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Mitt Romney Announces Presidential Campaign; Casey Anthony Trial Continues
Aired June 02, 2011 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, everyone. I'm Brooke Baldwin.
Did you know his first given name is Willard? He is Mitt Romney. And, as of right now, he is an officially declared candidate for the president of the United States of America, Mitt Romney going straight for Barack Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He says this: "I'm just getting started."
(LAUGHTER)
ROMNEY: No, Mr. President, you have had your chance. We, the people on this farm and citizens across the country, are the ones who are just getting started.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Romney's rolling out his 2012 run for the White House in New Hampshire, site of the first presidential primary, also right next door to Massachusetts, the state where he served as governor.
Let's go straight to Candy Crowley, chief political correspondent.
And, Candy, how did it go up there today?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, he had a pretty perfect day, albeit a little windy.
He had a speech that, as you played parts of it, was very, very tough on President Obama, and he had a good crowd. The question is, can you sell it all across New Hampshire, can you sell it all across Iowa? And this is a man who intends to run this time on jobs and the economy.
He is literally selling his credentials, that he has been a businessman, he says, who has created jobs. He's been a Massachusetts governor and he says has a successful run there. So, he's going to run as the experienced one against a president that he says has -- he's spent too much money and not created enough jobs. So, he set the plate. He also sent a signal to those who are on outskirts of this and not yet in it's getting time. He is as close as it gets to a front-runner in this race. And if he is off and running, it is very close to the time that others have to either get in or stay out.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Or stay out.
I know, Candy, you have been there all day long. But I want to give the folks at home a flavor, a little bit more as to what Mitt Romney said up there in New Hampshire. Let's watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMNEY: And in the campaign to come, the American ideals of economic freedom and opportunity need a clear and unapologetic defense, and I intend to make it.
Did you know that government, federal, state and local, under President Obama, has grown to consume almost 40 percent of our economy? We're only inches away from ceasing to be a free economy.
I will cap federal spending at 20 percent or less of the economy and finally, finally balance the budget.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
ROMNEY: Now we're going to return the responsibility and authority to the states for dozens of government programs, and that will begin with a complete repeal of Obamacare.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
ROMNEY: You know, if you want to create jobs, it helps to have actually had a job, and I have.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
ROMNEY: I'm going to make our business taxes competitive with other nations, modernize regulations in bureaucracy and finally promote America's trade interests. It's time for a president who cares more about America's workers than it does about America's union bosses.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, as you sit there, Candy Crowley, you're listening to his words, a lot of time going straight for President Obama, never mind all the other Republicans running or potentially running for president.
CROWLEY: Right. And it always sort of starts out that way. I think there's two factors at play here. One is, he is the front-runner, often referred to as the weak front-runner. But, nonetheless, he's got name recognition. He's been raising a lot of money. He's gathered up a lot of chits since the last time he ran four years ago.
So, he's a front-runner. And when you're -- that's where you are, you set your sights over the fences. You set your sights as the man you ultimately want to meet in the general election.
But, having said that, it's also true that, at this point in the campaign, we have only seen one debate. These guys have not really engaged one another. It will -- it will get to that eventually, but always a front-runner wants to kind of stay above that and go toward the goal that they're looking for, which is in September of next year to be the person standing there up against President Obama.
BALDWIN: Well, guess who else is about to turn up in New Hampshire and guess who had some -- some words for Mitt Romney today? Here she is.
(LAUGHTER)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: I think that he will have maybe a bit more of a challenge with the independents who make up the Tea Party movement wanting to make sure that we're not going to -- we won't have any excuses or perceived political reasons to grow government. We can't afford it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Couldn't avoid it, the Palin factor here.
Candy, I know you have been talking to the Romney camp. What do they say about Palin turning up in, off all places, New Hampshire on Romney's big day? She says coincidence -- others, maybe not so much.
(LAUGHTER)
CROWLEY: Maybe not so much.
But he tossed it off. And he was asked, saying, what do you think about her being in the state? And he basically said, hey, it's that time of the season. People are going to be in and out of the state. That was sort of the gist of it. He just didn't pay that much attention to it.
They're very intent. This is a very disciplined campaign and a very disciplined candidate. He doesn't want to answer many questions that aren't in sit-down interviews. And he doesn't want to be pulled off message by anything Sarah Palin might have to say.
