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U.S. Embassy Attacked in Afghanistan; Republicans Debate; Al Qaeda Still a Threat; More Americans Living in Poverty; Border Violence Bus Tour; President Promotes Jobs Plan in Ohio; Jon Huntsman Makes Obscure Reference to Band Nirvana in GOP Debate; Animals Trapped, Drown in Floods; Fined for Flashing Headlights; Millionaire Murder Case

Aired September 13, 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: Meantime, we will roll on. Hour two here. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Top of the hour unfolding right now, the president of Iran telling an American news network that two U.S. citizens there will be freed within -- quote -- "a couple of days."

I'm talking about both Josh Fattal, Shane Bauer. They have been locked up in Iran since July of 2009 in the Evin prison, where they were arrested and accused of crossing, hiking they say into Iran from Iraq. They and one other American were accused of being spies. Fattal and Bauer were convicted last year and sentenced last month to eight years behind bars.

But here's the problem. It's trying to learn a little bit more about their fate as the U.S. has no diplomatic relations with Iran and has to rely on a third party.

Let's bring in Elise Labott. She's our CNN senior producer at the U.S. State Department.

And, Elise, was anyone at the State Department? Were they prepared? Did they get a heads-up that we'd be getting that announcement from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN PRODUCER: He gave this news in an interview as you know, Brooke, with another TV network and so they weren't really, they didn't really know that he was going to say this in this interview, but they have been getting kind of indications for the last month since the men were convicted, but they have been here before. They have had their hopes dashed and so U.S. officials are really being cautiously optimistic, don't want to say too much.

Let's take a listen to what Secretary of state Hillary Clinton said when she was asked about this, very careful with her words, not wanting to say too much.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We have followed this very closely, and we are encouraged by what the Iranian government has said today. But I'm not going to comment further than that. We obviously hope that we will see a positive outcome from what appears to be a decision by the government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LABOTT: The families of Josh and Shane also being very careful. Don't want to really get their hopes too high.

We just got a statement from them just moments ago saying, "We are overjoyed by the positive news of reports from Iran. Shane and Josh's freedom means more to us than anything and it's a huge relief to read that they are going to be released. We're grateful to anyone who has supported us and looking forward to our reunion with Shane and Josh. We hope to say more when they are finally back in our arms."

And we might hear a little bit more tomorrow, Brooke, from Tehran when the Swiss ambassador goes in to talk into the Foreign Ministry. As you mentioned, the U.S. doesn't have any relations with Iran, so they rely on the Swiss government as what we call the protecting power. They look out for the interests of U.S. citizens in Iran and kind of pass messages back and forth between the U.S. and the Iranian governments.

We understand the Swiss ambassador will be going in to talk to officials at the ministry about the case. I spoke to a Swiss diplomat just about an hour ago. I said, does it look good? He said, it doesn't look bad. But as we have said, been here before, fingers crossed, but don't want to get our hopes up too high -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Of course. This is by no means a done deal.

And, Elise, if you can just elaborate, we know Iran is hinting at conditions for these two men's releases. They have set a bail amount. How much is that and who pays that bail?

LABOTT: Well, they're saying $500,000 for each of the two. We don't know who's going to pay it. We remember last year and it's actually this week is the one-year anniversary of Sarah Shourd, who was also released. She was the fiancees of one of the hikers. She was released on humanitarian conditions. She was having some medical issues and she had to play a very stiff bail.

And we never really knew where the money came from. She went through the government of Oman to get out of the country. There were some rumblings that some perhaps the Omanis or some Arabs had paid for the money. Iranian government being very careful here. It doesn't really want to show any kind of U.S. hands, so we understand the money is being put together.

The families are scrambling for the money. We don't really know and we may never know where that money comes from, but the president in his interview, he has been saying that he thinks that there should be a swap here for some Iranians that have been in U.S. jails. There are several, just about over a dozen of Iranians that are in U.S. jails for various crimes.

He's always said that the U.S. kidnapped some of these Iranian nuclear scientists and are holding them in jail. So he's always saying -- they have been saying for years that they could make some kind of swap, but he's saying this is a humanitarian gesture. Iranians certainly hoping now the U.S. is going to make a humanitarian gesture -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Elise Labott, we will certainly check back in with you tomorrow at the State Department, see if anything develops on that front.

