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Debt Talks Break Up; Child Abused & Killed, No One Helps; U.S. Embassy in Syria Attacked; "Thriller" Dance Steals Spotlight; Casey Anthony Case Fallout; Rupert Murdoch Media Scandal

Aired July 11, 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: And now, as we are at the top of the hour, watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Leaders in Washington are playing with fire right now -- your money, your loans, your 401(k), the entire U.S. economy. Will they agree on a deal in 21 days?

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So we might as well do it now. Pull off the Band-Aid.

BALDWIN: Pressure is on.

I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.

A young boy kept in a cage, beaten for years, then buried in cement. But a shocking report reveals more than a dozen people may have known about the abuse and said nothing. We're on it.

Plus, does the Casey Anthony verdict affect how the U.S. prosecutes terrorists? One Republican leader says oh, yeah, it sure does. Sunny Hostin is on the case.

A couple of presidential candidates may be wishing they read the fine print. Two Republicans under fire for signing a controversial pledge involving slavery. Joe Johns has the "Political Pop."

And want to boost morale at the office? How about blowing up the boss's car?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Welcome back to you. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

I want to begin with some news just in to us here. Harsh words coming from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton moments ago. She is speaking -- she is reacting to these scenes from Syria where angry pro- government crowds attacked the U.S. and French embassies in the capital city of Damascus earlier today. We'll listen to Secretary Clinton and what she had to say momentarily.

But I want to take you straight to the White House, developing story there. You've been following and we've certainly been following it here at CNN. Crucial talks on a potential default of the United States national treasury, the deadline, August 2nd. Those talks happening daily now.

Let's go to Brianna Keilar. She's been following all this for us.

Do we know, Brianna, first and foremost, are these people there? Are they negotiating? Who is, who was there? What are they arguing about?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, this meeting wrapped up about 20 minutes ago, and this was President Obama again with these top eight Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate, two top Democrats, two top Republicans from each chamber.

We knew going into this that President Obama had told those in negotiations, "I want you to come with specifics about what could be in an agreement," but there is no breakthrough certainly at this point, Brooke. President Obama, despite the fact that Republicans ended up pulling out of at least the discussion point about a $4 trillion in deficit savings over 10 years, they said, you know we're not going to go for that, over the weekend. President Obama saying he's still pushing for that.

Republicans and an aide to the speaker telling us what House Republicans are really looking at now is a $2.4 trillion deal -- $2.4 trillion in deficit savings over the course of 10 years, and the things we know generally they're discussing, of course, tax increases. Democrats want some. Republicans are insisting that there shouldn't be tax increases, also entitlement reform, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security. Looking at some changes to those and some savings, I guess you could say, Brooke -- Republicans pushing that, Democrats resisting that.

BALDWIN: You know, it's been a fantastic turn of events. We heard from the president this morning. He's essentially accusing the Republicans of playing small ball on bringing down the debt. He says this is a once in a life opportunity to really tackle the debt problem. The president saying, you know, look, this is your issue Republicans, the national debt. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: We have these high-minded pronouncements about how we've got to get control of the deficit and how we owe it to our children and our grandchildren. Well, let's step up, let's do it. I'm prepared to do it. I'm prepared to take on significant heat from my party to get something done. And I expect the other side would be willing to do the same thing, if they mean what they say, that this is important.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Brianna, what is the Republican response to that?

KEILAR: I think also, Republicans have said, it isn't just us. And that's kind of the point that they're trying to make. We heard House Speaker John Boehner say that Democrats have not been serious about how much entitlements, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, need to be changed in order for there to be cost savings in the long run.

So, you have both sides throwing barbs at each other, Brooke. And it's really in the messaging here -- Democrats and Republicans trying to point at each other, saying they're not doing enough, really backing each other in the corner with a message and trying to win that message publicly as they try to get some of these concessions they want in these talks.

BALDWIN: Well, despite all these back-and-forth, we know the president and Speaker Boehner both spoke today, saying nice things about one another. Remember, they played golf not too long ago, they're friends. Listen to Speaker Boehner today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I appreciate what the president said today about the need for us to come together and to get this done. Our disagreements are not personal and they never have been. But the gulf between the two parties now is about policy. It's not about process and it's not about personalities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Or are they friends? Is there some reason that these two men seem to be going out of their way to say they like each other. What's going on there?

KEILAR: Oh, is this like a thou doth protest too much? I think maybe is what you're asking.

