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Blagojevich Guilty on 17 Counts; Al Qaeda Members Killed in Yemen; Casey Anthony Trial Back On; Anthony Ruled Competent for Trial; Anthony Lawyers Ask for Mistrial; Violent Video Game Ban Killed; Wallace Gets Flake
Aired June 27, 2011 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: It looks like he's clearly surrounded by a crush of media. Let's see if he will speak. Looks like he is. Do we have audio?
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
ROD BLAGOJEVICH, FORMER ILLINOIS GOVERNOR: -- Try to speak a little bit less. I'll keep my remarks kind of short. Patti and I are very disappointed in the outcome. I frankly am stunned.
There's not much left to say other than we want to get home to our little girls and talk to them and explain things to them and then try to sort things out. And I'm sure we'll be seeing you guys again.
REPORTER: Governor, did you get a fair trial?
BLAGOJEVICH: That's it.
(END LIVE COVERAGE)
BALDWIN: OK, you heard it, pretty short and sweet. I'm kind of amazed he actually did stop and speak with -- look at the presence of the media there. Can't say I'm very surprised. Essentially speaking, saying he's stunned by the verdict that the jury handed down not too long ago.
Ted Rowlands was in the courtroom for me. And as we stay on this picture there, inside what looks to be the lobby of this courthouse there in Chicago -- Ted, are you with me on the phone?
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Yes, Brooke, I am.
The governor just walked away. (INAUDIBLE) sort of media members. And you heard him, didn't say much there, just wanted to get him to his little girls and mull it over. And then soak in what just happened. And he's been convicted on -- well, the 20 counts, two of the -- two of the counts the jury were deadlocked on and one not guilty. But he was convicted on 17 of the counts.
And when you look down the charges and the possible sentences, he's looking at an extended period of time in jail. He's 54-year-old man. It's safe to say he is looking at spending the lion's share of the rest of his life in jail. BALDWIN: Ted, let's just back up. As we mentioned, he was facing essentially 20 corruption bribery charges. As you mentioned, he was found guilty on 17 of them. The jury was hung on two, found not guilty on just one.
He is headed home tonight, free on bail for now. As you mentioned, sentencing comes next. We don't have a date for that.
But I want you to just take me inside the courtroom because you had such a unique perspective there. Tell me how Blagojevich reacted to the verdict and also how the different members of the jury reacted as well.
ROWLANDS: Well, it was very emotional as you might understand. You know, all of these cases it is very emotional when you're about to hear the fate of the defendant. And Blagojevich was actually very composed as the jurors' verdicts are read one by one. He looked upset, but he wasn't breaking down in any way. He didn't move his body at all.
He only looked back at his wife once. Her wife was in the front row sitting with his brother, Robert Blagojevich. And when the first guilty verdict was read, Patti Blagojevich dropped back into Robert's arms and she stayed there for the remainder of the session.
As for the jurors when they walked in, not one of them looked at Blagojevich. And during the reading, he was trying to make eye contact with jurors and not one would look anywhere close into him, in his direction. This is a jury of 11 women and one male. One of the women in the back row of the jury actually had her eyes closed for most of the -- clearly affected by what they had delivered as well here, a very harsh sentence to the former governor of Illinois.
BALDWIN: And as you had mentioned before, Ted, you know, we see him walking out, we're sort of airing this on a loop, he and his wife Patti, he mentioned he was stunned by the verdict, going home essentially to explain what's happening to his little girls. What happens next for him? He goes home for now. When is he ultimately headed behind bars?
ROWLANDS: Well, he's -- he's got some time to mull over what's going to happen here. But what is -- what is going to happen is this judge is going to (INAUDIBLE) in couple of months ahead.
Basically, what's happening now is he had his bond increased. He has to secure his bond with his home and other assets. And he's also been given a travel restriction. Can't leave basically the Chicago area, the northern district, the northern federal district of Illinois without the judge's permission.
There is a sentencing investigation going on, but that has been expedited. So, we'll find out a sentencing date fairly soon and it will be probably a couple of months when he is sentenced. Even if he goes to the minimum sentencing guidelines, Blagojevich is looking at a considerable amount of time behind bars. BALDWIN: All right. Ted Rowlands for me on the phone, in the middle of the scrum there on the lobby of the federal courthouse. Keep in mind, this was the second trial. He was already found guilty for lying to FBI. That carries a five-year sentence. So tack that on to whatever these sentencing guidelines, whatever he could face next, that could be quite a chunk of time behind bars.
Ted Rowlands, thank you very much.
