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Tornado Watch for Atlanta Metro Area; White House Shooting Suspect Captured; Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Execs Defend Pay; Student Named "Osama" Beaten; McQueary: I Stopped Assault; Why No Records From Penn State; Victim's Mom: "It Sickened Me"; Italy Swears In New Prime Minister; Scalded Gadhafi Nanny Recovering; Teen Burglar Stuck in Chimney; Sleeping With A Butcher Knife; Georgia Terror Suspects in Court; White House Shooting Suspect Captured
Aired November 16, 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: Breaking news here on CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.
Let's talk about this tornado watch for the Atlanta metro area until 7:00 tonight. Take a look here at the radar. You're going to see the conditions are severe.
For a lot of you watching right now, you know what else this means. Right now, already half-hour delays at the world's busiest airport.
In fact, let's take a live look, guys. Let's bring up the live picture, pretty much in our back yard here. We're at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. This is our view.
Chad Myers, I popped by the window before I came in the studio. Obviously, ominous. I can't say that enough. Tell me what you're seeing in and around the greater Atlanta area.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We had a storm, Brooke, that started in Dallas, Georgia, went to the south of Smyrna and Vinings, right across the river, over Sandy Springs, through Dunwoody, and now, as it has traveled across here, this would be Dunwoody proper, and eventually toward Duluth. This storm is still rotating.
Now, no indication that that storm had a tornado down at any time. But I did have an iReport come in from a reporter there that was in parts of northwest Atlanta, almost -- I would call it Vinings or Smyrna, one of those Sminings areas, that said that they had literally video that she took of rotating storms, rotating clouds, and kind of almost suction spots, sucking leaves and branches up into the air.
BALDWIN: Oh, wow.
MYERS: No visible -- when you get so close to this, you can't maybe even see what you have. But the issue with this storm is that there has been so much rain everywhere, and the rotation would be here, that you would never be able to see a tornado on the ground because you would have to look through the rain. The rotation has slowed down a little bit, but it is right over the town of Duluth right now, heading toward Suwannee, and eventually maybe north of Lawrenceville. If you are in this box, you are still in a tornado warning, and you need to be taking cover, Duluth and to the east, just over Suwannee, Lawrenceville, and the like.
MALVEAUX: Chad, how quickly is this thing moving? I mean, I heard you say the word "slow." How slow?
MYERS: Thirty-five, 40 miles per hour. That's pretty slow. Sometimes we could have them -- and we had them a couple of days ago moving 70 miles per hour. They were impossible to get out of the way of.
Another thing is here, if you're on the road, there are so many red lights, so many traffic lights, so much traffic, you cannot get out of the way. Stay home, leave the kids in school. The officials will know what to do. Get into a safe place away from windows, if you're Duluth, al the way over toward Discovery Mills Mall in Lawrenceville.
BALDWIN: OK. Chad Myers, thank you. We're going to go back to you, of course, when necessary.
Also, as I take a quick peek here on the fly, my Twitter page, I just tweeted out, "Please, if you are in the Atlanta area, don't obviously put yourself at risk." But if you can snap a photo, send me a tweet, tell me what you're seeing, my Twitter handle is @brookbcnn.
We're going to get back to that breaking story weather-wise in just a moment, but let's take a moment and let's get you caught up on everything else making news at this hour, "Rapid Fire," beginning with the U.S. is increasing its military presence in Australia.
President Obama revealed the plan during a joint news conference with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our U.S. Marines will begin rotating through Darwin for joint training and exercises. Our Air Force will rotate additional aircraft through more airfields in northern Australia. Theses rotations which are going to be taking place on Australian bases will bring our militaries even closer and make them even more effective.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: And while U.S. officials say this increased presence is necessary in case of natural disasters, they also acknowledge China's growing military was also a factor. The president, currently in Australia as part of his nine-day trip through the Asia-Pacific region.
A group of deserters from the Syrian army claim they are now striking sites important to the Assad regime, including intelligence bases. Also today, the Arab League said again that Syria's membership in their organization is suspended. The United Nations says more than 3,000 people have now died in the violence in Syria. One week. One week. That is how long the Super Committee has to figure out how to cut at least $1.2 trillion from the deficit over the course of the next 10 years.
And while some of these committee members -- keep in mind, 12 in total, six Republicans, six Democrats -- they said they are confident they're going to reach this deal, most Americans, a lot of you, not convinced. Take a look at these numbers. According to this new CNN/ORC poll, 78 percent of Americans say it is unlikely this so- called Super Committee will reach a deal.
OK. Getting news in my ear. Forgive the pause.
We have been covering this shooting at the White House. A couple of bits of ammunition have been found over the course of the last couple of days.
