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Fire Threatens Los Alamos National Lab; Terrorist Attack in Afghanistan; Blagojevich Could Face Years in Prison; Athens in Smoky Chaos; Spotlight on Palin; Bachmann Misspeaks About John Wayne; Attack Under Way at Afghan Hotel; Casey Anthony Murder Trial: Man Who Found Caylee's Remains Testifies; Anthony Family Back on the Stand
Aired June 28, 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: Right now, out-of-control flames are creeping faster and closer to one of America's most important nuclear labs. And coming up, I will speak live with New Mexico Senator Tom Udall about these urgent warnings and worst-case scenario.
I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
(voice-over): He may have been one of America's most wanted, but he mob boss Whitey Bulger did not spend all those years in hiding. Find out what he did in Vegas, Mexico. Oh, and one trip he took is perhaps the most shocking of them all.
Greece is on fire.
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Quite a lot of fighting now going on between protesters.
BALDWIN: Rocks, tear gas, Molotov cocktails. Even our own CNN crew gets roughed up.
MAGNAY: A fire burning in the building.
BALDWIN: Now there appears this fight over money could start a domino effect around the world.
Plus, two women in one state, enemies or allies? Which Republican is stealing the thunder? Joe Johns is live in Iowa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Welcome back here.
And, as you just saw, breaking news here into CNN. We got two stories we're watching for you, one out of the Afghanistan, one out of New Mexico.
Want to begin in Kabul. Here's what we know. The Intercontinental Hotel in the capital city has been attacked. And from what we're told, it is still under attack.
Want to go straight to Erin Cunningham. She's a journalist on the scene in Kabul, not very far from that hotel. She's on the phone with me.
And, Erin, just bring me up to speed. Tell me where you are, what you see and how many people have died.
ERIN CUNNINGHAM, JOURNALIST: Yes.
Right now, I'm in the same place. I'm a couple hundred meters from the door of the hotel. There were three very large explosions in the last 10 minutes. There were two that were successive. Then there was a third one that was the biggest.
We're unsure what exactly it was. The security forces that we're in contact with right now also don't know. The blast was so large, that it almost knocked myself and my colleague off of our feet. There are reports that there are two car bombs driving around the city, and they are waiting to drive into the entrance of the Intercontinental Hotel and detonate as well.
BALDWIN: Hang on. Let me just confirm that with you. So you're telling me that, right now, somewhere on the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan, there are two car bombs. What is being done to stop them?
CUNNINGHAM: Right now, the Afghan security forces are extremely tense. They have set up roadblocks outside the Intercontinental.
They are stopping and searching almost every car. They are pointing their guns at the drivers. I'm not sure how effective all of this is, but it's extremely tense. And they're keeping vigilance over every vehicle that goes by.
BALDWIN: Erin, are you safe?
CUNNINGHAM: At the moment, no. No, I'm not. And, actually, I will be leaving the scene in just a couple of minutes.
BALDWIN: OK. Good. We want to have you leave the scene. We appreciate you reporting for us, but priority number one of course your safety. So I'm let you go here right now, so you can seek out a safer shelter and hopefully you can still report with us.
But, again, as you had said earlier, multiple fatalities there. Obviously this is still a developing story.
She mentioned two car bombs essentially with the mission of driving into this hotel. Also, according to CNN, we have learned that a Taliban spokesperson claimed responsibility for the attack. And according to what we're learning, this is all because there were some prominent hotel guests at this hotel, international and national guests at the hotel. This happened at 10:00 local time. We're still working it for you.
I want move on for now. I want Erin to be safe. I want to move on.
We told you last hour we would do our very best to get to the bottom of a potentially troubling story. And that is the potential nuclear danger at the Los Alamos National Lab.
You have heard about this wildfire. A short time ago, officials reported the fire has marched right up to the lab's southern border. They also say it's very close to the western border as well. Now, the city of Los Alamos has been evacuated. And a lot of folks in the area, they're worried about this, this smoke. Is it contaminated?
And we're talking here about nuclear contamination. Now, authorities say, no, it's not contaminated and they say they're taking regular readings.
Here's the other concern here, waste exposed to plutonium. Here's a picture. This is stored at the site in some of these barrels. Now, a lab spokesman says the barrels are stowed away in vaults, but this picture you're looking at, these are barrels found purported to show them sitting out in the open.
