Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

New York Searches For Serial Killer; President Obama Prepares to Unveil Budget Plan; Nuclear Disaster in Japan Reaches New Levels of Urgency; NASA Space Shuttles to be Retired to Museums Around U.S.; Richard Branson Continues Efforts to Create Space Tourism Industry; Mother of Murdered N.Y. Woman Appeals to Serial Killer to Turn Self In

Aired April 12, 2011 - 15:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, Brooke.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, thank you very much.

And for the record, I'm going with despicable there. Who does that? Who does that?

(CROSSTALK)

KAYE: Yes. Me, too. Can you believe it?

BALDWIN: No, Randi Kaye, no. Thank you very much. Good to see you.

Good to be back. Hi, everyone. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Happening right now, tests are under way in an unfolding murder case in New York. The crime scene along a Long Island Beach appears to be baffling investigators right now. More human remains are found and now there are new signs this could be the work of a possible serial killer. So coming up, we will get a live report for you from the area and I will be speaking with the mother of one of these victims, one of these young women who left behind a little girl there. And find out what investigators are telling her and what she wants to say to the person, maybe persons responsible.

But first, I want to get to something that has many, many of you very worried right now. The price of gas, it is skyrocketing. Take a look at the national average right now. Folks, nearly $3.80 a gallon, that is the latest word from AAA.

And take a look because I sent out a tweet earlier today. I said, hey, send me some Twitpics from your town. So let's begin here. These are pictures. This is prices in Martinsville, Virginia. There is prices out of Wilkes-Barre, PA, a little worse there. South Bend, Indiana just about $4. And Honolulu, Hawaii, what is that, $4.54. Yikes.

(FINANCIAL UPDATE)

BALDWIN: And while you all of us, right, we're making some cuts here and there to pay for a tank of gas these days, the federal government doing some cutting as well.

In fact, today, we are getting the first look at the specifics of the budget deal reached late Friday night to avoid the big massive government shutdown.

Let's go to my colleague Brianna Keilar live for me on Capitol Hill.

And, Brianna, first just big picture here. As you are looking at this information today, who is really taking the hits in this plan?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, the cuts are spread pretty wide among agencies and departments, but just to give you broad strokes here, we are talking about the Department of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Commerce, Justice, Labor, and then Health and Human Services getting some pretty big cuts, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Specifically, though, in terms of these different programs, who and what is getting cut?

KEILAR: Transportation, big time. You are looking at $3 billion cut from high-speed rail, $3 billion gone from highway construction. There is $1 billion cut from STD prevention programs. And then you are looking at about $500 million cut from WIC, which is the nutrition assistance program for women and children. That approximately $500 million cut there, Brooke, is part of a $1 billion cut roughly speaking from social safety net programs like WIC and others.

BALDWIN: And then though Brianna, I know you did a little digging there on the Hill for us today because you found out that there are -- I don't know we can call them non-cut cuts, meaning that they won't have any real impact on people or services, but by definition, they are cuts, right? What did you find?

KEILAR: Yes. So, overall, right, we know that there are almost $40 billion in cuts. A lot of these really are cuts of programs, but there are billions in cuts that are kind of gimmicky and have a slight of hand.

So, just going through my list here, there is about $3.5 billion in cuts that were actually unused funds from a children's health insurance fund. Also, $2 billion cut they were really subsidies for health insurance co-ops. As it turns out though those co-ops are going to be funded through the health care reform plan, so they will be funded a different way.

And then there's also $1.7 billion, so almost $2 billion cut. Leftover funds is what those were from the 2010 census, but they were categorized as a spending cut, Brooke.

BALDWIN: OK. And then, Brianna, there were some winners in the deal, right? Who were they?

KEILAR: That is right, the Pentagon, $5 billion more than it would have received in the previous year. And the Department of Veterans Affairs, $600 million more, Brooke.

BALDWIN: What about -- what's the word along on the hallways there on Capitol Hill in terms of reaction as these specific cuts are coming out? What are you hearing?

KEILAR: That is what is so interesting because there's people on the left and the right who just loathe this.

You have liberal Democrats who are saying, no way. There are losers because of these cuts and I can't sign on. And then you have conservative Republicans and we have known this for days as the numbers were discussed on exactly what the spending cuts would be, Brooke. More conservative or certainly fiscally conservative Republicans who say that is not enough in the way of cuts.

