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U.S. Fighter Jet Crashes in Libya; Cooling Down Crippled Nuclear Plant; Instability Threatens Yemen; AT&T and T-Mobile; The Help Desk; Talk Back Question; Search Dogs To The Rescue

Aired March 22, 2011 - 12:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Well, top of the hour. I'm Suzanne Malveaux.

Want to get you up to speed with breaking news now.

The U.S. military is about to give an update on the operation in Libya. Today's briefer is Admiral Samuel Locklear. He is commander of U.S. naval forces in Europe and Africa, and he's going to speak with reporters by phone from the USS Mount Whitney. That is in the Mediterranean.

We're going to monitor his comments. We're going to update you as we get information coming out of that briefing.

Also, a U.S. F-15 crashed and burned in eastern Libya today. Both crew members parachuted to safety, are now back in American hands. The U.S. military says the fighter jet developed mechanical troubles. A Libyan man describes the crash.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We noticed this aircraft hovering around Abiyar (ph) and the surrounding area. After a while, we heard an explosion, and there was a second aircraft behind that was trying to circle around the exploded aircraft. We thought it was a rocket at first, but then it became clear after we saw it on the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Anti-aircraft fire pierced the predawn sky over Tripoli today. The U.S. military says it fired 20 Tomahawk missiles on Libyan targets during the past 12 hours.

Gadhafi forces are shelling Misrata again today. One witness tells CNN the destruction is unimaginable. He says rebels won't be able to hold Misrata much longer unless they get help now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMED, OPPOSITION SPOKESMAN: We need Americans aid, please. We need them to take out these tanks, these heavy equipment out from Misrata. They are killing everyone here, a lot of children. We are really in very, very shortage of medical and medicine, very shortage of food, water. (INAUDIBLE) suffer from today. We need the help of the United States and others.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Democratic Representative Dennis Kucinich says that Congress should cut off money for the Libyan operation. He is not the only one criticizing President Obama. Plenty of others, Democrats, Republicans, are furious that Mr. Obama didn't get congressional approval for the air strikes.

Egypt's Interior Ministry, a feared and hated institution during the Mubarak police state, burned today. Flames could be seen on the roof of the multi-story building. The fire has since been put out. The Ministry was the site of a peaceful protest earlier today, but protesters deny setting the fire.

Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh is desperately trying to hold on to power today. He is now offering to step down at the beginning of 2012. The main opposition bloc rejected the offer.

(CHANTING)

MALVEAUX: Saleh's power base began crumbling after Friday's brutal crackdown on protesters. Dozens of top military and government figures defected.

And some progress now in Japan's nuclear crisis. Tokyo Electric says that it turned the power back on today at reactor number 3. Now, that's the most badly damaged reactor at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Water pumps at two other reactors have been damaged by fire and seawater. Replacement parts will delay efforts to get those cooling systems back on line.

Radioactive substances have been found in the seawater near that Fukushima plant. And experts say that the ocean will likely dilute any contamination to any levels that are not harmful. Now, the government has ordered new testing on seawater and marine life to begin tomorrow.

And the death of the first American known killed in the Japanese disaster has been confirmed. Twenty-four-year-old Taylor Anderson (ph) of Virginia worked in Japan as an English teacher. Japan's national police says the official death toll is now 9,080.

More now on the crash of the U.S. fighter jet in Libya. As we've been reporting, both of the crew members are safe. The pilot is now aboard the USS Kearsarge. That is in the Mediterranean.

And our CNN's Diana Magnay is also aboard that amphibious assault ship. She joins us live.

Diana, give us a sense of the latest on the pilot, his condition. How is he doing? DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Suzanne.

Well, we know that the pilot actually walked on to the ship, that his condition is fine. He was sleeping a little bit earlier. His next of kin have been informed that he's perfectly well and he's been rescued.

And I can tell you a little bit about that quite complex recovery mission that went off last night.

Basically, the plane, a fighter jet F-15E fighter jet, experienced mechanical failure over northeastern Libya at around 10:30 p.m. last night. And so the pilot and his weapons officer ejected. They ejected at the same time, but into two separate places, so a recovery mission was launched from this vessel, the USS Kearsarge, and that comprised two Osprey aircraft.

They had to come and mix between a helicopter and a plane so it can fly as a helicopter off the vessel and then flew over to Libya. They were supported by these Super Stallion helicopters that you can see behind me, two of those.