Now, take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: He is charged with 20 counts of bribery and extortion and fraud. And now, 10 days after deliberations, jurors are ready to hand down the verdict for former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
(voice-over): Extreme pat-down -- 95 years of age, suffering from leukemia, forced to remove her adult diaper.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
JEAN WEBER: She said that she could not complete the security check without Depends off.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The elderly passenger's daughter will join me live and hear how the TSA answers to this latest accusation of over-the-top security screenings.
The Dodgers are going broke. What does Chapter 11 spell for a Major League team?
Plus, al Qaeda takes a hit in Yemen and CNN is the only American news network that can take you inside that country. We'll go there live.
And after a dramatic delay, Casey Anthony ruled competent to stand trial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The court will find that the defendant is competent to continue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: We're on the case. The news is now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Welcome back to you. I'm Brooke Baldwin.
And if it's interesting and it's happening right now, you're about to see it. Rapid fire. Let's go. Beginning with this -- it is a win for makers and sellers of video games. The U.S. Supreme Court ruling today that stores in California cannot bar kids from buying so-called violent interactive video games. The state's position was that children should be protected from these images that they're seeing in some of these games. The ban was made a law six years ago in California but never went into effect.
And New York is now the sixth and largest state to allow same sex marriage. Governor Andrew Cuomo sent the nation a big message last Friday night after signing a law granting same sex couples the right to marry. The Republican-controlled state Senate approved the bill after days of negotiations and closed door meetings. And those welcoming the news include actor Neil Patrick Harris who confirmed his engagement to partner David Burtka tweeting, "David and I did propose to each other, but over five years ago." This is his tweet. "We have been wearing engagement rings for ages, waiting for an available state, end quote."
We are talking now about the health of a South American president. Venezuela's government denies published reports that President Hugo Chavez is in critical condition. But a Spanish language newspaper in the United States is citing intelligence sources saying Chavez has prostate cancer. A Venezuelan official says the president is just recovering now from some surgery in Cuba.
Chavez's opponents are demanding to know details. The president has been seen in public since June 9th.
And Miami police had an angry, defiant, cursing music superstar in their hands just over this weekend. Mexican singer and actress Paulina Rubio was reportedly involved in a minor car accident Saturday. But that's not the news here. What happened afterward got her arrested.
Officers say she yelled and she cursed at them in Spanish for about an hour, earning her a disorderly conduct charge, obstruction of justice, and a summons to appear in court. Police eventually let Rubio go. They did not take her to jail. Play nice there.
And a suspected murder, 27-year-old Shaun Bosse back in custody after breaking out of a jail south of Oklahoma City Sunday morning. Investigators say he overpowered two officers and actually stole one of their cars. A witness saw him running from that car. Police ended up finding him hiding in weeds by a pond close to where he grew up. He is charged with three counts of first degree murder and one count of arson in the deaths of a mother and her two children.
If the TSA is trying to fix its image problem, they're not doing so great. Coming up, the 95-year-old cancer-stricken woman forced to remove her soiled adult diaper at the airport. Folks, her daughter is livid.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WEBER: She was upset about not being able to have any underwear on and I said, "I don't know what else to do, mom. I really don't." (END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The daughter joins me next. You don't want to miss this.
Also, the L.A. Dodgers go belly up. What today's bankruptcy filing means for the future of the team?
Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: I want to begin this segment just by showing you some pictures here. You're going to see the elderly woman in the wheelchair there. Does she look like a terrorist to you? Yes. I don't think so.
But if you're working as a federal air security screener -- well, you can't be too careful, apparently. This elderly woman -- folks, she's 95 years of age, she suffers from leukemia. She underwent a deeply invasive screening this month at an airport before flight from Ft. Walton Beach.
Her daughter, Jean Weber, is understandably angry and joins me now on the phone.
And, Jean, let's start at the beginning.
JEAN WEBER, HER ELDERLY MOTHER SEARCHED BY TSA (via telephone): Yes.
BALDWIN: You were there. Take me through what happened.
WEBER: I was there to escort my mom to the plane. She was headed back to Michigan which is her home. She knows that her time here is probably limited due to her age and her health and she has many family and friends up there, her church group and all, and she just wanted to be home.
I had a pass so I could take her all the way to the airplane and as we got to the gate there, not the gate, but the portal to go into security, they wanted her, because she walked through, I had to remove her shoes, she didn't have her cane and she cannot walk without support.
So, I said, well, can she go through in the wheelchair? And they said, of course, she can use the wheelchair. I said I don't feel comfortable, if she would fall, it would be terrible.
So, I went through and waited in an area where they pointed out for me to sit. And then they eventually wheeled her through another gate and brought her back into a glassed in area at the back of the security. And --
BALDWIN: And is that when they felt something --
WEBER: They patted her down.
