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Republicans Debate; New Presidential Candidates?; Gay Judge's Ruling Upheld; The Bachmann Factor; Candidates Asked "This or That?"; Heart-Shaped Meteor Lands in Yard; ZooGoo Gaga; "Spider-Man" Officially Opens Tonight; Casey Anthony Murder Trial
Aired June 14, 2011 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: A lot of people have been tweeting me, you know, maybe he's already thinking about throwing his hat in the Romney -- if Romney gets the nomination, for the vice presidential nod, running mate thing.
I don't think that's necessarily what he was thinking, but there are a lot of theories out there why Tim Pawlenty decided not to hit back and hit hard at Romney. And I think there must have been some confusion among his own staffers or whatever.
But, in any case, the candidate is responsible for what he says. And, in this case, Pawlenty, he took the high road, I guess, and didn't really directly swing at Romney.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: Romney did well. He looked presidential. I thought he was impressive.
BALDWIN: That's what everyone has been saying. He looked presidential. And everyone played pretty nice for now.
BLITZER: Yes.
BALDWIN: Wolf Blitzer, we will chat a little later this hour. You can talk to me about what is coming up on "SITUATION ROOM." Hopefully, maybe we will learn later more about your relationship with Justin Bieber. I don't really know.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: Wolf Blitzer, thank you so much.
Top of the hour now. Check this out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Chris Christie says he will not run for president, no how, no way, but many Republicans are pushing the governor of New Jersey to jump in. And Piers Morgan has just sat down with Christie and his wife. We will hear from Piers live. I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
(voice-over): Christie isn't the only governor mentioned in 2012 talks. Hours from now, Rick Perry will step into the spotlight in what he says could spark rumblings of a White House run.
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: I will not rest until I repeal Obamacare.
BALDWIN: Twenty-eight kids, a Tea Party favorite, and so far the only woman in a field of Republican men.
BACHMANN: President Obama is a one-term president.
BALDWIN: How Michele Bachmann surprised many on stage.
Plus, the manhunt is on for a former militia leader in Montana.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The deputy said that he was calm him when he was firing at him.
BALDWIN: Police say he wanted to overthrow the government and even had a hit list. Now, after a shoot-out with police, there are concerns he had an elaborate escape plan all along.
And it's being called Facebook at the workplace. See how you could be interacting with your co-workers in the future.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: And welcome back to you. I'm Brooke Baldwin.
Let's begin.
Seven Republican, and now the big question after last night's debate is, are more on the way? Will more Republicans join the race for the White House?
And here's the guy they talk about, folks. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie still insists he will not run. And he is tonight's guest on "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT."
And guess who we have to talk about this? The man himself, Piers Morgan.
Piers, good to see you.
PIERS MORGAN, HOST, "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT": Brooke, how are you?
Before you get too excited, I have actually got Barry Manilow in my studio right now.
BALDWIN: You...
(MUSIC)
BALDWIN: Very nice.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: I might have been playing "Copacabana" on repeat and annoying my news team. We will get to that in a moment, OK, because I know you have that.
MORGAN: I'm going to get him to sing it to you personally later.
BALDWIN: That would be lovely.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: But shall we talk Chris Christie, because here's -- here's what I'm getting from this. It seems like, everyone who meets this guy, the governor of New Jersey, whether they agree with him or not, they meet him, they come away impressed, saying this guy is the real deal.
You were there. You were in his school. You were in his kitchen. What was your impression of him?
MORGAN: Yes, I had a pretty full day with him, went back to his old school days. He took me to -- he was actually quite an athlete at school. They actually won a big baseball championship. And he was a key player in there.
As he admitted himself, he's not exactly a great athlete these days. In fact, that itself was quite a fascinating part of the interview when I asked him what he felt most guilty about, and he openly admitted his weight. And he is aware that this could be an issue if he ever ran for president.
Something in terms of him personally, he's a very impressive character. You have got to remember, he was a prosecutor. And he had a 100 percent record in 130-odd cases. And he never lost one. This guy has taken on everyone from the mafia to gangs to whatever you may want to throw at him, and he's defeated them all.
And I think he's a very, very pugnacious and charismatic man. Now, the big, big question is, can he be persuaded to run this time around? I interviewed his wife and his two -- two of his children, one of whom was the boy who was playing baseball...
BALDWIN: When he took that state helicopter.
MORGAN: ... when he took the rather controversial decision to use his helicopter, yes.
BALDWIN: Right.
