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Wisconsin Likely to Curb Collective Bargaining Rights; Congress Holds Controversial Muslim Radicalization Hearings; Congress Holds Hearings on WikiLeaks; Some Banks May Limit Debit Card Purchases to $50; Julianne Moore Tapped to Play Sarah Palin In Upcoming HBO Movie; Wisconsin Anti-Union Bill Passes; 'On the Case'

Aired March 10, 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 now I want you to listen to this -- Wisconsin reaching the boiling point today, protesters -- over these state workers' collective bargaining rights erupting into a battle of wills, as police carry demonstrators out of the capitol.

You can see there carrying them out. Well, now we're hearing that death threats have been e-mailed to Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald. According to his office, the senator received two threats, both from the same address.

Right now, we are also waiting for the state assembly to vote on that measure to limit collective bargaining. That is expected to happen any minute now.

I want to bring in one of those 14 Democratic state senators who's been in Illinois for the past three weeks, Kathleen Vinehout.

And, Kathleen, I spoke with one of your colleagues moments ago who broke the news to me that you all have reached the consensus that all 14 of you will be headed home.

Where are you now?

KATHLEEN VINEHOUT (D), WISCONSIN STATE REPRESENTATIVE: Actually, I don't know that that's true. So, I wouldn't -- wouldn't go ahead with that. I'm in Illinois, and we're planning on staying in Illinois.

BALDWIN: Really?

VINEHOUT: There are some questions about whether or not the Senate has completely adjourned, and they can -- they did adjourn at the call of the chair, which means once we cross the state borders, they can bring us back to the chamber.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Well, hold on. Let me just make sure I'm getting this straight. So I just spoke with Jim Holperin, who I imagine you have seen a little bit of the last three weeks in Illinois, yes?

VINEHOUT: Yes. (CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: He is headed home.

(CROSSTALK)

VINEHOUT: I don't think he has the most recent information.

BALDWIN: What is the most recent information? Share it with me.

VINEHOUT: Well, the most recent information is that the Senate is not adjourned. They're just recessed at the call of the chair. And until we are assured that we won't be dragged to the floor and made to vote on this bill, we're not coming back.

BALDWIN: So are you saying -- he just was speaking with me in the car. He told me on his cell phone headed into Wisconsin. Are you saying he's not in his car heading to Wisconsin?

VINEHOUT: Well, I don't know where he is, but I can tell you I'm in Illinois. And many -- I have talked to most of my colleagues in the last couple hours, so we're staying tight right here.

BALDWIN: How long are you planning on staying in Illinois?

VINEHOUT: Well, that depends a little on what happens with the process. We need to make sure that we are not tricked into returning. This has been the story of trickery, and that's exactly what happened last night that caused all those protesters to get so upset. So we want to make sure...

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Well, let me ask you about that word you just used, tricked or trickery. So we do know that the Senate, all 19 of the Republicans, it was a vote 18-1, passing this version of the bill, they took out all the appropriation measures, so it's just about eliminating those collective bargaining rights. That passed.

I'm told within the hour it's going to be passing the state Assembly, and then when and if that does, we have heard from Governor Walker saying he's going to sign it. Where in there is trickery?

VINEHOUT: There's a lot of trickery. First of all, they invented a new process for passing the bill, without warning, without a hearing, without following Wisconsin law and open meetings. And without even a bill on the Senate floor, they passed this last night.

So, they used legislative trickery to deny the people the democratic process.

BALDWIN: I think a lot may agree with you that it was legislative trickery, but the Republicans and the governor maintain it was legal.

VINEHOUT: Well, that will be up to the courts to decide. As your staff mentioned earlier, this is going to end up in the courts. I think there's lawsuits that have been already been filed or won't be -- are being filed as we speak. So, this is going to take a while to figure out whose side is most believable.

BALDWIN: So even if this thing ends up getting to the desk of Governor Walker, you're saying this is not over?

VINEHOUT: Yes, absolutely, it's not over. You're right. You're absolutely right. The protesters are not going to give up. I am encouraging people to turn their attention to the recall efforts.

As you know, there are recall efforts filed against every senator who can be recalled. And over and over again, people are saying listen to us, listen to us. And they haven't been able to change their minds, and now it's time to change the faces of those elected officials.

BALDWIN: Wow. What a story out of Wisconsin, and Illinois, where you are. State Senator Kathleen Vinehout, thank you so much for keeping us apprised.

