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North Korea's Nukes; Diver Killed By Great White Shark; New Suspect Emerges in Missing Baby Case; Steve Jobs Biography to Hit Bookstores; Man Attacks Women who Belong to Same Sorority; Will Ferrell Awarded Mark Twain Prize for Comedy
Aired October 24, 2011 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Now watch this. Here we go, top of hour two. Welcome back. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Couple stories here, how you pay your mortgage or borrow money could soon change.
Also, the U.S. and North Korea talk nukes. A serious concern for babies and a volcano erupts under water. Time to play reporter roulette on this Monday.
Dan Lothian, let's begin with you in Las Vegas where the president is slated to speak in just a little bit of time here. Dan as we know in Nevada very much so a fitting background for the president today to talk this new plan for homeowners specifically. What should we expect?
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, because this is the sort of Ground Zero for the foreclosure crisis. In fact, according to Zillow, which is that online real estate resource, 85 percent of the homes in Nevada are underwater.
In other words, people owe more on their homes than they're actually worth. And from the peak of the real estate market here, prices have dropped by 53 percent in the state, by 59 percent in the Las Vegas area. And so the president is coming here to not only give homeowners in this area some hope, but homeowners across the country, by relaxing some of the tough rules that have made it very difficult for homeowners to refinance, allowing them to not have to go through a credit check or get an appraisal again.
Again, the big key that is seen as holding back the economic recovery is the pressure on the real estate market, and the White House, the president hoping that this will provide some relief.
BALDWIN: So we will hear from the president in just a little bit of time talking about refinancing. But I know that that's not his only stop out West. Tell me where else he will be and what else we will hear about from him.
LOTHIAN: That's right. The president pushing his jobs bill but also raising some money for his campaign. He will be holding six fund- raisers across three states, according to a Democratic official. He's expected to haul in more than $4 million one of the star-studded events later tonight in Los Angeles, more than $35,000 per person. That will be a gathering of some Latino stars, including the mayor of Los Angeles, of course, a big group that the president is really trying to reach out to as he tries to get success in 2012. So the president pulling in some cash on this trip as well.
BALDWIN: Air Force One, how perfect timing, serendipity at its best, Air Force One landing there in Las Vegas on the tarmac. Dan Lothian, thank very much for us in Nevada.
Next on "Reporter Roulette," Brian Todd in Washington on North Korea's nuclear program and another effort to stop it. Brian, what's the U.S. doing now?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, U.S. officials are in Geneva, Switzerland, for talks directly with North Korean officials. This is kind of a preliminary set of talks to lay the foundation for a resumption of further, more serious negotiations with the North about disarming their nuclear program.
U.S. officials were encouraged by a meeting in July and want to kind of keep that ball rolling a little bit. They were also encouraged that the North met directly with the South Koreans recently in an effort to try to at least talk about North Korea's nuclear program.
Some really serious concerns there because North Korea has tested a nuclear weapon underground at least once, they have test-fired ballistic missiles, they have launched a lot of provocatory actions over the past couple of years, bombing a South Korean island, sinking a South Korean vessel. So they want to try to pull back from the brink a little bit. These talks in Geneva may be a first step toward doing that.
BALDWIN: But, Brian, it does also make you wonder. You think about North Korea sees the U.S. take out bin Laden, they see what happened just last week with Gadhafi. We're taking out terrorists. Does that give them any incentive to be more forthcoming?
TODD: It may very well, Brooke, because the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Il, as strange and kind of hermetic as he is, is known to be a voracious consumer of the news. He watches a lot on TV. He keeps up with things. We have gotten an inside look at that when he's talked about that when people from the West have met with them. He knows what's going on in the world. He sees the developments in the Middle East.
He sees what happened to bin Laden. The equation changes, though, when you realize he may very well have a nuclear weapon on his hands right now. He may very welcome soon have the capability to deploy it. So, he has a little bit more leverage maybe than some of the other leaders have in some of these equations. So he comes at this with somewhat a position of strength.
BALDWIN: Brian Todd in Washington. Brian, thank you.
Next on "Reporter Roulette," educating new parents about shaken baby syndrome. Want to bring in Elizabeth Cohen.