No, I think the understanding of both sides here is that they get along well enough. And I think what you're seeing is sort of President Obama and the speaker, they could be a lot more sharp with each other, Brooke. They could be. And I think what you're seeing here is a little bit of goodwill as both sides are stressing the importance of coming to an agreement. And so, they're trying not to get personal.

And I think that's what you're witnessing, both from the White House and from the speaker side.

BALDWIN: The president says they're going to meet each and every day until they get this solved. They all agree -- they don't want the nation to default.

But I have to wonder, you know, you said they wrapped up 20 minutes ago. When they were in there talking, what was it they were talking about? Because it sounds like the talks, as you sort of outlined initially, you know, they're stuck over the issues of raising the tacks on the wealthy, revenue increases, our job creators as the Republicans call them.

KEILAR: Yes, they're stuck on the same things.

BALDWIN: Yes. KEILAR: And I think this is sort of the frustration. A lot of people have said, OK, two weeks ago, weren't we saying they were stuck over the exact same things? I think it's not necessarily surprising that it's taking this long in these negotiations.

And the president even made a joke about this today during the photo op, when the cameras went in. He said, oh, it's just the same photo op as yesterday except today we're wearing ties.

And I think he sort of hit that on the head there. I think it's not surprising, though, that they are taking so long on this. We've seen other negotiations where it seemed like they sort of run up to the deadline, Democrats, Republicans, the White House, so that they can say, we fought for everything that we could fight for and this is the best deal that we could get. You have both sides, the White House and House Republicans who have tremendous pressure they're feeling from their bases.

The White House is dealing with some Democrats who -- liberals and progressives who feel like the White House has given away too much in negotiations in the past and they're concerned it's going to happen here in their perspective. And then at the same time, on the Republican side, you have hundreds of Republicans. The vast majority of Republicans in the House and Senate who have pledged, taken a public pledge, Brooke, that they will not increase taxes. They do not want to give on this point.

BALDWIN: Well, alas, the negotiations continue. And my friend, you already know what you'll be covering come tomorrow. Brianna Keilar for me at the White House -- Brianna, thank you.

And, you know, I mentioned just a moment ago, I mentioned the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, using some harsh words moments ago -- reacting to those attacks in Damascus and Syria on the U.S. and French embassies. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: Universal rights and the rule of law. Despite promising dialogue and promises of change, the Syrian government has responded to the people's peaceful protest with more violence, more arrests, and more intimidation. These assaults must stop. Neither the Syrian people nor the international community will accept half measures or lofty speeches.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: We're going to get you a little bit more on these attacks when we take you like to Syria. That is coming up.

But if it's interesting and it's happening right now, you're about to see it. "Rapid Fire," let's go.

Beginning with this -- Whitey Bulger's girlfriend is in court facing charges harboring him as a fugitive and she wants to be released on bail. Sixty-year-old Catherine Greig was arrested with Bulger last month at their Santa Monica hideout, a block from the Pacific Ocean. The one time mob boss has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including his alleged involvement in 19 murders.

Military officials in Pakistan are playing down this weekend's confirmation that their aid package from Washington will be considerably lighter than usual. The White House says it is withholding $800 million in light of what it's calling certain steps Pakistan has taken in the fight against militants. Now, tension between the two countries here you know has risen in the weeks since the death of Osama bin Laden.

And a disaster on Russia's biggest river. At least 55 people are confirmed dead. The fate of many others still unknown after an overloaded cruise ship sank in the Volga River.

Angry Russian officials say the ship was not licensed to carry passengers, was overloaded by more than 50 people, didn't have enough life vests onboard, and hadn't even been mechanically serviced in more than three decades. Rescuers are still looking for dozens of people.

How did a stun gun get onboard an airplane? Crew members found the gun in a seat back pocket while cleaning the jet plane Friday at Newark International Airport. The plane threw flew all the way from Boston Logan Airport but had several stops throughout the day. The incident is now being investigated by the FBI.

And you can bet that the National Highway Traffic Safety folks are going to want to make role models out of New York and Connecticut. That's because drivers in Syracuse and Hartford are using their cell phones to talk and text less since public campaigns started warning drivers in those areas, slapping them with tickets. The warning program called phone in one hand, ticket in the other is modeled after similar seat belt use and anti-drunk driving campaigns.

And hundreds today saying goodbye to the Texas Rangers fan who fell to his death last week during a game. Firefighter Shannon Stone lost his balance and fell some 20 feet trying to catch that foul ball. His 6- year-old saw the whole thing. All flags in Stone's hometown, that being Brownwood, Texas, flying at half staff today. The Texas Rangers have created a memorial account in honor of the firefighter and father.