And speaking of the families, who as you mentioned, they're hopeful that they will see their sons again. I actually spoke with both of the young men's mothers back in May. They were very, very frustrated. They hadn't seen Josh or Shane in two years just about. And I asked them when was the last time they were allowed contact with their sons? Here's what they told me?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, do you think that this story really -- really, it's so much bigger than Josh and Shane and Sarah? This is really country vs. country? And how does that make you feel if that is the case?

LAURA FATTAL, MOTHER OF DETAINED AMERICAN: We feel terrible. We -- this has been a time of enormous anguish, enormous desperation. Our kids are in isolation from any other prisoner. We don't get to speak to them more than two five-minute phone calls over 21 months. This has been a terrible situation. We want it to end.

BALDWIN: Cindy, have you gotten everything you have needed thus far in this entire ordeal from the U.S. government? Have they done enough for you?

CINDY HICKEY, MOTHER OF DETAINED AMERICAN: You know, when Shane and Josh are home, we will know enough has been done.

But the real message here is, Iran needs to quit playing games with Shane and Josh and our families. This is political. They need to take this out of the political arena. Our families have been devastated. Shane and Josh are 28. They need to be out doing what they do for the world, and get on with this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Again, officials at the U.S. State Department say they are proceeding cautiously. That's the word we keep seeing. Since Iran has made similar claims in the past without backing any of them up, but one government official says this one appears to be true.

And it is late now in the evening in Kabul, Afghanistan, the end of a horrifying day filled with gunfire and rocket attacks and bombings. Taliban fighters attacked the United States Embassy today in Kabul, spraying the building from a construction site not too far away, just about four blocks away. About the same time, gunmen targeted the headquarters of the international military force and the NATO command center in Kabul. Take a look at the video. This is U.S. forces fighting back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(GUNFIRE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Again, NATO forces there. Last though we heard from Kabul, U.S. and Afghan forces held off the attacks on the embassy and military facilities and either captured or killed most of the attackers.

But I talked to Suzanne Malveaux in Kabul just a couple of minutes ago. She told me at least one gunman, possibly more, remain at large and that she still hears occasional gunfire there in the capital city. We do know that there were no American or allied casualties throughout this so-called carefully planned and highly organized attack. The Taliban has come forward claiming responsibility for this. U.S. and Western forces were on heightened security in Kabul, expecting violence around the 9/11 anniversary.

Still ahead, disturbing news about the number of Americans living in poverty, including children. Also, the medical truth -- we keep hearing about this from the debates last night -- behind the HPV vaccine, the ones Republicans are bringing into the spotlight. Do the candidates, do they have it right or do they have it wrong?

And in his first appearance since becoming head of America's spies, CIA Director David Petraeus reveals al Qaeda fighters are leaving Pakistan and they're going somewhere else.

Plus, if you want to get a direct look at the violence along our border, there is a tour for that. You have to hear this. Reporter roulette times four next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Let's begin here with reporter roulette.

And I promised we'd return to Rick Perry and the mistake to which he admitted to during last night's debate in Tampa, Florida. Unusual? Yes. A politician admitting flat-out that he had made a mistake. In the governor of Texas's case, a 2007 executive order that sixth-grade girls be immunized against HPV. HPV, it's a virus acquired through sexual intercourse.

And Elizabeth Cohen is here, senior medical correspondent.

I know this has really gained a lot of traction after the debate last night. Explain to me first the virus and the idea of vaccinating these young girls against it.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. HPV, the human papilloma virus, is what causes most cases of cervical cancer.

OK. So, the idea is let's vaccinate against it. You're not going to get rid of all cases of cervical cancer, but you will get rid of many of them. You have got to vaccinate a girl before she starts to have sex. A lot of public health types said, hey, let's do this at age 11, get them as early possible. Other people said, well, why would I be vaccinating my kids against a disease when they're not having sex? Why don't we wait a few years?

BALDWIN: So, in the debate last night, it sort of began with Rick Perry then Michele Bachmann jumped in and she went after Perry on the vaccination order. Let's just listen to her response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: To have innocent little 12-year-old girls be forced to have a government injection through an executive order is just flat out wrong. That should never be done. It's a violation of a liberty interest.