What is it? It's one hospital started an education program able to reduce this by 75 percent.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Whenever you hear a number like that...
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: That's stunning.
COHEN: Right. It's stunning. It's cause to celebrate.
Shaken baby syndrome is obviously a terrible situation where a parent becomes so frustrated they shake the baby. It's the leading cause of traumatic death for babies under the age of 1. This program was really very simple. The maternity nurses while the mom was still in the hospital just talked to them about it and talked to them about things to do when you're feeling that frustrated and exhausted.
BALDWIN: So then what do you do when you're feeling frustrated and exhausted and you have a crying baby and won't stop crying? What do you do?
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: Well, I'm going to suggest some things. Some of them I think parents will say, well, I tried that, but I will go through the list because of some them maybe people haven't tried.
For example, a repetitive noise like a clothes dryer. For some reason, it's almost like white noise and it just repeats itself.
BALDWIN: Interesting.
COHEN: Yes, go figure.
And walking outdoors helps. Sometimes just feeling the wind, a little bit of change in the -- that helps them. Rocking them, humming or singing to the baby often helps. This was my favorite. I did this more than once. Put the baby in a car seat and take a ride, 2:00 in the morning, doesn't matter, whatever. If I couldn't get my daughter...
BALDWIN: That was your go-to?
COHEN: That was my go-to. Put them in the car and drive around.
And also carry the baby in a carrier. Somehow, feeling your skin and your heartbeat, they really love that.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: So the information, it comes from the study the appears in the journal "Pediatrics" but it also talks about some other important messages to parents, such as?
COHEN: Right. I think it's really important for parents to know that you can walk away from a crying baby. Put that baby in a safe place like their crib.
BALDWIN: It's hard for a lot of moms and dads, isn't it?
COHEN: It is hard, but you are better off being in the next room than shaking your child. Your child will be OK if he or she cries as long as they're in a safe place.
Go to another room, get yourself together, calm down, and then go back to the baby. I think sometimes new parents think, the baby's crying, I have got to address it this very second. Not true. As long as they're safe, you can go into the next room.
BALDWIN: I always remember my mom saying she would count to 10.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Hopefully she didn't have to do that too much, but yes. Count to 10. Calm down. It's OK.
COHEN: Exactly, because when you're exhausted, when you're sleeping let's say two hours a night, you're just -- you're not in your right mind.
BALDWIN: OK. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you.
(WEATHER UPDATE)
BALDWIN: Also, this very second, you have these two inmates on the loose somewhere presumably in Florida. When the lights came on this morning, prison guards discovered they were gone. Wait until you hear the obstacles they probably had to get through.
Also, an American diver believed to have been killed by a great white shark. Now there is a hunt for it. I will talk with an expert from the Discovery Channel about this particular search.
Also, secrets revealed about the life of Steve Jobs, including his reputation at work as a monster and how his feelings about God and the afterlife actually manifested themselves in his own product.
Also, we're continuing to follow this breaking story out of North Carolina -- two schools on lockdown after this apparent shooting. Stay right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right, back to the breaking story out of Fayetteville, North Carolina.
We're getting some new details on that school shooting. And as I tell you about this, take a look at these live pictures from our affiliate out of Raleigh-Durham WTVD. These are students from two schools on lockdown, Cape Fear High School and Mac Williams Middle School, clearly lining out of these schools because they are on code red lockdown.
Here's what we're learning from our other affiliate WRAL. They have just spoken to the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office. They say the victim, this female victim, who was shot in her neck is at Cape Fear High School, she is 15 years of age, she was shot on the grounds of the school during today's lunch period.
Her injury is quite serious and the police say there is a wooded area near the school where people hunt. So it is a possibility the shot came from the woods, but, again, 15-year-old girl seriously wounded by this gunshot to her neck. The high school and this nearby middle school again they are on lockdown. As you continue to see these students lining -- leaving the school, code red, as the grounds are being searched. More on that as we get it.
(NEWS BREAK)
BALDWIN: Coming up next: What is more dangerous, driving to the beach or once you're there getting into the water with a great white shark? An American diver killed after an encounter with a great white. Now crews are looking for it after a series of attacks. So how does a search like this even go down?
