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President Obama Meets With German Chancellor; Anthony Weiner's Confession

Aired June 07, 2011 - 15:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, Brooke.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: I love that you can say the word doozy with a straight face, Randi Kaye. Doozy. That was a doozy. Thank you so much.

(LAUGHTER)

KAYE: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Hey, everyone. I am Brooke Baldwin.

We are going to get to this day's drama of Anthony Weiner, the drama here in just a moment. Really, we will.

But, frankly, there are just more important things happening at the moment, like meetings of world leaders. You might call it hospitality day at the White House today, President Obama hosting Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel today and throwing her a state dinner tonight.

Now, these are two countries often on very, very different pages when it comes to key issues, particularly the global economy and military policy toward Afghanistan and also toward Libya, but today was all about accentuating the positive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's hardly any global issue where we don't consult one another.

I have said before, I always value Angela's pragmatic approach to complex issues, her intelligence, her frankness. I trust her. And as she said herself, it's just fun to work together. And it has been again fun today, even as we've addressed some very urgent challenges.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Brianna Keilar there live for me at the White House.

And, Brianna, the things that President Obama and Chancellor Merkel agree upon, maybe the fun parts, just to quote the president, that's the easy part, but I do want to talk seriously about Libya for a moment. The chancellor -- Germany one of five nations to abstain back in March from that U.N. Security Council vote to authorize airstrikes. Is that an issue at all at the White House today?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Certainly, Brooke, reporters tried to get at that during the press conference, but there was no way that we saw President Obama and Chancellor Merkel airing any of these thorny disagreements, even though Germany did not vote on that resolution, as you mentioned, and also that Germany has not had a strong military presence when it comes to the mission in Libya.

What you heard instead was President Obama highlighting what Germany has done, saying that it has freed up or it's had a further commitment in Afghanistan to free up other countries for the Libyan mission. And then you heard the chancellor and the president really talking about areas of agreement, namely that Moammar Gadhafi must go, and then also a vague commitment on the part of Germany to do some more politically and economically for Libya once Gadhafi does go.

That is what Merkel said. Listen to what -- listen to some of this press conference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: The chancellor and I have been clear: Gadhafi must step down and hand power to the Libyan people. And the pressure will only continue to increase until he does.

ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): And in the future, when we have further talks on this, we agree that Germany is showing -- will be showing that it is responsibly committed to the Libyan cause.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: So not many signs of daylight between these two leaders, Brooke, at this press conference, but make no mistake, there is some there.

BALDWIN: Looking ahead to the night, Brianna, we know that there will be a state dinner, Chancellor Merkel to receive the Medal of Freedom. Give me a quick rundown of the events.

KEILAR: Yes, this is the highest civilian honor that the U.S. government gives out. And really the reason the chancellor is getting it is because she is not only the first East German to be the chancellor of Germany, but she is also the first woman.

BALDWIN: Female.

KEILAR: And, then, Brooke, I also have the dinner menu. I know that's what you want to know, right?

BALDWIN: Ooh, spill it. KEILAR: What are they going to be eating? They're going to be having a chopped salad, tuna tartare, petite fillet for the main course served with Maryland crab ravioli, finishing it off with apple strudel. And there will be American wine paired with each of the courses.

I know that we have had some pictures of the place settings that were showed to us inside the state dining room. What is really going to be interesting about this state dinner, Brooke, it is actually taking place outdoors in the Rose Garden. So, that's pretty cool.

BALDWIN: Lovely. But isn't it a little warm for you there in Washington, Brianna? What, are you in the 90s?

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: Yes. And I would say it is going to be mid to high 80s during the dinner, so I hope there are some fans or --

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: -- ice blocks.

BALDWIN: Keep the apple strudel warm. Brianna Keilar, thank you so much from the White House today.

And Germany not involved, as Brianna pointed out, directly in the NATO mission in and over Libya, but German troops are actively serving in Afghanistan. They are among the main contributors there operating primarily in the northern part of the country.

And for that, I want to go to the Pentagon, and I want to bring in Chris Lawrence here, bring you into the conversation.

