Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

President Obama Hits the Road; Libyan Rebels on the Move?; Christine O'Donnell Publishes Book; Rebel Force Approach Tripoli; Police Search for Body of Three-Year-Old; All Shook Up: Bachmann Flubs Elvis Birthday; Comeback for Mark Sanford?

Aired August 16, 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: Now, though, watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Our very own Wolf Blitzer just sat down with President Obama and he asked him the tough questions. You're about to see the very first clip.

Also, a look behind the scenes. How does the Secret Service actually pull off a presidential bus tour?

I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.

(voice-over): A shocking arrest in the case involving a teenage girl in Australia and that fake bomb put around her neck.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This has been a baffling, frightening experience.

BALDWIN: Guess what? The suspect is right here in the U.S. and the note he allegedly left behind could break this case wide open.

Is one of America's biggest cities violating your civil rights? Cell phone service blacked out to quiet protesters.

LINTON JOHNSON, CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, BART: We will do it if it's appropriate in order to protect our customers.

BALDWIN: Now the government investigates.

Plus, rebels in Libya are calling urban warfare.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's 2:00 a.m. and we just heard four loud, long explosions. We can hear warheads overhead.

BALDWIN: The rebels say zero hour is soon when they come face to face with Moammar Gadhafi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Welcome back. Top of the hour. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Breaking news here, as the time has come, as promised, our one- on-one interview with President Barack Obama, the president trekking, as we have mentioned, by bus across parts of the Midwest.

He actually sat down with my colleague Wolf Blitzer minutes ago. Wolf now joins me from Peosta, Iowa.

And, Wolf, just so we're entirely transparent, we have got some people in this building working very, very hard to get that sound turned around. But before we get it -- and hopefully it will happen while we're talking -- what did the president say?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: He was pretty confident that he was going to get reelected.

First of all, he said -- he said flatly "when I'm reelected," because we were talking politics at one point. So, he didn't seem overly concerned about that, although you never know what is going on behind the scenes.

We did speak at length, Brooke, about all the major issues facing the U.S. right now, or at least most of them, including the economy and jobs. He says he's going to make a major announcement in September about a new jobs initiative. And I pressed him. I said -- I asked him what's taking so long. And he went through all of the things he's tried to do over the past two-and-a-half years in terms of creating jobs.

He knows that the economy and jobs will be issue number one in his bid for reelection right now. We went through several other issues as well. And I pressed him on Medicare, for example. I tried to get some specifics. When he says he supports modest modifications in Medicare, I wanted to hear what he had to say. We went through that.

We also went through some of the other fears. I have a fear -- and I pointed this out to him -- that, on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, al Qaeda supporters or sympathizers might try something spectacular to seek revenge against the United States, against the president, for that matter, because of the killing of bin Laden.

And he did speak about his concerns, although he did suggest that he's more concerned right now about what he called a lone wolf kind of terrorist than some sort of spectacular event. But he's very worried about that as well.

And we spoke about obviously the political issues of the day, including Rick Perry and Mitt Romney. We're trying to get you a little excerpt ready to go on what he has to say about Rick Perry, for example, the governor for Texas, who is now a Republican presidential candidate. He suggested here in Iowa over the past couple days that the American military, for example, wants someone -- they want to respect someone as commander in chief who has actually served in the military.

BALDWIN: Yes.

BLITZER: And I pressed the president, was that disrespectful of Mitt Romney to raise that kind of suggestion that the men and the women of the U.S. military might not respect the commander in chief right now?

And I think you will be intrigued by what the president had to say on that. And I also asked him something Mitt Romney said the other day and has not backed away from, that corporations are people. And we went through that whole discussion.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: I would love to hear it from the president.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: We had a little walk-and-talk as well, and we went through some of the personal issues that he's been going through.

BALDWIN: Yes, before your sit-down.

BLITZER: I pointed out that almost three years ago, when we sat down in Iowa, he looked younger and he certainly did not have the gray hair that he has right now. He reflected on the.

I asked him if he still likes being president. And he said he did. And at the end of the interview, by the way, I asked him if he had a little surprise for his two daughters. Remember, the last time he was elected, he would give them a puppy. And he did, named Bo.

And you will be intrigued what he has to say if he's reelected. I said if you're reelected. And he said "when I'm reelected."

BALDWIN: So, he's very confident, very confident.