Andy Dehart from the Discovery Channel is standing by for us. Find out what he says about the idea of a rogue shark targeting humans. Don't miss this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: This next one is really the kind of story that sends chills down your spine, conjuring our worst fears, swimming in the ocean, the thought of then swimming in the ocean with sharks, let alone some sort of great white shark.
Let me tell you this story. Scuba diver George Thomas Wainwright of Houston was attacked and killed over the weekend by this 10-foot great white shark just off of western Australia. And keep in mind this was the third fatal shark attack in the area in less than two months.
Now local fisheries experts, they are launching what certain people are deeming a questionable effort here to hunt down and kill this particular shark that killed Wainwright.
I want to bring in Andy Dehart. He is with the National Aquarium Institute, an been an adviser for Discovery Channel's "Shark Week" specials.
So, Andy, I know, after I guess working 20 years with them, you know a thing or two about sharks. Let me just begin with this. How do you even begin to hunt for a specific shark in the middle of the ocean? How does that work?
ANDY DEHART, SHARK ADVISER, DISCOVERY CHANNEL: Certainly these are tragic cases and the families do kind of want closure on this. But the hard part is looking for one shark in a very big ocean, and the ability to do that quickly in a way before the shark is able to digest any possible evidence kind of makes it a very hard task to achieve.
BALDWIN: How do you literally find this shark? Is this shark dead or alive, first of all?
DEHART: Well, the shark is probably very much alive. And unfortunately the way to catch the shark is set out a lot of baited hooks.
Most of these areas use a long line, which could be a quarter-mile. It could be a half-mile-long line with hooks every 40 feet. And, unfortunately, the process by -- figuring out whether this was the right shark or not is to kill that that shark and then cut it open and the necropsy.
BALDWIN: Is there such a thing as a rogue shark? Do they really go after people or do they just see a person and mistake it for something, food, something they would eat?
DEHART: Certainly the rogue shark theory is something that's been around long before the movie "Jaws," but kind of inspired the movie "Jaws."
But it's kind of wildly dismissed by science that there's not a shark out there that kind of figures out that humans are easy prey. What we do know that there's over 500 species of sharks. Not a single one of them has human beings on part of their regular diet. Usually when attacks like this do happen, it is a case of mistaken identity.
There might have been the wrong signals. It's might have been a murky day in the water. And the shark is just going after its normal diet. In this case, the great white typically feeds on seals and sea lions.
BALDWIN: Like you said, perhaps in some cases families want closure, perhaps Australia wants to find this particular shark. But do you think the idea of searching for this shark, is it legitimate?
DEHART: It's really not.
I mean, the options of trying to find this one shark are very minimal. The other thing that leads to is a lot of bycatch. They will be killing a lot of great whites and other sharks in this area. And unfortunately we don't have a lot to fear from sharks, but sharks do have a lot to fear from us.
We kill sharks at a rate of about 73 million per year around the globe. And they can't stand that fishing pressure. So, just kind of to get closure, we need to look at alternatives and look at ways that we might better utilize beach safety.
I know this area of Australia does a lot of aerial patrols. And that's kind of my recommendation is to get back to the aerial patrols, close beaches from time to time. But don't go after killing the sharks. BALDWIN: But, from the other perspective, Andy, if you're Australia and you want to continue having scuba divers or tourists to this part of Australia and you're thinking there's a great white out there, there's been these three attacks in seven weeks, we need to find that shark, can you just address that concern? It's viable.
DEHART: Certainly.
Yes, certainly. First and foremost it's probably not the same shark. There's probably multiple sharks. All the folks that live in western Australia are very comfortable knowing this is an area that great whites live in. We know that great white numbers have dropped over time. But this is a large coastal area and since 2000 there's only been seven fatalities. This is the seventh in the whole entire western Australia in those 11 years.
You really need to look at risk. It's far more dangerous to drive to the beach, risk of fatality in a car accident than it is to be involved in a shark bite incident at a beach.
BALDWIN: Wow. I guess final question, is there really any way to prevent shark attacks?
