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Baby, Mother Pulled From Rubble in Turkey; New York Cops Arrested in Smuggling Sting; Serial Rapist Targets Sorority Sisters; Perry's Flat Tax; Cain Tops Romney in Latest Poll; Police Arrests at 'Occupy Oakland'; A Revealing Interview With Darrel Hammond
Aired October 25, 2011 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And hello to all of you. I'm Brooke Baldwin.
Let's go. Let's get you caught up on everything making news this hour, beginning with "Rapid Fire."
A 2-week old baby pulled out of the earthquake rubble there in Turkey. The child's mother and grandmother also have now been rescued, but the child's father, still trapped at this point in time.
Just really now putting a face on this horrific tragedy in Turkey. So far, more than 400 people are dead and another 1,300 injured in this devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit eastern Turkey Sunday.
We're going to take you live to the region in just a matter of minutes.
Also today, former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has finally been buried. A spokesman for the interim government tells CNN that Gadhafi, his son, and a top adviser were buried today in a secret location. Over the past couple of days, as we've been reporting, Gadhafi's body had been in this cold storage unit available for public viewing.
Police in China make an arrest in connection with this horrifying video of this little girl getting run over and then ignored by passersby. A 24-year-old man is charged with manslaughter, accused of being one of those two drivers who hit the girl. The incident sparked a national outcry in China. More than a dozen people can be seen if you watch this video walking, driving, biking past her, and not doing a thing to help.
Now take a look at this. Look inside the Los Angeles courtroom where -- here he is -- Michael Jackson's doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, is on trial for involuntarily manslaughter. Jackson's former nurse Cherilyn Lee is back on the stand today. She treated Jackson for insomnia in the months before his death, and early in today's testimony she had to ask to take a break.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHERILYN LEE, MICHAEL JACKSON'S FMR. NURSE: You know, I'm feeling really, really dizzy. I'm sorry. My vision has just become a little blurred, so if you can just give me a minute.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, Ms. Lee, if you're not feeling all that well, do you want to rest a little bit? Do you feel that might be of any help to you?
LEE: Yes. If I can just rest a little bit if you don't mind?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Once court resumes, Cherilyn Lee testified that Jackson told her he needed something more than natural remedies to help him sleep.
And the man sentenced to death for a brutal home invasion in Connecticut may have killed before. Here's what we're learning from "The New Haven Register." They're reporting Steven Hayes bragged in prison through these letters of killing 17 other women. Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky were both convicted of the 2007 murders of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two young daughters. The sentencing phase for Komisarjevsky began today.
Also today, hundreds of people gathered for the funeral of the man who was the heir to the Saudi throne. Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz al-Saud died Saturday in New York. The ceremony honoring him was in Riyadh. Prince Sultan, half-brother to the king, was in his 80s and reportedly had cancer.
Also, actress Lindsay Lohan's father, Michael, has been arrested in Florida on suspicion of domestic violence against his live-in girlfriend. He was arrested on similar charges in Los Angeles just last March.
Also, Lindsay Lohan herself making a bit of news. TMZ reporting she has agreed to pose for "Playboy." What will they pay her? Approximately $1 million.
And heads up, basketball fans. Another chunk of the NBA season about to disappear. A published report says Commissioner David Stern is going to cancel all games through November 28th. "The New York Daily News" reports that move will wipe out 102 games on top of the 100 games already scrapped because of the labor dispute ongoing between owners and players.
And another tough blow for Netflix. The company lost 800,000 U.S. subscribers just in the last quarter and warns that more cancellations could be on the way. Many believe this huge hit comes after a massively controversial price hike earlier this year.
And the solar experience that's known as the northern lights put on quite the show, quite the southern exposure. Some of you tweeting me, fortunate enough to get to see this.
So, the official name of these red and green flares from the sun, it's the aurora borealis, seen here on YouTube. Now, usually people in U.S. cities like Seattle, Boston get to see them, but last night the sky show was seen -- look at this. That is too cool. The sky show was seen as far south as Oklahoma City, Memphis and Atlanta. And here we go. A lot more news to cover for you in the course of the next two hours. Stay with me. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: They are supposed to protect and serve, but in New York, several police officers busted for pushing weapons to the bad guys. Behind it all, cold, hard cash.
I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
(voice-over): As police (INAUDIBLE) a possible serial rapist --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't know if he has a list of members.
BALDWIN: -- a new warning to his apparent targets, sorority sisters.
Herman Cain has got this --
HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: 9-9-9.
BALDWIN: So, Rick Perry, how would you fix the economy?
GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A 20 percent flat tax.
BALDWIN: We'll break down his new plan.
Plus, life beneath the rubble. Dramatic rescues under way days after a deadly quake.
And confessions of a comedian.
