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Egypt Votes; Catholic Priest Faces Jury; Top Five City Parks; Changing Rules for Women in Combat

Aired May 24, 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. Hour two. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Welcome back.

In fact, just into us here at CNN , the man at the center of that international back and forth giving his very first interview to CNN, to Anderson Cooper. Anderson just sat down with Chen Guangcheng.

You know the story. We have been covering it for weeks here. the Blind activist, he escaped house arrest in China and is now in the United States, came home over the -- I shouldn't say home -- came to the U.S. over the weekend and it became this tugging match between the U.S. and China.

So, here is part of what he told Anderson about why he spoke out against human rights violations in the very first place. I'm just going to quote -- quote these back and forth here.

So -- quote -- "It was natural for me. It was very natural for me. I feel it is in people's nature to want to stop evil and embrace the good."

So, that's a quote, part of the interview transcript. I want to just be totally transparent. We're working on turning around some sound for you, but I can tell you Chen talks to Anderson about his escape, how that went down, his concern for his family, and what it was like to feel the sun for the very first time in quite a long while.

Again, Anderson Cooper with that interview. Be sure to watch Anderson tonight at 8:00 for the full thing.

Meantime, a new lead this afternoon in a case that changed the way America deals with missing children, from putting their pictures on milk cartons to parents warning their little ones about stranger danger.

I am talking about that 1979 disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz who vanished while walking to his school bus stop for the very first time without his parents. Now New York police, they are questioning and also New Jersey here this man who allegedly has confessed to killing little Etan.

A source tells us the man's name is Pedro Hernandez, once owned a convenience, owned this bodega in Etan Patz's neighborhood. The source says Hernandez claimed he strangled the little boy 33 years ago. Gil Alba is a former New York police detective and the founder of Alba Investigations.

Gil, good to see you.

GIL ALBA, FORMER NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT DETECTIVE: Thank you.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Let's just begin with your visceral reaction now to this man coming forward some 33 years later. What do you make of this?

ALBA: Well, I think they interviewed him before.

But one of the things I am sure the detectives would do is take him to the scene where all this happened and have him run down everything that happened at that time. And the more he talks, the more they are either going to believe him or not believe him. At this point, you have to follow through on everything that he is saying and doing.

So right now, it is credible up to a point, but I am not so sure that the detectives would know if he is really telling the truth at this point. But I am sure pretty soon they will know the result of that.

BALDWIN: Yes. I think to your point, I was talking to Susan Candiotti, has great sources, and she said, look, some people say this could be a real deal, a real solid lead. Others say they're approaching this with a healthy bit of skepticism.

Certainly, this guy, as you point out, he was questioned, as I am sure everyone in that sort of radius at the time would have been questioned 30-plus years ago, but so many years later confessing, Gil. From the perspective of law enforcement, how do you handle that? How do you handle talking to someone so many years later? What kind of questions are you asking?

ALBA: It is really not that hard.

Somebody comes forward and wants to talk to you, it is easy to talk to them and get all the information. And with this case, it is so public that everybody knows the circumstances here, so he can say anything he wants and basically because it is out there.

So, really, how do we know how he was killed, how Etan Patz was killed, if he was killed? And we don't have that kind of evidence, so what you have to do is really talk to him and listen to him and let him talk a lot. And the more he talks, the more it comes out.

But, you know, one thing about police, they always say they don't want to tell certain things. And that's the reason they hold back stuff just because they may know something that, you know, somebody comes in to confess. Believe it or not, people come in and confess.

So, that's what they have. Are they skeptical still? I am sure they are. Otherwise, they would have came out with something at this point. So, I am not too sure what's going to come out of this. BALDWIN: Sure. And I am sure they're very careful because I can't help but think of the parents here.

I know that the parents of Etan Patz, they live in the very same home they lived in 33 years ago when he disappeared walking to the school bus stop. How do you -- if you're a police officer here and you know these parents have dealt with leads that led to nowhere, dealing with the parents, and keeping the parents informed, that has to be a tough part of the job as well.

ALBA: Well, once I retired, I did a lot of missing person cases with families, so I know how the families react.

And every time they get some news of something like this, you know, it is heightened, and it is really -- they're looking forward to something.

