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Cain, Wife Meet About Campaign; Newt Gingrich Surges in Polls; Where the Jobs Are; Hiring Up, Unemployment Down; Camp Victory Now in Iraqi Hands; Bandmates Try to Save Drum Major

Aired December 02, 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: I'm Brooke Baldwin. Happy Friday to all of you.

Let's, as always, get you caught up on all things making news this hour, "Rapid Fire."

Let's go, beginning with, dare I say, encouraging economic news. Yes, encouraging.

The unemployment rate is down to 8.6 percent. And as a country, we added some 120,000 jobs in November.

Let's take a peek at the Big Board. The Dow, up just about 33 points, as we're two hours away from the closing bell.

Also keep in mind, President Obama spoke just before noon Eastern today with former president Bill Clinton at his side. And the president talked about that payroll tax cut extension. That's the one that puts about $1,000 a year back into your paycheck.

President Obama said it is time to get things done.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We need to get this done. And I expect that it's going to get done before Congress leaves. Otherwise, Congress may not be leaving, and we can all spend Christmas here together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Well, Presidents Obama and Clinton also toured the Transwestern building in Washington, D.C. They announced plans to create new jobs in the energy efficiency sector.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is good business, creates jobs, makes us more energy-independent, and helps to fight climate change. It's the nearest thing we've got to a free lunch in a tough economy.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: We're going to take a closer look at some of those numbers out today. Is it a great thing? Is it seasonal? We're talking about that in 15 minutes.

Also, Egypt. Election results are in -- sort of.

We are still waiting to find out who exactly won. We do know that moments ago, Egypt's election commission announced 62 percent of eligible voters turned out for the recent parliamentary elections, but did not name any winners. So, two groups here, both Islamic, one hard- line, the other moderate, they're claiming they are in the lead.

And happening right now, dozens of National Guardsmen, they are home from Iraq. Let's take some of those live pictures as we watch and wait for the big moment.

This is California's 297th Medical Company. This is the final National Guard unit from the state of California to come home from Iraq.

They were greeted by their families, a military band, the U.S. Army Color Guard, the community, veterans groups.

Guys, come in quickly in my ear. You already have the ready, set, go moment? And it's happening right now.

So let's just -- can we listen in for a moment? So you can't hear the hugging and the kissing, but I'll tell you, I've covered these things, and that's exactly what's going on. Many Kleenexes being used in this moment.

We've got one of our correspondents standing by, obviously some live pictures. We promise, we will take you back to San Mateo, California.

But I want to take you now to Indiana, last summer's horrific accident at the state fair. Who could forget this video?

This is the precise moment when that stage collapsed there during that storm. We are now getting a terrifying view of the tragedy from the first responders there. Affiliate WTHR compiled the radio traffic from that evening. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The situation is this: the stage framework and the speakers have collapsed onto the rows of chairs just in front.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you estimate the total quantity of patients?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think I need to start more than five units?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: In the end, seven people died that day.

Florida police arrested 29 Occupy protesters who refused to leave a park in Tampa. More than 100 members of the group held a peaceful demonstration just last night, but afterwards, police issued warnings and then moved into the riverfront park. This is the largest number of Occupy protesters arrested in one single time in Tampa since the movement began some three months ago.

Los Angeles County still under a state of emergency after these powerful Santa Ana winds have been damaging homes, businesses, cars, trees, you name it, really, across the West, leaving hundreds of thousands without power. More wind warnings are in place.

And this is not just southern California. This is Utah, Arizona as well. Been blasted by these winds as strong as a major hurricane.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It sounds like a hurricane. Very scary, and we couldn't sleep.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was listening to my little radio and, all of a sudden, bam!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And now to this. Coca-Cola fans are proving once again you cannot mess with a classic.

The soft drink maker is pulling this year's holiday Coke can. Coke drinkers, they're a little confused lately, confusing the can's silvery/white background with Diet Coke. Some have even complained that the taste has changed. Traditional red holiday cans are again. Don't fret. They're headed back to the stores, and a little later we'll hear from a branding expert about this whole brouhaha.

Got a lot more to cover for you in the next two hours, including country music singer Mindy McCready, pregnant with twins, wrapped up in this bitter custody battle with her own parents. This is all regarding her 5-year-old son.

And this --

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN (voice-over): Republicans presidential candidate Herman Cain --

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: There was no sex?

HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No.

BLITZER: None?

CAIN: No. BALDWIN: -- facing his toughest audience on these adultery allegations today, his wife. And his supporters, they are jumping ship, too. Find out where they will come up.

Plus, hiring is up, unemployment is down. Don't be scared. This is not "The Twilight Zone." This is huge. But is it seasonal or here to stay?

Also, the body of a woman, apparently murdered, found on the side of the road in Georgia. Authorities have no idea who this woman is. They have just one clue: tattoos on her body.

And the one, the only, Mr. Larry King joins me live.

SHAWN KING, LARRY KING'S WIFE: We're having a party and you're invited.

LARRY KING, FMR. HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Come on in.

BALDWIN: The news starts now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Herman Cain, his problems are stacking up like toppings on a Godfather's pizza. His poll numbers are fading, his funding is drying up, and today he scheduled a high-level meeting with his wife.

Cain conceded yesterday he never told his spouse of 43 years about his payments to Ginger White, who is alleging that she and Cain had a long-running affair, something Cain denies. He says his wife Gloria understands the situation and also understands that he's softhearted and giving.

I want you to listen to Cain's attorney. Also listen to Piers Morgan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIN WOOD, HERMAN CAIN'S ATTORNEY: It only proves that he was a friend and that, on occasion, he tried to give her assistance, as he has done other people.

PIERS MORGAN, HOST, "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT": This is shockingly naive, Mr. Wood. With respect, you are being shockingly naive.

WOOD: Let me finish talking there. Let me tell you, Piers --

MORGAN: The idea that a presidential candidate can be paying a woman who claims to have had a 13-year affair, he admits to paying her money, to calling her at 5:00 a.m., making repeated texts over a period of time when he's actually running for president, the idea that none of this is remotely relevant is preposterous.

WOOD: I'm sorry if you find me naive or if you find my statements about Mr. Cain preposterous. What I find naive is the failure on the part of the members of the media to be asking the tough questions of the accuser.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: This protest (ph) aside, Cain himself is saying he might drop out of the race and will make a decision by Monday.

I want to bring in Candy Crowley. She's our chief political correspondent.

And Candy, OK, I get the feeling that this upcoming conversation as Herman Cain comes home to Atlanta today and this conversation between he and his wife Gloria might be difficult. Is that your reading?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: If she knew nothing about this, I would assume. I mean, I don't think I need any of my political experience to say this sounds like a tense time.

You know, I learned a long time ago -- and actually, I learned this watching political figures getting into various trouble and getting out of it that had to do with personal problems -- that it's really tough to judge what goes on inside a marriage. So, I can't imagine that this is going to be anything but a tense weekend, but we know very little about these two other than they've been together for a long time, they have a family together. And at some level, he has signaled -- for many weeks even before this -- that if this got too tough on his family, he would get out.

BALDWIN: Yes. When he was talking to Wolf -- actually, I'm now hearing -- let's go to Herman Cain. He's talking in South Carolina, at this town hall, talking about reassessing.

Let's listen.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

CAIN: Tomorrow, in Atlanta, I will be making an announcement. But nobody's going to get me to make that prematurely. That's all there is to that.

So, tomorrow we are going to be opening our headquarters in northwest Georgia, where we will also clarify -- there's that word again -- clarify exactly what the next steps are. So at this time -- and I think you have some questions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir. Thank you very much.

BALDWIN: So, Candy Crowley, that was fortuitous, that you and I were chatting about this precise topic. So he says he'll be making an announcement tomorrow in Atlanta and clarifying -- clarifying some things.

What does that mean?

CROWLEY: I have no idea. I've interviewed him several times, and I come away sometimes with more questions than answers. But I think what he said was he would be opening his campaign headquarters in Georgia, which was preplanned tomorrow, and at that time he would clarify some things.

We do know he's going home tonight. He also apparently said, at least from what I'm being told, that a lot depends on contributions and whether they are drying up.

I would have to judge -- and he's put out a letter saying, I need your help, I need to know if you still support me. And one of the ways to do that, of course, is to know whether you have financial backing, that kind of thing.

BALDWIN: Yes.

CROWLEY: But if you look at some of the numbers -- we know there's a new "Des Moines Register" poll coming out tomorrow -- we've seen that he's dropped to 8 percent. That's from 31 in October.

