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Mitt Romney's Attacks Take Toll on Newt Gingrich; The Unseen Chinese Government Crackdown; Interview With Romney's Campaign Press Secretary; Interview With Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn; The Unseen Government Crackdown; Tampa Welcomes The GOP; Worst Cities For Retirees; The Senior Vote; Family Convicted Of "Honor" Murders

Aired January 30, 2012 - 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: Hi, everyone. Live from Tampa here, for actually the next couple of days, as Florida, you know, holding its primary election tomorrow. And we're here because we're going to be talking about the issues and the people who are so important to this state, the key voting blocs, the key issues from, of course, the housing market, to retirees, to the Hispanic vote.

We are talking also to the campaign surrogates, and we even have some Buccaneering to share with you as well today.

But I want to begin as always with everything making news this hour, top of the hour, "Rapid Fire." Let's go.

The theme of the GOP race today really is grassroots. Both front- runners are holding events with grassroots reporters here this hour in Florida. But the gap between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich has opened up considerably.

In fact, taking a look at the latest batch of polls, Romney leads by a double-digit margin. Much more, of course, on the primary, those polls, and what that could mean for these candidates over the course of the next two hours here, live from Florida.

Also, we do expect to hear from Rick Santorum, who is polling third place here in Florida. That means he will not be getting enough delegates here since it's winner-take-all primary. There are 50 delegates at stake for the state of Florida.

He is already moving on. He is in Missouri today. And when he speaks next hour, we anticipate he will be making comments about his little girl, his daughter Bella, who was in the hospital over the weekend. We'll take those live for you as well.

Also, low visibility was quite a problem again overnight along a stretch of a central Florida interstate, where 10 people were killed in a series of crashes. At least 12 passenger cars and seven semi trucks crashed along Interstate 75 early Sunday morning.

And look at these pictures here. Apparently, part of the issue, thick smoke from a brushfire made it nearly impossible for drivers to see.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BERT THOMAS, SURVIVED CRASH: I rolled my window down and actually started hearing thuds and crashes. And it was so thick, I couldn't even tell you where they were coming from. And then slowly, after that, started hearing what I thought were explosions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Coming up next hour, I'll talk live with a survivor of that crash.

Also, this. In California, Oakland City Hall is open again after being damaged by Occupy protesters over this past weekend. Occupy demonstrations turned violent Saturday night. In fact, protesters stormed a YMCA and later entered City Hall. In total, more than 400 people were arrested, the largest mass arrest in the city's history.

And pressure is mounting for the leader of Syria to step down this week. The United Nations will consider a draft resolution calling for President Bashar al-Assad to leave and end his government's bloody crackdown on protesters there.

YouTube video shows the bombardment of a neighborhood today in Homs. CNN cannot independently confirm video shot in Syria, but the United Nations believes more than 5,000 people have been killed there since the crackdown began last March.

And the police chief of East Haven, Connecticut, says he is retiring so he won't be a distraction after his town is healing after a racial profiling scandal. We talked about this last week.

Federal authorities arrested four officers under Chief Leonard Gallo for alleged mistreatment of Latinos in the community. But tensions, they got even worse after the mayor of the town made this comment about the ongoing situation --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you doing for the Latino community today?

MAYOR JOSEPH MATURO, JR., EAST HAVEN, CONNECTICUT: I might have tacos when I go home. I'm not quite sure yet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: The mayor has since apologized after making that comment. The chief of police officially leaves February 3rd.

And an American aid worker is now on her way home after a daring rescue in Somalia. A senior U.S. official tells CNN that Jessica Buchanan, who was held by Somali kidnappers for three months, is now on a commercial flight to the U.S. from Italy. Buchanan and another hostage were rescued last Wednesday by U.S. Special Forces.

And how about this one? The next time you stay in a hotel room, you may be able to toss out the TV remote if you have a smartphone. The new app out today. So, if you have an Android, iPhone, iPad, it will have you channel surfing instead of fumbling around with that old-fashioned remote. The free LodgeNet mobile app will also give you information about the hotel, nearby attractions. Just about half a million hotel rooms across the country will have the new technology.

And now got a lot more to cover for you live from Tampa, Florida, over the course of the next two hours. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: It's a state that could go either way come November, a state that could decide the election. But forget November. We are hours away from Florida voters determining which candidate they like best to take on President Obama.

I'm Brooke Baldwin. We're live in Tampa, Florida.

The news is now.