DARRELL HAMMOND, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": When I was a child, stabbing (ph), beating, being electrocuted. It was my mom.
BALDWIN: A "Saturday Night Live" legend sits down with CNN.com to promote his book.
HAMMOND: There was cutting back stage.
BALDWIN: Darrell Hammond reveals his darkest secrets.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: You have to see this. My goodness.
You're going to see a baby all of 2 weeks old -- look at this -- carried in one of these rescuer's arms. This is a baby being rescued in Turkey two days after that earthquake hit.
Later, they also managed to find the child's mother. I know it's kind of tough to make out, but that's her. That's her head there on the stretcher. They are about to load her onto an ambulance. Also, they got the child's grandmother. But the father is still buried in all that rubble.
In terms of numbers today, the death toll has jumped to more than 430. That is 150 more than the last time we spoke right around this time yesterday.
I want to bring back in Diana Magnay, live for us in extreme eastern Turkey.
And Diana, today, what can you tell us about these rescue operations? Are they ongoing as we speak?
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They are ongoing, Brooke.
This was the site where that little baby girl was pulled out, followed by her mother and her grandmother. And it really was an amazing scene.
The rescue worker who brought that little child to safety said the moment when the mother handed the child over to him, inside the tunnel that they had created to try and bring the baby out, and handed her over to safety, he said that was like having a second child for himself. He said he'd worked in this job for 12 years, and he had never pulled anyone out of any rubble alive. And I suppose that that is the way that so many of the onlookers and so many of the rescue workers felt today, that they had achieved something, that there was something to rejoice in rather than this sort of perpetual cycle of pain, which is so often the case in these situations -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: Diana, when we were talking yesterday, you were explaining that there was a big, massive 19-story building, and it had just totally crumbled to the ground, and that's just one example, I'm sure, of a multitude of buildings that followed suit.
Do they have any idea how many people could still be trapped?
MAGNAY: They don't know how many people are missing and, therefore, trapped, or that's not an official number. Of course, because there's quite a close-knit society, there are a lot of people who say, I have these friends and relatives missing. So that is why they're choosing particular buildings rather than others.
I'll just move out of the way so you can take a look at this one.
This is another sort of four-or-five-story building that collapsed, and only an hour or so ago, they pulled another four, unfortunately, dead bodies out of this site. And that is the case throughout so many of the affected buildings in the region. You know, there are 2,000 buildings that were brought down.
I spoke to a rescue guy earlier. He was running the operation on three of these sites, and he said, you know, "This search and rescue operation will continue for a while. I've been to the tsunami, I've been to" -- he had recently been to Somalia. He's been to disaster zones all around the world, and he said, "You can have situations in earthquakes where you rescue people between 17 and 20 days after the earthquakes actually happen." So there is still hope even though the majority of people brought out of the rubble are dead -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: The picture behind you, it looked as though there are perhaps a dozen, two dozen rescuers. And from the appearances, it looks like a fairly well-organized effort. In these situations, certainly we're accustomed to hearing chaos and disorganization, not enough of this, not enough of that.
How does it look there from your perspective on the ground? How are they doing and what do they need?
MAGNAY: In terms of the search and rescue, it does seem to be a very well-coordinated effort. I think Turkey has learned a lot of lessons from that huge earthquake in Izmit in 1999, when 17,000 people died and the government was roundly criticized for its lack of response, or lack of effective response. This time, it really is a well- coordinated response. You have 3,300 search and rescue personnel on the ground, you have hundreds of medical personnel on the ground.
What you do hear from the people is that they aren't getting the aid to them quickly enough, that there aren't enough tents to go around, even though the government has put on a massive effort and has launched a $1.7 million aid program to try and bring tents and blankets and food to all the affected people. You still hear complaints that it's not getting where it needs to come -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: Still can't get over that 2-week-old baby OK and headed to the hospital with her mother.
Diana Magnay, thank you so much, for us there live in Turkey.
Also, we talked about this yesterday, a serial rapist on the loose in Texas. The target, sorority sisters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAPT. GREG WILKERSON, CORINTH POLICE: Right now, we don't understand how he's obtaining the information. We don't know if he, by chance, has a list of members, or if he's just simply looking for members that may be out there sporting different memorabilia, T-shirts for the sorority, jewelry, license plate placards, things of that nature. So we've put out a request to all the members to at least not advertise their affiliation with that sorority right now for their own safety.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: We're going to take you live to Texas for an update on that one.
Also, eight New York police officers arrested, charged with running a gun smuggling ring. They're accused of trafficking $1 million worth of M-16 rifles, shotguns, multiple handguns, even cigarettes.
The story, two minutes away. And have you heard about this flat tax proposal from Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry? It's called Cut, Balance, and Grow. This is his plan. It includes a 20 percent new flat tax rate.
