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6.5 Quake Jolts Japan; Japan: Two Weeks Later; Who are the Libyan Rebels?; Libyan Government Claims Alleged Rape Victim Released; Survivors' Guilt in Japan; Remembering Geraldine Ferraro

Aired March 27, 2011 - 22:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

There's a lot of news in Libya, but first, the latest from Japan, another earthquake has struck. This one, a magnitude 6.5, very near the epicenter of the March 11th quake that triggered the devastating tsunami.

This latest jolt is not welcome news for the crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima. Radiation levels at the plant have been off the chart at times. Fortunately, some of the most alarming readings turned out to be false. Four of the six nuclear reactors at the plant are in bad shape, and it's been touch and go for the past two weeks as workers try to contain the damage.

Let's go straight now to CNN's Paula Hancocks in Tokyo. Paula is there and she's going to join us in just a little bit to update us on the situation.

Let's move on now and talk about that astonishing, astonishing new video of the March 11th quake and tsunami in Japan as it unfolds. We want to take a look.

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(SIREN)

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LEMON: This is Kesennuma. It is a fishing port in the northern Japan -- in northern Japan, with about 75,000 people, about 100 miles up the coast from Fukushima. This video, which can be found on cnn.com lasts for several minutes. And at no time does the water recede during the video. It just keeps coming stronger and stronger. And keep in mind, the surge of water traveled six miles up the bay from the ocean before engulfing the city.

Now to CNN's Paula Hancocks who is in Tokyo.

Paula, were people scared about the tsunami warning just a few hours ago?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, certainly. There have been a number of tsunami alerts since March the 11th. There's been a number of very significant earthquakes, 6.5 magnitude this morning, and certainly those sort of earthquakes are going to unnerve people once again. When they hear the tsunami alert, if it is followed -- following a severe earthquake, then people will head to higher grounds.

And it's not surprising, you see the video. You see the absolute devastation that the March 11 tsunami wreaked. It's not surprising that people are going to take every single alert seriously. But this is an ongoing thing. There are continual aftershocks, continual earthquakes, many of which are felt here in Tokyo as well. So people are very much on edge, hoping that we're not going to see a repeat of that tsunami.

But at this point, all the tsunami alerts have not really amounted to much. There was a very slight ripple we saw of the waves coming onto the northeast coast, and that was believed to be from that earthquake itself. But luckily, this time, there was no significant reaction from that.

LEMON: Paula, let's talk about the power plant now in Fukushima. And there are concerns that it can't take any more rumbling. What about the radiation fears there?

HANCOCKS: Well, we just had a press conference from Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, and the one thing that they pointed out was that the temperature was rising in reactor 1, that they are hoping they can combat that. We also heard that in reactor 2 -- remember we had this staggering information on Sunday that TEPCO thought that the radiation levels in the water in that engine room was maybe 10 million times higher than it should have be. They've now revised that to 100 times higher. They've apologized for a mistake.

Of course, this kind of mistake is only going to add to the confusion that the people already have when they hear this staggering levels and can't really put it into context.

But 100 times higher is also quite significant. So the radiation levels are significant in that water, and the workers can't get inside until that water is drained. And what we're hearing is they're having trouble draining that water because they've got nowhere to drain it to. There are containment vessels that they would usually drain it to, but those are pretty much full at the moment.

So at this point, they're saying they just have to try and figure out what to do with that water before the workers can get inside and try and bring this plant on line. So, it is a significant setback that workers can't get on what they need to be getting on with.

LEMON: And Paula, I'm glad -- I'm glad you mentioned that the temperature with that water, because we just got an urgent wire from Japanese officials and it's saying that the temperature rising inside one of the reactors, and I'm wondering the human element here. How are people dealing with that -- then one more thing?

HANCOCKS: Well, I think the confusion is -- is going to be pretty tough for Japanese people. In fact, the world is watching this and wondering what exactly is going on and they have TEPCO as the main source of information. This is the company that deals with the plant, that runs the plant. And when you have a mistake like the mistake that happened on Sunday, 100,000 times higher rather than 10 million times higher, I mean, it's mind-boggling to try and get your head around those figures. But when you realize there's an extra few zeros on there that shouldn't have been on there, it doesn't instill confidence in the company.

