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CNN Sunday Morning
Budget Battle Protests Grow; Dozens Killed in Libya Crackdown
Aired February 20, 2011 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone.
A rough road for protesters in Libya where there are reports of brutal deaths in the wake of a deadly crackdown. Journalists are not allowed in, but powerful pictures are making their way out.
And tens of thousands of angry teachers, frustrated taxpayers and Tea Party imports converge in Wisconsin in a battle over budget cuts. With no compromise in sight, will the protests gain more momentum today? And what about the 14 lawmakers who left the state instead of voting?
It is early, and we're on it. From CNN Center, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It's February 20th.
Good morning. I'm Randi Kaye. And glad you're with us to start your day.
Meanwhile, we start in Libya where a government crackdown on protesters has killed at least 184 protesters this week. The largest protests have been in Benghazi in eastern Libya. Anti-government demonstrators say they're not giving up, even with increased bloodshed. Medical sources in Benghazi say almost 100 people have died there in the past 24 hours.
Earlier, I talked with one protester who says he's witnessed the killings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (via telephone): I am very concerned about my own safety, but right now my safety is not on the stake because Libya is on the stake and Libya is much, much more important than my safety right now. So many people died. My life is not more precious than theirs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And CNN's Fionnuala Sweeney is covering what's happening in Libya from Cairo, and she filed this report for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(CHANTING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (via telephone): No freedom whatsoever, you know? In fact, I can't even reveal my name. I can't even tell you my location. I can't -- I can't even say which hospital I'm working, and that's enough. That's enough indictment for the government (INAUDIBLE).
FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A hospital doctor in Libya's second city Benghazi explains why the climate of repression under Colonel Moammar Gadhafi's rule is driving people out into the streets and why ordinary people are risking their lives by taking on the overwhelming firepower of the military.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can hear now it's like a mortar round being fired. All the day, they have been sort of bringing injured people to the hospital.
SWEENEY: The death toll has been rising in Benghazi ever since clashes broke out on Tuesday. The unrest is spreading to several other towns and cities, heading westward towards Gadhafi's stronghold, Tripoli.
A strikingly contrasting picture on state television. This talk show airing the cause of Gadhafi's supporters from Benghazi, berating the demonstrators. Pictures of a ransacked government office, the unrest blamed on foreign elements.
(CHANTING)
SWEENEY: Video, too, of Gadhafi's supporters on the streets of the capital Tripoli, and watching from afar exiled opposition leaders hoping for Gadhafi's downfall.
MOHAMED YOUSEFF MEGARIAF, NATL. FRONT FOR THE SALVATION OF LIBYA: We hope now that these sacrifices that Libyans have showed and this courage and bravery that they showed in facing Gadhafi's mercenaries and Gadhafi's security forces and revolutionary committees, these sacrifices will lead the path for freedom for our people and reclaiming our country, again, from this tyrant regime. I have no doubt about this.
SWEENEY: Despite internet services down in much of the country Saturday, uploaded pictures reportedly from two towns in the Benghazi area show these bodies. Anti-Gadhafi demonstrators claim there are foreign mercenaries brought into Libya to fight for one of the most repressive regimes in the Arab world -- an example they say of the lengths Gadhafi may go to to stay in power.
Fionnuala Sweeney, CNN, Cairo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: And Fionnuala is reporting from Cairo because in all honesty, it's been real tough obtaining independent confirmation of any deaths or the violence in Libya and getting any information out there. We can't even get our people in there. The Libyan government has really tight control on communications. They're not responding to repeated requests from CNN to get into that country. So, that's why we have our correspondents throughout the region reporting on what's happening in Libya.
Coming up at the bottom of the hour, we'll be taking a closer look at the protests across the Middle East. We'll see how the demonstrations are affecting stability throughout the region and the effect on American allies.
Time now for the weekend wheel -- a look at other stories that we're watching this morning.
"Reuters" reports that Egypt will start releasing around 200 political prisoners very soon, but the country's prime minister says only a handful were jailed during protests that toppled President Hosni Mubarak. Emergency laws allowed Mubarak to imprison political rivals.
