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Serial Killer's Disturbing Map; No Homicide Probe in Whitney Houston Death; Greeks Protest Latest Austerity Measures; Harvard Grad to International Star; Michelle Obama's Image Evolution

Aired February 13, 2012 - 15:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And with that, we move on to the top of the hour. Welcome back. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

I want to begin with Whitney Houston and her death. Here is what we know right now.

Police in Beverly Hills, they are not conducting a homicide investigation. We heard from a lieutenant just a moment ago. But we do know that the autopsy is complete, but it's just too early to tell what killed her. That's, of course, all pending the toxicology results.

Don Lemon is covering the story for us. He is just outside the L.A. County coroner's office.

Don, bring us up to speed. You and I were listening to the press conference, as of course our viewers were as well, Beverly Hills Police, and also you spoke with the assistant county coroner there in L.A. What do you know as of this moment?

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Well, you heard some of it, Brooke, with me, so stay with me with this and question me if you want.

You heard them say that their investigation at the hotel -- pardon me -- we're right outside the coroner's office so there is an ambulance coming through here -- but you heard that they say the investigation at the hotel was over. Whitney Houston's body has been released, and the coroner told our Vivian Kuo, our producer here just a short time ago that to the best of his knowledge, Whitney Houston's body has been removed from the coroner's office and it will be on a flight soon, on a private flight, as a matter of fact, back to the East Coast, back to New Jersey.

What we also know, Brooke, is what Lieutenant Mark Rosen said in that press conference is that -- he said there were prescription drugs in the hotel room, but to his knowledge, not out of the ordinary. It didn't seem anything that was out of the ordinary of the normal person. That's according to him.

What he did say was that Whitney Houston's body was found in the bathtub by what he believes is a member of her staff, was removed from the tub to try to resuscitate her, and of course, they couldn't, and by the time paramedics, EMTs, fire department all got there, she was unconscious on the floor, 3:55 p.m. pronounced dead. That's the very latest, and Whitney Houston's body going back to New Jersey, as I said, and there will be a funeral service to be held some time this weekend, Brooke.

BALDWIN: A lot though of people have been asking about where is Bobby Brown and also about their daughter, so I just want to play this. He's back with New Edition. He's been touring and so he was actually in Mississippi, went ahead and performed Saturday night, quite emotional.

We have an iReport. Just take a look at what he said that night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOBBY BROWN, MUSICIAN: I want you all to do me a favor. Just say a prayer for daughter. Say a prayer for my mother. And if you can find the time, please say a prayer for me, because I'm going to need it.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: However you want to characterize the marriage of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, obviously he had a tough time, right, getting through that performance on Saturday. We now know he is back in Los Angeles.

I do want to ask you, though, about their daughter, Bobbi Kristina. She went to the hospital. How is she?

LEMON: She did go to the hospital, Brooke.

And it's interesting because right after -- Saturday right when her mom died, reports started coming out about Bobbi Kristina. People were concerned about her because she was with her mom to go to the Grammys and the festivities surrounding the Grammys, the Clive Davis party the night before.

She wasn't in the room when it happened. When she found out about it, she rushed back up to the room to see her mom. Police wouldn't let her in. She became hysterical. They had to take her to the hospital, Brooke. And then she was released from the hospital the next day, became hysterical again. She had to go back to the hospital, was released, because, you know, she's 18 years old, Brooke. Her mom just died.

Imagine that. Imagine being 18 years old and hearing about your mom dying from someone else.

BALDWIN: Can't imagine.

LEMON: I know, and then going up to the room and not being allowed -- so that's what happened, and that's why Bobby Brown -- what you showed was from Mississippi, right, Bobby Brown?

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: That's right, Saturday night. He did not go on to play in Nashville.

LEMON: Right, right. He came here to take Bobbi Kristina back to the East Coast to be with her family. She's all right now.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: She's OK. No surprise we're not hearing from her or Bobby Brown or the mother in Newark.

As you mentioned, her body -- Don Lemon, thank you -- her body being flown privately to Newark for a funeral either Friday or Saturday.

But you know who we are hearing from? Her colleagues, fellow people within the music industry and beyond. We have pulled something from Lionel Richie, one of the people who really knew Whitney Houston the best. And he spoke among other things about his take on how dangerous fame can be. Stick around for that.