We have also read that the barrels are stored in canvas tents. Some folks are warning the barrels could ignite, split open and emit plutonium into the atmosphere.
As promised, we are now joined by Senator Tom Udall. He has been at the forefront of things really since this fire broke out on Sunday. He is there at the scene. He, in fact, has been briefed over and over here.
Senator Udall is on the phone.
And, Senator Udall, I really appreciate you joining me. But I want to just cut to the chase here. We know that these barrels containing plutonium waste, are they sitting out in the open? Are they in these tents? Or are they safe and stored away in some of these steel and concrete vaults, as we heard the lab spokesperson say this afternoon?
REP. TOM UDALL (D), NEW MEXICO: Well, I think that all of the statements that have been made are correct.
The -- there is radioactive waste. It's waste that's been packaged. Over the last 11 years, two-thirds of that waste has been moved from this particular site to a site almost half-a-mile underground in salt beds down near Carlsbad, New Mexico. So the hazard has been going down over time.
The thing you have to understand is that this is in an area where they don't believe a fire could even get to, number one, that the fire -- as you heard, the fire chief today in the press conference said, we do not believe a running fire, meaning a crown fire, the hottest fire, could get to this site.
Even if it could get to the site, the -- the county fire people are prepared -- and the chief said this at the press conference -- to immediately surround the site and cover it completely with foam. So, you would have a protection from a foam encasing all of that.
But they don't believe, number one, the fire could get there. Number two, they're prepared to cover all of the waste with foam, so that it wouldn't be able to escape or catch on fire.
BALDWIN: OK. So, clearly, they have plans A, B and C. But I know, Senator, you know this area very well. I was looking closely at some of the maps earlier today. And there's this area called Area G. It's the place where most of the waste is apparently being stored. And it's about five miles from the lab. As our viewers can see there, follow that long red line diagonally, bottom right. That's Area G.
So we did a little digging, and we found that there are other waste storage sites out there besides Area G. Senator, perhaps you mentioned one of them underground. Are you aware of any other sites? Are they also storing plutonium, and are they at all vulnerable to this fire?
UDALL: Well, the Area G is the one that I'm the most familiar with, because that's the waste that's been packaged to be shipped to the waste isolation pilot project and to be put down in the ground, buried half-a-mile in salt beds that are 100 million years old and that haven't shown any evidence of moving.
In fact, when you put the waste down there, it encloses it. So, the lab is in a position right now to continue -- after this fire is out, to continue shipping this waste down to the WIP site and putting it underground.
As I said already, two-thirds of it have been put out and they're going to continue on their schedule. But Area G is an area that's been cleared. It's an area...
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: It is cleared? So it's totally clear of any waste?
UDALL: We're not talking about Area G where a fire would move through it. You're -- a forest fire needs trees in order to move. This is a cleared area, where you have structures. Some of them are on -- of canvas, as you have noted.
And those particular structures, the county is prepared to go in and fill them completely with foam and capture all of the canisters or however this material is packaged, cover it with foam.
BALDWIN: I understand.
(CROSSTALK)
UDALL: They have a very good, solid firefighter group here. You will hear every day...
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Yes. No, I heard from Chief Tucker.
UDALL: Yes, every day, Chief Tucker is going to be at a press conference at roughly about noon to update people as to what is going on. There's going to be a regular flow of information. Nobody is hiding anything here.
BALDWIN: Sure.
UDALL: And I have asked that the EPA -- the EPA move in. They're going to have a plane that is -- that is basically a flying air pollution monitoring la. And it will be flying over all of this area to see if there's anything being released that we don't know about.
The state of New Mexico, under Governor Martinez, is going to be doing independent testing. The Environmental Protection Agency overlooks the testing at that Los Alamos National Labs does. And the Los Alamos National Labs have a very capable testing unit themselves, that they have to share all that data with the EPA. So, we're trying to do everything we can here to make sure...
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: OK. I know you are. And I watched you earlier on your briefing, along with the governor.
UDALL: Citizens are going to be protected.
BALDWIN: Sure. Sure -- and along with the governor, along with Chief Tucker.
And speaking of the firefighters, I always think of the firefighters in instances like these, when we see these massive flames here, wildfires. And I just want to ask about these men and women who are having to fight this thing as it's encroaching upon this lab. How trained are the -- are they to defend these barrels that may contain any of this waste?
Even if you say the areas are cleared, it still exists, it's still there. And how prepared are they to handle that?
