CNN.com - Transcripts

Transcript Providers

Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Images of Zimmerman In Handcuffs; Colorado Fire; No U.S. Access to Afghan Massacre Sites; Lawmaker Takes Issue with CNN Question; No Effort To "Overthrow Government"; Gingrich Backer Says Campaign Is Over; Arizona Gets Tough on Dissent; Silverstone Feeds Baby Mouth-to- Mouth

Aired March 29, 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. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Top of the hour. A lot happening today. We always begin with "Rapid Fire." Roll it.

All right, let's begin with this. We have these new images, take a good long look, if you have yet to see this here. These are images of a man who admits to shooting Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. And we're getting a good look here. This is video, spotlighted even for you to look closely. A video of George Zimmerman handcuffed, in custody, as he arrives at the police department after the shooting more than a month ago. There are no clear injuries shown on the tape, which was obtained by ABC News. And it's not known just exactly how much time had passed since the shooting, but Zimmerman had been treated by paramedics. His own father says Martin beat Zimmerman so badly that he had no choice but to shoot him.

And the Senate today killed a bill backed by President Obama to end tax breaks for major oil companies. Speaking before the vote, the president said the nation would be watching to see what Congress did.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's not as if these companies can't stand on their own. Last year, the three biggest U.S. oil companies took home more than $80 billion in profits.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: The bill died on a 51-47 procedural vote with Democrats backing the measure and Republicans opposing it.

And a security scare today at Philadelphia's airport. So here's what happened. Police say this guy tried to go through security with M-80 fireworks and flash powder in his backpack. The Pennsylvania man was trying to catch a flight, a United Airlines flight, to San Francisco. Never exactly made it to the plane. He was taken into custody. But federal officials say there are, and I'm quoting them, "no early indications of terrorism."

And an update today for you in the killing of those 17 Afghan civilians. The U.S. military says it has never had access to the two villages where the killings happened. And that will make it tough to prosecute this alleged killer here. Staff Sergeant Robert Bales. His attorney, John Henry Browne, was on CNN just last night. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN HENRY BROWNE, ROBERT BALES' ATTORNEY: It's not a traditional crime scene. There is no crime scene. The military has not even been back to the villages where this allegation stems from. They haven't been back there. So there's no crime scene, there's no NDA, there's no fingerprints, there's no confession.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Alarming new numbers out today. Just how likely are you to have a child with autism? Answer? One in 88. That's a new figure released by the CDC. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, he's all over this today. He's going to talk to us next hour and tell us what exactly these numbers mean and what parents can do to lower their risk of having a child born with autism.

And an American soldier who lost his life in Afghanistan last week is being hailed as a hero. Specialist Dennis Weichel was killed as he lifted a young Afghan girl out of the path of an oncoming military vehicle. She was saved. After his death, he has now been awarded the Bronze Star for heroism and promoted to sergeant.

And now look at these pictures with me. This could be -- could be Lindsay Lohan's last time in court. There she is. Her probation is over. Her judge saying at a hearing just a little while ago, quote, "I don't expect to see you again." Lohan has done community service and counseling sessions following her DUI arrest just about five years ago now. And we did hear her just briefly thank the judge before getting out of there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDSAY LOHAN, ACTRESS: I just wanted to say thank you and for being fair and it's really opened a lot of doors for me. So I really appreciate it. Thanks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You were on a tight leash. You're not going to be on that leash any more. The leash you're going to be on is going to be self-imposed. OK. And you know what you have to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And if you have lotto fever, sorry, you're not alone. The Mega Millions jackpot has now reached a record high, $540 billion. So, if you haven't bought your ticket yet, like myself, make sure you wear comfortable shoes because lines across the U.S. are wrapping around buildings, up and down streets, everyone hoping to cash in on the biggest lotto drawing in not just U.S. history, I'm talking world history. Friday night, 11:00 p.m. Eastern.

Also this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Beverly Hillbillies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: That gets you toe tapping, doesn't it. The unmistakable sound of Earl Scruggs, a blue grass music legend, died yesterday at a Nashville hospital. He was 88. He teamed up with Lester Flatt to form the Foggy Mountain Boys and earned their way into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Their biggest hit, the ballet of Jed Clampett, the theme song, of course, to the CBS sitcom that we were playing for you, "The Beverly Hillbillies."