And more news to us just into CNN: The Americans onboard the International Space Station just found outs their mission has been extended by a day. That means the landing of Atlantis at Kennedy Space Center will happen on July 22nd. That is a day after the anniversary of the famous -- actually, it's two days, that July 20th, two days after the famous lunar landing, July 20th, 1969. The good news here from mission control: a special information of the shuttle's heat shield is not required at this time.

There you go. Extending the mission a little bit more in time and space.

She spent 18 years in a backyard held captive by a mad man. Now, Jaycee Dugard is speaking out for the first time about her kidnapping ordeal and how the system failed here miserably. That is next.

Plus, police say this little boy spent years in horror, kept in a cage, beaten, buried in cement, allegedly by his own family. But a disturbing new report reveals this -- many people may have known about the horrific abuse and said nothing. Stay right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Jaycee Dugard says she's moving on with her life, but she will never forget the horrible thing she endured while being held captive and repeatedly raped for 18 years. I know you know her story folks. She was 11 years of age when she was kidnapped on her way to school. That was back 1991.

She was held captive by Phillip and Nancy Garrido until two years ago when she was discovered by some very astute police officers and rescued.

Now, she's revealing what happened to her and how she made it through what seems like an unimaginable horror. I want you to listen to what she told Diane Sawyer of ABC News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAYCEE DUGARD, KIDNAPPING SURVIVOR: I can't imagine being beaten to death, you know? And you can't imagine being kidnapped and raped, you know? It's just -- you just do what you have to do to survive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BADWIN: Phillip and Nancy Garrido pled guilty in April, were both sentenced to very long prison terms. And during that trial, one infuriating detail was revealed. Parole officers had repeatedly visited the Garrido's home but never actually went into the backyard where Jaycee and her two little daughters that she had by Phillip Garrido were hit hidden.

And there is another case I want to talk to you about and there are certain similarities here in terms of the system failing them. Namely a child was abused. People knew or should have known but nothing was done.

Take a look at this picture. This little guy was Christian Choate. In May, his father and stepmother were charged with his murder. He died in 2009 after prosecutors in Gary, Indiana, say were years of abuse and neglect. They say he was beaten every day, kept locked in a three-foot high dog cage.

Documents released last month indicate the family had been getting semi-regular visits from DCS, Department of Child Services, welfare officials for 10 years. And the times of months reported yesterday, according to these reports, more than 13 people might have known of the abuse this little boy suffered, but said nothing to authorities. His body was found in a shallow grave in a trailer park in May.

And I want to welcome here Dr. Jeff -- Dr. Jeff Gardere, who is gracious enough to be in Atlanta and to come stop through here and talk a little bit about this and a little bit about why you're here in Atlanta. But I want to start specifically with this story, because we know this little boy, as we mentioned in a cage beaten. And I know having read this story that there was a neighbor who actually did call Child Protective Services who came but still it wasn't enough.

Why?

DR. JEFF GARDERE, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, what we're finding, many of the workers for child welfare, they're not paid very well. For them, it's a real bureaucracy. Many times, and I've worked with some of these people, they feel completely overwhelmed by the number of cases they have, so sometimes they take short cuts.

Now, I'm not accusing anyone here, Brooke, but the reality is many times they don't go into the homes. And that's your job, is to go into the home and see what's going on.

I think the other part of what's going on, we haven't Christian's father. If you show his picture, this is a very scary guy. Not only did he intimidate his son, but he intimidated everyone else in the neighborhood.

BALDWIN: There he is. There's the picture.

GARDERE: Yes. And so, one person who said, listen, we have to address this issue. He said to that person, I think it was a family member, if you don't want what happened to my boy to happen to you, you better not say anything.

So, you have all these things going on --

BALDWIN: That family was a cousin.

GARDERE: Yes, cousin.

And then, finally, you have this whole idea of cognitive dissonance. In psychology, this is the idea of you're living with two opposing thoughts. Some people may have thought family members, friends, he's a good neighbor, he's a good dad. How can he be such a monster? So, then we tend to shy away, we tend to stay away from those situations because we can't resolve it in our head.

BALDWIN: But, Dr. Jeff, I want to ask you more about that, because, you know, reading this, you have the neighbor. And she calls the Child Protective Services. They come -- the stepmother comes out to the front, standing on the sidewalk, which to me is a red flag. She doesn't allow this person to come inside. The neighbor is watching this entire exchange and saying in her head go inside, yet she doesn't walk outside and say something.