DEHART: There's certainly some things we do recommend. We recommend that people don't swim at dusk and dawn. These are the peak shark feeding times. Also be aware of your surroundings. If there's a lot of bait fish in the area or there's a lot of marine mammals in the area, beware and get out of the water. Discretion is the better part of valor.
We do know the first attack that happened in western Australia in September, it's right around the corner from a very large seal rookery. And kind of be wise with what beaches you're going to.
BALDWIN: OK.
Andy Dehart, thank you so much for talking sharks with me. It's a tragic story nonetheless for these folks who lost their son. Thank you, though.
And now this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's worse is it's happening in the one place that they feel the safest, and that is in their own home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Still ahead, this very second, police say a serial rapist is on the loose and his victims have one very specific trait in common. They all belong to the same sorority. We're on the case.
Also, news just in from the world of politics, including reports of chaos in Michele Bachmann's camp. That's coming up.
Also, what a new poll reveals about what Americans think of the Occupy Wall Street protests. Back in two minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: And now Mark Preston joins me with a look at America's choice 2012 political update here.
And, Mark, so Occupy Wall Street, we have a new CNN/ORC poll. What are people saying?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, you know, it's interesting, Brooke. There's been so much talk about the Occupy Wall Street movement. But what do Americans think about it?
Let's take a look at these new numbers as you said that were just released a couple of hours ago. What's surprising about these numbers is that four in 10 Americans are unsure, they don't even have an opinion about the movement. And as we see there, 32 percent have a favorable opinion, 29 percent have an unfavorable opinion, which begs the question, why do four in 10 Americans have no opinion about this movement that's been talked a lot about in the news and certainly here on cable television?
The reason being is, they haven't run any television ads, they haven't done press releases. This is kind of a conversation Keating Holland, who is our polling director, and I were having just a few moments ago about that. Right now it is a grassroots movement. There's no paid media behind it.
So in order for them to take the next step, Brooke, they will have to start doing that. But as you teased it at just the top before we made the turn into this segment, chaos right now in the Michele Bachmann campaign, or at least that's what her former New Hampshire staffers are saying.
They released a memo today with a scathing indictment of the national campaign. In fact, let me just read a couple of things they said in this memo that they just released.
They described the campaign as in chaos. They said that the national campaign has shifting strategies. They said that the staffers on the Michele Bachmann national campaign were rude, unprofessional, dishonest and at times cruel. Now, these five New Hampshire staffers for Michele Bachmann have quit the campaign.
CNN tried to reach out and get some comment, immediate comment, to see what they had to say about these allegations. We didn't hear back. However, the national spokeswoman will be on "JOHN KING, USA" in just a couple of hours so we will hear their side of the story -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: We will look for that 6:00 Eastern.
Mark Preston, thank you so much.
Also, some brand-new developments in the hunt for missing infant Lisa Irwin. Witnesses have come forward saying they saw a man walking in the street the night this little girl disappeared. Well, now there is surveillance video showing something that may move this case forward. You're going to see that.
Plus, dozens of Muslim drivers say they're being fired for praying. And they're about to go to battle with a huge American business. Sunny Hostin is on the case. She is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: A murky video, this mystery man walking alone in the middle of the night, could this piece of video be the clue that possibly breaks open the case of missing baby Lisa? Here it is. Take a good look at where the video is spotlighted. This is gas station surveillance video. This is from the night at the time 10 month, now 11-month-old Lisa Irwin disappeared right out of her crib. It shows this man walking down the street 2:15 that morning two miles from the Irwin home.
Sunny Hostin "On the Case." So Sunny, this video, could it at all back up the parents' story that their baby was kidnapped?
SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: Well, it certainly could, Brooke. Not only could it back up their contention, it could also back up several witness statements. Remember, there are several witnesses that say that they saw a man dressed in a t-shirt walking alone in this area coming out of a wooded area, holding a baby. Remember, this happened October 3rd, it was cold outside. What each witness remarked about was that the baby didn't have a blanket. The baby wasn't clothed well, and they found that odd.
So I believe there's no question that this could possibly support their contention that their baby was abducted, because, remember, baby abductions, infant abductions, very, very rare. They usually, when they happen, do have a happy ending because these children are taken by people that want children, not necessarily by people that are going to harm these children. So we could be hearing, perhaps, I hope, good news.