And, also, we heard from the number two Democrat, Steny Hoyer, just a short time ago. He said he doesn't even know if he will be able to support it and he is actually the Democratic whip. He does the vote count. Also, I should tell you we just heard from the number two Republican, Eric Cantor. He said he is pretty sure that this whole budget deal will pass on Tuesday when the House votes on it, but he was asked, Brooke, are Republicans going to need Democrats to help them get over that vote threshold, and he wouldn't say.

BALDWIN: He wouldn't say. Interesting. Brianna Keilar, thank you very much.

And we will of course look for that vote on Thursday. But we are also learning an American man has been detained in North Korea. This is what we are hearing this afternoon.

Also, former President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak has been rushed to the hospital.

And testing is now under way to determine if remains found yesterday right there along this road in New York are the ninth, maybe 10th victims of a serial killer. We take you live to Long Island. Stick around for that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: The hunt is on for a possible serial killer, maybe killers in Long Island and now the search is widening. The medical examiner is looking at a set of bones and also a skull found yesterday in the town of Oyster Bay. That is in Nassau County. They could be the remains of the ninth, perhaps if it's more than one, could be 10th victims.

The other eight victims' remains were found in nearby Suffolk County.

Want to bring in Allan Chernoff, who has been following the story for us out there from Jones Beach State Park, New York.

And, Allan, first, let's just start with the news today, the latest here in terms of the investigation. And also talk to me about the terrain out there. I have read it is very marshy, very difficult to search. Is that right?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Certainly, it is quite difficult to search around here.

This search started back in December, so this has been going on for quite some time. It was interrupted. Let me first mention this morning the police here in Nassau County used a helicopter overhead. They looked into some marshy areas. They wanted to make sure there weren't some more leads that they wanted to check out on foot.

Yesterday, they did discover a skull and in a separate area, about 1.5 miles away, a set of bones as well. So more grisly discoveries over here. That was in Nassau County, where we're standing right now. Suffolk County, a few miles down the road, well, that is where they have been searching. It started back in December, stopped in the middle of the winter and then resumed a few weeks ago and found more remains. So, so far, as you mentioned, eight remains and then yesterday two more.

BALDWIN: Well, let me ask you, Allan, then about those two that the skull and then the bones. You mentioned about a mile-and-a-half from one another, which is very different from how those first four were found, remember in those burlap bags about 500 feet or so apart. When will investigators know, Allan, A., if that is more than one person and, B., even if it was a person at all?

CHERNOFF: They certainly haven't ruled out the possibility that more than one persons are behind all of this. They are checking out every possible lead.

Now, as you mentioned, the first four bodies that were found back in December, they were basically found right near the road. Ocean Parkway is the road that stretches along this barrier island for a good 15 miles. It is a terribly desolate area, perhaps the most desolate area in the New York City metropolitan area.

BALDWIN: Yes. We were looking at a map that really helped. If we can pull that up again, guys, you can really see how far apart -- here we go. So Allan is there in Jones Beach. And then you have the Gilgo Beach area and Cedar Beach all the way off to the right.

And we know, Allan, these discoveries are all a result of the search for one woman who is yet to be found or maybe yet to be identified, Shannon Gilbert, who's been missing for years, right? Wasn't an investigator just out about with his dog and then he is the one back in December who stumbled upon these bodies?

CHERNOFF: Right. What happened was Shannon Gilbert is the woman who went actually missing last May 1. She was a prostitute, had advertised online on Craigslist. She visited a client out in Oak Beach in Suffolk County and was seen by a neighbor.

She came running to his door saying that somebody was trying to kill her. He called the police. She ran off, was never seen again. Now, what happened in December is that a canine officer with his dog named Blue, they were actually conducting an exercise in this area and came across the first set of bones that were discovered.

BALDWIN: And now we have nine, possibly 10, possibly more down the road.

Allan Chernoff live in New York. Allan, appreciate it.

And just to remind you, we are staying all over this story. In about 20 minutes' time, I have got more for you. In fact, I am speaking with the mother of one of the young victims, one of the first young women, the set of four found back in December.

Coming up next, though, President Obama's half-sister reacts to people like Donald Trump, who question whether her brother was actually born in the United States. We're going to hear from her.

Also, take a look at this. Have you see this video? There's two planes going bump, a bit of a fender-bender out there on the tarmac. Happened at New York's JFK Airport. So what was it like to be on one of those planes at the time? We will actually hear from a passenger coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: A landmark achievement for the U.S. Navy as it tests what they call the laser ray gun. So, unlike previous tests on the ground, this time it was fired from the deck of a warship.