GARDERE: And I think that's what part of that fear is about. You may feel in your mind, well, I've done the right. I went ahead and reported this case. Now, I'm leaving it to the authorities. The authorities should do what they need to do. And it could be that the caseworker was intimidated by this individual and was afraid to go into the home, or has so many cases, as I said before, just didn't do the complete job.

Either way, it's inexcusable what happened and we see this happening with children all the time. You'd think we'd learn a lesson by it, but still, it happens over and over again.

BALDWIN: Living in a cage and being beaten and we hear about the system failing Jaycee Dugard. I think it was 60 times Child Protective Services were called out to that house -- 60 times yet nothing happened.

GARDERE: Again, another situation where they peeked through some fences and didn't see anything was going on, but yet there was a whole compound back there and they didn't take the time to go. A lot of it we have to blame on the training that the caseworkers actually don't get, or incomplete training. But a lot of it may be their own psychological issues in that they're afraid to confront these things because it may remind them of their own particular abuse that they went through.

BALDWIN: What about, not only maybe perhaps looking back into their own lives and their own abuse, but, you know, look, we're a little bit of after litigious society. Are there fears that, you know, look, if I speak up too loudly, that something may happen to me? I don't quite want --

GARDERE: You hit the nail on the head. A lot of folks, neighbors, say, well, if I report on this person, what if I'm wrong? Now, we have child welfare in that person's life. Or what if I report on this and this person finds out? Now all of a sudden, they have an anger problem with me.

I think people in this economy, in this society, are so wrapped up in their own lives, Brooke, there's so many things going on, they're just struggling day to day -- a lot of times they feel that they can't take on the extra, what they see as a burden to take care of a neighbor. But it does take a village and we have to step forward or we see tragedies like this. And they're happening all the time.

BALDWIN: They are. And that's why it was this one little story that our E.P. Angie Massey (ph), you know, and we said, look, we should talk about it because it's happening.

GARDERE: Absolutely.

BALDWIN: Look, Jaycee Dugard -- she's getting a lot of press because of her incredibly story and thank goodness she's OK, but it's just important to talk about.

Before I let you go, Dr. Jeff, why are you in Atlanta?

GARDERE: Well, I'm in Atlanta to talk about stress, reducing stress. We're looking --

BALDWIN: I don't know what you're talking about. We're stressed out.

GARDERE: Well, we're looking at natural ways. I've got into the natural remedies of reducing stress. A lot of people are wearing accessories now to help reduce stress. One of them I'm wearing, the Philip Stein watch, which has natural frequency technology. It interacts with neuro-natural frequencies. We all have aura. We all have frequencies.

If we can increase those frequencies, our natural frequencies, it makes us a little more resilient to stress and can perhaps help you sleep better.

BALDWIN: What else in terms of stress, just quickly?

GARDERE: Oh, well, we have to look at aromatherapy. That's another natural thing one can do.

BALDWIN: Is it working for you?

GARDERE: It's working for me. You've got mine resonating frequencies working very well, Brooke. But you put a little rose oil under your palms or use lavender plants, all of these things help. Mediation, exercise, all of these things help us as far as keeping that stress down, especially in the summer, especially in Atlanta where it is hot as heck here.

BALDWIN: Hotlanta.

GARDERE: So it really is about taking charge of your life and not letting the stress -- as we see with many of the people that we spoke about. They feel so stressed, so fearful, that they can't live and genuine life.

BALDWIN: Dr. Jeff Gardere, good to have you.

GARDERE: Brooke, I always watch you from New York. I'm glad to be with you here.

BALDWIN: Thank you. Thank you very much.

GARDERE: Thank you.

BALDWIN: And now coming up, two presidential candidates under fire for a pledge they signed, part of it involves slavery? Find out how Republicans Michelle Bachmann and Rick Santorum are responding over this. And why next time they might want to read the fine print. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right, deputy political director Paul Steinhauser in Washington joining me with the latest from the Political Ticker.

And let's talk about this -- Paul, I read about this over the weekend, this slavery language in the marriage pledge. This was what in Iowa?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: In Iowa.

BALDWIN: And it was Bachmann and Santorum who signed this thing, correct?

STEINHAUSER: Correct. And, Brooke, everybody is still talking about this. This is on the campaign trail. This is the big talker in the world of politics.

