Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
President Obama Pushes Immigration Reform; Tennessee Facing Massive Flooding; Syria Government Confident Despite Continuing Protests; Boomers Caring for Seniors; U.S. Hikers to Stand Trial
Aired May 10, 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: Let's bring on back Gloria Borger, who has been watching this whole thing right along with me, senior political analyst.
And, Gloria, I want to begin with the Hispanic vote. It is so, so important, as you very well know.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Right.
BALDWIN: Looking at the poll that we just sort of resurrected here at CNN looking back to 2008 election, two-thirds of the Hispanics voted for President Obama. Yet, a lot of reform advocates say the president has not done what he said he would do. In fact, a Latino advocacy group saying, all we hear from President Obama are empty speeches.
Was this an empty speech?
BORGER: Well, I think it was full of promises, again. And as you point out, the president needs his Hispanic voters. In the last election, they're sort of 8 percent of the voting electorate. He won some states like Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada largely because of Hispanic voters.
And he did a couple things here. He said, look, we have to -- we have to take care of the criminal element here, which is something sort of new from him. We have to -- we have to deal with that. He talked about getting Congress together to do immigration reform.
But the other thing he talked about, which is something they tried to deal with before the midterm elections that did not work was the DREAM Act, was this notion that children who came here illegally, who went to college or served in the military should be able to become American citizens, and should not suffer because their parents brought them here illegally.
So, you know, these are things we're going to see coming up in Congress, although I must say, Brooke, I don't hold out a lot of hope, because, you know, they had more people in the House of Representatives. They controlled the House of Representatives. So I think the chances are probably a bit less this time around.
BALDWIN: Yes. I mean, let's -- let's talk about Republicans. And there's a specific line where, you know, he got the big boo because he said, and then we build a fence? And everybody booed that whole line.
He said, "So, we have gone above and beyond what was requested by the very Republicans who said they supported broader reform as long as we got serious about enforcement."
BORGER: Right.
BALDWIN: He goes to say, you know, look, let's not make this about politics. Let's bring them back to the table.
But is that possible? How do you get bipartisan support here?
BORGER: No. And, you know, and there was the refrain of, yes, we can.
(CROSSTALK)
BORGER: I think what we're seeing is the start of the next campaign. And this was a -- this was a speech geared to Hispanic voters. It's kind of interesting. Republicans have really lost ground with Hispanic voters since George W. Bush.
George W. Bush tried to get bipartisan immigration reform through, and he failed. But it helped him with Hispanic voters. And what Barack Obama is now saying to these Hispanic voters, whom he needs in this next presidential election, is that: I am going to try.
But it's also interesting, Brooke, because he says he's not proposing a free ride here, that, if you become a legal citizen -- he threads the needle -- he says, look, you have got to pay your back taxes. You have to admit that you behaved illegally. You have to learn to speak English.
BALDWIN: Learn English.
(CROSSTALK)
BORGER: Right, which is something we heard -- which is something we heard from him during the campaign as well.
So, you know, he's saying, no free ride here, but we need to get this done, because it's actually good for the economy and good for American innovation, you know, quoting Rupert Murdoch, right?
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: There you go, another immigrant success story, I suppose.
BORGER: Yes. Yes, absolutely.
BALDWIN: Gloria Borger, I think that's perfect to end with the fact that this was not the just the Chamizal National Memorial as a backdrop, but it's election 2012.
BORGER: You bet. BALDWIN: Gloria Borger, thank you very much.
BORGER: Sure.
BALDWIN: And, you know, the president talked about folks who hire some of these immigrants, some of the -- the farmers. He laid out his plans here, talking about immigration reform. He talked about what he thinks is working.
Well, that's the policy angle. Let's talk about the real people angle. And in order to do that, I want to bring in Paul Wenger. He is the president of the California Farm Bureau. And he's also an almond farmer.
Sir, good to see you. I'm sure you listened to the president. That's why we had you on. What did you think?
PAUL WENGER, PRESIDENT, CALIFORNIA FARM BUREAU: Hi, Brooke.
Well, it's interesting right now that we see that those of us in agriculture especially -- and it was interesting the reference he made about how a young man started out in the fields, in the cucumber fields and ends up being an astronaut. And those stories abound over the years, that we see a lot of folks start out in agriculture. Their parents, their grandparent worked in agriculture, and they wanted to get an education and do some great things. A lot of them server as elected leaders today.
Senator Juan Vargas is a state senator here in California. He was actually a classmate of the president's at Harvard Law School. And his grandfather and his father both came here in guest-worker programs. They worked in the fields and they were able to live the American dream. Unfortunately, in agriculture, we don't even have a guest-worker program today.