UDALL: Well, the -- Chief Tucker is the one that's responsible for this area.
Chief Tucker is a very experienced fire chief. He saw what happened and learned what happened in 2000 and the previous fires.
BALDWIN: Eleven years ago.
UDALL: And they have -- they have modeled these kinds of things and tried to do everything they can to be prepared if there's some kind of emergency situation that a fire might get anywhere near this.
And, for example, one of the things that happens with a crown fire is it can get out and throw embers out, even into an area where there are not trees. What would happen here, as I have been briefed and told, is, if an ember landed on the top of one of these canvas tents, it would just burn a hole. It wouldn't start the entire canvas tent on fire or anything like that.
So, they have looked at the materials. The chief has then done the research of what kind of foam you would use in order to encase it, even if a fire was able to make it there.
BALDWIN: Got it.
UDALL: And they have tried to put all of the precautions in place to protect the people that live nearby the National Laboratory.
BALDWIN: Well, Senator Udall, I know this is your home state. I know you have stuck it out and stayed out there to be with those folks.
And, if you don't mind, I may want to call you up a little later this week, if you're still around, and just catch up and check back in and see how the status is, you and Chief Tucker as well.
UDALL: That would be -- I would be happy to do that.
BALDWIN: Deal?
UDALL: Happy to do that.
BALDWIN: Deal.
UDALL: And you all should -- should feel free to attend the press conferences every day, where the top officials that have most of the knowledge here is going to give it out to you and give it to you straight.
BALDWIN: You got it. You got it. We will give Chief Tucker a call as well there, yeoman's work in New Mexico.
Thank you so much, Senator. I appreciate it.
UDALL: Thank you. Thank you. You take care.
BALDWIN: And now this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLAGOJEVICH: A lot about what life is how you deal with your adversities. And it's a true test of who you are. And it's an example to your children on how you deal with the tough times. And so one of the things that motivates me...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Rob Blagojevich speaking out hours after realizing he could spend years behind bars.
But, up next, you're going to hear from another juror who decided his fate. I will talk live to a woman who sat in the jury box. Find out if there were any arguments behind closed doors and what she thinks of what Blagojevich did. Don't miss this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Rod Blagojevich, the former governor of Illinois, was convicted on 17 counts of corruption in Chicago just about this time yesterday. Each of those counts counts with maximum 20 years in federal prison.
Take a look at this, though. This was Blagojevich just earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROD BLAGOJEVICH, FORMER ILLINOIS GOVERNOR: A lot about life is how you deal with your adversities. And it's a true test of who you are and it's an example to your children on how you deal with the tough times. And so, one of the things that motivates me and has motivated me and continues to motivate me and Patti is to try to show our kids that as tough as things can get sometimes and as unfair as you think things might be, you just keep doing the best you can and dealing with the adversity. And through that adversity and hardship can come good things.
And that's kind of how I'm approaching this. We have to get to school because she's got algebra for three hours.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, this was his second trial on most of these charges. Remember, the first trial ended up with a hung jury on, what was it, 23 out of 24 different counts? So, what was different this time?
Karin Wilson was on the jury. I got her on the line.
And, Karin, I talked to your fellow juror, John McFarland (ph, a little while ago. I asked him a similar question.
I'm going to ask you this. You've been quoted as saying Blagojevich was a pretty likable guy, but what was it that you saw or heard in that courtroom that said guilty?
KARIN WILSON, BLAGOJEVICH JUROR (via telephone): I think we did a really diligent job looking through all the facts, all the evidence. We looked at each count separately. For each count, we went back through the jury instructions, back through the legal terms, through the notes we had taken, tape recordings, testimony, and really focused on just the facts even the evidence.
We started out with a presumption of innocence and if the facts led us to a guilty verdict, and that's how we found it.
BALDWIN: So, John, told me it was the wiretaps that said guilty to him. Was there one piece of evidence that did it for you?
WILSON: I can't say one piece of evidence because I really think we made a concerted effort to not have it be just one thing, that we, you know, if we found a fact that supported, you know, a verdict of guilty, that made sure there was other evidence that corroborated that and supported.
BALDWIN: Got it.
WILSON: So, either another recording, another piece of testimony, something that backed that up. BALDWIN: Karin, take me inside that Chicago courtroom yesterday. I was talking to our reporter who was inside and he described the jury as being quite emotional. He said Blagojevich was trying to look, trying to make eye contact with members of the jury and members including John, told me they just looked straight at the judge.