You have somebody, a 6-year-old that was murdered, but there is no closure. There is no -- where do you say goodbye? Where do you look at him? You don't go to a cemetery. You have nothing and really you blame yourself because they let the -- they say, OK, you can go to school bus by yourself at 6 years old.

And in New York, you know, that wasn't really that bad at the time, but that changed everything in New York. I mean, this became history, one of history in New York. And things changed since that time.

BALDWIN: And nationally, nationally, nationally.

ALBA: Nationally. After that, it became -- nationally, right.

BALDWIN: And, Gil Alba, thank you so much. Still no trace of human remains, forensic evidence. So, who knows if this confession will even be -- be able to be proven per se. Gil, we will keep the conversation going. Thank you so much.

ALBA: Oh, OK. Thanks for having me. Thank you.

BALDWIN: Also, as we speak here, some of the loudest opponents of same-sex marriage are in Washington, D.C., sticking up for the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman.

And Family Research Council president Tony Perkins, he is holding a news conference right now, along with South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint, a number of other pastor from all around the country.

And Tony Perkins, he spoke with me just before this news conference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Have you ever been to the home of a married same-sex couple, Tony?

TONY PERKINS, PRESIDENT, FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: I have not been to the home of a same-sex married couple, no. BALDWIN: If you were ever to do so and you're sitting cross from them over dinner, how would you convince them that their life together, either two men, two women, hurts straight couples? What do you tell them?

PERKINS: Well, first, Brooke, we don't make public policy based on what's good for me and my family or you and your family or...

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: I am just asking on a personal level.

(CROSSTALK)

PERKINS: But we're engaged here in a discussion about public policy and what's best for the nation, not anecdotes or what one couple likes...

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: But this issue is -- it is personal. It is personal as well.

(CROSSTALK)

PERKINS: But that's not how we make public policy.

Certainly, there are some same-sex couples that are probably great parents, but that is not what the overwhelming amount of social science shows us. And we have some great single moms that are doing great jobs. And we applaud them and encourage them.

But we still know the best environment for a child is with a mom and dad. And our policy should encourage...

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: But shouldn't public policy in part be dictated by evolving cultures, evolving demographics, reflecting that?

PERKINS: But we're not evolving to a better standard when we look at children growing up without those critical role models.

And, again, we have got 40 years of public policy or the research that's come from the public policy that shows that we have not been moving in a better direction. By moving away from that standard of marriage being at the center of the family, of a mom and a dad, we have actually incurred tremendous costs as a society, both emotionally and financially.

BALDWIN: OK. I know you don't want to answer the personal questions, but I'm going to try again, Tony. I'm going to try again, and then this is really just it for me today. Why do you -- you have never been to a home of a same-sex couple. Why do homosexuals bother you so much? Would it be fair to characterize...

(CROSSTALK)

PERKINS: They don't bother me.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: They don't bother you?

PERKINS: No.

BALDWIN: Not at all?

PERKINS: I am not going to be silent while they try to redefine marriage in this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Tony Perkins, thank you.

A lot more to cover here. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Sex and war. Two female soldiers say if they can't be on the front lines, they're going to sue. Do they have a case? I am Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.

(voice-over): A traffic jam at the world's highest peak as crowds line up for Mount Everest. This new video reveals just how bad the conditions are.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: You might think that the presidential election happening today and yesterday in Egypt has little to do with concerns for us here in the U.S., but consider this.

The long lines of Egyptians waiting hours and hours to vote are wrestling with what is a key, somewhat troubling issue in the Middle East. Should they commit to strict Islamic law or choose democracy and risk tightening the military's grip?

These images, Egyptians united in their Arab spring last year, held firm until they ousted President Hosni Mubarak. He ruled for 30 long years. And remember this? During that time, Mubarak took in billions of U.S. aid each and every year.

More on that in just a moment, but first let's talk elections and bring in Hala Gorani. She has been there for quite a while covering this for us in Cairo.

Two days here of voting, Hala. What are you seeing? Any issues? A lot of people out voting?

HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, a lot of people out voting for sure.

The excitement is still there, though we have a new number to share with you, according to the Supreme Presidential Election Commission, turnout at 9:00 p.m. local, which was 15 minutes ago, at around 50 percent. There are 50 million eligible voters in this country, so that would be about 25 million people going to the polls.

