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Rick's List

U.S. Recession Officially Over?; Firefighters Battle Utah Blaze; Christine O'Donnell in the Crosshairs; Some Celebrity Tweets Equal PR Trouble; Republicans Target West Virginia Gubernatorial Election; Lindsey Lohan Fails Drug Test; Randy Quaid And Wife Arrested for Squatting

Aired September 20, 2010 - 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: Ali Velshi, thank you. Do not go too far.

We're talking recession right now. By the way, it's officially over. In fact, the National Bureau of Economic Research says it was over -- get this -- back in June of 2009. Now, the NBER is considered by many out there to be the arbiter of recessions in this country. In fact, you might remember -- let's take it back to April -- right, when they declined to actually put an official date on the end of the recession.

So, why the change? Simply put, more information. They saw more data on things like GDP or personal income. So, this means, if you kind of go through the numbers here, the recession lasted a total of 18 months. Remember, it started December of '07, went all the way through to June of '09.

And since the recession has now been over for roughly three months, let's go over what we have gained. We have gained back 50 percent of GDP, 50 percent of industrial production, 50 percent of income, and 40 percent of sales.

The numbers sounds good, right? Hang on. We have only gained back 9 percent of jobs, and that may be why a lot of you out there are saying, hang on a second, this doesn't feel like the recession is over, right?

Well, joining me now to break down some of these numbers and see what really this breaking news means, Ali Velshi, 15 months later.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

BALDWIN: Let me just ask the first obvious question, if I may. Why are we just now hearing that the recession ended? And what does that really mean?

VELSHI: Well, yes, that -- that's the frustrating thing. Why are we finding out 15 months end -- after it ended?

Well, part of that is because you have got to take a lot of numbers into -- into account. And, you know, the -- the -- the end of a recession doesn't -- everything doesn't surge up. So, you look at some of these month-to-month figures on home sales or GDP, and, as you know, they're mixed.

So, these folks, the National Bureau of Economic Research, who are the arbiters of this, really like to take their time. It was a year into the recession, a year after it started, that they even declared that it had started.

Believe me, everybody in America knew we were in a recession by then. So, that's part of the problem. It's a lot of math and a lot of figuring out. And that's why it sometimes takes them that long to figure it out.

BALDWIN: So, since I just kind of went through, GDP, we have improved --

VELSHI: Yes.

BALDWIN: -- sales, income --

VELSHI: Yes.

BALDWIN: -- right?

VELSHI: Yes.

BALDWIN: So, it looks like we're heading in the right direction.

But, as I mentioned, I know you're talking to people.

VELSHI: Yes.

BALDWIN: Look, it just doesn't feel like we're out of it. And if we're talking recovery here, it seems to be a jobless recovery.

VELSHI: Right. So, two things to keep in mind. I had a great conversation with a guy named Lakshman Achuthan.

BALDWIN: I watched.

VELSHI: He's really the expert on these things. And he made this analogy about how the end of a recession is like having a heart attack or some serious injury getting taken to the hospital.

So, once you're in and you're getting treated, your chances of things getting better increase, but you're not feeling better, necessarily.

BALDWIN: You're still hurting.

VELSHI: It could be months of pain. It could -- exactly. There are still -- and things can still go wrong.

So, that's what a recovery is. We associate a recovery with feeling great, stock market going up, home prices going up, jobs left, right and center, factories opening up. And they -- there have been recoveries like this. This isn't one of them. And -- and those numbers you pointed are exactly why. The touch point for most people, the most common touch point to the economy, is your job. And we all know people who have been laid off and are still looking for jobs. And until we have some sense that there is prosperity and that your job is safe, you're just not going to spend on big-ticket items as much as you would if you felt secure.

BALDWIN: Right. I mean, we're not --

VELSHI: As a result, we're not getting into it.

BALDWIN: We're not recovering in terms of, what, private sector jobs. You still look at the unemployment rate, it's like 9.6 percent, right?

VELSHI: Yes.

BALDWIN: So -- and -- and housing, as we know, Ali, was --

VELSHI: Yes.

BALDWIN: -- the crux of the crisis, right?

VELSHI: Right.

BALDWIN: But that's improving slightly.

VELSHI: Slight. Right. That's the thing. It's -- it's all slight. Look, there have been gains in the stock market. Last year was tremendous. So, that's fine. But there's three places where you feel prosperous, your investments or your savings. So, that might be the stock market.

If you are putting your money in the bank account, you're getting nothing for that. The other place you feel prosperous is the value of your property increasing. And we know that's been dodgy, right? We have seen about a 1 percent increase in home prices over the last year.

But the most important, the -- the third leg of that three-legged stool of prosperity is your job. And while we continue to see persistent high employment, and we don't see growth in the private sector for jobs, people like you and me, Brooke, who -- who think our jobs are safe, the fact is, when you see enough people who have lost their jobs, you never feel invincible, which means that big purchase that you want to make, you might hold off on.

