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Stage Disaster in Indiana; President Obama on the Attack; Money" Magazine Lists Best American Cities to Live; Stock Markets Ends Day Up; Aruban Authorities Continue Investigation into Disappearance of American Woman; Man Confesses to Killing Little Girl; "Narco- Tunnel" Found in Mexico; Car Crashes into Miami Home; Vodka Blimp Crashes in Backyard
Aired August 15, 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 top of the hour, watch this.
Cell phone service blacked out, train stops shut down. Is a major American city stepping on your right to try to a quiet protesters? I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
Gunmen storm into the home of an American, snatch him, then disappear. The mystery is unraveling in Pakistan.
(SCREAMING)
BALDWIN: One moment, they were waiting for a concert to begin, the next, tragedy from a gust of wind.
Plus, President Obama on the attack.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Some in Congress would rather see their opponent lose than America win.
BALDWIN: As the Republican race gets clearer, the president hits the road.
And we're told they met on a dating site. They went on vacation in paradise, but today she's nowhere to be found and he is in court, telling his side of the story.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Welcome back. I'm Brooke Baldwin.
And for a lot of us, our cell phones are a lifeline. You pay for yours. You should be able to use yours any time you need to, right?
Well, for subway riders in the San Francisco Bay area, it's getting a little bit more complicated than that. Here's what I'm talking about. In just a couple of hours, activists talking about planning protests at this one particular subway station. And San Francisco's rapid transit system, or BART, is threatening to cut cell phone service at that station. It shut off service already once last Thursday, citing safety concerns in anticipation of a protest then, this anti-police protest. Now, that protest was in response to a police officer's fatal shooting last month of a man holding a knife. Officers have also been involved in a couple of other shootings there as well. And the demonstration last week never actually really came together.
But an even bigger controversy resulted. And that is this. Activists say BART is now trying to play Big Brother and stifling freedom of speech by threatening to shut down cell phone service for its paying riders. Many of the protesters are connecting, they're sharing information by phone and the transit agency says the protests could have gotten dangerous, so they had to take action to try to keep their passengers safe.
Also had to this, this layer. Yesterday, the hacker group, they call themselves Anonymous, they broke into a BART Site, posted users' names, e-mail addresses, phone numbers. And they did that to punish BART for blacking out cell phone service.
Are you with me? So you have heard of Anonymous. They're hacking into various big-name Web sites like PayPal, MasterCard, Visa and now BART.
Let's go to Dan Simon. He's covering the story for us in San Francisco.
And, Dan, first, let's talk. We're a couple of hours ahead of this potential demonstration at this BART stop. Is it still on for today?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: From what we understand, there's a demonstration planned at 5:00 local time, 8:00 Eastern. Anonymous, they're the ones taking the lead on this. They have told everybody who is following this story to come to BART station in downtown San Francisco and show your support for their cause. We believe up there's going to be several hundred people about 5:00 local time, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Dan, I know a lot of people say BART has an image problem. After the shooting last July and a couple of others, one back in 2009, is that perception at all playing into what is happening today?
SIMON: Well, no question BART has suffered an image problem. They have had these shootings that you talked about, the most recent one occurring last month where BART police shot and killed a homeless man who was allegedly carrying a knife. They have had some other high- profile incidents as well.
So what happened was, was there was supposed to be this large-scale protest last Thursday. And as you talked about, BART made the controversial decision to cut off cell phone service. It raises an interesting question. Do you eliminate cell phone service for the possible greater good? In this case, BART felt like they were making the appropriate decision.
Well, Anonymous, this is really in their strike zone. What they like to do is they like to target organizations who they perceive are limiting free speech. In this case, they went after BART. They took down a Web site, an external Web site, published the names and phone numbers and e-mail addresses for people who use this site, people who use the service. And obviously that frustrated some.
But Anonymous thinks that they have the winning argument here and we will just have to wait and see how this plays out tonight.
BALDWIN: Dan Simon for me in San Francisco, Dan, thank you.
And I want to find out here what the people here at BART are saying about what's going on. Will they shut of the cell phone service and communications for folks riding on the subway tonight? Will they not? Got a lot of questions here.
I want to ask them to Linton Johnson. He's the chief communications officer for BART. He is joining me now from San Francisco as well.
And, Mr. Johnson, I appreciate you coming on here.
I just want to begin with this question. Will you be shutting down service tonight, cell service?
LINTON JOHNSON, CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, BART: We will do it if it's appropriate in order to protect our customers.
