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Gadhafi Defiant; Nuclear Containment Efforts Continue in Japan; Tripoli's Port Damaged; Reporting From War Zones; The Drills and Military Preparation in Saving Downed Aircrafts in War Zones; U.S. Expects More Arab Support in Libya; President Obama's Nuclear Ties

Aired March 22, 2011 - 16:01   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, watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: He is still nowhere to be found and now the U.S. says Moammar Gadhafi still attacking his own people. Meantime, the assault on the Libyan regime is intensifying. I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.

The U.S. says it is not targeting Moammar Gadhafi, but the Obama administration wants the defiant leader gone, so, where is he. And should the U.S. be at all concerned about Gadhafi unleashing chemical warfare?

Also, President Obama getting hammered from both sides. So, what exactly is the mission?

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: If this goes on indefinitely, it is going to be terrible for the United States.

BALDWIN: Some lawmakers say the president violated the Constitution, and now one Democrat is threatening to kill the operation.

Plus, yet another setback in the race to prevent nuclear catastrophe in Japan. We are now learning the damage to those reactors is worse than originally thought.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: And we continue on here, hour two. Hello once again. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Let's talk Libya, Moammar Gadhafi apparently not at all backing down. Despite three days of coalition airstrikes, Gadhafi is still attacking his own people. In fact, that is the word just this afternoon from the admiral in charge of the U.S. Naval forces in both Europe and Africa.

That is also the word from opposition forces in Misrata, including an eyewitness I just spoke with here, where so many people are being hurt, that the hospital says it has stopped counting the injured. It's also counting the dead, nine today, 77 since Saturday. And take a look with me at some of this video, powerful pictures. CNN cannot confirm where precisely this was shot. But it was posted to YouTube yesterday and it is marked Misrata.

Now to this -- this is the wreckage of that U.S. F-15 jet that crashed today in rebel-held Eastern Libya for reasons the U.S. military says were technical, not hostile. I will say that again. The U.S. says the plane, this jet, had equipment problems and was not shot down.

Now, at this point, Libyan air defenses are said to be minimal, at most. The jet's two-man crew did eject. The pilot was rescued promptly by a plane from the USS Kearsarge on call in the Mediterranean. The weapons officer was found by Libyan rebels, who took care of him until coalition troops could go get him. We are told neither man is badly hurt, despite some of the wreckage here you are looking at.

But back in Tripoli, journalists today saw the apparent result of an allied missile strike on a port. Casualties included truck-mounted rocket launchers. The trucks appear to be Russian-made, about 30- feet-long with mobile launcher systems mounted on the back.

Eyewitnesses tell CNN they saw missile strikes in the port area last night. In fact, Nic Robertson is going to join me live here in a moment to talk about what he saw. He was one of those journalists who toured this area, courtesy of the government.

But, first, I want to tell you what is happening today in Cairo. Take a look at this video with me, massive plumes of black smoke and flames. This is the Egyptian Interior Ministry, clearly, the fire on multiple floors of this particular building. We are told it started after thousands of ministry employees were protesting outside of this building today. They were pushing for higher wages.

But the demonstrators say they had nothing to do with this fire.

I want to bring in Ivan Watson, who is live for me in Cairo.

And, Ivan, we know the Interior Ministry is investigating the fire. What have they told you so far?

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they say that the fire began in the top floors of the Interior Ministry. And the spokesman for the ministry thinks that it could have been started by an electrical circuit malfunctioning.

It leaves you scratching your head a little bit, because about 30 days ago, Brooke, I saw another fire erupt outside the Interior Ministry in a neighboring building belonging to the office of criminal records. And it just really makes you wonder how this strategic building, this symbolic building that really symbolized the headquarters and the brain center of the police state for so many years here in Egypt could have mysteriously caught on fire twice in 30 days. It really makes you wonder -- Brooke. BALDWIN: So, still clearly questions. This could be, if it is suspicious, the second suspicious fire as you say you have seen in Cairo in 30 or so days. And perhaps the biggest picture here, Ivan, is it reminds us that Egypt, as we saw through the whole revolution, is still far from stable, even though Hosni Mubarak is gone.

WATSON: Absolutely.