But what would this really mean for you and your bank account? We're going to break down the numbers, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: They are supposed to serve and protect, but today eight current and retired NYPD officers are under arrest in this big gun smuggling ring. Investigators say they trafficked more than a million dollars in illegal weaponry, and stolen goods as well.
And just about an hour ago, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly talked about the arrests.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COMMISSIONER RAY KELLY, NYPD: There's no question about it, a case like this is disheartening to the entire department. There are people who are out there, day in and day out, doing, in my judgment, a great job and putting their life on the line.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Let's talk more a little bit more about this with former NYPD detective Gil Alba.
And Gil, we're talking about where you used to work, retired, active guys busted for pushing weapons -- these are the allegations -- pushing weapons, obviously, to the bad guys.
What's just your first reaction upon hearing about this?
GIL ALBA, FMR. NYPD DETECTIVE: Well, being 27 years in the police department, it's really embarrassing to have, like, eight officers do something like this. But the focus of New York City from Mayor Bloomberg to the police commissioner, Kelly, is to get the guns off the streets. We just had a shooting here where a woman was trying to cover up her kids, and she was shot and killed.
And not far from the precinct. This is the 68th precinct they work in. Not far from there this happened.
So it's really disheartening to the New York City Police Department. But like the commissioner says, not everybody is like that. There are a lot of good officers out there.
BALDWIN: Certainly. According to some reports I was reading, these officers bragged about the guns they could get -- and I'm quoting -- they bragged they "could get anything from Z."
Gil, what kind of guns are we talking about?
ALBA: Well, they had a total of 20 guns. The handguns go from anywhere from $40 to $400 to $600 on the street. The other machine guns, the M-16s, are military weapons that go anywhere from $1,500 to $1,700 out on the street.
So these guys were transporting these from New Jersey to New York. And they just did it recently. September 22nd was one of the last times they did this. So the FBI put a good case together and, really, you know what? These guys are in big trouble after this case.
BALDWIN: I know that the serial numbers were scratched off of these guns. So where are the guns now? How tough will it be to find them? And do we also know who bought them?
ALBA: You know, I'm sure the FBI traced these guns, because they got all confidential informants. They did surveillance on them. They did eavesdropping, meaning they listened to their phone conversations. And they actually sold them guns.
The guns that the FBI sold to them, of course, didn't work, as opposed to the other ones that they sold in Mexico, the Fast and Furious, were all operable. When you scratch something off the guns, that means you either stole the guns or you're using them for some kind of crime, or you don't want them to beg followed up where you know where they're used. So that's another heavy-duty crime, as far as a federal case is concerned.
BALDWIN: And not only, Gil, are they accused of smuggling these guns, but there are allegations they were stealing slot machines and cigarettes. What do you make of that?
ALBA: Well, they stole 200 cases of cigarettes from trucks in Virginia and brought it up to New York. And also slot machines from Atlantic City they bought up to Westchester County, in Portchester.
They were involved in this. And it says $1 million, but I cannot foresee that this action that they were doing, selling these guns, would give them an extra amount of money so vast, that it's really worth it. I don't really think they got much out of this for what they are going to do, and I think they are going to pay dearly for this, because this is an FBI case, and one of their strengths is to do a case just like this.
BALDWIN: So I know that the investigation here -- and you mentioned an informant was involved -- the investigation started back in '09. How did these officers ultimately get caught?
ALBA: Well, with the confidential informants, and them bragging, and them going out and selling -- and they actually sold it to the FBI agent. So they already started out in surveillance.
And once the FBI got it, they became -- with the investigation, they got together with the New York City Police Department Internal Affairs. So they had these guys really well. But what's happening lately, in the last three or four months, all this activity has been happening, and the guns were smuggled in, and this was a good time to apprehend them, which they did.
BALDWIN: Gil Alba, former NYPD detective.
Gil, always great to have you on. Thank you so much today.
ALBA: Thanks for having me.
BALDWIN: Got some new details for you this afternoon on that school shooting that was breaking news this time yesterday out of Fayetteville, North Carolina. Two teenagers are in custody right now, charged with shooting another teenager in her neck. More on that.
Plus, sorority sisters are the target of a serial rapist in Texas. We're going to take you live to Dallas after this short break. See you in two minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: A sorority is supposed to be a lifetime sisterhood, a network of women who support one another, share connections, lend one another a helping hand long after college is over. But today, one sorority is asking some of its members to put away all symbols of sisterhood -- key chains, T-shirts, license plate holders, you name it -- because a rapist is on the loose. And police suspect he's targeting these women who joined the same sorority, that being Delta Sigma Theta.
