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President Obama on the Road; Libyan Rebels Ready for Major Strike?; Search for Missing Girl in Missouri Continues; Starbucks CEO Upset with Washington Politics; Some Schools Feeding Students Health Meals.

Aired August 16, 2011 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And hello to you. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

A busy, busy day here in news.

As Randi just finished mentioning, happening right now, President Obama on the road on this multi-state bus tour today in Iowa. In fact, our own Wolf Blitzer is there with him. He is interviewing the president right now. And he will join me in just a little bit. Wolf will, not the president, to talk to me a little bit about what the president revealed in that sit-down interview, including how he plans to win over voters in these key states.

So we will have that later on in the hour.

But I do want to begin with this story. Really it's just this bizarre extortion plot. Never heard anything like it. And I want to start with the victim here. Take a look. This is the young woman who spent 10 hours, 10 hours with a bomb just dangling from her neck, a bomb or so she thought at the time. And now this is the man who allegedly strapped that thing in place in hopes of prying money out of the woman's wealthy parents. So say the authorities.

Paul Doug Peters, age 51, an Australian finance executive, Paul Doug Peters arrested yesterday just outside of Louisville, Kentucky, by a local FBI swat team in connection with the case that has gripped Australia for really now nearly two weeks. Let me take you back to August 3.

This was the scene in a wealthy enclave just outside of Sydney, where Madeleine Pulver, age 18, spent a hellish 10 hours, 10 hellish hours fearing that this mechanism attached to this chain around her neck was about to explode. The device turned out to be a hoax. But the assailant's demands were very real. He wanted money from Madeleine's parents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUKE MOORE, NEW SOUTH WALES POLICE: The demands were that -- it was financial demands made. Again, I can't go into too much detail on exactly what they were and that there needed to be some follow-up contact. And further instructions would be given.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Like I said, a truly bizarre story.

Let's go to Susan Candiotti, who is live for us now outside the federal court there in Louisville.

And, Susan, I know you want to tell us about the suspect's court appearance. I want to ask you about that, but first, if you could, just take me through these bizarre events that are alleged to have happened in Madeleine Pulver's bedroom back on August 3.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you pretty well laid it out.

It must have been terrifying for this teenager who was there studying for on exam when this man came into her house. She said, what are you doing? And he strapped this thing around her neck that he told her was -- well, she didn't find out right away. He was carrying also a baseball bat and then he left the room. And then he seemed to simply leave the house, because she called out his name and then she looked to see the note that he had left behind.

And it said something about explosives. So she called her father who called the police and that's when she sat there for 10 hours until they figured out what to do, finally determined that there was no explosives in it. But imagine the terror that she must have been going through.

BALDWIN: Absolutely frightening.

That was Australia. That was just about two weeks ago. Now you're there in Louisville. Let's talk about Paul Doug Peters, who is taken by this SWAT team just yesterday in this five-bedroom home of -- the home was actually owned by his American ex-wife there in Kentucky. Susan, how was he identified as a suspect and how did they connect the dots? How was he tracked all the way from Australia to Kentucky?

CANDIOTTI: Well, one of the first clues was contained in the alleged ransom note because it contained an e-mail address, an e-mail address that it turns out, this is an odd connection, is the name of a character in a James Clavell novel called "Tai-Pan."

And it talks about an investment banker located in Asia who takes out his rivals by any and all means including extortion, kidnapping, you name it. Be that as it may, they tracked down the computers where that message had been sent from. And then they looked for surveillance cameras to find out who was using the computer. Then they found out what car that person was driving, tracked down who might have been the driver, came up with a name, found out that that person had taken a plane and flown to Chicago and on to Kentucky.

And then they started to look for any kind of records as to why he would be in Kentucky, learned that he wired money to an address in Louisville. Turned out to be the ex-wife of Mr. Peters. So they sent an FBI agent out to the house. He sat outside and lo and behold, he sees, he says, Mr. Peters or a man who matched the description of a driver's license in the U.S. and that's how they brought the SWAT team and arrested him without incident.