With a mission of 13 Marines on board, it's called a track unit, and they're specially designed to go and rescue personnel and aircraft from missions like that. They're not armed. The mission -- obviously, the Marines on board do have small arms, but the helicopters and the Ospreys are not armed.

And because the pilots and the weapons officer had ejected into two separate places, they were only able to recover the pilot, who, as I said, is on this ship. The weapons officer is also in American hands, but he was, first of all, recovered by rebel Libyans in and around the Benghazi area. But he is also safe and in American hands, we're hearing -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And Diana, we're getting some new information from our Pentagon correspondent, Chris Lawrence, who is reporting now that not only the pilot, but also the weapons officer that you had mentioned in American hands, that he is now safely out of Libya as well.

Do you have any sense what is next for these crew members?

We seemed to have lost Diana. We're going to get back to her when we can.

Want to move on here.

There are some Republicans, some Democrats as well, who have been criticizing President Obama for the U.S. involvement in Libya air strikes.

So, this is your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. Our Carol Costello, she joins us with the "Talk Back" question.

You know, this is war. Two pilots, downed in Libya. A lot of people are really worried. Thank God they're safe. But we have now entered military operations.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. This is war. It could have serious consequences. Just because it's a no-fly zone doesn't mean it's a no-risk zone. Yet, all of this criticism is flying out there in our political world.

Already, one congressman is saying President Obama's decision on Libya might be an impeachable offense. No, it's not a Republican. It's a liberal lawmaker, Dennis Kucinich, who says the president needed congressional approval beforehand.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH (D), OHIO: It's very clear that what President Obama did is beyond what the Constitution permits a president to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: On "JOHN KING USA," the criticism from Republican Senator Richard Lugar was less harsh, but it still stung.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RICHARD LUGAR (R), RANKING MEMBER, FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: I do not understand the mission, because as far as I can tell, in the United States there is no mission and there are no guidelines for success.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And those potential Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty, they jumped on the bash Obama on Libya bandwagon today.

Now, hold on a minute. Whether or not you agree with the president, U.S. troops are in harm's way right now.

So, should politicians keep their opinions under the radar? As Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour said -- he's a possible Republican presidential contender -- he told Politico, "Whenever our men and women are involved in military action, every American stands with them. This is not the time to critique what the administration has done or will do."

So, "Talk Back" today: What are the consequences of openly criticizing the administration on Libya?

Contact me on Facebook.com/CarolCNN, and I will read your answers later this hour.

MALVEAUX: Carol, you and I have been in Washington long enough to know that's really tough, for politicians to keep quiet. They have an opinion.

COSTELLO: There is a line of thought that goes, if you think the president did the wrong thing, then discuss it with him. Don't discuss it with the public at large, especially at a time when our military men and women are in a danger zone.

MALVEAUX: And the president is overseas.

COSTELLO: Yes.

MALVEAUX: That's right.

All right. Thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure.

MALVEAUX: Here's a look at what's ahead now "On the Rundown."

First, a live update on the Japan on the crisis that crippled a nuclear plant.

Then Americans impacted by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Also, after pressure from protesters, Yemen's president is reportedly ready to leave office early.

And Donald Trump -- you've got to love him -- talks about everything from the U.S. presidency to Moammar Gadhafi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, ENTREPRENEUR: What did I do with Gadhafi? I leased him a piece of land for his tent. He paid me more than I get in a whole year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Finally, what happens to your cell phone service if AT&T buys T-Mobile?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Workers at Japan's crippled nuclear power plant are scrambling now to cool it down and prevent the release of more radioactive material.

Our Paula Hancocks, she is in Tokyo to give us some progress on this.

And Paula, do we know if there's still radiation that is coming from these reactors?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, just to update you, we are having a quake warning at this point, according to the broadcaster at NHK. This is not the first time this has happened. Sometimes there is an earthquake afterwards and sometimes there isn't. It isn't particularly accurate.

But just to explain, this is a fluid situation. Throughout this Tuesday, we have been feeling more quakes, somewhere in the region of 6.4 magnitude at times.

And as for the nuclear plant itself, obviously these additional quakes are a worry as the workers at TEPCO are trying to bring the plant under control. And there has been a mixture of good and bad news from the plant, basically, this Tuesday.