That's -- little girls who have a negative reaction to this potentially dangerous drug don't get a mulligan. They don't get a do- over. The parents don't get a do-over.

I'm offended for all the little girls and the parents that didn't have a choice. That's what I'm offended for.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Yes, I was watching last night. That response got a huge applause, but is she right?

COHEN: Very emotional.

Well, I'm not sure she's really got all her facts right here. He did not force girls in Texas to get HPV. It was an executive mandate, but you could opt out. And really it was pretty easy to opt out. Parents could say, no, I don't want to vaccinate my sixth-grader against HPV.

And, by the way, the whole thing never even took effect because it ended up being reversed by the legislature. But he never was going to force everybody to do it.

BALDWIN: OK. Thank you for clarifying. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you very much.

Next on reporter roulette, Barbara Starr standing by for us at the Pentagon.

And, Barbara, we have heard from the country's top two intelligence officials today. The takeaway, al Qaeda is weaker, but still a threat.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Oh, absolutely.

You know, it was interesting. This was the first appearance before Congress by David Petraeus, now CIA Director Petraeus, along with Jim Clapper, the head of the U.S. intelligence community. Petraeus probably got most of the attention talking about al Qaeda, threatened, diminished by the killing of Osama bin Laden, but not down and out. Director Petraeus warning that they still pose a threat, still something to be very watchful about -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: CIA Director David Petraeus talked about, and I'm quoting, the window of vulnerability that is open now because of bin Laden's death and other al Qaeda losses?

STARR: Right.

You know, what he's saying is, look, al Qaeda is much diminished by Bin Laden being dead. The years and years of U.S. troops and the intelligence community and others going after al Qaeda leaders, certainly diminished, but al Qaeda has, to some extent, retrenched, regrouped.

You see them operating in other places. He said it may be possible that some al Qaeda members will go to ground and some might even try and return into Afghanistan from Pakistan, or get out of the region entirely, looking for more safety. I guess the good news he said is all this work going after al Qaeda operatives mean maybe they're less able to plan attacks because they're so busy looking after their own security.

BALDWIN: Well, we can't these days have a conversation about al Qaeda without mentioning Yemen. We know both Petraeus and the director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, they talked about al Qaeda offshoots in Yemen.

What did they say?

STARR: Well, Yemen now really taking front and center, probably, as one of the top threats. Of course, al Qaeda in Yemen, having launched against -- tried to launch attacks against the United States before, that Detroit airliner, the Times Square bomber, failed plots, thank goodness, but still, emanating from Yemen and very clear that Yemen now poses a threat through that al Qaeda affiliate there. That's really getting a lot of attention from the U.S. intelligence community -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Barbara Starr, thank you, at the Pentagon.

And next on "Reporter Roulette," shocking new numbers about poverty in the United States. More than 46 million Americans were living below the poverty line last year. That's according to the latest numbers we're getting from the Census.

Alison Kosik is here.

And Alison, talk to me. What more are you getting from these numbers? It's troubling.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And that 46 million that you said, it's a record high. And the problem is, is this number has been growing for the past four years. We're not seeing improvement.

All right. So what's poverty? Poverty is a family of four living on just over $22,000 a year.

You know where the worst-hit group is? It's single moms. Thirty-one percent live in poverty. That's almost one out of every three.

The overall trend, though, you think about it, not such a huge surprise. We've got our slowing economy and of course the stubbornly high unemployment rate -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Well, then you have everyone in college, right? All these -- and the grads trying to pay their student loans, and more and more students, or I guess grads now, they're facing and filing for bankruptcy.

KOSIK: Exactly. They can't pay their loans. They're filing for bankruptcy.

I have two different studies painting one dismal picture. The first one coming from the government.

Almost nine percent of students who took out federal loans defaulted last year. That's the highest default rate since 1997.

And then, a second study from a nonprofit financial education group showing that the number of college grads filing for bankruptcy actually jumped 20 percent over the past four years. Now, people without a college degree, we saw bankruptcy filings fall. But before you jump to the conclusion that ditching college is a good idea, I want you to remember this -- that your odds of finding work are far better if you've got that college degree.

Still, really, both of these stories really highlight just how tough the economy, just how rough it is right now for so many people -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Go to school, go to school, but just be prepared to pay for it, I guess.

KOSIK: Yes.

BALDWIN: Alison Kosik, thank you so much.

