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Republicans Prepare to Debate; U.S. Military Shrinking; GOP Hopefuls Campaign for Hispanic Vote in Florida; Top Cop's Son Under Investigation; Bringing Home Buyers Back; Big Hits, Broken Dreams

Aired January 26, 2012 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And we continue here, top of the hour. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

The Republican presidential candidates hours away from squaring off in a huge debate tonight, our CNN debate.

And we want to just take you behind the scenes as they make these last-minute preparations. Time to play "Reporter Roulette."

CNN has political producers traveling along with these candidates morning, afternoon, night, following their every move as they crisscross across the country. But, today, it's pretty unique that we actually get all of these guys and gals together in one spot. But that's because they're all in Jacksonville, Florida, ahead of the CNN debate.

We wanted to get obviously the politics, the news of the day, ladies, but also some of the scoop, as you certainly are not getting a lot of sleep and know every little everything I imagine about these campaigns.

We have Rachel Streitfeld following the Mitt Romney campaign, Shawna Shepherd following Gingrich.

All right, ladies, you know what? Rachel, I'm going to begin with you talking about Mitt Romney here as we mentioned five days until that primary. Just how is camp Romney feeling today?

RACHEL STREITFELD, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Well, Mitt Romney had one event this morning in Jacksonville and he talked about the debate. He said he was excited and he asked his supporters to come cheer for him. He said even if that includes storming into the hall to do that.

I don't know we think need to call CNN security just quite yet, though. But he did -- he signaled he would keep up his attacks against Barack Obama for failing to deliver the change he promised. He also said he expected the candidates on stage tonight to compare their records among the Republicans, which I think we both know, Brooke, is code for there could be some fireworks.

As for the state of the campaign, as this race continues to be tight here in Florida, there was a senior campaign adviser who said this week that no state is a must-win for the Romney campaign. And that includes Florida. One thing we will be looking for, Romney has not been attacking Newt Gingrich as much in the past few days. He's kept his focus on Barack Obama. We will see if that changes if he starts to feel threatened.

BALDWIN: Rachel, can you hear me? Give me a thumbs up if you can hear me.

(CROSSTALK)

STREITFELD: I can. I'm sorry. I can hear you.

BALDWIN: OK. I just want to make sure.

As you are following the Romney camp and looking ahead to the debate tonight, does he get a chance to walk up on stage, sort of, I don't know, feel out the podium? Does he have any pre-debate rituals? That's what I want to know.

STREITFELD: One thing I can tell you, this is a small nugget. His older son, Tagg Romney, is flying in right now to be with his father. We know this is a very tight-knit family. And the Romney sons, there are five of them and they tend to alternate in and out so they can spend time with their families back home, but they can also spend time supporting their father on trail.

So Tagg will be the one to do that here tonight -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: OK. Stand by, Rachel.

I want to bring Shawna in. I know you ladies have I'm sure multiple phones keeping up with every iteration of news that is coming in. I know you're following Newt Gingrich. How is he today on the trail? What's the news today?

SHAWNA SHEPHERD, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: In one word, I think he had a lot of fire in his breath.

He is -- he spoke at a Tea Party rally in Mount Dora today and he had quite a few stinging words for Governor Mitt Romney. Really, he is trying to tie him to his connections to the financial world and connections to Freddie Mac, which has been a major attack that Governor Romney's been hitting toward Speaker Gingrich. So we definitely can expect a lot of fireworks tonight.

BALDWIN: How much do these candidates sleep? How much do you ladies sleep? Do these candidates have a chance to work out at all? Do they have any downtime?

SHEPHERD: Well, hopefully it doesn't reflect too much on TV, but we don't get too much sleep. But, you know, nights vary. They are very long days for us, for the press, but also for the candidates. It's always remarkable to me that at the end of the day, they're getting on stage and they're performing in front of thousands of people and have to stay on their game, including tonight.

BALDWIN: Rachel, you want to add to that.

STREITFELD: Mitt Romney does the elliptical. I can tell you that.