BLITZER: So, he's pretty confident on that.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: I have given you some of the headlines.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: You're going to make me wait --

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: It was a long interview. We're going to run it. Let me tell our viewers what we're going to do in the sense of transparency. And I know you want to be transparent with our viewers.

BALDWIN: Absolutely.

BLITZER: When "THE SITUATION ROOM" comes up in less than an hour now, 5:00 p.m., we're going to run some of the interview right at the top at 5:00, some more at the bottom at 5:00, at 5:30. But we're going to run the whole interview, including the informal part when we were walking and talking, at 6:00.

In fact, we're going to do a special at 6:00, my conversation with the president of the United States here in Iowa. I know, Brooke, you and all of our viewers are going to be interested in hearing what he has to say.

BALDWIN: Absolutely.

BLITZER: I have given you a little flavor of what's going on, but there's certainly a whole lot more.

BALDWIN: I know.

BALDWIN: You have me very much so intrigued. I know you're going to make me wait until 5:00 and 6:00 Eastern. We're still hoping to get a little bit of that sound when he's talking about some of his potential GOP contenders.

But you mentioned -- I just want to keep you here, Wolf, because we talked about this yesterday. You mentioned the president had addressed jobs with you. And you told me something kind of interesting in our conversation. You said to me that the White House is aiming for next month. You were very specific, saying September, to unveil these initiatives to spur the economy and to put Americans back to work.

So my question -- actually, I got two for you. Number one, do we have any ideas, specifics, Wolf, as far as what those initiatives might be, and number two, would it set the stage for another huge battle with Republicans in the House?

BLITZER: Yes, there's going to be a huge battle.

The differences are so stark. And he really went after the Republicans, for example, on that 10-1 proposal, $10 in spending cuts for $1 in increased taxes. And in the interview, you will be interested to hear what he says about that.

There will be enormous differences. And I think it's clear the president is getting ready to run not only against his Republican challenger, whoever that might turn out to be, but also getting ready to run against Congress or at least elements in Congress.

He says that there are some in Congress -- he repeats this, has over the past couple days here in Iowa -- who are more interested in scoring political points than in helping the American people. And I asked him to name names and get into that. So, you will be interested in that part.

But he does say he will have a major initiative in September. And when I said what's taking so long, he went through, as I said, some of the things he's already done. He did deny this suggestion that was reported over the weekend quoting some of his aides that he was getting ready to create what some are calling a department of jobs.

He said, that's not true. He's not going to do that. So, he's putting that to rest. So, this is the president of the United States. He's got a lot to say. He's here in Iowa. He's going to have a lot more to say, I'm sure, in the coming -- and I did get the sense also, by the way, he's looking forward to getting a few days of when he goes on vacation in Martha's Vineyard at the end of this week and next week, spend some time with his family, although when you're president of the United States, you're never really on vacation when all is said and done.

BALDWIN: Tough to take time off.

Yes, we're working on getting that sound, Wolf Blitzer.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Did we get that excerpt of the interview and that clip ready yet?

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Somebody snuck in my ear and they told me that we will have it in a matter of minutes. So, Wolf, I'm going to let you go, but we will play that sound in a couple of minutes.

So, I urge all of you watching, if you would like to hear just a snippet of the conversation that Wolf Blitzer just had with the president, we will play it for you in a couple of minutes. And as Wolf mentioned, they will play it in its entirely and have an entire special hour, 6:00 Eastern time, live from Iowa, Wolf Blitzer.

And as we told you, this whole bus tour the president is now on, three days, three states, folks are lining the roads to see him. And here's that beast, or I think Brianna Keilar referred to as a beastly bus that he's riding on. Pretty sharp, that thing.

Right now, we're going to try to do something we actually don't do very often.

Brianna Keilar, she is going to take us behind the scenes for what is a pretty big production there, working and traveling along with the president. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: This is our workspace here. It's the event the president is having today in Iowa. And this is just for television, reporters and producers from the different networks.

Up in front of us here, you can see the transition pool operating. This is where they're sending out feeds of all of the live events, where you can see all of the different camera angles from this event that the president is doing today. And, as you can see, we're actually in a tent here. This is a tent that we're in. And it's just a stone's throw from the event where the president will be.

