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Dissident Advises Libyan Rebels; Market Fights Back; State TV Anchor Captured; Reporters On Lockdown In Libya; Hurricane Irene Heads to U.S.; Date Rape Drug Detector; Florida Teacher Suspended for Anti- Gay FaceBook Post; What Is Moammar Gadhafi Really Like?

Aired August 22, 2011 - 12:59   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye.

Victory comes when Moammar Gadhafi is captured. That is the word from the leader of the Libyan rebels. And by that standard, there is no victory yet. But it's closer this hour than at any other time in the six month insurrection because rebels now hold most of Tripoli, Libya's capital and Gadhafi's last stand. A celebration today in Green Square, which the rebels renamed Martyr's Square, turned into a fire fight with Gadhafi loyalists. The rebels pulled back to regroup.

Now, check out this Google map, Green Square is right on the coast there. Gadhafi's compound, a few miles away, already has taken a pounding from NATO air strikes, and today is the scene of ferocious gun battles. For now, it is still in regime control, as is a nearby hotel where international journalists are essentially trapped. As for the Libyan dictator, he may still in hiding or on the run, but three of his sons are in custody. That includes the man on the left, Safi al-Islam, who's wanted in Ahad for crimes against humanity, just like his father.

Rebels also have captured this woman, a well-known news anchor for a Libyan state T.V., who yesterday pulled out a gun on the air and swore, I either kill or die today. Witnesses say she's unharmed and state T.V. has gone dark. CNN's Sara Sidner has spent the day on the streets of the capital. Sara, what is happening there now?

SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I wanted to go back to exactly what you talked about -- the last bit you talked about, the woman who was a news anchor on T.V. Everyone knew her, she worked for Libya state T.V., her name is Salah al-Misrati. We were there just after she had been detained. They said she was detained with her brother, it was peaceful. We wanted to see her to see how she was being treated.

She did not want to see the media, but there was a tussle there, because people wanted to get at her. And that gives you an idea of what's starting to happen in this city, people very, very, angry with those that they see as real supporters as the mouthpiece of the developing regime. Very angry with her after she pulled out the pistol, in such defiant support of Muammar Gadhafi, a man that the rebels really hate at this point in time, and want to see either kicked out of the country or killed. And so, people were trying to get at her, we had to take shelter inside the building where she was because they started to actually shoot inside the building up in the air and into the ceiling. And so, a little tense situation in pockets of the city right now. Because you do have neighborhoods -- this is a very mixed place, a mixed neighborhood in a sense that there are Gadhafi supporters, there are those people who really did not like the regime, felt the regime really cramped all of the things that they believe in, all of their freedoms, so there is a lot of hatred for the regime. And you have the clash that you're starting to see now in the city as the rebels take more and more control.

There is also news happening now, and we've just have gotten this information, there is gunfire going off near the city square, near Green Square, which the rebels now call Martyr's Square. They say that there is a fire fight that has been going on because there are snipers on the tops of buildings, we've been able to confirm that with several different people who are in and around the area. So certainly, the rebels not in full control of Tripoli, but they are trying to gain control of the rest of the city, they've got about 80 percent of it, they believe, at this time.

KAYE: And Sara, can you give us an idea exactly what is going on behind you? We have seen a man going back and forth behind with a flag, and it sounds like there is some celebrating. But can you show us around at all? I'm not sure if your camera can do that.

SIDNER: We can't move the camera around, but I can turn around. If you -- if you're just over here, just behind me, you're seeing someone holding a gun, you see a flag waving, this area -- it looks a bit nondescript, but actually, what rebels were doing and the reason why we came to this area is just a few moments ago, it was filled with cars, with gunners, with men with AK-47s, (INAUDIBLE), FN rifles, they had all congregated here because they wanted to formulate their plan on how they were going to try and move through the city to try and push any Gadhafi forces who were remaining in the city out or capture them.

We also noticed something interesting with the war. What is happening is they will all come in from all parts of the nearby countryside, come into the city square, but then at night, when it's time for the Ramadan meal for IFTAR, they all leave the city and exit the city, and they go eat the meals, sometimes they stay there for several hours, take a snooze, and then it's back on again in the evening or in the morning time.

