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Ruling on Same-Sex Marriage; L.A. School Replaces Entire Staff After Child Abuse Allegations; Afghan Women Setting Themselves on Fire; Father Planned Sons' Murders; Mass Killing in Syria; Santorum Seeks Boost; CDC: The Cost Of Child Abuse; Madonna's Slackline Performer Interviewed

Aired February 07, 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: Good afternoon, all of you. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

As always, top of the hour. Let's get you caught up on everything making news, "Rapid Fire." Let's go. Here we go off the top.

I want to begin with today's huge ruling on same-sex marriage. A federal appeals court in California has ruled Proposition 8 -- that's the state's ban on same-sex marriage -- is unconstitutional.

Let's go straight to San Francisco, to Dan Simon.

And Dan, just talk to me about the significance of this decision today.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Proposition 8 is now struck down, meaning that you can have same-sex marriage in the state of California. However, this ruling is effectively stayed, meaning as the appeals process goes on, you're not going to be able to see people get married right away.

This case now is ultimately headed to the Supreme Court. At least that's what most legal observers think.

Nonetheless, it is a huge symbolic victory for same-sex marriage supporters here in San Francisco. We are in front of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, where this ruling came down a little more than an hour ago. You had several dozen people here standing behind me.

They're now marching at City Hall, celebrating this ruling. And, of course, it's a big win for them today -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: What about quickly, Dan -- on the flip side, I know a lot of people are celebrating, some people are not.

SIMON: That's exactly right. The sponsors of Proposition 8, a group called ProtectMarriage.com, you don't really see them on the streets of San Francisco. The way they characterize it, they feel like they'll be demonized if, in fact, they voice their support for Proposition 8. We did get a statement from the Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative Christian organization, and it reads in part, "We are not surprised at this Hollywood-orchestrated attack on marriage. Tried in San Francisco, it turned out this way, but we are confident that the expressed will of the American people in favor of marriage will be upheld at the Supreme Court" -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Dan Simon.

Thank you so much, Dan.

And a quick reminder to all of you -- 1:00 Eastern Time tomorrow, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM, two of the people who challenged Prop 8 will be joining my colleague Randi Kaye. Certainly stick around for that tomorrow.

Meantime, our other huge story this hour, the horrific violence that we've been seeing playing out in Syria. The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is slaughtering innocent civilians. And we are talking about bombs raining down on men, on women and children, all day, every day.

Today alone, almost two dozen people have been killed. This is according to an opposition group. The United Nations reports an estimated 6,000 people have been killed since the uprising against al- Assad began just about a year ago.

We are not getting far from the story here in CNN. We are committed to bringing it to you. We'll bring you updates obviously as soon as they come in.

Also this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: We want justice! We want justice! We want justice!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: What a story. This is angry parents crowded into a Los Angeles school auditorium. This was just last night -- kids as well -- looking for answers.

Miramonte Elementary School is at the center of not just one, but two child abuse cases. And Los Angeles Unified School District superintendent John Deasy has announced the entire school staff -- entire staff -- will be replaced.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUPERINTENDENT JOHN DEASY, LOS ANGELES SCHOOL DISTRICT: I can't have any more surprises here at Miramonte even though the police will do what they have to do. And if there are no more, thank God, we deal with the horror and tragedy I have already. And if there are more, then we will have to deal with that. But we're going through that investigation, and the process of doing that, I think, has led to a situation at this school that is very disruptive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Two teachers were arrested last week. They were accused of lewd acts with children in their classrooms.

Coming up, I'm going to talk to a parent who has a child in that elementary school, and she is angry.

Voters are heading to the polls today in three Republican contests. Take a look at a map here. Colorado, Minnesota caucus tonight. Missouri holding an open primary. Seventy delegates, that's the number tonight, 70. They are at stake tonight, along with a lot of momentum.

Live team coverage as always beginning tonight, 7:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.

A Georgia teenager's brutal beating caught here on video. A young man walks out of a store unaware of these guys around him. You see them closing in, suddenly attacking him, punching him, kicking. One even throws a tire at him.

Two of the suspects reported the assault on their cell phones. Atlanta police are looking for the group of men involved in that brutal attack.