MORGAN: And they're all very personable. But I got the feeling that he's decided not to run this time on family grounds. Their daughter is in her early teens. I think that she certainly made it very clear to me on camera that she was very against their lives being uprooted right now. BALDWIN: Right. We know that they have the four different children.
But I do want to get to part of the interview. This is when -- a big issue, education, obviously a huge issue nationally, but also in New Jersey.
MORGAN: Yes.
BALDWIN: And he also talks about his family. Let's listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CROSSTALK)
MORGAN: I had dinner with one of your famous residents recently who was complimentary and scathing about you in equal measure. And I won't say who it was.
Where she was scathing, when she said, if he believes so much in the education system in this state, why doesn't he send his children to a public school?
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: Well, that's none of her business. That's my choice and my wife's choice.
We happen to believe that a religious education is an important part of an overall education for our children. So we have decided to send our children to Catholic school because we believe that. It's not shot on the public schools.
I'm a graduate of public school. My wife is a graduate of parochial schools. When our child became 5 years old, I wanted him to go to public school. She wanted them to go to parochial school. All of our kids go to parochial school. So, you can figure out who yields the power in the Christie household.
(LAUGHTER)
C. CHRISTIE: And so -- but I have come to agree with her that I think it's an important part of our children's growth as human beings.
And so we have made that choice. But guess what? I still pay $38,000 a year in property taxes, most of which go to the public school system in my town. And we don't utilize it. And I don't complain about it, because that's my responsibility as a citizen of my town and my state.
But then don't tell me that I can't be serious about public education because I don't send my children there. Every child is my responsibility in this state. And that's the kind of liberal no- nothing thinking that drives just me crazy.
(CROSSTALK)
MORGAN: ... that little exchange, I can see the fire welling up inside you.
C. CHRISTIE: Well, that kind of stuff annoys me.
MORGAN: I can see a bit of the real Christie there.
C. CHRISTIE: Well, that's just part of the real Christie.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The fire welling up, perhaps some of the pugnaciousness, to use your word. So that's just one piece of him. But here's the bit of sound, Piers Morgan, that I want to play, his wife. You were there in the kitchen talking to not only Governor Christie, but his wife, Mary Pat. And she talks. And husbands, you don't always get the best rep for being good communicators. She vouches for her husband.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: Could you imagine him not one day running for presidency? Isn't it just -- he went -- we went to his school. We went to school this morning. And there he was. He was president at every single thing in the school. So, the whole school must have called him president for years on end.
(CROSSTALK)
MARY PAT CHRISTIE, WIFE OF CHRIS CHRISTIE: No.
MORGAN: He goes to baseball, he wins that. Everything he does, he wants to be number one. And he's already been called president for 10 years.
M. CHRISTIE: Yes, look, I think there's so many things Chris can do with the rest of his life after he's governor, hopefully for a total of eight years.
And I think he could be president. I think he would be a great president. But I think he would also be a great CEO. He would be a great person to stay home and, you know, teach college classes. I think he could do anything he wanted to.
MORGAN: What is it about him, do you think, that if it came to it, it came to a presidential race, why should Americans vote for him?
M. CHRISTIE: Because Chris has an unbelievable ability to succinctly analyze a problem, come up with solutions, listen to people, and then communicate the solutions. I mean, that's really what I think. And he's -- there's no better communicator I know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, Piers, bottom line, what were your impressions? And I think you answered this already, but do you think he will throw his hat in the ring?
MORGAN: Well, look, we're still a long way away now from an election. I think it all depends on one thing. Do the Republican Party as a whole think they have somebody who's already announced or is about to announce who can beat Barack Obama?
And if they get to a few months time, and they don't have somebody they think they can -- that can beat him, I think somebody like Chris Christie comes into view very seriously.
Now, I have got no doubt from my interview, and you will have no doubt watching it, that he will run for president someday. I think his choice of timing would be to run next time, not this time. But, in the end, these chances don't come along very often. And I would be amazed if there's not more pressure on him, rather than less following the debate last night, because although some contenders did pretty well last night, there still really isn't that standout contender.
And, in Christie, you have a real option. You have got this street- fighting guy who wins battles, who has fire in his belly, who has the support of a loving family, and who is, I would say, a formidable competitor.
BALDWIN: And that is so much of what people are looking for. And if they didn't see it on the stage, we may or may not be seeing it come 2012, but, as you said, perhaps later. We will be watching. Set your DVRs, "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT," 9:00.
