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Will Newt Gingrich Drop Out?; President Obama Meets With British Prime Minister; Blago's Last Hours of Freedom; Clooney: Innocent People Are Dying; Massacre Suspect Leaves Afghanistan; Abducted Son Found After 8 Years; Former Goldman Exec's Scathing Op- Ed

Aired March 14, 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: Now this. Top of the hour here. Welcome back. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Just a little heads up here. We're going to be speaking with a mother who will be joining me a little later this hour. She has not seen her son in eight years. Eight years. He was kidnapped as a baby by his godmother, and today that godmother is in custody. I will be speaking with the mother waiting to be reunited with her lost son. The last time she saw him, he was eight months old. A lot of bizarre details on this one, got a lot of questions here. Stick around for that later in the hour.

But first, a couple stories we're watching for you. New word of terror plots involving Iran and Western targets. Also, President Obama talking about the future of war today at the White House. And, as always, we're watching the Dow, and a security scare as Defense Secretary Leon Panetta arrives in Afghanistan.

Time to play "Reporter Roulette."

I want to begin with Jill Dougherty at the State Department on arrests of alleged Iranian agents in Azerbaijan.

How many arrests are we talking about? And what do you know?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: This is kind of a strange little story, but it's pretty intriguing and it does have to do with the Azerbaijani government is saying, 22 people arrested, and they say it was a plot, an Iranian plot.

These guys being trained to carry out terrorist acts against Western and Israeli sites, things like embassies and other organizations in Baku, which is the capital of Azerbaijan. They say it actually was a spy ring that dates back to 1999 and that people were allegedly given weapons, training, money, et cetera, to carry out these attacks, and that the person who arranged this was looking for new recruits -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Could this alleged terror in Azerbaijan, could it be part of something bigger?

DOUGHERTY: It could, because there are other things we have reported on, allegations and in some cases acts have been carried out by Iran, especially against Israeli targets. And the intriguing thing about this is in brief is that if you look at that map, Azerbaijan shares a border with Iran. It's just to the north of Iran. Israelis are very worried because Israelis, they believe, are getting into Iran to do spying, carrying out something, they're not quite sure, but it could be one of the reasons the Iranians are worried about it is precisely because of that border and the potential for Israelis to get in.

BALDWIN: Jill Dougherty, Jill, thank you.

Next on "Reporter Roulette" I want to go to the White House. President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron, they are warning Iran that the time is running out to get its act together.

Chief White House correspondent Jessica Yellin is standing by for us.

Jessica, we know President Obama, David Cameron, they are not at all mincing words here, saying "Nothing is off the table if Iran doesn't stop its nuclear program."

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Brooke, Prime Minister Cameron offering his full-throated endorsement of the president's sanctions policy, Europe pursuing an equally aggressive policy.

Both men saying that -- well, the president reiterating there is not a containment policy here by the U.S., that they are seeking to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon at all, but the key news here today was the president's language saying the window for diplomacy is narrowing. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Tehran must understand that it cannot escape or evade the choice before it: Meet your international obligations or face the consequences.

The window for solving this issue diplomatically is shrinking.

DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: As the president and I have said, nothing is off the table.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: So once again emphasizing those two leaders they to show they are clearly on the same page on this one. These issues will be discussed again at a summit in South Korea that is coming up at the end of next week, Brooke.

BALDWIN: What about also Afghanistan? I know they talked about that today, both the president and prime minister vowing to stick to the timetable as far as an exit goes.

YELLIN: Yes. The end of 2014 is the date by which NATO forces are going to exit, and both men underscored that is still the date, but the news here today was that President Obama said for the first time in 2013 NATO forces will shift to a support role in Afghanistan.

And that's meaningful because they want to start transitioning so that Afghan security forces become responsible for their own security by the time NATO exits the country in 2014. He also said that when NATO meets in may, they're meeting in Chicago, the full NATO nations will discuss exactly how that transition will take place. So more to come -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Jessica, thank you. I want to stay in Afghanistan.

We do have some breaking news here involving the soldier accused of killing the civilians on Sunday and a security scare as Defense Secretary Leon Panetta arrived there at a base in Afghanistan today.

Next on "Reporter Roulette" let's go straight to Sara Sidner in Kabul.

Sara, what's the news?

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We have some breaking news to tell you about right now.

I just got off the phone with the International Security Assistance Forces officials, and they have said that the soldier that is accused in the massacre that happened Sunday leaving 16 civilians dead has been transferred out of Afghanistan and that some Afghan officials were told about this before it happened.