BALDWIN: Hopefully, hopefully. We also know that the parents of little Lisa, they attended this emotional prayer vigil outside their home Sunday. I know police have been focusing so, so much on the two of them. Is it too much? Is that possible?
HOSTIN: You know, I don't think so. Let's face it, the baby was last seen in their home. They are the keys to unraveling this mystery, because it really is a mystery, isn't it, at this point? And so I don't think that the police can really hone in on them enough. They need to know every single detail of the moments before her disappearance.
BALDWIN: Also, we know that the police had that search warrant. They were going all through the backyard, inside this home, as Jim Spellman was telling us Friday. They were able to go in because this cadaver found a positive hit in the bedroom. Do we know, then, the next step? Do we know what police found once they were on property?
HOSTIN: We don't know. I mean, we certainly do know, as you mentioned, an FBI cadaver dog did pull up a scent, a human scent, on the bedroom floor of the Bradleys' bedroom. I don't know that that gives us that much. That was contained in the police affidavit. In a lot of these cases they try to keep some of the details close to the vest because it's an ongoing investigation and we're talking about an infant that is missing.
And so we don't know that much about what was recovered inside, but we do know this case has received national attention and that police are on the case.
BALDWIN: Case number two that I want to talk about. Some people are outraged here, out of Seattle Sea-Tac airport. You have Hertz, huge, huge American rental car company firing 26 Muslim drivers who refused to clock out for their prayer breaks. Is Hertz within its rights to fire these people?
HOSTIN: Well, it's possible, Brooke. I mean, I've said it on this program many, many times and we've talked about this. You can -- most people are employees at will, so you can hire and fire folks for no reason or any reason at all. But it has to be a nondiscriminatory reason.
And so I did reach out to Hertz. They did give me a statement. What they're saying is, listen, this is not about religious discrimination. This has never been about religious tolerance. For decades worldwide, including more than 15 years in Seattle, Hertz has accommodated and supported our Muslim employees.
They are saying that all they've done is ask that the employees abide by this requirement that they clock out, Brooke, for breaks. That's apparently embodied in the union agreement. And my understanding is that clocking out became necessary there because there were a large number of employees that chronically abused these break privileges which were being extended unreasonably for nonreligious purposes.
And so Hertz very much so saying no, this is not about discrimination. This is a hiring -- or rather a firing of employees at will for nondiscriminatory reasons.
BALDWIN: OK, but then we've heard from the union representing these drivers, they say they have filed complaints, I guess, before alleging unfair labor practices and religious discrimination. Does the union have any kind of case?
HOSTIN: Well, they certainly have to prove that this firing was connected to discrimination, religious discrimination. My understanding is that this is going to be going through the grievance process, the arbitration process, because it they were unionized employees. They've also, though, indicated they are going to file a complaint of the EEOC of religious discrimination and also on NLRB complaint, National Labor Relations Board, claiming unfair labor practice charges.
So this is the case, then. I think we'll see a lot of it's going to be this will be litigated on variation fronts. But the question remains, were they fired because of their religion, because they needed to take prayer breaks, or were they fired because they didn't adhere to the policy that they had to punch out when they were taking these breaks? So that's really the crucial issue. Why were they fired? That's going to be litigated.
BALDWIN: "On the Case," Sunny Hostin. Sunny, as always, thank you.
Coming up next -- just weeks after his death, secrets are being revealed about the life of Steve Jobs. And I'll speak with someone who has read the new biography, all 630 pages here, which by the way hits bookstores today. Find out how Steve Jobs viewed religion, how it played a role in his products, and why LSD was at one point or another one of the most important things in this man's life. That conversation is two minutes away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Nearly three weeks after Steve Jobs died, the Apple co- founder and visionary, still dominates what's trending online. And no doubt what is feeding a lot of this fascination, his authorized biography simply titled "Steve Jobs" which comes out today. And in this book it reveals jaw-droppers, like his view on drugs. I want to play this for you. I want you to listen to what he told his biographer Walter Isaacson who then told CBS' "60 Minutes" that he recorded their conversations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE JOBS, APPLE COFOUNDER: Definitely you taking LSD is one of the most important things in my life. Not the most important but right up there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Joining me now, "New York Times" bits blogger, Nick Bilton, he is one of the fortunate few who actually got an advanced copy of this 630-page biography. Nick, I have a bunch of questions. But what I found pretty fascinating off the top here is the reason why Steve Jobs never actually you put an on/off switch on any of his Apple products. Explain that for us.