BALDWIN: Candy Crowley holding down the fort for us in a very windy New Hampshire today. Candy, thank you. (CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Candy mentioned the debates. Wanted to make sure we let you --
CROWLEY: Thank you.
BALDWIN: Thank you -- we let you know about this.
Right here on CNN Monday, Mitt Romney and other Republican hopefuls are going to be gathering to size one another up, debate all the issues at stake here, the New Hampshire presidential debate, CNN, Monday night, June 13, only right here on CNN.
And, you know, we just mentioned how Sarah Palin is making headlines on Mitt Romney's big day. And somewhere there in the midst of all those bodies -- look at this video here with me -- in the thick of things somewhere is the former governor of Alaska. Word got out today at Boston that she was walking the sites along Freedom Trail.
And so there she is. She's signing hats. She's signing some T- shirts. And I want you to take a listen to something. She's doing a little riff on the midnight ride of that original, the original Tea Party patriot, Paul Revere. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PALIN: He who warned the British that they weren't going to be taking away our arms by ringing those bells and making sure, as he's riding his horse through town, to send those warning shots and bells that we were going to be secure and we were going to be free and we were going to be armed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: History lesson from Sarah Palin on the midnight ride of Paul Revere?
Keeping you in the loop here, we are waiting for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to steep in front of the microphones. There are pictures from him from Tuesday. He's expected to address all the outrage that has percolated over these last few days of his use of the state helicopter to go to just a couple of innings to his son's baseball game. We're monitoring the scene. We are going to bring it to you live.
Also, this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Remember what I told you about all the people coming out there to crucify you for this because of all the lies that you have been telling us.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: Detectives taking the stand in the case, the Casey Anthony murder trial. And they accuse her of lying. You will hear the tapes, their fiery interrogations, tapes that could be a huge blow to Casey Anthony's defense.
Stay right there. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: A couple of top stories unfolding now right now, including this.
A California judge is expected to sentence Phillip Garrido any moment now for kidnapping and raping Jaycee Dugard. Remember, Dugard was held captive by Garrido for some 18 years. Garrido, along with his wife, Nancy, pleaded guilty to the charges in April. He's facing a maximum possible 431 years to life under his plea deal.
Nancy Garrido was sentenced to 36 years to life in prison. Dugard was snatched straight out of her home when she was just 11 years of age.
In the Casey Anthony murder trial, today, the jury heard an audiotape of the Anthony's original interview with detectives. Now, this interview took place back in 2008, just one day after Anthony's 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, was reported missing.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything you told us is a lie, every single thing. And you can't -- and you can't --
CASEY ANTHONY, DEFENDANT: Not everything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. And you can't keep sitting here and telling us the same thing and getting constantly -- over and over and over again, we're disproving everything that you're telling us.
You're telling us that you lied to us. You're telling us you're giving us misinformation, everything you're telling us, OK? This needs to end.
ANTHONY: The truthful thing --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This needs to end.
ANTHONY: -- is that I have not seen my daughter. The last time that I saw her was on the 9th of June.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And what happened to Caylee?
ANTHONY: I don't know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure, you do. You need -- ANTHONY: I don't know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Listen, something happened to Caylee. We're not going to discuss where the last time you saw her -- I'm guessing something bad happened to her some time ago, and you haven't seen her. So that part is true, if you say you haven't seen her, because she's somewhere else right now.
ANTHONY: She's with someone else.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, she's either in a dumpster right now. She's buried somewhere. She's out there somewhere, and her rotten body is starting to decompose because of what you're telling us.
And here's the problem. The longer this goes, the worse it's going to be for everyone, everyone. The worse it's going to be for everyone.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Wow, right? Anthony, accused of killing her toddler, she faces the death penalty if she is convicted.
And Eman al-Obeidy, you remember her. She's the Libyan woman whose accusations of rape by that country's security forces received international attention. Well, now the news today she's been deported back to Libya from Qatar. She had been in there with her family awaiting resettlement as a refugee.
United Nations human rights officials told CNN that they had made repeated requests to Qatar not to deport her, but she and her family were put on a plane back to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, which, being held by rebels, her whereabouts unknown.