BALDWIN: That's when they felt something special on her leg and said, we need to take her in a private area.
WEBER: That is correct. And so, they took her in the private area. I couldn't understand what they felt on her leg, but apparently she had wet in her depends and then they kind of bunch up and made a hard spot, which is what they came out and told me after a while, they came out and said, well, it was her depends, they were wet, and they had bunched up. They looked like they were used.
BALDWIN: I'm sure for you as her daughter it was incredibly difficult observing this. I know your mom was a nurse for 65 years and you say this was just a hiccup for her. I know it's not a hiccup for you.
But I do want to read what the TSA is saying just to get their side and then I'll get your reaction. The TSA says this, "We have reviewed the circumstances involving the screening and determined that our officers acted professionally, according to proper procedure, and did not require this passenger to remove an adult diaper."
So they say professional here. They stand by their actions.
You, on the other hand, say what?
WEBER: I say the agents there were acting professionally. They were doing their job according to the instructions of the TSA and their policies. The part about my mother and removing her depends, I went back in the room with her and I talked to them, and they said that they could not clear her with this wad in there because they could not feel it carefully or examine it.
BALDWIN: Well, Jean, they say they gave you other options. What were those other options?
WEBER: They offered to get her bags off of the -- out of the plane and bring it back so I could get a clean depends. And I said, well, late, I can't see how you get her bag back here and I can get my mother changed in that amount of time. I'm the one that asked them about removing it, but my options were: (a), we had to get the depends off of her, or, (b), she was not going to get on the plane.
BALDWIN: You say this is not good enough --
WEBER: That was the options I had. Take the depends off or -- and they would go -- and my thought was, well, probably there is enough time if I get through to the gate, then I can -- I know they got kiosks up there, I can pick up something that, you know, would do. But in the meantime --
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: And I know, Jean, forgive me for jumping in. But I know over the weekend, this story has really garnered tremendous, you know, national attention -- really social media picking this up as well, a lot of people having sympathy for you. Again, the FDA is stands by that they're saying. You're filing -- excuse me, TSA, the TSA is standing by what they're saying.
You're filing a number of complaints.
Final question and I have to let you go: just how is your mom? Is she OK?
WEBER: My mom is awesome. She's fine. She's -- her health isn't good. But -- and we're looking at assisted living up there. My family that has her right now, we're in contact and, in fact, hopefully, I'm going to be talking to her in just a little while here.
But she's doing all right. Her health will not improve that much, but on the other hand, she's where she wants to be.
BALDWIN: Jean Weber, let your mom know we're thinking about her. If anything changes on your end, please, let us know.
Jean, thank you.
WEBER: Thank you for your concern.
BALDWIN: Coming up next, a country in crisis with a president who is MIA. We're going to check in with CNN's Nic Robertson, the only western network reporter in Yemen right now. Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: The president of Yemen, he's hurt. He's been in a hospital for another country and a violent clash here back home claimed more casualties every day, including today.
Let's go live to Yemen. Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is in the capital city of Sanaa.
And, Nic, I want to ask you about his impending public appearance here and the back-and-forth you've been getting on that.
But, first, I do want to ask you, the army fought against al Qaeda members today. Was that fight at all related to the nationwide civil uprising?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is. I mean, there are so many things that are part of a nationwide uprising, tribes that are going against the president, sectarian volatility, al Qaeda and radical Islamists in the south of the country, five al Qaeda members killed according to the government today. Many of them wounded, they say, seven soldiers wounded in Abyan Province. The state capital of Abyan, Zinjibar, according to some people, was taken over by radical Islamists or al Qaeda in the past few weeks.
The government saying they arrested six al Qaeda members today. They say those people were making IEDs. So, this is (INAUDIBLE) of Yemen at the moment, a country that is unstable and perhaps becoming (INAUDIBLE) just because the president is out of the country and asked to quit power as he is under huge international pressure to do, Brooke.
BALDWIN: As he is under that pressure to step down. I know that you and different members of the media has been getting different guidance as far as when he would make a public appearance today. And thus far, he is a no show.
ROBERTSON: He is, and the information is incredibly contradictory. It comes from sources that are ostensibly very, very close to the president. They (INAUDIBLE) last week said that President Saleh will be back here in Yemen by Friday. That didn't happen.
And then a couple of days later, the same adviser said, well, President Saleh would be making an address. And it wasn't clear (INAUDIBLE) appearance either here Yemen or from his hospital bed in Saudi Arabia.
But yet again today, a different message, a presidential spokesman saying, no, there will be no presidential address by President Saleh.
