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Major Birth Control Recall; Mitt Romney's Comment About the Poor; Crash Survivor Could be Deported; Stevie Wonder Interview; U.N.'s Pressure On Syria; Don Cornelius Dies Of Apparent Suicide
Aired February 01, 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: This is our third and final live show from beautiful Tampa, Florida, here. Obviously a huge night last night. Voters in Florida have now had their say in the Republican race for president.
We're going to take you behind the scenes here of a campaign.
We're also going to talk about Mitt Romney's comment to CNN about poor people. It is certainly making some waves in the political world today and beyond.
But as always here, top of the hour, everything making news, "Rapid Fire." Let's go.
It is no secret the housing market is a thorn in the economy's side. Today, in Virginia, President Obama reveals his plan to help fix it, and in the same breath, blasts lenders and banks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No more fine print that you use to get families to take a deal that is not as good as the one they should have gotten.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The president says he is hoping Americans who currently own homes are able to take advantage of record low interest rates. The plan, they may face trouble -- actually, it may be facing trouble in Congress since it would cost at least $5 billion.
Also, this is a huge talker today. Memories just absolutely pouring in of the man behind the legendary television show "Soul Train."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DON CORNELIUS, CREATOR, "SOUL TRAIN": I'm Don Cornelius. And always in parting, we wish you love, peace and soul.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Los Angeles police believe Don Cornelius committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. Cornelius hosted "Soul Train" for more than two decades, featuring huge stars like Lou Rawls, Aretha Franklin, Duran Duran, and those unforgettable "Soul Train" dancers. Cornelius was 75 years old.
And later this hour, superstar Stevie Wonder, he's going to join me to talk about the impact, of course, Cornelius really had overall on the music industry. But also, we'll ask him what kind of impact he had on Stevie Wonder's career as well.
Don't miss that. That's at the end of the hour.
Also today, four men pleaded guilty today to an al Qaeda-inspired plot to bomb the London Stock Exchange. Five others admitted guilt to lesser charges in the case. The nine were charged after what police called the largest counterterrorism operation in all of 2010. Prosecutors say they also planned to send mail bombs to various other targets, including the U.S. Embassy.
We're also taking a look at another story here -- 170,000 new private sector jobs were added in January. That's according to the payroll processor ADP. That was less than the 200,000 economists were hoping for, what they had predicted.
Numbers from the Labor Department, they are due out Friday. The December unemployment rate was 8.5 percent. That is the lowest we've seen in nearly three years.
And now this. A Georgia girl who lost her entire immediate family in that catastrophic multi-car crash in Florida is now at risk of being kicked out of the country.
Lidiane Carmo, who is 15 years of age, she lost her mother, she lost her father, and her big sister in that pileup on smoke-covered I-75 early Sunday. Also killed was Lidiane's uncle and his companion. The Carmo family was in the country illegally.
In addition, six others died in that massive wreck near Gainesville, Florida. The eleventh body was not found until yesterday.
And the FBI making an embarrassing mistake. Agents tearing through a suspect's front door with a chainsaw. Just one problem. Oops, wrong address.
They eventually figured it out, but not before making the terrified Massachusetts mother get on the ground at gunpoint, her 3-year-old daughter crying in the next room.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was screaming, "You have the wrong apartment, you have the wrong apartment!" over 50 times. And then I had seen the big blade coming down my door. A two-year investigation and you still knock down the wrong door? That's crazy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The FBI has since apologized and is paying for the damage from the chainsaw. A Texas sheriff's deputy is being called a hero after rescuing two women out of a sinking car. These women mistook a boat ramp for a road and drove right into Lake Ray Hubbard near the town of Rockwell. Deputy Kevin Rowen (ph) saw the car while just patrolling along the shoreline. He swam out to them, smashed in their car window, was able to get those two ladies out and back to shore.
And Alaska. Got to talk about this volcano with you today.
It is showing signs of erupting, and this could be, obviously, a huge, huge deal for air traffic. People are concerned, very much so, that if this begins to explode, it could be an issue for pilots, people traveling the friendly skies in the coming days.
And now here we go. Two hours to go. Take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: We're live in Tampa, where I got a behind-the-scenes look at Mitt Romney's headquarters. And we're going to show you a side of the campaign you really rarely get to see.
Plus, there's other news besides politics, including a big "oops" from one company. Sorry, your birth control pills may not work.
I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
(voice-over): A teenage girl survives that horrific crash in Florida, but waits to learn her entire family is gone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She belongs here. We are her family now.
