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New Details Emerge on Bin Laden Raid; U.S. Talking to Bin Laden Widows; Analysts Claim Education Reform Must Include Teaching Children Skills For Future Jobs; Southern States Prepare For Flooding Along Mississippi River; "Two And Half Men" to Replace Charlie Sheen With Ashton Kutcher; Analysts Speculate on a Mike Huckabee Presidential Run

Aired May 13, 2011 - 15:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And hello to you all. We are going to restart here at the top of the hour.

I'm T.J. Holmes, in today for Brooke Baldwin.

The raid that took out Osama bin Laden, we still continue to get more and more details about it. Now we are hearing that it was actually captured on camera, tiny cameras that were mounted on the helmets of those SEALs that went in. These are some of the new details this hour about the video that was taken inside the compound during that deadly mission.

A U.S. military official describes much of it as fast and violent, also hazy. To give you an idea -- now, this is not the video. Let me make that crystal clear. But this is just to give you an idea of the kind of video we are talking about. We dug this up as an example of some of this nighttime helmet cam video, gives you an idea of the quality of the stuff the military is combing over right now.

This is similar technology used by the SEALs during that raid on bin Laden's compound. You can see here this helmet cam video, when it's shot in dark conditions, it is pretty grainy, not a lot of detail it to, but still they are going over it bit by bit to try to piece together all the things that went on inside that compound, piece it all together.

We are going to be getting more on this in just a moment from our Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence. He will join us live here in just a minute.

Also on the bin Laden front, claims today of the first attack to avenge the killing of Osama bin Laden. At least 80 people were killed in twin suicide bombings in Northwestern Pakistan. The Pakistani Taliban says it staged the attacks to avenge bin Laden's death, but Pakistani police not so sure about that. The target, Pakistani military recruits in these suicide attacks.

Listen now to our report from our Stan Grant, who was at the scene in Pakistan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STAN GRANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Taliban did this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Taliban.

GRANT (voice-over): That one word enough to strike terror into people here, the militants claiming responsibility for this carnage, revenge for the killing of Osama bin Laden, they say, and warning of what is to come.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shooting.

GRANT (on camera): Shooting?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shooting.

GRANT (voice-over): Both men were Taliban. One came on a motorcycle. The other was walking, this man says. "We shot him. Then he ran and exploded the bomb."

All around, debris, a testament to the ferocity of the attack, shattered buildings, blown-out cars, here blood visible on the ground.

(on camera): And these are parts of a motorcycle here. You have the mechanism that is used to kick-start the bike, the strewn wreckage. And this is the badge off the bike itself, the CR-70.

(voice-over): The scores of wounded rush to nearby Peshawar Hospital, a scene of grief and chaos. The number of dead counted in the dozens in the hours after the attack rising throughout the day.

Witnesses tell of the moments when dual suicide bombers shattered the morning peace.

"I heard an explosion and I rushed to the road. Four minutes later, there was another one," this man says. "I saw people dead and injured."

(on camera): Even hours after this attack, you can see the military is still very edgy. There is a line of them here. They have been pushing back any of the onlookers who are trying to come down to this scene and especially keeping a very close eye on these buildings along here.

(voice-over): The attackers targeted this military training center. Members of the Frontier military police had just finished a nine-month program. These vehicles lined up to collect them, this car carrying a prayer that God will make their journey safe.

But it was a journey many would never take, almost all of the dead young recruits, victims of what some say is Pakistan's double game, killed by the Taliban to avenge Osama bin Laden just at the very time the military here is denying claims it was hiding him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: All right, want to bring in our Stan Grant now, reporting for us live for us in Islamabad right now.

Stan, you have got one group claiming that they did this to avenge Osama bin Laden's death, Pakistani military coming in to say, we don't think so necessarily. So do they have a suspect?

GRANT: Well, the Pakistan Taliban, certainly the people that we spoke to are saying that they are behind it.

Others that I spoke to on the ground also saying they believe it was the Taliban. I think you saw in the story there one member of this Frontier military police saying they actually fired at these members of the Taliban as they came in to explode these suicide bombs.

