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Arnold's Bombshell Revelation; Cashing in on Old Electronics; Critical Levee Showing Stress; Taliban Steps Up Attacks; Apocalypse Nah
Aired May 21, 2011 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Don Lemon at the CNN NEWSROOM in Los Angeles.
There's a lot of news right now, so let's get you caught up.
The rapture was supposed to happen an hour ago -- but so far, it looks like this isn't judgment day at all. An evangelical radio host predicted the rapture would arrive 6:00 p.m. local time this evening. Well, maybe you've seen one of the 2,000 billboards that supporters put up across the country warning us. So far, though, no reports of anyone ascending to the skies -- though there is a volcano erupting under Iceland's biggest glacier.
We're talking about this -- we're talking about the rapture in just a few minutes with actor and evangelical Christian Stephen Baldwin. You don't want to miss that.
In Syria, the brutal crackdown is far from over. A witness tells CNN that four people were killed today after a funeral march in the city of Homs.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
LEMON: The same city was torn apart by violence Friday. Today's assault came as people were leaving a cemetery after burying victims of that bloodshed. The Syrian government has forbidden CNN from reporting in the country, so we are unable to confirm these reports independently.
Tens of thousands of Spaniards defied their government and protested for a seventh straight day on the eve of the regional elections there. The demonstrators are upset over the country's 21 percent unemployment rate. The government made no move to clear them out, despite a court- approved ban on demonstrations the day before an election. Well, Sunday, Spanish voters will elect mayors, along with several regional presidents and parliament.
You won't find many Americans in the war-torn country of Libya right now, except apparently former Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. Look at her. She appeared in an interview today which Libyan state TV claimed was live. McKinney doesn't support the NATO action against Libya, and in the past, she has voiced support for Moammar Gadhafi.
Police in Mexico have arrested the alleged leader of one of the country's most notorious drug rings. Police say Gilberto Barragan Balderas, in the red shirt that you see right there, headed the Gulf cartel which operated a drug route between Mexico and the United States. CNN talked to a former DEA agent just a short time ago who says this arrest is a big deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB STRANG, FORMER DEA SPECIAL AGENT (via telephone): This gang was responsible for large shipments over a long period of time, over 10 years, that were coming from Mexico to the United States. You're talking about cocaine, marijuana. Also because they were able to free up the borders and get control over the borders, there was methamphetamine and heroin that crossed those borders as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Barragan Balderas was also wanted in the U.S. The State Department had offered a $5 million reward for his capture.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF JOHN WHETSEL, OKLAHOMA COUNTY, OKLAHOMA (via telephone): We heard him when he apparently turned around. He was immediately shot before he ever had an opportunity to go for his weapon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: An Oklahoma sheriff's deputy is in critical condition after someone shot him in the head. Now, a manhunt is underway for two men. Police say the men approached Major John Waldenville as he worked an off duty job in Oklahoma City last night. The deputy was making a regular midnight bank deposit for a restaurant and police say there is surveillance video of the attack.
Pope Benedict XVI made history today by making the first call by a pope to the International Space Station. He spoke with Commander Mark Kelly about how technology is used in space could improve the lives of people here on earth. Now, the pope also mentioned Commander Kelly's wife, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head back in January.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE BENEDICT XVI, CATHOLIC CHURCH: I know Mark Kelly's wife was a victim of a serious attack and I hope her health continues to improve.
CMDR. MARK KELLY, GABRIELLE GIFFORDS' HUSBAND: Well, thank you for the kind words, Your Holiness, and thank you for mentioning my wife, Gabby.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, Giffords is recovering in a Texas hospital after surgery on Thursday to replace a piece of her skull.
The former head of the International Monetary Fund got a not so warm welcome at the building where he is crashing. Dominique Strauss-Kahn is staying as someone's guest in a Manhattan apartment. He was released on bail Friday. But the building managers say they weren't told about it and they sent out an e-mail saying he'll only be there a week. Strauss-Kahn is accused of trying to rape a maid last week at a New York hotel. He has resigned from the IMF.
Flooding along the Mississippi River is now cresting in Natchez, Mississippi. It already broke the record in Vicksburg, Mississippi, cresting one foot higher than the epic 1927 flood. A levee north of Vicksburg, near the town of Redwood, is causing engineers a whole lot of concern.
And CNN's Brian Todd is there as crews try to shore it up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It would be beautiful if it weren't so dangerous. Floodwaters of the Mississippi River have engulfed a lake and are threatening this crucial levee. They've caused what officials say is a 200-foot slide where the sheer pressure, the weight of the water, has saturated the underpinnings of the levee and shifted the earth underneath.
