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Defiant Republican Congressman Still in Senate Race; Competing Economic Visions

Aired August 21, 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: And we continue on, hour two. Welcome back. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

We have to talk about Missouri Congressman Todd Akin, because he's heard his critics and he's offered an apology, but he said he's not giving up his spot in the November Senate race.

As you know by now, Akin said he used the wrong words in the wrong way over the weekend when he said rape victims -- quote, unquote -- "legitimate rape victims" in his words rarely get pregnant.

Dana Bash tracking the fast-moving story.

And so Congressman Akin, he is very much so standing firm against his critics and also his own party leadership, as you have been reporting. What is the early reaction to all of this?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They are not happy.

Let's actually just show you what the top Republican in the United States Senate, who wants to -- he's now the majority leader and he wants to be the majority leader and he thinks that Akin staying in could cost him that ability to move up in the world. Let's look at what he's saying.

This is Mitch McConnell. "Congressman Akin made a deeply offensive error at a time when his candidacy carries a great consequence for the future of our country. In his heart of hearts, I'm certain that he is sincerely sorry for what he said but in this instance, when the future of our country is at stake, sorry is not sufficient. To continue serving his country in the honorable way he has served throughout his career, it is time for Congressman Akin to step aside."

There he is the most blunt he's been, this again after the congressman made clear on Mike Huckabee's radio show just a couple of hours ago that he's going nowhere, despite this pressure. Listen to what Akin said.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

REP. TODD AKIN (R), MISSOURI: We're going to continue with this race for the U.S. Senate. We have given it a lot of thought. And the first thing we felt we had to do was we had offended some people and we tried to respond to that and let people know that we didn't mean anybody or to take in any way rape anything less than very, very seriously.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: There he's again saying that he misspoke and that he did not mean what he said.

As you heard from Mitch McConnell and so many other leaders in Missouri and Washington and across the country, Tea Party activists, it's too little too late. The political damage has been done and will continue to be done they believe until he is out of the race.

But in that interview he also said that he believes that the Republican not just establishment, the Republicans across the board are "overreacting" to his comments because he didn't do anything wrong morally or ethically. It was a slip of the tongue. Not buying it, other Republicans.

BALDWIN: You talk about the damage being done. Dana Bash, do me a favor and just stand by.

I want to bring in another voice in this conversation because I'm still left wondering what do people in the Missouri think? What do the Republican voters in Missouri think? After all, they're the ones who will be voting in November.

For that, I want to bring in Nick Pistor. He's joining me on the phone. He's a political reporter with "The St. Louis Post-Dispatch."

Nick, welcome. I just want your side of this from what you have been covering, and as Dana has been reporting we have gotten all kinds of reaction from the national party and from Republican legislators. What are people, what are voters in Missouri saying about all of this?

NICK PISTOR, "THE ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH": There's some new polls that came out last night, Public Policy polling had done some numbers and they said 75 percent of the voters in Missouri disagree and are not supportive of Akin's comments.

Survey USA has a poll out that says 54 percent of Missourians are calling for Akin to quit his bid for the U.S. Senate. But the PPP poll which is a Democratic affiliated polling firm did show that Akin still leads Claire McCaskill by one point.

I think one thing that is not really being stressed here is that Missouri's electorate according to exit polls in 2008 is made up of 39 percent of people who describe themselves as white born-again Christian. That's a big number. That's 13 points higher than the national average.

Those voters are receptive to Todd Akin's message. If he can keep them and coalesce his support around them, he might be able to stay in this race. He's seem some right to life groups that are coming out today in Missouri that are coming to support him and he's seen some of those activists grassroots people coming behind him while all the establishment folks are really trying to pressure him to get out of the race.

But one important thing about Todd Akin is if you know his history and if you know how he came into U.S. House of Representatives more than 10 years ago...

BALDWIN: Remind us, Nick.

PISTOR: It's behind this loyal support of voters. These are people who are churchgoing, homeschoolers. They have always supported Todd Akin and the question is will they be in his corner. In the past they always have been and they helped drive him to the United States Senate nomination just a few weeks ago. We will see what happens from there.

BALDWIN: Let me ask you, Nick, stand by. Because I want to just bring Dana back in because we know his opponent, Democratic incumbent Senator Claire McCaskill, she must be just thrilled over all of this.

BASH: She's not hiding it very well.

