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President Obama to Unveil Jobs Plan; Flooding Forces Evacuations; Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on Alert for Flooding; Chimps Used for Lab Experiments See Daylight for the First Time; Texas Under Rick Perry May have Executed Innocent Man; OECD Cuts Growth Forecast for U.S. Economy; Jury Selection Begins for Michael Jackson's Doctor; What Air Traffic Controllers Said; Napolitano: "Lots of Chatter"; Galliano Guilty of Anti-Semitic Rant; Surfing, With Flare; Super Committee Meets; Tea Party Influence
Aired September 08, 2011 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Listen to this little exchange that Rick Perry and Mitt Romney had on Social Security at the debate at the Nixon Library last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is a monstrous lie. It is a Ponzi scheme.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Our nominee has to be someone who isn't committed to abolishing Social Security, but who is committed to saving Social Security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: I suspect Mitt Romney loves having this debate with Rick Perry. Social Security is very popular.
And you take a look at some of those early contests, whether Iowa, for example, or Florida, a lot of elderly people live in those states. They vote in big numbers. Older people by and large vote in a much bigger percentage, Brooke, than younger people do in elections, especially in caucuses or in primary elections. It takes a little extra work to go out and vote.
And Social Security, look at this recent poll we did -- not we, but the Pew Research Center back in June. Has Social Security been good or bad for the country? Eighty-seven percent, 87 percent think it's either been very good or good for the country. Only a tiny number, 8 percent, think it's been bad, 3 percent very bad.
Social Security is very, very popular. People are concerned about the longtime health of Social Security. They understand there are going to have to be some changes, some reforms. But by and large, people deeply appreciate Social Security. So Mitt Romney's got an issue I think he thinks he can play with going against Rick Perry, who is arguably the front-runner.
By the way, if Rick Perry were to get the Republican nomination, you got to believe that the president of the United States would salivate thinking that he will have an issue like Social Security to go after Rick Perry on in a general election down the road.
This may have been a setback for Rick Perry, A., in his bid for the Republican nomination, and, B., by the way, in his bid if he does get the Republican nomination in a general election. He will have a chance to fix the image he left last night and the image he left in his book Monday night. The CNN/Tea Party Express debate in Tampa, Florida, I will be moderating that debate. And as you know, Brooke, 8:00 p.m. Eastern, only here on CNN, the Republican candidates will face off once again. We will have some good questions for them then -- Brooke.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf Blitzer, thank you very much.
Here we go. Let's roll on to hour two. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: It's the four-letter word that could make or break the Obama presidency, jobs. We're three hours away now from the big reveal on Capitol Hill. I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can't stop it.
BALDWIN (voice-over): Get out now. That is the urgent warning to thousands across the Northeast as rivers rise and floods threaten.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sometimes, it's overwhelming.
BALDWIN: We will take you to a place where 65,000 people are being forced to leave by tonight.
Did Texas execute an innocent man?
PERRY: Willingham was a monster.
BALDWIN: As Rick Perry defends his record, a closer look at one case reveals serious flaws.
PERRY: Go look at the facts and you will find that this was an incredibly bad man who murdered his kids.
BALDWIN: CNN investigates.
Plus, perhaps the most powerful group in Washington right now begins work. The so-called super committee will soon decide what gets cut and who gets spared.
And for 30 years, these chimps were locked in cages used for medical testing. This is the very first time they have ever seen daylight. Kristin Bauer from HBO's "True Blood" is defending chimps on Capitol Hill. She joins me live.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BALDWIN: I'm Brooke Baldwin. Check your clocks here. Three hours away from the president's jobs address. Mr. Obama addressing a joint session of Congress and of course, you, the American people. Let me take you quickly back to his Labor Day speech from Monday in Detroit. He was talking about congressional Republicans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You say you are the party of tax cuts? Well, then prove you will fight just as hard for tax cuts for middle-class families as you do for oil companies and the most affluent Americans. Show us what you got.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Joining us now from Washington, chief political analyst Gloria Borger.
And, Gloria, would it surprise you tonight if we see the president guns blazing, marching up to Capitol Hill picking a fight with the Republicans, who, by the way, control the chamber he will be speaking from?
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think what we will see tonight really, Brooke, is more of a challenge from the president to the Republican Party.