And so that's what we have worked for a long time, is to say that we need to find a path for people to legally come into this country to work, and if they want to go through the system to become citizens, they can do that. If they want to go back home again and utilize some of that money that they made here in the United States, they can go home and live the American dream in Mexico.
BALDWIN: Paul...
WENGER: And I want to remind you that they are one of our biggest trading partners, is Mexico. So, it works for both of us.
BALDWIN: Let me jump in. So, you -- you have been an almond farmer. You have your own family-run farm. You have had it for a number of years.
WENGER: Yes. Yes.
BALDWIN: And you have hired -- I mean, I don't want to put words in your mouth -- you have hired some folks that perhaps you were not quite sure whether they were legal or illegal at the time, yes? WENGER: No. Our folks came in the '80s.
BALDWIN: In the '80s.
WENGER: And there's a family that works for us. And they came in the '80s. When they came into this country, they came into this country illegally. In the '80s, they had what they call the SAW program. It was a special agricultural worker program where, if folks could show that they had been working in the country and they could show that they had canceled checks from working in agriculture, they could get what they called a green card.
And -- and, so, I hired my first employee. We celebrated his 23rd year working for us this year. He has some of his brothers and his nephews working for us. They were all able to get green cards. And so we're one of the more fortunate.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Exactly.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Forgive me for interrupting, but you are one of the more fortunate. I know, as president of this group of farmers, there have to be other farmers who certainly try to check, let's say, someone's identification...
WENGER: Right.
BALDWIN: ... maybe are not entirely sure. And there are some Americans...
WENGER: Right.
BALDWIN: ... out there who say, you know, look, they are just handing out work to people who are coming into this country illegally when, look, it's a tough economy, I can't make enough money to pay my own family here, and I'm an American.
What do you say to those folks?
WENGER: There's plenty of jobs on the farm if they want to come out and do it. I know Senator Feinstein has worked with us to come up with a guest-worker program. And she had the same questions for us. There's a lot of unemployment. And we showed her where we went to the employment development departments, the welfare-to-work programs.
We had growers with seasonal crops, strawberries, raspberries, peaches, where they need seasonal help. And they have gone to the programs and say, here's the work. Come and work. And these aren't level -- jobs that just pay minimum wage. They can make very good wages doing these jobs.
But they are seasonal. They might only last for a week or two and they might have to move around. And Americans don't want to do those jobs, unfortunately.
BALDWIN: Well, you know, the president -- I particularly highlighted this because I knew I would be speaking with you -- he said, "We need to provide farms a legal way to hire the workers they rely on, and a path for those workers to earn legal status."
And there are not specifics as to how he would develop that path. You have been working in farms for years in California. How -- what would your solution be? If the president were listening, what would your -- your fix be?
WENGER: Well, my solution for being -- at least for agriculture is, we have the technology today to make sure that you can give a legal system, a card, utilizing a thumb print or a retinal scan to make sure that somebody that wants to come from Mexico and work in California, they could come through. They could go through a security test to make sure that they are not a criminal.
They could go through to make sure that documentation is correct. They could come across the border safely and not be predated (ph) upon by coyotes and others that actually prosper by taking them across the border illegally, many times leaving them out in the desert to die.
I think it's unconscionable that we have people that want to come here and work to take jobs that nobody else will take, and they are being subjugated to a lot of these things that are happening on the border, which is just -- shouldn't be that way.
Let them come through safely through a turnstile. A lot of them will return home. Some to become citizens. If they want to become citizens, there's a process to do that. But others want to come here and work. They want to make a living and they want to go home for part of the year to live at home. And they can live much better at home after working in the United States.
And so we need to create -- and it shouldn't be that difficult. Unfortunately, politics is at play here.
BALDWIN: Sure. Sure.
Well, it comes from a man who has worked in agriculture for years, runs his own farm.
Paul Wenger, thank you for weighing in on your own perspective. Appreciate it.
WENGER: Thank you, Brooke.
I just want -- I would just add real quick, 60 percent of the fresh fruits and vegetables consumed in the United States come from California. An awful lot of those fruits and vegetables are picked within about a week's time. So, it takes a lot of people to be able to get that fruit from our fields to your plate.
BALDWIN: Well, we appreciate it. We appreciate those fruits.
Thank you so much, Paul.
WENGER: You bet. Thanks, Brooke.
BALDWIN: And we have to talk about the South, don't we? The Mississippi is making a mess in Memphis. Coming up, how much longer the high water will linger and then where that water is headed next.
Stay right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: The disaster manager in Memphis, Tennessee, says the water has done what it's going to do, well, at least in Memphis, where the Mississippi River is cresting at just about 48 feet, near inches short of its flood record. Now the danger moves downriver.
