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Terror Plot Foiled in Colorado?; President Obama on the Attack; Russian National Sought in NYC Murders; Rains Continue in Colombia; Donald Trump Tussles With CNN Anchors; Which Party Benefits From Trump; Divorce Dodgers Style; "Mommy Juice" versus "Mommy's Time Out"; Kristen Wiig Sits Down with Brooke; Obama's Night of Stars
Aired April 21, 2011 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Meantime, top of the hour. Watch this.
Twelve years to the day since the Columbine shooting, someone put a bomb inside of a mall less than two miles from that high school and today, the manhunt is on. I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
As Congress vacations, the president attacks Republicans and their ideas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Fairly radical. I wouldn't call it particularly courageous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Today, round three of President Obama's town hall tour.
He is being called the Russian Rambo, trained to kill and then vanish into thin air. Now, after two women are found dead in New York, they are hunting him down halfway around the world.
Plus, where did you go last Friday? You may not remember, but Apple does. Find out how the company could be tracking your every move.
Let's continue on, shall we? Hello. Welcome back. I'm Brooke Baldwin.
Want to begin with the news today that affects every single one of us, sky-high gas prices. What's really fueling what seems like a never-ending increase in the prices of oil and gas, you ask?
Well, the Obama administration is keeping an eye on that. Today, the Justice Department announced the formation of this what they are calling financial fraud task force to watch out for any illegal maneuvering in the oil and gas market. Attorney General Eric Holder though made no secret today's move is in direct response to public angst and not to any evidence of illegal conduct.
Today, take a look at the numbers with me, the average cost of a gallon of gas, $3.84. That is a 30 cent jump in just one month's time. It is still, though, not the all-time high that we saw back in 2008. That was $4.11, but many, many people predict it will soon surpass that number.
But I want to take you back to our developing story. This is out of Littleton, Colorado. The FBI is looking today for this man, this unidentified man. He was photographed yesterday at this mall. It is called the Southwest Plaza Mall. Authorities say it is a case of domestic terrorism, it is a failed pipe bombing.
But here's what's bizarre. This failed pipe bombing is -- also included propane tanks. This thing happened less than two miles from Columbine High School, exactly 12 years to the day after the horrible mass killing carried out by those two students, two seniors, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Harris and Klebold armed to teeth with weapons that included pipe bombs, they killed 12 students and a teacher and then they killed themselves.
Now, the FBI is all over this, so is the ATF, so are local authorities, including some who investigated the aftermath of Columbine 12 years ago. Here's what they are telling us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK TECHMEYER, JEFFERSON COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: Well, you can probably draw some correlations because Harris and Klebold, they had used -- they had had some pipe bombs, and I believe some propane- based type of explosives that they had made. So you can certainly draw a correlation there.
Obviously the time of day and the date of April 20, 12 days to the year of the Columbine massacre. So there certainly -- it's impossible to not acknowledge those, but we certainly can't draw any direct lines to what happened yesterday. We don't know this person's motive. So we cannot definitely tie the two together yet.
BALDWIN: Mark, let us help you. Guys, let's put this -- here he is. Here's the picture of this person of interest, very specific, not a suspect, person of interest.
Can you just, if you can, narrow in on his height, I don't know, weight, any other features for folks who could be watching? Maybe they recognize this individual, anything you could tell us that might lead to a phone call.
TECHMEYER: A couple of specific things.
He had graying hair and he had a mustache that appears almost silver in color, and a man that we believe to be possibly in his 50s to 60s with some obviously -- some fluctuation there. But that's kind of what we're looking for. He had a gray and white horizontal striped T-shirt that was quite distinctive on yesterday. That's what we have got to go on. And we're hoping for the public's help.
BALDWIN: Does he at all, Mark, remind you of anyone? TECHMEYER: Not off the top of our head, no. There's no one that comes to our mind immediately that we think this person of interest could be related to --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, that was just last hour on the local level.
Let's talk nationally. Joining me now from Washington, homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve.
Jeanne, that was a PIO from Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. But what are your federal sources telling you?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a very active investigation. Obviously, they have those surveillance photographs.
This isn't a suspect. This is somebody who they want to find and they want to talk to, but at least they have something to start with there. In addition, they have the propane tank -- tanks. They have the pipe bomb. These are intact. They may be providing a wealth of clues.
At a press conference earlier this morning, the authorities indicated that they are having some success tracking some of the components that made up the devices. And they are hoping to interview some of those people. But they would not give us any specifics because they don't want to screw up the investigation.
They don't want to put out information that might color the sorts of interviews they are doing with some of the key people they will be talking to in the hours and the days ahead, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Also, Jeanne, potentially significant here, April 20, the date. What are your federal sources telling you about the similarities when you look at the Columbine massacre and the fact that this happened 12 years to the day? Coincidence or possibly more?