But first, how about this story out of California? A serial killer draws a map behind bars that leads police to disturbing discoveries, discoveries that could solve many, many cold cases, but all of this started with drawings the killer sent to this man, bounty hunter Leonard Padilla. There he is. He's going to talk to me about what they have revealed.

LEONARD PADILLA, BOUNTY HUNTER: How you doing?

BALDWIN: Good to see you, sir. That's next.

PADILLA: How's it going?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: For more than 12 years, one California killer had the chance to relive -- excuse me -- relieve some of the anguish for the families of dozens of murder victims.

But Wesley Shermantine, convicted for what came to be known as the Speed Freak serial killings, stay silent about where the bodies were buried, silent I should say until this week.

For four days straight now, investigators have been digging in a mine near Linden. That's part of the northern part of the state. Here's the map. You can see. Shermantine drew them a map. What was his motivation? According to various reports, not guilt, but apparently greed, money, so he could pay off a prison debt that would allow him to buy items at the prison store. So far investigators have uncovered 400 bone fragments and proof that some of the remains belonged to 16-year-old Chevy Wheeler, who vanished back in 1985.

In fact, here is her mother.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAULA WHEELER, MOTHER OF VICTIM: Because I can bring her home. And there will never be real closure, but we will have her, her remains.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Joining me now is bounty hunter Leonard Padilla, who is helping Wesley Shermantine get all that money.

Leonard, just out of the gate, I have got to ask, what's in it for you? Why reach out to a guy on death row?

PADILLA: Well, we started -- myself and my partner, Rob Dick, started in on this in '98, shortly after these folks were arrested, Shermantine and Herzog, and we have been working on it continuously.

The situation was revived some time back here by Scott Smith, a reporter for "The Stockton Record," who started looking into it and actually went and visited Shermantine.

Subsequently, we started butting heads with the Calaveras County Sheriff's Office and the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office because they felt that, hey, the case is a cold case, you guys don't know what you're doing. We said, look, I made an arrangement with Shermantine to pay off his $18,000 restitution and another $15,000, so he can buy headstones for his mom and dad's grave.

And I contacted Jeff Rinek, a retired FBI agent I worked with for about 20 years, and he and Matt Beacher (ph) and Susan Cane, a parole agent, actually went down on the 14th of January and talked face to face with Shermantine, who gave information on three locations.

Subsequently, Steve Moore, the sheriff of San Joaquin County, shut down them bringing the man out here to look for these locations.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Let me jump in because there's so many parts of this story.

PADILLA: Oh, there is, yes.

BALDWIN: Back up, when you talk about bounty, what is the price tag here, and how much ultimately would Shermantine, this convicted serial killer, how much would he get?

PADILLA: I told him I would pay him $33,000 if he gave me two bodies, Chevy Wheeler and Cyndi Vanderheiden, and any bodies after that we would negotiate a figure on them. He's on death row. He's not going anywhere.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: How much do you get?

PADILLA: I don't get anything.

BALDWIN: You don't get anything.

(CROSSTALK)

PADILLA: There's no rewards on these.

Excuse me?

BALDWIN: So why do this?

PADILLA: Because nobody else can do it. The sheriff of San Joaquin County can't do it and Calaveras County Sheriff's Office hasn't been able to do it.

Chevy Wheeler's been up there for 25 years. Her parents now will have her remains while the sheriff of San Joaquin County has been sitting there trying to figure out how to get news media attention for his reelection campaign.

I have been out there with my partner, Rob Dick, Jeff Rinek, Karen (ph) and these other folks busting our butts getting information the hard way. We have had the sheriff's office chase us off a property where they found Chevy Wheeler last week.

BALDWIN: Leonard, how did you even get him? Was it your idea to draw maps with body locations? Was he pretty amenable to that idea?

(CROSSTALK)

PADILLA: Exactly.

What happened is, I finally told him, look, you're not going anywhere. I read him a letter of complete immunity on any other cases found. I said, here's what I need. I need to sit down with you and get some exact locations because we think we know what we're doing.

He finally drew the map for me, but I had already known that eventually the sheriff would look at it. If they started thinking, they would look at it because all mail that comes out of a prison they look at. What we did is we took a cadaver dog based on the information he gave me that night on the telephone, and we went up there and we got good hits at three locations, two in Calaveras County, one in San Joaquin.

