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Another Financial Crisis Looming?; Moammar Gadhafi Under Pressure; 'On the Case'; Jared Lee Loughner in Court; Texas Gang Rape Has Town on Edge; AARP Sues Administration Over Reverse Mortgage Rule Change; Peter King to Hold Hearings on Muslims Despite Controversy
Aired March 09, 2011 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And I want to begin with a story just in from Arizona. I know you know who this is, Jared Lee Loughner, in court in Tucson, Arizona. In fact, he grind when he walked in, all according to our correspondent who is inside that courtroom, grind when he was walking in.
Loughner is the accused gunman in the Arizona shooting that killed eight people in January. He is in court today to enter pleas OK soft of the 49 latest charges related to that shooting. Remember the 49 charges came down just a couple of days ago.
There are, as we're told per other correspondent supporters of Loughner's in that courtroom. Seven people in there supporting Loughner. We are going to check in with Ted Rowlands, who is in that courtroom, as soon as he is able to get up and leave the courtroom and come to our CNN camera for full detail of Jared Loughner and that arraignment.
Also developing right now, severe weather right now threatening large portions of the United States, several areas watching for tornadoes at this moment.
I want to go straight to Stephanie Oswald. She is live in Theodore, Alabama, where a possible tornado touched down.
And, Stephanie, I know one witness apparently called the scene at the time 30 seconds of pure hell. You are standing, what, in front of what was once a gas station. What does it look like?
STEPHANIE OSWALD, CNN PRODUCER: Yes, that's right. I can tell you there is a lot of severe property damage here. There's a grocery store across the street that's been very badly damaged, and there are about two dozen cars that had to be towed because they were demolished so badly that they could not identify any owners. That's -- the big problem here has been property damage.
There's a water tower here. That is apparently where the supposed tornado touched down. And then it's almost as if it hopped across the street, because the wires are intact, and then it landed right here at that gas station. And there's another about a half-a- mile of damage from this gas station that goes straight across, a lot of demolition. There were three people who were injured by flying debris, and this happened at about 8:45 local time. BALDWIN: 8:45 local time this morning, so that means people were out and about shopping, people were out on the roads when this apparent tornado hit.
OSWALD: Exactly. And because this is a hurricane, this area is used to getting hurricanes, there was a very quick response, so within 10 minutes, the police, the fire department, they were all here.
And right now, power companies are out. They're working on getting the lines together. Tomorrow, the business owners will have to come in and take over the recovery process, but right now the police are here, and they are providing security so that there will be no looting.
BALDWIN: What a mess, but we appreciate the fast-acting police and fire department. Stephanie Oswald live in Theodore, Alabama, thank you.
And now watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: At least 18 young men are accused of gang-raping a little girl. Coming up, I will speak with a woman who knows some of the suspects and also lives in the neighborhood where this alleged attack took place. I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
(voice-over): He's being called a sociopathic killer. Now Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is targeting the United States and calling upon Libyans to fight. The problem is, many of those people want him dead.
Is America on the verge of another financial crisis? There is a new warning, and it could mean big sacrifices for everyone.
Plus, turn off all electronic devices, that's the wording we hear on flights, but, if you don't, are you putting your plane in jeopardy? We have got the investigation.
And what are some members of Congress giving up for Lent? We have got the list of guilty pleasures.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: The Libyan regime raising the stakes in the country's civil war, Moammar Gadhafi's government announcing more than half a million dollar in rewards for the capturing of this man. This man is the top opposition leader fighting to bring down Moammar Gadhafi.
And we are also this hour getting this video just in. Look at the plume of smoke there. This is the town of Ras Lanuf. Pro-Gadhafi forces are unleashing major, major firepower on the strategic oil port. There are also reports the refinery was shut down after intense fighting there, but opposition forces are still maintaining ground.
Just west of Ras Lanuf, Gadhafi's army appears to have regained control of Bin Jawad. And then near the state capital, in Zawiyah, Libya state TV reports Gadhafi supporters on the street dancing, chanting, king of the kings, Gadhafi and people love you.
CNN has been unable to get to Zawiyah since Monday, but witnesses tell our correspondents the violence there has escalated.
And, now, if it's interesting and happening right now, you're about to see it. Rapid fire, let's begin in Illinois. Illinois doing away with the death penalty. Governor Pat Quinn signed legislation today officially abolishing executions. He calls it -- quote -- "the right and just thing to do." Illinois halted executions in 2000 after almost two death row inmates were exonerated. Governor Quinn says he has signed the legislation because a review convinced him it is impossible to carry out the death penalty without mistakes.
Discovery's career in space is over. After 39 missions and a total of 365 days in space, the shuttle made, there he is on the ground, final landing right around lunchtime today there at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Discovery was a workhorse, racking up some 148 million miles in orbit, and it just has one journey ahead, its new home, I plan to visit it, the Smithsonian.