It happened some time between 9:00 and 10:00 this evening Afghan time. So that is the latest news out of Afghanistan, the soldier accused in the shooting of Afghan civilians in the dead of night on Sunday has left the country.

Now, let's move on to Mr. Panetta. Mr. Panetta was in the country today. His plane landed at Camp Bastion in Helmand Province, and when his plane landed, there was an incident there. According to ISAF, there was a driver who ended up driving onto the runway and eventually ended up coming out of that car and he was burned, he was on fire.

So we're seeing some incidents as Mr. Panetta shows up. No one is saying exactly what happened, except for that the car had been stolen and that the person who was in the car, the driver, was an employee at Bastion, but a civilian employee.

Then there was another incident while Mr. Panetta in Helmand, talking to U.K., U.S. troops as well as Afghan officials, another incident that left eight civilians dead because of a roadside bomb that hit a minivan, but that happened far away from where Mr. Panetta was, but a lot of incidents happening here as Mr. Panetta shows up.

It's the first time a high-level official has come here since this shooting spree that happened on Sunday, but big news that this -- the alleged shooter is out of the country. It will be interesting to see how some of the Afghan officials and Afghan people react to that -- Brooke.

BLITZER: We know you will be waiting for that, and as soon as you hear anything, obviously, we will get you back on TV. Sara Sidner for us in Kabul. Sara, thank you for the breaking news.

That is your "Reporter Roulette" here on this Wednesday.

I want to bring you up to speed also as far as that story out of Ohio, Columbus, Ohio. We told you last hour those four people have been stabbed. Coming up, I will speak with an investigator live on the scene as far as what is going on and why, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: We have been making phone calls, got a little bit more on this story out of Columbus, Ohio, where these four people have been stabbed.

We have sergeant Rich Weiner on the phone with me from the Columbia, Ohio, Police Department.

As we look at these pictures, Sergeant, just so I'm clear, this happened at Continental Center on Gay Street downtown. What happened?

SGT. RICH WEINER, COLUMBUS POLICE DEPARTMENT: Well, the initial call was a dispatch for a possible stabbing. Within less than a minute, the officers arrived and they were directed to an individual.

We had a female officer encounter him, and that's when she pulled her weapon and shot him. From that point, additional officers arrived. We were able to make it inside. We found -- initially we found some victims outside and there were some victims inside.

All four -- we have a total of four victims -- they were transported to area hospitals in critical condition and the suspect was also transported in critical condition.

BALDWIN: OK, so you have the suspect, you have these victims headed to if they're not already at the hospital and critical. Tell me a little bit more about this building and where this stabbing happened. I understand there is a career center. This is somewhere inside that career center, is that correct?

WEINER: Yes, this building, particular building, a high-rise, probably 15 to 20 floors high. It has multiple office space inside of it, and the Miami-Jacobs Career College is in a small part of this building.

At this time, we don't know if there is any affiliation between the suspects and the college itself or if this was just an area that he went to. But this sits right in the middle of downtown Columbus, so it was very busy at the time. During lunch hour, you have a lot of people inside of a lobby initially when you walk in the front doors, and then you have elevators and other places that you can go to and are available to the public.

BALDWIN: OK.

WEINER: So at this point, we're still trying to determine exactly why he went to this particular area. So we have multiple witnesses right now that the detectives are talking to. And hopefully they were able to fill in some of the gaps that we have.

And also with it being in the downtown area, we have a lot of surveillance video outside and inside of the building.

BALDWIN: To help you out.

(CROSSTALK)

WEINER: I'm sorry?

BALDWIN: To help you out as you look at that surveillance video, will certainly be helpful in addition to the eyewitnesses.

Sergeant Weiner, I appreciate you calling in. Obviously as soon as you fill some in the blanks, please let us know. This was lunchtime, 1:00 Eastern there in this building in downtown Columbus.

Thank you, Sergeant.

Meantime, we do have another set of disturbing allegations against an Army officer based out of Washington State's Joint Base Lewis-McChord. A decorated soldier is being charged in this alleged murder for hire plot. The allegations they first surfaced when the officer's girlfriend first told authorities he was threatening to have his estranged wife and boss killed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ED TROYER, DETECTIVE: We do know that -- those things. His ex-wife and somebody he worked with, and he made comments that he was going to be doing something big, and it would be seen on television, and he had made comments to other people about blowing up the capitol. So when you add the totality of all this up, this is someone that we felt was dangerous and we wanted to get in custody before anyone got hurt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: In addition to those threats, we're also learning according to prosecutors that Lieutenant Colonel Robert Underwood allegedly tried threatening to blow up the state capitol building in Olympia. He has pleaded not guilty.