We have been watching this video. Take a look at this with me. This is Tunica, Mississippi. It came in just in the last hour. This is from our affiliate WMC. But our own John King, as in "JKUSA" 7:00 p.m., also got a bird's-eye view of the flooding along the Mississippi River. He will be there live tonight at 7:00 Eastern.
Take a look at the pictures he has been tweeting during his aerial tour over Tunica. You see the homes here? More than 200 of them, they're built on stilts, but can see all the water? They are flooded, flooded out.
Next picture is a golf course, thanks to John King here. This is a golf course. Well, it was a golf course under all this icky brown water in Tunica. Won't be hitting any balls there for a little while.
Next one shows parkland. This is along the Mississippi River. Again, this is near Tunica. We have got more for you. This is flooded farmland right around this same area. The water just kind of continues, look at that, as far as the eye can see.
Again, John will be live 7:00 Eastern, right smack-dab in the middle of things in Tunica at 7:00.
Meanwhile, the trouble flows all the way to Louisiana. You have 44 morning floodgates on the Bonnet Carre Spillway. They were opened today. Watch this. This is the closest we have seen anyone actually get to this thing. This is the Bonnet Carre Spillway. And the water that is gushing there, it's going to be gushing along Lake Pontchartrain fast enough to fill 50 Olympic-size swimming pools in a single minute -- minute.
Let me say that again, 50 Olympic-size swimming pools in a single minute. That's a lot of water. Now, see this animation? The Army Corps of Engineers is considering opening a second spillway. That's the Morganza Spillway. It's just north of Baton Rouge.
The last time the Morganza Spillway was opened was back in 1973.
What will that do to folks downriver and part of that area of Louisiana? We are going to talk to Chad Myers about that in just a second here.
But I want to go straight to Memphis, straight to Rob Marciano, who has been sort of getting the lay of the land.
And I know, Rob, you said Beale Street was behind you. How wide is the water where you are?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, I can't see across it. Well, I can see the other side of the river, but I -- that doesn't mean that it's not inundated with flooding.
And from what we have measured, and then from reports that we have had from some of the officials here, the river at this point is three miles wide. So, it's normally a half-a-mile wide.
BALDWIN: Wow.
MARCIANO: So that gives you an idea of the volume of water that is coming down.
Riverside Park, which is on the other end of that railing, that's flooded. This is Riverside Drive, obviously close to the river, but shouldn't be part of it. And then, as you mentioned, Beale Street intersects with Riverside Drive down at the bottom there.
The other -- the important part of Beale street, which is where everybody goes at night, that is fine. So is Graceland. So don't worry about that. But what is in the water is nasty stuff. I mean, you've got sewer lines that are kind of clogged up, you've got other debris that's been floating down the Mississippi and have been picked up. So the cleanup is not so nice, that's for sure.
And that's going to take place -- well, not for another week or two, at least. Because this thing -- even though it's cresting right now, may have crest a little bit, but we haven't moved an inch -- it's going to take a full five days before this goes down one foot. So that's remarkably slow , painfully slow here in Memphis. And then after that, it'll pick up a little bit.
But we won't go below major flood stage, probably easily over a week. So this is just a really, really slow, historic event. And obviously, the whole crest goes downstream and then we have the tributaries that need to unload and they have backed off like a traffic jam. So unbelievable amounts of water they are trying to get through the system.
We've got over 900 homes that are affected by the flooding here. So it's not getting into direct downtown, that's the good news. But several homes, many homes especially around the outskirts of town, business as well, a few schools and some commercial parks inundated with water. And then that doesn't include the communities that are downstream to this, which are getting hit now and will continue to get it as well for the next week or two.
BALDWIN: Let me pick up where you're leaving off. Rob Marciano, my thanks to you and your crew, by the way, for hanging out by that water all day long.
Chad Myers, to you. As we talk downstream, we mentioned a moment ago the Bonnet Carre Spillway, that's open, multiple floodgates have been opened, but specifically Morganza. What happens when that opens, that is a definite that people are flooded?
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: People will be flooded whether or not Morganza opens up or not, because 30 percent of the water in the Mississippi has to go down that river anyway. So when you and if you open the floodgates, we're talking a five-foot flood, compared to maybe a 15-foot flood for some of these people.
I guess once your house is flooded, does it make that much difference? But yes, it does. Four inches of water in your home can be completely cleaned up. You put the whole house under water and that house is basically a complete loss.
BALDWIN: There's no comparison.
MYERS: There's no comparison, and that's what we're talking about. If you open that, that's how much water will come down that river to those people that are down that river.
Now, there aren't that many, but there are people there, people live there, people farm there. There are wheat crops that will be completely destroyed. There are many other crops destroyed along that river trail.