He's going to say to them, look, where really we have problems in this country with the economy, here are my solutions to get people back to work. Some of them, you Republicans have signed on to before. So why not join me now this time because we need to fix this and get the job numbers better?
And so he's going to lay down the gauntlet and try and be the reasonable person in the room. So I don't think he's going to chide them as much as say to them, you know what, guys, OK, I'm doing this. Now the ball is in your court.
And I talked to a senior White House adviser who said to me today, look, once we put the ball in their court, if they don't want to take it, then they have to go to the American people and explain why.
BALDWIN: So, if he's putting the ball in their court, tonight, though who is he speaking to chiefly? Is he speaking to members of Congress or is he speaking the American people? Because as House Speaker Boehner suggested today, a lot of Americans, they just want their football tonight.
BORGER: Yes, they probably do want their football. But that's why this is early. Right? I think he's speaking to both audiences. Ronald Reagan was the president who really perfected this, speaking to Congress ostensibly, but really going over the heads of Congress directly to the American people. There's nothing that really focuses the conversation like an address to a joint session of Congress. So people are going to be watching. However, I might say this also does raise the stakes for the president, because if people watch this speech out in the country and they say this is the same old, same old, why aren't I hearing any new ideas, that could potentially backfire for him. So a very, very high- stakes speech tonight.
BALDWIN: You make a point in your column, CNN.com/opinions, that even as the president sees his approval ratings slip, Congress is off-the- charts unpopular. Looks at the numbers. You know them, its approval rating down to 13 percent in that NBC/"Wall Street Journal" poll, 14 percent by a poll conducted by CNN and Opinion Research Corporation.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Does that give the president -- I know you keep using the word challenge, challenge the Republicans. But does that give the president the license to get up there and wag his finger?
BORGER: Yes, he thinks it does, at least politically.
Look, the first rule of politics is if you're going to go pick on someone, pick on someone who is not doing as well as you are, pick on someone who is vulnerable. The Republicans right now are at a very, very low ebb. And the president understands, look, his popularity, by the way, is down, too, in the low 40 percent range.
Everybody got hurt by that debt ceiling fight. But he's going to pull a Harry Truman here. He's going to say, OK, folks, I have told you what I want to do to create jobs in this country. If you don't agree with me, then you tell me what you want to do. And if you don't have anything to suggest, then I'm going to run against the do-nothing Congress. That's Harry Truman.
BALDWIN: What does it tell you -- just looking ahead beyond tonight's speech, what does it tell you that the president is hitting the road tomorrow to push this plan he will be unveiling tonight and the number-one stop, Gloria Borger, he's making is the home turf of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor?
BORGER: Gee, what do you think about that, huh?
BALDWIN: What do you think about that?
BORGER: Yes, I think the game is on, Brooke. I think this is the election. I think it has started.
I think President Obama is using the bully pulpit. And we will see how it works for him in addressing a joint session of Congress. I think you're going to see a lot more of this president outside of Washington rather than trapped inside Washington. He's going to take his case to the American public because, guess what? He's running for reelection, and it's really starting tonight.
BALDWIN: Gloria Borger, thank you very much. BORGER: Sure.
BALDWIN: As I mentioned, you should all be reading Gloria's newest column. Just go to CNN.com/opinion to read that.
Still ahead, the fascinating video of chimps seeing daylight for the very first time. For three decades, they were kept in labs in cages. And the experiments they went through makes these moments right there even more heartbreaking.
Also, large parts of the Northeast right now on alert. Tens of thousands of people being told to get out, leave their homes as the rivers are rising. Coming up next, we will take you to a place where folks are picking up where they can, because tonight they have to be out. Mary Snow standing by for us live in Pennsylvania, she is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: The Susquehanna River is flooding Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, right now. Statewide, about 75,000 people had to leave their homes, evacuate.
It's also inundating parts of Upstate New York in places like Broome County. The fast-flowing river is forcing people out there as well -- 20,000 people have been ordered to evacuate as water is spilling over those flood walls. Look at how high that is. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo warning people to take this very seriously.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK: This is going to get much worse before it gets better. So anyone who is out there looking at the sky and saying it doesn't look so bad, you're mistaken. This will be a flood, I believe, of historic proportions when all is said and done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Governor Cuomo says he's going to ask for a federal disaster declaration today.
