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MLB Looking into Proper Treatment for Players with Concussions; Congress Holds Hearings on Bias against Muslims; Wal-Mart May Be Subject to Massive Class Action Lawsuit for Discrimination against Women; Protests Continue in Damascus Against Assad Government; Poisonous Snake on the Loose in Bronx Zoo; World Leaders Meet to Discuss Libya; Jimmy Carter Meets With Cuban President

Aired March 29, 2011 - 15:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And hello to you. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Top of the hour. Let's talk Libya.

Airstrikes, missile launches and military action in general will continue in Libya until there are big changes there; that is according to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today. She's been speaking at this emergency summit, this conference of world leaders, all asking each other the same thing, that being what to do about Moammar Gadhafi.

We're going to take you live to London here in just a minute. They're also talking about the possibility that Gadhafi could go into exile. But that, of course, opens up all kinds of questions as to where and who might be willing to take him.

But, first, I want to go to senior international correspondent Nic Robertson there live for me in Tripoli.

And, Nic, before we talk about your trip to Misrata, I want to ask you about -- we have heard about several rather large explosions there where you are in Tripoli just a short time ago. Where were they? What did you hear?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they were a couple of miles away from us. It's not possible to say what the target was.

One of them -- one of the three explosions was perhaps one of the loudest that we have heard so far. And they all came within a minute of each other. But what makes these explosions different from all the ones we have heard until now over the past week-and-a-half, these came in daylight. And that's the first time we have heard explosions here, bombs during the daylight hours.

We also heard just before that an aircraft or a couple of aircraft flying overhead. And it sounded louder and lower than any aircraft we have heard up until now, which does give an indication the coalition more confident in the skies over Tripoli, but exactly what the target was, very likely we won't know, because if it's a military target, every chance the government won't take us to see it, Brooke. BALDWIN: Nic, you and I have talked a lot about Misrata, which is not too terribly far from where you are. And today we have heard from witnesses describing the scene, and I'm quoting here, as carnage beyond imagination. You I know, Nic, have been asking the government to please take you there. They finally did.

Two questions. What did you see and maybe even more importantly what were you not allowed to see?

ROBERTSON: Yes, let's start with what we couldn't see first. That was the center of the city, where the opposition, the rebels, are, the civilians in the city. We couldn't go there. The government wouldn't let us. They gave us on the ground about I would say 30, 40 minutes maximum.

This was a government-organized trip. We stopped at the outskirts, saw the -- Gadhafi's army in many locations on the outskirts. Lots of signs of destruction. Coalition strikes on tanks, we could see that. But we also saw Gadhafi's tanks hiding under trees at the side of the road, heavy artillery pieces, a lot of signs of destruction. Clearly a lot of battles have been fought at many of the intersections we passed through at the very least.

But we didn't get off the main highway. We weren't allowed to do that and we didn't see a lot of civilians there. The only people we saw were Gadhafi supporters who had been brought in just for our visit and one of their jobs it appeared was to stop us filming down the road toward the rebels -- where the rebels were in the city -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: I want to ask you also, Nic, about President Obama's speech. First of all, was it shown on Libyan state television? Secondly, what is the reaction you're hearing to the fact that this whole mandate is not to remove Gadhafi militarily? Are Gadhafi, are his forces, are they relieved at all to be hearing that?

ROBERTSON: I think that there is perhaps, perhaps, an amount of relief that President Obama said that he's not prepared to put troops on the ground here, because in a way that allows sort of Gadhafi to dodge the immediate bullet. And maybe that allows him or the people around him a recalibration to think about the possibility of talks.

But the reality that we have seen in the time after that is that his troops have gone on the attack again. We have seen coalition strikes going after him, so clearly the coalition sees and perceives him on the offensive in Misrata and further east in the country. People here could see President Obama's speech, but only if they tuned in to a station, an international station like ours.

It wasn't carried on state television, and we haven't seen any reference to it on state television so far, so really the government here just trying to ignore it. And Gadhafi does, as far as we can see now, despite that, what he heard from President Obama last night, is continuing on the same path, Brooke.

BALDWIN: No huge surprise there not showing it on state TV. Let me ask you about something, Nic, that we found out today. NATO's commander today saying that there are signs that elements of al Qaeda and Hezbollah are part of the opposition forces. Can you at all add to that?

