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Women in Egypt; Fighting, Not Talking, in Libya; Fighting Radicalization; Obama's 180 on Guantanamo
Aired March 08, 2011 - 13:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Well, one word tells the story in Libya today -- no. No deal for dictator Moammar Gadhafi to give up and go away. No place, especially on the central Libyan coast. And potentially, if the fighting drags on, a no-fly zone imposed and enforced by the West, but no sign anything like that is imminent.
Both sides are denying reports of offers by Gadhafi or deadlines from rebels, any sort of negotiating end to the bloodiest of all of those regional uprisings that we've seen.
This is the refinery town of Ras Lanuf where outgunned opposition forces are trying to hold off army troops and hold on to territory, assets and momentum gained in the past three weeks, momentum that now seems to be on the army's side. But we haven't heard of any big new military victories in the last little while.
I do want to point out two other cities, Benghazi, which you can see all the way over there on the east of Libya, and Tripoli, which is on the west. Benghazi, which is where the opposition leadership is headquartered.
Let me show you Zawiya, just west of Tripoli, over there on the western side of the country. That's where we're getting report that's Gadhafi is bombarding and anti-government fighters with tanks and warplanes, but still apparently failing to retake the city's center.
We're going to talk to Nic Robertson in just a moment. He is in Tripoli, where we're hearing there is a red carpet awaiting, we think, the arrival of Moammar Gadhafi. We'll find out more about what's going on in Tripoli and those surrounding areas from Nic very shortly.
OK. Today's "Sound Effect" is from the 2011 International Women of Courage Awards ceremony. First lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton honored 10 women from around the world for courage and leadership in advocating women's rights and empowerment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Each in her own way decided to act. They decided to speak up, to publish an article, to file a lawsuit, to run for office, to open a school. And they have done these things at great, tremendous risk to themselves and to their families.
They've received death threats. They have been beaten, kidnapped, imprisoned, tortured. One, as Secretary Clinton mentioned, has even had her house bombed and must now home-school her children out of fear for their safety.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: This year's women of courage include Kyrgyzstan president Roza Otunbayeva. She's the first woman ever to head a government in central Asia. Today's ceremony coincided with the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, which was first held in 1911 in Germany, Austria, Denmark and Switzerland.
Well, in Egypt, activists were hoping to mark International Women's Day with what they called a Million Woman March. But fewer than 1,000 women turned out, including, well, some men who chanted anti-feminism slogans. Activists had hoped that women would turn out in force today to demand an equal role in Egyptian society.
CNN's Carl Azuz has long been looking into the status of women in Egypt.
Carl, good to see you. Where do things stand where the status of women in Egypt?
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS: They're not nearly as good now as they were in ancient times, interestingly enough. In ancient civilizations, women in Egypt were treated comparatively very well. They were almost equal with men.
Things in recent centuries have changed significantly. And women had actually been a -- they played a seminal role in the protests that took place in Egypt and led to President Mubarak's ouster.
VELSHI: OK.
AZUZ: So, you had a lot of people who, at the height of the protests, were roughly a quarter women on some days.
VELSHI: Right.
AZUZ: And so a quarter of the people are women, they want him out. They feel that the military is not doing as good a job.
Mubarak had instituted some minor reforms to sort of increase women's role in government in his later days, but obviously there's a great divide between them. They believe that the military is not doing as good a job recognizing women. There are not laws that protect women, for instance, against sexual assault. Women are routinely groped in public, they're not treated well.
And what a lot of these Egyptian women want, those who turned out to protest in smaller numbers today than they used to, one of the big things they're look for is a role in drafting Egypt's constitution. They know their government is changing, they know there's an incoming group in this revolution, and they want to be part of what's going to happen.
VELSHI: Give me a sense of how women are treated in Egypt in compared to in other countries.
AZUZ: Not well at all. The World Economic Forum ranks countries based on gender equality. And out of 134 countries, Egypt was near the very bottom.
VELSHI: Wow.
AZUZ: In fact, Egypt was ranked, I believe, 125 out of 134 countries in terms of how it treats women. And there are other divides, too, as well as unemployment goes.
I mean, for men in Egypt, unemployment is around 12 percent. You see on this graphic for women it's 32 percent, and these are women who want to work, who want to hold jobs.
As far as the literacy rate goes, also a significant divide. In men, the literacy rate is around 83 percent. In women, 59 percent.
So, bottom line here, Ali, is that those women who did turn out for the protests against Mubarak and the smaller protests today, they want gender equality. Whether or not they get it remains to be seen by whoever comes in Egypt's government.
VELSHI: Carl, good to see you. Thanks very much for that.
AZUZ: Thank you, Ali.
VELSHI: All right. Let's go back to Libya, Tripoli, the capital.