Though the number of people is large, of course, because this is a very populous nation, 50 percent might come as a disappointment to some. There were some forecasts that indicated that perhaps more people because this is the first time it is a free and fair presidential election in this country would actually show up at polling stations to vote.

All that being said, when you speak to ordinary voters, they tell you they're still excited. And the reason is that for the first time, they tell me their voice is being heard, Brooke, in this country.

Now, topping their list of concerns, the economy and security. You hear that a lot. We're more than 15 months into this uprising. And many people say it is not safe anymore to walk out into the streets, especially after dark. And unemployment is becoming a bigger and bigger problem.

And as many of our viewers know, tourism is a key sector for Egypt and the number of foreigners in this country has dropped dramatically -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Yes, I have read a lot about the lawlessness and the concerns in Egypt since the revolution, but I want to get back to the point about U.S. aid, because Hosni Mubarak, only Israel received more U.S. aid than Egypt's $2 billion a year since 1979.

Let me just run through some of these numbers. Take a look at the breakdown of what the U.S. actually gave Egypt. In 2010, $1.3 billion went to strengthen Mubarak's military forces vs. just $250 million for economic aid, another $1.9 million to military training.

So as we look at the numbers and as these Egyptians, the 50 percent of them voting here, I guess, today or over the last two days, what's their stance on this U.S. aid?

GORANI: Well, look, if you ask the candidates, for instance, what the relationship will be with the United States after this election or with Israel, for that matter, many of them will say, especially among the Islamists, that they would reconsider perhaps some of the portions of the treaties that were signed some three decades ago between Egypt and Israel.

But as far as the fundamentals, as whether or not the person who wins will rethink entirely or destroy in fact treaties that were signed and that have held for all of these decades, it doesn't seem like that's something that's in the cards at all.

And remember one thing about the United States and this region. The U.S. has some important allies. It is Saudi Arabia, some of the Gulf nations and, very importantly , Egypt. Now, it is possible, for instance, that there may be some modifications to the way the United States and Egypt conduct their affairs or come up with agreements in terms of how they discuss very important strategic matters.

BALDWIN: Yes.

GORANI: But the United States needs Egypt, and in fact Egypt needs the United States, so the expectation is not that there will be a dramatic rethinking of that relationship, regardless of who is elected, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Hala Gorani, thank you. We will look for the winner. Appreciate it in Cairo for us.

A high-ranking Catholic priest faces a jury in his child abuse trial and he takes the stand in his own defense. You're going to hear about the drama that is going down and what it is exactly he is revealing.

Plus, Rush Limbaugh accusing CNN of trying to scare white Americans about the future of the country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: In Philadelphia, this high-ranking Catholic monsignor stands trial, not for child sex abuse, per se, but for delivering children to the hands of priests he allegedly knew to be abusers.

This is a landmark child endangerment and conspiracy trial here. And Monsignor William Lynn is at the center of it. And in this rare move, he has taken the stand in his own defense.

Among his own admissions -- I'm going to quote him here -- he uses the word pretty sick individuals to describe this list he has compiled of 35 suspected priests. Prosecutors pounced on that.

I want to bring in Sarah Hoye. She's been covering this trial for us in Philadelphia.

And, Sarah, Lynn on the stand here for two days, how did he do?

SARAH HOYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he is actually still on the stand.

BALDWIN: Oh.

HOYE: And it is rumored that he could even take the stand again on Tuesday.

So, yesterday, he was really at ease with his defense attorneys. And then, once it turned to the prosecution to do that cross-examination, you can feel the tension in the room, and again today cross- examination by the prosecutors, and it is extremely contentious.

Monsignor Lynn is repeating over and over again that: I did the best that I could. I am not perfect. I did not lie. So he just keeps saying that over and over and over again. So it is pretty interesting. That courtroom is packed. Everyone is hanging on to every single word. So it is interesting today.

BALDWIN: Wow. Wow.

OK, so he is still testifying, could be back tomorrow. And again, to be clear, this isn't a priest accused of abusing kids. He's accused of child endangerment for not keeping sex offending priests away from these young kids. Is this groundbreaking?

HOYE: This is huge because not only are you going after, let's say, a priest suspect of sexually abusing a minor. You are now going after the brass. You're going after the hierarchy.

