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U.S. Adds 227K Jobs in February; Who Is Joseph Kony?; 'Soccer Mom' Arrested for Running Brothel; CNN Crew Sneaks Into Syria; 60,000 Sterilized By Force; Kids Taken From Sex Offender's Home; Center Stage at SXSW

Aired March 09, 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: And hello to all of you, TGIF, I'm Brooke Baldwin. Let's go. Get you caught up on everything making news at the top of the hour.

We begin with "Rapid Fire" and the economy, 227,000 jobs gained in the month of February. Look, some economists say the job market has turned a corner, most are at least cautiously optimistic. The unemployment rate, that has hovered steady at the 8.3 percent mark. And the president speaking out today seized on the good news during a speech at, of all places, a Rolls Royce aircraft plant in Virginia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But here's the good news. Over the past two years, our businesses have added nearly 4 million new jobs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Also today in Syria, the U.N.'s humanitarian chief says she is, and I quote, "horrified" by what she saw there. There are reports that at least 62 more civilians have been killed there today. And Valerie Amos just wrapped up her two-day visit to the region, including war-torn homes where she says hardly a soul can be found. Today, she is asking the Syrian government for unhindered access to the wounded, something that has been denied thus far.

And we are waiting for Mississippi's attorney general to speak, could be happening any moment now. This is Jim Hood we're talking about. He is expected to discuss the Mississippi Supreme Court decision that we brought to you yesterday, breaking news right around this time basically letting stand the more than 200 convict pardons granted by the state's former governor, Governor Haley Barbour.

That decision not sitting very well with one victim who is calling it more politics than justice.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RANDY WALKER, SHOOTING VICTIM: The supreme court weighed in and they've weighed on the wrong side of the issue. I think they did what was politically easy for them rather than what was right for the people of Mississippi. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And a bizarre accident in Florida. Here's what happened. An elderly woman, she was run over by her own car. This happened when she got out to pick up her mail. Police say she simply forgot to put the car in park and then a fire chief tried to help her but the car knocked him down, too. Neighbors rushed over to try to pull this woman to safety, a sheriff's deputy finally rammed the car to stop it from spinning. No word yet on that woman's condition.

And in Dallas, brand new video I want to get right to you, thanks to one of our iReporters apparently on-board here, frightening moments for passengers. This was American Airlines Flight 2332 after a flight attendant started ranting over the plane's intercom about the airline's bankruptcy. She was apparently referring to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and saying the plane would crash if it took off.

All of this as the flight to Chicago was taxiing down the runway. Passengers and cabin crew, they were able to take this woman down as the plane returned to the gate. And the airline says the flight attendant and another attendant who tried to calm her down were taken to the hospital. The in-flight crew replaced and the flight finally left for Chicago.

On to France now, lawmakers there being urged to ban child beauty pageants and ban adult clothes like high heels, padded bras for girls under the age of 16. A new report calling for an end to what they call "hyper-sexualization of children" comes after a provocative photo spread in last year's French Vogue, featuring a teen -- excuse me, not even a teen, 10-year-old, 10-year-old girl, sparking international outrage.

And got a lot more to cover for you in the next two hours, including this.

More than 200,000 people got jobs this past month. The unemployment rate, it is still hovering at 8.3 percent. We're not out of the woods just yet. We are going to break down the numbers for you. I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN (voice-over): You may have actually heard about this one from your kids, children kidnapped and forced to kill their own parents, children with their lips and limbs hacked off, young girls forced into sexual slavery, we're talking about "Kony 2012" getting attention after a massive social media push.

Also a huge boost in anti-government hate groups. We're talking about extreme militia groups, plots to kill the president, plots to kill government workers, find out why coming up.

And we're taking you behind the scenes at South-by-Southwest. I'm headed to Austin after the show. And for the next week, it's a huge convergence of film, music, and technology.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Employers, they are hiring again, 227,000 jobs added just last month. As for the unemployment rate, that is still holding steady at that 8.3 percent mark. But that doesn't mean we're quite in the clear when it comes to the jobs front here. Alison Kosik has the numbers, as we promised yesterday.

And so hiring, it was better than expected, but I have a feeling there is a but here.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Isn't there always a but where the economy is concerned, yes, 227,000, the number that you mentioned. You know, it did come in a bit better than expected. You look at it, it is the third straight month of more than 200,000 job gains, and it is the direction we want to go in.