(on camera): We're in the middle of a key break in the levee right here. You can see where the erosion has caused the slide of at least five feet from that level down here. You can even see the seepage, very slow. It creeps down here, but very dangerous.
This is what they're frantically trying to fill. The backhoes are over here and tractor here just trying to shovel gravel to fill the gaps.
(voice-over): It's not technically a breach, but that could happen. So, the Army Corps of Engineers rushed in dozens of dump trucks full of gravel. Crews on backhoes and bulldozers worked 24/7 to shore it up.
Peter Nimrod of the Mississippi Levee Board says the stakes are enormous.
(on camera): If this levee fails, what's in the path of the water?
PETER NIMROD, MISSISSIPPI LEVEE BOARD: Well, if this levee would fail, you know, we would have all this water here on the riverside would inundate the land side, the protected side of the levee. It would be well over 1 million acres flooded. You'd have multiple towns under water. You'd have thousands of homes under water. You'd have, you know, people just displaced from their homes for a long period of time. So, it's very, very important that we hold this levee together.
TODD (voice-over): Alligators and snakes have been pushed up against the levee as well. So, if there's a breach, the floods could carry them even closer to residential areas.
This isn't just a last line of defense. Deputy Sheriff Jason Bailess says the road is also the only artery they've got to save some residents isolated by the floods.
(on camera): So if this fails, these people in Eagle Lake are cut off?
DEP. SHERIFF JASON BAILESS, WARREN COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI: Right. They would be cut off and our only way to get in to them would be by boat.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Let me go now to Brian Todd. He joins us live from near Redwood, Mississippi.
So, Brian, the question is, even if the levees hold, officials are warning that the floodwaters are really full of other hazards, aren't they?
TODD: That's right, Don. We're standing in the middle of some of those floodwaters with some of those hazards. We're in Redwood and this road's closed. You can see, this is an off-ramp to an interstate. The roads here are under water.
What the governor of Mississippi, Haley Barbour, has said in recent hours is that water around here, they've taken samples of it, and the E. coli levels are about 200 times the normal level in some areas. He said it better than I ever could, he said, that stuff's nasty. He's absolutely right.
This is what they're faced with -- a potential health hazard. Possibly some security concerns as well, Don, because in Vicksburg near here, we're told law enforcement is patrolling the streets day and night, making sure that none of the abandoned homes and businesses are broken into.
That's something they're going to be dealing with probably for a while, because floodwaters aren't going to completely recede until maybe mid-June.
LEMON: Brian Todd, great reporting from Redwood, Mississippi. And, Brian, make sure you stay safe as well. As we said, a lot of hazards in that water, so pleasing safe out there.
Let's turn now to our meteorologist Jacqui Jeras in the CNN severe weather center.
Jacqui, more rain in the forecast. You saw all that water Brian was standing in.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
LEMON: How worried should people be along the Mississippi right now?
JERAS: Well, not as much on the Mississippi as, say, the Ohio River and some of the smaller tributaries. We think that's where the heaviest rain is going to be pouring. At this point, I'm not thinking it's going to be enough to bring the Mississippi up much, but it could be enough to prolong, you know, maybe staying a little higher for a little longer.
Now, let's talk about where the river is, as we speak. And the best thing I can tell you is that if we didn't have a drop of rain for the next three weeks and everything stayed and held with all the levees and the spillways, the worst of this thing would be winding down right now. So, that's the positive side of all of this.
While we have crested in Vicksburg there, we're still almost 14 feet above flood stage; almost 15 there in Red River Landing; and we're cresting still, so to speak, in Baton Rouge. And New Orleans, and that's that kind of, you know, man-made crest that we've been talking about, holding it steady in New Orleans at 17 feet.
Now, let's talk about where the rainfall's going to be in the next five days. And the heaviest accumulations are likely going to be in the middle of the Mississippi River valley and the Ohio River Valley. But you got to keep in mind that the Ohio River dumps into the Mississippi River, right? And then, eventually, it all makes its way towards the Gulf of Mexico. So, we'll be a little bit more concerned about maybe places in Indiana like the Wabash River, the White River. We'll be watching the Ohio, and, of course, as this all heads downstream.
I would actually be more concerned, believe it or not, if we got a tropical storm that could develop, Don. Remember, hurricane season is right around the corner, June 1st. If we had a tropical system into the Gulf of Mexico to bring heavy rain, that certainly could be very detrimental to this area.