So, that's a pretty big drop. And once your numbers drop, the numbers fall off as well in your campaign coffers, because people like to contribute to someone they think is going to win.

BALDWIN: OK. So, obviously, we won't be privy to the conversation he has with his wife of 43 years.

CROWLEY: Thank heavens.

BALDWIN: As you mentioned, he is coming home to Atlanta today. They will chat. We'll see if he has her backing. And perhaps, if he does, and those campaign contributions aren't drying, perhaps he will continue. That is to be determined.

CROWLEY: Sure. And his campaign, by the way, keeps saying, oh, he's going to continue on. So we don't know.

BALDWIN: Yes. OK. So wait and see for that.

You've got your political hat back on for this one, because we're going to talk Newt Gingrich here. Speaking of those polls, hello? Newt Gingrich is riding the surge, leading the national polls, leading in Iowa -- you mentioned that one -- top two in New Hampshire, leading in South Carolina, leading into Florida.

Let's listen to the former House Speaker.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have to confess, this is disorienting. OK? This is such a rapid change, that we're having to rethink our own internal operations right now and where we are.

I mean, I would not have given this speech two weeks ago, because it wouldn't have seemed to make sense for this guy who is a, you know, an underdog, to be up here talking about the totality of the future. But the fact is, given where we are, I think this is the right stage setting to start saying to people, this is what a Gingrich presidency would look like.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, time to start talking about a Gingrich presidency. I mean, Candy, is he getting ahead of himself, or should we be listening now?

CROWLEY: Well, I must say, when I saw that bite, I was sort of confused by it, because the whole process of electing someone is to try to envision what the presidency is going to be like. It's them laying out, here's what I'd do as president.

But listen, a part of running for president is also acting the part as well. It doesn't surprise me that he is stepping up both on the podium and, at least as far as we know, in terms of putting together some kind of structure inside Iowa and inside New Hampshire, because the poll numbers are great for him right now, as they have been great in the past for Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Herman Cain.

BALDWIN: Herman Cain.

CROWLEY: Now comes Newt Gingrich, and the question is, certainly money is going to follow his rising up in the polls. The question is, in the short time he has, which is less than a month before the Iowa caucuses, can he put together on the ground something that will work for him and get people out on a frigid Iowa night to spend two, three hours inside a church, or a schoolroom, or wherever they go, to discuss politics and to be the people that beat the drum for Newt Gingrich? And that's the question.

BALDWIN: Let's remember, Newt Gingrich has made some enemies, and we're not just talking about Democrats. I want to share something with you. Look at this, because is something we saw this morning.

So, this is former Republican congressman Guy Molinari, a guy who worked with Newt Gingrich. And here's the quote.

"Evil is a tough word, but frankly I can't think of a better word that describes what he is all about. He is an evil person. That's the way he is."

"He will lie. He will do anything to get his way. Those of us who know him have a duty as Americans to come forward and relate the problems that we experienced ourselves and hope that the people will begin to understand what he's really about, and then pick somebody else."

Guy Molinari admitting he has a grudge against Gingrich. That said, he is speaking strictly for himself? Do other leading Republicans share these similar reservations about a Gingrich nomination?

CROWLEY: OK. Let's say first that Guy Molinari does also -- not only has he had a long-time grudge against Newt Gingrich dating back to a time he thought Gingrich double-crossed him on a committee assignment, but he also works for the Romney campaign, Molinari.

So, listen, if the question is, are there people who -- Newt cracked some heads, Newt made some people very angry, Newt has real enemies. There's no getting -- inside the Republican Party. But the same could be said for a lot of people that became president or that became a nominee for the party, and the party has a way of gathering around it.

Guy Molinari clearly is not going to vote for Newt Gingrich. There are people that think that Newt Gingrich went overboard, that he's mean, or whatever. He has his critics, but he also has his supporters.

Now, again, I think the key question always comes down to a really simple one. And this year, for Republicans, the formation of that question is, who can beat Barack Obama? And if Newt Gingrich can prove that, then he's got a decent chance.

BALDWIN: Then he's got it. Who can beat Barack Obama?

Candy Crowley, a pleasure, as always, to speak with you. We always look for you Sunday morning. Thank you.

CROWLEY: Thanks, Brooke. Good to see you.

