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Hurricane Irene's Aftermath; Warren Jeffs in Critical Condition; Another Type of Abuse Carried Out by Gadhafi Regime; Latest Off Political Ticker; Hints About President Obama's Jobs Plan; Texas Boy Dies After Water Deprivation; Abused Nanny Gets Medical Help; Aruba Case Suspect Hearing Soon

Aired August 30, 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: Take a look at this. Top of the hour, watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Rivers overflowing their banks, water rescues happening right now, and the governor of a landlocked state talking about what is next this hour. I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.

(voice-over): A 19-year-old reveals her secret. She killed for Moammar Gadhafi. Arwa Damon's exclusive conversation with an executioner, chilling words from a child.

For five days, a young boy allegedly deprived of water as punishment, and then he died. Your reaction is pouring in.

Plus, weeks after being found guilty of raping his child bride, Warren Jeffs is right now in critical condition.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Welcome back. Hour two. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Unfolding right now, we are expecting live remarks from emergency leaders on the urgent situation in Vermont where a lot of people are very much so still stranded in Hurricane Irene's aftermath. We are also awaiting New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who is expected to speak live on all those rushing floodwaters in his state.

We will have all that for you.

But I do want to begin this hour in Vermont, where the rivers are up, they are way, way up. And even though it's been days since Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Irene dumped more than a foot of water there in the Northeast, the water is still rising along many rivers in Upstate New York and Vermont.

Chad Myers is here with me.

Chad, shall we -- and we also have Amber Lyon standing by in Cambridge, Vermont.

Quickly, Amber, let's just begin with you. Tell me where you are and what you're seeing around you.

AMBER LYON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, I'm right outside a town called Grafton.

And a big issue that I think concerns emergency officials the most is that 20 towns across the state have been turned into islands after the roads and bridges leading in and out of town have been wiped out. Earlier this week, this river flooded. It came across here and just ripped this road apart. It's just literally lying in pieces here. You obviously cannot get a truck past that, so they brought in emergency equipment to try to build some type of a makeshift road so that National Guard troops can get in there and deliver supplies, baby formula, food, medicine to the 800 residents that are on the other side of that road in that town called Grafton.

And some towns are cut off so bad that construction equipment can't get in there and even try to rebuild the roads. Today the National Guard is airlifting supplies into those areas. As more and more people are allowed access to these isolated communities, the governor fears that the death toll here in Vermont could rise. There are still people in these small mountain areas that are missing. So far, three people are confirmed dead across the state, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Amber, stand by.

I want to bring Chad into this conversation.

And I have to say looking at her live picture and seeing that over her shoulder, that's the first sign of really of someone being able to get in there to Vermont and try to fix the roads.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I have talked to friends that live near Killington, which is a very rugged area around Rutland, and the road does not exist in front of the house.

There's nowhere -- there's no way for them to get out. The car is OK. The house is running on a generator, but there's no place to go because the road is gone. Miles and miles of road completely gone over all of Vermont. You really cannot understand how isolated these people are now with all of the power being out. Roads are gone and bridges are missing.

And I'm not talking about the covered bridges, because clearly that's a disaster that we lost such American treasures. I'm talking about real new bridges built in the '70s, '80s, and '90s where structural engineers had no concept that the water could ever get that high. If they did, those engineers would have built the bridges higher, right? Water went over the bridge, eroded the sides. Those bridges are gone. People are stuck. They are islands.

BALDWIN: And I think it's also still impossible to determine how many people are truly, truly accounted for.

Amber, back out to you there in Vermont. What's the sense just in talking to people? I keep saying this over and over, but it's still -- Vermont, there's no water. It's a landlocked state. This is something that I imagine if you live in Vermont you're not thinking very often about a hurricane. What is the mood of the community you're in?

LYON: These people have just been in awe, Brooke. They say they have never seen anything like this.

We have talked to some people who have lived here all 80 years of their lives and they just were not expecting this massive flooding to come through here now and we even have -- if you see this group of people coming over on that vehicle there, that is the only road.

It's a side dirt road. If you take a four-wheeler, that's the only way to get into this town. These are people used to traveling back and forth on this road. And there are now 800 of them right on -- about four miles behind me just stuck. So they are frustrated, they are in awe, and above all, many people are just happy that -- especially in this area, these homes are all intact -- that their homes were not damaged, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Chad, jump in.