The other thing to keep in mind is even though we're cresting or crested, Don, in this area, we do still have the river above flood stage all the way up into the boot hill of Missouri. So, those waters, even though they've seen the worse of it, they continue to stay high, still way upstream -- Don.
LEMON: All right, Jacqui, stand by, because we'll be following this for quite some time. Thank you very much.
Now this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALI UR REHMAN, TALIBAN COMMANDER (through translator): We love his mission, which is not dependent on any one man. We loved him because he was courageously fighting against America and its allies. We have to continue his mission.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: A Taliban group says they're operating in the name of Osama bin Laden in the wake of his death, and the recent spike in attacks is no coincidence. That report is coming up next.
And ahead, Doomsday did not happen -- at least not yet. There's actor Stephen Baldwin. He's going to join me here and he's going to give us his explanation as to why. See you in a bit, Stephen.
And many of you have been sending us and asking for information through social media. You can reach out to us on Twitter, on Facebook, on CNN.com/Don and on Foursquare.com/DonLemonCNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The sharp spike in Taliban attacks since the death of Osama bin Laden is no coincidence. Taliban leaders say they're now operating in his name.
Here's CNN Stan Grant in Islamabad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STAN GRANT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Taliban has launched a series of attacks since Osama bin Laden was killed, the latest targeting a convoy of vehicles from the U.S. embassy. There was a car full of explosives, and it detonated as the convoy passed by. At least 11 people were injured, two of those foreigners. All of those injuries were not serious, although one bystander, a civilian, was killed.
The Taliban is vowing to continue these attacks. They're going after American and NATO targets. And they say they're going to finish the job that Osama bin Laden started.
REHMAN (through translator): We love his mission, which is not dependent on any one man. We loved him because he was courageously fighting against America and its allies. We have to continue his mission because we love his mission more than the man.
GRANT: The Taliban also warning that Pakistani targets will be high on their list. They say that Pakistan is doing the bidding of the United States, calling the government weak and that they are going to test its resolve.
At the same time, the Pakistan government has been fending off claims that it was shielding Osama bin Laden, that some within the military or the intelligence, perhaps, were colluding with him. This is an old allegation that Pakistan has had to deal with and it plays a double game.
On the one hand, aligning itself with the United States and taking money, while on the other, also having ties to the insurgents.
But the interior minister rejects that out of hand.
REHMAN MALIK, PAKISTANI INTERIOR MINISTER: We never played a double game. We are sincere from the day one. Maybe we are not that efficient as U.S. is, but believe me, my heart breaks when somebody blames my country that we are playing double game. Do you think, Stan, that we lost 30,000 innocent people, did we ask al Qaeda, did we ask Taliban to kill us? GRANT: Rehman Malik now saying that the relationship with the United States is turning a corner. He's looking forward to more cooperation, more respect and intelligence sharing and joint operations.
Stan Grant, CNN, Islamabad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. Thank you very much.
If you haven't heard by now, the rapture did not happen. Actor Stephen Baldwin is next to tell us what exactly did go wrong with this. We'll talk to Stephen in just a bit.
But, first, a classroom structure hasn't changed much over the years -- teacher in front, students at their desks taking notes, maybe waiting for the bell to ring. In this week's "Perry's Principles," CNN education contributor Steve Perry takes a look at a new method where the kids are in charge.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALES: The synapses in my brain connect, then I learn.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you guys stand up and do it with us?
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: The students are teaching class today at the Beardsley School. The pupils? Their teachers.
This role reversal is part of a revolutionary program developed by the National Urban Alliance or NUA.
(on camera): How do teachers respond to having kids tell them how to teach?
ERIC COOPER, PRES., NATIONAL URBAN ALLIANCE: They love it, primarily because it really gives them an understanding of the strengths that the students have, as well as where the gaps are that need to be filled in.
PERRY (voice-over): The training is broken up into two parts. First, an NUA representative leads a session on creative teaching methods for both students and teachers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ready? Set? Go.
STUDENTS: Neurons are the brain cells, the brain cells, the brain cells.
PERRY: Then the kids take over.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll only give you about two minutes. So, go.
PERRY (on camera): You're working in some of the lowest performing school districts in the country. What is it that you hope to gain? YVETTE JACKSON, NATIONAL URBAN ALLIANCE: It's not just so that the students feel empowered. It's so that the teachers se what unbelievable wealth of potential these students have.
PERRY: Today, you guys were teaching. Was that cool?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
PERRY: What makes you think you'd be a good teacher?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They always teach us. So, it's good to teach them for a change.