And now watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: One congressman says al Qaeda is recruiting American Muslims, and his hearings on this topic bring another congressman to tears. I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.

REP. KEITH ELLISON (D), MINNESOTA: Mohammed Salman Hamdani was a fellow American who gave his life for other Americans.

BALDWIN: After days of fiery debate, Congress tackles radical Islam. Critics say the hearings hurt America. Supporters say the discussions protect America. You will hear both sides and the emotional testimony.

Also, I will talk with someone who knows exactly what happens when Americans leave the U.S. to become terrorists.

A possible game-changer in Libya. According to one report, one country wants to bomb Gadhafi's headquarters, and all of this comes as civil war draws even more blood.

Plus, American taxpayers bailed out the banks. Now one bank says 50 bucks is the max you can swipe on your debit card.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: If it's interesting, if it's happening right now, you are about to see it. Rapid fire, let's go.

Beginning in Washington State -- a man is charged -- he's under arrest, charged with an attempted bomb plot in Spokane -- 36-year-old Kevin William Harpham is described as a former soldier with white supremacist ties. A cleaning crew found this backpack containing the bomb shortly before the Martin Luther King Jr. Parade in January. Harpham waived bail at his first hearing. His next court appearance is later this month.

And federal agents say it's still unclear if there were others involved in this. The U.S. attorney general, though, did praise law enforcement's efforts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC HOLDER, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: An arrest has been made in connection with the attempt to place a bomb at the Martin Luther King Day Parade in Spokane. I think the FBI has done really great work in cracking that case, along with their state and local counterparts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: In Islamabad, a first by the Pakistan military. They are finally publicly admitting that U.S. drones are targeting militants within Pakistan. A Pakistan military commander told reporters today that most of the victims are al Qaeda fighters and hard-core militants.

Before today's admission, though, Pakistan publicly criticized the strikes, calling for them to stop. Privately, Pakistan has acknowledged U.S. drone attacks since 2007.

And a first by President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama. They hosted a conference against bullying at the White House today. Now, the president wants to dispel this myth that bullying is a harmless rite of passage or just part of growing up. The president admits that he was the victim of bullies, and he says they teased him for having big ears and a different name. Today's conference is part of a larger campaign to prevent bullying in schools, communities, and even online.

Ninety days, that is exactly how long four teenagers have to decide whether they will plead guilty to the murder of a high school senior. Bobby Tillman was beaten to death at a party back in November. Police say the attackers didn't know Tillman, they totally chose him at random. And I spoke with his mothers days after her son died.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MONIQUE RIVARDE, MOTHER OF BOBBY TILLMAN: And this is the worst time in my life. This will be the worst time of my life. I never thought I would have to bury my child, never. I never thought that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Prosecutors say the deadlines for the suspects is nonnegotiable, and they will seek the death penalty if this case goes to trial.

BALDWIN: In Virginia, 14 pirates suspected in the death of four Americans on board that hijacked yacht made their first appearance in an American court today. The 14 were indicted by a federal grand jury in Virginia on charges of piracy, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and the use of firearms in crime. The four Americans were found shot to death after U.S. forces boarded their ship.

And Charlie Sheen has now filed a $100 million lawsuit against Warner Brothers and Chuck Lorre, the producer of his old show now "Two and a Half Men." They fired Sheen from his role on the popular sitcom just this Monday. And if you happen to be living under a rock to not know that Sheen has been bad-mouthing the show's producers and fending off all kinds of accusations that he had an addiction problem, well, it's worth noting that Warner Brothers and CNN here are owned by Time Warner.

And just in, an ugly finish at Wall Street. Let's take a look at the numbers together here. You can see the Dow taking a nosedive, investors apparently none too pleased with some disappointing economic reports in the U.S. and overseas. The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims jumped nearly 400,000 last week.

And last hour, we heard from the man himself. Congressman Peter King of New York spoke with me live. He's leading the controversial hearings on the threat of radical Islam here on American soil. And I asked him, what did he learn from the hearings?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PETER KING (R-NY), HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: I think what they learned was the extent of Muslim-American radicalization by al Qaeda in their communities today and how terrible it is, the impact it has on families, how extensive it is, and also that the main victims of this are Muslim-Americans themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Well, at that hearing today we heard a lot of talk about mosques and how some are either encouraging or turning a blind eye to radicals.