BALDWIN: Now she faces the possibility of being thrown out of the country.
Listen up, travelers. Those new rules making airlines advertise the full ticket price, taxes and all, may mean more fees for you.
Plus, for months, a writer follows General David Petraeus. She tells me about her exclusive access, including one of Petraeus' most dramatic moments under President Obama.
A TV legend suddenly dies. We're getting answers about Don Cornelius' apparent suicide.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: This next story, I'm pretty sure, has a lot of women rushing to their medicine cabinets today. They're looking for a lot of numbers and dates on their birth control pills.
I want you to take a good look here at this picture. Here you go.
The giant drug maker Pfizer recalling millions of these birth control pills. It turns out there was some sort of packaging mix-up, women who thought they were protected against pregnancy might not actually be after all.
I have got to go straight to Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.
And Elizabeth, I read about this story this morning and I thought, man, I can hear the alarm bells going off for a lot of ladies today. How worried do people need to be?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, this is a giant whoops.
Women who are on birth control pills need to go to their medicine cabinets and check out the names. And I'm going to show you the names of the pills that need to be returned to the pharmacy.
If you're taking Lo/Ovral, or if you're taking a generic product called Norgestrel, which also will also sometimes say Ethinyl Estradiol tablets, you need to take those back to the pharmacy. We're talking about expiration dates either next year or the year after.
Brooke, what happened here is that when you're taking the pill for these products, you have got three weeks of hormones and then one week where you're taking sugar pills. They're pills that have nothing in them.
Well, someone goofed, and the pills that were inactive got in the place where the hormone pills should have been. So when these women should have been taking hormones, some of them were taking nothing. And that obviously is not good for birth control.
Now, many of these packs are perfectly fine, but some of them appear to have this error.
BALDWIN: Do we know when they realized the "oops"? Do we know if we're talking potentially millions of people? Did anyone get pregnant?
COHEN: You know what? We don't know if anyone got pregnant. And we asked Pfizer that and we don't know.
What apparently happened was that a woman who was taking these pills said, wow, this looks funny, because the hormone pills versus the non- hormone pills are different colors. And they said, this is kind of odd. And so this woman called Pfizer, and they said, oh, my goodness, and then they looked and saw that this was a problem for more than just this woman.
Now, women hearing this, I know we're going to have a lot of questions. Go to CNN.com/empoweredpatient. We have all the information you need to find out if your pills have been affected.
If they are, you're not protected, necessarily. You might not be protected. So think about that before you have sex.
BALDWIN: Yes. I know we blew through some of the names and numbers. Quickly, again, just go to CNN.com/empoweredpatient.
Elizabeth Cohen, thank you so much.
COHEN: Thanks.
BALDWIN: Still to come here, we're in Florida. We've been talking politics. And you know Mitt Romney, he has a lot of people doing a double-take today following some comments he made to CNN about "very poor people."
Now, the candidates are headed next here from Florida to Nevada, a state with sky-high unemployment. I wonder how his words are going to play there?
We're going to take you live to Vegas next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Back here live in Tampa, Florida.
By now you've heard the news. Mitt Romney is back. The off-and-on Republican front-runner crushed all comers in the Florida primary last night.
Take a look at the numbers here. Romney got 46 percent of the vote, to finish 14 points ahead of the second place finishing Newt Gingrich.
Now, Romney collected -- we've been talking about 50, right? Fifty delegates, it was a winner-take-all state. He collected all 50 of those delegates here in the Sunshine State. It's really now moving to Nevada here, which holds caucuses this upcoming Saturday.
So, we want to go straight to CNN's Dana Bash with a look ahead here.
And first, Dana, I want to listen to something Governor Romney said just this morning on our air. He's talking here about very poor people with CNN Soledad O'Brien.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm in this race because I care about Americans. I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it.
I'm not concerned about the very rich. They're doing just fine.
I'm concerned about the very heart of America, the 90, 95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling, and I'll continue to take that message across the nation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Dana, I just want to read this back to you here. "I'm in this race because I care about Americans. I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there, and if it needs repair, I'll fix it." Those words, as we just saw, from Governor Mitt Romney.
Have they -- you're talking to people on the ground in Vegas. Have they had any reaction out there yet?
DANA BASH, CNN SR. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they certainly have merited reaction out in the blogesphere among conservatives and Democrats. You know, all of those people are Mitt Romney's opponents.