ROBERTSON: Well, it is certainly well-documented that there is an extremist Islamic element here in Libya. It's small. This is something that the government here has tried to make big claims about in the past, blaming the opposition rebellion on al Qaeda, which is clearly overstating the fact.

The extremist element we know because many of them went to fight in Iraq against coalition forces there, they came, many of them, from the town of Derna in the east of the country. Do they represent the majority of the opposition? No. Do they represent a tiny group of people who would want to exploit chaos in the country? Potentially yes.

Al Qaeda broadly speaking in the North of Africa, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is trying to grow, is trying to strengthen. And certainly analysts believe that they have training bases in the North of Africa that they are using rather than using training bases in Pakistan, which are being targeted by drones. So al Qaeda would like to use this region as a base for operations in Europe in the future.

Are they sort of actually being able to do that at the moment while they're fighting with the opposition or whichever elements are with the opposition? Probably not. But this is an aspiration and this obviously is something that will be of key international concern, dealing with the rebels, but more broadly dealing with a situation in Libya, that it doesn't escalate into a broad civil war and chaos, where groups like al Qaeda can flourish in all that sort of chaos and mayhem, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Sure, potentially a huge concern there in Libya here. Nic Robertson live in Tripoli, Nic, my thanks to you.

And from Tripoli, I want to take you east to the oil-rich city -- we have talked about this -- Ras Lanuf. That is where CNN's Arwa Damon has been traveling with opposition forces. And she's been seeing their first real resistance from military units taking orders from Moammar Gadhafi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Opposition fighters are now clustered trying to regroup in Ras Lanuf, and on the other side of this oil town, we are hearing the sounds of explosions and seeing dark plumes of smoke rising.

This is a very significant loss for the opposition. Just a short while ago, we were on the outskirts of Bin Jawad, where we heard sounds of explosions, saw smoke rising and then saw the opposition beat a hasty and panicked retreat. They say that 8:00 in the morning in Bin Jawad they began to come over, heavy artillery tank and rocket fire. They also say that there were snipers in the city, Gadhafi loyalists, who were firing on them as well. Unable to withstand the barrage, they were forced to retreat all the way back to the oil town of Ras Lanuf, it would seem. They say that they are continuing to struggle in terms of standing up against Gadhafi's military, both because they lack weapons, equipment, but more importantly they lack training. They lack a cohesive military strategy, the basics of command-and-control and critical discipline needed to take on this kind of a fight.

Up until now, it had been fairly easy going for the opposition fighters thanks to those airstrikes. They had been moving through territory where the population supported the opposition or was even part of the opposition itself. But in the last 24 hours, as we saw them beginning to push westward into those tribal areas loyal to Gadhafi, they have come across not only residents who are armed and firing on them, but now it would seem Gadhafi's military as well, regrouping, intent not just protecting Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte and the capital, Tripoli, but also it would seem intent on regaining all the ground that it has lost.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Ras Lanuf, Libya.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: OK, Arwa, thank you.

And let's talk big picture here. Want to take you to London now, because political leaders, U.N. diplomats, more than 40 of them, they are gathered today in London; they're trying to create a common vision of what Libya will look like, however this civil war may end.

CNN's Becky Anderson is joining me now on the phone from London.

And, Becky, just first things first. Can we assume that every single diplomat attending this conference agrees Libya can never go back to the way it was before this uprising?

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think that is a fair assumption.

The meeting has closed out. Hillary Clinton is making her way back to the airport now and back to the Air Force base (INAUDIBLE) on her eight-hour journey. It is a whistle-stop for many of these delegates here today.

But what the British prime minister, David Cameron, said ahead of this meeting was that he wanted to ensure political and diplomatic unity to the maximum for the future, a different future for Libya and for the U.N.-led coalition in the country at the moment.

And he certainly got a widened and deepened coalition, new pledge of support to NATO operations from Sweden, a growing number of countries committed to implementing the U.N. resolution in Libya and crucially agreement to a new contact group on Libya. And that will be run by the Qataris, and that's important of course, the Qataris one of the Arab countries here, one of the first to recognize the rebel national council. They have said that they will pick up the reins on this contact group. So he's getting -- what they're getting, those who have been leading this, the U.K., France, and the U.S., is a wider and deeper commitment from everybody that -- not just on the military side, but on the political and diplomatic side, that things are going to be very different going forward.