Watch this with me. So the laser beam hits this small unoccupied motorboat. You can see -- see the teeny-tiny spark on the left side which quickly erupts not so teeny-tiny in a minute, but you can't really tell the size of the beam or how far it traveled, but officials tell "The L.A. Times" it is baseball-sized and the distance traveled is in miles. They also say the technology is years away from combat use, but eventually should be used to shoot down enemy drones or missiles. So, there you go.

And now let's do politics. Perhaps John Boehner, House Speaker John Boehner, put it best when he said the battle in Washington is going to -- quote -- "go and on and on and on."

And, sure, President Obama and congressional leaders reached that 11th hour compromise late last week, but the House has yet to vote on it. And of course, then it goes to the U.S. Senate. And then you know the deal. The president has to give it his autograph as well, if of course it even passes both the House and the Senate.

And that is just funding the government through September. Keep in mind this is just 2011 we have been talking about. So, what about the bigger picture, the long-term budget plans?

House Republicans have laid out their budget blueprint. It cuts $6 trillion in spending. That is over the course of a decade, but, tomorrow, it will be President Obama's turn. He will announce his long-term plan for tackling the deficit.

So, more on that. Let's go to our national political correspondent, Jessica Yellin. There she is for us in Washington.

And, Jess, we know, look, the president is taking heat obviously from both sides of the aisle now. A lot of pressure on him for this speech tomorrow night, yes?

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there is.

My sources, Brooke, in the White House say, look, they always planned to weigh in with their own deficit reduction proposal. They think the timing is right now because the debate begins now, but as you say, there really is intense pressure on them.

The House Republicans laid out their vision for debt reduction. And keep in mind it does it entirely through cuts. It proposes no so- called revenue increases. That's the political term. You might call this taxes.

And the president's plan will include some new revenue increases. Expect proposals for higher taxes on the very rich, including some other components there. And White House sources say, look, it is time for Americans to have an honest discussion. Do we want a government that taxes at a low rate, but does much less, or do we want to keep the government services we have now and allow some parts of society to pay more?

And I will point out, the White House has just announced that before his speech tomorrow, the president will be meeting with bipartisan leadership from both houses of Congress no doubt to preview to me what he's going to say, Brooke.

BALDWIN: I like how you said that, revenue increases, ah, semantics. Very funny.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Now, let's talk about this group. We're all learning about what they're calling the gang of six. So it is three Republicans, three Democrats. They're trying to hash this thing out, this long-term bipartisan plan, bipartisan the key word with this group.

Now, we know they haven't quite laid out specifics yet, but they are definitely talking to the White House. Jess, who is this gang of six? Obviously they are pretty important. Do they have the magic plan and what is the White House responding?

YELLIN: Well, they are moderates, Brooke, from both parties who are trying to find a middle way. I think we have a graphic. You said three...

(CROSSTALK)

YELLIN: ... three Democrats first, then three Republicans. They have been meeting behind closed doors for months. So they are supposed to come out with a compromise plan that many in this town consider to be the best hope for a consensus deal.

But they can't influence the debate unless they actually reveal their plan. And, so far, they haven't. Now, yesterday, two members of this gang revealed some of initial details. And I got a chance to talk to two of them, Republican Saxby Chambliss and Democrat Mark Warner. Here's what they said, Brooke.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. SAXBY CHAMBLISS (R), GEORGIA: The fact of the matter is that you can't solve this debt problem with just reductions in discretionary spending. You can't solve it just by attacking and reforming entitlements. You have got to look at the revenue side also.

SEN. MARK WARNER (D), VIRGINIA: We have got to recognize everything has got to be on the table. And if we have got revenues and we have got entitlements, we know we have got to deal with defense and discretionary spending.

I think we have got the makings of a grand bargain. And if we can start with that bipartisan basis, I actually believe we will get it done and surprise a lot of the pundits.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: The grand bargain, Brooke, would come in a Republican proposing some revenue increases, the Democrat proposing some entitlement changes. They say that is what to come. We're just waiting for the details. They say it's out soon, Brooke.

BALDWIN: OK. Out soon, they say. Jessica Yellin, thank you.