And here's one great example of why Egypt is still not steady on its feet. The stock market has been closed here since January 27, Brooke, more than a month. The entire stock market of this country has been closed.

BALDWIN: Wow.

WATSON: And we are told that it should reopen now tomorrow morning. But we have been getting those messages almost every week. That's just the stock market. There are a number of other big political issues in this country that suggest it's far from stable, a lot of competing interests here.

One interesting development, though: Last weekend, this country held a historic referendum with record numbers of voters who all turned out peacefully to vote for reforms in Egypt's constitution, so some bright spots amid some of the areas of concern.

BALDWIN: Some bright spots. Ivan Watson, thank you so much from Cairo.

And not too far from there, next door, in fact, you have Libya. We are going to get you more from Libya in just a minute, including how Moammar Gadhafi is still attacking his own people and we will tell you what NATO is going to do about it, but also this, also nearby, Yemen. Yemen is said to be a growing hot spot for terrorists. You know that. And the country's president has just made an offer to the people who have been demanding that he step down, but the offer comes with a warning. It is all unfolding right now. Stay right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: We're going to get back to Libya in just a moment, but now I want to talk about Yemen. It is a country where the U.S. says terrorists are hiding and gearing up for attacks. Well, to make matters worse, Yemen could soon be heading for civil war as well. That is the president warning that. It is Ali Abdullah Saleh.

And here is the deal. Protesters there, they are demanding for this president to leave, to step down. And today, he made some news. He said he would next year. Well, the opposition rejected that.

The violence continues on the ground there in Libya.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates saying today the U.S. is extremely concerned about the situation in Yemen, calling it the most dangerous al Qaeda haven in the world. And we have been covering the situation there in Libya. We have Nic Robertson, who is in the capital city of Tripoli. He's actually gotten a trip today, taken by the government to take a look at a port area that has been semi-demolished by what has been falling from the skies there. And Nic is there live in Tripoli.

Nic, talk to me just what about you have seen, as we look through some of your video.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, we were taken to this port facility. We were taken to the naval of the port in Tripoli. It's a huge port area, the whole of the port in Tripoli, the naval part of it much smaller, and we were taken in a warehouse right on the dockside there, very close to about eight naval vessels that we weren't allowed to film, but we were allowed to film in this warehouse.

And it was clear what we saw in there that this was a military facility, that there were mobile rocket systems there, four of them that had been targeted very precisely by coalition strikes. One of the craters from one of the missiles fired was literally right behind, right at the back tires of four of these rocket systems that were lined up there.

The government wasn't so happy for us to film some of the rocket systems that were also in that warehouse facility. And they insisted that this was just a training and repair facility. And that seems to be the reason why they took us there, because what they wanted to say was, this wasn't a -- this wasn't a legitimate facility to target, I think, was their message here, that this was just a repair facility.

But we saw -- from what we could see, there was a lot of military hardware in there, and including these rocket systems, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Well, it's also clear, though, Nic, that the government is showing you what they want the world to see.

I know you have been trying time and time again to get into Misrata. I spoke with an eyewitness speaking on behalf of the opposition forces, telling me, you know, there are snipers on every building; they are being bombarded, hospitals running out of beds. I think I know the answer, but I'm going to ask it anyway. Why is it that the government is not letting you into Misrata?

ROBERTSON: I think that they are not letting us because they don't want to see what's -- they don't want us to see what's going on. They know that we would bear witness to any amount of military action on the government side, and that is the last thing they want, so they won't let us go.

But I think what's interesting about what they took us to see today is the fact that they haven't been able to show us any of the claimed civilian casualties, that they haven't been able to take us to any of these schools or hospitals that they claim have been hit in these strikes, because they don't exist. The best that they can show us is a military site that they say was just a repair and maintenance training facility, because these things that they claim that have been hit, like schools and hospitals, haven't been hit. They can't prove it. And they haven't been able to show us any civilian casualties either.

So, it just shows the weakness of their argument and the lies and propaganda that they are trying to put out, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Nic, before let you go, I know it's about 10:15 there at night in Libya and it's about this time when some of the anti- aircraft fire begins over the skies.