I'm just learning -- and Angie, feel free to continue telling me -- but that an arrest has been made. This suspect, correct me if I'm wrong, he is 21 years -- Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, arrested at a hotel near -- tell me the city again -- Indiana, Pennsylvania.
This happened at the end of last week. The Secret Service, multiple jurisdictions have been trying to track this guy down. They found -- we know he was using an AK-47. A couple of bits of ammunition found over the past couple of days, so they have had multiple jurisdictions trying to find this guy 21 years of age, originally from Idaho.
And now an arrest has been made. We will talk to the Secret Service here in just a couple of moments.
Now, we'll take a break. Be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right. Let's get you back to the breaking news here.
The U.S. Secret Service has captured the man who may have opened fire on the White House. He's 21-one-year-old Oscar Ramiro Ortega- Hernandez. He was arrested at a hotel near Indiana, Pennsylvania. He is described by police as mentally ill, with an extensive criminal record.
An abandoned vehicle and gun linked to Ortega-Hernandez were found near the White House after gunshots were heard Friday night. Police are now trying to determine if a bullet found yesterday that pierced this window at the White House is also linked to this suspect.
It was stopped from actually penetrating the glass, bulletproof glass, obviously, at the White House. The Secret Service is stressing there was no specific concern for the president's safety. Another bullet was also found nearby on the south side of the White House lawn.
John Tomlinson is a former deputy assistant director of the Secret Service in Washington. And John, let me just get to you react to the news that this young man is now in custody. And what can you share? Do you know how Secret Service was able to track him down?
JOHN TOMLINSON, FMR. DEPUTY ASSIST. DIRECTOR, SECRET SERVICE: I don't have the details on how he was tracked down. I guess the important part is that he was captured and no injuries were the result either by law enforcement officers or the defendant.
BALDWIN: John, tell me what you do know as far as what happened late Friday night when these gunshots were heard near the White House. And also, you know, ballistics, what kind of weapon was he using, et cetera?
TOMLINSON: Because it is a continuing investigation, I would be hesitant to share what caliber of weapon it is. What I can share is that with the state of technology in ballistics and other supportive mechanisms, the Secret Service and law enforcement will be able to determine whether or not the bullets found on the White House grounds and one that attempted to penetrate a window, whether or not they were fired from that weapon that law enforcement now has in its custody.
BALDWIN: OK. Then here's my next question. Having lived in Washington for a number of years, it's widely known, you can see them, the snipers on the roof of the White House, and certainly security around the perimeter. My question is how anyone could get that close and fire shots without security perhaps seeing him first. Or does it happen just that fast?
TOMLINSON: Well, in security, there are no absolutes. You have to manage risk.
So, if you use the White House as the center of a protective scheme, there are tiers of protection that go out from that. The farther you get from the White House, the less intrusive those means are.
So, you would expect that law enforcement, who partner with the Secret Service, meaning the Metropolitan Police Department and Park Police and other organizations, they work to establish those perimeters of protection. And there's also opportunities for them to enhance those perimeters using technology. In this particular circumstance, you'll note that the president was out of residence.
BALDWIN: Right.
TOMLINSON: There are some things that, without going into methods or means, there are some measures that are taken in response to an event on the south lawn. Those same precautions are ratcheted down just a bit when the president is not in residence and when there's no formal events on the White House grounds.
BALDWIN: We're going to get to our correspondent covering the White House today for a little more on that.
But let me ask you -- and I think you sort of alluded to this -- I mean, the fact that this bullet, it didn't penetrate this glass -- obviously, it's bulletproof glass at the White House. And that other bullet was found around the exterior of the White House just yesterday.
What does that suggest to you, John? I mean, does that suggest gaps in security?
TOMLINSON: No, not at all. I think what it suggests is that, in any legitimate society, you have to measure the rights of the people, together with the protection of their elected officials. In this case, the president, first family, and VIP guests, as well as staff, in the White House complex.
As you get farther away from the White House -- remember, this wasn't a handgun. This was a rifle.
BALDWIN: Correct.
TOMLINSON: So, rifles, by their very nature, have greater velocity and are able to fire longer distances. So that has to be taken into consideration.
I think one of the positives of this review that's ongoing now is an opportunity to interview Mr. Hernandez and try to ascertain from him exactly not just his motive, but also where he was located and the distance from which a shot was fired.
BALDWIN: Correct.
TOMLINSON: All those things will go into a final report that the Secret Service and its protection partners will establish and share on an as-needed basis.
BALDWIN: OK. John Tomlinson, thank you so much.
Also, as I mentioned, we're going to talk to Athena Jones, who is doing some reporting on this story as well. We'll get a little bit more perhaps on the suspect and how police -- how Secret Service eventually found him in Pennsylvania.