She came out earlier today suddenly taking about the cause of the Republican primary voter and how the Republican leadership needs to heed the call of the Republican primary voters and while Todd Akin has apologized, I think she could win some kind of acting award for doing that, because it was very clear what she was doing and the reason she's saying that is because Democrats believe and Republicans clearly believe that if Todd Akin stays in the race in a general election against Claire McCaskill, he will lose, particularly now.

What's interesting is that just as Nick was saying, Akin has always had the support of the homeschoolers, the churchgoers, et cetera, but not necessarily the support of the Republican establishment because they have not believed from the get-go even before he said this that he was the best Republican in Missouri to beat Claire McCaskill.

You cannot underscore enough how important this race, this state is for the overall map, the overall balance of power in the Senate to Republicans.

BALDWIN: This could help shift the balance of power depending on who wins.

BASH: Absolutely. And with the math and the map and the way Republicans look at it and try to game it out, Missouri is critical, critical, it's critical for them to beat Claire McCaskill and take it back and put it back in the Republican column to make Mitch McConnell the Senate majority leader and to take control of the Senate and to change -- just talking about the issues here to change the way the debate, the legislation, the laws that are made for this country are done in a really dramatic way if that would happen.

BALDWIN: Dana Bash, thank you very much. Nick Pistor, thank you for calling in there from Missouri as well. We appreciate you both here, big, big story there.

Also developing now, roll it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: They call him Robin Hood, this mayor who takes from grocery stores to feed the poor. For some, he's become a cult hero, to others a menace.

I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.

(voice-over): Fight club at day care? Police say people supposed to be taking care of kids instead encouraged them to duke it out.

And a mother loses her daughter to a parasailing accident. Now she's fighting for a crackdown against an industry with no rules.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Just as a major social issue is percolating, courtesy of Senate Republican hopeful Todd Akin of Missouri, the Republican Party platform is taking shape in Tampa, Florida.

Let's go to Tampa, shall we, to chat with Peter Hamby.

I know you have pried out details of what this platform committee is working on. Peter, what is in there specifically on the issue of abortion?

PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brooke, this is a bad coincidence for Republicans who are looking to talk about not social issues but the economy, Medicare, welfare reform.

The GOP platform committee, that's the group of 110 Republican delegates who are here in Tampa coming up with an official list of policy positions for the Republican Party, today talked about abortion. This is what they said and voted on and approved in the platform committee hearing among other things.

"We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and endorse legislation to make clear that the 14th Amendment's protections apply to unborn children," basically endorsing a constitutional ban on abortion. And there's no language in that passage for exceptions for rape, incest, the life of the mother.

That sort of brings the Republican conversation again back to abortion at a time when this is not what Republicans or the Romney campaign want to be talking about at all, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Unfortunate coincidence. And the way I understand it, that party's presumptive nominee, Mitt Romney, he would prefer steering clear of most of the so-called social issues, definitely staying away from Todd Akin and wants to stick with jobs, economy. Isn't that correct?

HAMBY: Right.

Every release that the Romney campaign has put out today has been about education, Medicare, welfare reform, the economy, jobs, not social issues. They are trying to appeal to women voters and independents.

They don't want to talk about Todd Akin's comments. But again the Republican Party is meeting in Tampa and talking about abortion and passing they strong language about what they support. This is also problematic for the Romney campaign because Romney and Paul Ryan, his running mate, came out in the wake of those Akin comments and said under a Romney administration we would allow abortion in cases of rape.

Democrats are saying, hey, if the Romney administration would do this, as president, why aren't you going to stand up and put this in the party platform and make a stand here? You're going to hear a lot about that from the Obama campaign and Democrats in the run-up to the convention next week when this platform will be finally approved by the convention delegates, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Peter Hamby, thank you. We will look for that. I will see you in Tampa. I will be anchoring the show live from Tampa, where Republicans, as Peter mentioned, will be holding their national convention. That kicks off August 27. I will be there for a whole week. I will see you then.

If you remember a time when blue M&Ms did not exist and Los Angeles had a football team, remember this? Get ready to feel old because this college has released its actual Mindset List. This is what they call it, Beloit school Mindset List to give a snapshot of how the incoming freshmen class views the world.

To the class of 2016, Robert De Niro is thought of as Greg Focker's father-in-law from "Meet the Parents" movie, not as Vito Corleone or Jimmy Conway. What else is on the list? Not only have they never seen an airplane ticket. They can't picture people actually carrying luggage through airports rather than rolling it.