And last hour, I talked to "Seattle Times" Jonathan Martin about really just the mood on base.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN MARTIN, "SEATTLE TIMES": They are really fighting sort of a bunker mentality right now, which is understandable.

There seems to be limited amount of information about who the individual is, the staff sergeant implicated in the murders over the weekend. Off the base, again, there's a real concern about these repeated deployments.

What you're seeing is not just -- you're seeing war crimes allegations overseas, but then also these very serious incidents back home. There is routinely now really serious, you know, criminal allegations, soldiers killing their wives or a case a son, the park ranger shooting. And so it's cumulative effect, I think, that has really shaken the community here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: He also told me Underwood is in a Tacoma jail on a $250,000 bail.

Mitt Romney, he says if he is president, he is going to cut money for NPR, the arts, even Planned Parenthood, and Democrats, they are furious. Hear their response to that next.

Plus, are there any signs that Newt Gingrich is going to drop out, close to dropping out? Gloria Borger is standing by, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Mitt Romney said he would cut funding to Planned Parenthood many, many times before, but his latest comment has now the Democratic National Committee, the DNC, jumping on it.

First I want you listen to what it is he said to a Missouri reporter this week and then we will play a bit of the DNC ad that's now up and running.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My test is pretty simple. Is the program so critical it's worth borrowing money from China to pay for it? On that basis, of course you get rid of Obamacare. That's the easy one. But there are others. Planned Parenthood, we're going to rid of that.

The subsidy for Amtrak, I would eliminate that. The National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, both excellent programs, but we can't afford to borrow money to pay for these things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Not just Planned Parenthood. Romney is taking on a lot of favorites for the Democrats. You have NPR, Amtrak, the arts.

But the ad in the DNC that they're now putting out, it absolutely focuses in on the Planned Parenthood part of his comment.

And here's just a portion of that ad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: Planned Parenthood, we're going to get rid of that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Just a portion of the ad here.

I want to bring in our chief political analyst, Gloria Borger, just to talk a little bit about what we saw yesterday, what we're looking at moving ahead.

Let's see. I know Mitt Romney has said Rick Santorum's campaign was coming to a desperate end. Yet when you look at what happened last night with him coming in third place in both Mississippi and Alabama, he's got a little problem.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, not so much a desperate end.

I was talking to somebody, a senior adviser to Santorum who said, it's the beginning, it's not the end of our campaign. And, look, I think Romney was embarrassed last night because they let expectations rise that he could have won one of those states in the South, and he didn't.

And Santorum now has an argument to make, which is that I can block him from getting the necessary 1,144 delegates. Santorum is not saying he will get them on his own, but he can certainly block Romney. Romney's response has been, you know what? Vote for me because I'm ahead.

(CROSSTALK)

BORGER: And I don't think that's a really good campaign platform, vote for me because I'm ahead. It doesn't really work.

He's talking about the math, and there's a lot of discussions going on internally about just what Mitt Romney can do to kind of fix things.

BALDWIN: Doesn't he need to change his message?

BORGER: I think he needs to change a couple of things.

He needs to hone his message, let's say, because it can't just be about the math. I think it has to be about uniting the Republican Party. And by the way, if you end up supporting Rick Santorum, what you're actually saying is you want to go to a contested convention. And if you think that's good for the Republican Party, go right ahead. Most people would say not.

But he has to talk about party unity, why he is the best person to take on Barack Obama and how he could beat President Obama.

BALDWIN: We could end up with a contested convention come August, and they will just have to vote and vote and vote until we hit the magic number of 1,144.

But, meantime, you have the Newt Gingrich factor, which I guess if you're Mitt Romney, you're thinking, Newt Gingrich, you stay on in the race. Right?

(CROSSTALK) BORGER: You pay him. You say stay.

BALDWIN: He didn't do as well.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Deep South, that's his territory.

BORGER: Right. And I think now that Newt Gingrich's credibility is really on the line here.