And we have a lot more to cover for you over the course of the next two hours, including this.

We've got the police report now. We also have the surveillance video showing George Zimmerman after the shooting. And Mike Brooks is here. He's going to walk us through this video frame by frame.

MIKE BROOKS: Brooke, so many questions remain unanswered. This new video sheds a lot of light on what his role may have been.

BALDWIN: I'm Brooke Baldwin, along with Mike. The news is now.

A security guard scans a little boy at a school board meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's the epitome of disrespect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: As the picture goes viral, tempers flare over a controversial curriculum.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was terrified.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: A group of men burst into a church classroom, put pillowcases over the heads of children and fake kidnapped them. Why?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To secure the shock value of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: They could be in serious trouble.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Daddy, where's mom? What's she stopping for? (END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Inside a family's escape from a raging wildfire.

And Alicia Silverstone making waves for the way she feeds her baby. Is it natural, or is it just plain gross?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right, let's get your this new perspective on what happened in the moments after the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. So take a look with me. This is the surveillance tape of the admitted shooter here. You see George Zimmerman in custody of Sanford Florida Police. He is in handcuffs. There he is in red. And police. You see them checking him all over. This is video obtained by CNN. And I know it's darker, it's kind of grainy, but there doesn't appear to be any visible injuries to Zimmerman.

I want to play another piece of the video that you can see a little bit better. The lighting's a little bit better. And here we've spotlighted his head. So this is Zimmerman being led into a room for questioning. And police would ultimately decide, as you now know, not to arrest him.

I want to bring in David Mattingly. He's standing by for us there in Sanford, Florida.

And we know that Zimmerman, David, he claimed that Trayvon Martin was attacking him and he fired his gun in self-defense to save his own life. But his appearance in the videos, it's raising questions about that, is it not?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Like so many things that come out in this case, it is raising more questions than providing answers about what happened that night. In that video, as you acknowledge, it's not the best quality video. It's not the best angle. It's not a close-up shot of George Zimmerman. But we do not see any visible injuries on his face or on the back of his head. He told police that he was attacked by Trayvon Martin, who punched him, knocked him down, and then jumped on top of him, hit his head against the concrete on the ground and also hit him in the face. We do not see any evidence of that in this poor quality video.

But we also know -- and I have spoken to an eyewitness who witnessed the wrestling as this witness described between two men. It was dark. The witness could not describe exactly who was fighting whom that night. But that witness said that police said that night that George Zimmerman did indeed sustain injuries and that he had been beaten and that he had some scratches that he had to deal with there at the scene.

BALDWIN: Yes, I have the police report here. It describes, from this officer, you know, observing, his back appeared to be wet, covered in grass, perhaps lying on his back on the ground.

But here's the part I want to highlight. Zimmerman was also bleeding from the nose and back of his head. So this is from the report. But it also says, David, that he, you know, received first aid at the scene as well and -- I mean it's possible that could have minimized his wounds.

MATTINGLY: Well, here's the problem with that bit of information that we have. It's not telling a complete story. We don't know the extent of his injuries. We don't know how bad these wounds, these scratches, whatever they might have been, how bad they were. We do know from people speaking on his behalf, and their message has been very consistent over the last couple of weeks, that he did receive medical treatment, attention, there at the scene. He also had his -- he was cleaned up there at the scene before he was taken to the police department. So, again, we don't know how severe these injuries were that he might have sustained in this altercation.

BALDWIN: Here's what we do know from Zimmerman. He's still not talking. His father is. What did he say to WOFL TV?

MATTINGLY: Well, something important is that his father is talking about how his son felt like that he was acting in self defense. And as you listen to a bit of this interview that we're going to play for you know, you will hear a father defending his son who says that George Zimmerman was acting in self defense. So listen to what he has to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, GEORGE ZIMMERMAN'S FATHER (voice-over): After nearly a minute of being beaten, George is trying to get his head off of the concrete. Trying to move with Trayvon on him into the grass. In doing so, his firearm was shown. Trayvon Martin said something to the effect of, you're going to die now or you're going to die tonight. Something to that effect. He continued to beat George and at some point George pulled his pistol and did what he did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: At this point, Brooke, the problem again with what the father is saying here, that the only person who can back that up is George Zimmerman himself. He is the only one who survived that confrontation. The only one at this point who's able to tell police exactly what happened.