We understand that about two-and-a-half hours ago, about 10:45 p.m. local time, officials said that they did manage to get electricity to reactor 3. Now, this is crucial, because they've been trying to do this for some time, to try and spark the cooling systems once again and get control of the plant. But, at the same time, they also say that reactors 1 and 2 are in a worse state than they thought they were, that the seawater from the tsunami, and also the fact that they've been cooling the reactors with seawater, has corroded the equipment there more than was expected.

So, at the same time as we get some very positive news from the plant, also, there is a mixture of news this Tuesday -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And I just want to go back really quickly to the beginning there. You said there was a warning of another possible earthquake. Do you know if that's an aftershock, or are they saying that this is something that potentially could happen, expected to happen? Do you have any more information about that?

HANCOCKS: Well, what happens is there are earthquake warnings, and usually there's maybe about 90-second warning that is given. And it's given on the public broadcaster, NHK, which is what we saw maybe about a minute ago.

Now, at this point, there hasn't been an earthquake as far as we can tell. We certainly haven't felt anything here in Tokyo. But throughout this Tuesday we have been feeling many earthquakes. There's been at least four.

Of course, some of them are aftershocks from previous earthquakes, but they are still of a high magnitude, in the realms of 6.4 magnitude. And obviously this is a huge concern, many of them off the east coast of Japan. And it's a huge concern because the officials at this nuclear plant are trying desperately to get the situation under control, and any further earthquakes could only damage that -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Could only complicate that. Thank you. Paula Hancocks, please be safe.

A look now at how the Japanese disaster is affecting us here in the United States.

The threat of an import shortage has some drivers racing to car dealerships to buy up whatever Japanese hybrids are left on the lots. That is also because of the spike in gas prices.

An Oregon teacher who survived the Japanese earthquake and tsunami has now arrived at home. Katherine Heasly (ph) was reunited with her family at the Portland airport. She says when the tsunami hit, she only had a few minutes to grab what she could and run.

And meet a little Massachusetts girl with a big heart and more than enough toys. Seven-year-old Sage Friedman (ph) is selling some of her toys and books and clay sculptures that she makes. She's giving all the money to an organization that is helping the Japanese earthquake survivors.

Good for her.

Sage, we like that.

Well, the president of Yemen, he says he's going to give in to protesters and leave office next year. What does it mean for the stability in the country and the fight against al Qaeda?

Our Michael Holmes will be here to talk more about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: It's being called the first free election in the country in decades. Egyptian voters have overwhelmingly approved a set of new constitutional amendments.

Now, the changes limit government power, they pave the way for elections that are going to happen in June. More than 18 million Egyptians voted in a referendum on these amendments.

Meanwhile, in Syria, hundreds of people took to the streets in a demonstration over the death of an anti-government protester killed during clashes with security forces.

And after a bloody protest and pressure from demonstrators, the president of Yemen now says that he is willing to leave office by the end of the year.

Well, let's figure out what all of this means. Our Michael Holmes, he's here in today's segment.

Michael, we've seen bloody battles, we've seen peaceful transitions. What do we think is going to be the outcome in Yemen?

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the thing with Yemen, it probably falls somewhere in the middle of those two, actually. Yemen is a very important country.

Protesters there have been calling for the president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to step down. It's been going on for months now. He's been in office for -- I think it's 32 years. And, of course, lately we've been watching as the country has been like other countries in the region, racked by popular uprisings.

A lot of problems there in that country, too. There's a water shortage, having to drill deeper to get to the water.

Like much of the rest of the region, unrest. You've got high unemployment, severe poverty. It's the poorest nation in the region, and a very young angry population that is ready for change.

MALVEAUX: And we saw 45 people killed in a demonstration. How ugly is this going to get? Which way do we think it's going to turn?

HOLMES: Yes, this was another example of governments firing on their own people. It raised a lot of questions in the region when you see what's happening in Libya.

Now, he offered to step down. It's probably a good sign, but a coalition group, if you like -- they formed a group of coalition parties -- has already said no. They're rejecting his offer.

He wanted to stand down by year's end, but he says he doesn't want to do it until he knows who will replace him. So the opposition said, well, that's not good enough, you do have to go.

And as we've seen in Egypt, these things have a way of getting more and more complicated. So we've already heard that there's tanks around the presidential palace. Protesters are celebrating in many places, but there's no guarantee this is anywhere near over.

MALVEAUX: So, one of the things I know that the Obama administration is concerned about, Yemen. I mean, the government has at least cooperated with the United States in going after al Qaeda.

HOLMES: Yes.

