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Government Shutdown?; FBI Interviews Libyans in U.S.; Beck Leaving FOX Show; No Witnesses Called in Bonds' Defense; Police Pepper Spray 8-Year-Old Boy

Aired April 06, 2011 - 16:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: If you're paying attention here on CNN, there's been some movement with the potential government shutdown. It's looming and the budget battle continuing. Are congressional leaders working together, though, to try to resolve the problem or just flexing their political muscle?

A similar event occurred in 1995 under President Clinton, and this is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is an exercise of raw, naked power. The Constitution says the Congress should propose, the president should sign or veto. If the president vetoes, then the Congress can override the veto. If they can't override the veto, they should get together and work something out.

That is not what they want to do. What they want to do is to shut the government down until I take their budget.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: There you see him right there.

Wolf Blitzer joins us now with the latest on the CNN "Political Ticker."

Wolf, you were there. You remember that well, I'm sure.

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": I do remember it as if it were only yesterday. In fact, I just came -- I watched a report, Don -- you will get a kick out of this. And I think some of our viewers will as well.

In 1995, a report just before the government shutdown, and the cast of characters then was different. The president of the United States was Bill Clinton. The speaker of the House was Newt Gingrich. Newt Gingrich had his Contract With America. That was the initiative.

And the report that I did -- and it was really fascinating, because you could just change the names and it was almost the same as the arguments we're hearing from both sides right now, the argument from the White House, the argument from the speaker. At that time, the speaker, Newt Gingrich, in this report that I just watched was saying the president is more interested in politics and campaigning.

We just heard John Boehner, the speaker, say the president is off in Pennsylvania campaigning. He's got a budget for his political ambition. Very similar rhetoric then to what is going on right now.

We know what happened in 1995. There was a government shutdown for a few days; 800,000 federal employees did not have to go to work. They lost some pay as a result. In the end, though, it was very, very apparent pretty quickly the Democrats and the then President Bill Clinton, they won that political battle. Newt Gingrich and the Republicans lost that political battle.

And it helped set the stage for Bill Clinton's reelection in 1996, when he beat Bob Dole, who was the Republican candidate. Now, it's a different environment right now. At that time there was maybe a $4 trillion national debt. Now there is a $14 trillion national debt.

There was no Tea Party movement then. There was a Contract With America movement then, but no Tea Party movement then. There is a Tea Party movement now. So it's different and it's unclear who is going to score the points if, in fact, there is a government shutdown.

My own sense, Don, for what it is worth, is in the end I don't think there will be a government shutdown. I think both sides will come up with the realization that you don't tell 800,000 federal employees, you know what? Take a few days off, go on vacation. It's simply too important right now. So my sense, they will work something out in the end, but we will see.

LEMON: Wolf, we hope. We will be watching too at the top of the hour, 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Wolf Blitzer, thank you so much for that.

Breaking news out of Washington to tell you about. As our Dana Bash first reported just a short time ago, House Republicans now are proposing a one-week budget extension, one-week extension to be voted on tomorrow. Whether that averts a shutdown, probably not.

Here is House Speaker John Boehner just moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: We're continuing to have conversations with our colleagues in the Senate. I'm hoping that they will continue to go well. But the government is due to shut down tomorrow.

So, we're going to be prepared to move forward with our troop funding bill that would fund our troops, keep the government open for another week and cut $12 billion in spending. I think this is the responsible thing to do for the United States Congress. And I would hope the Senate could pass it and the president would sign it into law.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: Not surprising, our Dana Bash right on with her reporting before the leaders walked out and said this is probably going to be about that troop funding bill.

And, Dana, that is what it was basically about. Walk us through what happened.

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right.

Well, the bottom line is this. As you heard from the speaker, perhaps this after we -- when he began the Q&A portion -- I'm not sure if our viewers saw it live, but at the end of his remarks, he got very emphatic saying the government -- we don't want the government to shut down. The government will not shut down.

And that really matches what we're told he's been saying privately to his fellow Republicans, which is that he had a front row seat to the government shutdown back in 1995 and 1996 and as a member of the Republican leadership there, he remembers that it was not only hurtful to the country, but hurtful to Republicans politically.

So he has been doing everything possible, he says, to try to avoid a government shutdown. In fact, nobody on both sides of the aisle wants that to happen. But, politically, Republicans are worried about getting the blame, which is why they are going ahead with this short-term bill tomorrow, even though as you pointed out earlier, Don, Democrats from the president to Senate leaders have said that they think that this is a bad idea, that this is not the right way to go, particularly with the cuts that they are asking for in the short-term bill.