And this is going to make you cringe. Take a look at the video.

This is a circus stuntman -- watch with me here -- on a motorcycle in Michigan. There he goes. Wait for it -- and there he went. So, the guy goes of the ramp, hits a cable.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATRINA VANWELL, WITNESSED CIRCUS ACCIDENT: It almost seemed like it was in slow motion just as he went up and he hit, and he just went "Bam!" And you just hear this big, loud crash. And you just see the bike falling down and him falling down. And it was scary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, the stuntman was rushed to the hospital. We're told he's OK. Also, a shriner dressed as a clown was hurt in the crash as well.

Kid Rock prides himself on his Michigan roots, even named his clothing line "Made in Detroit." But a columnist for "The Detroit Free Press" is calling him out.

Susan Tompor writes that only some of these T-shirts are actually made in the U.S. She found Made in Detroit products with actual labels that read "Made in the Dominican Republic," "Made in India," "Made in Honduras." Some didn't even have labels telling where the shirts were made. This columnist writes, "Made in Detroit is working toward using more shirts made in the USA."

And a man accidentally shoots himself in the top of the head. I mean, really, the x-ray here is telling it all.

He shoots himself in the head with a nail gun. Forty-five-year-old Jeff Luptak was working on a home in North Dakota when he shot himself with a 3-inch-long nail. The nail was lodged between the left and right hemispheres of his brain, and as it happened, he says he was most worried about his family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF LUPTAK, SHOT HIMSELF IN HEAD WITH NAIL GUN: That's all I could think about, was what would happen to my daughters and my wife if I would be gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: It took two doctors to pull that 3-inch nail out, but we are all told he's expected to make a full recovery.

And robots at the White House. The president hosting a science fair for more than 100 students. You can see some of the projects exhibited here in all shapes, sizes. Even President Obama getting hands on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's not every day that you have robots running all over your House. I also shot a marshmallow through an airgun, which was very exciting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: A marshmallow through an airgun. The president is pushing math and science education.

And we're just getting started here. A lot more to cover for you in the next two hours, including this --

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: It's one of the biggest schools in the country, and suddenly the entire staff is sidelined because two teachers now sit behind bars. And angry parents want to know who is to blame?

I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.

(voice-over): Women light themselves on fire to escape their husbands at home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): "And no pain could be greater than what I suffer now."

BALDWIN: An exclusive and painful look at what pushes these women to the edge. A dad gives away his sons' toys just before killing them and himself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A slaughter of two innocent children.

BALDWIN: Why Josh Powell's in-laws say the warning signs were there.

Plus, a team of U.S. Marshals on the hunt for sex offenders.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you think you could hide?

BALDWIN: CNN takes along for the ride.

And you saw him in the Super Bowl. Meet the guy who does this for a living. We're going to talk live with Andy Lewis (ph).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: An elementary school in Los Angeles is replacing its entire staff. I'm talking teachers, janitors, everyone, all because of two teachers who were accused of disgusting behavior involving their students. The new staff starts this Thursday.

Parents, they want answers now. And hundreds of them crowded into this auditorium last night fuming mad.

Beatrice Diaz is one of those concerned parents. Her son attends Miramonte Elementary School.

And Ms. Diaz -- just to begin here, Ms. Diaz joining on the phone.

I know your son's teacher is one of the two men sitting in jail right now. Can you tell me how you found out about this?

BEATRICE DIAZ, PARENT: I found out in the afternoon that the incident occurred. I took my son in the morning to school, and I found out in the morning and on the news that they caught another teacher, but I had no idea it was my son's teacher.

So, in the afternoon, I was at work, and my mother called me and said that my son's teacher was the one who was arrested. And I immediately went on the Internet and I looked up an article, and sure enough, I saw the name of the teacher online.

BALDWIN: So, just to make sure I'm hearing you correctly, you initially found out by watching the news. Did the school ever call you?

DIAZ: The school did not call me to inform me, and I was very upset because of that. I mean, I think they should have taken the time to call each parent individually and notify them that way, rather than having to look on the news or read something online. I just feel like we had the right to know that morning before we took our kids to school. BALDWIN: I have read that a lawyer representing some of the parents here involved told our TV affiliate KTLA that some of the parents are actually having their kids -- and we're talking, again, elementary school kids -- tested for STDs.

