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New Hampshire Votes to Curb Union Rights; Radiation Found In U.S. Milk; AT&T T-Mobile Deal; You're Being Watched; NATO Takes Control of Forces in Libya; Solarball Helps Provide Clean Drinking Water; Tea Party Protest on Capitol Hill

Aired March 31, 2011 - 13:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: We are continuing to watch the severe weather, which is erupting in the Florida area near Tampa. So Chad, why don't you bring us up to date?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Another very slight, big line of cells. just south of Tampa, St. Pete hitting into Bradenton. The tornado that we had about hour, hour and a half ago moved through Largo, south of Tampa, near Brandon and out towards Lake Wales, and it continued -- kind of skipped along a little bit but there was tornado damage all along a big line. Now, that same line of weather is moving out toward the eastern sections of the country which could be Melbourne, Palm Bay and the like, all the way down toward Vero.

We'll keep watching it. It is going to be a big system, a big system for the rest of the day as tornados could come in from the Gulf of Mexico and continue to move off to the east. Right now, no tornados confirmed on the ground. So, I'll keep you --

KAYE: Anyone in that area right now, what should they do?

MYERS: You need to -- if you see a storm coming your way, you need to get out of the way. You need to get inside of your home. You need to get away from glass. Even if the tornado sirens aren't coming because the severe thunder storms could produce winds of 70 miles per hour, that could break windows, too.

KAYE: OK. All right, Chad Myers, we'll continue to check with you on with that very extreme weather there.

Meanwhile, to Libya now. No American boots on Libyan ground, but U.S. covert agents on the case. The air war now belongs to NATO which draws the line at arming Libyan rebels. Training those rebels, a big job the Pentagon doesn't want.

Big developments in the campaign now known as 'operation unified protector'. And I haven't even mentioned the defector. Moussa Koussa, foreign minister, former head of intelligence, now unexpectedly retired somewhere in Britain. The Brits say he showed up on his own and announced he was quitting the regime he'd been part of for decades.

The regime says Koussa was allowed to leave Libya for health reasons but was expected back. So, that's a morale boost, if nothing else, for opposition forces who once again are trying to regroup after a bold advance and quick retreat in the east.

Now, let's take a look at the latest snapshot here. If you look at the green, those are the towns that are Gadhafi controlled, and if you take a look at the red there, you can see those are towns that are under the control of the rebel forces. You have Benghazi, which is the rebel stronghold, Ajdabiya, and then the yellow is the big question, a town like Brega here in Misrata, those are sort of unresolved, they're conflicted. We're not really sure who exactly is in control of towns like those two. The best that we could tell at the moment, the front lies somewhere between Ajdabiya and Al Brega.

As recently as Monday, the rebels were on the doorstep of Sirte, Moammar Gadhafi's hometown. Clearly, they need help but U.S. defense secretary says countries other than the U.S. can step in with training. Robert Gates is on Capitol Hill amid new revelations of CIA people gathering facts and cultivating contacts on the battlefield. Here's a bit of what he told the house arms services committee.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I can't speak to any CIA activities, but I will tell you that the president has been quite clear that in terms of the United States military, there will be no boots on the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Now, I want to show you a Libyan city that's far from rebel territory but a battleground in every sense. Misrata, which we've already mentioned there in yellow. Almost from the start of this uprising, Misrata has been under siege from government tanks, artillery, even snipers. An independent reporting has been all but impossible in fact we don't even know who controls Misrata anymore.

But CNN's Frederik Pleitgen managed to enter the city yesterday and what he found, well you will have to see for yourself. Fred, joins us now from a ship not far from the Misrata port. Fred, tell us about your odyssey there.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Randi. Well, that's how we got in -- on this ship which has brought aid goods into Misrata. They have to smuggle these things into the town because such large proportions are actually controlled by pro-Gadhafi forces, however, the anti-Gadhafi forces are holding out, they're trying to hold their ground, but it is a very, very tough battle. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Weeks of urban combat have taken their toll on Misrata. Badly damaged buildings, streets littered with wreckage. Libya's third largest city the final position stronghold in the west is under siege by pro-Gadhafi forces.