But a teenager has been beaten by his classmates at school. Now his parents are suing school officials, saying they knew the boy was being tormented and didn't do enough to stop it. More on that coming up.
Also, Rick Perry's campaign is on the defense now. Why they say a worker was checking for U.S. citizenship at a recent Perry event.
And where is he? Where is he? It's a "Political Ticker" treat for us here. Wolf Blitzer, in the studio.
Hello, sir.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Very exciting.
BALDWIN: I know, but we can't talk about why --
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BALDWIN: All right. Back to the breaking story, the shots fired at the White House late Friday night.
The Pittsburgh field office for the U.S. Secret Service, in conjunction with Pennsylvania State Police, have now found this suspect here, Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, in a town called Indiana, Pennsylvania.
Let's go to the White House, to Athena Jones.
Athena what do you know?
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I can tell you, as we know, they arrested him about 12:35 p.m. They have been looking for him, of course, since Friday night, when police believe that about 700 or 800 yards south of the White House here, that Ortega-Hernandez pulled over on Constitution Avenue, right there at Constitution and 16th, between the White House and the Washington Monument, and fired shots towards the White House.
Now, it wasn't until Tuesday morning that police were able -- that investigators found these shell casings at the White House -- these bullets, I should say, bullet rounds. One penetrated that outer window. You have those really old windows on the White House, but it was stopped by that bulletproof glass. The other one was found nearby, and so they have been looking for him.
As you may know, police had already stopped Ortega-Hernandez earlier on Friday in Arlington, Virginia, at around 11:00 a.m. He was on foot.
CNN (ph) reports that he was acting suspiciously, and so they stopped him, they questioned him. They didn't arrest him at the time, but they did take some of the pictures that they then used on the flyers.
So that is some of the latest background on the suspect.
BALDWIN: You know, one question I didn't get a chance to ask our former Secret Service agent we just had on air is if this had happened before. And Wolf just reminded me it was '95, under the Clinton administration, when there was someone -- there was a shooter on the north lawn. Correct?
JONES: Absolutely. There's also been reports about other dates as well in 1994, in 2001. So, this is not the first time that there have been incidents around these grounds.
But I spoke with the Secret Service earlier this morning, and they said that this occurred on the very, very outer perimeter, and so it was rather far away. They said the security worked in this instance, in the sense that you have all these layers of security, various perimeters, and also these ballistics, these bulletproof glass windows, which, of course, helped keep that built from penetrating all the way. And, of course, I should mention that the Obamas are out of the country right now.
BALDWIN: That's right. They have been in Hawaii, now Australia.
Athena Jones, thank you so much.
JONES: Thanks.
BALDWIN: And I just mentioned him, and he is here in the studio, Wolf Blitzer.
BLITZER: I remember that shooting.
BALDWIN: You remember that?
BLITZER: I was the White House correspondent for CNN, and it was very, very scary. It was on the north lawn of the White House.
Some guy -- it was a Saturday morning, and just started shooting, spraying along the north portico, which is the official entrance where dignitaries --
BALDWIN: I've been there.
BLITZER: -- come for State Dinners, as you have been at many occasions, some of those State Dinners at the White House.
But if you see those pictures, it was very, very frightening. And then, remember that plane that landed on the south lawn, a small plane, and skidded all the way up to the south portico of the White House? I was covering that.
BALDWIN: You were there, too.
BLITZER: So, this is frightening when you see this. And it's one of the reasons why after the Oklahoma City bombing in '95, they basically shutdown Pennsylvania Avenue outside of the White House. They don't want people to get too close to what's going on.
BALDWIN: Yes. No driving.
BLITZER: But the fact that this guy allegedly managed to penetrate a window on the south side of the White House over there --
BALDWIN: Still frightening, nonetheless.
BLITZER: -- it's pretty scary. Even though the first family, they weren't there or anything, but it's still scary.
BALDWIN: So, politics.
BLITZER: Yes.
BALDWIN: Rick Perry controversy. What's the story?
BLITZER: A little controversy.
BALDWIN: A little.
BLITZER: They screwed up a little bit, but it's not a big deal, I don't think.
They were checking to make sure that there were no non-U.S. citizens that could come to one of his town halls, and that would have been inappropriate. They said somebody just screwed up and they said, yes, if you are a non-U.S. citizen, you can still come to an open meeting, a town hall that he was having. So it was just a little -- a little embarrassment. He has got bigger issues than that.
BALDWIN: It was a minor kerfuffle.
BLITZER: He's got -- the other candidates, they've got bigger issues than that as well. But it happens. There is a screw-up, somebody is not supposed to go, supposed to go in, whatever. Stuff happens, as you know.