BALDWIN: Yes, and that will be the next iteration of the story as we send folks like Rob, et cetera down river. Chad Myers, we're going to talk more down river with you a little later. Thank you so much for that.
The other big story we've been all over? This one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every hour that we don't have access to these individuals is dangerous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Pakistan agrees to allow the U.S. access to Osama bin Laden's three wives. Well, now a senior Pakistani leader tells us why. This is a CNN exclusive, you're going to hear that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: So right now Washington and Pakistan are working out the details of the U.S. capturing of the captured wives of Osama bin Laden. Now Pakistan's interior minister spoke today with our own Reza Sayah. He said Pakistan's willingness to give up the women is proof that it was not hiding bin Laden after all.
Well, is it, though?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: And, so, Reza, how did the interior minister actually explain that bin Laden was living in that compound for at least five years, after all of those years of Pakistan saying, he is not here?
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he called it an intelligence failure, but he was quick to point out that it wasn't all Pakistan's fault.
He said that even the most powerful countries in the world have intelligence failures. And he pointed to the attacks of 9/11 as an example. It was pretty a similar approach to what we heard from the prime minister of Pakistan yesterday as he addressed Parliament.
It was an attempt to deflect accountability, at the same time insist that Pakistan is committed to its partner, committed to Washington and the fight against extremists.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REHMAN MALIK, PAKISTANI INTERIOR MINISTER: I was happy that he's killed, but I was not happy the way the operation has been done.
SAYAH: Why?
MALIK: Because the sovereignty the country, we cannot compromise. I wish that the American parties had shared this information with us.
SAYAH: But do you understand why, not just Washington, but Pakistani people lose trust when it is discovered that bin Laden was hiding here in Pakistan all these years?
MALIK: We should not be saying right under the nose the military, no.
Say, al Qaeda, a group of terrorists who knew Pakistan very well. And I won't be surprised even many more are found in Pakistan, because when 9/11 happened, and when the action was taken in Tora Bora, most of them went into hiding in Pakistan. We are digging them out of their (INAUDIBLE) and, you know, we are -- we are the ones who are suffering.
SAYAH: Who is to blame for this intelligence failure? Is it partly you? After all, you are responsible for the internal security of this country?
MALIK: I confess that there was an intelligence failure, part intelligence failure. That is why the prime minister of Pakistan has ordered the (INAUDIBLE) investigation to it. We will find -- and there are tons of reference to find out that how did he get the house, what -- the people living there, I mean, how many servants there, and, you know, how this construction took place. All these things will be made public.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SAYAH: Now, Brooke, as far as the wives go, it is not clear when U.S. intelligence officials are going to have access to these three women. A Pentagon spokesman today said Islamabad and Washington are in talks, they're discussing the matter, and they're making progress.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Reza Sayah in Islamabad.
Now to this story. There is a boat, it's been carrying hundreds of people trying to get out of Libya. It's capsizes, now dozens are feared dead and we are now hearing what precisely happened. Hala Gorani has brand-new information. She's next for "Globe Trekking."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: The world today -- the word today out of Syria is the government thinks that its suppression of protests is working. Take a close look at this. It looks as though police are beating this guy as soon as they get him inside that van.
Now, across the country they rounded up suspected activists since protests erupted back in March. Amnesty International is reporting that Syria's security forces have killed at least 48 people in the last four days.
Time for "Globe Trekking." We have missed her. Hala Gorani is back from CNN International.
And, Hala, we know a top adviser to Syrian President Assad is telling "The New York Times," and I want to quote here, "we are witnessing the end of this story."
Is that right?
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: It appears as though officials in Syria are a little more confident right now, they feel like they're on top of things. They were taken aback a few weeks backs, seven weeks now back, when these protests starting spreading across the country.
This is Bouthaina Shaaban we're talking about. She's sort of played the role of the unofficial media spokesperson for President Bashar al-Assad. She gave this interview to "The New York Times," we understand, just this one interview, asking one journalist to come in and out, and has refused all requests for interviews after that.
BALDWIN: There have been reports today that the president's wife, Asma al-Assad, fled, left the country.
GORANI: Right. Those were British press reports. We contacted the Syrian Embassy in the United Kingdom, they called us back and said through (INAUDIBLE), the spokesperson for the Syrian Embassy in London, this is absolutely untrue. She is not in London. said that that is absolutely not true, that she is not in London. So that's what we've received. But we're hearing more interestingly beyond Bouthaina Shaaban, Rami Makhlouf a cousin of President Assad and probably the richest businessman in Syria, also gave an interview to "The New York Times." It appears as though when a few weeks back when we heard nothing from the officials, we are now starting to hear from the officials through these interviews, it appears as though they are a little more confident in the face of these protesters.
BALDWIN: OK, let's talk about Libya here. I know you have some new information on the situation in Misrata.