Now back to the worsening situation downriver, though.
Our Mary Snow had to evacuate, get to higher ground. There she is in front of some very muddy waters.
Mary, I know you were in Wilkes-Barre. I'm being told you're in Plymouth Township right now, which is one of the areas that is not protected by a levee, correct?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. We're about -- we're southwest of where we last were.
And I just want to show you, Brooke, you can see water for as far down about a half a mile. And here in Plymouth Township, there had been an evacuation order that went in earlier than other parts of the county. It was in effect last night. Let's take a look at this one home right now that is under several feet of water.
And joining us now is Francis Federici, the owner of the home.
Mr. Federici, you said that you decided last night to stay here. At what point did you know you had to get out?
FRANCIS FEDERICI, FLOOD VICTIM: At 8:00 this morning.
SNOW: What happened?
FEDERICI: The water started coming down into the road and into the backyard. And I just got my wife and told her, we have to go.
SNOW: You have been here for nine years. Have you ever seen it this bad?
FEDERICI: Not this bad. We have been flooded before, but not this bad.
SNOW: And you were telling me the fence right behind us is a six-foot fence.
FEDERICI: Yes, it is.
BALDWIN: Wow.
SNOW: Several feet of water. And this is only going to be getting worse?
FEDERICI: Exactly.
SNOW: Where are you going now? What happens?
FEDERICI: Well, we're going to stay at one of our children -- we have five children, and one of them has a home for us to go to.
SNOW: What are you expecting at this point? We were saying that the river is not expected to crest until tonight, right?
FEDERICI: Right. The worst.
SNOW: My condolences to you. Thank you for joining us. And good luck to you.
BALDWIN: Mary, let me jump in.
FEDERICI: Thank you.
SNOW: All right, hold on one second. We have one other question.
Go ahead, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Mary, let me just ask. Because I don't know what that area typically looks like. He said the fence is six feet. That looks like a guardrail. Is that supposed to be a road, or is that a creek or a river? Ask him what it on normal days looks like?
SNOW: On normal days, what does this look like? We're standing in front of a road, correct?
FEDERICI: On a normal day, it's -- we love it here. There's nobody around us. We had a beautiful yard. We were fixing our home up. And...
SNOW: And this would be a road right in front of us?
FEDERICI: This would be a road. There's about six feet of water, maybe from a couple hundred feet. That's six feet of water.
SNOW: And right behind me you said was also a road, correct?
FEDERICI: This is a road right here where this telephone pole is, right along here, Dehaven (ph) Street.
SNOW: Unbelievable.
Thank you for your time.
And, Brooke, we were talking to the county commissioner just a while ago. And the forecast for the river cresting is now between 12:00 and 2:00 a.m. It was backed up a little bit. So, again, the worst is yet to come.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Mary. It's Chad Myers. I assume that's as far as you can go, rather than maybe going up toward maybe Shawnee or somewhere and going a little bit farther, higher on the mountain to get over.
Have you been able to get down toward Nanticoke or any place farther into Plymouth to see how high the water is? Because we have another five feet to go yet before it stops going up.
SNOW: Right. No, we haven't been up there yet.
I was just talking to the county commissioner. I was mentioning it, and I was asking her about reports of flooding, and she did not have any to give me at the time. She is telling me though that the county has a capacity of 4,100 people in their shelters, and that they are nearing capacity and they're looking to open other shelters.
BALDWIN: OK. Mary, thank you.
Chad, I still have one question for you. You know, Mary had talked to the mayor of Wilkes-Barre. He said yes, he is concerned. The levee there has never quite been tested because of the river levels in the Susquehanna. Here, Plymouth Township, where your parents are from, there is no levee, correct?
MYERS: No. The water is going to right in there. The water is going to go all the way from Bull Run, right on down into Plymouth, down into Nanticoke. It's going to be in Shickshinny, it's going to be in West Nanticoke, for sure. Pittston, we know, is already flooded, and the water has five feet to go. It's going up five feet from where it is right now.
I am very concerned that the people of Wilkes-Barre right now believe that that levee is going to be high enough. I've been watching all the water upriver. That levee is not high enough by about five inches.
Water will pour over the top of that levee tonight. That wall will be wet, and water will get in -- I'm not going to say it's going to flood Wilkes-Barre all the way to the top, but water will be spilling over and into Wilkes-Barre.