And just quickly, what is the state of Germany's military presence in Afghanistan?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, they have got about 5,000 troops there. And they have been experiencing a lot of the same increase in violence that the American troops have.

They have lost about four troops in the last few weeks alone. The German commander who commands ISAF's forces up in the northern part of Afghanistan was wounded in a recent attack by a suicide bomber.

And as Brianna mentioned, they did kick in the extra 300 or so personnel to Afghanistan to sort of free up some of the other countries that had been in Afghanistan to send some of their airpower over to Libya. Germany rejected a call to get involved in Libya militarily, so they tried to make up for it by increasing a bit in Afghanistan.

BALDWIN: OK. Looking ahead, Chris, you and I have talked about this in the past, about President Obama's choice for the next secretary of defense. We were just talking yesterday about Afghanistan and the outgoing Secretary Robert Gates' final trip to Afghanistan.

This is a big week for Leon Panetta.

LAWRENCE: Yes, that is right.

On Thursday, Leon Panetta will be on Capitol Hill for his confirmation hearings. Unlike some nominees, not a lot of opposition is expected to Panetta. He just went through the confirmation process in the last two years to be CIA director. And, in fact, he has already been meeting with some Defense Department officials here in the Pentagon to go over things he needs to know for those confirmation hearings, as well as try to smooth a way for a transition if and when he is confirmed.

Now, there's limits to what the Pentagon can do, because, technically, he is not a part of the Department of Defense yet. But Leon Panetta is in a very unique situation, in that, as CIA director, he already has relationships here in this building. He already has been working and meeting with Pentagon officials for some time now.

BALDWIN: Chris Lawrence at the Pentagon, we will be looking to that later in the week, as you pointed out, Thursday. Chris, thank you.

LAWRENCE: You're welcome.

BALDWIN: And now this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hide the video and preserve it?

NARCES BENOIT, WITNESS: The video had -- was saved to my SIM card. And I put it in my mouth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, what does that video show? And why does this man say police in Miami Beach went so far to try to destroy it? You heard him say he put the SIM card in his mouth -- more on that coming up.

Also, an emergency meeting is held in Europe, but still no word on the source of that deadly E. coli outbreak. So, how worried should we be here in the U.S.? That is next.

And then he says none of his online relationships got physical, but could you still call what Congressman Anthony Weiner did cheating?

Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right. Let's go. Just into us here at CNN, Tiger Woods says he will not play in this year's U.S. Open and he says it is because of that troublesome knee and Achilles tendon. Woods says he will listen to his doctors, sit this one out.

Let me read this to you. In a statement here, the golfer says -- quote -- "It has been a frustrating and difficult year, but I am committed to my long-term health" -- end quote. The U.S. Open championship starts Monday in Maryland at the Congressional Country Club.

The death toll in that deadly E. coli outbreak in Europe is now 23 -- 22 people died in Germany, one in Sweden after visiting Germany. This, what they're calling the super-toxic new strain, also has infected more than 2,400 people in at least 13 countries. And scientists are still trying to figure out what caused this massive outbreak.

Meanwhile, back here in the United States, a lot of folks are starting to wonder, should I be worried?

Sanjay Gupta has some answers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, it appears that probably, in the United States, people are not going to be at that much of a risk anymore for several different reasons.

First of all, the first four people who were confirmed to have infections were also people who traveled to Germany. So, this is something that you got from actually being in contact over there, as opposed to having secondary infections here in the United States.

Also, there is just a lot more attention being focused on this, a heightened sense of vigilance, food being pulled from shelves. So I think it is going to be unlikely that we are going to see many more or any more infections whatsoever.

But we do know that this -- this rare form of E. coli has been a particularly nasty one. While it is not the largest outbreak ever, it's been a pretty significant one, but in terms of numbers, 2,200 or so people infected in 12 countries, but also because 600 of them developed a pretty significant complication known as Hussein, hemolytic-uremic syndrome, where your blood does not clot as well and your kidneys start to shut down.