BALDWIN: Thank you.

Coming up, 120,000 new jobs were added in the month of November. So the unemployment rate plunges to its lowest level in nearly three years. Poppy Harlow is crunching some of the numbers for us. She's going to join me live and give us perspective and context of the announcement this morning.

Plus, this --

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

911 OPERATOR: What's the problem?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been shot.

911 OPERATOR: You've been shot?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, ma'am.

911 OPERATOR: Who have you been shot by?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: By Devon (ph).

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Yes, a man shot by his dog. How? We're going to tell you, coming up.

Also, widespread damage, thousands are without power. A state of emergency in Los Angeles County, all because of these hurricane-force winds ripping through southern California, other western states as well.

Those stories, much more, when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: The nation's unemployment rate took a big dip. It was sitting really at 9 percent on the button. But as of today, it is down to 8.6 percent. This is according to figures released this morning by the Department of Labor.

The government says in the month of November, employers added 120,000 new jobs. But if you look at this graphic, you'll see November, there at the end -- that's the gray-colored bar, far-right-hand side -- it's one of the better months we've had this year. It beat October. But as you can also see, the most potent job creation occurred earlier in the year, and we have sort of slumped off since then.

Poppy Harlow, live in New York for me.

And Poppy, there has to be sort of a psychological uplifting though to being below that 9.0 percent mark.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. We've been there for so long. Politicians on both side of the aisle always reference 9 percent unemployment. Now they can't because we are below it.

The question is, is it going to stay there? Some good and bad news in this report. Right?

The government sector keeps bleeding jobs. Another 20,000 jobs cut in the month in terms of the public sector.

Private sector, small, medium-sized business, big corporations, added about 140,000 jobs. Still, you've got almost 13.5 million people unemployed. More than 40 percent of them have been out of work for six months or longer. But, one month does not a trend make.

So, I think bottom line, Brooke, better than expected, pretty strong number, we'll take it. But I also point out every month, people that have dropped out of the labor force, that have given up looking for work, they are not counted in the unemployment rate. So it's not, in my opinion, a totally true, accurate reading of the unemployment picture in this country. That's why last month, we saw men, their situation got better because more men got hired, whereas more women stopped looking for work, and they are not counted in today's number -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: And also, when you look at these numbers, we also talk about, OK, so which jobs were created, what sector? And you've done some pretty interesting reporting on the engineering field. Tell me about that.

HARLOW: Right. I mean, you know, you'd think -- Suzanne and I were talking about this earlier -- if I was an engineering major, what GPA would I have gotten? It's a very, very hard degree. But all the CEOs that I interview tell me, look, we're hiring, we have jobs. But the people that are qualifying for those jobs aren't applying, we need more engineers.

So we wanted to look at what's happening, why more students aren't lining up for engineering degrees in this country to get those high- paying jobs. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW (voice-over): These machines are moving more than dirt. They're moving jobs, too. And entry level engineers here rake in $65,000 a year. Companies from Caterpillar to Google are on the hunt for engineers.

(on camera): You were an engineering major here.

BERNIE DALBERICE, CITY COLLEGE STUDENT: Yes.

HARLOW: And then what?

DALBERICE: I was struggling in the program, so I decided to study something different. And right now I'm majoring in public relation advertising.

HARLOW (voice-over): Here, at the City College of New York, only 35 percent of students who enter the engineering school graduate as engineers. With 9 percent unemployment, and companies desperate to hire engineers, you'd think undergrads would be lining up to major in the sciences. But few are, and many who do are quitting them.

DALBERICE: I needed to raise my GPA to stay in the school, and that's what I did. So I left.

HARLOW: Alina Subanska has dreamed of being a scientist since she was a young girl.

ALINA SUBANSKA, CITY COLLEGE STUDENT: About two-thirds drop out. That was actually my experience with my friends. We all started together as freshmen, two of them switched out of the major.

HARLOW (on camera): But City College isn't alone. It's a national phenomenon. Twenty-two percent of students choose a STEM major -- that's science, technology, engineering or math -- at some point in their college career, but only 14 percent finish school in a STEM major.

DALBERICE: After just finishing the assignments, you have to put in extra work, so it's like maybe eight hours a day extra.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of students don't realize how much work is required to really become an engineer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: And now this --

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

911 OPERATOR: OK. Is he awake? Do you know?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His eyes are opened. His eyes are opened. He's not responding.