MESERVE: Well, they just don't know at this point.
Obviously, everybody has keyed right in on that. They recognize the possibility these are linked, but at this point in time, they don't have anything definitive that indicates if they are or how they would be linked.
I talked earlier to a man who wrote a book about Columbine. He talked about how the kids who were actually students at Columbine High School now were very little 12 years ago when the attack took place and they don't perhaps fully digest the import of this, but that the parents and the staff and the victims' families are all very aware of this anniversary. He compared it to attacking a funeral. He said it is a very tough thing for them to bear.
BALDWIN: Each and every year on that day, no one is at school at Columbine High School probably as a result of that. Jeanne Meserve, thank you so much in Washington.
Now, if it is interesting, if it's happening right now, you are about to see it rapid fire. I want to begin here in Indonesia.
They are on high alert as Easter approaches. Police found several large bombs planted beneath a gas pipeline near a Catholic church. In all, 19 suspects have been arrested. The country's security minister says the military and police will remain on high alert until the day after Easter. Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim country.
A second firefighter batting those massive wildfires in Texas has died. Gusting winds, a statewide drought had added to the tinderbox of conditions there. More than one million acres have burned so far. And iReporter Jim Malone actually sent us in this video. It was taken downriver from Possum Kingdom Lake. He and a group of friends you can see about to be on a canoe or a kayak on this river when he captured the billowing smoke on camera. Look at that. Fire crews from 36 states are helping fight the flames there.
And in New Orleans, an Amtrak train carrying 80 people on board was en route to New York when it collided with a tractor trailer Wednesday, injuring six people and blocking a major highway for hours. The train was just about an hour outside of New Orleans. Dozens of passengers were bused to Alabama to take another train. Authorities say the truck driver told investigators he didn't see the train coming.
In Texas, police seized more than 70 snakes from a home. Officers say they found boa constrictors, pythons, anacondas. Deputies went to the house after the owner failed to show up in a Louisiana court to face several animal cruelty charges. There are also reports the owner advertised as a pet adopter on Craigslist and would allegedly feed those pets to his snakes.
Finally, when troops are in a war zone, what do they miss most about home? Doughnuts, apparently. Kind of makes me hungry looking at that -- Florida, Krispy Kreme. Also, flight attendants and a congresswoman are attending and sending I should say 6,000 doughnuts to wounded soldiers at a hospital in Germany. One group asked soldiers what they wanted most from home, and you're looking at them, doughnuts finishing in the top two.
Coming up next, an international manhunt is under way. The target, the so-called Russian Rambo. Police say he is trained to kill and then, poof, disappear. He is accused of murdering two women in New York and now he is on the run. You are going to hear about the crime scene, his escape and who is now tracking him down. Don't miss this, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: A brutal double-killing in New York triggers an international manhunt. Police say a former Russian special ops soldier is the prime suspect in the butchering of two women. The bodies of a 56-year-old woman and her grown daughter were found in a Brooklyn apartment.
Police believe that 56-year-old Nikolai Rakossi killed his girlfriend and then killed her daughter in a separate room. She may, in fact, have walked in on the crime scene. That apartment, we are told, was covered in blood. Police say both victims, who worked as nurses, were stabbed repeatedly in the face, in the neck and their bodies.
A cabbie reports picking up Rakossi and taking had him to the airport and then he reportedly fled the United States on a flight to Moscow that arrived on Monday. Even the State Department is taking note of this investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK TONER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: It's true there's no extradition treaty between the U.S. and Russia. It's also true that we haven't been asked from U.S. law -- by U.S. law enforcement agencies to do anything regarding this case yet. I would refer you to the New York City Police Department.
But it's true that Russian law controls whether an individual located in Russia can be transferred to the United States to face prosecution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Want to bring in Jay Salpeter. He's a former NYPD homicide detective, 20 years, 20 years on the force. He's now a private investigator in New York.
And, Jay, what do you know? What has New York police been able to piece together about what happened in that Brooklyn apartment last weekend?
JAY SALPETER, FORMER NYPD HOMICIDE DETECTIVE: Well, I'm sure the State Department is going to hear very shortly from the police department.
Right now, they are just tying up all the loose ends, getting it ready for the prosecution part of this case and then they will contact the State Department. Without a doubt, I mean, between video and between eyewitnesses, they have placed the boyfriend there. And I'm sure within the apartment forensically, he is -- you know, they have plenty of forensic work, because it was such a brutal crime scene and I believe the knife or knives were left there, so I'm sure his prints are all over the knives.