This is a significant problem. And it is what is leading to some of these deaths that we are hearing about as well. Also, we know the majority of the people or most of the people have been women, both in terms of people who developed the complication, as well the infection overall.

And it is not entirely clear why. It could be because of their food choices. Figuring out where this came from is a very difficult thing. I will tell you, Brooke, we did some investigating on this ourselves regarding the spinach outbreak a couple of years ago.

And simply tracing all the steps from the farm to the fork can be a laborious task. You don't know exactly at what point the bacteria was introduced. And it also relies on people remembering what they ate several weeks ago. You know, did you have sprouts? Did you have cucumbers? What sorts of vegetables were you eating?

And that can be obviously challenging for anybody to remember yesterday, let alone a few weeks ago. So, sometimes, you just never get an answer, a clear one, as to exactly how this all started.

In the interim, consumers who are worried about this, they have got to take the basic precautions that we always talk about, obviously, washing your hands as frequently as possible, washing your food, although it is difficult to get this E. coli out of vegetables, and making sure you don't cross-contaminate your food.

But a lot of the focus is going to be on all the steps before this ever gets to the consumer, trying to make sure that food is as clean as possible and that no further contaminations continue to happen.

As we get more information, we will bring it to you -- Brooke, back to you for now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Yes, Sanjay, it's hard enough to think about what I ate a week ago, let alone weeks ago. Good point, Sanjay Gupta. Thank you.

Now this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERICKA DAVIS, SHOOTING WITNESS: I'm used to dealing with police. I have never had a view like that of an officer in my life. It -- I am shaking just thinking about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: She says a police officer pointed a gun at her and her boyfriend after they witnessed this deadly shooting in the middle of Miami Beach, and they have video to prove it. We are going to tell you what we are learning from that video next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Last week, we showed you this piece of video of a deadly police shooting in Miami Beach, whole thing caught on camera. And now there is another cell phone video emerging from that early morning. And the man who made that video says he ended up with a gun pointed at him.

Here is CNN's Brian Todd.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): You're about to witness what appears to be a chaotic shooting scene in south Miami Beach. At just before 4 a. m. on Memorial Day, a car driven by a suspect comes to an abrupt stop on Collins Avenue. This video posted on YouTube apparently shows police surrounding the car, and then firing.

Police killed the suspect, Raymond Herisse. Miami Beach Police tell CNN Herisse had used his vehicle as a weapon that morning, that he'd struck and injured an officer with his car when the officer tried to stop him. But an eyewitness says police used intimidation to cover up their actions.

Here you'll see video from that eyewitness from street level.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God. He got to be dead now.

TODD: Then watch how police approach that eyewitness. One appears to have a gun drawn.

(on camera): We have that eyewitness and his girlfriend who was with him at the time. They're at our Miami bureau. CNN has purchased the video from Narces Benoit and his girlfriend, Ericka Davis. Can you tell us what the Miami Beach Police said and did to you when they first approached you?

BENOIT: It was like "You get the 'F' away from here. Get away; get back to your car." Then that's what I did. I walked back to the car with my hands up. I turned around, the officer had a gun to the head.

TODD (voice-over): Benoit says the police got him out of the car at gunpoint, handcuffed him, made him lie face down on the ground, grabbed his cell phone, threw it on the ground and stomped on it, then placed it in his back pocket. He says they later uncuffed him, took him in for questioning and took his phone again, demanding the video. He told them the phone was broken.

(on camera): How were you able to hide the video and preserve it?

BENOIT: The video was saved to my SIM card. I put it in my mouth.

TODD: How did the memory card not get ruined, though, being in your mouth?

BENOIT: I don't know. I do not know.

TODD: Ericka, what do you think the motive of the police officers was in behaving the way you say they did?

DAVIS: They just wanted the videos. That's all they were concerned about.

TODD (voice-over): Contacted by CNN about the alleged incident with Benoit and Davis, a Miami Beach police official said the department will not comment on anything that could be the possible subject of civil litigation or an internal police investigation.

But the police official also said at the time this video was shot, this was an active crime scene and the police were looking for additional suspects. Miami Beach Police Chief Carlos Noriega said this about the shooting incident involving Raymond Herisse.