Basically, what Mitt Romney did was hand them an eight-word gift, saying that, I'm concerned, I'm not concerned about the very poor people. You read the context twice, you showed it and you read it, and that is critically important.
But as you know, and as our viewers know, politics is not always about context, it's about bumper stickers. And the problem for Mitt Romney talking to several Republicans, many of whom want Mitt Romney to win the Republican nomination, say that they're very concerned that this plays into the narrative that he is just a rich guy who is just out of touch.
And I can tell you that talking to one Romney adviser today, he said that they recognized right away that this could be a potential problem, could be taken out of context, and that's why, Brooke, Romney himself talked to reporters on his plane on his way here. Actually, on his way to Minnesota, to his first stop.
And he said, "Look, I want to be clear. I was not saying that I'm not concerned about poor people." What he said he was trying to say is that his focus in his campaign is on the middle class.
But they recognize in the Romney world that they are going to have to frame that a little bit more articulately. I think that's fair to say.
BALDWIN: As they are reframing that, they only have a couple days, you know. Nevada caucuses this upcoming Saturday. And I'm guessing issue number one, like we heard from so many people here in Florida, the economy. Right, Dana?
BASH: Absolutely. There's no question that the economy is issue number one here, just like it is everywhere else, just like it was in Florida. The housing crisis is a big, big problem here in Nevada, has been for years.
The good news for Mitt Romney is this is fertile ground for him. There is a big Mormon population here in Nevada.
Four years ago, Brooke, when he did not win the nomination, he still did extremely well here. It was like a seven-person race and he still got 51 percent of the votes. So, they feel pretty good, rightly so, about doing pretty well in the caucuses here this week.
BALDWIN: Now, Newt Gingrich, he is calling this a two-man race, but you have all four candidates out there. You have Romney, Gingrich, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum. And it seems like Santorum and Gingrich, they're fishing a little bit for voters in the same pond, are they not?
BASH: Oh, they absolutely are, in the conservative pond. And they have been for a while.
What Rick Santorum is trying to say now is, look what happened in Florida. He, in the final week or so, decided not to compete there heavily, and it really was a two-man race between Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney, and Newt Gingrich did not do well at all. And so the point that Rick Santorum is making now on the campaign trail is he should be the conservative alternative.
Listen to what he told me last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: People are starting to realize now, and they're seeing the results here in Florida, that Newt Gingrich had his chance, had his shot, had a big boost and win out of South Carolina, and couldn't hold it. He couldn't deliver in Florida, and I think they're going to be looking for a different conservative as an alternative to Mitt Romney now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, he's talking also about the bitterness and baggage that we saw in Florida not really playing well with many Republican voters, particularly out here in the Midwest and the West.
The issue, though, for Mitt Romney, though, going forward, Brooke -- and we've been talking about this, but it is really more clear today -- is that this is not over by a long shot because of the fact that people like Rick Santorum now have the money to stay in for a while, people like Ron Paul have the organization and the energy among supporters to stay in for a while. And we also are going to see contests like Nevada this weekend, where it's not winner take all.
So, even if Rick Santorum and Ron Paul get a few delegates, which they probably will, that could allow them to keep going, and that is going to be the same case in other contests that we're going to see over the next month.
BALDWIN: Chipping away at the delegate count. We know the magic number, 1,144. And we know, what, it went into June with Obama and Clinton.
So who knows? We could be at it for a while covering this.
Dana Bash in Vegas.
Dana, thank you.
Coming up next here, will Facebook be the largest initial offering ever by a U.S. company? The competition is pretty stiff.
We showed you before the break five, four and three. So, coming in at number two, with $18.1 billion, it is General Motors. And the number one initial public offering to date is Visa, with a whopping $19.6 billion.
Still ahead, a Georgia teenager, she loses her mom, her dad, and her big sister in a pileup on a Florida interstate. But it gets worse. It gets worse because she is a legal immigrant and now she could be deported.
We're going to hear straight from her pastor, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Want to tell about you this teenager. Her name is Lidiane Carmo. She is just 15 years old.
And yesterday, she learned she lost her entire immediate family. I'm talking about her mother, her father, even her big sister, all in that highway pileup that we've been talking about this week here in Florida. So absolutely devastating, that police now have found an 11th body two days after the crash.
But Carmo's story gets worse. It turns out she is here in the United States illegally, and now she's at the risk of losing the only place she knows as home because she could be deported back to Brazil.