What was the moment like for you?
WILSON: Very nerve wracking. It was, you know, it's a heavyweight that you carry because you know that your decisions are going to pretty dramatically affect somebody's life. And I don't think we carry that weight lightly. I think we took our job very seriously. And I know all of us try to make a concerted effort to not have our emotions play into that. So, I know I and I think many of other jurors did not even want to look at Rod or Patti to see the emotions that might be exhibited.
I think I wanted to kind of separate myself from that. But I didn't really see any of the reactions. I've heard about it since then, but I would agree with John that my eyes were pretty steadfastly fixed on the judge.
BALDWIN: I want to -- this was a quote, this is sort of the more notorious quote from those secret recordings. He told jurors in his federal corruption trial that his definition of leaping golden was good things for Illinois and that's what, you know, spoke volumes for a lot of juror. What did that say to you?
WILSON: I'm a teacher and as I said earlier, I love the English language. I love written language, I love word crafting, and I thought that was very masterful.
I didn't believe it, but I thought that was a pretty masterful reworking of the original intent of that phrase.
BALDWIN: Masterful as in manipulative, Karin?
WILSON: Yes. I don't think that's really what he meant. And I say that because we looked at all the evidence that supported that's not what he meant. And, you know, they had two years to think about how they would reframe certain phrases. And that was a good one.
BALDWIN: You all deliberated for 10 days. Was there any moment during deliberations, anything -- anything happen? Did you think at any point it would break down? Or you all pretty came -- came together pretty well?
WILSON: I'm really proud of what we did. We were really a good team. We worked collaboratively with each other. There was never one moment of uncomfortable dissension in that room.
There was disagreement, but we all kind of laid the ground work at the beginning that all voices would be heard, all voices would be listened to and when there was disagreement, we again rested just on the facts. Both sides of the decision would present what evidence and supporting facts that supported their point of view and at the other point of view. And if at some point agreement could not be the made, the question was put forth, you know, is there anything we could say or do to present to you that will change your mind at this point, and if the answer was no, then we respected that. We worked really well together.
BALDWIN: Karin Wilson, thank you so much. And, again, if you missed it, he was found, Karin and her jurors, found Blagojevich guilty on 17 of those 20 counts.
Karin, appreciate it. Thank you.
And now this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAGNAY: As you can see, there's quite a lot of fighting now going on between protesters. We're being forced out of the way, because it's really kicking off around that corner.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Look at that. Did you see that? CNN's very own crew, that was Diana Magnay getting roughed up a bit as protesters are battling police on the streets there of Athens, Greece. The fight all about the economy.
Coming up, why this chaos could spark a domino effect, one that Americans could feel right here at home. We're going to go live to Athens for that.
Plus, wait till you hear what Greece is trying to sell in what many are calling an epic yard sale. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: No, I'm not.
In Athens, Greece, today, riot police tried desperately to keep protesters away from government buildings, and it did get rough at times. I want you to look at this scene. Utter chaos. Billows of smoke, angry people by the thousands throwing rocks, dodging tear gas canisters.
But let me just boil it down for you because here's the issue. The Greek government is voting tomorrow to tighten the economic belt even more than it has already. We're talking higher taxes, higher tuition, higher retirement age, fewer government benefits. And people on the street, they say they can't take any more cuts. They don't want anymore tax hikes.
Let's go to CNN's Diana Magnay. She's live for me from Athens.
And, Diana, I know it's nighttime and I'm still looking at some pictures. I don't know if these are live or not, but it still appears people are still in the streets.
MAGNAY (via telephone): Hi, Brooke.
Yes, these are live. Tear gas clouds are just coming up to the balcony where we have our position. You can see these fires dotted around the square. The violence has been going in sort of ways for the last hour. People are very, very angry for all those reasons that you cited.
Basically, the government -- the parliament is debating right now whether to push through another round of austerity cuts, with wage cuts, pension cuts, tax hikes. And the people, as you can see, are very, very angry about it. They've already gone through a year of austerity. They say that they cannot take it anymore, that this government is basically being blackmailed by the European Union and the IMF who have told George Papandreou, the Greek prime minister, that unless we get this new package of austerity measures through the parliament, they aren't going to give him any more money and Greece will then go bankrupt.
And Greece has some maturing debt to pay back in the middle of next month. And if it doesn't get the money to pay that back from the E.U. and the IMF, then the possibility of a Greek default is very, very real.