CHIEF CARLOS NORIEGA, MIAMI BEACH POLICE: Responded to what I consider to be a situations involving deadly force.

TODD: Ericka Davis says this as she looks back on the incident.

DAVIS: My mother is even an officer, you know, and I'm used to dealing with police. I have never had a view like that of an officer in my life. I mean, I'm shaking just thinking about it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Wow.

Brian Todd now live in Washington.

Brian, I can't believe he had the presence of mind to put his SIM card in his mouth, and it was not ruined. What a story. I know that there were other casualties in that -- incident that morning, correct?

TODD: There were, Brooke. A police official in Miami Beach told us that four bystanders were shot in that incident, which it could speak to maybe the police's motivation for wanting to control the crime scene at the time.

We do have to remember, though, that the police say that that incident, there was -- there were additional suspects they were looking for, that that suspect who they shot had used his car as a weapon. It was a very fluid situation. But you could see that maybe things got a little bit out of control if four bystanders were shot and injured at that scene.

BALDWIN: Also, according to these two people, according to this couple we just heard from, they say the police tried to confiscate, what, other folks' phones as well. Did the police take any other action against other people around this chaotic Miami Beach scene?

TODD: Well, Narces Benoit and Ericka Davis say that the police tried to -- that they actually did take other people's cell phone and smash them. A Miami Beach official told me that that is what he called speculation, and he is not aware of any complaints about that.

But these two people are pretty sure of what they saw. they are contemplating some possible litigation. They have not made a decision on that yet.

BALDWIN: Let us know if and when they do. Brian Todd, thank you so much for passing that along.

TODD: Thanks, Brooke.

"We will not surrender" -- those words from a very defiant Moammar Gadhafi as NATO airstrikes hit his compound today. We will tell you what it is he said, where he was when he said it.

Also, Mitt Romney vs. President Obama, who would win if the presidential election were held, say, today? We have some new results of a poll. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Checking some of our top stories here at CNN, I want to begin with Libya.

Moammar Gadhafi pledges to say in the country that he has been leading for a number of decades here, if necessary, fighting to the death. This is what viewers of Libyan state television saw when Gadhafi delivered his audio-only message today. It is the same day 35 different explosions rattled the city. NATO officials say their airstrikes targeted Libya's military intelligence headquarters.

And how about this one? Mitt Romney beats Barack Obama. That is the outcome of a hypothetical presidential election if it were to be held today, instead of 2012. This is a new poll conducted by "The Washington Post" and ABC News. They asked registered voters to choose between these two men head to head. And Republican front-runner Romney edged out the president 49-46 percent. The poll has a margin of error 3.5 percentage points, which erases that gap.

And another day here of scientific testimony in Casey Anthony's capital murder trial -- jurors heard from a forensic chemist today who analyzed items found in Anthony's car trunk. He said he found low- level residue of chloroform in there. Just yesterday, we heard from another scientist testifying that he detected -- his words -- shockingly levels of chloroform in the car. Prosecutors allege Casey Anthony stashed her daughter Caylee's body in her car. Casey Anthony faces seven counts, among them first-degree murder.

Coming up next, this is a question I'm about to pose to you in the Twitter world: Is it still cheating if it is just an online relationship?

I'm going to be talking to psychologist Wendy Walsh about what Congressman Anthony Weiner did and why so many women stay with their husbands who do the same exact thing. Don't miss that conversation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: You could say Representative Anthony Weiner could have a new nickname on Capitol Hill: toxic tweeter, men with few friends.

I want you to listen. This is Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He spoke just minutes ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: One last question.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Can you say whether you thought Congressman Weiner should resign?

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: I am not here to defend Weiner.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

REID: That's all I'm going to say.

QUESTION: What advice would you give him if he asked you?

REID: Call somebody else.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Ouch.

Republicans also taking advantage of the New York Democrat's admission that he sent questionable photos of himself to women he met online. They are calling on Democrats Weiner has helped financially over the years to give the money back, and also to take it a step further and to condemn his behavior.