Three days ago she was with her father, Jose, mother, Adriana (ph), sister Lachisia (ph), uncle Edson (ph) and his girlfriend Rose. And they were returning from a church conference here in Florida when thick smoke from a brushfire wiped out visibility for so many of these drivers on I-75, right around Gainesville, Florida, triggering one crash after another.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God! What is going on?
911 OPERATOR: OK. We are getting help out there. OK?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ma'am? Ma'am? Ma'am? This is the 10th one now. We've just had five in a row.
911 OPERATOR: OK. Is anyone pinned?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We can't tell.
911 OPERATOR: And was that another one?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, ma'am.
911 OPERATOR: OK. How many vehicles now?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sixteen.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Sixteen vehicles. CNN's Martin Savidge joins me by phone. In fact, he just spoke with a pastor at the church near Atlanta that Lidiane's father helped found.
Martin, first just to check with Lidiane in terms of her physical injuries, I understand she was hurt. How is she physically today?
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, those that have spoken with her -- and her aunt and uncle are down there in Florida at her bedside -- they say that she is doing as well as can be expected. She is severely injured. She also has burns on top of that. It's anticipated that she'll have to have another surgery.
Another tragedy here, of course, the family has no health insurance. So they are dealing with that issue on top of the tremendous loss. This is a heartbreaking story from a horrific event, but we are told she will recover -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: Heartbreaking that she lost her mother, father, and big sister, and now the news that she is here in this country illegally. You talked to the pastor. What did he say about her and the possibility of her being deported now?
SAVIDGE: Right. Arao Amazonas was just on our air, and he was talking about this very real fear that they have on top of the heartbreak, the loss of family members, now this girl, the lone survivor, worries that she could be sent back to Brazil. She's aware of that potential threat.
Here's how he talked about it on our air a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARAO AMAZONAS, INTERNATIONAL CHURCH OF RESTORATION: Well, the Brazilian government had a meeting with us last night, and they tried to do the best they can. That's what they told us.
This possibility of deportation is something that our lawyers will take care of this. We know we have laws that can protect Lidiane at this moment. And the talks that we would like to have at this moment, it is at Lidiane's life here.
Lidiane came to this nation when she was 2 years old. She is like any regular American girl. She wasn't born here, but she acts like an American girl. She almost can't speak Portuguese language, she doesn't know the people there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: So, there you can see the problem, Brooke. She really has no living memorable history of Brazil. Everything she knows is in this country, and everything she lost was on that highway with her family. And it's just another part of what makes this story so painful for so many people -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: So, then, who does take her in once -- assuming she recovers, she gets out of the hospital, what next? SAVIDGE: Well, this, too, gets into the difficult issue of immigration, because there are other family members who would like to take her in who are extremely close to her, but they, too, have questionable the legal status immigration-wise in the U.S.
We've had a lot of conversation with the Immigration and Customs people here, and we can't get anyone who will talk to us on the record or go on camera. But they are telling us that this family is not on their radar, as they put it.
This family has suffered enough, and that they are not going to get a young woman out of the hospital and send her back to Brazil. They are not looking at this case. That is what they will tell us only off the record -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: OK. Martin Savidge, I know you'll be following it, as we all want to find out what happens to this 15-year-old. A horrific loss for her in so many ways.
Martin, thank you so much.
Now to news just into us here at CNN. American Airlines announcing it will cut 13,000 jobs across the country -- 13,000.
We're told this move comes as the airline is trying now to emerge from bankruptcy. We're going to have much more on the announcement here, including how it impacts you, travelers, next hour.
Meantime, gunfire and shouting in the streets of Syria captured on home video and posted for all the world to see. Many world leaders say they've seen enough. They want the president of Syria out. As rebels were reporting, more than 60 people -- 60 -- killed today alone.
Be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Every single time we check in on the status of Syria, the number of people dying continues to go up. Right now at this hour, opposition activists say 70 people were killed today.
What you're looking at here, this is YouTube video. This is from the city of Homs. Now as always, we have to preface by saying CNN can't verify this video since the government there is limiting journalists' access in the country.
So as violence like what you're looking at here intensifies, so does the urgency for the United Nations to figure out how to stop the government's relentless crackdown.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, she is certainly taking a hard line here saying the world needs to get involved and Russia should stop refusing to do so.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: I know that some members here may be concerned that the Security Council could be headed toward another Libya. That is a false analogy. Syria is a unique situation that requires its own approach tailored to the specific circumstances occurring there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: I want to bring in CNN senior national correspondent Nic Robertson. And Nic again, every time we talk about Syria, I hate sitting here and talking about the numbers of those dying continue to go up each and every day.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And it's getting worse in the capital, and that's one of the significant things here, Brooke. We've seen this over the past few days, escalation of fighting in the capital.