BALDWIN: Becky, I want to get to something U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said today. She spoke today specifically about why she wanted to come to London. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We came to London to speak with one voice in support of a transition that leads to a brighter future for the Libyan people.

I'm very pleased with the progress that we have made, both today and in the days preceding it, and grateful for everyone who participated in the conference and in the broader effort in Libya. I think we are making a lot of progress together, and we could not do it unless we were representing the international community as we are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, Becky, two points, representing the international community, number one, but number two, echoing sort of what we heard from President Obama, the fact that the future of Libya really is in the hands of the people of Libya.

ANDERSON: That's right. And I think the important thing that came out of this meeting, if anything, today was that everybody agrees that the shape of Libya will be different going forward.

But how the international community helps shape the future of Libya is still to a certain extent up for grabs. For example, we know that the U.N. resolution doesn't allow for regime change, although you hear everybody at this meeting saying that Gadhafi should go.

We know, we think we understand that the U.N. resolution doesn't allow for arming rebels, although the U.S. countering that to a certain extent today. But when I talked to the NATO chief, he was very, very firm, saying that we're not there to arm the rebels, but we are there to protect them. So how the international community shapes this future is really the difficult question, with very few answers at the moment.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Right. I know that is one of the questions, do they arm the rebels or don't they?

Becky Anderson, I thank you so much for hopping on the phone. I know you have a special coming up here in a matter of minutes. So my thanks to you, Becky. And just in to CNN, we're hearing from our reporter on the ground in Libya Reza Sayah. He has just interviewed the mother of this woman. You have seen this video. She's the alleged rape victim who burst into the journalists' hotel there in Tripoli. This was on Saturday. We will find out from Reza if her family knows where she is now. Stay right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Want to go now to Reza Sayah, who is on the phone from Libya.

I understand, Reza, you're somewhere between Benghazi and Tobruk. And you have just spoken with the mother of the woman who -- we have seen the video -- Nic Robertson was there shooting this video inside this Tripoli hotel over the weekend -- claiming she had been raped by members of Gadhafi's militia. What did this mother tell you? Where is this woman?

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, she's about 300 miles east of the rebel capital of Benghazi and Tobruk, which is the easternmost portion of the Libyan coastline, right near the Egyptian/Libyan border.

And like much of the world, she, too, saw those disturbing pictures on television on Saturday, and it has sparked outrage for this mother. She's obviously upset, she's worried. She hasn't heard from her daughter for about three days. But most of all she is angry. And the comments that she is making, a few weeks ago they were unthinkable here in Libya.

She was openly condemning Colonel Gadhafi, challenging him to come to her hometown in Tobruk. She told us that if Colonel Gadhafi was here, I would slap him in the face. So you get an idea of how angry she is. The allegations, the suggestions the regime has made about her daughter being promiscuous, leading a lifestyle that's questionable and not in keeping with Islam, her mother rejected all of those allegations. She described them as a desperate attempt to discredit her daughter.

So a lot of anger and concern from this mother. She knows that she can't do much all the way here in Tobruk. All she can do is raise awareness, call on the international community to help, Brooke.

BALDWIN: So she's angry. But, Reza, do we know does she have any idea where her daughter is? I know it was reported she had been apprehended, perhaps she would be released. Does she have a clue where her daughter is?

SAYAH: She hasn't. The last time she says she spoke to her, she believed that she was in a compound belonging to the regime. That was Sunday.

Now, since then, regime officials have said that her daughter is released, she's free to do what she wants, that this is a criminal case and the government is investigating. Her mother rejects that. She calls those lies. She says if indeed her daughter is -- true, where is she? Let's see her. Allow her to speak to the media, the international media. That obviously is not happening.

BALDWIN: Reza, help us also understand, because according to Nic Robertson's reporting, this young woman is engaged. But in Libya and I spoke with an eyewitness, a Libyan, several weeks ago who explained to me when a woman is raped, her honor is gone. So is her fiance still standing by her, and her father, for that matter?