The red carpet is rolled out in front of a hotel that's filled with journalists. We think -- there it is, there's pictures of it from earlier today. We think it's for Gadhafi, but no one knows for sure whether or when he might show up.
CNN's Nic Robertson is there. He joins me on the phone right now for "Two at the Top" -- actually more than the phone. There he is. I actually see his face.
Nic, what can you tell us?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the red carpet has been out for I think five hours, or maybe I'm losing track now, six hours. Moammar Gadhafi, we were told hours and hours ago, was going to come here. Government officials didn't know why.
Now it appears that he might be giving an interview to some Turkish journalists. He might also be speaking to the rest of us.
He's the man at the center of the news today. We're getting no indication of why he isn't showing up, but this is quite typical for him.
He will keep people waiting for hours and hours and hours, sometimes even days, journalists have been kept waiting, days before. So he may have had a change of heart. He may have just decided he wants to come out late tonight, Ali.
This is the way that he operates. And this is one of the reasons people criticize him, because he's an autocrat. He doesn't believe it, he doesn't say it himself. But this is the way he runs the country. People just wait on him and his decisions.
And we're watching it downstairs in the lobby of this hotel right now -- Ali.
VELSHI: Nic, we reported that earlier today, there were talks of negotiations between Gadhafi and the opposition, about him leaving the country or him getting safe passage out of the country in exchange for giving up the government. You've since rebuffed that.
There's nothing like that going on? Are there negotiations going on?
ROBERTSON: There are negotiations, we are told. Government officials tell us there are negotiations going on between tribes and tribes, tribes who are on the government side and tribes who are on the opposition side. And these tribes straddle the lines.
You have tribes that have got representations here in Tripoli, or in this part of the country the government controls, and they're also represented further east, where the rebels are. And the government is trying to sort of convince these tribal groups, to convince their brothers and sisters that they call them, to come on to the government side.
They say they've been successful in some places doing that. We haven't seen categorical proof of that.
Government officials today told us that they would try and show that to us tomorrow, take us to tribal leaders to prove that they're keeping the tribes on site. So this is perhaps where the talks are going on, and this is all about which side people should stand on, not here, as far as we understand about Gadhafi, sort of getting out some get out (ph) or stepping down after a few months.
Intelligent people here though, however, say this is the kind of formula that's ultimately going to be needed when there is a meeting of the minds between the east and the west of this country. But right now, the government is nowhere near that. Gadhafi is nowhere near that. Ultimately, that might be part of the end game, though -- Ali.
VELSHI: All right. Nic Robertson, in Tripoli, on top of this story for us.
Thanks, Nic.
All right. Back here in the United States, two U.S. marshals were shot and wounded in St. Louis today while trying to serve an arrest warrant. One is in critical condition. A police officer suffered minor injuries in the same incident, and the alleged shooter is dead.
Details remain sketchy, but authorities say all three law officers were inside the alleged shooter's house when the incident took place. A total of four U.S. marshals have been shot serving arrest warrants this year.
Women in Texas may soon be required to get a sonogram before getting an abortion. Last night, the Texas House of Representatives approved a bill that requires 24 hours to pass after the ultrasound before the woman can have an abortion.
Today, protesters gathered fighting against the legislation. This is a brand new video of those protests.
A similar bill passed in the Senate. The Senate required only two hours, as opposed to 24 hours in the House version. The Senate version also allows a woman to choose not to see the images or sounds if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or if the fetus has an irreversible medical condition. According to our affiliate, KVUE, the House version contains no such provisions.
And we want to know what you think about this ultrasound idea. Join the discussion on my blog, CNN.com/Ali. You can also post on my Facebook and Twitter pages.
A Somali community here in the United States is taking steps to prevent its young people from becoming extremists. We're going to take you there right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: The controversy continues over the upcoming congressional hearings on the radicalization of Muslim-Americans. Congressman Peter King, who is the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, says it's a growing threat. But many Muslim communities say they can handle their own issues and are policing themselves.
CNN's Deborah Feyerick visits a Somali community in Ohio that's doing exactly that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every week, Mussa Farah checks in with Somali families in this Columbus, Ohio, neighborhood. It's not just a social call. As his questions show, Farah stands watch. MUSSA FARAH, HORN OF AFRICA COMMUNITY CENTER: Can you tell you who is associated with your kids? Do you know anybody calling your son? Has your kid changed his behavior recently?
FEYERICK: Many of these families fled war-torn Somalia to save their children, fearful they might be recruited by the al Qaeda-linked terror group al-Shabaab, which means "youth" in Arabic.
That danger seems to have followed them here. The fear now, that young Somalis may be targeted for recruitment by the same violent extremists.