The witnesses that have come forward that we know of have not actually seen or -- were not actually able to hear what was being said between the two combatants that night. In fact, it was dark. Witnesses that have come forward and witnesses that have talked to us can't even say for sure who was on top of whom or who was hitting whom that night.

So, again, the conversation that took place, that is information from George Zimmerman and George Zimmerman only.

BALDWIN: Right. That's all we know so far of Zimmerman's account, vis- a-vis his father.

David Mattingly, thank you. And also his brother, listen to this, George Zimmerman's brother is going to join Piers Morgan live tonight. Folks, this is a huge deal. This is a huge interview. This is the first time we're hearing from him. So, set your DVR, turn on your TV, 9:00 p.m. tonight Eastern Time right here on CNN.

Now this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Daddy, where's mom? What's she stopping for?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Listen to that little voice. Flames begin to close in. A family's dramatic escape all caught on video. You're about to see this entire video unfolding and hear from the family. Stay right with me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: From daylight into pure darkness. That's a quote. That's from a father in Colorado describing his driving as his family tries to outrun a wildfire. A fire that has thus far killed two people. Also a woman is missing. And we've seen these pictures. So, obviously, these are aerial pictures. The smoke, the fire. But the Gulick (ph) family took footage on the ground as they're escaping the flames. You're going to see. We're going to play it for you. You're going to see how that makes all the difference.

Let me set this up here. So the dad is in the car with the kids. Mom is in another car. Leading the way here -- and the dad, his name is Doug Gulick, he says he turns the corner and this is what he saw.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Daddy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to make it. We're going to be fine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Daddy, where's mom? What's she stopping for?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's down there. It's down there now. Sure was (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whoa. (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There it is right here. Right here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my gosh. (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's OK. We're out, we're out, we're out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Oh, my goodness. Just hearing the child's voice, right, and hearing, Reynolds Wolf, hearing, you know, I think it was a little girl saying, oh, my gosh, where's mom? Why is she stopping?

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No doubt.

BALDWIN: The good news is, the family is a-OK. The home is a-OK. But you see that the fire -- you've covered many a wildfire --

WOLF: Absolutely, in parts of New Mexico, certainly in southern California. One of the things that's so compelling about watching these fires is how quickly they spread. We're talking about temperatures that exceed 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

BALDWIN: And how close they were. Out the window of the car.

WOLF: No doubt. I mean you think about how many times they took that same road to maybe go to the store or whatnot. Now they're on basically a trip for survival. It's basically an escape. And they're very fortunate, but terrifying altogether.

BALDWIN: What's the status of the fire right now?

WOLF: It's going to be kind of dicey the next couple of days. But by the time we get to the end of the weekend, we do expect some changes. We do expect a front to come through. When it does, it could bring more moisture and that could be a big game changer.

But let's hop over to the magic wall for a moment, Brooke.

BALDWIN: OK.

WOLF: And if we can, we're going to kind of show you the story with the help of Google Earth. In fact, it is really amazing as we zoom in and you see the area that they certainly were fleeing for their lives. You go in towards Denver, Colorado, easy to see. In just the southwest of the city, you see the active fire area. Of course the evacuation zone shaded in this green.

As we zoom in a bit more, you're not only going to see the place where the fire took place, but where that family was escaping for their lives, right down these roads. And again, it's not like going down I- 70 on the freeway where you've got just a wide expansive area and plenty of room where you can just gun it. That's not -- that really wasn't the situation. You've got twists and turns and the possibility of trees toppling over on other side blocking the escape route. Certainly a very terrifying scenario, Brooke.

BALDWIN: We're hearing also from the family, are we not?

WOLF: We are indeed. In fact, we spoke with the mother earlier and her story, just like the video, was quite compelling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIM OLSON, FAMILY ESCAPED COLORADO WILDFIRE: I had to put on the brakes to figure out that I could get my hand to the lights and turn those on. And I was also considering that we might not make it through and maybe we needed to turn around, like my husband said. And my dad and my brother are both firefighters and I know that one of the dangers is, if the road becomes blocked with trees that are down and I was concerned we would just get trapped inside. So the neighbor that passed us, we didn't know that that neighbor knew the way out, but he was flying and so we just -- we went for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF: My goodness. And one thing we can green from all of this, Brooke, obviously, is when there is an order to evacuate, it's an evacuation order. It's not a suggestion. And the thing is, you take yourself, you get your family and you get out of the area. Anything else you leave behind, all of that can be replaced. They're very fortunate. Obviously it could have turned out a different scenario. They certainly have a lot of work -- not the family itself, but rather the firefighters.