But guess what, here comes the but. The recovery in jobs that we're having is pretty spotty. Look at the past year. You see those strong gains in early 2011? Well, they dropped off significantly in the summer during that whole debt ceiling debacle. Then they picked up. What you really want to see to see strength in this jobs recovery, there needs to be more consistency, more strength even in the numbers -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Underemployment, though, I understand that was declining as well? That is good news.

KOSIK: Yes, that is definitely good news. Underemployment is sitting at 14.9 percent. OK, so what the heck is underemployment? And what it is is it's similar to the unemployment rate but it includes a lot more. Some actually consider this number as a more realistic representation of the unemployment picture.

It counts people who have part-time jobs but want full-time jobs. It counts people who have completely given up looking for work. It counts college grads who have decided to forget it and go back to school instead.

Now during the depths of the recession, this underemployment number was at 17 percent, once again, it's now at 14.9 percent. It's still high, but it's making its way lower slowly but surely -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: How did this happen? What exactly drove the growth that we saw last month?

KOSIK: It's coming from the private sector. The private sector actually has been driving job growth since 2010. You look at just the report that came out today, 233,000 jobs that were created were in the private sector. You look at how the government is doing, it's been cutting jobs because of big budget issues.

And it is the private sector where we really want to see that job growth because shows companies are more confident about the economy, about where we're headed, it shows that companies are willing to take on a commitment, the added cost of new workers. But then you look at the little details in this report today, Brooke, and you find out that about half of those jobs that were created were in the food and support services area. And the problem with those jobs is that these are low-wage jobs. It's not really going to incentivize people to go ahead and buy big ticket items or go out and buy a house.

So it's not really going to move the economy forward any faster. So when you look at this jobs report today, true, it is a solid report, but Wall Street really wants to see more momentum -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Let's talk a little more about that momentum. Alison Kosik, thank you.

I want to bring in my next guest, Rick Newman, chief business correspondent with U.S. News and World Report. Big picture here, when you look at these numbers, Rick, are we doing something right?

RICK NEWMAN, U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT: We're doing fewer things wrong might be the better way to put it. I mean, this is the sort of report in a normal recovery, we would have seen this, let's say, two years ago and we'd be a lot further along by now.

I mean, we now know we've -- you know, in addition to a recession, we have a huge housing bust, we had a near financial meltdown. It's taking a long time for those things to heal.

But what we're seeing is sort of the baby steps as the regular economy, this is not stimulus money so much, it's not special tax breaks from Washington, it's the normal economy, the private sector economy getting back on its feet.

BALDWIN: To Alison's point, she was talking about the recovery in jobs is spotty, that we need the consistency. How do we get the consistency?

NEWMAN: I think we need about 20 or 30 or 40 or 50 more reports like this. Another thing that would help is I think one of things that a lot of businesses and CEOs are waiting for is they want to know what is Washington going to do about some of these big decisions that are looming at the end of the year.

That's what to do about tax cuts that are due to expire at the end of 2012. There are some other decisions to make about government spending and things like that. There is still a chance of what economists call a policy mistake, which could really send things in the wrong direction, if there is abrupt changes in taxes, for example, or things like that.

So I think the main thing is trying to get past all of these potential shocks to the economy and sort of one at a time they may be receding into the past, such as the Greek problem. We seem to be taking small steps toward getting past that.

But there are still many things that could go wrong. The question is, really, will any of them go wrong? BALDWIN: There are, I think the precise number is 12.8 million, basically 13 million Americans though still out of work, I believe it's almost half of that have been looking for six months or longer. I mean, what is your advice for someone who is sitting at home, sending in resumes and still has nothing?

NEWMAN: Well, one of the things that seems to be going on is people who are getting unemployment insurance and feel like the job market is terrible are very reluctant to jeopardize that unemployment insurance by doing anything that might make them look as if they are employed in some fashion.

So one thing that you hope happens is that people become a lot more optimistic that they are going to actually find a good job and a good job that pays pretty well so that that will just encourage more people to go out and look.

I actually think we're still a fair way away from that at the moment. I think in many sectors of the economy and many parts of the country, the job market still stinks. So I think there's just a lot of work that we still have to do to make this a more consistent recovery that makes more people feel like it's actually a recovery and not a recession.

BALDWIN: It does still stink. And I know that's not eloquent, but I think a lot of people will probably agree with you, Rick Newman. Thank you so much for coming on, appreciate it.