And forgive us for keeping Barry Manilow waiting. We appreciate it, Mr. Morgan.
MORGAN: Well, Barry sends his love. And he will be on, on Friday night.
BALDWIN: Wonderful.
MORGAN: And I'm going to get him to have sing -- sing, oh, Brookie, oh, Brookie.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: Piers, I look forward to it. Tweet me, friend. Thank you so much.
MORGAN: Take care.
BALDWIN: And now to this. If it is interesting, if it is happening right now, you are about to see it rapid fire.
I want you to begin with this legal history being made in California at any minute now. Experts say this is the first time a judge's sexual orientation is being used as a rationale in an attempt to overturn a decision. I'm talking about Judge Vaughn Walker, his ruling last August that the state's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional.
There's a group that wants the ban reinstated, says Judge Walker should have recused himself, alleged he had a personal interest if -- in getting this ban lifted. Walker later announced he's gay, has been in a relationship for 10 years.
A shocking report reveals a large amount of weapons from the U.S. are fuelling the Mexican drug wars. According to the ATF report, in 2009 and 2010, 70 percent of weapons recovered in Mexico came from the United States. Several lawmakers are now calling for tougher gun laws and regulations, but, meantime, the Mexican government says more than 15,000 people died last year in violence stemming from Mexican's drug war. That is 40 people a day.
And take a look at these pictures. Look at this. An ash cloud from a recent Chilean eruption is set to form a connecting belt around the globe. That's not all. The ash is still disrupting flights. Tens of thousands of stranded travelers in New Zealand and Australia have been warned of more flight cancellations as that volcanic cloud lingers.
Now this. I know you hear that, but do you see that? Golf-ball-sized hail and a rainbow, that is the scene in Anton, Colorado. That was yesterday. Severe storms and hail pummeled part of the state. Storms have moved south today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The deputy said that he was calm him when he was firing at him. And he was calm. He gathered -- he had a bag set up to strap on and go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: A man, this man, considered armed and dangerous right now on the run, police say he is a former militia leader who wanted to overthrow the government, even had an assassination list. But investigators say his bizarre past makes him even more of a threat.
That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right, as promised, we are now getting news about a ruling that came down last August.
Judge Walker had ruled that the state's ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. There was a group -- supporters of Proposition 8 in California said that that ruling shouldn't have come down because this judge later explained that he is gay and perhaps had a stake in that ruling.
Well, we're now learning -- if I can pull up my e-mail -- that this federal judge -- this is Judge Ware -- has upheld a former colleague's ruling on Prop 8 despite these questions that many of these people brought up about this former judge.
Let's bring back Lisa Bloom.
And, Lisa Bloom, I know you said you didn't like making predictions, but you called it. LISA BLOOM, THE BLOOM FIRM (via telephone): Yes, this was a pretty obvious decision to me, as I said. Women are competent to rule on rape cases, African-Americans are competent to rule on civil rights cases and gay people can decide gay marriage cases.
So I think this was a desperate last-ditch effort by Prop 8 forces to try to get a ruling they didn't like reversed, and it seems to have fallen on deaf ears. Judge Ware says no.
BALDWIN: And again, this judge, Judge Walker, who is the one that ruled that this was unconstitutional back in August, he has since retired, has he not?
BLOOM: Yes, he has retired. And after he retired, he disclosed that he was in a long-term, 10-year long committed relationship with a man. Apparently they had no interest in marrying. Nevertheless, the Prop 8 forces seized on that and said had an interest in the case because he could have married and gotten economic advantages of marriage.
But one of the things that Judge Ware, who is the one who made this decision today, said in the oral arguments yesterday was that he had performed same-sex marriages. And I think by implication, you know, I think a lot of judges have performed same-sex marriages or heterosexual marriages.
I mean, doesn't everyone arguably have an interest in one way or the other in the outcome of the case? If they're heterosexual, they may have feelings about gay rights. Gay people certainly have feelings about gay rights. I mean, where does it end?
So I think this ruling and as I say, it's consistent with a long line of civil rights rulings that, you know, we don't look at people's gender or race or religion or sexual orientation when deciding if they're competent as a judge.
BALDWIN: Lisa Bloom, thank you for hopping back on the lines so we could put a period on that story and move along. As I said, you predicted correctly.
Now to this, an intense manhunt underway right now in western Montana for a former militia leader described as intensely anti-government and a survival expert. Dozens of lawmen, local, state, federal here, they're searching for this man.