PERRY (voice-over): Cost of the program is split between the NUA and participating school districts. More than 250 students and 15 schools around the country have participated so far. The NUA says students' performance has improved in the classroom, and they're currently sponsoring formal research to confirm that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think teachers need to know they should keep on trying and keep on teaching the kids no matter what.
PERRY: Steve Perry, Bridgeport, Connecticut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE DOMINICK, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: If this doesn't happen, then everything that you believe is false.
TOM SHALLASH, JUDGMENT DAY BELIEVER: It will happen.
DOMINICK: But if it doesn't --
SHALLASH: It will happen.
DOMINICK: But if it doesn't?
SHALLASH: Guaranteed.
DOMINICK: Doesn't.
SHALLASH: Guaranteed.
DOMINICK: Bet you $20 right now it doesn't happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Today was supposed to be the last day. According to Harold Camping, an 89-year-old preacher in California, Christians were to fly up to heaven today in a biblical event commonly known as the "rapture." It was supposed to start in the U.S. about 90 minutes ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I definitely do not think the world will end tomorrow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I say just chill. Let the days go. I don't think anything is going to happen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not worried. I've got to go to work. I'll enjoy my weekend.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is going to happen. Jesus is going to come back, but not on tomorrow. I mean, he could come back tomorrow. He could come back any day, but the Bible does not predict an exact date. And when somebody does predict an exact date, they are usually wrong because the Bible warns us not to try to predict a date, but instead just to be ready.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
LEMON: OK. Well, so far, we have not seen anything out of the ordinary.
Actor Stephen Baldwin is an evangelical Christian and he joins us now from New York.
So, Stephen, what do you make of all the Doomsday hoopla?
STEPHEN BALDWIN, ACTOR: Well, I think it's exactly that, Don, hoopla. I tweeted something last night, which was unequivocal proof that I believe that this prophecy was not going to come to fruition. In two words, I tweeted that the reason we're not going to disappear today is "Oprah Finale." I don't think the Creator's going to end the world, Don, before we've seen the Oprah finale.
LEMON: So, you think Oprah has that much pull with the man upstairs, right?
BALDWIN: Something like that. She's everywhere.
LEMON: Listen. Stephen, I have to ask you -- for the people who did fervently believe that this was the day, right, how does that test their faith? Does it test their faith?
BALDWIN: Well, obviously, I mean, I met a young man in a restaurant up where I live, up the Hudson River from New York City, had the shirt on, the whole thing. And I stopped leaving the restaurant, I said, "Brother, do you really believe that?" Even though most truly born again-saved Christians who are baptized in the Holy Spirit, they will say that according to Scripture, Mr. Camping's prediction is totally inaccurate.
And the normal thought process is, if it doesn't line up with Scripture or if that Scripture is interpreted in a way that is just so out of left field, it's probably not the truth.
LEMON: Well, you know, we hear them all the time. This is nothing new. End of time predictions are not new. So, why did this one, you think, Stephen, get so much attention?
BALDWIN: The only logic I have there is social media. You know, if you can reach out to enough people and try to convince them of something -- that, you know, coupled with the fact that Camping has a huge radio ministry on the East Coast in particular. I've heard him take phone calls and talk to people. He's somebody I've heard a lot in the past.
LEMON: Yes. And, you know, you're right about social media. And I think that deserves to be sort of analyzed a little bit, and we're going to do it a little bit later on in the show. But I've been watching Twitter and, you know, end of days, end of times confessions into the world, confessions have been going on.
The funniest one I got that I re-tweeted Steven was a guy who said -- I said, "What was your confession?" He said, "You know that label on the mattress you're not supposed to rip off? I did it, Don." So, that was his confession.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Had you ever heard of Harold Camping before now?
BALDWIN: Yes. I -- you know, he's -- again, he's got that real distinct voice, and he's on several hundred radio stations across the country and he's been around a long time. All I can say is this, and I'm not trying to be mean. If you ask me, the fellow's a little bit creepy.
Again, there is the true Christian experience, and the Bible warns of the false Christian experience. And if somebody makes a prophetic statement and it doesn't come true or doesn't come to fruition and, apparently, Mr. Camping has done this before. So, I just think in these times when people are really kind of searching and freaking out, you know, these types of things can happen.
LEMON: Well, you know, and correct me if I'm wrong, Christians do believe, in the rapture. Yet many denounced Harold Camping. And you just said it, it was a false teaching. People are saying that he's a false teacher.
Why is that?
BALDWIN: Well, it just -- it gets back to the true Christian experience is confirmed for the believer when the presence of the Holy Spirit is operating in their life. There's a confirmation that happens in the spirit of that dynamic. And for myself, that's very real and true, for myself personally.