BALDWIN: Wow. How about that? All from that e-mail address. Do we know, Susan, anything about the financial dealings of this guy, this Paul Doug Peters? And was there any potential overlap with the business of the victim's father?

CANDIOTTI: Well, that's what police want to know. There seems to be conflicting information about that. But some authorities are saying that there is no apparent connection at this time.

They're looking for one, but a tenuous one, at the very least, based on the fact that both men did business in Asia. Both men, well, at one time were married. Both men have children, including some daughters. OK, there's a connection there. Both work in the world of high finance. And so of course that's the at least tenuous connection. Now authorities are trying to learn whether -- obviously one thing they will look at is whether one man had done the other man wrong and was this sort of a revenge plot? That, of course, one of the many questions that we have.

BALDWIN: Did they know one another and why would he have done this? Susan Candiotti, thank you so much there in Louisville, Kentucky. What a story.

Also, this. President Obama, as we mentioned, he is hitting the road, right into America's heartland. And he's doing it in style. Check this out. This is the president's new million-dollar bus. But not everyone is on board with the president's new message as he is rolling around the midsection of our country. Brianna Keilar is traveling along with the president there in Iowa. We will check in with her next.

Plus, this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Mr. President, you have tried now for two-and-a-half years of government creating jobs. And it's time to let the private sector get back to work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: He is the new man in the Republican race for president. But some are asking, is Texas Governor Rick Perry really just a chip off the old block? Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Well, today marks day two of the president's bus tour of the Midwest, three states in three days, today, Iowa. Take a look at the president rubbing elbows at a dinner in Peosta, Iowa. That's right, Peosta. And he continues to hammer Congress, and particular those congressional Republicans, to put aside partisan politics and get to work on job creation. Here's the president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We could do even more if Congress is willing to get in the game. There are bipartisan ideas, commonsense ideas that have traditionally been supported by Democrats and Republicans that will put more money in your pockets, that will put our people to work, that will allow us to deal with the legacy of debt that hangs over our economy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: White House correspondent Brianna Keilar is there for us in Peosta.

And, Bri, we seem to be seeing a pattern here. The president is saying yes, he's ready to go on jobs creation, but Congress is playing politics. Is that the message you're hearing?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Brooke.

Congress is playing politics. And what he really means is Republicans and specifically House Republicans are playing politics. He's been pointing a lot to that bruising debt ceiling battle of just -- that ended here a couple of weeks ago.

And as Republicans are criticizing him for not doing enough on jobs, he is reiterating his plans that we have heard before, extending unemployment insurance, extending a payroll tax cut, infrastructure spending. And what he's saying, Brooke, is that it's Congress that is standing in the way. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: The only that is holding us back is our politics. The only thing that's preventing us from passing the bills I just mentioned is the refusal of a faction in Congress to put country ahead of party. And that has to stop. Our economy cannot afford it.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: So what is the president doing here in Peosta, Iowa? Well, he's here where we are, Brooke, at the Northeast Iowa Community College, talking to his rural economic council, talking about some new proposals for creating jobs in rural communities, for instance, increasing loans for farmers and small businesses here.

But you can't really miss the fact that this is a hugely important political state, first-in-the-nation caucuses here in Iowa. The president was able to win the caucuses and give himself some early momentum in the 2008 election. But, also, rural communities across the nation, Brooke, it's important to notice this was a big problem for the Democrats in the 2010 midterm elections. You can actually argue that this is what cost them the House of Representatives.

So, there's certainly a lot of work to be done here for the president.

BALDWIN: So, given the fact that this area is very, very significant for the president if he would like to win, and you talked about his message, how is it being received there in Iowa?

KEILAR: At these events, Brooke, he's getting a very good reception. There were a lot of people who are invited to these events. The town halls that he saw yesterday in Minnesota and Iowa, he got very good receptions. He had one person with the Iowa Tea Party who was not so happy with him. And that certainly got a lot of attention.

But it's interesting to see in areas that are less controlled from these events that we're seeing because our travel pool is rolling in the motorcade right behind him as they move across the state. And you can see some of the signs that he's being greeted with. Some are supportive, but some of them are not, people coming out, trying to deliver a message, saying they're not happy about jobs, some people saying "I don't trust you" on their signs.