BALDWIN: Mm-hmm.

VELSHI: And when we all collectively think like that, demand goes down. Companies don't hire more people. And it's this vicious cycle. We will break out of it, we hope.

(LAUGHTER)

VELSHI: But that's what it is.

BALDWIN: We hope.

VELSHI: It doesn't feel good. The science tells us we're out of this recession. The sentiment tells us it still doesn't feel great.

BALDWIN: Science and sentiment, I like that.

Let me -- Ali, I printed out and read, because I'm a geek and I'm trying to be like you, and I'm reading this NBER report today, right? And let me read you this line.

VELSHI: Yes.

BALDWIN: "The committee decided that any future downturn of the economy would be a new recession, and not a continuation of the recession that began in December of 2007."

VELSHI: Right.

BALDWIN: "The basis for this decision was the length and the strength of the recovery to date."

So, when I read that, and it says future downturn of the economy would be a new recession, what does that mean? That means --

VELSHI: Which means they're not -- which means they're not saying that there isn't going to be a future downturn. And as you heard from my conversation with Lakshman, he didn't rule that out either. In other words, let's go back to that hospital room analogy. You're there. You're being treated. You've been stabilized, but no one is prepared to say that you're well on your way to recovery.

So, all that means is that, if we have another dip or another recession, you can't call it a double-dip recession. It's now two recessions. Lakshman and others have said, largely, that's semantics. That's the kind of stuff that politicians get caught up in.

The reality is, there could be another leg down or we could improve very slowly. One distinction, though, that's important, Brooke --

BALDWIN: Yes.

VELSHI: -- slowly moving forward, which is what we're doing right now, is like being stuck in a -- in a traffic jam on a highway. That's different from being in reverse, which is what you're in, in a recession. It's a small distinction, because you might just be moving forward very slowly, but we're still moving forward.

BALDWIN: And, Ali, as you mentioned improvements, and here's hoping, to keep with your metaphor, that we heal and we get out of the E.R., right, let's talk specifically about some of the leading indicators that we are improving, where we are moving forward. Give me something positive --

VELSHI: Well --

BALDWIN: -- as we are looking ahead.

VELSHI: You know, there are a bunch of things that are -- that are -- we don't all follow on a daily basis. Obviously, GDP is the biggest of them, but something called industrial production is important. That is the growth in what we produce in our factories, a barrel of oil or a car or a widget of any sort. That is up.

We are seeing income increasing. We're seeing personal savings increasing. People are -- are worried about debt. We have seen a minute increase in home prices, and we have seen, generally speaking, a reduction in the number of homes available for sale, although that's very volatile.

And we have seen improvements in the stock market, which is a sense of confidence. We have also seen companies buying other companies, which is usually a sign that they think that the value of these companies is going to increase over time. A company's value only increases for one reason. People are buying their goods or their services.

So, there's a bunch of stuff out there. I would say it's mixed. And some people are betting that it is stronger than it is weaker. But that statement that you read from the NBER really says, could go either way.

BALDWIN: Uh-huh.

VELSHI: It's just sort of a benchmark that we have -- we're done with this recession. We were done a year ago. We may -- we may still have trouble ahead.

BALDWIN: Well, Ali Velshi, you certainly helped me understand these three pages of the NBER report much better. I thank you. I'm understanding it. Hopefully, our viewers are as well. Ali Velshi, thank you, sir.

VELSHI: See you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: All right.

And now this: a shocking revelation. Christine O'Donnell once said she had a midnight picnic on a satanic altar. Have you heard this? I'm talking witchcraft suddenly part of this growing mystery surrounding this Tea Party-movement-backed candidate. That is ahead.

And it's being described as a wall of fire. Have you seen these pictures? Look at this with me, flames in Utah forcing thousands and thousands to leave their homes. It is next on the LIST. You're watching your national conversation, RICK'S LIST. Stay right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Welcome back to RICK'S LIST.

Families just totally abandoning their homes as the flames are moving in and they're moving in very quickly. That's what been happening near Salt Lake City, Utah.

And I want to get to this iReport. We appreciate anyone on the ground of course sending us their pictures and these videos, especially those videos just as compelling as this. This is a neighborhood. I know. It's amazing. It's a neighborhood basically under attack from all the smoke, the fire. Apparently, this whole thing started during a training exercise yesterday at a National Guard camp.

In fact, it's being called the Machine Gun Fire. That's how they have named it. The guard Says it thought the fire was under control, but then -- you guessed it -- the wind out there, whipping, picked up, started just completing spreading the flames. In total, we're hearing about 1,500 families have just had to get out of town, leave their homes. Some of them, we hear, are being holed up at this local high school. They're waiting to find out if even they have homes to go back to.