A U.S. official says the Navy might stop a yacht with four hijacked Americans aboard from reaching shore. The Americans were on the yacht S/V Quest when it was boarded Friday by Somali pirates. A U.S. official says the Navy is watching the situation in the Indian Ocean.
The yacht is owned by Jean and Scott Adam. It's not confirmed, but it's believed they are two of the Americans being held by those pirates. The Adams are in the around the world trip.
Their pastor says they are being remembered in his prayers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. LLOYD TORGERSON, ST. MONICA'S CHURCH: My reaction was -- I was broken-hearted and I spoke to some parts of their family today and tried to share our concern and our love. And, of course, our community tonight and tomorrow will be -- will you in prayer for their safety for their return.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: After a bloody week of violence in northern Mexico, the nation's president is sending in the army. President Felipe Calderon says the army is ordering four battalions to the country's northern region to battle drug traffickers. Since Monday, at least 14 people have been killed in Ciudad Juarez. That's across the boarder from El Paso, Texas. Among them, a U.S. Immigration and Customs agent, along with a man and his 8-year-old son.
No deals, no negotiations and no compromises is in that huge budget battle at the Wisconsin state capitol. The fight centers on Governor Scott walker's plan to slash the collective bargaining rights of public employees. And it's being closely watched by other states struggling with budget deficits. Fourteen Democratic state senators fled the state Thursday, you may recall, leaving the Senate without a quorum -- meaning not enough votes on any legislation.
Last hour, I spoke with Democrat Mark Miller, the minority leader, in the Wisconsin Senate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK MILLER (D), WISCONSIN STATE SENATOR (via telephone): The unions have agreed through the governor's economic concessions. There's no need for him to continue with stripping them of their bargaining rights. It's a plain indication that what the governor is trying to do is bust the unions, and that's not fair. We've had a long tradition, the longest tradition of any state in terms of public employee bargaining and it's worked well for us. So, it's time for the governor to recognize that this is a two-way street, not a dictatorship.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Thousands of union members and their supporters spent most of last week at the capitol to protest the governor's plans. Yesterday, Tea Party activists arrived by the busload to support those plans.
And you might want to check your mailbox because invitations for the upcoming royal wedding are in the mail. Around 1,900 invitations were sent out for the April 29th wedding -- mark your calendar -- between Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton. Family, friends and royals from around the world are on the exclusive list, but there's an even more exclusive list, it turns out. Only 300 invitations are going out for the very special party being thrown by proud father, Prince Charles.
High winds have been tearing up trees from coast to coast this weekend. In Arizona, the windy weather gave one woman quite the big surprise.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I reached over and opened the blind. And when I looked out, I could see over my neighbor's roof, over this one- story house right here, a fully inflated square bounce house rolling over the roof.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Yes, she said a bounce house and two children were inside the bounce house. We'll have the latest on how they are doing. And Reynolds Wolf will have today's forecast. So, stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Nine minutes past the hour.
Talk about a play date gone bad. Play time for two girls inside one of those inflatable bounce houses turned pretty serious yesterday.
Take a look -- when strong winds literally picked it up, blew it over the fence and then on top of their neighbor's home. One girl fell out as the bounce house was airborne. The other girl's head struck the home's roof. Their neighbor saw it all happen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The wind just kicked up. I mean, it was windy, but then suddenly, it was very, very windy. And I heard what sounded like debris hitting my house, but now, I think that it was the trampoline that landed in the other yard. And so, I reached open and opened the blind, and when I looked out, I could see over my neighbor's roof, over this one-story house right here, a fully inflated square bounce house rolling over the roof, and I was surprised.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: I bet she was surprised. Both girls are expected to recover luckily. Fire fighters blame a weather microburst for the mishap.
Plenty of folks in the Northeast can probably relate to that after yesterday's wind storms blew through that area. Some winds, in fact, hit about 55 miles an hour.
Is that right, Reynolds?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I would say that is definitely a possibility.
KAYE: And I saw you shaking your head a microburst, really? A new term for me.
