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Arizona and Michigan Voting Today; 9/11 Remains Ended Up In Landfill; Ohio School Shooting; Romney's Electability Challenge; Primary in Arizona; Inside Japan's Crippled Nuke Plant; Semi-Automatic .22 Used In Shooting; Source: Accused Gunman Stole Gun; 29 Delegates At Stake In Arizona; Breaking Down The Price Of Gas
Aired February 28, 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: Hello to all of you. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Got a lot happening in the course of the next two hours, including live during the next hour, the teenager accused of a deadly school shooting in Ohio will be making his very first court appearance. In fact, we will have a camera inside.
I'm talking about T.J. Lane. Witnesses say he is the young man who shot those five students in the Chardon High School cafeteria just yesterday morning just before 8:00 a.m. CNN has also learned that a third victim has now died. And this community, as the sheriff described this morning, this tight-knit community, they're in absolute disbelief.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN MCCLELLAN, GEAUGA COUNTY SHERIFF: Chardon, Geauga County, Northeast Ohio, is rallying like nothing we've ever seen before. The outpouring of concern, hope, encouragement has been unbelievable. People calling just saying, thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Obviously the big question is why. Law enforcement have yet to release any kind of motive, nor the charges the suspect may fact. But we will take you, as I mentioned, live outside the court in just a couple of minutes. We'll take you live inside next hour.
Also, just in to us here. Breaking news at CNN. The Pentagon just had a news conference explaining how some of the remains of some of the 9/11 victims ended up in a landfill. CNN's Chris Lawrence working this story for us at the Pentagon.
Chris, a landfill? What do you know?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brooke, this was a revelation today in both a report that the Pentagon released and in a presser that they just had. They brought out the fact, or admitted the fact that hundreds, perhaps hundreds of remains, unidentified remains of 9/11 victims from both here at the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, had been incinerated and then dumped in the landfill.
Now, apparently these remains were too small to be analyzed properly, perhaps too charred from those attacks. But again, this follows the Pentagon's admission that, you know, up to 275 remains from service members, over a period of five years, were cremated and also dumped into a landfill. So a rather startling admission that some remains from 9/11 victims were cremated and then placed in a landfill.
BALDWIN: I imagine, Chris, that this is news to the families. So I'm sure you have yet to speak with any families. But is there anything a family member of a lost loved one from 9/11, anything they can do about that?
LAWRENCE: Well, certainly the families are going to be extremely upset by this revelation. Again, some of these remains were so small or so charred they could not be properly identified or linked to, you know, the known remains of a victim from those attacks. But again, you know, if you just look at the reaction from some of the families and some of the service member's families when they reacted to the news that, you know, perhaps hundreds of service members' remains were being cremated and then dumped in this landfill from 2003 to 2008, you can imagine the sensitivity to which the 9/11 victims' families would also react to this news.
BALDWIN: Chris Lawrence for us at the Pentagon. Chris, thank you.
And here is what else is unfolding right now.
First up here, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifying on Capitol Hill on the unfolding situation in Syria. And one Republican senator asked her quite bluntly, is Syrian President Bashar al-Assad a war criminal?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: I think that based on definitions of war criminals and crimes against humanity, there would be an argument to be made that he would fit into that category.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Meantime, the violence gets even worse inside Syria. The government accused of killing 60 more people today, including women and children.
And the voters in Michigan, they are set to deliver a crucial verdict in the Republican primary race. The on again-off again Republican front-runner Mitt Romney will have a heck of a time claiming he's his party's most electable candidate if he can't win today in his own home state. He is running neck and neck with Rick Santorum there.
And as voters in Michigan head to the polls, President Obama defending the Detroit auto bailout before a crowd of union auto workers in Washington, D.C. He calls the bailout a victory and explains why he believed it would succeed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It wasn't because of anything the government did, it wasn't just because of anything management did, it was because I believed in you and I placed my bet on the American worker. And I'll make that bet any day of the week!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The Obama campaign putting a lot of focus on Michigan, especially since the auto industry supports 22 percent of the state's work force.
And we are just getting started. A lot more for you in the next two hours. Watch this.