This is David Burgert, he's a co-founder of what was called Project Seven, a militia that allegedly wanted to assassinate anyone from a dogcatcher to prosecutors and police and judges there in hopes of starting a war with the federal government and NATO.
Missoula County, Montana Undersheriff Mike Dominic says Burgert is prepared for a confrontation this time around.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE DOMINICK, MISSOULA COUNTY, MONTANA, UNDERSHERIFF (via telephone): My biggest fear personally is that he comes into -- just a citizen up there and he just steals a car, and we do know that he is armed. He is one to confront law enforcement, government officials. My biggest fear is that an officer tries to stop him on a traffic stop, anything, on an unrelated incident and gets ambushed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Reporter Tristan Scott pieced together Burget's past for the newspaper, "Missoulian" out of Missoula, Montana and Tristan is now on the phone with me from Whitefish, Montana.
And, Tristan, let's go back to Project Seven. What was this militia actually preparing for?
TRISTAN SCOTT, REPORTER, "THE MISSOULIAN" (via telephone): Hi, Brooke.
It's unclear what they were preparing for, but they gained notoriety as a paramilitary group in 2002. One of us found that a group of six or so members had stockpiled explosives and firearms allegedly in preparation for some sort of natural disaster or revolution. They plotted to assassinate local officials and go to war with the National Guard and try to overthrow the government.
BALDWIN: Obviously, none of this happened. This was all just part of their, I don't know, manifesto. But we do know that they went to prison, or at least Burgert went to prison in connection with this 2002 case.
How was he caught back then?
SCOTT: Well, actually in an incident that was very similar from what happened outside Missoula recently, in 2002, there was an all-night standoff that ensued between David Burgert and law enforcement up here in northwest Montana where he was found armed with a machine gun.
And afterwards, when he surrendered, authorities found a large cache of weapons and survival equipment, ammunition. The distinction between what happened then and what's happening now is that he's apparently firing at sheriff's deputies now, and that's the biggest concern.
BALDWIN: That's the undersheriff told me. I know he told you, too.
When I spoke with Mike Dominick on the phone, he described his as paranoid, doesn't really have any friends anymore. What have you learned about him? How can you describe him for me?
SCOTT: Well, he has a history of mental instability. He was diagnosed after his federal sentencing at a medical center in Minnesota with paranoid personality disorder. He was later diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder. And that dates back to childhood.
He's also fairly litigious and legally savvy. He's been embroiled in lawsuits with local government agencies and law enforcement agencies. BALDWIN: OK, so this is the guy considered armed and extremely dangerous running around in some remote part of Montana, as we said. Missoula County Sheriff's offices want to find this guy. They're searching, three alerts in three other starts as well.
Tristan Scott with "The Missoulian," that you so much for jumping on. I appreciate it.
SCOTT: Thanks, Brooke.
BALDWIN: I want you now take a look the seven Republicans who want to move into the White House. How likely is it that one of these people will win the nomination and then go on to challenge President Obama? Is there anyone missing? Perhaps this guy, Texas Governor Rick Perry. There are rumblings he might make a run, and what he's doing tonight in New York could send off signals. CNN just caught up with him. His answer to the 2012 question was interesting.
Jessica Yellin is live in the Big Apple, she is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: It is the biggest story of all from last night's debate, Michelle Bachmann, member of Congress from Minnesota, and did she ever make a splash.
Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We need everybody to come together because we're going to win. Just make no mistake about it. I want to announce tonight, President Obama is a one-term president.
(APPLAUSE)
BACHMANN: We'll win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: That got a big applause.
Let's bring in Jessica Yellin.
Jess, I know you were there last night in New Hampshire. Now you are, poof, in New York. Racking up the frequent flier miles.
But let's talk Michele Bachmann. How was she?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, she exceeded expectations, Brooke. She was forceful, she was clear. She made the case that she is a person in Congress who has led on issues, like her effort to repeal health care reform.
For somebody who has a history of making gaffes in public, she did more than avoiding gaffes. She made it clear that she impressed as a person who is a politician with true convictions and a clear case for her candidacy. She came out well.
BALDWIN: She did come out well. She's gotten great grades today. We said this, though, at the top, too, that despite pretty solid performances last night, you know, folks are still wondering, some of them are even hoping that another Republican will jump into this.
And we talked about, you know, Chris Christie just a moment ago, but then there's this guy. Let's throw his picture up. We have the governor of Texas, Rick Perry.
Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Are you going to run?