How else do they see the world? Think about that. After the break, we have got it for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: OK, back to making some of us feel old. Sorry about that.

Beloit College's annual Mindset List is out. It is giving the world a glimpse how the incoming class views the world. If you're in the class of 2016, showing your bra straps is a fashion statement and not a wardrobe malfunction your friends secretly fix for you. Also, having grown up with MP3s and iPods, not only do they never listen to music on the car radio, according to them, they really have no use for radio at all -- 2016.

(FINANCIAL UPDATE)

BALDWIN: This just in to us here at CNN talking West Nile virus again, Dallas County in Texas confirming an 11th person has died from West Nile. We have been following the story here on this show.

Dallas started just -- they saw it as a controversial method of straying pesticides from the air. It started last week. Health officials say the best way to avoid exposure to West Nile virus is to practice the four D's. Here you go. Use insect repellents that contain deet, drain any standing water, dress in long, loose, and light colored clothing and take extra care to use repellent and protective clothing specifically from dusk to dawn.

Back to politics and a key issue that could have a huge impact on this presidential election, unemployment rates in swing states. We will break out the magic wall here to explain which states are getting hit the hardest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Good stuff here. I want to show you really right now this very stark contrast between the president on one side and his opponents on the other.

We caught this earlier this afternoon. I want you to listen, if you would. First you will hear President Obama and then Congressman Paul Ryan each critiquing the other's vision of how to achieve success. I want to roll it beginning with the president speaking today in Columbus, Ohio.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A few months ago just up the road in Westerville, Governor Romney said if you want to be successful, if you want to go to college or start a business, you can just, and I'm quoting here, borrow money if you have to from your parents.

(BOOING)

OBAMA: When a high school student in Youngstown asked him what he would do to make college more affordable for families like his, Governor Romney didn't say anything about grants or loan programs that are critical to millions of students to get a college education. He said nothing about work study programs or rising college tuition.

He didn't say a word about community colleges or how important higher education is to America's future. He said the best thing you can do is shop around. The best thing I can do for you is to tell you to shop around. REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Even if Washington could be good at picking winners and losers, which they're not, they shouldn't be in the business of picking winners and losers. That's not the role of government.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

RYAN: You see, it invites cronyism. It's corporate welfare. It's crony capitalism. It's basically big government and big business joining in a common cause to rig the rules, stack the deck and keep the small businessperson or the entrepreneur on the outside looking in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: That was Congressman Paul Ryan speaking today and also heard from the president both on achieving success in today's America, as we said two starkly competing visions.

As elected is now creeping closer, the economy and unemployment still very much so issue number one with you, the voter, voters that President Obama and Mitt Romney are campaigning for in several battleground states.

We're going to just talk about three here today. We're going to talk Pennsylvania, Ohio and Nevada. I want to break down though the unemployment numbers in these three swing states where the candidates are today.

I want to begin with the state Romney's running mate, Paul Ryan, is campaigning in today,that being Pennsylvania. You can see the unemployment rate there at 7.9 percent. By the way, the president, President Obama won the state back in 2008.

But another number for you is this. This is how they are polling right now. You can see the president polling ahead of Romney, 44 percent to 38 percent there. I want to go next here to Ohio because this is where we just heard the president. He was in Columbus, Ohio, just a couple hours ago. The unemployment rate there, 7.2 percent, good news for the president. That's actually the lowest unemployment level in the state since September of 2008.

How are they looking now? President open up 50 percent to Mitt Romney's 44 percent. And then finally to Nevada. This is another state that Obama won back in 2008. And the president will be traveling there tonight to hold an event.

Nevada has, you see that huge number, the highest unemployment rate in the country at a whopping 12 percent. And that's why -- look at this number, very, very close. This is why CNN really has Nevada right now as a tossup state and this polling while it is actually back from May -- you can see the date up there -- shows more or less a dead heat, 48 to 46 percent, so just a couple of the swing states we wanted to highlight for you specifically when it comes to jobs.

But you can check out all the battleground states on CNN's official electoral map yourself. Just go to a fantastic Web site, which is CNNPolitics.com.

Next: a tough story. This was supposed to be a weekend of fun before heading back to school from summer vacation, but a parasailing accident left this teenager dead and her mother fighting for crackdown on an industry with no rules -- her story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Parasailing high above the ocean, it can be an adrenaline rush. I know I've done it. Perhaps you have, as well, a thrill for tourists, a high-flying way to see the sights on a coastal vacation.