Just 48 hours ago, the red flags, the warning signs were there. And this afternoon, a teenager is expected in court, accused of killing his own peers. We'll take you there live. I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm running against a guy in this state who's an economic lightweight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Today's the day. Voters in two states have their say. Find out why Rick Santorum may be getting a boost from Democrats.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is our first look on the ground at the rectors.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Plus, for the very first time, CNN gets a look inside the Japanese plant at the center of that nuclear disaster.
And Gordon Gekko declared greed is good. Well, the feds have now recruited the guy who played him to right corruption on Wall Street.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL DOUGLAS, ACTOR: If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right. In just about a little over an hour from now, Ohio school shooting suspect T.J. Lane is scheduled to make his very first appearance in court. As of right now, we now know three students have died, two others are still in the hospital. And CNN has just learned some new information about this investigation. I want to go straight to Ted Rowlands.
Ted, bring me up to speed. What are you learning?
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, we're getting this from CNN's Susan Candiotti, from a law enforcement source. And it's some details about the weapon that was used yesterday in the shooting here.
Basically what this law enforcement source is saying is the weapon was a semi automatic handgun. At least a .22 caliber semi automatic handgun. At least six shots were fired from this handgun inside this school, according to this source. This handgun typically uses a magazine that holds about six to 10 rounds. The weapon was recovered inside the school, not outside the school, so it was dropped by the shooter inside the school, and that is where it was picked up by law enforcement and, of course, handed over to the ATF.
We also understand through this source, who is knowledgeable in the investigation, that the gun was legally purchased in the last few years in the general area here in eastern Ohio. It's not clear how the teenager got the gun, according to this source. They will not identify who the person was that bought it at this point.
Search warrants, of course, were executed at several spots around the school, including the grandparents of the suspected gunman. And there they did find additional weapons. However, according to this source, those weapons had no bearing on this shooting.
So some new information which gives you an idea about the weapon used, Brooke, in the commission of this crime. And one of the big questions was, how did this teenager get this gun. And it seems as though he got it, apparently, from the source, somehow from an acquaintance. But the gun was legally purchased a few years ago. And it was a semi automatic handgun.
We're outside the spot where we will see T.J. Lane, the 17-year-old who is facing charges in this case, will make his initial court appearance in about an hour and a half. The proceedings will be carried live. And we'll have them for you. The judges has just allowed CNN to be the pool camera. So we have a camera up there and we will bring those proceedings to all of the viewers live.
BALDWIN: Ted, I want you to stand by because I want to just play a little bit more sound, as we're getting more information, including the information you just provided us about this gun that the shooter, in fact, dropped in the school, that was later recovered. The other big question, where did the shooter get the gun from?
Witnesses do say that this teenager, T.J. Lane, he shot those five people in that cafeteria just before 8:00 yesterday morning in the Chardon High School. Here are the students. They including Daniel Parmentor, Russell King Jr., and Demetrius Hewlin. Those were the three who were killed. Two others were wounded. And just a short time ago, a very emotional school superintendent made a plea to the entire community.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hug your kids. Kids, hug your parents. You news media, when you get the chance to get home, do the same. We're not just any old place, Chardon. This is every place. As you've seen in the past, this can happen anywhere. Proof of what we had yesterday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Also, we now have audio recordings from the local dispatch center detailing what was happening in those harrowing minutes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chardon we have three students down in the cafeteria at this time and we still don't know where the shooter is. Also there's a fourth one down in room 200.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Ted Rowlands, let me bring you back in. You mentioned you're outside that courthouse. This is an appearance. He is 17 years of age. Correct me if I'm wrong, this young man, no formal charges as of yet. Do we know specifically what the purpose of this court appearance is?
ROWLANDS: Well, it's an initial court appearance and basically a custody hearing is what they're calling it. And this is where the defendant, typically in this case when you have a juvenile, they'll have the first interaction between the attorneys and the defendant with the judge.
And it is expected that during this hearing, the prosecution will indicate to the judge that they would like to move forward and ask that this be moved to adult court. So whether or not a decision will be made from the bench, if this judge will rule now or rule later on that on that, but we do expect that the prosecution will, in the next hour and a half, ask that this young man, 17-year-old T.J. Lane, be treated not as a juvenile but as an adult.