Jeanne Meserve, our homeland security correspondent, here now joining me live and she's back from a mosque in Sterling, Virginia.

And, Jeanne, tell me what you saw.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, I went out there on Tuesday night in advance of the hearings, knowing that there would be a lot of talk about young people and their susceptibility to radicalization.

We talked to some young men and some young women, hand-picked by the mosque for us to talk to, but they said they weren't at all tempted to visit jihadi Web sites, for example. They knew this was wrong. This is something they were not interested in doing.

They weren't too worried about the hearings, either. These young people said they considered themselves very much integrated into American society. One of them was a 16-year-old boy named Mohammed (ph) Ullah. He is one step away from being an Eagle Scout. And here is how he described his identity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZRAF ULLAH, MUSLIM-AMERICAN: I feel like I'm integrated very here. I was born here. I'm an American-Muslim. I'm an American. I feel part of the community. I feel that this is my country. I feel for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: Now, the imam at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society acknowledged that radicalism -- radicalization, rather, is a problem. He didn't deny that in any way, shape, form or manner. He says he has spoken out against it himself because he believes it violates the tenets of his religion.

Here's a bit of what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IMAM MOHAMMED MAGID, ALL DULLES AREA MUSLIM SOCIETY: Human life is sacred, no matter who that person is, and therefore committing an act of terrorism or taking an innocent life is a sin, absolutely a sin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: The imam says he has cooperated with local police and with the FBI. He has invited them into his mosque. He says he will continue to do that, no matter what results the hearings come to.

I tried to reach him this afternoon, Brooke, to get a little reaction to what we heard on Capitol Hill today. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to reach him yet. But he remained firm in saying he was cooperating and he would continue to cooperate, because he feels that, for him and for his religion, terrorism is wrong.

I will tell you, of course, this is one mosque. This is one sample. You're going to get different attitudes different places, of course.

BALDWIN: Right. We appreciate you having those conversations, Jeanne Meserve live in Washington. Jeanne, thank you.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Coming up next, I will actually speak with someone who knows how terror groups recruit young Muslims and in some cases young Americans, including groups in Somalia, where the feds say the alleged underwear bomber trained. Omar Jamal from the Somali Justice Advocacy Center -- there he is -- he is next. Stay right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Have you heard about the young men who either came to this country from Somalia or were even born here, but they ended up in Somalia fighting on the side of Islamic extremists? This also came out today at the hearing in Washington, and there were some charges about the roles of certain mosques in Minneapolis.

So joining me now to talk about this from New York, here is Omar Jamal of the Somali Mission to the United Nations.

And, Omar, how many people are we talking about here who have actually ended up leaving this country to go and fight in Somalia?

OMAR JAMAL, SOMALI MISSION TO THE UNITED NATIONS: Yes, Brooke, thanks for having me on.

It's very difficult to determine exactly how many left, but so far, what we know for sure is that 20 of them have left from Minneapolis, some from Seattle, from Columbus, Ohio. But it is going to be very difficult to come up with exact number of how many -- of those young kids have gone to join al Shabab in Somalia.

BALDWIN: What about the role, Omar, of these mosques? We heard a man at this hearing saying something was going on at this mosque in Minneapolis, and then somehow his nephew ends up in Somalia fighting with Islamic extremists.

JAMAL: Well, I think there is a concern that somebody out there must be doing this indoctrination , but how do you determine that? And I think it's one thing you have a problem when you -- when you take everybody in a mosque or on a street (ph) as a suspect. When the FBI is investigating the case, they get a lead and they follow the lead. But if you turn everyone into a suspect, that is problematic.

However --

BALDWIN: So how do you do it? How do you do it?

JAMAL: Well, this is not a new scenario. I think we've dealt -- this country has dealt with communism, have dealt with drug warlords and what have you, and now terrorism issues. I think you do it at the same time upholding the basic rights that's quoted in the constitution of this country.

But again, Brooke, I completely disagree with the idea of equating Peter King as McCarthyism. He's got a point. He has got an issue to --

BALDWIN: What specifically -- what point -- what point do you really agree with? Other than the fact that he's saying, look, we need to have this national conversation, what specifically are you in line with?

JAMAL: Well, the fact if you just visit recent the history of this country, you have a guy who tried to blow up Times Square from Pakistan. You have another guy from Somalia, who tried to blow up Portland, Oregon. BALDWIN: Christmastime.