NEWMAN: Sure thing.

BALDWIN: A campaign now to track down an African warlord. He is accused of killing innocent people, forcing children to become soldiers. It may not be a story you are familiar with, but I bet your child is. We're going to fill you in on "Kony 2012," this is this online campaign, it has gone viral this week. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: A serious conversation is erupting now across the globe, a conversation about a murderous African warlord, this man, this is Joseph Kony and this particular conversation, it's not being driven by the State Department, it's not being driven by Bono or Angelina Jolie. And in case you haven't heard, it's being driven by middle and high school kids. That's right, kids who have gotten on to YouTube to watch a documentary. Take a look if you will.

This is a clip from "Kony 2012," released just this past Monday. Already viewed more than 50 million times. More than 50 million views driven by viewers under the age of 25. Now this film and the man who made it have persuaded millions of school kids that they have it within themselves to stop a warlord an ocean away.

I want you to take a listen to the 32-year-old filmmaker, he is Jason Russell, just last night with Piers Morgan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JASON RUSSELL, FILMMAKER, "KONY 2012": We're living in dramatic times and so the world is waking up to the fact that Joseph Kony right now is listening to the world. And what we want the world to know and start hashtagging right now, because he can hear my voice, hashtag "Kony surrender." "Kony surrender." Because he can hear us.

All of these efforts will culminate on one day, April 20th, when we "Cover the Night." This is the day when we will meet at sundown and blanket every street in every city until the sun comes up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So this film has school kids talking about -- my own 16-year-old cousin told me about this, this past week, you know, taking to the streets. A lot of parents I know are out there asking, what happened to what's his name, Harry Potter, who is this?

Joining me now from London is Anneke Van Woudenberg, with Human Rights Watch. And this filmmaker, as we mentioned, you know, has millions of kids talking about this warlord in Africa that kids' parents maybe have never even heard of.

Anneke, as someone, you know, I know who has worked for years to bring Joseph Kony into public awareness, when you hear about this campaign, are you just shocked?

ANNEKE VAN WOUDENBERG, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: Shocked, yes, absolutely. But in a good way. We have absolutely been raising the crimes that Joseph Kony has committed, which are absolutely horrendous, trying to bring that to the attention of policymakers, to politicians.

And, you know, this has been a tough sell. This is a warlord that, as you say, is across the ocean, a long ways away, and it has been very hard to get them to focus on it. Now 50 million clicks on this video, now that hopefully will make them stand up and take notice, and I hope take action, which is, of course, the crucial thing about this.

This film is to raise awareness. And awareness is part of the problem. What I'm most interested in, of course, is ending the crimes of this warlord and making sure he's brought to justice.

BALDWIN: Let me ask you about that action that you just bring up, you know, we talk about the power of political activism specifically when it comes to social media. And we certainly saw it manifest itself when we were covering Tahrir Square in Cairo a year ago, certainly President Obama's election in 2008. But that is precisely the question, how do you take this online momentum to enact change? How does that happen?

VAN WOUDENBERG: Well, I think one of the things that I have learned over my time of raising issues in this remote part of Central Africa is that policymakers pay attention when it's in the media, when it's on the front pages of their newspapers, when they're turning on the television and seeing that people are talking about an issue. And far too often, of course, these problems far away and in Central Africa in particular, have not made it on to their agendas or onto their radar screens. So I do see a direct connection often between the press and the media and these issues.

So the mainstream media has found it difficult, you know, often to report on the crimes of the LRA. They're happening in remotes parts of Africa and often they don't want to again and again put the voices of the victims on the television screens.

So this is innovative. This is striking. This, I hope, will mean that when I knock on doors to say, now do something, and with my list of 10 things that they need to do, I hope they will act.

BALDWIN: It's stunning that perhaps all these clicks of these young people could help Human Rights Watch. I do have to ask, though, there appear to be some flaws, some, you know, I don't know, in either fact or nuance within this half hour documentary. And we are going to get into that actually in just a moment.

But from your point of view, Anneke, are the flaws eclipsed by the impact that this film is currently having?

VAN WOUDENBERG: For me, the thing that is most important about this film is that it is raising the issue of Joseph Kony and getting people to ask questions. Who is he? What has he done?

I mean, we've documented that in extensive detail. I, myself have been to the remote parts of Central Africa, talking to the victims, documenting the crimes of Joseph Kony. I've been to the massacre sites. I've interviewed the victims, the kids.