So he certainly can't escape some of the negative feelings that some of the people do have here, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Hey, quickly, Brianna, before I let you go, I know there's been a lot of talk about this brand-new bus, comparing it to the Beast, $1.1 million, Secret Service. Give me a little something before we talk about it next hour. What have you learned?

KEILAR: Yes, it's like a beastly bus. It's actually owned by the Secret Service. It's all black. And we saw it roll into an event yesterday. We saw it roll into this event here at the community college with flashing lights. It's pretty souped-up.

Of course we don't know some of the thing, Brooke. But you can imagine that it's very well-protected, it's a very well-armored vehicle. Some pretty good communications on there so that the president always is able to have a protected communications system outside of the bus to any adviser or anyone that he needs to talk to. But it's pretty interesting. And, yes, $1.1 million and there's actually two of them. And we will be telling you a whole lot more about it in the next hour, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Right on, Brianna Keilar. We will talk about that beastly bus and we will get to your behind-the-scenes video, what it's like traveling with the president. We will talk to you and Wolf. Thank you, Ms. Keilar.

And as we mentioned, President Obama's Midwest bus tour is continuing and our own Wolf Blitzer will take you along for the ride. Join Wolf for a one-on-one interview this afternoon with the president. Of course, they are going to be playing this interview in "THE SITUATION ROOM," which begins at 5:00 Eastern. But Wolf is kind enough to hop on my show. He's going to give us a sneak peek in about 45 minutes, what they talked about there in Iowa. Don't miss that next hour. And you may remember hearing the president say that he and other people who are wealthy, they don't pay enough in taxes. And then just a couple of weeks ago, we heard House Majority Leader Eric Cantor say, hey, if the president feels bad about that, he is free to write a check to the IRS. Well, that may have been the birth of a talking point, because today we did hear a version of Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann here.

She's out there campaigning in South Carolina and here she is taking on billionaire Warren Buffett for saying that he, too, is undertaxed. Here's Bachmann.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We also believe, unlike Warren Buffett, that taxes are high enough already. Now, the president's friend Warren Buffett just came out and said, all the billionaires should be paying more money. I have a suggestion. Mr. Buffett, write a big check today. There's nothing you have to wait for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So there she was, Michele Bachmann in South Carolina.

Here's Rick Perry, Governor Perry in Iowa. You know, and as we have told you, Rick Perry talks about God, he talks about jobs and he talks about the federal government, in particular, federal regulations, many of which he doesn't like. Here's Rick Perry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PERRY: ... needs is jobs. They don't need symbolism. We need new jobs. We don't need new federal agencies.

And if you want to create jobs, don't create a new agency. Solve all the unnecessary regulations that these agencies are already implementing and, frankly, out of control in some places. Give the market confidence that -- I think we should go into a six-month freeze of all federal regulations, new federal regulations. Get the EPA and the Department of Labor out of the way so that employers can start hiring people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So that was Rick Perry, governor of Texas. Here's Mitt Romney, Mitt Romney meeting with workers in Merrimack, New Hampshire. Romney said the Tea Party has been good for Washington, but he's also said the nation's leaders need to try harder to work together.

It is being called urban warfare right now in Libya. As rebel forces claw their way ever closer to the capital city there of Tripoli, they say they're almost ready to move in on Moammar Gadhafi. So will this so-called zero hour happen and could Gadhafi have an ace up his sleeve? CNN's Matthew Chance is standing by for us right now in Tripoli. We will check in with him here after the break. Plus, we're now getting some breaking news out of California. Here's what we know, a possible gunman on a college campus. We're gathering the facts. I'm going to get some information here over the break. We will bring it to you on the other side. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right. Breaking news here into us at CNN. Here's what we know right now.

Santa Monica College in California, they are under lockdown right now after reports of a possible gunman on campus. You're looking here at aerial video. This is just in from Santa Monica. This was taken just moments ago. Thanks to our affiliate KABC hovering over the scene there in the skies. We're watching the story. We're making phone calls. You know we are. We will bring you more information as soon as we get it here on CNN.