Texas, take a look at these guns. The feds found them in some guy's gas tank., 13 assault rifles, 27 high-capacity ammo magazines. Apparently the car was headed south across the U.S.-Mexican border. Border agents arrested the driver, who is from Mexico.
People in Japan are plenty rattled today. In the past 24 hours, they have endured not one, but two powerful earthquakes, both of them off the eastern coast of Japan's main island, Honshu, one magnitude- 6.3 quake hitting this afternoon, the other, a 7.2 quake magnitude, striking yesterday. The first one was so powerful, it triggered tsunami warnings there.
Back to Libya, Moammar Gadhafi raising the stakes in the war against protesters. He is now offering a reward for someone's capture. We will tell you who that is. Also, Gadhafi calling out the United States and encouraging Libyans to fight against the West.
Plus, Christians, Muslims taking to the streets and fighting over religion. Up next, I'll tell you what sparked this bloody battle.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: We are going to go globe-trekking now. And I will go straight to Libya for the latest, where Moammar Gadhafi is stepping up his attacks against the opposition.
Hala Gorani is here.
And, first, we know that Gadhafi's regime, they are announcing this big, big award to capture this opposition figure, and it's not chump change. It's $411,000 U.S. for just this one reward. Who are they looking for?
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They're looking for the head of the national transitional council. So this is the minister, one of the ministers from Gadhafi's government who resigned. He defected. He joined the opposition, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, head of the essentially parallel government in Benghazi.
So they -- state television broadcast this message coming from Libyan authorities that any information leading to the capture of this head opposition figure, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, would be rewarded with half a million dinars, which is 400-something -- 411, I think, thousand U.S. dollars, right.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: What about the video? We showed a bit of it out of Ras Lanuf. This is this oil refining town with the big fire and the plumes of smoke that we just turned around. What is happening there? Who has control?
GORANI: Well, that's very difficult to tell, because opposition fighters will say they have control.
But the forces with the upper hand militarily, of course, is the Libyan military still aligned with Moammar Gadhafi. They have the fighter jets. Opposition figures have anti-aircraft guns that many of them don't know how to use properly. And you're seeing here some of this dramatic video from Ras Lanuf.
This is Eastern Libya, the front line of the clash of the conflict between pro-Moammar Gadhafi forces and opposition fighters. How long they will be able to last with this sustained assault from the air is really an open question at this point.
BALDWIN: Then, next door, Egypt, we know -- we haven't talked about Hosni Mubarak in quite a while. We know he's gone.
GORANI: For quite a while, yes.
BALDWIN: But there are still clashes in Tahrir Square today. Why?
GORANI: It was a bit of deja vu all over again in Tahrir Square. Some men unhappy with the pro-democracy activists who are still occupying Tahrir, which was the beating heart of the revolution that lasted 18 days, hurled rocks. They came in with machetes. They came in with knives.
It seems as though two people only were injured, so we didn't have any deaths, but it's a worrying development, because some of the protesters there, the pro-democracy protesters said these guys are the remnants of the Mubarak regime, these thugs, that don't want us here. And then they are also accusing the military of having been very heavy-handed with taking down some of the tents that the pro-democracy activists are still sleeping under in Tahrir Square.
BALDWIN: But then in addition to the people in Tahrir Square, you have this -- the groups of Muslims and Christians. They're clashing in Egypt as well. Why? Over what? GORANI: Over -- well, it's sectarian tension. You will remember, Brooke, that at the beginning of the year there was this horrific suicide bombing in Alexandria, Egypt, of a Coptic Christian church that killed more than 20 people.
Well, a church was burned last week in Cairo, and this was a demonstration of about 1,000 Coptic Christians demonstrating against the kind of ethnic violence they have seen directed toward them. And clashes broke out between Muslims and Christians. And 13 people died. So this is a worrying development.
You know, the euphoria, the euphoria, the post-revolutionary "ahh.."
BALDWIN: Is it gone?
GORANI: Well, some of the old problems are back. We're seeing some tension in Tahrir Square between some of the old elements of the regime, and then, very worryingly, this Christian/Muslim violence. It's a very worrying development, and hopefully it can be contained.
BALDWIN: Hala Gorani, thank you, the latest on Libya and Egypt.
Now, I want you to listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOMAN: It is a place where I raised my children, and I have no problem raising my children in this neighborhood.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: She's talking about the place where at least 18 young men and teenagers are accused of gang-raping this 11-year-old girl. Coming up next, I'm going to speak with a woman who not only knows what goes on in this particular neighborhood. It's called the Quarters. She also knows some of the suspects. Don't miss this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Got an update for you on that disturbing story out of Cleveland, Texas. Charges of gang rape are ripping apart this tiny town just about 50 miles north of Houston. So far, 18 men and boys have been arrested in this alleged gang rape of an 11-year-old girl. The suspects include a middle school student, high school athletes, even, according to "The Houston Chronicle" here, a school board member's 21-year-old son. Police in Cleveland say the assault took place inside this abandoned trailer last November.