BALDWIN: Yes, I do know.
Hey, we're going to just tease why you're here. You're here for a super special event.
BLITZER: In Atlanta. I'm in Atlanta right now.
BALDWIN: You showed me pictures. You're Atlanta right now, as am I. Yes, that's where we are.
And you showed me some pictures on your phone. Maybe if you are nice enough to share some of those photos, we can get them up and talk about --
BLITZER: I tweeted them. I tweeted earlier, @WolfBlitzerCNN.
BALDWIN: Sorry. I'm remiss in not checking your Twitter feed today.
BLITZER: You can see some of those pictures of what I'm doing here, why I came this morning early.
BALDWIN: Let's wait until next hour. Got to make them wait.
Wolf Blitzer, we'll see you next hour. Thank you so much.
BLITZER: Thank you.
BALDWIN: Such a treat to have you here.
Now to this. The CEOs of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are being grilled today on Capitol Hill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS (D), MARYLAND: You all come from a different world than the one I come from. If I made $1 million, I sure would know when I made it, that's for sure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, how exactly are they defending their big bonuses? We are going to hear from them next.
And then, a teenager beaten by classmates at school. His parents say it's because of his Middle Eastern heritage. Now, they are suing school officials for not doing enough to stop it. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Here is a question for you. If by any chance you ever would make $1 million, would you remember that moment you first became a millionaire? Think about it.
I'm asking because that question was actually put to the executives running the government-backed mortgage giants -- both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. And it's come to light recently that those executives got multimillion-dollar pay packages when their agencies lost billions of dollars.
They went to Capitol Hill today to defend their pay packages, and it got, as you can imagine, pretty tense, when the House oversight chairman quizzed them about their pay history.
Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REP. DARRELL ISSA (R-CA), CHAIRMAN, HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: Did you ever have an expectation that you were going to make not just seven figures, but several of them, that you would make $8 million or $9 million every two years?
MICHAEL WILLIAMS, CEO, FANNIE MAE: Congressman, I think we all hope to aspire to advance in our careers and advance our compensation as we do.
ISSA: OK. But you made $9.3 million the last two years, while the president made $800,000. Do you think that's OK?
WILLIAMS: Congressman, I have been brought in and asked to take on this role as CEO so that I can put in place a management team that can help achieve the goals of conservatorship, which is stabilize the company, provide liquidity to the market, and help --
ISSA: OK, but you're still losing money. You've taken $90 billion, and you're getting $9 million a year.
Let me go on to Mr. Haldeman.
Now, Bloomberg and other organizations were concerned when you came on board because you don't come with a background like Mr. Williams does. Basically, you're not qualified to run the organization if one were to look at your historic resume. That was a concern, but you did come out of the private sector.
Hopefully you remember. What did you make the last year you were at Putnam?
Charles HALDEMAN, CEO, FREDDIE MAC: I don't recall.
ISSA: Did you make more than $1 million?
HALDEMAN: Yes, I did.
ISSA: Was your compensation tied to performance?
HALDEMAN: Yes, it was.
ISSA: Was it tied tightly to performance in which you could literally look at the yields of accounts or the profits of the organization in order to determine what your bonus would be?
HALDEMAN: It was tied to the performance of the funds. It was tied to the economic performance of the company. And I had equity participation as well.
ISSA: Now, equity participation always assumes that the stock goes up, right?
HALDEMAN: It doesn't always, no. It happened to during my tenure --
ISSA: So your options were worthless if your stock went up -- or went down?
HALDEMAN: That would be correct.
ISSA: OK. So, at Freddie Mac, has your stock gone up?
HALDEMAN: In my tenure it has not gone up.
ISSA: OK. I just want to make sure that $7.8 million over the last two years is based on a company who is not worth more today. As a matter of fact, just for the record, if I were to look at the net profits for Fannie Mae from 2003 to 2010, I'd find the net profits were a $10 billion, $11 billion loss. At Freddie Mac, I would find a $72 billion net loss over that same period of nearly a decade.
So, including the time before you came in, in which the books were being effectively cooked by taking in bad debt that was going to go bad, but, in fact, putting it on -- they were paper profits of $4 billion and $5 billion, but over that period of time, you're in an organization that certainly lost $14 billion in 2010, and is going to lose equally or more this year.
So, that's the organization you're running for $4 million a year. Is that right?
HALDEMAN: Yes. We have lost money due to loans that were put on the books during the period 2005 to --
(CROSSTALK)
ISSA: OK, my time has expired. I just want to get in one last thing in for the record.
Mr. DeMarco, from what I can tell, your $230,000 salary is all you get, right?
EDWARD DEMARCO, ACTING DIRECTOR, FHFA: Yes, sir. All I get is my salary.