Have you seen any of that today in the last hour or so?

ROBERTSON: We have had a little anti-aircraft gunfire, but I don't think it was associated with any missile strikes, because I think it would have lasted longer. It is, of course, possible that missiles could be falling beyond the range of what we are able to hear here in the center of the capital, but it seems to me so far, so far at least, it has been a relatively quiet night.

BALDWIN: OK, Nic Robertson, thank you so, so much.

Nic out of Tripoli.

And they spent nearly a week as prisoners of Moammar Gadhafi, now those four "New York Times" journalists they are free, they are speaking out about their horrifying ordeal. Wait until you hear what happened at the checkpoint where these four journalists were captured and what Gadhafi forces did to that woman there.

Also, Michael Holmes is going to join me to talk about the risks, he knows firsthand what journalists face as you go into a war zone, including his own nightmare in Baghdad. That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right. Any good journalist will tell you this -- war reporting can be challenging, it can be exciting and obviously, it can be very dangerous. Journalists know that, but every once in a while, we get some big, big reminders, and that's what I'm talking to Michael Holmes about today.

You have done 11 rotations, 11 reporter rotations in Iraq.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: In Iraq; three in Afghanistan, I think, yes.

BALDWIN: You have had a few close call?

HOLMES: Yep.

BALDWIN: You and I shared some beers one night. I heard about your story and we're about to share your story here in a moment. But first, I do want to talk about what we are learning from those four "New York Times" journalists who, thank goodness, they are free.

You know, I read the article, it came out here last night. Here they are, these are pictures of the four of them. They were captured by pro-government forces in Libya last week, they are now safe, but they have talked to "The Times," you can go to "The New York Times" and read their article.

But essentially, they were covering the fighting near Ajdabiya, decided it is too dangerous there, it's a town near Benghazi. The driver inadvertently took them to a checkpoint manned by forces loyal to Gadhafi. Soldiers grabbed them. The driver is still missing, mind you. But the soldiers tied them up. Lynsey Addario's feet, one of the journalist's feet, were bounded with her own shoelaces. One soldier punched her in the face, soldiers repeatedly groping her.

In fact, this is what she told "The Times," and I'm going to quote her here. She says, "There was a lot of groping. Every man who came in contact with us basically felt every inch of my body short of what was under my clothes."

I want to bring in Michael.

This is the first little bit of what we are hearing, it is horrifying. They were put in jail. I mean, I'm sure you read the article.

HOLMES: Yes, absolutely. It was -- I mean, these guys are all seasoned veterans, too. I know a couple of them.

BALDWIN: Pulitzer Prize winning.

HOLMES: Absolutely. And one of them was kidnapped and held in Afghanistan in 2009, rescued by special forces.

In fact, I was in Ramallah in the West Bank in 2002 when Anthony Shadid was shot by soldiers there in the West Bank. And I was down the other end of the street from him when it happened. So I know him well, and it is just great to see those guys out.

BALDWIN: Tell me about your experience in Iraq. What happened?

HOLMES: It can be dangerous. I mean, obviously --

BALDWIN: You know that going in.

HOLMES: You do know that going in, of course. Nobody is told to go to war zones. I mean, you go there knowing what you are getting into. And I have been covering conflicts since 1986, and so Iraq, I was familiar with what it entailed.

But the thing that happens in these places, and these guys, I said, they are four seasoned journalists, been covering conflicts for years and years, but just stuff happens sometimes.

Now we were coming back up into Baghdad, we were about 30 Ks south of Baghdad near a place called Mahmudiyah (ph), and we were in two vehicles and we were attacked by two vehicles. And first thing we knew was windows shattering and bullets going through the vehicle. And I remember turning around, looking out the back and seeing our colleague's vehicle go off the road and the windshield was red with their blood.

And that's their vehicle there actually.

BALDWIN: These are pictures from that.

HOLMES: Yes.

And my translator and very good friend, Duraid Issa Mohammad was killed, and also Yasser Khatab, he was one of our young drivers, he was only 21, were killed.

Scotty, the cameraman sitting next to me in our vehicle was shot in the head. He lived to tell the tale and is covering the Middle East again now actually as we speak.