Did you, Beatrice, at all have a conversation with you son, 7 years of age, about being touched inappropriately?

DIAZ: I immediately talked to him when I found out about the first teacher --

BALDWIN: You did?

DIAZ: -- because, I mean, you never know. And sure enough, it's funny, because his teacher was the second teacher arrested. I mean, I had a conversation with him that same day, that Tuesday morning, when I found out.

Actually, I ended up finding out about the first teacher when I dropped my son off at school. I saw all these news vans, and then I went -- I also went back home and I saw it on TV. So I immediately talked to him as soon as I found out.

BALDWIN: How is he? Is he OK?

DIAZ: He's fine, yes. He's fine.

He knows what's good and what's bad. I mean, I have this conversation with him a lot because I don't really trust anybody, whether it be a teacher, whether it be a friend. You know, you have to be cautious about things like that with your kids at an early age.

BALDWIN: I understand that there is a lot of absentee students this week at this elementary school. Are you taking your son? Is your son back in school this week, today?

DIAZ: No, no, my son -- I didn't send my son to school yesterday because I wanted to take him out of the school. I mean, if they're hiding this from us, what else are they hiding? I'm sure I know --

BALDWIN: So you are removing your son?

DIAZ: I'm removing my son from the school, yes.

BALDWIN: And again, just for people who aren't in the L.A. area, we're talking about one of the biggest schools in the L.A. greater city area, something like 1,500 students, 150 teachers and administrators. And now we're hearing I guess it will up to the district. They could be replacing the teachers, be it permanently or even temporarily.

I mean, that's a huge move. What do you make of that?

(CROSSTALK)

DIAZ: It's a big move. I mean, they had to close down the school today and tomorrow, and they said there will be a fresh start Thursday. But these kids are going to be asking questions like, "Why am I not going to school? Why isn't my teacher here?"

You know, I think the same way that they teach kids about, you know, the sexual education, I think they should teach kids about being touched and stuff as well so they can report when it does happen to them. I mean, they need to do more, basically. You know?

And they need to notify the parents. If they have all these meetings and everything, they need to involve the parents more when it comes to their child as far as when teachers get in trouble and stuff. They need to notify the parents as soon as possible.

BALDWIN: Final question. Since you're removing your son, is there anything that this school could do so that you would keep your son in school, at that particular elementary school?

DIAZ: I'm just done with the school overall. I mean, I was having issues with the school prior to that, and it wasn't necessarily with the teachers, it was more of the test scores and stuff like that with that school.

I mean, I always -- I didn't really like it as much. The only reason why I took my son there was because it was closer to my child care with my mother. She watches my son, so that was the only reason why I was taking him there. I never really liked the school to begin with, so this is just more of, you know -- more of a reason to actually pursue removing him from that school.

BALDWIN: Beatrice, we appreciate you calling in. Best of luck to your son wherever he lands in school in the L.A. area. Appreciate you calling in.

DIAZ: Thank you so much.

BALDWIN: And now this story. Some women are setting themselves on fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bed 19, they say, is also a victim of self-immolation. Her wounds are still raw and her instincts of self-preservation still means she still calls what happened another cooking accident.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: We are going to show you why these women -- why they think burning themselves is a better alternative to living their lives in Afghanistan.

Stay with me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: "Globe Trekking" today, domestic abuse so brutal, so intense, that some women in Afghanistan feel the only way to escape is to set themselves on fire.

Nick Paton Walsh reports on the culture of suffering in silence.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALSH (voice-over): Two-thirds of the women admitted to this burns unit in Herat die. But for the rest, survival normally means lying about what brought them here.

"The gas cylinder blew up," she says. "I was in the kitchen cooking. It burned me. I swear, no pain could be greater than what I suffer now."

Artifa (ph) was married off to her cousin age 10. Doctors say after six years of abuse from her mother and sister-in-law, she became an opium addict. Her suffering, silent. No one to cry to.

Then one day she committed the only act of protest she could think of.

NAEEMA NAKZAAD, COUNSELOR: She burned herself because of domestic violence at home. For that reason, she poured the oil and burned herself because of violence at home.