(CROSSTALK)

STREITFELD: That is his choice. Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

(CROSSTALK)

SHEPHERD: Speaker Gingrich drinks Diet Coke. I'm not sure that he does much exercising. But I would have to ask.

BALDWIN: Is it a morning workout routine on the elliptical for the Massachusetts Governor, Rachel, or is an evening, late-night workout?

STREITFELD: Yes. I think he and Ann occasionally spend time at the gym. And I know he's said he's watched news when he's working out at the gym.

BALDWIN: He watches the news? Is that what you said?

STREITFELD: He watches the news.

BALDWIN: OK. And I guess just finally, I don't know if you all have been embedded as we call you these embeds with the campaign. What is the one thing -- for viewers, for people who have never had a job like yours, what's the biggest surprise following around these candidates on the trail?

STREITFELD: Wow, that is a tough one. You want to start?

I mean, it's a really amazing experience for us. You know, we're traveling all across is the country. You come to these events. There's energy. There's music. It's a really cool experience for us to get to follow these candidates day in and day out and listen to what they're saying, how it changes, what's different today, what did they say yesterday, what did their opponents say. We're having a great time.

SHEPHERD: I think it's a really unique opportunity especially early on in the race to see these candidates up close and personal.

And when -- I know Governor Romney probably has a larger press team that's following him. But in the case of Speaker Gingrich, he's very accessible. And both he and his wife -- you know, it's just an interesting exposure to see them up close, see how they interact with voters. It's a unique perspective.

BALDWIN: We appreciate your hard work and lack of sleep, ladies. It's an amazing career opportunity for both of you. Of course, we have, you know, folks following the other two candidates as well. But we appreciate you two popping in front of the camera and just lifting the veil just a little bit on how we cover politics here at CNN.

Rachel and Shawna, we appreciate it. Thank you.

Still ahead here: A death row inmate writes a letter to a newspaper and what he says about prison life sparks a firestorm.

Plus, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has warned, if you make cuts to the military, America's security is at risk. Well, those cuts are here. So is he right?

Also, this: chilling new video just into us here at CNN of the man, this masked man here accused of shooting up the Pentagon and three other military structures. And just days after we heard Heidi Klum and Seal are calling it quits, the singer speaks out about the breakup. You're going to hear directly from him straight ahead.

Stay right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Chilling new video here into us at CNN showing the man accused of shooting up the Pentagon.

Brian Todd is live for us in Washington.

And, Brian, just walk me through this video.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, prosecutors released this video today at the plea hearing of Yonathan Melaku. He's a former U.S. Marine Reservist who pleaded guilty today to three charges related to the shootings of five military installations in Northern Virginia.

This was in October and November of 2010 that these incidents occurred at four different places, including the Pentagon and the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Now, they released this video of one such incident in which they say Yonathan Melaku is videotaping himself driving by the Marine Corps Museum. This is on October 29, 2010.

We will play a nat sound, a natural sound clip of this video where you hear him narrating it a little bit, saying that's the target. A few seconds later, you hear and see the shots being fired. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mission accomplished.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: Well, you see him brandishing the gun and he's got a mask on. He later takes the mask off and you can see his face visibly.

We do have some clips of him actually firing into the Marine Corps Museum. You hear the shots fired. You see the muzzle flashes. And he does, as you heard there, chant Allahu akbar.

But there was no one injured in any of these incidents, but Yonathan Melaku captured on videotape that they found I believe in his apartment is what prosecutors said after he was caught in June of 2011. And when he was caught at that date, they found a backpack. He was caught in Arlington Cemetery kind of wandering around. They found a backpack with .9-millimeter casings, ammonium nitrate, Ziploc bags and other things.

And they say that he was going to desecrate the memorial graves of soldiers who had fought in Iraq and Afghanistan with Arabic statements. They caught him that day in June 2011 after -- and then later I guess found the videotape and some other evidence in his apartment, Brooke. But this evidence that was released today had to have been a key turning point in the guilty plea of Yonathan Melaku today.

BALDWIN: And again, just quickly, we saw some other video last hour with him without the mask. He looks young. How young?