Imagine, you don't even know if your own home is still standing. At least four homes are destroyed here, better pictures from the air. The governor took this helicopter ride -- ride -- just today just to see the damage from the sky.

And we follow Governor Herbert on our governor's list. In fact, let's roll over to the Twitter board, because he tweeted this right after his helicopter tour. Here's what he says: "Just landed after aerial tour of Herriman fire. An amazing scene. Firefighters -- firefighting efforts are making a difference even over last night."

I'm just trying to read over someone's shoulder to read the whole tweet for you. He also said, "It's a miracle that only" -- he says, "only four homes were lost."

Now, the mayor there says most people are heeding that evacuation order, but police are not forcing people to leave. They're not telling them they have to go. A city councilman and his family had to get out as the flames moved in. He described this whole thing, when he was in his house, he said it was a wall of fire, his kids so terrified, he packed everybody up and took off.

Firefighters now, of course, back on the front lines working to get this thing under control fighting this fire, unbelievable pictures.

The U.S., meantime -- let's talk about another disaster here -- dodging another hurricane, but Bermuda took a beating from Igor. We will check the tropics with Chad Myers. He's over there in the weather -- weather area.

Also, this one -- this one really pulls at the heartstrings. Have you heard this? This is a horrific story. This is a high school football field in Texas. A beloved quarterback dies after collapsing on the sidelines. That story, an interview, on the other side the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right. We were all in high school once, right, Frito pie, pom-poms, teenage titans clashing on Friday nights, swaggering into class Monday morning. You know who I'm talking about., scenes from a ritual, almost a religion really, in Texas.

What am I -- high school football is what I'm talking about. I want to tell you about one star high school quarterback. It's a tough story to tell, but one we wanted to today.

By all accounts, Reggie Garrett was special. People who knew him describe him -- we keep saying the word humble over and over, intelligent, mild-mannered. In fact his aunt says Reggie didn't ask you for anything,, but he gave you everything.

Reggie Garrett's promising life ended over the weekend under the glare of Friday night lights on a football field -- you're watching the game -- on a football field in West Orange. This is Southeast Texas. Let me -- let me set the scene for you. It was second quarter. Garrett had just thrown a touchdown pass.

This was his second, by the way, of the night. Pretty good, right? He headed for the sidelines. In fact I read, even as he was heading out of the game, he kind of low-fived one of his teammates on the way out, but then he just entirely collapsed.

Listen to the coach describe the whole thing from Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN HOOKS, FOOTBALL COACH OF REGGIE GARRETT: Reggie was, you know, like my boy. And, you know, I didn't know what to do. I just stood there. It was like -- it's like you're seeing a bad -- you know, something bad play out, but you don't really -- it's not real. It's surreal. That's the way it was on that sideline for about -- you know, a long time.

And then, when we got the word that he was -- had officially died, well, then the community just -- I mean, it -- it erupted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Not often you hear a tough coach like that break down. Another of Garrett's coaches quoted today as saying, "Heaven got a good quarterback."

His father, I can't even begin to imagine, devastated. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REGGIE GARRETT SR., FATHER OF REGGIE GARRETT: And I was proud to watch him play every year, from seve years old. I was there every game. You couldn't ask for no better. I just love him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Now, we also just got this in moments ago. We got some information about a memorial service. We're hearing it's scheduled for Friday evening. Reggie Garrett's funeral is set for Saturday.

And after he collapsed Friday night, Garrett was rushed to Baptist Hospital of Southeast Texas, where Susan Courtney is the supervisor. And she's good enough to hop on the phone and talk me through exactly what happened Friday night.

And, Susan, I -- my heart goes out to -- to you and their family, as does, I know, our family here at CNN. And I thank you for -- for jumping on the phone.

Susan, let -- let me just go back to Friday night. You said you have been a nurse at this hospital for 17 years. You get a call initially, right, and you hear about this 17-year-old. You're thinking healthy, young, seizure. And then you get another call, and it's cardiac arrest. What was going on in your head at the time?

SUSAN COURTNEY, SUPERVISOR, BAPTIST HOSPITAL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS: Well, usually, seizures don't cause cardiac arrest. So, we were not quite sure what was happening until he actually rolled in our doors.

BALDWIN: And he rolls through your doors. And I imagine you and doctors, an entire team goes to work on him, and you all worked for how long? How long did you try to revive him?

COURTNEY: It was about an hour and 15 minutes. It was well over an hour.

BALDWIN: And take me inside the E.R. I mean, I -- I have -- I have read accounts that -- that people were crying as they're trying to save this young man.

I mean, I imagine you see a lot of tough scenes each and every day in an E.R. What made this so different for you?

COURTNEY: Well, I guess the -- what made this different is, he was young and healthy and obviously had no physical -- or problems.