I only came into that experience when I stopped trying to pursue my Christian faith my way, and actually went to God's word, went to the Bible, and as authentically and humbly and submissively, as I could, really try to pursue it and have the experience God's way and not my way. When that happens, then it becomes very, very real.
And usually, the only -- there's lots of other helpful books and materials, but the Bible is the key. And there's some other materials you can reference that will demonstrate that true Christian experience as well.
LEMON: Hey, Stephen, I have to run. Short answer: how are the brothers, the whole acting family? Everybody doing well?
BALDWIN: Everybody's fantastic. And I want to make a suggestion to you, one of those books is right here, young man. It's called "Ain't No Grave." It's about Brother Claude Ely.
This is a wonderful book. It's blessing me right now, and I want to share it with everybody. This is a demonstration of the true Christian experience.
LEMON: All right. Thank you, sir.
BALDWIN: Thanks, Don.
LEMON: Even said like the Southern accent, like a preacher.
Stephen Baldwin, glad you're still here, glad I am and the world is as well. Good sport. You're a good sport. Thank you.
BALDWIN: Absolutely. Bye-bye.
LEMON: Some serious news to report now: a suspect is accused of assaulting a policeman and stealing his car -- and, yes, it's all caught on tape. You'll see it play out, next, here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Checking stories across the country now.
Police in Summerville, South Carolina, say a 38-year-old suspect is accused of assaulting a cop and stealing his squad car. They say he admits to being high on crack cocaine during the chase and capture. The whole incident was caught on tape. Police say the suspect has a long criminal history.
Next, patrons of a bar in Baltimore say they've heard just about everything when it comes to salty language.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF LEWIS, BAR REGULAR: A bar's a bar, man. You expect a bar, you hear (bleep).
CHRIS KOZAK, BAR OWNER: I think anyone would come up with this idea if they sat in here long enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, to cut down on potty mouths, owners of the Mt. Royal Tavern have come up with a cussing bucket. They charge 25 cents every time someone curses. $1 if it's a bartender. And so far they've collected about $110 which they donated to a local charity. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was crazy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And bombs away at the Air Force Academy in Colorado. The high-tech warriors of the future took part in low tech battle of dodge ball. All 4,000 cadets took part in a massive dodge ball fight in hopes of setting a new Guinness world record. The Academy officials say a couple of cadets came up with the idea. A way to blow off some steam involving 1,000 dodge balls.
And from dodging balls in Colorado to dodging traffic in Arizona, an SUV, look at this video, unbelievable, runs over a mother and a stroller carrying her four-year-old daughter. But guess what? My gosh. All is OK. They both survived with scratches, even though the toddler somehow had tumbled underneath the SUV.
Well, Scottsdale police dropped charges against the driver after seeing the video, finding a large vehicle obstructed his view of the family trying to cross. Wow. Glad they're OK.
OK. Aside from all the late night jokes about Arnold Schwarzenegger's revelation of fathering a child with his housekeeper, what was he thinking? Maureen O'Connor of gawker.com coming up with her thoughts. You ready, Maureen?
MAUREEN O'CONNOR, GAWKER.COM: I'm ready.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Let's check tonight's headlines.
The crest of the flooding Mississippi River, well, it really has now reached Natchez, Mississippi. Look at all that water. That's about 100 miles north of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Even though the water is not expected to rise, it's not expected to go down, either. Stressed levees may have to hold up to a few weeks more, a lot longer here. Health officials warn the floodwaters are extremely dangerous with E. coli levels up to 200 times higher than normal.
Police have released the 911 audio from a drowning that left three children and their mother dead. Investigators in Newburgh, New York, say Lashanda Armstrong drowned her children and herself in April after learning their father had been unfaithful.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need a dive team to respond to Gully's. Right here on the boat ramp.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a vehicle in the water with a mother and child. They got the boat down, our boat down there right now. They're trying to find the vehicle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're in the car?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're in the car.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And we know what happened after that. We know what happened after that. The oldest child, a 10-year-old boy, was the only one who survived.
Astronauts on the International Space Station took an unusual call today, Benedict XVI was patched through to the station, becoming the first pope ever to speak to astronauts in space. The pope expressed his concern to space shuttle commander Mark Kelly, whose wife, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is recovering after being shot in the head in January.
Animal Kingdom came up short at the Preakness today, ending his run for horse racing's triple crown. The Kentucky derby winner finished second, losing to Shackelford. That's 12-1 long shot. That 12-1 long shot led wire to wire for the victory after finishing fourth in the derby. The last horse to win the triple crown was Affirmed it was back in 1978.