MYERS: Amber, it's Chad.

I don't know whether Vermont has the capability or the machinery to put all of those roads and bridges back together. Have you seen mutual aid coming in from other states or do they need their own equipment?

LYON: Well, what we know now is that the biggest concern is just getting supplies into these people who are stranded. They haven't even begun to think of about rebuilding all the roads across the state. Now it's more of a matter of getting emergency supplies across.

So we have only -- the only construction we have really seen actively is on roads like this, where it's essential to rebuild some type of a road, to get supplies into the residents.

MYERS: Have you heard helicopters?

LYON: We haven't heard any helicopters so far, but I just got off the phone with the head of the Vermont Office of Emergency Management and he says that National Guard helicopters are actively now delivering supplies into places like you mentioned before, Killington, the ski town. There's no way in there besides air, Chad.

BALDWIN: I just can't imagine being stuck like that for days and days and days.

Amber Lyon, thank you.

Mr. Myers, appreciate it.

MYERS: Let's hope everybody has the medicine that we told them to get.

BALDWIN: I know. It's like it goes beyond the water and the food. But it gets into the medicine as well.

MYERS: All of a sudden you need your whatever, your heart medicine and you have three days' worth and you don't know whether you can get to the pharmacy, if there is a pharmacy available in three days.

BALDWIN: Yikes.

MYERS: Yes.

BALDWIN: Chad, thanks.

MYERS: You're welcome.

BALDWIN: Just a couple minutes ago, did you hear my conversation with this guy? This is a guy in Pittsfield, Vermont. He doesn't live there. He went there to get married. Marc Leibowitz, here he is with his beautiful wife Yonina (ph). They traveled out to Vermont for a lovely picturesque setting away from the big city of Manhattan.

And, boom, Hurricane Irene hits. So since this wedding Saturday morning, Marc and Yonina (ph) and about 40 of their wedding party, they are stuck in this town of Pittsfield. The bridge on one end of town. The road on the other end of town has collapsed. Here is Marc.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARC LEIBOWITZ, STRANDED BY HURRICANE: Just before I got on the line with you, we were actually passing up and down supplies. We have rigged up some planks to get across the river and some ladders to get up to the collapsed part of the bridge.

BALDWIN: To do what? Where are you trying to go?

(CROSSTALK)

LEIBOWITZ: Well, we have been getting supplies in and out to the people that are on the farm. And, you know, they have some things that we need and we have some things they need. So we were moving a generator just now before we got on the phone with you.

We were getting some baby formula in and out. And it's been a little crazy. But everybody has been chipping in together and pulling their resources and pooling manpower. Every one of our wedding guests that's up here has been working, doing various tasks and chores around town.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: The newlyweds, as he explained to me, had plans to go to Hawaii for their honeymoon in two days. Yes, consider that trip postponed. It may be a week to 10 days before they and others can get out of that town, out of Pittsfield, Vermont.

The Passaic River in New Jersey was about to crest about an hour ago at double its normal flood stage. Some of the worst flooding there is in and around this town called Paterson. It's about 15 miles northwest of New York City. Authorities there tell us they have pulled about 500 people from their homes in Paterson. Take a look, some of your video. These are our iReports. This was shot at the Union Avenue Bridge in Little Falls just southwest of Paterson. The Passaic River a raging torrent there in Little Falls. The death toll now in New Jersey is at seven and thousands of folks have been forced to relocate.

Still ahead, the government releases thousands of weapons which somehow end up with drug gangs, end up in their hands. And, today, new fallout over the Fast and Furious scandal that reaches high up into the Obama administration. New details there.

Plus, 19 years old, forced to kill for Moammar Gadhafi. CNN's Arwa Damon just spoke with a female teenage executioner. She talks to her about what she faces, the faces of her own victims just before she pulls the trigger. Arwa live from Tripoli next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: In the wake of Irene, we have been talking a lot about Vermont specifically. And are we looking at a number of senators. This is Senator Leahy of Vermont there speaking about the damage.

And I want to just play something. It happened moments ago, the FEMA administrator, Craig Fugate, speaking. And he started the whole thing by saying, you never think you would be talking about a hurricane in Vermont.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRAIG FUGATE, ADMINISTRATOR, FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY: Who would have thought that you would be coming to Vermont because a hurricane hit?