ISSA: And you do stay for that menial amount of money for some unknown reason, even though you could make money elsewhere?
DEMARCO: I'm still here, Mr. Chairman.
ISSA: Thank you, Mr. DeMarco.
Recognize the ranking member.
CUMMINGS: Thank you very much.
Mr. DeMarco -- I must tell you, Mr. Haledman and Mr. Williams, you all come from a different world than the one I come from. If I had made $1 million, I sure would know when I made it. That's for sure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: So, for some context here, those execs are each set to receive about $6 million for the year 2011 as both companies are asking for billions of more dollars to cover losses.
The parents of a 17-year-old Indiana student beaten at school are now suing the president of the school board and multiple other top school officials. They say he was repeatedly bullied because of his middle name, "Osama," and because of his Middle Eastern heritage. Also, his parents claim school officials did nothing to stop it.
Ted Rowlands is following this story for us today.
And first, I just have to ask, how is this young man, physically speaking? And also, what kind of suit are we talking about?
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a civil suit right now, Brooke, and this took place at St. John, Indiana.
How is he? Well, his attorneys say he is physically doing better.
You take a look at the pictures though, he was obviously roughed up. And he claims that he was roughed up at the hands of a group of kids that were harassing him in excess of a year's time. And that's why the parents of this young man filed this lawsuit.
They claim that they went to the school, they went to the principal, nothing was done when it was harassment, verbal harassment, and then this happened to their son. They held a news conference this week when they announced a civil suit against the district.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's painful, the name-calling. OSAMA HADDAD, FATHER: And the name, they call him "terrorist." They told him, "We killed your uncle, Bin Laden."
We had nothing to do with that. We are good Americans like everybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROWLANDS: The family is from Jordan. They are a Christian family, by the way, we should note, so, this wasn't -- didn't have that religious bent to it or maybe these kids didn't even know any difference.
But the bottom line here is they are not going after the kids or the kids' families, they are going after the school. They filed a lawsuit, which named the superintendent of the district, the principal, even the school board president.
The district attorney in Lake County is looking into this and we actually do expect charges to be filed, at least against one young man who is 18. We expect those charges, battery charges to be announced later today.
BALDWIN: So, possibly one charge there. Ted what is the school saying?
ROWLANDS: Nothing. They have not returned any calls. They are making no comments on the record. Obviously, they are trying to figure out how to deal with all of this, but they are not speaking publically it at all.
BALDWIN: And then also, you know, I was reading about this story, and apparently, this young man had been getting a bit of attention for his rap videos and that's apparently, according to these reports, when some of the tension grew. I mean, you mentioned it had been simmering for, you said a year?
ROWLANDS: Yes, according to the parents and according to this lawsuit, he had been verbally harassed for about a year. A couple years ago, he started producing his own music and was posting some of his rap videos online.
And apparently, a lot of the harassment had to do with the music that he was making, whether it was jealousy you who knows the motive here, what it was.
But, they say that was really at the crux of this that they -- this young man was getting harassed because of his music and that they told school officials and nothing was done.
BALDWIN: OK. Let us know if that charge is filed. Ted Rowlands for us. Thank you so much, Ted.
ROWLANDS: You bet.
BALDWIN: Also today for the first time, we are hearing from the once graduate assistant, now assistant coach, who says he witnessed one of those attacks in the Penn State sex abuse scandal. We have an e-mail he has sent to his friends.
Also today, new details from the mother of one of the alleged victims of Jerry Sandusky, how she says he reacted when he heard former Coach Sandusky on television this week denying the charges against him. Be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: We are finally hearing from one of the people talking and really taking the most heat in the Penn State child rape scandal that is assistant coach Mike McQueary who allegedly saw Jerry Sandusky raping a boy in a locker room shower.
McQueary has been intensely criticized for not taking enough action to stop what he was seeing in that shower stall and immediately report it. But now, in an e-mail to a former classmate, McQueary says he did do more than what we've been told.
The "Morning Call" newspaper of Allentown, Pennsylvania, has the e- mail, let me read it to you. McQueary says, quote, "I did stop it not physically, but made sure it was stopped when I left that locker room."
And he indicates he reported the alleged rape to police. McQueary writes that he, quote, "Did have discussions with police and with the official at the university in charge of police," end quote.
McQueary also notes that he is getting hammered, his words, for doing what he thought was the right thing at that time. He alluded to how difficult this has all been on him in a quick interview with CBS News.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just describe your emotions right now.
MIKE MCQUEARY, ASSISTANT FOOTBALL COACH, PENN STATE: All over the place. Just shaken.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Crazy?