GORANI: Yes, I spoke with Marie Colvin, the fearless war reporter for "The Sunday Times" from Misrata. She said there is a, quote, "ferocious fighting" on the western front. But interesting to what she said is the rebels are holding on to their positions.
So this besieged city which she qualified as a medieval siege on the coastal city of Misrata, is still being held by the rebels because they have no much to lose if they lose an inch.
And then another thing, Brooke, that I found extremely compelling. She was saying that one ship a week is able to dock in Misrata and that hospitals are running so low on supplies that they're having to find creative uses for, for instance, fetal monitors, that they're using to detect shrapnel in wounded rebels and civilians.
So instead of -- they have no x-rays, that's fine. We'll use a fetal monitor. You don't have a scalpel, that's fine. We'll use whatever instrument we can get our hands on.
BALDWIN: Getting creative given the circumstances.
GORANI: Getting creative and doing everything they can.
And she also underlined that in Misrata, most of the people working there are volunteers. This is their city that they're defending.
BALDWIN: What about Tripoli, capital city, huge, huge NATO bombing there in Tripoli. And also, as you tell me about that, do we have any idea -- I mean, it's been a little while since we've seen Gadhafi.
GORANI: Well, Moammar Gadhafi, we see him appear here and there, impossible to predict when, impossible to predict where. He's either sticking his head out of an SUB and driving through the streets of Tripoli or at the bombed out remains of his compound. We never know.
BALDWIN: Do you think he's shaken up at all?
GORANI: Well, yes. There is definitely, as far as NATO is concerned, an operation that is ongoing and sustained, including bombings overnight on targets that they called command and control targets of the pro-Gadhafi forces.
And we're also hearing reports that in western Libya there is some level of advance from the rebel fighters. Right now, it's still a stalemate, but definitely NATO in seventh week, although people expected it to be much shorter, but in the seventh week of bombing campaign says that it is able to hit strategic and important targets in and around Tripoli.
BALDWIN: It's been a while since we've talked Libya. Time that we've brought it back, and you Hala Gorani. Thank you so much. See you back here tomorrow.
Now take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're doing this to the students of the state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Police in California arresting teachers as hundreds lined up to protest there. We're going to tell you their demands.
Also, folks, you knew it was coming. A car that drives itself. One group says it's on the cusp of allowing you to just sit back, relax and the computer to do the driving. I don't know what you think about that, Hala Gorani. I don't know about that myself. But you're going to see how it works and --
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I wish the computer would do the parking.
BALDWIN: Parallel parking?
GORANI: Yes.
BALDWIN: Actually, there are some that do, by the way. OK. So, find out how this could soon become your reality. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: And now if it's interesting, if happening right now, you are about to see it. Rapid fire. Let's go.
Homeland Security warning the next terror attack on the U.S. will most likely come from lone wolves who follow the ideas of al Qaeda. The government sent the advisory to state police across the country. They say the quote, unquote "lone wolf" is more dangerous in the short term because he or she does not have to wait for a decision from terror leaders.
It's the newest volley in the debate over whether childhood vaccines cause autism. A group of lawyers and families living with autism today announce that they claim that a peer reviewed study they say shows that children compensated for vaccine injuries are much more likely to be autistic. The group is urging Congress to investigate this alleged connection. The Centers for Disease Control has long argued against the vaccine-autism link. And now time to get behind the wheel. Somebody has to here. Watch with me. Oh! No one is driving! SUV driving itself. This is a company out of Blacksburg, Virginia developing these unmanned vehicles. Hmm. Cameras inside the cab help identify the lanes of the shoulder and keep the car on the road. Lasers scan around the vehicle. Somehow, they look for obstacles. GPS technology keeps the car on course.
And this?
(VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The sounds of civil disobedience. This is California's state capital. Teachers and students very, very angry about proposed cuts to education funding. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm doing this for the students of the state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Whew! The highway patrol said they arrested 65 people who refused to leave after the building was closed. Most of those arrested, students.
(VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: I love these moments. Soldiers coming home! This is Fort Hood yesterday at a homecoming for nearly 40 troops who flew combat helicopters in Afghanistan. Welcome back balloons, flowers were there for the occasion. You can see the return of lots hugs, kisses, and little smiles. Love those stories.
Now this, kidnapped, kept in a backyard for 18 years. Now a judge is deciding whether Jaycee Dugard's testimony will be released to the public or kept a secret forever. Find out how rare this move could be.