There's certainly a feeling on the ground that it was in fact the Taliban. However, there had been ongoing operations throughout that area. It's a militant stronghold, al Qaeda and Taliban hiding out there. Those operations have been aimed at trying to drive the militants out of the region. There is some suggestion that perhaps as well perhaps as being revenge for Osama bin Laden, this may also be a retaliation for those ongoing military maneuvers.

But it is a very, very complicated picture here in Pakistan, T.J. You have different elements within the Taliban, itself, which often even don't agree with each other, a history here of the intelligence service and the military accommodating militants on the one hand, while going after them on the other.

If it sounds complicated, then that is the reality. It is complicated, but, of course, people in the meantime caught in the crossfire -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right, Stan Grant for us live in Islamabad, we appreciate you, as always. Thanks so much.

And back to that bin Laden raid. We were talking just a moment ago, more details coming out about it. And now we are learning that it was captured on video. The cameras were on top of the helmets, on the helmets of the SEALs that went in.

Let me bring in our Pentagon correspondent now, Chris Lawrence.

Chris, always good to see you.

What do we know about what was captured, how much? Are we essentially talking about there is just about all of the raid on video?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, T.J., pretty much that, unless something went wrong with an individual camera here or there.

All of the SEAL team were equipped with these digital cameras that were mounted on the helmet. We spoke with a military official who knows about it and has talked to folks who have seen this video. He says don't expect something that is movie-quality. He said, remember, it is dark, almost no light whatsoever in that room, in that compound.

He also says it is hazy. And by the fact that it is mounted on their head, the SEALs rarely stare at any one thing for any length of time. They are constantly looking around, scanning rooms, looking here and there. So, the video is constantly moving.

He says any glimpse of Osama bin Laden on that tape would have probably been brief. And based on what has been seen on those tapes and in that video, the SEALs probably would not have recognized Osama bin Laden right off the bat. They would have obviously seen that he is a very tall man standing in front of them, but they probably would have had to get right up on him to see his face close up before actually identifying him as Osama bin Laden.

HOLMES: And, Chris, how -- I guess, how tightly guarded are these videotapes, if you will? Give us some insight as to how this works, how many people they are allowing to see this video, and how do you keep stuff like this from getting out? It seems like everything leaks out in Washington at some point.

LAWRENCE: Exactly. And there was some talk that possibly some portions of this tape could be made available to the public at some point.

But, T.J., you also had on one hand Defense Secretary Robert Gates really coming out publicly saying that the concern, the overriding concern is to protect the identities of this SEAL team, and he feels there's just been such an intense amount of interest in this, and so many officials talking about operational details, that he feels there is a real fear, if people keep talking and we keep showing things, that there is a chance that the identity could come out.

Now, the chief of naval operations said today that he is absolutely certain that they can protect these SEALs and their families, but it does sort of maybe dampen the prospects of ever seeing video, especially when you consider one person's video will probably have other SEALs in that video.

HOLMES: And , you know, you actually just teed up this sound we're going to use. You're talking about from Secretary Gates. Let's go ahead and listen.

LAWRENCE: Yes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT GATES, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: 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)

HOLMES: OK. Chris, what does mean, it all fell apart? How does it fall apart going from the Situation Room, everybody agreeing we are not going to talk about this, and it seems like they -- everybody immediately ran to some microphone or we're getting releases of some kind to give as many details as they could?

LAWRENCE: And the story was changing day by day by day. The information was changing.

Now, in all fairness, let's not be too hypocritical . We are reporters. We're the ones asking these questions. We're the ones pressing our sources to give us more details about this.

You know, our networks are promoting these new details. So, you know, we have all got a hand in this. And people are so fascinated by this case and want to know the details. This is something a lot of people have been waiting 10 years for and want to know down to the detail exactly what happened and who did this mission.

So, yes, in the days that -- after President Obama made that announcement on Sunday, all these details started coming out. Remember, we didn't even know the U.S. military had a stealth helicopter until this mission occurred and it turns out they were using one.