If they have told you that it's your choice to evacuate, but we recommend you evacuate, I recommend you evacuate as well.
BALDWIN: Do it.
MYERS: The water up at Mashoppin (ph) is higher than they expected. It's still rising. It hasn't crested yet. That water has nine hours to go to crest in Wilkes-Barre. Wilkes-Barre is going to get wet.
BALDWIN: I can tell you know the area very, very well.
MYERS: I do.
BALDWIN: So hopefully, if you're fearful, get out now.
MYERS: Just go someplace else. Everybody has somebody they know. Just go up the hill. There's hills on both sides.
BALDWIN: Absolutely.
Chad, thank you very much.
MYERS: Sure.
BALDWIN: And now -- we were talking about this -- NASA has just tested this rocket motor that could be used to launch humans where they've never gone before. We'll have the video for you turned around. That is coming up.
But up next, chimps being used as science experiments. These particular animals reportedly injected with HIV, other diseases. And after decades in these lab cages, this new video shows them seeing daylight for the very first time.
Actress Kristin Bauer from HBO's "True Blood" will join me live, and she's speaking out against these types of experiments. She has a message for the government. She's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: They have only known this world behind bars, subjected to hundreds of experiments inside this lab. And then, after more than 30 years of this life, they see daylight for the very first time. Watch this.
These chimpanzees just tasting freedom. This is video. This is from an Austrian sanctuary.
For decades, these chimps reportedly had been injected with HIV to try to test for an AIDS vaccine since, if you didn't know, chimps actually share something like 95 to 98 percent of the same DNA as humans. But chimps also -- they feel and they emote as well.
And here in the U.S., there are about 1,000 chimps spending their lives in labs. In fact, legislation has been introduced to phase out research involving apes, calling it unethical.
Kristin Bauer is an actress. Maybe you recognize her from HBO's "True Blood." But she's also an animal activist.
And Kristin, nice to have you on here.
KRISTIN BAUER, ACTRESS & ACTIVIST: Thank you.
BALDWIN: I just want to get your visceral reaction to seeing those chimps tasting fresh air and grass and freedom for the first time.
BAUER: It's pretty incredible. And it makes me inspired to work even harder to get the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act passed.
I'm working with the PCRM, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, because I'd like to see this for all thousand chimps that we have in the U.S. We're the last country to still be doing these experiments that have yielded no advancement for humans.
BALDWIN: I know that you -- I just want to ask you a little bit as far as what you know about these labs and these cages. I know you've been working with, as you mentioned, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, the legislative fund, and you've also helped, along with New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, to save about 200 chimps from scientific experimentation.
Can you just describe some of these conditions inside these labs? I mean, how big are these cages?
BAUER: They're about the size of a kitchen table, and they're also in isolation. And they're also injected with so many different diseases and different experiments going on.
It's not actually a sound experiment. I liken it to if you were trying out different cancer treatments with people, but you put them in a closet and you didn't let them interact with other people. It wouldn't be a sound experiment.
You don't know what they're reacting to from stress and depression, because they react much like humans do, which, ironically, is why we use them. But their bodies don't develop proteins and diseases the way that ours do, so it doesn't really work. And it's extremely expensive.
And other countries, Japan, Europe, they stopped quite a while ago. We have other methods that are more accurate.
BALDWIN: When you see some of the pictures of the chimps sort of looking outside for the first time, it looks like some of them are missing maybe patches of hair. Perhaps that's one of the results.
BAUER: Yes, it is.
BALDWIN: But I know they've been in captivity for half their lives. I was reading details on the Jane Goodall Institute, and they say chimps in captivity can live up to 60 years. They haven't been exposed to human touch, reportedly injected with HIV to help find a vaccine.
But my question is, what then would you tell someone who could have a loved one, a friend benefit from this type of research?
BAUER: Well, you know, I've lost my best friend to AIDS and my father to cancer, and I have yet to hear of any advancement at all that would have helped my loved ones. And the advancements that we are finding are usually coming from other methods, because I think it's around 90 percent of the drugs and treatments that pass in animal trials fail when they get to the human trial phase.
So if it worked, we'd have another argument. Should one species be used for the benefit of another species to their detriment?