NICK BILTON, BITS BLOGGER, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": There's a moment at the end of the book, I don't want to give away the ending, but there's a moment where Steve Jobs is talking with Walter Isaacson, and they're talking about if he believes in religion and if he believes in an afterlife and all of these different things. And Jobs says he has a 50/50 view on it, that he partially believes there's an afterlife or something happens afterwards and partially believe that there's not.
And I think he's actually kind of joking around but partly serious. He says, you know, maybe that's why I didn't put an on/off switch on my computer because I don't know what happens afterwards. Is it just a click afterward we're done?
BALDWIN: Also interesting, his family. So we know Steve Jobs was given up for adoption as a baby. Eventually he did meet his biological mother and became good friends with his sister, but unknowingly met his biological father. Tell that story. BILTON: Throughout the whole book I think that's one of the themes that really propelled Jobs to search for what he ended up doing with his life, which is finding a balance between the science and humanities and technology and religion and so on. But his whole life he really was searching for why his parents had given him up for adoption, which I think led him to experiment with LSD.
And there's an interesting part where he finds out that he actually knew his biological father but didn't know at the time, and his father had actually owned a restaurant. It was a diner I believe, in Palo Alto where Jobs grew up. He spent a lot of time there and they met a couple of times. He didn't find out till years later.
BALDWIN: So you brought it up again. We heard the clip with regard to the LSD, one of the most important things of his life. What did he mean by that?
BILTON: Well, in the early days, you know, when he first started going to college, and before he went to college he took a trip to India and he did a lot of experimentations, originally started smoking weed and then started taking LSD. He talks about these moments of when he really knew that LSD would take him to this place that didn't exactly exist, but when he was done taking it, it gave him this whole different opening and view on life. And he talks about listening to Bob Dylan with his girlfriend in this field and watching the hay blow in the wind and tripping on acid. So he definitely used that throughout his life, in the early days especially.
BALDWIN: Wow. You brought up Bob Dylan, music. This is a man who also really loved music, Walter Isaacson writes about their interview, he talked to his 40 different times, it was sort of punctuated by music.
BILTON: Yes. He -- when Steve Jobs met Steve Wozniak, who was the co-founder of Apple, you know, they had three things in common. They loved technology. They loved pulling pranks when they were in school, and they were really good at that. But they also loved music. And one of the things that they did in the early friendship is they would drive around southern California and they would look for Bob Dylan bootleg of all the concerts he had done. I think that followed them through both of their lives, their love for music and Bob Dylan.
BALDWIN: What, Nick, you read this whole thing, was the one detail, the one anecdote that surprised you the most about Steve Jobs?
BILTON: I mean, I think what really surprised me the most is that, you know, he's someone that a lot of people have idolized and he did an amazing thing for technology, for society, all the things he's invented and been a part of. But I think what I found fascinating was what made him create these great things were the struggles and turmoil he went through in his life.
In the beginning of his life, he struggled to try and understand what it was like to be adopted and why that happened. Later on he wanted to understand what he was supposed to do with his life. There was one point he says he was actually going to be a spiritual Zen master but decided against it. And you can see these struggles that follow him through his whole life. And I think that's what made him make these great products.
BALDWIN: And he sought out Walter Isaacson to write his biography. Nick Bilton, thank you so much. I've done as much reading as I can on this book. I can't wait to read the book. You can go to CNNmoney.com to read an exclusive excerpt from the book, details when Steve Jobs blew up at Bill Gates for Gates project, a little project called Windows. So again, go to be CNNmoney.com.