It's $12 billion worth of spending bills and it funds the Pentagon, it funds the Defense Department for the rest of the year. And because it's not just the Democrats who don't want a short-term stopgap measure, it's also and more even importantly, Republicans. That's why they are really emphasizing in the Republican leadership that this does fund the troops.

That's how they are selling it to their fellow Republicans because they know that they are not likely to get very many Democrats on board. And it's the Republican Caucus who is kind of fed up with doing this short stopgap measure after stopgap measure while they are trying to work out the big bill, which is to fund the government for the rest of the year, which has not worked out yet.

LEMON: Dana Bash on Capitol Hill with our breaking news, thank you so much, Dana.

Now watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: The feds are starting to question Libyans right here in the U.S. What do they want? Why is the FBI interested? I'm Don Lemon. The news starts now. (voice-over): Moammar Gadhafi remains defiant. And there are apparently concerns he may order revenge attacks against Americans. Find out who in the U.S. has the FBI most interested.

LEMON: How safe are you from a natural disaster? I will tell you whether your home is at risk.

Plus, a world leader accused of paying for sex with an underage prostitute? But eight minutes after Silvio Berlusconi's trial began, it ended. I will tell you why.

And a dramatic police chase just inches away from the camera. See how this one ends.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Welcome back, everyone. Brooke is off. I'm Don Lemon.

Ask any terrorism expert what the number one threat is to the U.S. and the answer more often than not is still al Qaeda. And that's why there is so much concern with the uprisings in Yemen.

Our Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence reports, al Qaeda is taking advantage of the unrest there to expand its power base.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A U.S. official says Yemen's government is preoccupied with political unrest and little is being done to find and capture terrorists.

An American counterterrorism official says the government's ability to check travelers, screen cargo, and work immigration issues is all in question right now. And that should matter to Americans because the al Qaeda group based there is considered the number-one terrorist threat to the United States.

MARK TONER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: We do believe that they have taken advantage of the insecurity and poor governance in some regions of Yemen.

LAWRENCE: And if the government falls...

JAMES CARAFANO, SENIOR FELLOW, HERITAGE FOUNDATION: It wasn't that great a government to begin with.

LAWRENCE: Analyst James Carafano argues that even if the opposition topples President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the risk to U.S. interests is somewhat mitigated.

CARAFANO: Because most of the cooperation is with the military and intelligence services, some of that can continue to go on regardless who's in charge of the government. LAWRENCE: Last year, Defense Secretary Robert Gates approved doubling the U.S. military aid to Yemen to $150 million. Despite the instability, Pentagon officials say they have not suspended that aid.

GEOFF MORRELL, PENTAGON SPOKESPERSON: As far as I know, it has not been.

LAWRENCE: The Pentagon says Yemen's embattled president and the U.S. military still have common goals.

MORRELL: We both still face a threat emanating from Yemen that needs to be dealt with.

LAWRENCE: Carafano says there's a chance a new government in Yemen could be better than the present one.

CARAFANO: I mean, there are ways we can get counterterrorism operations in the country without relying on essentially a two-bit dictator to get you there.

LAWRENCE (on camera): On the other hand, those WikiLeaks cables reveal how just closely the U.S. has been working with Yemen's president. One quoted him as saying that he would keep claiming that the attacks on al Qaeda in Yemen were coming from his forces, not the Americans.

Of course, the release of those cables has come back to hurt him politically during this current unrest.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right, Chris.

Let's bring in CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank.

So, Paul, how much of an opportunity does unrest in Yemen present to al Qaeda?

PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Well, it presents some opportunity for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula that, broadly speaking, this Arab spring has been bad news for al Qaeda. It's reduced to a state to virtual irrelevance in many countries.

Some core grievances have also been dissipated. But in Yemen there really is an opportunity for al Qaeda there. Recent history, al Qaeda has taken advantage of civil war situations. And that's a potential of that in Yemen. We saw that in Afghanistan in the '90s, in Algeria the same decade, and more recently in Iraq.

And as evidence, as Chris Lawrence was referencing, that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has expanded its operations now in Yemen, taken advantage of the power vacuum there. American cleric Anwar al- Awlaki says that he expects his group to full advantage of the situation -- Don. LEMON: OK. So, Paul, we keep hearing and you talked about it just a little bit here, that Yemen is now ground zero for al Qaeda. So how much of a threat is this to the U.S.? Do you have specific plots? Are you hearing about specific plots in the works?

CRUICKSHANK: Well, there is a real threat.

