Men," the show he has long been a part of, Warner Brothers Television terminated his contract after Sheen's two-week public meltdown, that has included attacks on the show's creator of all things. "Showbiz Tonight" host Brooke Anderson joins me now. Brooke, I am afraid to ask, but what is Charlie Sheen saying about all this?

BROOKE ANDERSON, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" HOST: Oh, well, Kate, the guy thinks that getting fired is good news, if you can believe it. He told TMZ, "Yeah, they continue to be in breach like so many whales and he also said that now he can take all of their bazillions." Charlie is planning a whopper of a lawsuit.

Frankly, I'm surprised this all didn't happen earlier, but yes, Warner Brothers has now finally officially fired Charlie Sheen. Warner Brothers announced the news late last night, telling "Showbiz Tonight" that, "After careful consideration, Warner Brothers Television has terminated Charlie Sheen's services on "Two and A Half Men" effective immediately.

Now Warner Brothers is the company that produces the sitcom which airs on CBS. CBC has not really provided much of a statement about this just yet. TMZ got a copy of the 11-page letter that Warner Brothers sent to Sheen's attorney detailing why they canned him. Here are a few lines from it. "Your client has been engaged in dangerously self-destructive conduct and appears to be very ill. Warner Brothers would not, could not, and should not attempt to continue business as usual while Mr. Sheen destroys himself as the world watches.

And as if he wanted to prove their point, Charlie Sheen responded by standing on a rooftop in Beverly Hills last night with a machete and told reporters, "free at last. Free at last." I am not making this up. And Kate, as for the very popular and profitable sitcom "Two and A Half Men," nobody really seems to know what the future holds. CBS told "Showbiz Tonight" that no decision has been made regarding the future of the show itself. BOLDUAN: I know we can talk about this forever. Let's move to another star threatening to sue. Lady Gaga suing over ice cream. I had not heard of this.

ANDERSON: Ice cream, made of breast milk. Kate. It is another story that is really hard to wrap your mind around. Lady Gaga is suing the London ice cream parlor The Ice Creamists over their newest creation, it's an ice cream made of breast milk and it is called Baby Gaga. The ice cream has actually been banned by local health authorities until they determine if it is safe to consume. But Lady Gaga's attorneys say that linking her name to this product is, "deliberately provocative" and to many people nausea inducing.

All right. When Baby Gaga was briefly available, there are reports that women in Gaga inspired garb served the ice cream, scooped into a martini gas, liquid nitrogen is then poured into the ice cream via a syringe and it's served with a baby teething biscuit. I have to keep reminding myself I'm not living in an alternate universe, that all of this is real.

But Kate, the creator of the flavor has responded to Lady Gaga on his blog, he took some shots at her and he said this. "How can she possibly claim ownership of the word Gaga which since the dawn of time has been one of the first discernible phrases to come from a baby's mouth. This is why we chose the name." And Kate, that is a really good point, but this whole thing makes me wonder what kind of woman would provide breast milk for this purpose. It should be for babies only.

BOLDUAN: That is exactly what I was going to ask you. That's exactly what I was going say. One thing being lost in this, who is providing the ingredients.

ANDERSON: We do not eat ice cream with breast milk in it.

BOLDUAN: All right. Thank you so much, Brooke. You got some good stuff today.

If you want more information, of course you do, on everything breaking in the entertainment world, Brooke has it this evening on "Showbiz Tonight" at 5:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. on HLN.

Take a look at some other stories that are making news across the country. A Baltimore community is mourning the death of a promising teen boxer. 17-year-old Ronald Gibbs was stabbed to death over the weekend while trying to defend his older sister. Gibbs was preparing for the Olympics.

And the intern honored for helping save Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford's life is running for office. Political science major Daniel Hernandez is one of six candidates in the race for student government president at the University of Arizona. Good luck to him.

And here's something you don't hear every day. A would-be robber calls 911 because he's scared of the homeowner. In Portland, a man charged with breaking into a house says he was concerned the homeowner might have a gun. The homeowner also called 911 and that's when police found the suspect, 24-year-old Timothy James Chappic, locked in the bathroom.