The irony of it is that a lot of times, we will be covering events, covering the president, and we actually are not stationed inside of the room where he's at. We're watching every movement on television monitors in there. And then take a look at this over here.

You have live locations. This is where different networks can do their shots. You see all of the silos. It definitely gives a sense that we're in Iowa. And then just follow me over to this area. This is actually an education building. It's used for agricultural safety.

In fact, if you look over here, you will see some farm equipment. And I was told over here by someone at Northeast Iowa Community College that this is sort of a one-of-a-kind facility they have where they concentrate on agricultural safety.

They do things like overturning tractors here on purpose to simulate farm accidents and train people how to deal with them. Of course, today, it's going to be used for a very different purpose, as the president addresses all of these folks here and also has what are called breakout sessions, where he's going to be talking with local business leaders and farmers and the like.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: OK. So now I have got Brianna on the phone with me.

And, Brianna, as a reporter, do you find yourself sort of stuck in that tent, you're just with members of the media, or do you have time in between live shots to get out and talk to some of the folks who live there?

KEILAR: Yes. No, you can.

Mostly, though, Brooke, you're pretty much attached to the president. So, the people that you're talking to are folks who are attended these events. At the event we're at today, these are invitees, people who have been invited to come to this event.

Some of the other events yesterday, the two town halls we went to, some of the tickets were given away first come first serve. But by and large, these are supporters. You have probably seen some of the video that there our press pool that's been traveling in the president's motorcade has taken, where there are signs that folks are holding up on the side of the road, and some of them with messages that are certainly not friendly to the president.

By and large, the folks we have been talking to are supporters. I will tell you that.

BALDWIN: OK. So, we're looking at some of them, one sign, "One Term."

But we just also saw pictures of the bus. Quickly, Brianna, $1.1 million. This thing is -- I don't know what to call this thing. Is there even a name for this thing that the Secret Service is driving around in?

KEILAR: Yes, there is no name for it.

And the president's limousine, which -- and these are vehicles that are in the fleet that the Secret Service has. So, if there were to be a new president that comes in, obviously, this is what the new president would be driving around in.

There is no name. The limousine, of course, is called the Beast. So I have been sort of joking that this is called the beastly bus. It kind of looks like the Beast, only a bus version. It's really sleek and black and kind of nondescript in a way, but it's also very heavily armored, as you can imagine, Brooke, of course, to protect the president and it has advanced communications technology, so that he has a secure line to his advisers and any world leaders, if he needed to talk to them at any time.

I should also tell you there are two buses -- $2.2 million they cost. The Secret Service saying that they wanted to do this in preparation for the 2012 election because they have been covering these -- or they have been sort of dealing with bus tours for some time and they knew that they were going to have to deal with this and they needed an appropriate, I guess, vehicle to be moving around in, because what they normally do is lease them and then they outfit them with all of the technology they need which you can imagine is pretty expensive.

Then they have to pull all of that out when they return the bus. So it's pretty expensive.

KEILAR: This is a serious bus. You mentioned two buses. We have the Beast and now we have the bus. And I have a feeling that it will have a nickname soon enough, as members of the traveling presidential pool certainly has a sense of humor.

Brianna Keilar, I thank you so much for lifting the veil and showing us what it's like covering with the president.

And coming up, we have the sound. We will get a sneak peek of Wolf Blitzer's interview with the president right after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: As we mentioned, the President in Peosta, Iowa, today, part of his three state bus tour and our own Wolf Blitzer sat down with him just a short time ago. We have turned around sound. Here is just a portion of that interview with the President.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, CNN'S "THE SITUATION ROOM": the Governor of Texas, Republican presidential candidate now, says the men and women of the United States military want someone who's worn the uniform. He says he served in the Air Force.

Do you see a comment like that that he makes referring to you as disrespectful to the commander in chief?

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, Mr. Perry just got in the Presidential race and I think that everybody who runs for President, it probably takes them a little bit of time before they start realizing that this isn't like running for Governor or running for Senator or running for Congress and you've got to be a little more careful about what you say. But, I'll -- I'll cut him some slack. He's -- he's only been at it for a few days now.

BLITZER: Mitt Romney says corporations are people. Does he have a point?

OBAMA: Well, if -- if you tell me that corporations are vital to American life, that the free enterprise system has been the greatest wealth creator that we've ever seen, that corporate CEOs and folks who are working in our large companies that are creating incredible products and services and that is all to the benefit of the United States of America, that I absolutely agree with.

