Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Taliban Suicide Bombers Target Military Cadets in Pakistan; U.S. Interviews Osama bin Laden's Wives; Wal-Mart: 'Made in the USA'; Making Kentucky Derby History; Mideast Peace Envoy Resigning

Aired May 13, 2011 - 11:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7, I'm Suzanne Malveaux. Want to get you up to speed on this Friday, the 13th of May.

The Taliban call it retaliation for the death of Osama bin Laden. Suicide bombers, one on a motorcycle, one on foot, targeted cadets as they piled into vans at a military academy in northwestern Pakistan. That happening today.

The two explosions killed 80 people. The academy is near the border with Afghanistan.

Now, sources say that bin Laden's widows, they're not giving up a lot of information. The three women are described as hostile to their American questioners. The interview took place with Pakistani intelligence officers in the room. And a source says only the oldest wife spoke.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he is going to pump up security around the Navy SEAL team that took out bin Laden. Gates says that the SEALs are concerned about their safety and the safety of their families because details of the raid have been made public.

Rain today across the Mississippi delta is only adding to the flood misery. The National Weather Service says the Mississippi River is at the highest level ever recorded at Natchez and the second highest at Vicksburg. The river is expected to rise another six feet over the coming week.

Well, up river, farmers were just getting their spring crops in the ground when the floods rolled in. This Illinois farmer says that the season is over before it even began.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had some corn planted that's history, that's under water. It bothers me because it's going to be a tough year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: High water may force workers to shut down the Waterford 3 nuclear plant. That is in Taft, Louisiana. Now, if the Mississippi River reaches 27 feet at Taft, flooding would overrun the water intake system that cools the nuclear turbines. It will be close. The crest right now is expected to be just inches shy of 27 feet.

Well, you rarely see this in Taiwan, amateur video showing a tornado near Taipei -- that is the capital -- on the northern end of the island. The twister picked up a van and dropped it on a motorcycle. Reports say the tornado was 20 stories tall, lasted about two minutes.

Libyan opposition leaders are due at the White House in just a couple of hours. The delegation does not expect to meet with President Obama, but rather the national security adviser. The opposition wants to be recognized as the legitimate government of Libya and wants also access to frozen Libyan funds.

Well, the official field for the Republican presidential nomination, it doubled today from one to two. Two candidates now.

Texas Congressman Ron Paul formally announced that he is running for the White House in 2012. He follows former White (sic) House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who jumped in earlier in the week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RON PAUL (R), TEXAS: It's great that I am able to announce in this state, a very special state, because there is so high respect for the spirit of liberty here. So I am very, very pleased that I am once again able to say that I am a candidate for the presidency in the Republican Party primary.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Here's your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the stories that got all of us talking. Today's question: Are politicians revealing a little too much?

TMI, as you like to say, huh, Carol?

COSTELLO: Yes, way too much TMI.

Once upon a time, when you heard from a member of Congress, it was strictly about policy like taxes, foreign affairs or defense spending. Boy, are those days gone. Dignity seems to be out the window. Welcome to the era of TMI.

Check out this tweet from Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill. "I'm tired of looking and feeling fat. Maybe talking about it publicly will keep me on track as I try to be more disciplined. Off to the gym."

It worked for New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. After losing her baby weight, she took to "Vogue" magazine to show off her slimmed- down figure. But it's not just a woman thing. Male lawmakers also seem obsessed with their body politic, or political body, so to speak. Take Illinois Congressman Aaron Schock, proud owner of these six-pack abs on the cover of "Men's Health."

And while we're at it, do we really need to know that Barack Obama is stinky and snory in the morning, or that he hates picking up his dirty socks? It's hard to believe that there was once a time that Americans did not know that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in a wheelchair.

We didn't want them to be like real people, and certainly not sex symbols. But now it's a topic that carries a lot of political weight and one we can't get enough of because, frankly, they won't let us.

So the "Talk Back" question today: Are politicians revealing too much?

Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'm eager to read your comments later this hour.

MALVEAUX: You've got me cracking up. If you want six-pack abs, I think you ought to show them until you lose them. Come on! Because they disappear. They go away.

COSTELLO: OK. So if you had six-pack abs, Suzanne Malveaux, would you pose on the cover of "Women's Health" magazine in a bikini?