BALDWIN: A brutal crime scene, knives -- knives, vodka bottles, according to some reports. I mean, if you can, just sort of --
SALPETER: My mike is --
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Can you hear me? Can you hear me, Jay? Oh, I think his earpiece fell out. Let me just give had him a second. Jay, can you hear me?
SALPETER: OK. I'm good. I can hear you.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: You were mentioning the knives that were left behind. What else -- what condition were the bodies found and what else was left behind in this apartment?
SALPETER: Well, I heard the bodies were very -- you know, it was a brutal murder. Any time you have a murder of rage, and that's what probably set off this crime, I think these women were brutally stabbed multiple, multiple times.
And whatever's left in the apartment is the forensic evidence that's going to tie, you know, this gentleman to the murders. There's plenty of prints. And like I said, the knives are going to be crucial here. And I'm sure his hands are all over the knife. Plus, the video, they have him coming into the apartment, leaving the apartment, and, as your news reported, they even have the cab driver.
And I'm sure the police department, the detectives went through the building. And it's called a canvass. And they spoke to people that possibly seen him and -- or leave the apartment at the time that they are feeling the murders occurred.
BALDWIN: I see. So you're saying the knives are crucial because that's how they can get the fingerprints. We know he was a former Russian special ops soldier. Do you have any idea what he'd been doing here in the United States?
SALPETER: Well, he was living here. I believe he was doing some construction work. I mean, he's been here for a while. I mean, that's his background, doing construction work. But of course, over in Russia, he had a military background, which gave him the abilities to take two people down, you know, in this fashion so fast. You know, so his background -- and also, it doesn't -- you know, they need more than just a video of him going in and out of the apartment.
BALDWIN: What else do they need?
SALPETER: I mean, that's great, but they -- they're going to need the forensic evidence that's going to place him in that apartment. And I think this was basically a spur-of-the-moment killing, a rage killing. And when that happens, there will be plenty of forensic and fingerprint evidence left in that house, trace evidence that places him in there.
BALDWIN: According to some reports, police are saying he might have then spent the night with the bodies in the apartment and then left for the airport the next day. Jay Salpeter, thank you so much for your expertise, 20 years NYPD.
SALPETER: My pleasure.
BALDWIN: And I want to continue the conversation. Let's bring in Lisa Bloom. She's in Los Angeles. And Lisa, even if -- even if Nikolai Rakossi is captured in Moscow -- so presumably, that's where he is -- there's a huge stumbling block in the case -- we just heard it from the State Department -- that Russia doesn't extradite its citizens in other countries, meaning he may not even face prosecution in the United States. Is that correct?
LISA BLOOM, ATTORNEY, THEBLOOMFIRM.COM: Isn't that crazy, Brooke? We don't have a formal extradition treaty with Russia, which means that this man, who's a Russian national, can allegedly take the lives of two people in New York City, leave forensic evidence all over the apartment, lie to a cab driver, as he is accused of doing, according to reports, and say, I have to get to Russia as fast as possible because my wife is sick, pay cash at the airport, hop on a plane. Once he lands on Russian soil, he may be scot-free.
I mean, how crazy is that in 2011 that we don't have an extradition treaty with a country as large as Russia?
BALDWIN: It is mind-boggling. But under what circumstance, Lisa, could he potentially face justice in the United States? Obviously, he would if he were stupid enough to come back to the United States, if he's guilty of this crime. But you know, what else would have to happen?
BLOOM: That's not the only one. That's not the only situation. He could set foot in another country in Europe, Asia or anywhere else in the world where we do have an extradition treaty, and then we could get him. Or Russia could decide voluntarily to take a look at the evidence here, assuming that law enforcement can gather the evidence and it's as strong as we all think it is this early in the case, make a case to Russia and say, Look, even though we don't have an extradition treaty with you, bring him to the United States. Let us try him here. He will not be subject to the death penalty, something a lot of European countries have a problem with.
The third alternative, Brooke, is that Russia could try him themselves. I mean, look, Russia doesn't want a murderer, if that's what happened here, running around their country, either. So that's a possibility, but that's very cumbersome, to try him in another country when all the evidence, the witnesses are all here.
BALDWIN: According to what I read, the New York Police Department commissioner, Ray Kelly said, you know, thus far, they actually don't have probable cause to issue an arrest warrant. If and when they do -- you mentioned, you know, the mountains of evidence here -- then they could involve the State Department. And what kind of role could the State Department play in this?