And finally on "Reporter Roulette" -- this got a lot of us talking -- tourists. They're flocking to a new destination -- the violence along the U.S. border. I'm not making this stuff up.

Rafael Romo, please fill me in.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, normally, people go on tours because they want to relax, they want to enjoy the scenery.

BALDWIN: Sure. ROMO: In this case, this is totally different. It's an in-your- face kind of shocking reality as to what happens at the border, the whole issue of immigration, which, as you know, is very controversial.

BALDWIN: So, hang on. People can take a bus tour? Where do you go? To Juarez, along the border?

ROMO: Not necessarily, but you go to the Arizona border. You would start in Tucson, Arizona, and make the trip south to the border of Nogales, Arizona.

It's an eight-hour trip, and you go to the border, you go to the fence, you go to a border crossing point, and they show you exactly what goes on there. And listen to this. They actually go to the desert where dozens and dozens of immigrants die each year trying to cross illegally into the United States. And what they say is, we're not trying to make a point, we're just trying to show people what's going on.

BALDWIN: Who's doing this, and are they bringing security along?

ROMO: It's a company called Gray Line Tours. They go in well- traveled areas. They don't get too far out of the main highways. And so far, they've had about 100 people who have gone on the tour.

They say the interest is increasing, and they expect to see more and more people in the coming months, especially as the weather gets cooler.

BALDWIN: How much does this cost?

ROMO: Eighty-nine bucks.

BALDWIN: Eight-nine bucks, and you can go to the border.

ROMO: Exactly.

BALDWIN: Rafael Romo, thank you very much.

ROMO: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Now take a look at this. This is amazing video. Talk about -- I guess an adrenaline rush for this group, who essentially lifts this car, saves this motorcyclist who's underneath.

Stunning stuff. We're going to talk to the person behind the camera who shot this video.

And who hasn't flashed their lights at an oncoming car? A lot of people do it, warning then, hey, there's police ahead, speed trap, heads up. Well, flashing your lights is illegal, but one man says it shouldn't be, and he's taking his fight to court.

We're "On the Case."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Take a look at this amazing rescue. This kind of thing we don't see too often with, thank goodness, a pretty happy ending.

Motorcycle and car, both together, on fire. Police say the car pulled out in front of the biker, swerved to avoid the car, ended up underneath it. Gas built, and then, boom, you have the fire that you see there.

Now, one man tries to help the guy. Now you see this whole group jumping in, pulling this 4,000-pound car up. And you see the construction worker pulling the motorcyclist out from underneath.

Amazingly, he is now listed in stable condition. The police, now trying to track down these heroes so they can recognize their efforts and say thank you.

And in fact, I talked to one of those officers who was first on the scene from Logan, Utah.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, did you even know though that this 21-year-old was under the car? Did you know that when you first came in?

SGT. JASON OLSEN, LOGAN, UTAH, POLICE: It was obvious. I could tell by the panic on the people.

And the people were getting down on the ground. I think you see a couple of citizens, one female included, actually lay down on her belly. They were looking under the car, so I didn't have to ask. I knew that the motorcyclist was pinned underneath.

BALDWIN: And tell me what's being said in this group of people who are lifting this care up? What are they saying? What are they shouting?

OLSEN: You know, I can't really honestly recall that for certain. It was very stressful just because I was -- I'm now concerned about the 15 people that are there. I don't want them to get hurt.

And you said that they picked up and then they walked away. I was telling them to get back away from the fire because it was still so volatile. I didn't want to have it become something bigger. And so they just moved out of the way of the camera. They didn't really want to leave very badly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: You saw the young man they dragged down and sort of left temporarily on the road. The 21-year-old, Brandon Wright (ph) is his name. He sustained broken bones, cuts, burns in that whole incident. Amazingly, he is in stable condition today.

And now if it's interesting and if it's happening right now, you're about to see it, "Rapid Fire."

Let's go, beginning with tense moments this morning on board this US Airways plane. Flight 457 from New York to Phoenix had to divert to St. Louis after passengers noticed what they described as suspicious behavior by others.

A TSA spokesman says three passengers were taken off the plane for questioning after it landed. The plane was then inspected and allowed to continue on to Phoenix.