(voice-over): From retirees --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, don't give up. Persevere.

BALDWIN: -- to pirates, I've got the pulse of the Sunshine State as the race comes down to the wire.

Then, monks and nuns setting themselves on fire. It's something the Chinese government doesn't want you to see.

STAN GRANT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We've been pulled over by the side of the road.

BALDWIN: See what happens when CNN gets dangerously close to the crackdown.

Plus --

THOMAS: I rolled my window down and actually started hearing thuds and crashes.

BALDWIN: After that, the driver says all he could hear was crying. We now know what caused a deadly series of crashes on a Florida highway.

And a chilling revelation in the search for a missing toddler. Police say the blood found in her father's home belongs to the little girl. We're "On the Case."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Welcome back, live from Tampa, a huge battleground state, sort of a mini America, really, a microcosm of the rest of the country, disparate groups, et cetera. GOP primary, of course, tomorrow.

Joining me now, Andrea Saul, press secretary for Republican candidate Mitt Romney.

Andrea, thank you for sitting with us in this beautiful -- you can't really ask for a better setting, right?

ANDREA SAUL, ROMNEY CAMPAIGN PRESS SECRETARY: Right. Lovely out here.

BALDWIN: And you all will be holding your -- what you'll be hoping will be a victory, right, just across the water tomorrow night at the Tampa Convention Center?

I want to begin with this, because I keep reading -- it's all over the paper -- that the Romney folks are sending their own people to these Gingrich rallies, these Gingrich events, sort of infiltrating the rallies. In fact, I think earlier today at a Gingrich event somebody had shouted, "We need a leader, not a Speaker!" and that's certainly a Romney talking point.

The question is, is it dirty politics?

SAUL: Look, we're setting the record straight. Speaker Gingrich has been going around just making up whatever he wants about Governor Romney's record and we're fighting back. So we have people, no one disrupting any event. They're just there to set the record straight.

An independent fact-check organization did an analysis of the various candidates' statements, and what they found was Speaker Gingrich said things that were dishonest more than he said anything that was supported by facts. So, for someone that can't tell the truth half the time, you know, it's good for us to be there to be able to set the record straight.

BALDWIN: We're seeing a much more aggressive Mitt Romney, especially from South Carolina now to Florida. I just want to play one sound bite. This is Mitt Romney.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, he's now finding excuses everywhere he can.

He said after the first debate that he didn't do well because the crowd was so quiet. That threw him off. Yes. The second debate, he said he didn't do well because the crowd was so loud.

By the way, a the time he had left the speakership, his approval rating was 18 percent. It did not work out so well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Why the sudden change in tone? Is it because Romney kind of got crushed by Gingrich? What was it, South Carolina, Gingrich had 40 percent, Romney 28?

SAUL: Look, what we saw in South Carolina was that we let Speaker Gingrich's unfounded attacks go without pushing back. And so now we're pushing back. We're not going to let him get away with this.

And if you look at even some of the issues in this state, housing, for instance, and you take someone like Newt Gingrich, who was an influence peddler for Freddie Mac, and you look at everything he said on the issue, first he said he was an historian, and then he was giving strategic advice, and he was making $35,000 a year -- no, it's $30,000 an hour. And we've been going through tortured responses now for months now on what exactly it was that he did to make $1.7 million from Freddie Mac.

And so we're not going to let him get away with this anymore. And we're going to push back and be aggressive because we think these are issues that are important to voters.

BALDWIN: Whatever it is that you're doing, it seems to be working. You look at all these different polls -- and I want to throw one of these up here, because a poll of Floridians out Sunday, actually, shows Mitt Romney's double-digit lead over Gingrich. You see the poll there, Romney 43 percent; Gingrich, 29.

How do you explain the success?

SAUL: Again, we're making sure that voters know the truth about Governor Romney's record, and he's continued to talk about his plan to get this nation back on track, get the economy going again.

You know, he spent 25 years in business. He's not a product of Washington.

You look at Speaker Gingrich, he's someone who spent his whole life in Washington, he is the establishment, so it's laughable that he's trying to say that he's going to shake up the establishment. Governor Romney has actually worked in the real world economy, and he can take what he knows and what he has learned in the real world and take put that in Washington and get this country back on track.

BALDWIN: You also have to wonder from the White House perspective, right -- so you see sort of a new, more aggressive Romney, and you could see it as sort of new game tape, if you will, that the Obama reelection campaign folks can look at and the fact that maybe Newt Gingrich forced him into digging a little bit deeper to show what they've been showing the last couple of days.