All right so we're extremely close to the front line right now. We're with a couple of the fighters from the opposition forces, and then, this is in downtown Misrata. There's a lot of destruction everywhere. Most of the buildings here have some sort of damage to them, pot marks, there's a lot of destroyed cars in the streets as well and we can also see that the people that we're with, the fighters that we're with, are very, very tense that this moment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go, let's go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go fight.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): A celebration on a destroyed armored vehicle, a step too far for pro-Gadhafi forces nearby. And the scene turns ugly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible.) Let's go, let's go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fire, fire, fire!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As you see that car has destroyed the pro- Gadhafi's forces. Building, gas stations, schools, restaurants, police station, even fire station they have destroyed it.

PLEITGEN: Most residents have fled downtown Misrata, as pro- Gadhafi forces have positioned snipers on tall buildings and use tanks and artillery in the city's center. The anti-Gadhafi fighters badly outgunned fight back with the few weapons they have. They've provided us with this video, saying it shows a man disabling a battle tank with a rocket-propelled grenade.

Those civilians still left in Misrata are suffering. Twelve- year-old Mohammed and his 15-year-old brother were wounded when mortars hit their parents' home. Mohammed lost several fingers on his left hand and his whole right hand.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Inaudible.)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible.)

PLEITGEN: Their father swears revenge. Gadhafi should be killed, he says. He's not a human and he should be killed. But for now, the medical staff at one of the few functioning hospitals are struggling to keep many of the wounded alive. They lack even the basics, anesthetics, operating tools and space. Some patients must stay in the parking lot, the emergency room is in a tent in front of the building.

DE. ALI ABDALLAH, SURGEON: (Inaudible.)

PLEITGEN: And they won't leave anytime soon. As opposition fighters struggle to hold on to this besieged town and forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi continue to pound what not long ago was one of Libya's most prosperous places.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: And Fred, I want to ask you, what are the people of Misrata waiting for and hoping for, merely a cease-fire or will they only be satisfied with a rebel victory?

PLEITGEN: Well, most of the ones that we spoke to are obviously hoping for a rebel victory, they say to us. However, Randi, a lot of people, of course, are also very terrified by the fact that the Gadhafi force seem to be advancing in that city as well. Many of them have told us they believe that if Gadhafi prevails, there will be, quote, "A massacre in Misrata."

Many people have already had to flee their homes in the city's center and move to the outskirts. There are also a lot of wounded and many people that even the doctors there can't actually treat just because they are so overwhelmed. So, yes, many people still hope that they can prevail in this but a lot of people are also very, very afraid of what could happen if they don't -- Randi.

KAYE: Such a dire situation there. Our Fred Pleitgen, off the coast of Misrata. Fred, thank you.

And now back to Washington where it's still much easier to spend money than to cut back. With a little more than a week latest in the stop gap spending bill, Republicans and Democrats are said to be making good progress and a compromise plan to fund the government through the end of the fiscal year. That's six months while cutting roughly $33 billion. Just how rough those cuts will be and to watch -- which programs and departments, still a matter of fierce negotiation. Vice President Biden was on the Hill last night.

Tea Party patriots are there today, reminding the Republicans they helped elect last fall that they want deeper cuts with more to come. They're girding for a fight over next year's budget and before that, a hike in the U.S. debt ceiling, we'll keep you posted on that of course.

You can add New Hampshire to the list of states pushing to limit collective bargaining rights of public workers. Union activists and employees are rallying at the New Hampshire capitol today. They are outraged after the state house approved a measure Wednesday that gives the government a leg up at bargaining table against unions.

The change would essentially force public employees to agree to wage and benefit cuts to help make up for the state's budget shortfall. Union supporters say it cripples their ability to negotiate fair terms for state workers. Republicans say, if the unions fail to make concessions, the state will have to lay off 350 people.

Now, two words you don't hear very often on this show, porn and condoms. California's safety officials are slapping Larry Flint's "Hustler" with a fine because of those two things. State OSHAA inspectors fined Hustler video and another porn producer for not using condoms on set to protect porn stars. They face more than $14,000 in fines for three violations. These citations came after the AIDS Healthcare Foundation which then prompted an inspection. Flint has said publicly before that audiences don't want to watch porn where actors are wearing condoms. We want to hear from you this topic. I'm sure that you have plenty to say about this one, so please join the conversation on our blog, CNN.com/Ali, and you can also post Ali's Facebook and Twitter pages and be sure to post on my Facebook and Twitter as well. We'd love to know what you have to say on this one, and we'll share your comments later in the show.