Several victims of abuse by Catholic priests are asking the International Criminal Court to charge Pope Benedict and several other top Vatican officials with crimes against humanity. They say the Church has had tolerant attitudes toward the abuse and been turning a blind eye for years. A Vatican spokesman tells CNN he has aware of the filing, but had no comment.

Hockey player Alexander Galimov, one of only two people to survive last week's plane crash in Russia that killed 43, he has now died. Hospital officials say the 26-year-old died of severe burns to nearly 90 percent of his body. The only other crash survivor, a flight crew member, remains in intensive care.

He's tennis' new golden boy, Novak Djokovic -- I can never say his name right. Djokovic, thank you.

Last night, the 24-year-old held on to beating defending champion Rafael Nadal, 6-2, in the U.S. Open. Tennis great John McEnroe says, "He has had the best year in the history of sports, winning three of this year's four Tennis majors." But the native Serbian is already eyeing the French Open, where he will face Nadal again and the accompanying Grand Slam career.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NOVAK DJOKOVIC, TENNIS PLAYER: It has been a best year of my career, and I think I matured as a player. On the court, I have much more self-belief. I'm using the confidence that I had from the incredible run this year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Djokovic, easy to say, not fun to read in the teleprompter.

Now this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These animals were apparently left to perish.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: A hundred animals drown after floodwaters rush into a pet store. Find out why police are looking at possible criminal charges against those employees. That's ahead. Also, one day after President Obama sends his jobs bill to Congress, he is hitting the road, selling it. He had some choice words for Republicans.

That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Let's go to White House correspondent Dan Lothian in Columbus, Ohio traveling along with the president there. We know president spoke not too long ago. His big push again in Boehner territory, might I add, to sell his $447 billion jobs creation bill.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right and today, focusing on education, not just the infrastructure, rehabbing old schools, but also in rehiring teachers. He came to Ft. Hayes high school where the administration says it's a good example of the kinds of jobs that can be created. They're wrapping up a multi-million dollar rehab program here at the school where officials say they were able to employ some 250 people.

And so the White House says that under the president's proposal, which it allocates some $60 billion, that there are some 35,000 schools out there that can benefit from this money in rehab projects. So what the president is doing is twofold out here on the road, first of all, explaining his jobs proposal to folks across the country, but also calling on them to pressure Congress. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There are millions of unemployed construction workers looking for a job, so my question to Congress is, what on earth are we waiting for?

(APPLAUSE)

I don't know about you, but I don't want any student to study in broken down schools. I want our kids to study in great schools.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LOTHIAN: Now, the president heads to Raleigh, Durham, North Carolina tomorrow. The White House says expect the president will continue hitting the road over the next few weeks and expecting another bus trip from the president. All the details of that are not yet known. Brooke?

BALDWIN: Dan, what is the likelihood though that this whole bill would pass Congress? Could he break it up into pieces? Where would the president be willing to compromise?

LOTHIAN: That is a very good question because, as you know, the White House has been talking about wanting this to be embraced as a total package. But the White House signaling that the president, if he were given part of it from Congress, if he were given part of it, that he would not veto it but could continue to push Congress to get other aspects passed. So the White House preference is that it all get passed in one piece but willing to accept it if Congress delivers it in different parts.

BALDWIN: Dan, thank you very much.

And coming up next, if you think any joke about an '80s hair band would be funny, but apparently the joke here told at Charlie Sheen's roast didn't go over so well. Why you will not be hearing that particular joke if you tune in to the special on Comedy Central. A lot of you talking about it. It is trending. It is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: A lot of people made jokes about Charlie Sheen Saturday night. Here's the thing. They were supposed to. They were taping the Comedy Central roast that's going to air a little later this month. But one comedian went too far. Steve-O of "Jackass" fame made this crack, I'm quoting, "The last time this many nobodies got roasted, at least the band Great White was playing."

He was referencing the nightclub fire back in 2003, killing 100 people, injured 200. Steve-O has since apologized about the joke, saying on his Facebook page that he feels horrible about it. Comedy Central agreed to edit out the joke. You will not hear that in the show, which airs next week.

And football fans, OK. Sometimes, people get a little rowdy, but one man might have taken it to the extreme during the Cowboys-Jets game this past Sunday. Take a listen and look at this cell phone video.

(VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, you hear the bleeps, but if you could listen closely, you'd hear a taser. A Cowboys fan got a taser gun inside the Meadowlands and police say fired, injuring three people.

And 59-year-old Leroy McKelvey is charged with assault and possession of an illegal weapon, and investigator want to know how in the world he got past security at the stadium where former President George W. Bush was there flipping the coin at the start of the game.

Jon Huntsman goes grudge, or at least he tries to. Did you catch that last night?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON HUNTSMAN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't think should be off the table expect maybe some of the drama that's playing out here today. To hear these two go at it over here is almost incredible. You've Governor Romney who called it a fraud in his book, "No Apology." I don't know if that was written by Kurt Cobain or not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Can you figure out what's wrong with what he said? Stick around. Joe Johns will explain in "Political Pop."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Did you notice that CNNTeaParty was trending last night? Did you also realize as you were watching the debate that Jon Huntsman was a Nirvana fan? More on that in a moment. Plus, Republicans are making a move for former Congressman Anthony Weiner's seat in a special election.

Let's go to Joe Johns with this scoop in today's "Political Pop."

Joe, let's begin with the special election. We're hearing in New York City, it's too close to call.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Isn't that unbelievable, Brooke? All eyes in New York and the race for this seat held by the once disgraced former Democrat congressman, Anthony Weiner. We know about him and the tweets and what have you. But this is being viewed as a referendum on the popularity of President Obama and the Democrats, though you can make the case, of course, that scandal fatigue, something that happens whenever you have a situation like this, is also likely to be a factor.

A Sienna Research Institute poll released Friday showed Republican Bob Turner leading Democrat David Weprin by six percentage points. And this is a reverse of results in the same poll from just a month earlier, which had Weprin ahead by about the same amount.

And national democratic groups have been funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars in ad buy within the last week. The president's re-election organization sent out all kinds of volunteers canvassing the neighborhood for Weprin, and clearly signs they're worried they're losing the grip on the race.

This guy Turner is a former television executive. He did have a few things going for him when he was first coming in. Already had a lot of name recognition after challenging Weiner just in November, and he lost with what you would call stronger than usual second place results, finishing with about 40 percent of the vote.

So very interesting, neck and neck. And you know, we've all read about Congressman Weiner and the problems he had. So we'll see how it turns out.

BALDWIN: Meantime, I was sitting, I'm sure you were watching, with my laptop tweeting different moments. I had to rewind to hear it again. Let's talk about that Jon Huntsman moment and the Kurt Cobain reference. What's going on there?

JOHNS: I was watching it closely, too, and probably a lot of people have heard about this Jon Huntsman joke about Kurt Cobain, but for most of us not plugged into the '90s grudge scene, it probably flew right over your head. So here it is, take a listen, Huntsman talking about the back and forth between Mitt Romney and Rick Perry on Social Security. And then makes this comment that seems to come completely out of left field. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTSMAN: I don't think anything should have off the table expect maybe the drama playing on this floor today. To hear these two go at it, it's almost incredible. You've got Governor Romney who called it a fraud in his book "No Apology." I don't know if that was written by Kurt Cobain or not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: OK. I don't get it. So -- I mean, what?

BALDWIN: I actually give him a little kudos for making a Kurt Cobain reference, being a Nirvana fan, but the song actually was "All Apologies."

JOHNS: Right, yes. And I mean, he's showing that he's plugged into music, right? This is a guy who used to be in a rock 'n' roll band. There are people who don't get it. Kurt Cobain is deceased. He was the front man for the very well-known band back in the day called Nirvana. Nirvana had a hit song called "All Apologies." Romney has a book called "No Apology." That's sounds similar to the title of Nirvana's song. Yes, that's all because Huntsman once dropped out of school to play for his band, plays keyboard and loves music. So not you get the joke.

BALDWIN: A lot of these candidates play instruments. Just a fascinating side note. People were all atwitter about that last night.

Joe Johns, "Political Pop" for us today, thank you so much, sir.

And still ahead, a millionaire developer in Florida on trial for allegedly shooting his wife. She says she killed herself, but his bizarre behavior. It's raising a lot of questions about what really went down. We're on the case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: OK, animal lovers. Outrage is growing after 100 animals drowned inside this pet store. They were trapped while all those flood waters rushed in just last week in upstate New York. Now, police are investigating the employees. Jim Kenyon of our affiliate WSTM has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM KENYON, WSTM (voice-over): Today, the PetCo store in Johnson City is shut tight. Through the windows, you can see the devastation left behind by the floods last week. Nearly 100 animals, hamsters, reptiles, birds and aquatic life were trapped and drowned.