But it just sort of goes to show what can happen. That came out of nowhere and it was two guys standing out of the sunroofs with AK- 47s with armor-piercing rounds, it was not a very fair fight and we were lucky to get out of that.

BALDWIN: It is a story I think some of us are familiar with, and I'm just glad you shared it. And I don't think a lot of people who watch really appreciate perhaps even your background and knowing that this is something you live with. You remember the day every single year. You mark it.

HOLMES: I do. I do. I always write something about it every of day just to mark the guys because they are two young men who were very important to me and good friends of ours at CNN. And I -- but I probably lost seven friends in Iraq over the years and there's --

BALDWIN: But go back in a heartbeat, I bet.

HOLMES: Oh, yes. Of course you would. I would like to be in Libya right now.

There's Yasser and there is Duraid on the left in the bureau there from -- that would have been back in about 2003, 2004.

But you got to remember that there's been -- Iraq was a war. It was actually the first war where journalists were targeted, they were high-value targets to the enemy. And so, they were looking for us, as opposed to us being in the way or being collateral damage towards.

There's 13 journalist missing in Libya right now. Two have been kill and it is worth sort of remembering that. And around the world -- look at Iraq alone, 160 newsmen and women were killed. That is more than the World Wars, Korea and Vietnam combined. Iraq's been a very deadly place for journalists.

BALDWIN: Yes, when we talked about this morning about talking about the risks for war correspondents, I immediately just -- you were the guy, Michael Holmes.

HOLMES: Yes, it's hard for those guys. I can't imagine what they went through.

And that was actually always my big fear, was more than being shot at, which we -- that happens, you are embedded, you get into firefights, stuff happens, but my biggest fear was being kidnapped. That was is not something I wanted to happen. And so, I can imagine what was going through their minds in those first hours.

BALDWIN: Reading that article on NewYorkTimes.com was chilling. Chilling and despicable.

HOLMES: Glad they are out.

BALDWIN: As am I.

Michael Holmes, thanks so, so much for sharing your story.

And now, this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT GATES, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We haven't done something like this, kind of on the fly before. And so it is not surprising to me that it would take a few days to get it all sorted out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: "On the fly," that is how Defense Secretary Robert Gates describes the attack in Libya. So how many times has the U.S. carried out a spontaneous military operation? The best person to ask, retired General Wesley Clark. He is good enough to be back with us today. We will talk, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Well, the news just broke this morning, just days into the coalition air campaign over Libya, we are hearing about this fighter jet down. And it is a true story here, this is the aftermath.

It was an F-15 Strike Eagle it did crash there in Libya not too far from Benghazi. But it was a short time later that we learned the two-member crew, pilot in the front, weapons officer in the back, that they are safe. They are not seriously hurt, they are out of hostile territory.

Well, we thought, who better to talk to than retired General Wesley Clark.

General, good to have you back on.

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: And I know you are not an aviator, but you have commanded plenty of them and plenty of rescue units. And hearing about this downed F-15, it must be among the worst news a commander can get.

CLARK: It is. I mean, it really messes up your day when you hear it.

But you know, we have been practicing rescue for years. We have got -- there is a play on this, there are aircraft standing by, there is a package that can go in. So it's not only the helicopter that does the pickup or the V-22 Osprey in one case, but it is also the escort aircraft, the jamming aircraft, everything that's needed to go in and get that pilot.

The pilots are trained. They have -- they should have communications from the ground with handheld radios when they go in. And they are told where to go and how to meet, there are recognition signals and link-up signals. They know what they are doing. We've worked this.

And during the Kosovo campaign, we did lost two aircraft. We never lost a pilot, they were always picked up. And here we've got these two men and I'm very glad for them.

BALDWIN: We know that the crew is fortunate. They were met by some of the rebels, some of the "friendlies" on the ground. But what if that had not been the case, then what?

CLARK: Well they would have gone into hiding until the -- until one of the aircraft could have come in and picked it up. And they know how to do this, escape and evasion is what it's called. And they practice it, they have all been through E&E test course and they know what they are doing.

BALDWIN: They know what they are doing.