In less than a year, four Delta Sigma Theta alumni have been attacked in three separate suburbs all around Dallas, Texas. These attacks tend to happen at night, when the women are at home alone. But the victims, they are in their 50s, their 60s, and their attacker knew very personal information about each of them.
Police do have something to go on. Take a good, long look. This is surveillance video that shows a possible suspect. This was in an attack last April. This is Plano, Texas.
And Ed Lavandera, he's in Dallas for us, following this.
And Ed, do police have any idea why someone would want to target a member of this sorority?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: At this point, if they do know, they're not saying publicly. And obviously this connection between all four of these victims being sorority members is, in the minds of investigators, a big clue. So they don't know if this person is trying to lash out at these people. Does he have a beef with the organization for whatever reason? That's what they are trying to find out right now, and the fact that there is this connection, these sorority connections between all four victims, and none of the victims knew each other personally, is a big clue for investigators right now.
BALDWIN: Also, Ed, when we were first telling this story on the show yesterday, I was getting tweets from Delta saying how frightened they are because of what is happening in Dallas.
So my question, then, would be, what precautions are alumni in the area being told to take? LAVANDERA: I think there's no question that this has really sent a major shock wave of fear through this sorority community. It's a massive organization worldwide. It's got a strong presence here in the Dallas area as well.
They are essentially being told, as you mentioned off the top, to put away all of the paraphernalia. So if you have T-shirts, license plate placards, key chains, whatever you might have around, to not display that, not show that off here for the time being.
And they're also urging people these attacks happened when the women were home alone at night, in the overnight hours. So many of them were asleep in their houses when this happened. So, you know, avoid being alone, if you can. Lock your doors. Obviously very basic stuff.
But also, and the interesting thing -- and this came also from the head of the national chapter -- saying Facebook and Twitter, all the social media -- you know, a lot of these organizations have public Web sites on Facebook, and they post pictures from events and that sort of thing, and people comment on it. All of that, they say, to lay off of, back away.
Authorities are saying, look, we don't know how this person is getting information on their victims. It could be through these social media Web sites. So that's obviously something that they want to pay close attention to and be weary of as well.
BALDWIN: What do police know about this guy, this man? We showed the surveillance video, and maybe we can show it again, because we noticed that the time stamp on this video is 9:30 in the morning, and having run up on the story, I know that this guy's MO is apparently attacking these women in their homes sometime between 9:00 at night and 4:00 in the morning.
LAVANDERA: Right. Authorities -- we spoke with several of the police agencies that were investigating this case yesterday, and they said, we're not going to say exactly where this video came from. So the background of where this video came from, what the situation is here, and what we're looking at, is not clear to us at this point.
But authorities say they have good reason to believe that this is the man that they are looking for, and they are hoping that someone around this area will know who this person is based on the appearance. Obviously, it's a large man with a unique walk that they are looking at. Perhaps that will kind of trigger, hey, I worked with this guy, or I've seen this guy around town, or whatever the case might be. So they're really hoping that this triggers that one phone call that breaks the case.
BALDWIN: And I know you spoke with the police captain. Let's take a listen to that sound.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAPT. GREG WILKERSON, CORINTH, TEXAS, POLICE: We feel not only is he doing his research, he's possibly conducting surveillance. So he's spending some time around the area, around the residences prior to the attacks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Also, Ed, you mentioned we're hearing from Delta Sigma Theta national president Cynthia Butler-McIntyre. I read this release. So, essentially -- and I'm quoting here -- she says, "To think that our members are being targeted is disturbing and extremely disheartening. Until the individual responsible for these crimes is brought to justice, we will continue to remain in close communication with one another and law enforcement."
Have you -- I know you talked to members of law enforcement, Ed, but have you talked to anyone of the local chapter of Delta Sigma Theta? What do they say?
LAVANDERA: I've tried to reach out to as many people here locally as I possibly could, even within the regional organization as well, and have had -- everything has been kicked back to the head of their national organization in Washington. Probably several reasons for that.
It's very possible that within all this, obviously we want to go to a great deal to protect the identity of victims of sexual abuse, so it's a small and tight-knit community. It wouldn't be that difficult to kind of figure out who these victims are. So I think there's a great deal of effort being made sure that we protect those identities.
And also, there's just a great deal of fear. I mean, if you're being told to not wear these T-shirts, not wear key chains or placards and that sort of thing, I think the last thing you want to do is come out and put your face on TV and say you're a member of this organization. So it seems understandable to me.
BALDWIN: Absolutely.
Ed Lavandera, in Dallas.
Ed, thank you so much. We'll follow that one.
Also, an update for you out of North Carolina. Still no word on a possible motive in yesterday's school shooting near Cape Fear High School in Fayetteville. But we do know that 18-year-old Tevon McClarin (ph) and a 15-year-old who is not being identified were taken into custody last night in connection with the shooting of a teenage girl.