What do you say to people who say that?

SAUL: Well, you know, the White House, you can tell the last thing they want to do is face Mitt Romney in a general election. You've got the union running ads against Governor Romney here in Florida. Big labor is scared to death of someone like Governor Romney.

And so we know they don't want to run against him. We know that they understand that he's the one candidate that can actually beat them. There was a "USA Today" poll out just yesterday afternoon showing in all the battleground states, Governor Romney is the one candidate that can beat President Obama. And they understand that and we understand that, so we hope that we can have a big win here in Florida and help us on our way to get the nomination.

BALDWIN: Andrea Saul, thank you very much.

SAUL: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Press secretary for Mitt Romney.

I appreciate it.

Now this --

Coming up next, a look behind the scenes at Mitt Romney having a little fun today, tossing out some bags of chips to media. But he still got some punches in against Newt Gingrich, who is accusing Romney, as we were just discussing, of spreading lies.

Plus, find out whether Romney's attacks are helping him in the new polls. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: And welcome back.

We're live here taking the show on the road the next couple of days in beautiful Tampa, Florida. In fact, if you can see just over my shoulder, that is the Tampa Convention Center. That is where Mitt Romney is going to be holding his big -- he's hoping for a party tomorrow night, primary night. Right?

We just spoke with Andrea Saul. She's the press secretary for Mitt Romney.

Quickly, I want you to listen to Newt Gingrich. This was a short time ago in Pensacola. Newt Gingrich charged that Mitt Romney has distorted his record, and in particular his speakership of the House of Representatives.

Let's listen here, Newt Gingrich.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You now have had "The Wall Street Journal" say Governor Romney is just plain not telling the truth. You've had "National Review" this morning saying Governor Romney is just plain not telling the truth. You cannot get to be president if you don't have the courage to tell the truth to the American people.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: I want to take you now live to Dunedin, Florida, a Mitt Romney event creeking (ph) up there right now.

Jim Acosta is there.

And Jim, Newt Gingrich, he is saying Romney is spreading all these falsehoods, running negative robo calls, these negative ads. And one gets the idea that Romney couldn't care less. In fact, he's looking like he's kind of having a ball.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Brooke. I mean, it's gotten very personal in this last day before the Florida primary.

You know, Newt Gingrich, let's just face it, is basically calling Mitt Romney a liar out on the campaign trail, and he's doing it repeatedly. And Mitt Romney had some tough words for Newt Gingrich earlier this morning when he was asked what he thought about Newt Gingrich's plan to keep on fighting past the Florida primary, all the way to the convention -- he put it over the weekend. Mitt Romney basically called Gingrich a loser.

Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: That's usually an indication that you think you're going to lose, when you say I'm going on no matter what happens. That's usually not a good sign. I'm all for getting the delegates I need, and (INAUDIBLE) convention with the number that's needed to become the nominee.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And there is a sign of confidence on the part of the Romney campaign. Usually these events are very scripted, they're very tightly controlled. He keeps the reporters basically at arm's length most of the time.

But early this morning on his campaign press charter, he was throwing out bags of potato chips to the reporters and taking questions. That's usually a sign that a candidate is feeling a little looser, feeling a little bit more confident.

And if you look at the polls right now, Brooke, he's out to a pretty commanding lead down here in Florida, up anywhere in the neighborhood of 10 percentage points, although Newt Gingrich is pointing to some of these robo calls that we have seen and don't talk about very much, but those are the automated polls where people are called at home by basically a computer. We don't think they're as reliable as those live polls that are taken, but some of those polls show Gingrich with a smaller deficit to make up.

But either way, no matter how you cut it right now, unless something major happens, Romney appears to be cruising to a pretty comfortable victory here in Florida -- Brooke. BALDWIN: Hang on, Jim. You were just showing Mitt Romney tossing out bags of chips to I guess the press corps. Did I see a birthday cake as well?

ACOSTA: One of the reporters from the "Los Angeles Times," it was her birthday today, and so Governor Romney, I think, brought out a cake.

I was not on the plane when it happened this morning, but it's one of those signs where, you know, it can get a little tense on the campaign trail, a lot of sharp questions are asked. And I think this was one of those moments when the candidate tried to show that, hey, we can at least loosen up our ties and our shirt collars every now and then and be pleasant with one another. And that was one of those moments, and I think the gesture was well received not only by the birthday girl, but by the rest of the campaign press -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Yes, I guess with everybody on the trail working around the clock, you've got to have a birthday. And I guess it's probably a special treat to actually get some cake and candles on a birthday.