So, certainly, that is going to be a worrying development for many people who are following this very closely. How could they have got this so wrong? And it did take many hours before they corrected this error. So, certainly, people are going to be watching very closely to see what TEPCO is doing. There has been criticism of the way they handled it and the way that NISA, the nuclear safety agency has been handling it as well.

And even the government is coming under criticism. A recent poll by Kyodo News Agency showed that 58 percent of Japanese people at this point are not happy with the way that they're dealing with this crisis.

LEMON: Paula Hancocks in Tokyo with our developing news tonight.

Thank you very much, Paula.

Explosions and tracer fires seen in the skies over Tripoli. We'll have the very latest on the war in Libya.

Plus, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright weighs in on the war in Libya. It is a CNN exclusive.

And you have a voice on this show. We want to see your social media feedback. I'm online right now on Twitter, Facebook, and also on Foursquare.com. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Let's talk about Libya now where Operation Odyssey Dawn is stretching into a second week.

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Eardrum-rattling explosions and tracer fire over Tripoli. This was just a few hours ago, and there's been more since then. It's not clear where the explosions were coming from but coalition forces continue to enforce a no-fly zone over the country.

Libyan rebels are advancing westward and have taken control of two key cities. The opposition says Gadhafi's forces retreated from Ras Lanuf and rebel fighters have seized the key oil town of Brega.

Meanwhile, NATO okayed a plan today to take over responsibility for the Libya operation. That will happen in two or three days, and then the current coalition, led by the U.S., Britain and France, can stand down.

You're hearing a lot about the actions of the Libyan rebels, like where they're moving and which cities they've seized. But who are they exactly and do they have what it takes to push Gadhafi out? Our Reza Sayah set out to answer those questions.

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REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Just last month, they were civilians, all ages, all walks of life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name, Wisam (ph).

SAYAH: Twenty-two-year-old Wisam (ph) was in college.

Ahmed is 32, a husband, father, an engineer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

SAYAH: Eighteen-year-old Adrise (ph) was a student studying business.

Today, they're amateur soldiers in the rickety rebel army of Libya's opposition, united, they say, by one mission, to topple the regime of Moammar Gadhafi.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I come here to here in Benghazi after I saw Gadhafi dictator, he kill my people here. He kill Libyan people without any reason.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want my country to be free. I want freedom for my country.

SAYAH (on camera): The opposition's leadership is just as much of a motley mix as the fighters. It's a group of 31 made up of local politicians, military leaders who defected and prominent figures like lawyers, doctors, academics, activists. They call themselves a transitional government, and they, too, at this point, appear to have the same objective.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The main objective of the national council is the main objective of the Libyan people. It is that of the removal of Gadhafi and his regime.

SAYAH (voice over): With the rebels pushing west, gaining momentum and territory, a Libya without Gadhafi appears more likely by the day. Whether democracy will follow is far from clear.

Libya has long been patchwork of tribes and rival sects kept largely intact in the grip of Gadhafi's autocratic regime. Although they've joined hands in a common quest, two of the opposition's leaders have already criticized one another.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, it's normal. I mean, this difference is normal. That is what we like. For 42 years, we have unified opinion and nobody expressed their opinions. We didn't have this freedom. So, it's good. It's good to have rivalry.

SAYAH: The opposition says the path to democracy won't be easy, but whoever derails it, they say, will face what Colonel Gadhafi is facing now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We broke the wall of fears that does not exist, and we have no more fear to come out again and again and again until we have the right government governing us.

SAYAH: Reza Sayah, CNN, Benghazi, Libya.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right, Reza.

The Libyan government says the woman who burst into a Tripoli hotel with an horrific tale of rape has been released.

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LEMON: The last time we saw Eman al-Obeidy, Libyan security forces were dragging her away and shoving her into a car. She had stormed into a hotel on Saturday and hysterically told journalists that 15 members of Moammar Gadhafi's militia raped and beat her over a two-day period. Her cousin is concerned about what may have happened to her while she was in custody.

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WEDAD OMAR, COUSIN OF EMAN AL-OBEIDY (through translator): We were surprised when we saw what happened to Eman. We didn't recognize her. Her face looked different. She didn't look like herself. We hope this problem passes but we're afraid Gadhafi's people will give Eman something to make her go crazy.