BALDWIN: Ted, I spoke yesterday with a student who was just about 10 feet away from the shooter in the cafeteria. And he described the young man -- he described the moment he pulled this gun out and how, in his words, said that this, you know, accused shooter appeared to target this table, as he described to me, of these four upperclassmen just sitting there when he opened fire. Does that corroborate with what you've been hearing as far as what happened?
ROWLANDS: Yes, it absolutely does, Brooke. In fact, some of the most detailed information we've gotten is from somebody who saw the surveillance tape. And there is surveillance tape. I talked to the police chief and the sheriff. They both told me, yes, we have surveillance tape of the entire incident that took place inside this school.
And someone who has seen that from law enforcement has talked to "The Cleveland Plain Dealer," and this individual's account of what he saw on the tape marries exactly what you're talking about the individual told you. and that is that the suspect came in, sat in the cafeteria at his own table, pulled out a gun from a backpack and then made a beeline directly to this table where these four gentlemen were sitting and shot them basically at point blank range and then left the cafeteria. Now, we know that three of those four are now dead.
BALDWIN: Ted, we're going to put this diagram up. This is from "The Cleveland Plain Dealer." They've done an excellent job reporting on this story. And this basically shows essentially where the gunman entered and those four inside this cafeteria. This was right around 7:30 in the morning. This was study hall.
You know, according to the eyewitness I talked to yesterday, he mentioned the study hall teacher, a football coach by the name of Frank Hall, and that was the teacher who essentially ended up chasing this young man outside. The big question -- I just want to end with this, and I know you don't have an answer yet, is the why. You know, a motive. There's a news conference at 4:30? Is that correct? Should that shed a little bit more light on that answer?
ROWLANDS: Yes. Well, we are going to hear from the prosecutor for the first time at 4:30, so there could be some indication. What we also don't know is whether or not he's cooperating with law enforcement. How much do they know about what was going through this young man's head? Hopefully we'll get some more answers. It's something the community here, obviously, has been asking, why. Why would this young man do this?
BALDWIN: Yes. Ted Rowlands, thank you so much there. We'll check back in with you next hour, as we mentioned, as we're going to see this young man inside that court. CNN does indeed have a camera inside. We'll take that live.
Meantime, the family of the shooting suspect, T.J. Lane, has also expressed their condolences to the families of these victims. CNN affiliate WKYC spoke with the family's attorney.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB FARINACCI, LANE FAMILY ATTORNEY: This is something that could never have been predicted. T.J.'s family asks for some privacy while they try to understand how such a tragedy could have occurred and while they mourn this terrible loss for their community.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any idea why this happened?
FARINACCI: He's -- let me say this. He's a very confused young man right now. He's very confused. He's very upset. He is very distraught himself. This is a very scary circumstance and I don't think he could have possibly even foreseen himself in the middle of.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How is his state of mind when you spoke to him? What is he like now?
FARINACCI: Very upset. Very scared and extremely remorseful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Three young people have died, two are still in the hospital. Much more on that story in the next couple of minutes. I do want to move along as today is primary day, in two different states, the race for the White House. Fifty-nine delegates in total up for grabs. We're going to go live to both Michigan and Arizona, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right, a big story here. And I know this might have snuck up on a lot of you folks, how else to say it, but this way. Republican Mitt Romney could be in very serious trouble should he fail to beat Rick Santorum today in Romney's home state -- home state of Michigan. Here he is, Mitt Romney, today, fighting for every last vote. His polls were pointing toward a Michigan primary just too close to call. Here he is, Mitt Romney.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not willing to light my hair on fire to try and get support. I am who I am. I'm a person with extensive experience in the private sector, in the economy. I understand job creation from a personal standpoint and from a theoretical standpoint. I want to use those skills to help the country. And if I get selected, great. And if I don't, I can live with that, too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: We should mention, and I know you know this, there's also a primary today in Arizona. We're going to get to that. But because the stakes are really just so high in Michigan, I want to begin our coverage there with CNN's Dana Bash.
So, Dana Bash, should Romney actually lose to Santorum in his own home state, could he continue to claim, as he has thus far, that he is the most electable Republican? Can he still claim that?