Earlier today, I spoke with Sheila Harrison. She lives in this town, in Cleveland, just a block from where this alleged gang rape took place.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHEILA HARRISON, CLEVELAND, TX, RESIDENT (via telephone): We're a close-knit community. You know, your kids, their kids, my kids, they all grew up together. And one person's child is everybody's child. So you know, it's affecting us a lot. It's hurting, you know -- you know, (INAUDIBLE)
BALDWIN: Do you know the girl or know her family at all?
HARRISON: No, I don't.
BALDWIN: Do you know any of the -- there are 18 men and teens charged so far. Police are saying probably more arrests will come. Do you know any of those families at all?
HARRISON: Yes, I do. To have your rest of your life taken before you even get started in life, you know -- and that's a bad thing. You know, we don't know. We've got to wait and see what goes on, you know?
BALDWIN: Let's talk about this mobile home park where this alleged gang rape happened. It's known as "the quarters." Sheila, what kind of neighborhood is it? Is it the kind of place you want your child to go?
HARRISON: It's not a park. It's a house. It's a street over from me. It was a trailer house on the land. It's not a park. And it is a place where I raised my children, and I have no problem raising my children in this neighborhood. I raised both of my sons. My sons are 26 and 30 years old, and I raised my children here. And I have no problem in raising my children in the neighborhood that I live in.
BALDWIN: Describe the neighborhood.
HARRISON: It's middle class, hard-working people that care for their kids and take good care of their kids.
BALDWIN: Did anyone know about this mobile home, this particular mobile home, the trailer where this alleged gang rape happened? I mean, I've seen pictures of the inside. It was a mess. There's condom wrappers and mattresses askew. Was it a known place for bad things?
HARRISON: No. I live a street over from the trailer. I had no kind of inkling anything was going on in that trailer. I never heard anybody even talk about anything going on over there.
BALDWIN: So would you classify it as a dangerous neighborhood or no?
HARRISON: No, it's not a dangerous neighborhood.
BALDWIN: Drugs?
HARRISON: Well, drugs are everywhere. Every neighborhood has drugs in it, whether they live in the heights or whether they live in the dump (ph) or somewhere. Everybody has drugs everywhere. I can't (INAUDIBLE) say that it's really drug-ravaged, but everybody do drugs. Where were the parents of this child? I haven't heard anybody saying that this child was missing, that the parents was looking for her. What is the deal on the parents? They have an 11-year-old, you know, that's hanging out like that. Because if my children -- when they were that age, I knew where my children were and I still just about know where they are. So that's my biggest problem with the whole situation. Where are the parents of the daughter, of the child?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Sheila Harrison. Thanks for talking to me today. As for the 11-year-old girl here at the center of this whole case, her whereabouts are unknown. Reportedly, she has been put in a safe house with a foster family.
Still ahead, the largest group defending seniors in this country now suing the Obama administration. Their argument -- it changed the rules on reverse mortgages, and that's costing people their homes. Might you be at risk?
Also, Candy Crowley's standing by. She has some brand-new information just in from the world of politics. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: The man known as the dean of the Washington press corps, famed "Washington Post" columnist David Broder, has died. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the Watergate scandal which led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Broder was 81. He died of complications from diabetes. And President Barack Obama and the first lady released a statement mourning the loss of Broder. They call him a, quote, "true giant of journalism" and say their thoughts and prayers are with his family.
If you pay a mortgage, listen up here. One group is suing the Obama administration, saying it changed the rules on reverse mortgages and that is costing some Americans their entire home. Alison Kosik live in New York. And Alison, talk to me about these reverse mortgages. What's the story here?
ALISON KOSIK, CNNMONEY CORRESPONDENT: OK, Brooke, so this -- these are a type of home loans given to people who are 62 years of age or older, and it really let's them convert part of the equity in their home into cash. It basically turns their house into a big ATM machine, and you get regular payments from your bank.
So what's happening with this is AARP -- that's the group that kind of looks out for seniors -- is suing the Obama administration, Housing and Urban Development, with a lawsuit saying that HUD changed the rules so that a surviving spouse who isn't on the mortgage would wind up having to pay the full loan balance, regardless of whether the home was worth less.
Now, a key point in getting a reverse mortgage is that it can't exceed the value of the home. So what essentially happened here is the change, says AARP, means that the home owner has to pay much more than they thought they'd signed up for, and the three plaintiffs in this suit are being kicked out of their house, Brooke, facing foreclosure. No comment from HED -- from HUD, actually.
BALDWIN: From HUD. From HUD. What about a follow-up on the not so itsy bitsy spider? We talked about this, what was it last week, targeting cars? There was a recall on Mazdas, and now Honda Accord drivers, heads up?