Low levels of radiation found in U.S. milk, but how does it compare to other common radiation sources, like, say, flying on an airplane? That's the question, I'm going to put it to an expert, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Traces of radiation have turned up in milk in California and Washington state, but federal officials say the milk poses no health risks because the radiation levels are 5,000 times lower than the limits set by the food and drug administration. Joining me now is Cham Dallas, he has led multiple expeditions into the most highly contaminated radiation areas of the world.

Cham, let me ask you, the government says the milk is safe. Are people getting that message or are people still freaking out?

CHAM DALLAS, INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH MANAGEMENT AND MASS DESTRUCTION DEFENSE: Well, one of the good news that has come out of this crisis in the last several weeks is we can tell that people are actually getting some of this message, where we were talking with the American medical association, and it looks like some of the data that they have is that are there people who are listening now, that are not reacting as fearfully as they were before. There are still a lot of people that are afraid though, yes.

KAYE: Sure. Should they be afraid do you think?

DALLAS: Not here in the United States, no. These levels are very low. It is interesting that we can detect them, but that's just a function of the fact that we have such good detection systems.

KAYE: So, how does it compare? This is what I wanted to ask you. The amount of radiation that we're seeing in the milk samples, compare that to what we get on an average plane ride or so.

DALLAS: That's actually a good comparison. Right now, these levels that we're seeing in milk in the United States are less than you would get on an intercontinental flight, going from here to Europe, say, or here to Japan. I'm going to Japan next week and I'll get more radiation on my flight to Japan next week than you will get from drinking any of this milk that they're seeing now.

KAYE: Wow, that is -- that is interesting. The EPA, stepping up monitoring, certainly want to watch these radiation levels. Is there a way that we can know for sure, really, that it's safe? Even though it's nice to know they're watching it, but --

DALLAS: Well, the EPA has got very good systems for looking at this, and we're getting ahead of the curve here. Where we ran into problems at Chernobyl, where I was working years ago, was they didn't get monitoring fast enough. They didn't get ahead of the curve.

We're way ahead of the curve on this. The EPA has the ability to do this. We're going to be able to prevent anything from happening here in the United States in the near term.

KAYE: All right. Well, I want to talk more with you about this, because I know a lot of people have a lot of questions about this. I do as well. I'm only halfway through my list of questions for you, Cham.

DALLAS: OK.

KAYE: So we're going to have you back in the next hour.

DALLAS: Great.

KAYE: And we'll talk a little bit more about this with you. So you'll stay with us?

DALLAS: I'll be here. Thank you, Randi.

KAYE: OK. All right.

It is the largest wireless merger in history. Is it good for business and, more importantly, is it good for you and your phone bill? That's the real question. And that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back.

Just 11 days ago, AT&T announced plans to acquire the American T- Mobile unit in a $39 billion transaction. Making it the largest wireless merger in history. This deal could affect just about everyone who carries a mobile phone and opposition against the merger is growing with fears of anti-competitive impacts on both consumers and business. CNN's Maggie Lake sat down with AT&T's CEO, Randall Stephenson.

Maggie, let's get right into this. Are customers going to end up paying more because of this merger?

MAGGIE LAKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: AT&T says, no. But, Randi, I can tell you, from the moment it was announced, consumer groups say, absolutely. They remain convinced that if you take two major players and combine them, that it's going to end up costing consumers. Especially since T-Mobile is really known as a price maverick. Somebody who was very competitive on prices. And AT&T, well, they have a bit of a different reputation. Remember, this is a company that the government actually broke up in the 1980s because they had a monopoly on long-distance service. Those old-fashioned land lines. I sat down with Randall Stephenson and I asked him, point-blank, is history repeating itself?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RANDALL STEPHENSON, CEO, AT&T: I don't think so. I mean there have been no surprises in terms of some reactions to this. But, again, once we get past the emotion and the beauty of the process at the Department of Justice and the SEC is (ph) a data-driven process. And once you get into the data, the data's very compelling. Again, most markets, in fact, most Americans have a choice of at least five different providers. It is a hyper competitive market and we feel very comfortable the data will bear that out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAKE: And, Randi, that was one statistic. I can tell you from talking to him, they have a whole list of studies and numbers that they say show that this merger is not going to result in higher prices. Things are just moving too quickly. New people coming into the market. We'll see if they are able to use that to convince the regulators. It's going to be a tough sell.