WOLF: Definitely, yes. Basically, when you have a microburst, it's basically a collapsing thunderstorm, you have seriously just a column of wind that goes down towards the surface and when it hits the ground, it spreads out. And sometimes, it can cause very widespread devastation. So, there are times that --
KAYE: And lift a bounce house.
WOLF: It can lift a bounce house and there are times that people will go along and they'll see the damage and they'll say, this must be a tornado. But instead, it can be caused bay microburst or straight lines winds.
KAYE: Fascinating stuff.
WOLF: Yes, rough stuff.
The wind will be strong in parts of the country today, not in the same places though. This time, though, it will be up in the Northern Plains and you can just see plain as day all the white falling in parts of North Dakota, South Dakota and even into Nebraska and even moving into portions of -- at this point, Minnesota.
Take a look at this. Well, it sounds it will just snow, but it is going to be that wind where winds could gust up to 40, 50 miles per hour that could whiteout conditions along parts of I-90, even up to I- 94 before the day is out. So, anyone travelling in that part of the world, be advised. And one of the reasons why all of this is happening, the main catalyst is going to be this area of low pressure that will give you these blizzard-like conditions. Also some scattered showers along the warm front that will trickle into parts of the Ohio Valley and into the western Great Lakes, mainly a snow, and still some residual snowfall back into portions of the central Rockies. But that low was not going to stay in place. It's going to veer off to the Northeast. When it does so this evening, scattered snow showers then moving into parts of Michigan, into Wisconsin, even into portions of the U.P. and, of course, the Twin Cities.
Then as we fast-forward into Monday, Monday morning, Monday afternoon and into Monday evening -- that low moves into the Northeast, but there will be a bit more warmer air in place. So, you're not going to see as much in terms of snowfall. Rain, yes, but not as much in terms of the snow.
Let's talk more about that frozen precipitation. How much can we anticipate? In some places, it will be especially heavy.
Twin Cities, read them and weep. Anywhere from eight to 14 inches of snowfall, back in Rapid City, not quite as much. But then when you get into Wisconsin, anywhere from six to nine inches of snowfall. Detroit, you'll be quite fortunate with only one to three along parts of Michigan Avenue.
So, that is the good news, at least in terms of the snowfall. Better news that we're just a few months away from spring fall and then, of course, spring. Spring fall, then spring, then, summer and then fall, that's how the seasons go.
And right now, it's certainly feeling like fall in places like Minneapolis or winter with 30 degrees. Much more summer like in parts of Miami, 80 degrees, beautiful in south Florida; 67 in Atlanta; 73 in New Orleans; 76 in Memphis; back into Albuquerque we go -- a beautiful dry day with 57 degrees. The mountains, up in (INAUDIBLE), you're going to get a little bit of snowfall; 52 in San Francisco, 59 in Los Angeles; and 40s in both Portland and Seattle.
Okay. You are up to speed with your forecast. Let's pitch it right back to you, Randi.
KAYE: All right, Reynolds. Thank you.
WOLF: You bet.
KAYE: When NBA stars gather for a dunk contest, you expect something out of ordinary, right? Well, this year's champion really delivered. We'll show you his winning dunk, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: We're going to take you in the zone now. Joe Carter of HLN sports is here with lots to talk about.
First, this NBA all star dunk -- we've been talking about it all morning. I'm excited to see it.
JOE CARTER, HLN SPORTS ANCHOR: You know, one of my favorite all- star weekends is in the NBA, and the favorite day of that is Saturday, because you get three-point contests, the skills competition, and the dunk contest. And this year's theme was using props.
KAYE: Oh, really?
CARTER: Yes.
KAYE: Oh, this is going to be good.
CARTER: Yes. So, for example, let me show you the video.
Oklahoma City's Serge Ibaka probably had the most unique -- I guess we're not going to show that. We're going to show Blake Griffin, which Blake Griffin, second-year player, decided to roll out the biggest prop of all which was a giant car.
KAYE: Car.