And first off, hats off to the local officials and also to the National Weather Service issuing the flash flood advisories. In talking to folks, there was loss of life, but it could have been much worse if people hadn't heeded those evacuation orders.

And what is really different about this, when you have got big rivers flooding, we know usually days to weeks in advance. With flash flooding it is literally how much rain has fallen, issuing those advisories, and getting people to safety. And we always talk about disasters are local, but you're not by yourself, the governor and his team, the National Guard here in Vermont, all of the people working to support local officials.

But also at the governor's request, the president had declared an emergency declaration. That's the first step in providing assistance right now, focused on, as the governor says, life safety and life- sustaining missions. We are also beginning to do the damage assessments, determine what other assistance will be required and we will be working with the governor and his team as we go literally road by road, washout by washout, to look at the damages and the homes impacted.

But our commitment on behalf of the president is to work with the governor's team through this most first critical phase. The first 72 hours we know is really the most important time frame to make sure that we are stable and then we will begin working with the governor and his team on what available assistance may be needed to assist in recovery. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Administrator Fugate standing alongside Governor Shumlin and Senators both Leahy and Sanders there speaking in Vermont about the situation post-Irene. More on that here in a minute.

But do I want to talk about Libya. And you're about to see the story of a young girl there, a teenager, forced, she says, to do things that took away her youth and turned her into a killer.

To help me tell her story, I want to bring in Arwa Damon.

And, Arwa, you're there live in Tripoli. And it sounds like this story is half-horrific, half-heartbreaking.

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It most certainly is, Brooke.

And the doctors at the hospital where this young woman is being kept are saying that this is an example of yet another atrocity, another type of abuse carried out by the Gadhafi regime.

They say that the Gadhafi took everything from this young woman. They took her family, they took her dignity, and they turned her into something absolutely horrific.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON (voice-over): She's 19, with soft features, warm brown eyes, and full lips. And she became an executioner for Moammar Gadhafi's forces.

"One of them had facial hairs like this," Nisarin Mansour (ph) gestures, recalling the face of one of men she shot dead. Mansour (ph) now lies in a hospital bed with an armed rebel guard out front. She doesn't want us to show her face.

She admits she murdered 11 rebels, all prisoners of the Gadhafi regime. "They brought one person in at a time and they said, 'Shoot him,'" she tells us. "There was someone on either side of me and one behind, and they all said, 'If you don't shoot, we will shoot you.'"

She speaks haltingly, often falling into a tortured silence. "I would turn my head away and shoot, and then I saw the blood dripping. It just kept flowing."

Nisarin (ph) was a member of the female unit of Gadhafi's popular militia. She says she was forcibly taken from her mother who is battling cancer by the head of the unit, a family friend. She was trained here at the female military academy to handle weapons, banned from seeing her family. Some of the other women at the academy were ardent regime supporters. Nisarin (ph) says she wasn't, but she couldn't leave.

"My brother came and tried to get me out," she says. "He was threatened and told to leave."

Nisarin (ph) says her commander kept her here at the headquarters of a brigade based next to Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound. She says that as the uprising began in February, she was brought to see the commander of the brigade. He raped her.

"I screamed," she tells us. "It happened twice again at the hands of two other commanders." She says all the women were raped, but they were forbidden to speak about it.

As the rebels closed in on Tripoli, Nisarin (ph) was assigned to the Busalim (ph) neighborhood where some of the heaviest fighting was taking place. It's with there, she says, that she was forced to be an executioner.

She finally escaped, jumping from a second story window as a firefight erupted. Although the rebels plan to put her on trial, many of them pity her. So do the hospital staff. One of her doctors, Nadia Benyounis, says she was speechless when she first heard about her case.

DR. NADIA BENYOUNIS: You think I get angry from her? I have maybe -- no. I feel she's also innocent, but she was manipulated by someone. Maybe she has no real intention to kill.

DAMON: "All I want is to go home," she says. "I want my mother."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Arwa, wow. So many questions.

Why? Why would Gadhafi's government, why would these officers force this girl, 19 years of age, to be an executioner? You mentioned also that there was a female unit in the militia, so that tells me there were other women. But were there other female executioners?

DAMON: Well, those stories have yet to emerge, although the doctors have said that they have treated other female fighters that were part of various fighting units. This particular popular guard militia numbered around 1,000 women, so you can imagine exactly how many of them could possibly be out there, perhaps forced to do things against their will, although Nisarin (ph) did say that some of the women around her were in fact ardent supporters of the Gadhafi regime.