I covered Newt Gingrich a while ago. I have talked to a lot of people who have spoken to him. This is very personal between Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney. Newt Gingrich was particularly upset at these ads that Romney was winning in Iowa about how Newt Gingrich resigned the speakership in disgrace. He made phone calls to friends who are supporters of Romney and said get him to take it down. In the end, Romney took down that ad, but Newt Gingrich still feels it was a personal affront.

The thing about Newt Gingrich is, it's not about the numbers. For Newt Gingrich, it's about the legacy, it's about history. Remember the historian Newt Gingrich. So if he's going to get out of this race, and I believe at some point he will...

BALDWIN: What's the tipping point for him?

BORGER: I think the tipping point is that somebody is going to have to convince Newt Gingrich that this is about his place in history or that he could become a kingmaker here and will actually have more influence.

If they could sort of convince him on a historical level because, remember, he sees himself in that light, that in the end he would be remembered for uniting the Republican Party and helping to beat Barack Obama, that might be the way to get him to leave.

BALDWIN: You say it's personal, and it goes back to Iowa with him.

BORGER: I think it's very personal. And I think by the way that Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum like each other. You have heard Gingrich talk about maybe some kind of a Santorum-Newt Gingrich alliance. We will see.

BALDWIN: Who knows.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: All right, Gloria Borger, thank you very much.

BORGER: Sure.

BALDWIN: Meantime, a big, big twist here in the case of the former desperate housewife whose lawyers have dropped a bombshell. Sunny Hostin is "On the Case." She's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: The girlfriend of the man oftentimes called one of the most wanted mobsters ever cut a deal today. Catherine Greig was on the run with Whitey Bulger for 16 years. She made the deal official in just the past hour. Court documents show she pleaded guilty to conspiracy and the two counts of identify theft.

Sunny Hostin is "On the Case."

Sunny, how does this deal impact Whitey Bulger's case overall? Remember, he's charged with 19 murders.

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: That's right.

I don't know that it will impact his case, Brooke, because she doesn't have to testify against him. That is also part of this plea deal, but really a sweetheart deal for her because she was looking at over a decade in prison under The federal sentencing guidelines, and now she's looking at about 32 months.

And so will it impact his case? I don't think so. Will it impact their relationship? I mean, she hid him for 16 years. Probably so.

BALDWIN: Well, 32 months. So you say that's a pretty -- that's a sweetheart deal for her?

HOSTIN: That's a pretty good deal for her, absolutely. She was looking at much more time, about over a decade, I would say.

BALDWIN: I want to get to this "Desperate Housewives" trial.

Closing arguments began today, actress Nicollette Sheridan, she is suing, saying the show creator killed her character off after she complained about his treatment of her. The defense presented what they considered a bombshell voice-mail. They say it showed how ABC wanted to cover up her firing, so we will play a clip here. The voice you are about hear here is a set construction coordinator.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Mark, I'm an employee of "Desperate Housewives." I received an e-mail soon after Nicollette filed suit.

I think I.T. was meant for a much narrower distribution, but I.T. regarded having I.T. come in and wipe clean the hard drives of the producers in response to the correspondence that they've had e-mail wise about firing Nicollette.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Did the jury hear that?

HOSTIN: That's a wow, wow, wow.

Well, the jury heard him testify, Brooke. He got on the witness stand and talked about the fact that he received this e-mail, that he believed sort of related to Nicollette's firing. And he described it almost as a cover-up.

What's interesting though is usually in civil cases, employees are really ordered not to destroy anything, and usually I.T. does come and remove a lot of those e-mails, but to preserve it, not to erase it. On cross-examination, he seemed a bit confused and he wasn't sure if the e-mail perhaps was to preserve that information or to destroy it.

So I don't know that the bombshell evidence was truly a bombshell and perhaps the jury will disregard that testimony, but all in all, I mean, I thought this "Desperate Housewives" trial was going to be just a civil case, not really that interesting.

It has had more twists and turns than an actual "Desperate Housewives" episode. So it's been a fascinating case.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: What about her case, though? Because now that the case against the show creator is dropped, what does it do to Sheridan's case?

HOSTIN: Yes, well, she sued him for battery because she claims he hit her in the head. He, of course, always denied it and said, no, he was just trying to show her how she should do it to a character on the episode.

Well, the judge tossed out the battery claim against the executive producer. So the jury won't get to decide that. But the case still goes forward. The jury now gets to decide whether or not she was wrongfully terminated from her job in retaliation for her complaining about the hit really heard round the world now.

So the case goes forward. Great day for the executive producer, pretty good day for ABC, but Nicollette Sheridan still has a case.