And rescue crews, they are going door-to-door-to-door in western Massachusetts after at least two, possibly four deadly tornadoes hit several towns Wednesday night. Take a look at some of the video here, aerial shots of destruction.
The twisters touched down, killing four people yesterday, 40 others injured. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has declared a state of emergency. And we're told just about 19 different communities there in the state are reporting some kind of damage.
Also this from our iReporter Erik Jensen. This is video through a conference room window at his office in Springfield, precariously close to that tornado, just about a block or two away there. Another man pulled out his iPhone thinking he could record the storm as well, but apparently he was soon running for his life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tornado! (EXPLETIVE DELETED) tornado! Let me in! Let me in! Let me in! (END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Springfield's mayor says the town is now in lifesaving mode. They're looking for victims. They're looking for survivors.
Mayor Domenic Sarno, born and raised in Springfield, by the way, has been surveying the damage. He joins me by phone.
First, Mr. Mayor, I just said it was four deaths, 40 injuries. Do those numbers still hold this afternoon?
MAYOR DOMENIC SARNO, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS (via telephone): Brooke, thank you for having me on.
We're moving from the lifesaving mode, triage mode, now to stabilization. We believe three were not -- were not confirmed to have anything to do with the storm.
And our major thing obviously was lifesaving aspects as we move to continue our search and evacuation, opening up the routes. This was devastating.
BALDWIN: Yes.
SARNO: You don't think of Springfield, Massachusetts, getting this type of tornado devastation occurring. You think of Oklahoma and the Tornado Alley. And Godspeed to Joplin, Missouri, but this has been a absolutely devastating (INAUDIBLE) that has been put through the Springfield area, downtown, South End, up into the East Forest Park area, which is a heavily residential area and to our more suburban areas, 16 acres of Springfield.
But we are now moving to stabilization. We are moving quickly. We have opened up shelters. I have shelters opened up to deal with the short-term, long-term housing. We're reaching out to the businesses.
Obviously, the residents are our number-one issue there. We're trying to move to normalcy as quick as possible.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Let me ask you, if I may, sir, if I may interject, talking about the residents, and it's amazing also looking at some of the damage and hearing the governor this morning on television saying it's amazing these tornadoes didn't take more lives.
But how are folks holding up? I know you have been out and about. What are they telling you?
SARNO: Well, you know what? Springfield is very resilient and there's a lot of resolve here.
And it's amazing when adversity brings out character, and there's a lot of character in the city of Springfield. Everybody is rallying together, the outpouring of support, the good Samaritan efforts that are getting put forth. But, again, we have moved from triage -- now, we are doing double-checks with our searches -- and to stabilization. And then we will hopefully in the very near future move to rebuilding the areas.
BALDWIN: I know the National Guard has been called out, but I'm curious, when you say double-checks with searches, what does that mean?
SARNO: With the U.S. search team, we wanted to make sure we did a second pass to make sure in the rubble area that we left no stone unturned.
BALDWIN: Got it.
SARNO: And we're going to be starting very shortly now with emergency demolitions occurring with buildings that have to come down, and mainly with the shelters.
We had the MassMutual Center last night, which we had a number of -- hundreds of people down there, and I was with them, I think, about 1:30 to 2:00 in the morning. And the South End, was really devastated very heavily, the cleanup has happened very quickly here.
East Forest Park, that Island Pond Road area, you won't even recognize it anymore.
BALDWIN: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
SARNO: So, everybody in emergency preparedness is working very well.
Governor Patrick, Lieutenant Governor Murray, Senator Kerry, Senator Brown, Congressman Neal. My local units here are working great with the state police, as we always have. And the National Guard, I had called for the National Guard. And they are here and the helicopter overviews, so that is being coordinated not only for search-and-rescues, but also for traffic help and also for public safety.
BALDWIN: And also you're having issues with power. We have seen the trees down, down on power lines. It's a whole other variable, right, to this equation.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: But if I may just ask you, help us put a face on this horrific storm that has blown through your hometown. What one person did you meet today that you walk away from and you will never forget them?