Jim Acosta, thank you so much.

And cake and campaign ads aside, what we all want to know is, does Mitt Romney have this thing in the bag in Florida.

CNN's deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser, also on the trail all the time.

You're constantly sending e-mails, all these different polls. Mitt Romney doing pretty well.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, he is doing really well.

We are less than 24 hours away from the start of the voting here full time. Remember, early voting has been going on for a while, but -- all right, Jim was talking about that with you. Let's look at these four new polls up in the last 36 hours. They're all looking at the same thing, Romney up by double digits.

BALDWIN: Yes.

STEINHAUSER: Here's the newest of them all. It came out about 8:00 this morning. This is from Quinnipiac University, and look who is on top. There it is, Mitt Romney, at 43 percent, 14 points ahead of Gingrich.

Down there at the bottom, Ron Paul, the congressman from Texas. Rick Santorum, the former Senator from Pennsylvania, at 11 percent.

Go to the next screen. This is interesting.

Why is Romney up? Well, when it comes to some of Newt Gingrich's core supporters, social conservatives, according to Quinnipiac, Romney has got a slight edge. Tea Party supporters, usually Gingrich ahead. No, Romney has got -- BALDWIN: Look at that.

STEINHAUSER: -- a slight margin there.

BALDWIN: And then, that's a change.

STEINHAUSER: And then, that is a change as well. There's Romney ahead.

One more thing.

Go to the next number. Last number, I promise, but this is interesting.

Seven percent say they are undecided and 24 percent, one out of four, basically, said, well, I'm supporting this candidate or that candidate, I could change my mind by tomorrow.

BALDWIN: Florida is so huge for multiple reasons, one being it's a winner-take-all state. Right? It's 50 Florida delegates up for grabs. So how does that shake out once everybody starts counting the votes tomorrow?

STEINHAUSER: Yes. This is the biggest haul so far. Fifty is a lot more than we saw in Iowa, South Carolina, New Hampshire. A lot at stake here.

And as you said, it is winner take all.

So, if Romney beats Gingrich by just a few votes, it doesn't matter, he gets all 50 delegates. And that's one reason we're seeing Paul and Santorum moving on to the next states like Nevada, which votes this Saturday, and then Missouri, Colorado and Minnesota, because they know we're not going to come in first, let's move on to places where we actually have a chance at getting delegates.

BALDWIN: Yes. From what I understand, Ron Paul especially focusing on the caucus states -- Maine, Nevada, Colorado. He has loyal supporters and he knows they will take the time to actually caucus, which is much different than pulling the lever, right?

STEINHAUSER: Much different, and that's a part of his strategy. He wants to get some delegates and some wins. He's moving on. The same thing with Rick Santorum.

BALDWIN: Paul Steinhauser, thanks for letting us hang out. Appreciate it.

STEINHAUSER: Great to be here. Thanks.

BALDWIN: And now, tomorrow, of course, the big day. Join the best political team on television for live coverage of the Florida primary. Governor Chris Christie joins my colleague Kyra Phillips at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And then, the big night tomorrow night. You have Wolf Blitzer leading our coverage, as always, with Erin Burnett, Anderson Cooper, Candy Crowley, John King, and me. I'm covering social media once again on election night, primary night, tomorrow night.

All the fun begins tomorrow night, 6:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.

And now, it is not Syria, it's not Bahrain, but it's a violent crackdown involving monks and nuns setting themselves on fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRANT: Our producer is now outside talking to police.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And they want your passport.

GRANT: And they're now going to look at our passports.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: CNN takes you inside an uprising the Chinese government wants to keep top secret. See what happens when our own Stan Grant gets incredibly close to the violence. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: When the Dalai Lama went into exile in 1959, it set off the international movement to bring the religious leader back and free the region of Tibet from China's rule. These images are from last fall. And now the conflict is hitting a new level of tension that so far Western media has not been able to directly witness. Monks and nuns in the province of Sichuan are reportedly setting themselves on fire, and the area now appears to be in lockdown.