OK. I want you to listen to this now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY FALLON, HOST "LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON": Oh, man, this Arnold Schwarzenegger story just keeps getting worse. There are now rumors that Arnold had a second secret child with a different woman. I know. I can't believe Arnold would cheat on his mistress like that. I just can't believe it. I won't believe it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. You know, it's giving late night hosts like Jimmy Fallon weeks' worth of material. The jaw dropping revelation that Arnold Schwarzenegger fathered a child with his long-time housekeeper 13 years ago. That's what we're talking about. He managed to keep it a secret for a long, long time, but now it's out of the bag, and it probably means the end of his marriage to Maria Shriver.
So let's bring in now Maureen O'Connor. She's a staff writer for gawker.com, a site that's gotten a whole lot of clicks over the scandal. So, Maureen, how did he keep this under wraps for so long? That's what people want to know.
O'CONNOR: It seems that Arnold's own family didn't know about this. Just this morning the "New York Post" reported that the child himself, the child of the housekeeper, didn't know who his real father was. He called his stepfather dad his whole life. So he kept the public from knowing because he kept everyone from knowing, it seems.
LEMON: It seems they both kept the secret. So you know what this brings to mind, Maureen, some other infamous cases of powerful men with kids on the side, doesn't it?
O'CONNOR: Sure. I mean, we heard shortly after Strom Thurmond's death, we heard that the pro-segregation politician had actually fathered a child with his maid, an African-American woman back in the 1920s. So we've definitely heard of, you know, powerful men who end up having sexual relationships with people they have power over and potentially having children.
LEMON: Yes. And you know there's an angle here that we haven't heard a lot of discussion on, and this housekeeper was his employee. Is there an issue here of sexual harassment in the workplace? Because she worked in his home.
O'CONNOR: You know, I think it's interesting that the conversation hasn't reached that point yet. But in fact, that is her workplace. We've definitely heard about Arnold in professional contexts having inappropriately sexual advances towards women, about him groping people that come to interview him or that work with him. He seems like he has a long-time reputation of being somebody that sort of takes advantage of opportunities, sexual opportunities, wherever they are.
LEMON: And we're going to talk more about this, as you see it there at the bottom of your screen, our CNN NEWSROOM special "Sex, Lies and Arrogance." It airs tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. We're going to go into that. So listen, let's talk real quickly here, something a little bit lighter and funnier. I'm still here, you're still here, it seems the East Coast is still there, after 6:00 p.m. Eastern time. Gawker has been all over this rapture story.
O'CONNOR: We have been keeping a running tally on everything that mysteriously disappears today and thus might be in heaven with god right now. My car keys this morning, missing. Might have gotten raptured away. So we're waiting to see what else happens next.
LEMON: I'm understanding that you have a very interesting story with Stephen Baldwin when you saw him there today at CNN. Do you mind sharing it? Is it something appropriate for our viewers?
O'CONNOR: Oh, well, when I met him just now in the green room at first I didn't recognize him and I was so surprised. But we've made fun of him on gawker but he says he's a fan. He's a good sport about these things.
LEMON: Yes. Well, Gawker has a mission to sort of push the envelope a little bit, so you have to realize Gawker's a little bit tongue in cheek, and so that's what happens on Gawker. Thank you very much, Maureen.
O'CONNOR: We're equal opportunity. We tease everyone.
LEMON: Yes, Maureen O'Connor from Gawker.com. Thank you very much. Glad you're still around, glad I am too.
Are children in this country doing as well in school as they should? Especially in science and math. A CNN special report on education in America is coming up at the top of the hour. And we'll have a preview for you on that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We have some breaking weather news, straight to CNN's Jacqui Jeras. Jacqui, I hear that there's a tornado, a report of a tornado and you're going to tell us about it. Where is it?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, this is a suburb of the twin cities in Minneapolis, St. Paul, near a suburb called Medina. Weather spotters are reporting a tornado is on the ground. We haven't heard anything about damage, but this is a very dangerous situation. This is the area that we're talking about, and it's moving up to the north. So it's moving away from the downtown area, but could be pushing into areas like Maple Grove. So a serious situation involving right now in Minnesota, the twin cities, suburb of Medina. Trained spotters reporting a tornado on the ground. You need to take cover immediately. We'll keep you up to date as information comes in. Don.
LEMON: Yes, good advice, I was going to say, follow that advice and take cover. Jacqui Jeras will be back to report if we get any more information. Thank you, Jacqui.