MALVEAUX: If Saleh is gone, who replaces this guy?

HOLMES: Well, this is the thing. As I say, it's a very loose coalition of opposition groups. Some of them have been part of the government at various times and now they're not. But it's a very tribal country.

And the hope is that there could be a coalescing of those opposition groups into something that could take power and do something. But there's a lot of fears that it wouldn't.

Very tribal in nature. Could it break down into civil war, as Saleh has himself warned?

And then you've got, as you said -- I mean, this was a government that was in trouble before all this started. They've got a rebellion in the north, secessionist movement in the south. And as you said, it is the home, if you like, of al Qaeda in that part of the world.

The Saleh government allowed the U.S. to act against al Qaeda, and actually helped out in that regard as well. So, if the government fails, there is the potential for a failed state. And were that to happen, al Qaeda would be thrilled. The U.S. would not be happy. And neither would -- you've got to look at the geography, too.

You've got Bahrain, which has its problems. You've got Yemen. And right in the middle are the Saudis, and they're worried as well.

MALVEAUX: It's just a hotbed of activity right now. We're going to keep a close eye.

HOLMES: You know, you want to say, well, I think this will happen and I think this will happen. You don't know.

And as we've learned recently, I mean, who thought that there would be protests in Syria? Well, now there are. And it looks like the fear barrier is being broken now. What will happen?

MALVEAUX: And who knows of the timetable? I mean, look at Libya.

HOLMES: Exactly. Exactly.

MALVEAUX: You have no idea.

All right. Michael, thank you. Appreciate it.

HOLMES: Good to see you.

MALVEAUX: Well, the United States is involved in Libya's war, but many are asking, what is the objective here and how long is this going to last?

Gloria Borger joins us to talk about the unclear end game in Libya and what it means for the White House.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Here's what we've got "On the Rundown."

A U.S. fighter jet crashes in Libya. The latest on the crew.

And Donald Trump gets away with some of Gadhafi's money.

And how is this for rethinking possible, a huge merger between AT&T and T-Mobile?

Also, man's best friend coming to the rescue in Japan.

Well, U.S. and coalition forces are keeping up air strikes against positions in Libya. A U.S. fighter jet crashed due to mechanical problems today, but both crew members are safe.

Missiles and anti-aircraft fire just lit up the skies over Tripoli. That happened before dawn.

Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson, he was there. He joins us live from Tripoli.

Nic, tell us about the latest strikes.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the latest strikes happened overnight between sort of about 9:00 p.m. and midnight here. And the government has just taken us to see the site of one of those strikes. It's in the harbor, Tripoli harbor, in the naval facility there. We were taken into some warehouses, and inside those warehouses were rocket launchers, a missile.

It's hard to imagine how they could be so accurate. There were four rocket launchers lined up under this tin roof of the warehouse, but the missile struck right at the back of these four rocket launchers. They were mostly burnt out and destroyed.

There were no missiles in them at the time. There were some -- what appeared to be rockets in this warehouse facility.

Government officials told us this was just a military training and repair facility. They said civilians did work there, and that seemed to be the reason that they were taking us to this particular facility. There were training workshops that we could see that had also been hit by at least one large missile or bomb dropped on this facility.

But what's really interesting here, Suzanne, is that despite all the talk of civilian casualties that the government has said has happened here, the only thing that they're able to take us to see are things like this that appear to have very strong military connections. They're not able to back up some of their propaganda here by taking us to see the schools and hospitals that they claim have been targeted.

I did talk to one young naval officer who told me he had been involved in trying to put the fire out at this harbor facility. And he said there have been a couple of people with light injuries there. He wasn't backing Moammar Gadhafi, but he did say there should be a cease-fire and that talks should start -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And Nic, from your vantage point, it may be difficult to tell, but do you have a sense of how the rebels are doing, how they're faring going up against Gadhafi forces? Does it seem like it's an even match now that you've had these air strikes that have done some serious damage to some of the Gadhafi compounds?

ROBERTS: I think it's going to be a long time before it's an even military match on the ground. I mean, what we've seen so far is that the air strikes have forced Gadhafi's army back from Benghazi. By all accounts, they seem to be dug in around Ajdabiya.

Where the coalition decides the front line between Gadhafi and rebel forces should be will pretty much determine where the status quo emerges. The rebels have said they would like to come to Tripoli. I spoke with a senior government official last night. Their red line seems to be Ajdabiya. Listening to British prime minister and other officials in the coalition, Ajdabiya seems to be the coalition's front line here.