MALVEAUX: Well, no, I would not. Those days are over. I wish I could. Let's just say that.

All right. I'm looking forward to the responses.

COSTELLO: Me, too.

MALVEAUX: Thank you, Carol.

Here's a rundown of some of the stories that we are covering in the next two hours.

Twin bombings in Pakistan now killed dozens. The Taliban says it's payback for taking out Osama bin Laden.

Also, a Tennessee man loses everything to flooding, and it's not even the first time.

Plus, Wal-Mart says most of its products are now made in the USA. Well, some industry insiders, they're not so sure about that.

And finally, don't you hate it when this happens?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Meanwhile, other livestock owners --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get it out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Oh, no. A reporter deals with the not-so-glamorous world of broadcasting. Ouch! That looks like that hurt.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: The Pakistani Taliban say twin suicide bombings today were in retaliation for the killing of Osama bin Laden. The attacks in northwest Pakistan killed at least 80 people. Almost all of them were Pakistani military recruits who had just completed their training. About 140 people were injured.

I want to bring in our CNN national security contributor Fran Townsend. She's a former homeland security adviser for the Bush administration, and her firm owns a U.S. military equipment production company.

And Fran, thanks for joining us.

First of all, you see these attacks that are being launched in Pakistan, the Taliban claiming responsibility. They say it's a retaliation for killing bin Laden.

Is this our new reality, the war on terror now turning into a war of revenge?

FRAN TOWNSEND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTOR: Well, Suzanne, let's remember, these sort of attacks against police recruits and police recruiting stations were going on long before the American success in killing bin Laden. And so this is not really anything new. They've just now taken to using this as the latest excuse to target these innocent recruits who are trying to protect the country of Afghanistan and the Afghani people.

MALVEAUX: Do you think that we are going to start to see Americans targeted, whether or not it's in Pakistan, Afghanistan, or even potentially on U.S. soil?

TOWNSEND: You know what? I agree with what CIA Director Leon Panetta said, and that is, look, we ought to expect that. We ought to plan for it. We ought to try and prevent it. But I think you are going to see attempts at retaliation.

Remember, that was the statement Zawahiri issued, al Qaeda issued, after bin Laden's death, is that they would take revenge. And I think we've got to assume they'll be true to their word, if they can, if they can put together the plans and the capability.

MALVEAUX: I want to turn the corner here and talk about the safety of the Navy SEALs that were responsible for killing bin Laden. There has been, Fran, amazingly, what we have seen, an active debate that has spilled out into the public about all of the information being released about these. And this is coming from spokespeople from the administration, the White House. There is concern now that this has put them at risk.

I want you to take a listen to what Secretary Gates said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Well, frankly, a week ago Sunday, in the Situation Room, we all agreed that we would not release any operational details from the effort to take out bin Laden. That all fell apart on Monday, the next day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And Fran, you know, the secretary of defense, he goes on to say, you know, people are worried. The SEALs are worried, they're worried for their safety, for their families.

When I covered you and the Bush administration, you guys ran a pretty tight ship. There was little information that was coming out of the White House unless you wanted to release it.

Does this White House, this administration, have a problem on its hands now that it's released this information?

TOWNSEND: Well, Suzanne, while I'd like to take -- I'd like to take credit, as you suggest, for having had it tighter in the prior White House, I will tell you, we were befuddled and frustrated by leaks of classified information. And as you'll recall, President Bush was outspoken about it.

Do I think they've got a problem they're going to have to deal with? Absolutely. Do I think too much information is out there about the tactical details of the operation? Yes. But I think we've got to be careful.

This is very difficult for the White House to control. There are now enough people in enough different agencies who have some measure of detail. Not all of it, but some. And it's very difficult to get control of it.

And look, we thrive on it, right? We look for the people who are willing to talk to us. And it's a real challenge for the White House.

I understand Secretary Gates' concern for the Navy SEALs. I share that. But some of this -- for example, the stealth technology that was left behind in Pakistan, that was out of our control. And the talking about it, all of the concern about it, once we had to leave it behind, I'm sure the administration understood they were going to have to deal with it.

MALVEAUX: And Fran, the Navy SEALs, even their families, do you believe that they potentially are in danger?