One of the women that Congressman Weiner has admitted to having an inappropriate relationship with is now going public. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: Meagan, can we talk to you for one moment?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Man, oh, man, lots of cameras chasing her right now. We tried catching up with 26-year-old Texan Meagan Broussard this morning. She was leaving her hotel there in New York, where she did speak to ABC News about Congressman Weiner's online demeanor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, ABC NEWS)

MEAGAN BROUSSARD, HAD ONLINE RELATIONSHIP WITH WEINER: He was eager to hear about if I wanted him or thought he was attractive or that sort of thing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How much of it was sex talk?

BROUSSARD: I mean, he would attempt all the time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: What are we hearing from Democrats in D.C.? I guess, now, with the exception of Harry Reid, we're hearing crickets, except for the call from the Democratic leadership for an ethics investigation.

And a lot of people are wondering, can Anthony Weiner survive politically here?

I want you to listen to the man Weiner had hoped to succeed as mayor of New York City.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (I), MAYOR OF NEW YORK: It is hard to believe, given the coverage that all of the press has given this situation, that any voters in his district aren't familiar with the situation, what happened, or whatever. And they will have an opportunity to express themselves in one year and four months from now. In the mean --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Well, what are the voters saying? Here is a sample.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is a very well respected politician especially in the area. I'm somewhat taken aback by this whole thing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Actually, I'm glad he is not resigning. What he does on his personal time is his business.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is scary that a political person that we elected could do something like that. He should resign.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: What Anthony Weiner did online should be voter scrutiny and ethics investigation, but we wondered on the face of this whole thing is it really wrong on a moral standpoint? Where should politicians or anybody draw a line in the online world?

Let me bring in our expert here, Wendy Walsh, a family therapist, and expert on human behavior. Wendy Walsh, before the break, I tweeted, what Anthony Weiner admitted to doing, does that constitute cheating? It is yes, yes, yes, and that sup to the wife, and we have to redesign cheating because of technology now. Given all of that, was it cheating, Wendy?

WENDY WALSH, FAMILY THERAPIST: I bet a man said that, we should redefine it now that we can get off with the keyboard. Cheating is lying and betraying your spouse. You have a covenant. If it is something that you would do in front of your spouse with your spouse's consent then it is not cheating.

But clearly, and I read one of the very long Facebook streams, conservation streams with the woman from Las Vegas that he had and online relationship with, and it was very graphic sexual encounters, but also the words, "I have to come to Vegas, I have to really do this to you," and her saying, "Yes, come on, baby." So this is foreplay for an affair as far as I'm concerned.

BALDWIN: And it is interesting that for your clients you see every day those who have cheated or cheated upon, the litmus test is if you would do this in front of your partner and I would be surprised if folks would say I will send a picture of my underpants to somebody in front of my partner.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: What does it say that his wife of a year was not standing by him at the Sheraton Hotel nor in the room? What does that say?

WALSH: It is enough that she has broken her heart, and why should she be subjected to public humiliation, and why should she stay by his man and let us witness her humiliation? She may have him step in front of the press and weather the storm alone.

But she may stay with him, because woman sometimes identify themselves through the relationships. And a marriage is a very complicated think, because maybe it will be an opportunity for them to grow closer if they get over the giant speed bump.

BALDWIN: It is an interesting point. Let me go back to the person, and I don't know if this person is a man, and I will say, oh, my hot male, we will have to redefine cheating since there are more creative ways of doing things with technology that we have. So now, society has to catch up to technology and redefine what cheating is?

WALSH: Brooke, don't let them tell you that. It is the same old story. Some people are going to be unfaithful and have bad morals, they just have new pathways. The Internet provides new opportunities and weird illusion of privacy. And remember, boys and girls, everything that you type into the keyboard is set in stone on the internet forever or somebody's hands who now holds your private secrets.

But the difference between say watching porn or lusting after a celebrity and then applying the fantasies to your own spouse at home is that with and online relationship, you have a real person at the other end. You are having a relationship together that's bringing up emotional and physical reactions.