KOSIK: I know! I can't believe this. Spidey's back, just when you didn't want him to come back, especially when you take a look at him. Do you have a picture of this spider?
BALDWIN: Oh, there he is!
KOSIK: Creepy! Really creepy.
BALDWIN: Like you said last time...
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: What did you say last time, the cute little hairy spider (INAUDIBLE) poked a little fun at you?
KOSIK: The tarantulas are kind of cute. You kind of want to pet them, exactly.
BALDWIN: Or not.
KOSIK: That's a yellow-sacked (ph) spider. The yellow-sacked spider is getting into Honda Accords, as well. There's no recall on the Hondas like we saw on the Mazdas. But what's happening is these spiders are clogging the fuel systems, which could cause a fire. Now, there haven't been any incidents of this. But now Honda has popped up with these spiders, as well.
You know, it seems like -- you know, I was trying to find out, why are these spiders flocking to these cars? You know what I found out, Brooke?
BALDWIN: What?
KOSIK: They are attracted to the gas fumes. They like the smell. And that's why these spiders are crawling into the gas tanks. They like to get high on these gas fumes.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: And weave -- weave a web and who knows what is leading to recalls.
KOSIK: Exactly.
BALDWIN: I'd love a picture of the spider in the gas tank then, I guess. Alison Kosik, to be continued, I guess.
KOSIK: Yes. BALDWIN: Thank you.
KOSIK: You got it.
BALDWIN: And now chief political correspondent and anchor Candy Crowley -- not so sure how she feels about spiders, but I think she knows a thing or two about politics -- joining me now with the latest news from the "Political Ticker." And Candy, I know we've been talking a lot here at CNN about the Congressman Peter King hearings in Washington beginning tomorrow. Is the public split over this?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, about the hearings themselves, that's a little different question. But there is some -- a new Pew poll out, and the question is whether people believe that Islam is a religion more likely to encourage violence than other religious. Forty percent said yes and 42 percent said no. So just sort of adding fuel to this fire.
As you know, those King hearings have become quite controversial. He, of course, has said, Why don't you judge me after the hearings instead of before? But he has raised quite a bit of ire, especially in the American Muslim community, saying that he is unfairly targeting a specific group. But again, the public very split in this poll about whether or not they believe that Islam is a religion that encourages violence among its followers.
I want to give you a little blast from the past, Brooke, Rod Blagojevich. I'm sure you remember him...
BALDWIN: Oh, yes!
CROWLEY: ... the former governor of Illinois. Well, he has a new trial that was supposed to start at the -- near the end of April. In his last trial, he got convicted on one count of lying to the feds, but he got -- there was no -- a split jury on 23 counts. So the prosecutors wanted to go back and try those other 23.
Well, he -- his lawyers, anyway, have filed a motion saying, Hey, why don't you just go ahead and sentence him on that one count, which is up to five years in prison, and forget the other 23 because the taxpayers -- it's a waste of taxpayer money and they're going to have to pick up the tab. And also, P.S., Blagojevich says he's out of money, as well. So the chances of that happening, I'm told, are not great. There probably will be another trial. Nonetheless, a file by Blagojevich saying, Let's not have the trial, just do a sentencing on the one count.
And finally, March madness. You may have heard that's coming up.
BALDWIN: I have.
CROWLEY: And there's sort of a March madness Washington style. First of all, Senator John McCain for another year is inviting people to go to his political action committee site and match their bracket up against his. And if they beat him, he sends a signed basketball -- signed by him, basketball to whoever had the better bracket picks. You do have to give him your e-mail and some other information, which I'm just thinking might mean that you would hear something from John McCain sort of later on down the road, nonetheless.
The president also put out his brackets last year, his picks. Not so sure he's going to do it this year. But as you know, he is a huge fan and also quite good at sort of judging basketball. So we are also looking to see if the president's going to put out who he thinks might win all that March madness here.
BALDWIN: Yes, and seem...
CROWLEY And meanwhile, as you know, we have March Madness here budget style.
BALDWIN: Of course. I know. I just cheated and looked you up. So you went to Reynolds (ph) Macon Women's College, fantastic institution, no male basketball team to cheer for. So put on that partisan basketball hat, Candy. Who do you root for?
CROWLEY: OK. I have one son that went to the University of Arizona and one son that went to University of Iowa. I pick one of those, if they're in it, OK? How's that?
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: That's a very...
CROWLEY: I don't know who's in this thing!
BALDWIN: ... very diplomatic answer of you. I'm sure your sons...
CROWLEY: Yes. It was like that growing up, yes, competition, even in what team you picked. So yes.
MATTHEWS: Candy...
CROWLEY: I'll pick both. I pick both of them.
BALDWIN: All right. Well, I pick my alma mater, UNC Chapel Hill. We'll have to see who wins out. Candy, thank you so much. Good to see you.
