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President Obama Pushes Jobs Plan; Republicans Prepare for Presidential Debate; A Visit to the Zoo; Interview with Mark Jacobs

Aired September 12, 2011 - 14:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: We are now just six hours away from an American political first, the first CNN/Tea Party debate among Republicans who want President Obama's job.

This is also the day President Obama sends his job creation plan to Congress, where Republicans are promising to think about it. But that's about all.

Less than a week after he lobbied for the American Jobs Act in a State of the Union-type address, Mr. Obama showed off the actual legislation in a speech from the White House Rose Garden today. It is $447 billion worth of tax breaks and new federal spending which the White House says would be more than offset elsewhere in the budget.

It would deepen and extend the existing payroll tax cut for employers and employees. It would pump $60 billion into infrastructure projects and $25 billion into school repairs; $49 billion would go for unemployment benefits, now capped in many states at 99 weeks.

Already, Republicans are balking at anything that smells like stimulus. So the president wants to go over lawmakers' heads, maybe literally.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We can't afford these same political games, not now. So I want you to pick up the phone, I want you to send an e-mail, use one of those airplane sky writers.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: Dust off the fax machine, or you can just like write a letter.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: So long as you get the message to Congress. Send me the American Jobs Act, so I can sign it into law. Let's get something done. Let's put this country back to work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: My colleague Don Lemon is hard at work in Tampa, Florida, where the GOP presidential contenders are gathering for tonight's debate and where there is plenty of feedback on job growth. Of course, President Obama, there is feedback as well, tax cuts. Don, I could go on and on. Tell us what you're hearing from the Tea Party folks about the president's jobs plan today.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm sure, Randi, that you can guess, especially when it comes to the people who are associated with the Tea Party, Tea Party voters, Tea Party candidates, what they care about, they say, money, jobs. That's really what their platform is. They deal in money. That's what they say. Social issues, not so much.

What they're saying is, is that they hope it works. I think that's what most Americans are saying, is that they hope it works but again there others that have said we have heard this before, we have had a stimulus before that they believe didn't work.

And they don't believe that this, what is it, $447 billion in incentives now and tax breaks for businesses, they're not sure it's going to work. They want to know not only from the president, but from the people who are going to be on this stage tonight what their exact plan is. They don't want people to speak in platitudes.

But as far as what the president said about jobs today, they say they hope it works. They say they have heard it from him before, quite frankly but they're not sure if what he is proposing is going to work, Randi.

KAYE: Yes. Of course, the president is talking about his jobs plan but Rick Perry and Mitt Romney are talking a whole lot more about Social Security. Isn't that true?

LEMON: Oh, yes, they are. And Wolf Blitzer is just wrapping up an interview now with Tim Pawlenty, who was in the race, and talking about that as well.

Yes, but Social Security, it's a big deal, especially when it comes to Romney and Perry. And there was a flyer that was passed out here yesterday, all this weekend -- I should say Saturday and Sunday -- was passed out here really sort of comparing the two and their stances on Social Security.

And it was distributed by the Romney campaign, the Romney campaign, who believe that Rick Perry really, really made a mistake, stuck his foot in his mouth when he made the comment at the last debate about Social Security being a Ponzi scheme.

And then of course, Randi, you know about what he wrote today in "USA Today."

KAYE: Yes. It seemed as though he was sort of backing off it because he didn't even use the word Ponzi in that op-ed in "USA Today," Don. But given Perry's dominance in the polls that we're seeing, maybe that whole Ponzi scheme idea was working for him.

LEMON: Well, I don't know. It could be working for him. If you listen to the people here, which is a small fraction of the voters of the electorate and then it's also a fraction of the Republican Party, if you listen to them, they say absolutely it's about time that somebody came clean and spoke out about Social Security.

Now, using the term Ponzi scheme, they weren't so sure about it. but here's the interesting thing, especially when it comes to what's going to happen on that stage tonight. There are a whole lot of quotes and even in this book you hear about what Rick Perry said about Social Security. Some people said -- some people believe from his book and from what he's been saying that he thought it shouldn't even exist in the beginning, that he thought it should be abolished.

But if you look at the op-ed, if you look at what he wrote in "USA Today," I think it's important to point out, because he said, "The first step to fixing a problem is honestly admitting that there's a problem, fixing a problem, because America's goals must be to fix Social Security by making it more financially sound and sustainable for the long term."

That's the first time that we have ever heard him talking about fixing Social Security, about fixing Social Security, rather than saying, hey, it's a Ponzi scheme or it never should have taken place or it should be abolished. So that is a I wouldn't say subtle change in tone. I think it's a huge change in tone, because now he's talking about fixing it.