Plus, the guy who worked for MTV on shows like "Punk'd" parks his car on the street, starts walking to his house and suddenly someone shoots him in the back of the head, execution-style. Now police are trying to figure out why he was a target. Sunny Hostin is on that case. We're back in 90 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Maybe you've heard of these shows -- "Punk'd," "Parental Control" on MTV. Ring a bell? Well, you probably don't know the name. Gabriel Ben-Meir worked for MTV. He had just parked his car on the street early Sunday. Walking on to his front doorway and was shot, execution-style, in the back of his head. Now, neighbors say they did hear a loud boom, but nobody went outside to go check it out.
Sunny Hostin is here and Sunny, I know it was hours before his body was found in plain view, in the middle of the sidewalk. Do police have any idea who would murder this man?
SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: Apparently not. They're saying they don't have any motives, they don't have any suspects, they don't have any leads. This is turning out to have no leads, Brooke.
BALDWIN: No good leads? How about any good clues?
HOSTIN: No good clues. They haven't indicated whether or not anything was taken, whether or not this could be a robbery. And so their silence may be read as a clue, but other than that, we really don't know anything. Police usually don't give a lot of information to the public in the beginning of an investigation so as not to tarnish the investigation. But right now, we are hearing that there is nothing to go on.
BALDWIN: OK, so other than his connection to work at MTV, what more do we know about his past that maybe would make him a target?
HOSTIN: Well, his sister describes him as a gentle soul. MTV describes him as a rising star. We got a statement from MTV. They say, "We are shocked and saddened to learn about the tragic death of Gabe Ben-Meir, who was a valued member of the MTV family and a beloved and dedicated colleague and friend. Our hearts go out to his family."
So, again, gentle soul, rising music star, that is about what we know.
BALDWIN: What about the neighbors? I mean, it's Sunday morning, you hear this sort of uncharacteristic loud boom outside. No one goes out to check it out? Why?
HOSTIN: Well, this is supposed to be a really wonderful place to live, a wonderful neighborhood. They say that they heard the loud boom but they didn't even recognize it could possibly be from gunfire. And so they didn't go outside to investigate. They didn't call the police, and his body wasn't found until the next -- about 7:30 in the morning by a gentleman who was riding a bike with his daughter.
BALDWIN: It's odd. We'll follow it.
I want to move on to case number two. We all know the case of Jaycee Dugard. She was kidnapped, age 11, kept in a series of sheds in the backyard of Phillip and Nancy Garrido. Back there for 18 years.
So now, here's what we're learning. "The San Francisco Chronicle" is reporting the judge here will have to decide whether Dugard's testimony to a grand jury should actually be released to the public or you know, sealed forever. Sunny, is this an unusual request?
HOSTIN: Sealed forever is an unusual request. I mean, grand jury proceedings are secret for a reason. You want witnesses to be able to testify in front of the grand jury. Honestly, I feel comfortable about that. You don't want defendants, potential targets, knowing about the grand jury proceedings and fleeing the country. But after a trial is done or a plea has been taken, typically these proceedings are not kept secret any longer. So to seal them forever, unusual in my view, Brooke.
BALDWIN: So, why seal them forever? And who's asking for that?
HOSTIN: The district attorney is actually asking for it. He says that it is to, you know, make sure that Jaycee Dugard keeps her privacy. And they are very concerned about that. Jaycee Dugard also opposes releasing these transcripts. And Nancy Garrido, one of the defendants, her attorney says she is also opposed to releasing these transcripts.
So, interestingly enough, it's one of those times the prosecutors and defense attorneys are all together on this. The media attorneys, of course, do want the information to be released.
BALDWIN: But, she's - we know Jaycee has written a book about her kidnapping and captivity all those 18 years in the Garrido's backyard. So then, why object to the grand jury transcripts being out there?
HOSTIN: Well, and that's what most folks are saying, and that is going be the problem that she sees in court. Apparently there was very, very explicit testimony given in front of the grand jury about her sexual assault. And while she says did provide some details in her book, they are just not as graphic. And so, she wants to maintain her privacy because we all know that what happened to her is extremely tragic and graphic.
BALDWIN: Absolutely. I want to read her book, I'd love to have her on the show. If that happens, Sunny Hostin, you can join me. We can interview her together.
Sunny Hostin, thank you.
HOSTIN: I would love that opportunity.
BALDWIN: So would I.
HOSTIN: Thanks.
BALDWIN: Next to this: Baby Boomers, happy birthday to you, turning 65th year. More and more, though, are having a tough time taking care of their own parents. It's a stressful situation for many of you while others are turning their care into cash. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Chances are you take care of or you at least know someone that takes care of an older member of their family. Maybe at home, maybe they pay to keep that relative in a home. But elder care is very much so a fact of life for many Americans right now in the generation we know as Baby Boomers. And CNN is taking a look at this generation again today.
Elizabeth Cohen here with one boomer who turned her experience into a second career. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The 57-year-old Terri Hewitt has worked a variety of jobs.