SAYAH: Well, here's what happened.

And this could explain the engagement ceremony, which happened without her, in absentia, last night.

BALDWIN: I see.

SAYAH: The family believes that these allegations made by the regime that she leads a questionable lifestyle is an attempt to discredit her.

In this conservative society, even accusations, even if they're not proven, they're enough to dishonor someone. So I think this engagement ceremony that took place in their hometown of Tobruk yesterday was an attempt to reject this attempt by the regime to dishonor this woman. The family is saying, the honor is still intact, and that engagement ceremony was an indication of that.

BALDWIN: I see. Reza Sayah, thank you for the hustle in getting on the phone for us and explaining your conversation there with her, with her mother, and we're all waiting to find out where this young woman is in Libya. Reza, my thanks to you.

Now to Cuba. Former President Jimmy Carter is actually about to meet with the president there, Raul Castro. But a reporter just asked him if he's trying to get that American subcontractor released from prison, if that's on his agenda there in Cuba. We will hear his response straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is in Cuba today squashing any kind of speculation he could win the release of Alan Gross, an American recently sentenced to 15 years in prison in Cuba.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY CARTER, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (through translator): We have spoken to some officials about Mr. Gross, but I'm not here to take him out of the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: President Carter speaking in Spanish there. Gross, by the way, was a subcontractor working for USAID in Cuba when he was convicted of working on a -- quote -- "subversive project" to illegally connect people to the Internet. Coming up: Did you watch? How did he do? The president, it seems everyone has some kind of opinion on President Obama's Libya speech from last night. But Republicans and Democrats are on message today. That is next. What is their message?

And then four days, still no sign of this guy. I'm sure you know this story by now. The cobra disappeared from a zoo in New York City couple of days ago. Now someone has created this fake Twitter account for the snake. It's hysterical. We have some of the tweets to share with you coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: We just heard this exchange about Moammar Gadhafi. It's pretty interesting stuff out of Washington. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: There are persistent rumors that Gadhafi really has very few friends, and it's likely that at some point he will -- that they will crack and he will either leave, be killed, whatever. Is that something that you think is a pretty good possibility that may happen?

ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS, NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER, EUROPE: As I look at the situation in Libya, Senator, you can see a wide range of possibilities out ahead of us that run from a static stalemate to what you just described, Gadhafi cracking.

I think that if we work all the elements of power, I think we have a chance at -- a more than reasonable chance of Gadhafi leaving, because the entire international community is arrayed against him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So maybe Gadhafi just hightails it out of the country.

But let's talk about the president's speech specifically. Did you watch it? Did you catch this part? He said he will not commit troops to overthrow Gadhafi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To be blunt, we went down that road in Iraq. Thanks to the extraordinary sacrifices of our troops and the determination of our diplomats, we are hopeful about Iraq's future, but regime change there took eight years, thousands of American and Iraqi lives, and nearly a trillion dollars. That is not something we can afford to repeat in Libya.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Jessica Yellin, our national political correspondent, I know you watched this thing last night, as did I. And the president has really been hearing really it from the Republicans, but it sounds like from that clip he got a little dig in there, didn't he? JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Yes. There's definitely some political jujitsu there, Brooke. The president is just reminding everyone that his Republican critics may be quick with outrage and caution now, but remember who got us into Iraq.

BALDWIN: Right, of course. And from what I'm hearing, though, some Republicans are saying, you know, should we even be in there in the first place? Should we? Should we not? Others are saying we aren't hitting Gadhafi hard enough. Is that at all what you're hearing there in Washington?

YELLIN: Yes, definitely.

Republicans are taking the president apart over Libya, but they're all going in different directions, which is one of the reasons their criticism hasn't gained more traction among ambivalent Americans. You're hearing some congressional Republicans, like Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain say that the president should escalate the mission, do more to get rid of Gadhafi.

That's not what you're hearing potential Republican presidential contenders say. Most of them say the mission is confusing, but then they diverge. Donald Trump, he seems to questions the overall effort, because he thinks it's dangerous and we don't know the rebels better. Governor Tim Pawlenty supports an effort. He says he would have gone in even earlier without coalition support.