TOWNSEND: Look, as long as their identities, their names, are kept secret, there is not a real discernible, to me, direct threat against those SEALs. Right? So there's no question that the Taliban, al Qaeda, are going to look for Special Forces and try to take revenge, but the particular SEALs who were responsible for the operation, the anonymity of those people is their greatest protection.

MALVEAUX: And we're just getting information from our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. She just sent this, saying that those SEALs were actually wearing those helmets with mounted digital cameras. An official described the digital recording as grainy and fast-moving, poor lighting.

Would it be a problem to have that kind of video released, or is it in the best interest of the Pentagon, the administration, to simply hold on to that and glean whatever information they can get from it?

TOWNSEND: They ought to hold on to it, they ought to use it for understanding sort of after action, the tactics that were used, what was successful, what can be improved on. But under no circumstances should the videotape from the actual raid be revealed because, of course, our enemies could use it to understand the tactics and the methods of our special operators.

MALVEAUX: All right. Fran Townsend, thank you very much. Have a great weekend.

TOWNSEND: Thank you. You, too.

MALVEAUX: More now on the U.S. finally getting a chance to interview three wives of Osama bin Laden. The women, they were left behind after bin Laden was killed in the raid on the compound in Pakistan.

I want to bring in our Nick Paton Walsh. He is live from Islamabad.

Nick, first of all, an official describing these women as hostile towards the American questioners, these interrogators. What do we know about what came out of the interview and how it was conducted? What have we learned?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually, we don't know really anything about what they said. What we do know is that Pakistani officials accept these meetings did happen and that the process, they say, were a number of meetings. These separate meetings will be ongoing in the forthcoming days, weeks, et cetera.

U.S. officials giving more details. They're talking about how these interviews were conducted.

The three women, all interviewed together, and the oldest one of them, 29-year-old Yemeni Amal Ahmed al-Sadah, speaking on behalf of all three of them, through Pakistani interlocutors. So, the Pakistani spies in the room, helping the Americans communicate with these women. U.S. officials also present.

Not exactly ideal interrogation conditions, I'm sure, for the Americans, who would obviously have liked to have spoken with them separately and tried to work out any inconsistencies between their stories, put greater pressure from them, try to exact more information. What we do know so far, the process, still going on, but they haven't learned anything particularly new, say U.S. officials.

MALVEAUX: So we don't know what information came out of the interview, but what makes them hostile? How do we know that they were actually hostile? Were they quiet? Were they frowning? Were they cursing?

What do we know about that?

WALSH: I think you can imagine, obviously, the atmosphere in that room. These are three women whose husband has been shot dead by U.S. Special Forces. Clearly, they'll have their own emotions, their own grief involved in this. Plus, they're sort of there with Pakistani officials, both the people keeping them in custody, and also perhaps the people who may at some point be in charge of their future, repatriating them perhaps back to their homeland.

And then agents of the government who killed their husband in that particular room. So, clearly, a very frosty atmosphere.

MALVEAUX: And Nick, do we expect that U.S. officials will be able to continue to question these women, perhaps they'll get a little bit more information out of them?

WALSH: That's what's supposed to continue. We are led to understand that it's a process that is ongoing. There should be more meetings. We're not sure how long they are for what period of time frame these meetings will be allowed to continue into the future.

But certainly this is key to U.S./Pakistani relations, absolutely at one of the worst points imaginable right now, frankly, after the bin Laden raid. And little teeny chinks of light, cooperation like this, might be what helps bring back some sort of future cooperation.

MALVEAUX: OK. Nick, thank you very much. Appreciate your insights.

Well, going from "Made in China" to "Made in the USA." Wal-Mart says that it has made the switch. But is it true? And what might that mean for you?

A live report from the New York Stock Exchange.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Take a look at CNNMoney.com's lead story: "Biggest Money Losers" among Fortune 500 companies. One of them that they mentioned, Fannie and Freddie. Worst on the list of the second year in a row, who lost the big bucks.

Also, checking out the markets here as well, the Dow Jones now down about 61 points or so. We're keeping a close eye on that.

We are also following a very interesting story. This is about Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart now says that it's returned to its "Buy American" roots. But industry experts, they doubt that.