FARAH: There's nothing worse than a young mother or father who brought a young one here, go to school, then go out of this county and become a suicide bomber.
FEYERICK: The FBI has invested heavily in community outreach across the country. Homeland security experts say it has paid off, there's greater trust and cooperation than in the past.
KEITH BENNET, SPECIAL-AGENT-IN-CHARGE, FBI: We have seen many instances where parents have indicated that they would have concerns about their child. And they'll come to us and we work together with that parent to hopefully minimize or mitigate any potential threat.
FEYERICK: Businessman Abdoul Shmohamed says Columbus, Ohio, mosques are united, urging constant vigilance against potential recruiters.
(on camera): Who is it in the community who is potentially radicalizing young people? Is it the Internet? Is it somebody? Is it an Internet imam?
Who are we talking about?
ABDOUL SHMOHAMED, ABUBAKAR ASIDDIQ ISLAMIC CENTER: That's something we haven't been -- we left that for the law enforcement to figure it out.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Even on college campuses like Ohio State University, Somali-born Abdullhi Yusef has worked to educate his peers about the dangers of radicalization.
ABDULLHI YUSEF, OSU, SOMALI STUDENT ASSOC.: We have people dying back home. And to see Somali youth who have been given a chance to live in this great nation, and getting education to go back and do such insane actions, I mean, it is very -- it is very frustrating.
FEYERICK: So far, there's no evidence anyone from Ohio has been recruited, and that's just how these Somalis want it to stay.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELSHI: Deborah Feyerick joins me now from New York. Deb, what do the members of this community think about all of this?
FEYERICK: Well, I spoke to one mom. She said, "Look, we didn't travel all the way from Somalia to escape civil war just so our sons could come to this country and then turn around and blow themselves up."
There's a really big problem. Many Muslims now feel frightened, they feel that this is sort of going back to American history, but instead of targeting Japanese-Americans, now it's Muslim- Americans. And one person from a Muslim group told me that instead of bringing the American-Muslims in, Peter King's hearings are really serving to demonize, if not turn, everyone into suspects. And that's the problem, sort of a step backwards because so much has taken place in the meantime.
VELSHI: All right. Deb, thanks very much.
Deb Feyerick, in New York.
I also want to draw your attention to a "CNN in America" special, "Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door." Soledad O'Brien chronicles the fight over the building of a mosque in the heart of the Bible Belt. Her special report airs Sunday, March 27th, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.
OK. I want to go back to that story about the legislation in Texas forcing women to have an ultrasound before they have an abortion. We posted the question online today, and let me tell you that people are fired up about it.
The majority of people agreed with Kaelin. She says, "As a Texan, I think this is ridiculous. If the Texas legislature would stop wasting time on issues like this, and address the budget and education, we would be in much better shape."
Some agreed with Toviana, who posted this on my blog: "This will make life inside of them more real. It's easy to pretend a baby in utero isn't alive until you see it on a screen."
John took a broader, more political approach. He says, "Republicans say it's unconstitutional for the government to require people to obtain medical insurance, but it's OK for the government to require women to have a medical test performed on them against their will."
Join the conversation by heading to my blog, CNN.com/Ali, or to Twitter or Facebook.
Well, you think golf is just a leisurely game? Wait until you find out how much it generates for the U.S. economy. I'm talking to the CEO of the PGA of America next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) VELSHI: Well, it's no secret that lots of big business deals are made on the golf course, but you may not realize what a huge business golf itself has become. It's truly a driving force in the U.S. economy, accounting for $76 billion a year. It's supporting about two million jobs, according to an industry study.
Here in Georgia alone, golf generates more than $5 billion a year and 57,000 jobs. And as a bonus, this state is hosting two of the year's Majors, the Masters in Augusta and the PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club.
Now, today happens to be Golf Day in Georgia, and the legislature has proclaimed 2011 as the Year in Golf.
The CEO of the PGA of America, Joe Steranka, is in town to help kick that off. He's here with us to talk about where golf is headed this year and beyond.
Joe, good to see you. Thank you for being with us.
JOE STERANKA, CEO, PGA OF AMERICA: Ali, always good to be with you.
You know, I have to tell you that it's fitting that we're in Georgia for Golf Day. Golf in Georgia has a great tradition, going back to Bobby Jones. But it's also a contemporary leader when you look at the variety of golf from the Sea Islands to some of the nine or 10 state-owned golf courses that are in the parks districts that provide affordable recreation.
VELSHI: Did golf take a hit in the recession?
STERANKA: Absolutely. Come on, you know, we went through the toughest economic time in our lifetimes. And, you know, we're a pure discretionary expenditure of time and money.
People don't need to play golf or spend money on it to put food on the table for their families or send their kids to school. But think about it. We were down six percent in customer visits that we measure by rounds played, and 10 percent in revenue from 2006 to 2010.