She says that they were all told that when the rebels came to Tripoli, they were simply going to rape all the women, and it was their duty to protect themselves and to protect the city itself. When it comes to the question as to why they would have her carry something out like this, it's part of the psychological warfare, it's part of the manipulation carried out by the Gadhafi loyalists, part of their tactics. But also, we are hearing that it is perhaps part of Libyan culture, where it is considered to be an ultimate insult to be killed by a woman, especially to be killed by a woman that be considered impure given that Nisarin (ph) says that she was raped.

BALDWIN: And, of course, the questions, what happens to her family, where's her family? And she could be one of many.

Arwa Damon, thank you.

Coming up, she poured hot sauce into her child's mouth. Then she videotaped it, and then she sent that videotape to the "Dr. Phil Show."

Now the mom convicted of child abuse learns her fate. But is it fair?

Also, the U.S. hits a disturbing milestone as American blood spills and this country gets closer and closer to a decade of war. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: If it's interesting, if it's happening right now, you're about to see it, "Rapid Fire."

Let's go, beginning with this. A deadly month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Sixty-six troops have died this month, the highest monthly totals since the war began just about 10 years ago. Almost half of those deaths took place when an insurgent shot down that U.S. helicopter. Thirty U.S. service members, including those 17 Navy SEALs, were killed in that attack.

Some 10,000 U.S. troops are scheduled to depart by year's end as NATO slowly begins to hand over security to Afghan furious.

And the fast and furious scandal has apparently cost the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, an explosives chief, his job. Ken Melson now being reassigned to a lower-profile job. Hundreds of weapons were smuggled into Mexico as part of this whole U.S. sting operation, but they ended up in the hands of drug cartels and were later linked to several killings. The scandal currently under investigation.

And you remember this video we aired? Remember this earlier this month? This is the mother. She's punishing her adopted son by pouring hot sauce into his mouth.

Thirty-six-year-old Jessica Beagley was convicted of misdemeanor child abuse. And a court spared the Alaskan woman of immediate jail time, but did give her three years' probation. Authorities were alerted to the situation after this clip was aired on the "Dr. Phil" TV show.

Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs remains in critical condition at a Texas hospital. He fell ill while fasting in prison while he's there serving a life, plus 20 years term for sexually assaulting underage girls. Prison officials say Jeffs is sedated but not comatose.

And this one got me today. You know a lot of people try to take some wild things on the plane. Seven exotic snakes, three turtles? What?

One man busted for trying to board a Miami flight to Brazil last Thursday. The man apparently tried to conceal these exotic reptiles in his pants, but TSA agents there were too smart for that. They noticed them during the body scan.

The reptiles were turned over to the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, and that passenger was arrested.

Now this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: I saw some of these news feeds that I've been watching upstairs of people sitting on the beach in Asbury Park. Get the hell off the beach in Asbury Park and get out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: As big storms threaten, leaders are not taking chances. Coming up, the new normal for avoiding political backlash and what to expect during a crisis.

Also, Michele Bachmann under fire for suggesting that Hurricane Irene was a message to Washington. Folks, she is now explaining herself. Stay right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: To Washington we go, to Jim Acosta, with the latest news fresh off the CNN Political Ticker.

Mr. Acosta, good to see you. What do you have?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Brooke.

Well, we've had sort of a foreign policy debate going on over the last couple of days among basically the top three candidates for the White House. President Obama, Mitt Romney, and Rick Perry all gave three very big foreign policy speeches. Two of them Romney and Perry gave at the VFW Convention down in San Antonio. President Obama was talking to the American Legion group up in Minneapolis.

And at his speech today in San Antonio, Mitt Romney, while he did direct many of his swipes at President Obama, took a little time out to deliver this not-so-veiled swipe at Rick Perry, who has been, as you know, giving Mitt Romney a bit of run for his money lately. Here's Mitt Romney.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm a conservative businessman. I spent most of my life outside politics, dealing with real problems and the real economy. Career politicians got us into this mess, and they simply don't know how to get us out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Now, for his part, President Obama was essentially on the defense over the last couple of days, with Mitt Romney and Rick Perry really going after the president on foreign policy. But it was interesting to hear the president during his speech today before the American Legion talk about the fact that he and American troops basically carried out the operation that took out Osama bin Laden.