CNN's Stan Grant went to investigate and became a target himself of this police crackdown. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRANT (voice-over): In the dark, icy back roads of western China, a deadly conflict is being hidden from view. In villages nestled into these mountains, Tibetans nuns and monks have been setting themselves on fire. Tibetans and human rights groups accuse Chinese security forces of brutally putting down protests, and we, the media, are being locked out.

(on camera): OK. We're being pulled over by the side of the road here, and we've been traveling for about two hours from Chengdu. We're heading up into the mountains, to where the Tibetan communities live, and of course there was a police checkpoint. Our producer is now outside talking to police, and they're now going to look at our passports.

(voice-over): In the darkness, our camera picks up the police. Eventually, we're ordered back. They say it's for our safety. It won't be the last we see of the police.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said yesterday, no checkpoint. Today, checkpoint here. There's something that must have happened.

GRANT: There are reports of fresh violence. Our driver speaks to a Tibetan contact inside the exclusion zone.

"The area is surrounded by police and Chinese military," he says. Later, media reports say two Tibetan protesters were shot dead.

At dawn right across Sichuan Province, are moving in. In this Tibetan Buddhist neighborhood, authorities are tightening their grip.

(on camera): There are literally neighborhoods crawling with police literally every few natives here absolutely crawling with police. You can probably see one through the window just over my shoulder.

A lot of Tibetans here, a lot of Buddhist monks that we can see walking around. You really get the sense here that this place is in lockdown.

(voice-over): It's hard to get people to talk here. These young monks say they are verbally abused and harassed by police, pushed to breaking point.

I cannot bear it any longer, he says. I can't bear it any more. They live here in this tiny one-room apartment. They are far from their home in the mountains, cut off, they say. They can't even make contact by phone.

We want to go, but we cannot. You can see all the security out there, he says. Wherever you go, they see you. You cannot go anywhere. Are you afraid, we asked, he just looked at a picture of the Buddha. I can't explain, he said, but I'm not afraid.

In their pouch, they hold a keepsake of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Too sacred to even show us, this pouch, they said, carries a dream. We wished what all Tibetans wish for the most for the Dalai Lama to return to the palace in Tibet.

They know about the (inaudible) about the Buddhist that support them and though it will continue until China leaves Tibet. For the Chinese government, these are dangerous men. China claims more than a dozen people have been killed in what they call Tibetan terrorist attacks.

Throughout our report, we've been watched. Our vehicle is followed. Our driver says his family has received threatening phone calls. At the airport, we are detained by plainclothes police, held and questioned for five hours.

Before being released, police keep some of our video. There are plenty of claims and counterclaims in this dark conflict all played out behind a veil of state secrecy in the mountains of western China. Stan Grant, CNN, Sichuan Province.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Stan also says while on the way to the airport, a car rammed back into the crew's taxi.

And a quick reset. You're looking at the city behind me wondering, why aren't in you the studio? That's because I got sent to Tampa, Florida and we are smack dab on the beautiful water here with the beautiful Tampa skyline.

Get used to this scene, folks, because you're going to be seeing a ton of it come August for the Republican National Convention.

Coming up next, the mayor of Tampa, Florida is good enough to join me live to talk about what this means for his city really in terms of dollars and cents, and why Tampa was chosen in the first place. Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Let's take a live picture here, beautiful Tampa, Florida. It's 36 minutes past the hour. It is a balmy 75 degrees here. Not to rub it in. Of all primaries we got to cover, it's this one, and I'm not complaining.

We have spent the last two days here in Tampa talking to the good people of Florida about tomorrow's presidential primary. That's tomorrow. Mitt Romney will actually be -- you can see right across the shoulder from me, the Tampa Convention Center.

Tampa is also taking stage the end of August for the Republican National Convention and joining me now, Tampa's mayor, Mayor Bob Buckhorn. Thanks for having me in your city.

MAYOR BOB BUCKHORN (D), TAMPA: You're welcome.

BALDWIN: This is the first time I've been in your city.

BUCKHORN: I hope you come back.

BALDWIN: I love it. I know South Florida and other parts of South Florida. So thanks for having me. Let me just begin -- give us the lay of the land behind us. I know that the RNC is somewhere that way, right?

BUCKHORN: Right. The convention will actually take place at the Tampa Bay Times forum. The media will be housed right here at the convention center. These two hotels will largely be the convention hotels and the bubble, if you, will be almost that entire area.

BALDWIN: OK, and then there's the pirate ship. Mr. Mayor, moneywise, I mean, how big of a win is this for your city to be hosting the Republican National Convention? How many people do you anticipate coming to town, and how does that translate in terms of hotels, rental cars, et cetera?