This is the first time prosecutors in the U.S. have gone after a supervisor, a high-ranking cleric, if you will. So not only are you attacking the people below. You are now going after the establishment. So this is huge and will have ripple effects around the world. The Catholic Church is just not in the U.S. It is global.

BALDWIN: Wow. So you put it in perspective there. This is tremendous. I know prosecutors are calling him a key figure overseeing the priest sexual abuse investigations. What is at stake? What could happen to him if he is convicted?

HOYE: If he is convicted, you are looking at jail time. We do not have the exact amount of years, as the charges kind of keep in flux and it depends on what the jury would come back with, but it would be jail time.

And this would also kind of shake up the establishment. No longer can you just say here was somebody who had allegations, we swept him away. Now you are going after -- like I said earlier, you're going after the establishment. You're going after the Catholic Church.

BALDWIN: The brass.

HOYE: You're going to set precedent. This is going to open the doors for prosecutors in other jurisdictions to go after supervisors. So this is going to be interesting. And the ripple effect will continue for a long time.

BALDWIN: Sarah Hoye in Philadelphia. Sarah, I appreciate it.

And now to a man who is certainly not short on opinions, Rush Limbaugh, but he see this CNN story -- it's about the growth of minorities in America -- as a threat.

My next guest says minorities are not looking for payback.

Plus, below the world's highest peak, there is what's being described as a traffic jam, crowds of climbers hoping to reach the summit of Mount Everest. This is a race against the weather and as we're learning it is a very dangerous mix.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Rush Limbaugh accusing CNN of trying to scare white Americans about their future in this country.

So, recently, an article on CNN.com addressed the Latino population boom and what it means for the Republican Party.

I want you to listen here about really just how worked up Rush Limbaugh got about all this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: But it is clear that this and other similar stories like this are meant to serve as a warning to Republicans and conservatives.

And the warning is, you are on the wrong side of history and you are on the wrong side of demographics. You better do what the coming majority wants right now, or you're going to suffer the consequences. There is an implied threat in this story.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Well, here is the part of the CNN article that Limbaugh really was seizing on. It's a quote from David Bositis, a researcher at a think tank who studies the effects of minorities in politics.

Here's what he wrote -- quote -- "The Republicans' problem is their voters are white, aging and dying off." He goes on, "There will come a time when they suffer catastrophic losses with the realization of the population changes."

So CNN contributor Ruben Navarrette Jr. says Limbaugh is way out of line, but what he doesn't care for exactly is what Bositis said either.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBEN NAVARRETTE JR., CNN CONTRIBUTOR: That's not my quote. I wouldn't have said that. One, it is inflammatory. It goes too far, needlessly provocative.

BALDWIN: So you disagree.

NAVARRETTE: But, beyond that, as you say, as you say, what's to stop the Republican Party from getting religion so to speak and bringing in more Hispanics into the party, taking the right position from this point on?

So it's not necessarily -- the dye is not necessarily cast. We're getting close to the point where it is. I think the quote was probably unhelpful. But so was Limbaugh's interpretation of the quote. He just went way too far.

BALDWIN: Now, I don't have Rush Limbaugh sitting next to me, so he can't say exactly what he meant. But it seems to me when you hear the whole thing, it wasn't -- he wasn't saying that white people ought to be afraid. He was accusing CNN specifically and the rest of the mainstream media of saying that. Isn't he being a bit more nuanced than maybe you're giving him credit for here?

NAVARRETTE: Yes, I listen to Rush every single day.

I got to tell you I really like a lot of what he says. I agree with him on some issues, disagree on other issues. But, really, when he talks about race and ethnicity, he tends to go off the rails and he did in this particular case.

His message is pretty clear, that somehow CNN was trying to warn older white voters, listen, you better fall back in line here. You better give the emerging minorities everything what they want, including, as he called it, amnesty for illegal immigrants, or believe it or not, one day you are going to pay for it because you are going to be in the minority and folks are going to do to you what you have done to folks over the last generations.

I don't agree with that. It is not realistic. It is not something I have ever heard from people. It is just a paranoid fantasy that people like Limbaugh are advancing. It's just not fair and not accurate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: You can read, by the way, Ruben's opinion piece on CNN. Just go to CNN.com/opinion.