But we aren't even at that argument. It really hasn't been effective. And I just -- personally, I know there's a better way. And these chimps are -- have never seen daylight, have never felt grass under their feet.
BALDWIN: And then, of course, the next question is, will lawmakers make time for chimps and apes?
BAUER: Right.
BALDWIN: We'll wait and see.
Kristin Bauer, I know you're following it closely. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts.
BAUER: Thank you.
BALDWIN: I appreciate it.
BAUER: Yes.
(WEATHER REPORT)
BALDWIN: Coming up next here, a man in Texas executed for setting his house on fire with his three children inside. But many are questioning evidence in whether he actually did it. At the center of all of this, Texas Governor Rick Perry, who strongly defended his execution record and this particular case.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They found this man guilty every step of the way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Did Texas execute an innocent man? CNN investigates. Don't miss this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: In an election year, crime makes headlines, especially when the governor of Texas talks so bluntly about it. Take last night's GOP debate.
Question: "Governor, do you lose sleep thinking an innocent man might be put to death?"
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK PERRY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No, sir, I've never struggled with that at all. The state of Texas has a very thoughtful, a very clear process in place of which, when someone commits the most heinous of crimes against our citizens, they get a fair hearing. They go through an appellate process. They go up to the Supreme Court of the United States if that's required.
But in the state of Texas, if you come into our state and you kill one of our children, you kill a police officer, you're involved with another crime and you kill one of our citizens, you will face the ultimate justice in the state of Texas, and that is you will be executed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you make of --
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: I want you to take a look here at some of the statistics we've pulled. Texas has executed more people than any other state. Since Texas resumed executions back in 1982, that number now stands at 464 even though California and Florida have larger death row populations. Texas has four executions scheduled this month alone. But there is one execution that could haunt Governor Perry in this election. Here is Ed Lavandera.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Cameron Todd Willingham was executed seven years ago, convicted of setting his house on fire to kill his three children. His appeals, including to the Supreme Court, repeatedly denied. Texas Governor Rick Perry signed off on the execution.
PERRY: Willingham was a monster. LAVANDERA: Just before Willingham's death, a nationally known fire expert studying the arson investigation found it horribly flawed, that the original investigators had relied on outdated arson science. Willingham supporters asked the governor to halt the execution. Perry refused.
PERRY: We have a system in this state that has followed the procedures, and they found this man guilty every step of the way.
LAVANDERA (on camera): Cameron Todd Willingham's execution still haunts Rick Perry. The question is, not only did Texas execute an innocent man, but did Perry use his power to try to shut down a potentially embarrassing investigation into how Willingham was convicted? If there was no arson, Willingham would not have been executed.
STEVE SALOOM, INNOCENCE PROJECT: If this case went to trial today, I can't see any way that Willingham would be convicted. I can't see any way that a prosecutor would bring this course forward today.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): The Innocence Project brought Willingham's case to an obscure state agency called the Texas Forensic Science Commission, which started looking into whether bad arson investigative techniques were used to convicted Willingham.
SAM BASSETT, FORMER DIRECTOR, TEXAS FORENSIC SCIENCE COMMISSION: The science was indeed junk science.
LAVANDERA: Sam Basset was head of the commission. He said he was called into a heated meeting with two governor's aides and was told the investigation was a waste of state money.
BASSETT: I couldn't believe they were injecting themselves into the commission business so directly and so confrontationally.
LAVANDERA (on camera): You got the sense clearly they wanted to influence the outcome, I guess?
BASSETT: Yes, that was my sense, that they wanted us to stop the investigation.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): The commission kept working. More fire experts agreed the investigation relied on junk science. Seven months later Bassett says he was suddenly told he was not being reappointed because the governor wanted to take the commission in a different direction.
BASSETT: I've seen kind of an analyst drumbeat of strategies and actions to stop this investigation. It's been terribly disappointing.
LAVANDERA (on camera): Why do you think you were taken off this commission?
BASSETT: It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this was a situation that the governor's office clearly did not want us to conclude. LAVANDERA: Perry has denied Sam Bassett's removal was politically motivated and the governor remains as unwavering today as he was two years ago in his opinion that Willingham deserved to be executed.
PERRY: Go look at the facts and you will find this is an incredibly bad man who murdered his kids and the record will stand the scrutiny.