But you can see that the people on the street don't care about that. You know, when I spoke to them earlier, they say essentially, we feel bankrupt anyway, what can this do to us? The E.U. and IMF are not our bosses. They don't have faith in their politicians either.
And this scene you see in front of you is really the signs of a people who are fed up with what is going on. They don't have any solutions as to which way Greece should go, but they say further austerity isn't the way, Brooke.
BALDWIN: These pictures, it took me a point for my eyes to adjust. I don't know if Joe is behind the camera, if you guys could pull out again, but it was that shot, that wide shot, and what is plumes of smoke.
You know, I initially thought it was maybe concrete. Now, take a look. People are running.
Diana, what is going on down there? What's going on? What kind of explosion is that?
MAGNAY: Exactly. Well, that's first of all, the big bangs are normally stun grenades thrown by the police. Basically, they're very, very loud explosions to stun the protesters, to slightly blind them for five seconds or so, and then they fire tear gas canisters into the crowd.
Many, many people out on the streets come prepared. You know, the Greeks are known for their riots. They happen quite regularly here and certainly over the past year. So, many of these protesters have come equipped with gas masks, with all sorts of -- they painted their face white to try and sort of counteract the effects of the tear gas. But, yes, the violence started at around midday today when the demonstrators reached the square. And it kicked off then and it's showing no signs of letting up. And this is just the first day of general strikes. You can expect thousands of more people in this square tomorrow when the government does actually vote on whether to push through that austerity program.
I don't want to bet necessarily on these things, but I would imagine, Brooke, that we'll be seeing similar scenes tomorrow.
BALDWIN: Yes, Diana Magnay, I would agree with your betting that the scene will only multiply as that vote, as you mentioned, happens tomorrow. And we will check back in with you. Look at that, nighttime, daytime, they are out there protesting.
Now, if Greece is this mired in debt, how are they planning to take some of the pressure off? Have a kind of yard sale apparently is the solution here.
Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange.
And, Alison, you saw the pictures. I mean, this is serious, serious stuff out of the streets of Athens, Greece, explosions, you know, at night. What kind of yard sale are we talking?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is kind of a yard sale of a different kind, Brooke, not the kind that you think of where you're selling the lava lamp. This is Greece really selling the farm. I mean, selling everything from four Airbus jets, selling the state lotto system, a national post office, thousands of acres of land. This is all in attempt to try to raise some cash, because what's happening is as Diana said, you know, the Euro Zone, the IMF, they're offering this second round of bailout money if Greece approves these tough austerity measures.
But whatever money Greece winds up raising means it's less money that the rescuers would have to pony up. You know, the problem with these big so-called yard sale is that, you know, these things have been up for sale for a while and so far, no takers. But, you know what? Greece really has little choice but to keep trying at this point, because it has so much debt -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: I know you and I have talked before. We looked at the markets before. The markets are very much so interconnected.
But I want you to explain how this really could create a global domino effect where, I don't know, if say Greece went into default, you mentioned some rescuers having to pay up. How does that affect, you know, us here in the U.S.?
KOSIK: Yes, and if Greece defaults, you know, the biggest weight on the market would really be the fear of the unknown. Because the fact is a national default like this, it's never happened before. It could trigger a ripple effect in other countries and on banks around the world. That could drive down stocks here at home. These are the very same stocks that are in the funds that make up our retirement portfolios.
So, you know, many analysts thing the biggest threat to the global economy is really psychological because the reality is Greek -- is not a huge economy when you think about it, but it's connected to a lot. And it could really wind up causing a huge ripple effect around the world. Brooke?
BALDWIN: Alison Kosik for me in New York. Alison, thank you. We'll keep watching the markets with you.
And now this coming up:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have this dream that I have occasionally. And it's a dream of me seeing him in the streets of New York, just bumping in to him. In that dream, I snap his neck.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: What is one of "Whitey" Bulger's former mobsters. After years on the run, living as America's most wanted fugitive, Bulger has just appeared in court. And he's asking you and me - yes, us -- for a favor. That's ahead.
Plus, a nightmare scenario. Kids messing around on an escalator. One of them, not so lucky. Wait until you hear what they were doing right before this stunt. Rapid-fire, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: You know the deal. If it's interesting and happening right now, you're about to see it. Rapid-Fire, let's go.