But shockingly, there is little to no regulation for this particular very popular water sport. So, at Pompano Beach, Florida, for example, sisters Amber and Crystal White decided to try it for the first time.

But what started out as an adventure turned into just a horrendous, horrendous tragedy.

This video here, look at this. This was taken moments before this parasail rope broke away from the boat causing the girls to slam into a building. Seventeen-year-old Crystal suffered a severe head injury. Her little sister, Amber, was killed.

This week at the very same beach, a 28-year-old woman from Connecticut was killed while parasailing falling 200 feet into the water after her harness failed.

Amber's mother, Shannon Krause, is joining me live along with her lawyer, John Leighton. So, welcome to both of you.

And, Shannon, I know it's been a number of years, but again, I'm sorry for the loss of your daughter and that is precisely why we have you on. Take me back five years ago, there on the beat. What went so horribly wrong?

SHANNON KRAUSE, DAUGHTER DIED IN PARASAILING ACCIDENT: Well, they were put up with faulty equipment. There's no regulations.

Anybody can do this. You can get a boat and, from my understanding, even the parachute that was used was supposed to be retired and they basically were completely negligent.

BALDWIN: Obviously, forgive me for interrupting. Obviously, we looked into this and, just to your point here, here's what we found for those of you who are wondering there at home.

The only requirements for parasailing are the U.S. Coast Guard's approval of the vessel and a boating license. So, these companies, you know, Shannon, who make the equipment that you're talking about, the harness, the parachute, the towlines, they have to meet certain safety standards.

But what more are you now asking of them with this legislation that you've proposed?

KRAUSE: I'm definitely asking for regulation. I think that the equipment should be checked, regularly. I think that, you know, they should ...

BALDWIN: John, jump in. Go ahead.

JOHN LEIGHTON, ATTORNEY: Brooke, you know, the problem is that there's no agency that has any responsibility, real responsibility, for the parasailing industry, so anybody can pop up and start one of these businesses.

And what happens is you get rogue businesses, the ones that aren't even a part of the professional association of parasailing operators who happen to be in favor of the regulations.

The problem that we have in Florida and I think the problem in a lot of states is that legislators are so afraid of the word "regulation" that they refuse to pass any laws.

In this last several years, the last four years, we've been fighting to have bills passed. Each year, there's been a bill that's come up in front of the legislature and, each year, the bill has been killed in committee.

So, we can have legislation or we can have litigation. The problem with litigation is that bodies are buried after that. People are injured. People are killed.

The legislation as kind of responsible regulation has more than proven that it's necessary. The mayor of Pompano Beach where this tragedy occurred, again, five years ago and five years now ...

BALDWIN: Saying this is inexcusable.

LEIGHTON: ... for the legislation.

BALDWIN: Of course.

We reached out. We've also reached out to the Senator Gwen Margolis who says, you know, she will re-file this "Amber May" law if she is reelected in November. In fact, here's specifically what she told CNN.

"This legislation and other legislation designed to make parasailing safer was killed by powerful legislators who railed about overregulation and too much government."

This is now attempt number three, here. This is attempt number three to pass some sort of legislation to regulate this particular industry in just five years' time.

Shannon, why do you think it will pass this time around?

KRAUSE: I honestly think it's going to pass because I think there are more people that are aware that there's no regulations. We have hundreds, hundreds of people e-mailing me every day telling me that they're behind them.

Most of all, I'm a believer in "we, the people" and I think that, at this point, we, the people are fed up with this. I think that the parasail industry should be held accountable for the things that they're doing.

I don't think that anybody else should have to get injured or killed and I just want to say -- I'd like to say that I've been grieving for the Miskell family, Stephen, especially. I understand that he will probably never get over this.

And I just really believe that people are tired of seeing families torn apart because of this terrible, terrible tragedy. I mean, my life has never been the same, my daughter's life. Each and every family member, our lives have changed forever now.

And I just really believe that - I really believe that it's time. I have to believe that.

BALDWIN: What we're talking specifically about, Pompano Beach, Florida, there are other areas. I know that we found in Gulf Shores, Alabama, for example, the city there actually did pass this ordinance to help regulate the parasailing industry there that does require these operators to trim the lines, to follow manufacturers specifications.

And it sounds like you're asking just for some of that elsewhere so that other people don't have to undergo the loss, the tremendous loss, that you've dealt with for the last five years.