GOV. RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: I might run in Central Park this afternoon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Maybe running in Central Park this afternoon.
So that's Rick Perry for you, having a little fun with our producer Julian Cummings (ph) there in New York. Asked if he was run.
Jess, you're there to see Rick Perry specifically this evening. What is he doing? And which Republicans really do want him in the race?
YELLIN: He's a little bit begging people to beg him to run, isn't he?
He is here for the Lincoln Day Dinner to speak to New York County Republicans. And this is a dinner that Donald Trump was originally going to speak to.
Look, Rick Perry has an interesting case to make. He is a clear social conservative. His credentials on social conservative issues like abortion, opposing gay marriage are so strong that if he were to run, he wouldn't even have to address them very much. He could almost assume the Republican primary voters know that he's strong on those issues and focus on the economic message.
Texas is generally outperforming the nation in terms of higher employment, so it's doing better on employment, better in the housing market, general better housing economic growth in the state. So he can focus on the economic picture and he can take that to President Obama in theory and make a case on that.
He is a good candidate, he is an appealing figure in many ways, charismatic, et cetera, so he has a case to make. Will he run? Could he run at this stage? Sure. He doesn't have the organization in place, he'd have to get the donors. It's doable, but that's obviously why he's still feeling it out and seeing if it's in the cards for him. BALDWIN: Begging people to beg him, I'm going to quote Jessica Yellin. Thank you so much. We'll check back in with you tomorrow and see how he did. Thank you.
It is a place where al Qaeda is breeding the next generation of terrorists, and right now in Yemen it's not really clear who's in charge of that country. So the U.S. reportedly set to take some drastic measures in a secret CIA operation. We're live at the Pentagon next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: The CIA is reportedly getting set to use drones in Yemen to kill al Qaeda militants. Months of anti-government protests and this attempted assassination of Yemen's president have created this power vacuum there in country.
Let's go to the Pentagon and CNN's Chris Lawrence live.
And, Chris, what are you hearing about this now escalating to armed drones?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: That's right. There are numerous reports out there saying that the CIA is about to get involved, Brooke. In effect, CIA director Leon Panetta signaled this during his Senate confirmation hearings in which he said the agency has been increasing its counterterrorism role in countries like Yemen and Somalia.
In terms of Yemen, when you look at the threat -- Christmas Day 2009. The man who boarded a flight bound for Detroit and attempted to blow himself up onboard, he came from Yemen. Last year, the plot to send explosives in the mail to U.S. addresses, also that plot originating in Yemen and the al Qaeda branch there. Numerous U.S. officials all the way up to the -- Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, have repeatedly said al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula represents the most direct threat to the U.S. homeland right now.
BALDWIN: Given what's happening with President Sanaa, a lot of fears that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula would fill the vacuum.
But Chris, specifically why drones? Why is the CIA running this covert program?
LAWRENCE: Well, there's been a small team of special U.S. operation forces in Yemen training Yemen's counterterrorism forces. Maybe about 100 off and on, rotating in and out of the country. But that training has been suspended because of the situation there in Yemen right now.
There's a feeling that a, some of those al Qaeda targets there may have been flushed out in the open because of the unrest there. And also the unrest, the instability in the government there is giving them a possible opportunity to sort of strengthen their position in the country and potentially launch new attacks. It's an opportunity that U.S. officials do not want to miss. BALDWIN: Chris Lawrence, thank you so much.
Coming up next, President Obama visiting a place where no sitting U.S. president has officially been in 50 years. We're going to take you there live.
Plus, it's being called Facebook at the workplace. See how many people you could be interacting with and how you could be interacting with these co-workers in the future. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Two items here: President Obama making an historic visit today. And a new way of interacting with your coworkers. Time to play "Reporter Roulette." And I want to begin with Juan Carlos Lopez for me in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We know, Juan Carlos, the president was there for a couple of hours today.
But why Puerto Rico? What are the political implications of that?
JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it probably has something to do with Florida. There are over 4.5 million Puerto Ricans living in the mainland, living in the United States. That's more than those who live in the island.
The difference is that Puerto Ricans on the mainland can vote in the presidential election, those on the island can't. They can only vote in the primaries. So, that might be a message. And it's also a good historical event, the president coming on the same day that President Kennedy visited 50 years ago.
BALDWIN: And what was the reaction -- how was the president received today, Juan Carlos?
LOPEZ: Overall, it was a very warm welcome. The potholes were covered, buildings were painted. People were really enthusiastic about the president visiting.