TODD: He's 23. And he does look very young. He looked a little older and of course a little bit more weathered today in court as if he had been through a pretty tough time over the past year or so. But, yes, he's 23 years old.

They agreed -- his defense attorneys and the prosecution agreed to a 25-year prison sentence. The judge will formally sentence him in April.

BALDWIN: Brian Todd, thank you.

TODD: Thanks, Brooke.

(NEWS BREAK)

(WEATHER UPDATE)

BALDWIN: Leon Panetta once said a smaller military means a bigger risk to America. But, today, he announced the Army is shrinking. Find out what's not being cut. We're live at the Pentagon for you next.

Also, a death row inmate brags about life behind bars. He talks about air conditioning, TV, 24/7 medical care. Now his victim's father is furious.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: A family in North Carolina is receiving taunts from death row by the man convicted of killing their daughter. Danny Hembree Jr. suffocated Heather Catterton back in 2009. She was 17 years of age.

Hembree is to be executed for his crime. And "The Gaston Gazette" published a letter yesterday from the 50-year-old inmate who mocks punishment.

Hembree writes -- and I'm quoting -- "Is the public aware that the chances of my lawful murder taking place in the next 20 years, if ever, are very slim?" Continuing on, "Is the public aware that I am a gentleman of leisure, watching color TV in the A.C., reading, taking naps at will, eating three well-balanced meals in a day?" -- end quote.

The letter goes on to say: "I am a man who is ready to accept his unjust punishment and face God almighty with a clear conscience, unlike you cowards and your cowardly system. Kill me if you can, suckers. Ha, ha, ha."

The family of Heather Catterton reportedly has made pleas to the district attorney for help. Hembree is also accused of murdering two other women.

We have been listening very, very closely here at CNN to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta over the past hour or so. He has been submitting the blueprint for a downsized U.S. military. We all knew this was coming. Another big-time consequence of the budget-cutting fever seizing Washington, D.C.

Chris Lawrence live for us again here at the Pentagon, as you I know you have been watching the secretary of defense.

Give me a number once again, the numbers they're putting on these Pentagon cuts and tell me what you have learned since you and I talked a little over an hour ago.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, the number's about $487 billion, Brooke, so roughly half a trillion dollars in cuts.

But, again, these are spaced out over 10 years and these are cuts based on what the Pentagon had estimated it would get. In other words, it's not like I gave you $50 last year and I'm only giving you $25 this year. It's more -- think of it more like you expected to get this much more in five years, this much more in eight years. And you're not going to get as much as you expected.

So the word cut has to be used somewhat loosely. We learned a lot. You know, we learned that they're moving towards this so-called more agile force, that the numbers of Marines and soldiers that were beefed up so much over the last 10 years will be coming down to just over the levels they were before the attacks on September 11.

And we learned that a lot of the money is going to be put into things like cyber-security, to the unmanned drone program. The special operations community is still going to get funded. And their funding will continue to grow.

BALDWIN: That's where it continues to grow, but then we had heard, Chris, a lot of concern about the Army in particular. And I know you say it depends who you ask. But there's the speculation that the Army would really bear the brunt of these cuts. Did Secretary Panetta address that concern?

LAWRENCE: He did.

And the cuts basically are going to be to the Army, roughly around 65,000. But Secretary Panetta says overall this is going to make it a much better force. Listen to what he said just a few minutes ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEON PANETTA, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We will have an adaptable and battle-tested Army that is our nation's force for decisive action capable of defeating any adversary on land. Let me say that again, capable of defeating any adversary on land.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE: But one of the concerns is with a smaller Army means the special operations community is going to have a smaller pool to recruit from. It's one of the issues, Brooke, we're going to be diving into next hour in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

BALDWIN: Well, we will see you then, Chris Lawrence. Thank you.

And now this number: 10 -- 10 percent of Republican voters in the U.S. are Hispanic. So as Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich blast one another in all these Spanish ads airing in Florida, who has got the end there? Jennifer Korn is in charge of a group that has major influence. She is live from Miami next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: When the Republican candidates for president take to the stage tonight in Jacksonville, Florida, for the final debate before next Tuesday's primary, you can bet one thing. They're going to be courting the all-important here Hispanic voter.