This past Monday, we reported on those deaths of the four hikers on Mount Everest and now comes word of this traffic jam of hikers really might have contributed to those four deaths. That long dark line in the snow here, you see this, sort of looks like ants? It is actually a line of climbers working their way to the top of the world's highest peak.

It is estimated 150 climbers are lining up right now near the summit of Everest rushing to use this brief window of good weather to reach the summit before bad weather hits a little later on in the weekend.

That summit is at an elevation more than 29,000 feet. Look at these pictures. It is gorgeous to look at, isn't it? The jam is known as what's called the Death Zone. This is an area where climbers become sluggish, temperatures can drop below -- drop to 35 below zero.

We know al Qaeda uses the Internet to send out its message and recruit personnel. Now the U.S. is targeting those Web sites and changing the messages.

Plus, home sales, they are up, mortgage rates here at an all-time low. If the housing market is at the center of this troubled economy, what does that mean for everyone?

But, first, I love a good park. You like lounging in the park? Here is the deal. We have got a list of the top five cities with the best park. Is your city on the list?

Number five, got to love Washington, D.C. Actually, we have a tie here for the next. We have got Boston tied with New York for four and three. We have got the top two cities with the best parks after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Before the break, we were counting down the top five cities with the best parks for you to enjoy, so a recap, if we can.

Number five, Washington, D.C., four and three, this is a tie between Boston and New York and then the number two park, Sacramento, California. There you go. And San Francisco. Love San Francisco, right? That's the best park, apparently, in the country.

Now, to this here. The U.S. takes a new tactic against al Qaeda, mortgage rates hit a new low and we have the new forecast for the hurricane season because the voice you just heard -- Chad Myers -- time to play "Reporter Roulette."

Suzanne Kelly, we want to begin with you there in Washington with this look at this little known group that targets al Qaeda online. Explain.

SUZANNE KELLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Brooke. It is this group we haven't known a lot about inside the State Department called the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications.

Now, their mission is to go out and help curb the steady flow of al Qaeda recruits, people who are being recruited from online. And they way they do that is they sort of monitor the social websites in the Arab world, the Muslim world. They go into chat rooms, they look for messages that are posted and then they counter those messages with anti-al Qaeda messages of their own.

Now, what it doesn't do is hack into al Qaeda websites. It doesn't do that. It says it is not in the business of doing that, but they do work closely with the Department of Defense, intelligence agencies and special operations groups.

BALDWIN: OK. So with these ads, what exactly do they look like the counter ads? How do they work?

KELLY: One of the ones that was posted most recently sort of shows coffins draped U.S. in flags, by al Qaeda it was posted, saying, this is how we treat Americans in Yemen, more or less.

The counter message to that was one that was posted almost as a parody by the CSCC which had a bunch of coffins draped in Yemeni flags and it said that, if we treat Americans this way, imagine how we treat the Yemen.

Now, the ironic part of that is the very next day, of course, in Sanaa, Yemen's capitol, more than 100 Yemeni soldiers were killed by a suicide bomber. So the bottom line here really is online recruitment to al Qaeda is a big problem and we're getting just a little more of a glimpse into another way that the State Department is trying to head that off with their communications effort.

BALDWIN: Suzanne Kelly in Washington. Suzanne, thank you.

If you are thinking of buying a home, it's time to get up and do it. A 30-year mortgage has actually never been cheaper.

Next on CNN "Reporter Roulette," Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange and I say hallelujah.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: So do I. So, yeah, this mortgage rates are creeping lower, hitting another record, the 30-year fixed going to 3.78 percent from 3.79 percent. It is actually the fourth straight record low for the 30-year fixed.

Over the past year -- look at this -- mortgage rates have come down almost a full percentage point. This is actually over the past year, year-and-a-half, so that means if you're looking to refinance, if you're looking to buy a home, yep, it just got cheaper.

In fact, Freddie Mac's chief economist says with these affordable mortgages, if you combine them with these lower home prices that are out there, it should help the housing market. Brooke?

BALDWIN: Alison, thank you.

Next, on "Reporter Roulette," the new forecast for the 2012 hurricane season is out. Our friend, Chad Myers, is talking about it. Hello.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hello.

BALDWIN: Good to see you. You like our table?

MYERS: I feel like a need a wine glass.