WALSH: It's taken months for her to admit what happened in private. In public, she insists she's another accident. Here, again, these women are silent.

Bed 19, they say, is also a victim of self immolation. Her wounds are still raw and her instincts of self-preservation still means she calls what happened another cooking accident.

DR. GHAFAR ABAWAR, HEADS BURN UNIT: Seemingly, she's saying, I burned the gas. But when the patient comes to emergency room, here you will smell the fuel. Self-immolation is a taboo in our society, the shame of it.

WALSH: The truth would bring shame on her family, and that could mean they kill her.

Self-immolation is almost epidemic in Herat. Eighty-three suspected cases in this hospital in the last 10 months, a record.

(on camera): Many ask, why here? Some say it's because such abuse is common in nearby Iran. Others that the violence, the oppression, the stranglehold these women feel in their lives is so intense, that this bid to die is the only way they can speak out about the brutality of their life.

(voice-over): They carry scars now forever from a devastating brief moment in which they felt they had a voice as their suffering in the past and future continues in silence.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: I want to bring in Nick Paton Walsh. Nick, excellent reporting shedding a light on these women. I'm curious, because they were willing to speak with you, if they were already living their lives in fear, what happens once they leave the hospital?

WALSH: That's absolutely a key question. Many of them will go back to their families.

There are shelters, there are groups who can help women in these situation, but clearly many of them felt enormously oppressed and terrified of their domestic situation. They couldn't speak out about the abuse that drove them to set fire to themselves.

Now they recover from their wounds and then go back to their families. In fact, the girl you saw at the top of that piece was, in fact, living with her family and appears to have come back to hospital, not getting the treatment that doctors say she needs for her burns.

So, a very bleak future for them ahead, and that really explains the silence that they come up with when you talk to them in hospital, because they're so terrified to talk about what really happened to them in terms of setting fire to themselves and the abuse that led to it. They much prefer to tell you it was a cooking accident -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: You mentioned shelters. What else exists there to protect these women, to empower them? Anything?

WALSH: Very little, to be honest. I mean, many of these women come from the rural areas around this western city of Herat in Afghanistan, and they come to this hospital in a terrible condition, needing urgent medical assistance.

The government here has tried an information campaign, they've tried posters, they've tried educating people. But really, at the end the day, we're talking about societies that are often very isolated, very backward, almost traditional way of treating women. And certainly we see these self-immolation cases in this hospital very much at the rough edge of these societies. Empowerment very far from anybody's mind. Survival, the real key thing -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: That is horrendous, the alternative, setting themselves on fire.

Nick Paton Walsh for us in Afghanistan.

Nick, thank you.

And now I want to quote something to you. The quote is, "I will not be able to live without my son." That's a quote from a voicemail left by Josh Powell. He is that Washington father who hit his two young boys with a hatchet before setting his home on fire. A massive explosion there.

After this quick break we're going to hear from Powell himself.

Stay here. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: You know we've been talking about the violence in Syria. The U.N. is estimating 6,000 people dead since that violence broke out just about a year ago. And just this afternoon the White House is talking about how to bring change to Syria, which is currently under the rule of Bashar al-Assad.

I want to play you some sound. We just heard from White House spokesman Jay Carney.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We wouldn't presume to speak for either of those two governments or any foreign government. Our views are that it was the wrong decision to block that Security Council resolution and to, in effect, by doing that, give solace to and help sustain a regime that is brutally murdering its own people, and a regime that, by the way, is not going to last.

There will be a transition in Syria. And it is a mistake, we believe, for any country to put its eggs in that basket, if you will, because by doing that, you're alienating the Syrian people and many others in the region who are on the side of putting pressure on the Assad regime to get it to stop this behavior and to step aside so that a transition can take place in Syria.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So he mentioned the word "transition" two times there. We're going to discuss what a transition in Syria might look like in just a couple of moments with an upcoming guest.

But I want to share now the story here out of Washington State. The story of Josh Powell reveals even more evidence of how evil a father he was.