BALDWIN: Absolutely.

WOLF: Still going to be a lot of work and certainly our hats go off to the hard work they have and hopefully they'll remain safe.

BALDWIN: Absolutely. I just can't help but think that's one family of however many who have been in that exact same scenario, sort of racing down those roads to flee the fire.

Reynolds, thank you.

WOLF: You bet.

BALDWIN: And now to this. He is the American soldier accused of killing 17 innocent civilians, including nine children. But there is a whole new twist to this story today involving the crime scene itself. And it could mean it's going to be very, very difficult to convict Sergeant Robert Bales in this murder spree. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: A soldier wakes up right around 2:00 in the morning and his roommate tells him he has been off the base killing Afghan civilians. And that soldier dismisses it as non-sense. But according to a U.S. official that roommate telling that story was in fact Staff Sergeant Robert Bales. The official says, after that conversation, Bales left the base a second time. And just about 90 minutes later, he ran into a search team looking for him. Bales had blood on him -- this is according to that same official. And as you now know, he is charged with gunning down 17 Afghan civilians and trying to kill another six. But his defense attorney says the military will have a very tough time proving Bales is the mass murder.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN HENRY BROWNE, ROBERT BALES' ATTORNEY: It's not a traditional crime scene. There is no crime scene. The military has not even been back to the villages where this allegation stems from. They haven't been back there. So there's no crime scene. There's no DNA. There's no fingerprints. There's no confession. It's, you know, the Afghan people traditionally I understand, and understandably, bury their dead very quickly. So it's going to be a tough case for the prosecutors.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: The military official says investigators have not been able to go to the crime scenes now more than two weeks after that shooting spree. And CNN's Nick Paton Walsh, he's been on this. He's in Kabul, Afghanistan.

And, Nick, the military hasn't been back to the villages. Why not?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they've never been there at all. In fact, the only U.S. military personnel to be to these two murder scenes was, in fact, allegedly, Staff Sergeant Robert Bales. Immediately afterwards, even Afghan investigators who went there came under attack. Security concerns and, of course, the still very fractured, tense relationship with the local populations keeping U.S. investigators at bay and really making problems now for this forth prosecution they want to push through. They need water tight forensic evidence. They need to tie Bales to those particular scenes. They can't do it. There's nothing left there, frankly, now that would be reliable enough in court. The bodies, as you said earlier, buried. So real issues here for U.S. investigators.

Brooke.

BALDWIN: So now it's the Afghan investigators. They're the ones who have been handling the forensics, the evidence there at the villages. And I imagine that would be a point when it comes to the defense of this sergeant.

WALSH: Absolutely. Whatever the Afghan investigators have done, however good they've been at their jobs, the reputation of law enforcement (INAUDIBLE) corruption, ineptitude, you name it, is going to be frankly providing welcome ammunition for the defense attorney here. He can claim and try and claim their evidence as unreliable. It frankly is going to be that which connects Bales to those murder sites.

He apparently, according to this U.S. official we spoke to, as he approached the base after his second hour long killing spree, had blood on his uniform. The issue is going to be tying that to the DNA of the dead. They're buried. Their bodies not accessed by U.S. investigators. It could possibly be that the wounded from this, the five taken to Kandahar Air Field for treatment, their blood may match that on the uniform, but that doesn't necessarily correlate easily to a murder charge.

So real questions remaining here. And I think U.S. investigators, prosecutors, deeply concerned that this hugely problematic mass homicide here in Afghanistan may be quite hard to turn into a solid conviction under the U.S. legal system.

Brooke.

BALDWIN: Well, we now know Sergeant Bales, who faces all those 17 murder charges, we'll see where it goes next. Nick Paton Walsh in Kabul. Nick, thank you.