So, details like that have been coming out very, very frequently since the announcement was made.

HOLMES: All right, good perspective there at the end, the reporters asking those questions, trying to make sure we get those details out. And like you said, everything changed on Monday. Chris, good to see you, as always, our Pentagon correspondent. Thanks so much.

And to our viewers, take a look here. You remember this, marijuana plants that we found growing outside of Osama bin Laden's hideout? Our Nic Robertson discovered the pot plants shortly after the raid on bin Laden's compound.

Well, it turns out -- guess what else was discovered in that compound? Apparently, somebody else was keeping pornography in that house. U.S. officials telling Reuters that there was a porn stash found in the compound it was extensive modern, as they describe it. They are not sure whether it belongs to bin Laden or maybe somebody else in that compound.

Also, you have seen the video. Here it is now. This is the one that really fascinated people of the videos that the U.S. military and U.S. government released. But this of bin Laden wrapped in the blanket watching himself on TV here. He changed the channel every time President Obama was shown on that screen.

ABC News now reporting that bin Laden wanted to kill the president, but that the vice president was not on his al Qaeda's list, wasn't on his hit list, at least. Reports say bin Laden felt the office of vice president was not important enough to warrant an assassination.

Meanwhile, American investigators may make another run at Osama bin Laden's widows. They have already talked to three of them. We are getting some details from a senior Pakistani official and two senior U.S. officials that the women are described as hostile toward the Americans -- not really a shocker there.

The oldest of the widows doing most of the talking for all of them. She did not give up a whole lot of information. We are told that the American investigators may try to talk to the widows once again.

Now this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GATES: We are looking at what measures can be taken to pump up the security.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Yes. They took down America's enemy number one. Now some fear they could become target number one for revenge.

Up next: What goes into protecting U.S. Navy SEALs and their families? And could their covers ever be blown? We will tackle that.

Also, this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looked like a lake. I heard when it was windy, it white-capped, just like a lake.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you don't respect it, it is not forgiving.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: They are talking about the mighty Mississippi, men braving the flooded Mississippi as it races downstream. And CNN gets on board. It gets on board the boat, goes along for one rough ride. Stay with me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, we have the first public comments about Osama bin Laden's death from the man who first launched the manhunt for him.

Former President George W. Bush quoted as saying: "The guy is dead. That is good. Osama's death is a great victory in the war on terror."

Now, according to ABC News, Bush did not take any credit for himself. He said -- quote -- "The intelligence services deserve a lot of credit. They have built a mosaic of information piece by piece."

The former president said he was at dinner when he got the following phone call from President Obama saying -- quote -- "Obama simply said, 'Osama bin Laden is dead.'"

Mr. Bush's reply, "Good call."

Well, the Navy SEALs who carried out that raid on Osama bin Laden are concerned now about their safety for themselves, their families.

Chris Heben is a former Navy SEAL sniper who spent time near Abbottabad, Pakistan, where bin Laden was killed. He is here with us now.

Chris, appreciate having you.

Just your initial thoughts on hearing that they now have some concerns, with all the media coverage and the details coming out, just your thoughts on hearing some SEAL members say they have concerns for themselves and their families.

CHRIS HEBEN, FORMER U.S. NAVY SEAL: T.J., first of all, thanks for having me.

HOLMES: Yes.

HEBEN: That is a very real concern. That is, without question, probably the number-one priority that these guys have on their minds right now, that the operation is done. They performed flawlessly. Right now, it is: We need to be protected. Please protect us.

HOLMES: Now, Chris, give us insight some into a SEAL's psyche. In this world of reality television, where you can be a star and get all kinds of acclaim for not even doing anything, quite frankly, in this kind of world we live in, SEALs are not built that way. They are not doing what they do for the glory.

HEBEN: No, absolutely not.

These guys are the -- quote, unquote -- "quiet professionals." These guys are the best at what they do. They train ad nauseam, over and over again. They are -- just like the trident that we wear on our chest, the eagle in the trident has his head bowed. Our heads are bowed in deference to our nation. We are at the service of our country.