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It would be very, very hard to say that with a straight face or even to say it without a straight face. You cannot underscore how important today's primary here in the state of Michigan is for Mitt Romney.
And just look at the latest poll. I believe we have a graphic to show. There just -- it was one point different -- difference between Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. It's a statistical dead heat. And it is definitely -- you mentioned earlier, it may have snuck up on people.
It certainly didn't sneak up on the Romney campaign. They have been fighting incredibly hard as they have seen his numbers sink here. It was a sure thing not too long ago. Not anymore. And Rick Santorum is really giving him the fight for his life.
And, you know what, Brooke, I have to say, even if Mitt Romney ekes it out just by a little bit, it still will probably wound him in ways that they never imagined in -- at Romney headquarters in Boston.
BALDWIN: It's not the political momentum he would like, even if it's just by a little bit. And, Dana Bash, I read your piece on the political ticker. You were talking about mischief today. Michigan and the open primary. So you have Democrats, they're going out of their way to make things a little tough on Romney and Santorum's kind of egging them on.
BASH: Santorum is egging them on in something that we -- really, sort of, it's unheard of in that Rick Santorum has done what's called a robocall, calling Democratic voters -- that's right, Democratic voters in this state saying, please come vote for me. What is the reason? It is because this is an open primary. You see people voting here behind me. Anybody can vote. It doesn't matter your party of registration. You just have to come here and say, I want to vote in the Republican primary. And Democrats across the state, strategists and specifically a radio talk show host who I spoke to earlier, they have been encouraging Democrats to get out and make mischief. Get out and vote for Rick Santorum in order to hurt Mitt Romney. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY TRUPIANO, DEMOCRATIC RADIO HOST: Why wouldn't I make a little political mischief? Rick Santorum is doing as well as he is doing here in the polls. We could actually take some serious delegates away from him. What that does, it doesn't -- all it does is --
BASH: Take some serious delegates away from Mitt Romney.
TRUPIANO: Mitt Romney, right. And what that really does is it gives America a little bit more time to get to know these candidates. And don't for a minute tell me that we haven't learned more about all of them in the last six weeks than we knew six weeks ago. What more can we learn about them six weeks from now?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, that particular liberal radio host says that he doesn't think he's actually going to be able to stop Mitt Romney from ultimately getting the Republican nomination, but they want to wound him. And other Democratic strategists who I've spoken to, they say that they are trying very hard.
In fact, one in particular, Brooke, says that he did his own robocall and sent out more than 100,000 e-mails. And he's gotten 14,000 commitments, he says, from Democratic voters that they are going to come out and they're going to vote today for Rick Santorum. We ran into a couple of them at polling stations not too far from here.
BALDWIN: It's just such a different story than what we've been hearing in previous primaries, the fact that now, you know, the Democrats are doing this and Santorum here. We'll see if the mischief, I guess, translates into more votes for Santorum or not. We'll be seeing you tonight, Dana Bash. We'll be watching. Thank you so much.
As we mentioned, we're going to talk Arizona here as well. This is a winner take all state. This is 29 delegates. They're up for grabs in today's Arizona primary. Suzanne Malveaux live for us in Phoenix.
And, Suzanne, in terms of the enthusiasm level among the Arizona Republicans, how enthusiastic are they?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually, it's been six and a half hours since these voting centers have been open, Brooke. I have to tell you, it is not as high as you -- as they would hope or expect for a number of reasons. Of course, that is because, first of all, after the CNN GOP debate just about a week ago, they all hightailed it out of here, went to places like Michigan, other states where a lot more competitive.
The second reason, however, is the fact that Romney is in the lead. They expect that Romney will do well for a number of reasons. He's got the endorsement of the governor, Jan Brewer, as well as Arizona Senator John McCain.
The one person, however, Brooke, that he does not have the endorsement of that he did back in 2008, that is Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County. He is a very controversial figure. He is a very powerful figure. He -- we caught up with him at an art fair over the weekend. He's the guy, and you might see these pictures here signing the pink underwear -- he became famous for putting pink underwear and pink handcuffs on inmates to get tough on crime. Took out porn, caffeine, coffee, even salt and pepper in their diets, Brooke, to save taxpayers $20,000. Well, that's the guy, the get tough guy sheriff here, that most of these Republican candidates have come to, to get his endorsement and to get the kiss of the ring.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO, MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZONA: Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain --
MALVEAUX: Yes.