Over the last 16 months there have been two attempted plots against the U.S. homeland. They both failed. U.S. counterterrorism officials believe this is the most active of all al Qaeda affiliates. If there's a terrorist attack tomorrow, it is most likely to have emanated from Yemen in terms of the planning. So there is a real threat.

And there's been it seems some chatter in recent weeks that this organization may again be trying to launch an attack. And that attack would most likely be against the United States. Anwar al-Awlaki is absolutely determined to hit the United States even if it is in a small way -- Don.

LEMON: OK. So, Paul, is there anything that the U.S. can do to stop al Qaeda from strengthening its position in Yemen?

CRUICKSHANK: Well, clearly, the United States needs to work to sort of create managed transition in Yemen.

The last thing anybody wants there is some sort of civil war situation, and there have been several civil wars in the recent history of Yemen, because al Qaeda could take advantage of that. There are no real good military options here for the United States. We have not seen a drone campaign like in Pakistan. There's been a calculation that that could create a backlash in Yemen, make a bad situation worse by radicalizing some of the tribes.

Also, the United States does not have as good intelligence on the ground in Yemen as it has in the tribal areas of Pakistan. So no good military options, so the United States really has to work towards a peaceful transition in Yemen away from President Saleh -- Don.

LEMON: OK. So that's the question. President Saleh is fighting for his own survival right now in the fight against terrorism. Is he, at this point, is he an asset, Paul, to the U.S. or not?

CRUICKSHANK: I think the United States government has made the calculation that he is not an asset but he is now a liability.

And look, you know, if Saleh sort of cracks down more, this could be a real problem for the United States because it could play into al Qaeda's narrative of a western-backed, U.S.-backed dictator oppressing the local population. Al Qaeda could get more recruits.

So President Saleh, from a U.S. point of view, seems to be a liability right now. The United States seems to be working with other partners, Saudi Arabia, to try and create a peaceful transition away from his rule in Yemen, Don.

LEMON: CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank, thanks to you, sir.

Developing right now, the feds are questioning Libyans right here in the U.S. There are fears that Moammar Gadhafi could be planning revenge attacks against Americans, and I'll tell you who the FBI wants to talk to and what kind of information they are hoping to get.

Rima Maktabi gives us an interesting take on the situation. There she is live right there. We're going to hear from her.

We're bank in just 70 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Libyans living in the United States could soon be getting a knock on the door from the FBI, if they haven't already. Here is what a law enforcement official tells CNN, that the FBI is talking with Libyan nationals, specifically those here on visas. The officials describes it as an pro-active effort to seek out intel on possible revenge plots against Americans.

So joining me now to discuss this and other developments inside Libya, CNN correspondent Rima Maktabi.

Rima, the FBI director, Robert Mueller, spoke about it this morning. He was asked earlier about it, and here's what he had to say. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: In the extent that there are individuals previously affiliated with the Libyan government who happen to be in the United States, they may have been here representing Libya and various institutions and the like, and to the extent that they have renounced or denounced Gadhafi, are willing to be interviewed and to give us information as to what maybe happening in Libya, we will proceed with those interviews.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: OK, so, Rima, you lived in Libya for quite some time. My questions is, though, how will Libyans living in the U.S. react to the FBI questioning them?

RIMA MAKTABI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I lived all over the Middle East and I have spent so many years in many countries.

If they have information, those Libyans will talk to the FBI because, as we know, many Libyans anyway fled the oppressive regime of Moammar Gadhafi over the past years.

However, if some Libyans are really cooperating with the regime and planning any attacks, the FBI approaching them will probably make them think about it twice.

LEMON: When you think about Moammar Gadhafi, many people say he's unstable. What is -- he's unstable and not sure if he has his act together outside of Libya. So what is the likelihood that Moammar Gadhafi is planning some sort of attack anywhere in the west or in the U.S.? Is that likely?

MAKTABI: Let's recall Moammar Gadhafi's past and his regime's past.

In the '80s, there were many bombs placed on aircrafts. We remember in 1988 and 1989 the Lockerbie case and other cases. Also, the explosion in the nightclub in Berlin, and Saudis accused the Gadhafi a few years ago of plotting an assassination attempt against Saudi King Abdullah.

So the history doesn't have Gadhafi that the Americans and the westerners not accuse him of planning anything in the future.

LEMON: I have been talking about this a lot because I think it's very important, the role that women are playing in this uprising, and specifically this one, especially since Eman al-Obeidy rushed into that hotel in Libya with all the journalists there and made this emotional plea, saying that she had been raped and beaten at the hands of Moammar Gadhafi's henchman over a period of two days.