Now the president's debt commission is warning this country could be on the verge of another financial crisis. We're going to tell what you they say Americans need to start sacrificing. That is ahead.
And do you ever wonder if your cell phone or your BlackBerry could really cause the plane to crash -- you know, the warning, Turn off all electronic devices? Wait until you hear the result of this big, big investigation. Haven't you always been wondering that? I have. Well, they're lining up right now. We'll get you some answers. "Reporter Roulette" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BALDWIN: Here we go. Warnings of yet another financial crisis. Why you cannot use your phone on a plane, and you won't believe the latest twist here in the Wisconsin union fight. Time to play "Reporter Roulette" and I want to begin in Washington with Brianna Keilar.
Brianna, we saw the Senate vote on both the House Republican and now Democrat spending plan in the last hour. Both failed to pass, so what now?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Now the negotiations continue, Brooke, as they try to find some spending cuts that Democrats and Republicans and the White House can agree on for the current budget year.
What you had there was that Republican-backed bill with lots of spending cuts to Democratic priorities, $61 billion in cuts. Then you had a Democratic-backed bill with very few cuts, $6 billion. One is too big, one is too little. They need to find a compromise somewhere between the two. As you know, the government runs out of funding a week from Friday, so they may have to pass yet another temporary measure to keep the lights on while these negotiations play out, Brooke.
BALDWIN: So, as we've been pointing out here, we're still talking 2011 fiscal year. But this may not even really put a dent in the federal debt, correct?
KEILAR: No. It doesn't. You know, even $61 billion in cuts doesn't scrape the surface of a $14 trillion debt. And in fact, the bipartisan leaders of the president's own fiscal commission were on the Hill this week telling Congress, these little cuts to government programs, they are nice. But what you need to do is tackle entitlements, Social Security, Medicare. And if you don't show an appetite for doing that, the folks who buy U.S. debt, read China, are going to stop doing that. That could cause interest rates to go sky high, could spell catastrophe for the economy, Brooke. That's what they said.
BALDWIN: Is there any desire, Brianna, to tackle entitlements? I mean, I know they call it the third rail of politics and there's a reason for it, right?
KEILAR: That's right. Right now, it seems to be an understanding that it needs to be tackled. You have House Republicans, they say they are going to do it when they deal with their budget very soon. We don't know how they are going to do it, though. Are they going to increase the retirement age? Are they going to make that proposal? We just don't know yet.
There's also a group of six senators -- three Democrats, three Republicans -- kind of strange bedfellows here, they are working on a proposal to adopt some of the recommendations of that fiscal commission in order to tackle the debt, and we're going to be watching what they propose in the near term for you, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Brianna Keilar in Washington. Bri, thank you.
Next on "Reporter Roulette," are you putting your flight in danger if you don't actually turn your phone off? That's a good question, a question a lot of you wondering. And Jeanne Meserve getting to the bottom of this live in Washington.
Jeanne, what can you tell us? I know there's this big new study about gadgets interfering with flights, true or false?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a mixed picture because they can't say conclusively whether they cause the problem or not. They did look at flights from 2003 to 2009, and they came up with 75 instances where it's possible that a portable electronic device might have caused a problem. We're talking about cell phones and laptops and -- and MP3 players and gaming systems.
And what kinds of problems did they cause? Sometimes they turned off the autopilot, they think possibly. They may have caused rudder malfunctions. They may have caused a GPS to malfunction. But you know what? They can't replicate what happened in flight, the exact kind of device, the exact kind of aircraft or the exact kind of conditions, so this is all anecdotal. That's why there's no hard and fast conclusion to this study about whether these things are dangerous or not.
BALDWIN: Of course, there's not hard and fast answers. That's what we want. But do we know when most of these incidents are happening? Is it when the plane is in the air, when the plane is still on the tarmac?
MESERVE: They looked at the full range of things for when airplanes are parked to when they are in cruise and to when they're back on the ground. They happened at all phases of flight, Brooke.
BALDWIN: What about Wi-Fi? You can hop on to Go-Go, Internet wireless or whatever it is. And that's offered in flight. Why can passengers hop online but nothing else?
MESERVE: Well, the airlines have tested the Wi-Fi and have been able to satisfy the FAA that the Wi-Fi itself does not pose a threat to aviation. Some of the other technologies still need to be tested. They still need to certify it to the FAA.
But none of these things are allowed below 10,000 feet. Part of that is because if something happens at that low altitude, a pilot might not have a chance to figure it out and fix it. But also part of this is they want you to listen to the stewardess when she's telling you to turn off those devices. So, they don't want you using them. Hard to hear if you're on your phone.
BALDWIN: So, we'll listen. One case there was a flight attendant rapping to turn it off. Either case, we'll follow the directions. Jeanne Meserve, my thanks to you.