ARPAIO: And, of course, Perry, I campaigned for him in Iowa.
MALVEAUX: Right.
ARPAIO: Which I see a lot of Iowa people walking (ph) by. And Romney called me briefly.
MALVEAUX: Everybody's come to you. They need your support. They want your support. Are you going to give it before the Tuesday primary?
ARPAIO: No.
MALVEAUX: No?
ARPAIO: No.
MALVEAUX: Not even a hint?
ARPAIO: Nope.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: All right, Brooke, you can see he's kind of enjoying the attention there. Playing it a little bit coy. Originally he did endorse Rick Perry. He said he's the only guy out of all of them who's really doing something about getting tough on illegal immigration. Well, since, Rick Perry has dropped out. He has not really indicated which way he's going to go.
But it could backfire on the candidate who does get his endorsement because the Justice Department says -- they accuse him of being the most egregious when it comes to racially profiling Latinos. We talked to a lot of Hispanic voters here too who say, look, we've been stopped, we've been arrested, we've been searched for no due cause. And so there definitely is a very controversial aspect to this, if you will, getting the sheriff's endorsement.
Brooke.
BALDWIN: Yes, and I think because of also some of those issues, Democrats are hoping for an opening come November. I know traditionally a reliably red state. We'll see if it stays that way.
Suzanne Malveaux for us. Thank you so much, Suzanne, in Phoenix.
We are one of only two news organizations allowed inside the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. How could we forget this story. We go back to the most dangerous nuclear disaster in decades, after this quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Almost a year now after Japan's catastrophic tsunami, we are finally getting a look inside the crippled Fukushima power plant. Kyung Lah was granted access.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A year after these reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant exploded in a triple nuclear meltdown. Reporters were reminded this is still one of the most hazardous places on the planet.
We wore head to toe protective gear, full facial respirators and hazmat suits, and then we drove up to the world's worst nuclear accident in 25 years.
(on camera): This is the first look on the ground at the reactors. This is the heart of the nuclear problem in Japan. What you are seeing over my shoulder are the reactors. There are four of them.
The two that you see over my right shoulder, those are two of the reactors that exploded in the early days of this disaster. When you take a look at these reactors, you can see that they have a long way to go.
This is a year after this disaster, and you can see that the force of the explosion crippled those buildings. You can understand how so much radiation spews from this point when you're standing here. (voice-over): An army of 3,000 workers are now here daily in shifts, controlling the melted nuclear fuel and contain the further spread of the radiation. Inside the anti-crisis management building of the plant, a control center monitors their progress and safety 24 hours a day.
The highest risk we still see is if something goes wrong with the reactor, says plant manager Takeshi Takahashi. The plant is in cold shutdown, but the nuclear fuel needs constant cooling and the situation is far from over.
Tepco says the plant won't be decommissioned for at least 30 to 40 years. The challenges evident as we drive around the Fukushima plant. Debris still mingle from the tsunamis that's untouched because of radiation concerns.
These blue tanks and these larger gray ones hold water contaminated with radiation. Tepco is continually challenges finding more space for the water. Work conditions and safety while improve since the early days of the disaster remain a constant concern. Saori Kanesaki used to give tours to the public at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Before the accident, I explained to many people that the nuclear power plant is safe, she says. Now that this has happened, I feel very sorry I ever said that.
She also lived here, in Tomayoka. She's now an evacuee, uncertain when or if she can ever return home. A year later, she and 78,000 others are a legacy of this accident, paying the price when nuclear energy goes wrong. Kyung Lah, CNN, at the Fukushima Nuclear Plant.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Kyung, thank you.
Three kids now dead from that Ohio school shooting, two other kids wounded, one community devastated. Coming up next, we're going to speak to a radio deejay who was on air for seven hours straight hearing from a community struggling to understand why. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: I want to take you back to the story out of Chardon, Ohio. Just in, the alleged school shooter, he is TJ Lane. He has apparently told authorities he stole the gun that he used yesterday morning in that high school cafeteria, stole the gun from his uncle.