First, here's an interview he gave in August of last year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH POWELL, FATHER: I will protect my sons. I will protect my sons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, those are the words, and they sting with hypocrisy after an autopsy showed Josh Powell used a hatchet on his little sons, 5- year-old Braden and 7-year-old Charlie, before blowing them all up in an explosion this past Sunday.

ABC's "Good Morning America" actually obtained those final words Powell spoke via a voicemail to his family members 20 minutes before the house just went up in flames.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

POWELL: Hello. This is Josh, and I'm calling to say goodbye.

I am not able to live without my sons and I am not able to go on anymore. I'm sorry to everyone I've hurt. Goodbye.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Those little boys were at the center of a nasty custody dispute between Powell and the parents of his wife, Susan, who disappeared back in 2009. Her parents were the guardians of little Braden and Charlie, who were on a court-ordered visit to Josh Powell that was supposed to be supervised. Deputies say Powell locked the social worker out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDY COX, SUSAN POWELL'S MOTHER: And they didn't want to go see their dad when it came time. And -- but "Daddy is waiting for you." I encouraged them and tried talking them into going, but they clearly did not want to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Judy and Chuck Cox also say the boys were beginning to remember new details of their mother, one of them even drawing a sketch of her in the car as they went camping at the time Braden was Braden was just two and Charlie, four. The couple, again, was on "Good Morning America."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHUCK COX, SUSAN POWELL'S FATHER (via telephone): Both had told us that at different times that mommy was with them -- that the last time they remember seeing mommy was on a camping trip.

And when we told them -- when I would say, well, daddy said mommy stayed home then they would go back to, well, I don't remember, a rehearsed or coached statement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But at one point, Braden did draw that picture with mommy in the trunk of the car, correct?

COX: Yes. That was the summer after she went missing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In 2010.

COX: In 2010.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Now, the Cox's daughter as the family was expecting police to arrest Josh soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DENISE COX, SUSAN POWELL'S SISTER: They were working on the case without a body to go after him for murder, and it was within a few weeks, it was going to take -- the arrest was going to take place, and we were all excited that something was going to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: There are so many layers of the story. Next hour, I'll be speaking with the attorney for Susan Powell's family who was there when her father found out Charlie and Braden were gone.

Innocent men, women and children slaughtered in Syria. We cannot say enough here on CNN what an absolute humanitarian crisis this is in the midst of the Middle East.

The man behind the bombing of civilians is Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and we're asking how and when -- not if, but how and win this dictator will be brought down.

Coming up next, we're going to talk to some of the possibilities here and talk about transition as well. Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: I want to show you what's happening today in Syria, ghastly oppression. On the part of the Syrian government, the Syrian opposition says government troops have taken off the gloves and are attempting to wipe them out.

In fact, some of the worst carnage is in the Syrian city of Homs. If you would, I want you to watch and listen. You heard and saw the masses blast. What you're looking at is a residential district.

In Homs, smoke bellowing off from an explosion set off by a rocket shell. The Syrian government is shelling its own people. Next, I want to take you to the capital city of Damascus, government supporters waving Russian flags to salute the arrival of Russian foreign minister, Sergie Lavrov.

Here is Lavrov, here he is shaking hands with Syrian leader, Bashar Al-Assad there. Remember, the Russians just vetoed a U.N. effort designed to bring peace to Syria.

And while they say, they are pushing a peaceful resolution, a cynic might say they're trying to buy time for one of the world's foremost tyrants.

So I want to bring in Soner Cagaptay, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Mr. Cagaptay, nice to have you on. First, I mean, it just happened over the weekend. What do you make of what the Russians are doing here? Are they helping? Are they hurting the Syrian people? What's your take?

SONER CAGAPTAY, WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: They are definitely hurting the Syrian people because this is an uprising that will eventually topple Assad, and Syrians will liberate themselves.

And I think Russian are going to be disappointed to find out that they have supported a losing horse because they are supporting an oppressive regime that's killing hundreds of people every day.

BALDWIN: I read something you wrote, where you say, it's not a matter of if, if Assad falls, but when. We just heard in the White House daily briefing. Jay Carney, and I'm quoting him, he said, "there will be a transition in Syria, there will be."