MCQUEARY: Crazy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said what, like a --
MCQUEARY: Snow globe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Penn State University has not released any records that might back up McQueary's side of the story and doesn't have to. Drew Griffin tells us why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT: It's the type of information we would normally get in the United States from any public institution, especially a police department, the records, the incident reports.
All of the information you rely on to get the facts to know who knew what, when and where, but Penn State you will not find that, because Penn State got itself an exemption from this state's open records act.
At the same time in 2000, 2008, when the legislature was discussing this new law, Penn State's president personally went to the legislature and asked to be exempt to make sure the records were kept private.
TERRY MUTCHLER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PENNSYLVANIA OPEN RECORDS: What that means in essence is that while every other commonwealth agency, governor's office, police departments, townships, school districts, are subject to this law and would be required to provide public record, Penn State is exempt.
That came as a result of a series ever lobbying efforts through the House of Representatives that was taking a look at rewriting Pennsylvania's right-to-know law, which was really among the worst in the nation.
And at that juncture, the president of Penn State was one of the key lobbyists testifying before the House Committee on, I believe it was August 7, 2007, seeking an exemption for Penn State.
GRIFFIN: We did try to reach Graham Spanier at his home. We did not get an answer from the former Penn State president, but we know what he told the legislature when he was seeking this exemption. He said he wanted Penn State to be exempt from the records because he needed to protect the competitiveness of the university.
That he was concerned about the cost of compliance, and that a huge bureaucracy would have to be built to answer questions and open those public records. Looking back on it now, it has a whole different look.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Drew Griffin, thank you there on campus at Penn State.
Also, want to pass this along, there is new fallout today from Jerry Sandusky's claim that he was just, quote, "horsing around" with his alleged victims.
I want you to listen to the mother of the boy known now as victim number one on "Good Morning, America."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It sickened me that he would be on TV. I think he made himself look more guilty. No it's not games. It's a planned out strategy to groom children to molest. Makes me really sad my son can't go out and have a normal life.
He can't go out and hang out at the mall, because he might run into Jerry. He get go to the mall and a job and do whatever he wants to do. That aggravates me. He should be in jail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The boy's mother is also outraged that Sandusky isn't in jail. She says her son cried when he heard Sandusky's horseplay defense because he is afraid the former coach will walk free.
It's official, Italy has a new prime minister. We have the video of the big swearing-in ceremony in this historic Rome residence.
And then, is it really that dangerous to sleep with your little baby? If you believe this ad, it's as dangerous as putting your child to bed with a butcher knife. You see that? Got the facts for you coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: I want to take you to Italy just for a moment where a couple hours ago, they swore in a new prime minister. His name is Mario Monti. It is now his job to haul Italy out of the debt crisis that brought Silvio Berlusconi down.
Berlusconi resigned over the weekend after leading Italy on and off for 18 years. The room here where Monti took the oath of office is apparently a pretty special place.
This is a palace in Rome that was built back in the 1500s as a summer getaway for the pope and now serves as the home for Italy's president.
When we first brought you this story of the tortured nanny who took care of Moammar Gadhafi's grandkids, your response was tremendous. So, today, we have an update.
But first, a little background, and a warning, the pictures you are about to see are tough to look at. You're going to see Shweyga Mullah. This is the nanny and this was the nanny several weeks ago, burns covering her head, much of her body.
This is how CNN's Dan Rivers found her, forgive me, it wasn't weeks ago, it was August, August in Tripoli, left behind by the Gadhafi family as they fled to safety.
She told CNN that Gadhafi's daughter-in-law punished her for failing to keep a toddler quiet. Listen as she explains the punishment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHWEYGA MULLAH, NANNY TO GADHAFI GRANDCHILDREN (through translator): She took me to a bathroom and she tied my hands behind my back and tied my feet. She taped my mouth and she started pouring the boiling water on my head like this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Her wounds, absolutely horrific. And so many people offered help after seeing Dan's reporting and she is now getting medical attention at this international burn clinic in Malta, an island just north of Libya.
And here's Dan Rivers again with an update on her condition.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN RIVERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Shweyga Mullah continues to make really good progress in Malta where she's receiving medical treatment for the horrific burns that she suffered at the hands of Aileen and Hannah Gadhafi in Libya.
She arrived in Malta on the 15th of September. We were there to see her touchdown and she was escorted into the Malta Bay Hospital where she has been ever since.
She has had two different surgical procedures, one on the 27th of September that dealt with the front of her torso, which had been terribly burned when, as she claims, Aileen Gadhafi poured boiling water over her head and her torso.
They have done a skin graft on her front. The second procedure in October on the 15th of October has dealt with her scalp area, again, awfully burnt.