911 OPERATOR: OK. But is he breathing? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no idea. I cannot tell you that.

911 OPERATOR: OK.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BALDWIN: The desperate efforts to save the life of a Florida A&M drum major. We're going to play a little bit more of that 911 call coming up.

Plus, a man is accidentally shot by his own dog while duck hunting. And if you think that sounds strange, wait until you hear what happened with one of the duck decoys.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Some pretty dramatic audio recordings have been released in the suspected hazing death of Florida A&M drum major. We now have this 911 tape of Robert Champion's bandmates desperately calling for help when they realized their friend wasn't breathing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

911: Are you with the person right now?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Well, I'm outside the bus so I can hear you.

911: OK. So he's inside the bus?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Yes, he's inside the bus.

911: OK. How old is?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: He is 25.

911: OK. Is he awake?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: He wasn't responding. We thought he was breathing, he was making noises, but I don't even know if he's breathing now.

911: OK. Is he awake? Do you know?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: His eyes are open. He's not responding.

911: OK, but is he breathing?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: I have no idea. I cannot tell you that.

911: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: He just threw up.

911: He just threw up.

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Yes. 911: Like I said, I have help on the way. I want you to keep -- was he like shaking or anything like that prior to this?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: No, he wasn't shaking.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: The university has fired the band director, expelled four students. So far, Champion's family has said it does plan to sue the university, Florida A & M, to get answers about his death.

And OK, what do you know, I have a pug and I definitely subscribe to the belief that a dog is a man's best friend. But this next story may have one hunter rethinking his relationship with his little pooch.

This man was apparently shot by his dog on a hunting trip over the weekend and I know you're thinking, what? So here's the deal. Our affiliate, KSL, reporting that two men and one dog, they were going duck hunting in the great Salt Lake City area near a bird refuge.

One hunter put a shotgun down on the boat to play some decoys in the water then the dog got excited, jumped on the gun, it went off, hit the hunter in the water, which then led to this call to 911.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's the problem?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: I've been shot.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You've been shot?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Yes, ma'am.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who have you been shot by?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: My dog. It was an accidental discharge.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So your own gunshot you? Nobody else shot you?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. What's your name?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: My name is Robert. I need help quick.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And where did you get shot at?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: In the butt.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the butt?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Yes, in the buttocks.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BALDWIN: Ouch. I guess it could have been worse. The decoys in the water absorbed some of the shot. Reports indicate the hunter is on the mend, but 27 pellets of bird shot had to be removed from -- well, you know --

Santa Ana winds so strong they are flipping trucking, knocking down trees and leaving hundreds of thousands without power. And my next guest, he's going to share his photos from a historic church damage overnight.

Plus, the latest step in getting American troops out of Iraq by the end of the year. The U.S. military officially handing over control of its former military headquarters to the Iraqi government. Martin Savidge is standing for us live from Baghdad.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Folks in California and a couple surrounding states bracing for a second day of the brutal Santa Ana winds. These powerful winds hammered Southern California uprooting trees. Look at that, smashing cars, knocking down power lines.

Some gusts as strong as 140 miles per hour. That's the strength of a major hurricane. In fact, it's a little stronger. Utah on the receiving end of the whipping wind as well, strong winds knocking down street signs, power lines, fences there. More than a dozen semi-trucks were toppled over.

CNN I-Reporters, they're sharing, a lot of you sharing some photos of your own damage. In fact, freelance photographer, Matt Hartman took these images.

This is a San Gabrielle Mission in California. Winds damaged the church and several religious statues and it fell off a large wooden crucifix on the ground there.

So we've got Chad Myers standing by, but I want to bring Matt in as well. Matt, can you just tell me -- good to see you. Walk me through some of your pictures and walk me through the damage. How bad was it?

MATT HARTMAN, FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER: It was pretty bad. I mean, we were getting sustained winds between 60 and upwards of 80 miles an hour all through the night and morning.

The grounds keeper curator guy at the mission got an alert around 2:00 in the morning of some movement. He showed up at the church and found out that the crucifix and the surrounding statues were knocked down by the gale-force winds.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's Chad. People saying this is one, a one in five, maybe one in 10-year event. How long have you lived there and have you ever seen anything like this before?