I think you guys are very much in the business of providing information. First Amendment rights are very clearly something that rises to a very high level when that's discussed. We're in the business of providing safe transportation for our customers, so that is something that is paramount for us at BART.
I'm a journalist by trade by my nature. Since I was 15, my first job, I was a paper boy. And, you know, I have spent 15 years in the newsroom.
BALDWIN: Sure. No, I know you under...
JOHNSON: I can tell you that, as a BART official...
BALDWIN: Sure.
JOHNSON: ... as a BART official, my new focus now is to provide transportation to folks.
And so to answer your question directly, I can't tell you what we're going to do because we don't know yet what we're facing. All we know is that we have a protest. And we hear it's a peaceful one and we welcome a peaceful protest. I'm the administrator of the free speech program at BART. And as long as they stay outside the fair gates in the free speech zone that is designated by the Constitution, we welcome the protests.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: If it is, Linton, if it is a peaceful protest, as everyone is hoping, then why need to shut off cell phone service, if that's the way you go? JOHNSON: Well, what we're going to do is to take the appropriate steps according to the Constitution to be able to ensure the safe passage of our passengers.
Remember, there are more constitutional rights than just free speech here at stake. There is a right to be safe. And that's a constitutional right. And I know the media is very sensitive to free speech because that's their business. But we're very sensitive to safety. And both are out business because we have to also...
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Forgive me for interrupting. But I just want to go back. If we don't know specifically what will happen tonight, let's just go back to what we do know, which was last Thursday, when BART did shut off cell service. What about the protest that actually from what I understand never actually materialized? What was threatening about that to then necessitate a cell service shutdown?
JOHNSON: That's a great question.
What happened on July 11 was a clear indication that these protesters were bent on disrupting service. They jumped onto a train car. And my fell -- my heart sank when I saw that, because I had no idea what was going to happen next. They could have kicked in a window, shattered glass all over a passenger. They could have fallen off the other end and landed on the electric third rail.
Every life, every protester, every person on that platform is precious to us. And we're in the business of providing safe transportation. So what we ended up doing was we made a gut-wrenching decision that was forced upon us by these protesters.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: How was it forced upon you? How was that decision -- because it's ultimately up to...
JOHNSON: May I finish?
BALDWIN: Go ahead. Go ahead.
JOHNSON: You want to know why we were forced into this decision.
BALDWIN: Exactly.
JOHNSON: The protesters forced us into this decision.
They made us choose between people's ability to be able to use their mobile phones, an amenity that we provide, and our customers' right, constitutional right to be able to get from point A to point B, which is what they're -- in business for.
And so what we did is we took a very narrow time frame, three hours, and four stations where they said prior to that protest that they were going to try to disrupt and create a huge safety problem. And we stopped service for mobile phone users, because they were going to take the very tool that we put in place, this tool, the mobile phone service safety tool, they were going to turn it around and use it against our customers.
So they took this mobile phone service, a tool for safety and used it against our customers to try and violate their constitutional rights to safety.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: And I'm sure, Linton, that many riders appreciate your prioritizing people's safety. But let's look at it on the flip side.
Let's say, during this time where you have a three-hour outage of cell phone usage, in your hypothetical, you're a mother and some sort of emergency happens, right, where you have your cell phone in the case of emergency, you pick it up to dial 911 and you can't because BART has blocked out that cell phone service? What do you tell that mother?
JOHNSON: That's a fantastic question.
However, you would have been faster to talk to 911 because 911 was already there. We had an ambulance on the street level that was dedicated solely for BART passengers.
We had more than 100 people, BART police officers and station personnel, ready at the wake. As soon as you made the call, you would have had them there. You could have opened a train door. You could have reached out and touched 911. They were already there. You didn't even have to pick up a mobile phone.
(CROSSTALK)
JOHNSON: So we were already prepared for that eventuality.
BALDWIN: Sure. Sure, but why the focus -- and I understand you explaining how a lot of people are able to use their cell phones to figure out where a demonstration might happen, the place, the time, et cetera, so you're trying to shut that down, but why the focus on phones? Is part of this maybe a fear that passengers would then have a cell phone with -- you know, they all have cameras.
And I know what happened back in 2009 with the unarmed BART rider Oscar grant, New Year's Day 2009, killed by an officer. Is that a fear, the video capability?
(CROSSTALK)
JOHNSON: Well, we didn't stop their -- people's ability to record video. That did not stop. That's number one.