On "AC360," they put the mom and her together on the telephone for -- they reunited them. It was very emotional. Listen and then we'll talk about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMAN AL-OBEIDY, LIBYAN WOMAN ACCUSING GADHAFI'S SOLDIERS OF RAPE (translated text): Mom, they attacked me today they pulled their weapons and tried to kill me today.

AISHA AHMAD, EMAN'S MOTHER: Where are you staying? Where? Eman?

AL-OBEIDY: I am staying at my friend's house. My sister all her neighbors are armed and I couldn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: For a woman to make these sorts of claims, especially publicly in Libya, unheard of.

MAKTABI: In Libya and across the Arab world, this is really unprecedented.

Why? Because in the Arab world, the societies are conservative. People don't talk about their private lives.

And women, specifically, they don't talk about their boyfriends and their men and lives. They are harassed and sometimes attacked or raped and they don't mention this in public.

So this woman's life is going to change forever.

LEMON: Very conservative in that respect and we see -- even saw women -- there are the women there -- in the video subduing her, putting a bag over her head, because the women don't want her to talk about that because it's embarrassing to them.

MAKTABI: It's embarrassing. And having watched this conversation yesterday between Eman and her mom, now Eman is hiding not only from the government, but also from the society itself because people will look at her differently.

The Arab society is not ready to talk about such issues and Arab media didn't really give air time to Eman's case like international and American media, specifically CNN.

LEMON: But people there know about her, they know about these claims, right? They are able to get the news and somehow -- I don't know, on the internet they are aware of Eman?

MAKTABI: And Eman being courageous this way and CNN really focusing on this woman will help other women in the Middle East and the Arab world, specifically, to talk about such things even more. It will give them some protection.

However, we're talking about really conservative minds and people who look differently at women who are raped or even abused.

LEMON: Very interesting. Thank you. Thank you so much.

MAKTABI: Thank you so much for having me.

LEMON: It's a pleasure. Rima Maktabi.

A major announcement from TV personality Glenn Beck. We're told he is leaving his cable show, but not necessarily the FOX News channel. And what is behind this sudden breakup? We're going to talk.

And we have some breaking news. A U.S. military plane has crashed. Details coming in now.

We're back in 70 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, this is breaking news on CNN.

An American F-18 aircraft has crashed in a field near Naval Air Station Lemoore, Naval Air Station Lemoore, that is in central California. We're being told that emergency crews are on the scene and that the naval air stations tell us they have secured the perimeter. No word on the pilot.

As soon as we get more information on the crash of this American jet, we will let you know as we get more information. American military fighter jet, we'll let you know.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, Glenn Beck.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: OK, there is no more speculation about the future of Glenn Beck on the FOX News channel. Today, both Beck and FOX announced the conservative TV host will end his afternoon show by the end of this year.

So that part of the speculation ends and the rest of it begins right now, like why is he really leaving? Are the rumors true that other FOX talent were embarrassed by Beck's antics? Was he really losing money for FOX? And what will he do now?

Brian Stelter is with "The New York Times" and he writes about these affairs, and has written a bunch about this. In fact, he wrote about the article about the unrest at the FOX ranks towards Beck.

So, Brian, thanks for joining us.

BRIAN STELTER, REPORTER, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": Thank you.

LEMON: What is the real scoop on Beck's departure? He's actually -- you said he's not leaving the channel, but he's leaving his show, right?

STELTER: Yes. For most intents and purposes, he's leaving FOX. He's going to remain there essentially as a producer, creating maybe new shows or specials for the network, but we're not going to see him on every day as we have for the past two years.

Glenn Beck never really fit in at FOX. He was always his own man. Unlike Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity, he wasn't born by FOX and he didn't depend on FOX. So I think there were always skirmishes because of that.

LEMON: So, you know, when you see places like "The Daily Show" or "The Colbert Report," even criticism, it's because he is so bombastic and he says things that many of the other people on FOX, even the opinion people, won't say.

So were his colleagues really embarrassed by that? Was FOX embarrassed by that? I think people are trying to figure out exactly what is behind this and we're digging for something and we're not sure if it's there.

STELTER: There's no doubt, people on the news side of FOX were embarrassed at times by Glenn Beck. You know, Glenn Beck would say things other hosts on television simply wouldn't.

In the summer of 2009, he called President Obama a racist. That caused an advertiser boycott, a lot of advertisers left his show. And after that point, people on the news side of FOX refused to go on the show or be associated with the show.