The president was careful to give credit where credit was due, but he mentioned the operation nonetheless. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our troops achieved our greatest victory yet in the fight against those who attacked us on 9/11, delivering justice to Osama bin Laden in one of the greatest intelligence and military operations in American history.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And we'll have more on these speeches coming up at 5:00 on "THE SITUATION ROOM," my piece with that program with Wolf Blitzer in just a little bit.

But we want to take you back to something, Brooke, that you've been hearing about over the last couple of days. On Sunday, as Hurricane Irene was going up the East Coast, Michele Bachmann gave this speech down in Florida where she talked about whether or not the hurricane and the earthquake to come basically at Washington, D.C., or through Washington, D.C., whether they were a sign from God. Well, yesterday, down in Miami, in a different address, in a different speech, Congresswoman Bachmann basically said, hey, wait a minute, guys, I was just kidding.

BALDWIN: OK. I didn't know if I was going to have sound. I was waiting to see her say that. Sorry.

ACOSTA: Oh, yes. No, she basically went back and said, look, there are some people who might have taken this very seriously. I want to tell you once again, I was only joking when I said that.

So, Michele Bachmann perhaps feeling a little bit of heat from those comments and having to go back and say, hey, just kidding. I was only joking.

BALDWIN: Yes, OK. Well, you mentioned a couple of the president's speeches. We'll look for your piece on "THE SITUATION ROOM."

Jim Acosta, thank you.

I do want to talk about something else we'll be hearing from the president. He'll be unveiling his highly-anticipated jobs plan in that speech post-Labor Day, but today we are getting some hints about what it includes. We're live at the White House for that, next.

Also, during this newscast yesterday we told you about the nanny who says Moammar Gadhafi's family -- remember this? There she is -- poured hot water all over her as punishment. Well, CNN has now tracked her down. We will take you to her bedside coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: You may be surprised to learn which bank is America's biggest. And President Obama putting together that job's plan he said he will be unveiling next week.

Kind of play "Reporter Roulette" with these two ladies.

And Brianna Keilar, haven't seen you in a while, so we're going to begin with you there at the White House.

Brianna, a big speech next week. Have they chosen the day yet?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No. The White House, Brooke, has not announced the day this is going to be. However, they haven't finalized the plan. That may be part of the reason. But as they work out the details, we know some of the possibilities, some of the probabilities of what's going to be in there.

Tax cuts, expect something here. Right now there's currently in effect a one-year payroll tax cut that employees are enjoying at this point, a reduction in the payroll taxes they pay. The president wants to push the expiration date past the end of the year, perhaps extend it as well to employers. The idea being that would give them more idea to play with, perhaps, to hire people also, perhaps, an incentive to just hire people, a tax cut if they do have new hires.

Also, infrastructure spending. This will be something, no doubt, will be tricky to get past Republicans, but something the president really wants, infrastructure spending to put some of those unemployed construction workers back to work.

And then also something to deal with the long-term unemployed, so many Americans who have been unemployed for a year or longer, Brooke. One idea being discussed here is job training, but also allowing at the same time those unemployed people to keep their benefits as they you go through the job training.

But again, these are things that are being discussed. The White House is being pretty mum on the details.

BALDWIN: OK. So possibly those things up for discussion in this big speech for Day X next week.

We also can't forget, at the end of next week we have the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Some news on that front Brianna. What is that today?

KEILAR: That's right. We just learned today that the president will end his day at the National Cathedral here in Washington, D.C., where they will be having a concert. He will make remarks there.

And Brooke, this is going to be a very full day for the president. He will be going to all three 9/11 sites. He will be at Ground Zero. He will be in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. He'll be here in town, at the Pentagon. And so this event is really something that is going to put a cap on what is definitely going to be a very emotional day.

BALDWIN: Absolutely. Brianna, thank you very much for us at the White House.

Let's go to New York next, "Reporter Roulette." Alison Kosik, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

And Alison, let's talk about Bank of America, because despite the recent troubles we've been reporting on, this is the nation's largest bank, measured by assets. And some people though, they may find that surprising.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It is surprising. I mean, I don't think a day goes by where Bank of America is not in the headlines, and the name "Bank of America" is usually preceded by the words "troubled bank."

I mean, look at its stock price. It's down 40 percent for the year. There are questions whether it has enough capital. It's being sued by AIG.