And that is all that we need to know, that we are called upon to do a task like this that was this monumental, and we performed it flawlessly.

HOLMES: Well, would you say we are doing a disservice? And I say we, you could throw the media into and maybe even the administration. Are we doing a disservice by wanting so many and going after so many of the details, and also a disservice by some in Washington by putting some of these details out?

HEBEN: I think we are almost to the point where we are starting to do these guys a disservice. I understand that the world needs to know, but we don't need to be too candid.

Let's agree to have a certain level of divulgence and then stay the course and not divulge anything farther than that. These guys, they want nothing better right now than to be with their families and to share this moment with their loved ones and then get back to work.

That's priority number one, is just getting some R&R briefly, and getting back to work. That is all these guys do.

HOLMES: Now, speaking as part of these details, one of new things we got out -- now, we're not going to get too deep into it here -- but the idea that this entire operation was caught on camera, video camera, these digital cameras.

I know you have one you can show us here, but, essentially, these are mounted on to their helmets.

HEBEN: Yes.

HOLMES: Now, we showed an example a little while ago of what it might look like, but you can actually -- the video might look like -- but you can show us what the actual -- what the actual camera might look like there.

HEBEN: Yes, T.J., as you can see, I have got a ballistic combat helmet here.

In the front, you have got a really small camera.

HOLMES: Yes.

HEBEN: It has got some pretty high resolution to it, but let's face it. It was the darkest night of that month. It is night-vision, so you have a green hue upon things and things are very grainy and very pixilated.

So the camera is here. The opening is a scant millimeter. It's about one millimeter in diameter, very small. You have got a feed line here that goes all the way to this unit that does a number of things. It gives power. It gives you storage capability and it also gives you that RFID, that radio frequency I.D. tagging through this antenna.

So this signal probably went to one of the helicopters that was close by, because that helicopter had a lot more juice to be able to beam that signal up to the satellite or up to whatever air asset was loitering.

So, this is -- I want to preface that this is not the exact helmet that was worn. This is merely an example of a system that could be worn. These systems were born under the training environment. Guys would wear these into training in order to get a "down to the every minuscule detail" assessment of how that training evolution went.

It is that whole "perfect practice makes perfect" concept.

HOLMES: And now that video is being pored over for more information.

Again, it's a -- you know those guys were moving around. It is not, like they say, movie-quality, but, still, they're probably slowing that down and enhancing it, getting the best idea and more details about exactly what happened in that compound. (CROSSTALK)

HOLMES: Go ahead.

HEBEN: Yes.

And, T.J., I would to say, too, there is --

HOLMES: Yes.

HEBEN: -- there is a little bit of a discrepancy. People are -- people are saying, what happened to that 25 minutes that got dropped?

Well, what people need to understand is, is, this system here is not a very robust system.

HOLMES: Yes.

HEBEN: It uses an analog system.

And, as such, it can be walked on or talked over by other what we call bullying systems. When we are doing an operation of this magnitude, we have systems in place that is their sole job for that system to jam any other frequency that's going to walk over those established frequencies and recognized frequencies that these guys are utilizing.

That includes a frequency of that dog that we are all so enamored with, and a very good story, by the way. So, these systems could have been walked over and shut down by these bully systems that are preventing any outside sources from getting in to -- destroying that operation.

So, it is very, very plausible that 25 minutes could have been lost, but we all know that these systems have inherent storage capabilities. So, safe to say that there is video out there from many different sources. And I know that it was brought up that the SEALs are moving their heads. That is very true. Guys are looking for work.

HOLMES: Yes, fascinating stuff and fascinating capabilities that certainly these guys went in with.

Chris Heben, we appreciate you taking the time with us today. You enjoy your weekend, all right?

HEBEN: Thank you, T.J.

HOLMES: All right.