And a couple is crossing the country themselves by horseback. We caught up with Richard and Jeanette McGrath in southwest Arkansas. They left California one year ago on their 4,000 mile trek to Washington. They're going -- they're doing this to raise awareness for a group called Hearts Up Ranch that helps people with emotional problems. Good luck to them.

And the ride to royalty. We'll take you on the route of all things Kate Middleton will travel as she goes to marry her prince. A 3D look at the princess's perspective. And talk about a party, yes, we are. It's fat Tuesday and that means one thing, time to break out the beads and festivities in New Orleans. You're looking at a live picture from Bourbon Street. A little rainy, but the fun, I'm sure you can imagine, is just getting started.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BOLDUAN: Very royal music. It's the countdown to the royal wedding. April 29th is fast approaching when Prince William and Kate Middleton will marry in front of just two and a half billion people watching at home. No big deal. The smallest detail will, of course, be made out to be the biggest deal. That's why we have the man with the news and the man with the plan in the know, Mark Saunders who's in London joining me now.

We have the royal route, Mark. Let's talk about this route.

MARK SAUNDERS, ROYAL BIOGRAPHER: Yes.

BOLDUAN: But first, before we talk about that, how are they going to get there? What kind of transportation are we talking about here for the prince and princess.

SAUNDERS: Well, Katherine is going to be arriving at Westminster Abbey by car which the queen is not very happy about, so we're told. In fact the queen learned that she would be arriving by car from William's Twitter account. And apparently she immediately phoned William and said, "Well I understand Katherine's arriving by car, William. How exactly are you getting to the Abbey, on a bicycle?" Which is -- that's the queen not very happy. William himself will be leaving Buckingham Palace with his best man who we're still believing to be Prince Harry and I guess Katherine will be fashionably late, though not too late I hope. Because there are an awful lot of people going to be watching.

BOLDUAN: So let's talk about this route. Walk me through it. Where is the princess going to go?

SAUNDERS: OK. Katherine will leave Clarence House, which is, of course, the official London residence of Prince Charles' wife, Camilla, and with the royal splendor of Buckingham Palace behind her, she will set up the Mile, the magnificent thoroughfare that you so often described as the Champs Elysee without the shops.

The Mile will be lined with thousands of spectators, some of whom will have spent three days sleeping on the pavement just to catch a glimpse of the royal bride-to-be. As the car turns into (INAUDIBLE) road at the end of the Mile, Katherine will glance probably towards the imposing figure of Nelson on his column in the center of Trafalgar Square. The car will then sweep across the (INAUDIBLE) parade, the square where the (INAUDIBLE) of the column which is the annual celebration of the monarch's birthday takes place. Indeed one day Katherine herself will be standing in this square when her husband King William takes the salute.

There will now be a poignant moment as Katherine drives past the monument to the woman of World War II and (INAUDIBLE) where each year the queen and senior members of the royal family attend the annual service of remembrance. In many ways, Great Britain is defined by the heroism and sacrifice of the second world war and both of these monuments are fitting tributes to the finest generation the country ever produced. As the car now drives past the Treasury and the Foreign Office Katherine will catch sight of Big Ben, the most famous clock in the world that towers over the House of the Parliament.

She will be aware she's reaching journey's end as the cheering of the crowds will by now be getting louder and louder. She enters Parliament Square and there just across from the statute of Cromwell, the father of Parliament, stands Westminster Abbey built more than a thousand years ago, the most famous church in the world.

BOLDUAN: That is amazing. I'm guessing intentionally drawn out that route so as many bystanders can catch a glimpse of her and cheer her on as possible, right?

SAUNDERS: That's very true, but I must warn anyone that's intending to go, you need to get there very early, like three days early.

BOLDUAN: Oh, no.

SAUNDERS: Because those, the best spots will be taken very quickly.

BOLDUAN: Very good seat to watch would be right at home, right in front of your television. Thanks, Mark. We'll check back in with you. Thank you so much.