SARNO: I walked away from a person that -- with a little child and indicating: Thank God we're alive. You're out there, Mayor, with everybody helping us, and we will get through this. And just some of the calls that we're receiving from people coming from all over the state to help us out -- listen, it's a devastating hit we have taken. But we have a lot of fortitude here and we will continue to come back strong. And, right now, it's 24/7, around the clock, to make sure that we move into stabilization and then hopefully very shortly, we will move into rebuilding, not only physical plan aspects, but people's lives.
BALDWIN: Mayor Domenic Sarno, we're thinking of you and the folks in Springfield and surrounding areas. State after state, tornado after tornado, it's just -- it almost seems unreal. Thank you so much for calling in.
SARNO: Brooke, thank you very much. God bless.
BALDWIN: And I'm just getting some news here. There is some breaking news pertaining to some sort of shooting in Arizona. We're digging on that, multiple fatalities, multiple people killed in Yuma, Arizona -- more on this right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right, got some breaking news for you out of Arizona.
Five people are dead, victims of shootings this morning in and around Yuma, Arizona. Here's what we know. This is from our affiliate KYMA: five dead, one injured. Police say one of shootings happened in the city of Yuma, four others in Yuma County.
But here's the thing. Investigators believe these shootings are related. How? We don't know yet. Perhaps they do. Perhaps we will learn that in due course. No word yet if police have any suspects in custody. Police have also not released any of the identities of any of the victims. And, apparently, some of the schools in one building in downtown Yuma were all evacuated -- or -- excuse me -- they were all put under lockdown as a precaution earlier this morning when the shootings happened.
But those evacuation and shutdown orders have been now lifted. We are going to dig a little bit more, make some more phone calls here on these five fatalities out of Arizona. And we will get you more on the breaking story as soon as we get it.
Also, coming up next, they're calling it the Wal-Mart of weed. Today, the pot store opened to the public. You're going to get a look inside.
But, first, some free money advice from the CNN Help Desk.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARMEN WONG ULRICH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Time now for the Help Desk, where we get answers to your finance questions. Joining me this hour, Manisha Thakor is a personal finance author, and Doug Flynn is a certified financial planner and founder of Flynn Zito.
Let's get to it, guys.
First question is from Bill in Greenwood, Indiana. He asks, "Can I take my money from a 401(k) and put it in another IRA or a C.D. without paying taxes?
Doug.
DOUG FLYNN, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER: The interesting thing about his question is that he said IRA Or C.D.
ULRICH: Right.
FLYNN: So, you can take from a 401(k) and do a direct rollover -- that's the official term -- into an IRA. And then the IRA is the vehicle. You can then purchase an IRA C.D., an IRA mutual fund or an IRA anything that you want.
But if you take it from the 401(k) and walk into a bank and say, can I have a C.D. and they don't put it in an IRA, that is not a rollover and that would be taxable. So, you have to be very careful. What you're looking for is an IRA C.D.
ULRICH: And I wonder why he wants to do that, too.
Ask yourself, my friend.
All right, thanks, Doug.
Vanessa in New York has another question. "I'm 21 years old and I have over $7,000 in debt, with hospital bills, credit card debt and a student loan. What would happen if I filed for bankruptcy?"
Manisha, she's young.
MANISHA THAKOR, PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT: Oh.
ULRICH: Yes.
THAKOR: I hate to hear this. It's such a pervasive problem, though, these days.
So, my advice to Vanessa is this. Yes, it's possible you could declare bankruptcy, but that's sticking with you for seven to 10 years, depending on the nuances. A much better thing is to address it head on.
To the hospital bills, call the hospital, negotiate. You're 21. There are a lot of different payment plans that they are probably likely to be willing to discuss with you.
On the student loans, are they federal loans? Can you defer? Is forbearance an option? And then, on that credit card debt, you may have to move in with mom and dad. But if you add an extra $50, $100, $150 a month to that credit card debt, you can create your own repayment plan on your own. So, my advice, just attack it head on.
ULRICH: All right, got to get active with that.
Thanks, guys, very much.
Now, do you have a question that you want us to answer? Well, send us an e-mail any time at the CNN Help Desk at CNN.com.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: So, in Phoenix, they call it the Wal-Mart of weed. And it opened its doors to the public just yesterday. The giant store -- you see the sign -- weGrow, it markets itself as a one-stop shop for all things marijuana.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DHAR MANN, WEGROW FOUNDER: We cater to the growers that have no idea for how to grow their own medical cannabis. Typically, they're setting up their very first garden. And weGrow is the only store where you can come and learn how to do it safely and responsibly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: It is legal to grow marijuana in Arizona if you have a medical marijuana card registered with the state health department.