If -- as we wait for that to happen, for people who are considering parasailing who have no idea these dangers of which you speak, what do you tell them? What do you say?

KRAUSE: What do I tell them? I tell them don't do it. Don't do it until there's some regulations. Don't do it until the "Amber May" law passes.

And then, hopefully, we can keep all of our vacationers from Connecticut or New York or out of the country - we can keep them safe.

I think that people that come here deserve to have the right to know there's no regulations. And I think they deserve to have the right to get regulations.

BALDWIN: Don't do it, three powerful words spoken from a mother who knows. Shannon Krause, John Leighton, I thank you both.

KRAUSE: I thank you so much.

BALDWIN: Thank you.

Preschoolers, preschoolers duke it out at daycare and, instead of telling them to stop, school teachers encourage the three-year-olds to fight. We're "On the Case," next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Checking the immigration status in students and toddler fight club. Yep, toddler fight club, you heard that right.

Let me bring in Joey Jackson, criminal defense attorney, "On the Case" with us today. And, Joey, let's just tackle immigration first and we've covered this for quite a number of months.

Alabama passed, you know, really the toughest law in the land, as they say. Among other things, public schools are required to determine whether an enrolling child was, quote, "born outside the United States or is the child of an alien not lawfully present in the United States."

But, just yesterday, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals said, no dice, that that particular portion of the bill violates the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment.

You know, this was known for a long time. This was, as I mentioned, one of the toughest laws in the country. Would Alabama have hope for a reprieve here?

JOEY JACKSON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I don't think so, Brooke, and here's why. You know, the Supreme Court, what they do, as we know, is they follow precedent, right? What happened before has to happen now with rare exceptions. Sometimes, they'll will overrule things.

But, if you look at the decision, there's a case called Plyler v. Doe and it was a 1982 case where Texas tried to do the same thing and say, you know what, if you're undocumented, we're not going to pay for your children and we're going to impose a $1,000 fee on you.

At that time, the Supreme Court said, no, and this decision tracks that and I think, if it's kicked up to the next level, the Supreme Court is going to follow itself and basically say, you know what 11th Circuit? You got it right, unconstitutional.

BALDWIN: OK, so, unconstitutional, there, but the courts are still allowing police officers in Alabama to check a person's status, i.e., as we've now seen in Arizona, while enforcing other laws, yes?

JACKSON: Yes, they are.

BALDWIN: Yep. Yep.

Toddler fight club, topic two. Three women at a daycare -- this is Dover, Delaware -- are accused of not only letting toddlers fight. They are accused of encouraging the kids to battle and making videos of it all.

I do want to point out CNN picked up the phone. We reached out to the daycare. We have yet to get any response.

Tell me more about what these women are accused of doing, what kind of charges they face. JACKSON: You know what? It's crazy, Brooke, because, as you say, they were encouraging it when one of the children saying they're pinching me.

Listen, what do they say, Brooke? They say, no, no, no. No pinching, only punching, so, as a result of that, they'll face criminal charges. They'll be steep. They're going to look at conspiracy.

Why? Because there was an agreement amongst them is the accusation to put the children up to this. They'll face reckless endangerment charges. They'll face assault charges and, as a result of that, they'll be held accountable for allowing this to go on when you think your children are safe and secure and supposedly having a good time at a daycare facility. Inexcusable.

BALDWIN: And supposedly being told to punch instead of pinch.

Now, in addition to these women whose faces we just saw, they are charged. The daycare's license has been suspended.

Does the state, though, does the state hold any liability here for licensing the daycare in the first place?

JACKSON: Not automatically. Just by virtue of the license, that's not enough.

However, if you could otherwise establish or show that the state was somehow remiss or negligent in failing to regulate and failing to oversee and failing to ensure that things were going properly, in general, in that daycare center then perhaps liability.

But for the mere fact that they are actually licensing them, that would not be enough.

BALDWIN: Joey Jackson, "On the Case." Thank you.

JACKSON: Good to see you, Brooke. My pleasure.

BALDWIN: Hard times in Spain, the country's jobless rate is more than 24 percent.

So, what is the government doing about it? Critics say, not enough, until this guy rolls in, taking matters into his own hands. He's being called a modern-day Robin Hood, raiding supermarkets to give to the poor.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Spain is suffering from a deep economic crisis right now and poor people feel they are being robbed by the rich.