But where the coalition is struggling to have an effect it seems, in towns like Misrata, a couple of hours drive from the capital here, where they have difficulty, a, so far enforcing the no-fly zone effectively for them to operate there but, b, trying to figure out where rebel forces are and government forces are in this urban fight going on, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Nic Robertson out of Tripoli, thank you very much. Appreciate it, Nic.

The U.N. mandate in Libya is to protect civilians. But for many, the U.S. involvement needs to be more clearly defined. Last hour, I talked with CNN contributor and retired Army lieutenant general Russell Honore about the U.S. role and strategy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. RUSSELL HONORE, U.S. ARMY (RET.): The initial objective of stopping them from killing the civilians has been achieved. But I think the long-term capability of Gadhafi forces will have to be degraded to prevent them from continuing to attack civilians or the rebels in other cities, which means we have to downgrade the command and control and downgrade his logistics so he can't continue to attack the people.

There's a lot of ambiguity. Now, inside of ambiguity, people are getting uncomfortable with this, but this can also be a great opportunity because if you think we're confused, you can only imagine how confused Gadhafi is now. And there's one thing the United States military does, we can operate well inside of confusion and get the mission done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So, what is going to be the U.S. role in Libya going forward? And what is the end goal?

Many are asking that question to the White House. Our CNN senior political analyst, Gloria Borger, weighed in on the subject in an op- ed for CNN.com entitled "Obama and Libya: Tell Us How This Ends." She joins us now from Washington.

Gloria, we all read this and it got us talking here in the NEWSROOM about what the next steps are. We saw this F-15 go down, and it underscores the fact this is a war here. Do you believe that the president has explained adequately about the U.S. role, our involvement, in this operation in the Middle East?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLTICAL ANALYST: Well, probably not. I think he's abroad right now. Wouldn't surprise me at all if he found another way to talk to the country when he comes back to this country.

But, you know, the president has a problem here, and that is that he has stated very firmly that the United States' goal is to get rid of Gadhafi. But the goal of the U.N. Security Council resolution is a humanitarian goal. And so these things are separate. And the U.N. goal had to be very vague in order to get the coalition on board, including the Arab League, for example. And in Congress, the president has Democrats and Republicans who want more specifics, i.e., when the end game is. How do we know a humanitarian mission is accomplished? So, when you're part of an international coalition, it kind of hurts you on the specifics because international coalitions tend to be kind of messier than that.

MALVEAUX: And, Gloria, you mention he's going to get back from his Latin American tour very soon. What do you think he needs to tell the American people? Because there doesn't seem to be a great deal of appetite for another military operation.

BORGER: There isn't, although if you look at our polls -- of course, these things can change overnight -- Americans by a large majority do support the humanitarian mission in Libya. He has to make it very clear to the country that, as he has said in the past, that he does not intend to send grounds troops.

What's interesting to me as a journalist listening to all of this is that the president keeps saying that this is really a matter of days, that the United States' involvement is not open-ended here. I think what he has to tell the American people is, OK, if it's not open-ended, how do we know when it ends? Can we, for example, declare that a humanitarian mission is working when Gadhafi still remains in power? After all, he's the murderous thug who is ordering his troops to shoot at his own people. So how do you square that?

MALVEAUX: Sure. And you brought up a very good question in your op-ed, very pointed question. You simply said, is there a way to leave if Gadhafi stays? I wonder if we can even answer that.

BORGER: Well, I'm not sure. You know, I'm not sure we can answer that. I think, look, obviously both the coalition and Barack Obama hope that there is some way that Gadhafi is gone, whether he flees the country, whether his forces turn on him, whether his top lieutenants turn on him and take him out. I mean, that's something they would prefer.

But if things calm down there and Gadhafi still remains in power, how do you tell the American people, OK, the problem is solved? You know, we had that in 1991 with the Gulf War. Remember that? Saddam Hussein remained in power, and that turned out to be pretty problematic for us. So, you know, that's another question that right now remains pretty much unanswerable.

MALVEAUX: All right. Gloria, great to se you. Great op-ed.

BORGER: Great to see you.

MALVEAUX: We encourage people to look at it as well.

BORGER: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: Thanks, Gloria.