You lay out a series of scenarios. Let me run through a couple of them. Fight to the death like Moammar Gadhafi, surrender power like Hosni Mubarak or face unrest in the manner of former Serbian leader Milosevic. Is there at all any way of predicting the faith of Bashar Al-Assad?

CAGAPTAY: I guess, the most pleasant outcome for him at this stage knowing that this revolution will succeed somehow in the near future is that, Assad might try to arrange an agreement with his patron Russia, which will take him in, and that would be the only way to survive.

But if he sticks to power and decides to crack down further on the protesters and decides he's going to go the bloody route, it's very likely that he will end up getting killed by his own people or perhaps through a (inaudible) by his own regime.

That's why I thought the Gadhafi route or the leader of Romania, they were taken out by his own people was the end of his regime.

So I think it's Assad's time to decide, does he want to live or does he want to give up power and let Syria evolved into a more open society.

BALDWIN: So there are a million possibilities. We can't predict the future. You say though it will be a when, not if. I want to talk about when in terms of the world.

When and if Assad falls, what should Washington and the rest of the world be doing that they aren't doing now to try to save all these lives, 6,000 lives lost last year, according to the U.N.

CAGAPTAY: He will definitely fall, because I think what we have seen in Syria is that the fear factor is no more there. The uprising started a peaceful demonstration and Assad started to crack down on them, and then it started to turn violent.

There is near insurgency in the country and turning to civil war in other parts. We don't want a civil war. We don't want a regime committing massacres on its own people.

So I think what Washington ought to do, what we need to stand for is a U.N. resolution that will not only condemn Assad regime's acts, but also decide on his policy to stop what he's doing.

And I think one of the best way to do that is to look at other cases of humanitarian intervention in the past such as in Bosnia in the 1990s where the international community designated U.N. protected safe havens.

Areas that were liberated by the Syrian people and they were then be protected with air power, and I think that's one way of going at it.

BALDWIN: But -- if I can throw a but in there, we saw what happened over the weekend, both China and Russia vetoing that U.N. resolution. How do you get China and Russia on the same side as the rest?

CAGAPTAY: It's easy to get China on board. To get the Chinese on board, you need to get the Russians on board. How you get them on board is getting them basically what they really want.

What the Russians want here is not so much that they like Assad and they want to stand with them. There's a strategic goal here is the fact that the Russians have been maritime based in a Syrian port city called (inaudible).

And this is their last and remaining base on the Mediterranean in what the Russians call warm waters. This is a historic Russian dream of having access to the Mediterranean around the base because Russia is locked in by frozen seas pretty much the entire year round.

So the Russians see this as a historic lock out if they lose the base in Syria, they'd be locked out of the warm seas in the Mediterranean forever in their thinking.

So the deal has to involved giving this base to the Russians and saying, stop supporting the Assad regime, go with the U.N. resolution and you're going to keep your maritime base after he goes, and I think this is the best way to get the Russians on board.

BALDWIN: OK, it sounds like potentially a viable possibility. Soner Cagaptay, thank you for coming on.

I just want to remind all the viewers who are committed to telling the story in Syria, if you want to read more about your opinions for taking down Assad, you can go to cnn.com/gps.

That is the blog for our colleague, Fareed Zakaria's program and I know Soner you have certainly written about this there. I thank you again.

Voters in three states casting ballots today. The big question is Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich aside, could this be Rick Santorum's day? We've got Dana Bash to tell us, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Here we go. It's Tuesday. That means Republican voters are back at the polls and the caucus rooms today, and the presidential hopeful we're eyeing most closely is Pennsylvania's Rick Santorum.

Let's go to Dana Bash. She's live for us in Missouri and Dana, caucuses today, Colorado, Minnesota, primary there where you are in Missouri so why all the talk about Rick Santorum? DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Because he has been talking himself up effectively and because we don't really have a reliable poll in any of these three states.

But anecdotally it seems as though he is poised to do pretty well in at least two of the contests, Minnesota and here in Missouri, maybe even win those two.

He has not won one in the last five contests since he belatedly won the first caucuses in Iowa. So for him to really show some viability to actually stay in for the long haul, as he says he wants to and is, he's going to have to do really well tonight.