You know, but I think on the flip side, Glenn Beck tapped into something in this country, especially in 2009 and 2010 that nobody else did. We were in the depths of a recession and there was anti -- there was a negative views toward Barack Obama on the right, Glenn Beck tapped into that.

But I have to wonder, you know, if he already peaked, if that was his prime in 2009 and 2010.

LEMON: Well, let me jump in here because, you know, he still has very healthy ratings and provides a big lift to the primetime lineup -- Bill O'Reilly, among others -- helps him get even bigger numbers. But his numbers started to dwindle from when he first came on.

STELTER: That's right.

LEMON: He had huge numbers. Sometimes they rivaled Bill O'Reilly's. But they started to dwindle.

STELTER: That's right, they did. He's averaging about 2 million viewers a night now, which is for FOX, really great for any cable channel, frankly. But he was starting to decline and I think the challenge for Glenn Beck is how to reinvent yourself, or how to at least evolve your brand.

The show is awfully negative now, it's awfully conspiratorial. Glenn Beck looks lonely all by himself surrounded by those chalk boards. And I think what we're going to see as he wraps up his FOX show and as he heads somewhere else doing something else, he's going to have to evolve and maybe he's going to have to be a little friendlier and a little warmer.

LEMON: Yes, he'll probably keep that following, I think you will agree with that. But here's the thing, it creates a big hole and that lift into primetime.

What conservative commentator, personality, pundit -- can it be Sarah Palin -- who can take over for him in order to get them to keep that momentum going into primetime?

STELTER: It's interesting you mentioned Sarah Palin cause we're all wondering if Sarah Palin, if Mike Huckabee, these people that are on the FOX News payroll are going to decide to run for president or not.

If somebody like Mike Huckabee does decide not to run, then he could be slotted into FOX News primetime. Right now, he only has a weekend show, but maybe he could have a weekday show if he decides not to run for president.

On the other side, FOX is grooming news personalities and given that the election is coming up, they might want to put a news show on just as they did before the election last time. You know, Glenn Beck came in a day before Barack Obama was inaugurated and he rode that tidal wave ever since. But maybe given the fact that there's another election coming up, maybe FOX will decide to put on a newscast in its place.

LEMON: Yes, that's probably though -- I don't have time to talk about it -- a temporary fix until the election is over.

STELTER: A temporary, that's right.

(CROSSTALK)

STELTER: They need another firepower like Glenn Beck.

LEMON: Yep.

Brian, thank you very much. Appreciate it.

STELTER: Thank you.

LEMON: A dramatic police chase just inches away from the camera. Wait until you see how this one ends, that is next.

And our Jessica Yellin is standing by with information just in from the world of politics. Make sure you stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. Those are gunshots fired at a Jeep's tires during a dramatic police chase yesterday. Officers chased a pair suspected in four vehicle thefts and three home invasions after someone spotted the stolen Jeep. The man and women were arrested at the second road block. Both suffered gunshot wounds to the legs and were treated at a hospital.

You know the music. That means it's time for our political ticker. The latest news from Washington. Jessica Yellin joins us now. Jessica, tell us about this new person who is going to be running the DNC. We heard a lot about her during the Gabrielle Giffords' story.

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: We did. That's true, Don. It's Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz. You should be familiar to political TV viewers because she is a ferocious advocate for the Democratic party in many TV debates. But she's now going to take on this big new role, running the Democratic National Committee during the president's 2012 campaign.

And she's an interesting woman. She's a close friend of Gabrielle Giffords, an outspoken advocate for her while she was in the hospital. One of those people who was there when Gabby Giffords first opened her eyes. And she talked about that movingly.

But she has an interesting story of her own. She is a breast cancer survivor who talks openly about discovering a lump during a self exam and has been an advocate for other breast cancer sufferers. And she's also a fierce softball player. A popular story about her is that she was sliding into base one day and broke her leg at a charity softball game, then showed up at work at 8:30 a.m. the next day. You can't keep that woman down.

And she -- some of these people are behind the scenes players when they run the DNC or the RNC. She will no doubt be out in front. One of those people doing Sunday talk shows and taking it to the other side and, Don, the -- only the third woman to ever hold that post in a year. That's very important for the woman's vote.

LEMON: Someone who knows how to deal with that is actually one of our contributors here, right?

YELLIN: Yes! You knew! You're psychic. Yes! The person who's taking -- apparently Debbie Wasserman-Shultz cannot take the job for 15 days. And the interim person is someone familiar to our viewers, Donna Brazile.