Again, Santa Monica College under lockdown, possible gunman.

Now to Libya, where the game may be changing both on Moammar Gadhafi's side and also with the growing rebel movement trying to force him out of power. Up to now, opposition forces have not advanced in large numbers there on the capital of Tripoli but a rebel spokesman said that that will soon happen, possibly by the end of the month. And that is coming as news emerged today that the Libyan army loyal to Moammar Gadhafi launched this Scud missile in the direction of rebel units just a couple of days ago.

I want to go straight to our senior international correspondent, Matthew Chance, who is there in Tripoli.

And, Matthew, first, I want to begin with this report of this Scud missile launch. If it is true, how might that change things?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it certainly is true. It was monitored in fact by a U.S. warship off the coast in the Mediterranean Sea.

And it was fired from the town of Sirte, which is Colonel Gadhafi's hometown, towards the port of Brega, where there are fierce clashes under way between rebels and government forces. Notoriously difficult to target these missiles. And this one, according to the U.S. officials that monitored its flight path, say it landed about 50 miles off target.

It landed in the middle of the desert and didn't actually cause any injuries as far as anyone can make out. But nevertheless, it's clear that Colonel Gadhafi's forces have large numbers of these ballistic missiles in their arsenal and what they have proved today or yesterday when this was fired for the first time is that they are prepared to use these potentially extremely devastating weapons, which have a range of about 250 miles or so. They could reach deep into rebel-held territory, Brooke.

BALDWIN: So, Matthew, if they're prepared to delve deep and use those weapons, what about this? We heard from U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta describing the situation today as -- he says Gadhafi's days are numbered. But you're in Tripoli. Does that resonate in Tripoli? Do you sense a similar sentiment where you are?

CHANCE: It's clear to some extent it's wishful thinking that his days are numbered. I think that clearly he's being surrounded at the moment, as we speak, by rebel fighters in the east of Tripoli or to the east of Tripoli, to the south and most importantly perhaps to the west of Tripoli as well, where there have been kind of struggles under way, armed struggles between Gadhafi loyalists and rebels in the town of Zawiyah.

We have been reporting a lot on that. It's an important town because it basically controls the main road that goes into Tripoli from the west, from the neighboring country of Tunisia. And that road has been used a lot to keep the capital supplied with basic foodstuffs, with water and with fuel from neighboring Tunisia. That road is now cut.

And we understand from both sides, most recently from the government, that there are clashes under way between the rebels and government loyalists to try and open up that road and to -- basically the government trying vigorously to regain control of that area. At the moment, it hasn't happened. The road is still closed. And that puts Tripoli in a very vulnerable position, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Well, given that fact then, what, Matthew, stands between these rebels and Tripoli? And if rebels are honing in, what are -- what are Moammar Gadhafi's options?

CHANCE: Well, the authorities here say that they have got enough supplies in-house, enough weaponry to hold out for an indefinite period. And that could well be true. There's also the routes that they could potentially be supplied by sea, although there's a NATO naval blockade on the country in the Mediterranean.

But I think the big question everybody is asking now is, will the rebels be able to hold on to the territory that they have managed to capture in the course of the past 48, 72 hours or so? In the past, they have made military dramatic advances, only to lose the territory that they gained a few days later, a few weeks later.

Certainly, Gadhafi's forces are going to be fighting quite literally as if their lives depend on it to free up some of these supply roots and to push the rebels back. The big factor of course on the side of the rebels is that it's not just the rebels fighting Gadhafi forces. It's the rebels backed by NATO warplanes that are fighting Gadhafi's forces. And those warplanes patrolling the skies every hour over Libya are making it very difficult for Gadhafi's forces to reach out and to strike those rebel positions.

BALDWIN: Matthew Chance in Tripoli, we will all just have to wait and see if the rebels and NATO can maintain where they are as they hone in on this man. This has been going on for month and months. Matthew, thank you so much. And have you heard about this? Some shocking news out of Hollywood. The estranged husband to one of the cast mates of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" has committed suicide just one month after his wife filed for divorce. More on that.