And here's Sarah Palin speaking on FOX.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: He did not make the case for this intervention. U.S. interests have got to be met if we are going to intervene. And U.S. interests can't just mean validating some kind of post-American theory of intervention wherein we wait for the Arab League and the United Nations to tell us, thumbs up, America, you can go now, you can act, and then we get in the back of the bus and we wait for NATO, we wait for the French to lead us. That's not inspirational.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: So, Brooke, she says that because the U.S. only supported a no-fly zone after France and the U.K. agreed to partner and the Arab League publicly supported it. But last night, the president made it clear that having international allies and support was crucial for him. In Palin's eyes, it weakens the U.S.

BALDWIN: And to be fair, we know some of the Democrats have been very critical as well. But I heard a couple on TV last night. They seem to be fairly in line with the president now, not all, but some.

YELLIN: Yes.

BALDWIN: Jessica in Washington, thank you so much. And Muslims here, they don't all feel welcome here in the United States. That was at least the message from one witness today at a hearing on Capitol Hill. Coming up, we will ask her why she said that and what she thought of today's hearings. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, she was working the story until about three seconds ago. Elizabeth Cohen joining me with breaking news in the world of Major League Baseball. What do you know?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You don't usually think of baseball and concussions. The Major League Baseball Players Association and Major League Baseball have come together and create these new guidelines that say, you've got to examine players if they've been hit in the head during the course of game and during spring training you need a baseline for everybody so you know where they're at. If they do have a concussion, it's seven days on the disabled list and you need to get the medical OK to go back to work.

BALDWIN: So why do this in the first place? Have they seen concussions on the rise by getting bonked on the head by a baseball?

COHEN: I just spoke with someone on the players side, I said, is this a big deal in baseball? He said it's not as big as concussions in football or hockey. But it does happen. People get hid in the hit. It definitely happens.

BALDWIN: Elizabeth Cohen, thanks for the news just in to CNN.

Now here's the message. You're not welcome. That's the message many Muslims in America say they are getting these days. So says one woman testifying on Capitol Hill today. Farhana Khera is the executive director of Muslim Advocates, a national group of Muslim lawyers and professionals. Farhana, how did it go today? Was it productive?

FARHANA KHERA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MUSLIM ADVOCATES: Well, hello, Brooke, and thank you for having me. You know, let me quote Senator Lindsey Graham, the highest ranking Republican on the committee when he said we need to have this hearing. This hearing was an important step forward.

Since 9/11 over the last several years unfortunately there's been a growing climate of anti-Muslim hate and bigotry in our country. And over the last several months in particular it seems like this anti- Muslim hate has reached new levels. And it has grave consequences on the day-to-day lives of Muslim, Arab, Sikh and southeastern Americans. Whether it's hate crimes, harassment of children in school, discrimination in the workplace. It has real-life consequences.

BALDWIN: Let's give a real-life example. This is one you cited today. You talk about the anti-Muslim hate that's sort of ramped up, the message specifically that you're not welcome. You specifically mention this mosque in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, actually the subject of a CNN documentary airing over the weekend. We're going to watch a clip. This is Kevin Fisher, one of the opponents of the building of the mosque.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN FISHER: Officially we have filed a lawsuit to stop the building of the mosque.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So from bits and pieces of the documentary there's quite a bit of vitriol against the building of this mosque. But overall here, is that the exception or the norm in America in 2011?

KHERA: Well, our concern is, as Senator Graham said, one case is one to many. I think what we heard today reiterated from both Republicans and Democrats was that religious freedom is an important core value of who we are as Americans.

And it wasn't just political leaders. But I was so gratified to hear Cardinal McCarrick, head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, also speak passionately and eloquently about the importance of religious freedom. So this is something I think all Americans from all walks of life can come together on.

BALDWIN: I know you say one case is one too many. You've been quotes as saying you've seen a rampant increase in anti-Muslim experiences. We found the most recent data from 2009, 8.4 percent anti-Islamic bias versus some 72 percent anti-Jewish bias. So when you look at the numbers, anti-Islamic bias is quite small.

What do you make of that number, because some people say that the instances of anti-Muslim hate is small? And also, is it tough even collecting some of the data?

KHERA: Well, a couple of things. Number one, the hate crimes data that you were referencing doesn't pain the complete picture. In fact, the attorney general himself has said that the department's system for collecting hate crimes data is seriously flawed.