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LEMON: And joining me now to talk more about this woman's case is a Ali Gebril, a Libyan-American who has lost friends in the conflict.

And when you see -- it's really horrific to watch.

ALI GEBRIL, LIBYAN-AMERICAN: Very hard to watch.

LEMON: What do you make of that? Because the government is saying that she made it up and that she was, you know, not all with it. What do you make of this situation?

GEBRIL: Nobody can really verify what the government claims in Libya. But I doubt that somebody have the courage or the madness just to appear before the international media and say that, what she said. I think -- my gut feeling tells me that her story is genuine. And it's disturbing that because she's from the eastern part of Libya and from the tribe of Obeida (ph), based on her name. And this is very alarming, and it tells the people of Obeida, it tells the people of Libya that the woman at the checkpoints of Tripoli are not safe. They may be subjected to all kinds of treatment including rape.

LEMON: Do you believe they're sending a message through this woman, if this is true?

GEBRIL: This is possible, this is possible. That this regime do everything to pacify the people, to threaten the people. They use tanks. They use rockets. They use everything. They killed innocent people. They use dead body to show them as fresh casualties of bombing.

LEMON: And Ali, in this conflict, for the first time, someone standing up on camera to Moammar Gadhafi and his militia, what's the significance of this woman and her story?

GEBRIL: It tells the people, it tells the world that the degree of frustration, the degree of people being really fed up of the situation. And for a woman in this kind of society, in a very conservative society, to step forward and to face the regime and to show her -- how she was a victim of the treatment like that, in this very, very critical moment, very dangerous times of Libya, it tells that the people, the population are reaching a very, very dangerous level of frustration.

LEMON: Courageous?

GEBRIL: She is.

LEMON: Yes. And people -- people there are aware of her story. Libyans in country are aware of her story.

GEBRIL: Today, I saw an interview with her in the eastern part, a long interview. That tells me her story have reached out and the people becoming aware of Eman Obeidy. Besides, the internet played a very significant role in spreading her story all out.

LEMON: Ali Gebril, thanks to you.

GEBRIL: Thank you, Don.

LEMON: Coming up next, my exclusive interview with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Hear what she has to say about U.S. policy in Libya.

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LEMON: Scenes from Misurata as the violence continues in this conflict.

The air campaign against Libya has depleted Moammar Gadhafi's military arsenal but he is still defiant and he's still in power. And earlier, I discussed the U.S. role in an exclusive interview with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Madam Secretary, thank you so much for joining us.

MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Good to be with you, Don.

LEMON: Much has been made about this conflict and how the United States got involved. I have to ask you, do you think that the president handled this properly and should we have intervened?

ALBRIGHT: I think he handled it very well. And the reason we intervened is that terrible things were happening on the ground in Libya, people were being killed, and Gadhafi himself had said that he's going to slaughter everybody.

We had international support for it not only from the Europeans but from the Arab League and from a number of countries in the Middle East. And so, that kind of combined international support for this, I think, is very, very important along with the U.N. Security Council resolution, and the fact that as Secretaries Clinton and Gates and the president have said, this is going to be moving towards a NATO operation with help from the other countries.

LEMON: I know that you think that he's unstable. And I think that you called him a nut. Should removing him from power be the ultimate goal of this mission?

ALBRIGHT: Well, I think the goal of this mission is in order to protect the civilians. That is what the Security Council resolution says. But, I -- he has lost his legitimacy, as numbers of leaders have said. And one of the things, though, every situation is a little bit different. I had a lot that I was working on when I was secretary on Kosovo, and we bombed under NATO auspices - with NATO did, for 78 days, Milosevic surrendered, but it took a year for him to leave.

LEMON: All right.

ALBRIGHT: He was under indictment for the war crimes tribunal. So, the noose can be tightened.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

Let's talk more about Libya with Gordon Chang now. He is one of our regulars. He's a columnist for Forbes.com and the author of "Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes On the World."

Gordon, Madeleine Albright says the noose can still be tightened around Moammar Gadhafi. Do you agree?