BALDWIN: You're not the first to say that. We'll keep that on the commercial break.

Talk about the forecast. How is it looking, good, bad, indifferent?

MYERS: It's either going to be below normal or above.

BALDWIN: Below normal or above? What kind of answer is that?

MYERS: That's the NOAA answer to that question.

BALDWIN: That is the NOAA answer. Show me numbers.

MYERS: I am not going to say it doesn't make any sense, but I will leave it at that.

Here we go. This is our national average named storms. We get 12 a year. Forecast from NOAA says somewhere between nine and 15, so maybe below normal, maybe above normal. Number of hurricanes, six. They're saying four to eight, so it may be below normal, may be above normal.

BALDWIN: That's a non-answer. I am sensing a theme.

MYERS: This is making my head hurt already. Two major hurricanes above 110 miles, 111 miles per hour, we could have one to three. The key is not the number. How many actually make landfall, that is the key.

We also have already had Alberto and now we might over the weekend have Beryl. We're seeing some cloud cover south of Miami and that little box there, they're saying about a 30 to 40 percent chance of that becoming something later on.

Here are our names -- Alberto, Beryl, then you get to Chris, then you get to Debbie. Some of these names sound familiar, yes, because they recycle the names every six years.

BALDWIN: Come on now. Come up with something original, right?

MYERS: Yes.

BALDWIN: Chad, thank you very much.

MYERS: You're welcome.

BALDWIN: Hopefully we'll all be safe and sound on our beach vacations this year with the hurricanes or lack thereof.

Still to come here, we talked about this case here, this runaway teenager in Texas who was mistakenly deported to Columbia. She is now suing the government. We'll talk about the strength of her case. We're on the case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: The family of the American teenager deported to Columbia now suing the federal government, saying her civil rights were violated. Her name is Jakadrien Turner and her citizenship came into question when she gave a wrong name after police arrested her for shoplifting.

The lawsuit says that name turned out to be an undocumented Columbian national, but in the two months Turner was incarcerated none of the local or federal officers checked Turner's claims that she was American. Turner also doesn't speak Spanish.

The lawsuit says that, quote, "she told several ICE officials her real name and that she was from Dallas, Texas, but ICE officials did not believe her. J.T. was afraid to call her family and could not find the words to explain that she was in ICE custody and facing deportation/ She did not believe that her family would believe that to be even possible," end quote.

Defense attorney Joey Jackson on the case with us today. And, Joey, certainly no question here, this girl was deported to Columbia, but she is a runaway who lied to authorities multiple times, so with all of that in mind, how strong is her case? JOEY JACKSON, DEFENSE ATTONEY: Yikes. Talk about the parade of horribles here, Brooke. This is unbelievable, right?

Because you have a federal government and in our government what do we expect? We expect due diligence. You can tell them your name is anything, but they have to confirm and verify.

Now, to be fair, there are both sides to this equation. For her part, she is a runaway. She is arrested for shoplifting. She lies to the authorities. She says, "Listen, I am this Tica Cortez," who happens to be wanted as a Columbia national. She is deported.

But the real issue here for the government, Brooke, is that they should have confirmed her story and, in confirming her story, they would have no doubt determined she is an American citizen, she's a minor, and she should not have been deported and I think the giveaway might have been the fact that she didn't even speak Spanish. What do you know?

BALDWIN: You would think. The lawsuit here has been filed. Attorney General Eric Holder, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and other officials asked for $15 million.

Our affiliate in Texas, KHOU, says ICE is not commenting so far. So far no response from the Department of Justice. Do you think that the federal government should settle?

JACKSON: Well, I think, ultimately, what will happen is they will probably settle just because this is such an embarrassment, Brooke. I see congressional inquiries and investigations and, at the very least, what you're going to see is the protocol being adjusted and being changed and being amended so that this never happens again.

And so get it out of the press, make it quiet, it is a little boo-boo that we had here, give the family a little bit of money and let it go away. Don't let it get to discovery and all the vicious details come out.

In these cases, there are always factual disputes, but irrespective of those factual disputes, Brooke, she was 14-years old and, as a result of that, you have to ensure that things like this do not happen.

BALDWIN: Joey Jackson, thank you.

In a rare interview, David Letterman tells CNN about his personal politics and his surprising comments involve Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. You will hear directly from the late night host next.