So, an interesting way that they are trying to go back and forth, but it gives you an idea. We're along the coastal road, just behind me is the coastal road, that hard-fought battle over a road, that brings supplies directly to Tripoli, that's been cut off. So, Moammar Gadhafi can no longer get supplies. You are hearing gunfire now, this is totally normal. We have been listening this every day, all day long, through every city that we've been in, every time that the rebels feel like they've made some gains, they shoot in the air, they celebrate. Is it dangerous? Yes, but this is the way that the rebels are celebrating their -- what they see as a real victory just getting into Tripoli.

KAYE: And Sara, I know you mention that that gunfire is safe, but you also talked about the snipers that were in Green Square now, which has been renamed Martyr's Square, how far are you from there?

SIDNER: We're about four kilometers from that area. We've moved out because we were told -- we were not allowed to go down in the area. And we don't know exactly where those snipers are but we have confirmed they are there. The rebels are calling them mercenaries, saying that they are people who are not actually Libyans, that they are from outside the country, that they are loyalists to Gadhafi because of money. We can't confirm that, obviously, because if you can see a sniper, then you can be in the line of fire. But definitely we did hear gunshots going back and forth through part of the day, so we know that that is an issue.

And we also know that the rebels are trying to figure out how to get real control of the city. It is urban warfare. We know there were several journalists that got caught in an ambush. They are all OK, but each group of journalists that were going down these streets trying to figure out how to get to the city square did face some trouble. You never know when you're going to turn the corner and find a tank or find one of the Gadhafi loyalists, one of the Gadhafi army members, or even a rebel that that mistakes you for someone else. So, the situation quite dangerous in the city at this time of the night.

KAYE: And Sara, I'm continuing to watch these guys walk behind you there. Are they part of the rebel movement, or are these just ordinary citizens who feel as though it's safe enough to come out on the street and celebrate?

SIDNER: It's a combination of both, really, Randi. What we've been seeing all day and listening to all day is rapid gunfire, and then there will be a response often from cars honking, and then someone else will shoot guns. But a lot of these guys that look like regular citizens, if you look at their arms, you see this guy, he's got a rifle there. So, sometimes it appears that they are just normal citizens, and a lot of these rebels, to be clear, were not trained soldiers. These are guys that came from their neighborhood and decided they wanted to protect their city. And so, you see that represented in the people that show up, often times in front of the camera, but in this case, this is where the rebels have been congregating every day.

KAYE: And Sara, do you feel safe where you are? I know that they're attracted to the television now.

SIDNER: I think that I've been around this so long, you get a sense that you're OK. These guys know that we have been covering this conflict fairly, and they really are just here to show the world that they're celebrating. We have -- we were faced with a little bit of aggression, because we did notice some looting today in a couple buildings, nobody wants their picture on television, so as soon as they saw the camera, they batted it away. But generally speaking, when we come into these situations, we have our credentials -- we have our CNN credentials, and we tell them who we are and they say, come on in, unless there's fighting going on in one or two areas.

KAYE: Sara Sidner, I know you've been travelling with the rebels now for quite some time, and we certainly appreciate your reporting. Please stay safe where you are.

And now, I want to get insights from Matthew Chance, our reporter who is inside a hotel there which is actually surrounded by Gadhafi's forces. Matthew, can you hear us and can you tell us exactly the situation there for you now?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Yes, hey, I can hear you very well, but the communications in the hotel have been very, very bad indeed, because about five or six hours ago all the power went off in the hotel, and so we're in complete darkness and not able to charge up or any of our equipment and things like that. And also, the Internet went down and the telephone system in Tripoli went down, and it only just come up which means I can get through to you and tell you what's happening. But you know, we're all sitting here, a number of international journalists, perhaps a couple dozen international journalists in the darkness.

We've all sort of corralled ourselves onto one of the upper floors on the interior of the hotel, in the lobby of the hotel upstairs, because outside there is a ferocious gun battle, exchanges of, you know, heavy explosives as well, RPGs and things like that, fighting taking place between Gadhafi loyalists and opposition fighters. Around the area of colonel Gadhafi's compound and around the area of this hotel, both of those buildings are right next door to each other. There's obviously a lot of symbolic value attached to those two areas, perhaps that's all of the reasons why the Gadhafi loyalists where they haven't resisted in other parts of Tripoli, they are putting up pretty much of a stiff resistance around this hotel and around Colonel Gadhafi's compound.

And so, these -- this is one of the pockets of the Gadhafi loyalist control in Tripoli. As a result of that, it's one of the areas where fiercest of the fighting is taking place between those loyalists and the opposition fighters who, as I say, have, you know, flooded into parts of Tripoli, often meeting no resistance at all in many areas of the capital.