GORDON CHANG, COLUMNIST, FORBES.COM: I certainly think that it can be. One of the things that we can do is talk to regime elements, get them to split off from Gadhafi, isolate him, and certainly, with the embargo, can be tightened. There are all sorts of these maneuvers that can be and should be taken, and they should be taken very soon.

LEMON: Does NATO have the stomach for a month's long campaign in Libya? How long can this be sustained?

CHANG: That's a great question, and it very well may have to be more than a month, because as Secretary Gates said earlier today, this could end up taking the rest of this year or even longer.

NATO is 28 countries. They've got to act by consensus. And right now, it was pretty fragile and it was a lot of diplomacy on the part of the Obama administration to get NATO to this point. And certainly, we got a long way to go. So, I think that NATO has got to prove itself. It's not doing that well in Afghanistan. It's got to do better in Libya.

LEMON: And you wrote about -- in your column about Syria today. But people are asking, why not Syria, why not Yemen, why not Bahrain?

CHANG: Well, certainly, Bahrain and Yemen are U.S. allies, and the Obama administration is not going to try to destabilize them. But Syria is a very different question. Syria is an ally of Iran and North Korea. It's developing nuclear weapons covertly, and certainly, it's threatening Israel by supporting Hamas and Hezbollah.

So, this is a government that we really have an interest in seeing gone, because if that happens, then Iran is going to be especially vulnerable. And that means, if Iran is gone, a lot of good things can happen in the Gulf.

LEMON: Gordon Chang from Forbes.com. Thank you, sir.

CHANG: Thank you.

LEMON: President Obama will address the nation tomorrow night about the uprising in Libya and, next, we'll examine what he'll have to say to the American people.

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LEMON: President Obama will explain his Libya strategy tomorrow night in a national address. He is scheduled to speak at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. Our coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

Critics say the president didn't act fast enough, while others say now that he has acted, he has not consulted Congress enough. And for insight on what the president's next step should be, we're joined now by CNN contributor Errol Louis.

And you say President Obama should have three goals tomorrow night. What are those three goals, Errol? ERROL LOUIS, POLITICS ANCHOR, NEW YORK 1 NEWS: Well, he's -- you've got to keep in mind his three roles.

He's the leader of the nation. He's got to speak to the nation and reassure us that this isn't a waste.

He's got to speak as the leader of his party. We're going into an election season and he's got to reassure the Democrats he's not going to take them down a blind alley and result in more lost seats in Congress.

And finally and most importantly, he's the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. He's got to persuade the military and explain to them what this mission is. And it's a very difficult one. I mean, he is acting in this -- usually unspoken fourth role, as leader of the free world.

When NATO asks you and the Arab League asks you and the world asks you to step forward to present -- prevent a humanitarian disaster and take some leadership, the president of the United States must answer that call. It's not very popular, according to the polls, with the American people. It's not popular with his party. It's not that popular with the military either. But he is going to make the case tomorrow that he's got to do exactly that.

LEMON: Let's get back to the politics of it here in the United States. You said that the president has to make sure that this doesn't add up to more lost seats in Congress. Then why not consult with Congress before this?

LOUIS: Well, it's a - it's a tough, I mean, look, first and foremost, it's his reelection bid that he's going to be concerned about. But also he's -- he's, you know -- look, he has had consultation with senior members of Congress. You've got some folks out on the wings like a Dennis Kucinich or, frankly, on the Republican side, a Dick Lugar, who's normally a moderate Republican expected -- who can be expected to support the president, and they're not happy either.

So, this is the start of a campaign. He put two of his cabinet secretaries on the Sunday morning talk shows today. He's going to address the nation tomorrow. Senior cabinet members are going to go before Congress later this week. And all throughout, I assure you, there will be the private calls, the invitations to come to the Oval office, and attempt to really sort of build some support for a very tough mission that he has decided he cannot avoid.

LEMON: Can we see this as the emergence of a new Obama doctrine, especially in foreign policy?

LOUIS: I think so. We know, I think, when the history is written, that the speech in Cairo that he gave, that first big speech addressing the Muslim world was the start of something. And he said he wanted to try and change America's standing and its place in people's minds and in the world.