Our Alison Kosik, she is joining us live from the New York Stock Exchange.

Alison, tell us, is this really happening? Retail giant really switching "Made in China" to "Made in the USA"? Should we believe it?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know what, Suzanne? Wal-Mart is selling more American-made goods, and it's really less about patriotism and more by default, because the mix of goods that it's selling is changing as Americans' buying habits are changing, too.

Look at this. I want to show you this chart here.

It shows just how much stuff Wal-Mart sells. It sells a lot of stuff. We all know that if you just walk through those stores. But the biggest chunk of what they sell are groceries and household goods like detergent, toilet paper, toothpaste, and those products happen to be grown and produced locally.

Those other items like electronics, toys and clothing, that stuff is produced overseas. And it looks like shoppers are buying less of those items and really focusing more on the necessities. So it really is by default that Wal-Mart is selling more American-made goods -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: So, Alison, tell us what this means for folks who are buying at Wal-Mart. They count on low prices. So does this mean that you're actually going to see higher prices now?

KOSIK: It doesn't necessarily mean that. Those low prices will probably stick around because the reality is Wal-Mart still depends on those overseas products.

So the China factor will still be in the mix just because those products are much cheaper. And pricing, as you know, for Wal-Mart, it's really a major focus for Wal-Mart, because their typical consumer is low income, so they want to keep those prices down.

And they've had a rough couple years with sales, as far as sales go. So that's why Wal-Mart has even been cutting prices even more. So no worries. Those China products will still be on the shelves at Wal-Mart -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Alison. Have a great weekend.

KOSIK: OK. You, too.

MALVEAUX: Every day in Vietnam, an estimated 23,000 children are living and working on the streets. They face a daily struggle just to survive.

And that's where this week's CNN Hero comes in. He's an Australian who moved to Vietnam and now gives street kids a chance for a brighter future. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL BROSOWSKI, CNN HERO: Here in Hanoi, kids come to the streets hoping that it will be better than living in poverty in the countryside. But often they find that things are much worse for them here.

You can actually identify kids who are living and working on the streets. They may get detained by the authorities. They may get beaten up. There are gangs selling heroin. We're finding kids being tricked and then sold into prostitution.

It was just a case of I can help, so I should help.

My name is Michael Brosowski. I work in Vietnam with street kids, trying to get them off the streets and back into school and into safe homes.

Hello. How are you?

When we started out, our goal was just to get them back to school. To do that, we realized we would have to take that place of providing an income, food, providing the shelter.

Our center is where the kids know to come. This is where they feel safe. They can join in our activities. They can talk to the staff. And then we've got to make sure they're working towards education or getting a job or improving their health. We've also got to be careful that if the child has a family, that family is as involved as possible.

It's an amazing feeling, getting to watch these kids go from being malnourished and just completely lacking confidence to wanting to make a change. I grew up in poverty, and I often used to think, if I could do something with my life, if only someone would come and give me that chance. Now I'm the guy who can help these kids and give them a chance.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Since 2004, Michael and his Blue Dragon Children's Foundation have helped more than 350 Vietnamese kids get off the streets and into safe homes and schools.

Remember, CNN Heroes are chosen from people you tell us about. So, to nominate someone you think is making a difference in your community, go to CNNHeroes.com.

Well, a record flood moving slowly down the Mississippi. We're going to check in live with our own Rob Marciano in Greenville.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Here's a rundown of some of the stories we're working on.

A new worry along the flooded Mississippi River. That is flash flooding. We've got a live report from Greenville, Mississippi.

Plus, a health concern for actress Mary Tyler Moore. We're going to get the latest on her plans for brain surgery.

And a revealing interview with Chaz Bono. He talks about his sex change and his engagement.

"CNN In Depth: Troubled Waters." Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour is calling out the National Guard as his state copes with its worst flooding in decades. Louisiana, a plea from Governor Bobby Jindal for people likely in the path of the flood to get out while they can.

Our CNN's Rob Marciano, he is with us now from Greenville, Mississippi.

Rob, tell us what is happening where you are.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the rivers continue to rise here. As a matter of fact, it's not going to crest until Monday, if you can believe that. And we're not even really halfway down the state of Mississippi as we continue our journey along with the floodwaters that are historic with this event.