And a quick note for those of you, if you're heading out the door, you have your phone. Please keep watching. If you're heading to work, on your laptop, your desktop, here is where you need to go to keep watching us. CNN.com/TV. CNN.com/TV.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Icon, enigma, bard of folk music, you can now add another title to Bob Dylan's amazing career, Medal of Freedom recipient.

The music legend will receive the country's highest civilian honor on Tuesday. This will not be his first visit to the White House. In fact, you're looking at his performance there back in 2010 from PBS.

Dylan, keep in mind, is one of 13 people who will receive the Medal of Freedom next week. Check out this list. It also includes novelist Tony Morrison, former astronaut and senator, John Glenn, and former University of Tennessee women's basketball coach, the Lady Vols' Pat Summit.

David Letterman opening up to us here at CNN and talking about his personal politics. The late night host sits down with Regis Philbin who is filling in for Piers Morgan next week. Take a look at a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REGIS PHILBIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Over the years, talk show hosts have not gotten involved in politics because they fear ...

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": It is all different now.

PHILBIN: If one portion of your audience is Republican or Democrat, they don't like what you are saying. They're going to tune you out.

LETTERMAN: That's right.

PHILBIN: Does it bother you?

LETTERMAN: Well, I know what your point is and I have been guilty of appearing to be playing partisan politics. However, I just like to say that for the record I am a registered independent. You go where the material takes you.

Poor Bill Clinton, no president that I am aware of got hammered harder than President Bill Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky situation. We beat up on him. We still use him as a reference.

And then we were desperate. We thought, well, this was so easy and then we got George Bush and, within a matter of days, we realized our prayers had been answered and he is just as good in terms of material.

It may appear to people that we have a slant one way or the other, but if a guy drops his dog or a guy straps his dog to the roof of his car or if a guy gets a shoe thrown at him, well, this is where the material is going to be.

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BALDWIN: David Letterman, rare exclusive interview and talking about his marriage, talking about 9/11, talks about Johnny Carson this Tuesday right here on CNN. Love seeing Regis back on TV, by the way.

Coming up at the top of the hour, this man who has also filled in for Piers Morgan, but has a lovely slot here from 4:00 to 6:00 Eastern each and every day, Wolf Blitzer.

Good to see you, sir. What do you have coming up?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're heading out to London with Piers, aren't you?

BALDWIN: I am. I have a feeling I will be pinching Piers a lot.

BLITZER: Tell us about that. Just remind our viewers what's going on.

BALDWIN: It is the diamond jubilee, which is basically 60 years on the thrown for Queen Elizabeth and I have been reading, reading, reading and I know it is Queen Victoria who is really the only other British monarch who celebrated 60 years and that was in 1897. So this is kind of a big deal.

BLITZER: You're becoming a royal expert, Brooke.

BALDWIN: I am trying. I am trying. I will be there just having a little fun, too. Maybe I will bring you back a little something. We'll see.

BLITZER: Bring me something back from London. I am sure you will do a little shopping while you're there.

Let me tell you what's going on. You know, Anderson Cooper has just sat down and had the first interview with the blind Chinese dissident who's now in New York. Anderson will be joining us.

We'll be talking about what he learned and what he saw. Obviously, that's going to be in "The Situation Room." We'll talk to Anderson and we'll have the full interview later tonight at 8:00 p.m. on "AC 360."

Also, something very intriguing, the son of the late prime minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, also the son of the current president, President Zardari, is here. This young man, he is now chairman of the political party in Pakistan. His mother was assassinated, as you remember.

He is here to defend, among other things, Pakistan's decision to sentence that doctor who helped the CIA help find bin Laden in Abbottbad, Pakistan, to 33 years in jail.

Now, members of the Senate are now taking action to try to punish Pakistan until they release him, so there's a lot of stuff going on and we'll talk to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the young son of the president of Pakistan on that.

And we're also going in-depth on U.S.-Cuban relations with our own Donna Brazile. She was there in Cuba not that long ago. Alex Castellanos is here. He's Cuban-American.

There's stuff going on right now, Brooke, in U.S.-Cuban relations, including the visit by Castro's daughter, Mariela, who's now in San Francisco. She's basically endorsing President Obama, if you're interested. It's in "The Miami Herald" today.