Plus, this story. We talked about this yesterday. A Missouri man says he kidnapped a 3-year-old little girl, then suffocated her with a plastic bag. But is he lying about where he dumped this little girl's body? We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Checking some of your top stories now.

I want to start with the economy. Let's all take a look at the Big Board. As we see the Dow, it is down just a smidge, down 38 points here, as we're just about a half-hour away from that closing bell. Now, this all comes on the heels of a meeting between the leaders of France and Germany, where they discussed Europe's debt problems but offered little action.

Meanwhile, the Fitch ratings agency has reaffirmed the AAA credit status and stable outlook for us here in the United States. But they said they may revise their outlook from stable to negative if that debt super committee, that panel of 12, bipartisan committee, doesn't come up with a plan or if the economy weakens.

The man now in charge of al Qaeda is urging his followers to attack the United States. Ayman al-Zawahri reportedly released this online video in which he called the United States a criminal country that's corrupting the world. He also said al Qaeda's jihad against America did not die with Osama bin Laden. Now, if this video is authentic, it would be the third video message issued by al-Zawahri since he was elevated to the top position within al Qaeda. No comment on the video from U.S. officials.

And a reality show shocker. Police say the estranged husband of one of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" has killed himself. Investigators say 47-year-old Russell Armstrong was found dead in his Bel Air home last night. The coroner says he didn't leave a note. He and "Housewife" Taylor Armstrong were in the midst of a divorce. Celebrity gossip Web sites have been reporting detailed allegations of abuse made against him in that divorce case.

And this from the world of baseball. A Texas Rangers fan who died while trying to catch a ball will be honored with a statue -- 39- year-old firefighter Shannon Stone fell to his death at a game just last month. His 6-year-old son, Cooper, was there, saw it all happen. The Rangers say they're going to put up a bronze statue that will show Stone and his son attending a game. The team says the statue should be in place outside the home plate gate of Rangers Ballpark just in time for the 2012 season.

A desperate search still under way right now in Missouri for the body of this little girl, a 3-year-old who was allegedly strangled with a trash bag. Now, the man who confessed in a police affidavit to the murder, this guy right here, has told authorities where he dumped her body. So why can't anyone find it? That's next.

Plus, police suspect this man is behind the disappearance of an American woman in Aruba, but they have got only two weeks to try to prove it. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Right now authorities in a small Missouri town along with the FBI now are looking for the body of a missing three-year-old girl. All the while this town is in shock, trying to understand why one among them would allegedly murder a toddler.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTY MILLER, NEIGHBOR: He was there with me, but nothing unusual. Same old Shawn. I said I'm going to ride around town. Shawn said, can I go with you? I said sure. My goodness I had him in the truck with me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And 43-year-old Shawn Morgan, that's the Shawn he was referencing, made his first court appearance today, did not enter a plea. He was charged with a first degree murder in the case of three- year-old Breeann Rodriguez. She was last seen riding bikes with her brother in front of her house just about two weeks ago.

And in a court document, Morgan tells police he saw Breeann standing that very day on a ladder at his swimming pool, this ladder in fact, grabbed her, took her inside, suffocated her with a white trash bag. He goes on to tell police he placed her little body in the same trash bag and tossed it into this floodway.

The question still remains, motive. Why did he do this? This is a man one neighbor described as a loving father. His three kids played with the Rodriguez's children. So what happened to him? Sheriff Bob Holder has been out and about searching with these teams for little Breeann. He's good enough to join me on the phone from Kennett, Missouri. Any news today on Breeann, sheriff?

SHERIFF BOB HOLDER, DUNKLIN COUNTY, MISSOURI: No. We're still searching. We began at 7:00 again, this morning. The search continues as we speak.

BALDWIN: I understand that you are searching and there are cadaver dogs searching by air, by land, by water. Tell me about this community and the volunteers pouring out in support for this little girl.