BALDWIN: The twists and turns continue, as you say.

Sunny Hostin "On the Case," Sunny, thank you. We will see you back here tomorrow.

Still ahead, it is Rod Blagojevich's last night of freedom before he heads to the big house. Find out what he's up to tonight in his final hours before the big day.

Plus, George Clooney on Capitol Hill telling Congress, innocent people are dying, so do something, and do it now. You're going to hear straight from George Clooney next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: If it's interesting and happening right now, you are about to see it. "Rapid fire," let's go, beginning with the Pentagon.

Confirming this hour that the Army sergeant accused of a massacre in Afghanistan has now left the country, according to a spokesman telling CNN the unnamed soldier was being held in a place not suited to continue confinement. The Afghans have called for a public trial in Afghanistan where the transfer was offered in advance to Afghan officials.

Rod Blagojevich choosing his final hours of freedom to speak to the public. The former governor of Illinois starts his 14-year sentence in Colorado tomorrow after that jury being convicted in June of corruption. Blagojevich has a scheduled news conference outside his house, 6:00 p.m. tonight Eastern time. A spokesperson said Blagojevich just plans to say goodbye.

And just because we like snowy scenes here, check this out. This is Lake Tahoe, California. The higher the elevation, the heavier the snowfall. We're told the roads below, despite these whiteout conditions, the roads are passable. We're told, though, when it comes to skiers, some lifts there in Tahoe have been closed.

Let's get a little nostalgic, just because we can. After 244 years in production, Encyclopedia Britannica is stopping the presses. Britannica will no longer print its iconic multi-volume book set. Traditionally the updated edition has been released every two years. But the 2010 volumes will be the last. Not to worry, though. The encyclopedia will be available online and on your mobile device for a fee.

George Clooney is using his considerable star power to draw attention to the strife in Sudan. Clooney on Capitol Hill today testifying before a Senate committee just this morning telling senators he had just returned from Sudan and the Sudanese government is committing war crimes along the border with south Sudan. He also told the committee what he thinks the U.S. should do about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR/HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST: We need to do what we're best at, real diplomacy, starting with China. China has a $20 billion investment in oil infrastructure in the Sudan right now and they're getting nothing for it.

We need to use this opportunity to work in tandem with the Chinese to solve these cross-border issues, not by using guilt, not by appealing to humanitarian interests, but simply for good, solid economic reasons for both of us. Let's send a high-level envoy to China to work together on this. Let's use the techniques we've learned from chasing terrorists and find and freeze the offshore bank accounts of these war criminals. They're not buying these weapons with Sudanese pounds. Let's work with the international community to toughen the sanctions, make Khartoum a very lonely place. There is a lobbyist here in D.C. who is allegedly paid $20,000 a month to lobby for Khartoum. Let's make sure he's paid in Sudanese pounds from here on in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Clooney told the committee that he and his group came under rocket fire while visiting the region just a couple of days ago.

And now to a story that's breaking today and developing as I speak. A child has been found eight years after being kidnapped and the suspect is very close to home. Standing by live is the mom at the center of it all who has spent the last eight years wondering, hoping this day would come. I've got a lot of questions for her. Don't miss this, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: An abducted baby boy missing for eight years found safe. The babysitter accused of taking him is now sitting behind bars. She is Miguel Antonio Morin. The mother -- excuse me, Miguel was the son, just a couple months old when his mother says she dropped him off at his godmother's house. The next morning the godmother and baby boy were both gone.

Auboni Champion-Morin is the mother. She says she called Houston police, they investigated and dropped the case two years later. And now the Houston regional amber alert said they never got an alert on little Miguel. But Auboni says she dreamed and prayed for years until just a couple days ago when she got this call that her son had been found.

I want to welcome her now. Auboni Champion-Morin joins me now from Houston, Texas. My goodness, keep in mind, 2004 was the last time you saw your baby boy. You get this phone call two days ago. Auboni, describe it for me.

AUBONI CHAMPION-MORIN, ABDUCTED SON FOUND AFTER 8 YEARS: It was a very heart-wrenching thing because I hadn't heard anything since 2004. That's the last time I saw him or heard anything come out of his mouth. The last thing I heard him do was cry. So it was heart- wrenching. I was happy, scared because I don't know if he was abused, I don't know what happened, but I was relieved that he was alive.

BALDWIN: What were you told specifically in that phone conversation?