BALDWIN: Huge difference. Final question, because I have heard from a lot of parents who have kids, and you know, parents right now are trying to get the message across to teenagers not to sext, not to do this. And here we see this, a seven-term congressman coming forward admitting to doing this. So how do parents teach their kids not the do it?

WALSH: Well, you know, I actually teach classes in netiquette and I teach the girls how not to get sucked into the lure of a sex and techniques at a sexting because at that age they could have full-on dating relationships without ever talking. But what has to happen with the kids that we need to see real consequences happen to the adults, and in the next few days my prediction is that this is not going to end and it will steam roll into more women coming out of the closet and potential real world evidence that something has happened and he has had an affair, and I think his constituents are going to really lose faith in him. When those consequences come out, that is the message to the kids, see what happens?

BALDWIN: You think there is more than six women?

WALSH: Absolutely. My gut says this is a habit he has had all of his life, and the wedding because blip in it, and now he is back to it.

BALDWIN: Wendy Walsh, interesting conversation sand lot of people talk about this one today, the water cooler question of the day.

Coming up, I will speak to Wolf Blitzer and what this really means for congressman Weiner's career and can he survive this? There was talk about totally eliminating his seat in the House, and we will explain how that is a mere possibility now with Wolf Blitzer coming up.

And also coming up, our own Ted Rowlands out in Toledo, Ohio. Ted?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brooke, coming up, we are on a listening tour. We are at Rudy's Hot Dogs, and no better place to get a hot dog and no better place to get an opinion or two. We will talk to Kathy and a couple of employees here after the break on what they think about Washington, the economy and politics in general. Stay with us.

BALDWIN: We are looking forward to it. Ted Rowlands, thank you. You are watching CNN Newsroom. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Time now for CNN to go in depth. And this week, we are on a listening tour. As we get closer and closer to next year's election and the next GOP presidential debate, we want to hear what you have to say about the economy and politics and any other big issue on your mind.

Ted Rowlands is live for us in Toledo, Ohio, right on the heels of president Obama's visit there last week. And Ted, you know, we heard from the president, and he talked about how jobs in the auto sector were so saved by the big auto bailout, and what are folks there at that diner saying to you?

ROWLANDS: Well, you know, mix of opinions as you might imagine, Brooke. We are at Rudy's hot dog place. It is an institution here in Toledo and the president was here and made a surprise visit and had a lunch here with a couple of chili dogs, and right now Dawn is making a tuna on rye here.

And Dawn, you see him come and go, and you have your own opinions here, and give us a sense of what people in Toledo are thinking about the economy and politics, and what is number one on their mind?

DAWN BROWN, EMPLOYEE: Number one would be the jobs, the way that the state of the economy is. I would say that number two would be the war and just bring our troops home. That is al I'm asking. You know, that is not our fight. We went over there, and I don't know, I have very mixed opinions about it. And I really I just -- I don't agree with a lot of things. But I really -- I just want -- I want the troops to come home, and I want the jobs and the economy to get better. Pick up.

ROWLANDS: All right. Thank you, Dawn. Kathy here is a long- time employee.

KATHY LONG, EMPLOYEE: Yes.

ROWLANDS: And she hears it all and says it all, but she promises not to use the foul language. And your opinion of Washington, Kathy, and what should, if you have the ear of everyone in Congress and the president what would you tell them?

LONG: Well, first thing I'd tell them is that hopefully we can make some jobs for the younger folk, because I read in the paper the other day that there are jobs that are not available for them because the adults have taken them, because they have to take minimum wage, two to three jobs at a time to support the family. I think more funding for that.

ROWLANDS: All right. Perfect.

Brooke, it is interesting, because a couple of have heard is the job thing number one by far. Another prevalence sense is they are sick of the politicians fighting among each other, Democrats and Republicans. Someone said they are spending too much time sabotaging each other than doing anything. And health care problems, a lot of people say they do not want entitlements messed with even though it is a part of the budget discussion. So, the first day of the week-long tour across the country, and the listening tour, and we are getting a lot of opinions here at Rudy's, as you can tell.