Did Donald Trump pull a fast one on Moammar Gadhafi in a real estate deal? It's not like he's bragging about it or anything. You'll hear for yourself.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: So, Donald Trump claims that he got the better part of a real estate deal he was working on with Moammar Gadhafi. Our CNN's Money Poppy Harlow joining us from New York. Poppy, this is an interesting story. Did Gadhafi get played?

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: It sounds like it, if you listen to Donald Trump. You know, we sat down with him for a long, sort of extensive interview with him yesterday, Suzanne. I certainly didn't expect him to talk about a business deal with Moammar Gadhafi, but he says, and he'll explain it when you listen quickly, he rented land to Gadhafi and then he duped him, if you will.

But I want you to pay particular attention to what he says he did with the money that Gadhafi paid him. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, CHAIRMAN & CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: I deal with everybody, and I like that. What did I do with Gadhafi? I leased him a piece of land for his tent. He paid me more than I get in a whole year. And then he wasn't able to use the piece of land.

So, people would say, did I take advantage? Did I this, did I that? So, I got in one night more money than I would have gotten all year for this piece of land up in Westchester and then didn't let him use it? That's called being intelligent.

HARLOW: Do you still have the money that Gadhafi paid you?

TRUMP: You're not talking that kind of money. Do I still have it?

HARLOW: I mean, what happened to the money? Some celebrities who performed for Gadhafi gave that money to charity. I think that's the question on people's mind.

TRUMP: Sure. I give tremendous -- in fact, the other night, Comedy Central roasted me. They gave me a tremendous amount of money. It's already gone to charity.

So, I give money to charity. I gave that money to charity. And in fact, I said, when I did it, I'm going to take Gadhafi's money, I'm not going to make it easy on him, and I'm going to give the money to charity. And that's exactly what I did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So it sounds like he got the better part of the deal, huh, Poppy?

HARLOW: Right, right. Absolutely.

MALVEAUX: Did he tell you whether or not he as was going to run for president? That's a big question we all want to know. HARLOW: Yes, of course I asked that. I said, why don't you make news right here on tell us, make news on CNN and tell us you're running in 2012. He's on top in some of the recent polls, so this is serious. And just take a listen because he tells me he is much more serious about a potential run for president than he was back in '99 when there was a lot of talk about this as well.

Take a listen to what he had to say whether he's making a bid or not, Suzanne for the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I'll make a decision sometime prior to June. And if I make a decision to run, I will fight very hard for the office and I will fight very hard for the country.

HARLOW: Which way are you leaning right now?

TRUMP: I can't say that, but I can tell you this. I love the country. I want this country to succeed. And with proper leadership, it can succeed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: I will tell you, Suzanne, he went on to say, and I quote, that "U.S. leadership," meaning President Obama and Congress are, quote, "not very smart." He said, we need new leaders, not just to send diplomats overseas but people that will take a hard line. He says this economy is not recovering. It's a false economy.

Bottom line, he says that this country is in bad shape and that he thinks he can be the one to turn it around. whether or not he'll take it all the way and run for office we'll see and hope he makes that news with us. But we'll keep on it for you, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Poppy, we're going to get back to you. We hope you break that story, get that scoop from him.

HARLOW: Got it.

MALVEAUXL: All right. Thanks, Poppy.

AT&T is adding another T and it's going to cost them. The merger everyone is talking about.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: It's one of the big news stories out of Wall Street this week, two telecom giants coming together now. AT&T announced plans to acquire T-Mobile for almost $40 billion.

Our CNN Silicon Valley correspondent Dan Simon is joining us live with the latest here. These are two fierce rivals now coming together to create some sort of super company, I imagine.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, we are outside of an AT&T store in San Francisco. You want to talk about fierce competitors, look no further than a recent T-mobile commercial. Check this one out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. I'm a T-Mobile My Touch 4g.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm an iPhone 4.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who's your friend?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the old AT&T network.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That will slow you down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the price I pay for 3G speed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bummer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: That's T-Mobile taking a pot shot at its now-merging partner, AT&T. This is something that caught many industry observers off guard. They say it's not only going to have an impact on T-Mobile and AT&T customers, but everyone who uses a cell phone.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Many industry observers off guard. And they say it's not only going to have an impact on T-Mobile and AT&T customers, but everyone who uses a cell phone. Why? Because you take a competitor off the market. It reduces competition. You have less phones on the market, less phone plans. But the people who stand to gain the least? T-Mobile customers. That's according to "Consumer Reports." Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL REYNOLDS, "CONSUMER REPORTS": Well, I think the concerns might start with the fact that AT&T, in our surveys of reader satisfaction, has been the lowest rated carrier. So I think I'd have some concerns as a T-Mobile customer that in a merge with AT&T, I might see the quality of my overall experience go down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: And you might also see your rates go up. That according to "Consumer Reports." T-Mobile had some of the most competitive rates on the market. AT&T's rates a bit higher. If, in fact, this merger goes through, it is possible that T-Mobile customers could see their rates go up. On the flip side, though, AT&T customers and T-Mobile customers may have better service coverage by combining those two cellular networks. You have wider coverage. And AT&T expects to have most of the country, 95 percent of the country, have 4G access, high speed Internet access, assuming this deal goes through.

Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Dan, is it going to be tough or easy to regulate all this?

SIMON: This is going to be a very tough process, according to industry experts. You're taking a major company off the market, if you will. Congress expected to get involved here. It's got to go through two hurdles. It's got to go through the Federal Communications Commission and also the Justice Department. And this could take a year to complete. And then once it is completed, it will take another year or two to fully implement.

Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: OK, Dan Simon, thanks for the very latest.

Well, we're getting a lot of responses to today's "Talk Back" question. We asked, what are the consequences of openly criticizing the administration on Libya? Jeff Jefferson says, "it merely reveals one's ignorance. Whether we like it or not, we don't know what the president knows." Carol Costello is up next with more responses.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Time now for "The Help Desk," where we get answers to your financial questions. With me right now, Donna Rosato. She's a senior editor at "Money." And Lynette Khalfani- Cox is a writer for walletpop.com.

Glad you both are here. We have questions coming in.

First one from Brian in Connecticut who writes, "I'm a grad student graduating in the next few months and I'm trying to get a handle on my debt. Can you give me an idea of where I should start?"

This is probably a good thing. Just get it done, right, Lynnette?

LYNNETTE KHALFANI-COX, SENIOR WRITER, WALLETPOP.COM: Yes, start with a budget. No question about it. Get a handle on your expenses. Find out how much money you've got going out the door. You don't want to deficit spend. In other words, you don't want to spend more than you're actually earning. Hopefully as a recent graduate, he's actually found a job. That will help.

And then on the credit and debt side, you know, do things like pay your bills on time, don't max out those credit cards. You know, be smart with your finances. I tell people, you know, don't go and live like a hermit and never spend anything, but just do things in moderation. But start with a budget.

ELAM: Yes, that's a good way to start. And check your credit score. And if you keep watching it, that might encourage you to keep on that path to having good debt numbers.

KHALFANI-COX: That's right. ELAM: All right, let's take a look at our next question from Alexis in Georgia who writes, "I'm 21 years old and have had some problems with identity theft due to a family member. How can I rebuild my credit and keep my score up in the future?"

This is a shame, but what should she do, Donna?

DONNA ROSATO, SENIOR EDITOR, "MONEY": It is so unfortunate and it's very common. In fact, about 50 percent of people who say they've been the victims of identity theft say it's someone they know, a family member, a caregiver, a co-worker.

ELAM: Wow.

ROSATO: They have access to your information, so it makes a lot of sense.

The first thing, if she hasn't already done this, is to file a dispute letter with her credit reporting agencies and a police report along with it so she can -- they can say this is what happened with (INAUDIBLE) bad credit. And then she's young, so she has time to rebuild her credit. You know, if she doesn't have any loans right now, she can get a secured credit card. And if she does have loans, she wants to make sure, pay on time, pay more than the minimum. And like Lynnette was saying, don't rack up a lot of debt and then she could be well on her way to repairing her credit.

ELAM: Because like that old song, time is on her side.

ROSATO: Yes.

ELAM: Donna and Lynnette, thank you so much. And, of course, if you have something that you need to find out, you want to get a personal financial question answered, let us know. Send us an e-mail any time to cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Some lawmakers are openly criticizing President Obama for the U.S. involvement in Libya, while others are backing his decision. Well, that's what we're talking about today in today's "Talk Back." Carol Costello joins us with more.

Carol, I know you got a lot of responses.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We did get a lot of responses. The "Talk Back" question today, what are the consequences of openly criticizing the administration on Libya?