SAUNDERS: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: So a new winner in the technology wars. The Droid is now the most popular Smartphone on the market. What does that mean for you if you're looking for a new phone? We'll check in with Stephanie Elam.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Stock market opening bell rang just about an hour ago. Let's get a check of the numbers. We're at a little over 12,000, and the Dow trading up about 63 points. About 70 points just a little while ago. Of course, Wall Street watching oil prices.

And we have some new champions in the business world to tell you about. Google's Android is now the most popular smartphone operating system in the U.S., and McDonald's has lost its crown to Jared. Subway is now the biggest restaurant operation in the planet. Our business news correspondent Stephanie Elam is here now. Stef, how did Jared win the battle with Ronald McDonald?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I know. You think it would be impossible, right, Kate? But I guess the whole idea of eating fresh, you know -- we know that Jared, eat fresh, right? Subway. Apparently, that's doing something and it's really not just about the United States. It's really about world domination for Subway. They've been growing at a lot of places that maybe you wouldn't actually expect to see them.

But one thing we can tell you if you take a look at the number of the restaurants at the end of the year, Subway had 33,749 restaurants at the end of last year. McDonald's actually has 32,737. So, still pretty close but at this point, Subway is now on top. So they're saying, we really weren't trying to beat anybody but we are growing around the world. They plan on opening somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 restaurants a year, and they've been on pace with that so far. They now have more than 34,000 stores open just including the beginning of this year. And they said about half of their growth is overseas. And a lot of it has to be about putting Subway restaurants in places that you wouldn't just expect to see them. They even said they have one in a church somewhere around the globe.

So, that's really what's helped out Subway here. The idea that you can get fresh vegetables. I think a lot may be thinking about what they're eating and how it can affect them and they may see the sandwiches as a little better than the fries, Kate.

BOLDUAN: There you go.

Talk to me about the Android. I didn't believe this when I heard it. The Android has overtaken Blackberry as the most popular smartphone system?

ELAM: Yes, you know, Subway may not have been targeting McDonald's, but I would be surprised if Google wasn't actually targeting all these other operating systems. I bet they were.

If you take a look at what Google has put out with Android, a lot of those phone makers like it because the operating system is open. Meaning they can go ahead and customize it, do whatever they want to, they don't have to license it. And they can put it on the phones and spend more time designing the devices. Well, that has gotten the devices all over the place. Keep in mind, Android wasn't even around two years ago. And now they're saying 31.2 percent of U.S. smartphones are running on Google's Android system. That's as of January, and 30.4 percent were Blackberry users. This is according to a Com Score study we've seen here. And in June of last year, that's when Android took over Microsoft's Windows Mobile in the United States. Then in November, it took over Apple's operating system and January, just kept going and took over the Blackberry.

And now Google says they're activating 350,000 devices a day on Android's operating system. It shows you just how popular it's become. More than 170 smartphones and tablets actually use Android, so this is making it very appealing to a lot of companies. And so now you have two leaders, a lot of people feel strongly about using their Android. I don't know. What about you, Kate?

BOLDUAN: I'm still a Blackberry girl. I'm old school, I guess.

ELAM: Somehow I knew you were going to say that!

BOLDUAN: I'm just old school. I still have a real cell phone. Like, just a flip phone.

ELAM: Oh, just like a cell phone without smart? It's not smart.

BOLDUAN: No. Not smart.

ELAM: Wow.

BOLDUAN: All right! Stephanie, thanks so much.

ELAM: Good-bye, retro.

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: So, the civil war in Libya, it's being fought as you well know now, town by town. Let's bring you up to speed on the shifting landscape there.

Much of the fighting has been happening along the coastline. So, we want to begin in the western city of Zawiya. Rebels appear to still control the town despite government claims to have captured it. Zawiya is just 30 miles from the capital.

And now moving over to Bin Jawad. This is to the east. Government troops do seem to control this town, Bin Jawad. There was heavy fighting there over the weekend. We've been hearing a lot about that.

And also, as you see, several times today, Gadhafi's war planes have actually bombed the rebel stronghold of Ras Lanuf. This is big headline we've been watching this, and our people on the ground are telling us a lot about it. It's a vital hub of Libya's oil industry and both sides are determined to seize it.