Of those 70 dead we've been told about by opposition groups so far today, over half of the dead are in Damascus. A week and a half ago, that would have been unthinkable, but the government has gone on an offensive against some of the suburbs and east of the capital has gone in with tanks.
Thousands of troops, and that's one of the reasons why we've seen the numbers go up so quickly. It's the areas of military exploration are expanding and the government is using tanks in a way that it wasn't before. They are using their main guns. We're seeing pictures now of tanks firing on the streets and buildings being hit by tank fire. That wasn't the case even a few weeks ago -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: As we hear the numbers, look at the images, a lot of people are wondering, why aren't we, why aren't other nations getting involved as we did with Libya.
So I want you, if you can, just further explain Secretary Clinton's position as she said yesterday at the U.N., it's a false analogy. Syria is not another Libya. Explain.
ROBERTSON: Well, what the United Nations, all the nations are trying to do at the moment, really, in the United States in particular here, and we heard it from Secretary Clinton, is to get Russia in a position where it won't veto any upcoming resolution that they're going to put on Syria.
Russia's one of its complaints has been that it was tricked with the U.N. resolution over Libya. It thought this revolution over Libya was all about saving the people and not about regime change.
It thinks -- Russia thinks it was tricked back then with that revolution on Libya, and it's been a line in the sand for them over Syria right now.
BALDWIN: Would it be possible that ultimately Russia bends to the pressure and agrees not to veto? ROBERTSON: You know, it would seem inevitable that ultimately they're going to. The question is how much of a compromise can the international community and everyone else bend to what Russia is saying.
Russia is saying something that the resolution shouldn't meddle in the internal affairs of Syria. There should be a very clear statement that whatever resolution doesn't amount to some point to an intervention force going into the country.
There should be no call for President Assad to step down, there should be no sanctions on the country, for example. So can the language be found that will prevent Russia blocking with a veto, because the hope here is if the international -- everyone else at the U.N. can do that, get Russia to that position.
The hope is that President Assad will realize that its biggest ally and backer, the country that has told him to accept the Arab League monitors told him to take all the steps he doesn't want to take.
If he doesn't feel or if he feels that Russia is no longer backing him, then the hope is that he will realize it is time for change. That's what it's all about at the U.N. right now.
BALDWIN: Perhaps he will agree to that, perhaps not. Nic Robertson, thank you so much.
In this next story, I just want to give you all a heads up. If you have kids in the room, get them out. Here's what's coming up.
A veteran elementary schoolteacher accused of snapping bondage pictures of his own students, some of them as young as seven. So young police say they had no idea, no clue, what was going on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They thought they were just being blindfolded and gagged as a game.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Yes, it wasn't a game. The teacher was in court today, and you will never guess how detectives say he got caught.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Parents in Los Angeles, they are shaken to their core by the arrest of a long time elementary school teacher. This is a man they trusted to care for, nurture their children. He is now charged in this bizarre child abuse case.
It's really -- it's hard to wrap your head around what this man is accused of doing to students in his own class to his own students, some of them as young as seven.
But he appeared in court today, his bond is set at a staggering $23 million. As I mentioned before, again, another warning, some of the story is disturbing the details here that are coming out about this man. Here's a report from my colleague, Paul Vercammen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mark Burke, a 61- year-old teacher, is accused of taking bondage photos of more than two dozen boys and girls between 7 and 10 years old.
Burke taught for 30 years at Miramonte Elementary School in South Los Angeles and was terminated a year ago when an investigation into his alleged sex crimes began.
SGT. DAN SCOTT, LOS ANGELES SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: This case broke when a very alert film processor reported it to a local police agency.
VERCAMMEN: The L.A. County Sheriff's Special Victims Bureau said some photos showed Burke with his arm around the children or his hand over their mouths.
Others showed with children with their eyes blindfolded and mouths covered with tape. And some photos depict the children with Madagascar type cockroaches on their faces.
KIMBERLY KIRKLIN, PARENT: I'm angry. I'm disgusted. I'm sad.
SCOTT: The children felt this was a game. They didn't realize they were being victimized. They thought they were just being blindfolded and gagged as a game.
VERCAMMEN: Detective said some of those photos showed children with spoons at their mouths filled with semen, which they believed was liquid candy.