Based on that, we knew that we had the information. Subsequently, when they read the letter, they believed it because all of a sudden, here it is. It's Shermantine's handwriting, he's specifically citing locations, he's drawing pictures, he's making a map. So they went right out there after we had been out there, and sure as hell, now we got all the help in the world we have been asking for, for all these months, and they're actually coming up with the bodies.

BALDWIN: I understand. This is my final question for you, and I understand Chevy Wheeler, the mother, she talks about finally getting closure if that really exists when you lose your child.

PADILLA: It doesn't exist, but it's a thought.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: It's a thought.

But my other question would be, if I'm a parent and I'm realizing this man, this convicted killer who took the life of my child, is getting $33,000, and I know you say he's not going anywhere, he's on death row, but the fact he's cashing in on the killings could infuriate someone.

PADILLA: Well, it does.

John Vanderheiden, Cyndi's dad, way back in 2000, when I first offered him $20,000, he was very upset I was paying for information. But I'm telling you, as a bounty hunter, I can tell you this. It's a shortcut for information. Why let these people suffer, why the victims' relatives suffer any longer when I'm the one that is putting up the money? I'm the one that is funding a lot of this. Myself and Rob Dick, it's our time and effort. We are out there day and night. For years and years we have been out there.

Now we're on the cusp of finding these bodies. There's one well. There's going to be another well. We also know where there's a couple other bodies. We are doing what has to be done. Somebody has to do it.

BALDWIN: We will follow it. We will follow it, 10, maybe 20 bodies I read. Leonard Padilla, thank you so much.

PADILLA: There will be a total of 30 before it's over.

BALDWIN: Thirty before it's over, you heard it here.

(CROSSTALK)

PADILLA: Before it's over, there will be 30 bodies, none less.

BALDWIN: Thank you.

PADILLA: You're welcome.

BALDWIN: Next, one activist says troops are going door to door in Syria taking people right out of their own homes, this as the United Nations General Assembly gets ready to vote on a strongly worded resolution. But will it make a difference? We're live at the U.N. next.

Also, big news today involving Apple. The company hits a big number, showing just how dominant it is.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET UPDATE) BALDWIN: I want to stay in New York here, because we continue of course our commitment with the story in Syria and once again what's happening there. There's been some new discussion at the United Nations today.

The Syrian army forces, they resumed shelling today of rebellious neighborhoods in the city of Homs. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh, we talked an hour ago. He told me two more people have died in army attacks in the neighborhood of Baba Amr. As far as how to respond, any kind of consensus has so far eluded the U.N.

CNN's Richard Roth is there.

We know, Richard, the Arab League, they're proposing some sort of U.N. peacekeeping mission for Syria. Is there any momentum behind that?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, it faces an uncertain future here at the U.N., because Russia and China both seem to be leaning on Syria's side, and they are saying before there is any peacekeeping force approved, there has to be the permission of the Syrians, the host country, and there has to be a cease-fire.

That doesn't appear like it's going to happen. This is an interesting idea following up on the failure of the Security Council to approve a resolution on an Arab League peace plan.

Right now, it's unsure future for Syria.

BALDWIN: Right, and a failure because of the vetoes two weeks ago. You had China and Russia vetoing.

The question is, is there any indication they might eventually be brought on board?

ROTH: I would think if only there was further carnage with bloody pictures, perhaps then Russia might be forced to change its tune, but right now inside the General Assembly...

BALDWIN: Further carnage?

ROTH: Yes. And believe it or not, nothing has moved them so far.

Inside the General Assembly right now, Syria is the target of dozens of countries which are denouncing what's going on there, but the Syrian ambassador insists it's terrorist groups, countries on the outside, including those in the Gulf who are fermenting the trouble there, and he opposes what the U.N.'s rights chief just said which was there might have been crimes against humanity committed as far back really as last year, March, and hundreds of babies have been killed.

Another disturbing report presented, but the situation doesn't change here at the U.N., major countries really blocking further action, thinking the U.N. is not supposed to get involved in every country's dilemma. BALDWIN: Well, 6,000, that's the number we have been reporting, according to the U.N., 6,000 deaths since last March.