CNN is hosting tonight's debate, along with the Republican Party and the Hispanic Leadership Network.

And Jennifer Korn is the executive director of that group. And she joins me from Miami.

Jenny, first off, I just want you to hit this home for me. You're sitting there in Florida, the sheer importance of Florida's Hispanic vote.

JENNIFER SEVILLA-KORN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HISPANIC LEADERSHIP NETWORK: Absolutely. Well, thank you so much for having me.

I can't tell you the excitement that we had. We had an event here a year ago. And we have doubled the amount of people who are coming to our conference to watch the presidential debate tonight and to come tomorrow. We have people who just really want to talk about the issues, really want to talk about the candidates and they're willing to give up a day-and-a-half to do that here with the Hispanic Leadership Network.

BALDWIN: So I hear the excitement. I imagine that translates into importance and a lot of eyes on the screens tonight if they're not sitting there, and we know here these ads, front-runners Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, they have been airing these ads in Spanish. They're blasting each other. I want to play one from each camp. First, this is from the Gingrich camp. It said at the very end, translating, he's the most anti-immigrant candidate. And here now is Romney's ad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The race for the Latino vote in Florida has more drama than a Spanish-language soap opera. Newt Gingrich was tearing up in front of a Cuban American crowd in Miami.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: OK. That was Jim Acosta's voice. Do we have the right clip, guys? No. OK. But let's just talk here and I can just tell you that they're going after one another when it comes to -- in Spanish.

How are these ads, Jenny, how are they playing with Florida's Hispanic voters?

SEVILLA-KORN: Well, absolutely.

I wanted to just let you know that Florida is going to be very important. Otherwise, you wouldn't have so many people and the candidates spending so much time here. As you know, it's a swing state. So Hispanics in Florida are also going to make a difference.

As far as the ads, mostly what I have been hearing from our members and the people that are part of the Hispanic Leadership Network is more about the candidates than the ads. One, they're happy that the candidates are paying attention to the Hispanic community. And so they're happy that they're running Spanish-language ads.

And they're also glad that they have steering committees and teams of Hispanic conservatives that are on their teams. So the ads, not so much as far as the content of it, but just really happy that the candidates are paying attention to the community itself.

BALDWIN: Jenny, I don't know if you read it. There was an op-ed this morning in "The Washington Post." Jeb Bush, your former governor, wrote this whole article outlining essentially these four different ways that Republicans can really speak to the Hispanic voter and sort of capitalize on the issues that they face the most.

And I just want to quote the sort of issue number three he mentioned was education. Quoting Jeb Bush here: "We should press for an overhaul of our education system. Republicans have the field to themselves on this issue. Teachers unions and education bureaucrats have blocked Democrats from serious reform. It will happen only with Republican political leadership."

He goes on, "And Hispanic voters, who often feel their children are trapped in failing schools notice."

Is he right? Is that one major issue, Jenny, that Hispanic -- that really resonates with Hispanics in Florida? SEVILLA-KORN: Yes, he's absolutely correct. And I apologize. My earpiece fell out for just a second. But we're good.

He's absolutely right. And we just did a poll, Hispanic Leadership Network, with Resurgent Republic that came out today showing that education -- when you poll Hispanics, more than not, the majority support having reform, having merit pay, having school choice, having more parental involvement. And those are all conservative issues and where conservatives have been helpful. So we see a lot of Hispanics who come over to the fold on that issue by itself.

BALDWIN: 30 seconds or less, what are you looking for tonight, Jenny, in this debate?

SEVILLA-KORN: Tonight, yes, tonight we're looking for the Hispanic community's voice to be heard. We're going to be able to ask questions from the audience. We're very excited. We want to hear from the candidates what they're going to do on jobs and the economy because that is the first issue, number one issue among Hispanics just like every other American. And we want to hear what they're going to be doing on health care and national security.

So we're looking forward to them addressing us and we welcome the chance to sponsor with CNN on this presidential debate. Thank you.