Are your children learning, really, enough in their science and math classes? If not, it could be because many states lie to parents about children's proficiency. CNN's Soledad O'Brien has a preview of her special report on the state of education in America.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maria, what is the ratios of the 45?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The one, the one and the radical two.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Maria wants a career that pays well and is pushing herself and her school to get it.
MARIA CASTRO, STUDENT: I was like, well, why isn't anybody challenging me? I would do a whole week's lesson in a class period. And I was just like, OK, this is too simple to me. It's like, OK, what's next?
O'BRIEN (on camera): Do you worry that when you go off to college you're not going to be prepared to compete?
CASTRO: Yes, and especially like with this example, English, we're learning things like how to capitalize and when to capitalize. I mean, that's things that my little sister should be learning, you know?
O'BRIEN (voice-over): It's because more than half of the 2,200 students at Maria's school don't pass statewide tests in reading and math.
FREDI LAJVARDI, TEACHER: When they come to school, they come with a fourth grade reading level and behind in math. So we really have a lot of catching up to do. CASTRO: It's just my little sister and I.
O'BRIEN (on camera): Because everybody's older.
CASTRO: Yes, everybody moved out.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): She's the sixth of seven children.
CASTRO: All of my brothers and sisters were straight-A students.
O'BRIEN (on camera): And they went from being A students to -
CASTRO: Dropping out. My sister, she got pregnant when she was younger and like everybody was kind of just expecting me to follow into their same footsteps, you know?
O'BRIEN (voice-over): Everybody, including her father. She overheard him two years ago at her (INAUDIBLE) her 15th birthday party.
CASTRO: He was like, it's just a matter of time before she fails.
O'BRIEN (on camera): Fails.
CASTRO: Yes. He was just like - it doesn't really matter what she does right now. I mean, she'll eventually give up.
O'BRIEN: Did it motivate you in any way?
CASTRO: Yes, it did.
O'BRIEN: It did?
CASTRO: Yes. Now it's like, OK, if I'm going to get straight As it's not just for you anymore, it's for me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And you can see more of Soledad O'Brien's documentary, "Don't Fail Me, Education in America." It's at the top of the hour right here on CNN. "Don't Fail Me, Education in America" right after this broadcast, right here on CNN.
You know, a lot of us have old cell phones, iPods and cameras stuffed in drawers somewhere. Ahead, our tech guru Katie Linendoll will show you how to turn those old electronics into cold hard cash. My house is a shrine to old cell phones. I'll say that now. After the break, we'll talk to Katie.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. What do you do with the old electronics when you buy the hot new things, right? A lot of us just stick them in drawers or closets, but you could cash in on them. Did you know that? This week Amazon announced that it's going to start buying back used gadgets. And it's not the only web site doing it. So let's talk about it now with tech reporter - I like to say nerdy tech guru Katie Linendoll. She's here to help us get the best deal. So nerdy tech guru Katie Linendoll, how do these sites work?
KATIE LINENDOLL, TECH GURU: Yes, the trading in of old unwanted gadgets and I know you just mentioned you had a ton. It's formerly known as re-commerce and it has been gaining a lot of popularity especially over the last year or two when we are upgrading at such ridiculous rates. And believe it or not the average household has about $100 in unwanted tech lying around. So why not recycle and do the right thing but also get paid to do it
Well, that's what these re-commerce sites are all about. Amazon just jumped on board because it's not just lucrative for them but it can also be lucrative for you. And I actually want to show you a number of different sites that you can actually cash in on. Because again, Amazon is not the only one.
My favorite is gazelle.com. Gazelle offers 22 different categories for cashing in electronics. And they don't just give you credit. Like Amazon only gives you an Amazon.com credit. Gazelle actually sends you a check or a gift card. Also one out there is ecosquid which is kind of like the Expedia. It will actually go through a number of different sites to get you the best deal. Also flipswap.com and recellular.com are two great sites for cashing your phone specifically.
But I just listed a number of different web sites. There are also some retail locations that a lot of people don't realize will buy back your old electronics. Best Buy offers a program. Now when you check out an electronic device, you have an option to actually purchase into the buyback program. If you take that specific device back into the store in x amount of weeks or months, they give you an x amount of money back. And also places like Target, and Radioshack and Gamestop will also honor trade-ins.
HOLMES: All right. Katie, listen, I've got to ask you real quickly. How much money are we talking here, real quickly?
LINENDOLL: Money per gadget, well it definitely depends. So for the iPad, it just broke a record number of cash ins for the original. You can get upwards of about $350 for an iPad. Droids and Blackberries are going for about $50. Nintendo DSIs because the 3DS just came out, you can get upwards of $50 for that one too. So here's the deal. You go to these different sites and you kind of get the best bid. Because you have to fill in the working condition of the electronic gadget. Get the best price possible and go to as many as you can.