Richard Roth, thank you so much at the U.N. for us.

Coming up next, police rush out an alert after a teenage girl disappears from a hospital. She had just gotten a kidney transplant and now we're hearing where she went and who took her. Sunny Hostin is "On the Case." She's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: After a week of some pretty riveting testimony, the murder trial of a former University of Virginia lacrosse player is now entering week number two. Friday, testimony included a video of defendant George Huguely being told about the victim's death, and he continues to deny that he did anything that would have killed his ex- girlfriend Yeardley Love.

Sunny Hostin is "On the Case," as always, with us.

Sunny, just set us up. What should we expect to see in court this week there?

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, the judge here has not released the witness list, so we don't know exactly which witnesses, Brooke, will be coming.

But if it's any indication of what we have seen before, I think what is missing so far is really the testimony from the medical examiner, because we heard evidence of motive, Brooke, and we have heard about e-mail exchanges in which George Huguely allegedly said, I should have killed you.

We have heard from some crime scene detectives, and the jury has seen some photographs of the crime scene. And so what really is at issue at this point is the cause of death, and that typically comes in with the medical examiner.

We know that the prosecution in this case says that the cause of death was blunt-head trauma, blunt-force trauma, but the defense says not so. The defense says, Brooke, that this is just an accident and that she may have died from positional asphyxiation, meaning she just laid on her bed and perhaps suffocated on her pillow.

Or they have also floated this theory that there could have been an alcohol or prescription drug overdose. She was taking Adderall for attention deficit disorder, and the defense claims that perhaps that may be the cause of death. So I believe the answer to some of those questions will be found during this week.

BALDWIN: Cause of death, we will be watching the trial there in Charlottesville, West Virginia.

I want to turn our attention to Saint Louis, Missouri, where this 14-year-old girl, she is safe now. She' was abducted by her own father. Just a quick setup, she had just gotten this kidney transplant, had to go back to the hospital for some scheduled medical treatment.

This teenager was placed into the custody of Children and Family Services two years ago because she wasn't getting adequate care from her father, so why would they allow her to go back with him?

HOSTIN: That's the question, and I don't think she was allowed to go back with him.

This went out as an Amber Alert, Brooke. It was initially reported as a parental abduction, so he took her from the hospital. That's what we are hearing.

BALDWIN: Right. Of course.

HOSTIN: We don't know if he is going to be charged with anything, but we do know that he has been in police custody since yesterday, and potential charges, folks are saying, could be kidnapping, could be child endangerment, because as you mentioned, doctors felt that she was not being taken care of appropriately, she was not being given her medication, and she had just received this transplant.

And so we're looking at it closely to find out if her father, indeed, will be charged.

BALDWIN: Of course. She had been abducted, which we knew, from the hospital, so in that period of time when she was taken away, she had never gone back to her father; just -- is that correct?

HOSTIN: That's my understanding at this point, that's right.

BALDWIN: OK. Sunny Hostin, thank you.

Now this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michael was enough just to stop traffic with me. I couldn't believe it. And then you see Whitney, I talked to her, how are you doing, are you OK? And you keep hoping for the best.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Candid revelations from Lionel Richie, one of the people who knew Whitney Houston the best. Hear what he says about fame and the dangers of it.

Plus, new details about the investigation into Houston's death.

We're back in 60 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Back into the investigation into what caused Whitney Houston's death.

Kareen Wynter has a timeline for us now of what we know about her final moments as we await those toxicology results -- Kareen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, Beverly Hills police are providing details into the circumstances of Whitney Houston's death.

There was a news conference held here a short time ago. And the big headline out of that is that investigators, they are waiting for that toxicology report to come in before they can definitively say what Houston's exact cause of death was, whether it was drug-related, perhaps something else.

We also learned from police that it was actually a member of Houston's personal staff who found the singer in a bathtub in her hotel room. We're told that person removed Houston from the bathtub. A short time later, paramedics arrived on the scene. They tried administering CPR, but we're told Houston was unresponsive, unconscious, and given the nature of Houston's history of drug abuse, there was so many questions raised today by reporters as to whether or not that may have played a role.

And all those reports that they were perhaps prescription bottles, drugs of some kind, found in Houston's room, well, investigators would not elaborate on that. They say right now this is an active investigation, a death investigation, not a criminal investigation, and the case that's now in the hands of the coroner's office. Brooke?