And just to remind, everyone, we have heard from the Republicans. We will be hearing from the president. You can catch the president's speech live tomorrow 1:30 right here on CNN. We will hear what he has to say.

And we are also hearing what his half-sister has to say. She is now weighing in on the so-called birther movement. I want to play you some sound. This is what she told my colleague, CNN's Piers Morgan, about whether her brother was actually born this the United States. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYA SOETORO-NG, SISTER OF BARACK OBAMA: I think it is unfortunate. He was born in Hawaii. There is a tremendous amount of proof that has already been presented.

The then Republican governor and head of the Department of Health in Hawaii even attested to the fact that the birth certificate that they inspected was in fact valid. It is in the newspapers on the day of his birth. So I think that it is time for people to put that to bed, put it to rest completely and focus on what they can do to help build. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: President Obama's half-sister. And that is not all she said. You can watch the whole thing, the whole interview with Piers tonight 9:00 Eastern.

And you remember when former President Bill Clinton, he went all the way to North Korea not too terribly long ago to bring home those two American journalists? Well, a new question has arisen today. Will he go back? We ask because we have just found out another American is being held in North Korea.

Also, France issues its first punishment to a woman wearing an Islamic veil in public. We will explain -- top stories next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Several top stories unfolding right now, including one developing right now in Egypt.

Here's what we're learning. Egyptian state television is reporting former President Mubarak had a heart attack while being questioned over possible corruption charges. But when we reached out to the prosecutors' office, they deny that Mubarak had even been questioned by authorities. We will stay on this one and get you an update as soon as we can.

Also, it appears an American man has been arrested in North Korea. We're not heavy on the details, but Swedish diplomats do tell CNN that their embassy in Pyongyang is helping negotiate this man's release. We don't know his name. We don't know where he's from, and we still don't know why he was in North Korea.

And a woman in France received a fine for wearing a piece of religious clothing that covers her face. The fine, 150 euros, it's roughly $200, for violating the so-called burqa ban that went into effect just yesterday. The new law in France makes it illegal for anyone to conceal their face in public. But Muslims in France see it as a specific attack on their faith.

This is a protest you're looking at here. This is Paris just yesterday. Police took away two veiled women they say for demonstrating illegally, not for covering their faces. French officials say they banned burqas for security reasons and to preserve French values of equality and identity.

And Libya's former foreign minister says without big changes, his country will become a new Somalia. Moussa Koussa is the highest- profile official to defect from Moammar Gadhafi's inner circle. He has been in the U.K. since fleeing the civil war in Libya. Today, he traveled to Qatar. He will be taking part in a Libya contact group that is aimed at enforcing United Nations resolutions in Libya.

Moussa Koussa told a reporter today that the solution will only come from the people of Libya. It is the same day British and French officials urged NATO to get more aggressive militarily. And coming up, I want to take you to Japan. The disaster there now officially as bad as Chernobyl, but is the level seven designation weeks too late?

Also, have you seen this video? You see that? That is a huge Air France plane, clips a small plane sitting on the runway. You see it there. There it goes, turns that little plane around. But was it -- what was it like to be on one of those planes? We are going to hear from one of the passengers on board next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: A planeload of passengers got all shook up, shaken at JFK airport last night. You are going to see why as you watch this video. You are going to see a massive airbus 380. Watch the clip. It clips the smaller plane. In fact, the smaller plane does a little bit of a tailspin.

The big jet's wing tip clipped the tail of the regional jet. Both aircraft were damaged and both were full of passengers. No one was hurt, but here is someone who was on board.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLAIRE BANDY, PASSENGER ON DELTA CONNECTION JET: We were just waiting. We were kind of having chat and saying it is a bit annoying, and then we heard a big bang. Something hit ours.

POPPY LAWTON, PASSENGER ON DELTA CONNECTION JET: Well, the air France jet hit our tail, and then pushed it around the other way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, obviously, investigators are talking to everyone involved including the pilots and the ground controllers to try and figure out why the two jets were so close together in the first place.

The nuclear disaster in Japan is now classified as a seven. Let me explain what that means. So there's this international scale that ranks the seriousness of nuke lore attacks. Also designated a seven is the meltdown at Chernobyl. There is no danger zone higher than seven, so why the sudden change of number and higher alarm?

Here is Paula Hancocks from Tokyo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Japan's government is insisting it was not a sudden deterioration of the situation here in Japan. Instead it was a reassessment of the data they had collected. But of course, a jump in the nuclear accident level from five to seven, bypassing six, is a concern to the people of Japan and the rest of the world.