JAMAL: So you have all these cases -- yes, Christmastime. And -- and the kids going back to Somalia joining, and even some committing suicide bombing.

So yes, there's a legitimate issue. How to do it, my guess is as good as everyone else's guess. And that is the --- this is the problem, this is not a conventional war. This is completely unconventional. You don't know the bad guy and you don't want to turn everything into a bad guy, so how to do it is a delicate balance.

BALDWIN: If you don't paint everyone with a broad stroke, because not everyone is a criminal, how do you -- how do you go forward?

JAMAL: Right, but the thing is -- for instance, if I give you an example. Those 20 kids who left from Minneapolis back to Somalia, half attended, all of them in one mosque. They joined the game -- afterschool program game in one mosque. They participated in programs in that mosque.

So if anybody comes along and say, OK, wait a minute, we need to talk to the imam and the leadership of this mosque, that doesn't necessarily mean they are against Muslims.

So the thing is --

BALDWIN: Right, and that's one point that Congressman King was making. That, you know, and certainly not all leaders, but he wants to take a closer look at some of the leaders of some these mosques.

Well, this is just the beginning of the conversation.

JAMAL: Right.

BALDWIN: I wish we could continue it.

Omar Jamal, come on again, we'll continue the conversation. Omar, my thanks to you.

And now this -- as the civil war gets bloodier there in Libya, there is a report that one country wants to bomb Moammar Gadhafi's headquarters. And this news comes as the Obama administration says the defiant leader will likely survive that revolt against him.

Plus, just days after Hamid Karzai blasted the United States for that deadly attack on innocent civilians, there is now word that NATO forces have killed a member of his family. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Just days ago, Afghan President Hamid Karzai blasted the United States and NATO for the accidental killing of nine young Afghan boys. And today, we are getting word NATO forces have killed Karzai's cousin by mistake. That is according to the president's half-brother.

And if you're not clear yet exactly how it happened -- actually, we're not clear, it's not clear, but we are told the operation took place in Kandahar province.

And staying overseas, time to get you caught up on the intensifying unrest in Libya. "Globe Trekking" now. Forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi are pushing forward with efforts to crush the rebellion. Now the international community is discussing about options, about what help, if any, they can provide to the opposition.

CNN's Hala Gorani is here, as always. And let's just begin with this oil refining city of Ras Lanuf.

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: Right. It looks really like the rebels have lost ground there. They have been forced to retreat. These aerial bombardments from pro-Gadhafi forces have put so much pressure on them, that according to reports we're getting into CNN from some of these rebel fighters and witnesses that Ras Lanuf has been retaken by the Libyan government.

Of course, as has been the case over the last several weeks, reporting from these key cities is difficult, but our Ben Wedeman is very close to the frontlines and this is some of the reporting he's brought to us.

According to hospital sources, several we are killed today, many more injured as this heavy bombing has taken a very, very high human toll on the rebel fighters.

BALDWIN: Yes, and he was saying, you know, you compare these opposition, these rebels, some teenagers to some of these, you know, forces on Gadhafi's side, it's just -- you can't even compare them.

GORANI: And it's not just a question of age, it's a question of training. You know, an anti-aircraft gun --

BALDWIN: You're running out of artillery.

GORANI: But if that is the problem you have when you know how to use the anti-aircraft gun, but getting two hours of training on one of these things, I can't imagine how you can even consider standing up to some of that air assaults -- those air assaults that they've been victims of the last few days.

BALDWIN: The other issue, part of the conversation today, is we're hearing from French President Nicholas Sarkozy, because he's saying, let's go in, air strikes, Moammar Gadhafi's headquarters, let's go.

GORANI: Now, these are reports, we haven't been able to confirm them with the Elysee Palace, but they're coming from several sources. Sources inside the Elysee Palace and European Union sources are saying that Nicolas Sarkozy the French president is considering proposing very targeted and limited in time air strikes against Gadhafi's command center, and this would be something that won't go on for an open-ended period of time and it will be extremely targeted.

However, we have to be very careful, this has not been confirmed by the Elysee Palace. In fact, sources have told our (INAUDIBLE) that what is being discussed is exploring the judicial implications of a targeted air strike campaign.

But it does not cost Nicholas Sarkozy anything to discuss it if no one goes along with it. All the international partners have said over and over again no military intervention will take place without U.N. banking and international partners getting together.