Also, in Libya, as the violence increases, the call for international action is growing louder and louder. Now, the NATO military alliance is stepping up its surveillance and inching toward possible military involvement. CNN's Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon tracking that.

Barbara, what does a, you know, so-called kind of surveillance flight typically involve and how does that involve American pilots and planes? BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, at the moment, Kate, it is really NATO planes and pilots, air surveillance planes. By all accounts, not exactly flying into Libyan air space directly, but over the Mediterranean and with their high-tech gear able to survey the air space in Libya. What they are watching for, of course, is the movement of Libyan jets, Libyan fighter planes.

Still, however, no international consensus either through the United Nations or NATO to take the next step, which would be outright military action against Libya. All the talk about a no-fly zone continues, both at NATO and at the United Nations. But still no vote, no international consensus to do that right now. It still appears all the efforts here are aimed at humanitarian assistance for the people trying to get out of Libya. Kate?

BOLDUAN: And Barbara, to clarify, no one is flying over Libya's -- in Libyan air space at the moment, right?

STARR: Well, that's the -- you know, NATO's been a little cagey about that, to be clear. They're not exactly saying. The indications are that they are not.

You know, there is still some concern, aging though it may be, Libya does have an air defense capability, they have anti-air missiles, they have radar systems systems, they have fighter jets, they have helicopters. All of it old, not in the best of shape. But still capable by all accounts, according to Defense Secretary Gates, of possibly bringing down coalition aircraft. So, everybody is going to be very careful before they step into Libyan air space. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us. Thanks, Barbara.

STARR: Sure.

BOLDUAN: So, a new study directly links where you live to the likelihood you'll develop Type 2 diabetes. They call it "the diabetes belt." We'll break it down for you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: What if I told you the odds of developing diabetes was higher or lower depending only on where you live? That's exactly what the CDC is now saying.

Take a look at this map. This map shows what is now being called the "diabetes belt." The red shows the states with the highest rate of Type 2 diabetes in the U.S. Most of them you see kind of centering in the South there. This new data, the CDC says, will help doctors pinpoint areas to ramp up efforts to prevent and control the disease. Pretty amazing.

And also, new research shows teen eating disorders are higher than previously thought. The study also found that kids started having eating disorders earlier than previously thought. The average age for the onset of anorexia, bulimia and binge drinking was 12 years old. And researchers also found that those young people were not getting the treatments that they needed.

So, in politics, five Republicans on the edge of jumping in the race for the White House. They're making their pitch -- they made their pitch to Iowa voters. We'll have highlights next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Five Republicans testing the waters are reaching out to Iowa voters. The five appeared before a group of evangelicals last night. Our national political correspondent Jessica Yellin joins us live from Des Moines with that story and more. Hey there, Jessica.

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kate. Topping the political ticker right now, Buddy Romer. The former Louisiana governor was a surprise hit at last night's Faith and Freedom Coalition forum here in Iowa. This was the first round-up of would-be Republican contenders appearing before evangelical voters. Some very familiar names.

But Buddy Romer, for most people, was a come-from-nowhere candidate who announced he's exploring running for president. Just announced it last week. And he wowed the crowd by promising to be an independent who takes no more than $100 per donor come the election. Here's a little bit of Buddy Romer for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUDDY ROMER, FORMER LOUISIANA GOVERNOR: I declare my independence. I ask you to join me with $5 or $10 or $20 or $100. Not a penny more. I ask you to spread the word.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: He said he won't take any PAC, PAC, PAC, PAC money. He just kept repeating it until the crowd went nuts.

Another big performer last night was Cain, Herman Cain, who has won over Tea Party activists. Last night, he said to this evangelical crowd, quote, "The U.S. of A will not become the U.S. of Europe."

Other news on the ticker, Newt Gingrich is admitting that maybe his kind of ollout of an exploratory committee that wasn't really, didn't go so well last week. Gingrich as you may recall, his team leaked word early last week he was going to announce he's forming a presidential exploratory committee. Only then they said no, no, no. He's going to announce it's an exploratory Web site. And then they said it would be a press conference, only it wasn't so much.