CHAMPION-MORIN: Basically said they had found her. There was a case going because of -- with CPS and that they were trying to arrest her and I needed to prove that I was his mother, and I did so. And I got on the news with channel 13 and they -- as soon as the news happened, they turned him in.

BALDWIN: Let's go back to the her here. The her is this woman accused of taking your son. You knew her.

CHAMPION-MORIN: Yes, Crystal Tanner.

BALDWIN: You had asked her to be Miguel's godmother. Explain to me the night when you came home and your 8-month-old baby boy was gone.

CHAMPION-MORIN: She wanted him to spend the night. I was like "okay" because this was his godmother, I trusted her. I had to pick him up in the morning because she was going to school, high school. When I got there, her mother said they had left but they would be back later. So I waited an hour then I went back. When I went back, she said they had left out of the state. And I called the police. I waited two hours for the police to arrive. Nothing happened.

BALDWIN: You were in high school at the time?

CHAMPION-MORIN: No, she was in high school -- yes, she was in high school. So I went to pick him up so she could go to her classes, but, yes, she was not there and he was not there.

BALDWIN: So you trusted, though, this woman at some point to leave at least one of your five children with her. Why allow -- I know you trust her, she's in high school. Why allow him to stay the night when all your other kids were staying safely somewhere else?

CHAMPION-MORIN: Because I trusted her and her family because I knew them for a long time. I had known them for six years prior to that, so I didn't think anything of it. And I've let some of my other kids go over there and nothing ever happened. It was so -- I wouldn't think that one night that that would change.

BALDWIN: At the time I mentioned Miguel went missing, he was all of eight months old, and you had four other kids at the time. From what I understand, they were all under the age of four, and Auboni, you were pregnant. So when you went to police, you couldn't take a polygraph because you were pregnant, is that correct?

CHAMPION-MORIN: No, I couldn't, because I was pregnant. Yes. I was able to, I was like, I'm ready to take it, and they said, "you're pregnant, you can't take it." Then after I had my baby, they never asked me to.

BALDWIN: Did you follow up with them and offer to give one?

CHAMPION-MORIN: Yes, and they kept switching the officer who was supposed to do my case at that point in time. Every time I would call, "oh, another officer has your case." Then they just closed it altogether.

BALDWIN: How did Houston police respond? how quickly did they respond to the initial missing report?

CHAMPION-MORIN: It took over two hours for them to respond to the apartment complex that I stayed in. Then it was -- it was like they really didn't understand or believe anything that was coming out of my mouth. They were believing the child's mother, who had took him. They believed her. They were like -- because she's older, she was like in her 40s, so they believed her over me and I was 20.

BALDWIN: I understand. I do just want to say that we reached out to Houston police. I understand there wasn't an amber alert issued. We asked them about that and they say they're looking into it. But Auboni, over the years, eight years, did you think Miguel was alive? What did you tell yourself each and every day what happened to him just to get through the day?

CHAMPION-MORIN: I believed -- I pray every day and I prayed every day that he was safe and he was okay and he was alive. In my heart, I knew he was because I felt it every day. BALDWIN: You knew he was alive.

CHAMPION-MORIN: Yes.

BALDWIN: When do you get to bring him home?

CHAMPION-MORIN: I have to -- as of right now, it's under investigation, so CPS has to do what they have to do and they'll let me know when I'm able to.

BALDWIN: But you're working with them, you're --

CHAMPION-MORIN: Yes. I'm cooperating with them in every way.

BALDWIN: Final question, Auboni. What's the first thing you say to Miguel when you see him? He's eight.

CHAMPION-MORIN: That I love him. That's all I'm going to say, that I love him and I'm going to give him the biggest hug in the world.

BALDWIN: Auboni Champion-Morin, we'll follow up with you. Thank you very much for us. Amazing story.

Coming up, a wall street guy quits his job very publicly and reveals some pretty outrageous accusations against Goldman Sachs. In a couple of minutes, we're going to speak to somebody who used to work on the inside. Plus this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Welcome to the CNN atrium. I know you know CNN, news, politics, but there's something we're talking about specifically in the month of March, and that is March Madness and that is bracketology. I want to bring in a super special guest here. Who must that be? You have to wait until after the break. Be right back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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BALDWIN: President Obama gave British prime minister David Cameron his first taste at basketball last night, college basketball. The two of them attended the opening game of the NCAA tournament in Dayton, Ohio. They watched Western Kentucky edge out Mississippi Valley State, and of course that taste of basketball had to include some arena food. Hot dogs, as it looks like. Here is the prime minister on the experience.