Well, we're at 20 after here now. And you will know this saying, right? If at first you don't succeed, you try, try again. That is exactly what Ron Paul is about to do. He's in for 2012. But we're getting some maybe surprising news today about who is possibly out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: Well, taking a look now at some stories making headlines, former Senator George Mitchell is resigning his post as Mideast envoy. Mitchell has been President Obama's point man in the region since 2009.

Most recently, Mitchell has been trying to keep the Israeli and Palestinian peace talks on track, but the veteran mediator's efforts have yielded little progress so far. And the White House says Mitchell is stepping down for personal reasons.

Well, Georgia cracking down on illegal immigration. A short time ago, the governor here, Nathan Deal, signed a new bill into law modeled on one adopted in Arizona. You remember that one. The new law here in Georgia allows police to question certain criminal suspects about their immigration status. Opponents plan to sue.

And the official field for the GOP presidential nomination doubled today. So, now we got two. Texas Congressman Ron Paul formally announced he is running for the White House in 2012, and not running as an independent this time. He will do so as a Republican. This marks Paul's third run for the White House. His announcement follows one made by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. He jumped into the ring earlier this week.

Well, coming up next: taking on America's failing schools.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have basically had a 19th century model of education that is not preparing enough young people to be successful in the 21st century global economy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: All right. Our Soledad O'Brien now is going to show us the creative and even fun way that students are getting psyched about science and math. Yes right, Soledad.

(LAUGHTER)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Yes.

HOLMES: No matter what, I'm at least psyched to talk to you after the break.

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: Come on back with us, folks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, a CNN documentary premiering Sunday night looks at the crisis in our public school system and why America's financial future is at risk if students cannot excel in math and science.

Here now, a preview of "Don't Fail Me: Education in America With Soledad O'Brien."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

O'BRIEN (voice-over): This is a robotics competition that brings 50,000 high school students into stadiums across the country. The purpose is to inspire kids to take challenging math and science classes to prepare them for the high-tech jobs of the future. It is what American public schools often fail to do.

ARNE DUNCAN, U.S. EDUCATION SECRETARY: We basically had a 19th century model of education that is not preparing enough young people to be successful in the 21st century global economy.

O'BRIEN: Among this year's competitors, Maria Castro, Brian Whitehead, Shawn Patel.

MARIA CASTRO, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: I want to become a solar engineer and go to Stanford university.

O'BRIEN: Junior Maria Castro is a student at the mostly Latino Carl Haden high school in Phoenix, Arizona. The average family here makes less than $30,000 a year.

Guitar player Brian Whitehead is from middle class Seymour, Tennessee.

O'BRIEN (on camera): Are there classes that you are not able to take because they're not offered in the school that you'd like to take?

BRIAN WHITEHEAD, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: Well, I guess any AP classes at all.

O'BRIEN (voice-over): Sophomore Shawn Patel is from upper middle class Montgomery, New Jersey. The son of Indian immigrants, Shawn is already taking two AP classes, which leaves him little time for his favorite hobby, dancing.

SHAWN PATEL, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: I'm taking (INAUDIBLE) honors, Spanish 4, AP U.S. history 1, AP statistics, English honors and chemistry honors.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: All right, Soledad O'Brien joins me now from New York.

All right, Soledad, let's solve this problem right now in education right here --

(LAUGHTER)

O'BRIEN: OK.

(LAUGHTER) HOLMES: -- in the next minute we have here on the air.

(LAUGHTER)

O'BRIEN: Deal. Bring it on.

HOLMES: Is the argument that we are not preparing the kids for the jobs of the future, right? We put them in the classroom and throw all of the stuff at them, but we have to get them specifically the tools that they are going to need for the jobs that are going to be there.

O'BRIEN: Yes, what has happened is that the manufacturing jobs have left America. We have been training kids for jobs that no longer exist here. The jobs that exist, two million, according to the secretary of education, are jobs that involve and require technology and higher level math skills. Americans cannot fill those two million jobs right now, because we lack the technological expertise the do it. It is a crime when you consider the unemployment figures.

So it is true. We are not preparing the high-schoolers for those jobs that actually exist right now, and we are preparing them for jobs that have already left America. Those jobs dot do not exist. And we need to train them to be strong in STEM, science, technology, engineering, and math.