Today, Johnson City Village Mayor Dennis Hannon directed his police department to investigate possible criminal charges against PetCo employees. He wants to know who allegedly abandoned the animals before the floods swamped the store with 4 feet of water. MAYOR DENNIS HANNON, JOHNSON CITY, NEW YORK: I along with a number of other people are just outraged that these animals were apparently left to perish in this pet store and were not removed to safety well prior to flood waters moving in.

KENYON (on camera): Do you feel there could be criminal activity?

HANNON: I do.

KENYON (voice-over): Hannon says the PetCo workers had plenty of advance warning of the flooding potential. A flood warning was issued Wednesday morning followed by a state of emergency Wednesday evening.

HANNON: We had one confirmed report that there were employees that wanted to remove the animals and were not allowed to do so. The doors were locked by management and the store was vacated prior to the flooding occurred.

KENYON: Mayor Hannon says it wasn't until after the waters receded that workers entered the store and rescued the remaining 100 animals that were still alive and sent them to other PetCo stores.

(on camera): At first, PetCo was saying that there was a communications problem between the employees here at his PetCo and emergency management officials.

But now, the CEO of PetCo is taking full responsibility and is offering an apology.

(voice-over): On the company's official blog, CEO Jim Miers stated, "We fill terrible that we did not do more to avoid this tragedy, are truly saddened by what has occurred and accept full responsibility. We apologize to the members of the Johnson City community."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Jim Kenyon reporting. By the way, even though PetCo CEO has apologized, a boycott at Facebook is now a page up and running. Last time we checked, more than 3,000 people liked it.

You maybe have done this. Flashing your lights in an oncoming car to let them know heads up, there are officers, speed trap ahead. Well, one guy did just that and got in some big, big trouble and now, he is suing. That's next.

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BALDWIN: So no rest for the weary or hard working debate moderator, Wolf Blitzer back home in Washington coming up in a matter of minutes on "THE SITUATION ROOM."

Wolf, I was just checking your Twitter page. So you will have one of those eight candidates on the show coming up. WOLF BLITZER, HOST, CNN'S "THE SITUATION ROOM": Newt Gingrich, it's been a long time since he's been on my show on CNN. He used to be a Fox News contributor so he couldn't come on the show. Now he's a presidential candidate. He's free to do any shows he wants.

I saw him obviously at the debate last night, so I invited him to come in today. He agreed. So we're going to assess where the field is right now. Where does he stand? But I will also want to go through some of the specific issues that were raised last night.

Some of the controversial issues, we'll have a chance to follow up. So Newt Gingrich will be here live in "THE SITUATION ROOM" that's coming up at the top of the hour. We've got all the day's other important news.

What's happening in Afghanistan, you've been covering that as well. What's happening in Iran, but a lot of focus on politics, also of course, the president's jobs bill. What happens to that next? So we've got some good, important, strong news right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM." Looking forward to it.

BALDWIN: Before I let you go, just once again, bravo for the fantastic moderating job that you pulled off. Eight candidates, all live, one stage. What was the one nugget you pulled away? The one lesson you learned?

BLITZER: The major lesson that I learned is that no matter how many debates you do, you can always do better. I review it afterwards. I did five during the last election cycle and I learned from each one, but you want to do well. You want to -- you go back, you look at the videotape, the transcript.

You say, I should have followed up with this. We can always do better, but the important thing is to learn that from what just happened and next time around, maybe you'll do better than that. I was just happy that it worked out and we're moving on right now.

BALDWIN: Wolf Blitzer reviewing the postgame tape. That's why you're good. Wolf Blitzer, we'll see you in a couple of minutes. Thank you very much.

And perhaps, perhaps, this is something you've done a time or two. Flashed your high beams to warn oncoming drivers, there's a speed trap ahead. A man in Florida did precisely that and he was slapped with a ticket.

Now, he is filing this lawsuit against the state on behalf of anyone who has ever had the same thing happen to him. He is Eric Campbell. He says he was just driving down a Tampa highway when he noticed state troopers clocking speeders, so he did what he thought was the helpful thing to do, flashed his headlights.