This is what a source tells our own correspondent, CNN's Susan Candiotti, stole this gun from his uncle. Remember as Ted Rowlands was reporting that gun was later found inside the school. He allegedly had dropped the gun and that's when he ran and they eventually caught up with him.
Three students have died now. Two others are still in the hospital injured. Police there describe Chardon as this small, quiet town.
Mike Trivisonno has been a radio deejay near Cleveland for about 20 years. I heard the sheriff talk today about Chardon as a tight-knit community. He went to school there, met his wife there. How are people handling this?
MIKE TRIVISONNO, RADIO HOST (via telephone): Well, you described it exactly to a tee. It's about 30, 35 miles outside of Cleveland, and it's a small, quiet, country town removed from Cleveland about 30 miles.
But yesterday we were on for seven hours, and I remember talking earlier today to your producer and she asked me, how were the phone calls? I said, people were sad, they were mad, they were blaming schools.
They were blaming the teachers, they were blaming the kid, they were blaming guns, they were blaming lack of discipline -- I think people, Brooke, were just searching for answers and looking somehow, some way to sort of feel good even though it's a horrific story, if you get my drift there, you know.
BALDWIN: Right. And we have a camera inside this courthouse, this juvenile courthouse where he's going to make an appearance in just about an hour from now. They're going to hold a news conference.
I understand the prosecutor is going to come out and speak. Maybe that will shut out the why from all your callers. In all these calls you got for seven hours on the air yesterday, did anyone actually know TJ Lane, this suspected gunman?
TRIVISONNO: We have a texting program that comes right into the studio even though we're on radio. And we had all the information through texting prior to it breaking, and we weren't able to go with it because, you know, Brooke, you get the same type of sources.
We didn't know what was true and what wasn't true, but with today's technology and today's social media, we actually were finding out what happened and who it happened to and who did it before the authorities even released names because of texting and Twitter and social media.
BALDWIN: So tell me a little bit more as far as what you know, what exactly happened? It sounds like -- I talked to an eyewitness ten feet away from this young man in the cafeteria. It sounded like to him that he very much targeted these four upperclassmen.
TRIVISONNO: Well, the funny part about it is he doesn't even go to Chardon High School, he goes to a school called Lake Academy, but he goes to Chardon High School to catch the bus to go to Lake Academy.
The victims were sitting in the cafeteria, and he walked up behind them, and basically execution style shot him. A teacher there started to chase him down the hall.
He fired shots at the teacher, and the teacher kept going after him, and he ran out of the school and about 45 minutes later surrendered to a couple of people. So it's one of the more bizarre stories that I've covered in my 25 years of radio.
BALDWIN: Bizarre, tragic. Quick, final question, you haven't talked to this hero teacher yet, have you, Mike?
TRIVISONNO: He does not want to talk right now, and I think legally he cannot talk, if you can understand that. And I don't know what he would really say other than, you know, if he did talk, it's not like he was patting himself on the back. The guy was a hero. I mean, he charged --
BALDWIN: I think a lot of people would like to pat him on the back.
TRIVISONNO: You're not kidding. He charged a kid with a gun and he did not have one. He could have died also. It's an unbelievable story, Brooke.
BALDWIN: We're thinking of all of you certainly, Mike Trivisonno. Thank you so much. Seven hours on the area today fielding all the question is why, and we hear everyone say -- talking politics now, so goes Utah, Iowa, New Hampshire, insert your state here, so goes the country. This is what this guy is likely thinking. Arizona's Republican state chairman joins me live after this quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: We spent a little time on the Michigan primary, and we told you Mitt Romney really needs to win there today. It is his home state. If he cannot win there, it will do serious damage to his claim to be the most electable Republican presidential candidate.
So that is Michigan. I want to talk to Arizona now. Twenty nine delegates there at stake, and Tom Morrissey is the Arizona Republican chairman. He's kind enough to visit me from the beautiful city of Phoenix, Arizona.
We have seen a whole lot of candidates pay attention to Michigan, much more so than your state. How is the turnout in Arizona today?