Number two, people on the concourse level and in the free speech zone were able to make telephone calls. So this was limited, very narrow scope of time, and a limited number of stations, only confined to the period of time in which we had intelligence prior to that they were going to create chaos on the platforms, violating our customers' constitutional rights to safety.
And they demonstrated in the past that they were willing and able to do that and said on top of that on their Web site from our intelligence, that they were going to make it a more chaotic situation this time than in the last time.
(CROSSTALK)
JOHNSON: It is our obligation to provide safe transport to our customers.
And let me just -- let me ask you, I would be standing here today -- if we allowed that chaotic situation to happen and somebody fell into the trackway or glass broke and shattered on all of our customers, and you knew that we had the tool, an amenity, nonetheless, that we could have shut off to stop that, would you be asking me a different question? I think you would.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: I don't know, to be honest.
(CROSSTALK)
JOHNSON: You would ask me, why didn't you do what you could have done to stop it?
BALDWIN: Linton, with all due respect, let me just -- let me ask the questions. And I did reach out to our senior legal another, Jeffrey Toobin, because we talk a lot about constitutionality and specific issues. I know you have mentioned you're taking steps within the Constitution multiple times.
Here's what he told me actually e-mailing me from vacation saying the prohibition on all cell phones seems a wild overreaction and likely to be struck down as a violation of the First Amendment and the California Constitution, likely to be struck down. What's your reaction to that?
JOHNSON: I actually believe we upheld our customers' constitutional rights because we prevented those who were trying to do our customers harm from using the tool, the very tool that was provided to them as a safety mechanism from -- we prevented the protesters from using it against our customers.
And so we preserved that tool for them in a very narrow focus, period of time, three hours in which they said they were going to disrupt BART service, as well as over four stations. And only on the platform level was this disrupted, in the interest of protecting their constitutional rights to safety as well as their ability to free speech.
We were forced into this position by the protesters. In effect, those protesters who were trying to create chaos turned off the service, not us. We were forced into this position because they were taking that one tool and turning it around on our customers. And we can't allow that.
BALDWIN: Linton Johnson with BART, I appreciate you coming on and explaining your stance. And we will follow up with how things go tonight.
Mr. Johnson, I appreciate it.
JOHNSON: Thank you.
BALDWIN: Now this. A concert turns deadly in Indiana. Coming up, I will speak with a woman who was sitting there when the stage just suddenly collapsed. You will hear about the eerie moments just before the crash and also what she saw on the horizon.
Also, men with guns storm into a home, kidnap an American living in Pakistan. We now know who this man is. The mystery is unfolding right now. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: At least five people are dead, dozens are hurt. I'm talking about Indianapolis and that horrendous accident that happened just over this past weekend when a storm knocked down an enormous scaffolding from a concert stage into a crowd of music fans. Watch this.
(VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The crowd, some 12,000 onlookers here, total disbelief, some people panicked. They run away. Others run straight toward the stage, toward helping people, trying to pull them out to safety. Clearly, it's chaos. People are screaming through it all. This CNN iReporter kept her video camera recording, documenting this horrific and deadly accident. That iReporter is Jessica Silas. She is with me now from Indianapolis and, Jessica, I am -- I'm glad you're ok, thank you for providing us this video to help us understand what those moments were like.
Do me a favor, just talk me through your video and tell me where you were seated when this stage just came crashing down.
JESSICA SILAS, IREPORTER VIA SKYPE: Well, I was standing -- or seated, sorry, seated in the grandstand, which were the bleacher seats. They were behind the area that the stage actually fell on them, they were a little bit further up. And, I first started recording because you could see that the dust and the wind was starting to pick up a lot and people in the crowd started standing up and pointing towards the dust and screaming so I started recording that and then out of the corner of my eye I saw that the tarp on the top of the stage started to blow off and then the entire thing just came down and I never expected that that would happen.
BALDWIN: No one would have expected that that could have happened and that you had the presence of mind to start recording before any of this happened. I mean, it just makes your heart skip a beat, looking at your video. Before this stage came down, Jessica, tell me about the weather. I mean, you can see all the clouds there. It looks fairly ominous, I'm sure it looked even moreso in person.
SILAS: Yes, it was probably the darkest I've ever seen the sky during the day at all. Earlier, you could tell that there was a storm approaching because on the horizon it was a little bit dark and I checked on my phone, actually, and I saw that the radar showed a fairly large storm coming towards us and just as the time progressed it got darker and darker and darker until it was pretty much pitch black outside and that's when the big wind gust came through and then about 15 minutes later is when the actual storm got there and it started raining and thundering and lightening.