Donna ran Al Gore's 200 campaign. She's been involved in many Democratic presidential campaigns since 1976. And she will fill that slot for 15 days until her friend Debbie takes the job. And do you know my next story?

LEMON: I do. I want to go. Can you get me in your luggage?

(LAUGHTER)

YELLIN: That's what I was going to say. It's Vegas, baby! The -- CNN is going to be sponsorsing a Republican debate on October 18 in Vegas! I'm pitching in for that assignment right now. I am happy to stay at the hotel that will be sponsoring it, the Venetian. It's being held there. And it will be one of no doubt many presidential debates during the primary, but a big one. Republican debate sponsored by CNN on October 18 in Vegas.

LEMON: Yes. If you can get me in on that, there will be a little something extra in your paycheck if you can get me in on that.

Thank you, Jess. We appreciate it.

Another air traffic controller busted for sleeping on the job. Find out where and when this one happened and whether any planes were at risk.

Plus, sex parties, cash, an under-aged prostitute. The Italian prime minister is accused of mixing all of that together. The first day of his trial lasted just eight minutes. I will tell you what happened next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Sleepy controllers, bunga bunga parties, and a surprise visit to Iraq. We have it all in today's edition of "Reporter Roulette" and we begin with Jeanne Meserve in Washington. Jeanne?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: This is another case of a controller falling asleep on the job. You remember there was one at Reagan National a couple months ago. Today, the FAA administrator asked by a member of Congress were there any others, and he said, yes. Back on February 19th at Knoxville's airport, a controller on the midnight shift fell asleep for five hours. Now, this is an airport where there's a tower that serves two functions. There's someone on one floor who controls the airport traffic and then someone on another floor who controls the regional traffic for a 30 to 50 mile radius around the airport. It was that regional controller who fell asleep on the job. The other controller took over his duties. Seven planes landed. We're told all of them landed safely, Don.

LEMON: Jeanne, what is going to happen to this controller now?

MESERVE: He is going to lose his job. The FAA administrator says this was willful, and termination proceedings are underway. Why he called it willful, we've asked. We haven't been given that answer yet.

LEMON: And of course, probably some renewed questions about whether staffing is adequate at some air traffic control facilities.

MESERVE: That's right. That is what happened at the Reagan event. Everybody said, this was someone alone in the tower who fell asleep. He admitted it. In this instance, though, there were two people in the tower, and we don't have all of the answers yet as to what efforts were made to wake the sleeping controller up, why they weren't successful, why it took five hours to rouse this guy. So, we'll be asking.

LEMON: Jeanne Meserve, thank you.

Next on "Reporter Roulette," Diana Magnay in Milan where the trial of Silvio Berlusconi started today. And Diana, it has a little bit of everything. Sex, parties, and alleged abuse of power.

DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Don, it was a very soft start to the most explosive trial in Italian political history. Neither Silvio Berlusconi nor Ruby, who is the woman who is in the center of this whole sex scandal, turned up in the court. They didn't have to.

But the first hearing lasted less than ten minutes, and what was surprising was not just the brevity but also the fact that a woman's right organization stood up and asked to file a civil lawsuit themselves against Mr. Berlusconi with 25 years worth of evidence which they say shows that he abused the dignity of women.

But just because the start was short, doesn't mean the trial will be. There are thousands of court documents that the prosecution has, containing wire taps of what supposedly what went on in Mr. Berlusconi's private villa, these so called bunga bunga parties. There will be about 200 witnesses who will testify in the case, including Silvio Berlusconi, Ruby, and possibly even George Clooney. So, you can expect that the details we've heard so far will only get more and more salacious as the months go on. Don?

LEMON: You can believe that. Thank you, Diana Magnay.

Next on "Reporter Roulette," Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. The surprise trip Secretary Gates just made to Iraq. Barbara, the secretary was just in Saudi Arabia. But what is he trying to accomplish in Iraq now?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Don, this may be his final trip to Iraq as secretary of defense. He's scheduled to leave office in the coming weeks and months.

Right now, he's going one more time to talk to the troops as that war begins to wind down. Talk to commanders, and perhaps most importantly, talk to Iraqi government officials and make sure they understand U.S. troops are coming home. The Iraqis are going to have to take over once and for all.

LEMON: But Barbara, he made some other news about Iran, didn't he?

STARR: Well, you know, he did. Right as you said before he landed in Iraq, he came from Saudi Arabia where, to the surprise of many, there was evidence -- his words -- that Iran was involved in some of the unrest sweeping in the Middle East, especially in the island nation of Bahrain. He didn't specify what it was, but he made very clear that he believes Iran is behind a lot what is going on in that country that is such an important U.S. ally.