You know, this is the some of the worst stuff that I have ever come across. What I most want to see indeed is that Joseph Kony is apprehended, that people in this region are protected, that the kids are rescued.

He still remains -- has in his ranks hundreds of children. That's what I'm most interested in. It's important to get the facts right, of course it is. But I think what we now need to move on to is, what do we do about this? What do we do about the interest of so many young people in this issue?

I really hope policymakers are paying attention.

BALDWIN: It's an excellent question you raise. Anneke Van Woudenberg, we appreciate you. Thank you. We are going to talk a little bit about where he may be in just a moment.

But as we pointed out, "Kony 2012" comes up a little short in projecting the full picture. And we are going to get to that in just a moment. But first we did speak with actress Mia Farrow who has made multiple trips to this region where Joseph Kony operates, and she has tried to draw attention to Kony's reign of terror.

Listen here, Mia Farrow. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIA FARROW, ACTOR, ACTIVIST: I spoke to young mothers who said, we don't know if in the morning we will wake up. And another group of people said it was common practice in that area of South Sudan, LRA would raid, they would take small babies and to terrorize the rest of the community would pound -- they described as mortar and pestle smashing of the baby in a kind of a bowl with a mortar.

These -- these atrocities are known by some, but that I've spoken to actual victims is, of course, unforgettable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: It's horrendous to hear of these accounts. We want to just help fill in the picture surrounding this man, Joseph Kony. And for that we turn to Nairobi to our correspondent there, CNN's David McKenzie.

And, David, we mentioned this film. It suggests that Joseph Kony is in Uganda but we just heard Mia Farrow say he was operating in Sudan. We've also heard Democratic Republic of Congo. Where is he?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's a good question. And it's the 50 million viewer question at this point, where is Joseph Kony? Well, he's in the bush of Central African Republic, which is a remote part of Africa, one of the least developed countries in Africa.

Actually, I've traveled with Mia Farrow through Central African Republic some years ago. There is a sense that, yes, there are some inaccuracies to this video, to this "Kony 2012" campaign. He is no longer in Uganda. And in fact LRA has left Uganda and isn't causing any trouble there and hasn't caused any trouble since at least 2006, Brooke.

So there is some confusion by some people who might be looking at this for the first time. The LRA were pushed out by the Uganda military. They moved across the border into the Southern Sudan, Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

You know, we can't get mired too much in the detail, though. The fact is, is that Joseph Kony and the LRA have wreaked havoc for more than 20 years in this region and many people, millions now, it seems, want him to be brought to justice.

BALDWIN: I do want to ask you though about this detail, David. This documentary suggests Kony has an army of children numbering in the tens of thousands, tens of thousands. Is that the case?

MCKENZIE: No. He doesn't have an army of tens of thousands. As the Human Rights Watch spokesperson said there, he might have several hundred children at this point somewhere in the Central African Republic.

Over the years, it's estimated that he has kidnapped or his group has kidnapped several tens of thousands of children, first in Uganda, then in other countries I described. So that 30,000 number can be a bit misleading.

He doesn't have an army of children per se now, but over this 20- year period he has really kidnapped these children and really brutalized them. I've met young girls in northern Uganda some years ago, who were for two years or so in the power of the LRA, either working as sex slaves or just carrying arms and ammunition to the front line.

And these are children. And one child I met only escaped because she was shot in a firefight with the Ugandan military and managed to crawl away to friendlier forces.

But, again, this is some years ago. So there is a little bit of confusion of people who watch this. But, Joseph Kony, while depleted, is still out there and still could be a force to be reckoned with.

BALDWIN: Well, whether it is tens of thousands or hundreds, it is still too many. David McKenzie, thank you, for us live in Nairobi.

We are now hearing from the soccer mom who allegedly ran a brothel. We're hearing from her. She says police are trying to get her to spill the names of her high profile clients. We're going to tell you what it is she said, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Got some new details for you today on that New York soccer mom turned alleged brothel boss. So The New York Post scored an exclusive interview with Anna Gristina from behind bars. So The Post describes hours of interrogation with Gristina reportedly saying investigators repeatedly showed her this list.

And what this list had was these 10 New York power players on it. They reportedly wanted her to tell them what she knew about these men. The Post quotes her as saying, quote, "it's not about me, it's bigger than me," she goes on, "they are trying to sweat me out, they're clearly trying to break me, I'd bite my tongue off before I'd tell them anything."