KAYE: Yes. I think you're right there. Don Lemon in Tampa, Don, thank you so much. Nice to see you.

And don't forget you can see tonight's CNN Tea Party Republican debate right here on CNN at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 5:00 Pacific, only on CNN.

Now let's check some other developing stories. Europe is the big concern on Wall Street right now. Stocks have been falling most of the day over fear Greece could be moving closer to default. Also, Reuters reports that the top banks in France could be facing a possible credit downgrade from the ratings agency Moody's. Right now you see there the Dow is down 146 points.

CNN has confirmed that actor Andy Whitfield has died. You know him from TV's "Spartacus: Blood and Sand," seen here, where he played the famed gladiator. According to "The New York Times," the 39-year-old passed away on Sunday in Sydney, Australia from Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He leaves behind a wife, two children, and a sister.

President John Kennedy during his time of crisis, thoughts about Lyndon Johnson, Jacqueline Kennedy's intimate thoughts -- her revealing audiotapes coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: We are getting an intimate, personal look at Jacqueline Kennedy, who was fiercely private. Just months after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Mrs. Kennedy gave a candid and poignant interview about her husband and their time at the White House. Her conversations with part of a seven-part interview done in 1964 by longtime aide Arthur Schlesinger Jr. as an oral record of history.

The tapes were sealed by the Kennedy Library, but audio and transcripts of those interviews will be released in a book later this month.

Presidential Carl Sferrazza Anthony joins me now by telephone to talk about this.

Carl, ABC News gave I guess what you might call a sneak peek of these fascinating accounts, What Jackie says during those interviews are pretty revealing about her husband's presidency. From what you have been able to look at, what strikes you most about these tapes and these interviews?

CARL SFERRAZZA ANTHONY, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Well, I think it's going to be certainly -- one of the great strengths that Jackie Kennedy had as first lady and one upon which in the course of the years of interviews that I did with many people who worked with her in the administration they always pointed out was that oftentimes she was -- it was not policy of her husband's that she was expert at as much as it was assessing with, as Schlesinger said, a ruthless judgment the character and the quality, the intelligence, and the honesty of in that day and age men exclusively with whom her husband interacted, whether they were Cabinet members, Vice President Johnson, civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King, but also heads of state like Charles de Gaulle and Macmillan and Khrushchev.

KAYE: According to "The New York Times" -- I'm glad you brought up Charles de Gaulle, because according to "The New York Times," she calls the French president an egomaniac.

Does it surprise you to hear her speaking so candidly and so openly?

ANTHONY: No, not at all.

And it's so fascinating to me because, you know, the way we all perceive news and people in the news, you know, photographs are sometimes where we think we get our news and they can be very misleading. And of course Jackie was quite expert in using nonverbal cues.

So one had thought -- many people thought for years and years and years that she was a great admirer of his. I will never forget I had a -- when I worked on one of my books and she actually helped me with and she made a remark there. She said, one of the things that galled me was when people said, oh, you spoke French so well, you know so much history, you couldn't possibly be American.

She never identified who that was. And I always suspected that she was talking about Charles de Gaulle, but was too discreet to say to.

KAYE: Let me ask you about something that she said about her husband. She talked about President Kennedy as a loving father, playing with his children, saying -- quote -- "He loved those children tumbling around him in this sort of sensual is the only way that I can think of it."

Now, she used the word sensual. Does that strike you as odd?

ANTHONY: No, because to somebody like her, who really was in love with the world of words, somebody who really made an effort to strive and find the right word to capture something, I think when you look at pictures and film, and you see that because of his back he was oftentimes unable to bend down or crouch down to hold these little kids, and so, you know, he would oftentimes show that affection in touching their face or kissing their forehead.

And so sensual in the sense of tactile with his hands, because he wanted to, you know, with the power of touch show these kids how much he did, in fact, love them, even though he was oftentimes so busy as one might imagine with a father as president.

KAYE: And just very quickly, in terms of these conversations and tapes, what do you think that we will be left with? What will this finally tell us that maybe we didn't know about Jackie Kennedy?

ANTHONY: Well, I think what it will finally prove to people I think who have been skeptical in the past when this has been written is her absolutely unique political form of contribution -- or unique form of political contribution to the administration.

Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Clinton were more involved in policy, Mrs. Reagan more about watching her husband. But Jackie Kennedy was really an astute observer. And she used those observations in very telling and crucial bits of advice and suggestion to her husband on everything from personnel at the Pentagon to the way he opened a speech.

KAYE: It's going to be fascinating to listen to these and read much more about them.