LEMON: And, of course, this is very important. What about the government shutdown, troops being paid?

STARR: Mm, that is - that is perhaps item number one around the Pentagon, and the secretary is monitoring that, we are told, from overseas. The question on the table, will troops be paid if there is a government shutdown? Especially, of course, the troops serving in the field, serving in the war zone. And what about the wounded troops sitting in hospitals right now? Will they and their families get paychecks?

The Pentagon working on a shutdown plan if it comes to that, but very strongly looking at Capitol Hill to try and solve this crisis, Don.

LEMON: Barbara Starr, thank you very much. And that's today's "Reporter Roulette."

Surprising developments in the case against Barry Bonds. Find out why his lawyers ended the defense before it really began.

Also, police pepper spray an eight-year-old kid at his school. Was it justified? Sunny Hostin is "On the Case." She's next.

But, first, if you're thinking about relocating to a new city, don't sign any dotted line before you hear the list that we've got for you today. Given the recent natural disasters around the world, you might want to consider one of these U.S. cities deemed safest by wisebread.com.

All is clear in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Taking the number four safest spot, Grand Rapids, Michigan. And placing third on the cities safest from natural disasters is Fort Wayne, Indiana.

So, what are the top two places in the U.S. considered the safest from natural disasters? We'll tell you after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, if you're thinking about relocating to a new city, you may want to consider how safe it is from a possible natural disaster. So we've got the list from wisebread.com.

Running up the top two, it's Erie, Pennsylvania and the number one U.S. city deemed safest from a natural disaster, the coast is clear in Chesapeake, Virginia. Now you know.

Barry Bonds attorneys rest their case without calling a single witness. The baseball hitter is accused of lying to a grand jury that was investigating how professional athletes get steroids and other drugs.

Sunny Hostin is on the case. Sunny, it seems like we were talking about this the other weekend and the draw had just started and now they've wrapped it up almost. No verdict yet, but it's almost to the end.

So Bonds didn't take the stand. No witnesses called. Is that a good defense team strategy?

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: You know, it's a good defense team strategy when you think you're doing well. When you think you don't have to put on a defense. Let's face it. It's always on the prosecution to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

These are perjury charges. They have to prove that he lied to the grand jury -- to Congress, rather, and in proving that he lied, they have to prove that it was true, that he in fact took steroids.

We know that his personal trainer is tucked away in jail because he refuses to testify against his former client, Barry Bonds. You know, they had a lot of witnesses testify but no one said, I saw him taking these steroids.

And that may be a little tough for the prosecution so the defense in this case, I think they are feeling pretty good and they're thinking, you know, let's put the prosecution to its proof.

LEMON: So you mentioned his personal trainer being tucked away. The judge tossed out one of the charges concerning Bonds' personal trainer. So why did it get tossed? Was it because he wouldn't testify? What's the deal here?

HOSTIN: I think that's part of it. I mean, bottom line is, he testified before Congress that he never took anything, anything from his personal trainer prior to the 2003 baseball season.

Without his personal trainer testifying saying, yes, I did give it to him and without that question from the prosecutor in front of the grand jury being a little more concrete, they just decided that the judge may toss it out so the prosecution decided to toss it out for themselves.

LEMON: Wasn't there someone who said they witnessed his personal trainer injecting something? I don't know if it was the secretary or a cleaning lady or someone who said she witnessed something being injected into him. So I'm just wondering, you know, if that played a role in this at all.

HOSTIN: I'm sure it's going to play a role for the jury. I'm sure the jury is going to consider all of the evidence, all of the witnesses' testimony. But what I think she basically said was, you know, that she saw something and he explained it, Barry Bonds explained it, but didn't say it was steroids.

So, again, they don't quite have -- at least I'm sure from the defense's perspective, they don't quite have enough to show that he in fact lied when he said I didn't take steroids. Maybe they were vitamins. Who knows?

You know, that's going to be up to the jury. But they are going to start deliberating as early as tomorrow. So we may have an answer to this question pretty quickly.

LEMON: So they rested their case, I'm being told. Let's move on to the next case here. Let's talk about this story out of Colorado. Police pepper spray an 8-year-old boy during an incident at school.

First, let's hear what the kid, the police, and his mom have to say and then we'll talk about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AIDAN, PEPPER SPRAYED AT SCHOOL: I wanted to make something sharp for like if they came out because I was so mad at them.