I guess the term that they're using now is golf has "earnings durability." And we're quite proud of that.
VELSHI: Is it broadened out? I mean, some people still see golf as a bit of an elite sport. Has it really broadened out beyond that?
STERANKA: Sure. You know, it is one of the perceptions about golf that is important for leaders like myself to convey. It's the reason that we created the "We are Golf" campaign, to show that the face of golf, whether it's the two million people who put food on the table for their families, or the 27 million people who play the game of golf, has never been more diverse.
VELSHI: Twenty-seven million in America?
STERANKA: Yes. Think about that. And 110 million people who don't play have played 18 holes of golf some time in their life. So that's going to be part of our strategy going forward.
VELSHI: They might be like me when they played 18 holes of golf, and they were so bad at it, they never went back.
Fascinating that you need sort of a PR effort or a lobbying effort since everybody who you would be lobbying plays golf. I mean, certainly the lawmakers in this country all enjoy golf.
STERANKA: Yes, but if you think about it, as popular as golf is -- and it's certainly at unprecedented levels of popularity -- 16 percent of American households have a golfer in them. So we've got a big universe of folks who don't know about golf, and they've reset how they're spending time and money in the aftermath of the recession.
You know, we fueled our consumption for two decades on the strength of our homes, and now many American households are home- poor. Any growth in discretionary spending is going to be tied to household wage increases that you report on quite a bit.
VELSHI: Right.
STERANKA: And the projections are that's going to be slow. Well, golf has great value.
It is fun. It is healthy. It is something that you can play from age 8 to age 80. And did you know that the average 18- hole greens fee in this country is just $28?
VELSHI: I didn't know that. I would have guessed a lot higher than that.
STERANKA: And a lot of people do.
American households are looking for value now. We have a program called Get Golf Ready that would be great to get you back into golf. It's $99.
VELSHI: If you had seen how I played golf, let me just tell you, you would say it might be good for some people, it's not good for Velshi.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: All right. Let me ask you about this.
STERANKA: Sure.
VELSHI: Tiger Woods, what's he done or not done for golf since his troubles?
STERANKA: Well, let's first put it in the context that Tiger Woods has been great for golf. You look at golf when Tiger would start, and where it is today, it's a much more popular sport. There are more people of color playing the game.
VELSHI: Right.
STERANKA: There's a greater emphasis on fitness. And the global appeal is much broader because of Tiger Woods. The challenges that the golf economy is facing are tied to the economy and the recession, not the personal challenges that Tiger and his family have faced.
VELSHI: Is there another Tiger Woods out there? And I mean in terms of somebody who's that good a golfer, who can open it up and bring more people into it.
STERANKA: Well, there was this fellow Bobby Jones who, like, won everything in his generation, and no one said that could be matched. And along came this kid from Ohio State, Jack Nicklaus, and he sets the record. And Tiger Woods was at home putting up Jack's poster on the wall, and kind of setting a dream or a plan to take down his record, and he's on the precipice of doing that. So, yes, somewhere among the millions --
VELSHI: But you haven't seen this person yet?
STERANKA: Well, the kids coming up today -- and we saw a glimpse of that on the PGA tour last year with Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson really emerging. It was one of the great things --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: What about women? Are there more women playing? Are there more girls getting into golf? And is it becoming sort of much more mainstream? Because golf is still one of those things that separates men and women.
STERANKA: Well, one out of four of our customers is female. And we're just in our second generation of Title IX women who are really empowered to play sports. That's the reason that we've invested in relationships with the WNBA, with the Executive Women's Golf Association.
We want to associate golf with women who are looked up to by young girls. So our efforts to get more high school girls' golf teams and transition those girls to college golf, maybe some of them going to a PGA Golf Management University where they can get a degree in golf management and become a PGA golf professional, we know that when women go to the course and they see other women in positions of responsibility, they feel more comfortable. And it's also our -- the same strategy that we're using when we focus on growing participation among people of color.
VELSHI: All right. Good to see you, Joe. Thanks very much for coming by and talking to us about this.
STERANKA: I'm counting on you. Get golf ready, five lessons, $99. You can't pass that up.
VELSHI: For me, that might be a waste of $99. But it sounds like a good deal. Joe, thanks for being with us.
STERANKA: Thank you.
VELSHI: All right. Let me bring you up to speed with some of our top stories.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: It you're at Mardi Gras, and you're enjoying the celebrations there, it could literally rain on your parade.
Jacqui Jeras is here with the latest on this.
I actually heard tornado warnings or tornado conditions.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: A tornado watch has been issued, and the line is literally just north of New Orleans.
VELSHI: OK.
JERAS: But the rule is, within 25 nautical miles. So consider yourself in the watch area, which means conditions are favorable.