BALDWIN: Do you think the numbers are erroneous or they don't reflect 2011?

KHERA: The attorney general has said talking about the full universe of hate crimes that he thinks it's in the tens of thousands of underreporting of hate crimes. And that's just hate crimes. For the communities that are affected by anti-Muslim bigotry, it's more than just hate crimes. It's discrimination in the workplace. It's the bullying of our children. You know, and children have the right to be able to go to school and feel safe.

BALDWIN: I know there are more hearings to come there on Capitol Hill on this topic, but I thank you for coming on and talking about today and your testimony. Thank you.

I want to remind our viewers we've been talking about this documentary. This upcoming weekend on CNN you can catch it. We're calling it "Unwelcome -- the Muslims next door." It's a Soledad O'Brien documentary that chronicles the dramatic fight over the construction of the Islamic mosque in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. It ultimately ended up in court. You can watch that Saturday night, 8:00 eastern.

In Syria, President AL-Assad is trying to turn things around today. His government has resigned, and he's getting ready for a major speech. Thousands of pro-government demonstrators have taken to the streets. Here's one example. We'll tell you what all of this means for this specific country, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Let me bring you up to speed as to what's happening now in Syria. Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, we started wondering last week if Syria might become the next domino. Well, this is what happened today in Syria. The government got the people on the streets to show support for the president, President Bashar AL-Assad. AL-Assad fired his cabinet, officially they resigned.

Tomorrow the president will be addressing the Syrian people. Let's all remember, antigovernment protests erupted last week in a small town just south of Damascus, and it spread to other cities after reports of government forces opening fire on them.

So joining me again today covering this, again from Abu Dhabi, CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom. Let's first talk about President AL-Assad, pretty young guy, 45 years of age. By training he's an op ophthalmologist. He studied in London. He married a Syrian woman who was born and raised in linden. His brother was heir apparent but he was killed in a car crash so the job came to him. With all that said, I guess my question is this -- is he perhaps more open to compromise than his hard-lined father was?

MOHAMMAD JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, initially when he first came to power, Bashar al AL-Assad looked like he was more open to compromise, looked like he would implement reform. He promised reforms, even economic reforms, because even at that stage in 2000 people in Syria were expressing discontent with the economic disparity that was there.

What happened is ten years later and still there were no reforms, at least the people felt no meaningful reforms. That's one of the reasons this protest movement has taken root. It started out as a local issue, people in the south asking for more economic opportunity, asking to be able to assemble, to gather, and for this emergency law to be lifted.

Now it's now coalesced around this message of regime change. People are frustrated because even though Bashar AL-Assad was seen to be somebody who was possibly a reformer or someone more moderate than his hard-line father, we see 10 years, 11, 12 years on that he is still hardline, that he is somebody who even though promises reform people aren't seeing him deliver on the promises.

BALDWIN: Mohammed, you bring up the emergency rule, and people, Syrians, I'm wondering if they believe that the president is serious about ending the emergency rule, because I know you know it's been in place for 50 years and just within the past couple of days, president AL-Assad said, yes, he would end it, but he didn't say when. Do the people believe it will happen?

JAMJOOM: Brooke, it was remarkable that the government actually made this concession, said they were going to lift the law. First they said they were going to study lifting it. Now they've actually said they're going to lift it. But nobody knows when that's going to be. Even today in a press conference Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked aloud, when would this emergency law be lifted? That's what everybody wants to know, the activists, protestors on the streets out there in Syria. They're saying they don't believe that this law will actually be lifted. They're saying that these promises, they didn't come soon enough. They should have been years ago, the law lifted years ago. Now they want to know, when is this going to be lifted? That still hasn't happened.

BALDWIN: As they wait for the win, we saw President AL-Assad's backers out today. What about the other side? Are they still putting pressure on the government, a la Egypt, a la Libya, Jordan?

JAMJOOM: Oh, absolutely, Brooke. Everybody we speak with that's part of the protest movement there in Syria now, they all say they feel -- I'm paraphrasing here -- the wind is at their backs now, that they're putting sufficient pressure on the government. They're committed to continue coming out into the streets and protesting and to demand their rights.