BALDWIN: Thank you so much. Jenny Korn with the Hispanic Leadership Network. 8:00 tonight. We'll be watching. Thank you.

Now this, a morning television host, the son of New York's top cop accused of rape. But because of his father, police won't be investigating this one. Find out who is.

Plus, as fans say good-bye to legendary Joe Paterno today. Prosecutors prepare their case involving the sexual abuse allegations at Penn State. But Paterno's death could change the game plan. How? Sunny Hostin with the answers, "On the Case" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: For the second time in less than a year, New York prosecutors are caught up in a very sensitive rape investigation. This involves this man. This is Greg Kelly, perhaps you've seen him before. He's a morning TV anchor in New York. He was once a correspondent before that.

A woman went to police this week reporting that Greg Kelly raped her last October. But now, to this image, I'm sure you recognize him. This is Kelly's father, Ray Kelly. He is New York's top cop. The NYPD's police commissioner.

Sunny Hostin is on the case. And, Sunny, from what we've read and all the New York papers, this young woman says she met Greg Kelly on the street in Manhattan on the street last October, went for drinks, went to her offers and that's where she says he raped her. She told police her boyfriend got angry when he found out about it. He confronted the police commissioner.

How are they investigating this, Sunny, since Kelly is the son of Ray Kelly?

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, it's actually the New York County district attorney's office, better known as the Manhattan D.A.'s office that is now conducting the investigation. And that is somewhat unusual in the sense that you usually have the New York City police department investigate a case, and then have that case sort of gift wrapped and bow tied and then present it to the prosecution for further investigation.

But it's a very well-known investigative office. Well-known for its sex crimes division. In fact, one of the first ones in our country to just focus on sex crimes. So, this is an investigation that they are completely competent in doing.

BALDWIN: What is Greg Kelly saying so far, if anything?

HOSTIN: Well, we do have a statement from his attorney Andrew Lackler. He says Mr. Kelly's strenuously denies any wrongdoing of any kind and is cooperating fully with the district attorney's investigation. We know that the district attorney's investigation will prove Mr. Kelly's innocence.

BALDWIN: Do we know anything about the period of time I guess from October to now. In fact, this woman and this whole story could face additional scrutiny considering the last high profile rape case in New York involving, you know, former IMF Chief Dominique Strauss- Kahn, that ultimately fell apart.

HOSTIN: Yes, well, certainly in a case like this which is sort of an acquaintance rape or date rape case, they're always scrutinized because the credibility really rises and falls on the credibility of the witness. And as you mentioned, we have a late report of an alleged rape, we're talking from October through January. So it's a difficult case to prove. So I hope the office won't give it any more unusual scrutiny than they would give any other case because all of these cases should be scrutinized, of course, before going forward.

BALDWIN: Next case, you know, as we speak, thousands of people are at this public memorial service for long-time Penn State football coach Joe Paterno.

And it just got us wondering now that Paterno is gone, what happens to the case against the former Penn State officials? You have Tim Curley and Gary Schultz, former administrators there, accused of failing to go to authorities with the child rape allegations against the former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. We know Paterno was expected to testify at their trial. So now what?

HOSTIN: You know, I've been asked this question over and over again, even on the street actually. I don't think it does much to the cases of Curley and Schultz. And that's because Paterno was really a timeline witness. I mean, we know that McQuery reported it to him. He admitted that he didn't get into sort of the graphic details, and then that Joe Paterno reported it to Curley and Schultz and that McQuery then ultimately spoke to those two gentlemen.

So I don't know that his death really has any bearing on the case. We know that he testified in front of the grand jury but that testimony wasn't -- he wasn't cross-examined. And so typically that testimony doesn't come in.

It did come in in the preliminary hearing. So, you know, some are wondering whether or not the defense will object to its admission at court. But either way, either way, Brooke, I just don't think that it does much to the case. The case will still go forward.

BALDWIN: OK. And they still have McQuery's testimony obviously to help forward that either way.

HOSTIN: That's right.

BALDWIN: Sunny Hostin, thank you so much. "On the Case."