BALDWIN: But a lot of these different countries here, you know, you have France saying one thing, perhaps, and then you have the United States and President Obama and Secretary Clinton saying, hang on a second, we don't want to lead this. If it comes to a no-fly zone, we don't want to lead that effort.

GORANI: It seems there a split right now between the United Kingdom and France on the one hand that seem more enthusiastic about imposing a no-fly zone over Libya, and Germany and the United States on the other.

NATO, as far as it's concerned, seems to have taken the path of least resistance with the least amount of military intervention as possible. And I don't know that you would call it military intervention, but increasing surveillance operations.

I think that the situation, based on all the reports that we're getting, would have to get a whole lot worse for the United States and its partners to support the idea of a no-fly zone or anything more sort of advanced than a no-fly zone, militarily speaking, in Libya.

BALDWIN: OK. Hala, thank you. Thank you so much.

Happening right now, WikiLeaks takes center stage in Congress. The Senate Homeland Security Committee is looking at the massive breach of government secrets.

And this comes as this group of computer hackers threatens cyber war against American companies and the U.S. government.

So is your, is my information safe? We're going to break that down for you.

Plus, Paul Steinhauser is standing by with some information just in from the world of politics.

All of that and more, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: And now we go to Washington, to deputy political director Paul Steinhauser with the latest news hot off the Political Ticker.

Paul, what do you have? PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: I've got some big bucks being raised off of what's going on in Wisconsin, Brooke. You know, you've been talking about it a lot this hour, the big vote yesterday and another one today with the stripping of those collective bargaining rights for union workers there in Wisconsin.

Well, check these numbers out, Brooke. Since that vote yesterday, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, that is a liberal group, a progressive group, and Democracy For America, combined they have raised a quarter of a million dollars on fundraising just since the vote. They say much of that money will go against campaigns against the Republican governor there and against those state senators on the Republican side.

But wait, let's go to the other side. On the conservative side, Brooke, a group called the Campaign to Defeat Barack Obama say they have raised over $100,000 since the vote yesterday, and they say a similar thing, the money will be used to defend Scott Walker and state lawmakers as well, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Talking big money, we have Mitt Romney spreading big bucks to House Republicans. What's the story there?

STEINHAUSER: Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts governor, he ran for the presidency last time around, here it is, $93,000, to 45 houses Republicans from his political action committee, they announced it this morning. And that brings to $300,000 in donations alone from Mitt Romney's political action committee to Congressional Republicans.

You can think, if he decide toss run, maybe these donations will come back, in a way I guess you could say pay dividends for Romney if he decides, and we think he will, to run for the White House, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Paul Steinhauser, thank you so much.

Still ahead here, the threat of homegrown terror taking center stage in Congress. Some lawmakers are livid. And as the Senate talks WikiLeaks, are computer hackers getting ready to launch a cyber-war here in America?

Also, pretty soon you may only be able to swipe all of $50 on your debit card. Wait until you here why one bank is reportedly considering spending limits. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: The U.S. House discusses the threat of home-grown terror, the Senate holds a hearing on WikiLeaks, and your debit card may soon have a spending limit. It's time to play "Reporter Roulette."

I want to begin with Dana Bash there for me on Capitol Hill. And Dana, a lot of hype in this whole pregame as Congressman King told me weeks before today's hearing, did this whole hearing live up to it?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: With any event like this it's pretty hard to live up to the hype leading into it, and I don't think this was any exception. It was probably the most diplomatic and fairway to answer that question, Brooke.

Congressman King, who you talked to earlier in this program, he said he did achieve a main goal, which was to start a dialogue with the Muslim community and about the Muslim community and the radicalization there.

But another main goal was to dive into why radicalization is happening action and how to solve that problem. Those questions didn't get answered in this hearing.

But for those worried about how intense this would be and whether or not this would really stigma advertise the Muslim communities in terms of the rhetoric, that didn't happen.

BALDWIN: Well, you know, it seems like some of the members were sort of back and forth about whether this hearing was even worth it, during the hearing.

BASH: It was really interesting. At the end of the day, the fireworks were among the members themselves, which I have to tell you covering a lot of hearings, it wasn't that unusual, but it was really pronounced in this hearing, Democrats especially saying they did not think that not only having this hearing was the greatest idea, but they didn't think that the kind of witnesses that were called really were going to answer the questions.