Any minute now, we are expecting to see New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in front of some microphones. There we are, packed house. That's a good sign he hopefully will be appearing shortly. He is under fire for riding that state helicopter earlier this week to his son's high school baseball game. Christie known for being blunt, so we will see how he responds to this particular controversy.
Also, I will tell you how this sort of thing happens. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Just in to us here at CNN, we have some news pertaining to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. We're waiting for him to show up at the news conference. This is the first time hearing from him since he used the state helicopter to get to his son's baseball game Sunday.
We are learning he and his office will be reimbursing the New Jersey taxpayers for the cost it took for him to fly to the high school baseball game. That is certainly news here today before we hear from him. Joe Johns is here. He's standing by. And, Joe, we'll get to Christie and his reputation there in the state in a moment. In fact, do I see him? Live pictures? That's tape. The fact that he's being courted by big donors from Iowa who want him to get into the 2012 presidential race.
But first, we do have a producer at this event, in jersey, Adam Reiss joining me on the phone. What kind of context can you give me about this news, the fact that we know the governor will be reimbursing taxpayers for use of the helicopter?
ADAM REISS, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER, (via telephone): Well Brooke, Democrats we are expecting a mea culpa, Brooke. Some Democrats here in New Jersey are calling his helicopter ride an "outright abuse of taxpayer dollars." He's here to sign into law a bill that will require testing newborns for congenital heart defects and then answer reporters' questions as to why he thought it was necessary to use a state helicopter on use to get to his son's baseball game, then take it to Princeton to meet with Republican fundraisers from Iowa.
You know Christie's known ace budget hawk, staked his reputation on cost cutting and calling for $200 million in tax cuts. In fact it's been the same policies that have garnered national attention and called for him to enter the presidential race. The chopper ride $2,500, his staffs are say he'll be judicious in using the helicopter in the future. The state police superintendent through his voice yesterday saying the chopper ride didn't cost anything and the chopper would have been flying anyway.
BALDWIN: Can you, Adam, and maybe you can't, but can one connect the dots between taking a helicopter to this baseball game for his son and then his later dinner, he and his wife Mary Pat sitting around the table with these big donors coming in from Iowa, do we know if that is why he took this helicopter?
REISS: No, we don't. We do know that he's used the helicopter 35 times in his last 16 months in office. And previous governors have used the helicopter and they have also got noon trouble for using the helicopter for personal use.
BALDWIN: What more can you speak about his reputation? I mean, from my reading, he has used his veto power as governor some 20 times against wasteful spend, against New Jersey state agencies. This is a guy who is fiscally conservative, fiscally austere. What are you hearing from folks on the ground, just people who live in New Jersey? What is their reaction to this?
REISS: He's certainly shot to national attention based on that cost cutting. He's also gotten into a few scuffles with officials in New York and officials in the Obama administration because of some of that cost cutting. But he generally is pretty popular in this state.
BALDWIN: Adam, stand by for me. I want to bring in Joe Johns who has been covering Chris Christie with us. Joe, give me some -- hey -- give me historic perspective as far as, you know, other governors, other state officials, using helicopters, perhaps for personal use. This has happened several times before.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, Adam Reiss was right. There are other people who have got noon trouble on this. Some are in New Jersey. We did some research on it just yesterday and we had a little list of three people. Among them one of the most interesting, Jon Corzine, you can compare and contrast his situation to that of Governor Christie. Jon Corzine actually obviously well off was able to separate his personal travel using I believe a personal helicopter or outside helicopter for personal things and the state helicopter for state things.
Interestingly, the other thing is that Jon Corzine actually was involved in a pretty bad accident. He got hurt on the road very bad. And there was some concern then, you know, maybe the governor should be using a helicopter a little bit more to get around and to avoid traffic. So there's that safety issue.
Governor McGreevy also had some problems with the helicopter as well. But then you look at other states, you have to also include not just helicopters but aircraft as well and there are a number of governors around the country who are had problems, most recently lieutenant governor actually in state of Massachusetts got in trouble for it.