BALDWIN: Well, I have been to Ohio many times and the backbone of the middle-class and the manufacturing sector. We lost 5,000 jobs ale loan in that sector last month, and they are feeling it. Ted Rowlands, thank you for listening and being part of the listening tour. We appreciate it.

Coming up next, he survived combat overseas, but now his brother is still blaming the U.S. army for his death. Why? He blames overmedication. So just how big of a problem is this? That is next

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: A combat veteran marine died back in 2008 not on the battlefield, but in his sleep in the United States with more than 25 bottles of prescription drugs within his reach. This army marine's brother points the blame in one direction, the doctors who prescribed all of those prescriptions. I want you to watch this piece by CNN Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Gunnery Sergeant Chris Bachus survived the assault on Baghdad, a deployment to Afghanistan, and a second tour to Iraq.

LAWRENCE (on camera): What specifically killed your brother?

JERRY BACHUS, BROTHER OF DECEASED MARINE: He stopped breathing. He died because he mixed narcotic drugs.

LAWRENCE (voice-over): Jerry Bachus says that by the time Chris went back to Iraq in 2007, he had changed.

BACHUS: He was putting himself in situations where he was exposing himself to potential enemy fire, according to his commander. He was going John Wayne.

LAWRENCE: He had been hospitalized for anxiety, and they suspected traumatic brain injury from an IED, but Sergeant Bachus kept deploying.

BACHUS: Whenever he had an issue with them, they would increase either the dosage or the potency of the individual pill.

LAWRENCE: A bomb could not kill this marine, but a bottle did. He died on base at camp Lejeune. Cause of death, multiple drug toxicity, an accident. The autopsy shows a mix of opiates and antidepressants in the system. Officials found 27 bottles of pills in the room almost all prescribed by military doctors within the past 90 days.

BACHUS: How could a team of doctors that are allegedly working together prescribed all of those things together?

LAWRENCE: It's a question all the branches have been asking? A recent army report found that one-third of soldiers are taking at least one prescription medication.

LAWRENCE (on camera): Do you think that there's been an overreliance on prescription drugs in the army?

BRIG. GENERAL RICHARD THOMAS, ASSISTANT U.S. ARMY SURGEON GENERAL: I think in some cases, yes.

LAWRENCE (voice-over): Brigadier General Richard Thomas says the army set a 30-day limit on prescriptions for the soldiers.

THOMAS: There's a host of other things that we can provide to patients to take care of them right other than narcotics. Narcotics may still have a role, but it doesn't have as big of a role. LAWRENCE: A former soldier himself, Jerry says that his brother would still be alive if the medical system was not swamped by the hundreds and thousands of troops needing treatment.

BACHUS: They are going to give me whatever I need to make me feel better and make me go away because there are 1,000 people that are standing behind me as I get off the bus with me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Chris Lawrence joining me live now. Chris, you mentioned how Sergeant Bachus went back to two tours, Iraq and Afghanistan. 27 bottles were ultimately found. Wouldn't that make someone ineligible for going back and fighting the war?

LAWRENCE: Well, in general, the answer could be no, Brooke. Actually the Pentagon determined that there were very few prescriptions that would necessarily disqualify someone from deployment.

Look, in the issue of fairness, it's tough for military doctors. There are no good drugs out there that deal with the range of emotional and physical ailments that some of these troops come home with. So a lot of times the doctor is mixing and matching to deal with people who have very serious emotional and physical ailments.

You know, add to that the fact that some troops will go to private doctors so their prescriptions may not show up on their military record, and what could be an even bigger problem, wounded soldiers and marines trading prescription drugs amongst themselves.

BALDWIN: I know, Chris, that ultimately it is these troops who are the ones taking the pills themselves, but is anyone else being held accountable here?

LAWRENCE: Well, you're seeing like we documented with the army, it's something that all of the branches are struggling with and trying to correct. The Navy, for example, has a drug giveback day in which they say bring your drugs back, no questions asked, because they don't want all of these prescriptions just sitting out there where people can start to amass a large collection or give them to other service members who may be in need.