Well, Gingrich spoke to "The Des Moines Register," saying, quote, It was an -- "It led to unfortunate confusion, but I don't take it as a serious problem." No doubt he's hoping the next steps go a little more smoothly. Kate?

BOLDUAN: No doubt. It's never good before you've even jumped in when we're talking about your missteps. But we'll be watching it. Thanks, Jessica. And we'll have your next political update in one hour. And a reminder. For all of the latest political news, you know where to go. Our Web site, CNNpolitics.com.

On the prowl for cheap gas? Who isn't these days? Coming up, we're going to tell you everything you need to know to save some money at the pump.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Soaring price of gasoline is starting to hit home for many Americans. It's over $4 a gallon in some parts of the country, if you can believe it. And could go much higher, unfortunately. That has many people hunting for cheap gas anywhere they can get it. And GasBuddy.com Patrick Dehann (ph) is joining us to help you. There are actually tips that you can learn from on how to save some money at the pump.

We've heard a lot of stuff, Patrick, but let's run through a few of these and see how many we can actually get through. So, one of the things you suggest is to shop around.

PATRICK DEHANN, GASBUDDY.COM: Yes. You know, like we said, prices can vary widely, just from, block to block especially in times of rising gas prices. So, using technology or just using your eyes looking out for the best prices as you go through the corner and through to work and school. And also paying cash can really come out saving you money. A lot of stations charge more for credit. Sticking with cash can give you a nice discount.

BOLDUAN: That is a good tip. One of the other things you say is shop smart. What do you mean by that?

DEHANN: Yes. Shop smart. You know if you're on vacation, avoiding gas stations near the interstate. They tend to charge more to take advantage of those travelers. Avoiding filling up in an affluent neighborhoods certainly can go a long way. They tend to charge more per gallon as well.

BOLDUAN: I actually have a question, but we'll get to that after we try to dig through even more of these! I have so many questions!

You said use the Web. How can that actually help you when you're already on the road?

DEHANN: You know, GasBuddy.com, a lot of folks out there using our smartphone apps now that we provide free of charge. We have them for most smartphones. We're developing one for Blackberry. Have it for Android and iPhone. Folks download the app, fire it up. It's real convenient just to have on your cell phone on the go. Say you're shopping around. You can easily find the cheapest gas.

And, of course, there's a lot of potential savings there, especially in light of a free app. So, it's a great way to save.

BOLDUAN: And you suggest buying discount gas. What do you mean by that?

DEHANN: Well, discount gas. Wholesale clubs tend to have lower prices than other stations around them. Sure, there's a $50 charge for a membership, but a lot of the time if you fill up frequently, that can still pay off, especially in times like this. Wholesale clubs tend to be as much as 30 cents a gallon less than other independent retailers.

So, wholesale clubs -- not only that, but you're getting a membership to get food at a discount as well. That can often pay off.

BOLDUAN: And drive smarter. Don't we all -- I mean, how can you actually drive smarter? What do you have to do differently?

DEHANN: Well, you know a lot of folks out there, myself -- sometimes we're in a hurry. I mean, we're Americans. We have a lot -- busy schedules. Slowing down, driving more defensively instead of offensively. Not racing to the red light, going a little slower on the highway -- say not five over, maybe five under the speed limit -- really can go a long way to resulting in more fuel efficiency for your vehicle. And will end up putting money in your pocket.

BOLDUAN: And Patrick, really quickly, you talk about shopping around, shop smarter. When you talk about kind of shopping around, how much can gas prices vary in one neighborhood? Can they actually vary drastically?

DEHANN: Oh, very much so, especially in times of rising prices. You know, an example comes to mind. Franklin, Indiana, here in the last two weeks. Just in a matter of hours one station that we were monitoring went from $2.84 up to $3.36. Fifty-two cents just down the block. I got an e-mail from one of our smartphone users saying thanks. You saved me 5 bucks because he filled up closer to home instead of on his way to work near his work. So, a lot of savings there.