And when, you know, we're yelling at him, come on, Reggie, fight, trying to get him -- trying to save him. And it was just a real tough scene. That's not something we see very often in our little E.R.

BALDWIN: In your little E.R. , you were yelling at him. You were -- you were wishing him to recover. And he didn't, as we know. And you and a doctor had the -- I can't imagine the task of -- of delivering the news to his parents. How are they doing?

COURTNEY: I haven't really talked to them since that night. When we went in there, we had kind of pre-warned them that he wasn't doing well. But, you know, there was always hope. They didn't want to believe it. We walked in the room.

And when the doctor said he didn't make it, the -- it was just a devastating scene. Most -- several of them fell to the floor. It was just unbelievable.

BALDWIN: How are you handling this? I mean, you sound very affected by this young man. How are you --

COURTNEY: It's been --

BALDWIN: Go ahead.

COURTNEY: It's been tough. My niece was a senior -- was a Filly. She was a -- on the drill team. So, I knew this young man. I have been to almost every one of the games. I have been watching him take this team.

You know, I have been watching him throw touchdowns for several years now. And it's just been really tough. When they rolled in and I looked at his face and realized who it was --

BALDWIN: Oh.

COURTNEY: -- a state of shock.

BALDWIN: So, you knew immediately? When they rolled Reggie in, you said, my God, this is a young man I know?

Tell me about him.

COURTNEY: Well, he was very popular. He was very well liked. He was very, very smart. He was -- he was on the Honor Society with my niece. He was -- he had -- you know, he was just very kind. He was very -- he wasn't what you would see, a lot of football players, bold and they're just brassy and bragging. And he wasn't like that.

He was kind to -- to all the other kids. Everybody liked him. It was just -- it's just hard to describe a guy like that.

BALDWIN: And the --

COURTNEY: You just don't see it.

BALDWIN: You don't see a kid like that very often.

And I imagine -- you mentioned the tiny E.R., and this is a tiny Texas town. I imagine the community is reeling. I have heard they have canceled the game for next Saturday. Susan, do you know anything -- I know we had just mentioned a memorial service, but any other plans to honor Reggie this week? How are folks doing there?

COURTNEY: Well, his car the next morning was left in the parking lot. Some -- a lot of the kids went out and put candles around it. There's flowers at the place where he fell. There's flowers on the fence. So, a lot of the students and -- are -- keep going up to the field, and a lot of the fans and just part of the community keep going up to the field, to the place where he fell.

It's just -- I mean, that night, there was hundreds of people in the parking lot. I mean, you couldn't -- it was a big parking lot, and you couldn't even get any more cars in it. There was people -- my lobby was filled. The parking lot was filled. People were gathering around.

They were praying and singing hymns. And it was just -- it's just really devastated this community. We have been really proud of our school and our team, our football team, for a long time. And it's just going to take a while for us to recover from this.

BALDWIN: Well, Susan, we're thinking -- we're thinking about your entire community. Again, our hearts go out to Reggie's family, his parents, coach, teammates.

And I just thank you for coming on and speaking with me about it. It's a tough story to tell. Susan, thank you.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Hurricane Igor heading by Canada, according to Chad, after skirting Bermuda today. It brought strong winds, dumped all kinds of rain there, but didn't do too much damage.

The U.S. has dodged the bullet so far this hurricane season. But you know the old saying -- Chad, say it with me -- it ain't over until it's over.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It ain't over until it's over.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: In fact, FEMA actually tweeted a warning earlier today reminding folks, look, be careful. Be smart. Much of the East Coast has high surf, advisories, rip -- rip currents because of Igor.

And let's always remind you that CNN is your hurricane headquarters.

Chad Myers, you have been watching this thing roll on through. It was pretty compelling TV, you know, watching it move through Bermuda over the weekend, but, as far as damage goes, what's the story?

MYERS: Pretty much everyone lost power.

BALDWIN: Yes.

MYERS: The entire island lost power. There wasn't much of a storm surge there, although some water did overwash parts of the island and into some of the harbors.

It's an island of mopeds.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: OK. MYERS: So, if you go there, and you go on vacation, you can --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: -- rolling around on mopeds?

MYERS: And so you -- the mopeds were off the road for a while.

BALDWIN: I can only see you.

MYERS: Yes. I love the pink sand there.

BALDWIN: Yes, beautiful.

MYERS: Yes, Sunday, kind of a rough day. Trees were down. Power lines were down. People are putting things back together now.

The storm has moved away. It is moving toward Atlantic Canada, but bye.

BALDWIN: By Canadian.

MYERS: As you said, bye-bye -- B-Y-E -- Canada.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Right. Correct.

MYERS: And it will not make landfall in the Maritimes. It may make a left-hand turn around Newfoundland, but that will be days and days away.