HARTMAN: I grew up in the Midwest and I've experienced tornadoes all my life. I've lived in Los Angeles for almost 15 years and this has never happened in my time in Los Angeles. I think it caught a lot of people off guard of how strong the Santa Ana wind event was.

BALDWIN: Matt Hartman, we thank you for your pictures and hopping on Skype with us. Thank you very much. Keep sending them. Chad Myers, thank you as well.

Next to this, it really was an historic moment in Baghdad today. U.S. forces handed over control of Camp Victory to the Iraqis weeks before our American troops will be withdrawn. CNN's Martin Savidge will join me live from Baghdad.

Plus, Wolf Blitzer in D.C. for your America Choice 2012 politics update, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: It is an historic day in Baghdad as the U.S. military is handing over control of Camp Victory to the Iraqis is a huge deal. Camp Victory served as headquarters for U.S. military operations there in country.

CNN's Martin Savidge, he was there for the hand-over. He joins me live from Baghdad. Martin, I know this is just another step here to get the U.S. troops out of Iraq by the end of this year. Tell me what was involved in the transfer and how many troops actually moved out?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, you are right. This was a really big milestone, but I will have to point out one thing, we weren't allowed to be there. No members of the media were actually allowed to see this, which is rather the irony here.

I mean, you have this huge base. It's a huge moment that represents the drawdown of U.S. forces. A retro grade operation as the military likes to call it here and the only people who saw it were the soldiers who were there themselves.

Here's the way it happened. They have been moving that base and drawing it down for about six months now. They got down in the final hours today. Starting at noon, the last soldiers began leaving. We are told that that finished around 2:00 local time.

Once that was done, it was a simple transfer. That was handled with some signing of documents handed to the Iraqis much like closing on a house deal, said one U.S. officer. And that was it.

The largest U.S. base that had been operated in Iraq since the beginning of the war, that had been the center focus for the whole conflict, was closed. And the U.S. had left that part of town.

BALDWIN: Well, the media, I guess, wasn't allowed to see that, to witness that today. But I know that you know that Camp Victory, it's quite the complex. From what I understand, Hussein's writings are still on some of the walls. I mean, if you will, just remind us of the historic significance of this building.

SAVIDGE: Yes, it was the place where the war was run from about April of 2003. It had a perimeter of about 27 miles. It had blast walls. It had razor wire. It had 40,000 soldiers at one point at the peak of the conflict, 20,000 contractors.

It had its own water plant, its own electricity plant, its own ice making plant. The laundry had about 3,000 washing machines. It was a huge complex. In fact, they called it a VBC, victory-based complex, made up of several bases.

So it was vital to the war fighting effort here in Iraq, but eventually it was one of the last places to be closed down. It also has nine palaces that belonged to Suddam Hussein. That's going to be a problem for the Iraqi government.

What do you do with those? They are beautiful. They are massive. They're arrogant and they're a reminder of the dark, bad days. So do you keep them, turn them into something else?

That's still got to be decided by the Iraqi government. They are quite remarkable, though.

BALDWIN: That was my next question. What do they do? I guess that's to be determined. We heard the president speaking a couple of weeks ago, saying, you know, look, our troops will be out of Iraq by the holidays, which is, we now know, is around the corner. So what is left, Martin? What is left to do before we leave Iraq?

SAVIDGE: Well, let's see. With the closing of or the hand-over of Camp Victory today that means that there are five U.S. bases that are left. There were 505 bases. We are down to just five of them now.

All of them to the south with the exception of Taji that just north of the city. We have about 10,000 or 11,000 troops that have to exit Iraq before December 31st and several thousand tons of gear, but they say that they will easily make that deadline.

BALDWIN: Martin Savidge live for us in Baghdad. Martin, thank you.

And now to politics. The candidacy of Herman Cain progress in a key meeting later today with his supporter number one, his wife of 43 years, Gloria Cain.

Herman Cain says he's going to make a decision that in his words will clarify what he plans to do next. I want to bring in Wolf Blitzer with our America Choice 2012 politics update.

Wolf, we heard Herman Cain speaking at a town hall in South Carolina not too long ago, you know, saying he's going to make some sort of an announcement tomorrow in Atlanta.

And he's also going to open his Georgia campaign headquarters. Does that sound like someone who is dropping out or can we read anything into that or not?