But what is clear here, Brooke, you have all this sort of confusion from close advisers, bad communications, perhaps the president has had some thoughts. According to some international diplomats, he's very seriously ill inside Saudi Arabia, may come back to Yemen. But what we're hearing from people that are close to him and people that have a vested interest in him returning to power here is that he will come back. So, I think what we got here, despite the confusion, is this sort of drumbeat from (INAUDIBLE) President Saleh does intend to come back here to Yemen. But it's (INAUDIBLE) instability and a lot of uncertainty, rocketing (INAUDIBLE), huge line of at the gas pumps, cost of food tripling in the past few months alone, Brooke
BALDWIN: OK. SO, it's not if, but when he comes back.
Nic Robertson live in Yemen. Nic, appreciate it.
Back here at home, did you know this, that the U.S. government spends more on military bans than it does on fighting kidnapping, selling and smuggling of human beings? If you did not know, actress Mira Sorvino wants to make sure you do. We're going to tell you why she's speaking out and now thinking Hillary Clinton. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Human trafficking, sexual slavery, the exploitation of workers -- the U.S. State Department released a report just today that names and ranks just about 200 countries and their work to stop the practice of buying and selling people as property. And among the countries where human trafficking is reportedly flourishing, that is North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Haiti.
Here she is, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She credits her husband's administration for kick-starting efforts to stop it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: Thank you.
When my husband signed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, we did have tools. We had tools to bring traffickers to justice and tools to provide victims with legal services and other support.
Today, police officers, activists and governments are coordinating their efforts so much more effectively. Thousands of victims have been liberated around the world. And thanks to special temporary visas, many of them are able to come to our country, to have protection, to testify against their perpetrators.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Now, Secretary Clinton has some Hollywood star power in her corner as well. I want you to listen to what Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino told CNN ahead of today's release.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIRA SORVINO, ACTRESS: Let me tell you one fact, the war on drugs in one month spends more than all the money that has spent up to date by the United States government in all of its domestic and international programs on human trafficking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The State Department report says 27 million people are victims of human trafficking. About 100,000 of them right here in the United States.
And if you want to read more, we're covering this for you here at CNN. We have an interactive map that tracks human trafficking on our Web site, just start with CNN.com/freedom.
Amanda Knox tells a witness to tell the truth after he tells an Italian court she murdered her roommate. We're going to take you to the trial in Italy next in our "Reporter Roulette."
Also, Dodgers fans, anyone? Guess what, your team just filed for bankruptcy. Alison Kosik is standing by to tell us why that decision was made.
Be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Here we go. Amanda Knox tells a witness to tell the truth after he tells an Italian court she murdered her roommate. President Obama jumps into negotiations over the national debt. And the L.A. Dodgers new chant, "Oh, thank heaven for Chapter 11" as the team files for protection under bankruptcy laws.
Lot going on today. Let's play "Reporter Roulette." I want to begin with Dan Rivers in Perugia, Italy. Dan?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was a day of dramatic testimony here in Perugia, Italy in the continuing appeal of Amanda Knox and her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito. Rudy Guede, the co- accused, was called to give evidence. The defense team were hoping he would be sort tripped up in cross-examination and would admit that it was he and he alone who murdered the British student Meredith Kercher in November 2007.
In the end, though, the exact opposite happened. For the first time, he said he explicitly thought that Knox and Sollecito were guilty of the murder, something he had only implied in testimony previously.
There was also a dramatic moment when Amanda Knox herself made a statement to the court. During the statement she said she was shocked by uede's evidence. She said he knew that we weren't in the house on the night of the murder. She said she didn't know what really happened, and she said she was sorry that she couldn't talk to Guede direct to question him about the events.
As well as her statement, Raffaele Sollecito also spoke to the court and said that before, Guede had only mentioned a shadow he thought may have been Amanda Knox in the house that evening. Now he seemed to be changing his story. He said that they had been in jail for four years and that their lives have been ruined, all on the evidence really of this one man, Rudy Guede.
In the end, though, this defense attempt to try and get Rudy Guede to trip up in cross-examination backfired. He didn't. So, now they will be relying on forensic evidence and DNA evidence that will be re- examined over the next few weeks.
Dan Rivers, CNN, Perugia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Next on "Reporter Roulette," we have Jill Dougherty in Washington. We know that Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell due there at the White House really any minute now, maybe half an hour we're hearing in these head-to-head talks, right, with the president on the crucial debt reduction package.