BLOOM: Well, the State Department would have a very important role in trying to persuade Russian officials once all of the forensic testing comes in, and that's not even close to being ready yet. That usually takes a couple of weeks. But from what I've read, both of these victims put up quite a struggle. That means there has to be DNA, hair, fiber evidence at the scene. Under the victims' fingernails, there's probably the killer's DNA. Once we have that, it's up to the State Department to make a case to the Russian authorities and say, He's got to be extradited back to the U.S. or you have to try him. You can't let him get away with this.
BALDWIN: We'll follow this. You and I will talk again. Lisa Bloom, thank you so much.
BLOOM: Thanks.
BALDWIN: Taxpayers bailed them out, now the big banks are swimming in cash. Problem is, they're not really lending. They're not helping the very people who rescued them. Why? That is ahead.
Also, Donald Trump calls into CNN. Things get a little bit nasty. They get testy. Wait until you hear what he said when he was asked about his net worth and the very issue he has been pounding in recent days, weeks, whether President Obama was born in the U.S. That is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: A potentially significant move by the Syrian presidency today. Let's go "Globe Trekking." Let me tell you about this. President Bashar al Assad issuing a decree on the eve of Friday prayers tossing out the decades-old emergency law. This is a law we've been talking a lot about. It's been in place in this country since 1963. Yet reports out of Syria say armed security forces have actually increased their presence in the city of Homs (ph), where several deaths were reported this week. Human rights groups argue the decree amounts to nothing unless other reforms are implemented.
Want to take you to Colombia now, where torrential rain and massive flooding having been absolutely devastating for folks there. Rain has been pounding that country for months now. Flood waters have killed dozens of people. Hundreds of thousands more have been evacuated. Colombia's president says there has been nothing like it in his nation's history. And to make matters even worse, there's no end in sight for the rain.
CNN's Rafael Romo joins me now. Talk to me about the Red Cross. What are they saying? Is this a total emergency? It must be.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a total emergency. And the problem, as you said at the beginning, it's been raining for months and there's no signs that it will stop any time soon. So you have a situation where you have mountains and ground completely saturated with water, so water has nowhere to go and you have dams and rivers overflowing, creating even more problems.
Last year alone, there were 408 people dead because of the same rains. They had a pause in the months of January and February, but then it started raining in March, and now it's April and it keeps on raining. And they say that the situation is getting worse and worse.
BALDWIN: If this has happened before, then have they not done anything in the past to prevent what we're seeing here now?
ROMO: They have, but what they're telling me is -- and I'm no meteorologist, but what they're telling me is that they're dealing with a phenomenon known as La Nina, and it's the worst rains that they've had in four decades. And it's --
BALDWIN: Forty years.
ROMO: Forty years.
BALDWIN: Wow.
ROMO: Exactly. It's just way too much. Normally, they have a rainy season around this time of the year, but they were telling me that for the last nine months, it has been raining almost non-stop, with the exception, again, of the months of January and February.
BALDWIN: So what do you do when you're, you know, this person who lives in that house? Obviously not anymore. You flee. You evacuate. Where are they now? Where do they go?
ROMO: What they're trying to do is take people away from risk areas, those people who live on hillsides and people who live around rivers and dams, because there have been many cases where the dam has overflowed, mudslides, all kinds of situations. The other problem, too, is that many roads, bridges, have become structurally unstable. And the governor of one of the provinces was telling me yesterday that a dozen people died in accidents there because the roads just gave way, the bridges collapsed --
BALDWIN: Oh, my goodness!
ROMO: -- because there's just so much water.
BALDWIN: They're stuck.
ROMO: Exactly.
BALDWIN: They're stuck. Raphael Romo -- it's horrible. Thank you.
ROMO: Thank you.
BALDWIN: And now this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, TRUMP ORGANIZATION (via telephone): People know that I'm a smart guy, I'm a good business guy --
KIRAN CHETRY, CO-HOST: Yes, but you can't get out of the gate --
TRUMP: -- I'm a tough guy, and I'm going to protect them.
CHETRY: You can't get out of the gate in a general election if you say that -- you're questioning whether Barack Obama was born in America. You won't -- you won't win.
TRUMP: Oh, I don't think that at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: Oh! That was a bit of a fiery conversation this morning. Did you catch that interview on "AMERICAN MORNING"? Donald Trump picks up the phone, calls in to CNN. He gets lots of tough questions. Here -- we're going to hear what he said. And is Trump's media blitz hurting the GOP? Gloria Borger is going to tackle all of that. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: If you were up and at 'em -- and of course you were -- watching CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," you caught this heated exchange when Donald Trump called in to once again question President Obama's citizenship. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The reason I'm doing so well in the polls is because people know that I'm a smart guy, I'm a good business guy --
KIRAN CHETRY, CO-HOST: Yes, but you can't get out of the gate --
TRUMP: -- I'm a tough guy, and I'm going to protect them.