Now, we must stress that the people that we're speaking with understand the risks here. They understand that by doing so they could be putting their lives at risk. They understand that the government could do another crackdown, that it's very dangerous.

But what's happening there, what we're seeing and hearing from more witnesses and protestors is this barrier of fear that was in place there for so long has been broken and people say the time is now for them to raise their voices, to come out into the streets to demand their rights.

BALDWIN: Mohammed, we will all be watching for President AL-Assad to speak tomorrow. Perhaps then he addresses the emergency rule and ending it.

Coming up here, have you heard about this landmark class action case involving Wal-Mart? What the Supreme Court decides could impact a lot of other companies as well.

Also, have you seen the twitter account somebody set up pretending to be the missing cobra? The snake disappeared a couple of days ago from the Bronx Zoo. Here is one of the tweets. This is fun following this guy or gal. "On top of the Empire State Building. All the people look like little mice down there, delicious little mice."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Here we go. Missing cobra, day four in New York City. This quote from the Bronx Zoo. Right now it's the snake's game. That's a quote from the zoo there. Anyone for calling in this guy?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Enough is enough. I've had it with these snakes on this plane.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Oh, yes, we went there. Samuel L. Jackson in the famous/infamous "Snakes on a Plane." But this is totally different, right? Of course it is. The zoo says the cobra is still in the reptile building. Now, they don't know where in the reptile building, but they are sure it's in there somewhere. And how's this for reassurance?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACK HANNA, ANIMAL EXPERT: But, again, the cobra, this type of snake is not an aggressive snake, so to speak.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: "So to speak." OK. We're having a little fun with this story. Why not? There's a lot of down news. This is a good one. No, we're not alone here in doing this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": You know, the Middle East desire for freedom really has been universal. It would be reasonable to think that it would even jump to our shores.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The snake is missing at the Bronx Zoo in New York. An Egyptian cobra disappeared Friday. It is 20 inches long and it is poisonous.

STEWART: Freedom! Never should have given that snake access to social media.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: OK, so social media, check. Bronx Zoo's cobra is tweeting again today, tweeting a couple of fun tweets. Quote, "Anyone know a good vegan restaurant near Union Square? Also this - "Leaving Wall Street. These guys make my skin crawl." I can't make this stuff up. You've got to follow this person.

By the way, I was e-mailing with this twitterer this morning. He or she wrote back and said this, "I'm a snake. Snakes can't talk. Thankssss."

We've asked the zoo to come on. They sent us this statement, "Sweeping searches continue on a daily basis. In addition, we implemented a system for tracking any movement by the snake that would help aid in its capture. As her comfort level rises" -- yes, this little snake is a she -- "she will begin to move around the building to seek food and water." And we assume the folks at the zoo will have the nets ready and seize it. We'll be watching for it. Now this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I brought this case because I believe there was a pattern of discrimination at Wal-Mart not just in my store, but I believe it's across the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Now that case has reached the Supreme Court. Some very big companies are rallying behind the retail giant. We'll tell you why, next.

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BALDWIN: It could be the biggest class action sex discrimination lawsuit ever. A small group of women sued Wal-Mart more than a decade ago accusing the company of giving better pay and better jobs to men. Well, now they want it certified as a class action, meaning it could affect millions of current and former female Wal-Mart employees.

This has already been OK-ed by the lower courts, but now the U.S. Supreme Court is weighing in. Wal-Mart says this should not be a class action suit because there are way too many employees for the accusations to be applied across the board.

Let's go to Alison Kosik and talk about this in New York. Alison, even though the suit is specifically aimed at Wal-Mart, there are other major, major companies who filed briefs in support of Wal-Mart. Tell me who and why they are involved.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. You know what, more than 20 companies, Brooke, filed these briefs supporting Wal- Mart. They include Intel, Altria, Bank of America, Microsoft. These are big companies, and you know what? They are worried about themselves because the fact is if this case gets the OK from the Supreme Court to be tried as a class action, it could wind up opening up these other big companies to the same risk, exposing them to class actions that they say are bad for jobs and the economy in addition to being very costly.

Wal-Mart is arguing there should be an exception for big companies since it is the biggest private employer in the U.S. It's also the world's biggest retailer as well. But as a class action, you know, it potentially, Brooke, can affect almost every private employer, big and small. Brooke?