So technically this crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi plant is at the same level of Chernobyl, the worst nuclear accident in history. Greenpeace Germany, tells CNN that they believe that the government reacted too slowly.

THOMAS BREUER, GREENPEACE GERMANY: We already collected data that we had three weeks ago to correlate what the scale accident it would be, and we came to the conclusion that it is already in seven accident three weeks ago. So the government has even more better data than we have, so they should have done that three weeks ago.

HANCOCKS: Japan's prime minister Naoto Kan addressed the nation saying that he would resolve the crisis at Fukushima and he said he apologized for what had been happening and saying that Japan had to build a new and better future, and revoking memories of World War II and how Japan had stood up in the burning ruins at this point.

NAOTO KAN, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (via translator): We cannot pass a declining Japan on to our children. What we must do is to make an all-out reconstruction effort that will not embarrass us in front of the victims of the disaster to our children.

HANCOCKS: Amid the context of the of the seven level, scientists say at this point the radiation released is one-tenth of the radiation released at Chernobyl, but of course, the Fukushima crisis is not stabilized at this point. And now Nisa says that it is different from Chernobyl, because the reactors are in a better state than in Chernobyl, and people can get close enough to do some work and to try to stabilize the situation.

But, of course, with the constant aftershocks as well that Japan is currently undergoing, it is difficult for workers to consistently keep working, just over the past couple of days, at least twice they have had to down tools and get to an earthquake-protected area when the aftershocks have happened.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Paula, thank you.

Next, NASA announcing where the space shuttles will be retired. This is a huge deal today, albeit bittersweet, because the lucky cities will get a cash-infusion, and we will explain that.

And is there a possible description of the person who is responsible for the murders on Long Island, but it doesn't seem police are not getting closer to clues. Coming up next, I will speak live to one of the mores this of the victims found along that stretch of beach back in December and talk to her about her daughter and ask her what the police are telling her, what happened before her daughter disappeared, and what she would want to say to the killer. That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Imagine this, imagine losing your daughter when she was 22 years of age. That is heartbreaking enough. But what if your child died at the hands of a suspected serial killer? How do you get through a something like that?

My guest knows because she is living that nightmare each and every day. I am talking to Lorraine Waterman-Ela on the line with me, the mother of Megan Waterman, one of the victims of the Long Island killing spree I was telling you about earlier. Megan's body has been identified and dumped on a beach back in December. Lorraine, we appreciate your calling in, and we have been wanting to hear from the family here.

And I have to ask you that with the news of a ninth and possibly tenth victim with the remains found yesterday, how does that affect you? Do you find yourself reliving your daughter's loss again?

LORRAINE WATERMANN-ELA, MEGAN WATERMAN'S MOTHER: Yes, every time they find somebody different, the whole trauma starts all over again. It is like we were just notified that it was Megan.

BALDWIN: Does it feel like just yesterday when you got the phone call?

WATERMANN-ELA: Yes.

BALDWIN: With the additional bodies found, once they are identified, do you have any plans as a mother reaching out to fellow mothers, fellow families as well?

WATERMANN-ELA: Yes, I do.

BALDWIN: What are you planning on telling them?

WATERMANN-ELA: That I know exactly what they are going through. That, with me and the other three families so far, we are a support team.

BALDWIN: I want to get to you the families that you have reached out with in a moment and the vigil that you have planned for June, and can you tell us what the police or investigators have shared with you about your daughter's disappearance and perhaps others?

WATERMANN-ELA: It was handed over to homicide investigation and told me that it was Megan and because it was homicidal they will not be talking to us until they capture the person, because they don't --

BALDWIN: Do you -- do you know yet how she was killed?

WATERMANN-ELA: Yes, I do, but I cannot reveal that right now.

BALDWIN: Let's talk about the date, June 11th, which is the date that your daughter disappeared and I know that you are going back to the beach this June on that day. Why are you going back and who are you going with?

WATERMANN-ELA: I had actually set up the candlelight vigil for me, my family and the families of the other three victims, because I said my good-byes there, but I feel like I need to say my good-byes where she was actually found. BALDWIN: Is this the first time you are going to the beach where your daughter's body was found?

WATERMANN-ELA: Yes. My daughter went missing June 6th and not the 1th.