In fact one Democratic congresswoman actually said to the witnesses, particularly the two main witnesses who were family members of young men who were radicalized, she said she appreciated the testimony, but she didn't find it enlightening.

BALDWIN: Dana Bash, thank you.

Next, a reporter at the Homeland Security Committee holding a hearing on WikiLeaks and its massive leak of government secrets. Let's go to Chris Lawrence live in Los Angeles today.

Chris, what are lawmakers expecting to learn from this?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, what they're trying to do is figure out the U.S.'s way to go forward in this post-WikiLeaks world. One of the things you're really hearing coming out of the hearing is senators saying there's no way the U.S. can overreact to what happened during the WikiLeaks breach and sort of go back into this pre-9/11 shell where you had all these different intelligence agencies and they all this their own separate playpens and no one really shared information.

One person brought up the fact that you look at what happened at Ft. Hood, Major Nidal Hasan, even though he was talking to terrorists overseas, that information never got communicated. So the feeling is yes, more security, but you can't go back to the way things were 10 or 11 years ago. BALDWIN: But then, Chris, the other items out today, the group of computer hackers threatening cyber-war over this WikiLeaks case. What do you know about that?

LAWRENCE: NBC is reporting that Anonymous, a group we have heard of before, is threatening new attacks not only on U.S. corporations but also on some of the government officials who are involved in prosecuting Private Bradley Manning, accused of leaking that information to WikiLeaks. This is the same group that took credit for shutting down MasterCard.com and when MasterCard decided it wasn't going to accept any more donations to WikiLeaks, and when PayPal said they won't accept any donations either, this same group threatened PayPal.

BALDWIN: I remember that, Chris Lawrence in Los Angeles, thank you.

And next on "Reporter Roulette," you may have a $50 limit as to how much you can spend using your debit cart. Alison Kosik is in New York -- Alison.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Brooke, if you're like me, you use your debit card for just about everything, but soon you may try to pay for something and hear that your debit card is decline, even if you have plenty of money in the bank. Sources telling CNNmoney.com that J.P. Morgan Chase is considering capping debit card purchases, and here's why.

Today when you swipe the car, the banks charge the retailer about 44 cents, but new financial rules could cut that to 12 cents. And for banks that means billions of dollars in lost revenues. So banks say they have to cap debit card spending to reduce their risk. If all this goes through, it means you could be forced to use cash, your credit card, or even write a check like the old days -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Alison Kosik, thank you. And that is your "Reporter Roulette" for today.

We know who is playing Sarah Palin in that movie about the 2008 election, but who could be playing John McCain, or President Obama? Joe Johns has some of the scoop in Political Pop. That is next.

But first, could the city you live in be making you sick? "The Daily Beast" did some research looking at things like vaccination coverage, and then it came up with a whole list of America's sickest cities.

Here we go, number 5, Jacksonville, Florida, number 4, a city I love to visit, haven't been sick there, San Diego, California. The third sickest city in the U.S. is Mobile, Alabama. So could you be lives in one of America's top two sickest cities? Where could they be? Hang on to your Purell for the moment here. Top two after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BALDWIN: Can't shake those nasty colds? The city you live in may have a lot to do with that. "The Daily Beast" has this list of America's sickest cities. Here is number two cities right here. Number two on the list, Tampa, Florida. And taking the number one spot is -- make you sure you get enough vitamin C, because if you live in Dayton, Ohio, apparently you get sick. Thank you "Daily Beast."

And now this, casting has started on this new movies about politics, the HBO movie based on the book "Game Change." Joe Johns is here with today's political pop. The big buzz has been who plays Sarah Palin.

JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Think about the biggest political movies, "Pentagon Papers," "Primary Colors," "The War Room," a bunch of them out there. As you might imagine, a made- for-TV movie based on a national political topic will really get Washington, D.C. buzzing, and this is a book, no matter whether you like it or not, that really looked behind the scenes.

So what we think we know, is according to several news organizations, actress Julianne Moore has been named to play Sarah Palin in the movie based on the book "Game Change" about the 2008 presidential election. There she is.

BALDWIN: Very lovely, big fan, but everyone is wondering, if you're an "SNL" fan, what did Tina Fey say? No?

JOHNS: I don't know, but the Saturday Night caricatures that Tina Fey has done could make it challenging for her to be accepted in a straight-phase acting job, if you think about it. You're right. She's totally got Sarah Palin down.