Newspaper headlines, they make Gristina out to be worth millions. A man who lives on the same block from the walk-up where she allegedly worked says he saw limos and town cars at night. As for the passengers, listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTIN GARRETT, NEIGHBOR: They were very well-dressed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Men?

GARRETT: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of them men?

GARRETT: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: But Gristina paints a far less luxurious picture, telling The New York Post: "They say I've made millions for years and I have, for other people. I've been struggling to keep my daughter in college, to pay the tuition, our utilities are always on the verge of being shut off. We live a very much simple life."

And a friend who is always who is also a private investigator tells us, she isn't rich.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VINCENT PARCO, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR: It's sexy and makes good headlines, but a lot of things they're talking about are not true.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Such as?

PARCO: All right, that she's a millionaire madam, definitely not a millionaire. If she was a millionaire now, she'd be out on bail now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Well, "The New York Post" says Cristina teared up once when she did talk about her four kids. She told them her youngest a 13- year-old boy thought she was dead when she didn't come home last month.

Quote, "He knows now that's not true, but it's just really hard. I just don't want my kids to see me in here." She's in a jail cell on Riker's Island.

The Syrian city of Homs under attack, massive shelling for quite a while. CNN correspondent, Arwa Damon and crew go behind the frontlines and show us what life is like for people living in the war zone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The full impact of the damage that was caused by the incoming rounds. I mean, this right here just speaks for itself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: In Syria today, more bloodshed as violence rages on.

Opposition forces say now more than 60 people have been killed today alone. They are also accusing Syrian government forces of chasing down and killing military defectors.

But the government says weapons from Israel, weapons from Turkey are being smuggled into the country to arm what the Assad regime has labeled as terrorists. Given the dangerous situation in Syria, it's hard to imagine why anyone would want to put themselves really on the frontlines.

But Arwa Damon and her CNN crew did precisely that. Just last month she was in Homs. At one point, she was in the same neighborhood where that American and French journalist lost their lives with all the shelling. Here's just part of what Arwa saw.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON (voice-over): It hit us. It hit our house. There is something burning. The voice on the tape cries out. The media house in Baba Amir has been hit.

Turn off the live camera, someone shouts. They have discovered our position, but nothing, they swear, will shut them down.

NEIL HALLSWORTH, CNN SENIOR PHOTOJOURNALIST: There was one time when they were typing on the computer and a rocket hit the house and the lights went out and the place shook, and we just carried on typing like nothing had happened.

DAMON: We survey the damage.

(on camera): To get to the upper floors, you really have to hug the wall because there's the one window that's exposed, but this is where you really see the full impact of the damage that was caused by the incoming rounds. I mean, this right here, it just speaks for itself.

One of the neighbors was in, and she was there with her father and she was this 9-year-old girl and the rounds were impacting pretty closely and the guys were all on their computers and she was just kind of in the corner.

And at one point I called her to come sit on the couch, but she sat frozen, and I tried to go over to hug her, but she was so frozen she couldn't move. She just sat there like this and then tears were streaming down her face.

This floor has been on obviously completely trashed. The bombardment, you keep hearing it over and over again, the sounds of artillery firing and it's nothing like what they've been through before.

But this was once an ordinary home, an ordinary family lived here and we don't know what their story was. There were just bits and pieces of their lives that have been left behind including this children's toy.

What happened to that family? What exactly was it that made them flee? Are they alive? There's so much still that we don't know and so much that still needs to be told.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: And now Arwa Damon is in Beirut. Arwa, we should point out -- parts of these were interviews, part of this documentary that's rolling out this weekend with you and your crew.

Obviously, I can't say it enough, so much courage on all of your parts for going inside Syria. Gosh, what exactly did it take, now that you're safe and sound for the most outside, what did it take to get in there? Get in the homes?

DAMON: It took a lot of planning. There were a number of occasions. We had actually been trying to work on this trip for four months, where the plug would be pulled at the last minute.

It took most certainly a heightened sense of awareness and respect for the danger one is coming up against. At the end of the day, it all boiled down to the planning, trying to map out the most secure route possible.

We relied heavily on the activists. In fact, we relied entirely on the activists to move us around. They very much were protecting us. Also, it takes a certain amount of desire to want to go in there and get to the heart of what's going on.