And a lot of people called him on it. These rebellions all over the Middle East are really amount to a lot of young people sort of saying, OK, you want to change your role, come support us. And in Egypt, he began to do that. And in Libya, he's trying to take another step. It's an emerging doctrine. Again, very controversial, politically unpopular in many quarters. And that's what I'm going to be listening for tomorrow.

Is there an Obama doctrine? Is he really serious about realigning America so that groups like NATO or even the Arab League will have some influence over our foreign policy?

He wants to make sure that America is not simply going it alone. And I'm expecting to hear him explain exactly how the United States will step back and let others step forward.

LEMON: Errol Louis, thank you, sir.

LOUIS: Thank you, Don.

LEMON: And again, the president will address the nation about Libya tomorrow night. CNN will bring it live to you with coverage starting at 7 p.m. Eastern. The president speaks at 7:30.

Another earthquake shakes Japan, prompting a temporary tsunami alert. The latest on this developing story straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Here are the stories making headlines at this hour. A 6.5 quake shook the ocean floor just off the coast of Japan just a few hours ago. It was very near the epicenter of the 9.0 quake that triggered the devastating tsunami on March 11th. A tsunami alert was issued, but then cancelled.

And at the crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima, a radiation spike that was off the charts earlier today turned out to be wrong, but it's still a volatile and dangerous place. Potentially deadly levels of radiation are present in many places of the complex, most of them from contaminated water.

Reading in the ocean, 1,000 feet from the plant, registered more than 1800 times higher than normal.

In Libya, rebels are advancing westward, taking control of two key cities today. The opposition says Gadhafi's forces retreated from Ras Lanuf and rebel fighters have seized the key oil town of Brega.

Also, NATO OK the plan to take over responsibility for the operation in Libya, that will happen in two or three days and then the current coalition led by the U.S., Britain and France can stand down.

Former President Jimmy Carter will be back in Cuba on Monday. This video shows Carter on his last trip there in 2002 when he was greeted by Fidel Castro. He is the only U.S. president in or out of office to visit the communist island. This is not an official visit. Carter is there on a private trip at the invitation of the Cuban government. Many of the people who survived the March 11th earthquake and tsunami are considered lucky. But for the doctors and nurses at one badly damaged hospital, they are haunted by the people they could not save.

CNN's Kyung Lah has more now.

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KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the haunted shelled the remains of the Takata Hospital, under the broken beds, the IV bags filled with mud, nurse Fumiko Suzuki hears the screams of the lives she could not save.

FUMIKO SUZUKI, NURSE, TAKATA HOSPITAL: "The patients couldn't walk," she says. I heard someone screaming, "auntie, I can't save you, I'm sorry."

"I looked out and the wave was as high as a fourth floor window." "I'm sorry," I said, as I ran upstairs.

LAH: You had to leave patients behind?

SUZUKI (through translator): It is the biggest regret I have.

LAH (on camera): The tsunami flooded every single floor of this hospital. Fifty-one people were hospitalized that day. Twelve drowned in their beds, three died on the roof awaiting rescue. But it wasn't just patients who died that day.

(voice-over) Ten of Takata's Hospital staff died with the patients, among them, a man who ran for a satellite phone so survivors could call rescue crews. The hospital's director says he tossed it to the roof seconds before the tsunami killed him.

"This handwritten note reads he's helping us from heaven" says Dr. Ishiki. The doctor himself lost his own wife, but won't leave his makeshift clinic. A survivor burdened with the echoes of lives left behind. Nurse Suzuki feels the same. She's been here ever since she was rescued, cheerfully treating patients despite losing her house, her friends and her family, everything. The clothes she's wearing donated.

HAMAKO SUZUKI, PATIENT'S DAUGHTER: "When I hear that says Suzuki's lifelong patient, it breaks my heart. It's a natural disaster. They want to save everyone, but in this situation, they can't."

LAH: Nurse Suzuki says she can do something now. She can stay on the job.

FUMIKO SUZUKI (through translator): Whatever the situation, I will stay here. Talking with the patients will be my cure.