If, on the other hand, you tell me that every corporate tax break that's out there is somehow good for ordinary Americans, that we have a tax code that's fair, that asking oil and gas companies, for example, not to get special exemptions that other folks don't get, and that if we're closing those tax loopholes somehow that that is going to hurt America, then that I disagree with.

And I think that, you know, corporations serve an important benefit, but ultimately we've got to look at what's good for ordinary people, you know, how do we create jobs, how do we create economic growth. And a lot of the special interest legislation we see in Washington isn't benefiting ordinary people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And that is just a portion of this interview. Make sure you watch Wolf's entire interview with President Obama. You can actually see it today in The Situation Room coming up at 5 o'clock Eastern right here on CNN. I know I'll be watching. And now, watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINTON JOHNSON, CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, BART: There are more Constitutional rights than just free speech here at stake. There is the right to be safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Many folks are livid. Some are not, though, after a city transit system blacked out cell phone service to quiet protestors. Some people, like this attorney I'm about to talk to likened it Iran. Nope, talking about San Francisco. There is a Big Brother controversy brewing that affects your Constitutional rights. The government has just made a big move as well that could signal trouble for the city officials behind. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Some subway riders in San Francisco, they're asking this question, have my First Amendment rights been violated. But, you know, when you talk to the folks with the mass transit system of the city they say they're just trying to keep passengers safe. Here's the story. Protestors, led by this hacker group Anonymous, they tried to disrupt service at several BART stations across the city yesterday, BART an acronym for Bay Area Rapid Transit.

The deal is that they're angry that BART officials decided to shut down cell phone service ahead of a planned protest last week. BART did, last night, temporarily shut down four stops in anticipation of another protest but they did not shut off riders' cell phone service. The basic issue here, one of the issues we want to point out, free speech versus safety.

I want to bring in Lawrence Walters, who is a First Amendment attorney and Lawrence good to have you on. I just want to start with something really simple. You know the story. In shutting off riders' cell service, is that within BART's Constitutional rights to do that or is that over-reaching?

LAWRENCE WALTERS, FIRST AMENDMENT ATTORNEY: Well, it's the Constitutional rights of the protestors that are at issue here. BART doesn't have Constitutional rights to do anything. The Constitutional rights of the protestors are the ones that we should be concerned with here and this is a compound violation. Not only were the free speech rights of the protestors interfered with by shutting down the cell phone service, it was done for the purpose of violating another Constitutional right, which is the right of association. They were just worried about this protest and they tried to interfere with free speech rights as a means to control a protest, which is a -- a compound violation of the Constitution. It's outrageous.

BALDWIN: Well, I know that this is sort of -- and correct me, but I think this is getting into territory that hasn't really been delved into in terms of government shutting off cell service. In this case it's, you know, a city's public transportation system. But, I did talk to a BART communications official yesterday, he came on the show, he stood by their decision and he said essentially that the agency very much so acted within the rights of the Constitution. I want to just play just a portion of what he told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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 -- we prevented the protestors from using against our customers and so we preserved that tool for them in a very narrow focused 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 and safety as well as their ability to free speech.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, here's my question to you, Lawrence, because I understand and I think a lot of riders appreciate they're -- they're looking out to protect the riders' safety but a Constitutional right to safety? Does that exist?

WALTERS: Well, look, in -- in doing this for over 20 years, this is the first time I've ever heard that there is a Constitutional right to safety. Look, in -- a free society does not guarantee safety. It is somewhat dangerous to live in a free society. If you want a safe secure society then move to a place like Russia or China where everything is controlled and nothing ever happens that's questionable. But here, this is a free society which requires a certain thick skin to live in and a certain degree of tolerance and, yes, there might be a protest, yes, sometimes people might be inconvenienced, but that's the price we pay to live in a free society and have freedom of speech and it's not up to BART to decide when we get that freedom of speech.

BALDWIN: Are there any situations in which a government, a mass transit system, could rightly so turn off someone's cell service?

WALTERS: I'd have to say sure, you know, if there was an indication, let's say, that somebody was going to use a cell phone to detonate a bomb. That's a perfect instance of where the government for purposes of preserving national security and to protect life and limb may temporarily violate the right to freedom of speech if there is a known credible threat. But, here, we don't have any indication of that. Here it's --

BALDWIN: Demonstrations, that's not enough?