Behind me, a familiar scene that we've seen, especially on the eastern banks of the Mississippi River, another casino that's submerged in water. So, this town, the economy, once again, somewhat paralyzed because of the closing of these casinos.

This used to be the normal riverbank of the Mississippi until they made all these shortcuts in the recent decades. But now the river goes where it wants to go, except where we built these really big levees.

We are on the wet side of the levee, obviously, but look at the size of this levee that protects the city of Greenville. It can take waters up to 75 feet high, and the crest of this river, come Monday, is expected to be 65 feet.

So we're hoping that -- we expect the city to be OK, but there's been a number of leaks along the levees. There's been sand boils that bubble up on the other side of the levees. So the Army Corps of Engineers and the levee board here in Mississippi, constant monitoring and constantly fighting these floods.

Now, of course there's the victims. Just over that way is a community that is submerged under water, much like the Tunica cutoff that we visited across northwestern parts of Mississippi.

You know, the Red Cross is out here doing a great job. One of the things they do is they have mental health workers that come in and talk to and counsel victims of the flood. And we caught up with one yesterday.

Here's what he told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOMINIC DIGIROLANO, MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELOR: I think the immediate reaction to these disasters is, first off, shelter and support, physical support, and the shock of what was going on and reacting to that. I think they've started -- they've gone through that stage and they're at the stage now, as I said, where I think they're ready to move to the next step. They want information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: So they want that information. They want to get out on boats and check out their homes. They're still not able to do that.

But as a long-term event, Suzanne, for these folks, they've been out of their homes for a couple weeks already. It will take a couple weeks just for these waters to get down to the point where they can see their homes, let alone where they can go back in them and find them. And many of them that we talked to said they are just not going to move back to where they were because they don't want this happening again.

Regardless of whether it's a 100-year, 200-year or 300-year flood, which is where we're ranking it now, their nerves are a little bit frayed, and you can imagine just why -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: I can imagine, Rob. Thank you very much. And obviously, we'll get back to you as it warrants, but we wish everybody the best in trying to get through this really difficult time. Thanks, Rob.

Here's what CNN iReporters and affiliates are capturing on camera. First stop, Arkansas. That is where a man in Oneida is trying to protect his home from flooding. He built his own levee. Ricky Davidson says it took him 36 hours to build and 12 hours to drain two-and-a-half feet of water from around his home.

Now to Memphis, Tennessee, where iReporter Bethany Harrell (ph) sent in this video of the Mississippi creeping closer to home on Mud Island. Now, those trees are in a park that is sitting under all of that water.

In Middleton, Tennessee, it's one of those you've got to be kidding moments. Danny Moore's house flooded last year. He lost all his furniture. Well, two weeks ago he was afraid his house would flood again so he put everything he owns into a storage unit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANNY MOORE, FLOOD VICTIM: You come back and your house is still dry. You go check and your storage unit's flooded. There's nothing in the world like it. You think, my goodness, what else can go wrong?

I felt secure by putting it in the storage unit. We put everything in it we could. What you see here is just stuff that we didn't have room for in there. You do what you've got to do, just keep praying and -- sorry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Flooded storage unit. We should also mention Moore lost a house full of furniture and clothes back in 2009. That time was from a fire.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MALVEAUX: Well, if you're not personally affected by flooding, chances are you will be over your lifetime. Now, this is according to FEMA. Flooding is the number one natural disaster in the United States in terms of lives lost and property damage.

Floods cost the U.S. $2.7 billion annually over the past 10 years, and floods happen in all 50 states. Twenty-five percent occur in areas the government designates as low to moderate risk flood zones.

But get this, only 4 percent, 4 percent, of homeowners have flood insurance opinion

Mary Tyler Moore planning to have elective surgery on her brain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Mary Tyler Moore plans to undergo brain surgery. Her representative says the 74-year-old actress has a slow-growing tumor in the tissue that covers the brain. It is fairly common and benign, but Moore's doctor is recommending removing it after monitoring the tumor for years.

Moore became famous in the 1960s for her role in "The Dick Van Dyke Show." She was later known to turn the world on with her smile in her hit "Mary Tyler Moore Show." Love that show.