KAYE: And Matthew, have Gadhafi loyalists and his forces actually entered that hotel? And what have they said to you? Have they threatened you? Have they told you you can't leave?

CHANCE: Yes, well, they're inside the hotel. One of the reasons we've all come up into -- onto the upper floor is because we're quite spooked, because on the lower floors in the lobby area, you know, there are pro-Gadhafi gunman, and many of them, you know, kind of wearing green bandanas, green is the color associated with the pro- Gadhafi supporters here. They're carrying (INAUDIBLE) rifles, on occasion, they behave very aggressively towards us and it's kind of spooked many of the journalists in this hotel.

And add to that, the fact that we're all sitting in darkness, it's really hot because there is no air-conditioning, and it's very hot outside, obviously, and we've no kind of connection with the outside world for many, many hours. We've just been sitting here in virtual silence, sweating, hoping that this going to come to some kind of an end. But what's happened -- as I mentioned, what's happened is that these telephone lines have suddenly come back up again, so we are able to -- excuse me, so we are able to, you know, kind of get a phone line out and to communicate with the outside world.

KAYE: And are you aware at all who might be winning this ferocious gun battle, as you described, outside? Is there any chance that the rebel forces may be able to get inside to help you?

CHANCE: You know, I think that might be an objective of the rebel forces, at least to take the symbolically important areas. You know, the compound of Colonel Gadhafi, the speculation that the Libya media could be held up inside that compound, but we've got absolutely no evidence to confirm that. The Rixos Hotel, where we're held up here, it's been -- it's been the scene of, you know, much of the reporting out of Libya by the international media, so there are satellite up links which could be used, and so in that sense, it's a kind of important strategic location for both the Gadhafi side and the opposition side.

But yes, there is this battle outside, I mean we've got no indication who is winning that battle. What we do know is that there are large numbers of Gadhafi supporters, Gadhafi troops and volunteers that have kind of concentrated in this area around those locations. In other pockets in Tripoli as well, where they are putting up some defenses, we're hearing. But you know, as far as we can -- we can tell, and remember we're not allowed to get out of the hotel, that the gunman down stairs, the Gadhafi supports or loyalists are telling us we're not allowed to leave the hotel. And as far as we can -- we can tell from those reports, though, many parts of Tripoli have fallen into rebel hands does not fit the part.

KAYE: And do you feel as though this is certainly a message from the Gadhafi loyalists and the soldiers there that this is not over yet, that rebels, you have not won?

CHANCE: It certainly seems -- everybody was surprised when the rebels managed to move into Tripoli so quickly, especially if it took so long for them to take control of the town of Zawiya. They were fighting there for more than a week, remember. There was some very heavy, close combat with those Gadhafi forces. Then they moved into Tripoli, in many places virtually without resistance. And so it was very surprising because just the same day that they did that, government officials loyal to Colonel Gadhafi had said that, you know, there would be a fierce battle.

There was 65,000 troops they said that were committed to defending the Libyan capital. In the event, many of those troops melted away, they have picked their battles. What's not clear at the moment is whether, you know, that's a tactic in order to cut off the rebel supply lines, perhaps, and to -- and to hit them later on. Certainly that's been something people have been imaging might happen. So far, we have not seen it accept in those little pockets of resistance by the Gadhafi forces, and one of those pockets is right here around the Rixos Hotel, and around Colonel Gadhafi's compound just across the road.

KAYE: And speaking of supplies, how are your supplies? I mean we certainly have no idea how long you will have to be held up there?

CHANCE: Well, already supplies are running low. I just mentioned, the generators have gone down, there's no fuel for them, so we're in blackness and we've got no electricity. And in terms of food and water, it's difficult to say, there are quite a few people here. Also, some of the Gadhafi loyalists have been obviously taking some food from the hotel as well, because they need supplies also. And so, we've some water, we've some food, and we're just hoping that we can -- you know, we can get through this with the supplies that we've got.

KAYE: Well, Matthew Chance, we are all very worried about you. Certainly you don't expect to become part of the story when you head out to cover a story. So we are thinking about you here. Please do stay safe. And we will try to check back with you as soon as we can.

Matthew Chance there in Libya.

CHANCE: Thank you.

KAYE: And we're going to take a quick break here. But when we come back, we are going to speak to a professor from Texas who has actually been advising the Libyan rebels, and we'll ask him what he thinks of their success and their victory, as it appears, today. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: I want to get some insights now from a man who knows Libya inside and out. For most of the past 30 years, Mansour El-Kikhia has been outside Libya. He's a dissident author, professor and chair of the political science department at the University of Texas-San Antonio.