WALTERS: -- it sounds like they were just trying to keep the people from protesting. No, stopping a demonstration which is, in itself, protected is not sufficient.

BALDWIN: Just wanted to ask. Lawrence Walters, First Amendment attorney, appreciate you coming on. Now this.

WALTERS: Good to be here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For reasons we still don't understand, had her life turned upside down going through this dreadful experience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: A teenage girl in Australia spent hours with a bomb around her neck. The guy accused of putting it there has just been arrested 9000 miles away, right here in the U.S. but this bizarre case, let's just say there's more than meets the eye. Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Now, to this -- this just bizarre extortion plot we've been telling you about. Take a look here at the victim. This is the young woman who spent 10 hours, 10 hours with this bomb just dangling from her neck, a bomb or so she thought. And this is the man who allegedly strapped that thing in place in hopes of prying money out of the woman's wealthy parents, at least 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 now two weeks here.

Let's return here. Let's go back to August 3rd. This was the scene in this wealthy enclave just outside of Sydney where Madeline Pulver, age 18, spent those 10 hellish hours -- 10 hellish hours fearing that this mechanism attached to a chain around her neck was about to explode. So, it turns out that this device was a hoax but the assailant's demands were very real. He wanted money from Madeline's parents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Like I said, it's a really bizarre story. We're going to keep following it for you. And now, to Washington we go. We all remember former Delaware Senate candidate, Christine O'Donnell, right? Well, she's out promoting her new book and she has a lot to say.

Kate Bolduan joins me live with the details.

Kate, what is she saying?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, we all know now that Christine O'Donnell has already told America that she is not a witch in the now infamous campaign ad when she was running for Delaware's Senate seat. I should first, just to remind everyone, those remarks came in response to some remarks that she made in the past that she had dabbled in witchcraft.

Now O'Donnell is saying the ad itself was a mistake. In an interview with ABC News that she was doing to promote her new book "Troublemaker" she said she hated the ad. And in the book she wrote, quote, of the ad, she came away, quote, "thinking I never should have even read that stupid line." She is now blaming the ad for hurting her on the campaign trail. And of course I think we can both be confident that this is not the last we've heard from Christine O'Donnell.

BALDWIN: How about Newt Gingrich, what's he up to? I hear he has some pretty strong words today.

BOLDUAN: Yes, strong words for a couple people today. Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, Republican presidential candidate coming out strong and lashing out really against the super committee that we will be talking about over the next few months.

This is the committee that is set up from the debt ceiling agreement, a committee of 12 members of Congress put together, and they're charged with finding more than $1 trillion in spending cuts. Newt Gingrich said today that he thinks the committee itself should be cut altogether. This comes in remarks that he made in a speech at the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation. I think we have a quick little sound bite from him. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWS GINGRICH, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Why do these 12 get extraordinary power and the rest of you are basically in the chorus at the opera?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: So Gingrich really is saying in the sound bite he thinks the idea of the committee and the power that it's given and what it's tasked with is really absurd. And he said basically Brooke that he doesn't expect anything to really come out of this committee, meaning these serious spending cuts that we're all talking about. He thinks nothing more than political impasse is what we should expect to come out of this super committee of 12. Brooke?

BALDWIN: Let's hope not. You will be talking about it for months and months to come as will I, Kate Bolduan. Thank you very much. That's your Political Ticker. Now listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's 2:00 a.m. We just heard four loud, long explosions. We could hear warplanes overhead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: It could be the moment Moammar Gadhafi and his regime come face to face with the people looking to take him down. That was our correspondent Ivan Watson, by the way. Here's the situation in Libya. Rebels there are calling it zero hour. They're warning it could come soon. We're live in Tripoli for you.

Plus, back here in the U.S. many homeowners are making big, big changes when it comes to paying their mortgages. Should you be part of this growing trend? Reporter Roulette is coming at you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Fitch ratings has weighed in on the United States AAA credit ratings and rebel forces in Libya say they are getting ready to move in on Moammar Gadhafi's regime. It's time to play Reporter Roulette.

Alison Kosik, let's start with you there at the New York Stock Exchange. What is the story today with Fitch? What are they saying?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: What this did was reaffirm its AAA credit rating of the U.S. debt. And to be honest with you, it did not have much of an impact on the market. But what's interesting is it shows a contrast. Here's what Fitch's perspective is. The U.S. economy remains one of the most productive in the world.