HOLMES: And it is tough for the kids to buy into them, because the kids find them difficult or not sexy, frankly, sometimes.

O'BRIEN: Well, that is where the robot competition comes into play, because people find it exciting just like football competition, so you do everything that you need to win, and train and prepare and make sure you are in good shape and all of the things that go to the competition. Kids who win a robot competition, these are really exciting because 50,000 people are cheering in the stands and it is amazing thing.

These kids if they want to win, they have to build the best robot, and nay have to understand calculus, and physics and be good students of this, so that the theory is to make it cool and interest, and these kids certainly who are involved in this first competition have absolutely bought into that.

HOLMES: At the end of the day, all of the kids the same? You kind of highlighted some of the differences in the backgrounds and what not, which are stark, but at the end of the day, all of the kids want the same thing?

O'BRIEN: Yes, I have discovered around the globe that all kids want the same thing and people want the same thing. They want to do better than the generation before and they want safety and security, and we are the same.

A lot of what is happening today is that there is a global economy and people are looking at the success around the world, and people have looked at the success of the United States and said, we want that, and if the United States does not educate the children better other people will take those jobs simple as that.

HOLMES: We have solved the problem.

(LAUGHTER)

O'BRIEN: Well, I don't think that we have solved it, but we have framed it.

HOLMES: We know what we need to do. We just have to figure out how to do it. Framing it is the big part of the problem. You will see Soledad, "DON'T FAIL ME: EDUCATION IN AMERICA" Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. right here on CNN with our Soledad O'Brien.

Coming up next, it is a done deal. "Two and a Half men" has a new man. Yes, Ashton Kutcher. Is this the right choice though? Smart choice maybe by the show's producers? We will get into some of those questions.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right, disaster in the making, a slow-churning disaster and slowly churning down the Mississippi right now. Look at this stuff, folks. Mississippi is dealing with the worst flooding in decades. The state's governor has now called in the National Guard.

Louisiana's Governor Bobby Jindal urging people who live in the path of the Morganza spillway to get out while you have the time. He says that the army corps of engineers may open up the spillway as early as tomorrow to avert water away from Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

Meanwhile, up north, Illinois farmers were getting the spring crops in the ground when the floods destroyed everything. One Illinois farmer says that the season is over before it even got started.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITCHELL MCCLAINE, FARM FLOODED: We had some corn planted that's history. That's underwater. It is bothering me, because it is going to be a tough year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, adding to the misery in the region, heavy rain is falling in the Mississippi delta The National Weather Service says that the Mississippi River is at the highest level ever recorded in Natchez and second highest ever recorded in Vicksburg, and the river is expected to rise another six feet over the next week. Our Patrick Oppmann is talking to one man who knows this river so well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMAN, CNN ALL-PLATFORM JOURNALIST: Morning breaks on the Mississippi river. Towboat captain Keith "Flash" Menz has been navigating the waters for over 30 years, but a flooded Mississippi means a late start to this trip for him and the crew of the Merrick Jones.

KEITH "FLASH" MENZ, TOWBOAT CAPTAIN: It is easier in the daytime to tell what you are doing than it is at night. The current affects you tremendously. And you have to be able to recognize it quickly so you can react to it.

OPPMAN: Captain Menz has to navigate through the wall of floodwater raging downstream. Danger is a constant companion during the 24-hour journey from Vicksburg, Mississippi to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Treetops peek out where banks once stood. A shipyard is sunk under water. And those are people's homes sacrificed to the tide. The bargemen say they no longer recognize the river they have been on for years.

OPPMAN (on camera): These barges carry feed for farmers and petroleum for gas stations. But the current is pushing this barge so quickly downstream it can only carry half a load, a ripple effect that will be felt far beyond the shores.

OPPMAN (voice-over): Deckhand David Rhoden has seen the effects of the flooding at his home in Missouri.

DAVID RHODEN, DECK HAND: My house sits up three concrete blocks high off of the foundation, and it is flooding. And when it is windy, it white capped just like a lake.