Investigators added they recovered a plastic spoon and an empty container from the suspect's classroom. Tested them and found a match to the suspects DNA.
While 23 victims have been identified, all but two of them girls, the case is growing.
SCOTT: There are at least 10 children that we have not been able to identify. Obviously, we can't put their pictures out because they are potential victims.
VERCAMMEN: L.A.'s superintendent of schools said in a statement, he is sickened and horrified. If convicted, Burke could face a life sentence in prison. Paul Vercammen, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: If convicted, that is horrendous.
Coming up, Mitt Romney, one day in the Florida Republican primary. He had his big party just over the waterway from here in Tampa. Coming up guys, we're going to take you behind the scenes on a tour of the craziness that is election night at a major political campaign. Stay right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Back here live in Tampa Bay, Florida primary last night. You know the news, Mitt Romney was an easy winner in that GOP primary. He gave his victory speech last night just across the water from me here, the Tampa Convention Center.
Normally all these speeches they look exactly the same. You've got the music -- there's the building there -- you've got the music, the cheering, people clapping, waving signs, maybe sometimes confetti.
Well, I was able to actually get into the ballroom just about an hour before Mitt Romney's speech to get you a behind-the-scenes look at his campaign headquarters. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: It's election night, I know you're watching the CNN primary coverage, you're watching the numbers come in, the candidates are watching the numbers come in, but we wanted to take you inside.
We're at the Tampa Convention Center. We're in Tampa, so is Mitt Romney headquarters tonight. Let's go inside. So this is the room. You have to have an extra special press badge to get in. This is Romney headquarters. This is where some members of the press get to stand.
Take a look at here some of the risers. You can see row after row after row. You can see our own Candy Crowley and some of our camera guys there. They're here covering primary night for us here on CNN.
And then you see these rows, these are the people -- this is print, newspaper and also radio. They're sitting by waiting for Mitt Romney to come. Really, this is just a waiting game. Several hundred people I would estimate, maybe, could fit in this room.
There is the podium. That is where we will see Mitt Romney in a matter of hours as he hopes, for his sake, it will be a victory for him tonight and you can only get in here with one of these.
So you guys are all sitting pretty much smack dab behind where Romney will be tonight. Does that not at all make you nervous?
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: It is incredibly nerve-wracking. This is not exactly what we were expecting. We came here tonight, but it's absolutely incredible. We're really excited to sit the future president of the United States.
BALDWIN: We're just about five feet from where Mitt Romney will be speaking tonight. Two things I notice, number one, take a look. He's got two bottles of water for him, I guess, on the ready.
And number two, a lot of people wonder will he just be speaking from notes or will it be teleprompter? I'm guessing perhaps teleprompter. You can see those glass signs. That is a sign of a teleprompter.
Back outside the convention center, if you're not one of the lucky ones to be here inside one of the candidates headquarters tonight, you're probably watching the primary coverage on television.
Thanks to all of these 20 or so different satellite trucks, they're here sending you the signal for your television and their next stop? Nevada.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: It really is amazing, the media coverage here covering all these politics. One thing I've always wanted. You know, you watch the show. I'm a huge music lover.
So I've always wondered who is it that picks the music for those big political events so I was talking to one of the Romney campaign folks, one of the advance guys, as they're called.
And he said they actually have one big playlist that they take from city to city to city, and I asked him what's the most played song from Camp Romney and he told me very easily it's Kid Rock, "Born Free." Now this.
Wolf Blitzer got our America's Choice 2012 politics update. Wolf, it's nice to see you. Normally I'm there with you, but I'm happy to be in Florida.
I want to get straight to the news though because Mitt Romney made this comment this morning with Soledad that's definitely providing some fuel to his opponents here.
The headline on this one, Romney says he's not concerned about the poor, but you know, total transparency, that's taken a bit out of context. So before we talk about it, let's listen to his entire comment. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm in this race because I care about Americans. I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it.
I'm not concerned about the very rich, they're doing just fine. I'm concerned about the very heart of America, the 90 percent, 95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling and I'll continue to take that message across the nation.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, HOST, CNN'S "STARTING POINT": All right, I said last question, but I've got to ask you. You just said I'm not concerned about the very poor because they have a safety net, and I think there are lots of very poor Americans who are struggling who would say that sounds odd. Can you explain that?
ROMNEY: Well, finish the sentence, Soledad. I said I'm not concerned about the very poor that has a safety net, but if it has holes in it, I will repair them.