With the army, they are all trying on the fly now to try to bring this in somewhat. But again, we have never seen this level of sustained combat over such a long period of time and the services, you know, are struggling to keep up with that.

BALDWIN: You make the poignant point in your piece, saying it wasn't a bomb, it was a bottle, probably bottles that ultimately claimed the sergeant's life.

LAWRENCE: I talked to so many medical professionals that said that particular concoction, if you took it, you may be OK.

BALDWIN: Really? LAWRENCE: But if someone else takes it, it may be toxic to them. That's what they are struggling with in dealing with this problem.

BALDWIN: Thank you for bringing us this piece. Chris, thanks.

LAWRENCE: Coming up, will it cost him his job? Congressman Anthony Weiner says he's not resigning but could he be forced out of office? Wolf Blitzer will weigh in on that one next.

And then a surgeon pointing the finger at his old hospital. He says they trimmed the budget, lowered the standards and allowed dirty surgical tools and it led to infections. We're going to hear from him and then the hospital ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Time for a politics update. Let's go straight to Wolf Blitzer. And Wolf, let's talk about Congressman Anthony Weiner. The whole story came out live about the whole Twitter picture, pictures. I read today Eric Cantor is calling for him to resign.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": There are a few Republicans are saying that he should resign and do the right thing, Eric Cantor among them. Democrats, by and large, are saying there is going to be a House Ethics Committee investigation. Let's see what happens there. Harry Reid was obviously uncomfortable discussing it. We did catch up with him. He was asked if he thought that Anthony Weiner should step down. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You didn't say whether you thought Congressman Anthony Weiner should resign.

HARRY REID, (D-NV) SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: I'm not here to defend Weiner. That's all I'm going to say.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What would you say if he asked you for advice?

REID: Call somebody else.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So Weiner is not getting a whole lot of support right now. Newspaper editorials in New York are calling on him to resign. We'll see what he decides to do over the next few weeks. Right now he's saying he'll cooperate with the investigation and will try to stay in the House of Representatives and run for reelection a year from November.

BALDWIN: Let's talk about reelection. We know that he had his sights on running for New York City mayor, and now that's pretty much out the window. So then you have this fear that Anthony Weiner will not be up for reelection as a member of Congress, but not necessarily because of redistricting, but because he may not even have a district. Explain that.

BLITZER: Well, in New York State the population has been going down over the last decade. New York is going to lose two seats in the House of Representatives, and almost certainly one of those districts that will disappear will be in New York City. It could be Anthony Weiner's district. It would be another district. So it's unclear whether he is going to be able to run for re-election if he loses that district. He won't have to worry about it.

BALDWIN: So then you have back to the dens, leader Pelosi, other Democrats calling for this ethics investigation into Weiner.

BLITZER: You don't know where that is going to wind up because, as you know, once these investigations begin, they take on a whole life of their own. They start interviewing everyone. They start going through computer records, cell phone records, phone records.

Some of the questions that we're looking at, did he use government provided computers or phones as part of the inappropriate behavior that he had with these young women. Another question, was he doing it from his office? Were any of the women under age?

BLITZER: But, apparently, you can put up a Facebook bio of yourself and lie about your age. I suppose that happens once in a while.

So, they are going to look into all of this. And were there just six women? Were there more than six women? I don't know the answers to any of these questions.

BALDWIN: Yes.

BLITZER: But you know what? There's going to be an investigation.

Now we understand, by the way, why, when the whole uproar began last week and we asked him, why not call for Capitol Hill Police or the FBI to investigate?

BALDWIN: Now we know.

BLITZER: He said, we don't need a big federal case -- make a big federal case out of it. Now we know why he didn't want to make a big federal case out of it.

BALDWIN: Now we know. Wolf Blitzer, thank you so much. We will talk next hour about what is coming up on your show in "SITUATION ROOM."

Also, interesting timing here, just a quick note -- tomorrow, I will be joined by the lawmaker pushing legislation in, all of places, New York that would change the law for teenagers -- teenagers -- who get in trouble for sexting.