Jill, we all know this apparent deadline, August 2nd, set by the Treasury Department. Does the senator's arrival, might it all signal a new phase in these talks?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, you really have to say that this is the president's first foray into trying to do these negotiations by himself because don't forget, Vice President Biden was trying this for quite a long time, weeks and weeks. And then last week, acrimonious debate and they fell apart.
So, President Obama is bringing the sides together. Not expecting any type of, you know, breakthrough from this. Because they're still divided, Brooke, on that issue of revenue increases. And they define it in different ways. The Republicans say tax hikes, no way. And Democrats define it, of course, as closing tax loopholes on big oil companies and wealthy Americans.
So, until you can bridge that divide, you're not going to get a lot of progress. BALDWIN: Okay, Jill, so we know, you know, the White House, what is new is that the president is now stepping in and taking a part of the talks. As you mentioned, it was Senator Jon Kyl who stepped away from the talks last week.
Are we saying that the Biden phase of the talks didn't necessarily break down? I mean, which side here is getting closer to a deal, and do we know -- I'm just throwing the questions out, you're probably going to say we don't know yet. But do we know what measures they at least agree on now with regard to the federal deficit?
DOUGHERTY: Well, you know, there is one ray of light. And that would be that both sides now say that cuts in the military budget are a possibility. And that is a pretty big step because up until now, the Republicans were vehemently opposed to that. So, you do have at least, you know, both sides now saying that is on the table. So I guess you could call that progress.
By the way, Vice President Biden is going to be in -- on these talks today. And we'll just have to see how this turns out. But this is just the beginning of the president's side now, trying to do this.
BALDWIN: Right. We'll be waiting for that. Mitch McConnell supposed to be there in half an hour. Jill Dougherty, thank you so much there at the White House.
Finally here on "Reporter Roulette," let's go to Alison Kosik at the New York Stock exchange. Alison, one of the big stories of the day coming from Los Angeles on the Dodgers, the team filing for bankruptcy protection. And I know you and I have talked about this story before. So, my question is this: does this pertain -- is this really more business or it has to have a little something to do with the messy divorce the owners are going through?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUISNESS CORRESPONDENT: It does. It is a little of each. A little financial, a little of that soap opera drama for the L.A. Dodgers. For its season so far, you know, with the very public and ugly divorce of its owners, Frank and Jamie McCourt, it seems like they're getting more attention than the teams that playing on the field.
Now, the fact is that the team owes a lot of money to current and former players. And owing that money to these other players means it has less money to spend on new players. Also, the team was hoping for a big cash infusion from a new TV deal, but the baseball commissioner Bud Selig, he rejected it and said that this deal was designed to line the pockets of the owner but not help the team.
The good news for those who are Dodgers fans, you know what? Even though they filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the team can play at least for the time being. Brooke?
BALDWIN: So, what does this mean for the fans, though, who want to go to Dodger stadium and have to pony up for a ticket price? Does it change the cost of my ticket? KOSIK: It does, but for the good because if anything, you know what? If you're a fan, you can expect to get some really good deals on tickets. They're offering, in fact, $5 tickets for kids. That's about as good as it gets in the Major Leagues if you ask me.
But you know what? I think it is less because of the bankruptcy and more because the team just isn't playing well. Attendance is also down. So, you have to remember that. And keep in mind, experts say when this bankruptcy episode is over, guess what? The team, it is likely to be sold. Brooke?
BALDWIN: Hmm. You're watching it for us. The Dodger drama continues. Alison, thank you very much.
And I'm getting news -- we're getting some breaking news here out of New Mexico. We have been talking about the fire that is encroaching upon that nuclear training facility, Los Alamos. It's within a mile of it now. Folks there now being told to get out ahead of this massive wildfire. Also, a nuclear lab is right in the fire's path. We're all over that story. That's coming up.
Also, Rod Blagojevich found guilty of conspiracy. Guilty on 17 of those 20 counts read in the courtroom just in last hour or so.
We're now getting some brand-new video. There he is, of the governor, look at that scrum, following him home to his house. We'll show you what he's saying there as well. Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Guilty, guilty on 17 of those 20 corruption charges. That is the fate for former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. We heard from him a little while ago in the lobby of that federal courthouse. after that verdict was read. His one word, "Stunning." He's now returned home, with his wife Patti, to have to explain to his girls essentially what the future holds for him. And he was met by a crush of reporters outside his front door. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Talk about the support here in the neighborhood. Talk about that, sir. It has to be heartening that you have the support here.
QUESTION: You see everyone here, what do you think?
ROD BLAGOJEVICH, INDICTED ON 17 CORRUPTION CHARGES: It is very meaningful amazing to feel the support of the people. It's a very meaningful thing. And the sadness I feel and the disappointment and the shock -- Patti and I have to discuss this with our children, our little girls and start planning for future.