We know that it was Admiral Locklear who said today that Gadhafi's air force has been greatly diminished, to use his word, from the air strikes, part of Operation Odyssey Dawn, the missile launches. How do you interpret that though?

CLARK: I think they have lost some aircraft. They probably haven't lost all their aircraft. A lot of the stuff was probably moved to south. Some foreign sources are saying that even some of the radars and anti-aircraft systems were moved to the south.

So while we may have the superiority in the skies right now, it is not clear that we have a permanent superiority supremacy in the skies. And obviously, that is what the coalition is working on, to deepen and strengthen the suppression and destruction of his integrated defense system.

BALDWIN: I know you have been in a similar position, you have commanded NATO troops when Security Council resolutions were violated in the past. Tell me about how these commanders are working today. Who do they even talk to?

CLARK: Well, the command on the ground is U.S. Africa commander, and he has then the air component commander. Everything is pulled together on the USS Whitney. the Air Force commanders work through probably a combined air operations center, perhaps located in Italy. They are receiving tasking orders that come down that are approved by national authorities. All of the missions are approved, not only by the commander of the coalition but by their own national authorities. And there's a daily planning cycle that pilots know in advance what to go up, they know what their missions are going to be.

And then there are some reaction forces that can be scrambled, or something unusual happens. When the pilots are in the air, they are communicating to their air operations center, they are probably not making any decisions on their own unless something just suddenly comes up. So, if they see targets on the ground, they are probably going to go back to the combined air operations center, ask for verifications to make sure there is no friendlies area, to know the location of the friendlies. They will do everything they can to be effective and at the same time, minimize the chance of any mistake that would hurt innocent people.

BALDWIN: OK. Retired General Wesley Clark. Thanks for your perspective, helping us understand what happens when an F-15 goes down especially. Thank you so much, sir.

And back to the unfolding situation here in Libya in just a moment. But first, the other urgent crisis overseas. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've already spoken to children who are having nightmares. They're unable to sleep, they're frightened of the sea because they believe it is going to come back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Nightmares. Parents, you hear that? Children in Japan. They are scared to death of another tsunami hitting. They are also scared apparently of staying indoors. They are afraid of being buried alive. Coming up, a brand-new look inside the disaster zone. And the scenes you are about to see, they are going to be tough to forget.

Also developing right now, the damage at those nuclear reactors is now worse than originally thought. Coming up next, what does this news mean in terms of a possible meltdown?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: OK. Time to talk Japan and specifically, I want to talk about the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant we have been talking about now for days and days. Now 11 days removed from the earthquake, and what can you really say about this? This is the scene in one of those towns right along the northeast coast where first the earth shook, then the ocean rushed in, the tsunami.

And now, look at this. Eleven days later, more than 13,000 people are still counted as missing. Today the official death toll crossed the 9,000 mark.

But now to this. This is a situation you are familiar with, steam rising again from the stricken nuclear plant. In fact, what you are seeing right there, this is unit number four. So, steam and smoke yesterday. We talked about it yesterday. But again, steam today. In fact, a Japanese official saying units one and two are damaged worse than suspected, and that includes potential damage to the unit's nuclear cores.

So, they sprayed water again today in unit two. They did that, of course in reactor three and then also reactor number four. Once again, the whole idea here they want to prevent the potential melting of any of those units. And that includes the spent fuel rods, the different pools -- up top, the different it reactor units. So today, they got power restored, and this is huge for them, power restored to part of unit three here, but not to the crucial cooling system. And that is what we will be watching for.

I just told that you massive number, 13,000 people are still missing, yet the numbers can not capture the scope of this disaster. So, let's watch this report together. This is coming from CNN's Kyung Lah.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(WOMEN CRYING)

KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Japan's disaster, there are too many dead to have a proper funeral. Sixteen-year- old Hiroki Sugawara is underneath this blanket. His parents and two brothers drove his body to the emergency shelter, the best farewell they could offer in the wake of the tsunami.

Don't give up hope, Hiroki's father tells his friends. Keep living for my son.

These children have already lost two of their friends. Hiroki is the third. He wasn't at school that day, which sits high above his neighborhood. Crews pulled his body from the rubble.