Now this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our two victims were associated with a particular sorority alumni group.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Police say a serial rapist is on the loose and his targets all have one thing in common, they all belong to the same sorority. Not only that, but what he apparently knows about these women might also prove these attacks not random. The manhunt is underway. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: A crime wave near Dallas, Texas, threatens to shatter a sisterhood. Four rapes in three suburbs in less than one year, this last attack happened just 10 days ago. Police say the suspect is going after women from the same sorority, and members now are being warned not to tell anyone that they belong to this specific group.
But the victims here, we're not talking young sorority girls in college. These women are all middle-aged in their 50s and 60s. And they're all members of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority alumni group. I want you to watch what Scott Goldstein of the "Dallas Morning News" told me about this just this last hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Police have this surveillance video of a man they're linking to one of these attacks. And while we watch that, tell me what exactly is it that he is accused of doing to these women.
SCOTT GOLDSTEIN, STAFF WRITER, "DALLAS MORNING NEWS": Well, from what we understand, the video is somehow connected to the second of the four attacks. It happened sometime in April in Plano, which is north of Dallas. They're not even telling us exactly what the video is from, but what they are telling us, the Plano police believe this is very likely their suspect, and he matches the description that all four of the women have given. And the women have also said that during the attacks, during the sexual assaults, he indicates he knows something about them, about their group.
BALDWIN: Scott, what does that mean, he knows something about them? Like what?
GOLDSTEIN: Well, clearly all four of these women, the common thread is that they're a member of that sorority. But, you know, as far as details of what exactly is said, cops are being pretty tight-lipped on giving us those details. But they are saying that at this point they really don't think it's a coincidence anymore, that these four victims any more that these four victims are part of the same sorority alumni group. It is too much to be a coincidence. So they decided to put that out on Friday. And as you might expect, there is a lot of anxiety among the members of the group.
BALDWIN: Sure. And then when you talk about these victims here, we're talking, as you mentioned, 50s and 60s. But this suspect is described as much, much younger.
GOLDSTEIN: Yes. He could be -- it is kind of a vague description of heavy-set black man, I believe in his 30s. But again, it is unclear what his connection or motive is. If they know a possible motive, they haven't shared it with us. So it is pure speculation talking with experts that maybe this guy has something against this particular organization. But really, like I said, that's speculation at this point. I think they are appealing to public because they need help identifying him, and hopefully somebody can recognize those videos and photos they have released.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Also with this story, all four of these sorority sisters were attacked in their own homes either late at night or very early in the morning. The attacker found each woman home alone.
Coming up in just a few minutes, Mr. Wolf Blitzer with "THE SITUATION ROOM" in Washington, D.C. Wolf, who do you have today? Wolf Blitzer? Paging Wolf Blitzer.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Brooke Let me hear what you said. What's the question again? The audio is for some reason is not -- speak again, but softly and with distinction. Go ahead.
BALDWIN: What? Wolf.
BLITZER: We are hearing all sorts of ambient sounds in the control room right now. We have a little competition going on.
BALDWIN: OK. My question is, what do you have coming up on the "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer?
BLITZER: Oh, that's a good question. We have an excellent show coming up at the top of the hours in "THE SITUATION ROOM". One of the things we're going to do is we're going to speak to the outgoing Iraqi ambassador to the United States. He is coming here. We will be speaking live. He has some strong views about U.S.-Iraqi relations, especially in the aftermath of what President Obama announced on Friday, that all U.S. troops would be out of Iraq bit end of the year. So Ambassador Sumaidaie is going to be here. Well talk about what is going on. Also we will speak to the White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer. He is coming here as well. We have some good questions for him. We have a good strong show coming up here on "THE SITUATION ROOM." Brooke, thank you.
BALDWIN: Wolf, thank you very much. We will see you in a few.
Coming up here, Will Ferrell received a prestigious award for comedy. In fact, he was the 14th to get it, but first to drop it. We have the video.
Plus, a pretty unbelievable story. One lawmaker had the longest, most troublesome election day ever. He all started when he swallowed one of those gristles, as in those on your grill scraper. This is quite the story. Joe Johns is all over it, "Political Pop." Don't miss this one, next.
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BALDWIN: You ever have one ever those days, you know, nothing ever seems to be going right? One thing after another just continues to happen to you? One lawmaker had one of those days just this past weekend, and it happened on a pretty important day for him, election day. Joe Johns is here with the story and "Political Pop." And Joe, OK --
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: This is just unbelievable.