BALDWIN: If, and this could be a monumental if, if Wal-Mart were to lose a class action suit, what kind of money could we be talking about?

KOSIK: We could be talking about billions of dollars. If this thing goes to trial and Wal-Mart loses at trial, it could be on the hook of paying billions of dollars in damages. This suit looks to cover every woman who has ever worked at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club, too, because Sam's Club is a part of the Wal-Mart brand. So at any point, this would include women at any point since December of 1998. That's a lot of women, and that is a lot of money if Wal-Mart were to lose, Brooke.

BALDWIN: If it goes to trial, good point. Alison Kosik, thank you so much.

Coming up here, try to imagine this, parents. Your daughter is murdered. Then the EMT who you call in to respond to the crime scene actually takes out his cell phone, takes pictures of her body and then posts it to Facebook. It happened to one family in New York. Coming up, I'm going to speak with one mother and talk to her about why they are now suing many people involved, including Facebook. Stay here.

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BALDWIN: Now let's get you that CNN equals politics update. Let's go live to Washington to Paul Steinhauser with the latest fresh off the Political Ticker. What do you have?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Brooke, let's talk about that possibility of a possible government shutdown. Remember, the clock is ticking. All the news in Libya and in Japan has kind of overshadowed it, but there is a distinct possibility we could have a government shutdown a week from Friday. That's when funding for the government runs out.

And right now, you know, lawmakers are back here in Washington. Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate trying to come to some agreement to keep the government funded for the rest of this fiscal year which goes through the end of September. They have until next Friday to try to hammer out a deal. Again, if they don't, you could have a government shutdown. Dana Bash and the rest of the Capitol Hill team is keeping an eye on the negotiations.

What do Americans think? They are divided on who has the better approach to the budget. You can see right there 46 percent say president Obama and the Democrats have the better ideas and better plans, 45 percent say the Republicans in Congress. They are divided. I guess Americans are divided. We'll see if we can get a deal done by the end of next week, Brooke.

BALDWIN: What else do you have? The president is gearing up towards a reelection bid?

STEINHAUSER: Fundraiser in chief tonight. The president is in New York City and caps off his visit to the Big Apple with two events for the Democratic National Committee. One is a fund-raiser and one is a thank you to supporters. Brooke, this brings to four the number of events the president has done for the Democratic National Committee this month alone.

You know what, yesterday we reported and confirmed that when he sets up his re-election campaign it's going to be headquartered in Chicago in a skyscraper right downtown. I think we're getting pretty close, it looks like, to the president formally starting that reelection bid. You know what, Brooke in the race for the White House is slowly starting to heat up.

BALDWIN: Slowly but surely. Paul, quickly though, I want to go back to the whole government shutdown, fiscal year 2011. If and when that goes through, when do they then tackle fiscal year 2012?

STEINHAUSER: They're already behind on that because we're still worried about this fiscal year. Both sides and parties are coming up with plans that should be introduced soon for the next fiscal year. And besides the budget for this year and next year you've also got the debt ceiling. The government may have to raise the debt ceiling as early as next month, and that's going to be another flashpoint between Democrats and Republicans so it doesn't get any easier. Brooke?

BALDWIN: We'll be watching right along with you. Thank you very much. Paul is always working hard there in the political unit. We'll get you another political update here in about half an hour. You can always get updates, we're working on them all the time. Go to CNNpolitics.com, also on twitter, go to @politicalticker.

And it's just about the top of the hour. Watch this.

Their daughter was murdered in her own apartment and then the EMT posted a picture of her body online. Her parents are now fighting back, and Facebook is under fire. I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.

New waves of terror in Libya. Witnesses say men are invading homes, telling people to run for their lives, and then pulling the trigger. Now, Moammar Gadhafi's forces are looking for a new fight. Also, a disturbing suggestion by NATO: Al Qaeda may be infiltrating the rebel ranks. So does the U.S. really know the opposition?

Plus, a massive sandstorm comes out of nowhere in just minutes. You will see the frightening moments.

And should illegal immigrants be killed or shot off into space? Those questions showed up on a quiz for third-graders. Wait until you see the rest of the test.

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