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DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I'm enjoying it. It's pretty fast and furious. It's hard to follow sometimes exactly who has done what wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Is our president helping you follow the game?

CAMERON: He's giving me some tips. He's going to help me set up my bracket.

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BALDWIN: Speaking of brackets, check this out.

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BALDWIN: Welcome to the CNN atrium, and I know you know CNN news, politics, but there's something we're talking about specifically in the month of March, and that is March Madness and that is bracketology. I want to bring in a super special guest here. We're going to talk basketball. I love this man. I love this man's Carolina blue tie. Can we get a close-up of that?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN LEAD POLITICAL ANCHOR: It is in honor of the university of North Carolina.

BALDWIN: My alma mater which, by the way, the president picked to go all the way, as have I. So I want to ask, because I understand you have a very interesting method to your March Madness as far as how you're selecting teams.

BLITZER: Well, the first thing I always do, and this is a very scientific method -- if a university up there has given me an honorary degree and I've given a commencement address at that university, they automatically get out of the first round. It doesn't mean they're going all the way to the sweet 16 or the final four, but they're going out of the first round. As a result, I have St. Louis, which, great Jesuit university, St. Louis, Missouri, they gave me an honorary degree. I gave the commencement address there. They moved into the second round.

BLITZER: So you invite Wolf Blitzer to speak at your university, you're a shoo-in when it comes to the brackets.

BLITZER: St. Bonaventure University gave me an honorary degree, I gave the commencement address, they're going to the second round.

BALDWIN: Who do you have going all the way?

BLITZER: I have Syracuse university. I'm a little sad because they lost one of their best players.

BALDWIN: Yeah, infraction. He's not going to be --

BLITZER: But I have confidence. I'm from upstate New York, I'm from Buffalo, Syracuse, not that far away, I spent a lot of time -- I never went to school there, but I like Syracuse university, so that's just me.

BALDWIN: All right, well I like the of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and as the president picked them to go all the way a couple years ago and they did, I'm just saying. BLITZER: Let me just say this. The president sees North Carolina he won it barely four years ago.

BALDWIN: But he won it.

BLITZER: It's a swing state, but he needs North Carolina.

BALDWIN: Look at you talking politics and basketball.

BLITZER: But he needs North Carolina. He's spend a lot of time there. I think that's what he's got to do. He has got to go with the swing states. He has Ohio going into the final four too --

BALDWIN: Game on, Blitzer. Game on.

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BALDWIN: Bring it on, Blitzer. Bring it on.

BLITZER: You know, you may be right, but you never know. We're looking for the Cinderella teams.

BALDWIN: I love a Cinderella story.

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BLITZER: Harvard, you know, how often has Harvard gone to the NCAA tournament?

BALDWIN: Rember George Washington a couple years ago? I love those stories. Everyone loves a good Cinderella story. Turning the corner to your show, what's coming up?

BLITZER: Enough of the bracketology.

BALDWIN: Yes.

BLITZER: We have some serious news coming up. The political fallout in the aftermath of Santorum's huge wins yesterday in Mississippi and Alabama. We'll assess what that means. Also taking a close look at Leon Panetta's visit to Afghanistan right now. Some incidents giong on. And we're digging deeper on some of the situation there. It's an ugly situation. My fear is it's going to get worse before it gets better, and it might not even get better.

BALDWIN: We now know, Sara sidner was reporting from Kabul, that the soldier accused of that, he has now left Afghanistan.

BLITZER: Probably smart to get him out of there.

BALDWIN: We'll see you in a couple minutes. In "The Sit. Room"

Thank you, sir.

BALDWIN: Before I let you go, we're talking Wall Street. This executive quits his job, calls Goldman Sachs toxic, destructive and says all the company cares about is ripping off customers.

Well, my next guest used to work at Goldman, Bob Lenzer, and he says this is par for the course. Don't miss this interview.

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BALDWIN: We've hit on this before. If you have an account with Goldman Sachs, you're probably not doing too bad. Surprise, surprise, Goldman Sachs thinks you are a 'muppet.'

That's one former executive is now saying. This guy resigns and goes straight to the New York times. I'm going to quote part of his op-ed that was out today.

"It makes me ill how callously people talk about ripping their clients off. Over the last 12 months I have seen five different managing directors refer to their own clients as 'muppets'."