Because at the end of the day, you can't do justice to what people are suffering. Unless, albeit briefly, you are trying to experience it, trying to understand it alongside them.

But, you know, a lot of credit has to go to the activist, because they really took on a great risk getting us into that particular neighborhood.

BALDWIN: I know you have been in many, many parts of the world, we have talked, me sitting here, you being in Libya or Iraq or Afghanistan, and you know, wherever there is conflict, we seem to find you.

I'm just curious how this sort of compares to past places you have covered and I also understand you wrote a letter before going into Syria, you wrote a letter to your family.

DAMON: I did, yes, I wrote a letter for the first time to my family, just in case. Going into Syria, there were a lot more unknowns than there normally are going into that type of environment.

It was starkly different than any other war zone I had been to. First and foremost there was no safe place. In a lot of these other areas, when you're on the frontline, there is usually a place relatively safe you can fall back to. In Syria, the fighting is quite simply everywhere.

So that obviously was playing heavily on a lot of our minds. It's important to note here though, that, you know, we got in, we got out. Those civilians who we met, those activists that we spent time with, they're still there.

So while on the one hand, you know, we have this luxury of being able to go out, we still have to always remember that for them, it's not over and it's not going to be over any time soon. BALDWIN: I am sure that there is not a day that goes by you don't think about them right next to you in Syria, all the people you met. Arwa Damon, my thanks to you and your crew for all your impeccable coverage.

I just want to encourage all our viewers to watch this special. You can learn what it's like to be like trapped in terror for "72 Hours Truly Under Fire." That is on at CNN Sunday night, 8:00 Eastern. Set your DVR, watch it.

It sounds like something out of Nazi, Germany, but it happened right here in the United States. Thousands of people considered undesirable or unfit, were forced to be sterilized, and one of the victims speaking out, wanting an apology. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Tens of thousands forced to be sterilized including teenagers. This happened right here in the United States, all part of this eugenics trend during the 1930s to 1950s, you know, eugenics. It's the idea of changing an entire population by trying to eliminate certain traits like what you saw in Nazi, Germany.

And California sterilized so many, the Nazi party took advice from the state. Now, victims want compensation. States say no. Elizabeth Cohen talked to the California man who was forced into a vasectomy at just the age of 14.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In 1945, California's Sonoma state home. Charlie Follett, a 14-year-old ward is singing in a field when he's ordered inside.

CHARLIE FOLLETT, PATIENT STERILIZED BY FORCE: First, they shot me with some kind of medicine supposed to deaden the nerves. Then the next thing I heard was snip, snip, and that was it.

COHEN (on camera): Did they tell you what they were doing to you?

FOLLETT: No.

COHEN (voice-over): They didn't have to tell him. He knew, a sterilization by force.

on camera): How did you know what it was?

FOLLETT: Well, because there have been others in there that had it before me.

COHEN (voice-over): The other boys at the home had warned him how much it would hurt.

FOLLETT: But when they done this side here, it seemed like they were pulling the whole inside out. COHEN: The 1930s through the 1950s were the heyday of the eugenics movement in the United States, the goal, to rid the country of the feeble-minded, defectives. And it wasn't some fringe or secretive program.

It was well known and paid for by the states, where it was practiced. Entire families labeled shiftless, degenerates, 60,000 men and women, boys and girls sterilized, some living at home, others like Follett in state institutions. His parents were alcoholics and couldn't care for him and his sister.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: I want to bring in our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen. Wow, at 14.

COHEN: At 14.

BALDWIN: Unreal.

COHEN: And that was not unusual at these state homes and other places, too, they would start at that age.

BALDWIN: So how many people like Charlie were sterilized all together?

COHEN: You know, in California, there were 20,000 people who were forcibly sterilized. To put that in some kind of perspective, the next highest state was Virginia, which is 8,000 so more than twice as many as the next highest state.

And 20,000 is a full third of the national total, so a third of the people who were sterilized in the U.S. were sterilized in California.

BALDWIN: How many of them are still around, still alive?

COHEN: You know, part of the problem is that California hasn't really made an effort to keep track of these people. They haven't tried to count them up or really reach out to them.

So we don't know. Now one scholar estimates it is about -- a couple hundred people. That's what they estimate it to be.

BALDWIN: It's amazing. You were able to get him to talk to you, Charlie, right?