Chaz Bono is talking about his sex change and his engagement. Cher's daughter-turned-son appears on "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT" in a very revealing, candid interview. Here's a quick look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PIERS MORGAN, HOST, "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT": Will you get married? Have you talked about it?

JENNIFER ELIA, CHAZ'S GIRLFRIEND: I'd like to.

MORGAN: Would you?

Will we, Piers? Will we get married?

MORGAN: Chaz? How about you? There's a gauntlet that's been thrown down.

CHAZ BONO, TRANSGENDER ADVOCATE: I know, right? MORGAN: Now's your chance.

BONO: We've been engaged, actually, for two years and have kind of had to put things on hold a little bit.

I think the other thing is, you know, we both have been real --

MORGAN: I think the lady would like you to get going.

BONO: She would. No, she would. But we've been --

MORGAN: Now that you're a man, you don't have any excuse.

BONO: No, we don't. Except I do -- you know, the one thing we have talked about a little bit is how we're big supporters of, you know, marriage equality. And that's kind of weird now to be able to do that.

MORGAN: Are you legally now able to marry as a man and wife?

BONO: We are, yes.

ELIA: Yes.

MORGAN: And would you choose to do that?

BONO: I think that we -- you know, we probably will and hopefully, people will understand that, you know, that's something we want to do.

MORGAN: Your mother, of course, is one of the world's most famous sex symbols, kind of embodiment of female beauty.

BONO: Right.

MORGAN: Did that make it more difficult for you?

BONO: No, I don't think it really made it. I think that was kind of incidental.

I think it was difficult in that, I think, as a mother and during that time period, she had expectations of how she thought I was going to be, and there was friction between us because of that.

But I don't think it really mattered to me one way or the other that, you know, she was a sex symbol or any of those things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Last week, Mucho Macho came in third at the Kentucky Derby, and his trainer made history, she had the Derby's second best finish for a female trainer. It is remarkable when you consider what she had to overcome to get there.

Here's CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta with today's "Human Factor."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kathy Ritvo's heart was racing during the Kentucky Derby. Well, not her heart, but the one that she received in a transplant two years ago.

Ritvo made it to her first run of the roses as the trainer for Mucho Macho Man, but it was she, not the horse, that was the long shot in this race.

KATHY RITVO, TRAINER, MUCHO MACHO MAN: It would take forever to get over my colds. Any time I got sick, it seemed like, you know, I had to go to the doctors. It just seemed like my system was always weak.

GUPTA: Diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, inflammation of the heart muscle, back in 2001, Ritvo had to stop training horses for nearly six years as her condition deteriorated.

RITVO: Tiredness. I was sick to my stomach. Everything hurt. My feet hurt. My head hurt. I was miserable. I was miserable to be around.

GUPTA: And there was no rest and sleep.

RITVO: I would sleep mostly like with my knees on the floor leaning over the bed just cause I didn't -- it was too uncomfortable to lie flat because I would cough too much cause my heart was not good at all.

GUPTA: She watched the 2008 Kentucky Derby from her hospital bed waiting for a heart transplant. It took nearly seven months, one more of which her doctors didn't think she would survive.

RITVO: It was such a poor quality of life that I was living, and I wanted to stop, you know, what I was doing to my family and either, you know, have a chance of living a good life or, you know, just stopping.

GUPTA: Ritvo left the hospital seven days after her transplant and returned to work six months later. She says while she is extra careful around the dirty barn and unpredictable horses, her only real alteration is taking some 30 pills a day.

RITVO: I am surprised. I'm surprised that I can do everything, you know. I really have a normal life.

GUPTA: A life she hopes others with her condition can see is just bursting out of the starting gate.

RITVO: I hope that they see it and say that not only did I get a heart transplant, but I held on.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE) MALVEAUX: Kathy Ritvo says Mucho Macho Man remains on course to race in the Preakness. That is happening May 21st in Baltimore, and she'll be there as well.

Well, for Ron Paul, he makes it official. He is running for president again. He's doing it as a Republican, not as an Independent.

So what does that mean for the race for 2012? Mark Preston at the CNN Political Desk, he's got all the angles.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Ron Paul is making it official. He is running for president, and he's doing it as a Republican, not as an independent.

Mark Preston, part of "The Best Political Team on Television," live from the Political Desk in Washington.