BALDWIN: Excuse me, June 6th. There are reports that all four, Lorraine, all four of the young women who were found in December, including your daughter Megan, were prostitutes posing for Johns on the craigslist, and can you set the record straight if you know to the best of your knowledge if she was involved in this, and as her mother, if that was the case, were you worried for her safety?

WATERMANN-ELA: Yes, we had been very worried about Megan and tried to talk her out of doing it, the profession she was doing.

BALDWIN: Did she ever call you up and say, mom, I'm worried, there's someone out there and I'm worried about my safety, I should stop, or never?

WATERMANN-ELA: No, she never did.

BALDWIN: Did you worry about her every night?

WATERMANN-ELA: Every time she went down to New York, yes, we did.

BALDWIN: Lorraine, we are looking at pictures, and your little girl left behind a little girl, and we have heard from some of the investigators using very strong words, calling this killer, you know, an "animal," very brazen, and maybe even fairly intelligent based upon how he or maybe multiple people have placed and hidden the bodies.

I want you to -- I want you to just, if someone is watching, if the potential killer is watching, what one message would you tell that person right now? Go ahead.

WATERMANN-ELA: I don't know why you have done this to people, and especially to a little child that cannot I.D. you whatsoever. You need to turn yourself in, and stop hurting these people.

BALDWIN: Lorraine Waterman-Ela, thank you for calling in. I a appreciate it.

WATERMANN-ELA: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Switching gears, NASA, a big announcement from the agency today. So where will those space shuttles be retired and why is that a big deal anyway? That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: It is the end of an era. The 30-year space shuttle program is just about over. We have two more missions, one for the end of this month, and another tentatively set for the end of June. What happens to the space shuttles then afterwards? Well, we found out this afternoon from NASA. Our John Zarrella is having a little too much fun I am hearing through the commercial at the Kennedy Space Center there singing some "Ride Sally, Ride" and sally being the first female up in space, but sorry to embarrass you, John. It is a bittersweet day, but tell us which shuttle is going where?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Enterprise, which is a test shuttle is at the Smithsonian, that will go to New York, and from New York at the Intrepid museum. What happens then is that "discovery" will go to the Smithsonian. Endeavour is going out to California, to Los Angeles, and Atlantis is staying here at the Kennedy Space Center. That is where the four space shuttle orbiters are going to be going. Brooke?

BALDWIN: Obviously, it is a big deal for those of us who may be space geeks, because we want to go visit the space shuttles for these cities, D.C., L.A., New York, this means pretty good tourism money, does it not?

ZARRELLA: Yes, I got to tell you that the cities that didn't get shuttles are deeply, deeply disappointed. In Texas, they are very, very upset. You are talking about a couple of hundred thousand additional tourists coming to the Kennedy Space Center here each year. New York expects about 300,000, maybe $100 million impact by getting the Enterprise. So clearly there is tremendous economic benefit.

I've got to tell you that John Cornyn, the senator from Texas, has issued a statement saying that commonsense was simply Trumped by political favors and somebody tweeted out that when man landed on the moon, they didn't say "New York, the Eagle has landed." So there's a lot of bitter, bitter feelings out there right now as to how this shook out.

BALDWIN: OK, John Zarrella, keep on singing there. Good job today.

And Richard Branson, he says the airline industry in the United States is broken, badly run, and that's why he created Virgin America. Dan Simon gets an inside look into the millionaire adventurers vision to take tourists into space.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Richard Branson is blunt about the country's airline industry.

RICHARD BRANSON, OWNER VIRGIN AIRLINES: Generally speaking, it's not that well run.

SIMON: We spoke on board of a Virgin America plane, the ambitious plans for tourism, as well as a new high-tech terminal at the San Francisco airport. He wants to redefine the experience for American travelers.

(on camera): Airline customers are fed up. It seems like nobody likes to fly. You've sort of capitalized on that sentiment and want to make flying fun again.

BRANSON: Look, the only reason for starting a business is if that business is broken and badly run. The reason that Virgin America came into being was that the American airline industry is broken and is badly run, and the public don't get a decent service.

SIMON: A claim that would no doubt be refuted by the nation's top airlines, who fly more routes and have a loyal frequent flyer base. Virgin America, though, wants to be all about the details, including mood lighting on the planes.

BRANSON: Beautiful seats, beautiful lighting, beautiful food and entertainment systems.

SIMON (voice-over): The airline, just over three years old, has the youngest fleet over any carrier.