So, there's a lot going on, including the continued imprisonment of that American citizen, Alan Gross, so we're going to talk about that and a lot more.

BALDWIN: Wolf Blitzer, we'll see you in nine minutes.

BLITZER: How does that sound, by the way?

BALDWIN: I think it's pretty good. Pretty good. See you soon. Thank you.

Coming up here, we're talking sex and war. Women cannot fight on the front lines, so these two female soldiers are suing.

Coming up next, we'll talk to the retired brigadier general who says she's always hoped for active combat. Don't miss it.

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BALDWIN: Two female Army reservists are now suing Leon Panetta and the U.S. military for its restrictions on women serving in the front lines.

Let me show you some of the restrictions they want gone. Women are banned from infantry, armor and special operations forces. They have also limited women to troops assigned to combat.

These policies are solely based on gender and they violate their right to equal protection under the Fifth Amendment, but the Pentagon has opened up 15,000 positions to women so they can serve a little bit closer to the front lines.

The policy would allow women to serve near the front lines as temporary attachments, that's what it's called. Which means they aren't officially assigned.

As the defendants told the U.S. district court, that means, quote, "this limitation on plaintiffs' careers restricts their current and future earnings, their potential for promotion and advancement and future retirement benefits."

With that said I want to bring in retired Brigadier General Wilma Vaught. You hear what they're saying. Do you agree that they're unconstitutional?

BRIGADIER GENERAL WILMA VAUGHT (RETIRED), U.S. AIR FORCE: I know the restrictions do exactly what they have said, that they do prevent you from having some of the experiences that you need to compete for the top jobs in the military.

And, of course, you can translate that to meaning that you are not going to get promotions and you're not going to get the highest promotions that will affect your retirement benefits.

BALDWIN: when you say all of that, does that make you angry or do you understand it?

VAUGHT: I understand it. You know, one thing we've never really done is really go out and do an actual test where you train women to be combat soldiers and train them to be an armored in artillery or infantry to see if it works and there are other countries that have done that. We have not.

BALDWIN: Let me jump in because we did some digging because I wanted to understand what the reason is and I know there is a good reason from the perspective of the U.S. military and here's what we found.

The 1994 U.S. Defense Department ruling, physically demanding tasks that would exclude the ability of women. This is based upon experience with the leadership and experience in combat.

So your idea of having a training run, train them to see if they could be up to the task physically speaking. Why don't we do that?

VAUGHT: Well, I've long personally advocated that we do that. It takes time to really test it and try it out, and probably what we would find is that the majority of women would not necessarily be able to meet the physical demands.

On the other hand, as we change technology and it keeps changing so fast anymore, who knows? They might be able to do it far better than they think they could.

BALDWIN: do you think, brigadier general, that that really is it? That it's simply about the sheer physicality of the soldier, for example or is there more that they're not saying?

VAUGHT: I think that's only part of it because I think there is a feeling within the defense department and probably rightly so that the American public hasn't really totally moved to the point where they would like to see women doing that and so that's a part of the picture and there are members of congress who clearly would not be in favor of that.

So one of the other aspects of it that I've always felt, I've always felt that a commander out there in the field should be able to use his resources, his troops, his or her troops, however he or she needs to to get the mission accomplished.

Now having said that, they have to be qualified and they have to be trained.

BALDWIN: Tell me about, while I have you for one more minute, just your own experience, whatever glass ceilings you saw at the time when you entered the air force.

VAUGHT: I was fortunate, however one chooses to look at it. I served in Vietnam and, at that time, women other than nurses we were very limited as to where we could be/

But we've made enormous progress in the last 20 or 30 years as far as women being assigned to places. They're in submarines now, so there are breakthroughs. It's slowly coming, but there are those who would like to see it speed up.

BALDWIN: Let me jump in and say Defense Department spokesperson George Little said that Panetta is strongly to examining the expansion of roles for women in the U.S. military as evidenced by the recent step of opening up thousands of more assignments to women.

Brigadier General Wilma Vaught, I appreciate you and I appreciate your service. Thank you so much.

VAUGHT: Thank you.

BALDWIN: And that is it for me. I'm Brooke Baldwin at the world headquarters of CNN in Atlanta.

Now, to Washington, "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer starts right now.