Take a look at this motorcade here that carried alleged Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger back to court just a coup of hours ago. Bulger says he doesn't have any money and wants you, the taxpayer, to pick up the tab for his lawyers.
I talked to Boston Globe's deputy editor Mark - excuse me, Mike Bello -- earlier today about what happened during that 15-minute hearing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE BELLO, DEPUTY EDITOR, "BOSTON GLOBE": It was a somber Bulger that showed up. No outbursts in the courtroom, no talking to the judge, no decisions on whether the feds will pay for his lawyer. Two lawyers stood up, Kevin - a number of - Max Stern. And Howard Cooper stood up and said they would represent Bulger before the court.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The judge also warned -- the judge is cracking down on loose lips. He told federal investigators he doesn't want anyone to leak any information they get from Bulger. Iran's military says it successfully test-fired 14 missiles today as part of the so-called Great Prophet Six War Games. Iranian media has also revealed that Iran has built its first ballistic silos, capable of quickly launching long-distance missiles.
Back here to the U.S., hearings in the Senate today on The Dream Act. The legislation, if approved, would give legal status to children of undocumented immigrants if they attend college or serve in the military. The Obama administration is pushing for the passage of the Dream Act. Republicans at the hearing said they want more border security in exchange for their support.
This is the second time here, the second shot at the Dream Act. It failed to pass the Senate last year.
In Massachusetts, have you seen this piece of video? Look at this closely. You have a Massachusetts teenager falling 20 feet - there he goes -- after tumbling over the hand rail of an escalator. The 18- year-old was on his way home from a concert with friends and admits he had been drinking. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was drinking before the concert, during the concert. And then I obviously got too drunk and way too irresponsible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Amazingly, he's okay. But he will be wearing a cast on his elbow all summer long.
Take a look at this now. Nearly five pounds of cocaine, folks, stuffed into the soles of several pairs of shoes. Custom agents at JFK International Airport found the shoes in some abandoned luggage just last week. They were looking for the owner. The bag arrived from the Dominican Republic, and officials said the drugs had a street value of more than $100,000. In shoes.
Down but not out. Homeless people taking to Twitter and other social media Web sites to connect with their community. One woman became homeless last year, and she says she understands the value of networking on social media.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RD PLASSCHAERT, HOMELESS: It is the way people are finding housing. It is the way people are finding food banks.
It's important to have that sense of community and the social media will let every person have it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Many homeless are reaching out for work, connecting with friends and family. And sometimes just trying to find a place to sleep. Social media is also providing an outlet to vent frustrations and share other information.
Developing right now. The feds putting police on alert across the country as concerns grow of a possible terror attack right here in the U.S. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right, developing right now, a new warning about a possible terror attack inside the United States. The feds telling police across the country to remain vigilant, concerned terrorists may try to hit the U.S. this summer. We're told there's currently no specific intelligence, but the feds are reminding authorities that al Qaeda is interested in attacking U.S. targets on symbolic dates like the Fourth of July.
Homeland security warning: the death of Osama bin Laden may also inspire a lone wolf to attack.
It hasn't even been 36 hours since Michele Bachmann officially jumped into the presidential race. But already, she is answering questions not one but two new gaffes. One of them involves a serial killer. Huh.
Joe Johns live in Iowa, where we should also mention Sarah Palin getting ready to arrive. He has the scoop. Joe is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: For your "Political Pop," we are taking you on the road to Iowa. That is where Sarah Palin is going to be out and about today at the screening of the documentary we've been talking about for a couple of weeks here. It's called "The Undefeated."
Joe Johns is there just outside a theater in Pella, Iowa where Palin is going to join a couple hundred folks to see the film there within the hour.
Joe Johns, good to see you out and about on the road. Blue skies there in Pella. Talk to me about the hustle and bustle and how people feel about Palin coming to town.
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Brooke. It's a beautiful day here in Pella, Iowa. We're outside the Pella Opera House Theater, where just in a little while, they're going to actually do the film.
Get a load of crowd here. People are very excited. It's exciting, I guess you have to say. There's a lot of buzz certainly speculating about Sarah Palin's future.