Carl Sferrazza Anthony, always a pleasure to have you on. Thank you for your expertise.

And coming up, Rick Perry tops our new poll of GOP contenders. So what's the secret to his not-so-sudden success? We will go in-depth next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: CNN this week is going in-depth on Rick Perry.

The Texas governor has energized the Republican race for the White House and jumped right to the top of the polls. Take a look it at the new CNN/ORC poll just released this morning. Perry way out in front there over the former front-runner, Mitt Romney.

But while Perry is out front, you have to ask the question, are people supporting him just because they like him or because they just are not wowed by maybe anyone else in the race? And do they really know him? After all, he's only been in the race for a short time.

Our Ed Lavandera takes a closer look at the governor and his message.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sometimes your instincts tell you when a man is right for the job. ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wearing chaps and riding a horse. This was Rick Perry's first state-wide political ad back in 1990.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will tell you a great story.

LAVANDERA: Legendary Texas political consultant Bill Miller remembers women posting pictures of Perry in chaps in offices all over Austin. He knew then Rick Perry had the "it" factor.

BILL MILLER, POLITICAL CONSULTANT: He's a good-looking guy. When you meet him, you get a vitality and energy off of him that you'll feel, which will surprise you.

LAVANDERA: So Miller isn't surprised to see Perry rocket to the top of the polls for the Republican presidential nomination. He credits Perry's risk taking like joining the Tea Party Movement early.

MILLER: We didn't know where it was going or how it will play out. So he's a risk taker, but a smart one because the bets he makes paid off well for him politically.

LAVANDERA: Harold Cook is another veteran political consultant in Austin. He knows a thing or two about crafting political messages. He says Perry has a great narrative, but he hasn't lock up the nomination yet.

HAROLD COOK, POLITICAL CONSULTANT: If you hope to knock Perry down as a Republican opponent, you're going to have to get in the middle of his own jobs narratives. You're going to have to knock it down a couple of notches. The notches are there to knock. They just haven't tried yet.

LAVANDERA: Cook is a Democrat and he wouldn't let an opportunity slip by without trying to burst the Rick Perry phenomenon bubble.

COOK: As easy as Perry is to underestimate, it is also kind of easy to overestimate Perry. He is not some magic monolith of a campaign here. Since 1994, the only thing you've had to do as a Republican in Texas to win your election is to avoid being the Democrat.

LAVANDERA: Rick Perry is also used to being the front-runner. He's always held the lead and he's comfortable in front of crowds. He was a yell leader kind of like a male cheerleader at Texas A&M University.

MILLER: So all that, in a weird kind of way helps him and I think makes him a better politician, a better campaigner and certainly by all accounts he is as good as campaigner as anyone seen down here in our lifetime.

LAVANDERA: But there's still months left in this race. Rick Perry can't ride off in to the sunset as the Republican nominee just yet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: And Ed Lavandera joins us now. Ed, how much do you think Perry's recent successes does he really owe to the Tea Party, would you say?

LAVANDERA: Well, I think that's an interesting question, because if you look back at the last five or six years where Rick Perry has been politically here in Texas, in the 2006 gubernatorial election here in Texas, he won. It was basically a three-way race. He didn't even get 40 percent of the vote, yet he was still able to win.

In 2010, he went up against Kay Bailey Hutchison, who at the time senator, one of the most popular Republican politicians here in this state. He was supposed to lose. And then along came this Tea Party and as you heard Bill Miller in that piece talk about, he latched onto that movement early. Whether or not the Tea Party helped him or he just saw it and had the political kind of thermometer there and then having the right pulse and understanding exactly what to latch onto, he grabbed onto it early and it's helped out tremendously.

KAYE: Yes. It certainly seems that way. I know you will be watching the debate tonight and see how he performs along with us, 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN. Ed Lavandera, thank you so much.

Students in Maine are having a tough time with math and reading. Almost one-third not up to grade-level standards. One school district thinks that iPads are the solution. Find out who's getting them next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: A school district in Maine has a unique approach this year to helping kids learn math and reading. Could an iPad for every kindergartner be the answer?

Our Elizabeth Cohen takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(SINGING)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a big day in Mrs. McCarthy's kindergarten class at Fairview School.

KELLY MCCARTHY, KINDERGARTEN TEACHER: What time do you think it is?

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Lunchtime.

MCCARTHY: Not lunchtime. What do you think it is?

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: IPad time.

(SHOUTING)

MCCARTHY: IPad time.

COHEN: Today, these kids are getting their own iPads.