BRANSON: We have 60 brand-new planes on order as well. And I think if you have the youngest fleet, you have the advantage that it's also very fuel efficient.

SIMON: If you're not flying virgin in the state, Branson hopes that you will one day fly them into space. We got to see the Virgin spaceship that will take flights in the next 17 months and passengers willing to pay $200,000 for a thrill ride.

BRANSON: Our ambition is to create more astronauts in a year than NASA created in 60 years.

SIMON: With an estimated worth of $4 billion and the chairman overseeing 400 companies, Branson, the daredevil in work and in play, usually accomplishes his goal.

Dan Simon, CNN, San Francisco.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMBER LYON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We venture into the dark side of Bahrain. Aside the government tried to prevent us from seeing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Folks, that is our CNN crew. This is Bahrain. You're going to see what happens after that tear gas attack. Amber Lyon is going to join me live.

Plus, Wolf Blitzer with news including how Donald Trump is stacking up against Republicans and you may be surprised. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: This is for all of you "Dancing with the Stars" fans, including you, Wolf Blitzer. We have another week on the show and another mishap for Kirstie Alley. We were just talking about her last week when she flat fell with her dancing partner. Down they go.

Take a look at what happened last night. So she's on the floor again and fiddling with her shoe. You see that? She's fiddling with her shoe. It slipped off mid-waltz. Kirstie later laughed it off backstage while poking a little fun at her dance partner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIRSTIE ALLEY, ACTOR: I've got to get new shoes. I really do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course you do.

ALLEY: They are giant.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't think you were dancing them.

ALLEY: Of course I'm dancing them. This is how I dance them. I dance them in my shoe come off my feet in the middle of the show.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: We'll see if Kirstie gets another second chance tonight.

And now, Wolf Blitzer, big fan of "Dancing with the Stars."

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Did you get the video, Brooke, of two weeks ago when she did a great job dancing, the week before she did a fabulous job? Let's call it "Forget You." That's what the name of the song is.

BALDWIN: OK.

BLITZER: Can you get that video and instead of focusing on the negative where she falls, do the positive. She did a fabulous job on "dancing with the stars," get the video. Show the viewers that she's a great dancer. I blame her partner for most of those falls.

BALDWIN: You think it's her partner's fault for dropping her and her shoe?

BLITZER: Obviously. He's the professional. He should know better. Watch the tape.

BALDWIN: We're going to get you on that show.

BLITZER: No. Not happening.

BALDWIN: OK, let's talk politics, then. How about that?

BLITZER: Look at this new CNN research opinion poll. In this new poll, Donald Trump and Mike Huckabee are tied with 19 percent. Yes, Donald Trump ahead of Sarah Palin, 12 percent, Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney, only 11 percent.

Very impressive number for Donald Trump, who is already being slammed by potential Republican candidates. Haley Barbour says a lot of these early numbers, name recognition, if you will. Everybody knows who Donald Trump is.

So he's doing relatively well in this poll. He doesn't think it means much going down the road. I suspect Donald Trump is going to disagree with Haley Barbour.

Trump did tell the "Wall Street Journal" if he doesn't get the Republican presidential nomination, he's seriously thinking of running as an independent because he says it's all about winning. He doesn't like to lose.

If he loses and doesn't get the Republican nomination, he says, "I think the Republicans are very concerned that I may run as an independent. I'm very conservative. The concern is if I don't win the GOP primary, will I run as an independent, and I think the answer is probably yes."

That's Donald Trump talking about running as an independent.

We're going to have a lot more on this story, all of the other stories. Very quickly, before I let you go, Brooke, take a look at my tie. Do you like my tie?

BALDWIN: I do. Why are you talking about your tie, though?

BLITZER: And, tonight, I'm making a presentation.

Vital Voices is a wonderful organization that promotes women, women's issues all over the world. At the Kennedy Center tonight, they are honoring some amazing, amazing women from Asia, Africa, South America, all over the world, and they have invited me to make a presentation.

I got this a few years ago when I made a similar presentation. It's a Vital Voices tie. It's a good cause. It's a good operation. It's a good organization. And it will be a lovely evening at the Kennedy Center tonight.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Lovely. I love the Kennedy Center. I have been there a couple of times. Have a wonderful time.

BLITZER: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Vital Voices. Thank you, sir. Appreciate it.

And we will have another political update for you in about half an hour.