But the content of this movie that they're going to see is more about Sarah Palin's past. We've got a clip to show you. Take a listen
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The first 90 days of the Palin administration were insane. We worked like dogs. Seven days a week, 15 hour days.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unlike other states, the governor of the state Alaska is the CEO for the state. When the Constitution was written -
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: So one of the questions obviously is about this movie and whether it's so complimentary to the fact that it's pretty much almost a press release for Sarah Palin and her political aspirations. I talked to the producer of this movie about that, Stephen Bannon, and here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN BANNON, FILM PRODUCER: We're not going to have $25 million of prints and ad money. We have to get what's called earned media. We have to - and the place to do that is in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, where all this media is focused and there's really no story to tell.
We're going to give them a story and so we're getting I think you see in those things that's where going to New Hampshire, that's where going to South Carolina is really to build awareness that that's on my nickel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: So, Brooke, he's pretty much using it as a vehicle all this publicity in other words to try to sell the movie, which is his business, and certainly his right in this environment.
And we'll see what Sarah Palin says. She's seen a rough cut of the movie, we're told, but not the final version and this will be her opportunity.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: So that's far this is just a movie, just a documentary. It's not some big lead up to some big announcement Sarah Palin might have for us in Iowa. I just want to make sure I'm hearing that correctly. Right, Joe?
JOHNS: Well, you know, we don't know that. We certainly don't know whether she's going to run or. We do know that we've created a lot of different buzz all over Iowa, all over the country.
You remember her bus tour not very long ago. This is, I guess, the next iteration of that. Talked to some of the people out here in the crowd and why don't we just listen to what they had to say about the possibility of Sarah Palin running.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know a lot about her.
JOHNS: Her positions, do you know a lot about her positions and the things you care about.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Quite a bit.
JOHNS: Yes, but -
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But I'm not satisfied yet.
JOHNS: Do you think she's going to run?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I definitely believe so, yes.
JOHNS: Do you want her to run?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely. She's a woman of confidence and she has her head on straight, definitely.
JOHNS: Would you like to see Sarah run?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely. I think she's got knowledge that she could run this country. She wrote the book about American -- knowing America, this second book and I think she knows America.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS: So the voters here in Iowa are very smart. It's the first in the nation's caucus state and that's sort of after reflection of the things you get on Sarah Palin. She's got a lot of negatives and also a lot of people who support her and some people who don't know.
BALDWIN: OK, so as you were watching out for the arrival of Sarah Palin, I can't let you go without also asking about another female Republican, Michele Bachmann with inner hometown of Waterloo.
You know, just yesterday morning officially announcing, but again, she's catching some flak for misspeaking again. This time it's about John Wayne versus John Wayne Gacy. Please explain.
JOHNS: All right, well, this is one of those deals. She's from Iowa and she was born here. She also knows that John Wayne, the very famous movie star who's now deceased was born in her home state of Iowa. And rather than going into all of it at first, let's just listen to what she had to say and I'll talk about it on the back end.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPRESENTATIVE MICHELE BACHMANN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What I want them to know is just like John Wayne was from Waterloo, Iowa. That's the kind of spirit I have, too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: It turns out, John Wayne, the movie star was born in Winterset, Iowa and the thing that's embarrassing for Michele Bachmann is that another John Wayne, John Wayne Gacy who is best known as a serial killer was actually born in Waterloo, Iowa so she got her John Waynes mixed up.
That's not going to kill her out there on the streets nonetheless because she's made so many embarrassing gaffes, it's the kind of thing that people remember.
BALDWIN: Well, she's been getting a lot of high grades lately. When you do well, the scrutiny just is amped up so there you go. Joe Johns --
JOHNS: People like her, yes.
BALDWIN: Yes, yes, people do. Joe Johns enjoy Pella, Iowa. State travels home, whatever that is. Thank you very much.
JOHNS: You bet.
BALDWIN: Want to just bring you up to speed here, more of the breaking story out of Afghanistan. Here's the story, the Intercontinental Hotel has been attacked in Kabul. We are now just getting our first images of the chaotic scene. We'll share that with you right after this quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: We are getting some new information here on a breaking story, a still smoldering hotel in the capital city of Afghanistan. There has been multiple suicide attackers targeting the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul.
I want to go to Barbara Starr who I know has been working her Pentagon sources. Barbara, just tell me what you know. Do we know yet how many suicide attackers we're talking about here?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: U.S. officials, Brooke, are not sure. I have to tell you at this hour, everyone we have spoken to, U.S. military officials say these are the initial reports they're getting from the field. Things could change in the coming hours.
What they tell us is the Intercontinental they believed was attacked by multiple suicide bombers wearing suicide explosive vests. They don't know how many people at this point and they can't really say.