BALDWIN: Kareen Wynter, thank you for us there at Beverly Hills Police.

Whitney Houston, she spent most of her life in front of the cameras and since hear death fellow entertainers are revealing some of the challenges that comes with being in the spotlight. Lionel Richie says sometimes your worst enemy is yourself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIONEL RICHIE, MUSICIAN: What would be your identity? If your identity is your voice, and you don't have the voice that you had let's say ten years ago, what an amazing psychological pressure that could be on top of you.

You know, to be excellent every night, to be excellent every time you perform on record, it's just devastating. And then on top of that, let's put, now I have to live, we have to live our lives in the press every day. So on top of just the vocals, it's what are our personal tragedies? What are we going through personally as, I bet your can't top yourself. Can you beat the last performance you had? And then they bring the next thing in. You know, a young singer just came along that could be the next you. Can you imagine how that sounds in your head if you're an artist? And just there used to be a time, you just can't imagine this, there used to be a time when all you had to do was survive your own craft. They didn't know anything about your personal life.

We didn't know about Elvis and the background. We didn't know about all these tragedies that were happening. And all of a sudden, now we have every single day there's a tweet, there's a blog, there's a blurb about some part of your personal life.

Now, from a stand point of an artist, we're a business of psyche. How can we hold ourselves together and still maintain the voice, the psyche of who we are and how do we maintain that? Can you imagine the pressure now of trying to be who you want to be and still with all this swirling around about your personal life, you know, the tragedy of your personal life, and you're trying to overcome that and say walk on stage now and do your best song. It's the hardest thing to overcome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Lionel Richie.

Coming up next, a man waves a chainsaw, chases people on the street, then goes inside a bar. For the first time, we're actually seeing surveillance video of this frightening revenge spree. That is in 90 second.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: If it's interesting and happening right now, you're about to see it. "Rapid Fire," let's go beginning with U.S. and North Korea are getting ready to talk nukes. The State Department confirms representatives from the two countries will meet in Beijing in a couple of weeks. This comes just a couple of months after Kim Jong-Un took over after his father's death.

And the cost of gas around the nation is on the rise again. 12 cents. 12 cents to be exact. That's just in the last three weeks. According to the Limburg survey, the average price of the galloon of regular gas jumping to $3.51. Analysts blame sharp increases in the price European oil for the spike.

And a Pennsylvania judge rules Jerry Sandusky can see eight of his grandkids and leave his home to meet with his lawyers. The former Penn State football coach is under house arrest. He is accused of victimizing ten boys. The three grandchildren Sandusky cannot see? They're part of a custody dispute.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JERRY SANDUSKY, FORMER PENN STATE FOOTBALL COACH: When she comes home from visiting with grandchildren and tells me that one of them said that, the only thing I want for my birthday is to be able to see pop, I'm sensitive to that.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: Also, a development today about Tim Curley, Penn State's now ex athletic director. Curley's attorneys have filed a motion to drop a perjury charge. They say Joe Paterno's death means prosecutors no longer have a required second witness to prove Curley to a grand jury about Sandusky's case.

And lawyer, former reputed gangster James "Whitey" Bulger, they are back in court today. The 82 year-old is accused of murdering 19 people between the years 1973 and 1985. Prosecutors accused Bulger of trying to delay the court process but his attorneys deny that. And they say they are preparing for this trial.

And a man walks into a bar, watch with me, with a chainsaw. This is no joke, folks. Surveillance cameras captured a man wielding a chainsaw at patrons inside an English pub last year. Apparently the man was asked to leave for smoking, and leave he did, but he came back moments later with a chainsaw. Yikes.

Now this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're seeing here in this soup kitchen people who, just a year ago, were ordinary European citizens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Now those citizens are in poverty standing in line at soup kitchens, and they're angry as well. We want to take you to the ground to Athens. Look at these scenes playing out, a city on the edge as thousands of people are on the brink. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: You're about to meet a guy who says America's got a problem. Too many consumers, not enough makers. Here's a look at CNN's "THE NEXT LIST."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DALE DOUGHERTY: One of the things that happens in making is we are gaining some control over the world we live in. This world is awfully complex, and it's hard sometimes to figure out what are the building blocks. You know, how do you get going? How do you get start? You can have impact today. You can do things today and encourage yourself to participate, to build things and make things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Don't forget to watch CNN's brand new show. We're calling it "THE NEXT LIST," featuring some of America's brightest minds. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host. You can watch it on Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Eastern only here on CNN.