But and -- of course, I hope things work out best for Patti. And -- but it is so important to let people know that when I fought real hard for them. And what is difficult is to think that maybe some of my people -- people might think I may have let them down, and I didn't. I fought real hard -
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: How do you plan for this? Governor, are you going to appeal?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Rod Blagojevich and his wife Patti making their way through that scrum into their home. Next phase for him, the sentencing phase as he will be behind bars for a number of years.
Let's go now to New Mexico. Mandatory evacuations are in effect in Los Alamos and the surrounding areas. Take a look at the map. You'll see where I'm talking about. This massive wildfire flared up Sunday, now covers more than 43,000 acres.
So, what is key here is that this fire is threatening the Los Alamos National Laboratory. So now special crews have been dispatched to specially protect this facility. The lab is shut down, most of the 11,000 employees, were told don't come to work today. But these pictures as you're about to see, they really speak volumes.
This would get your attention. This is -- these are pictures from you, from our iReporters. These were shot nearby in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Look at the smoke. Can barely make out the sky, if at all. The fire is zero percent contained now. Mandatory evacuations are in place for the Los Alamos area. Everyone out.
For more on this, want to go to New Mexico Senator Jeff Bingaman, and he's live for me on Capitol Hill. Senator, nice to have you on. We wanted to have you on specifically because I know you were just briefed. You've been in contact with the head of that lab, Los Alamos lab. Tell me how close is this fire to this lab, and what is the latest you're learning?
SEN. JEFF BINGAMAN, NEW MEXICO: Well, the laboratory, of course, is a very large area. It covers over 25,000 acres. And there is a small spot fire that has come on to the area that is covered by the laboratory. But there are none of the structures there that are currently under threat. As I understand it, the various materials they work with, and the structures that are essential to the operation of the laboratory are well protected.
BALDWIN: You can understand why, you know, when someone hears that there is a fire encroaching upon this laboratory -- for people who don't know, it is one of the nation's top national research facility. There are radioactive materials inside, there is hazardous material inside. How are they protecting that?
BINGAMAN: Well, all of those materials are -- are encased in various protective shields and are protected, even if the fire were to reach those facilities. It has not reached any of those facilities as yet. And the expectation and the hope is that it will not.
There has been a great deal of preparation done at the laboratory to reduce the risk of fire. That's happened over the last ten years since what was called the Cerro Gordo (ph) fire that occurred in the year 2000 -
BALDWIN: Yes.
BINGAMAN: -- that did burn down - burn houses in the -- in the town of Los Alamos. So, they have anticipated the probable fire and they've taken precautions.
BALDWIN: Senator Bingaman, we appreciate you coming on. We're watching this very, very closely as are so many people across the country here. When you think about fire encroaching upon that kind of facility, you know, it certainly maybes you look up and ask a few questions about it.
But we appreciate it. We know they're working on keeping everyone safe around that area. Sir, thank you very much.
BINGAMAN: Thank you very much.
BALDWIN: What brought the Casey Anthony murder trial to an abrupt halt over this past weekend? Sunny Hostin is on the case with more on that.
And, Sunny, OK, so you have this judge calling the sudden recess Saturday due to an unspecified legal issue. We now know what it was. Tell me.
SUNNY HOSTIN, LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR, "IN SESSION" ON TRUTV: That's right. We now know what it was. We speculated al weekend, trying to figure out what it was. Well, it turns out that her attorneys, Casey Anthony's attorneys, filed a motion to determine whether or not she was competent.
So they felt she was incompetent and legally that means she either didn't understand the legal proceedings that were against her, or she couldn't assist them in her -- aid them in her defense.
Interestingly enough, the judge ceased all proceedings on Saturday and not one, not two, but Brooke, three psychologists interviewed her over the weekend, some on Saturday, some on Sunday, to determine whether or not she was indeed incompetent to proceed.
They found all -- we're not sure, but all three did find her competent, but the judge ruled that after reviewing all the reports, he found her competent to proceed with the trial so quite a bombshell. I don't think it is anything that any of us thought was the reason for court being delayed on Saturday.
BALDWIN: Well, my first thought, one of my questions is why are we talking about competency now? Isn't it unusual for this competency question to come up so late in the game in this trial? And also, do we have any idea what privileged communications prompted this motion?
HOSTIN: Yes. You know, it really is very unusual for this to happen in the middle of trial. It is something that usually happens in the beginning.
And once it is determined that someone is incompetent, they are made competent by medication or that sort of thing. And you mentioned that privilege communication, interestingly enough, in the motion it said that there was a privileged communication between Casey Marie Anthony and her counsel that led to this request.