STEVE DAVIS, LAKEWOOD, COLORADO POLICE: The officers told him to drop it. He wouldn't.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's been three times where they have called the police on him.

DAVIS: Our officers had to do something to diffuse the situation in a hurry before someone got hurt.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sure what he was doing wasn't right, but he's 8 years old.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: OK. Sunny, he's 8-years-old and his mother admits that he's been in trouble before. Police called three times. Pepper spray, the right thing or is there something that the legal system can do to help this kid?

HOSTIN: You know, I was really - I struggled with this and so I brought out the big guns. I basically called my contacts in law enforcement. I called a former lieutenant commander in New York. I called a former first grade detective in New York. I called a former second grade detective and they all agreed that while perhaps justified this pepper spray may be a little bit over the top.

In the sense that that proper police procedure for something like this or the more appropriate would be isolate and contain. They all said time is on your side, but they wouldn't second guess what the officers did. They said that the officers have a lot at their disposal.

Firearms, tazers, you know, baton, pepper spray? Pepper spray is the sort of lowest level and so they didn't -- they said, you know, maybe a little too far, but probably justified. I think at this point you don't want the legal system involved. You don't want this kid charged.

You need to get them help so police pepper spraying -- my contacts are telling me maybe it's a little too much.

LEMON: This is the same -- are they a little jumpy here, Sunny?

HOSTIN: You know, they may very well be. Let's face it, I mean, there are, you know, violent children in schools and I think if it got too violent and the police didn't do anything, we would be pointing the finger at them.

This is a very gray area that law enforcement, lawyers, and educators probably have to work together to figure out what is right for children. But each child is different, Don. This is a tough one. I'm not sure what I think about it.

LEMON: Yes. Sunny, it's unfortunate on both sides. Thank you, Sunny. We appreciate it.

HOSTIN: Thank you.

LEMON: Annoyed driver with a cell phone camera captures something she couldn't have seen coming. Next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Coming up, "THE SITUATION ROOM." Wolf Blitzer here with me now. What do you have, Wolf?

BLITZER: Well, we're going to speak to Nick Kristoff of the "New York Times." He always has strong news of what is going on in Libya right now. You know, Don, there is a lot going on in Libya.

Not just Libya, but throughout the Middle East and North Africa. My interview, by the way, with the Israeli President, Shimon Peres, we'll have that as well. He's very enthusiastic about President Obama.

As you know, the president of Israel don't necessarily think President Obama is a strong supporter, a good friend of Israel not Shimon Peres, the president of Israel. He gives him a strong vote of confidence saying he trust President Obama to do the right thing. He likes President Obama. He does insist that despite some of the critics back in Israel, Obama is a good friend.

So all of that and a lot more coming up, Don, right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM." Let me ask you, will you be watching?

LEMON: I will be watching and I have to tell you, I read an op- ed by Nick Kristoff just last weekend that compared, you know, the situation happening in Libya, the Ivory Coast. It was very well written and very interesting so I will be watching.

BLITZER: Yes, he makes the point that the United States is not always consistent, rather inconsistent in saving lives than consistent in letting people die.

LEMON: Yes, we sort of cherry pick, but if we save lives as you said, it's a good thing. But maybe we should have a more consistent policy. It was a great article. I'll be watching.

Coming up next, a woman is driving down a highway when a piece of wood comes flying through her windshield. The entire thing caught on video. You have to see this. Don't miss it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Now tomorrow's news today. Let's fast forward for you.

Phillip Garrido, the man accused of kidnapping an 11-year-old girl and keeping her prisoner for 18 years is expected to plead guilty. Jaycee Dugard was discovered back in 2009.

Also, Madeleine Albright, Cohen Powell and James Baker will all appear on the stage together in D.C. The former secretary of states will discuss American diplomacy.

And just a week after a deadly cobra was lost and found in New York, the snake will get a name. The Bronx Zoo has been taking suggestions from the public. Among the finalists, Cleopatra and Agnes. I think I heard on one of the comedy shows, it should be named Cobra Winfrey.

If you believe in luck or miracles, you have to see this. Windy Cobb isn't the woman to play cat and mouse with on the highway neither is a two-by-four. Watch what happens.

Cobb was a little irritated by the trucks in front of her all over the road so she started recording the drama on her cell phone when the truck on the left apparently ran over a two-by-four on the road propelling it like a missile into her windshield. She did survive without a scratch. We should tell you, frightening though.

Now it's time to turn it over to "THE SITUATION ROOM" and Mr. Wolf Blitzer.

Wolf, take it away.