And now to something that a lot of you tweeted me about this time yesterday. A conversation I had yesterday with Congresswoman Karen Brown has a lot of you talking still today, 24 hours later, including the congresswoman herself. She told me she cares about all children in her district, regardless of race. But she had a tough time answering my question in the heat of the moment. We're going to replay that moment for you and share new information we have just gotten in the last couple of hours. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Want to take a minute now just to talk about something that happened on this show yesterday. We were speaking with Corrine Brown, the congress woman from the Florida district where Trayvon Martin was shot and killed.

Back on Tuesday, Brown and other African-American Democrats, they held this briefing on racial profiling and hate crimes on Capitol Hill, which Martin's parents did in fact attend.

So back to yesterday, near the end of the interview with this congresswoman I asked her this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Would you, would your fellow African-American lawmakers be as concerned about this case if Trayvon wasn't black?

REPRESENTATIVE CORRINE BROWN (D), FLORIDA: Let me tell you something. We had an incident in my area where a young white female was murdered, and I was just as concerned, absolutely. I care about all of the children. You know --

BALDWIN: What was her name?

BROWN: The young lady that got killed?

BALDWIN: Yes, ma'am.

BROWN: In Orange County.

BALDWIN: What was her name?

BROWN: The young lady that got killed, no, no, the point --

BALDWIN: Do you remember?

BROWN: I don't remember her name, but we had all kinds of rallies in the community in Jacksonville that I participated in and I made sure that the sheriff department had the money that they needed to pursue the case, so just don't try to act like this is just about this one black male.

This is about all of the children and in fact the Congressional Black Caucus is the conscience of the Congress, and we constantly work to make things better. You know, I served in this Congress for a long time, and I have seen what we call a reverse riding hood, robbing from the poor and working to give tax breaks for the rich.

We talk about it all the time. How can we elevate it? How can we make a difference? You are talking about deficits, but we talk about investment in young people and how to give them opportunities, and, yes, how to stop profiling.

I mean, the folk, the point is I really do believe to whom god has given much is expected. We are here to try to make a difference for all young people.

BALDWIN: Congresswoman Corrine Brown, I hear you.

BROWN: When America has a cold, African-Americans have pneumonia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: That moment provoked an immediate reaction. Many, many people on blogs and Twitter were not so kind to Congresswoman Brown when she couldn't remember the older case she cited in our interview and others, some of you were angry that I asked her that question in the first place.

Later the congresswoman's office did send us materials about the other case. So it turned out she was talking about Sommer Thompson, a seven-year-old girl who was kidnapped In Clay County, Florida, in 2009, and found dead two days later.

Jared Harold pleaded guilty to killing Sommer Thompson back on February 3rd. He was sentenced to life in prison. The facts of this case, this he are absolutely horrific. Prosecutors said he as fixated the girl and dumped her body in a Georgia landfill.

Brown's office says the investigation was costly. She fought to get more funding for it. We have spoken to the sheriff of Clay County who did say that Brown, and I am quoting, "very helpful to the investigation."

He estimates that she brought in just about $150,000 to help cover the cost of things like officers' overtime. Despite her involvement in that case, though, Congresswoman Brown couldn't remember Sommer Thompson's name during my interview yesterday or even which county Thompson was abducted from and it could have perhaps just slipped her mind.

The point is this. As more and more people, especially lawmakers attach themselves to the Trayvon Martin case, it is only fair to ask about their investment in the cases. Brown says she felt attacked by my questions and that was certainly not my intent.

There is nothing racist or even salacious about asking an elected lawmaker to back up claims with facts. Tune in Friday night, 8:00 Eastern for a special town hall hosted by Soledad O'Brien. She is going to re-examine the racial tension in our country right now and how this neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. How this tragedy became a nationwide story.

Coming up, a father and son run military drills in the woods as part of militia and the government had accused them of plotting to attack the government, but the feds just dropped those charges. You are about to hear from one of the former militia members next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: A father and son that ran military drills in the woods with fellow members of their militia have pleaded guilty to weapons charges. A federal judge dropped more severe charges against David and Joshua Stone at their trial yesterday.

And those charges include a conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction against the government. The FBI had planted an informant with a group that recorded all of these different activities here.

And when the so-called Hutaree Militia was charged, the government case described them as I am quoting here, "Christian warriors."