And most economists say if the housing market doesn't improve, the economy won't. So my next guest has an idea that would help home buyers even if prices fall if they fall in your neighborhood.

Plus, just days after we learned Seal and Heidi Klum called it quits, he's talking about it to CNN for the very first time. You're going to hear directly from Seal. Don't miss this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All you pop culture junkies don't act like you weren't a little disappointed when you heard Seal and Heidi Klum were ending their marriage. Their divorce has been trending all week long. And for years, their interviews and their appearances together like this one at the Victoria's Secret fashion show were enough to make even the most jaded fans think maybe a celebrity couple had found a way to make a marriage work. Now Seal sits down with Piers Morgan to talk about what went wrong and also talk about his new album.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

SEAL, MUSICIAN: I don't know if any of it makes sense to be quite honest, Piers. How can two people who have it all as I described, have the careers, have the love for each other, have the beautiful family, have the respect and the honor and the friendship for each other, how can it all of a sudden, it take a left turn? So no, it doesn't really make sense.

And I suppose that the biggest question, and you know, I appreciate the packet that you're being respectful, the biggest question that people are asking, you know, why? There must be one incident, there must be one thing that, you know, they were keeping a secret or maybe there was, you know, you know, maybe something happened. Maybe she did something. Or I did something. The truth of the matter is, you know, and I can tell you most sincerely is that it wasn't any one particular thing, which is why we are managing to stay so civil.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BALDWIN: That full CNN interview is going to air tomorrow on "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT," 9:00 Eastern here on CNN.

And now to the year 2011. The worst year for sales and new homes in the forty nine years the federal government has been tracking them. But we're told Americans bought 302,000 new homes last year. That is less than half of what economists say is required in a, quote, unquote, "healthy market."

So how do you revive the housing market? Many say the key to bringing back the economy overall here, this is a different idea that we're going to about to propose to kick start home buyers, it's called Down Payment Protection.

So think of it kind of like as an insurance for people to protect their investment when they buy a home. Down Payment Protection, the brainchild of this man, Professor James Wilcox of Berkeley's Haas School of Business. And you explained it in this piece here. "A Way to Make People Buy Homes Again," "New York Times" Tuesday.

All right, professor, stand by, because we're going to set this up for people if they haven't read your article. So say I buy a home. I pay $200,000, or it's listed for $200,000. When I plunk down my down payment, your idea is I then pay another $2,000 to the government for this Down Payment Protection, like I said kind of like insurance on the down payment.

So then fast forward three years later. The average home price in my neighborhood goes down. Goes down 5 percent. When that happens, I get a check in the mail for $10,000.

Jim Wilcox, we like getting checks in the mail. Where does the $10,000 come from? Can you help me in terms of crunching the numbers? Where does that figure come from?

PROF. JAMES WILCOX, HAAS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY: Yes. If the house prices on average in your local area fall by 5 percent, that 5 percent of $200,000 is $10,000. That's the amount that your equity has been reduced. And that then would be the amount of the check that the government would automatically mail to you at the end of this three-year period.

BALDWIN: What happens, though, if the prices in my neighborhood go up? Do I still get a check?

WILCOX: No, you do not. Just like many kinds of property insurance whether it's car insurance, homeowners insurance, even renter's insurance, if you don't suffer any property loss, you get no check. So if hosts prices are either flat or if they are higher at the end of the three year period, then you would not get any check at all.

BALDWIN: OK, so back to the check. If the value does go down, we're talking about the $10,000, where exactly does the money come from because I think it's an important point to make. This isn't, you know, tax money. Doesn't this program you propose pay for itself?

WILCOX: This program would very largely pay for itself. You could imagine some agency of the federal government would be the ones that receive all of those up-front payments that you talked about to begin with. And then for the neighborhoods where prices actually were lower, they would then turn around and take some of that premium income and reimburse the homeowners who actually did lose some of their down payment.

BALDWIN: In your op-ed, just you know, four paragraphs down, you use the word confidence. Much of this is psychological, is it not?