VELSHI: OK.
JERAS: So look at this. So -- look at this, a parade from earlier today!
VELSHI: That looks okay!
JERAS: Yes, it looks OK. The rain is just to the west now. So there are all these people out there, thousands of people trying to celebrate, and a lot of them don't live in New Orleans. A lot of them haven't been there before.
So, if you're watching, say, from Pat O'Brien's with a hurricane in your hand, keep in mind that you need to check the place out. Qnd you need to find out where the tornado shelter is. Because those sirens could go off. If they do, you need to know where to go.
VELSHI: Better to be helpful than to be a hindrance by sitting around being one extra person who doesn't know where to go.
JERAS: Get out of the way! Yes. Exactly. Kind of a bummer. This is the second time --
VELSHI: I mean, on one level, these folks in New Orleans know how to party and they're not scared by much. On the other level, they may wait a little late. So, let's just hope everybody stays safe.
JERAS: Right. Don't have too many cocktails where you can't find the shelter is.
All right. Here's the watch we're talking about, this is in effect until 9:00 local time tonight. We do have one warning out there already. This is near Baton Rouge. This is Baton Rouge Parish, doesn't include Baton Rouge itself. It's just off to the west.
Doppler radar is indicating the rotation but it's not sighted, hasn't been seen on the ground at this time. But it could happen at any time, so you want to take shelter and just be aware of your surroundings.
So, here's New Orleans right here, right? The showers and thundershowers are developing off to the west. We're talking maybe an hour or so that they're going to be moving in. So keep that in mind for the rest of your afternoon plans.
But look at this system. This is a big deal, Ali. As this thing heads north, look at this moisture moving in towards some cooler air. We're talking heavy snow, Omaha up toward Mason City and possibly even into Minneapolis. We've been dealing with the floods as well across parts of the Midwest.
VELSHI: Wow!
JERAS: Check this out. That is mud. That car is stuck in mud. That's Greenville, Massachusetts. This is from yesterday. Heavy rain, melting snow causes a mudslide. One guy gets stuck in it.
VELSHI: Aw! Poor guy. At least it looks like there's help on the way.
JERAS: Yes. They had to shovel it out of there with bulldozers.
VELSHI: All right. Jacqui, thank you.
Hey, when you build the home you want, you want something that will fit your budget, maybe even your taste. In today's "Building Up America," in Little Rock, Arkansas, it's all about safety first. Tom Foreman reports.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ali, we have a real chance for a big front, maybe even tornadoes to come through here later today. And you know from your travels when that kind of weather comes through, the damage can be tremendous. Loss of lives, loss of property.
Of course, for construction people, it means a lot of work. But one man in construction here started saying, maybe there's a better way. A way to create construction work and keep people's homes safe.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) FOREMAN (voice-over): Tornadoes kill 80 people, injure hundreds, and cause a billion dollars worth of damage in an average year but in a suburb of Little Rock right in tornado alley.
(on camera): It all looks perfectly normal.
JOHN HOUSE, PRESIDENT, KODIAK STEEL HOME: Right.
FOREMAN: John House's home holds a secret solution no visitor would suspect.
HOUSE: They wouldn't have any idea whatsoever unless they went up into the attic.
FOREMAN: Well, let's go up into the attic.
HOUSE: Ok.
FOREMAN: So up here, we can really see the difference.
HOUSE: Right, because we have bolted together structural steel --
FOREMAN (voice-over): The frame is not made of wood but of steel.
HOUSE: This is an I-beam.
FOREMAN: John is the President of Kodiak Steel Homes. And he says despite the economic downturn, despite the fact that these houses can cost up to five percent more than usual, folks like Charlie Tackett are snapping them up.
CHARLIE TACKETT, HOUSEOWNER: I might be spending a little bit more now but it's going pay for it in the end. This house sounds is not going nowhere.
FOREMAN: Other companies make steel homes but not many. John is proud to say his can withstand 140-mile-an-hour winds for four hours.
HOUSE: Yes, I'll do it right away.
FOREMAN: Sales have declined a bit but John says not nearly as much as for other builders because people want to be even more secure in their big investments now.
HOUSE: So instead of making our homes cheaper in response to the recession, we have made our homes better.
FOREMAN: Would you have any doubts about being up in this attic during a tornado?
HOUSE: No, none whatsoever.
FOREMAN: And he has no doubt his houses will help him weather the economic storms, too. (END VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN: Now, no home can really be tornado-proof. They had a big storm come down this street once that took out some of these big buildings even. But the idea is they can be more tornado resistant. That's creating construction jobs here and hopefully keeping a lot of people from having to build up again every time a big storm comes around. Ali?
VELSHI: All right. Tom, thank you.