LAH: Caretakers pledging to heal and hoping to heal themselves.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Rukusen, Takata, Japan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And when we come right back, a woman who has broken racial barriers all her life and is still going strong at 78 years old.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: In tonight's "What Matters" segment, we want to introduce you to a woman whose name you may not know, but she has broken racial barriers all her life and continuous to do so well past the age most Americans retire. Her name is Belva Davis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON (voice-over): Belva Davis has spent 50 years on the front lines covering it all from Senator Robert Kennedy to Mohamed Ali. To the mysterious Fidel Castro.

BELVA DAVIS, KQED-TV, SAN FRANCISCO: We couldn't just on an afternoon go somewhere and talk to Fidel, you didn't do that. So you waited until the end of the day, you whisked out to get into a dark Russian made car, you drive through, you know. You know, the whole city almost at break neck speed and then you get out some place you don't know where you are, you led into a room and there he stands. So he's already done his number. You're in awe.

LEMON: National attention came to Davis and San Francisco in 1978 in back to back stories. First, hundreds of people followed local minister Jim Jones to Diana and were massacre.

DAVIS: Oh lord, that was really a time when I truly, truly had to pull it in.

LEMON: Then the San Francisco mayor and the city supervisor Harvey Milk were assassinated by a colleague.

DAVIS: Both were shot this morning.

LEMON: Davis high school age daughter worked for the mayor at the time.

DAVIS: I went down first to protect my child, and then to mourn.

Shock, fear, dismay, disbelief.

Except that I could not because I was the anchor of the evening news show, let those emotions come out.

LEMON: The Louisiana native got her start in 1950s as an editor for "Jet" magazine, then as a radio D.J. But when she applied for a TV job, she says one manager told her he didn't want any quote, "nigress" working for him."

DAVIS: He inspired me because I had to then work even harder to get a job. And I got it.

LEMON: That job at KPIX TV in 1966 is the one that landed Davis in the history books as the first African-American woman reporter on the West Coast.

DAVIS: I wasn't just the first black woman, I was the first woman street reporter in town. And I was invading the guys' turf.

LEMON: At 78, Davis is still working, still winning awards, still breaking barriers.

Don Lemon, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: When we come right back, a cobra gets loose in New York, and no one can seem to find it. That story is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: OK, see what our affiliates are covering. And if snakes creep you out, pay attention to this story.

A cobra is on the loose at New York's Bronx Zoo. The zoo's reptile house is closed until further notice while workers search for the nearly 2 foot long poisonous snake, but they insist there's no need for alarm. That's what they say. They say they're sure the snake is in a non-public, isolated part of the building. The adolescent Egyptian cobra apparently slivered off from its enclosure. Its venom is so deadly it can kill an elephant in three hours, a person in 15 minutes.

More than 70,000 people answered Charlie Sheen's online want ad for a summer intern, and one Boston college student is thrilled he's still in the running.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTIN GROSSINGER, FINALIST IN SHEEN INTERN CONTEST: I wasn't expecting to go anywhere with it. I wasn't expecting to make it to the next round. And then all of a sudden, this third round, there's 250 people left. And I'm one of them, and that's really cool.

Martin Grossinger's submission apparently struck a winning chord with the actor. Now for round 3, Grossinger and his rivals must each make videos answering questions about social media and how they can increase Sheen's followers. As if he needs more.

And check this out. Sea lions performing flips and acrobatics in the waters off Seattle. Photojournalist for our CNN affiliate KING captured the scene, while taking a ferry this weekend. Pretty serene and it's a pretty cool sight.

Now to the big stories in the week ahead from Washington to Wall Street to Hollywood. We got you covered, starting tonight at the White House.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dan Lothian at the White House. This week, Libya will continue to be a big focus for the president. But in addition, on Monday he will spotlight education challenges and achievements when he visits a school here in D.C. He'll take part in a town hall meeting hosted by the Spanish Language Network, Univision.

Then on Tuesday, the president heads to New York City where he will help dedicate a building of the U.N. named in honor of former commerce secretary, Ron Brown.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Chris Lawrence at the Pentagon, where next week, the focus is going to stay in the Middle East, not only the developing violence in Syria and Yemen, but also Libya. Even though, the coalition is handing off command to NATO, U.S. strike fighters are still going to be involved in attacks on Gadhafi's forces and troops there on the ground.