KAYE: Oh, I'm sure. But another question, really, is about service. I mean AT&T says that this is going to result in better coverage and more access to the fast-speed service. What's the word on that?

LAKE: Right. Yes, and this is what they're really pushing and they're hoping that's going to outweigh those concerns about price. And they could be right on that, at least if you're an AT&T customer. I mean we've got a big problem here. If you've gone out, you'll know to buy one of those fancy new 4G phones and you got home and it's not working the way you thought it was and there's a reason. The carriers, AT&T and the others included, are selling the phones, but they can't roll out that next generation, fast-speed service because there's just not enough capacity. We're all jumping on smartphones and tablets so quickly that it's like a massive information traffic jam and AT&T says this merger will help solve that problem in the short term.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHENSON: We will not be able to roll it out as broadly as we will with this transaction. And the reality is what this transaction does is you put the two companies together. Because of the spectrum position and the cell site density that we'll now have, it gives us an almost immediate lift in capacity of 30 percent. You need that capacity to help make these technology migrations and to accommodate the current growth in mobile broadband usage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAKE: And, Randi, it's very important, the idea of enabling more Americans to get access to fast-speed service for mobile phones. A big item on the agenda of the Obama administration. So there's a political angle there as well and AT&T is really hoping that that tips the scales in favor of them. We'll see. It's probably going to take about a year for this to go through the process. So expect to hear more of these arguments as the process continues.

Randi.

KAYE: All right, we'll continue to watch it. Maggie Lake, thank you.

And be sure to join Christine Romans for "Your Bottom Line" each Saturday morning at 9:30 Eastern. And don't miss "Your Money" with Ali Velshi Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. Eastern and Sundays at 3:00.

Time right now, about 22 minutes past the hour, time for top stories.

Toda, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates defended the administration's decision to intervene in Libya, arguing that military action was necessary to prevent a humanitarian disaster. He said that could have sparked a refugee crisis while potentially destabilizing Egypt, Tunisia, and the broader Middle East.

In the Ivory Coast, the head of the government told Reuters last hour that presidential rival Laurent Gbagbo, seen here, has just two to three hours left in power. Rebel forces have marched swiftly on the main city of Abidjan this week and heavy weapons fire rang out in the center of town this afternoon. The fighting stems from the disputed presidential elections in November.

Some encouraging job numbers out today. The Labor Department says 388,000 Americans filed for first time unemployment benefits last week. That's 6,000 fewer than the previous week and the latest sign that the job market recovery may be gaining some steam.

All right. So, somebody's watching you while you watch television. Sounds pretty creepy, huh? I'll tell you who and why, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Oh, yes. Well, it may sound a bit like a conspiracy theory, but someone is watching you while you watch television. Advertisers are getting information about what you're watching from cable companies using cable boxes to track your viewing habits. Deb Feyerick has all the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every time you watch TV, your TV is likely watching you, through that box which collects information on show after show after show. All that data sent anonymously, ultimately to advertisers focused on reaching people likely to buy certain products or watch certain shows.

FEYERICK (on camera): What is the benefit to people like me, to consumers?

JON WERTHER, PRES., SIMULMEDIA INC.: The benefit to consumers is that you get more relevant ads and you have fewer ads that are irrelevant to you that are cluttering up your TV experience. FEYERICK (voice-over): Jon Werther of Simulmedia successfully helped pioneer targeted advertising on the Internet. Now he's doing it with TV.

FEYERICK (on camera): If this is done right, how much money is this worth to advertisers?

WERTHER: We think billions. Billions of dollars.

FEYERICK (voice-over): Why? Because what you watch tells a lot about you. Sometimes unexpectedly.

WERTHER: A rerun of "Saved By The Bell" 9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning has been one of the most highly effective spots in driving, let's say, audiences to a crime drama several days later.

FEYERICK: It's not just set box data, but your other personal data, collected when you ask for credit reports or use retail discount cards. Tech companies, like Visible World, use this data like direct mail and can now deliver different ads to different households watching the same program.