BALDWIN: OK. And you said lost power, past-tense, meaning, have they regained?

MYERS: A lot of power lines are backed up, are backed up.

BALDWIN: OK.

Now, as we look at the radar and the loop --

(CROSSTALK)

MYERS: There it goes.

BALDWIN: -- as Rick likes to say, the loop rolling around, what about, you know, in the Atlantic behind Igor? Do we have anything swirling around?

MYERS: You know, we have had not so much of a new hurricane to say, not a new name, but there's just all these giant waves in the Atlantic this year.

BALDWIN: Huh.

MYERS: It's been like -- literally, it's been like living on the Pacific Ocean. So, the surf people -- surfers --

BALDWIN: Surf's up, dude.

MYERS: -- love these big storms as they roll in the middle of the Atlantic. And if you are not a professional --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Don't get out there.

MYERS: -- don't get out without some kind of life jacket on, life preserver on. You -- you tell a surfer to go out with a life jacket on and they laugh at you. But that's the idea.

All of this undertow, all of this -- this just rip current activity will be coming on and off. And we're still losing beach. Typically, the beach gets put back in the summer, because the waves are small, and the beach goes away in the winter because the waves are big. And that takes the sand out on to the sand bars.

So, it's almost been the exact opposite story this year, with the beach going away rather quickly in some spots. It will remain a hurricane. It's still 75 miles per hour, forecast to stay that way. But, as you see, let's say Nova Scotia that got hit with the last one, got hit with Earl, and then all the way back out here into the Atlantic area, this storm should skirt it and turn around off to the left.

Something else going on tonight, Saturn and Jupiter, but mainly Jupiter, especially if you're in an area that has clear skies, clear skies out here in the west with winds and even some smoke could be a problem. But the rest of the country will see an amazing sight.

BALDWIN: What's that?

MYERS: The moon will be bright, of course. But Jupiter is as close as it's going to get until 2022, and it's going to be a big bright ball in the sky. You see a star out there, you don't know what it is because you think it's probably Mercury or Venus, because they were always the biggest planets.

BALDWIN: And it's Jupiter.

MYERS: It's Jupiter today.

BALDWIN: Very cool.

MYERS: Yes.

BALDWIN: So, tonight?

MYERS: Tonight. Get out and look at it.

BALDWIN: Chad --

MYERS: -- big as it will get. BALDWIN: -- thank you.

MYERS: Sure.

BALDWIN: All right.

Well, coming up, here's a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINE O'DONNELL (R), DELAWARE SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Will they attack us? Yes. Will they smear our backgrounds and distort our records? Undoubtedly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: By now, I know you know who this is, Christine O'Donnell. We're talking about her background. And it is once again in the national spotlight, though, this time, it's what the Tea Party movement-backed-candidate allegedly did -- follow me here -- on a satanic altar. That's ahead.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: And, yes, let's look at this video together. Oh, my goodness. This is the first time I'm seeing this. That is a toddler crawling out on to a busy highway. Good lord. It -- I will show you how this one turns out coming up next in "Fotos."

Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right, I have some amazing video to show you. It's a little kid. You saw a preview. He's in very real danger. It's a nail-biter and also the top of today's "Fotos."

All right, let's look at this together. You see that little spotlight. Inside the spotlight is a one-year-old little boy. He crawled out onto this busy road. This is Turkey. Look at him go. Look at this. Cars, you saw them whizzing past. Police say he was sleeping in the bushes with his mother. What? Woke up, went exploring.

Obviously this could have ended badly but his mother grabbed him up after a minute or two. He wasn't hurt. What was his mother doing is my question.

Next story in "Fotos," aren't these the guys that come out every time a hurricane gets close? Chad and I were talking about this. Most people get off the beach and some people head in the direction of the beach. Extreme surfer dudes in radical x games.

The kite surfer is laughing in hurricane Igor's face, rocking the waves, got some major air, oh, major air when the storm got close in Bermuda. Hopefully he got smart and got inside in time. Otherwise he could still be up in the air for quite a while.

They call this the world's largest chicken dance. And be sure we will take their word for it. People in Cincinnati take Oktoberfest apparently very seriously, getting down and getting funky. I'm sure the folks in Munich would be oh, so proud. I don't have time I guess to show you the wiener dog face. Just imagine that, a bratwurst eating contest.

This week Oktoberfest in Cincinnati enjoying about 800 barrels of beer. Thus the dancing, perhaps, that might be the secret ingredient in the world record chicken dance attempt.

And that is "Fotos." Remember you can always see photos on Rick's blog. Go to CNN poi.com/RickSanchez.

So we're pretty Twitter hip on this show, as I know you are. And a lot of celebrities are as well. They use Twitter, right, to connect with fans, helps their careers. Others, not so lucky. A list of celebrity Twitter disasters with the other Brooke at this network, Brooke Anderson. That's ahead.