LAVANDERA: More than two years later the Cameron Todd Willingham investigation is still stalled and nobody can say for sure if Texas executed an innocent man.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Austin, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Well, Governor Perry is campaigning in orange county, California. We'll look at that and see if capital punishment issues surfaced there as well.
Coming up, first the White House cuts its economic forecast. Now another group is doing the same. And it's not so pretty.
Plus, Twitter revealing some pretty interesting information today about who is tweeting. Will it change how we communicate in the future?
And more than two years after Michael Jackson's death, for the very first time his doctor is facing people who could decide his fate. We're going to take you live to Los Angeles. Reporter Roulette is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Jury selection begins in the case against Michael Jackson's doctor, and Twitter reveals some pretty interesting information about who is reading tweets. Let's play Reporter Roulette. First up Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange. We know the market just closed. Looking at the numbers, it was a down day today, the Dow dropping 119 points. But Alison, with Wall Street as the backdrop, we got two more opinions with the economy, the fact it's weak. What is the story?
ALISON KOSIK, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, these are stunning outlooks. One from the OECD, that's Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, cutting its growth forecast for the rest of the year, saying for the U.S. this quarter, it sees the U.S. growing at a 1.1 percent pace. But for the months between October and December of this year the economy is forecasted to just grow at 0.4 percent. That is anemic.
And a few months ago the forecast was for three percent growth. Then you have the Federal Reserve using words like "slow," "subdued," "sluggish" to describe the U.S. economy. And at this point, the Fed is saying, you know what, Congress, we're throwing the ball in your court to step up. But the Fed also is warning today, the Fed chief Ben Bernanke, I'm talking about, is warning that Congress could put recovery at risk by cutting spending too much too soon. And all this is the reason all eyes will be on the president at 7:00.
BALDWIN: Alison, you've been tweeting up a storm about this next story, about Twitter fittingly. How big has Twitter become? What's the number you're seeing?
KOSIK: Twitter is growing quite well. This is coming from "All Things D," Brooke. The CEO of Twitter said that 40 percent of active users, they don't even create their own tweets. They just read other people's tweets, meaning they creep on other people's tweets.
Also many people aren't even logged on to Twitter.com when they go there. So these are just kind of browsers at this point. As for how many people actually use Twitter, 100 million active monthly users. That's how many people are on Twitter. That's a really big number.
If you think back to all the news events we had, the CEO said on a recent Sunday with hurricane Irene, Manchester United's win, Beyonce's pregnancy announcement, there were a record 8,900 tweets per second.
BALDWIN: It's amazing that we need to document our every move on Twitter, but it's awesome for us to use in the news biz. How about we call the creepers "tweepers"?
LAVANDERA: I do like that. I put on that you tweeted that to me. I love that.
BALDWIN: Alison Kosik, I'm communicating, to I'm not a tweeper, nor are you. Thank you very much.
Next here on Reporter Roulette, jury selection has begun in the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor. Ted Rowlands is live for us in Los Angeles. And Ted, Dr. Conrad Murray faces involuntary man slaughter here in the death of the pop star. What happened today in court?
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One thing that happened today, the judge told these prospective jurors don't be tweeting about this case and don't use social networking. Don't use research at all.
This was the first day of bringing in the masses. About 160 came in today. First they were given a short questionnaire asking if they were able to serve four to six weeks. Those that could, they were given the long questionnaire. This is the beginning of the process, whittling it down to stand and decide the fate of Conrad Murray.
BALDWIN: Ted, what kind of questions are these jurors being asked?
ROWLANDS Well, it's exhaustive, the questionnaire. One of the questions on the other questionnaire that was approved in the spring, and we're told this one is very, very similar, was have you seen "This is It," the Michael Jackson documentary? If so, why did you see it? What are your thoughts on it?
We're also told there's a question on this new questionnaire about Casey Anthony? Did you watch that trial? To what extent did you watch that trial? They want to know as much as they can, and then they'll go in and try to pick and choose which one they think will help them out.
BALDWIN: Interesting. Ted Rowlands, thank you so much in Los Angeles.
Next, Homeland Security says chatter ahead of jihadist websites is starting to build ahead of this weekend's 9/11 anniversary. Still ahead, what they're doing to keep Americans safe.