So, let's give you the facts. First of all, Iowa, why is it important? Of course, it's the first caucus state of the nation, as well as the presidential candidates spend a lot of time.

Which organization put this out? The Family Leader. They're a major social conservative group in Iowa. And, remember, on the Republican side, social conservatives are very influential out there. At first, it wasn't very controversial. It's a pledge to protect traditional marriage, right? No surprise, among social conservatives.

But here's the problem -- the preamble, here's what it said: "Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet sadly a child born into save slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African- American baby born after the election of the USA's first African- American president."

As you can imagine, when that word got around, that's when the story started exploding. Now, the Family Leader has retracted this preamble and no longer is part of the pledge. But, as you said, two candidates had already signed it, Santorum, the former senator from Pennsylvania, and Michele Bachmann, the congresswoman from neighboring Minnesota.

Here's what Bachmann said, "In no uncertain terms Congresswoman Bachmann believes that slavery was horrible and economic enslavement is also horrible." And Santorum's campaign put this out to CNN earlier today, "Senator Santorum believes it was the right thing for the Iowa Family Leader to remove the language from the preamble to the pledge about slavery." A little damage control, I guess you could say, Brooke.

BALDWIN: I suppose so. What about battle for Iowa, Paul Steinhauser? What's going on?

STEINHAUSER: Yes, brand new poll out there. More proof that, you know what, Bachmann is rising in the polls. This brand new poll today by the RepublicanIowa.com has Bachmann at the top a few points ahead of Romney. Just a couple of weeks ago, we had another poll out there that had her tied with Romney.

So, keep your eyes on Michele Bachmann. We're about a month from a crucial straw poll out there -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Paul Steinhauser, thank you very much.

And another bombshell and a media-hacking scandal. It's about to get worse now. Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, he and his family were targets and we're talking breaches of very, very private things in their lives. And this could affect how you watch TV right here in the U.S.

Coming up, we're live in London on this developing scandal. Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: In depth here on CNN. We're calling it the Murdoch scandal. But it is much, much bigger than one single man, even the head of a global media empire.

Here's the story. Major British newspaper -- and a big part of that Rupert Murdoch empire is now gone. The victim of a long-running and still growing scandal that we learned today reaches from the newsstands all the way to Downing Street. Dan Rivers, you're in London for me. Now we have Gordon Brown, two more newspapers, phone hacking, bribery, theft of private information. Dan, you blink today, you miss one of these twists and turns. It's a lot to take in.

DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, it's an incredible story. I think it's the most incredible story I've covered in U.K. politics in my career as a journalist. It has got so many different threads and twists and turns. But, in essence, today, the new lines are that Gordon Brown, the former British prime minister is now claiming that he also was targeted by Rupert Murdoch's paper.

Not, this time, "The News of the World" the paper that closed down amid all these allegations on Sunday. Instead, he says he was targeted by "The Sunday Times" a respected up-market newspaper and also the Sun Newspaper, a tabloid paper that runs through the week here. He says his bank accounts, his property dealings, even the medical records of his son were accessed in order to get stories.

So, it's difficult to imagine how much higher up the British establishment this can go, but wait for this -- even the Queen, apparently, according to some reports, was targeted by "The News of the World". Corrupt police officers supposed to be guarding her, allegedly sold details of phone numbers and her itinerary, to journalists from "The News of the World". It's incredible stuff.

BALDWIN: Wow. So from a former prime minister now to possibly the queen. And you mentioned those allegations with regard to Gordon Brown came from the "Sunday Times" could that paper -- could "The Sun" be in trouble next?

RIVERS: Well, this is the first time those papers have been dragged into this scandal. They're all owned by Rupert Murdoch, all part of the News International stable of titles here. I don't think there's much chance of those papers closing down in the dramatic fashion that "The News of the World" did. By all accounts, "The News of the World" -- it was so embroiled with illegal activities, it became toxic as a brand.

At the moment, these are just specific allegations for these two newspapers. Something that, you know, if nothing else comes out, fine, they could survive. But the bigger story, I think, is as well that there could be other newspapers which have nothing to do with Rupert Murdoch, which may also be dragged into this as well. I mean, that's the big kind of rumor swirling around here in U.K. politics is, this is not just confined to Rupert Murdoch's titles. BALDWIN: Wow, to be covering politics in the U.K. right now. Dan Rivers, what a story. Thank you for explaining all the twists and turns. We appreciate it from London.