This from Stack. "The open criticism of President Obama and our efforts with the coalition sends a very dangerous message to the rest of the world. Serious discretion should be utilized as this open division within our own ranks could very much undermine efforts to support and nurture democracy in the entire region. Keep it to yourselves, guys, please." This from Ray. "It is always OK to criticize the leaders of our government. This is the type of freedom that these rebels in Libya are fighting for."

This from Daniel. "Carol, openly criticizing decisions made by our leaders is not only acceptable, it is necessary. We do not have a clear goal in this conflict. Congress was not asked if we could go to war. It is unclear if we are indeed at war and we have been at war for the past 10 years in the Middle East. If ever there was a time to question our leaders and their motives, it is now."

And this from Boyd. "Obviously Republican Senator Richard Lugar doesn't watch CNN. The mission and purpose in Libya could not be any clearer. Success will be obvious once achieved."

Please keep the conversation going, Facebook.com/carolcnn.

MALVEAUX: Carol, I think a lot of people just have some questions. They just don't have a clear sense of how long we'll be there, what we're supposed to be doing. I mean even in talking with General Russell Honore, he said, look, you know, we -- it's ambiguous at best. We want more information.

COSTELLO: We need more information. And, plus, when you look at the cost of this conflict, I know Chris Lawrence was kind of breaking down the numbers, it could cost $1 billion. And, you know, we're suffering from a huge deficit right now and nobody is talking about cutting defense, especially not now when now we're paying more for defense.

MALVEAUX: Right. Right. And this is the third Arab country that we are involved in, in military operations. So a lot of people looking at, you know --

COSTELLO: And it's not --

MALVEAUX: How do we improve our relations over there? How do we establish stability and, again, take on another military operation?

COSTELLO: So a lot of questions. So lawmakers, at least most people on my FaceBook say, keep asking those questions.

MALVEAUX: OK. All right, thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure.

MALVEAUX: Well, they may be the last hope for survivors buried beneath tons of rubble in Japan. Search and rescue dogs now being used with promising results.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Humans can only do so much during search and rescues, but our Brian Todd in Japan reports on the critical role that dogs are playing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With an energetic, hardwired bust, Atticus (ph) charges into the rubble, bouncing around a fallen roof. He's focused on one thing, finding a living, breathing human amid the sprawling wreckage of the tsunami. It might seem an unfair request of a German Shepherd, but Atticus and more than a dozen other dogs working with U.S. and British rescue teams here are more than equal to it.

TODD (on camera): How important are these dogs to these operations?

ROB FURNACE (ph): Very. There's a lot of technical gear. Obviously the listening devices, the cameras. There's all (INAUDIBLE). All that stuff to locate people. But at the end of the day, you can't beat a dog for hitting the scent of a human being.

TODD (voice-over): Like most canine specialists, Rob Furnace has a tight bond with his Border Collie Byron.

FURNACE: Good boy!

TODD: The dogs are so highly trained, they're able to block out the scent of a deceased person and pick up only on someone who's alive. Their success rate is impressive. These teams pulled more than a dozen survivors safely from the rubble in Haiti, in no small part due to teammates like this German Shepherd named Wracker (ph). But keeping them sharp involves some creativity.

TODD (on camera): The team just had to do a drill with Wracker because they haven't found anyone alive in a few days. They've just had one of their own team member hide in this place, out of sight, just out of any sensory perception for Wracker. Sent Wracker in there to see if they could find that team member. That's how they keep the dogs sharp if they haven't found anyone in a few days.

TODD (voice-over): You stare in amazement as they run full speed, jump, land and bounce off objects that are so jagged and uneven that most people couldn't even attempt it. But they're not invincible.

TODD (on camera): Did he give you any kind of a signal or did you just see the blood?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just saw blood.

TODD (voice-over): Tomo (ph), a German Shepherd, snagged something in his paw. A little field surgery and he's back in the game. Later on, Wracker needs more work to stitch up a wound. Never during either incident do we hear one whimper from either dog.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good boy!

TODD: Traveling, sleeping, eating and playing with their handlers is part of the routine. Their communication is so instinctive that they sometimes understand each other just by making eye contact. We didn't witness them finding survivors in Japan, but the dogs serve another purpose for those who've lost everything.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Having the dog and seeing the times that the people in Haiti or something would enjoy a little solace from the dog, that's also part of their job and helpful to everybody, to teammates and myself alike.

TODD: All of these dogs actually live with their handlers who are heavily involved in their training. That helps solidify the bond between them and helps them get through these long deployments a long way from home.

Brian Todd, CNN, Japan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)