Professor, thank you so much for your time today. Certainly an important day to be talking with you. You were an adviser to the National Transitional Council, the rebel's governing arm. What would you be advising them today?

MANSOUR EL-KIKHIA, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO: Two things. First of all, is to embark on a process for national conciliation, insuring that those people who have committed atrocities against Libya's are the ones -- other people are held accountable. And those people who have actually stolen national wealth, again, that those people are held. But most people should not be held accountable for working with Gadhafi, because mostly they've had no choice but to work with Gadhafi.

The other thing which is very important is too quickly, quickly establish a new constitutional framework and a new system and hold elections. You see the current council itself as it stands really is not really legitimate, it's just a bunch of people that decided that they wanted to come together and establish a government. And that is really wrong. They should, first of all, establish free elections to elect a new body that will oversee the elections and the writing of the constitution and the forming of the new government. And that has to be done very, very quickly, within the next three months.

I'm not really worried so much about what's taking place in Tripoli. It's not a matter if they win, it's when they win. You're going to find some Gadhafi resist -- supporters who will resist that, but ultimately Gadhafi has lost and we have to start planning for the next phase of Libyan development.

KAYE: Let me ask you about the rebel's success, because they really have been painted as sort of this rag tag group. They made some progress in some of the towns, then they lost those towns. They needed weapons. They wanted more help from NATO. What do you attribute their success to at this point?

EL-KIKHIA: You know, I -- had you told me this six or seven months ago, I would never have believed that they would make it. You must understand, the majority of these insurgents are just kids and they have learned on the job. They're armatures. They're not professional fighters. They're not professional soldiers. And they -- and it's only this pure gut and will that has pushed them forward.

They're learning in the process and they will learn even more. I think the major success is their willingness to die for a cause. For removing Gadhafi. Again, if you live under Gadhafi's rule for 42 years, that's the only way out. You cannot take that for too long. And I think you see the majority of them were actually born during the time of Gadhafi and they have rebelled against the injustice that Gadhafi has given them over the last 30 or 40 years.

KAYE: So can --

EL-KIKHIA: And so I think this is the major process. Yes.

KAYE: Can the rebels govern though, that is the question, because there are so many different factions even with the rebel group?

EL-KIKHIA: Yes, you know, sometimes things happen that really, really (ph) help. Don't forget, you have approximately between 10 to 15 percent of Libyans actually in Diaspo (ph) that have left Libya. They have gone and lived in Europe and the United States.

I've lived in Nasis (ph) for the last 30 years and, you know, I've been impacted by what I've seen. I love the freedom that I see around me. I'd love to see a new government that is really has checks and balances. I'd love to see a bill of rights. And I think -- and I'm thinking part in the formation of this new constitution. And I think so many people like me, you know, lived in Europe and other free countries and we are helping build (ph) back and we're rebuilding the country. And so it's going to take time. But it's going to happen.

KAYE: All right, Professor Mansour El-Kikhia, appreciate your time today and your insight as well. Thank you. And now take a look at this. I want to show you how you can keep up with Libya, minute by minute, 24 hours a day, right at home from your computer. Check out the live blog on cnn.com. CNN correspondents and producers are filing updates as they happen. You're always in the loop. You can see every hour, really even every few minutes at times we get an update from somebody who might be in the middle of everything, who might be traveling with the rebels, possibly from someone who might be in an area of the city where there's a ferocious gun battle taking place there in Tripoli. So if you want to stay up to the minute with us, just like we do, you can check that out at cnn.com, a live blog.

And now let's take a look at the markets. There you see the Dow. It is up today 128 points at this hour. Alison Kosik is live at the New York Stock Exchange and she'll be with us with the very latest, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back, everyone. Glad you're with us.

Well, Wall Street is trying to pick itself up and durst itself off. We're going to get to that in just a moment. But first we want to let you know that the president will be making a statement about Libya. That will happen at 2:00 today. And we will bring those remarks to you as soon as we get them here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Meanwhile, let's take a look at the Dow. The Dow jumped nearly 200 points at the opening bell after one of the worst four week declines in market history. You can see it's up there about 115 right now. Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange with the very latest.

Alison, how are things going?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Randi. You know this rally has fizzled out once already during this session. Now it's come back. And this is happening because it's really not based on any fundamental improvements happening in the economy. What you're seeing is more of a bounce back from the past month because of how incredibly terrible this month has really been.