LEMON: Yes, good information, Katie Linendoll. And of course, you should always be concerned about your personal information. So try to wipe the device or take out the SIM card out before you actually turn it in.
LINENDOLL: Yes.
LEMON: Thank you, Katie. Appreciate it.
LINENDOLL: Thank you. LEMON: All right. Rich men who make poor decisions. Why is it that guys with wealth and power often end up hurting the people they love the most? A preview of tonight's special report "Sex, Lies and Arrogance," straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. More now on our breaking weather news. Look at the pictures coming to us from KARE in the twin cities area. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras, Jacqui, update us on the breaking news.
JERAS: Yes, we continue to track a possible tornado here, Don. We did have a report of a touchdown about half an hour ago and the most recent report we've see is a funnel cloud in the Plymouth area. So some other cities in the twin cities, suburbs being affected by this. It's going to be Champlain as well as Enoka and possibly into the Ramsey area. This is moving up towards the north. This is the direction that it's going. To put it in perspective for you here.
Here's Minneapolis-St. Paul. These are northwestern suburbs pushing away from the downtown area. But this is a very populated area. The rotation is being indicated right near i-94 right where we have been seeing these tower cams and it's also producing quarter-sized hail and torrential downpours as we've been watching through.
Take a look at the camera there. You can see how heavy that rain is. People are pulling over because they can't see in this dangerous storm. You need to be seeking shelter now. This is kind of an isolated storm right now. Not within the watch box. So we are not expecting widespread severe weather for the twin cities tonight. But this one storm does remain extremely dangerous and a warning in effect until the top of the hour. It could be extended though, just so you know. Don.
LEMON: All right. Jacqui, thank you very much. Stay tuned to CNN because we'll follow this news for you.
I want to tell our viewers that coming up at 10:00 p.m. Eastern here on CNN, a special report, it's called "Sex, Lies & Arrogance." We'll look at why men behave badly and the issue of marital cheating.
Susan Candiotti has been covering developments in the sex case of Dominique Strauss-Khan and she joins me now live with a preview of what would be coming up in the special. So Susan what do you know about the apartment where Strauss-Kahn is now?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, we are hearing that this is an old renovated high rise close to Ground Zero. And in fact, it used to be the corporate home of U.S. Steel. According to an e-mail that was sent to residents and obtained by CNN, Dominique Strauss-Kahn is described as under indictment and is the guest of a leaseholder and adds this, "We were not consulted" and tells residents "he will be staying here until early next week."
LEMON: OK. So Susan, I have to ask you. What do we know about the apartment, we know about that. But what about the neighbors complaining? I read a report earlier saying the neighbors complained and they sent out an e-mail.
CANDIOTTI: Well, you know, some of them aren't happy at all. The media is camped out across the street. A police car is out front. Security has been stepped up. Some complain they don't like the idea of him being in their building. And some suggest even that he still belongs in jail. Of course, still others don't care, Don.
LEMON: How long is he going to be there?
CANDIOTTI: Well, probably until early next week. In court they are saying about four or five days until he's moved into a more permanent apartment. And unless he has a medical emergency he cannot leave. When he moves to a new place he can leave if he gives the court six hours' notice. He's under court-ordered 24-hour watch by a security firm, the very same company that was used to monitor Bernie Madoff before he went to prison.
Now Strauss-Kahn's attorneys say he wants the media to go away, but they are here from several countries and really, it's just not likely to happen, Don.
LEMON: Susan, we had a breaking news, we're almost off the air but are we learning new details?
CANDIOTTI: Well, bit by bit. From the maid, we're hearing through police and prosecutors say the evidence is mounting. Strauss-Kahn issued a written denial that he is completely innocent and he says prosecutors have it all wrong. Now there are some new details that we have learned and we'll have that for you at 10:00 tonight.
LEMON: All right. Thank you very much, Susan.
I'm Don Lemon at CNN in Los Angeles. Soledad O'Brien's special report "Don't Fail Me, Education in America" is next.
But before we go, I have to say this. It's been a very busy week for me. I've been all over talking about my new book "Transparent." If you would like to see the interviews on CNN or on the "Joy Behar Show" or the Dr. Drew show on HLN, make sure you log onto our blog at cnn.com/don.
Thanks for all your messages of support. And thanks for tuning in to CNN. I'll see you back here at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. Make sure you have a great evening. Good night.