BALDWIN: Also, for homeowners, this is interesting, the new number from Freddie Mac show more people are shortening their mortgages through refinancing. Alison, this kind of goes against conventional wisdom, so why do it?

KOSIK: Homeowners are refinancing to have 15 year mortgages instead of the more traditional 30 because of interest rates. If you look at last quarter, borrowers paid an average of 4.65 percent on a 30-year fixed. Compare that to the 15 year where the rate was much lower, 3.84.

But switching to this 15-year mortgage, it's not something homeowners have liked to do in the past because the thinking was you made minimum payments on longer term mortgage and then you take your money and invest somewhere else. But now everybody is thinking with the markets going nuts the way they are, your home could be the safest investment out there. So a lot of homeowners see it that way. And what they're doing is dumping as much money as they can into their homes saving tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Seeing it as a very good think. Alison, thank you so much.

And next in our Reporter Roulette, lets' go to CNN's senior international correspondent Matthew Chance. He is in Tripoli, Libya for us. And Matthew, explain to me here the proximity of these rebel units as you explain sort of honing in on Tripoli, the capital city. We hear they may make a move soon on the capital.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: These rebels movement have been taking place about three miles or so to the west of Tripoli, the Libyan capital. The rebels say they're in control of much of the area, a very important little town that sits on the main coastal road that connects Tripoli with the outside world. They have essentially cut that off.

There's also a rebel presence to the south of Tripoli and to the east of Tripoli. What's happening is that all around the Libyan capital they're being surrounded and cut off by these rebel forces. They've just got the sea to the north, and that's subject to a NATO naval embargo. So it's making it difficult for the Gadhafi regime to resupply itself and get all-important fuel for its military machine. Brooke?

BALDWIN: Well, now, we do know, this is a fact, Gadhafi's forces launched this scud missile toward rebel positions just a couple of days ago. Matthew, what kind of damage was done, if anything? And what kind of message did that send?

CHANCE: I think the message is more powerful than the damage in the sense that it landed about 50 miles off target. It was aimed apparently at the port city of Brega where there are clashes underway for control of that city. And it missed its target again by that significant distance.

But it does send a very powerful message, of course, that we know that Colonel Gadhafi does have a pretty big and deadly arsenal at his military's disposal. Up until now he hasn't used a ballistic missile like this and kind of used to its best advantage. It can, of course, be devastating. It can reach deep into territory that rebels up until now have considered safely in their hands. And so it's potentially a sign of desperation. Will he resort to using these very, very powerful weapons against the other side, the rebels, as it were?

BALDWIN: Matthew Chance, thank you so much.

Back here at home, a man said he kidnapped his three-year-old neighbor, put a bag over her head, and watched her die. Now as he sits behind bars, is he about to reveal where he put her body? And is he even telling the truth. Casey Jordan is on the case. She's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: The 43-year-old Missouri man who confessed in this affidavit to murdering a three-year-old girl was in court today. Shawn Morgan was charged with first degree murder but did not actually a plea. And authorities, including the FBI now, are still out there searching for little Breeann Rodriguez's body. Casey Jordan is on the case with me today.

And Casey, explain this me, because I was just talking to the sheriff not too long ago, and sadly they still have not found any kind of evidence, anybody. So where does the case go, because you always hear the phrase "no body, no crime"?

CASEY JORDAN, LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR, "IN SESSION": Right. And that's not entirely legally true. We absolutely can charge people with murder, and we do get convictions even when a body was not recovered. But it usually requires a witness talking about how a body was disposed of so that it's clear the body can't be recovered.

Now in this particularly case it's almost cart before the horse. Here we have a suspect who actually confessed to police with detail and he even explained where he threw the body, and yet they can't recover it. He also said he threw her body -- her bicycle into a different waterway and they did recover the bicycle exactly where he said he threw it. They don't know why they can't recover this body. Again, it could have been carried away in a current or still be under the water. But it raises the question, you can charge him, but could he actually be convicted if the body is never recovered and there's no autopsy?

BALDWIN: So that's a big question. Another issue here, I'm trying to learn about the character of this man, this 43-year-old Shawn Morgan. You hear from neighbors, they say he was a nice guy, a father of three, no real red flags in his past.