BALDWIN: Wow, so you're there, you're there with your mom, your boyfriend, your dad. I understand your dad is a doctor. Tell me which direction are all you running? Your dad's rushing toward the stage, is that right?
SILAS: Yes, as soon as he saw the stage fall he did, he ran down the stairs from the bleachers, he went through the infield and got to the stage area where people had been trapped underneath it and he started helping people, trying to get them out from underneath it and carrying those that he could to different triage centers to try and help them.
BALDWIN: So, your father and so many other amazing people there. We've heard the governor talk about this over the weekend and even this morning on American Morning how just impressive it was that all these people could have left and, instead, they tried to help others. You talked about how you zoomed in on part of the stage because you just had a feeling, you saw the wind kicking up. I mean, here we are, what, one -- two days out. Looking -- looking at this video, do you, I mean, does it actually feel like you were there, is it surreal, has it sunk in for you?
SILAS: It's very, very surreal. Just watching the video on mute, pretty much doesn't seem like it happened. I -- I can't like remember myself actually being there to see that but when I hear the sounds played with the video that's when it all comes back and I remember the people screaming and I -- I just get chills.
BALDWIN: So do I watching it. I can't imagine actually living through it, being there. Jessica Silas, thank you so much for sending in this CNN iReport. Glad you're all right. And, if it is interesting, if it's happening right you're about to see it rapid fire. Let's go, beginning with this mystery case of an American citizen snatched right out of his home in Pakistan. Here -- here is the house where, according to the U.S. Embassy, gunmen forced their way in, took away development expert Warren Weinstein in the wee hours of Saturday morning. So far, there is no claim of responsibility, no demands for Weinstein's release and police reportedly have no leads here. By the way, this man works for a consulting firm out of northern Virginia and he has reportedly lived in Pakistan for several years.
And the list of charges against the Dougherty siblings, they are growing and now include attempted murder and assault on a police officer in Colorado. The trio of siblings, you have Dylan, Ryan, and Lee Grace, not seen in some of these pictures, appearing in the country court where these charges have now officially been filed. They are also wanted for an alleged bank robbery and attempted murder in the southeast. The siblings led police on the whole cross-country chase before being captured in Colorado last week.
And, you've heard of dash-cams, no cameras on police uniforms, pretty much everything officers on duty will be recorded, can be used as evidence against potential suspects. These cameras are being used by police in DeSoto, Texas and they're small $800 devices. They attach on -- there they are -- to the officer's uniform and record what police dashboard cameras cannot.
Call it a disturbing sign of the times. According to the American Kennel Club, this year alone dog thefts have risen 32%. The database, showing more than 220 dogs have been stolen during the first seven months of this year, that's compared to 150 during the same period last year. The AKC says most dogs were stolen right out of homes, out of pet stores, some even taken out of cars. Large breeds, like pit bulls, are stolen the most.
And, hotels expect to lose a couple of towels to guests but a high end hotel near Los Angeles has lost a masterpiece. You're looking at it. Well, the piece of work, they'd love to know where it is, the Rembrandt original vanished over the weekend from a private art exhibit at the Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey, California. It's a pen and ink drawing. It is more than 350 years old, just hanging in the hotel lobby. Detectives call it a well-planned heist. They are going over the security footage, poring over it, hoping to find clues. The stolen art is estimated to be worth a quarter of a million dollars.
Witnesses say he smiled as he pulled the trigger and killed dozens of innocent people. Now, the accused shooter in the Norway massacre is returned to the scene of the crime showing investigators how he killed in cold blood. You'll see him in this chilling video next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: The man accused in that horrible shooting attack in Norway last month has now returned to the scene of the crime. Police took Anders Behring Breivik back to the very site yesterday for this reenactment. This is all part of their investigation and if you'll look closely, there he is in the middle of your screen in that red sweater we keep seeing him wear along with his bulletproof vest and a harness that tethers him to the other officers around him. Police say they were afraid Breivik might try to escape, maybe hurt himself, so there were police helicopters in the air. Also, some of the armed officers were out in the water.