Is the power of the World Wide Web? Google changes its math and millions are affected, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Thirty-five minutes after the hour. Here's some stories you may have missed.
Fish and game officials in California say the millions of anchovies - you are looking at Redondo Beach, by the way. That is the water. Millions of anchovies now floating in the harbor at Redondo Beach, apparently suffocated. Apparently the fish swept in from the ocean and used up all the oxygen in their new enclosed surroundings. There are no signs of oil or other chemicals in the water.
A U.S. State Department spokesman says we're going to hold him accountable. That's the latest word on Moammar Gadhafi. Earlier today, rumors about a possible deal that would allow the Libyan leader to step down in exchange for immunity. However, both sides have now come out and said it's not true.
The Taliban is claiming responsibility for a deadly attack in Pakistan. At least 24 were killed, 105 wounded, when the bomb went off at a natural gas station. The target of the attack was a building that housed Pakistan's top spy agency. Most of those killed were civilians.
Two U.S. marshals were shot and wounded. The officers were trying to serve a warrant -- an arrest warrant in St. Louis. One of the marshals is in critical condition. A police officer suffered minor injuries. The alleged shooter is dead.
Google's recent change to its search algorithm is affecting business worldwide. Sites whose ranking rose due to the shake-up are seeing their traffic and revenues soar. Internet experts estimate the algorithm change has shifted a billion dollars in annual revenue.
And the battle for Libya. Government tanks, troops and planes attacking on all fronts. The latest, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Both sides in Libya's civil war are denying reports that Moammar Gadhafi has offered to step down if he and his family are allowed to leave the country. But the rhetoric over who said what has done nothing to slow the fierce fighting.
This is the third day of battle for control of Ras Lanuf. Look, tere's Tripoli. This is controlled by Gadhafi's forces. This is Benghazi in the east of the country, it is controlled by opposition forces. Here's Ras Lanuf. This is a major oil port, lots of pipelines from the oilfields go to Ras Lanuf. It's a site of a major oil refinery, and the witnesses there say government planes bombed the area at least three times today. We don't have reports on casualties, but the two sides apparently remain in a bloody battle.
Now I want to show you the battle for Ras Lanuf has stopped the rebel advance westward to Tripoli, at least for now. The next stop -- stepping stone is Sirt -- Sirtain, Gadhafi's hometown and now controlled by his forces.
Now, just 30 miles west of Tripoli is Zawiya. Just on the outskirts, really. The fighting for control of Zawiya continues. It's the closest town to the capital that rebel forces actually control. Witnesses say government forces launched another attack today with tanks and artillery to recapture the town. Witnesses say rebels hold the central square and are using loudspeakers to urge residents to help them defend the city.
All right, for more on Libya, joining us now with his take on it is CNN international anchor John Vause. John, good to see you. What do you make of the fact that this monk the news out there was that there was some kind of deal, Gadhafi has agreed if they give him safe passage for him and his family and let him leave the country, he'll hand over power? It seemed almost too good to be true. And it turned out to be.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Often that's the case. If there was an offer - I'm very doubtful there was an offer coming from Gadhafi -- it could have been a decoy for the opposition. It could have been a chance for Gadhafi to sow divisions within the opposition. But really, Gadhafi has said all the way that he doesn't have a position to step down from, and he will die on Libyan soil.
VELSHI: If he did leave, where would he go?
VAUSE: Well, look here. You've got Chad, you got Niger, they are very close to Gadhafi. They probably won't take him because they have close relations with France. Not a lot of countries would want him. We heard from the State Department a short time ago, saying there will still be prosecution even if he leaves. So, he's a hot potato.
There's the international criminal court that wants him. So, he may go to Zimbabwe. He may go to (INAUDIBLE). There are two leaders who don't have a lot of friends in the world. A player out of this might actually be South Africa because the ANC in South Africa, very close ties to Gadhafi because Gadhafi sponsored the ANC during their battle, during the apartheid years in South Africa. So, they will play a role in trying to find him a place.
VELSHI: Interesting. But South africa has a very firm place on the world stage, and they will certainly take some flak.
VAUSE: Oh, sure. But there are close ties, so they may be a broker. I don't think -- they have a former leader of Haiti, a few exiled dictators living there now. So, that's a remote possibility. I don't think he's going though.
VELSHI: I heard reports that the momentum has shifted from being with the rebels to being with the government.
VAUSE: Yes. They had three days. We have Benghazi here. I think we've got - yes, Ras Lanuf. They took about 150 miles of territory in three days. Now, they're kind of got stuck in this little town called Bin Jawad. And that's where they've been stuck.