CHETRY: You can't get out of the gate in a general election if you say that -- you're questioning whether Barack Obama was born in America. You won't -- you won't win.
TRUMP: Oh, I don't think that at all. I think there's a real question as to whether or not -- and frankly, 75 percent of the people in the Republican Party are really doubting whether or not -- they have very big doubts. So you know, there are a lot of people. I don't know why he doesn't just show his birth certificate.
ALI VELSHI, CO-HOST: Well, you -- you --
TRUMP: I hope he does.
VELSHI: You know what?
TRUMP: I'd much rather run man to man.
VELSHI: The good thing --
TRUMP: I don't know why he doesn't show his birth certificate. But the reason I'm up in the polls isn't that.
VELSHI: Donald Trump --
TRUMP: The reason I'm up is because I'll protect this country from China and OPEC --
VELSHI: Let me ask you this --
TRUMP: -- and all the others that are ripping us off.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: OK. So that was Donald Trump this morning. Joining me now -- whoa! Joining me now, political analyst Gloria Borger. it always makes for an interesting conversation, does he not?
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: He does.
BALDWIN: But let's talk about this if we want to call it a strategy, Trump's birther strategy. Will this even work long term?
BORGER: No, I don't think it will work long term, and I don't think that's what he actually intends. I mean, honestly, what he's trying to do is get an immediate base in the Republican Party, get immediate credibility with who would believe anything about Barack Obama and who want to thumb their nose at the establishment.
And, by the way, his statistic is wrong. About 43 percent of Republicans -- which is a large number.
BALDWIN: I was going to ask you about that because he said 75.
BORGER: It's a large number. About 40 percent, 43 percent are questioning where Barack Obama was born. But here's the key number, Brooke: 74 percent of independent voter -- independent voters, those are the ones, the swing voters in midterm elections.
BALDWIN: The highly coveted.
BORGER: Yes. Seventy-four percent of them believe that Barack Obama was born in the United States. So, you'd have to presume it's not an issue they care very much about. So, this is a conversation right now among Republicans, but it's not a conversation that the general public cares that much about.
BALDWIN: So, what about the conversation than among Republicans -- I mean, some of these other potential Republican candidates sort of distancing themselves from what Trump is saying?
BORGER: Yes.
BALDWIN: Yes.
BORGER: Absolutely, and more and more. I mean, I've been talking to a bunch of Republican strategists this week and I wrote on it today on CNN.com.
They're saying, look, Donald Trump is hijacking the Republican conversation, taking it out of the mainstream. Republicans started getting an awful lot of traction on cutting the deficit, on spending on Capitol Hill. They want to talk about jobs. They can want to talk about the economy. They want to talk about gas prices, for example.
They don't want to talk about where Barack Obama was born because that's not what the voters in a general election are really going to care about, particularly if the economy doesn't recover. So, they are kind of worried about Trump because he makes the Republican Party look like it's not in the mainstream of America, which, of course, it is.
BALDWIN: To use your word, with Trump sort of hijacking the conversation, who is benefiting from this, Gloria?
BORGER: Well, Barack Obama is benefiting from it in the short term right now, because the Republican race is kind of frozen. And Barack Obama has the next 18 months without a primary, without any diversions, to try to make his case to the American people about why they ought to rehire him.
Republicans have to have a primary. It's going to be divisive. They would rather -- a lot of the candidates -- would rather be talking about the things that Obama is the weakest on, such as the economy, such as jobs. They don't want to be talking about whether Barack Obama was born in Hawaii or not.
BALDWIN: So many people are over it.
BORGER: Yes, they're a little over it. And in the Republican Party, they are like, enough of this.
BALDWIN: You can always read Gloria's columns, just go to CNN.com/opinion.
Ms. Borger, thank you very much.
BORGER: Thanks. Sure.
BALDWIN: And we will get you more on our breaking news out of Libya. We are learning this afternoon that the U.S. will be using drones, these predators against Gadhafi forces. We are going to take you live to the Pentagon for that breaking story.
Also, you know the saying and it's a song that's been stuck in my head all day, "someone's always watching you." Well, if you have an iPhone, folks, this could be true. What you need to know about your privacy. That is ahead.
Also, be careful there are some spam e-mails going around. They involve the princes and a bachelor party. They are lining up now. "Reporter Roulette" times four coming at you next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Drones in Libya, round three of the president's town hall tour, your iPhone may be tracking you, and an e-mail spam warning -- a lot of stories to get to. Time to play "Reporter Roulette."
I want to begin with you Barbara Starr, live at the Pentagon.