These two suspects were spotted on security camera video walking up this school hallway with a rifle. A .22 caliber Daisy rifle, found at the scene. The boys were arrested at their homes last night. The girl who was wounded is reportedly in stable condition today.
And add another economic plan to the list of proposals by Republican presidential candidates.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Today, I lay before the American people about my cut, balance, and grow plan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Texas Governor Rick Perry proposing a 20 percent flat tax for everyone, including businesses. But just how fair is this particular plan? We're going to take a close look at it and tell you what it means for you, your wallet, and your job.
Also, take a look at this video. Police officers kicking out "Occupy Wall Street" protesters. Folks, this is Oakland, California. Find out why they are evicted, coming up a little later.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Checking the clock here with Rick Perry. He's about to speak in Columbia, South Carolina. In fact, just a short time ago, the Texas governor unveiled his flat tax proposal and he's going to be answering questions about it. We, of course, will be there live.
First, I want to share two quick numbers with you. The first number is 20 -- as in 20 percent. That's the income tax we'd pay, you'd pay, I'd pay -- everyone would be paying under the plan that Perry I announced this morning.
And the second number is 6 -- as in 6 percent. That is Rick Perry's support among Republican primary voters. Take a look for yourself. This is according to a poll released today.
So, Rick Perry now trailing Ron Paul, trailing Newt Gingrich, trailing Mitt Romney, trailing Herman Cain. Rick Perry was supposed to blow doors. But at this point of the race, he's getting blown out.
Will this flat tax proposal boost his fortunes? Will it help revive our economy?
Let's talk to someone who may have an answer.
Joining me now from Washington, Alan Viard, is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. He was a senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank in Dallas.
Alan, it sounds like -- let me ask you. Is it as simple as it sounds, this whole flat tax proposal? Perry says his tax code will actually fit on the back of a single post card.
ALAN VIARD, RESIDENT SCHOLAR, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INST.: Well, it's not going to be quite that simple and I think that's a common pattern, for candidates to overstate some of the benefits of their plans. His plan probably would be simpler for some taxpayers, but there's some complicating factors.
The sample tax return that he's circulated, for example, starts with a line that just says income and it leaves out all of the lines that you would need to add up all your different kinds of incomes. So I think the tax return is not going to actually be as simple as he's setting forth.
He's also going to give people a choice to pay under his plan or to pay under the current system, whichever is better for them. I think that's problematic for a number of reasons. But one of the reasons is that a lot of people will have to run the numbers both ways. They'll compute -- they'll go through all the complexity of the current law liability and then calculate under his plan and then choose which is best. So, you still got the complication of today's system for those people.
BALDWIN: OK. So, those are examples of complication. But, you know, let's compare. Let's look at what we have right now. So, you know, we have a bunch of targeted tax breaks and the folks in Washington -- they get to decide, OK, here's an industry that needs a little push. If taxpayers buy their stuff, their good, they get a little -- they get a little write off.
Do you lose that tax, being able to nurture certain sectors of the economy? And, if so, how big of a loss would that be?
VIARD: Well, economists really like the idea of a tax system that's neutral across different industries and different kinds of investments. And I think some grounds to hope that the Perry plan will measure up well on that front.
His plan is very vague on this point. He talks about getting rid of special interest loopholes and so forth. If he carries through on that in the full details that finally come out, I think that will be a positive feature of this plan.
BALDWIN: Is that possible with this flat tax plan?
VIARD: The flat tax is a vague term.
BALDWIN: OK.
VIARD: And actually, one of the things that is interesting is that today we thought that -- many of us thought that this would be a flat consumption tax. It's a type of consumption tax in the 1980s by Bob Hall and Alvin Rabushka. But that's not what this turned out to be. It is instead a flat income tax, which is a different way of using the word flat tax, has a zero rate on dividends in capital gains, but otherwise just flat 20 percent rate.
BALDWIN: We, also, Alan, we hear a lot these days about income, wealth distribution, just take a look and listen from what's happening with regard to these "Occupy Wall Street" folks and we came across something that is interesting. It comes from visualizingeconomics.com. They're legit.
And what it shows here, it shows the bottom 90 percent of workers earn about half the nation's income and then the top 1 percent earn a little more than $1 out of every $5. That's the top 1 percent. So, 20-plus percent of the income. So what, Alan, what would a flat tax do to this equation? I heard David Gergen today on TV, on CNN, saying really this is just another -- a boom for the wealthy.
VIARD: Most high-income taxpayers would have a significant tax cut under this plan. They would be paying a 20 percent rate on their ordinary income instead of 35 and they're paying dividends on zero capital gains instead of 20. Yes, they would lose some deductions and preferences. But on the whole, this has to be a large tax cut for those at the top.