JORDAN: Nothing at all. You know, we hear that sometimes. It's usually one extreme or the other when these sorts of tragedies happen. Neighbors come forward and say, well, I always told everyone never to trust that guy. He was strange and hanky and behaved in odd ways, but the other extreme that we get is that everyone is absolutely shocked and this particular case is falling into that category.

A woman who's known him his entire life, she's in her 90s is absolutely shocked. You know, he's only 5'6", he's very mild mannered. People describe him as meek. No strange abnormal behavior.

So, of course, there would be no red flags for the family or the neighbors when that 3-year-old child Breeann went missing. This guy was not on anyone's radar. I think it was just canvassing the neighborhood that turned up some questions he wasn't answering to the satisfaction.

Interestingly enough the parents of this child didn't pass the polygraphs either. So in the process of the investigation, the police had to be extremely thorough. And it's really good that they didn't focus on the parents.

They kept their net wide and, in fact, apparently based on the confession, they do have the right suspect in custody. But again, without that body, it will be interesting to see how this kid is progressing.

BALDWIN: So much of it, it doesn't seem to add, at least not yet.

And then the other case, we've all seen, this is like the hockey shot seen around the world by this 11-year-old kid. That the video went viral. We'll show the video again. Here he goes.

They thought this was Nick Smith who made this shot. Actually it was his twin, Nate Smith. Nick was outside. Their dad sent in his twin brother to take his place amazingly enough, you know, he scored the pot, the prize money, $50,000.

But the father felt it was the right thing to do and own up and say, you got the wrong kid. So the question is, Casey, and this is for, I guess, debate, will they have to forfeit the money because it wasn't the kid they thought it was?

JORDAN: Well, it's a great question. Legally, of course, the insurance company would love to wiggle out of this and save themselves $50,000, but legally they would have to allege fraud.

Now fraud has nine elements, but I love this case as an attorney because one of the elements is that the misrepresentation of one son for the other, it had to be intentional to defraud.

But the most important element is that it would have to be material to the outcome of the misrepresentation. I would have to tell you, I would love to argue this on their behalf.

Because they're identical twins with the exact same DNA could you argue the outcome would have been any different if it had been Nick instead of Nate?

The interesting thing is, of course, no one intended to defraud. We'll never know if little Nick had been there whether the outcome would have been different.

I have to say I think the insurance company should pony up the money. They got fantastic public relations out of this and to steal the joy from this kid. I think that they would gain $50,000 worth of good will if they just pay the money.

BALDWIN: Give them the money, so says Casey Jordan. We'll have to see what they are doing. Casey, appreciate it. Casey on the case for us this week.

Coming up next, Wolf Blitzer joins us live once again from Iowa where he just interviewed the president of the United States not too long ago. Find out what the president says about his Republican opponents next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer, an extra special "SITUATION ROOM" coming up in a matter minutes. Wolf Blitzer joins me live from Peosta, Iowa where he sat down with the president not too long ago.

Wolf, here's what I want to know. Does the president walked up to you, extend his arms and say, Wolf, how is it going or do you sort of have to walk up, Mr. President, nice to meet you, Wolf Blitzer, CNN. That's what I want to know.

BLITZER: He actually came over to me and we did a little walk and talk. And we reminisced a little bit about the last time I was here in Iowa with him at the end of October 2008, just only a few days before he was elected president, reflected, I reflected on how much he has aged.

He's got a lot more gray hair now, Brooke, than he used to have three years ago. I also reminded back in 2004 in Boston at the Democratic convention when he gave keynote address. He was very youthful then. You know, the weight of being president really has an enormous impact on anyone.

I remember covering Bill Clinton, he aged, George Bush, they aged, but I think it's pretty apparent if you take a look at pictures of President Obama today as opposed to three or four years ago, quite a difference.

There was one intriguing -- there were a lot of intriguing, but one especially moving moment when I asked him what's the worst part of being president of the United States, and he didn't hesitate, but he did get a little emotional when he spoke about having to meet with parents, families, loved ones of U.S. military men and women who died in the service, sacrificing themselves for their country.

He was moved on that. And I think in part, he didn't say this, you know, last week he went to Dover, Delaware. The U.S. military base there, Dover Air Force Base and he met with some of the family members of those Navy SEALs and others who killed in Afghanistan when their Chinook helicopter went down.