OPPMAN: Never underestimate the power of the mighty Mississippi, says Captain Mends.

MENZ: If you don't respect it, it is not forgiving, and you to be aware that it does change as night and daily, and hourly, and every minute of the day. It is always changing.

OPPMAN: As day fades, the towboat slows. Night on the flooded river is now too dangerous to travel further. The Merrick Jones will have to wait until dawn to reach Baton Rouge. But these barge men say they will deliver the cargo come hell or high water.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: OK, Patrick Oppmann with me from Vicksburg. Remind us, you said it in the piece, how long it takes for them to get down the Baton Rouge, and how long to make it back up?

OPPMAN: Well, it took much, much longer, because it is strange, T.J. with the current pushing and they make it more dangerous. They are concerned about going under the bridges and the nighttime we have to stop, because it is going to take them twice as long to go up and back from the river, because it is going to take them twice as long to go up and back from the river, because they have lighter loads and that means carry less and bring less up which raises costs on a lot of the items that we end up using in our daily lives. So the ripple effect will spread out and out and out as long as the river is rising here.

HOLMES: Patrick Oppmann doing some great reporting here in this devastated region. We look forward to more of the reporting. And of course, the viewers can find more of his reporting and other reporters out there on the field.

Meanwhile, take a look at this. It's been two months now of the brutal crackdown and nearly 900 civilians killed between March and now, and pressure is mounting on the U.S. to take action in Syria, as thousands are taking to the streets. That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right, we told you this week now the government of Syria is beginning to claim that it has the upper hand against protesters. Syria has barred journalists, so it is hard to get information out of there. But we got these pictures today, and here are hundreds of people chanting against the president Bashar al Assad. And the sentiment is spreading, but here is something that we have not seen up until now. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, here the government force is using tear gas today on a group in Damascus, and this is a rare show of force in the capital. Up until now Damascus has remained calm, so this could be significant.

Also today, a U.N. official said that the clashes since march have claimed up to 850 people, and here we are about to see a tank open fire in a city full of homes. Take a look.

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HOLMES: Now, apparently, this video was from yesterday. We have no reports of casualties anywhere in Syria today. In fact, here also was the same city with a peaceful protest today.

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HOLMES: All right, so this appears to be the story from Syria today, peaceful government protests here in the cities. The government is still responding at times at least with force.

Well, also, coming up, a serious threat possibly to the career of Tiger Woods. Some questioning whether this could actually be the beginning of the end of an era for the golfer. Certainly after what we saw happen in Florida yesterday a lot of people are asking those questions.

Also, maybe, third time is the charm for "Two and a Half men." Producers have found a new man. That is Ashton Kutcher, and he will be replacing Charlie Sheen on that show. What do you think about that? Is that the way to go? Good choice, bad choice? That is next.

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HOLMES: All right, we've got big changes for the CBS hit show "Two and a Half men." Ashton Kutcher is filling the gap left by the winner himself, Charlie Sheen. Kutcher hinted at the news yesterday. He is asking his followers what's the square root of 6.25? Well, you do the math in your head and the answer is 2.5. Sheen is already sounding off about the choice. He says Kutcher is talented and he predicts the show will tank.

OK, so is Kutcher the right guy for this job. Let me bring in Steve Battaglio, the business editor with "TV Guide" magazine. Good to have you here. We hear that he's replacing Sheen. He's not going to play the same character. Do I have that right? STEVE BATTAGLIO, BUSINESS EDITOR, "TV GUIDE" MAGAZINE: No, he will come in as a new character. We don't know what that is yet. This is not like "Bewitched" when they had one Darryl Stevens one year and then suddenly there was a guy in the same role. It will be a new character.

HOLMES: OK, two different ways to look at it -- just judging strictly by his talents, what he's able to do. And then the other side is that, this guy has a nice following he can bring to that show.

BATTAGLIO: That's really true. First, he is -- he's a personable, likeable guy who has done multi-camera comedy. He was on star of "That '70s Show." And he became popular enough to have a little bit of a movie career. Plus, he was one of the first on the Twitter bandwagon. He has six million followers so he knows how to bring an audience with him.