We got this breaking update just a little while ago. The Defense Secretary Robert Gates speaking this afternoon -- he surprised a lot of people today when he made a fairly major announcement about drones in Libya. What's the story?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, U.S. involvement in Libya is getting deeper. Secretary Gates revealing for the first time that the president has approved the use of armed, unmanned drones in Libya.
Well, these are predator drones, armed with missiles. They will now fly against Libyan targets and fire against them. All of this part of the stepped up effort to try to protect civilians who are being shelled by Gadhafi forces. What these drones can do, of course, is fly lower to the ground, see the targets more precisely, make sure civilians are not in the way. And because there is no pilot, they are unmanned, there is, of course, no risk of military person being shot down over enemy territory -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: As you mentioned, I think the keyword with these predator drones is "precision" in Libya. Do we know when they will begin flying?
STARR: Well, actually, Gates announced that they tried to fly them today. Bad weather, so they couldn't fire against any targets. But, Brooke, there is something very interesting to watch here. Just yesterday, NATO issued a warning, telling Libyan civilians for the next several days to make sure they stayed away from any military areas in Libya. It was a very specific warning and a lot of people think it's a clear indication that the campaign is about to get stepped up.
BALDWIN: Of what's to come. Barbara Starr, thank you so much -- from the Pentagon.
Next here on "Reporter Roulette," let's go to Dan Simon live in Reno, Nevada.
Dan, we know this is number three of three here -- President Obama wrapping up his town hall. What did he talk about?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first, let me set the stage for you in terms of this West Coast trip -- the president wrapping his arms around innovation. Facebook yesterday. Today, he is at a company called Electrotherm. This is a company able to create a machine and take waste heat and then turn that into energy.
So, of course, with the crowd here today, there was a lot of talk here about clean energy, the president also talking about, of course, about his deficit reduction plan. And in terms of why he's here in Nevada, of course, this is a battleground state. It is a very hot race in 2008. President prevailed by 12.5 percent though at the end of the day. But, of course, the economy still here in shambles here in Nevada, foreclosure rates still leading the country. So, of course, that's why the president is here in Nevada -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: Anything specifically he said that got a large reaction from the crowd?
SIMON: When he talked about gas prices -- that got an enormous reaction. Gas prices here is expensive, like everywhere else in the country. The president is also talking about how his attorney general, Eric Holder, is going to be investigating to see whether oil companies are manipulating the price of oil. And that, obviously, got a round of applause as well.
BALDWIN: Right. They announced a task force today.
Dan Simon, thanks so much -- for us from Reno.
Next on "Reporter Roulette": secret tracking device hidden in your iPhone and your iPad. Ted Rowlands explains how this works.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You have your iPhone. It has an internal device here -- an internal application that basically tracks everything you do. And then when you transfer, you sync your iPhone to computer, which most people do through iTunes, you can run a little application, very easy to do and it will show where you've gone. This shows where I've been the past year or so since June.
Now, is that a problem? Well, for some people it might be. The guys that found this do believe it is a problem for some people and they do believe that iPhone users should have known about it.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALASDAIR ALLAN, SR. RESEARCHER, UNIV. OF EXETER: It really depends on their circumstances. You know, some people are in an abusive relationship, some people are, you know, getting divorced. Some people having things where people knowing this application, is at a point in time, a bad thing.
I mean, personally, I'm not particularly concerned myself, I don't think people should panic. But I don't think that it's necessary to keep the data in the phone and people should be aware of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROWLANDS: People should keep in mind, for somebody to get this information, they physically have to get your device and/or that computer and have access to it. So, they would need to know your password. So, it has to be somebody that knows you well or that actually steals your device and then the question is: who care it is they know where you've been? For some people, it makes a difference. For others, they don't care.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Ted Rowlands, thank you.
Finally here on "Reporter Roulette": taxpayers bailed them out. Now, banks are swimming in cash but they are still not lending. Felicia Taylor live for me in New York.
And, Felicia, it doesn't make a whole a lot of sense.
FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It's not what the consumer wants to hear, frankly. But, evidently, we are hearing now that banks are lending again. But it sort of appear that is big boys aren't putting their money where their mouth is.
Take a look: first quarter lending fell an average of 7 percent at Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and Citi. At the same time, though, deposits have been rolling in, up 5 percent from a year ago. So, it's not like they don't have money to lend, let alone what they were given from the Federal Reserve.
Banks say they have a reason, however, for not jumping back into the lending arena. Banks burned by the financial crisis partly because they handed out loans way too freely. We know that they did that. Naturally, that makes them a little more careful who they lend to now.
Critics say, though, if they've got the money to lend, banks should be doing it because lending is going to help the recovery. And that's certainly something we all need. Paying bankers more and handing out bonuses to CEOs is not going to help the recovery.