COHEN: Yes. I mean, he has been pretty outspoken about this. But others, they don't want to talk about it. I mean, it's not a fun thing to talk about what someone did to you.

BALDWIN: What does someone like Charlie want to see happen?

COHEN: Charlie would like compensation for what happened to him. And in North Carolina, the governor of North Carolina, Bev Purdue has actually said, I think we ought to compensate our victims to the tune of $50,000 apiece.

So in California, that hasn't happened. Now I do want to tell you that in 2003, the governor of California issued this statement. It was a sad and regrettable chapter in the state's history and one that should never be repeated again.

But I will tell you that when I went to Sacramento to talk to politicians about, gee, what do you think should happen with people like Charlie? They wouldn't talk to me. We get the feeling it is something people wish would go away.

BALDWIN: Feel like it happened so long ago.

COHEN: Right, exactly. But when you have several hundred likely still alive, you know, these people, they remember it.

BALDWIN: That is stunning. Elizabeth, thank you.

COHEN: Thanks.

BALDWIN: Now we do have answers from state leaders. You can see that and the rest of Elizabeth's reporting tonight, "AC 360," 8:00 Eastern.

New developments now today in that case. We told you about this not too long ago. Remember, the 11 kids found living in the home of a sex offender?

We are now talking to an investigative reporter on the story. We have an update on the kids, where they stand now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Recently, we told you about a case involving 11 children found living in a home with a registered sex offender. Today, an emergency hearing is set in Texas to remove that very last child who was found in the home. The others are now in foster care.

Quickly, here's the back story, this home in Dayton, Texas, just about 30 miles outside of Houston, the home is about 1700 square feet. Why am I telling you that?

Because according to police, 22 people were living in this home and most of them were related. Police went to the home about six weeks ago on an anonymous tip.

And they said they found four children tied to the beds, seven other children in questionable conditions. Authorities say none of the children were enrolled in school and neighbors report they never did see them out and about playing.

I want to bring back investigative reporter Michelle Sigona. She's following this for us. Joins me now with -- more of what happened. Good to see you, Michelle. I remember we talked to you about this before, and if I recall correctly, one of the kids was as young as five months?

MICHELLE SIGONA, INVESTIGATIVE CRIME REPORTER: That's right.

BALDWIN: How are they?

SIGONA: this is actually really good news. When I did speak with the Texas Department of Child Safety, they told me all of them have been placed in foster care. They're all thriving.

They're all doing very well. The school-age children that were not enrolled in school before are now enrolled in school, and they're moving forward. So this is very good for all of those children.

BALDWIN: That's a good thing, but again, I go back to the numbers. It was found 22 people found living in this home. They mentioned 11 kids. Most of these kids were cousins. Do we know how many parents were in this house?

SIGONA: Six parents. All the children belonged to those parents. They were all related somehow. All grandchildren of the woman who owned the house who back in the '80s had children taken from her back then in Michigan, six children total.

So she has an extensive history with child protective services dating back to the '80s, also with her own children. There was also an investigation into that sex offender. What investigators are trying to figure out is that if he was, in fact, maybe molested by the grandmother.

So there is just so many layers and so many dynamics and so many things going on, but I can tell you, when investigators went into that house in January and they found a large majority of those children in a very small 10x10 room without electricity, boards on the windows.

Some of them had not had food or water or anything. It was just deplorable conditions. One of the other children suffered a black eye, had a tooth knocked out, had bruises all over them.

So there is just -- and there were also two other teenagers who had run away from another home and had come there because they heard it was a "house of fun."

BALDWIN: Not at all a house of fun, it sounds like, by your description.

SIGONA: No.

BALDWIN: Do we know how long they had lived like this? Who is responsible? Who's facing charges?

SIGONA: Yes, everything right now, Brooke, I can't confirm. I just got off the phone with the DA. It's gone to the grand jury to figure out facts and who, if anyone will be indicted. That's the first thing.

The second thing today is that this is the last emergency hearing of the custody case involving the last child, child number 11. What happens after this is on March 30th, all of the cases go together, all of the children and the attorneys go together -- not the children, but the attorneys will go together in the courtroom and collectively they'll have an updated hearing.

Based on that point, every six months there will be a status hearing. As of right now, all of these children are in foster care, as I mentioned. There does not seem to be at any point in the near future where they will be placed back with their parents, but relatives can go in on a study if they would like to take the children in.