I think we're beginning to see some of the first images of the hotel as it existed before the bombing. Let me go on. They tell us is that the first indications are, they were 10 people killed at the hotel, 10 killed.
They do not believe that there were any official Americans and what that means is they don't think there were any U.S. military personnel or U.S. diplomatic personnel. That said, the ISAF organization, the International Security Assistance Force, a multinational military organization has started a nose count tonight in Afghanistan.
They want to make sure all their personnel are accounted for. Right now they believed everyone is, but they are going through the master rolls making sure. U.S. military troops, there are a small number we were told by ISAF on the scene at this hour giving some assistance. That's pretty interesting, Brooke. Because in Kabul as you know, that is a place Afghan security forces are supposed to be able to handle whatever comes. They are supposed to be in charge. You actually rarely see U.S. combat forces or support forces on the streets of Kabul.
So if they're on scene, this may, maybe even more serious than the first indications are. We expect information to unfold all night long, Brooke.
BALDWIN: As Barbara said, so far and again these are initial reports, 10 fatalities, multiple suicide attackers. Barbara, thank you for now. Please continue working your sources.
And I just want to remind you, we are literally getting tape as I speak feeding into us here at CNN some of the initial images of the Intercontinental Hotel. As soon as we're able to turn them around for you and we've got people working quickly on doing that. We'll bring them to you live.
Now this, it is a family affair in the Casey Anthony murder trial. Her father, mother, brother, all taking the stand today in Orlando and the questions get personal. But perhaps the most significant witness today, the man who found little Caylee's remains and it's safe to say, the defense is going after this guy. Sunny Hostin is on the case. We're going to talk about that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: The man who found Caylee Anthony's remains got hammered on the witness stand in the Casey Anthony murder trial. You have former meter reader, here he is, Roy Cronk testifying today about finding what looked like a skull in the woods near the Anthony home.
Sunny Hostin is on the case. Sunny, I want to play a little bit of the sound because we know in his opening statement, Casey Anthony's lead attorney made it very clear that the defense was going after Roy Cronk, calling him a morally bankrupt person who took Caylee's body and hid it. Let's watch this together.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSE BAEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You will not be able to trust a thing having to do with Mr. Cronk because he had control of Caylee's remains for obviously several months. Where he found her, we do not know nor will we ever know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So Sunny, Jose Baez, defense attorney there trying to make Cronk look like a bad guy. Was he successful at doing that?
SUNNY HOSTIN, LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR, "IN SESSION" ON TRUTV: I don't know that he was successful. I mean, they really needed a home run. We just heard that opening statement, right? I think they got more of a base hit basically. I mean, they got him to say some interesting things because his story is a bit curious. He called 911 three times in August and then no one responded and then he calls again in December, December 11 of 2008 and he does find her remains.
Everyone else was searching in the exact same location, but he's the only one that saw the remains in August and then again in December and so his story was curious. They pointed it out. Did they make him look like a morally bankrupt individual? I don't think they got there.
BALDWIN: We know Casey - Casey Anthony's father and mother, they were back on the stand today. Her mother and brother seemed to contradict each other over whether Cindy Anthony actually sent private investigators to search the area where Caylee's remains were found. First, here is Cindy Anthony.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Prior to September of 2008, did you tell your son, Lee Anthony that you had sent Dominic Casey and/or Jim Hoover to Suburban Drive to look for Caylee with a video camera?
CINDY ANTHONY, CASEY ANTHONY'S MOTHER: I had never - I've never told anybody that I sent those guys there because I never sent those guys there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: OK, now here is Lee Anthony. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you go to our parents' home?
LEE ANTHONY, CASEY ANTHONY'S BROTHER: Yes, I did.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then you got there did your mother tell you anything about sending Dominic with a video camera to Suburban Drive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Objection, hearsay.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Overruled.
ANTHONY: Yes, sir, that did happen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did she tell you?
ANTHONY: That she sent Dominic into the woods off Suburban because she had a psychic tip that she wanted to follow up on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: OK, Sunny, what do you think?
HOSTIN: Another example of this is, is a secret keeping, lying, dysfunctional family with alliances ever shifting, a divided family that's what we saw today in the courtroom, Brooke.
BALDWIN: And it continues. We'll talk about it tomorrow. Thank you very much.
And now, more on the breaking story out of Afghanistan.
Here is Wolf Blitzer.
THE SITUATION ROOM starts right now.