Want you to listen now to this former member speaking to a reporter after yesterday's court proceedings. Tina Stone is her name. She is married to the leader of this group and says, yes, she is Christian, but she is not antigovernment. She goes to church every Sunday and she told this reporter she voted for Obama. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TINA STONE, FORMER HUTAREE MILITIA MEMBER: There is no talk of overthrowing the government. In fact, to be perfectly honest, I don't think they could overthrow a troop. It was survivalist basically, dooms day preparers, just like the show on TV.

We were -- we lived in the time for revelations and with our family being Christian we figured at one time or another Christians will be hunted down and killed. We talked about the new world order, not this government.

We talked about the anti-Christ, which unless the government is saying that they're the anti-Christ and they're the new world order, you know, but, no, not this government.

We were just playing follow the leader. That's basically what it was. We would walk in a line, watch our surroundings, and, yes, we had loaded guns.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Tina Stone also says she expects the militia to regroup. Again, her husband and stepson pleaded guilty to weapons charges today. She met her husband, the head of the militia online and now she says they have lost everything including their house and their jobs.

Politics and the man who has almost single-handedly bank rolled Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign is saying time is up. I am talking about Sheldon Adelson. He is a Las Vegas casino mogul and big time Newt Gingrich supporter.

So big in fact, he has poured, this man has poured $15 million, his own dollars into this pro-Gingrich "Super Political Action Committee, the Super PAC."

But now Mr. Adelson admits the former House speaker's campaign is nearly over.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHELDON ADELSON, NEWT GINGRICH BACKER: It appears as though he's at the end of his line because mathematically he can't get anywhere near the numbers and is not unlikely to be a brokered convention.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Quick check as he was talking about math of the delegates count and it is apparent why Adelson feels this way. He had 33 contests so far. Gingrich has won only two states and collected 137 delegates, nowhere near the magic number, 1,144 necessary to get the GOP nomination.

For Newt Gingrich time is running out and it is running out very, very quickly. Let's go to Washington and talk to Joe Johns about all of this. We just kind of heard from Adelson himself pointing out the math. I mean, is that really ultimately why he is not giving the money anymore?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, don't know why, but it is interesting. It appears that he just was talking to some journalists and he feels comfortable with and shared a few thoughts, so thanks to jewishjournal.com we have a window into the thinking of Sheldon Adelson.

As Brooke said, this is a guy who's been bank rolling Newt Gingrich's "Super PAC." He is a Las Vegas casino billionaire, given $11 million more, the count is much higher by some, and in an interview with reporters that's posted on the web site, Adelson explains his motivations.

He says he likes Gingrich because he is a decision maker and he suggests he doesn't like Rick Santorum as much because he is too social, apparently meaning Santorum is too conservative socially conservative.

He sees Mitt Romney as a guy he doesn't think he can get a clear answer from, and says President Obama is the same way, that said, Adelson sounds like he is being realistic about his chances of getting the nomination.

He also suggested he would like to see a Romney-Gingrich ticket and even raise the issue with both of them, but he says he wasn't able to get a clear answer from Romney. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADELSON: I would have said yes because in past I have talked to both him and Mitt about committing to each other to be vice president. Mitt says, well, he didn't give me an answer and Newt says, listen, I would do that except that every governor whose help you need to go through in the election is hoping he will be the vice president pick. So if I go into the context with a vice president already picked, they're not going to help me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: So it would be interesting to see if Newt Gingrich would say the same thing now given the fact that he is really scaled back his campaign with an eye toward the convention.

I did talk to his campaign just a little while ago and they're not touching this. I have to tell you, Brooke, I have called many times asking about Sheldon Adelson and you don't get a lot of answers.

They pick their words carefully when you talk about him. Of course, he has given so much money to the "Super PAC."

BALDWIN: I can imagine they're like Joe Johns, you again. Stop asking, we're not answering. We appreciate your diligence, Joe Johns. Thank you so much in Washington. Now this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The epitome of disrespect and disregard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Tempers flare after this picture goes viral. This little boy, not at an airport, not court, he is inside a school board meeting. All the anger, it is over a controversial curriculum. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right, I will show you a picture. Take a close look at it because you will see this little boy here, arms out, and you may think you know what's happening here. Trust me, you probably don't. You might think you know where this is headed. You will be surprised. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Take a look at these photographs. You might think these people are heading into a federal courthouse or going through airport security. They're not. This young boy and this little girl and their families were entering school board meetings in Tucson, Arizona.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What were they afraid of?