But you had different opinions. You had from people who consider that the visit was too short. It was an hour shorter than expected, that it was only for political purposes to others who think that it's historical, that it's important, that having the president in San Juan is an important event because it highlights the issues that Puerto Rico is going through. Very high unemployment, 16 percent. Economical problems.
So, there is no consensus, but it is the story of the day, and people still are commenting on the visit of President Barack Obama to Puerto Rico after 50 years.
BALDWIN: Juan Carlos Lopez, indeed a historic day. Thank you so much.
Next, "Reporter Roulette," Dan Simon in San Francisco. And Dan, I know a lot of people out there -- you and I tweet, but a lot of people aren't allowed on social networking Web sites at work. Tell me about Yammer. What is it?
DAN SIMON, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a company we profiled, and if you've ever used Facebook, picking up or learning how to do Yammer will be a breeze.
So, you know how Facebook works. f you go to your own page, you can post something or put a picture or video about your personal life. Well, imagine taking that same concept and applying it to your work. In other words, you would post stuff about work and then people could weigh in with comments. That's what Yammer is, and it's sort of a new way of communicating at the office, Brooke.
BALDWIN: All right, so a more professional avenue, I guess. But why the need for social networking among your peers at the office?
SIMON: It's a great question, but these sites are really taking off. You know, Facebook has changed the way we communicate. And this is a natural extension of that. So for some people, this is a great tool. Because it might be intimidating if you have an idea to send it to your bosses or send it to one big e-mail chain. This way, you can just kind of post your comment up on your Yammer page and then other folks can weigh in. It's sort of a more user-friendly way to get your message across.
BALDWIN: So money. How does Yammer make money?
SIMON: Well, these sites, including Yammer, they have a free version but then they offer premium versions. It's five dollars a month per user. And that's how they're generating cash. And thes sites are doing extraordinarily well. Yammer has been around for a couple of years, and they already have 80 percent of the Fortune 500 companies. So, chances are social networking is going to go to your workplace pretty soon, I would imagine.
BALDWIN: OK. Well, I know we do a lot of it here at CNN. But there's nothing wrong with good old-fashioned face-to-face conversation, too, Dan Simon. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.
And that is your "Reporter Roulette" for this Tuesday.
Hey, 24 hours ago, CNN's John King was preparing to moderate a Republican debate, and today he's starring in his very own hip-hop song. You heard me right. Joe Johns has the Political Pop. You've got to hear this next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Michele Bachmann. She is the latest Republican presidential contender, a Tea Party movement darling and the only woman thus far to throw her hat in the ring. Joe Johns tells us what she's done and some mistakes she's made along the way. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tea Party Darling, anti- Obama fire-breather, now Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, is ready for an even bigger microphone on an even bigger political stage.
BACHMANN: Maybe we need to send a change of address form to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
JOHNS: With Sarah Palin still undecided, Bachmann may be the only woman among a field of male contenders. She's known for tough talk.
BACHMANN: The powers that be here in Washington, D.C., specifically in the White House, have been wrong about a few things.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They've been wrong about everything!
BACHMANN: Wrong about everything! Is that it?
JOHNS: While seeking support, the 55-year-old Minnesota Republican will tout her ideology and biography. She and husband Marcus have five biological children. She's been a foster mother to 23 others.
Bachmann is chairwoman of the House Tea Party Caucus and often rails against excessive government spending and what critics call Obamacare. But her message is not always on message, like this gaffe from New Hampshire.
BACHMANN: You're the state where the shot was heard around the world at Lexington and Concord.
JOHNS: That revolutionary war battle actually happened in Massachusetts. Bachmann later admitted her mistake, though she blamed media bias for widely reporting it.
And this from Iowa about slavery and the men who wrote the nation's founding documents --
BACHMANN: The very founders that wrote those documents worked tirelessly until slavery was no more in the United States.
JOHNS: Not exactly. Many of the founders owned slaves.
And delivering Tea Party reaction to the last State of the Union Address, she appeared to look off camera. Blame a two-camera mishap. But that didn't stop "Saturday Night Live" from poking fun.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE")
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Unfortunately, that response was marred by some technical difficulties, and it seems that its core message was not properly conveyed. Accordingly, I have asked for this time tonight in order to try again. So here goes.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE")
JOHNS: Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BALDWIN: Well, I guess, Joe Johns, that Kristen Wiig over at SNL is going to have to brush off her Michele Bachmann because we'll be seeing a little bit more of her now.