BUCKHORN: Well, it's huge. Not only are we anticipating 15,000 journalists --

BALDWIN: Just journalists. BUCKHORN: Just journalists, so probably another 20,000 delegates and staff and lobbyist and nominees and would-be nominees and former nominees. It's an exciting time for us.

Security costs will run about $50 million. The local organizing committee is going to generate another $50 million so that's a $100 million of economic impact.

Not even to mention what the delegates and the guests will be spending so it will be in multi hundreds of millions of dollars.

BALDWIN: That's amazing. I understand the top contenders were Phoenix, Salt Lake, but Tampa apparently was always at the top of the list. I understand sort of the I-4 corridor. You have sort of GOP strongholds. That was a big win I imagine for the Republican Party to have it here.

BUCKHORN: Well, it's important. As the I-4 corridors goes, so goes the state of Florida and as the state of Florida goes so goes the nation.

This I-4 corridor between Orlando and Tampa is almost the perfect Petri dish for America. Demographically, ethnically, it's a swing area.

So if their message is translate here and if they resonate here, they will resonate out with swing voters across America. So it's really ground zero for American politics.

BALDWIN: Full transparency, (inaudible) Democrats.

BUCKHORN: I am indeed.

BALDWIN: Of all the four candidates we have, who would you most like to see go up against President Obama come November?

BUCKHORN: I think I'd like to see Newt Gingrich go against the president because I think the president would win.

BALDWIN: And if it were to be Mitt Romney, does that make you nervous?

BUCKHORN: I think it will be a very competitive race. I think, you know, Governor Romney brings a lot to the table that other candidates don't bring. Certainly, he's better organized, he's better financed, he's a more mainstream candidate, which I think will make him more appealing outside the Republican primary.

But it's going to be a competitive race either way. But, you know, I think President Obama still is in fairly good shape as the economy starts to pick back up.

You know, people are tired sort of this bickering and mudslinging and they want someone who will offer real solutions.

BALDWIN: OK, we're going to talk about that pirate ship in just a moment in a different segment. Mayor Buckhorn, I really appreciate it. We'll just have to see what candidate it is that goes up against President Obama come November. Thank you so much. Now this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think reality is that because of the divisiveness of the party, I think Obama is unbeatable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: We have been hearing about people without jobs, who can't pay their mortgages, but what about the folks who made it in this economy?

The success stories who are sitting mighty fine in retirement. You're about to hear their take on this current Republican race and the state of the U.S. economy and they have some advice for us.

But first this, just because you're retirement age, that doesn't mean you want out of the work force altogether. We have a specialist for you today.

This is today's the worst city for retirees to try to find work according to the web site 24/7 on Wall Street. Number five, the Bridgeport-Stanford-Norwalk area of Connecticut, not a great spot for retirees to find work.

Number 4, Vegas, one of the cities hardest hit by the housing crisis. Number 3, Seattle and its suburbs. The area has all kinds of high tech jobs as you know, but those don't always appeal to the older crowd.

What are the worst two cities for retirees to try to find a job? That's after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: So what are the two toughest cities in America for retirees to find work? Number two is actually the city I'm sitting in, Tampa, along with St. Pete and Clearwater. The unemployment rate among seniors who want to work is 14.5 percent.

And the number one city here, Charlotte, North Carolina, partially because the region's unemployment population is so young. Just 10 percent of the area's population is over the age of 65.

Interesting, Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, Republican National Convention in Tampa. So we have been here in Tampa, got in Saturday night, we've been certainly talking to the people who live here finding out what issues will really be bringing them to the polls tomorrow.

We've certainly heard about jobs, we've heard about the economy, the nation's debt, foreign policy, health care, and the folks with some of the greatest voting power right here in the sunshine state, I'm talking about voters, the 65 and older crowd.

We took to the pool and the golf course in the great retirement community of Sun City, Florida to see who they are voting for. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So you're a registered Republican.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.

BALDWIN: Who are you liking?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mitt.

BALDWIN: With her talking about Newt Gingrich, were you cringing earlier?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, not cringing.

BALDWIN: You're not cringing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think reality is because of the divisiveness of the party, I think Obama is unbeatable.

JAN MYERS, RETIRED PRINCIPAL: I would like them to say what they would do for our country and different policies, and how they would handle different things and how they would run the country instead of getting under each other's baggage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And you know, we normally talk a lot about retirees living Social Security check to Social Security check, so we thought we would flip the script and do something a little different here in Tampa.