BALDWIN: Another item we wanted to pass along, help us pass this along -- there is this whole e-mail scam going around. And it's kind of enticing for some, right, who are excited about the royal wedding and it has a little something to do with the royal bachelor party. But don't click on it, right?
TAYLOR: Yes, exactly. I mean, do you really think that there's going to be a Web site that's going to show you pictures of Prince William's bachelor party?
BALDWIN: Some people.
TAYLOR: Never. Never.
(LAUGHTER)
TAYLOR: So, if f you get that e-mail that has the subject Prince William's bachelor party or Kate's wedding dress details leaked, trust me, you are probably being spammed. It may be a scam designed to steal your personal information like bank accounts or credit card numbers of any other kind of information that you really don't want to be giving out.
Scammers also poison searches for royal wedding information. These links pop up in Google or other online searchers and lead users to unsavory Web sites that can be infected with virus and other malwares, what they call it. Not surprising, scammers target any big event that generate a lot of buzz online because clearly there's a crowd. Plenty of legitimate stuff out there, though, lots of merchandise and wedding-related paraphernalia to soothe that need for all about the royal wedding between now and next Friday. So, just be careful.
BALDWIN: These scammers think of everything. But if you think you're on the inside track, getting the details on the royal dress, you're not. You're not.
OK. OK. Felicia Taylor, thank you so much. We all have to wait next Friday. We are going to wait. Thank you so much.
And that is today's our "Reporter Roulette."
Here's another big one, Major League mess in the world of baseball. The league is stepping in to run the legendary Dodgers, a team with some big money problems. But at the center of this whole thing is a nasty divorce. Even -- I tell you what, if you are not a sports fan, you have to stick around and listen to this one.
Plus, moms deserve some wine every now and again, right? Well, there is apparently a big legal battle over how companies target mommies. Sunny Hostin is on the case, our fellow mommy, putting on her mom hat for this one and she is next.
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BALDWIN: Time for "On the Case." Let's take a look at Frank and Jamie McCourt.
Frank and Jamie McCourt before things went downhill. Happy couple, right? Happy times. For the billionaire couple, they just bought the L.A. Dodgers, Dodger Blue, baby. Well, then things went south.
Jamie filed for a divorce, then Frank fired Jamie from her job as president and he accuses her in court of carrying on with a team employee, her driver, and on and on it went so, fast forward to yesterday.
Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, he steps in, effectively seizes control of the Dodgers right out from under Frank McCourt. Selig says he will let someone else run the team and reports suggest he will force Frank McCourt to sell.
Sunny Hostin is on the case today and Sunny, there's no divorce in baseball, come on. How did this happen?
SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: Unbelievable. Really, this is a nasty divorce and I think that's why this has come to pass. They got married in 1979 and bought this team in 2004. They were still married. Talk about community property. Now that they are getting divorced, they filed for divorce in about 2009, a judge said Frank has to give Jamie $637,000 a month now he is short on cash and has to borrow money from Fox to cover the Dodgers' expenses.
Now the commissioner saying I'm a little worried about the Dodgers' expenses, I'm going to get involved. People are also reporting, Brooke that basically this couple, the McCourts, used the Dodgers almost as a piggy bank to really finance their very lavish lifestyle.
So a lot of allegations back and forth all stemming from this war of the McCourts, very, very nasty.
BALDWIN: So here is what else we know. We know McCourt paid $430 million for the Dodgers. Can Bud Selig, can the commissioner step in and do this, say sorry, can't even run your own team? I mean, how can he do that legally?
HOSTIN: Well, he certainly has done it he has made announcement. He hasn't appointed the representative yet, but he will. It is unprecedented. I called a bunch of people and they all said it is pretty unique that this is happening to the Dodgers.
However, baseball has stepped in when other teams have been troubled. So I wouldn't say it's unprecedented but very, very unique and it looks, Brooke, like the commissioner has the power to do it legally and is going to do it.
BALDWIN: Huge news in L.A. in the baseball world. Let me get to this one. I know you were fired up about this. Let's talk about wine and working moms. So the makers of what's called "Mommy's Time Out" are duking it out in court with the "Mommy Juice" people over alleged copyright infringement.
These are apparently two rival wines that are geared toward stressed-out mothers. A, I had no idea these kinds of wine even existed. But, B, most importantly, how does a court sort this one out?
HOSTIN: My vote is for a taste test quite frankly with all that stressed out moms like myself because I certainly partake in a glass of wine some nights.
BALDWIN: As you should.
HOSTIN: As I should, right. But really the bottom line is for this sort of trademark violation case to go forward and to be successful. You have to prove that consumers are confused by the other rival's mark.