BALDWIN: OK, so you're saying it's a possibility, maybe, for Minnesota and Missouri for him to pull through the win. Should he show a strong showing, who would it hurt worse here?

BASH: Well, you know, if he does very well, it could hurt both Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich because of the fact that for the past maybe two or three weeks, it really has been effectively a two-man race between Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney.

And Rick Santorum has been kind of screaming from the rafters, no, Newt Gingrich is not the real conservative alternative, I am. That's what Rick Santorum has been saying. This would give him an opportunity to actually prove that if he does well tonight because Newt Gingrich is not expected to do well in any of these three contests tonight.

Now for Mitt Romney, of course, he has for the first time won two consecutive contests, in Florida and then in Nevada over the weekend. So he has the wind at his back, he wants to prove he's got momentum, give this air of inevitability off.

But if Rick Santorum does well tonight even wins one then that could hurt him. Now let's just give a reality check here, Brooke. Particularly in this state where I am, Missouri, where he's going to be, you see them setting up the stage behind me, this is a beauty contest.

There are 52 delegates at stake in Missouri, but none will be awarded tonight. This is a primary that is going to effectively be -- a local paper said it would effectively a glorified elected opinion poll.

But for Rick Santorum, who wants to prove that he can do well against Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich is not on the ballot here so it will be effectively a head to head race between Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney. This is the place he wants to at least illustrate it symbolically.

BALDWIN: That public opinion very much matters to him. Dana Bash, we'll see you and the rest of the political all-star team tonight, 7:00 Eastern. Thank you very much.

You know, all the time we hear about horrific acts of child abuse, and you can't quantify the emotional cost of these children, but here's what you can do. You can calculate it.

You can calculate the huge financial cost to cities around the country who have to investigate and prosecute all these cases. We're going to break down the numbers for you in 60 seconds. Be right back.

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BALDWIN: We talk a lot about this show about how we can do better. We all can do better for our children. Not just parents and teachers, but all of us. Millions of kids are abused and neglected and unfortunately, their tragic stories did always make the news.

A newborn baby, for instance, abandoned in Sacramento outside with a bottle of brandy last week. A five-year-old girl beaten to death in Houston. Police say, her mother smashed her head against a toilet.

And then there was the toddler in Kentucky duct taped to a floor mat in a daycare. Just an example of the stories not a lot of people hear about, but they're certainly troubling. They trouble me and I'm sure they trouble you as well.

But did you also know, they cost a lot of money, a 12-digit number, in fact, $124 billion according to this new report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. A $124 billion is the lifetime cost of all these children being victimized or killed by child abuse in one year.

They chose the year 2008 across the United States. So joining me now is the director for CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Linda Degutis. Linda, first, why put a dollar figure on the abuse?

LINDA DEGUTIS, NATIONAL CENTER FOR INJURY PREVENTION AND CONTROL, CDC: Well, we want to know basically what the cost is compared to other diseases and how much it really is affecting our communities in ways other than the -- just the effects that we see on an individual child. We wanted to quantify the cost.

BALDWIN: I know right now there is a bill that's been proposed in Congress, to protect our kids act. It's designed to form a commission to analyze the child abuse problem here in the United States and also, of course, come up with a strategy.

Right now, you point out, CDC points out these three programs that are working, and I just want to focus on that, why they're working. So I want to begin with the Nurse Family Partnership that focuses on new moms. Tell me about that.

DEGUTIS: Well, the Nurse Family Partnership pairs a nurse with a first-time mom from the time before a baby is born until the child is two years old.

And that nurse is then available to that mom to give her guidance, to help her understand what the child's development will be like, to help get her through some of the periods that may be frustrating to her and to help her understand how to cope with that child's development and cope with the difficult times.

BALDWIN: The next program that's working, Early Start. How does that work?

DEGUTIS: Well, Early Start is a program that's specifically focuses on children who have disabilities, and sometimes those children are at high risk for abuse because their care consumes so much more time and energy for the caregiver.

So this helps to teach the caregiver how to deal with those children, how to deal with their own stresses and how to get some relief so that they don't feel like they have to take any of their frustrations out on the child.

BALDWIN: And number 3, we wanted to highlight Triple P. How does that work?