And have you heard about the latest realty show controversy. When you think you've hear it all, I'm telling you, you haven't. Future brides competing for plastic surgery. But will the grooms even recognize them? I'm not making this stuff up. That is next in "Trending." You're watching you national conversation, "RICK'S LIST." We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right, time for my segment. This is the stories that you know you're going home and talking about over dinner and talking about with your colleagues over lunch at work.

Number one on my trending list today -- could be back to jail for Lindsay Lohan. We have just learned she has been ordered to appear in court on Friday after she herself admitted, via Twitter of course, that she has in fact failed this recent drug test. We heard about it Friday, weren't quite sure. She's confirming on Twitter.

In fact, we have a whole series of tweets Friday night. Let me walk you through some of them. First here's what she's tweeting as we head over to the Twitter board. "Regrettably, I did in fact fail my most recent drug test. And if I am asked, I am prepared to appear before Judge Fox next week as a result."

She goes on -- "Substance abuse is a disease which unfortunately doesn't go away overnight. I am working hard to overcome it and am taking positive steps forward every day. I am testing every single day and doing what I must do to prevent any mishaps in the future."

There's more. "This was certainly a setback for me, but I am taking responsibility for my actions and I'm prepared to face the consequences." Lindsay Lohan via Twitter.

Take a look with me here. This is a picture of her leaving an AA meeting over the weekend. As you know, Lindsay was originally sentenced to 90 days in jail and 90 days in rehab for violating probation on a previous drunk driving conviction. But she was released a little bit early from jail because of overcrowding. By the way, she just served 13 days.

She was released early from rehab because doctors felt she had spent enough time there -- 23 days. Remember she was supposed to do 90 and 90. She remained on probation, though, meaning random drug tests. So now it's up to the judge to decide what is in store for Ms. Lohan. Stay tuned.

Also, second on my trending list -- like I said, just when you thought you heard it all for reality TV, try this one on. There's a new show called "Bridal-plasty." what might that mean you ask? You guessed it. This is brides-to-be competing for plastic surgery. Actually, let's go as far as saying extreme plastic surgery, so it's kind of like we decided "Bridezilla" meets "Extreme Makeover."

Here's the deal, 12 women live in this house for 10 weeks. At the beginning of the series they create a wish list of all the plastic surgeries they ever desired. I reached out to the network, that network being E! that will play this show "Bridal-plasty," and here's what I got.

Quote, "From muffin tops to crooked noses to flat chests, the perceived imperfections they hope to fix are extensive and dramatic. So each and every week the bride faces off in various wedding-related challenges. The winner of each competition wins one plastic surgery that they will undergo that week.

Each week one bride is also voted off. The last bride standing wins all the plastic surgeries on her wish list." So she gets all of them.

The big reveal -- so she has all the surgeries. The big reveal takes place and then she gets married. So, groom -- surprise. Creators say viewers will witness his -- the groom's -- emotional and possibly shocked reaction as they stand at the altar and he lifts her veil to see her for the first time following her extreme plastic surgery.

The dramatic finale marks the end of her quest for perfection and reveals if her dream wedding does in fact become a reality.

Are you looking at me? Are you shaking your head? We've reached out to E!. We're wondering what other groups are saying. I did reach out to one of the hosts, have not heard back yet from her.

Also, just in. Speaking of Lindsay Lohan, a judge revoked Lindsay Lohan's probation Monday. Here we go. The actress was ordered to appear in court on Friday. An L.A. court spokesman said -- say it again, Angie? We're going to get more on Lindsay Lohan in the 4:00 hour.

Also ahead, a so-called cult had police and relatives -- did you hear about this over the weekend -- fearing this possible mass suicide maybe Saturday, maybe Sunday. What's the deal with the group? Who are they? Why did their actions lead to this panic? That is ahead.

And you know we love Twitter around here. So do the stars. But can their tweets come back to haunt them? That's next on "The List." I'm Brooke Baldwin. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Did you know that Sanchez and I have a little something in common with Kim Kardashian and Demi Moore? Yes, indeed, it is true. So does Kanye West and Hulk Hogan. The thing we all share is this -- we're all in the public eye. We're on TV for a living, and we all have a direct line to the public, to you, through our Twitter accounts.

But as you're about to see, some of us are a little bit more careful than others when it comes to what we tweet, what we write about, perhaps some of the pictures we have share. I'm about to talk to Brooke Anderson from Los Angeles about this phenomenon. But first, here's a report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKE ANDERSON, HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Kim's done it. So has Jim. Toss in Lindsay, Justin, and Sarah, too. Don't forget Kanye tweeting. These tweet-happy celebs have all earned membership in Twitter's dubious distinction club.