The Dow, the NASDAQ, the S&P 500 are all down about 15 to 18 percent. If you look at the Dow, it's a drop of more than 180 points. So today's gains are nice, but, you know, just a drop in the bucket compared to the recent losses that we've had. You know, many are saying this is a market that is clearly over sold. So what you see is a lot of bargain hunting. A lot of people taking opportunity to buy some stocks that have really been beaten up over the past four weeks.

Randi.

KAYE: And we know that the Federal Reserve, Alison, has a big meeting coming up on Friday. How much would you say that is weighing into this bit of a rally that we're seeing today?

KOSIK: I think you can definitely pin it on this big meeting that's happening Friday. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is going to be speaking in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Now, this isn't a policy meeting, so no interest rate announcement or policy statement is going to come out of it.

So Bernanke's speech is really going to be the main event. Everyone's going to be listening to see if there's any kind of hint. Any mention of any kind of stimulus, because everybody's thinking back to last year's Jackson Hole speech where Bernanke hinted at a new round of federal stimulus. That helped spark the stock market rally and some say it helped to keep unemployment from getting even worse from where it is now.

So the big question is, you know, with the economy slowing, will we see a repeat performance? You know, will the Fed step in again. Wall Street is actually kind of holding its breath and going to be watching that one closely to see, in fact, if Bernanke does hint of any stimulus coming our way.

Randi.

KAYE: Yes, I'm sure a whole lot of folks are holding their breath.

Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange. Alison, thank you.

Hurricane Irene batters the Caribbean and is growing stronger as she gets closer to the U.S. What states could be hit? We'll bring you the latest forecast in just two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: It's about half past the hour. Here's a look at the headlines and other news that you may have missed. Fierce fighting continues in Tripoli as rebel forces gain control of the large areas of the Libyan capital. They even claim they have taken control of state TV, which has gone black. And with three of the Libyan leaders' sons in their custody, rebel forces are said to be regrouping for an offensive to battle the remaining Gadhafi forces in Tripoli. No word on Gadhafi's whereabouts at the moment.

And we've just learned President Obama will address the Libya situation shortly. We'll bring you his comments when we get them. The president is keeping a close watch on Libya while vacationing on Martha's Vineyard. He's been out and about, sampling some local food, but the White House says that he is getting frequent updates from his national security team. He issued a statement last night saying the momentum against Gadhafi's regime has reached a tipping point, and he's calling on the dictator to quote, "relinquish power once and for all."

It has been an ugly weekend for Bay area football fans. A fight broke out between fans in the Oakland Raiders and San Francisco Forty- Niners preseason game at Candlestick Park Saturday. Another beating incident inside a bathroom left a man unconscious with life- threatening injuries. And there were also two apparently unrelated shootings after the game. The mayors of San Francisco and Oakland vowed to do all they can to keep the peace at both cities' arenas in the future.

Well, Irene is Hurricane Irene, the first in the Atlantic basin this year. And the storm is picking up strength and intensity as it moves toward the U.S. This is the damage Irene left behind after passing through Puerto Rico. There are growing concerns Hurricane Irene could cause dangerous flash floods and mudslides in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Chad Meyers watching it all, along with us. So Chad, what are the odds? A lot of folks looking at Irene making its way toward Florida. What are the odds that the hurricane will hit Florida?

CHAD MEYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, you know, it's going to turn to the right. It's one of those curveballs. And we look at these curveballs all the time. It's that storm that could chase hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people from their homes, and yet only to leave them 50 miles away, as it just keeps going away and away and away.

Here's Puerto Rico right here, San Juan. Lots of flooding going on in that island country right now. Our little circulation right there -- that's where the low pressure, that's where Irene is right now. It continues to get bigger because it's now in very warm water. It is forecast to be a category 1 hurricane, where we are now. But then quickly tomorrow, to a 2, and then maybe 3 and more.

Three gets you to major hurricane category, and at 115 miles per hour, the threat, the real threat is if this continues to curve and it stays right along the coast, the damage along the coast that this storm could do would be tremendous at 115 miles per hour, hitting so much landfall.

That theory -- as it makes starts to make its way toward Florida, you start to evacuate this, think, Oh, no, it's still moving, and then you evacuate this -- No, no, still turning -- then you evacuate this, and it's still turning. So all of a sudden, you have millions of people trying to get back into and away from the coast, into the land, away from the coast. And it may never even make landfall.