MCCARTHY: Thumbs on top. COHEN: The Auburn, Maine, school district spent more than $200,000 to outfit every one of its 250 kindergartners with the tablets and a sturdy case to protect them. They believe they're the first public school district in the country to give every kindergartner an iPad.

Mrs. McCarthy says the iPads give her 19 students more immediate feedback and individual attention than she ever could.

MCCARTHY: As much as you would love to, as a person, be able to get to everybody right away and individualize what they are doing, sometimes you can't.

COHEN: 40 percent of the third graders here in Auburn are not reading at great level. The superintendent, Katy Grondin, says the goal is to fix that.

KATY GRONDIN, SUPERINTENDENT: We put a stake in the ground that our kindergarten classes, from here on out, by the time they reach third grade and leave third grade, that 90 percent of those students are meeting benchmarks.

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: You have to shake it around like that.

Eww.

COHEN: There's no question these kids love their iPads. Maybe a little too much, some might say. A study done last year shows kids with too much computer time are more likely to have psychological problems. Some experts worry too much screen time takes them away from reality and away from face time with other kids and teachers.

The school district says they are making sure that doesn't happen.

MCCARTHY: We're going to really make sure they are outside playing, that they are interacting with each other, they are interacting with adults, besides using the tool that we're giving them.

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Doug has a hat.

COHEN: Soon, they'll find out if the iPads help or hurt when they test the kindergartners' reading and math skills in November.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: And Elizabeth Cohen joins us here now in studio.

So I guess I'm curious what the parents think of this.

COHEN: Some of the parents love these iPads and they think it's really helped their children's math and writing. And others say, wait a minute, $200,000 for iPads. Like, philosophically, shouldn't that money be spent on teachers?

You heard Ms. McCarthy say there's one of her and 19 students. Well, $200,000 would have gotten her some assistant teachers, right?

KAYE: Are they at all concerned about what they might get into or start looking at on the iPads?

(CROSSTALK)

COHEN: They police that pretty strictly. So the kids -- not that they would necessarily know how, although 5-year-olds are pretty amazing these days. But they can't just like go on their Facebook -- right, they can't just go on Facebook or start tweeting.

(CROSSTALK)

KAYE: Yes.

What about psychologists? What do they say about this? Because I don't even know what psychologists think about adult usage of something like this. These kids could get hooked.

COHEN: Right.

Psychologists are -- they sort of are in disagreement. Some of them say we shouldn't worry about this. And others say, look, iPads is very fast-moving. There's constant stimulation. And so it makes it more difficult for kids to handle the rest of the world, which is kind of more slow and boring. And their brains are sponges and it kind of forms their brain to want everything to be fast, fast, fast.

KAYE: Yes.

COHEN: And I definitely -- I can say -- I have a kindergartner. And I will say that when she gets on like an iTouch and an iPad, it's hard to get that thing away from her. Her brain really likes that kind of pace.

And just sitting and talking or playing with a toy, she's not quite as interested in.

KAYE: Yes. It's so funny that that generation, they are so used to just jumping online and looking things up, instead of the old- fashioned way, the way you and I used to actually do it.

COHEN: But they're used to these graphics that just move constantly. They're not used to sort of reading a book necessarily or sort of doing a jigsaw puzzle. They want things to go.

(CROSSTALK)

KAYE: Yes. The old days of encyclopedias, that's out the window, dictionaries out the window. Just grab the iPad.

COHEN: Nah, forget it. We are old, yes, right.

(LAUGHTER)

KAYE: All right, Elizabeth, thank you very much.

COHEN: Thanks.

KAYE: Appreciate that.

Well, we had him on last week. Remember the amazing 61-year-old Vietnam vet who was the oldest college football player ever? Well, he made even more history this weekend. We will show you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back. It's about half past the hour. Let's get you caught up on some news that you might have are missed.

President Obama stepped into the White House Rose Garden to make a pitch for his $447 billion job creation plan earlier today. He called the plan a commonsense blueprint threatened by politics and announced that he's sending the bill to Capitol Hill tonight. House Speaker John Boehner promises the House will consider the plan.

The Dow right now -- take a look here along with me -- down 139 points as investors continue to struggle with a new wave of anxiety over the possibility that Greece will default on its debts. Adding to the jitters, France's top banks could be facing a credit downgrade from ratings agency Moody's. That's according from Reuters. Traders fear a downgrade announcement could be issued at any moment, as a window for a review comes to a close.

Bank of America plans to cut 30,000 jobs as part of a plan to save $5 billion. B-of-A says a significant portion of the reduction will occur through attrition and the elimination of unfilled positions. The bank had already announced earlier that it would cut 6,000 jobs this year. Shares of B-of-A rose 1.3 percent in the morning trading.