You pointed out some of her mistakes in the piece. But you know, she's gotten a lot of praise today. She officially declared live on CNN. What else have you found out about her?
JOHNS: Well, look, at that debate, what people found out is that she can articulate and justify policy positions. She's actually a very good debater. A tax attorney.
We also know, though, that electing a politician is not just about the policies. It's about the intangibles, whether you like the person. So, that's why it was important for her to get out there last night and talk about the fact that she's got a bunch of foster children. It's clear, you know, she could very well be a force to be reckoned with, especially in Iowa this election year.
BALDWIN: OK, that was the debate thus far. We have seven contenders. But there was a bit of lighter side last night with a game of this or that, this or that. What do you have?
JOHNS: I know, right? Presidential debates are very serious things, of course. And what we know is that pop culture always creeps in. And when it does, you know, you learn what these candidates are like. When they're at home or watching TV with the kids or at the mall.
So John King and company came up with a way to ask about some of that stuff in the debate, with this or that question. Created a lot of buzz -- some people liked it, some people didn't and then our friends over at Potus radio took a musical version, shall we say, a recording and took some of the Q&A and put it together. Take a listen. Isn't that wild?
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: We loved it. We might have played it a few times on the loud speakers in the CNN NEWSROOM today. What does our pal John King think of that?
JOHNS: He's cool with it. I asked him, said, I'm going to play this, do you have any issues? He said fire away. So here we go, you know, it's all good, right. Down in my office, people are wondering why I'm playing hip-hop on the loud speaker, but it's all good.
BALDWIN: Same with us. A little hip hop and Barry Manilow today, it's just been one of those days. Joe Johns, thank you so much. Appreciate it. Thanks John King for letting us do that as well.
A heart-shaped meteorite falls from the sky. Wait until you hear who found it and where. That's next.
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BALDWIN: Finding a heart-shaped rock in your backyard, kind of cool. Finding a rock that is a meteor that is heart-shaped? OK, that's something you've got to see. Take a look with me. A man and his son were playing kick ball in their grilly Colorado backyard when they noticed this funny looking rock. It turns out the rock was heart-shaped and it's actually a meteor.
Keep in mind, finding a meteor whatever the shape is very rare. Meteors don't usually travel this far, get this far. They usually burn up while entering the earth's atmosphere. So there you have it a heart shaped meteor.
And now to this, this is video were showing around the NEWSROOMS room earlier. This may be the cutest/scariest thing ever.
Hello, Mr. Lion. Usually people go to the zoo to watch the animals, but in this case the animals were people watching or in this case baby watching. One-year-old Trent visiting the zoo in Colorado springs.
Obviously, the kid caught the attention of one of the zoo's larger animals and an attraction there. A 400-pound lioness either very, very intrigued trying to communicate, how is it going or really hungry?
Did you see how she opened her mouth a little too wide? Here's, Kent, little boy. Walk away, walk away from the lioness.
OK, Now "THE SITUATION ROOM", a little tease here with Wolf Blitzer. Wolf joins me as always with a preview. Wolf, what did you think of that video? What do you think the lioness was trying to say?
WOLF BLITZER, THE SITUATION ROOM: You know, I can't guess, but I can tell you this, John McCain is here in "THE SITUATION ROOM" with me. We're going to talk about Libya. We're going to talk about Syria.
But we're also going to talk about whether or not the president of the United States is breaking the law by not formally seeking congressional authorization to commit forces in Libya right now. John McCain has some strong views.
He's also got some news I think he's going to share with all of us about what the White House is planning on doing. Brianna Keilar is working the story for us. So we're working that story.
We'll obviously have all the reaction to last night's CNN Republican presidential debate in New Hampshire and we also have one other story about this Boeing 787 Dreamliner plant that Boeing wants to build, has built in fact in South Carolina.
But the NLRB, the National Labor Relations Board says not so fast because they could be violating labor laws right now. Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina has got strong views about what's going on.
This is an issue that could affect the president, his re-election bid because so many of his big business supporters are not happy with the position of the NLRB right now.
They think companies should be able to go to any state in the country if they want to build a plant, create jobs, and do what they need to do. It's causing a little friction. We're going to be all over that story as well. So a lot coming up as you can see, Brooke, right here on "THE SITUATION ROOM."
BALDWIN: All right, wonderful, Wolf. We'll see you in 8 minutes. Thanks so much, sir.