The challenge right now, we will hear from the Democratic Party the plight of the poor. There's no question it's not good being poor, and we have a safety net to help those that are very poor. But my campaign is focused on middle income Americans.
My campaign -- you can choose where to focus. You can focus on the rich. That's not my focus. You can focus on the very poor. That's not my focus.
My focus is on middle income Americans, retirees living on Social Security, people who can't find work, folks that have kids that are getting ready to go to college. These are the people who have been most badly hurt during the Obama years.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: So, Wolf, it kind of makes me think of the pink slip comment he made. I mean, these are comments that can be taken out of context. I know they're already percolating in the conservative blogosphere. How much can this comment actually bite him?
WOLF BLITZER, HOST, CNN'S "THE SITUATION ROOM": It's also percolating in liberal blogosphere as well. I'm sure if you just take that one line, something along the lines, I'm not concerned about the poor. I'm not worried about the poor, whatever he said.
It's going to be used against him just like that other line, I like firing people, or that other line when he challenged Rick Perry to a $10,000 bet, it makes him look like he's out of touch. So he needs to explain it and he needs to fix it.
He tried to fix it later in the day when he met with reporters. He said, look, the poor people, they have food stamps, they have head start. They have Medicaid. There are programs in place if they need to get fixed.
They need to get better programs, that's fine, but poor people do have a lot of assistance. Rich people can take care of themselves. It's the middle class that really needs a lot of help right now because you don't have that safety net built into to help the 95 percent or so who are in the middle class.
That's what he was trying to say. He didn't do a very good job of saying it to Soledad and got himself into trouble, and I suspect he's going to have some problems getting out of that mess right now.
BALDWIN: Wolf Blitzer, we talked so much about the delegate count, the magic number 1,144. You've got these poor guys in the race. You covered many elections. Do you really think this thing will go into June and maybe the convention in August, really? BLITZER: It's very possible it could. If Newt Gingrich is determined to stay in this race and maybe Ron Paul and Rick Santorum as well, it could go on and on and on.
Remember, four years ago, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, they went until June before he won the Democratic presidential nomination. We were all covering the Puerto Rico primary in June of that year.
I remember we were obsessed that I was talking to John King about San Juan and some other parts of Puerto Rico and the votes. We were going through all of that. You know, it could go on and on, could actually go to the convention.
That's not out of the realm of possibility given the fact so many of these contests on the Republican side this time aren't winner take all. Florida was winner take all, all 50 delegates.
But some of these other upcoming races are proportionate. As a result it could go on and on and on, and if Newt Gingrich wants to keep challenging Mitt Romney, I suspect it will.
I think it will go to at least March 6, which is Super Tuesday. We'll see what happens that day and then we'll move on. It's going to be at least through Super Tuesday, March 6. What music are we listening to right now?
BALDWIN: I can barely hear it. I'm told these are live pictures. Mitt Romney, there he is. I bet it's Kid Rock. I can't even hear it. It's country.
BLITZER: Let that audio go a little bit.
BALDWIN: That's the good old Romney playlist playing somewhere in Minnesota.
BLITZER: If I were Mitt Romney last night, do you know what song I would have played to get that crowd going? You tell me if you think this is a good idea or bad idea. Black-Eyed Peas, "Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night."
BALDWIN: You love your Black-Eyed Peas and Gaga. I was actually talking to Candy Crowley yesterday. I was like how would you sum this race today and she actually was talking about the dead. Candy Crowley is actually a former (INAUDIBLE).
Wolf Blitzer, thank you so much. We'll talk to you next hour. Meantime, the man who led, speaking of music here, led the "Soul Train" found dead in California. We're talking about Don Cornelius. Police believe he committed suicide. We're going to get reaction to that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Sure, you've been hearing from all the Republican presidential candidates today, but can you identify them on the spot? Becky Anderson asked some of the people across the pond in London, and some of their answers, they're kind of funny.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Three photos I'm going to show you and you're going to tell me, if you can, at least, who they are.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nope.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is he an MP?
ANDERSON: An MP, member of parliament?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
ANDERSON: In Britain?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
ANDERSON: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the U.S., he talks and jokes.
ANDERSON: Jimmy Stewart?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
ANDERSON: Jay Leno?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
ANDERSON: David Letterman? What's his name?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no idea.
ANDERSON: Who is this?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know. I'm so sorry.
ANDERSON: That's all right, don't apologize. That's fine.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's quite hot, isn't he?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The other one?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A Republican convict.