Now an update on the Texas wildfires. Evacuees in and around Bastrop, Texas, will start going home today if they have a home to go to. The wildfire has burned more than 1,500 homes near Austin. Two people were found dead in a burned-out neighborhood last week. Six are unaccounted for, but officials hope that they're on vacation or maybe even staying with friends.

A truck bomb carrying more than 1,500 pounds of explosives injured 77 U.S. troops and killed at least two civilians in Afghanistan over the weekend. The attack, which occurred on the eve of the 10th anniversary of al Qaeda's 9/11 attack on the U.S., left a large crater at the site that could be 20-feet deep according to an official who asked not to be identified. The injured U.S. troops are all expected to return to duty.

The police chief at the center of a brutality controversy has extended his medical leave for another 30 days. Fullerton, California, Police Chief Michael Sellers' move comes amid calls for criminal charges to be filed against six officers involved in the brutal beating of Kelly Thomas, six allegedly involved.

As we have told you in our extensive reporting on this story, Thomas was a 37-year-old homeless schizophrenic. He died five days after his beating in July. Two city council members have called on Sellers to resign over what they say was a failure to provide full details to the public. They also say information has been withheld from them, including surveillance video of Thomas' struggle with the officers.

Alan Moore made history twice this weekend. The 61-year-old Vietnam vet wasn't just the oldest college football player ever, but take a look at video from Faulkner University. He became the oldest college football player to ever score a point when he knocked down this extra point en route to his team's 41-19 win Ave Maria University.

You go, Alan.

Under fire and low on food and water -- the plight of the animals at Tripoli's zoo.

CNN returns for an update, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: We have some developing news from Libya. These newspapers show damage to the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli. Four American troops now on the ground there to assess the damage. A Pentagon spokesman says the embassy suffered extensive damage. The troops are accompanying State Department officials, who trying to determine if the facility can be renovated or if. If a new embassy will not have to be built. Officials say the embassy was trashed during a 38-hour rampage by pro- Gadhafi supporters back in May.

And now to another story that we first told you about just a couple of weeks ago, the suffering of the animals at Tripoli's zoo.

CNN's Nic Robertson found animals in dire need of food and water and medical treatment.

His report triggered a huge response from viewers around the world. All of your are sending me Tweets, concerned for the animals.

CNN's Jill Dougherty has just paid another visit to the zoo.

Conditions aren't as bad as they were, but a lot of work does remain to be done.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a city slashed by war, a tiger fights for life.

DR. AMIR KHALIL, FOUR PAWS INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR: That's white on its teeth.

DOUGHERTY: Osama, a Siberian tiger at the Tripoli Zoo, has been suffering for days.

(on camera): Do you know why he's so sick?

KHALIL: Honestly, we don't know. We came some few days here. But I believe he is old, number one. Number two, it was a lot of stress in the surrounding here. DOUGHERTY (voice-over): During the battle for Tripoli, there was shooting just outside the zoo. Humans fled. The animals didn't have that option.

DR. ABDULFATAH HUSNI, DIRECTOR, TRIPOLI ZOO: Our biggest come from -- from our scientists on the (INAUDIBLE) in that mammal house.

DOUGHERTY: The zoo's director, Dr. Abdulfatah Husni, leads us to the mammal house.

(on camera): Oh, yes. Wow. So that came right through the roof.

HUSNI: Yes, it did. Yes.

DOUGHERTY: But none of the animals were -- were injured?

HUSNI: No animal injured. No animal died.

DOUGHERTY (voice-over): For two weeks, there was no water in Tripoli -- a disaster for the hippos, who had to survive on what little stagnant water was left in their pool.

HUSNI: They are shiny now. They are good. They want the water. They're swimming normally. No problem.

DOUGHERTY: Shells still litter the zoo grounds.

(on camera): Right here, in the zoo.

HUSNI: That's coming from outside, you know?

DOUGHERTY: So it's just all over the place?

HUSNI: This is for Kalashnikov.

You know Kalashnikov?

DOUGHERTY: Yes.

At the height of the conflict, 15 of the staff came here every day to feed and water the animals, risking their own lives to do it. And if they hadn't, many of these animals would have died within three or four days.

(voice-over): Dr. Amir Khalil, from an international animal rescue team, rushed here from Vienna to help after seeing CNN reports about the fate of these animals.

KHALIL: This one, we don't succeed.

DOUGHERTY (on camera): Did he die?

KHALIL: It was too late.

DOUGHERTY: He just died.

KHALIL: Yes. It's too late.