And there will be a pretty e extensive study done on any relative that says, I would like to take these children into my house. So that is an option that will be explored on March 30th for a more -- you know, more permanent position for these children.

BALDWIN: OK, we'll check back in then and see how they are. At least the D.A. says they're thriving. Thank you for checking with him and her. We appreciate it, Michelle Sigona.

SIGONA: You got it. Have a good day.

BALDWIN: Now Ali Velshi, cowboy hat and all, in Austin, Texas, for one of the coolest festivals south by southwest featuring the hippest music, really gets tech nerds excited.

But first, NCAA March madness is almost here. Two days away. You can check your bracket skills at the official NCAA March Madness. Here's what you need to know. Go to cnn.com/brackets. Let me give it to you again, cnn.com/brackets. Join the CNN group. You know I'm playing and you may know who I'm picking to go all the way. See if you can beat me. We'll see. Taking a break. Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: CNN is going South by Southwest, and talking Austin, Texas, funky music, film, tech extravaganza under way. Chief business correspondent Ali Velshi there -- you took your cowboy hat off. Where did it go?

ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I need to show you something and I need you paying attention to what I'm showing you rather than me with that silly cowboy hat, which I enjoy quite a bit.

OK, here's one of the first thing somebody gave me yesterday when I got off the CNN Express. It's called swivel. Here's what you need to know. You put an iPhone into it, and this is what you need to do.

So I got Lori from money.com. You've probably seen Lori before. Lori has something around her neck which is connected to this iPod through radio frequency and through Bluetooth.

Watch what happens here as Lori moves. Let's say she's chatting with somebody by video. She can move around the room and this will follow her around the room. You can put it on a table, so let's say you're having a face time chat with somebody.

BALDWIN: It swivels with you.

VELSHI: It's a little creepy. It follows everything you're doing.

BALDWIN: Lori looks a little afraid.

VELSHI: I told her that. I said, Lori, look like you're having fun. She definitely looks frightened. She definitely looks a little bit frightened, but Lori is here finding the best apps in the place, so the two of us conjured this one up.

BALDWIN: Let's back up, because I'm assuming you guys are standing in the CNN Grill, and explain to people who don't know, what is South by Southwest?

VELSHI: Right. All right, so South by Southwest started as a live music festival, then they added a film component, so it's kind of a place where films are unveiled, then they added this interactive digital component.

Some years ago when Twitter was a few months old, but not used that much, they became really big by coming to South by Southwest. Four Square was unveiled and basically it's people with really neat ideas meeting up with people who might finance or market those ideas, big companies looking for the next big thing.

So the next big thing we may use in the course of the next few years might be being shown at South by Southwest for the first time. Maybe they're just looking for publicity, maybe they're looking for something to invest in their company, but probably the best minds in digital technology are here in Austin.

BALDWIN: OK, you got less than 60 seconds. Tell me about the coolest thing you've seen or the coolest person you've met thus far.

VELSHI: Well, first of all, the guy who when I got off the bus showed me that swivel is the first thing I saw when I got of the CNN Express. There was an app that Lori showed me where you sign in and someone else signs in, and it will tell you every time you physically cross paths with that person.

And if you want to find out more about them, you can put in as much information as you want, and you'll know when you're in proximity with somebody and how many times you've been in physical proximity of them.

I'm not sure what you do with that exactly, was it called? Highlight. It's called highlight. Look, there is a lot of stuff that might just be about people meeting people, but social media is obviously the big under current rod here. I'll show it to you when you come here. You're coming, right?

BALDWIN: Yes, I'm hopping on a flight like in T-minus three hours. So I'll be at the grill so you can show me all these cool new apps, I guess. Before I let you go, we have this time lapse video that I know some of our guys shot.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: It basically shows -- right -- shows how this restaurant, basically, they kind of got kicked out, right, and we set up our CNN grill, which is the epicenter of, I'm sure, all things technology and cool.

And what's the best part?

VELSHI: This is the place to be.

BALDWIN: Yes.

VELSHI: You're watching this Max's Wine Bar transform into the CNN grill, a great space. The sign goes up. Everybody can find it. This is the place to be. You can follow us on Twitter at @CNNSXSW, South by Southwest, and when you get here, Brooke, I'm going to give you a princess' welcome.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: I appreciate that, Mr. Velshi. Thank you so much. We will be doing this show from there on Monday. Cannot wait. I have never been to Austin. Thank you.