FEYERICK (on camera): How does the box know which of these four different ads to get to you?

SETH HABERMAN, CEO, VISIBLE WORLD: We've built a database that talks to Cablevision and sends out these little messages. So the set up boxes switch at the right time to show the right ads in your household.

FEYERICK (voice-over): As for privacy, Ad Age writer Brian Steinberg says it's a tradeoff.

BRIAN STEINBERG, ADVERTISING AGE: That's becoming, you know, kind of the new tipping point of how much information we want to give out there and how much will advertisers use to kind of know where we are, where we're walking, what we like, what we don't like, what our preferences are, in exchange for more relevant, more interesting advertising.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: And Deb joins us now from New York.

Deb, the first company that you mentioned, Simulmedia, they have a pretty detailed understanding of what the TV shows are saying about us.

FEYERICK: Yes, absolutely. And, you know, they don't -- they don't know your name. They don't know exactly where you live. But this particular company, they know what you watch and they know if you watch "Jersey Shore," you're more likely to buy yogurt. If you watch "Glee," you're more likely to buy flavored or enhanced water. Whereas if you watch basketball, for example, you're more likely to drink soda, carbonated beverages. They don't know why, but they say their research is about 70 percent. Clearly this is a big deal for advertisers trying to get their product or get a new show in front of likely consumers.

KAYE: And when you talk about the advertisers, I mean, what about the possibility maybe of creating different versions of commercials depending on the viewer.

FEYERICK: And that's exactly what the second company is doing, Visible World. If you're married with kids, you're going to get a hotel ad marketing itself as very family friendly. If you're single, that same hotel will market itself as a romantic getaway. The commercial will even include information like the closest airport to get you to that particular hotel. This is all happening as you're watching various television shows.

KAYE: I wonder what they learned about us just in the last few minutes during this show. You got to wonder.

FEYERICK: I don't even want to know. But you -- exactly. And you can opt out. You can call your cable companies and you can opt out and say, don't get information on me. So there is that possibility as well, Randi.

KAYE: OH, well that is good to know. All right, Deb, good to see you. Thank you.

FEYERICK: You too.

KAYE: NATO took sole command of air operations in Libya today. But here at home, members of Congress are putting Defense Secretary Robert Gates through the ringer, demanding answers about what the U.S. is doing in Libya. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Thirty minutes past the hour. Here is the latest on the headlines and some stories that you may have missed.

As NATO takes command of operations in Libya today, a U.S. intelligence source confirms the CIA is playing a critical role on the ground and has sent additional officers into rebel strongholds. The operatives are gathering intelligence to help guide NATO air strikes and work with anti-Gadhafi forces. Sources also tell us CIA officers helped rescue a U.S. airman when a fighter jet crashed last week.

As the rebels struggle to hold their ground in Libya, on Capitol Hill, U.S. lawmakers are pushing for answers at a series of congressional hearings today. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, are getting drilled about the strategy, the cost, and yes, the timetable. Some lawmakers are angry they weren't consulted before the U.S. got involved in Libya and are raising doubts over the president's exit plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: There one thing that may make a difference in terms of how long it takes for this regime to change is the fact that we continue to degrade his military capabilities. And I think that may contribute to some cracking of the unity of his own military. But the bottom line is, no one can predict for you how long it will take.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: In Japan, radiation levels in the ocean near the Fukushima Daiichi plant spiked yet again. Japan's nuclear agency shows the tests now the water is nearly 4,400 times more radioactive than normal, the highest recorded so far. Japan's self-defense force says about 140 U.S. Military members will arrive soon to help. The troops specialize in detecting, medically treating, and decontaminating radioactive material.

In the meantime, thousands of Japanese already mourning the missing and the dead are now learning they may never be able to recover the bodies of loved ones near that plant. Recovery workers say they are not able to bring back some bodies inside the evacuation zone because they are just too radioactive. It's unknown exactly how many bodies remain inside the evacuation zone, but nearly 4,800 are listed as missing in just the Fukushima prefecture.

No American boots on the ground in Libya, but the CIA is there helping the rebels. Just what is their mission and will it make a difference? Some answers coming your way next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: No American ground troops are in Libya, at least not yet. But CIA operatives are there and they've been working there for several weeks, it turns out. That's the word from U.S. officials. And we're also told that CIA operatives helped rescue one of the two U.S. airmen whose fighter jet crashed in Libya earlier this month.