They haven't done a skin graft there, because they are wanting to try to allow some of the hair follicles to grow back in and those that can survive and it is something that she has asked for.
So, they are really just cleaning those wounds to try to let them heal and the fantastic news is they think she could be discharged as early as next week and become an outpatient, which will mean that she can go and stay in an apartment that the Maltese government are going to provide for her and get some sense of normality back into her life.
She will continue with the physiotherapy she has been receiving to try to free up her shoulder and, of course, the psychological counseling that's been so important for her to get over this trauma. Dan Rivers, CNN, Barcelona, Spain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Here is hoping she gets better and better. Dan, thank you.
Now I want you to take a look at this, a little baby sleeping next to a butcher knife. This is a new public service ad to try to stop what they call co-sleeping. So, is it really that dangerous to sleep with your little baby? Elizabeth Cohen is here next.
But first, as we are just about an hour away from the closing bell, a quick check there you go, the Dow down 20 points, sitting 12,075. We'll keep an eye on those numbers. You can also do so cnnmoney.com. Elizabeth Cohen, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Well, here is a call fire fighters don't exactly get every day, rescue a teenager from a chimney. Police believe this soot- covered young man tried to break in this metro Atlanta house right around 3 this morning.
Neighbors heard him crying for help from said chimney around noon today. There he is, finally on the ground and cuffed. You feel bad for him? Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: I asked him what he was doing there and he said he was there from -- since last night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Since last night?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Since last night. So, I guess he spent the night there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Wow. That's long time to be stuck in a chimney, isn't it? I'm guessing he won't be trying that ever again.
Now to this, the shocking ad campaign about protecting babies is getting a lot of attention from parents in Wisconsin. Many parents are outraged over this, part of Milwaukee's campaign to turn around infant mortality rates.
So the Health Department is warning parents that sleeping with their kids in bed is as dangerous as having are the baby lying next to a butcher's knife.
Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here working the story, and you know, in reading the story, there have been, what, 10 deaths so far in the city of Milwaukee with --
ELIZABETH COHEH, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I just got off the phone with Tom Baret, the mayor of Milwaukee, and he says every year, about 10 kids die of SIDS or suffocation while sleeping in an adult bed. Ten kids a year.
So he said when his commission -- health commissioner came to him with those ads, his initial reaction was, yikes, those babies are a little bit --
BALDWIN: So he thought it was too much, the mayor?
COHEN: He had that initial reaction, but then he said, look if, you know, 10 kids are dying a year, we need to get people's attention. We need to get them to stop sleeping with their infants and so he OK the ads. He said, you know, sometimes you have to make a dramatic impression in order to get people to change what they do.
BALDWIN: Where will the ads be shown?
COHEN: There in bus stops and other places, you know, where people will see them and you can find them on the internet as well.
BALDWIN: So does this mean, you know, putting on your senior medical correspondent hat, does this mean, really equating a child sleeping next to a butcher's knife versus, you know, a mother or father sleeping with an infant in the bed, is that really equitable?
COHEN: All right, here is the problem with an adult bed, Brooke, the problem is that adult beds have mattresses that are soft, and so a baby if they turn over on to their stomach they can suffocate.
Adult beds also have pillows and often soft blankets where a baby's mouth would go up against them and would suffocate and of course, a parent could always turn over onto a baby as well.
So that's why the American Academy of Pediatrics years ago said mom and dad, do not sleep with your kid. I will say that there are other respectable authorities who say that sleeping with your baby is good that it gives them a sense of sort of warmth and belonging and it's good for their development and this is a controversy that's gone on and on.
Of course, a lot of parents sleep with their babies not out of any philosophy, but because they are exhausted. The baby will stop crying if you put them in bed with you. You know, I think what parents need know is that sleeping with a baby in your bed. You are taking a certain risk.
There's a risk that you're going to turn over on them. There's a risk they will suffocate on a pillow, and maybe middle ground, there are these bassinets that kind of attach to the bed.
And so you can put them in that bassinet rather than in bed with you. But you know, there are ramifications to sleeping with your baby and if it's something you choose to do, you should know that.
BALDWIN: OK. Good to know. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you so much.
And now, this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've known the man for 30 years and he is just -- he is always honest, loving, kind, gentle man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Well, the man she was just describing is also one of the men accused of plotting a terror attack in Georgia. Those men are back in court today. We are going to tell you what their defense is, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Four Georgia retirees accused of plotting terror attacks. They're back in court. They're trying to convince this judge to set bond so they can get out of jail. Remember these guys. They are in their 50s, 60s, 70s, apparently a little hard of hearing.
They allegedly got the beans, castor beans to make the deadly toxin, ricin. Court documents say they plan to spread this powder all over major Atlanta highway, also drop it from a plane over Washington, D.C. their goal?