TOM MORRISSEY, CHAIRMAN, ARIZONA GOP: Well, my wife and I went early this morning to the polls, and it looked like it was pretty good. I haven't really had any numbers yet, Brooke, but there's a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of interest and a lot of it has been generated by the debate last week. And so I think we're going to have a good turnout.
BALDWIN: So enthusiasm, you say. Mitt Romney, you know, talking to people in Michigan, he's kind of having to sweat it out there. Will he win in Arizona, Tom?
MORRISSEY: Hard to say. You know, some days I think that may be true and others I think it may not be true, but the thing is, there seems to be a trend towards Governor Romney here. You know, it's been a hard fought battle between all of the candidates, and it's really -- it's hard to -- it really is true, I am neutral in this thing, I want the best for all of the candidates. So to answer your question, I got to give you a big I don't know.
BALDWIN: Well, you mentioned the battle, and I want to talk about the battle brewing within the Republican Party, because there is a lot of fear that the infighting can absolutely harm the candidates, but you say, from what I've read, Tom Morrissey, you say it's great. The infighting is great. Why?
MORRISSEY: You know, these campaigns, and I keep referring to this. It's probably not going to be new to you. I see the campaign as a muscle, and I see the debates and the discussion, and if you want to say infighting between them makes the muscles stronger on the part of each of them.
And the way I see it, it's a strengthening process that will, in the end, produce a really strong candidate for the Republican Party. I harken back to 2008 when there was infighting in the Democratic Party between Hillary Clinton and President Obama.
And ultimately President Obama emerged a very strong candidate. I see that happening with us. I really feel that our candidate, our nominee is going to really be situated well to go into this campaign with President Obama.
BALDWIN: Well, Tom Morrissey, I hope you join us tonight, CNN. We could be up into the wee hours talking about your state, Michigan. Of course, got the A-Team. Tom Morrissey, thank you very much covering both the primaries here at CNN.
Meantime this week here, we are digging into the prices of gas go up in this country. We blame everything. We blame the stock market, demand, politics, fear, but what really influences gas prices? Our chief business correspondent Ali Velshi, look at him staying up to talk to me.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Look at the mirror. The reason gas prices are higher is because we buy a lot of it. Oil has just settled again today so I haven't updated the numbers. These are magnetic numbers so I can change them.
BALDWIN: We're talking funny numbers and mirrors. Ali Velshi is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Gas prices. Yes, we're all feeling the squeeze these days, but what exactly are we paying for? What's keeping the gas prices so high? Ali Velshi breaks it down.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VELSHI (voice-over): The price of a barrel of oil accounts for about three-quarters of the price of a gallon of gas. So a significant move up or down in oil prices should, within days, be reflected in prices at gas pumps worldwide. U.S. crude has been getting more expensive, going from about $80 a barrel last October to about $110 a barrel now.
That's an increase of 40 percent in just five months. But what Americans may be seeing at the pump right now is gasoline catching up with the price of oil. Gas prices are actually up only 9 percent since October, from $3.40 a gallon then to $3.70 a gallon now.
If they had really tracked the price of oil, gasoline would be selling at a national average of $4.76 a gallon. But prices are higher, and absent a clear and obvious culprit, Americans and their politicians in this election year are pointing fingers.
Legendary oil investor T. Boone Pickens says blaming speculators is a tired old saw.
T. BOONE PICKENS, FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN, BP CAPITAL: That's what politicians will say, the speculators are doing it. When anybody who comes out with that is a first reason and they can't give you any more to talk about than speculators, they don't know what they're talking about.
VELSHI: Pickens says the mix of increase of global demand and just the potential loss of the 2 billion barrels per day that Iran currently supplies the world has got investors worried.
Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, a choke point on the eastern end of the Persian Gulf, just 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, through which an estimated one fifth of the world's oil passes.
But Iran depends heavily on the revenues from that oil and may not want to jeopardize them. Still, companies like airlines, which actually use oil, speculate on it to protect their businesses and hedge against price spikes.
Others, investors who will never need the oil, invest just for profit. Between the tension around Iran and increased global demand for oil, the profiteers are betting there's no way the oil prices will drop. But are they actually driving the prices higher themselves?