Ken Robinson is someone who has direct experience in this kind of work, including stints with the Special Forces and the CIA. He joins us now from Washington, via Skype.

Ken, thanks for being with us. Just how does the CIA conduct an operation like this one?

KEN ROBINSON, TERRORISM & NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Randi, the first question that they normally ask through the National Security Council is not could we, but should we, because it's extremely complicated.

In Libya itself right now, there are four big pie issues. Protecting and questions: do we arm, do we recognize, and do we advise the combating forces? Because if you remember, the Security Council Resolution does not just apply to Gadhafi's forces, it applies to the rebels, as well, to protect civilians. And so there is a real Sophie's Choice out there as to who is really doing the fighting and who should we be aligned with in our national interests to have Gadhafi removed from power. And to do that you have to have someone on the ground. KAYE: So how do you see this playing out? I mean, by having the operatives in Libya, could the CIA really help turn the tide, do you think, in favor of the rebels and perhaps ultimately get Gadhafi out of there?

ROBINSON: Well, they have short-term past performance success in doing this many times in many places in the past as you saw with the very successful operations in taking Afghanistan in 2001. The CIA is directly equipped to do this with former Special Forces people.

The real issue is always going to be, are we backing the right forces and will the government that follows be a government that we can work with? And that's what these officers are really trying to do is determine who to work with and who's going to be in the best interest of the west?

KAYE: And in terms of the risk involved, I mean, certainly the CIA is quite skilled, but are there risks involved in a mission like this one?

ROBINSON: There's absolute risk to human life. These people are very brave. And there's also enormous risk in backing the wrong people. Because there are multiple groups are tribal interest involved in controlling oil. There are multiple interests in terms of combatants who have come into Libya from other countries. It's a real end game and the prize is two percent of the oil that we use in the west.

And so the real issue is going to be, who are we really dealing with, and are they people that we would recognize as an official new government of Libya? It's a real Sophie's Choice.

KAYE: I'm curious what you think. I mean can you think of a past CIA mission in an environment like this one or similar to this one that has actually achieved its goals?

ROBINSON: Yes the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. It was one the most remarkable issues (ph) ever done because they got on horseback, they used airpower, and they drove the Taliban into the mountains of Tora Bora, and to hide in Pakistan.

So there's a difference between winning a battle and winning the war. And that's why they have to be on the ground. They have to provide U.S. eyes and ears for the National Command Authority, for the president, because he has to make a judgment choice on backing the right people and the law of unintended consequences that is being put in motion by us deciding to physically get involved.

KAYE: All right, Ken Robinson, we'll have to leave it there. Fascinating discussion.

Thank you for your time today.

ROBINSON: You're welcome, Randi.

KAYE: A graduate of Texas A&M University now held in Syria. The ordeal of an Egyptian-American and his mother's desperate attempt to win his freedom, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: An apparent about-face today by Syria's autocratic president. One day after a defiant speech, which offered not even a hint of lifting emergency laws in place nearly 50 years. President Bashar al Assad today ordered the formation of a committee to study ending the detested measure. It was his first speech since anti- government demonstrations first erupted some two weeks ago. Assad also ordered an investigation into the deaths of dozens of people and troops killed in recent clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces.

He's one of the countless victims of Syria's iron-fisted government. An Egyptian-American, a graduate of Texas A&M University now languishing in captivity in Syria. His mother and relatives are frantic to hear from him or at least get word from the government about his condition.

Ivan Watson now on their ordeal in a CNN exclusive report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAHA RADWAN, MOTHER: At least let someone talk to him. Let someone see him. I don't know. I want to see my son. I have no idea where he is.

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An anguished mother's message to the president of Syria. The last time Maha Radwan saw her Mohammed was when he suddenly appeared on Syrian state television last Saturday.

In what appears to be a televised interrogation, the 32-year-old Egyptian-American confesses, he exchanged e-mails with a Colombian journalists who asked him to take pictures in Syria, and said he'd pay around $17 per photo. The report on state TV calls Radwan a foreigner paid to destabilize Syria.