Also, for the very first time we're hearing the reaction in real time that the actual air traffic controllers, the communications they had to the news of the hijacked planes. You'll hear that audio next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: As we mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11 this upcoming weekend, every single one of us remembering back to where we were on that day, what we saw, how we heard that our nation was under attack. And today for the very first time we're also hearing that the reaction in real time that the actual air traffic controllers had to the news of those hijacked planes.Listen to this rerecording. It was released by the FAA as controllers watched United 175 descend into World Trade Center.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you look out your window right now, can you see about 4,000 feet? It looks like --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I see him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is he descending through the building also?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really quick, too, yes. He just dropped 800 feet in one sweep.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's another situation. What kind of a plane is that? Can you tell?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. I'll read it out in a minute.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Another one just hit the building.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow, wow. It hit it hard.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Another one hit the World Trade.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole building just came apart.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy smokes. I guess you guys are going to be busy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Gives you the chills, doesn't it? You can hear more of the air traffic control audio in Drew Griffin's special report "Footnotes of 9/11" that airs this Sunday night 9:00 Eastern on CNN. And if it's interesting and happening right now, you're about to see it rapid fire. We begin with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano telling reporters there is no information about a specific threat ahead of this weekend's 9/11 anniversary.
The secretary says intelligence agencies are monitoring what she is calling a lot of chatter. Napolitano says her agency is taking the chatter very, very seriously. She adds that it's not uncommon to see increased chatter before a major event like this one.
You remember when top French fashion house Christian Dior fired designer John Galliano over his anti-Semitic rant? In case you forgot, here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you blond?
JOHN GALLIANO, FORMER FASHION DESIGNER: No, but I love Hitler. People like you will be dead today, your mothers, your forefathers will (inaudible) and dead.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have a problem?
GALLIANO: With you? You're ugly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don't want people? You don't want peace in the world?
GALLIANO: Met with people who are ugly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Well, Galliano was found guilty today of making public insults at a bar in Paris. He received a suspended $8,400 fine with no jail time. The plaintiffs didn't walk away empty handed. They were each eye warded one symbolic euro. That's about a buck 40 apiece. Galliano says he is happy it's over and he wants to put all this behind him.
And it's not every day you get to see fire and water look this good. This is too cool. That fireball is actually a pro surfer, 31- year-old Bruce Irons attached the flare to the back of the surfboard just for fun. It turned the tubes into tunnels of light. Afterward, he said, and I quote, "I'm pretty stoked."
It could be the most powerful group of lawmakers right now in Washington. These people will be the ones deciding what gets cut and who might lose a job. And one member of the so-called "Super Committee" is already threatening to quit. That's next.
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BALDWIN: The first meeting today of this congressional "Super Committee." We've talked about the "Super Committee." It's six senators, six House members evenly split among the Democrats and Republicans.
What they're charged with is finding $1.5 trillion in federal debt reduction. You know why they're there in the first place because Congress and the president couldn't agree to a balance between taxes and spending cuts. They just pushed the job off on the "Super Committee." So can they be the adults here, make some cuts. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SENATOR PATTY MURRAY (D), CO-CHAIR, JOINT SUPER COMMITTEE: This committee has the opportunity to show the American people we can still come together, put politics aside and solve a problem that's plaguing our country. We each got into politics for a different reason, but I'm quite certain none of us came here to engage in the kind of petty bickering that has been dominating the discourse in Washington, D.C. recently.
REPRESENTATIVE JEB HENSARLING (R), CO-CHAIR, JOINT SUPER COMMITTEE: I approach our task with a profound sense of urgency, high hopes and realistic expectations. Our task to achieve $1.5 trillion of bipartisan deficit reduction will not be easy, but it is essential.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So day one of the "Super Committee" and they have a late November deadline. By the way, Republican Jon Kyl in the upper left of the graphic, he is threatening already to quit this committee, says he will quit if they consider further cuts in the military.
I'm sure Wolf Blitzer will be talking about this among other issues in "THE SITUATION ROOM" coming up. Wolf, what do you have?
WOLF BLITZER, THE SITUATION ROOM: A lot coming up, getting ready for the president's major address, 7:00 p.m. Eastern, as you know, before a joint session of Congress.
We'll get a preview from one of the top economic advisors, Gene Sperling. He's standing by live. We'll speak to him. We'll speak with a key representative from South Dakota who's very active in the Tea Party Movement. Christy Nome is going to be joining us.