LOUIS VIRTEL, TV EDITOR, MOVIELINE.COM: This is exactly why we like Twitter, because it's a place for spontaneous celebrity combustion almost at all hours.

ANDERSON: Kim Kardashian's spontaneous celebrity Twitter combustion came at 30,000 feet. She was on a plane and tweeted "I am sitting next to an air marshal." Note to Kim, air marshals are supposed to fly strictly undercover ever.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's broadcasting this information by Twitter, very unwise.

VIRTEL: A pretty egregiously un-smart move.

ANDERSON: Movie Line's Louis Vertel He keeps an eye on celebrity Twitter fiascos and the PR nightmares they cause.

VIRTEL: You can be too vulgar or jeopardize your career in the span of 30 seconds.

ANDERSON: While not a career killer, Jim Carey sent an unflattering tweet about Tiger's wife Elin after news of Tiger's cheating broke.

VIRTEL: Here he says "No wife is blind enough to have miss that much infidelity."

ANDERSON: He was criticized harshly for this. So in a way, it impacted him negatively. VIRTEL: Oh, sure.

BAIER: Then there's Justin Bieber's Twitter meltdown during a feud with a pesky young fan. He tweeted a phone number and claimed it was his. Actually it was the fan's cell phone which tens of thousands of people bombarded with messages.

VIRTEL: That was sort of a mean-spirited thing to do, but it's a little bit funny, I think.

ANDERSON: Funny or not, it was another example of how Twitter lets celebs reach their fans direct and uncensored, celebs like "Glee!" cast member Kevin McKale and Paula Abdul.

PAULA ABDUL, CELEBRITY: I tweet while I'm on the red carpet.

ANDERSON: In fact, according to a 2009 Harvard Business School study, celebrities dispatched 90 percent of all tweets. Marketing expert Ira Kalb has studied social net works, he offers stars a word of warning.

IRA KALB, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CALIFORNIA MARSHALL SCHOOL OF BUSINESS: When you put yourself out there, you don't have any publicists that can filter it. You don't have a lawyer checking it. So it is risky for any celebrity.

ANDERSON: And 50 Cent risked condemnation for tweeting a picture and caption that joked about shooting up a gay wedding. That came day after a Twitter barrage that was peppered with expletives.

VIRTEL: It was so profane, arguably misogynist. Just reading a single tweet is like a little bit astounding.

ANDERSON: And Kanye West got a Twitter account and then promptly spewed more than 70 confessional tweets that began with yet another apology to Taylor Swift for stealing her spotlight at last year's video MTV Video Music Awards.

MICHAEL LEVINE, HOLLYWOOD MEDIA EXPERT: If I were filing that in my office for later discussion, I'd put that in the bizarre file. But that file is getting pretty thick.

ANDERSON: But even controversial tweets can benefit a celeb by keeping their name on everyone's lips.

KALB: When certain celebrities do certain things it only adds to their following.

ANDERSON: So whether it's Hulk Hogan tweeting video of himself on a hospital gurney or Demi Moore tweeting bathroom bikini pics.

ANDERSON (on camera): She obviously works out a lot. We know that from the picture.

VIRTEL: Right, because we needed that confirmed.

ANDERSON: Expect more celebrity misadventures in the Twitters- sphere.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Brooke Anderson, you just took the words out of my mouth. By the way, awesome being on with you. Finally the Brookes together, the original Brooke at the network, good to see you.

ANDERSON: Mark it down, right?

BALDWIN: Yes, it's historic.

Let me first -- you brought up Demi Moore. I've seen the pictures, and exactly what you said. She's got a hot body, but do we really need to see it on Twitter? It's like TMI, too much information. Why the need for the celebrities who are so very much in the public eye, why do they need to take it a step further and tweet about it?

ANDERSON: You know, it's almost like it's reached an obsession. Hulk Hogan on a hospital gurney? Like, why the need to do that? It's almost like an addiction at times.

But here's the twisted part about the whole thing. As long as celebrities have followers on Twitter, they're going to get the publicity that they so desperately want regardless if they are involved in a Twitter disaster.

So it's the attention. It's the publicity that many times fuel a celebrity's career, Brooke.

And you know that adage, there's no such thing as bad publicity. I don't always agree with that. What do you want to do? Trade your dignity, trade your privacy for short-lived publicity? Many celebrities don't mind.

But you mentioned Lindsay Lohan in the show. She basically via Twitter revealed she had violated probation, failed a drug test, was ready to face the consequences which she will do on Friday.

So a lot of celebrities are caught in some pretty risky moves via Twitter and a lot of celebrities were caught in lies, ala Paris Hilton and that chenille purse.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: Also today, just briefly, Lady Gaga, you saw some of these celebrities turning sort of political. She's been tweeting on "don't ask don't tell." Is that more or less an anomaly with these celebrities tweeting about a political cause or is it I'm sitting next to an air marshal or, hey, check out my chenille purse?