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, CNN'S "THE SITUATION ROOM": It sounds like if you're going to an event, opening up a campaign headquarters in Georgia, it sounds like he's getting ready to stay. Although some people still believe he's going to announce he's dropping out. So you're getting these conflicting messages coming from Herman Cain and from the Cain campaign and you heard what he just said in South Carolina. He got a little emotional. He knows a lot of his big supporters want him to stay.

But he's going back into this meeting back in Atlanta tonight with his wife, Gloria Cain. The first time they are actually going to sit down face-to-face since this allegation of a sexual affair began on Monday. He's going to meet with her.

They have spoken on the phone he says, but they haven't spoken in person. So I assume they have a lot to talk about when they meet tonight in Georgia. We'll see what he decides tomorrow. I've got an open mind. I don't know what he's going to do.

Only a small group of people, maybe just Herman Cain, maybe just Gloria, his wife, know what he's going to do, but we'll see what's he's going to do. We'll have to wait sometime tomorrow afternoon to for that formal announcement.

But if you just look as you point out to the outside signs, the fact that he's opening up an office in Georgia would indicate that he's staying and the fact that he's doing some advertising, some commercials in Iowa that he's sending out e-mails.

He's doing -- creating this committee, Women for Cain. Those would indicate that he's staying. On the other hand, let's see as the pressure continues to build up. So we'll see what's he's going to do.

BALDWIN: We shall see after this high meeting with his wife. Wolf Blitzer, thank you. We'll talk to you next hour. Still what you have coming up on "THE SITUATION ROOM."

In the meantime, Larry King, the man wearing the suspenders. Hello, sir. How are you?

LARRY KING: Hello, dear, how are you?

BALDWIN: Hello, dear. I love it. So we're going to talk with Larry King because he has this special coming up. You had a couple of people over to dinner. We're going to talk about dinner with the Kings on the other side of the break. Don't move.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: So my friend and your friend, Larry King, is most definitely keeping busy these days. When he's not trying to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of an investment group, yes, we're going to talk about that.

He and his wife are hosting fabulous intimate dinner parties around this beautiful table with some of Hollywood's biggest stars. You are invited to sit in.

It is a little gathering of A-listers. I'm talking Tyra Banks, Shaquille O'Neal, Conan O'Brien, just to name a few. They've put it into a special. They're calling it "Dinner with the Kings" airs Sunday night right here 8:00 Eastern and then re-airs at 11:00 later that evening.

Larry King, always a pleasure to get to talk to you on TV. Before we talk about dinner, I must say I've always wanted to go to a Dodgers game, wink, wink.

KING: You've never gone to a Dodgers game?

BALDWIN: No, I grew up in Atlanta. I know all about the Braves. I was at Fenway not too long ago. I've been to Wrigley, never Dodgers.

KING: Well, I tell you what, whether we get the team or not, the next time you're in Los Angeles, you're my guest at a Dodger game whether I am one of the partial owners or not.

But I am part of a group, Dennis Gilbert is a wonderful man, a White Sox executive, a top insurance executive, a former agent, has put together terrific groups of people.

We're one of I think four or five groups in the hunt. They have a decision to make. It will involve the decisions made I think by baseball, by the current owner and by the bankruptcy courts. So it's a little involved.

They hope to have a new ownership in by before spring training and I love to get it as a lifetime Dodger fan. It would be a thrill to have this. We have season tickets and my boys love the team and go to all of the games. So it would be a hoot.

BALDWIN: It would be a hoot, Larry King. I'd love to go with you. So I'll take that offer and I appreciate that.

KING: You got it, whether we have them or not, you're on.

BALDWIN: Deal. Let's talk "Dinner with the Kings." Tell me who's at the table?

KING: OK, I got it all. You mentioned a few. Anyway, this idea came about to have this dinner at the house featuring and put it together, tape it for a couple hours, weed it down to an hour and talk about everything from success, failure, life, death, opportunities, funny things said.

And the group included Conan O'Brien, as you said, Russell Brand, Quincy Jones, Tyra Banks, Jack Dorsey, the inventor of Twitter, Sef McFarland, Shaquille O'Neal. Wolfgang Puck did the dinner, each of the meals is introduced.

It was that kind of a -- it was really a lot of fun and if it goes well, I think we might -- we do four specials a year for CNN. This might always be the holiday special.