BOLDUAN: Ah! Well, there you have it. You can actually find some savings. Patrick Dehann (ph) GasBuddy.com. Thanks, Patrick.

DEHANN: You bet! Thank you.

BOLDUAN: So, CBS has booted Charlie Sheen off "Two and a Half Men." I'm sure you know this by now. And now one late night comedian has even booted him off of his monologue. But like it or not, Sheen is still everywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: You have to figure that Charlie Sheen the punch line will be around for quite a while now. But Conan O'Brien had several zingers last night. Here's one of them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONAN O'BRIEN, HOST, "CONAN": Meanwhile, he's saying all kinds of things. This is what he said. The most recent thing he said. Charlie Sheen announced as part of a humanitarian effort, he's taking a trip to Haiti. He's going to go to Haiti. Sheen's exact quote was, "I want to show them what a real disaster looks like."

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: But Craig Ferguson, well, he won't be telling any more Charlie Sheen jokes, apparently. He's had simply enough.

But for now there's no escaping the Sheen machine. Here's Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the Sheening of America.

CHARLIE SHEEN, ACTOR: Welcome to Sheen's Corner.

MOOS: He's on every corner.

BILL HADER, CAST MEMBER, NBC'S "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": Live from New York, it's Saturday night.

MOOS: Sirius Radio devoted an entire channel to him for a day.

ANNOUNCER: Tiger Blood Radio.

MOOS: Spike TV will feature Sheen's greatest antics in Taiwanese animation. He's even alienated witches for misusing the word "warlock."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We bind you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We bind you.

MOOS: So a couple of witches in Massachusetts performed a magical intervention.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need to come and cleanse your house.

MOOS: But Sheen's very own Web casts are what tipped the scale.

SHEEN: The tag line is "torpedoes of truth."

MOOS (on camera): Well, how's this for a torpedo of truth? It seems the shine has come off Charlie Sheen.

(voice-over) In one Web cast he showed off a tattoo on his wrist of his slogan "winning," and said hi to his kids.

SHEEN: Daddy loves you. And if you're watching, tell Mom to leave the room. It's on.

MOOS: One of his goddesses perched on his lap. Sheen was literally playing with fire as viewers wait for him to combust.

SHEEN: It's kind of an eerie image. I'm burning my own face, but I can't feel the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) heat.

MOOS: As one poster on TMZ put it, "Parents, make your kids watch this. If that doesn't scare them away from drugs, nothing will."

(on camera) You know the joke has become a little too sick when a comedian refuses to tell any more jokes about Charlie Sheen.

(voice-over) Craig Ferguson spoke of how the English insane asylum named Bedlam provided entertainment back in the 18th Century.

CRAIG FERGUSON, TALK SHOW HOST: They would pay a penny, and they would look through the peepholes of the cells, and they would look at the lunatics. And looking at the Charlie Sheen thing unfold, and I'm thinking oh, man.

MOOS: But Ferguson wasn't kidding. No more Charlie Sheen jokes.

Sheen himself has become a verb. The creators of "South Park" used it to describe the state they got themselves in when they once dressed in drag for the Oscars.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were just Sheening our heads off.

MOOS: From our couches, we judge who does the best Sheen. Is it "SNL"?

HADER: Sorry, middle America. Losers, winning, bye-bye.

MOOS: Or Jimmy Fallon?

JIMMY FALLON, TALK SHOW HOST: Winning, Adonis DNA. I'm a bitching rock star, blood of a tiger. I'm like Zeus in a Speedo.

MOOS: But something stinks when we don't know if it's OK to laugh and winning is a losing proposition.

FRED ARMISEN, CAST MEMBER, NBC'S "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": Winning!

HADER: Winning.

MILEY CYRUS, SINGER/ACTRESS: Winning.

HADER: Winning.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN...

SHEEN: Winning, winning, winning!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Winning, winning, winning!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Winning, winning, winning!

MOOS: ... New York. (END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: Oy, oy, oy.

And that's all for me today. I'll hand it off to the one, the only, Suzanne Malveaux.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Kate. Great to see you.

BOLDUAN: Great to see you.