I don't know, busy moms are sort of already confused when they go to the liquor store probably to buy the wine. So I think it is going to be difficult case to sort of parse out.
But "Mommy's Time Out," "Mommy's Juice," the marks seem a bit different to me and so I think had is going to be a tough case to prove, but, my vote's for a wine tasting test. I will be on the jury.
BALDWIN: Let me know how it goes and what do we have 10 minutes from now? Sunny Hostin, thank you so much. And now this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want people to stop writing articles that headlines are women funny?
BALDWIN: Why they still writing those articles?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know, it's like, you think about -- there's so many women out there that are making people laugh and that are writing and doing things and truthfully, they have been for a really long time. And I do want people to go in not thinking that this is a movie just for women.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So surely you recognize these gals, the one on the left, Kristen Wiig, star of "Saturday Night Live." I sat down with her and one of the co-stars in her upcoming movie and she got pretty candid about the industry. We will give you a preview of that interview, next.
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BALDWIN: Now for tomorrow's news today, let's fast forward.
She is one of the funniest women in the world of entertainment. I got a chance to sit down with "Saturday Night Live's" star Kristen Wigg, who by the way wrote this movie.
This is the first time she ever written a movie and her co-star, Wendy McClinton Cubby. You will see the interview tomorrow during this hour, but here is a quick sneak preview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTEN WIIG, ACTRESS, "BRIDESMAIDS": I want people to stop writing articles that headlines, are women funny.
BALDWIN: Are people still writing those articles?
WIIG: I don't know. It's like you know, you think about there's so many people out there making people laugh and that are writing and are doing things and truthfully, they have been for a really long time. And, you know, I do want people to go in not thinking that this is a movie just for women.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: She talked to me about everything from being funny in Hollywood to the hilarious story how she wrote and starred in this had upcoming movie "Bridesmaids" to why she doesn't tweet. And I asked her which newsmakers are unintentionally funny, i.e., several members of Congress she mentioned, the gift that keeps on giving. Do not miss that interview tomorrow right here on CNN.
In the meantime, President Obama, currently on the west coast holding a series of town halls, but he's also raising some campaign cash tonight the stars of Hollywood are coming out. Wait until you hear some of the guest list. We're digging on that for you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Also, did you see who "Time" magazine chose as the world's most influential politicians? Might be surprised. Joe Johns has the scoop next in "Political Pop."
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BALDWIN: The president finishing up his town hall in Reno, Nevada. Heading to California next, hoping the more things change, the more they stay the same, at least as far as money goes. Joe Johns is here now with today's "Political Pop." So, Joe, talk to me about celebrities.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, too bad you don't get frequent flier miles on Air Force One, a lot of people would be cleaning up right now. Check out the schedule for the president first.
He gives remarks at a DNC fundraiser this morning at the St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco. There is a breakfast there, got treated to a protest song from somebody who was escorted from the premises, a protest song about Bradley Manning, fund raising, among other things.
So then wheels up on the way to Reno, Nevada to do that event that Dan Simon was talking about, the energy event. After that, wheels up again, headed back for Los Angeles. Probably expected to get to Los Angeles in just a very little while and that's when we start talking about all the big money.
So, who is going to be there? There's talk of a variety of people, but the first thing you have to say is Hollywood is not necessarily as happy with this president as they were four years ago, right? Matt Damon, who are some others? Michael Moore, Barbara Streisand.
BALDWIN: Why is that? Why has it cooled off?
JOHNS: They have grumbled about the president and his policies. They don't think he has done quite enough. It is not the change they were looking for, what have you, but it has been pointed out by the editorial staff at "Variety" that these stars haven't exactly said they are so mad they are going to vote Republican.
Now the fund raiser is going to bring in millions of dollars, lots of legends, Berry Gordy, the recording guy, Ron Howard, we know him, Tom Hanks, all expected to make appearances, Democratic source says this money is going to go to the Obama victory fund, which is basically a joint account between the DNC and Obama for America.
Then -- now, he has got a late lunch/dinner at the commissary at Sony Pictures, 60 people saying something like $38,500 a head. Then an even bigger event, about 2,500 people in the Sony lot, they paid anywhere between $100 to $2,500.
That's going to be hosted by Jamie Foxx and others. The actress, Rashida Jones is going to be there, too. So you know huge.
BALDWIN: Huge. Huge. You know what they don't get frequent flyers on Air Force One because hello, we do that for upgrades and I don't think you really need an upgrade there. I'm just saying. We are obviously out of time. We can't get to the list of the top 100 most influential people. We will do it tomorrow. It will be a date, you and me. See you then. I will see you tomorrow.
Meantime, let's go to Candy Crowley in "THE SITUATION ROOM" -- Candy.