HOLDER: Well, we have a great community in this area, a lot of loving people. And everyone has really been gracious about coming out and supporting us. We've had, of course, the local fire departments, the FBI, the sheriff's offices, rescue squads from Tennessee, Mississippi County, Arkansas. They're coming in. We've got local businessmen, a lot of farmers that are out now bringing their boats, and just a great number of volunteers that have actually been walking the ditches, manning the boats and the drags.

And, of course, with the helicopters, we have the Missouri highway patrol divers, the division of drug and crime control. We've just got a number of people here that are just -- have just opened up and willingly giving their services and times to try to find this young lady.

BALDWIN: We're looking for these guys. Some searching up to their shoulders in the water.

And help me understand this, because I read the court document in which Morgan tells this police officer, you know, yes, I dumped her body into this spillway. I went back, took her bike apart piece by piece, tossed the bike in the same area. You guys have recovered the bike but not her. Based upon any conversation you have had him, is it possible he's not being truthful?

HOLDER: Well, all I can say there is that we have not found the body of course. And we're very hopeful, we've been hopeful every day. But whether or not he's telling us the truth right now, we're not -- we don't know. We're just going on the information that we got. Hopefully, that we can find this young lady to bring some closure to the family.

BALDWIN: I know, you told one of my producers, you said something interesting saying people don't understand in this community why in the world someone would do something like this. Yet, people in this town have compassion for both families, not just for the Rodriguez family, but the Morgans as well. Explain that.

HOLDER: Right. It's tragic for both families. I don't know of anyone that would -- I don't know -- losing a child would just have to be just awful. I can't comprehend somebody losing a child. So -- and people are gathering around wanting to help, wanting to help find this child. So it's on everybody's hearts and minds.

BALDWIN: This man charged first degree murder. He is a father as well, three children. What about little Breeann's parents? Have you seen them? How in the world are they holding up?

HOLDER: Yes, well, I think it would be like any parents. They're certainly very, very saddened. And it's just almost unbelievable to have something like this happen. In this community, Senath is basically a town of 1,800 people, and the neighborhood in which they live on that street, there's about 26 houses on that street. And you would just never think anything like this would happen.

But it seems like we're seeing this more and more on the news each and every day. And it doesn't just have to be young people. It can be older people as well. And we just all need to be conscious of that and pay a little bit more attention to what's going on in our neighborhood.

BALDWIN: Absolutely. Don't look the other way. Call authorities if you suspect anything. Sheriff Bob Holder, I appreciate it. Let us know how the search progresses. Thank you.

And 16 more days, that is the deadline investigators in Aruba are now up against to try to find this woman, 35-year-old Robyn Gardner. A judge ordered a man arrested in the case, Gary Giordano, to remain in custody until then. Investigators have been searching for clues since this Maryland woman disappeared on August 2nd. And another search, we're hearing, could begin as early as tomorrow. Giordano told police that Gardner disappeared while they were snorkeling but he was arrested two weeks ago when his story didn't quite add up.

Some subway riders in San Francisco are still furious. They say the city's rapid transit system shut down their cell phone service during a protest. It's a story we talked about right here yesterday. Today there's an important update. The FCC is now piping in. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: I want to update you here on the story we talked about just a few moments ago. The lockdown at Santa Monica City College in California has now been lifted. No gunman was found there on campus.

It is an issue that could affect just about every one of you. The story, though, starts and centers in San Francisco where some subway riders have been asking, have my First Amendment rights been violated? But you talk to the folks in the mass transit system, and they're saying look, we're trying to keep the passengers safe.

Back and forth, getting more and more intense. Take a look at the video here. Protestors again trying to disrupt service at several BART stations across San Francisco. BART is an acronym for the Bay Area Rapid Transit system. Demonstrators are angry that BART officials decided to shut down cell service ahead of a planned protest last week. They're also still upset about several shootings involving some of their own police officers and riders in the past.

New today here, the federal government is investigating. In fact, take a look at what the FCC told us today. They say "Any time communication services are interrupted, we seek to assess the situation. We are continuing to collect information about BART's actions and will be taking steps to hear from stakeholders about the important issues those actions raised." Continuing on, "including protecting public safety, and ensuring the availability of communications networks."