This whole reenactment took eight hours. Breivik is accused of killing 69 people, mostly teenagers at that youth camp, the youth retreat on Utoya Island last month. He is also accused in the bombing of government buildings in Oslo earlier on that day, 8 people died in that attack. Breivik has pleaded not guilty but police also say he has admitted responsibility for the attacks. They say he was very cooperative yesterday, gave them lots of details but never showed any remorse. (VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Some in Congress would rather see their opponents lose than America win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: President Obama goes on the attack against Congress and Republicans looking to take his job. If campaign season hasn't already started, it has now. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Let's go to Kate Washington -- Kate, listen to me, Kate Boulduan in Washington. Apologies Ms. Boulduan for that. I just mashed the two thoughts together but I can say that you're up for the Political Ticker. Let's talk about this multispeed bus tour in the Midwest and, no, we're not talking about someone who'd like to be President, we're talking about the President himself.
KATE BOULDUAN, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: That's right, three days, three- state bus tour, President Obama hitting the road. The White House says this is his opportunity to connect with the American people and hear directly from them about what's working and what's not to kick start the economy and to spur job creation. His first stop was in Cannon Falls, Minnesota today and not only did he take questions from people in the audience but he also really hit Republicans quite hard, really nailing them, saying that they're unwilling, in his view, to make the tough decisions needed to fix the economy. Of course, hitting them on the issue of taxes, for one thing, saying, quote, "There's nothing wrong with America that can't be fixed. What's broken is our politics," says President Obama.
And speaking of politics, Republicans, it will be no surprise to you, Brooke, came out swinging against him today, really slamming, him, saying -- calling this trip nothing more than a taxpayer-funded campaign swing through the Midwest. Mitt Romney himself even saying at one point today that this trip shows the president is more intent on trying to save his own job than trying to create jobs for American people.
So you can see the rhetoric is already pretty hot and we're still quite a ways away from the election. But next up, this is not over. The president is continuing his bus tour today, hitting up Minnesota and Iowa. He'll be at an event in Iowa in just a few hours and will also then be heading to Illinois and be wrapping the trip up on Wednesday. So if you're in the Midwest look out for President Obama's bus, Brooke.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And look out for Wolf Blitzer, who will be interviewing President Obama come tomorrow. That's exciting. Kate Bolduan, thank you very much.
And still ahead, Warren Buffett blasting Congress, calling it "billionaire friendly." And his new advice on how to fix the economy would actually hurt him in the wallet. We're live at the New York Stock Exchange.
Plus, CNN Money releasing it list of the best places to live in America. Did your town make the cut? You have to wait for it. Reporter Roulette is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: A billionaire investor says tax me more, plus we're finding out the best places to live. It is Reporter Roulette time on this Monday. Alison Kosik, let's begin with you at the New York Stock Exchange. We saw the numbers today. All three indices closing up today, correct?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. This is EXACTLY what we want to see. In fact the Dow, it's it third straight triple digit gains. That means it made up all of the losses from the early part of last week. It's all this merger news that really inspired the markets, set the more positive, calmer move today, compared to a week ago. Who can forget that?
But three days of gains does not a trend make. We're going to see how things pan out as the week goes on Brooke and we get more economic data coming in, because traders I've talked with, they say, you know what, this could be the calm before the next storm. Maybe we're just between storms. So let relish in the fact that we're 213 points higher.
BALDWIN: Yes, we will appreciate it for now.
And I know a lot of people are paying attention, including Warren Buffett. He wrote this op-ed in "The New York Times." Essentially his message, tax me more.
KOSIK: Yes. So he paid almost $7 million in taxes to the federal government last year, but says you know what, you've got to make me pay more. So this is something really new. We've heard this before. He wrote this in an op-ed in "The New York Times." What he points out, Brooke, is that he paid a tax rate of just 17.4 percent. That's actually lower than many middle class Americans pay and actually lower than any of the people who work in his office pay.
But opponents of these higher taxes, they say, you know what, less than 1 percent of the top earners in this country account for a total of 20 percent of total taxes paid to the federal government, so they're paying their fair share. But Warren Buffett disagrees. He said you know what, it's all about being fair.
BALDWIN: Alison Kosik, thank you so much.
And let's go now to our colleague in depth today, Poppy Harlow in New York. She has a list of the best places to live. Poppy, I've been waiting for this list. What are some of the best towns to live in?
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: The third one on the list, third from the top is Solon, Ohio, a small town but a pretty big tax base. Big employers, Nestle, L'Oreal, about eight percent unemployment, better than the national average. Will take it.
Another town on the list, coming in at number two Milton, Massachusetts, right outside of Boston. It has 6.6 percent unemployment, far below the national average. Big focus there is home prices. They have not been hit by the housing crisis like so many towns across this country have. The only downside really according to "Money" magazine is the high taxes, of course.