Sixteen-year-old Takuma Kinno played soccer with Hiroki. I've lost my best friend, Hiroki, he says. Hiroki died young. He should have lived a long life.

Life has been cut short all across Rikuzentakata, one of the hardest- hit towns in the tsunami zone. Search crews find the body of a middle-aged woman. Like all the others, they can't identify her, but cover her and load her body onto a truck.

(SIREN)

LAH (voice-over): They offer a single sign of respect, a farewell. On the ground, flowers and offerings of tea to mark the passing of another life. After a few seconds, crews return to the search.

It is tough to cope with this scale of loss as an adult. For the young, incomprehensible.

LAH (on camera): It's too early to know how many children have been impacted by this disaster, but aid organizations believe that number will be well into the thousands, and that they'll feel the psychological damage for years to come.

ANDREW WANDER, SAVE THE CHILDREN: We've already spoken to children who are having nightmares, they're unable to sleep, they're frightened of the sea, because they believe it's going to come back. They're frightened of being indoors because the building shook so violently during the earthquake.

So, it's absolutely a chance many of these children are going to have difficulties, serious difficulties coming to terms with what happened to them.

LAH (voice-over): For the friends of Hiroki Sugawara, this impromptu funeral is some closure. A thank you from the family, his father covers his son and offers a final farewell to his friends.

A few more seconds to cry, then Hiroki's friends move back inside the shelter to deal with what this disaster brings next.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Rikuzentakata, Japan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Tough to watch.

Now to Libya. We have heard from lawmakers who are against the operation, against Moammar Gadhafi's regime, including members of the president's own party. But coming up next here, I will speak with a Republican Congressman who supports the attack but disagrees with the president on several aspects here. We will hear the tough talk. Back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Several schools have been put on lockdown after a funnel cloud forms in California. The whole thing caught on video. Take a look, though. Blue skies. Sun is still out. Happening in Maxwell, California. This is just north of sacrament Sacramento. No reports of injuries or damage there.

An extreme wind gusts and sea swells become one family's ultimate morning nightmare. U.S. Coast Guard got the call for help, this was last Sunday morning. They rescued this family of four, including a six-month-old child and a dog. The boat apparently broke free from its cabling, was sucked out to sea. The Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol initially responded, but its boat was damaged by some of the waves there.

And we are going to talk here about the operation in Libya. Congressman Devin Nunes will join me from California over the phone, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Well, so far there has been no major heavy lifting from an Arab nation with regard to this operation, Operation Odyssey Dawn, happening right now here, day three, and now really into day four over the skies of Libya.

We have heard now today, Qatar will be using two planes, two fighter jets. And we're just getting some information here into CNN from senior U.S. officials, and let me just read you part of my e- mail.

They say -- the official said -- this is this official saying that, "Several Arab states are in the process of finalizing their plans," adding, "The Obama administration was confident we will have further concrete contributions of different kinds for enforcement of the resolution in the next two or three days."

That is significant, certainly, as this operation moves forward. And I want to talk to this congressman about this news here just into CNN.

And for many people, you know, the goal here of the U.S. mission of Libya is confusing, at best. President Obama trying to make the very clear distinction between the humanitarian goal set forth by the U.N. Security Council, that resolution, 1973, and then the policy from the White House, from his own administration.

I want you to listen to the president. This was just yesterday when he was speaking, trying to outline that. This is from Santiago, Chile.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Military action is in support of an international mandate from the Security Council that specifically focuses on the humanitarian threat posed by Colonel Gadhafi to his people. I also have stated that it is U.S. policy that Gadhafi needs to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Republican Representative Devin Nunes is on the House Intelligence Committee. He is now on the telephone with me from Fresno, California.

And Congressman, if I can, just get your quick reaction here to the news that we are now learning that several other Arab states are in the process of finalizing their plans, their involvement in this operation. What do you make of that?

REP. DEVIN NUNES (R), CALIFORNIA: Thanks, Brooke, for having me on today.

And I am around my district today, and there is a lot of confusion, especially on behalf of the American people. And that's probably all over the country. As it relates to the countries, the Middle Eastern countries that may or may not be participating, I think the key country to watch is Saudi Arabia. And that -- from my perspective, that is the most important country there, one that we have been a long-time ally of. They have many of our weapons systems, and I really want and I hope the president is asking the Saudis to come in and help us to out with the situation in Libya.