Yesterday, BART did temporarily shut down four different downtown stops, trying to keep a step ahead of those demonstrators as they move from station to station. But it's important to point out, cell phone service was not cut off for riders last night. But BART is still standing by its decision to shut it down, shut that cell service down last week, telling me they acted within the rights of the constitution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINTON JOHNSON, CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, BART: 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 -- prevented the protestors from using against our customers. We preserved that tool for them.

In a very narrow focused period of time, three hours, in which they said they would 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 right to safety as well as ability to free speech.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: By the way, that interview went on for a quite a while. You can watch the whole thing. Go to my blog, CNN.com/Brooke. BART explaining their stance. You know what, one First Amendment lawyer likens BART's cutting off cell service last week to breaking the legs of people trying to march when Dr. King was in the '60s. See if you agree when I talk to that attorney live next hour.

And the man who runs one of the largest food and drink companies in the world, you could say he's kind of ticked off at Washington politics. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is so fed up with what he is calling lack of leadership that he's doing something he says will hurt politicians where they feel it most.

CNN's Poppy Harlow in New York. So Poppy, you talked to Howard Schultz today. What is he saying?

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: I did. I mean, he's clearly had it with Washington. He's fed up, like a lot of Americans are. And it was that debt ceiling debate debacle if you will that led him to this position. He said Washington doesn't have it together. This lack of leadership has led us to a crisis in confidence.

And he says that in turn trickled into the financial markets, which we watched play out live on your show all last week, that it's trickled out to the broader economy.

And he sent a letter to fellow CEO's asking them not to make political contributions at all, Brooke, until Washington figures it out. He said "I am asking that all of us forgo political contributions until Congress and the president return to Washington and deliver a fiscally disciplined long-term debt and deficit plan to the American people." He explained that further to me in our interview this morning. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD SCHULTZ, CEO, STARBUCKS: When I began to kind of ask the question, what could we do? I uncovered the fact that almost $4 billion was spent in 2008 in the presidential election cycle among the president and Congress, $4 billion.

I just thought, given the ideology and the partisanship that all it seems that people are interested in is reelection. And that reelection is -- the life blood of it is fundraising. I just thought given the situation and the profound disappointment that we all feel, let's send a powerful message to Washington that we no longer want to embrace the status quo and we want to see change.

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HARLOW: So he's saying, Brooke, let's cut off the lifeblood to these politicians right now until they do their job. Let's cut off that funding, Brooke.

BALDWIN: As he's sending out that message, he has another message to fellow CEOs in this letter talking about job creation. What did he tell you about that?

HARLOW: He does. It's interesting. The top half of his letter is all about political contributions and how he's asking them to get on board and not contribute. The bottom is a call to the CEOs to hire. Obviously he's not telling them what to do. But he's saying we at Starbucks are going to continue to hire even in these tough economic times.

And he says we as business leaders with trillions of dollars on our balance sheets, these companies, admittedly he says, have some of them the most money on hand that they've had in decades, we need to spend it. We need to hire. He's calling on CEOs to hire. He says we can't wait for Washington to do that.

We do need Washington to get rid of the certainty, which is a reason why a lot of businesses are hiring, but we can't wait on them to do it. We as business leaders in America need to take up this with our own hands and really put into action what we are calling for. We can't wait for Washington. He said, Brooke, and I quote "Americans deserve better than this."

This is very interesting to hear a high-profile CEO coming out like this and making a very bold statement and a bold move with his pocketbook and asking fellow CEOs to come along with him. And I just want to let everyone know if you're interested in this, you can see the full interview with Howard Schultz on CNN Money. He's going to be a special guest tomorrow night on "Piers Morgan," 9:00 eastern. That should be a fascinating and long conversation so you can really get to the root of where he's coming from here.

BALDWIN: Poppy Harlow, we'll look for your interview first, CNNMmoney.com. We'll be watching Piers as always tomorrow. Thank you so much, Poppy, in New York.