The people you heard from, they are very successful retirees. They did it right, they saved their money. So we asked them how they're able to live out their retirement years in luxury.

Let me just tell you, we spent all day Sunday with them, but I tell you after 10 minutes of talking to my first interviewee, my first big takeaway, I'm going home and hiring a financial adviser stat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: So the day's decisions revolve around golf.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.

BALDWIN (voice-over): From hitting the links to sunning by the pool to sporting their hot rods, the biggest worry for Jan and Ken Myers, the gators.

(on camera): Do you all consider yourself successful?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, and fortunate. BALDWIN: Because of all the choices that you all made, what do you get to reap?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Johnny Carson said one time the greatest thing about having money is not having to worry about it.

BALDWIN (voice-over): After many years working as a vice president for a major company and faithfully stuffing money into savings --

(on camera): But you moved into this community how many years ago?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seven.

BALDWIN: Seven years ago.

(voice-over): The Myers can afford to retire well, and in high season, they're not alone. Twenty four thousand retirees live just like them here in Sun City, Florida.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have never been in debt, ever. We bought our first automobile, paid cash. We bought our first home and paid cash.

BALDWIN: Joyce Giard retired of Florida from Gross Point, Michigan nearly 20 years ago. The mother of six calls herself a depression baby, meaning she learned to be frugal from birth. Giard has a little advice for the younger, or as she dubs them, the spender generation.

JOYCE GIARD, RETIREE: To take part of their salary and not live up to their full income, to tear up your credit cards.

BALDWIN: What do you mean by that?

GIARD: I don't think they realize when they're putting money onto a credit card how much it's mounting up.

BALDWIN (voice-over): But there's an alarming disparity between Giard's generation and their kids, the baby boomers says financial planner, Robin Payant.

ROBIN PAYANT, FINANCIAL PLANNER: Today with layoffs and things happening, people might have five or six jobs in their working life. They didn't save for their retirement. They don't put money in their 401(k)s.

BALDWIN: But why? Like, the economy is different. We're in a different place in so many ways.

PAYANT: They can' they can't afford it. They can't pay cash for their homes.

BALDWIN (voice-over): Still, there are steps you can take now to live worry free in your golden years. What three pieces of advice would you tell a 35-year-old today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First thing I would say is, you know, don't give up, persevere. The second thing is you have to find a career that you like, that you enjoy. And the third thing is have a plan.

You have to have a plan not only for your family, but also for your personal income and your personal growth. What you're doing today but also what you will be or where you're going to be in 20 years.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Pretty good advice, just to give you a little bit of a back story on the woman I sat down with right there at the pool, again, her name was Joyce Giard. She told me all about her husband, norm.

He was in the military for years and he made his money ultimately as the vice president of Bethesda Naval Hospital, and now he has Alzheimer's. So Joyce not only had enough saved up to pay for a very nice living situation in Sun City.

But she also pays, she told me, $5,000 a month for her husband and his care. Thanks to all of them for talking to me yesterday. Now this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because of how Muslims often confuse our culture, so you can't blame non-Muslims for scratching their head and saying, what's going on?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Coming up next, a father called his own daughters whores for their clothes and talking to boys. So he killed all three of them for, quote/unquote, "honor."

Now, it's he and the other family members learn their fate. The outrage is spilling over from both sides. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Back here live in Tampa. You are looking at pictures of the Tampa Convention Center. That's where Mitt Romney is going to be hosting his headquarters tomorrow night. Also the city of Tampa, as we just learned from the mayor, it will be the home for the Republican National Convention come the end of August.

Now, quick note here, my colleague, Kyra Phillips, she will be talking to the former governor of Florida, Charlie Crist. He is going to be on her show. Earlier, we said the name of current New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, but Kyra is talking to Charlie Crist.

And I'll be speaking with the current governor of Florida, Rick Scott, in a couple days here, Wednesday, while I'm here in Florida, the day after the big primary. He has yet to endorse anyone in this Republican primary race.

Now to a first of its kind of conviction in a Canada courtroom, these are the words that jurors heard a father say about his dead daughters. This is just in part here, and I'm quoting him. Quote, "May the devil defacate on their graves. This is what a daughter should be? What a daughter be such a whore?," end quote.