Mark, good to see you.

Ron Paul, is the second now Republican to announce this week. Tell us what this means.

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes, you know, it means that the Republican presidential field is finally starting to gel.

You know, back in 2007, Suzanne, almost everybody was in, right? We already had some presidential debates where all the candidates were appearing. Everybody was in. The field has been very slow to gel this time.

Ron Paul up in Exeter, New Hampshire today making it official. The 75-year-old congressman from Texas ran in 2008 unsuccessfully. He also ran as a Libertarian for president back in 1988. But he says that his supporters, his Republican supporters, are enthusiastic, and he is in it to win it.

You know, he's very successful at raising money, and so is Michele Bachmann, she's the Minnesota congresswoman who is also considering running. She just put an e-mail out just a couple hours ago. I got my hands on it, Suzanne. Let's take a quick look at what she says in this e-mail, Michele Bachmann who is considering running for president.

"I'm reaching out to you for your help because the liberal media credits me with being a conservative stalwart who routinely leads the opposition to President Obama. That's why the most radical supporters of President Obama's agenda are so committed to defeating me regardless of which office I decide to seek."

Now, what's interesting about this e-mail, in addition to that is she asks her supporters, are you satisfied with the current field of potential Republican presidential candidates. She asks them to take a little bit of a quiz, and then she asks them for a donation. So, Suzanne, Michele Bachmann, we're waiting to see if she's going to run, but at least she seems to be asking for money from supporters if she does run.

MALVEAUX: A lot of clues there that perhaps she is moving in that direction, huh, Mark?

PRESTON: Yes.

MALVEAUX: Another Democratic senator retiring now, I understand.

PRESTON: Yes, Herb Kohl, he was a very quiet senator, a three- termer from Wisconsin, will announce today that he is not going to run for reelection.

You know, this is now the sixth Democrat who has decided to step aside in 2012. There are two Republicans who will not run for reelection.

And you know, Suzanne, what's interesting about Herb Kohl is that not only he has been a U.S. senator, but he's also the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team.

So Herb Kohl on his way out, and probably throughout the day we'll have names of Democrats and Republicans who might want to succeed him.

MALVEAUX: Great. Thank you, Mark. Appreciate it.

For the latest political news, you know where to go, CNNPolitics.com.

Well, we're having a lot of fun talking about today's "Talk Back" question. We asked: Are politicians revealing too much? Carol Costello is back with your responses.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: From tweeting about being fat to showing off rock-hard abs, politicians these days let it all hang out, and it gets us to the "Talk Back" question today with our Carol Costello back with your responses.

Carol, I can't imagine. What are people saying? On a Friday, too.

COSTELLO: It is a fun Friday. Isn't it? Absolutely.

MALVEAUX: Absolutely we're having fun.

COSTELLO: The "Talk Back" question: Are politicians revealing too much?

This from Meghan, "If they want to pose for magazines in their spare time who's it harming? As long as the job they were hired to do is the first priority, I see no problem. It is an added bonus if they're hot."

This from Bill, "It is a way of keeping attention off the real issues."

This from Spanky, "Yes, I live in Aaron (Schock's) district. We don't care how he looks, we care he voted against the bill that would get us money in our warehouse district in Peoria and how Aaron is being a puppet for the Republican and Tea Party."

Joe, "I sure hope Michelle Bachmann shows some skin."

And this from Arthur, "Carol, close one eye, I'm going to take off my shirt for this topic. Oh, no, the blinds were open and lady was walking her dog. She just passed out. So did the dog."

Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll see you in about 15 minutes.

MALVEAUX: If you have rock-hard abs, why not? You know? He's doing his job.

COSTELLO: I personally think there should be some dignity associated with the office of, you know, politician. I don't know, but I'm old fashioned that way.

MALVEAUX: I don't think you're all that old fashioned.

COSTELLO: I don't want to see my congressman half-naked, I just don't want to -- especially mine.

MALVEAUX: I'm not going to even ask who that would be.

I want you to stick around. You and I, I'm sure have had our moments, our bad TV blooper moments, but I want you to see this, check this out.

If you've ever been attacked by a camel, take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TARA MORGAN, WWBT REPORTER: Two of the dogs are in isolation at Hanover Animal Control. Other livestock owners -- get it out!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: She thought he was cute at first. Oh, the cute little camel. No problem. Ouch.