If you do have questions with casting, the guys with the answers are Jay Roach, the director, Danny Strong, he's the writer. They teamed up to do the movie "Recount," you might remember that about the 2000 presidential election. And they actually won a bunch of Emmys with that one. So the movie is in good hands.

BALDWIN: Who else? Julianne Moore, but who is Barack Obama, John McCain, Joe Biden, got anything?

JOHNS: Well, we don't have anything yet. We don't know of any other people who have actually been named. How about -- let me see, where do I start at the top? Anthony Mackie, there's a good choice. This according to I think -- what is it Movie.com?

Anthony Mackie playing the president of the United States. This is a fellow who's been in a bunch of pretty good movies like ""We are Marshall," the remake of "The Manchurian Candidate."

BALDWIN: Joe Johns, you know I love you, but I have to cut you off --

JOHNS: OK.

BALDWIN: -- since we're getting some breaking news. Thank you, Joe. We'll see you tomorrow.

I want to go to Wisconsin. We've been talking a lot about this story. We have now learned that the state assembly in Madison, Wisconsin, has passed this measuring which basically strips the all the collective bargaining rights from these thousands of union workers.

It was the senators, the Republicans, last night who passed it. These are live pictures, I'm told, inside the state Capitol.

And I know I have Ted Rowlands here on the phone with me.

Ted, just tell me where you are and what you know.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'm inside the assembly chambers here, and you can see the crowd has been settled down by one of the Democratic leaders trying to get people to settle down. About three minutes ago, the entire chambers was filled with yelling, not only the Democratic body, but then the gallery up top yelling "Shame! Shame!" as the Republicans left the chambers, pretty much a repeat of what we saw a week ago when they passed the original version of this budget repair bill.

We saw it again today, a lot of emotion, obviously, here in Madison. And just within the last few minutes, the Republicans in the assembly have passed the budget repair bill, the abridged version of it. It now goes to Governor Walker for his signature probably in the next few hours.

BALDWIN: Yes. We've heard from Governor Walker. I've read that he's going to sign it pretty quickly, as soon as it passes state assembly.

But explain to me, in terms of just sort of the lay of the land inside the state Capitol -- I know these lawmakers have very tight security, I imagine. Are they still in the Capitol? I mean, this vote just happened.

ROWLANDS: Yes, this -- you're looking at something -- this just happened within the last two minutes, so the Republicans are still in the Capitol.

BALDWIN: Here we go. I see.

ROWLANDS: They have gone back to their offices, and they will be given security escorts out of the building. They've been getting escorts from police coming and going to work each day because of the people outside the Capitol. And specifically because of the anger that has built since the Senate rammed this version of the bill through last night. Many people took offense to that, quite frankly, and today, as you can imagine, the nerves are very raw here.

BALDWIN: Yes, I talked to one Democratic -- I actually talked to two, but one Democratic senator in Illinois who keeps calling it trickery. Trickery happened last night, though the Republicans maintain it was perfectly legal, what they did. Before I let you go, you mentioned that this will be on the Governor Walker's desk in a matter of hours.

ROWLANDS: That's what we're expecting, for the governor to sign it ASAP. And then the question is, when do those 14 Democrats come back to the state?

We have been told that, likely, they will come back tonight or tomorrow, or possibly Saturday, where there's a huge rally planned here this weekend. It is likely that they will come back for that rally.

Really, this chapter is over in terms of the collective bargaining. They have lost. Governor Walker got what he wanted. He'll sign this bill. So, the only thing now to do is legislate the budget, and one would think those Democrats will come back to play an active role in that process.

BALDWIN: Ted Rowlands, my thanks to you.

And just in case you had missed my conversations with two separate Democratic senators, one told me he was en route, in his car, back to his home district in Wisconsin. The other told me they are staying put in Illinois.

So we still don't know. I don't know if they know if they're all staying put or if they're all coming home, but she did tell me this battle is not over and it will be finished in the courts.

We'll stay on that one for you.

Also, check this out with me. This is video that definitely got me sitting up this morning.

This is obviously an entire home falling into a river. Wait until you hear who owned this. This story is crazy. Next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: And now for a look at what's coming up here in "THE SITUATION ROOM," want to go to Washington, to Wolf Blitzer.

And Wolf, have you been watching -- I'm sure you have -- what's been going on in Wisconsin?