RADWAN: The Syrian government did not charge him with anything yet, officially. They left -- you know what? They left that to the media.

WATSON: Born in Houston, Mohammed Radwan is a graduate of Texas A&M University. Last January, he left his job at an oil company in Syria to join protests in Cairo against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Radwan gave an interview about the uprising.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They actually went into certain neighborhoods.

WATSON: Syrian television accused Radwan of trying to export Egypt's revolution to Syria. As far as we know, he has not been charged.

RADWAN: He is not a spy. He is not anybody except a young man who is full of hopes and he is full of idealism.

WATSON: Maha is mobilizing supporters for her son's release here in Cairo.

(on camera): Family members, friends, and supporters of Mohammed Radwan have gathered here in front of the Syrian Embassy in Cairo, to try to raise awareness and put pressure on the Syrian government for his release.

This is his cousin, Nora.

What happened exactly? are you getting any response at all from the Syrian government your cousin Mohammed?

NORA SHALABY, COUSIN: No, not at all. His father has been there since Sunday, and he's met with officials from both the Egyptian and American embassies, but I don't think he's been able to reach any of the Syrian authorities or if he has, they haven't given him any information at all.

WATSON (voice-over): The small crowd stands quietly, armed only with flowers and signs. And this mother's silent appeal to a distant president speaks so much louder than words.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Cairo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: And now here's a look at some of our top stories this hour.

Florida police have confirmed reports that a building collapsed at the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Florida, trapping 70 people is false. A heavy storm with strong winds hit the Sun and Fun Aviation Fair at the airport, Smith said, causing extensive minor damage and reports of minor injuries, but all persons, so far, we're being told, have been accounted for.

You can see how intense the winds are in this video. Look at those trees blow. The National Weather Service has confirmed a tornado has touched down in the Tampa Bay area a short time ago.

The Libyan government is downplaying the defection of its highest-ranking official so far. A government spokesman says Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa was an old man in poor health who could not have the pressure -- couldn't handle the pressure of his job. He says the government gave Koussa permission to leave. Koussa arrived in London yesterday.

Mourners said goodbye today to Geraldine Ferraro. Only family and friends were allowed at her funeral mass this morning at a New York City church. The former Democratic vice presidential nominee died Saturday after a long battle with blood cancer; she was 75 years old.

Every day on this show at this time, we do a segment called the "Big I." It's all about big, new ideas and innovations. Well, today, we are tackling water.

According to UNICEF, 900 million people in the world don't have access to clean drinking water. We want to tell you about a couple of new, pretty cool solutions.

First, how about a Banana? Yes, a banana used to detect dirty water. According to "Discovery" magazine, researchers found that dropping minced banana peels into river water could help them detect trace amounts of copper and lead.

Now we're not telling you of course to go out and buy a bunch of bananas, mush them up and throw them into your dirty water. This is just in the research stages.

All right and check this out, it looks like a hamster ball, right? It is actually a device that creates clean, drinkable water from dirty water using the sun. And here to tell us all about it is the guy who created it, John Liow.

John, that's a really cool invention of yours. Tell us how it works.

JOHN LIOW, INVENTOR, SOLARBALL: Thanks, Randi.

Well, Solarball works in (INAUDIBLE) of evaporations. So the user pours the dirty water into the device. The device is then put out in the sun, and the heat from the sun causes condensation to form inside the bowl. And basically what device does is it catches this condensation and it allows it to use it to drink it.

KAYE: And so how much clean water can it produce at one time, or is it just whatever you would put inside the ball?

LIOW: Well, it's all dependent on the heat and the temperature. So we're targeting this for, you know, developing nations that are quite close to the Equator. So the closer it is to the Equator, the hotter it is. In really warm conditions, we're hoping to get anywhere between two to three liters of water a day.

KAYE: And I'm curious what your inspiration was for a project like this one.

LIOW: Well, it took a trip Cambodia back in 2008, and that really got me to starting to think about the lack of everyday products and resources that people in these countries don't have. But it wasn't until a friend of mine spent time in Ethiopia documenting and photographing the effects of the water crisis, and this really got me starting to think about what I could do with my design skills to help these people.

KAYE: So can this be used yet throughout the world? Is the Solarball on the market?