But will the show be as funny as it was when Charlie Sheen was on? A lot of that has to do with the writing. This is a very joke- ridden show and I think that Ashton Kutcher is talented enough.

HOLMES: How much are they going to pay this guy?

BATTAGLIO: I can't be certain. I don't think it's going to be nearly as much as what Charlie Sheen was making. And I would venture a guess that it will be the highest paid sitcom on television after this deal.

HOLMES: Is there a danger here, no matter how talented this young man is, but this show seems to have been based on Charlie Sheen, his character, his personality, his wit. No matter how good the writing is, can the show survive without Sheen?

BATTAGLIO: It's a new era in television where it is very, very hard to launch big hit TV shows. So it is worth the risk to keep two and a Half men alive and bring in another star to see if you can keep it going, then to launch something new. That's what CBS wanted to do here. They are meeting with advertisers to present their fall schedule and wanted to say we still have "Two and a Half men," the top rated comedy on television, and we have a big star that a lot of people know and like.

HOLMES: Steve, we appreciate you being here. It's been a long day for you. Everybody wants your expertise on this. This has been the buzz in and around Hollywood. We appreciate you taking your time out with us.

BATTAGLIO: It's my pleasure. Thank you.

HOLMES: He is topping several GOP polls, but is that enough to push former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee to run for president? Some surprising news out today on the campaign trail. We will get it all. The madman Wolf Blitzer is standing by after the break.

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HOLMES: All right, it's getting closer to the top of the hour. We're checking in with Wolf Blitzer right now with the latest from the Political Ticker.

Wolf, how are you doing?

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Good, T.J.

Let's talk presidential politics. It's been a big week already. Newt Gingrich announcing that he is running, Ron Paul announcing he's running, Mitt Romney responding to a lot of criticism.

Now the focus of attention is on Mike Huckabee. Look at this poll we did for potential Republicans' choice for the nominee in 2012. Huckabee is at the top at 16 percent and then Trump, Romney, Gingrich, 10, Ron Paul, 10 percent. So a lot of people are wondering what is going to happen to Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor.

His executive producer of his TV show on FOX says tomorrow night he will be live on FOX and will tell all of us whether he will create an exploratory committee to run for the Republican presidential nomination. We don't know what his answer is going to be.

If you read a lot of the tea leaves, the impression I get is that he probably will not run this time. He's making some money really for the first time in his life. He seems to be enjoying that gig. He just started a new company. He actually moved from Arkansas to Florida, establishing his residency in Florida. Maybe that's something that would be good for a presidential race, Florida being such an important electoral state. I guess we'll wait to see tomorrow night.

A lot of his aides who worked for him four years ago have gone to work in other campaigns, whether it's Tim Pawlenty's campaign, maybe Michele Bachmann, some are working for her. So it's unclear what he's going to decide to do, but my gut tells me he's at the top tear candidate for that nomination right now. We'll see what he decides to do and wait for his answer.

HOLMES: You know, that's a good way you put it, Wolf. A politician is not sometimes a lot of money in it when you're doing local politics and whatnot. You say for the first time in his life, he is making money and he's got a pretty good setup right now. BLITZER: I feel the same way about Sarah Palin. She's made millions and millions and millions of dollars, some say $20 million, maybe more, since giving up her job as the governor of Alaska where she was making $150,000 a year. So she's made a ton of money on her books, her TV deals, her speaking fees.

Huckabee is making a lot of money right now, certainly much more than he was making as governor as Arkansas. And it's hard to walk away from that kind of cash, although we will see. We will see what both of them do. She might run, Sarah Palin. Mike Huckabee might run again. And if they do, we will obviously cover them. If not, they will continue to be presumably FOX News analysts.

HOLMES: Wolf, your gut is often correct. You have been doing this a little while.

Wolf, good to see you, buddy. We will see you again here shortly.

Another update coming your way in about 30 minutes.