And that actually brings us to another issue which is that this plan is clearly a revenue loser. This plan is going to raise substantially less revenue than the current tax system. And so, unless it's really backed up with very large spending cuts, it is going to worsen the budgetary imbalance.
BALDWIN: OK. Alan Viard, thank you.
And, just again, a quick reminder, we are going to see for the first time -- we'll get to hear some answers from Governor Perry when he speaks in Columbia, South Carolina, talk a little bit about this plan. There will be a Q&A afterwards. We're going to take that live in just about an hour. So, stick around for that.
Also, President Obama -- he is hitting the late-night talk circuits today. In fact, just this morning, he taped an interview with Jay Leno in California. Find out where else he stopped.
But here's a hint -- this may make you hungry West Coasters eating a little lunch I guess, waffles and chicken.
Plus, the controversial campaign ad for Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain. It shows Cain's manager 40 seconds in taking a drag from a cigarette. The story behind the ad in two minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: It's time to go to Washington and talk to Wolf Blitzer with America's Choice 2012 update.
We've got a lot to talk about, Mr. Blitzer, including this quite a campaign ad from Herman Cain's camp and some new poll numbers. Where should we start?
WOLF BLITZER, HOST, CNN'S "THE SITUATION ROOM": Let's start with the poll numbers. You mentioned it a while ago.
But it's a good opportunity to look at Herman Cain once again. If you take a look at the new CBS/"New York Times" poll, he's doing great right now.
Look at this. He's doing great right now, 25 percent for Cain, 21 percent for Romney, 10 percent Gingrich, 8 percent Ron Paul, Rick Perry -- as you pointed out -- down to only 6 percent. Michele Bachmann, everybody else either a 2 percent or 1 percent right now. Herman Cain is doing really well. By the way, if dig deeper on the poll, because they also have a separate question among Tea Party activists, Tea Party supporters, Herman Cain does even better among Tea Party supporters. He gets 32 percent of self-declared Tea Party supporters compared to Romney and 18 percent, Rick Perry only 17 percent.
Here's what is fascinating about this poll and I blogged about it today on our Web site, on our "SITUATION ROOM" blog. I pointed out that a month ago, mid-September, among both of these categories, Republicans in general, Tea Party supporters, Rick Perry, was way ahead and now he's number five. He's gone down to number five in both of these categories.
Maybe this new plan that he's released today, this flat tax, will help him regain some of that momentum. He still got millions and millions of campaign dollars, Brooke. He still has some time to regroup. But when you're only at 6 percent or 7 percent, that does not necessarily bode well.
Herman Cain, shall we say, he's smoking hot right now, Brooke, because --
BALDWIN: Well, his chief of staff is smoking hot.
BLITZER: Yes, his chief of staff is smoking. Let's play a little clip. We're not making this up. This is a real Herman Cain political ad. Roll tape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK BLOCK, HERMAN CAIN'S CHIEF OF STAFF: Since January, I've had the privilege of being the chief of staff to Herman Cain and the chief operating officer. Tomorrow --
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: I know people initially weren't even sure it was legitimate.
BLITZER: No, it was actually definitely legitimate. That is Mark Block, his chief of staff. And he admits he smokes. He does it by choice.
The ad winds up as you with after you saying nice things about Herman Cain, you taking a cigarette, taking a puff of the cigarette, the smoke coming out, and then Herman Cain is smiling as he is -- it's a strange ad, let's put it mildly, but I guess it's generating some buzz. Maybe that was the intent all around.
But it's among the sort of stranger campaign ads we've seen. Dare we make a comparison to, "I am not a witch." Do you remember that?
BALDWIN: Of course.
BLITZER: Christine O'Donnell in Delaware when she was running for Senate. But there have been strange ads over the years.
BALDWIN: This one gets to go in that category.
BLITZER: This is a little weird. A lot of people have pointed out, though, that when Herman Cain was in the restaurant business, he was former CEO of Godfather's Pizza. At one point, he was a lobbyist for the national what's it called?
BALDWIN: Restaurant trade.
BLITZER: The Restaurant Association.
BALDWIN: Yes.
BLITZER: And he did oppose a ban on smoking in restaurants.
So -- but, he is a colon cancer survivor. He should not be promoting smoking. As you know -- smoking, cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, there is a connection there.
BALDWIN: Bad news.
BLITZER: Not a good idea.
BALDWIN: Bad news.
Wolf, thank you. We'll see you next hour.
Let's talk "Political Pop" now. We have two stories for you.
First, let's start in California. Look, you have to eat. Maybe you're eating lunch right now. Even the president has to eat, right?