It's paid out huge settlements to Fannie and Freddie and others. And there's a possible $8.5 billion settlement pending for 22 other investors.

You know what? It just seems like Bank of America just can't catch a break. It can't get past the financial crisis.

But you know what? Through and through, Bank of America is still the biggest bank in the U.S. by total assets. The fact is, everyday Americans, everyday businesses, they still put their money in there. They've got faith in Bank of America. It is the biggest bank here in this country -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: OK. Alison Kosik, thank you very much.

KOSIK: Sure.

BALDWIN: And that is your "Reporter Roulette" for this Tuesday.

You know, I have something to share with you. It's what you told me when you heard the story of 10-year-old Jonathan James on this show just yesterday. And I just want to read a couple of these comments. I've gotten a lot.

"Brooke, my blood broiled as I listened."

"Brooke, thank you for giving voice to this poor little boy. Please keep talking for the children."

"Brooke, all it takes is a single voice to start a movement."

"Brooke, I was abused as a child. It marks you for life. As a bed-wetter, my parents hung the stained sheets out the window. I was told I would never be anything."

He goes on, "I spent seven years in prison. It took me 40 years to get any esteem. Do the children this service, Brooke. Get angry as hell."

I am angry. I'm angry and I'm sad. We're going to talk a little bit more about little Jonathan's case next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: In the last 24 hours I have heard from hundreds of you. Some of you told me you were moved to tears when I sat here yesterday and I told you this story of this little boy, 10-year-old Jonathan James.

He's the 10-year-old who died after five days of water deprivation, allegedly doled at as punishment for misbehaving. And ultimately, he collapsed from dehydration, could not be revived. A totally preventable death.

And that is what sticks with me the most. Adults failed Jonathan James. And it's why I'm calling attention to stories like this. We're calling this the fact that we can do better.

Joining me now, Deputy Chief Craig Miller from the Dallas Police.

Deputy Chief, thank you for coming on. This is so important for us.

If you can, just explain to me, sir, why Jonathan -- why was punished by his father and stepmother in the first place?

DEP. CHIEF CRAIG MILLER, DALLAS POLICE DEPT.: Well, we now know several different things. Most importantly, I think we've become aware that this started as a result of him wetting his bed. There were several other things that took place over the five days from July 20th to the 25th that ultimately led to the punishment taking place the way that it did.

BALDWIN: Like what? What do we know about the last five days of his life?

MILLER: Well, we know that he was in -- basically required to stay inside the house. There were times when he was outside, and he did go outside. His brother -- he has a twin. His 10-year-old brother and a 12-year-old step-brother were there in the house as well during this time.

We know that they were able to know and see what was going on as well. Basically, it was a form of punishment.

He was required to stay inside the kits (ph), and stay in certain areas where the sunlight would come through the window. Here in Dallas, we're in a span of more than 50 days of 100-degree weather, and he would stay in that spot and look outside a window, giving information back to his parents, things that were going on.

BALDWIN: Right. From what his twin brother said, there was an "X" on the floor, and he was forced to stand in front of that window with the scalding sun on his back.

And you know what, sir? A lot of our viewers, they want to know why this father and the stepmother weren't charged with murder. We know they're charged with serious bodily injury to a child.

Why is that?

BALDWIN: Well, I think there's the intent. I think that's one of the things that detectives looked at when they're trying do this case.

We want to present the best case when we go forward with prosecution. Certainly in Texas, the way our laws are set up, the punishment range is not less than five years and not more than 99 years for the murder or the serious bodily injury. Not being able to really show that their intent was to kill young Jonathan, we feel like that the injury to the child, seriously bodily injuries, was a correct charge to place after consulting with the Dallas County District Attorney's Office.

BALDWIN: Also, sir, explain this to me. His death was originally classified as unexplained before the medical examiner ruled it homicide. Why unexplained?

MILLER: Well, initially, on the 25th, the parents took him to the bathtub because he was experiencing what we now know was dehydration. They contacted the Dallas Fire Department, who responded to the scene.

Once the fire department got there, they transported him to a hospital. They worked on Jonathan for several hours before, ultimately, just after 11:00 p.m., they declared him to be deceased. There are a lot of things that they were looking at with what was taking place during that time.

BALDWIN: I think a lot of our viewers, and myself included, were just amazed at the strength of his twin brother Joseph. We showed this sound bite.