ANDERSON: Last one?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President in the west wing. Sorry.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Becky Anderson there in London.
On a much different note, a television legend died today. Even if you don't know the name, Don Cornelius you've certainly heard of the show he created that being "Soul Train."
In its time, "Soul Train" was the coolest show on TV. Aretha Franklin performed there, so did Gladys Knight, Marvin Gaye, James Brown. I could go on and on and on, just like the dancers you see there.
Cornelius' body was found this morning in his home. Police believe Cornelius killed himself with a gunshot wound to the head. He was 75 years old. As expected, response across the music world is rushing in.
I am humbled to have on the line Stevie Wonder, one of the many, many musicians who knew Don Cornelius. He joins me on the phone from Los Angeles.
Mr. Wonder, if I can just begin with, you know, investigators at this hour. They are still trying to piece together what happened, the how, the why. When you first heard the news, what was your first reaction?
STEVIE WONDER, MUSICIAN (via telephone): You know, I was shocked, obviously broken hearted that a man who had done so much for the music industry for just a lot of artists making starts and the first time I ever did "Superstition" was on his show.
And on that show, I came up with this song called "Soul Train" with Don Cornelius. So it's a sad moment. You know, the two shows that -- you know, that I watched was, you know, "American Bandstand" and "Soul Train."
So it's a heart break for everyone because everyone, of various ethnicities watch "Soul Train" and I would always hear about the "Soul Train" and all that kind of stuff.
BALDWIN: Right.
WONDER: You know, it was a great thing. He was a very nice person.
We did a tour once with he and his partner, Dick Griffey, the late Dick Griffey. So they can just pray for his soul, pray for his family. And we have the memory of what he did in his life to keep us forever, but it's a broken -- it's a heartbreak to know that he's gone at 75.
BALDWIN: Talk to me a little bit about, you know, the barriers he broke, the doors he opened.
Do you think, had it not been for "Soul Train," had it not been for Don Cornelius, Stevie Wonder, do you think you would be where you are today?
WONDER: Well, obviously, he was a major contributor to allowing that to happen.
I think definitely the visual presence of a lot of the different artists, he made happen because the doors to getting in like that were kind of crazy. But it opened up such a whole other kind of era of music and dance. He found the latest dancers, the latest dancers on "Soul Train."
Again, like I said before, my understanding is that the dancers are again incredibly great, and at some point a lot of other television shows began to kind of emulate what he was doing. So it was a good thing.
BALDWIN: When Americans saw "Soul Train" and saw and knew Don Cornelius. We knew him for his deep baritone, his style, and you mentioned the dancing on the show sort of setting the trend. But what was he like in person? Who was Don Cornelius, the man?
WONDER: Well, you know, I knew him as just a kind person. Did I see him every day? Did we talk every day? No, we didn't.
But, you know, we had great conversations when we did talk. There was a thing that he would always do. He was acting like he was some promoter from some country and he was saying, OK, you're going to sing. And I said, no, I'm not going to sing. He says, no, you're going to sing or I will leave you out here with nothing, just being silly.
We just did silly -- talk -- just being silly. I just remember just great moments. And it's a shock. Like I said, it's a terrible shock. But, you know, what do you do? I mean, you hear about these things and your heart aches, and you wish that you could have been there for that person, for those in the past that have lost their lives in that kind of way.
But whatever way one loses their life, you wish you were able to prevent that from happening in some kind of way, to encourage them, to inspire them. You wish if I had only -- I just think we have to learn, whether it be the lessons of those that we have lost in different ways, obviously comes to mind Michael Jackson or just anyone.
We just have to give them as much love as we can and let them know, listen, no problem is so big that it cannot be solved. That's just the power of having the most high that you believe in, in your life, and just know that whatever the problem is, whatever the situation, you know, the album title, as George Harrison said, all things must past. That's how I look at it.
BALDWIN: Speaking of giving love, and this is my final question for you. Certainly there will be a memorial perhaps in the coming days and coming weeks. You mentioned you played "Superstition" maybe for the first time on the show.
Stevie Wonder, if you're asked to play a song, if I may just ask, of your repertoire, which song would you choose? What would mean the most to Don Cornelius, do you think?
WONDER: I would let the family decide that. That's the family's choice. Whatever they would want me to do, I would do that. BALDWIN: Stevie Wonder, I thank you so much for calling in.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: And of course our thoughts with the Don Cornelius family today. Thank you.