Well, now, coming to their defense is a real life Robin Hood. This is a true story. And, in one city in Spain, they are actually calling him mayor and he's taking from grocery stores to help fee if poor. Al Goodman has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He's known as Spain's Robin Hood and now he has quite a following.

Juan Manuel Sanchez Gordillo, a leftist village mayor and regional politician, is leading this march against the Spanish government's austerity cuts.

In the 19th century, local bandits stole from the rich to give to the poor, he says, a kind of collective Robin Hood. In this economic crisis, capitalists and governments do just the opposite, rob from the poor and give to the rich.

Sanchez Gordillo gained notoriety earlier this month for leading raids on two supermarkets in nearby towns.

We did it in an organized way, he says, taking basic food stuffs to deliver to an NGO, but we hit the powers right where it hurts the most and that's why the authorities are nervous.

Most of the people taking part in this march are unemployed farm workers, union leaders say, and dozens of them took part in the recent supermarket incidents.

Like Andres Amaro, a jobless farm worker with a wife and daughter.

ANDRES AMARO, SUPERMARKET PROTESTER (via translator): I took part, like the others, in a symbolic protest against the crisis we are suffering, above all, the working class.

GOODMAN: He and six others were arrested at a supermarket. They are charged with robbery. Sanchez Gordillo has political immunity.

The conservative government blasted him for flouting the law, but he says these are desperate times.

The jobless rate in Spain is more than 24 percent, but here in Southern Andalusia, it's 33 percent.

For months, there have been large protests across Spain against the cutbacks and tax hikes that the government says are needed to reduce the deficit and revive the economy.

The prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, has vowed to stay the course.

Right now, we see no sign he's going to change. All we see, he says, are police, arrests, repression.

GOODMAN: This day, civil guards protect a wealthy farming estate as marchers pass by.

The marchers take a break and plot their next move. Suddenly, they rush onto the estate through a hole in the fence before the civil guards can stop them.

The protesters hope to keep the pressure on the authorities with what they say are a series of symbolic actions like occupying this land.

A standoff ensues with some protesters deep inside the estate, refusing to leave. For these followers of this man now seen as a modern-day Robin Hood, this is just one of the first stops in the three-week long march into getting the world's attention.

Al Goodman, CNN, Ornotuellos (PH), Spain.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Al Goodman, thank you.

Hey, take a look at this. I saw this picture, caught my eyes. This is one of several pictures you just have to see.

And, when we showed these to Chad Myers, you know what he said? Photoshop. But is it really? We're going to talk to the photographer, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: We are just a couple minutes away from "The Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer.

Wolf, I just want to bring you in and I do want to ask you about this whole Todd Akin story. I mean, he has said he is staying in. I'm looking at the clock. Still, technically, he would have two hours to bow out. Do you think he will?

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": He says he won't. He says he's determined. The next two hours will be critical.

You know, we've heard this before. A lot of times, politicians in trouble, they keep saying, until the bitter, bitter end, they're not going to drop out. Whether it was Anthony Wiener or Larry Craig, you know, we've seen a lot of politicians in trouble and then eventually they see the handwriting on the wall and they do the right thing at that moment.

He's under enormous pressure, Akin, right now, not only from moderate Republicans, but from tea party Republicans, from conservatives, from everyone really in the Republican establishment.

Even Rush Limbaugh, for example, has said he should for the good of the party get out of that Missouri Senate contest, so we'll see what happens, but my sense is the next two hours will be critical.

If he doesn't do it by then, there is another deadline at the end of September. He could do it, but it so complicates the Republican candidate, whoever that might be. It so much - it makes matters so much worse for whoever the Republican Senate candidate against Claire McCaskill is going to be. So, we'll see if he changes his mind in the next two hours. I know he's under enormous pressure. You saw that statement of Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader of the Senate, just released. He's mincing no words. "Get out and get out now."

BALDWIN: All right, we'll be watching, right along with you through your next two hours. Wolf Blitzer in "The Situation Room." Wolf, thank you.

Meantime, this family trip turn into really just a tragedy in Texas. We are seeing this new video. This is a car wreck, killed five children, injured six other people. This happened just yesterday.

A back tire blew and caused the driver to lose control on his way to a water park. Police say none of the kids had buckled up. None of them was wearing seat belts and there were too many people in the SUV. The driver could face five criminal charges.

And a close call for a top U.S. military officer in Afghanistan. General Martin Dempsey's plane was hit by shrapnel of two rockets. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs was not on board, but two Bagram Air Force Base workers were slightly injured because of this.