BALDWIN: And the number one is?
KOSIK: The number one is Louisville, Colorado. I have never been there, but 18,000 folks live there. It has 6.3 percent unemployment. Lots of good jobs in tech, telecom, aerospace, clean energy, health care, you name it. Lots of mountain biking and hiking. It's right outside of Boulder, so very clear, beautiful place to live. Again home prices not hit in the housing crisis, and they've got some of the lowest crime rates in all of Colorado. So Louisville, Colorado. If you haven't been there, check it out. It's "Money" magazine's number one small town to live in. We've got it all on the home page on CNNMoney.com, Brooke.
(CROSSTALK)
KOSIK: I have been to Hershey, Pennsylvania. The whole town smells like chocolate, you're right.
BALDWIN: Poppy, thank you very much. We'll go to CNNMoney.com for that list. Thank you, ma'am.
Coming up, an American woman, she's still missing in Aruba, and her companion is appearing before a judge today telling his side of the story. But will the judge have enough evidence to keep him behind bars?
Plus, breaking developments in this missing girl case out of Missouri -- a neighbor is now talking, telling police what happened to three- year-old Breanne Rodriguez. Casey Jordan is all over it, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: On the case today, police still have no idea as to the location of a 35-year-old woman missing in Aruba. A court hearing is underway in Aruba for a man being held in this case.
Also in the case of a missing three-year-old girl in Missouri, court documents are now showing a neighbor has now talked about how he killed this girl. He describes suffocated her. We have those details coming up. Casey Jordan is on the case.
And Casey, I do want to begin here with the situation in Aruba. Do police have enough information to keep Robyn Gardner's companion Gary Giordano down there in custody?
CASEY JORDAN, CONTRIBUTOR, "IN SESSION": Well, we're unsure right now, because they're being extremely closed lipped about everything. You have to keep in mind the Aruban authorities took a lot of flak during the Natalee Holloway appearance and were heavily criticized. I would think translates this time to them being extremely careful not only with legal issues but with public relations issues.
We know that by, I think, 8:43 this evening, they have to either release him or arrest him or come up with some new reason for another eight-day extension on his detention. But again, since they don't know the whereabouts of Robyn Gardner, they do believe she's dead but they haven't recovered a body, it's really going to be a stretch for them to levy murder charges. Under Aruban law, though, they may be able to continue detaining him on suspicion at least for another eight days.
BALDWIN: From what I understand from our correspondent in Aruba, he told me that the active search for Robyn Gardner is over, but we have learned that the court ordered this DNA sample to be taken of Gary Giordano. Why? Why is that?
JORDAN: Well, if he ends up returning to the United States, again, there's maybe only so long they can hold him unless they levy real charges for homicide against him.
Well, let's say sadly the body of Robyn Gardner does turn up eventually. They're going to need a DNA sample from him in case they want to link him to that homicide.
But don't forget, in the meantime in the United States, with the cooperation of the FBI and local law enforcement, they have turned, his $1.5 million house inside out and have been gathering information there, including computer records. Many people think it's the computer search which may end up giving us leads that could link him to perhaps a plot or a plan or some kind of history that would explain his relationship with Robyn.
BALDWIN: We'll stay on that. Again, I mentioned, we have a correspondent there.
I do want to talk about this chilling account in Missouri. There's this missing three-year-old girl. Court documents say her neighbor Sean Morgan explained to a police officer how he suffocated and killed her. He says she was standing by his pool on the ladder when he grabbed her, took her inside, grabbed a white plastic trash bag and suffocated her. And the details here that I've read, it's chilling, it's stunning. What do you make of the details?
JORDAN: Well, it is disturbing, absolutely. Now, the police have a job. When they write up the details for an application for an arrest warrant, they just have to stick to the facts. So it leaves us with a lot of questions of exactly what was going on.
The way he phrased it, he looked outside and she was standing near his pool ladder in his backyard, so he went outside and grabbed her. First, there was angle for a three-year-old trespassing in the backyard? Makes you wonder if that part of his story was really true or if he actually did snatch her from her front yard where she was riding her bike. Interestingly enough, he admits he dumped the bike in the water spillway in which he also admits dumping her body. But he said it took almost an hour, Brooke, and that doesn't make a lot of sense. One has to wonder --
BALDWIN: Why would he say that? Why would he say that? The exact line according to this officer is Morgan states he felt like it took an hour for the girl to die. It's chilling.