We could less than 24 hours away before Casey Anthony's defense opens its case. These are live pictures as we watch Casey Anthony hopping up in the courtroom in Orlando.
Here's the thing, today, Casey's tattoo artist took to the stand and revealed what he put on her back. The accused killer's back. Sunny Hostin is on the case. She's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: It's $75 billion and nearly seven months later, "Spiderman Turn Off the Dark" is now set for its official Broadway opening tonight and you know the story. Months and months of delays here, cast injuries, multiple makeovers, just about signalled the end of the show's roller coaster ride beginning.
"Spiderman" already had the longest preview in Broadway musical history, but missed opening by April 28th, the deadline to be considered for a Tony Award.
Now taking a quick look at tomorrow's news today. Let's fast forward and actually I'm kind of cheating some talking two days in advance here. Thursday, I will be speaking with Salina Gomez live right here in the studio.
You may not know her. Your kids and grandkids do. She is huge star and actress, a singer and shall I add, Justin Bieber's girlfriend. She is back in action after a health scare over the weekend. We'll chat about all kinds of things here in studio on Thursday. Don't miss it.
And now to this, on the case, heart shaped stickers and a tattoo. The search of a family home and what's on Casey Anthony's back are now the focus of testimony today as the prosecution winds down its murder case.
Again, live pictures inside this courtroom, Sunny Hostin is here. Sunny, let's get to this, a CSI expert testified today about a box of heart-shaped stickers found in Casey Anthony's bedroom. I know we were talking about heart stickers yesterday. Does this box of stickers tie Casey to her daughter's death at all?
SUNNY HOSTIN, LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR, "IN SESSION" ON TRUTV: Well, certainly, that's what the prosecution contends because remember, Brook, on Caylee Anthony's remains, duct tape was found and a CSI expert testified that she saw heart shaped residue, or residue in the shape of a heart.
I've called it the sort of phantom heart sticker. So that was found over the skull and now prosecutors I believe are trying to tie that heart-shaped sticker to Casey Anthony. So now that Casey Anthony's room -- these stickers were found in Casey Anthony's room.
The inferences that the jury can make is that the person that put the sticker on the duct tape, which is the murder weapon, the alleged murder weapon would be Casey Anthony.
I think it's a fascinating piece of evidence, Brooke, because it almost shows a sort of conflicted killer. Why would someone suffocate a child with duct tape, but then put -- seal it with a kiss, a heart- shaped sticker on that duct tape, very, very, I think compelling evidence.
Now what we're showing now though is another piece of evidence that was entered into trial. This was found at the scene. It's a piece of cardboard with a heart-shaped sticker on the cardboard. Now that heart shaped sticker is different from the ones that were found in the Anthony home and in Casey Anthony's room.
But still very interesting because the jury, Brooke, asked to see that piece of evidence again so heart-shaped stickers, becoming a very, very crucial important part of this case.
BALDWIN: Now, that's the stickers, what is this about the tattoo. We know this tattoo artist took the stand just a short time and he's the one who tattooed bella vita means beautiful life in Italian. That apparently is what's on the back of Casey Anthony. What's the significance? What are we to gain here from this tattoo? There it is.
HOSTIN: Well, this tattoo was replaced on her back by tattoo artist Bobby Williams during the 31 days that Caylee Anthony was missing. And so the prosecution's contention is, this is a very odd thing, of course, for a mother to do with a missing child.
She did make an appointment for this tattoo and so certainly the prosecution perhaps is trying to get to premeditation here. But the prosecution in opening statements did say the only person that would lead a good life and would benefit from Caylee Anthony not being with us any longer is Casey Anthony.
So perhaps that's why they've waited this long to put this piece of evidence in. That beautiful life, that tattoo. Perhaps it goes to motive. I believe a prosecutor in this case really has to explain to the jury why a mother would kill a 2-year-old child.
BALDWIN: Sunny, 30 seconds. What else does the prosecution do before they're finished with their case?
HOSTIN: You know, I have been predicting that the tattoo artist would be the last witness. My understanding from the courtroom is that there are no other witnesses left in the witness box. So I'm wondering if perhaps the prosecution may be resting today.
I think this is all they have. They may be holding a couple of witnesses from their rebuttal case, but I think the prosecution is perhaps, perhaps almost finished with their case.
BALDWIN: And then, of course, the defense gets its chance and that is when we must perhaps, perhaps be hearing from Casey Anthony here on the stand. Sunny Hostin, thank you so much. That is it for me. Now, "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer starts right now.