So that's reporter Tara Morgan from WWBT in Richmond, Virginia. She was able to laugh about this attack afterwards. I guess it is just one for the blooper reel.

Carol, I have a blooper reel. You got a blooper -- have you ever had a camel moment?

COSTELLO: No, but a penguin attacked me on camera once. A penguin. MALVEAUX: A penguin attacked you.

COSTELLO: A cute little penguin. I reached out to pet its little head and it bit me.

MALVEAUX: On air? This was all on air?

COSTELLO: On air.

MALVEAUX: OK, I want the tape. Monday, we're taking a look.

COSTELLO: No.

MALVEAUX: We promise you, we're going to bring that tape to you.

COSTELLO: It was in the days before tape.

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: We've been around too long.

COSTELLO: Exactly. How about you?

MALVEAUX: Well, no animals, but we could have a couple riot situations where people are throwing trash on us, crazy stuff like that.

COSTELLO: That's old hat.

MALVEAUX: I didn't have a penguin.

But listen, have a great weekend, Carol.

We're going to have much more fun an news right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Got some breaking news that we want to bring you now. Let's go to the White House, senior White House correspondent Ed Henry who is on the lawn there with some new information, some details about personnel changes.

Ed, what do you know?

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Suzanne.

A senior U.S. official saying that George Mitchell, the president's special Mideast envoy, is now planning to step down. We're expecting the president is going to put out a written statement about that shortly.

The most interesting part of this is the timing. Next week is a huge week for this president in terms of dealing with Mideast policy. The table will be set Tuesday when he welcomes the king of Jordan here to the White House. And then on Thursday, we've just confirmed as well, the president will be laying out that speech that we've been talking about, about Mideast policy, about what is his reaction, what does he think the U.S. role is, trying to bring stability to the northeast and North Africa in light of all the tumult in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, et cetera.

And then, finally, Friday of next week, president going to be hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu here at the White House.

So for George Mitchell, the president's special Mideast envoy, to be leaving right on eve of all of that suggests some real problems right now with the Mideast peace process.

Jay Carney just had an off-camera briefing with reporters in which he was pushing back on the notion that this was a problem. He said, quote, "this president's commitment remains as firm as ever" in terms of a commitment to the Mideast peace process.

But you'll remember, Suzanne, you were here, you know, the first week of this new administration in 2009, President Obama, with great flair, rolled out former Senator George Mitchell who had helped bring peace to Northern Ireland, and said this shows how committed we are to bring Mideast peace. For George Mitchell to be exiting, especially now in the middle of all this other tumult, is a pretty poor sign for the prospects of peace, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And, Ed, talk a little bit about George Mitchell's own frustrations, the frustrations within the administration. I know that recently you have Hamas, and then you have the Palestinian mainstream organization, Fatah, talking to each other trying to move the peace process forward. You have Egypt now talking to Hamas as well. The administration saying this is a terrorist group, we don't think that any of this is progress.

Certainly, it seems as if the administration has been put in a position now where it doesn't really know what to do next or what kinds of steps are appropriate at this time.

HENRY: Yes, and how exactly to bring the key parties together given the added confusion you just mentioned.

I mean, look -- it should be underscored that George Mitchell has long been a public servant beyond the Senate, spending many, many hours, as I mentioned, flying to Northern Ireland to broker that peace, and has spent many, many hours over the last two years flying back and forth to that region, as has Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. So there's a commitment to try to get something done from this administration. Nobody should misunderstand that.

But as you lay out some of the challenges, and this has been -- there have been for decades and decades now to try to get Mideast peace, but there are particularly new difficult challenges that have made it that much harder.

And the final point would be, last September, you'll remember, President Obama brought the Israelis and the Palestinians here to the White House with then-Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and said let's try to get this going, put a deadline of year to get some real progress to the Mideast peace process. Goes without saying, Hosni Mubarak now out of power in Egypt, he was seen as a pillar in terms of bringing the parties together. Now that confusion in Egypt, confusion with Hamas among the Palestinians, it makes this an extremely difficult situation -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right, Ed Henry, thank you at the White House for bringing that breaking news to us. Appreciate it.