BALDWIN: So tell me how many hours were you all sitting around this table talking, eating, drinking to then have it edited down to one hour. KING: Well, it starts with the beginning, guests arriving, Wolfgang cooking in the kitchen. We actually did about two hours sitting and talking through the meal, through dessert. And then we sat around the piano.

I'd say the total about three hours. We did down to one. Actually we could have done two shows out of it. It was really that interesting. Jack Dorsey describes how Twitter was invented. Conan O'Brien describes his own insecurities.

BALDWIN: Russell Brand.

KING: Russell Brand goes nuts.

BALDWIN: You say he's nuts. I'm not even going to set this clip up. Let's just watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUSSELL BRAND, ACTOR/COMEDIAN: I'm grateful to be included in this. I'm lucky not to be -- I was a drug addict for years and I'm grateful to be alive. I'm grateful for this. I shouldn't even be here. I don't think I should be here now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: That was very kind of him. Although I understand he took a trip up to your bedroom. What?

KING: Yes. He went up to the bedroom and he went into my wife's dresser and brought down a pair of bra and panties. It shook her up because they didn't match, but a camera follows him up the stairs.

BALDWIN: Did that make the cut? Is that in the show?

KING: It made the cut.

BALDWIN: Brother. Larry King, we can't wait to watch, 8:00 and 11:00, Sunday night on CNN, "A Dinner with the Kings." And I will be live tweeting. So I'll be sitting there with my laptop tweeing along, watching, I cannot wait to see it.

KING: I'll tweet during it, too. So we can tweet each other.

BALDWIN: Perfect, Larry King.

KING: OK, Doll.

BALDWIN: Thank you, I appreciate it.

Coming up, you call it trickery and blasphemy. You're demanding change. Folks, I'm talking about Coca-Cola. This can. This can. I have it right here. This can.

Are you one of the people who mistook this for diet? We're going to tell you if Coke listened and we'll also ask why we are so tied to certain brands, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Coca Cola's decision to switch back to its classic red can is what you are talking about today. This is trending. Coca Cola fans did not like this year's silver white can with the holiday design.

Too many people confused this can with diet Coke. Some even complained that the taste even changed. So traditional red holiday cans are heading back to stores.

And branding guru, Peter Shankman joins me live from New York. Peter, you see these cans. So this is the white polar bear, global warming, special holiday can and this is the diet Coke.

PETER SHANKMAN, BRANDING AND SOCIAL MEDIA CONSULTANT: First of all, it tells me that in this country we might want to work on literacy as the main concern.

But Coke is like the one guy when you build the house of cards. I just want to fix one more thing and touches it everything falls down. You know, they had their problem back in the '80s with new Coke, of course.

I get what they are trying to do. It's for polar bears. It's to raise money, but you know, people are tied to brand. They're tied to a very specific look, a very specific feel. There's a reason that a McDonald's french fry tastes the same in New York as it does in Kazakhstan.

You know, they are tied to how things look and they want that initial feeling. I've heard reports on Twitter. I asked them what do you think on this?

I had a Delta flight attendant who said, we were getting confused in the air because we didn't know which one to serve. I was like, you didn't read the label? You know, people do really care about their brand and when you mess with the brand, you don't mess with the brand.

BALDWIN: I was trying to talk to my teammate, what is this analogous to? It's just a color, you know. It's just a color.

SHANKMAN: There are so many other things in this world that we can worry about. I think if everyone who's freaking out about this actually donate a buck to help the polar bears that would be a win.

Coca-Cola has said they're going to keep the cans they have, the current, you know, stocks they have and then they'll go back. But it does bring up the question, is this really what we have to worry about?

BALDWIN: But why is this so jarring for us as consumers?

SHANKMAN: For two reasons. The first reason is that we love what we love. When you mess with what we love, we have a problem. There's no difference in the taste. They haven't changed the taste or the formula.

But you change the -- the can itself, people get confused. Second reason is because what frankly, if you're grabbing it, it does look confusing. Coke is red, diet Coke is not red. It's very simple.

When you mess it up like that, I get it. Snow is white. But when you mess it up -- briefly, yes, it is easy for people to screw it up.

BALDWIN: OK, well, have no fear. You are getting your regular red cans back. Peter Shankman, thank you very much. And that's it for us. We're rolling on though. Take a look at this.