And, you know, here for weeks, gas prices have been falling, but suddenly the drop may be over. Find out what to expect over the next couple of weeks, plus this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow. This is really going to be big. All I could see was big cheeks. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Big cheeks, little squeezable thighs. Maybe not so little. 16 pounds, folks. This little one is 16 pounds and he's only wearing his birthday suit. Elizabeth Cohen tells us how this guy broke a record and whether it's becoming a trend. "Reporter Roulette" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Gas prices are not getting any cheaper and a 16-pound baby breaks a record. It's time to play "Reporter Roulette". We're going to have to wait for the baby story here as we've been talking about it though the whole break.

We're going to go to you, Alison Kosik, live at the New York Stock Exchange.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: OK, Why not?

Why not, right? Let's talk about this day on Wall Street and the numbers very much affected by the debt talks. No one is coming to a final conclusion yet.

KOSIK: Oh, yes. Stocks took a beating. It was all about, yes, that one word "debt", here, there and everywhere. You know, in Europe, step aside, Greece, Italy is moving in on your territory. Worries that the world's seventh biggest economy will default on its debt really set stocks off into a tailspin. Here in the U.S., we still don't have a deal on raising the U.S. Debt ceiling and apparently neither side is willing to compromise on key issues.

We're getting close to that deadline August 2. It's making investors really nervous. I've got a silver ling for you though, Brooke. Volume is extremely light today. Which means there isn't a lot of conviction behind the selling. So, it looks a little worse than it actually is.

BALDWIN: OK, well, we don't love seeing those numbers going down, but we do love seeing gas price numbers go down. It looks like they're leveling off. Are they leveling off? And why is that?

KOSIK: They are. You know, we watched prices go down every day for almost a month. Now they' gone up for six days in a row. But, you know what analysts say? They look like they may be holding around $3.60 a gallon. Around that range. It's because oil prices are stabilizing as well. You know, holding below the $100 a barrel mark for more than a month now. But I tell you what, don't expect another drop-off in gas prices. We may just have to get used to this level, Brooke. Which I think is still very expensive, don't you?

BALDWIN: It is expensive, but it's better than what we were predicting, right? I thought we were talking $85 prices and goodness, I'm glad we haven't seen that.

KOSIK: We were at one time.

BALDWIN: Alison Kosik, thank you very much. Now, to the story I was just tweeting about. You know, I was eight pounds, nine ounces and I thought I was a big baby. But this guy's got me beat. 16-pound baby born in Texas.

Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is talking to be about this. I mean, 16 pounds?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: The first thing I have to say, so that women everywhere can breathe easy -- It was a c- section.

BALDWIN: That's what I was asking you in the commercial. Okay, so C- section, check. How does this happen? 16 pounds?

COHEN: All right, two words for you -- gestational diabetes. This mom had diabetes while pregnant and babies born to mothers with this disease tend to be large. Not quite this large, but they do tend to be large. 16 pounds is bigger than your average 6-month-old.

The Guinness book of world records said there was a 23-pound baby born at some time. I don't know if that's accurate or not. But some people are saying this is the largest baby born in Texas where they sort of do everything big. I'm not completely sure if that's true.

BALDWIN: And this baby is "Jamichael".

COHEN: "Jamichael", mom is Janet, dad is Michael.

BALDWIN: Obviously, perfect name. "Jamichael". So, does Jamichael, though, have any health concerns?

COHEN: Yes. We all look at this baby and say how cute, but I want to say that he is in the NICU -- the neonatal intensive care unit. Because babies this size have blood sugars that are not easy to control. He's doing fine. Breathing on his own, but special care does have to be taken with babies that size.

BALDWIN: Bless his heart. Are doctors seeing these kinds of big babies more often?

COHEN: They are seeing these kinds of babies more often. Because mothers are obese more often. So that makes them more likely to get gestational diabetes. I have to say, I spoke to a doctor who's a diabetes specialist. I said could this have been prevented? This is huge. He said I do wonder how that diabetes was being managed. She said she was on medicine. She said she changed her diet, but you really have to wonder what was going on. Because usually this doesn't happen. Usually they know the mom has diabetes and they give her drugs and change her diet. You kind of have to wonder what was going on here?

BALDWIN: Mom's okay?

COHEN: Mom is doing well.

BALDWIN: OK, Elizabeth Cohen, thank you.

Developing right now, a mob attacks the American Embassy in Syria. Now the U.S. is making a big demand over the breach.