Former governor of state of Alaska, no, not Sarah Palin, that would be Frank Murkowski, his name came up in the use of government aircraft. This is something that governors tend to do. They tend to get in trouble for it.
But Christie has different problems. Number one, he came in as the sort of good government guy who was going to reduce taxes for people in the state and then you have the economy and the anger that's out there anyway and this sort of taps into that because people look at and t. And say this doesn't look like good government or saving taxpayers' money to me.
And on top of that you have to overlay the talk of him being a presidential contender. And Democrats, you know, look at this and say OK, we're going to give this guy a little bit of trouble.
BALDWIN: This is the perfect opportunity, and they have this week, Democrats pouncing on this opportunity calling Governor Christie arrogant. If you look at this on the state level, could this at all be a deal breaker, even though to use Adam's phrase, he's going to be saying presumably mea culpa, could this be a deal breaker or not?
JOHNS: No. I don't think one thing like this, if you compare him and stack him up to other governor whose have used helicopters and state aircraft for personal use or whatever, I don't think you're going to see that much other than an inference that could be drawn by voters down the road if he gets in the race.
I talked to one Republican strategist today who said, as far as he's concerned this is a sort of brilliant strategy on behalf of Democrats to sort of try to undercut or almost take out potential Republican contenders before they even really start considering getting into the race. You know, that's kind of what you could say is happening here. BALDWIN: Joe Johns, stand by for me. Adam Reiss is there, somewhere in that crowd in New Jersey. We've got to sneak a quick break in. We're waiting and watching for the governor of New Jersey.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Let's show you live picture here, a live picture inside the press area where we are expecting to see and hear from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. He's got issues at the hospital to attend to, as part of his governorship and we'll hear him speaking about what has percolated after he and his wife hopped on a state helicopter to go to his son's high school baseball game Tuesday night.
I do want to read you something CNN has gotten from the governor's spokesperson, the news in the last couple of minutes. We've learned that he will be reimbursing the state of New Jersey for these two helicopter rides there and back from the baseball game. Here's what the statement says. "The governor understands the sensitivity about this kind of thing and believes he owes it to the public to ensure this is not a distraction," end quote. As soon as we see Governor Christie hop up on the stage, we'll bring it to you live.
In the meantime, let's move on. All this week, CNN is going in depth looking at our medication nation and with Washington focused on how to fix Medicare, we decided to go one step further. We want to look at how Americans use prescription drugs, or in the case of the next report, how they abuse them and how pharmacies that sell them go along with it. Here's CNN reporter Patrick Oppmann.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE DONAHUE, PHARMACIST: Better cameras, we've got bulletproof glass on the windows.
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: To safeguard its addictive painkillers, this Seattle pharmacy has added protection.
OPPMANN, (on camera): I didn't realize you were armed while we were talking.
DONAHUE: I have it all the time.
OPPMANN (voice-over): And fire power.
DONAHUE: It's a glock 19 with hollow point rounds.
OPPMANN: Pharmacist Mike Donahue has been robbed six times by intruders seeking drugs. The last time he turns the tables on the would-be robber and pulled a gun.
DONAHUE: I caught him completely unaware. He was helpless. He did not fortunately for him make an aggressive move toward me, he bolted for the door.
OPPMANN: But beefed up security does not guarantee safety. OPPMANN, (on camera): To combat the surge in robberies pharmacists have been adding time lock safes, video surveillance and bulletproof glass. It hasn't been enough.
OPPMANN (voice-over): Pharmacies across the country are under siege by violent robbers using guns, knives, and bomb threats to make off with powerful narcotics. In Broward County, Florida, a crackdown on illegal pill mills parked an increase of break-ins at legitimate pharmacies like this act of criminal contortion by the so-called "Houdini bandit."
SGT. RICHARD PISANTI, BROWARD CO SHERIFF'S OFFICE: Nothing was stopping that guy getting into that pharmacy. He prepared himself. He put his socks on his hands. He put something over his face to try to conceal himself.
OPPMANN: The 1989 movie "Drugstore Cowboy" chronicled exploits of a band of pharmacy thieves based on a book written by James Fogle whole at age 74 just started serving a 15-year sentence for robbing a pharmacy.