TERRI HEWITT, CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANT: I worked corporate for a number of years. I worked for a president and CEO of a real estate development consulting firm. I worked as an assistant for an attorney, but I wasn't spending enough time with my kids so I waitressed.
COHEN: But the job Terri began just over a year ago turns out it's more than just a job.
HEWITT: This is what I'm supposed to be doing and I feel very strongly about that, is giving back to others and being there for them.
COHEN: Giving back to others by working as an in-home caregiver. At age 56, Terri got certified to become a full-time nursing assistant after watching her friend lose her battle with leukemia and her mother going through rehab after a fall and not being able to be there.
HEWITT: Those things have made me more sensitive to family's needs of how important it is for them to be able to spend time away from their family member just to give them a little bit of respite.
COHEN: Pat Drea of Visiting Angels where Terri works says experiences like this can make many older caregivers able to relate to their client better.
PAT DREA, COO, VISITING ANGELS: Maybe the lost of a loved one, a spouse, other family members, but there certainly is a sense of loss in terms of levels of independence.
COHEN: Drea says her agency is seeing more caregivers in or near their 60s even in their 70s. Some are coming out of retirement and some are just looking for a change.
DREA: That second career is very important to them either for life fulfillment or for financial reasons.
COHEN: In fact, the nonprofit group, PHI National says about 28 percent of home aides are age 55 or older, but being a nursing assistant can be a physically demanding job, helping patients to walk or stand and avoid the injury themselves. Terri says she doesn't feel 57.
HEWITT: This is my career and I will continue to do it as long as I'm able to do it.
COHEN: Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BALDWIN: Now, Terri's story there is an interesting one, but unfortunately, not every boomer has a luxury of becoming a paid caregiver. They have to do it for free, on top of their regular job, you know, your family responsibilities, and that's pretty tough. Not to mention, quite stressful.
Kathleen Kelly is with the Family Caregiver Alliance.
Kathleen, you have some great suggestions for caregivers out there. Moms and dads with aging moms and dads that need to be listening to you, including my own mother. Your advice begins with sleep.
KATHLEEN KELLY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FAMILY CAREGIVER ALLIANCE: Yes. I think it's really important for those of us who are baby boomers, who are also caring for older adults, to really make sure that we get enough rest.
We need to really keep healthy and getting enough sleep is a very big indicator. If you're sleep deprived and you don't get enough rest, you feel fatigued. That can lead to other health problems and you know, you're just cognitively not on the top of your game either.
BALDWIN: You also, Kathleen, say caregivers regular medical, dental checkups go by the way side too frequently.
KELLY: Of course, and that's really important. It's important to keep healthy. It's important to really take care of yourself. If you don't take care of yourself, you're not going to really be able to take care of your parents.
So part of the things that slide away for baby boomer caregivers, because they are so busy and so rushed, is not keeping on top of their own medical appointments and that's really, really important.
Their dental, their medical routines such important as well as getting enough exercise, it really refreshes you. Even if you can take a 10 or 15-minute walk once or twice a day, it really gives you energy and clears your head in this very important component.
BALDWIN: Yes, I mean, if I can just sort of underscore your final point, saying, you know, take a break. Take some time for yourself. Take that walk around your block, right? I mean, you suggest leisure activities for the caregiver just a break.
KELLY: Absolutely and I think, the second key point is to keep happy. It's really the emotional health of the caregiver and in that I think that your comment for your prior interview was really important.
You have to plan to get some respite. You're joggling a lot of different components in your life, your work, your family, your parent care, your social life. You really sometimes need to take a break and getting respite is a really important component of that as well.
You also need to stay connected. You need to stay socially connected to your friends. It's often times in the rush of the everyday activities, we sort of lose touch with our friends and family and staying connected, even if it's making a call or joining a group is really important, an online support group is --
BALDWIN: As you're making the calls, I want to jump off that. As people are calling you, they say, can we help you, say yes? Yes, I will accept your help, right? I mean, but it's very difficult.
KELLY: Absolutely.
BALDWIN: But at the same time, it's very difficult, you know, as a caregiver when you're so overwhelmed, you know, your mother and father are your priority to say, OK. Come help me.
KELLY: Yes. I think we need to, you know, say -- there are other people who can step into this role and you really should make a list of the kinds of things that you might need help with.
And when somebody offers to provide some help, accept that help. It's really important. Other people can step into the breach and I think that's really an important component for everyone to remember.
BALDWIN: Kathleen Kelly, hopefully we help some folks who are helping others. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.
And coming up tomorrow on our boomer series, we're going to go inside the aging lab at MIT to see what research is being done so boomers will be able to age gracefully and high tech.