There is a possibility that it continues to curve to the north. There's also a significant possibility that this could run right through North Carolina, over Virginia and into New York City as a 60 or more mile per hour storm by the end of the weekend. That is still a possibility.

So you have to understand the millions of people that this big storm could affect all the way from Miami to Boston just in the next 10 days. You must watch this storm. We're twittering all over the place, and we will keep you up to date. We have a lot of meteorologists here. You'll be glad to see them -- you'll be seeing them all on TV in the next couple of days.

KAYE: Chad, is this pretty common, though, that a storm like Irene would hit the U.S.?

MEYERS: It's pretty common. Yes, I mean, one in three years, probably. The last one that was big was Bonnie. We have been in a real hurricane-tropical storm drought, and Bonnie was a tropical storm. Hurricane Ike was the last one to hit the U.S. That was in Galveston. You think -- I think that's almost three-and-a-half years ago.

But the thing is, I don't think we're due because I don't think there is such a thing as due when it comes to hurricanes. But we've been in a small drought for hurricanes, and this is about to get very busy. The peak of hurricane season isn't until September 10th. We're not even there yet.

KAYE: All right. Well, we know you'll be busy. Chad Meyers, appreciate it. Thank you.

MEYERS: You're welcome.

KAYE: After decades in power, Moammar Gadhafi's rule of Libya appears to be over. But just who is Gadhafi? What's he actually like in person? CNN's Jim Clancy has interviewed Gadhafi three times. He'll join us right after the break with some have perspective.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: It is a serious topic many women need to be aware of. One in six women in the U.S. will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime, according to the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network. Seventy- three percent of them know their assailants. In a 2007 U.S. Department of Justice report, nearly 200,000 women were raped after being given a date rape drug.

These statistics are why our next guest decided to create a date rape drug detector. Dr. Michael Ioffe joins us live from Tel Aviv with much more on this. Doctor, this is really certainly something that caught our attention. How does this date rape drug detector work?

MICHAEL IOFFE, CREATED DATE RAPE DRUG DETECTOR: Well, actually, it looks -- it's got a look like a pinhead or a stirrer. The end user will have to dip it into the suspected drink or just (ph) a drink. And what the stick will do, it will sample a very, very small portion of a drink, completely unnoticeable, and if there is a spiked drink, it will alarm the user.

Now, the user even doesn't have to -- doesn't even have to dip it inside the drink. What he needs is some contact with the liquid. It could be liquid remains on the walls of a glass even, or the edges of the glass.

KAYE: And which date rape drugs might it be able to detect?

IOFFE: Well, currently, system detects GHB, gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, which is one of the most popular date rape drugs, and ketamine. We detect it with 100 percent accuracy. And we hope to add to it another date rape drugs like GBL and flunitrazepam, which means Rohypnol, and (INAUDIBLE) KAYE: And what made you think of something like this? I mean, why do you think there's such a need to have something like this on the market?

IOFFE: Well, first of all, I was personally told about a person that was the victim of such an abuse. Luckily, there was no any sexual abuse there, just a robbery. She was just robbed with the help of this -- the date rape drugs. And we've just seen that report from 2007, and we have estimated that the problem is really great.

KAYE: And so what will it look like, actually, when it does become available? And when will it become available, too, is another question. But when it does become available, what does it looks like? Is it easy to use?

IOFFE: It will be very easy to use, very easy to carry. It will look like a pinhead or a stirrer or some kind of (INAUDIBLE) very small, tiny, discreet (INAUDIBLE) Anyone could -- will be able to carry it in his wallet, purse or pocket, whatever he wants to. And when it will be available, well, it's a good question because actually depends on the funding and on the money. If we can get enough funding, then we can get out with a commercialized version even with the period of one-and-a-half years.

KAYE: Dr. Michael Ioffe, thank you so much for joining us today.

And for more about this date rape drug detector, you can check out my FaceBook page. That's FaceBook.com/randikayecnn. And don't forget to tune in tomorrow, same "Big I" time, same "Big I" channel.

After decades in power, Moammar Gadhafi's rule of Libya appears to be over. But just who is Gadhafi, and what is he really like? CNN's Jim Clancy has interviewed Gadhafi three times, and he'll join us after the break.