DEGUTIS: Triple P is a Positive Parenting Program. What that does is really engage with the community at large in looking at how parents can really provide positive role models for their children.

Positive actions to help their children grow and really a positive and supportive and nurturing relationship with their children so it involves many people in the community supporting parents and helping parents to develop even better as parents.

BALDWIN: And you know, we can do better, we can all do better, because it's not the parents who often times isn't even aware of the help they need to seek, but it's the neighbor, the cousin, the uncle. I mean, what ultimately is your message? How do you get this message out to people who aren't even parents who can help?

DEGUTIS: Well, I think if somebody recognizes that a parent whether it's a neighbor, whether it's a family member or somebody is doing something or having some difficulty, if they don't feel they can approach them, there are resources that, you know, they can call.

They can contact the Child Abuse Hotline, which I think you're going to share at the end of this segment, and they can contact somebody is ask for help, help somebody learn how to cope and learn how to deal appropriately with their children.

BALDWIN: We need to be aware and to help. Linda Degutis, thank you. You mentioned the phone number. Let's throw it up there. If you think a child in need of help call toll free 1-800-fora-child. We can do better.

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BALDWIN: Sunday's Super Bowl was the most watched TV program ever in the United States. More than 111 million people watched the game and the half time show. But here's what we've all been talking about on my show.

Did you catch this guy, the guy who was performing on what looks like a tightrope thing? It's actually called slackline. He is a professional slackliner. He is Andy Lewis and we found the best of the best of his clip reel on YouTube. If you thought that was crazy on the half time show, you ain't seen nothing yet. He's going to join me live next.

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BALDWIN: Trending right now, the Super Bowl highlight from the half time show and I'm not talking about Madonna (inaudible) MIA, but this guy.

So this guy is Andy Lewis goes by sketchy Andy and for all of the 35 seconds, look at this. He had all of us saying, whoa, how does he do that? He even got a peck on the cheek from Madonna herself.

Sketchy Andy is on the phone from Moab, Utah, and Andy, I have to ask a question off the top that a lot of people are wondering. The first thought when I saw you on Sunday, wow, the second being ouch. Doesn't that hurt?

ANDY LEWIS, PROFESSIONAL SLACKLINER (via telephone): You know, I actually just -- I just made a video response to this that you can see on YouTube right now. It's called Andy Lewis balls of steel. You should check that out.

BALDWIN: I'm going to move on. We don't need to get specific. I'm just asking if you're OK. When we looked at your highlight reel on YouTube, what we saw Sunday is kind of small potatoes. You've been on cliffs and canyons minus a net. Tell me how you got started in this.

LEWIS: Well, you know, you start slow, you start walking the slackline low to the ground and you say, I could probably walk a slackline that's a little bit higher, then you go to ten feet, 50 feet and then 100 feet.

After a while, it doesn't really matter how high you are, it's more of a mental thing than a physical thing. It's more about the mental journey of trusting yourself with death as a risk.

BALDWIN: So in this mental journey as I'm watching this video of you, what are you focused on at the moment? Are you focused on the rock or tree ahead of you? How did you do that at the Super Bowl with the lights?

LEWIS: Yes, the Super Bowl with the lights, I mean, training my focus is just one of those things. Something I had to learn to do. At the half time show, we had to train in the stadium before anyone was even there.

It was fine with all the projection, the lights they designed, but the hardest thing was when we had 70,000 people with cameras flashing, and that was actually the hardest thing to focus through because it was really random and very captivating. It was hard not to look at the flashes.

BALDWIN: A 111 million people. Lots of eyeballs on the screen on Sunday night. Has your phone totally blown up? LEWIS: Well, it's mentally just getting a whole lot of views and a whole lot of people are posting comments and just interacting with it. I definitely wanted this kind of attention for a long time for the sport just to get the sport known and kind of more mainstream.

It's been underground for the last couple of years, and now I definitely think this show has brought this sport really big, and I have Madonna to thank for that. She had the insight to bring me on the show, and we worked closely together and became pretty good friends. Now we're talking about doing a tour together.

BALDWIN: Really. So that could be next for Sketchy Andy, the slackliner and Madonna. We'll be looking out for you, Andy Lewis, crazy but amazing altogether. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.