PICKENS: There isn't anyone running the market on a speculative basis. The market is moving up because oil supplies are tight globally. From there you can goose it up a little bit, but not much.
VELSHI: There may be another reason for the sudden gas price spike. U.S. oil production is up but gasoline consumption is down, leaving the U.S. with more gas than it needs. So instead of excess gasoline driving prices down --
FADEL GHEIT: In the last six months, we were actually exporting gasoline. The total drop in supplies of gasoline available to consumers in the U.S. is down about one and a half million barrels a day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDIWN: OK, Ali Velshi, apologies for cutting you off before the commercial break. I'm going to have to cut you off.
VELSHI: You have to cut me off or I'll just keep talking. In fact, I kept talking all throughout the commercial break.
BALDWIN: I have a feeling you. I want to bring up your mirror. I know the point will be look at yourself in the mirror because we're the ones that want the gas and oil.
VELSHI: First of all, my mirror and better than your mirror. And secondly, there's consumer demand. That's part of the issue. If we didn't al use gas as much as we did, gas would be cheaper. People get a little mad at me -- in my story I said if gas had tracked the price of oil since last October, oil is up 40 percent since last October, to $108.20.
Well, $108 is nowhere near the high for oil, the high for oil is $147-plus and even then gas was just a little over $4. So their attitude is when oil was that expensive, gas wasn't even that expensive.
And that is to bring you the point that while the two track each other, they're not perfectly matched. There is a different set of demands for oil worldwide, which is used for all sorts of things, and gasoline which is used for cars and trucks in America, and that's part of the issue. Demand for gasoline still does have an impact on what the price is.
BALDWIN: So what do we do? Do we just have to deal? People don't like hearing that.
VELSHI: You know, individually, we can't do anything. We can't really affect global demand. The Chinese use a lot of oil, the Indians use a lot of oil, the Brazilians do, and now they're upset to find we're taking refined oil to other countries.
The only control you have over this as an individual is conservation, and we have seen since the recession that actually happening. People are conserving, they're buying smaller cars.
The car makers have responded by giving you a better selection of small, fuel-efficient cars and making trucks and SUVs and crossovers into hybrids or a more efficient model.
The only thing you can do about gasoline is control your consumption. What you shouldn't do though, Brooke, is fall for silly statements by politicians about the type of control that they can have over gas prices.
BALDWIN: Did anyone has any kind solution, very, very, very little, right, Ali Velshi?
VELSHI: Right.
BALDWIN: Thank you very much. It's nice to see you, sir. You and your mirror. And now this, you were in the new "Wall Street" movie. I'm told Ali Velshi was actually in this Wall Street movie with Michael Douglas.
So now Gordon Gekko, he works for the FBI, kind of. Why is he doing this about face? That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Here are three words that describe the 1980s. Greed is good. The actor who made that phrase famous is turning from on-screen corporate raider to corporate crusader. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL DOUGLAS, ACTOR: Greed for lack of a better word is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Our economy is increasingly dependent on the success and integrity of the financial markets. If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Michael Douglas playing Gordon Gekko now working for the FBI, sort of, in a public service announcement. He is warning Wall Street movers and shakers, not so fast. Don't get into insider trading.
Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange, right there at Wall Street. How is this supposed to help the FBI here in terms of cracking insider trading cases?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, you know, think about it. I mean, who better to cast a thief than a thief himself, in character only, of course. It doesn't hurt for the FBI to use a little star power to put the spotlight and raise awareness on some very real financial crimes.
So what the FBI has done is chosen Gordon Gekko aka actor, Michael Douglas to do a little public service announcement and what it does is you saw part of it there. It shows the clip that you just played for us. Douglas is talking and he says the movie is fiction, but the problem is real. The problem he's talking about is insider trading and although it's glorified in the movie "Wall Street," the PSA reminds people that insider trading is illegal, and he asks viewers to report any suspicious financial activities. And it's interesting to see sort of him doing the whole turncoat thing in this PSA -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: Yes, Gordon Gekko, do not follow his advice.
Alison Kosik there, thank you so much for us in New York.