Arwa Damon is live inside Syria for some brand new information. That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) Some angry pro-government protesters attacked both the U.S. And French embassies today in Syria. And officials say they climbed over the fence. Take a look at these pictures, climbed over the fence, smashed glass windows, and spray painted parts of this building. No one was injured but these protesters are furious that ambassadors of the two countries visited the city of Hama last week.

Arwa Damon is on Damascus following this story for us. And Arwa, what is this? Why are these people so, so angry about this particular visit?

ARWA DAMON, CNN BEIRUT CORRESPONDENT: That is simply because of Hama's history. Now, some of the largest demonstrations that we have been seeing taking place in Syria were happening in Hama. And then, last week, the Syrian military built up its presence around the city and, according to activists and eyewitnesses, in fact tried to enter the city, result rulting in a fair amount of bloodshed. The government has been maintaining that it quite simply is targeting armed groups.

But, the U.S. and French ambassador then went to Hama on Thursday, spending the night there, meeting with demonstrators, speaking to some of the wounded in hospitals. The U.S. saying that this was really to show America's support for Syrians who are calling for democracy.

Now, this visit enraged the Syrian government, who said that the ambassadors took it without proper authority - without proper permission. The ministry of interior issued a statement saying that the U.S. Ambassador, while in Hama, had met with saboteurs and accused him of inciting the demonstrators in Hama.

And the Syrian government and its supporters are pointing to this visit as being evidence of foreign meddling, saying that the west is deliberately trying to destabilize the regime. In fact, in three of the four days since the ambassadors have taken that visit, there have been demonstrations in front of their respective embassies.

Those demonstrations, of course, escalating today, just a sign of the growing tensions between Syria and the west at this point, Brooke.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: What about, you know, just backing a big picture. There's been this dialogue or lack of thereof between the government and the protesters, what's the latest on any kind of dialogue?

DAMON: Well, the government sponsored national dialogue conference began yesterday and it has been extended into tomorrow and the government is really billing it as being the first step towards moving towards a new and democratic Syria, saying that it is going to create the framework to implement a multitude of reforms.

And they had invited a number of opposition figures, but many of the prominent opposition figures refused to go there. There's been no representation when it comes to those demonstrators that have been taking to the streets in the thousands.

They quite simply are saying there can be no dialogue until the violence comes to an end, until political prisoners are released, until the military and security apparatus withdraw from various cities and towns.

Interestingly, though, the opposition figures that were present very publicly also voiced that opinion saying that this conference could not even begin to succeed as long as the violence continues.

The Syrian government is saying that this is evidence though that it does intend to implement those reforms, but Brooke there are a lot of scepticism as to what the Syrian government's true agenda really is with some opposition figures saying that this national dialogue is quite simply a smokescreen. The Syrian government effort to try to buy more time.

BALDWIN: Yes, there has been talk of reform for quite some time, as you very well know. Arwa Damon live in Damascus. Thank you, now this.

So like your boss? How about employees blowing up their boss's car, that was caught on video. You've got to see this next.

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BALDWIN: OK, now to this. Michael Jackson's thriller video may contain what -- most emulated dance routines, but it's never captivated quite as it did the other day. A ball park and this kid, he is in a league of his own. You've got to see this.

I don't know which is better, the kid's dance moves or these, you know, guys sitting in the stadium just, you know, hooting over this whole thing. Not only did the fans at the Mariners game get a glimpse of the kid's all star moves, so did almost 2 million people on Youtube. I love that video.

OK, most employees are rewarded with, you know, extra days off, maybe some bonuses and some people got to blow up their boss's car. So that was Patrick, a 1995 Mitsubishi Mirage that belonged to the vice president of sales for Adaptive Computing.

The sales team got to blow up Patrick as a reward for surpassing their 2010 revenue goals. All company employees and their families were invited out for the explosive celebration. The boss letting them blow up the car.

And now to Wolf Blitzer for a look at what's coming up in "THE SITUATION ROOM." Wolf, good to see you.

WOLF BLITZER, THE SITUATION ROOM: Thanks very much, Brooke. We've got lots coming up. We've got a major interview with Tony Blair, the former British prime minister. He's here in Washington to try to jumpstart the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

We talk about that, but we also talk about what's happening in Syria. He has some very strong words for Bashar Al-Assad. Also we get into the whole tabloid crisis. The issues that are unfolding in Britain, as a result of what's going on over there.

Was he ever hacked, his phone? What did they do to his wife, Cherry? We have a lot to talk about. I think you're going to be interested in this interview.