BALDWIN: We know he picked up the phone. We know he called King Abdullah of Jordan over the weekend. So we'll be watching to see specifically which countries within the Middle East, within the Arab nations, will be involved.

I want to quote you, because I know speaking in your home district there in Fresno, you were quoted as saying, "Americans want to know if we are in it to win it," with regard to Libya. "Or if we're not, we need to stay out."

Clearly, we are in it now, Congressman. So help Americans understand what it is we are exactly looking to win.

NUNES: Well, that's -- you kind of got to it in what you played of President Obama there, where you have the U.N. resolution is, in fact, not to get rid of Gadhafi, but you have the president of the United States saying that's the official position of the United States. It's in sharp conflict.

So, you know, my position is that we need very much so not to get ourselves into a quagmire and do what we have to do as quickly as we can without putting American lives in danger and not open up another war.

BALDWIN: I want to ask you just real quickly while I have you here on the House Intel Committee, there have been some questions about some of the mustard gas that perhaps Colonel Gadhafi has stockpiled in Libya. Without, you know, compromising any information here live over CNN, is that of grave concern?

NUNES: Yes. I mean, obviously any time that -- we know Gadhafi has a history of not only, you know, contracting and figuring out how to attain weapons of mass destruction, we also have, you know, pretty good information that he has weapons of mass destruction. Not to mention that we know that at one point, he had some type of nuclear program going.

Now, he promised us that four years ago, he was going to discontinue that, but I don't think this is a man to be trusted. I think this is a man who killed our soldiers in Germany. He blew up innocent civilians, including Americans.

So, I agree with President Obama that he needs to go. But we just have to have a clear and concise message to the country, and I just really worry that we are trying to turn this over to the United Nations, which could be problematic.

BALDWIN: Congressman Nunes, thank you so much for calling in here.

And there is something to this debate you may not have heard about yet, President Obama's ties to these nuclear companies and what it could mean going forward. You may be surprised about what we are finding. That is ahead.

Also, Wolf Blitzer joining me next. And take a look at this. It's a special day for Mr. Blitzer. Got a little bit of a surprise for him, and yes, this picture is a clue.

Stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Now for a look at what's coming up on "THE SITUATION ROOM," Wolf Blitzer with more here.

Wolf, on Libya -- and I'm sure you saw the wire cross -- we're getting the news from senior U.S. officials that several other Arab states are finalizing their plans, but reading between the lines here, could that be humanitarian or could it be military?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: It will probably be mostly humanitarian. They're trying to make a little political statement.

I suspect there will be a little bit of military involvement, relatively speaking, but I don't think there is going to be a robust air power show of strength by any of the major Arab air forces. Qatar, to a certain degrees, they have already made a commitment. We will see if the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia or Kuwait, or Egypt, for that matter, Jordan -- they all have pretty large -- largely U.S.-supplied equipment, F-15s, F-16s. We'll see if they really get involved in these air strikes in patrolling the no-fly zone over Libya.

It's a work in progress, to put it mildly.

BALDWIN: OK. Well, I know you have much more here on Libya coming up on "THE SITUATION ROOM."

But if I may, because I tell you, we have been dealing with some tough news for over a week, let's have a lighter moment. And it's a special day for you.

And on that note, Wolf Blitzer, let's watch this together.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Wolf, I know it's a special day for you, and since I don't get to have you here in Atlanta with me in person, I kind of had to find the next best thing. So, Wolf, let's go.

Are we ready, everyone? This is Wolf. On the count of three -- one, two three.

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP (singing): Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Wolf Blitzer. Happy birthday to you !

Happy birthday, Wolf!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Happy birthday, Wolf.

BLITZER: That was so sweet. Thank you so much. That's huge cutout, too, of Wolf Blitzer. Did you get that at the Turner store there? Is that where you got it?

BALDWIN: I know. I did. I got some funny looks, I will say, schlepping that thing around the building to try to find a CNN tour.

BLITZER: So do you own that Wolf Blitzer cutout?