They actually have researchers there who have created an age empathy suit. Have you ever seen this? It actually helps the person wearing it literally feel like - it's got weights and things for your neck to see what it is like to be in an older person's body.
You have to see this thing. I wonder who's trying it out. That's tomorrow in the NEWSROOM.
Now to the two American hikers being held in Iran scheduled to stand trial tomorrow. Just a short time ago, I actually spoke with their mothers. Find out why they will be waiting by a phone overnight tonight. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Now I want to give you a look at tomorrow's news today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN (voice-over): Let's fast forward and begin with the American hikers held in Iran for nearly two years. They go on trial, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal are accused of spying.
For both their mothers and the other hikers actually back in the United States, the waiting actually begins tonight. I spoke with these moms just a short time ago. CINDY HICKEY, SON TO STAND TRIAL IN IRAN: She'll be with her mom in California. We have regular contact with Sarah. Sarah is actually, you know, working as hard as she can with the campaign on taking care of her emotional well being.
So she will be up like the rest of us all night. The trial starts at 10:00 a.m. so it's in our night. We'll all be awake. We'll all be communicating.
We'll all be waiting for word from the U.S. government or from our attorney or from the Swiss ambassador letting us know if there's any movement in this case.
BALDWIN: So that's how you'll be following this case in the middle of the night waiting for a phone call?
HICKEY: Absolutely. We have our alert set. We have our Google arm set. We have our phones on. We don't sleep. This is a very tense time for us.
BALDWIN: Laura, how will you spend that time overnight waiting for word?
LAURA FATTAL, SON TO STAND TRIAL IN IRAN: You know, I just hopped out of bed on February 6th when it was the first session of the trial at 2:00 a.m. I just -- I didn't need an alarm clock. I just knew Josh and Shane were entering in the courtroom and I feel very grateful that our independent lawyer, Mr. Masoud Shafi is there with them.
Because it is only God and Mr. Shafi who are with them in this courtroom and so we are very, very, you know, concerned that they should not feel alone.
So in a way, I know Josh knows his whole family is with him, Shane knows that his whole family is with him and both of them know that the entire world is watching.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Tomorrow you will see my entire interview with both of those mothers. Find out about the last time they spoke with their sons and whether they think the Obama administration has done enough to help them.
One of America's biggest power couples separating. What are the public signs of the troubled marriage of Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger. We will show an emotional video Shriver sent to her fan. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Did you hear the news today? Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver had split up after 25 years of marriage. Joe Johns here at "Political Pop."
Joe, I know in the joint statement they said they are amicably separating. Why? What happened?
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You've got me. They are taking care of the kids they say. I mean, it's sad. This is the marriage where politics and pop culture meet. Former movie star, governor, the Kennedy Shriver political legacy, full disclosure, I used to work over there at MSNBC when Maria Shriver was over there.
I dealt with her a few times. It always feels a little weird talking about colleagues or former colleagues, and especially about their marriages. OK? That said, a few weeks back Maria Shriver posted a video asking people to tell her how they handle transitions in their lives.
I mean, a casual observer would say she was just talking about moving on after having been the first lady of California or whatever, but now it's a little more interesting so take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA SHRIVER, WIFE OF ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER : Like a lot of you, I'm in transition and people come up to me all the time and go, what are you doing next? What are you going to do?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: What are you going to do? So I guess people are still asking that question at this stage, Brooke.
BALDWIN: OK, talking about transition. We know both of them are busy. You know, we talk, you and I a lot about Schwarzenegger going on and wants to break back into film and she's done a lot of work for Alzheimer's disease.
JOHNS: Absolutely. In fact, she appeared on the Larry King interview program just very recently talking about it. Her father died from Alzheimer's and she's actually done a documentary on it as well on HBO. So that goes along with a long list of other things. Maria Shriver definitely keeps busy.
BALDWIN: Whatever the reasons, we wish them well. Before I let you go, can we talk Bristol Palin and a reality show? Joe johns, what is going on?
JOHNS: I know, you really can't avoid doing this, right? The Bio Channel put out a press release saying it has green lighted a new reality show starring Bristol Palin. The show doesn't have a name yet.
The set up is that they are going to follow Bristol around. You know, they describe her as the most famous single mother in America and she's moving from Alaska to Los Angeles apparently on this show.
BALDWIN: But it's not just her. Who is she living with?
JOHNS: Well, she's moving in with Kyle and Chris Masse. Now, these are two guys that people probably know the one best for -- first, his appearance on "Dancing with the Stars." Apparently that is where she met him. So that's going to be a very interesting segment to see how they get along.
BALDWIN: Interesting. Set your TiVo now, right, Joe Johns?
JOHNS: You bet.
BALDWIN: OK, leave it there. Thank you so much. Thank you for watching. Now not in Washington, Wolf Blitzer.