Another separate interview we have with Ambassador Hussein Akani (ph). He is the Pakistani ambassador to United States and there's a lot of tension right now in the U.S.-Pakistani relationship. He gives us his perspective on what's going on. So we've got some pretty important stuff obviously.

All the latest for getting on the debt ceiling negotiations. It's a critical moment and that story as well. So we'll have all the day's news and a lot more.

BALDWIN: Wonderful, Wolf. We'll see you in a couple of minutes. Thank you, sir. Here's a question for you. You may not have thought about this. Could the Casey Anthony verdict affect how the U.S. prosecutes terrorists?

One Republican leader says it absolutely does in a very, very bad way. Sunny Hostin is on the case. She's next.

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BALDWIN: Now let's get a look at tomorrow's news today. Let's fast forward beginning with the president. He will be awarding the Medal of Honor tomorrow to Sergeant First Class Leroy Arthur Petrie. The Army ranger lost his hand throwing a live grenade away from his fellow soldiers in Afghanistan.

Funeral services begin tomorrow for former first lady Betty Ford. She will be eulogized in California tomorrow afternoon and first lady Michelle Obama will attend.

And two American astronauts onboard the International Space Station will perform a spacewalk tomorrow to do maintenance on a cooling pump. That happens as their boss, NASA Chief Charlie Bolden testifies here back on this planet about the successor to the shuttle program before the House Science Committee.

Okay. You know this, the Casey Anthony case is over, but a lot of people still talking about it. And one of those people so happens to be the top Republican in the Senate. He is connecting the Anthony case to trials for terror suspects. Have you heard about that?

On the case here with Sunny Hostin to help me figure this one out. Sunny, we're talking about Mitch McConnell. He's the ranking Republican brings up this Casey Anthony acquittal and compared that with what he sees as a mistake trying terror suspects in civilian courts as the Obama administration wants to do. Let's listen to what Senator McConnell said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENATOR MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MINORITY LEADER: These are not American citizens. We just follow the Caylee Anthony case. How difficult it is to get a conviction in a U.S. court. I don't think a foreigner is entitled to all the protections of the Bill of Rights. They should not be in U.S. courts. They should be in Guantanamo and before military commissions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So Sunny, we know Mr. McConnell adamantly opposed efforts to close Guantanamo Bay prison and transport terror suspects to the U.S. for trial. But what do you make of this comparison with that and the Casey Anthony trial?

SUNNY HOSTIN, LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR, "IN SESSION" ON TRUTV: I don't know. I feel like it's like comparing apples to elephants. One doesn't have anything to do with the other.

And it's interesting to me because it's irresponsible, I think, for a lawmaker to question our laws, to question our system. I mean, our federal court system has been around for over 200 years.

So to suggest that it doesn't work because people aren't happy with the verdict I think is extremely irresponsible. I mean, certainly his implication is that military tribunals aren't really real proceedings.

That their outcome is sort of preordained and so I'm very uncomfortable with that comparison. One, it doesn't make sense, but two because implicitly criticizing the system that we have.

BALDWIN: The justice system. Let's talk about, speaking of Casey Anthony. Let's talk about Caylee's Law. We know time.com is reporting about half a million people have signed this online petition calling for a federal law that would make it a felony if parents fail to report the death of a child within one hour or failed to report a missing child within a day.

We know at least five states are working on introducing similar bills. Sunny, is this law -- how necessary is this law?

HOSTIN: Well, you know, it's sad, Brooke, right, that we need a law to tell parents that they should report their child missing or dead. I think it's sad that we require a law like that.

I think any law that helps protect our children is important, but this is certainly overreaching and I think it comes out of emotion and I understand the outrage. But logic trumps emotion every time when it comes to the law.

And certainly it's unconstitutional federally. That won't happen, but state by state perhaps we'll see something like that. I mean, how do you determine the 24-hour period? How do you determine the one day? Cause of death is always difficult. Time of death is always difficult.

So I think we're going to need to really shape this law if, in fact, it's going to come into existence in some of the states. But again, you know, logic trumps emotion every single time when it comes to the law.

BALDWIN: Well, so many people feel strongly about it. Like I said, 500,000 people signing this online, but that is the question, how it would be enforced even if it is a state level law.

Sunny Hostin on the case, thank you very much. And that is it for me. I'm Brooke Baldwin in Atlanta. Time to turn things over to my colleague in Washington, Wolf Blitzer, "THE SITUATION ROOM" starts right now.