We know the state assembling has now passed this measure. It goes on to Governor Walker's desk in a matter of hours. And from my conversation with two of these Democratic state senators, it sounds like they don't know if they're staying or leaving Illinois.

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Yes, it's obviously a very, very tense situation in Madison, Wisconsin. It has been.

The outcome, though, the Republicans, the governor seems to have won. He got it through the Senate, got it through the assembly, and now he's going to sign it, and that's that. But the fallout only just beginning.

The public opinion polls show that the governor's approval rating going down as a result of all of this. I don't know what the long- term fallout, I don't even know what the short-term fallout is going to be, but I know it's significant. For decades and decades, collective bargaining has been the norm in Wisconsin. It's going to be a lot different right now -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: What else do you have coming up on "THE SITUATION ROOM"?

BLITZER: We have got the now ex-Libyan ambassador to the United States. As you know, he broke with Gadhafi, he sided with the opposition.

Today, the State Department basically said it's shuttering, it's closing the Libyan Embassy, and Ambassador Aujali, my guest, is no longer the Libyan ambassador to the United States. It's intriguing to me, because it's on the same day that the government in France, President Sarkozy in France, announced that they're recognizing the opposition to Gadhafi, the opposition forces in Benghazi, the second- largest city, as the legitimate government of Libya, no longer recognizing the government of Gadhafi.

So, on a day when the French are recognizing the opposition as the legitimate government, the U.S. is certainly not doing that, at least not yet, although the Obama administration continues to say that Gadhafi must go.

BALDWIN: OK. We will watch for you. And have a good evening.

I understand you're receiving a major, major award, First Amendment Award, Wolf Blitzer. Congratulations.

BLITZER: Thank you. Thank you very much.

BALDWIN: Congratulations. We'll see you in a couple of minutes.

Now to Charlie Sheen, making good on his promise to go after Warner Brothers' "gazillions." His word. He's suing. So who will end up wining this one?

Sunny Hostin is "On the Case." She is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Here we go. "On the Case" today, you didn't actually think we would let you go without a little bit of a morsel of Charlie Sheen news? There is a bit of news actually out of this man today.

Sheen has filed a $100 million lawsuit against both Warner Bros. and Chuck Lorre, the producer of "Two and a Half Men." We should just mention Warner Bros. is owned by Time Warner, which owns CNN.

Sunny, $100 million lawsuit. Does he have a case, Sunny Hostin?

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: You know, he may very well have a case. And it is a doozy, Brooke.

I have a copy of the complaint. It was filed just today. It's 30 pages long.

And the highlights are he not only sues on behalf of himself, he sues on behalf of the entire crew. He also points out that they stood by him -- Warner Bros. and Chuck Lorre, stood by him when he was facing felony charges, so they don't know why -- he doesn't know why they wouldn't stand by him now.

And interestingly enough, he said that they discriminated against him because they say that he's bipolar, they say he's sick. If he's sick, they should have reasonably accommodated him and not fired him.

So really just a doozy of a lawsuit. They've really come out swinging. And, you know, it passes the smell test for me. It's not a bad complaint. It's making some pretty serious allegations.

BALDWIN: So that's making serious allegations. But just taking the other side here, Warner Bros. and Chuck Lorre, what grounds did they cite?

HOSTIN: Well, you know, they have maintained all along that there's a semi-quasi morals clause, and that because of his behavior, they had the right to get rid of him. They seem to be standing their ground. Of course, they haven't responded yet to the complaint because it was just filed, but we're probably going to see a little bit of a battle.

I think, Brooke, this is a case that may end in settlement. A quiet settlement.

BALDWIN: What about everything we have seen of Charlie Sheen, be it on television, on that webcast, all the rants? Will that hurt his case?

HOSTIN: Well, I think it could possibly help his case, because, again, he's saying that they discriminated against him. So if it is found that he's bipolar, if they are right, Warner Bros. in saying that he's a very ill, very sick man, which is what they say in his termination later, then, hey, the fact that he's sick and ranting could very well help his $100 million lawsuit.

Really interesting stuff.

BALDWIN: Wanting gazillions of dollars, he says. Gazillions.

HOSTIN: That's right.

BALDWIN: Sunny Hostin, as always, my thanks to you.

And that does it for me here in Atlanta. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you so much for watching.

And now to my colleague in "THE SITUATION ROOM," Wolf Blitzer -- Wolf.