JORDAN: Two things I take away from that. Number one, it did take an hour to kill her. But I think there was a very strong possibility that he sexually assaulted her in the space of that hour. So it could just be that he's explaining a time line. But beyond that --
BALDWIN: Let me just jump in. I do want to say that that is something that -- we don't know if that happened. That is, you know, not at all.
JORDAN: We don't know. No, absolutely don't know. Absolutely, does not -- remember, they don't have little Breeann yet, so we don't know the story. The fact of the matter is though that nothing in his story makes sense.
He took her, he got a garbage bag, he suffocated her, but why, there's no explanation for that. So it wouldn't surprise me if there's more to the story. But beyond that, Brooke, I mean, if it did take an hour.
It raises the question. He says it felt like an hour. Maybe it wasn't an hour. Maybe it was ten minutes, but if felt like an hour. That to me suggests that he might be claiming that he loses time in his psyche and that could be a suggestion of mental illness.
After all, there's really nothing much that could explain this incident. If there was no sexual contact, if it really was just the snatching and killing of a child, it makes no sense. You could see somebody setting himself up for a mental illness defense.
BALDWIN: According to police, lived in the neighborhood, lived across the street, he is a father of three. We're going to stay on that story and keep asking questions. Casey Jordan, thank you so much on the case today.
Coming up next, Wolf Blitzer, he's going to join us from Iowa where he will interview the president tomorrow. And Wolf is revealing what he does on the campaign trail to get through the long day. Don't miss this detail.
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BALDWIN: Now to tomorrow's news, lets fast forward. CNN's Wolf Blitzer, he'll be moderating a panel discussion with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. CNN is co- hosting the event with the National Defense University.
Also she's not a witch, but, Christine O'Donnell is talking about it in her new book. It is called "Troublemaker" and it hits bookshelves tomorrow.
And cue the music. Here we go. It is Elvis week at Graceland. The state hosting a series of events to celebrate the king's life and his legacy in Tennessee. T his year marks the 55th anniversary including of many of his first hits including this one, "Heartbreak Hotel."
Whether you are headed to the airport or the White House, there is one thing you should never leave home without. Well, one professional football player, he found out the hard way. Joe Johns explains coming up next in your "Political Pop."
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BALDWIN: Soldiers in Mexico say they have found this tunnel being dug for one very specific purpose, that being smuggling drugs. A nearly 1,000-foot tunnel extends beneath the border all the way into the United States.
The tunnel has electricity. It has ventilation. Mexican authorities arrested 10 people working on this tunnel, which was not yet completed so there was no actual exit point on the last end.
A Miami family is lucky to be alive after a car crashes into their house in the middle of the night in someone's bedroom. All caught in camera. Take a look.
We got this because these home surveillance videos were rolling. Take a look. There ease the car out of control smashed into the home. According to police, the car had three people inside.
It lost control, hit a stop sign, went through a fence and then smashed into a bedroom. In fact, here was a man in the bedroom, getting ready for bed. Thank goodness, he wasn't hurt.
Two of the people who were in that car, they hopped up and ran out of there, but they were later caught. Despite all the damage, the homeowner says he is feeling pretty fortunate.
Imagine waking up, getting a call from a neighbor and then hearing this.
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LILIAN BERNHAGEN, HOMEOWNER: He said, well, don't be surprised if you see a lot of policemen in your backyard and I said --
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BALDWIN: Well, why were there policemen in the backyard? This is why because of this 3600-pound 128-foot long thing that crashed into the backyard of this 94-year-old woman who lives in Ohio.
This unmanned booze advertising blip broke free from a nearby airport during that strong wind storm early Sunday morning. This woman said she knew there was a storm, but thought the blimp crashing was just thunder. So what did she do early Sunday morning? She went back to bed.
And now Joe Johns, I want to bring you in to "Political Pop." And right around this time, you know, I normally talk to Wolf Blitzer about what he's got coming up on his show. So he's a little busy because he's in Decorah, Iowa, the site of the next stop for President Obama. He's talking to the president tomorrow.
I just wanted to share this with you and our viewers. So Eatocrasy, we have this blog all about food and so they asked our political team, what are their habits and I want to ask you ask well, their habits on the campaign trail.
What do they like to eat? So apparently John King really likes beef. Candy Crowley likes ice cream and Wolf Blitzer, let's just roll the tape.
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WOLF BLITZER, THE SITUATION ROOM: For those of you who like Oreo cookies, especially late at night before you go to sleep, keep them in the freezer. Take them out of the freezer. Get a full glass of milk. I like skim milk cold. Have a couple of Oreo cookies with a glass of skim milk just before you go to sleep at night. You will always have good dreams.