"Globe Trekking" now. In Greece, angry words from one protester and police and lawmakers, quote, "We are despairing and they don't care." They try to close 100,000 people, blocks away the parliament, protested this new round of austerity measures. Some of them picked fight with police, riot police then responded with tear gas.

Inside parliament, some lawmakers agonized over the vote, but the measure ultimately passed in order to get more Eurozone bailouts. And "Time" reporter Joanna Kakissis has been following the flare-up. She joins me on the phone from Athens.

And, Joanna, first, if you can, just set the scene for me. You see these images of the fire and the gas. These are young people. And grandparents all out there and they are angry, and they are angry because why?

JOANNA KAKISSIS, REPORTER, TIME MAGAZINE: They're angry because their living standards have dropped so much in the last two years. I mean, two years ago, people were getting by OK. They weren't perfect but they were getting by. And since the austerity has been taken, and in fact, 20 percent unemployment, at least, some figures show 21, and half of homeowners are saying that they can't pay their mortgages, salaries are being cut left and right, hospitals are having operating problems because they don't have money, so people have seen scenes of mass poverty all around, and they're very, very angry.

BALDWIN: I want to quote something. I, of course, read your piece in time, and you talked to this 40-something bank worker in Athens. And as she was sitting there wiping tear gas from her eyes, she says this, quote, "I don't know what the solution is anymore, whether we should stick to the Euro, return to the Drachma, because both roads seem to lead to poverty. All I know is what they're doing to us is terrorism."

That's a strong word. Is that how --

KAKISSIS: It is a strong word, you're right. It is a strong word. But I do feel -- I think some people really feel like they're backed into a corner economically right now because they have two choices, and both of the choices they face here are very bad.

They see a road that leads down the road to austerity but to the Euro, and then they see the drachma, which is a whole other sort of chaos involved. Because there would be problems because they have to convert currency. And there will be increase in prices. You know, supermarkets are being empty. Nobody would be able to buy gas, and so these are two horrible choices. Imagine if you're face with that and you feel like you're being terrorized by the very people who are governing you.

BALDWIN: And then we saw the images, let's pull the images up of the people just in the soup lines. And these are, I guess we should say, once members of the middle class. And from what I understand, some of them are even afraid to show their faces. They're just so embarrassed that they're standing in these lines asking for something as simple as soup.

KAKISSIS: Yes. It's embarrassing. I think all of us would feel bad if we lost our place in the middle class after working for it. BALDWIN: Nearly two dozen Greek lawmakers didn't support the plan. Is there any other solution at all on the horizon here?

KAKISSIS: I think no. Right now Greece has really no other option at this point. This is it. Otherwise they don't have money and they're going to go into disorderly default next month, and that's the last thing that Greece needs right now.

I think the thing that people are really concerned for right now is a sense of uncertainty because, you know, elections may be coming up in April, it's not even a set date yet, and we just don't know who the next government is going to be right now. This is a caretaker government. And it's an interim prime minister. And by look, (INAUDIBLE), a former central banker, and he is supposed to help get this bailout taken care of, plus the debt slot deal that's supposed to significantly reduce Greeks' debt. Beyond that, they just don't know what's going to happen. And the polls show, they're all over the place and no party seems to be getting a sure majority.

BALDWIN: So flipside of the coin, won't this still mean big losses for people in institutions that invested in Greece's bond? I mean, can they be convinced to take a big cut here?

KAKISSIS: Can you -- I'm sorry, could you repeat the question? I didn't hear you.

BALDWIN: The question is essentially what about the people, you know, who have invested in Greece, you know, big losses for people, institutions, you know, government bonds.

KAKISSIS: Yes. Right now Greece is not a great investment opportunity, that's true. But right now the country is also in crisis mode and so many things are going wrong. But it's like trying to put out multiple fires at the same time.

BALDWIN: So multiple fires, Joanna, in Greece. Help to speak to just the viewer here in the United States who is dealing with putting, you know, a roof over their own heads and putting dinner in front of their own children, why should the average American care?