He spoke with our affiliate, WFAA, out of Dallas. And I just want to explain this once again. He describes the abuse that he witnessed to his own twin brother. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH JAMES, TWIN BROTHER DIED OF DEHYDRATION: They made him eat a PB&J, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and the peanut butter got stuck in his throat. And they still wouldn't let him have water.

They made him stand in front of a window that they put an "X" on the floor and an "X" on the window. And the sun was coming straight through it, and there was no air-conditioning there. And I couldn't do nothing about it, because if I said something, I would end up getting in trouble, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: How is Joseph doing? And also, how helpful will his account be in the investigation?

MILLER: Well, I think Joseph's account, what took place is critical to this -- to the prosecution in this case. You know, doing a forensic analysis with the people here and the children's advocacy group, the information they were going to obtain for him is critical to us as we go forward in the prosecution.

We're very thankful that he's been so forthcoming because it's obviously difficult to have this take place because it's his brother, but equally difficult because it is his father that was involved in this crime and he's actually taking a stance against his father, you know, with regards to his brother in this case. It's got to be awful for him.

BALDWIN: I cannot begin to imagine. I know Deputy Chief Miller, you've been part of 750 homicide investigations for Dallas and this one really stands out to you as something that's preventable. And I thank you for coming on and talking about it here on a national audience. Thank you, sir.

We do know that you want to help us preventing deaths, just like Jonathans, and it really starts with just talking about it. So please, jump on your computer. I'm on Twitter every day for two hours. Tweet me about this story.

Use the hash tag we can do better so I know you're with me here. I want to let you know our team is also working with a nonpartisan group, "Every Child Matters" to help raise awareness to stories like this.

We'll keep posting on my blog, CNN.com/brooke. We can be a voice for these children who are simply not big and not strong enough to speak up for themselves.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are so -- I don't know, actually.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: Chilling images of a baby sitter who says Moammar Gadhafi's family poured boiling water over her because she couldn't keep her child quiet.

Well now, CNN's Dan Rivers has tracked her down. Doctors are revealing what the Gadhafi's threatened to do if they treated this woman. Don't miss this. It's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: OK. Today's "Political Pop," Joe is off and you get me. We're focusing on New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. And if you watched any of the hurricane coverage and of course, you did, over the weekend you saw the mayor holding these daily news briefings and he was getting updates on evacuations, et cetera, related to this storm.

Now, if you noticed, after he gave the update in English, he would then switch speak in Spanish to his Hispanic audience. And in case you missed it, Ranch, do the mess up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (I0, NEW YORK: For our Spanish-speaking New Yorkers. (Inaudible).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Credit to the mayor for speaking Spanish, right? Guess what comes next. Yes, there is actually a Twitter account giving a playful twist on the mayor's grasp of the Spanish language. Folks, there are 14,000 followers and this thing isn't even a week old so let's just have a little fun. I'll read two tweets. (Inaudible).

OK. Who's behind this? The account is actually run by 25-year- old Jewish Puerto Rican woman from New York. We reached out to her to get a response. We haven't heard from her, but I will tell you this.

Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg was asked for his reaction to this Twitter account, poking a little bit of fun at his Spanish skills. And here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLOOMBERG: My Spanish skills, I can tell you - (inaudible).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Indeed, Mr. Mayor. And now to Wolf Blitzer for a quick check on what is coming up on "THE SITUATION ROOM."

Wolf, hello.

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, CNN'S "THE SITUATION ROOM": You have to tip your hat to the mayor of New York.

BALDWIN: I absolutely tip my hat. I do.

BLITZER: I admire him, you know, Spanish may not be great, but he's willing to do it. People will understand what he's saying. He's also worth 10 or $15 billion. You know what? He's Michael Bloomberg. He can speak any kind of Spanish he wants and I admire you, Brooke, for that little Spanish rendition. Do you speak Spanish fluently?

BALDWIN: I studied Spanish and I lived in Mexico City. Yes. A little bit.

BLITZER: Very impressive. Very nice.

BALDWIN: Thank you.

BLITZER: Let me tell you what is coming up right at the top of the hour. Mitt Romney taking off the gloves a little bit. Not only going after President Obama, but also indirectly going after Rick Perry, the -- let's call him the frontrunner right now for the Republican presidential nomination.

We're all over the political stories. What's going on? We have a lot of follow up on what is going on as far as Hurricane Irene is concerned. We're also watching new developments that are unfolding right now in Libya.