Now, if you look at these fighters, they're teenagers, they're old men. They're lightly armed, they're disorganized. There's some reports that army defectors who are running this can't have discipline within the ranks. They should be easy pickings for a half decent trained military. The theory is - well, one therory, which I think is actually quite plausible, is that they got all the way just outside Ras Lanuf to Bin Jawad. And then you've got Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte, which is here, and Bin Jawad is here. So they've stopped the advance here.
But what Gadhafi has been doing is drawing them in, leaving all of these towns here unguarded so that now they can do that counteroffensive.
VELSHI: All right. John, good to see you. Thanks very much. We'll stay on top of this story.
The debate over Gitmo, the military trials, indefinite incarceration. Everything old is new again. But should it be? We're putting that question to the "Stream Team."
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VELSHI: Time once again for a CNN Political Update. Mark Preston, senior political editor, at the Political Desk in Washington today.
Mark, what have you got for us?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, Ali. I have a trio of 2012 political nuggets for you.
Let's start off with Peter Handy, who is in Iowa these past couple days following potential Republican presidential candidates throughout the state. He caught up with Ron Paul, the Texas representative, who said he is 50/50 on whether or not he is going to run for the Republican nomination once again. It he does decide to run, what could push him in, Ali? He said if there is a monetary crisis brewing, Ron Paul said he will get into the race.
Moving on, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has made a key hire. He has brought on Jim Dyke, he is a veteran Republican operative. He now lives down in South Carolina. Dyke is well-known in political circles, has done a lot of campaigns.
What's interesting is that Dyke's business partner is it Kevin Madden who is a key adviser to Mitt Romney. So in politics, you can't get to far away, Ali.
Newt Gingrich in an interview with "The Des Moines Register" acknowledges that the rollout of his campaign last week was flubbed. He said it was an unfortunate confusion through his -- some of his key advisers. And he also went on to say, though, he doesn't take it as a very serious problem -- Ali.
VELSHI: Mark, good to see you, my friend.
Your next Political Update from "The Best Political Team on Television" is just one hour away.
Every day here on the show we have a segment called "You Choose." We give you three story headlines and then you vote on which you want to see.
Your first option, a backpack containing the ashes of a dead man is stolen from a church. Your second option, an animal control facility is shut down after reports that 22 dogs were shot, killed and buried in a landfill. And your final option, why the elderly are half as likely to see pedestrians as their younger counterparts are.
Head to my blog CNN.com/Ali to vote. We'll bring you the winning story in about 10 minutes. Once again, cast your vote at CNN.com/Ali.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: A day after President Obama ordered periodic reviews for Guantanamo detainees being held indefinitely, angry members of the House Armed Services Committee are firing back. In just over an hour, committee chairman "Buck" McKeon will discuss new legislation covering terror detentions and prosecutions.
Meantime, lots of talk about the president's 180 on Guantanamo trials yesterday, lifting his suspension of military commissions. A great panel of guests joining us live to talk about all of us. I want to go to Emily Miller, she's a senior editor at humanevents.com.
Emily, let's talk about your views on this. I think Emily is -- there she is. Hi, Emily.
Emily, let's talk about this. The president was really clear back when he was a senator, before he was running for office. He didn't believe in Guantanamo Bay. He wanted it shut down. He came into office, he said it's shut down in a year. We're two years after that and it's still operating, and it looks like it's only going to be operating more. Your take on this.
EMILY MILLER, SENIOR EDITOR, HUMANEVENTS.COM: Well, it's taken President Obama exactly two years -- actually, two years and two months, to revert back to the Bush administration policy of having military tribunals and keeping terrorists off American shores.
It's curious that he's done it this week, the same week that Congressman King is having these hearings on radical Islam. But mostly what's interesting is the president has now announced that he's reverting back to the Bush administration policy of having military tribunals and keeping the terrorists in Cuba.
But the Republicans on the Hill are not pleased with the announcement. Although they agree with having military tribunals as opposed to civilian tribunals, they've been cut out of the process. And so, what you've heard, as you mentioned earlier, "Buck" McKeon, who is the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, is announcing legislation today that is going to start to implement all of these policies that the American people want, which is keep the terrorists out of America, do not give --
VELSHI: All right, we don't actually know, Emily, that that's -- that Guantanamo --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: We're having a discussion here. We can hold on to the propaganda for a second.
Sig Libowitz is an attorney. He's actually been to Guantanamo military trial.
What's your take on this?
SIG LIBOWITZ, AWARD-WINNING FILMMAKER/ATTORNEY: Hello?
VELSHI: OK. He has a very limited take on the whole thing.
Let's go to Pete Dominick, a CNN contributor.
Pete, what's your sense of this whole thing? Clearly, Emily thinks Guantanamo should stay open and the trials should continue to take place as military commissions at Guantanamo Bay. What do you think?