Here it goes, based on privileged communications between Casey Marie Anthony and her counsel, counsel reasonably believes that Ms. Anthony is not competent to aid and assist in her own defense. We're not certain at this point what that communication was. It is privileged and the records are under seal everything that happened this weekend.
Many people are speculating, I tend to agree, that perhaps it has to do with Casey Anthony taking the witness stand. Many of us, myself included, Brooke, think she has to take the witness stand in order to prove out the defense's theory that Caylee drowned an accidental death.
And so perhaps that is one of the reasons why the defense now believes that she is incompetent to take the stand.
BALDWIN: And I would be remiss since we're speaking about her, these are live pictures, if you want to know, live pictures of Casey Anthony there as we see that shot of her each and every day sitting inside this Orlando courtroom.
Let me ask you about the death penalty because this came up also, Sunny. The defense filed another motion today asking the court to declare Florida's death penalty unconstitutional.
They want a mistrial and a do-over with a new jury. Really? Let me just put on my serious face. Is there any chance they're actually going to get that?
HOSTIN: You know, I don't think so. This stems from a decision by a Miami Federal District Court judge who indicated that the procedure, the process of the death penalty used in Florida is unconstitutional.
That is because you don't need a unanimous jury to recommend death and that jury doesn't have to tell the judge or tell the defendant, which aggravating factors made them feel that it was a death penalty case, that death penalty was appropriate.
So this Miami judge says, no, no, no, this jury has to tell the defendant why this is a death penalty case, why they're recommending death. I don't know that that is binding upon Judge Perry. It is not at this point.
All he needs to do, Brooke, to fix it is to perhaps give an instruction, to perhaps change the verdict form, and if he does that, this is a pretty good judge, and he may do that, I think that this issue becomes moot. And so are they going to get a mistrial and do- over because of this? I say not.
BALDWIN: You say not. Let's move on. Let's move on to the second case and I think a lot of parents' ears will perk on this one, video games.
The Supreme Court today ruled on this California law banning sales of violent video games to children. California had contended it had a legal obligation to protect kids from, you know, some graphic images.
But the Supreme Court said that the law went too far. Kids can be banned from buying obscene material. They can, so why not include violent video games in that?
HOSTIN: You would think and it is quite a decision. Does everybody see this? It is this thick.
BALDWIN: Look at that.
HOSTIN: I've read through it. Justice Scalia who wrote for the court, the decision, says, listen, you can't restrict the ideas to which children are exposed to. I thought that was very interesting. Said you can't carve out this exception for violent games.
It is very different from obscene, pornographic type material. What he talks about, which I thought was interesting because you know, Brooke I have children.
He talks about Grim's Fairy Tales, exposed to the ideas all the time, did you know that Snow White has to -- that the wicked queen is made to dance in red hot slippers until she falls dead on the floor? I had no idea. That's not the story I read to my daughter.
BALDWIN: I was asking my team today. Can you remind of the Snow White fairy tales and remembering she ate an apple and she died and she got kissed and she was OK, but that's a little bit different than some of the video games, but anyhow, I digress.
HOSTIN: It is a bit different. I digress as well. He says, no, no, no, you can't restrict these ideas. And let's face it, there are voluntary rating systems in place for these video games that for parents, like myself.
When you buy the video games, you see if it is "E" for everyone or if it's "T" for teens and so the court felt that this law went just a bit too far.
BALDWIN: OK. Did the court at all leave the door open for California, maybe another state to try it again?
HOSTIN: I think the court did. The judge -- Justice Alito in his dissent, said, you know, maybe framed a bit differently this law could possibly pass constitutional muster. He gave them a little crack in the defense.
Rather the crack in his opinion in his dissent. So perhaps we'll see some of these laws. There have been nine passed already. None of them have gone into effect. They have all been blocked.
And so I don't know in the near future if we're going to see any video games blocked. I mean, it is like a $45 billion industry. BALDWIN: Huge.
HOSTIN: A big industry, quite an industry.
BALDWIN: Thank you very much. Appreciate it as always.
You know, they say love is blind. Here is a little proof for you. Take a look at the canine contestants in this year's world's ugliest dog contest. Find out which one was crowned homeliest hound coming up.
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BALDWIN: They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, especially when it comes to man's best friend. But some folks in California, they take a little a bit of pride in their homely hounds. You got to see this.
Here is Yoda, the winner of -- look at this dog -- this is the world's ugliest dog contest this 14-year-old Chinese crested and Chihuahua mix beat out over 30 other pooches for the big title.