We're checking in with all of our correspondence. Lots of news happening today. We'll have it all right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM" at the top of the hour. I'll see you in Atlanta tomorrow.

BALDWIN: Bye, Mr. Blitzer.

And now from Libya, here's a follow up. A disturbing story about the Gadhafi family's brutal reputation. A story we uncovered. In the waning days of Moammar Gadhafi's regime, one of his daughters, daughters-in-law actually allegedly did some horrific things to one of her servants.

And we now can tell you more. But just a warning, some of these images in this piece, they are tough to watch. Here, Dan Rivers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN RIVERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Slowly, slowly, she whispers as they unwrapped her dressing. What you're about to see is difficult to watch. God only knows how painful it is for her to endure.

The entire top of her head is burnt and many of the wounds are infected. The nanny to Hannibal Gadhafi's children is thankfully now in a hospital burn unit in Tripoli. She's finally beginning to get the antibiotics and the care she needs.

This is how we found her, abandoned in the Gadhafi family compound with horrific burns that she says were inflicted by Hannibal Gadhafi's wife, Aileen. She told us how boiling water was poured over her head, punishment for failing to keep the Gadhafi grandchild from crying.

An account corroborated by co-workers, but now she's already sounding more optimistic. She says she already feels better than before.

(on camera): It's great to see that she's in a much greater place than when we found her yesterday, but it's also clear she's got months more treatment ahead if she's going to have any kind of a normal life.

(voice-over): These photos show her horrible condition when she first arrived at the hospital in June. They were taken by doctors who started to treat her, but the doctors say they were bullied into stopping treatment by Hannibal Gadhafi's staff. RIDA FRANKA, DIRECTOR OF TRIPOLI BURN UNIT: They came and threatened me here. They said we have to discharge this case or we will have a lot of problems.

RIVERS: Despite the threats, the guard later brought her back secretly for more treatment. When the Gadhafi family found out, doctors say they were again ordered to stop treatment.

This video was taken by a doctor a week ago when she finally made the treacherous journey to a clinic through the fighting. Doctors say it was too dangerous to get to the burn unit and she was sent home after her dressings were changed.

Dr. Rowida Zawiya took that video and is damming about Hannibal and Aileen Gadhafi.

ROWIDA ZAWIYA: There's no humanity. I don't know, actually. Maybe -- not sure.

RIVERS: Three weeks ago that cantor might have brought a death sentence. Now they are free to speak and to care for her. Dan Rivers, CNN, Tripoli.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Missing in paradise. The man who may be the last person to see Robyn Gardener alive could soon be free. We'll go live to Aruba next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: A new twist in the case of the missing woman in Aruba. The only suspect here maybe freed. Robyn Gardner went missing August 2nd. Her traveling companion Gary Giordano is still in custody. He was the last person to see her alive and was arrested when his story didn't quite seem to add up.

Martin Savidge is on the case for us back in Aruba on the phone. Martin, why might this judge let Giordano potentially walk free?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, it's part of the process down here, Brooke. It's different than the judicial system that many Americans are familiar with. It's easy to arrest a person down here unlike in the United States where you need proof and a warrant.

Down here, people can be arrested on suspicion, but then they are held for a shorter period, 48 hours they go before a judge. A judge decides if there is enough evidence. Gary was determined to have enough evidence, Gary Giordano we're talking about.

And then he got that 16-day extension. Well, we're at the end of that, he goes before a judge tomorrow and this time the bar of the evidence presented by the prosecution has to be hire.

So far they said look, we found a $1.5 million life insurance policy that he took out on Robyn Gardner, he was the beneficiary, there's your motive. The defense attorney says, look, you don't have a body. You don't have proof that there was a crime.

He has reported this as a terrible accident, snorkeling, she went in the water. She never came out. This is not of a case of the crime being committed in Aruba.

This is a case of a terrible accident. He should be set free and that's the argument that's going to go before the judge tomorrow. It remains to be seen if the prosecution has enough to be able to hold him. He could be set free and on his way to the U.S.

BALDWIN: We'll have to check back in with you this time tomorrow to see if in fact that happens. Martin Savidge in Aruba for us. Thank you very much.

Thank you for watching. That does it for me here. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Now to Wolf Blitzer and "THE SITUATION ROOM" starts right now.