WILCOX: I think a lot of the effect would be psychological. We've been through a traumatic time in the economy generally and in the housing market in particular. People have seen home values erode by unprecedented amounts. And I think to the extent that, in fact, we can provide future buyers with some reassurance that they won't lose their hard-earned down payment, that will help revive demand in the housing market, which we very sorely need.

BALDWIN: OK, I think a lot of people would agree with you, but here's the "but." But, are we taking a risk if we pay, you know, this protection and prices in the housing market continue to fall. Can the government afford to pay people, potentially all these thousands, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth in checks? We know how the government is right now in terms of deficit.

BALDWIN: Yes, in fact, what we would anticipate would be the government would try to calculate as best it could what would be a fair premium or up-front fee to charge people based on the risk of the housing markets in these various areas. Some areas are very strong. Some, many more are much weaker. And so we would expect the payments to fluctuate with the amount of risk that this big insurance program woman take on. Precisely so that it could cover a very large portion of the total claims that possibly would come to it.

BALDWIN: Jim Wilcox, economist, professor, UC Berkeley Business School, I appreciate it. Thank you.

Again, folks, go to "New York Times," if you want to read a way to make people buy homes again. Thanks. It's an idea.

WILCOX: Thank you.

BALDWIN: And now you know, Ochocinco, the football player, the "Dancing with the Stars" man. Apparently, Ochocinco, so flummoxed, shall we say, over one of the guys who sat behind the president at the State of the Union, that would be John Boehner, find out how the House speaker responded on Twitter.

Plus last week's CNN debate included certainly some fireworks. Coming up next, we're going to speak with the man asking the questions tonight. And I hear he's busy with some last minute tweaking. Wolf Blitzer is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BALDWIN: Your political pop for you today. NFL star Chad Ochocinco and House Speaker John Boehner, they are talking on Twitter. This whole thing started when Ochocinco, who obviously worked for the Patriots now, he was watching the president's state of the union speech. And you could see the video here. I'm sure you recognize the two guys over the president's shoulders. That one right there, House Speaker John Boehner.

He was tweeting that he -- Boehner didn't appear very happy. So this is what Ochocinco tweets, "Anybody notice the guy over Obama's left should doesn't seem very happy, and he's not smiling. He's not clapping with joy."

He apparently figures out who "the guy" is, Speaker John Boehner. And he says, quite, "You seem pretty angry, kind sir. I can see you on TV, but you're not smiling. Hope you're OK."

Ochocinco tweets him a little more, but then Boehner writes back with a picture attached. Let's fold up. Here you go. Boehner writes, quote, "Just another day on twitter talking with Ochocinco." He's pictured with a Cincinnati Bengals helmet. You see it there on the right side of his desk. Ochocinco used to play for the Bengals, and that is Boehner's home states. Ochocinco's current the Patriots play in the Super Bowl one week from Sunday.

A little Boehner and Ochocinco. I never thought I would be talking about both of them in the same sentence.

Anyway, Wolf Blitzer, coming up there. Getting ready.

I understand, Wolf Blitzer, standing by in Jacksonville, Florida, ahead of the big debate. You were just tweeting that you were tweaking some your questions. I mean, we're just a few hours away here.

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, CNN'S THE SITUATION ROOM: I know, but you know, there's always some last-minute tweaking, depending on what's happening during the course of the day, so we're refining them, making them a little bit better, making them a little stronger. We have a limited amount of time if for the debate tonight, 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. Eastern, but we want to make sure that every second is used smartly. So we're going through the questions, again ready for that.

Just posted, by the way, Brooke, a little blog how this -- what I'm going through in terms of my own mind on this third Republican debate that I'm moderating this political season.

So it's exciting. I feel sort of blessed that I have this opportunity to do these kinds of debate. It's always a lot of fun, a lot of excitement. Only four candidates left when I first started in Tampa. You remember a few months ago, there were eight candidates, then constitutional there were eight candidates, four finalists. We'll see what happens after Florida on Tuesday.

But right now the focus on this debate, tonight, we're going to do substantive important questions on the most important issues facing the American public.