DOUGHERTY (voice-over): Tripoli's zoo was being rebuilt when the war started. The director hopes that will continue. There will be exchanges with zoos around the world, he says, something that stopped during the Gadhafi regime, bringing new animals unscarred by war.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

KAYE: And Jill Dougherty joins us now from Tripoli -- Jill, so sad to see that they lost that tiger. That was a beautiful animal.

The animals, though, do seem to be a little better.

But are they really getting what they need at this point?

DOUGHERTY: Not really everything, Randi. You know, as I said, the electricity is back, the water is back. And that is really crucial. And they are getting food. But here is a good example. When the electricity went off, all of the medicines either got hot and were with unusable.

So, unfortunately, they were really down on the medicine supply. And this team that came in was able to bring some extra medicine to help them, even vitamins, thing its like that.

But it's -- I think one of the saddest things is, as we were walking around, people in the city are still setting off guns to celebrate, I mean weeks after the city was liberated. And the animals aren't flinching anymore, which is, unfortunately, one doctor said they're getting used to gunfire.

But I think they are physically better off.

KAYE: Yes.

Is the zoo open to the public, I mean with all that's going on in Libya and in Tripoli?

DOUGHERTY: Well, not really. Actually, it was closed because they are doing a very nice job, oddly enough, on renovating the place. It's been under renovation, as I said, for two years. And it really will be beautiful when it's finished.

But right now, there's no way that people could go in there. A lot of the paths are kind of, you know, jumbled with various things. And it's not set up for people to visit. They hope that -- it was almost finished and they're hoping that if they can get it back on track and they get the team -- there's a South Korean team that was doing the renovation. If they can come back, they can finish the job and then they could reopen it.

KAYE: And when -- when Gadhafi was in power, was it different there?

I mean did he -- did his regime take care of that zoo?

DOUGHERTY: You know, it did. And it's kind of a sad commentary. As one of the doctors put it, they cared under the regime more about animals than they did about people. So, actually, the zoo did get sufficient funds, they say. And don't forget, you know, the renovation began under Gadhafi.

So right now, the good thing is during the Gadhafi years, they were cut off from, let's say, communicating, going to conferences around the world and being in touch with veterans -- veterinarians and people who were experts in this field from around the world. Now that that's over and the sanctions will be ended, they can get animals from other countries. They can have specialists come here. The vets here can go to other countries. So they'll be back in communication with the rest of the world.

KAYE: Jill Dougherty live in Tripoli for us.

Jill, thank you so much.

If you're watching that story, it's certainly hard not to be affected by it. So many of our viewers touched by what's happened at that zoo to the animals.

If you want to help, here's how you can. You just log onto CNN.com/impact and see how you can help.

Checking some top stories now.

Iran has officially opened its first nuclear power plant. Western leaders worry that Iran is developing a nuclear weapons programs. But Iran says the new plant is just for civilian use. It is eventually expected to supply about 2.5 percent of Iran's electricity. Iran says the plant was built to international standards. Russian engineers helped build it. And at a joint news conference in Tehran, Russia's energy minister said his country looks forward to working with Iran on other nuclear energy projects.

One of Moammar Gadhafi's sons has left Libya. Officials in Niger say Saadi Gadhafi arrived in that country in a convoy and has been accepted in Niger on humanitarian grounds. He's shown here during an April interview with CNN's Nic Robertson.

The location of former Libyan leader, Moammar Gadhafi, still unknown.

One of only two survivors of that deadly Russian plane crash dies. Russian hockey player Alexander Galimov died of his injuries today. Thirty-seven players and staff members were killed when that plane crashed last week on their way to a game in Belarus.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin joined mourners at a memorial service for members of the Russian hockey team.

A British man has been murdered at a beach resort in Kenya, his wife kidnapped. Reports say gunmen burst into the couple's beach cottage early yesterday and shot the husband when he resisted the robbery attempt. They reportedly carried the man's wife away on a speedboat. The British government says they're doing all they can to win her release. Coming up, he is a brand. His fashion considered the work of a genius. In just a couple of minutes, we catch up with Marc Jacobs for a very rare interview.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: He is one of the most famous names in fn. Some have called him a genius, others a junkie.

Fashion designer Mark Jacobs is edgy and not above creating some controversy. He rarely grants interviews, but he did agree to sit down with our Alina Cho.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You see his name everywhere. The creative genius behind a half billion dollar empire, the creative director of Louis Vuitton.

MARC JACOBS, FASHION DESIGNER: We have to see the shape of the pocket.

CHO: At 48, Marc Jacobs has won nearly every award in fashion, including the industry's highest for Lifetime Achievement just this year.