JAMES FOGLE, AUTHOR AND CONVICTED PHARMACY ROBBER: Eventually, people can figure out how to beat the alarms, you know. If you have to go to alarm school, you know? If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right.
OPPMANN: As they do with bank robberies, local and federal law enforcement may start working together more closely to crack down on pharmacy crime. In the meantime, many pharmacies have decided to simply stop stocking the drugs that robbers desperately want.
Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Seattle.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Patrick also told us a lot of the pharmacies in Washington State want tougher penalties for drugstore robbers. For instance, right now robbers who commit quote-unquote note crimes where they pass the pharmacist a note demanding drugs but don't show a weapon can get three months in jail.
Again, we are watching the scene in New Jersey. This is a hospital, Governor Chris Christie is there to sign a Bill that will require testing newborns for congenital heart defects but we assume he will be addressing a story that started Tuesday night when he hopped on the state helicopter to go to his son's baseball game.
Also, the man in charge of education in America is calling the schools in one major city a "national disgrace." They're in crisis mode. Hear why many in the area don't like the proposed solutions. That is next.
But first, Greg Louganis is one of the best divers in history, winning five Olympic medals and a lot of championship and titles along the way. After retiring in 1988 the world learned he was HIV positive and a victim of abuse. But despite all of the challenges what Louganis considered his biggest obstacle might surprise you. Here is Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Four Olympic gold medals, one silver, five world championships, and 47 national titles. Greg Louganis is one of the best divers ever. Still he doesn't feel diving defines him.
GREG LOUGANIS, FORMER OLYMPIC DIVER: I started performing on stage when I was 3 and, you know, singing, dancing, gymnastics, acrobatics and then diving, you know, diving is what everybody knows me from but that was just another stage for me.
GUPTA: He stunned fans during the 1988 Seoul Olympic games when he hit his head on the diving board. The next day, he won a gold medal. Louganis retired in 1988. Years later the world learned he was HIV positive, and had been the victim of abuse. Yet, for him, none of this ranks as the biggest thing he had to overcome in his life.
LOUGANIS: Probably the biggest obstacle for me, I would have to say, my shyness.
GUPTA: He says while diving gave him credibility and a platform to be heard, what he's most proud of is writing his book "Breaking the Surface."
LOUGANIS: When I was on book tour, people were saying, you saved my life. Whether it be coming out by my HIV status, getting out of an abusive relationship, you know, dealing with my sexuality there were so many things that I shared in the book that I guess gave other people strength.
GUPTA: Now, more than 20 years after retiring from the diving, Louganis is back, this time as a coach.
LOUGANIS: There you go.
GUPTA: And coach Louganis emphasizes starting with the basic fundamentals, like dance, acrobatics, gymnastics, like he did before ever attempting the difficult dives.
LOUGANIS: My advice to that kid is be better than me.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
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BALDWIN: I just want to remind you we have a live presence there inside this room, a hospital in Denville, New Jersey, where the governor, Chris Christie, is scheduled to speak. We're waiting, what might he say with regard to his and his wife's taking the state helicopter to his son's baseball game earlier in the week. Stay tuned for that. We'll take it live as soon as we see it.
"A national disgrace," that is how education secretary Arnie Duncan described Detroit's public school system. Nearly half of the students are gone. Those that are still there, only six out of ten are even graduating. The man in charge of the city's schools says he has a solution -- turn a third of them into charter schools. But as CNN Money's Poppy Harlow reports one elementary school is saying hang on.
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POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: A rallying cry from Detroit's Glazer elementary school. It's one of 26 elementary schools that they want to be chartered to help cut the $327 million deficit.
LACHELLE WILLIAMS, PRINCIPAL, GLAZER ELEMENTARY: This is a principal's dream right here at Glazer.
HARLOW: Glazer's principal does not want to see that happen. When we visited, Glazer was supposed to be chartered or closed. But the district has since ruled that if no charter company qualifies, Glazer will stay open. The district says Glazer has performed well but attendance has fallen significantly.
ROY ROBERTS, DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS EMERGENCY MANAGER: We have lost more than 50 percent of our students.
HARLOW: Enter Detroit's public schools' new emergency manager, Roy Roberts. The former GM is attacking the crisis like a failing business.
ROBERTS: How do we do the best job of educating young people?