It has a toll on this president and every president and we go through some of that as well. So, you know, people will watch the interview and I think they'll go different - perhaps the different side of this president.

We went through all the political issues as you as well, Brooke, including why he opposes a balanced budget amendment to the constitution.

BALDWIN: OK, we will see you in just a couple of minutes on "THE SITUATION ROOM." I really truly look forward to hearing that interview, Wolf. Thank you so much.

And then one of the president's Republican opponents, Michele Bachmann, she is known for making a few gaffes in her career. A lot of politicians have done this, but today she made another one. It involves Elvis.

Joe Johns has the "Political Pop" that is next. But first, speaking of Elvis, today marks 34 years since the king of rock 'n roll passed away. And you know what, thousands of fans from across the world, pouring into Graceland to pay tribute to the late entertainer.

They held a candle light vigil, left flowers, some even did their best Elvis impersonation. So we wanted to play a little homage, if you will. First five number one singles. See if you remember any of these.

Here we go, rounding up, the number five spot, "Love Me Tender" 1956. The number four, the year also '56, the song "Hound Dog." Number three in terms of his single here. A classic, "Don't Be Cruel" obviously 1956, a good year for the king.

Coming up, actually we have them for you right here, the top two songs, "I Want You, I Need You" and "Heartbreak Hotel." We're back with Joe Johns in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right, Elvis fans, I don't have to tell you this. You know it was 34 years ago today that the king of rock and roll died. But someone forgot to tell that to Michele Bachmann and a flub she made leads to today's "Political Pop" with Mr. Joe Johns. Joe, do tell what did she say.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: You know, the truth is, Michele Bachmann has been a very disciplined campaigner for the most part, pretty much turned the gaffes and historical inaccuracy that used to plague her into a thing of the past, at least until today.

And this is one of those anniversaries that a true Elvis fan is just going to remember. The date we're talking about August 16th, 1977. A lot of people of a certain age remember where they were on that day.

And now Michele Bachmann took out this day on the campaign trail just a moment of it to wish Elvis a happy birthday. And of course, it wasn't quite right. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Before we get started, let's all say happy birthday to Elvis Presley today, happy birthday. We played you a little bit of "Promised Land" when we pulled up. You can't do better than Elvis Presley and we thought we would celebrate his birthday as we get started the celebrating. Take our country back tour.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: Again, no. It's not Elvis' birthday. So his birthday is actually in January and why would she know this? I mean, I don't think you should expect her to have total recall in important dates, but our political unit points out from time to time she does play Elvis music at her rallies. And so this happens to be one of those days they would remember. I'm not a huge Elvis fan, but I know blue suede shoes.

BALDWIN: Yes, I know "Harper Hotel" what are you going to do? Another story, you know, we all remember former South Carolina, Mark Sanford went away, found a mistress in Argentina. He's back in the spotlight, making a little news, thanks to our friend Piers Morgan.

JOHNS: Right. Right. Yes, exactly. South Carolina governor went walking the Appalachian Trail or so we thought, but he really didn't. He actually disappeared and went to Argentina to see his girlfriend.

His staff and family didn't know where he was. It kind of unraveled both his career and his marriage. And the twist, of course, is that this guy was one of the leading conservatives in the country.

Fiscal conservatives before all this bad stuff happened and he really would have been in the middle of the conversation about taxes, government spending, but for those marital difficulties. He was on Piers Morgan last night. And Piers asked him about a possible comeback.

BALDWIN: Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PIERS MORGAN, HOST, "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT": Others are saying, is this a comeback. You must be tempted to have a go at this?

FMR. GOV. MARK SANFORD, SOUTH CAROLINA: No. You know, I -- my go is, I want to begin the process of speaking out on things that I have cared about for 20 years. That doesn't mean candidacy, but it means at some level having a voice, relative to where it might have been on the direction of this country because I think we are a get check moment in terms of what comes next.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: So he stayed out of the spotlight and maybe coming back? Who knows?

BALDWIN: Who knows? Piers trying to get it out of him. We don't know yet. Joe Johns, thank you so much and thank you for watching me.

That's it for me in Atlanta. Now, Wolf Blitzer, special edition of "THE SITUATION ROOM" live in Peosta, Iowa -- Wolf.