KAKISSIS: Because I think that everybody could be in this situation. Imagine if you had a house and you had a life, you have a job, you're taking care of your kids, you know, you're having a normal life. Once in a while you maybe had some money to go on a vacation.

People here, there are a lot of people here who were not and they weren't rich, they weren't poor, but they got by just fine. I mean, I think it's a situation that anybody can identify with. When you lose something like your house or, you know, your pride, it's a very hard thing for somebody to go through. Especially when you're a parent and you have children and you have to face them and tell them sorry, the country is going to be dysfunctional for the next ten years and you're not going to have a future. It's an incredibly psychologically damaging thing to go through.

BALDWIN: And they and their children just wait for soup in line and wait for that time to pass. Joanna Kakissis, "Time" magazine anchorage. Anyone and everyone to read her article.

Joanna, thank you so much for calling in from Athens.

All right. Even if you aren't a sports fan, you could probably now heard of Jeremy Lin. He's a Harvard grad who just a couple weeks ago was sleeping on his brother's sofa without a guaranteed contract. And now he is an international superstar. You got to how much excitement he is now stirring up. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: He's only 6'3" only because we're talking professional basketball here. Jeremy Lin is really a standout on the NBA even before he set foot on a pro-ball court. Lin is the only Asian- American with a Harvard degree playing on the league. And now all eyes are on him not just for his pedigree, but also for his playing. CNN's Richard Roth reports on the Lin Sanity.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jeremy Lin is now a real life urban legend. From the last man on the New York Knicks' bench to overnight star.

PABLO TORRE, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: What we're seeing in New York is something that I have never seen and we haven't seen for generations, really.

ROTH: It was Saturday night Lin fever in frigid Minneapolis as Lin helped the traveling Knicks to their fifth straight win. Ratings for the Knicks' television on MSG Network have soared.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My friends have suddenly become very interested in basketball, suddenly.

ROTH: While on these sports bars seemed a little extra crowded. Why are you here tonight?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Obviously to check out the Lin sanity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lin sanity.

ROTH: The first Chinese American NBA player, Lin is drawing in newcomers to the sport.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My fiancee, perfect example. She will be annihilated tonight. She saw a couple plays last night and she said, he's amazing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I watched my first NBA game in years just yesterday. I think this is going to revitalize the entire, not only the Knicks but the entire league.

ROTH: The whole country seems to be still buzzing about Friday night when Lin scored 38 points and drove the Knicks to a victory over the storied Los Angeles Lakers. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's amazing. How could you not be excited? I mean, look at the Knicks. Have you followed them for the last ten years, right? And this guy shows up and he knows how to play the game. You got to be excited.

ROTH: After the loss, Laker's superstar Kobe Bryant conceded Lin's work ethic is a good example for young kids.

(on camera): Who is your favorite player?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jeremy Lin.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jeremy Lin.

ROTH: What do you like about him?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That he's a beast.

ROTH (voice-over): That means very tough for you non-sports fan who were just catching up on Lin's exploits which have occurred in just one week.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And let's hope he continues. But, you know, we can't put him in the Hall of Fame yet. Lin's numbers dropped in the second half Saturday and he was glad the team would be off for two days.

JEREMY LIN, NBA PLAYER: I don't know, I just feel like I'm still living a dream or still I feel like I'm in a dream right now.

ROTH: He's not the only one now dreaming.

(on camera): What do you like best about Lin?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tall and dreamy.

ROTH (voice-over): Richard Roth, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: And as we mentioned, he was crashing on his brother's sofa not too long ago. Amazing.

Have you noticed lately, the first lady has been chatting it up on late night, on Nickelodeon, showing up the lighter side? Is this still part of the bigger strategy? CNN takes an inside look at Michelle Obama's evolution, next.

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BALDWIN: President Obama release this $3.8 trillion federal budget today.

Here are the highlights, raise taxes on those making more than 250,000 bucks a year. Limit deductions for the wealthy. Make an expanded college tax credit permanent and households making million dollars or more pay at least 30 percent of their income in taxes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We don't need tax breaks, you need them. You're the one who see your wages stall. You're the one who has cost everything from college to groceries has gone up. You're the ones who deserve a break.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So we ran through the highlights. If you want a more thorough breakdown of the budget, we can do that for you. Just go to CNNMoney.com.