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BALDWIN: I wonder, Joe Johns, if he's a double stuff man, but frozen Oreos, have you ever done that?
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, no, I haven't ever done the frozen Oreos, but you know, he's right, I mean, they actually help you sleep. Nice cold milk -- on the campaign trail?
BALDWIN: On the campaign trail, what do you eat?
JOHNS: Weirdly, the best part of the day is like the end of the day and celery --
BALDWIN: What?
JOHNS: And carrots and dip.
BALDWIN: You are lying. You are not eating vegetables before your go to bed.
JOHNS: Well, no, that's not before you go to bed. That's like the end of the day before -- the plane is flying somewhere else and you're going to rest overnight and get up and start the whole thing the next day.
Yes. I mean, I would do that. But a lot of people in the plane, tell you the truth, the favorite food is beer. It's beer.
BALDWIN: So it's a long day as you guys are pulling long hours so beer and then bed, it's a great combination. So let's talk "Political Pop" because this is kind of a fun thing. How do we get Herman Cain, Donna Summers and Pokemon all in the same sentence, please explain?
JOHNS: This has really created a lot of buzz on the internet, not all of it good. Frankly, I've been a little surprised that Herman Cain is plugged in enough to pop culture that he could actually create this kind of buzz.
OK, so what happened? In the last Republican presidential debate, Herman Cain's quote was life can be challenged. Life can seem impossible, but it's never easy when there's so much on the line. Listen.
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HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A poet once say it, life can be a challenge. Life can seem impossible, but it's never easy when there's so much on the line. We have a lot on the line.
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JOHNS: All right, so it turns out that quote wasn't exactly poetry. It was strictly speaking a song from the end of "Pokemon, The Movie" from 2000. And it was sung by of all people, the queen of disco herself, Donna Summer. Listen.
We don't have it. Anyway, too bad. All right, here we go. But - here's the thing, as multiple organizations pointed out, we learned that Herman Cain's quote wasn't a random quote. Apparently he's used this line before.
And oddly he actually claimed that he was reciting the words to the closing song of the 2000 Olympics. Do we have that one? I've been trying to find a copy of the tape of the 2000 Olympics myself in order to see if the "Pokemon," the song was actually played there, but there has been some reporting it wasn't.
So what is all these all mean? I don't know because they haven't talked to me. I've actually reached out to the Cain campaign to try to get some respond to questions about Pokemon and Donna Summer.
BALDWIN: You're calling up the Herman Cain people saying hello, this is Joe Johns from CNN, can you confirm Donna Summers and Pokemon? You have made the funniest phone calls --
JOHNS: I know, it's embarrassing too, but somebody's got to do it. Inquiring minds want to know.
BALDWIN: I know and that's the best part of our "Political Pop." Before I'll let you go, this is also interesting so the Green Bay Packers, they go to the White House, when were they there, Friday?
JOHNS: Yes, last Friday, right. Given all we've through - this whole summer with the NFL, you have to call this the last lockout, OK? The Packers went into the White House last week to meet the president, but Packer linebacker Desmond Bishop left his driver's license on the charter plane as in anybody can tell you who's ever tried to get into the White House.
It's pretty tough to see the president if you don't have your I.D. almost impossible, in fact and Mr. Bishop found that out. So he was locked out while other teammates were getting their picture taken with Mr. Obama. He was outside tweeting about the experience. We have a couple of those tweets.
BALDWIN: I want to know what he was tweeting, do tell.
JOHNS: All right, here we go. Just found some extra motivation. I forgot my I.D. on the plane. So won't get access to see @barackobama this time, but next year, so he's talking about winning the Super Bowl again so he can go back.
And then he says, security guy called up the head of security, I was denied even before I got off the bus. I was going to text Barack Obama myself, but laugh out loud.
BALDWIN: I wonder what he was doing hanging outside the White House, maybe, you know, got a burger and have it grilled, who knows? Tweeting away.
JOHNS: Right, I mean, actually, it's kind of better, right? No --
BALDWIN: No, no. When you go to the White House, when you travel, you bring your I.D., right? We know that Joe Johns. Thank you so much. That is your "Political Pop" for this Monday. Thank you for watching. I'm Brooke Baldwin in Atlanta. Now for a special edition of "THE SITUATION ROOM," Wolf Blitzer is in Iowa. Wolf, to you.