And coming up next, battling the obesity epidemic in America's kids. Dr. Sanjay Gupta will introduce us to one school's novel approach that could bring changes to every single school in this country. Be right back.

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BALDWIN: An elementary school in Illinois is doing everything it possibly can to serve nutritious meals and keep kids healthy. And our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta tells us how.

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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, they says if you can get to age 50 without any risk factors for heart diseases you have virtually zero chance of ever having a heart attack. That's the good news.

But here's the problem. Trouble starts pretty early. In fact it's shocking that nowadays about one in five kids isn't just overweight but obese. Now, there are some best practices out there, things that are working. We found this school in Illinois will where they're doing everything they can to turn that around.

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GUPTA: Northeast Elementary School in Danville, Illinois. The kids here eat healthy foods.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had chicken sandwich and apples and yogurt, fruit and juice.

GUPTA: When she got hired, the school board told Principal McIntire, make health a priority.

CHERYL MCINTIRE, PRINCIPAL, NORTHEAST ELEMENTARY MAGNET SCHOOL: We had lots of fried foods, with had a lot of processed foods. Now nothing is fried. We have to have fish several times a month. We have fresh fruit and vegetables at every lunch.

GUPTA: And there are also 30-minute phys-ed classes every single day. Kids take yoga breaks during class. And the annual fundraising event that used to be a bake sale is now a one-mile walk. All these changes made Northeast the first elementary school in the country to earn a Gold award from the nonprofit group Alliance for a Healthier Generation, which was co-founded by the Clinton Foundation. And the changes at school are changing habits at home as well.

MCINTIRE: They're going home talking to parents about the things they have tried and tasted at school and encouraging their parents to buy it at home.

GUPTA (on camera): Because you said these students are sort of a mirror of the community at large.

MCINTIRE: They are. And the word has gotten out this is what we have to offer here. And parents have come to us wanting that for their children.

GUPTA (voice-over): Heart disease is America's number one killer. And the risks, well, they start right here with children. Northeast Elementary is one of a growing in number of schools fighting back and pointing the way toward a healthier future.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HARLOW: I want to add this as well, Brooke. You know, when we talked for this documentary, Mr. Clinton was very candid about his own history of heart disease and how his doctors missed it when he was in the White House, and now he's completely reversed his own heart problems. So I think, you know, Brooke, there's some real lessons there for everyone. Brooke, back to you.

BALDWIN: That's amazing. Sanjay, thank you. By the way, former president Bill Clinton joins Sanjay this Sunday night to explore the signs that could result in the last heart attack. Watch this special "CNN PRESENTS" Sunday night, 8:00 eastern right here on CNN.

And from one president to the other, CNN's Wolf Blitzer, just wrapped up his one-on-one interview with the President Obama who is in Iowa today. Wolf is going to share with us what the president said about his competition for the White House. Coming up at the top of the hour he will be live from Iowa. Don't miss this.

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BALDWIN: Time now for your "CNN Equals Politics" update. Let's go to Paul Steinhauser in Washington with the latest news fresh off the Ticker. And Paul, let's talk about Ron Paul. We know he just about clinched the win for the straw poll this Saturday in Iowa. What's he up to?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR: We haven't heard a lot about him. He almost won that straw poll, only a few hundred votes behind Michele Bachmann out there in Ames, Iowa. But what is he up to? His campaign out with a brand-new add today playing in Iowa and New Hampshire.

This commercial is really interesting. It kind of comparing Mitt Romney and Rick Perry, two of his rivals for the GOP nomination, to President Obama. Those are fighting words. And compares Michele Bachmann to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, the top two Democrats in Congress.

The campaign tells me they're spending good money to play this add in Iowa and in New Hampshire. And Ron Paul's people tell me they were really, really pleased with this very high, close second-place finish in Iowa. We're going to hear a lot more about Ron Paul between now and the rest of the primaries and caucuses coming early next year.

BALDWIN: Paul Steinhauser, thank you so much.

As Paul mentioned, Wolf is in Iowa. We will get that in just a moment.