PETE DOMINICK, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think it's ridiculous. I think, speaking of propaganda, that's what Guantanamo is. We know that not because liberalists and leftists say it, we know that because national security experts and interrogators who interrogate al Qaeda say it.
I want to reframe this, Ali Velshi. I want to call it cost. People say it will be too costly to transfer the prison to America. Well, guess what? It will cost $80 million to $200 million to put that prison in America. Two billion dollars a day is what we're spending in Afghanistan. Rather, $2 billion a week -- a week in Afghanistan. Do you think we could use some of that and fight the war on terror by bringing justice to these suspected terrorists? That's my argument.
VELSHI: Emily, give me some sense of this.
MILLER: Well, first of all, again, the legislation is going to be introduced in the House today, and it is going to say that the Congress is not going to give additional rights to the prisoners in Guantanamo, which the president issued in his executive order yesterday.
It also is going to say, which the American people strongly support, is not bringing terrorists on American soil. I mean, American people, propaganda or not, American people do not want, as much as this administration has tried to build jails in Illinois and hold civilian courts, they want military tribunals and they want the terrorists kept off soil.
American people would rather have Charlie Sheen in their house than have the terrorists in their states and jail. So let's be clear, this is what the American people want and Obama, President Obama --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Pete's jumping out of his skin on that one.
DOMINICK: We can talk about what the American people want. I never do that.
I'll tell you what the people of Thompson, Illinois want. They want jobs. They have got a prison there, it's empty. It would be economic stimulus for those people. Put that prison there.
We can take polls on what the American people want. The American people need to do what America and think about what America represents with this justice and freedom. We bring people to justice here. That whole prison in Guantanamo Bay -- listen, Ali, terrorists are not born, they're created. Let's stop helping them being create by giving them these propaganda wins.
MILLER: This is b-- the people in jail in Guantanamo are murders, terrorists. No one -- most likely we'll see as they come out in the trials, generally they've already been vetted by the military --
DOMINICK: Here's the thing, Emily. You bring up a good point, but the thing is there have been about 400 civilian trials of terrorists since 9/11 and there have been six convictions or something at Guantanamo Bay? It just seems from a business perspective a little inefficient.
DOMINICK: Exactly.
MILLER: Well the thing is, every one of those --
(CROSSTALK) MILLER: -- many of these terrorists.
VELSHI: Hold on, Pete, let Emily talk for a second.
MILLER: Many of these terrorists are still in active cells. And as I said, I just talked to the Armed Services Committee, and their fear is, which is a concern of the military, is that any of these active cells, any of these terrorists who speak in an openly civilian trial, it can leak out and military tribunals are better qualified to handle the classified information so information does not get back to the active terrorist cells.
And we know that's what we have here. We have terrorists sitting in Cuba. We have to keep that information away from those who will act on it --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Right but we do have --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Are you saying that it's OK to keep people without trial for that length of time? Just because don't we want to try them? Don't we want to figure out whether they should remain in jail or they should have some prospect of freedom or not?
MILLER Well, that question would have to go to someone who knows the White House's thoughts on this.
(CROSSTALK)
MILLER: The problem is, is because Obama has not addressed Congress, Congress representing the people, he's not been able to get any trials because the American people do not want civilian trials and they do not want the terrorists on their soil. So he's stuck between a rock and a hard place. Or actually between the Bush administration policy, which he didn't want to revert back to.
And remember, the Bush administration and the Obama administration want to close Guantanamo bay. Everybody wants to get rid of the terrorists, whether put them in jail or give them to another country, but it has to be part of a larger strategy and that has not been put into effect because of the executive orders just popping out from the Oval Office.
And so that's what you're going to see coming out of the House today. I know Senator McCain and Senator Lindsey are also working on it in the Senate and you'll some sort of broad strategy of handling these terrorists in Guantanamo Bay and closing it finally.
VELSHI: Emily Miller, good to see you. Pete Dominick, always a pleasure to see you. Both of you -- the Charlie Sheen wins the comment of the day. Americans would rather have Charlie Sheen in their house.
All right, thanks to both of you.
We're going to take a quick break. I'll be right back.
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VELSHI: Back now for our "You Choose" segment where we ask you to vote on the news. The winning story is out of South Carolina where dogs were allegedly shot, killed and buried in a landfill.
According to WSOC-TV, 22 dogs were discovered last week. The Animal Adoption League says the Chesterfield County Animal Shelter is responsible. The sheriff's office is investigating. The animal shelter is closed today, the workers are all on administrative leave.
We'll post the stories about the stolen ashes and elderly drivers on my blog, CNN.com/Ali.
That's it for me. CNN NEWSROOM continues now with Brooke Baldwin -- Brooke.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Ali Velshi enjoy the rest of your day, will you? Thank you.