Dempsey had left Afghanistan on a separate plane. His visit, we've been reporting on this, coming at a time of growing attacks, seemingly daily on U.S. troops by Afghan security forces.

And sorry to have to report, Diana Nyad calling it quits after this fourth attempt to swim from Cuba to Key West. According to her team there, another round of painful jellyfish stings. You can see her face here. Stings to her face, a lightning storm pushed the 62- year-old off course.

There was also the constant threat of sharks, sharks possibly attacking Diana Nyad. She turns 63 tomorrow.

And to California. On the central coast there, one photographer - got to love this when you just end up in the right place at the right time and you capture some pretty stunning pictures of a humpback whale.

We have Chad Myers here. We also have photographer Bill Bouton on the phone, as well. So, welcome, gentlemen, to both of you.

And, if I may out my friend, Chad, here, Bill, I mean, he thought this was Photoshopped. Looks like a green screen, but alas ...

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It looks amazing.

BALDWIN: ... this is the real deal.

MYERS: I went, there's no possible way. And then I talked to all my colleagues and they said, hey, wait until you see all the other pictures. There's no way you can do all these other pictures and Photoshop them all to look so good. So, Bill, congratulations. Great new lens, I hear.

BILL BOUTON, PHOTOGRAPHER (via telephone): A new, used lens. The new version of that particular lens would be way beyond my budget.

BALDWIN: So, from what I read, Bill, you were at one beach. You were hoping to get some shots of some birds. The birds weren't really around. You leave.

You decide, I think I might start and stop at this Avila Beach and that's when you see all these pelicans swarming and the humpbacks. How many were there?

BOUTON: I saw two at the time and the most I've heard anybody else speak about is two, but I've been stuck at my computer for two days. I haven't been back over there, so I'm not in the loop anymore.

MYERS: Bill, obviously this was a very - we're calling it a long lens because you were quite a ways away -- but these people, look very close. Is it deceptive? These guys are on paddle boards. They look like they're 10 feet away.

BOUTON: Yeah. A big lens like that shortens and pulls everything together. However, there's one of those photos where there's a guy on a paddle board ...

BALDWIN: We're looking at it, right there.

BOUTON: ... just to the right of the whale and the lens wouldn't pull him in close. You can see he's actually in the sort of a wave that's coming out from the whale.

BALDWIN: My favorite is -- and we'll scroll through these -- there's a lady on a stand-up paddle board in a dress very, very close to this whale.

What was -- how far were you, Bill? And what was the response from all these people in the water?

BOUTON: Well, you can see the response on a lot of people's faces there if the picture's big enough.

I mean, one girl in a kayak has her mouth, a big "O." There's a guy sitting on the back, the stern of the boat that's got a big grin on his face.

It's a pretty amazing thing. You know, speaking of those people, you mentioned that some people think it was Photoshopped and there were a couple of comments on my particular site about that. Some guy was dissing. Ah, this was all Photoshopped.

And, as soon as that happens, people popped in and said, hey, wait a minute. I was there that day with my family.

BALDWIN: I can vouch. This is a real humpback whale. MYERS: These humpback whales for going for what you thought was a bait ball, a little fish under the water. Have you seen this before?

BOUTON: I have, but not very often. I live about 10 miles from the actual ocean, so, unlike some of my other photo friends who live in closer places like Morro Bay or Cambria or Cayucos, I don't see it quite as often as they do.

But I have seen it. It's not terribly rare, but it's not really common either.

BALDWIN: Bill Bouton, I read that you are a retired biology teacher and you've been taking photos for a few decades. How does this stack up among your collection?

BOUTON: Oh, well, this turned out way -- you know, when I took the photos, it's really hard to see on the back of the camera when you're out in bright sunlight just what you're getting on that little LCD.

So, I - mostly, I was just anxious to get home and see them and I was pleased because the lighting condition was terrible. The light was behind all my subjects and glare off the water.

But the way this has exploded on the Web around the world has just been mind-blowing, so I guess I would say nothing compares to this.

BALDWIN: I know you've been getting a lot of phone calls. We appreciate you taking ours. Bill Bouton with some pretty stunning photos that are very much so very real.

Bill, thank you and ...

MYERS: That's just fantastic.

BALDWIN: Got to love good pictures.

Chad, thank you.

And thank you for watching. Now, let's go to Washington to Wolf Blitzer. Your "Situation Room" begins right now.