And next on "Reporter Roulette," to Madison, Wisconsin, and Eddie Lavandera standing by live. And Ed, we know that Governor Scott Walker wrapped up a news conference. What did he say?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's really about rallying support behind his cause here. The governor of Wisconsin traveling around the state today, making an appearance here in Madison. Also in Eau Claire, up in Green Bay where he just wrapped up. Essentially telling these Democrats who have fled to Illinois saying it's time to come back. You've made your point. They need to start negotiating. He really dismissed an effort that Democrats had put out last night to creating a new budget bill to kind of start from scratch. And the governor of Wisconsin dismissing that one as well.
BALDWIN: One of Governor Walker's political appointees, though, Ed, stealing the limelight for a bad choice of words.
LAVANDERA: Well, this is going to be interesting. The political rhetoric has already been red hot throughout all of this. This situation won't help.
The governor's appearance here in Madison a few hours ago, he was speaking in front of the farm bureau that was there, a room full of people setting the scene. Before the governor arrived - he was late in arriving and one of his political appointees, a man by the name of Ben Brancel -- no one really knows him outside of Wisconsin. But here, he's the secretary of agriculture, commerce and commerce protection. He's the secretary of that agency here in the state. And he kind of compared the protesters who have been here at the capital and had a reference to the Holocaust. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN BRANCEL, WISCONSIN AGRICULTURE SECRETARY: Some of you might have had past relationships with the legislators because they have been here for a while. But there's a huge number. This is their first time around. They came to town with a lot of ideas and a lot of concepts they could really work on. And then they got stuck in the middle of a holocaust and a horror story that was going on in town as far as people using the building all night long and some shenanigans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: Mr. Brancel was trying to make the point to these people who are part of the farm bureau to get to know these new legislators that were in town. Clearly, that speech -- or those remarks will not be remembered for that but that comment. And quickly afterwards, Mr. Brancel apologized for his choice of words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRANCEL: It was a bad word. It should have been total confusion in the capital. It was not an appropriate word to use in the context which I used it, and I better go back to English school.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: Just to be clear, Mr. Brancel wasn't one of the scheduled speakers. The governor was late and was asked to kind of come up make some comments off the cuff, so that was kind of the bind he was in there. And the governor wasn't in the building at the time the comments were made, so as far as I know we weren't able to catch up with him after he left. So, as far as we know we don't even know if the governor knows the comments were made.
BALDWIN: Well, perhaps he's watching and perhaps he knows now. Thanks, Ed Lavandera. Ed, thank you so much. And that is your "Reporter Roulette" for this Wednesday.
So, what are members of Congress giving up for Lent? They are spilling secrets. They're talking guilty pleasures.
Also, she tried to go to rehab and VH-1 says no, no, no. I'll tell you why the White House party crasher got turned away. Joe Johns has got the goods, coming up in "Political Pop." He is next.
Plus, we have some breaking news coming out of Arizona. Jared Lee Loughner is now wrapping up that court appearance, and our producers inside the courtroom say he was grinning. We'll take you live to Tucson, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Today is Ash Wednesday, and they are cleaning up New Orleans after Mardi Gras. And a lot of people trying to figure out what it is they are going to give up for Lent, including some of Washington.
Joe Johns is here with the "Political Pop." And Joe, I do have a few props on set to help us get through what people could be giving up for Lent. Unfortunately, I might have annihilated a certain bag of --
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: No way! How can you give up your M&M's?
Angie Massie and I dominated that had earlier today. But anyway. Chocolate, wine, what do you have?
JOHNS: Yes. Well, you know what, I kind of want to give up sodas. Diet sodas, but you know --
BALDWIN: That's a good thing.
JOHNS: But you know? It's really hard, especially if it has caffeine in it.
BALDWIN: Isn't that the point?
JOHNS: Yes, I know, I know. All right. All right.
BALDWIN: What are people giving up?
JOHNS: All right. So, let's see. We asked this question all over Capitol Hill yesterday. And also today. We started with the Louisiana delegation, of course. We did hear back from Senator David Vitter of Louisiana. He said he's giving up dessert. That, of course, is a favorite, very safe there. Still waiting to hear from Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana. Though "The Hill" newspaper started this with a few other members yesterday when they asked the question in the paper.
Congressman Jim Moran of Virginia said is going to give up the third glass of wine and the second helping of dessert. Congressman Phillip Gingrey --
BALDWIN: I'm sorry, second helping of dessert?
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: Come on now!
JOHNS: That's what he said! I know! Let's see. Gingrey will give up negative thinking. Mike Quigley of Illinois said he wants to give up injuries from playing ice hockey, so there you go.
BALDWIN: Hmm. OK.
JOHNS: Apparently the speaker and Nancy Pelosi, we don't know what they are going to give up. But pretty sure they both like chocolate and wine.
BALDWIN: Oh! Just like what I have here on my desk.