GUTIERREZ: University of Arizona Associate Professor Roberto Rodriguez took this photo of nine-year-old Nicholas being wanded by an armed guard.

ROBERTO RODRIGUEZ, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA: We're not in Afghanistan, you know. We're not in Syria.

GUTIERREZ: The photo taken this month went viral and for some struck a raw nerve.

TANYA ALVAREZ, TUCSON PARENT: I think it is the epitome of disrespect and disregard for our children.

ADELITA GRIJALVA, TUCSON UNITED SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER: When they're wanding you and checking your purse, I think the message is we're really not welcoming you to be a part of this.

GUTIERREZ: Tucson is where one of the country's most contentious education battles is being fought. At issue is a Mexican-American studies program designed to teach literature, American history, culture and art from a Mexican-American perspective.

But in 2010, the state legislature made courses designed for a particular ethnic group illegal. Critics say the law was aimed squarely at Tucson's Mexican-American program.

The state school superintendent says he had no choice, but to ban it. Last April during a public forum to discuss the ban, high school students took over the school board meeting.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So basically this is where we chain ourselves to the chairs. I am right over here.

GUTIERREZ: Denise Rebeil, a University of Arizona freshman says the takeover was the culmination of years of frustrated efforts to save the program.

(on camera): Couldn't you have done it in another way? I mean, this is pretty disruptive when you look at it.

DENISE REBEIL, COLLEGE STUDENT: I mean, we tried so many tactics. We tried talking to them through letters. We went to meetings with them and they wouldn't even all meet with us.

GUTIERREZ (voice-over): After that confrontation, security at school board meetings was dramatically increased. School board member, Michael Hicks says the added security applies to everyone.

MICHAEL HICKS, TUCSON UNIFIED SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER: We felt that it was so volatile that the atmospheres that we were dealing with, people want to make it more than what it is, but it is all about safety of the individuals in the meetings.

GUTIERREZ: Rodriguez says the response is over the top, that the guards now outnumber the school board members.

RODRIGUEZ: These students didn't come in with weapons. They said we will speak for ourselves, you know. This is about education.

GUTIERREZ: Both sides say the other side over reacted.

ALFONSO CHAVEZ, COLLEGE STUDENT: They have established a sense of us versus them and rather than working with one another.

GUTIERREZ: And now both sides would say unfortunately this photograph is a sign of the times in Arizona.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Nine-year-old boy. Want to bring in Thelma Gutierrez live in Los Angeles. Thelma, I mean, you had all of these different voices in this piece, and obviously the battle over this Mexican-American studies course, far from over. Where does it go next?

GUTIERREZ: Well, Brooke, because there is a state law in effect, some worry that the state superintendent will start to turn his attention toward the Mexican-American studies program at the University of Arizona.

Now, we contacted his office just a short time ago. A spokesperson there told us that while the superintendent does believe there is an unhealthy link between the university program and the high school program because the professors help to create that high school program.

He says that he will take a look at it though he has no plans to take any action right now. So there is concern that he will start to turn his attention toward the University of Arizona program and, by the way, Brooke, the Superintendent Hupenthal does sits on the board of regents for the university and so that is likely though he says he has no plans right now.

BALDWIN: Does, Thelma, does the district have another Mexican- American studies program or programs in the works right now?

GUTIERREZ: Not in the past forum, Brooke, but they are looking at trying to put together another kind of program and we talked to the superintendent's office and they say we're not going to stop it.

If they want to put together a program, one that fits what we believe it ought to be, and follows the rules of the district and the state, we will let it go through, and so they say there is something like that in the works right now. This fight is far from over.

BALDWIN: I know you will be covering it for us. Thank you so much. That video they got a lot of talking and a nine-year-old and want to show you another video that involves an 11 month old.

Have you seen the video of actress Alicia Silverstone feeding her baby? She chews up the food and spits it out in her baby's mouth. Question, is it natural?

Other question, is it just plain gross? My next guest is a mommy blogger and says there is a point here that everyone is missing. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: My goodness, this is definitely trending today. The story is actress, Alicia Silverstone, she posts this video that has a lot of moms wondering who is clueless, us or her. I don't know if you have seen this. Guess what we're going to show it to you.