ANDERSON: Usually it's not to the level that Lady Gaga has taken it. It's usually pretty innocent and not as politically charged as what Lady Gaga is doing right now. But Lady Gaga has millions and millions of followers on Twitter. So I think that's why she's garnering a whole lot of attention in part. Other celebrities have tons of followers, Britney Spears, Ashton Kutcher, Kim Kardashian, they depend on Twitter for their careers many times for their livelihood.

BALDWIN: It's interesting. It reaches a whole lot of people. Brooke Anderson, thanks for coming on with me. Let me remind everyone, HLN star, "Show Biz" anchor, what is it, 5:00 and 11:00?

ANDERSON: It's 5:00 p.m. eastern, we're live. And we're back at 11:00 p.m. eastern.

BALDWIN: Good deal. Thank you.

Michelle Obama denies telling France's first lady that life in the White House is, quote, "hell." What does Carla Bruni Sarkozy say? Her side of the story ahead in our controversy list.

And a mug shot makes our most intriguing. The star wasn't busted for drugs or DUI, but get this -- allegedly for squatting in someone's home. We're talking about a Hollywood star. That's coming up next. Stay right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: It's time to check one of our favorite lists. This is the list of the most intriguing people of the day. Here we go.

Actually, not just talking about one person, I have two people on my most intriguing list today. You probably only heard of one of them. Let me explain. He is a Hollywood actor, Oscar nominated, by the way, funny guy, famous for playing cousin Eddie, you know, those "National Lampoon Vacation" movies?

Today he's in the news for a very unfunny reason. Let's do the big reveal. I'm talking about Randy Quaid, here he is. Police just on Saturday responded to a call that someone was living in a house illegally. They actually found the actor and his wife.

Let's go to the mug shots -- mug shots. There we go. Quaid and his wife Evi arrested for allegedly squatting. By the way, that's felony residential burglary. And Mrs. Quaid got resisting arrest tacked on. Bail for each was set at $50,000. The pair reportedly told police the house belonged to them. The Quaids, most intriguing today.

Will Christine O'Donnell's witchcraft comments -- you hear them? Will they come back to haunt her with Delaware voters? We'll hear from one of our correspondents in the states, hear what people are saying. Do they care? Will it bother them?

And Wolf Blitzer will have the latest political news from CNN's Political Ticker. We'll have him on the camera momentarily. That is next on "The List." you're watching "RICK'S LIST."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BALDWIN: Time for a "CNN Equals Politics" update with Wolf Blitzer. He is of course with "The Best Political Team on TV." Checking in with Wolf, there he is. Jacket off, kind of casual. I like it. Wolf Blitzer, what do you have?

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": There's a lot happening on the Political Ticker right now. I just wrote a piece for CNNpolitics.com. I'm going to go to New York to interview the former president of the United States Bill Clinton tomorrow at his Clinton Global Initiative conference which goes on every year around the same time as the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

I've got a whole bunch of stuff I want to talk to him about, including a lot of politics as well, some of the issues that the CGI -- the Clinton Global Initiatives -- are involved in, Haiti and elsewhere around the world, especially, and Africa. I go a little behind the scenes and doing a lot more writing for CNNpolitics.com as well, Brooke.

Another story we're watching on the Political Ticker in West Virginia right now, it looks like Republicans will have hopes to beat the incumbent governor of West Virginia, Joe Mansion. He's got a challenge from John Racy. And even through Mansion is very popular, they think they have an opening. They're going to be spending a lot of money. A group called Freedom Works is going to be spending a lot of money in West Virginia. That race could heat up.

Finally, will there be a repeal of don't ask don't tell, to repeal it, to lift the ban on gays serving openly in the military? We could know as early as tomorrow if there are 60 votes in the United States Senate to open up debate on repealing "don't ask, don't tell."

Lady Gaga is in the state of Maine right now trying to influence the two moderate Republican senators, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, to go ahead and support a repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" by allowing the debate to go forward. That's going to be a sensitive issue this week. Brooke, we'll be following that and a lot more.

BALDWIN: Indeed, and of course, the vote tomorrow. Wolf, have any Gaga on your iPod?

BLITZER: I do -- "Bad Romance." You like that song, Brooke?

BALDWIN: I do.

BLITZER: And you have a Poker Face, too?

BROOKE BALDWIN, GUEST HOST: I have a poker face.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: You do have a "Poker Face."

BALDWIN: Of course, I do. Wolf Blitzer, you're so hip. Thank you so much.

We'll see -- we'll see you in an hour for "SITUATION ROOM." And we'll also get another check from the guys in the Political Ticker in just half an hour. Remember, for all of the latest political news, you can go to CNNPolitics.com and hop on Twitter @PoliticalTicker.