Meanwhile, topic number two, we know that one of the most celebrated partiers in Washington has stirred up a bit of buzz in the Beltway.
JOHNS: Oh, that's for sure and this is Michaele Salahi, one of the two alleged -- with the emphasis on alleged -- party-crashers at the White House. She somehow found her way on to the celebrity show "Celebrity Rehab" with Drew Pinsky on VH-1 and now she's no longer with the show. Apparently there was a problem, as far as we can tell. She's not addicted to anything, so that disqualifies her. Go figure.
BALDWIN: Seems kind of counterintuitive, you're on -- OK, anyway. Do we know, before I let you go, do we know by any chance, what's going on in her legal case, Joe?
JOHNS: Yes. Actually been following that a little bit, and they have had a few legal cases, in fact. But the one everybody is interested in is the investigation into how she and her husband were allowed into a White House State Dinner.
From what we can tell, this thing has been in legal limbo forever. I mean, it happened in 2009.
One of the lawyers, talking to a law firm just this afternoon, described it as "pending before the grand jury," and said it's been pending for an exceptionally long time. So wondering exactly what the government is planning on doing.
One thing is for sure. The Salahis aren't flying under the radar. They had that role in "The Housewives of D.C." which we all watched, which is really the thing that started all of this.
BALDWIN: Right. Right. Well, I think their 15 minutes of fame have gone on an exceptionally long time as well.
JOHNS: It's more like a couple of hours now.
BALDWIN: Joe Johns, thank you.
JOHNS: You bet.
BALDWIN: A man is accused of breaking into someone's home, then taking a shower. But something scared him so badly, he picked up the phone and dialed 911 himself. You get to hear what exactly spooked hill. That is next.
Plus, Mel Gibson's lawyers say the actor is ready to cut a deal in a possible domestic violence case against him. Could he see jail time? That is straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: An intruder in Portland, Oregon, didn't exactly make a clean getaway. He was so jumpy, in fact, he called for help. Here's how the whole thing went down.
A man breaks into a house, decides to hop in the shower. The homeowner comes home, she does what any of us would do. She calls 911. But here's the twist.
While the operator is talking to the homeowner, the emergency folks get another call. Nope. It's not what you're thinking. This is actually the intruder in the bathroom, dialing 911, worried that the homeowner is home, has a gun.
You've got to hear these two calls, 911.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
OPERATOR: 911?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have an intruder in my house.
OPERATOR: OK. And the guy is white, black, Hispanic or Asian?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have no idea. He was in the bathroom.
OPERATOR: OK. Hold on a second.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the door is shut, and he says he's in there. And I said, "Who the hell are you?"
OPERATOR: OK.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP) OPERATOR: 911?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, I just broke into a house and the owners came home.
OPERATOR: You broke into a house?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
OPERATOR: Where at?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know.
OPERATOR: OK. So are you still there?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
OPERATOR: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I think they have guns.
OPERATOR: OK. Where are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know.
OPERATOR: You have no clue where you are?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BALDWIN: She's like, OK, why are you calling me, intruder?
Police arrested him, by the way, Timothy Chappic (ph). Here he is. No word on whether the homeowner actually had a gun.
And now for a look at what's coming up here in a matter of minutes on "THE SITUATION ROOM," I want to go to Wolf Blitzer in Washington.
And Wolf, let's just pick off where we left off with John McCain making an appearance in your studio today, talking Libya, I might imagine.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Defending his controversial support for the creation of a no-fly zone over Libya. It's not all of Libya, but some of the major air bases.
He wants to stop the Libyan regime of Moammar Gadhafi from killing a lot of civilians from the air, from jets, from helicopters, and he thinks it's not going to be that difficult. He's getting some -- some grief though from the secretary of defense, Robert Gates, the White House chief of staff, Bill Daley.
They say these are not video games, this is deadly serious. It would mean, in effect, because you've got to take out the air defense system, an act of war going ahead, and targeting some of those bases, launching air strikes, precision air strikes, if you will, so it's a controversial matter.
We're going to go through that, and we're also going to talk about what else the U.S. should be doing. For example, should the U.S. -- Brooke, should the U.S. go ahead and arm the rebel opposition to Moammar Gadhafi? It's a controversial notion out there.
McCain's got strong views on that. Also, I'll ask him, and I think our viewers will be interested, a question I asked Nick Kristof here in "THE SITUATION ROOM" a couple weeks ago. If the opportunity arises, would it be smart for the United States to take out Gadhafi and simply kill him? We'll see what McCain has to say in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
That's coming up.
BALDWIN: Yes, I think what a lot of people don't understand is a lot of people on the opposition side, some are teenagers and some have never held a gun in their lifetime.
BLITZER: Not a real army.