And Pentagon officials are going to have to make an accounting to Congress, not only about the overall strategy and goals of this mission, but also giving a broad estimate of how much it's going to cost and when it's going to get paid for.

PAUL STEINHAUSER CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: I'm Paul Steinhauser at the CNN Political Desk.

Members of Congress are back in town this week topping their agenda, hammering out a budget to keep the government running. Current federal funding runs out in less than two weeks. Democrats and Republicans are far apart on how much to cut out of the budget. And if there is no agreement, there could be a government shutdown. Out on the campaign trail, a bunch of probable Republican presidential candidates make stops in New Hampshire and Iowa, crucial states in the road to the White House.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. Well, this week we'll bring a slew of key economic news and Wall Street will be watching as investors try to gage the strength of the U.S. economy.

On Tuesday, we'll get Case Shiller Home Price Index, a key figure as the housing market continues to drag on our recovery. And Friday, we'll get the latest car and truck sales figures, but that focus Friday will be on the all-important monthly jobs report coming in the morning.

Meantime, soaring oil prices continue to rattle global markets, so there's a lot going on. We'll keep an eye on all of it for you on "CNN Money."

A.J. HAMMER, HOST, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: I'm "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT's" A.J. Hammer. And here's what we are watching this week.

Chris Brown is scheduled to be on "Dancing With The Stars," but will he be banned for his big GMA rampage.

Also, Charlie Sheen's live tour will kick off in Detroit later in the week. The question is, will it be winning?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Winning!

We'll see at "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" live at 5:00 p.m. Eastern on HLN. And we're still TV's most provocative entertainment news show at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Who said winning? Who said winning?

LEMON: I guess we'll see there for Chris Brown and Charlie Sheen. OK.

JERAS: Yes, good times.

LEMON: That was good, A.J. Thank you.

Big weather headlines including hail and an avalanche.

JERAS: Oh my gosh. You know, I hate to be Debbie Downer, right? But what a weekend.

I mean, it was really lousy weather for so many people this week and actually downright dangerous for many of you as well. We will hit a couple of the highlights, first of all, starting in California, where it's just been one storm after the other, all week long. Heavy rain caused mudslides and some flash flooding in the area. Several homes had been threatened. This is in the San Pablo area. We also had problems in the Big Sur area. California Highway One remains closed north and south of Big Sur. So keep that in mind if you're going to be traveling around there in the next couple of days.

Let's take you now into Utah, where some skiers got trapped in an avalanche. This was yesterday morning. This was in Spring City, Utah. Two of them were injured, none seriously. That's some good news, but they had to get the ropes out and rescue crews to get them safely back up the mountain.

And now to Minnesota, where they've been battling the flood fight, still. This is from Hastings. The suburb of St. Paul along the Mississippi River. More than 1,000 showed up to fill up sandbags as the Mississippi already out of this banks, and it is not expected to crest unfortunately until Thursday, Don.

And, you know, this is really common now across central and southern parts of Minnesota. Lots of roads out there covered in water. And something to keep in mind as people travel tomorrow and head back to work, not to travel over any of those wet-covered roads.

LEMON: Say Minnesota again. Minnesota.

JERAS: Minnesota.

LEMON: It's perfect.

JERAS: You bet.

LEMON: Tomorrow's commute tonight.

JERAS: Yes, they're going to be a lot of travel problems there as well. We're taking a look at the big picture, Don.

I think the big areas we'll be concerned about is out west and then also into the southeast, and that's kind of been the rule, unfortunately, this weekend, too.

We'll hit the top highlights for the worst weather commute. Denver, Colorado, expects some delays in the morning. Now patchy fog means you probably want to leave a little early. Scattered showers throughout the day and windy conditions.

Number two, Tampa, Florida. And in fact, many of the cities in central Florida being impacted by showers and thunderstorms. We could get enough rain that will have some urban flooding, and of course, wet and slick roads so use a lot of caution traveling there.

And the worst location in the nation, Salt Lake City, Utah, on the interstates. I-15 is probably going to get really slushy and covered. You get up into the benches tomorrow. We're talking 4 to 7 inches of snowfall.

All right, let's talk about the airport travellers. Who's taking off and who has a flight. A lot of business travelers for tomorrow. We'll pick three of them for you.