(on camera): It is an incredible validation from the industry.

JACOBS: Yes, but a lifetime is also something that feels very final. And I certainly don't feel like my lifetime is over. And I certainly hope it isn't over. In fact, I hope it's only halfway started.

CHO (voice-over): He may be right. The biggest rumor off the runway is word that Marc Jacobs is in line for one of the most coveted jobs in design, creative director of famed French fashion house, Christian Dior.

JACOBS: Yes. It would be an honor. There is no question that the two great couture houses in Paris are Chanel and Dior. I think it would be very hard thing to turn down.

CHO: Dior has been without a designer since the company fired John Galliano earlier this year for making anti-Semitic comments.

JOHN GALLIANO, FASHION DESIGNER: No, but I love Hitler.

CHO: Jacobs says he doesn't think about the future. His focus is on the present.

(on camera): One day at a time, one hour at a time?

JACOBS: Yes. One minute at a time, one second at a time.

CHO (voice-over): An obsession that started at 15, a stock boy at a hot New York City boutique. Overnight, he was selling his own designs, then designing for Perry Ellis. In the early '90s, he started his own label and created a sensation when he reinterpreted grunge for the runway. Marc Jacobs had arrived.

JACOBS: I instinctively react to things that stimulate me. And that's...

CHO (on camera): Such as?

JACOBS: -- that -- that's -- well, I mean it could be anything, things that have affected me in the past couple of months. The weather has affected me.

CHO: Amy Winehouse?

JACOBS: The death of Amy Winehouse and moving into my new place.

Yes, yes.

CHO (voice-over): A perfectionist.

JACOBS: So we should mock up the size.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

JACOBS: Yes. And put a pocket.

CHO: Famous for working right up until show time.

JACOBS: To me, it doesn't really matter. If it -- if it's a day before the show or a week before the show, if it's before the show, it's before the show.

CHO: A former drug addict with 33 tattoos and a certain fondness for skirts.

JACOBS: I like wearing skirts. I like wearing kilts. I started like a few years ago. I moved from kilts into pencil skirts. I wear now mostly Prada pencil skirts. I like to do the things that make me feel good and that make me feel happy, that don't hurt other people.

CHO: A man who, on and off the runway, has done it his way and yet is never satisfied.

JACOBS: I'm always nervous. I'm a total nervous wreck all the time, or most of the time. I'm very, you know, I'm always questioning my choices. And I'm always relooking...

CHO (on camera): You are?

JACOBS: -- at things. Yes but I -- and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I don't think that's a negative thing.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

KAYE: And Alina Cho joins me now from New York -- So, Alina, what happens to the Marc Jacobs line if he gets the Dior job?

CHO: Well, it's an interesting question, Randi. First of all, we should say that the deal is not done, as far as we can tell. But Marc Jacobs is owned by the mega fashion conglomerate, LVMH. LVMH, as it happens, also owns Christian Dior. And so the thinking is, is that he would be the creative director of Christian Dior and he would also continue designing the Marc Jacobs collections.

KAYE: And I understand that he delayed his show?

So what happened with that?

CHO: He did, as only Marc Jacobs can, Randi.

You know, what happened was we actually interviewed him just as Hurricane Irene was approaching. There were very few people on his design team who were able to make it into work because of the hurricane. And so he felt as though he didn't have enough time to prepare. His show was scheduled to go on tonight. But, again, as only Marc Jacobs can, he decided just recently to delay the show until Thursday.

Now, keep in mind, Randi, there are 250 designers who show during Fashion Week. It is tightly schedule, choreographed. It is tightly scheduled. But Marc Jacobs decides he wants to change his show to Thursday, that's exactly what happened.

KAYE: Yes. You know, a pretty private guy. We said he doesn't do a lot of interviews. But it sure seemed like he opened up to you.

CHO: He did. You know what, what's interesting about that is I've -- I've long wanted to meet him. I've long wanted to interview him. We've been working on it for about a year.

When it came time to finally interview him, his -- his press representative, his publicist just left.

And I said why are you leaving?

And she said, you know what, Marc Jacobs says whatever he wants to say always.

And, you know, that carries over into design. He does what he wants to do. He does it his way always. And it's part of the secret to his success, I think.

KAYE: Yes. I think you're right.

Alina Cho, great story.

Thank you so much.

CHO: Thank you.

KAYE: And you'll have the full backstage passes to the spring 2012 Fashion Week. You can join Alina Cho Saturday afternoon, 2:30 Eastern time, right here on CNN.