LIOW: We're still in the basic prototyping phase. Because it's usable for consumption, there is a lot of credible testing that needs to be done. But we have to fully get the product commercialized into market by early 2012.

KAYE: And you've gotten some pretty good recognition for this one, haven't you?

LIOW: Yes. It's been covered down here in the local TV show in Australia we have called "The New Inventors" and also nominated for a couple of rewards. So, yes, I'm really happy with what's happening with it.

KAYE: Well, it is pretty amazing, and you should be awfully proud of yourself and how nice it is for you to help so many people who certainly need access to clean drinking water.

We really appreciate your time. Thank you.

LIOW: Thank you.

KAYE: Good luck with it.

LIOW: Thank you.

KAYE: For more information on the Solarball and the banana research in "Discovery" magazine, go to blog, CNN.com/Ali.

The Tea Party faithful are back in Washington today. We'll see what they're up to in our Political Update. That's coming next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back.

Time now for a "CNN Political Update." Brianna Keilar is on Capitol Hill with the latest on a Tea Party rally held today.

Hi there.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Randi.

And this Tea Party rally is still going on just outside of the Capitol. It's pretty small compared to some of the other Tea Party rallies we've seen in the past.

But this is a contingent that is really trying to put pressure on lawmakers, especially Republican leaders, as House Republicans, Senate Democrats and the White House are trying to come to an agreement on just how many spending cuts we're going to see for the rest of the budget year.

Remember, they don't come to an agreement, we could see the government or we would see the government shut down in eight days on April 8th.

And we actually heard some of the more conservative Republican members who spoke at this rally saying if Senate Democrats aren't going to give in on some of those spending cuts, maybe that's the way to go.

Listen to mike Pence of Indiana and Michele Bachmann of Minnesota.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE PENCE (R), INDIANA: If liberals in the Senate would rather play political games and shut down the government instead of making a small down payment on fiscal discipline and reform, I say shut it down.

REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: They've got their fingers crossed right now that the government will shut down. That's their plan. They want to shut the government down and they want to turn you into their scapegoat and say it's the Tea Party's fault for shutting the government down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Now, with word of a possible tentative agreement between House Republicans and Senate Democrats and the White House on just how many spending cuts they all can stomach and the number being less -- the significantly less than that $61 billion that house Republicans wanted from the get-go, Randi, you have some of Tea Party leaders pointing a finger at House Speaker John Boehner and saying that he's caving in these negotiations.

He got out there today on camera and made it very clear, tried to make it very clear that there is no number that is settled on, that House Republicans are going to fight for all of the spending cuts they can get and they're also going to be fighting for limitations on spending, including defunding health care reform, defunding Planned Parenthood among other things, Randi.

KAYE: We'll keep our eyes on the calendar as this is all ticks down to the deadline for the shutdown.

All right, Brianna, thank you. Nice to see you.

Your next update from "The Best Political Team on Television" just one hour away.

All right, get this. Think you've seen it all? Not until you see this. Yes, next in "Odds and Ends," we'll show you how some road hogs created quite a bit of traffic for morning commuters.

Look at that little guy.

Don't go anywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Now it's time for today's "Odds and Ends."

Looks like these guys aren't happy, but neither were the morning commuters in North Carolina yesterday. Five little piggies got loose on interstate 40 during rush hour, bringing traffic to a slow pig-like crawl.

Police officers managed to load them into their police cruisers. No easy task given the animals weigh between 80 and 120 pounds. It's not clear how they got on the road, but officers suspect they dropped out of the back of a truck.

On a much more serious note now, newly discovered photos of James Earl Ray, the man convicted of assassinating civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., were released yesterday. The pictures show Ray being brought to the Shelby County Jail in Memphis, Tennessee after his arrest for the murder.

They were released by the county registrar's office to commemorate the 43rd anniversary of the civil rights leader's death. Letters ray wrote to lawyers and family from the jail where he spent eight months before pleading guilty are also being released.

And don't miss "CNN PRESENTS EYEWITNESS TO MURDER: THE KING ASSASSINATION" at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday. Soledad O'Brien retraces the steps of the Reverend Martin Luther King, James Earl Ray, the FBI and the Memphis Police. She also explores alternative scenarios of who may have been responsible for King's death. That's CNN Sunday night 7:00 p.m. Eastern.