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KAYE: We want to take you now live to Martha's Vineyard, where our Dan Lothian is standing by. We're all waiting for the president to make some comments about Libya. Dan, what can you tell us?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I just came out of a background briefing with Josh Ernest (ph), who's the deputy White House press secretary, and he said a little bit more information on what's going on behind the scenes, what information the White House is getting, Josh pointing out that there's no indication to contradict information that Moammar Gadhafi has left the country.

In addition to that, he was asked whether or not President Obama feels any vindication by the fact that this unrest has led to the potential ouster of Gadhafi. And he didn't want to play pundit, but said that he believes that President Obama has had robust leadership in this area, that the strategy has yielded favorable results.

There was another question about whether or not the White House was able to get more information because you might remember, last night, President Obama said that they wanted to get more clarity, if you will, before he came out and spoke on camera. And so I asked him whether or not they were able to get additional information beyond what we know. He said to wait for the president's remarks at 2:00 o'clock, but that since last night, the White House had been able to get more clarity on the situation about what's going on on the ground.

As we speak, President Obama is also taking part in a conference call that he convened with his national security team. Remember, this is something he did yesterday, senior members of his national security team, he had a conference call, another conference call taking place now for the latest developments on Libya. And then President Obama will come out for the 2:00 o'clock remarks, Randi.

KAYE: All right. We're just about 15 minutes away or some from those remarks. Dan Lothian, thank you very much for the update.

Well, as we have been talking about, extraordinary events unfolding in Libya right now. Rebel force now control large parts of the capital, Tripoli. But the battle certainly isn't over just yet, this after the rebels swept into the city of Tripoli, a final big push after months of see-saw battles against forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi, battles that often ended in outright defeat for the rebels, for government forces, or ended, of course, in a stalemate.

Well, as for Gadhafi, who has ruled with an iron fist for over 40 years, his location still a mystery, but he's believed to be somewhere in Tripoli. The rebels say they've captured three of his sons.

Even in defeat, Gadhafi remains an erratic man with a history of bizarre behavior. Joining us to shed some light on Gadhafi is CNN's Jim Clancy. You actually interviewed him three times.

JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Three times, twice in person and once by satellite.

KAYE: So if you could sit down with him today, what would be your first question to him?

CLANCY: Why he had to hold onto power for so long, why he couldn't share it, why he couldn't give it up. What was the lure?

KAYE: What is he like in person? I mean, how did he come off to you? What is his body language like? Is he sort of outlandish, as he does appear a bit when we watch him on the TV screen?

CLANCY: You have to -- he's all theatrics. The most stunning moment when I interviewed him was really his entrance. He had a huge Amazonian, a voluptuous woman carrying an AK-47 as his bodyguard. And when she would enter the room, journalists knew he wasn't far behind.

And he would come in with a long, flowing black cape, all hand- sewn, beautifully embroidery. And he would pause while the journalists were seated on the carpets in his tent out in the middle of the desert and say, Oh, you are my tigress of Libya, or you're my lion -- no, you're not my tigress, she's my tigress, you're my lioness. And then very self-satisfied, stood up and hurled his cape around himself. It was all theater. And he appeared to be on drugs.

KAYE: Oh, really?

CLANCY: Some kind of drugs. I mean, his eyes were very bloodshot, let's put it that way. He rambled incoherently. It was a journalist's nightmare, especially a television crew, two hours of videotape, and you couldn't find a sound bite. I think you know what I mean.

KAYE: (INAUDIBLE) that's the last thing you want. So he really didn't answer your questions.

CLANCY: Oh, not at all.

KAYE: No.

CLANCY: He would lecture about his green book. He was the first one in his family who learned to read and write. And somehow, he interpreted that as he had inherited a special genius that he wanted to share with his people, and he did it with a green book, which was not sophomoric, but sophomoronic, really, in what it was written down as.

KAYE: Was he always as defiant when you chatted with him as he seems to be today?

CLANCY: Oh, he was always very pleasant when you chatted with him. I mean, he was -- but he would lecture. He would not answer questions. He would just ramble all of the time. He lived in his own world, and he was supremely confident that he was in charge of that world and that the rest of the world just wasn't right. They didn't see it correctly.

KAYE: So what do you expect will happen here? I mean, I know, obviously, we don't know for sure. But having met the man and having chatted with him on three occasions...

CLANCY: He has a proud belief, and he stated it many times, in his Bedouin tradition. It's a hard tradition. It's a desert tradition. It's a nomadic tradition. He could be someplace in southern Libya, we suppose. But it's also quite likely, he so underestimated his opponents, this National Transitional Council, that he's trapped someplace in the capital. And I would assume that he's going to be captured. For all of this talk about shooting it out, I don't expect that he will end his days shooting it out.