Say it ain't so, Joe. Find out who is going to face the music, right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Time now for Face the Music, a new segment that we'll bring you every day around this time. It's our chance to call out people for, well, to put it bluntly, screwing up.

Today, hats off to the geniuses at Major League Baseball, more specifically, former Yankees manager and MLB executive vice president, Joe Torre.

At last night's Mets game against the Cubs in Queens, New York, on the 10 year of the 9/11 attacks, Torre told the Mets they could not wear baseball hats honoring New York firefighters and police officers.

Why, you ask?

Because, he said, you know: "The problem was that the Mets wouldn't all be wearing the same uniform." Seriously. That was his reasoning.

Do matching uniforms really trump honoring the selfless bravery of firefighters and emergency responders?

Really?

Does this decision seem to come out of left field or what?

I mean after those towers crumbled all those years ago, the Mets even delivered supplies to Ground Zero. And if anyone knows the impact the attacks had on New York City, it's Joe Torre. He was the Yankees' manager at the time. Torre explained that it wasn't a lack of respect, it was a unanimity thing. Yes. That's far more important than the men and women who risked their lives and ran into a burning building, don't you think?

Instead, the Mets were limited to wearing the FDNY and NYPD hats during batting practice only, then they had to switch to their regular hats, which displayed tiny commemorative flags.

Is it me or does Joe Torre's decision have you crying foul, too?

It's time for you, Joe Torre, to face the music.

(MUSIC)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Well, welcome back.

We are just about five hours away from the first ever CNN/Tea Party Republican debate, taking place at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

So check in with Mark Preston.

He is in Tampa, where the debate is taking place -- Mark, let's get a preview. But -- but before we even do that, actually, I understand you have some breaking political news for us.

What have you got?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes. Randi, just hours before the CNN/Tea Party debate here in Tampa, a big endorsement will be made. Louisiana governor, Bobby Jindal, is backing Rick Perry for president. This is a big get for the Texas governor. You know, their states are side by side. Not only is he endorsing Rick Perry, Bobby Jindal is going to be here in Tampa, in the audience, as one of Rick Perry's special guests. He's in-flight right now. We expect him here in a couple of hours. That's when they will make that announcement formal.

A huge get on the same day that we saw Mitt Romney roll out Tim Pawlenty as someone who was endorsing him. We'll see Pawlenty here tonight.

So we're to say that we've hit overdrive in this campaign, I think today is the day -- Randi.

KAYE: Yes. Battling endorsements, it sounds like -- Mark, what do you think we can expect from tonight's debate?

PRESTON: Well, look, for all the candidates, they have different tasks and accomplishments that they need the get out of it.

For somebody like Rick Perry, he needs to be able to come into this debate, remain steady, probably has to alter his position on Social Security, which was a little controversial.

But don't expect him to back down.

Mitt Romney has to appeal to these Tea Party Republicans without looking like he's capitulating away from him being really that moderate or centrist Republican that can also be conservative.

Someone like Jon Huntsman has to be able to allow the Tea Party to think that he can represent their views. But basically, his campaign is the middle of the road campaign. So for those three, a lot is on the line.

And, of course, there's the whole other ones, as well, Herman Cain, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul. They need to break above the pack.

But perhaps, Randi, the person who has the most on the line is Michelle Bachmann. In the new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll just released hours ago, it shows that her numbers have plummeted to just 4 percent.

And who's to blame for that?

Rick Perry. Rick Perry has taken away all of that Tea Party support. So a lot on the line for Michele Bachmann -- Randi.

KAYE: Yes, and also, Mark, you know, we've seen Rick Perry and Mitt Romney trade some barbs on the issue of Social Security. Do you think that they're -- those two are going to get into it tonight?

PRESTON: I -- I can't imagine that Social Security doesn't become the number one issue, or at least one of the top couple of issues in this debate. It won't only be Mitt Romney who will be criticizing Governor Perry for his position on Social Security, expect Michelle Bachmann, as well, to differentiate herself from Perry. I've been told that by some Bachmann advisors. She needs to try to show these Tea Party folks that were here in the hall, all across the country, that she's the true conservative, but yet she won't go as far as he has gone on the issue of Social Security.

KAYE: Yes. She's -- she's dropped a bit in the polls, so she really does need to -- to show something tonight.

PRESTON: No doubt about that.

KAYE: All right. Mark Preston there in Tampa.

Mark, thank you so much.

And, once again, a reminder. Tonight's debate, 8:00 p.m. Eastern, the CNN/Tea Party debate, the first of its kind.

And that will do it for me.

Hope you have a great afternoon.

I will hand it it over now to Brooke Baldwin -- hi, Brooke.