BALDWIN: It is unbelievable. I heard this morning. I've been waiting for this. It started out with a cookout.
JOHNS: Exactly. First I got to say, he is running to be a lawmaker, first election ever. But this kind of takes a prize for the craziest Election Day. No joke. It's a story of a candidate, a football game, a chicken, a runoff elections, two operations, and a brand new baby girl.
The guy's name is Chris Broadwater. He's a Republican from Hammond, Louisiana, first time running for office. On Saturday he grills chicken wings at home. Has a meal before going off to finish campaigning at a football game.
He feels a tickle in his throat. Turns out it's pain, big pain. He thinks it's gristle from the chicken or something, but the pain gets to hurting so bad a friend convinces him to go to the hospital. They do x-rays, figure out there is this little, tiny metal bristle from the brush he used to cleaned the grill with stuck in his vocal cords, threatening to go into his lungs. He had to have two operations to get it out.
When he recovers from the second surgery he find he is leading in election for the state House seat but is still going to have to have a runoff election. And then when he is fully conscious someone tells him, his wife Hillary, who had been there right by his side through two surgeries, had gone into labor and was now giving birth a couple weeks early to their fourth daughter in the very same hospital where he just had the operations. There you go. There's a picture. Baby Ruby Jane Broadwater born 12:07 a.m. Crazy day. Congratulations to the family. And I hope Chris has a swift recovery. I hear he actually went to work today.
BALDWIN: Absolutely crazy. I have never heard of anything like that in my life. So he is a hopeful lawmaker. So he has a run off and he's got a new baby and the bristle is gone. OK.
JOHNS: Right. And may it never happen again, at least the bristle part.
BALDWIN: Finally here, a comedian of "SNL" fame honored over the weekend.
JOHNS: Right. Another prize-winning moment. Will Ferrell, well known face in Washington accepting the Mark Twain Prize for American humor actually managed to do the one thing anybody accepting an award tries hardest not to do. You really just do not want to drop the award in front of the audience. And there you go. It shatters all over the place. Just keeps talking.
BALDWIN: I hear laughter.
JOHNS: I know, right. Yes. He actually said the Kennedy center had been begging him to accept this award for 13 years and he said, no. Fortunately though as "The New York Times" reported, it was all a joke. The Mark Twain award was safe and sound.
BALDWIN: Oh, it was a joke.
JOHNS: Right. He had basically splattered a prop into a thousand pieces on the floor.
BALDWIN: Did I hear correctly he was also inside the White House daily briefing Friday?
JOHNS: Right. Absolutely, he was inside the White House daily briefing. He went over there to hang out with the press secretary and take a few pictures of. You know, he is a real fixture in Washington, D.C. He has spoken a lot at dinners here. People know him well and have enjoyed his comedy, quite frankly, at some of the best even media events around town.
BALDWIN: What is it about Washington it attracts him? Is it just because he is such a highly sought-after, I don't know, emcee of events?
JOHNS: Commodity, I don't know. I can tell you this much, just from having experience trying to lure him to speak at one of these big dinners is his kind of humor is suitably safe, if you will. It doesn't cross the line and go off into something so negative that would you have to defend for the rest of your life. And he is still very funny.
BALDWIN: He is very funny. That would be very fantastic to get a minute with him. Joe Johns, excellent "Political Pop" for this Monday. Thank you so much.
JOHNS: And wuickly before I let you go, tomorrow news today. Let's fast forward. First up, this court hearing set for a California teenager accused of killing his gay classmate in '08. First trial for Brendan McInerney, a 17-year-old. A judge declared a mistrial. His victim, Larry King, just 15.
And Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry is going to introduce his own flat tax plan. Part of Perry's announcement tomorrow going to voters to look at his economy growth package.
And "Politico" has plans to stay up late Tuesday. The president is sitting down with Jay Leno. This will be the fourth time President Obama has appeared on "The Tonight Show."
And that is it for me here in Atlanta at the CNN World Headquarters. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thanks so much for watching. Now to Wolf Blitzer. "THE SITUATION ROOM" starts right now.