Charlotte, North Carolina, Douglas International Airport might see a little bit of snow here mixing in with the rain tomorrow morning. Moderate delays are going to be expected especially in the morning, getting a little better later in the day.

Atlanta Hartsfield, Jacksonville International Airport, the busiest airport in the world, expecting delays all day long due to low clouds and the showers, very similar to what we had across the area for today.

And then New York City, even though it looks great outside, you're on the cool side and it's going to be a bit on the gusty side. So be aware that we could have to do a little shifting around with those runways so some minor delays expected. All the New York City metros and that includes Newark as well. Don?

LEMON: My impression of Atlanta yesterday and last night.

JERAS: All this thunder. Yes, not as much thunder tomorrow, but still the wet.

LEMON: Thank you, Jacqui.

JERAS: Sure.

LEMON: Appreciate it.

When we return, some Japanese residents are returning to their homes inside the nuclear evacuation zone at risk to their health and their lives.

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LEMON: Japanese officials say temperatures are rising inside one of the crippled reactors at Fukushima nuclear power plant. That's a troubling development in the middle of this ongoing crisis. The plan is to adjust the flow of freshwater into the reactor to try to bring the temperature down.

Meanwhile, the Japanese government is warning residents to stay out of the evacuation zone. The government says it is receiving reports of people returning to their homes near the power plant despite the ongoing risk of harmful radiation exposure.

In Libya, rebels are advancing westward, taking control of two key cities today. The opposition says Moammar Gadhafi's forces retreated from Ras Lanuf and rebel fighters have seized the key oil town of Brega.

Also, NATO OK to plan to take over responsibility for the operation in Libya. That will happen in two or three days, and then the current coalition led by the U.S., Britain and France, can stand down.

Former President Jimmy Carter will be back in Cuba tomorrow. This video shows Carter on his last trip there, it was in 2002, when he was greeted by Fidel Castro. He is the only U.S. president in or out of office to visit the communist island. This is not an official visit, though. It's a private trip and it was at the invitation of the Cuban government.

The political world is mourning the death of Geraldine Ferraro. She was the first female vice presidential candidate from a major U.S. political party. She was Democrat Walter Mondale's running mate in 1984. And she was elected to Congress three times from New York. Mondale and Ferraro lost to Ronald Reagan and George Bush in a landslide, but Ferraro's place in history was secure.

Geraldine Ferraro died on Saturday of multiple myeloma, a blood cancer she had battled for 12 years.

And earlier, I spoke with Madeleine Albright, the first woman to serve as secretary of state and a longtime friend and adviser to Geraldine Ferraro. She shared her thoughts about Ferraro's life and legacy.

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MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: I have never met anybody that was such a fighter for the future, for her children and grandchildren and for America. That's what she was about. She was a feisty fighter and a path breaker, and nothing will ever be the same in American politics once she stepped up on the stage there at the San Francisco convention and said "I'm Geraldine Ferraro, and I'm running for vice president of the United States."

LEMON: Doctors gave her three to five years when they gave her the prognosis, and she lasted much longer than that. That says a lot about her spirit and her tenacity.

ALBRIGHT: Totally. I mean, she lasted 12 years after that prognosis and every single day was a fight. I spoke to her about a week ago, and she was ready to take on the next part of this, to always be ready to try something new. She was such a spirit of life and a desire to live and to really show that she could beat the odds. And she beat them for a very, very long time. LEMON: Her family and her daughters, how are they doing?

ALBRIGHT: Well, they're obviously devastated. But they are very, very close family. They are going to spend a lot of time crying and laughing over Gerry's stories. We all will.

She talked with a particular speed that many of us had to keep saying "slow down" so we can understand you. But she really had so much spirit and love of life. And all of us, while we say that we have lost a friend, we will never have lost her because she's etched in our minds forever with her laughter and her sense of doing the right thing for her family and the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And our thanks to Secretary Albright for sharing her personal thoughts about Geraldine Ferraro.

She said she hasn't heard anything from the family about funeral arrangements yet, but CNN will keep checking in, and we'll let you know once we know.

Geraldine Ferraro, dead at the age of 75. And we'll leave it at that. Thanks for watching. Good night.

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