BALDWIN: Not at all. Wolf Blitzer, good deal. See you in a couple of minutes in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
But before I go, I want to talk about Charlie Sheen once again blasting his former bosses. But even after his bizarre behavior, is it possible he actually has a case here? I'm talking a legal case against CBS and the company that fired him. You might be surprised by the answer.
Sunny Hostin is all over that one. Sunny is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Mel Gibson's legal troubles are back in the headlines. The Oscar winner has proposed a plea deal to head off a domestic violence case. Gibson and his former girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva, have been battling publicity and in the public here since she released tape recordings of their alleged fights to Radar Online.
Do you remember this?
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You almost killed us. Did you forget?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The last three years has been a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) gravy train for you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You were hitting a woman with a child in her hands. You. What kind of man is that, hitting a woman when she's holding a child in her hands, breaking her teeth twice in the face? What kind of man is that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, you're all angry now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're going to get to -- you know what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You get what you (EXPLETIVE DELETED) deserve.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Sunny Hostin, we remember those. So why propose a deal now?
SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: Every time I hear that tape it just really, really throws me back.
BALDWIN: Yes.
HOSTIN: I think that's the $1 million question. Right, Brooke? Why now?
And he says it's because he wants to put this all behind him for the sake of his children. And we know he has one child with this woman, the complainant, and many other children with his ex-wife.
His attorney issued a statement, Brooke, and she says, "Mel's priority throughout all of this has been that the best interest of his young daughter Lucia and the rest of his children be put first in any decisions made. It is with that in mind that he asked me to approach the district attorney with a proposal that would bring all of this to an immediate end."
So that is why we think now he's come forward and is trying to get a plea deal here.
BALDWIN: What's next here? What's next here with this one?
HOSTIN: Well, you know, if he enters into the plea, my understanding is that it's going to be a misdemeanor plea. He won't get any time, a misdemeanor plea to battery. But we still know that there's a sort of bitter custody battle still ongoing.
So is this the last that we're going to hear about Mel Gibson and his children and his ex-wife and his ex-girlfriend? Probably not, but perhaps this will put his legal woes at the moment to rest.
BALDWIN: It's bitter, it's messy, it's full of expletives, as we just heard here between Gibson and the ex-girlfriend, who, by the way, wants her charged with extortion. Any chance of that, Sunny?
HOSTIN: I don't think so. I mean, my understanding, Brooke, is that the detectives have put this information in front of the prosecutors as -- I think in February, the end of February, the investigation was completed, and the prosecutors haven't really brought a case. So my sense is if this plea is entered, that case will also go away.
BALDWIN: Case number two, two words, Charlie Sheen. Fired from "Two and a Half Men." We broke that -- what was it, two days ago here? He was fired by Warner Brothers, owned by Time Warner, parent of this network.
Now, Sheen talked to TMZ, says he plans to take all of their bazillions, Sheen's quote. Who do you see winning this fight?
HOSTIN: Well, you know, I don't know at this point. I mean, people are saying -- I don't have the contract in my hand, and people are saying that Charlie Sheen actually has a pretty good case. But I have with me the --
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Sunny Hostin, I apologize. We will revisit this tomorrow. We've got to go to Ted Rowlands here.
We finally need to report here, just stepping out of court in Tucson, Arizona, where Jared Lee Loughner, the man who his accused of those mass shootings in Tucson back in January.
And Ted, if you're with me here, I don't know if I'm going to see you or hear you on the phone, but talk to me about how he looked and who was inside that courtroom.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the courtroom was packed, Brooke. On one side, you had victim family members and people that were obviously associated with victims. And then on the other side was mainly media, but there was one row, and I happened to be sitting right behind Jared Loughner's father. It was a row of supporters for Loughner. So, this is the first time that we've seen anybody in court really on either side.
At one point, one of the women that was in that row -- we weren't able to identify her -- started crying when Loughner came in. Obviously had ties.
His father, we knew, but we didn't know who this woman was. Afterwards, though, she did embrace Loughner's father.
As far as the proceeding itself, the big surprise here is that the government, not the defense, the government, wants a mental competency hearing, and they would like it sooner than later. The judge in the end decided with them and said, yes, and they are going to do it on May 25th. But that was really the headline. Everything else is off until they figure out if Loughner is competent.
BALDWIN: Quickly here, I heard he was smiling as he walked in the courtroom. True?
ROWLANDS: Yes. The same smile you saw on that mug shot. He had it -- he had the smile as he walked in. He's got a lot more hair now than you see in that mug shot. He's been growing out.
And then on the way out, smiling from ear to ear. And when the clerk asked him if his name was Jared Lee Loughner, he said in a very cheery voice, "Yes, that's me."
So, obviously, not all there. At least that's what the judge witnessed (ph).
BALDWIN: Ted Rowlands, appreciate the hustle there in Tucson, Arizona. Thank you, sir, for that.
And now we go to Washington, Wolf Blitzer -- Wolf.