BALDWIN: And then there were four on the stage tonight. We look forward to it. By the way, just checking your Twitter page. Congrats on the above 500,000 follow mark. You're kind of a big deal, Wolf Blitzer.

BLITZER: Half a million followers on Twitter, you know. It's not Justin Bieber numbers, but it's OK.

BALDWIN: We'll all be watching, Wolf. I'll be tweeting as well. Hash tag CNN Debate. Thank you so much.

Meantime, Sanjay Gupta. He is back today, talking with me live, talking about his new documentary, it's called "Big Hits and Broken Dreams." And which group might be more vulnerable to head injuries. Parents, stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: In case you needed proof that girls are playing harder and tougher, look no further with what's happening with sports-related concussions. All week long, we've been talking with Dr. Sanjay Gupta about the dangers concussions in football, and Sanjay is back today to talk about the risk female athletes face. So parents, it's not just the little boys who need to worry. It's the ladies, it's the daughters as well.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDIAL CORRESPONDENT: You really do. And I think girls and women have been largely ignored when it comes to concussions, but a couple of thing to keep in mind, over the last few years, there are more women playing a lot of these sports than ever before.

The numbers have gone up dramatically. We also have learned that women, girls are more susceptible to concussions...

BALDWIN: Why?

GUPTA: Probably because of their anatomy, less fluid around the brain. And as a result, the headline out of recent studies that female, the high school athletes females, have a higher incidence rate of sports-related concussions as compared to males.

And, Brooke, again, a lot of people don't realize that, but take soccer, for example there. You get concussions in soccer often from multiple headings of the ball. Girls 68 percent more likely to get a concussion from soccer.

Basketball, girls three times more likely to get concussions as compared to their male counterparts also playing basketball. So if you leave football out of the equation, you know, concussions are a big problem for girls as well.

BALDWIN: You mentioned female anatomy is different from a guy. Maybe when they smack, they smack harder. I don't know if that's what it is. But why is it that they are more vulnerable overall? GUPTA: I think that that's part of it. I think, for example, your neck muscles being ability to protect your head if you're hitting the ball, for example, or bracing yourself for a hit, and if you're playing a contact sport, not as developed in girls as in boys. They are not as strong.

But also when you think concussions, the brain moving back and forth within the skull, if you have less fluid around the brain as may be the case -- these are proposed ideas. But no one is really sure why. But if you have less fluid, that could make girls more vulnerable than boys as well.

BALDWIN: Is there anything female athletes can do to -- preventively?

GUPTA: Well, you know, I think as a general rule, what I found in investigating this documentary is that, you know, for example, soccer, so many of the head hits take place during practice. 1300 head hits on average a year, a season for soccer players, most of them from hitting the ball over --

BALDWIN: 1300 per player?

GUPTA: Per player, per season. And a lot of those are just drills, never watch soccer girls just over and over again hitting the ball into the net or passing to another player.

I think, you know, one thing as a parent you should say, look, how many times my child really need to have 20gs of force on her head, which is the average force for a soccer ball hitting your head.

So, you know, once they get the concept, do we need to keep doing that to our kids? The same can be said of football, by the way, which we talk about yesterday. How many drills do you need to do using the head before either damage is occurring or the kid gets the concept? So, you know, I think there are simple things that can be done that are pretty low hanging through here.

BALDWIN: Let's make sure everybody knows when to watch, right? So it's...

GUPTA: Sunday night, yes.

BALDWIN: ...It's Sunday night. You're actually going to have soccer Britney Chastain on "SANJAY GUPTA MD" this weekend.

GUPTA: That's right.

BALDWIN: She's huge. That's amazing.

GUPTA: She's great. She's got a lot to say about this topic as well.

BALDWIN: We'll watch this weekend. And then also the documentary it is, "BIG HITS, BROKEN DREAMS," Sunday night 8:00 Eastern. Thank you. GUPTA: Let's see what you think.

BALDWIN: I will let you know, Sanjay Gupta.

GUPTA: Sure.

BALDWIN: Thank you very much. Meantime to Wolf Blitzer, "SITUATION ROOM" live from Jacksonville, Florida. Wolf, to you.