KAYE: All right. Jim Clancy, fascinating details from those interviews. Thank you.

CLANCY: Oh, and there's more.

KAYE: Oh, I'm sure!

(LAUGHTER)

KAYE: We'll have to talk about that another time. Thank you. A teacher in Florida has been suspended for something that he wrote on his private FaceBook page. Now the question is, was he just exercising his right to free speech, or should he be held to a different standard because he works with children? We'll tell you what we wrote and ask him directly if he regrets what he wrote next.

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KAYE: It is the first day at school in Lake County, Florida, but one veteran history teacher will not be in his classroom in Mount Dora. That's because he has been suspended for something that he wrote on his private FaceBook page. Jerry Buell, who's been teaching 26 years and was named "teacher of the year" just last year, posted the comments last month when same-six marriage became legal in New York state.

Here's what he wrote. "I'm watching the news, eating dinner, when the story about New York OKing same-sex unions came on, and I almost threw up." He went on to say, "And now they show two guys kissing after their announcement. If they want to call it a union, go ahead, but don't insult the man and woman's marriage by throwing in the same cesspool of whatever. God will not be mocked. When did this sin become acceptable?"

The school was made aware of the comments last week and immediately reassigned Mr. Buell to an administration job pending an investigation. They say they're looking into whether Mr. Buell violated their code of ethics. Mr. Buell, however, stands by his FaceBook posting, citing his 1st Amendment right to free speech, and says he wants to get back in the classroom immediately.

Mr. Buell and his attorney, Harry Mihet, join me now. Mr. Buell, thank you very much for coming on the show today. I'd like to begin with you. What compelled you to post those comments on FaceBook in the first place? Do you usually post such personal thoughts on your FaceBook page?

JERRY BUELL, MOUNT DORA, FL, HIGH SCHOOL HISTORY TEACHER: Well, first of all, Randi, thank you for having me on here. I appreciate the chance to express myself. I speak with passion. And it is a free country. And being away from the classroom and at home on my own private time, nowhere in the school entity at all, it's one of the things that Americans enjoy, the right to be able to express themselves freely.

KAYE: So stand by what you said, then?

BUELL: Yes, ma'am. I stand by what I said. One of things that makes America great is the fact that we can disagree. And there's nothing wrong with passion. It was not use of bad language or anything, just passionate words.

KAYE: Mr. Mihet, I know that you've said that this is a 1st Amendment issue, as well, and that your client has a right to free speech. But the school is calling for an ethics violation here, certainly an investigation surrounding that. Do you -- what would be your response to how the school is handling this?

HARRY MIHET, ATTORNEY FOR SUSPENDED TEACHER: You know, whatever the school's ethics rules are, they cannot purport to supplant the 1st Amendment. If the 1st Amendment does nothing else, Randi, it protects the right of all Americans, including public school teachers like Mr. Buell, to engage in robust public discourse about issues of the day and to express their opinions about those issues without fear of reprisal for what they think or how they say what they think.

The idea that Mr. Buell could be punished not for something that he did in class or at school, but for something that he said while acting strictly as a private citizen, is repugnant to the Constitution and should send chills up the spine of every freedom-loving American, regardless of where they come on the issue of same-sex marriage.

KAYE: Mr. Buell, do you think that you should go back in the classroom? But I'm curious if you're worried or concerned at all about how your comments might be taken by a gay student who might be in your classroom.

BUELL: Well, that's where I should be right now, finishing up my fourth period class. Let me say this, Randi. And this is the way I teach. This morning, when my group of kids would have come into my class for the first time, within a time period that they had me, they would know that I love them, that I respect them, that I respect them as the children of God and creations of God that they are, that they are the best thing that their parents have to send to me and that their parents are expecting me to do a good job with them.

And I explain to my students, my kids, You won't feel safer, you won't find a place you'll be more respected and you won't find a place you'll have more fun all day. And I would challenge anybody to ask anyone in my thousands of students if that has not proven to be true.

KAYE: All right, Jerry Buell, Harry Mihet, certainly appreciate your time. We'll keep an eye on this issue and see where you end up, Mr. Buell.

BUELL: Thank you.

MIHET: Thank you for having us, Randi.

BUELL: Thank you, Randi.

KAYE: Well, congressional leaders react to the fast-moving situation in Libya. We'll take you live to Capitol Hill next.

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