He said less than a minute later, he was pulled over and given a $115 ticket. Sunny Hostin on the case for us. Sunny, is flashing lights to warn someone of police, is that against the law in Florida? SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: This is a tough one, right, Brooke? I mean, who hasn't done this or at very least benefitted from something like this in states all over the country?

In Florida, I've been looking into this today. I do not believe it is illegal. There's a Florida statute that specifically says that communicating by flashing headlights at other motorists really isn't illegal.

And apparently, in Florida, in 2005, a judge issued an order telling everyone that this was not illegal behavior and so, certainly, it sounds a lot like unfortunately, a bit of sour grapes by the state patrol over there.

BALDWIN: Well, we now know the judge tossed out the ticket, though he says he's still suing on principle. There's still a lawsuit that exist, Sunny, so are troopers still pulling people over for flashing their high beams? Like you pointed out, it's not illegal.

HOSTIN: Well, they better not be. Apparently, the deputy director of Patrol Operations sent out a memo to all of the troopers after this lawsuit was filed that said you are directed to suspend enforcement action for this type of a driver behavior.

So we hope that the officers aren't doing it any longer. Let me tell you. This could cost a state a pretty penny, 115 bucks a ticket apparently since 2005, over 200 drivers have been ticketed for this so pretty penny perhaps for folks out there.

BALDWIN: How about that. Case number two, a bizarre murder case. This one out of all places, Orlando, Florida. This one involves a millionaire and his wife. Prosecutors say in this area of Florida back in 2009, developer Bob Ward admitted five times on a phone call to 911 to shooting his wife.

But later he said she shot herself. Jury selection underway this week in the secondary murder case. Sunny, first, your thoughts on the case and also considering this is Orlando, might there be any kind of Casey Anthony backlash here?

HOSTIN: Well, I hope there is going to be a Casey Anthony backlash, but certainly I think this is a tough case actually for this defendant because of the evolving story. As you mentioned, when he called 911, it was, I shot my wife.

In fact, apparently, in the face was where the wounds -- wound was and now, the story has evolved to suicide. That is not a set of circumstances and facts that bodes well for a defendant. If you look at the lot of the suicide statistics, Brooke, as you know, I tend to look at a lot of statistics. It is very rare for a woman to commit suicide by shooting herself in the face.

So certainly, the facts are leaning against this defendant, but as Casey Anthony showed, I never call these things, Brooke, because you never know what's going to happen in a court of law. BALDWIN: And to the point where you say, you know, you hope there isn't a Casey Anthony backlash. I asked the question because it's possible given what happened with the jury then. There could be this jury wanting to really go after this particular defendant, fairly or unfairly.

HOSTIN: Yes, I mean, certainly people are talking about that and I think that's why this judge is taking a really strong tack in terms of jury selection. It's been taking a while. She even had -- admonished these jurors not to read anything on the internet, not to Facebook or Twitter.

One of the potential jurors actually did that and he's in a lot of trouble right now. So this judge in particular is I think trying to do a very good job in making sure we don't see another Casey Anthony type effect happening here in this Florida courtroom.

BALDWIN: One more question for you. Let's just show this video. Then I'll take on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just like to get out of this nasty cell that didn't have any water. This place hadn't been cleaned until you went. It's awful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, this is ward talking to family members making cracks, jokes from behind jail walls. His attorneys filed the motion to throw this out. Do you think that the judge will do that?

HOSTIN: I think it's certainly possible, but we know, we saw all of those videotapes and there's really no expectation of privacy in the jailhouse especially in a situation like this.

And so, I think this may come in and I think the big question is what is a jury going to think when they see someone whose wife allegedly committed suicide, dancing.

He was dancing, Brooke, further on in that video after his wife is found dead. This is not going to bode well I think for this defendant, but again, you never know in a court of law, you never know what happens.

BALDWIN: Yes, Sunny Hostin, that's why we bring you on, but you do never know. We'll follow this.

Thank you so much, Sunny Hostin on the case for us.

That is it for me. I'm Brooke Baldwin here in Atlanta. Now time to turn things over to my colleague, Wolf Blitzer. "THE SITUATION ROOM" starts now.