So, President Obama took this unscheduled trip to Roscoe's -- here we go, Roscoe's, a chicken and waffles restaurant. Yesterday after arriving in L.A., he ordered a country boy, which if you don't know what that means, three wings with choice of waffle, potato salad or French fries.
The president's West Coast trip continued today with a stop in Burbank where he just taped his interview for "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno. By the way, this marks his second appearance on "The Late Show" since he took office.
Perhaps, you'll remember the earlier interview. This is back in March of '09, didn't go over too well for the president. He took a heat from a joking about his bowling score, saying, quote, "It was like Special Olympics or something." He did later call and apologize to the chair of the Special Olympics.
And you can now add author to the first lady's list of credentials, in addition to being a wife, a mother, first lady, fitness advocate, and freshly-minted Twitter tweeter. That's the right noun, right? Tweeter. Michelle has written a book about edible gardening. It's called "America's Grown: How the White House Kitchen Garden Inspires Families, Schools and Communities." The first lady did not accept an advance on the book and will donate all proceeds to charity. The book will go on sale April 10th.
Now, have you seen this piece of video? Oakland police evicting "Occupy Wall Street" protesters from an area -- this is near city hall. The protesters tend to go arrest the CEOs as they were booted.
Also, "Occupy Wall Street" protesters likely to be kicked out of a park in Atlanta. We're going to give you an update on that in two minutes.
Stay right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Before dawn this morning, hundreds of police officers in Oakland, California were on full force arresting "Occupy Wall Street" protesters. The city's mayor says they had to do so because of criminal activity and unsanitary conditions in this particular makeshift camp.
So, here's how it played out. Take a look.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
BALDWIN: Officers dragging pieces of the camp away. They actually used a public address system to warn the protesters if they would be arrested if they did not leave this plaza outside of city hall. A lot of people did leave, but some did not, dozens were arrested. In fact, one man did not make this very easy. You see him there struggling, being carried by the police.
Protesters say "Occupy Oakland," though, is not over and they will be back.
Semi-similar situation in Atlanta, "Occupy Atlanta" -- George Howell is here. I know you were at Woodruff Park where they were out and about for a couple of weeks.
And what are they saying? Is the clock ticking in terms of how long they can stay?
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, a lot uncertainty in the air. There is a lot of concern among protesters that what they saw there in Oakland could very well happen in Atlanta. No one knows when but the city's mayor says a last ditch effort is being made to try to prevent this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR KASIM REED, ATLANTA: I met with 25 pastors yesterday for more than an hour. And a number of them volunteered to go and have a conversation with individuals from "Occupy."
(END VIDEO CLIP) HOWELL: The mayor hopes a deal can still be brokered, but he made it very clear that he will revoke his executive order, allowing protesters to stay in the park up until November 7th. That's when he could give police the order to go in and clear the park.
The dialogue between the mayor and the protesters became heated over the weekend after several disagreements, Brooke, mainly over safety hazards there at the park. Now, protesters say that it's been peaceful so far. But the mayor says that he believes that there are elements of the group that are prone to violence. And the protesters say that the mayor is fabricating the facts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN MOORE, "OCCUPY ATLANTA" PROTESTER: Any time there's any kind of large protest going on, it looks bad on the mayor. I don't think the mayor needs to see it that way. I think this reflects well on society. I mean, people are coming out and they are talking and they are starting toll fix their own problems.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: So, these protesters, they don't want to be arrested, but they say they are willing to be arrested and the dialogue will continue.
BALDWIN: Are people starting to leave the park, are the crowds getting bigger, smaller?
HOWELL: Well, today, they are planning a much bigger march to a company here in Atlanta by the Koch brothers. Not Coke like the drink but the Koch brothers that they say spend a lot of money trying to influence politicians. So, a big march today. No plans to leave the park. No one knows what the plan is for police to move in and clear it.
BALDWIN: OK. George Howell, good to see you. Thank you so much.
HOWELL: Thank you.
BALDWIN: If you do want to learn more on the "Occupy Wall Street" protest, watch "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT." Michael Moore will be talking to Piers for live town hall discussion of America's financial crisis. You know, Piers Morgan, he's on CNN 9:00 p.m. Eastern, only here on CNN.
And now, chasing a chimp. The animal that's about to get loose in a Texas zoo. That's story coming up.
Plus, you probably remember funny guy, Darrel Hammond from older characters he played on "Saturday Night Live" -- Bill Clinton, John McCain, Al Gore, Sean Connery. But have you seen him like this?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DARREL HAMMOND, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" ACTOR: There was cutting back stage. There was -- I was once taken to the psych ward. In fact, the week that I did the Gore debates, I believe I was taken away in a straitjacket.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: This is no joke. Darrel Hammond sat down with us to talk about the years of horrific abuse at the hands of his own mother. We're going to get the talk from the CNN.com writer interviewed him, two minutes away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: This is quite the story. This is what's turning online today. Darrel Hammond, you know him for his spot on impressions during his time on NBC's "Saturday Night Live."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMOND: Your next leader will show up where he is supposed to show up, say what he's supposed to say and conduct himself with decorum at all times, thus restoring dignity to the Oval Office. You're going to miss me. Aren't you?