BALDWIN: I wish. Hello?

BLITZER: Do you have to give it back to them?

BALDWIN: I had to give it back. I had to give it back.

BLITZER: I have got little sort of bookmark, Wolf Blitzer bookmarks I can get you.

BALDWIN: If only we could be as cool as you one day, Wolf Blitzer.

BLITZER: One day.

BALDWIN: But hey, happy birthday. Make it a special day.

BLITZER: Thank you so much. Thank you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Thank you. We'll see you here in just a couple of minutes.

Now here, back to serious stuff, with the nuclear threats in Japan right now, President Obama is taking heat on his support of nuclear power. But so far, the president has not changed his position.

Joe Johns is here for a "Fact Check."

Is the president set on nuclear power, Joe, despite the nuclear plant crisis happening now in Japan?

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Brooke to hear the White House tell it, the president is not locked in at all. However, in his budget, he did include $36 billion in loan guarantees to build new plants, so I guess you can say you know where the administration stands.

BALDWIN: Is it at all, Joe, a done deal? JOHNS: No. No, the plants don't get built unless the Nuclear Regulatory Commission gives a stamp of approval, and that might be a little tough to do right now, given the politics. The president has said nuclear energy is a priority, and he even mentioned it in his State of the Union Address with a bunch of other energy sources.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Some folks want wind and solar. Others want nuclear, clean coal and natural gas. To meet this goal, we will need them all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: So, you know, the White House says he is interested in all forms of clean energy -- wind, solar, natural gas, and nuclear energy, which is very clean, as long as there is not a meltdown.

However, there is a problem. In the 2008 election cycle, according to opensecrets.org, candidate Barack Obama got at least $262,000 in donations from individual employees of a very large nuclear energy company, Exelon. They're headquartered in the president's home state, all perfectly legal, all disclosed.

Exelon has been very up front about it. They sent us a statement saying, "Exelon, like its peers in the electric and nuclear industry, actively engages in the political process, supports candidates from both parties" who they "believe will support sensible energy policy."

BALDWIN: Well, still, the administration has to be quite sensitive to questions, you know, whether the president's positions on nuclear energy have anything to do with political donations he has received. What are they saying about that?

JOHNS: Yes. Well, first, they say there's no connection. I talked to Clark Stevens, a White House spokesman, and he e-mailed me a statement and said the administration's energy policies are based solely on how best to build a 21st century clean energy economy. And that not policy is picking one energy source over the other between, you know, wind, and what have you, solar and so on.

BALDWIN: Meantime, a big, big supporter of the president, and one of the go-to people here on government accountability, appears to have a bit of an accounting problem all of her own, Joe Johns.

JOHNS: Yes. Well, yes, we are talking about Democratic Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill. She has been Ms. Accountability for the Democrats, and now she does have a property tax problem with a private plane she and her husband owned a piece of.

They basically audited the plane's books, found out they owe something like $70,000 a year in property taxes dating all the way back to 2007. She also had to pay for using the plane for political travel and billing the government for it. Embarrassing, right, especially when you're up for re-election? Needless to say, she is pretty sick about this plane, she says, and talked about it on a conference call. Listen up.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL (D), MISSOURI: I have convinced my husband to sell the damn plane. He has hired a broker, and I can tell you I will not be setting foot on the plane ever again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: So, you there go. Happy times in the McCaskill household, I would think.

BALDWIN: Facetious much there, Joe Johns? Thank you very much.

Joe Johns, there from D.C.

And hey, want to remind you, if you have a couple free minutes and you would like to think about something other than the serious news we have been covering, you know this woman. This is supermodel -- and lately she's been called a super mogul -- Tyra Banks.

Did you know she is going to Harvard Business School right now, this particular program? So you can check out my interview. We've pulled up my blog here, so you can watch it. You can go to my blog, which is CNN.com/Brooke.

And just a sidebar on the report Joe just mentioned on President Obama's ties to the nuclear industry. Take a look at this brand new CNN/Opinion Research Poll. Fifty-three percent of Americans opposed to building more nuclear power plants in the U.S. That is up from last year.

And now it is just about that time to head it to the man, the birthday man today, Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

Wolf, to you.