Here she is chewing her food. This is Silverstone with her baby son, Bear. Watch with me as she puts it in his mouth. Not playing kiss efface at all. Most parents simply cut up the food in teeny tiny pieces.

Silverstone is pre-chewing food for her son and feeding him directly from her mouth just like a mother bird feeding baby birds in the nest. This video here, there she goes, is setting the world of mommy blogs on fire.

Let me read a couple comments. Jean Sager writes, quote, "I am trying to come up with something nice to say and, sorry, I have nothing. It is weird. It is disgusting, and in a world where you can pick up a food processor for $50 at Target, it is unnecessary."

Over Jezibell, Tracy also notes Silverton's vegan diet, quote, "Mealtimes for Silverstone sound pretty miserable to me, first no cheese, and then she has a toddler literally trying to suck food out of her face. No thanks."

One more, Stephanie Elliott over at Real Moms Guide sums it up, quote, "Just trying to make a statement. I just can't for the life of me figure out what that statement might be."

OK, Catherine Connors, she's back on the show. She blogs at herbadmother.com. Catherine, what's your reaction to this video?

CATHERINE CONNORS, AUTHOR, HERBADMOTHER.COM: Gosh, my first reaction was much like everyone else's. I thought, wow, that is not for me. I mean, there is the chewing the food part for your child and then there is the kiss feeding it to your child, which takes it to a whole different level of uncomfortable.

BALDWIN: I have to be honest. You know, it is something we talk through all of our stories in morning meetings and gauge how people feel and the reaction was mixed. You have the eww faces and others didn't find it strange at all. When you think about it, and you're a parent, I am not, but you are, how high does this rank on the list of gross things parents have to do?

CONNORS: Well, look, parents have to do a lot of really gross things. I have done a lot of really gross things that I won't list for you. Some of them are as would be uncomfortable to watch as this. This isn't something that's necessary.

The gross things that I have done have all fallen into the category of necessary. This isn't a necessary thing. We have food processors and utensils. We don't need to chew food for our children or transfer it from our mouth into theirs. I think it puts us on a different level. BALDWIN: What did you do when your little one, Jasper, was 11 months old?

CONNORS: Gosh, he ate soft foods. He ate banana, avocado, I mashed up potatoes for him with a fork, and I let him feed himself. I thought it was important that he learn to feed himself.

Look, I am as interested in keeping my babies as close to me as any other mother is, but I think Tracy Morris was very right in her statement let's leave some things for ourselves and let children learn to do things by themselves.

BALDWIN: Would it be different? You kind of mentioned this a moment ago. It is one thing to see a mother and a young boy. Would it be different if it was a father with a young boy?

CONNORS: No. I made this point in the post that I wrote about this which is that a dad would not get away with doing this. I also say, I think, a gay parent or lesbian parent probably wouldn't get away with doing it in public either like this and I think it is something worth discussing. It doesn't make it wrong.

It means we have to think about what it represents, why it makes us uncomfortable. We see a mom doing it, maybe, OK, she is kiss feeding her child, but if we saw a dad do that, especially a dad with a daughter, we would be really uncomfortable.

BALDWIN: Then there is the whole health issue, right? I was reading articles where researchers critical say, look, you have bacteria you're Passing onto the little one and can could contribute to tooth decay. It is not the healthiest thing to do but at the end of the day she is the parent and you're the parent of your child and are we in a position to judge?

CONNORS: I don't know. I always try to avoid judging. There are some things you can't help, but ask yourself questions. This is one because I think there are health concerns and I was told not to put my child's soother in my mouth to clean it if it fell in the sand because there is so much bacteria in the human mouth.

You know, where there are real health concerns, I think we put those out into the discussion and say she is doing and maybe we don't want to judge or say it is disgusting, but we also don't want to encourage other mothers to do it if there are real health concerns at stake.

BALDWIN: I want to also mention we have our entertainment unit reached out to Alicia Silverstone because the big question is what kind of statement is she trying to make and the only glimmer is at the end of the "L.A. Times."

I just want to read for her part, Silverstone says, she loves feeding her 11 month old this way and you can see from the video above that he loves it too.

This is Alicia Silverstone talking. He literally crawls across the room to attack my mouth if I am eating. There you have it from her own blog. Catherine Connors, we really appreciate you talking with us. Thank you. Now this.