It's not every day the first lady answers your questions, but she did for a few very lucky CNN iReporters. Michelle Obama filled a wide range of questions from people all over the world, even letting us know what the president likes to snack on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAWN FAZLI: Mrs. Obama, my favorite healthy snack is goldfish. What is President Obama's favorite snack?

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: The president, one of his favorite snacks is guacamole and nacho chips. He has a weakness for those. If he's watching a game, he can eat a whole bowl of guacamole and nachos. So that's I think one of his favorite snacks. But thanks for asking and keep eating your vegetables.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Guacamole, now you know, little man. If you want to hear more from the first lady, go to CNN.com/opinion. And you can read Michelle Obama's op-ed on her fight to end childhood abuse in the United States.

And, yes, we know the first lady is certainly an advocate for fitness and a style icon, and an image of class and elegance. And as CNN's Dan Lothian reports, it's been quite an evolution for Michelle Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): First Lady Michelle Obama sells. Her name, face, and behind-the-scenes influence fill the pages of books and the covers of magazines.

GARRETT GRAFF, EDITOR, "WASHINGTONIAN MAGAZINE": The administration is doing everything they can to keep her out there in the public eye and keep reminding Americans why they liked this family in the first place.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hey, guys.

LOTHIAN: But even Mrs. Obama admits the image isn't always positive, as she recently pointed out on CBS.

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: There will always be people who won't like me. That's been an image that people have tried to paint of me since, you know, the day Barack announced, that I'm some angry black woman.

LOTHIAN: Former presidential adviser Paul Begala says first ladies are always rich targets.

PAUL BEGALA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: No matter what any first lady does, they're going to attack her. Some liberals attacked Nancy Reagan unfairly. A whole lot of conservatives attacked Hillary Clinton when I was working for her husband in the White House.

LOTHIAN: Not long after then Senator Obama announced his candidacy for president, Mrs. Obama beamed with pride, then paid the price for comments that caused some to question her patriotism.

M. OBAMA: For the first time in my adult lifetime, I'm really proud of my country.

LOTHIAN: She endured an unflattering portrayal on the cover of "The New Yorker," sporting an afro, machine gun, and military combat boots like 1960s activist Angela Davis. Since then, the first lady has carved out a public role for herself as a strong advocate for military families and promoter of a healthy lifestyle. She does jumping jacks and pushups, pressures big-time entertainers to eat their veggies.

M. OBAMA: It's a veggie pizza.

JAY LENO, "THE TONIGHT SHOW." A veggie pizza.

M. OBAMA: And I -- you know, this is a good way for people of your ilk who don't like vegetables.

LENO: Ilk?

M. OBAMA: To incorporate them. See? Ooh. Yeah. Mm.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Then our fish said, look, look --

LOTHIAN: Beyond promoting her initiatives, Mrs. Obama has use the public spotlights to pull the curtain back on her softer side. Whether it's talking about her role as mom or trying her hand at acting, like this cameo appearance on the hit Nickelodeon comedy "iCarly."

NATHAN KRESS, ACTOR, "ICARLY": You don't call her your excellency.

M. OBAMA: No, no, I kind of like it.

GRAFF: The first lady sort of holds a unique role in the American society that we don't expect them to have the gravitas of the president. And so you can have a little bit more fun. You can be in photo opportunities and doing things that the president can't do because of the gravity of his office.

M. OBAMA: The president of the United States, Barack Obama.

LOTHIAN: But the first lady is also seen as an asset to the president's re-election campaign.

BEGALA: Political hacks like me would like to use her all the time. She's real. She's authentic.

LOTHIAN: Mrs. Obama's road trips often take her to key battleground states, where her message reinforces the president's policies, and her presence raises cash for his campaign.

M. OBAMA: Do you have his back? Are you fired up? Are you ready to go?

LOTHIAN: Mrs. Obama, balancing her role as wife, mother, and first lady, while challenging a negative image that she insists is off the mark.

Dan Lothian, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Dan Lothian, thank you. And thank you so much for watching. I'm Brooke Baldwin in Atlanta. Now Jessica Yellin in for Wolf today. "THE SITUATION ROOM" starts right now.

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Brooke.