After hearing that, it took 15 hours for the jury to find the father, his son and his wife guilty of first-degree murder. The victims should be his three daughters and another wife.

The motive? To keep the family's honor. Paula Newton has been covering the trial for us in Kingston, Ontario. Paula, what was the most damning evidence?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, what really horrified many were some of the quotes you saw there. This Mohammed Shafir, the head of the family over and over again incriminating bugged conversations at the police his daughters. He said these girls did not deserve to live and they really got what they deserved in the end.

This seems to be a ruthless family and they were more worried about getting caught in these bugged conversations than what would happen to their three daughters. What they came back to again and again in the trial is this concept of honor and they had an expert testify to it.

And basically it was they had to -- they believe in this twisted sense of honor as the judge described it. This family felt it had to sacrifice these women in order to preserve its own honor. In one of the bugged conversations, Brooke, this father is heard saying, look, even if they take us to the gallows, I don't care, we had to do this.

What was very alarming for many people sitting in was the fact that social workers went to this home, the turmoil was documented, principals, teachers remarked that these young girls, and in one case she was just 13, sought for their life and nothing was done.

Man they're trying to have an early detection system for these families so they can intervene before these horrendous crimes are committed. Brooke?

BALDWIN: Paula, thank you so much. By the way, they will each be up for parole after 25 years.

Coming up next, "Music Monday" showcasing the art of Tori Amos. We have the interview coming up, but she actually gave me a little advice.

As she was wrapping up the interview, she thought the cameras were off. We're going to share that piece of advice with you next on this "Music Monday."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: So I'll be in Florida tomorrow covering the primary election. But it is Monday, and if you watch the show, you know what that means. It means we pause for a few moments and enjoy some amazing music. Today, I give you my interview with Tori Amos. Her music is so powerful as it ever was. Can you believe "Little Earthquakes" was 20 years ago? She's in her 40s, and now she refers to herself as a classic car.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Are you emotionally exhausted once you leave the stage?

TORI AMOS, SINGER: I could walk to Japan. You have the strength of ten men when you walk off stage, and you've been moved by an audience, your heart is opened because you are singing about very harrowing things. There is really something about music.

You've taken an elixir, a panacea. It's not a drug I've ever taken. It's nothing I've ever known. The music will come into your body and let us play you. Let the piano play you and just be a container. And once they leave, I'm a changed person.

BALDWIN: When you're about to come up on 20 years for "Little Earthquakes."

AMOS: Yes.

BALDWIN: You have this one for a little one now. Do you ever stop and say, I can't believe I did this.

AMOS: I can't believe it's gone so quickly. My mother always warned me time would begin to speed up at mid-life. Time is now going so fast that I realize everything my mother said to me.

It's not just wisdom that you think, OK, mom, thank you for the warning. It's, mom, I understand what you're saying because I feel it now. I understand.

BALDWIN: I just saw you perform and all I could think was, how does she do that in those Stillettos?

AMOS: Well, I've been doing it a long time in high heels, since, I don't know, 13.

BALDWIN: What's the best part about being Tori Amos?

TORI AMOS, MUSICIAN: The great thing is being able to be in my late 40s now. And I am getting older. I am. I feel it.

BALDWIN: You're looking good.

AMOS: Well, you're very nice, you're very kind, but I see it and I feel it.

But when you're 48, you think, I'm a classic car now. It's OK that my leather is kind of torn and that there is a bash on my left bumper and that, you know, the front is sagging. That's fine. I'm a classic car, and I don't -- I can't keep up with the new 2012 whatever they are. BALDWIN: Model.

AMOS: Model.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: And then right there at the end of the interview, the crew started breaking down the equipment, but not fully. The camera was still rolling and Tori Amos gave me advice. And you know what? This is a piece of advice that could apply to any of us. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMOS: As you get older...

BALDWIN: I hear you. I'm listening very closely.

AMOS: ... don't you capitulate to that thinking. You just step into your grace. You step into it. And you know the youngsters don't have what you bring, which is an awareness, a knowledge. Please, hold that head up high and just know you can't be 27 and be a great queen.

BALDWIN: Advice from Tori Amos, ladies and gentlemen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Now, I'm not exactly 27. I'm a little older than that, but step into your grace? Who says that? Tori Amos does.

As always, go to our blog. You can see. We will put the Tori Amos "Music Monday" up, any other "Music Monday" interview you want to see. And also let me know who you're listening to. Again, the Brooke blog is CNN.com/Brooke.