HARLOW: That includes closing yet another 15 schools.
WILLIAMS: Parents should have a right to have a choice. If their children are in a place where they feel safe, where they are learning, where they feel loved, that's a school that should stay opened.
HARLOW: By chartering schools the district will no longer bear their cost, but charter schools must operate more efficiently.
ROBERTS: We're going to put an alternative school in place where students have the choice.
HARLOW: If their school is chartered, students can attend the charter or go to a nearby public school. A study by the department of education found that charter schools are neither more or less than public schools in student achievement though in some charter schools, they have had more of a positive effect in low-income neighborhoods.
HARLOW (on camera): What about turning glazer into a charter school?
WILLIAMS: It wouldn't be the same.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BALDWIN: Poppy Harlow looked like she had a tear coming down her cheek. It's clear that the parents don't want the school to become a charter school. So is this about money for the staff?
HARLOW: It's a good question. That's what some of the critics would say. It's partly about money. The principal that we spent the day with said, look, what principal wants a $30,000 to $40,000 pay cut? And what staff wants to make less money? And the school district so deep in the red, they just can't seem to dig themselves out. You have $327 million in debt. What are you going to do? You've got to take some of those schools off the books of the school system.
Now, we won't know until later this month what happens to glazer and the other schools in Detroit. I will tell you that they have a five-year plan, Brooke, and that is to bring the graduation rate to 62 percent to 98 percent. It almost seems unachievable, nearly impossible. They are committed to it.
At the same time, they have got to get their financial house in order, a lot of hesitation among the parents, as you saw, pretty emotional, and among the teachers and staff. They don't know what the future will mean if their school changes. We'll keep following it. But you have to keep doing something for the kids to get this system back on track. No doubt, it's failing those kids right now.
BALDWIN: Well, let's check back in. I'm sure you will, Poppy Harlow. Thank you.
Coming up, you have been tweeting me about this through this show. Wow, the outrage over a music video is escalating. Rihanna releasing a video showing rape and murder. And the man getting the heat will be joining me live. In fact, he's just received a direct tweet from Rihanna. We are also hearing more from her.
Plus, new today, House Speaker John Boehner demanding answers from president Obama. And those answers involve the future of America's wars. Wolf Blitzer will join me next.
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BALDWIN: Now I want to take you to Washington to my colleague, Wolf Blitzer, I got the latest from the CNN Political Ticker. Wolf, what do you have?
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Three items I want to point out. John Boehner, the House speaker, is raising alarm bells, raising deep concerns about the president's strategy in Afghanistan, Iraq, and now in Libya. He is telling the White House that it's time for the president of the United States to fully explain what is going on.
"I really do believe that the president needs to speak about our mission in Afghanistan, Iraq, our mission in Libya. And the doubt that our members have reflected what they are hearing from their constituents." What Boehner is obviously deeply concerned about, among other things, is the money that the U.S. taxpayers are spending on the war in Iraq. Billions and billions of dollars are being spent in Iraq, more than $100 billion a year in Afghanistan. The U.S. has spent about $1 billion already in Libya.
And these are raising serious concerns. Dennis Kucinich, the liberal Democrat from Ohio, has a bill saying that the U.S. should withdraw its military mission in Libya right now because there's no clear cut mission.
Another matter, the president's reelection fundraising seems to be moving along very, very quickly and very impress civil. Democrats suggesting that the president will have raised about $60 million by the end of this month. And just to give that some comparison, four years ago then candidate Senator Obama raised $30 million. It looks like they are on their way to what they hoped to raise $1 billion, even though there's no Democratic challenger.
They are going to have a ton of money, the Democrats, going into the presidential contest. Meanwhile, the Republicans are fighting it out.
One final note, Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, the former presidential candidate who says he is not running for president this time around, he's leaving the door opened slightly to a vice presidential nod, if necessary. He said "Everything is still opened. I haven't closed doors. I'm not going to make some definitive categorical statement that would later have to be explained if there was something later to explain." The FOX News contributor saying he's not going to endorse any of the candidates until after that contest winds up because he says he's friendly with most of the Republicans running for the nomination.
BALDWIN: Oh, my goodness. Somebody put it on YouTube now.
Wolf Blitzer, thank you. We will see you in another half-hour.