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: But underneath all of that comedy was apparently a lot of real-drive drama, pain that came from he says came his own mother.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMOND: When I was a child, I was a victim of systematic and lengthy brutality. I mean, stabbing, beating, being electrocuted, stuff like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: And that is just the beginning. Hammond goes on to talk about cutting himself, being on medication. He says he would stay at psych wards.
With me now, producer who interviewed him Jarrett Bellini from CNN.com.
And I have to say, I mean, I read it, read your piece, watched the interview. It took my breath away.
And from what I understand, you know, you sat down with Darrel to do the interview, it was supposed to be a comedic interview, right?
JARRETT BELLINI, CNN.COM VIDEO PRODUCER: Yes, this was for a segment called CNN comedy and I expected him to come in and we would have a few laugh. And this was maybe 20 minutes before he arrived at CNN. I got a text message from the owner of the Punchline comedy club here in Atlanta where he was performing, and he said, you might want to Google his book. He wants to talk about it.
So we looked it up, and we sat down. And I've done interviews before with comedians where they've had dark pasts.
BALDWIN: Sure.
BELLINI: And, usually, they're still laughing about it. I've talked with Jim Norton and he's got some interesting stories from his past, but we end up making jokes.
BALDWIN: This ends in tears?
BELLINI: This ends in tears.
BALDWIN: And I want to talk specifically -- I mean, he talks clearly -- I don't know how many minutes into this conversation -- you know, your conversation takes quite the turn but he talks about his mother in all of these, he says, very much so examples of abuse.
What does he say she did to him?
BELLINI: He says that she electrocuted him, stabbed him, I believe beat him, and you know, it took us a good half hour into the interview -- usually these things are 20 minutes. This went 45 minutes. And about half an hour in when he finally opened up and we had to kind of go back around and say, you know, what is going on? I don't really understand what happened?
And finally he just let loose and explained that his mother abused him.
BALDWIN: Why?
BELLINI: He doesn't really have an answer for that. And what's really telling is when she was on her death bed, she started to think, you know, somebody did something to her. She was once a little girl, he says, somebody did something to her that made her this way, and he was very somewhat apologetic to her.
BALDWIN: I want to play another piece of sound. He talks about being on medications at one point in time, seven medications at once. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMOND: I was never in a mental institution for a long time. I was in psych wards where I would go in and they would go, well, is he going to kill himself? What's wrong with him?
You know, I was diagnosed with everything from schizophrenia to multiple personality and bipolar and all of the things that doctors have traditionally placed on people who are only really just trauma patients.
With me, I was on as many as seven medications at one time. I mean, these doctors didn't really know what to do with me. There was cutting backstage. I was once taken to a psych ward. In fact, the week that I did the Gore debates, I believe I was taken away in a straitjacket. And there was no way that you people would know about that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Wow. And as your watching him, you're taking him at his word but also I found -- his eyes are darting all over the place. Did you notice that when you're standing in front of him?
BELLINI: Yes, I noticed that while was happening. I just think that he was nervous. This was a guy that was able to write about his experiences in the book and I think that talking about it was much different for him. And if you watch the entire interview, the raw material of it, he loosens up as it goes on. But I think at first, he was really uncomfortable talking about it.
BALDWIN: One more question for you. I know there is a little bit more of the interview that is not actually posted on CNN.com talking about how people want to impersonate him all the time, even when he's institutionalized. Let's listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMOND: I walk in there and I'm like, but what if people recognize me from TV?
They're like, no, they are out of it. They're not going to know anything.
So I walk in there. The second we walk into the lockdown, this guy comes up. You're the guy that does Clinton, right? You do Clinton on TV. Are you going to do Clinton for me?
And I'm like, I think you have got the wrong guy. Hey, (EXPLETIVE DELETED), man. I'm in the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) psych ward. Are you going to do (EXPLETIVE DELETED) Clinton for me?
There was a college student offered to flash me if I would do Clinton for her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you did it?
HAMMOND: Well, I said, listen, young lady, that is very sick. That is so (EXPLETIVE DELETED) sick. I'm sorry.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So if people want to watch a little bit more, CNN.com, they can find your interview. Wow is really all I have for that one.
BELLINI: It was an interesting interview. He's a really nice guy and he seems like he's doing a lot better, which is what is really good about--
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Good. Jarrett Bellini, thank you so much.
BELLINI: Thanks, Brooke.