Our buddy Bob Lenzner actually worked for Goldman Sachs for a number of years, he's with "Forbes" magazine now. Bob, when I see the word 'muppet' -- is that the way they talk about clients there?

ROBERT LENZNER, FORBES MAGAZINE: I never heard that before in my life. I'm not even sure what it means. I guess it means that they can take advantage of them at will.

I just want to correct one thing. I never said that was par for the course for Goldman Sachs to rip off all their customers. I would never say that in any of the activities I had when I worked there, and it certainly wouldn't be true of everybody.

Now, this letter is very unfortunate, coming as it does after a lot of other very embarrassing, noisesome things that have come out about Goldman Sachs. That in a big merger that they handled for El Paso Gas, they were on both sides of it. They didn't reveal certain aspects of it.

They brought another investment bank in, but the investment bank would only get paid if they approved the deal on the terms that Goldman Sachs wanted. There's so many conflicts involved with that, it's staggering to even keep track of it.

BALDWIN: But --

LENZNER: My question is where are the directors of Goldman Sachs in getting to the bottom of al these things. We've basically heard nothing. I would say if there are five guys that refer to their clients as 'muppets,' they should be fired immediately.

BALDWIN: Could you relate, though, Bob Lenzner, when you read this op-ed, did any of it ring true? You ultimately left Goldman, did you not?

LENZNER: Of course it rang true about the things I have learned that have been going on for the last several years -- too much money, too much taking advantage of clients. The Abacus deal where there were hearings on it, where they sold securities on behalf of a hedge fund, they knew the securities were not worth what they sold them for.

That's so scandalous, so outrageous. So they pay a fine of $550 million for that. If there are other activities like that, they will pay fines about that, too. But keep in perspective, one thing is that practically everybody in Wall Street has had something against them, okay?

You've had Credit Suisse pay a big fine for bond traders that were fixing bond prices to make it look like they made more than they did.

BALDWIN: I do want to jump in, though, because -- just to be fair with Goldman. You know, we have heard from Goldman and they have essentially said they have these, as many places do, these employees surveys. And the views reflected in this particular op-ed in the times this morning was not reflective of what they have seen in those particular surveys.

I do, If I can, Bob Lenzer, I do want to move on. I just have a couple more minutes before we hand things off to Wolf. I want to talk about this news here, the stress tests on the top 19 financial institutions --

LENZNER: Right.

BALDWIN: -- would the banks survive a 50 percent drop in stock prices, 13 percent unemployment, another big drop in the housing market, 15 of the top banks passed, but I want to ask you, the four that flunked. CitiGroup, Allied Financial, MetLife and SunTrust. So Bob, overall, 3 1/2 years since the meltdown, can we breathe easier when it comes to these things?

LENZNER: Yes, we can, obviously.

J.P. Morgan raised their dividend and announced a huge buyback of their stock. So have several other banks. There's only these three banks. Everyone in wall street knows that CitiGroup has still a long way to go to get themselves straightened out. I'm not sure I know enough about the other two banks to speak of.

Yes, I think we do. Let's not forget that the stock market has raised the prices of equities back up within about 8 percent of the former peak in October 2007. So we are not in the same dire straits we were in.

I don't think we face -- unless there was some kind of international event, some kind of external event, like a war in the Middle East or something 20 do with Iran, that caused the price of oil to go to $200 a barrel and the stock market to go down by 50 percent, we do not face a huge big crisis with the banks here.

We have come a long way in three years. We're not perfect. I don't think the governance of these banks has really improved that much.

BALDWIN: You don't think so?

No, I don't. I don't think the governance of Goldman Sachs has improved at all. Where is their board of directors in responding to these noisesome horrible things being said about Goldman Sachs? They're not doing anything about it. They prefer to try to maximize their profits and go along and get along as they used to. It's a changed environment. It's a very, very different environment. We're never going back to the situation -- not only that, but the passage of Dodd-Frank is very seriously negative for Goldman Sachs's profits in the future unless the bill is annulled. That I know for a fact.

BALDWIN: Bob Lenzer, we love having you weigh in. We have to cut you off. I really truly appreciate you coming on and talking about this. I know the Dow is certainly reflective of a lot of those A grades, passing the stress test yesterday, and it looks like at least today as well. Bob Lenzer, my thanks to you with Forbes. Now we have to hand you off to Wolf Blitzer. "THE SITUATION ROOM" starts now.

BLITZER: Brooke, thanks very much.