Apparently his owner, there she is, could not be prouder. OK. There we go, kind of ugly, kind of cute.
And now "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer coming up here at the top of the hour. Wolf Blitzer, what do you have coming up?
WOLF BLITZER, THE SITUATION ROOM: You know, one of the stories we're going to be working on is what is going on not only in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan to a certain degree, but the relationship that they're developing that is emerging right now with Iran.
The leaders of those three countries arguably, U.S. allies in the war on terror right now. They were all in Tehran in recent days. Fran Townsend is going to joining us. We're going to assess what is go on.
The U.S. as you know spent hundreds of billions of dollars liberating Iraq, liberating Afghanistan. But when all the dust settles in the years to come, will Iran really emerge as the strategic winner in what is go on in that part of the world?
We'll take a closer look at that. Brooke, I know you're really interested in this subject. A lot of our viewers are as well. We have all the day's other important news and important Supreme Court decisions.
We have got reporters in Syria, in Yemen, unlike any other news organization here in the United States. So we'll update our viewers with all the important news, Blagojevich obviously, Michele Bachmann in Iowa, it is going to be a jam-packed two hours of news.
BALDWIN: Wolf, we look forward to it. We'll see you in five minutes. Thank you, sir.
But before I let you go, we're going to talk about Michele Bachmann and how she was asked if she considers herself a flake. Joe Johns tells us why coming up in "Political Pop. Back in a moment.
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BALDWIN: Chris Wallace of Fox News has created a bit buzz lately. First, he brought Jon Stewart on and now his name is all over social media after he attacked presidential candidate Michele Bachmann asking her if she considers herself a flake.
Joe Johns is here with "Political Pop". And, Joe, walk me through what happened Sunday morning and how she reacted to that?
JOE JOHNS, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, well, the twist here is that Michele Bachmann gets slammed all the time by the media for saying things that need to be cleaned up.
But this time the shoe was on the other foot. It was the media guy who said something that needed to be cleaned up. Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Are you a flake?
MICHELE BACHMANN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I think that would be insulting to say something like that because I'm a serious person.
WALLACE: But you understand when I say that that that's what the rap on you is.
BACHMANN: Well, what I would say is that I'm 55 years old. I've been married 33 years. I'm not only a lawyer. I have a post doctorate degree in federal tax law from William & Mary.
I worked in serious scholarship and work in the United States Federal Tax Court. My husband and I raised five kids. We've raised 23 foster children. We've applied ourselves to education reform.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: So, I mean, you see the problem here. Bachmann does have a strong following. She is seen as a serious candidate out in Iowa. So, Wallace basically had to figure out what to do next and he did the right thing.
He issued an apology, said he didn't mean any disrespect, said it is not about the questions, it is about the answers. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: I messed up. I'm sorry. I didn't mean any disrespect. I simply was trying to put an issue that is out there directly to her because some people do dismiss her as a flake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: So, I mean you get it. You and I, Brooke, know that sometimes you say things in this business you wish you hadn't said, at least in a certain way.
BALDWIN: Right.
JOHNS: We reached out to both the congressional office and her campaign office, haven't heard anything from them. But she has said, you know, that she felt it was insulting. She is a serious candidate. She calls it a small issue.
BALDWIN: So is she -- we saw Chris Wallace me a culpa, is she accepting that apology? Do we know that?
JOHNS: Right, we know that she said what she had to say. I reached out to both her office, her congressional office and her campaign office, and so far haven't gotten back to me yet on the Blackberry. But what do you do? If you say I'm not going to accept the apology, then what?
BALDWIN: Right. It wasn't Jeff Flake was tweeting about it, making light, who are you calling a flake, right?
JOHNS: What's wrong with that? Come on, I mean, what's wrong with being a flake if your name is Jeff Flake. It is one of those things you got to have fun with.
BALDWIN: Joe Johns, you did for us in "Political Pop." We thank you very much. I just want to end this hour with a story we began two hours ago, former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich found guilty, 17 of those 20 counts, in case you missed it, a crush of reporters met him outside his home moments ago as he arrived with his wife. Take a look.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Talk about the support here in the neighborhood.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you see everyone here, what do you think?
ROD BLAGOJEVICH: It is very meaningful to feel the people and feel the support of the people. It is very meaningful thing. And the sadness I feel and disappointment and the shock, Patti and I have to discuss this with our children, our little girls and start planning for the future.
But and, of course -- things work out best for Patti, and -- but it is so important to let people know that when I fought real hard for them and what is --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: This story, one of several my colleague Wolf Blitzer is tackling right now. "THE SITUATION ROOM" starts with Wolf. Wolf --