It's in this quote found in an FBI affidavit and attributed to one of the defendants. Let me read it for you. They say, quote, "When it comes to saving the constitution that means some people got to die."
We are starting to get a look at how the men will defend themselves in court. George Howell is back here with the update. You just got off the phone with the defense attorney.
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just got off the phone with Michael Trost, who's Dan Roberts' attorney. Right now, all four attorneys are in court making their defense. In fact, the judge cleared the courtroom for a moment because of severe weather that's moving through North Georgia.
BALDWIN: Right.
HOWELL: But they are back in court right now and they are painting a picture, basically, Brooke. You have veterans, you have former government officials. Not the people you would imagine to be connected to a plot like this.
Also, they say the ages. We're talking 60 to 73 years old. Defense attorneys basically say these men are just too old to really be a threat. In fact, there's one thing that stood out with Fred Thomas.
His wife in court basically said he is so frail. He can't even hang a picture on the wall. So at this point, they are just casting doubt on whether these men could even carry it out.
BALDWIN: OK, so that is a look at part of their defense. Agents, they didn't seize too many weapons, did they?
HOWELL: Well, they did seize a lot of weapons, 52 weapons and --
BALDWIN: Wow.
HOWELL: And 30,000 rounds of ammunition that is a lot. But basically, they are saying Thomas' son in court said these were collectors' items, for the most part and hunting guns so, not the type of weapons that would be used to attack or kill people.
In fact, when you talk to family and friends, they make the same argument these men were just not a threat. Listen to what one relative told us here in a sound bite that we found.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CATHY ROBERTS, DAN ROBERTS' SISTER-IN-LAW: I have known the man for 30 years, and he is always honest, loving, kind, gentle man. He never raises his voice. He has never harmed anybody. I've never seen the man angry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: And interview after interview, what they say that the men just weren't a threat, not the people whew imagine to be connected to this thing.
BALDWIN: So, what's next for them? And also just quickly remind us how they got caught, was it an informant?
HOWELL: It was an informant. In fact, right now, we are hearing more about the things that were allegedly recorded by that informant. So, that is mainly what the prosecutors are looking at.
What's next, we will find out if the judge will grand bond, but we are hearing the case is still happening right now so we're waiting for a decision on that.
BALDWIN: OK, George Howell, keep us posted. Thank you, sir.
And now, top of the hour, watch this. Rolling on, I'm Brooke Baldwin. Here is a look at some of the stories we have right now at the top of the hour.
The manhunt suddenly over after a bullet hit a window whole at the White House. Also, the latest twists in the Penn State child rape scandal. Millionaires tell Congress raise our taxes, raise them.
And oil blows past 100 bucks a barrel. Time to play reporter roulette here. I want to begin at the White House with Athena Jones.
Athena, what can you tell us about this man this 21-year-old man who was -- who is now in custody. Tell me where he was found.
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he was found in Indiana, Pennsylvania, which is in western Pennsylvania between Pittsburgh and Altoona about 65 miles outside of Altoona. I just spoke with the Secret Service not too long ago to try to learn more about how they tracked him down.
The officials I spoke with said that Ortega Hernandez had been on what's called national lookout since Friday, which is sort of bulletin to all their offices and what they had been looking at his past associates, looking at places they had known to visit before.
So there in the Pittsburgh field office, they had been going around, learned that he had been seen in Indiana, Pennsylvania, outside of Pittsburgh they went to that area. They stopped by several hotels looking for him.
They drop off pictures over him and it was this morning that a person at one of the hotels. We haven't run the name yet, the agent wouldn't tell me, but the person one of the hotels called the Secret Service field office in Pittsburgh and because the state police were closer, they went and arrested him.
So we are still waiting for more specific details, like the name of the hotel and what the next step is, but that's what I've been able to learn just now.
BALDWIN: OK, we know that the shots were fired Friday night. We know a bullet was found. The bullet didn't quite penetrate one of the windows, , but it hit one of the windows. Another bullet was found just yesterday.
How -- do we know how police, if they have even been able to conclusively link this young man to the vehicle that was found and also these bullets?
JONES: Well, certainly, as of Friday, they had found an abandoned car, and in that car, they found a semiautomatic rifle and some shell casings.
And they believe that this was -- this Oscar Ortega-Hernandez from Constitution Avenue, which is about 700 or 800 yards away from the White House, toward the White House, then fled in the vehicle, crashed the vehicle on an on-ramp to a bridge that connects over to Virginia and was seen running away on foot.
They haven't conclusively linked the bullets found here to that rifle, but that is their preliminary conclusion, Brooke.
BALDWIN: OK.
Athena Jones for us at the White House. Athena, thank you.