She's got a very different perspective. I'll get her reaction and see where the Tea Party supporters stand on some of the specifics the president will unveil. There's no doubt that there's an urgency that the president will convey later tonight an urgency to try to get the economy going once again so more jobs can be created.
As important, Brooke, as the political fallout from all of this is, the economic fallout for real Americans, the 14 million who are unemployed, the millions more who are underemployed, have part-time jobs or jobs where they're making a lot less than they used to make or those who have just simply given up even looking for jobs, it's all really, really critical.
We'll see if the president can inspire Democrats and Republicans to work together in the coming weeks and pass this legislation. We'll see what happens. I think it's fair to say, and I'm sure you will agree, the stakes now for the country -- forget about the politics are enormous.
BALDWIN: Took the words right out of my mouth, very high stakes. We'll be watching starting, of course, 5:00 with "THE SITUATION ROOM." Mr. Blitzer, thank you very much.
Still here, how much power does the Tea Party Movement have? It's a question many are asking as Republicans duke it out on the campaign trail. But new polls indicate the movement may be losing popularity? Joe Johns has that. He's next.
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BALDWIN: They are passionate. They are organized, and they're certainly getting a lot of attention. They're the members of the Tea Party Movement.
But the question is this, how much influence was the group of Republicans -- how much does it have on the Republicans running for president or the national agenda. This is part of our "Contenders" Series." Joe Johns takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the Republican race for president, everybody wants a piece of the Tea Party these days. Rick Perry talks like a man who's already in the club.
GOVERNOR RICK PERRY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have heard people say, you Tea Party types, you all are angry. We're not angry. We're indignant.
JOHNS: Michele Bachmann talks like an insider too.
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The Tea Party has been the best antidote to the out of control spending that we have seen. Rather than dissing the Tea Party, we should be praising the Tea Party.
JOHNS: Ron Paul was Tea Party before there was a Tea Party.
REP. RON PAUL (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Why don't we just obey the constitution once again? That would solve so many of our problems.
JOHNS: While Mitt Romney sounds more like a guy who's on the outside trying to get in.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm devoted to shrinking the size of government and encouraging the growth of the free economy. I think I'd get great support from the Tea Party.
JOHNS: This would be the first presidential election to witness the effects of the Tea Party Movement. So far, the movement's biggest idea, that the government and its spending need to be scaled back now have dominated the national political conversation.
MATT KIBBE, FREEDOM WORKS: Those are the issues that are not just animating the Republican primary. I actually think they're defining the concerns of Americans right in the middle of the political spectrum today.
JOHNS: True, but it's mostly about the Republican contenders right now and everybody knows it. Though, Tea Partiers don't like all of what they see. Mitt Romney's state-run health care program when he was governor of Massachusetts looks a bit too much like the president's health care plan for many.
Rick Perry's moderate record on immigration is a potential drag on his Tea Party support. And many mainstream Republicans question Michele Bachman's potential to pull off a win in a general election.
And speaking of questions, while the Tea Party Movement has been great for Republican energy, it has also produced candidates so unorthodox that voters eventually rejected them. Think Christine O'Donnell in Delaware.
That's where they get labeled extreme though they say what's extreme is the result if we don't get the government under control. Senator Mike Lee was elected with strong Tea Party support.
SENATOR MIKE LEE (R), UTAH: It's a reaction to extreme circumstances that exist within our federal government, again, $15 trillion debt, extreme. Increasing debt, accelerating it at a rate of $1.5 trillion a year, that's extreme.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: So Joe Johns, we know the polls say that the Tea Partiers lost popularity after the bickering, fight on Capitol Hill over the debt ceiling. What do they say about that?
JOHNS: Well, they say everybody did, but they also called this the price of leadership because they took some unpopular positions. Now they're going to pay. Still it could, Brooke, when you think about it, be an early warning sign for problems for Tea Partiers in advance of next November's election.
BALDWIN: Joe Johns, thank you very much from Washington. We're going to keep it in Washington as we keep in mind we are two hours away from the president's address to a joint session of Congress talking jobs. Fourteen million Americans unemployed, a lot of you will be watching closely. Wolf Blitzer is all over it. "THE SITUATION ROOM" starts right now.