CARTER: Now, there's actually a back story to this. A few weeks back, he decided on a road trip he was going to pull off this stunt. He talked to his coach about it and said, I don't think that's such a good idea. He went through with it, and on Thursday, he rolled the car out to practice the dunk.
Well, it's in L.A. The all-star weekend is in L.A. His franchise is in L.A. So, his coaches, front office, management -- you name -- came out to the practice on Thursday to watch him dunk over this car because this is their franchise player.
They paid him $16 million. He's the number one draft pick and they're like we need to come watch you because we're afraid you might get hurt. I mean, not just jumping over a bicycle or chair, you're jumping over a vehicle.
But he ended up winning the dunk competition. Many consider him to be, you know, the rookie, because last year, he hurt his knee.
But as you can see, here some of the props that Serge Ibaka, he pulled a toy off the rim with his mouth and then JaVale McGee dunks two basketballs in two different baskets.
KAYE: That's impressive.
CARTER: I mean, that's what I'm talking about. This is the year of the props. And then, of course, the best dunk belong to Clipper star Blake Griffin.
KAYE: Look at that.
CARTER: Unbelievable, right?
KAYE: That's pretty good. CARTER: Now, the other big sport going on today is, of course, NASCAR. A lot of people are going to be talking about the big race today and that of Dale Earnhardt. Ten years ago, we lost the sport's most popular driver.
You know, it's one of those events that you remember where you were the day that it happened. He was killed in the final lap of the Daytona racetrack. His death though has spurred massive changes in driver safety over the years. Every driver is now required to wear a head and neck support. There hasn't been a death in NASCAR since his death in 2001.
His number has been retired since his death, the number 3. It's still one of the biggest selling in NASCAR merchandise though. And if you watch the race later today, you can expect to see plenty of tributes. The broadcast team and fans are going to be silent during the third lap, excuse me, the third. And you can also expect to see a lot of people holding up three fingers in his honor.
But I like the tributes, but I think the best way to remember Earnhardt is to continue to improve on driver safety. And we can expect to see pretty fast cars today. They are running about 206 miles per hour with the new track at Daytona. So, definitely focusing on safety I think is the most important thing moving forward in NASCAR.
KAYE: And he still has so many fans out there, incredible.
CARTER: He's more famous now than I think when he was -- when he was alive.
KAYE: I know your expertise is sports, but I want you to meet someone whose expertise has nothing to do with sports. He's a presidential expert.
He's a 7-year-old presidential whiz kid. His name is Jaden Wilkins, and there he is. Good morning, Jaden.
(LAUGHTER)
KAYE: Can you hear me?
JADEN WILKINS, PRESIDENTIAL WHIZ KID: Yes.
KAYE: OK, good. Well, good morning to you. I know that you're incredible with these presidential facts. So, I'm just going to try to stump you just quickly here with one question.
Who are the 15th and 27th presidents of the United States?
WILKINS: James Buchanan and William Howard Taft.
KAYE: Oh, my gosh. OK. I am really impressed. You are correct, James Buchanan and William Howard Taft.
Everybody here around our studio is raising their arms. Nobody can believe it.
And you really are going to be amazed, though, at how much Jaden knows about presidents.
We're going to talk with you, Jaden, right after a quick right. And you're going to hear much more. And I guarantee you, you're going to be even more impressed than what you saw right here.
We'll be right back with our new friend Jaden.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. Before the break, we introduced you to Jaden Wilkins.
He's only in the second grade, but if you think you're smarter than he is, well, you might want to pay close attention here, because when it comes to presidential history, Jaden -- as you might have seen just before the break -- is an absolute whiz.
Jaden Wilkins joins us once again from Washington, D.C.
Good morning again, Jaden. Tell us where your love of presidential history actually began.
WILKINS: When I was 5, I got so pumped up about Obama that I wanted him to win -- that I wanted him to win the election so badly that I just read a bunch of books about presidents and then I memorized a bunch of facts. I shocked my whole family, easily.
KAYE: I'm sure you did. So, you just went about memorizing everything you possibly could about all the presidents and all the facts. How tough was that?
WILKINS: Not very.
KAYE: Oh, he says modestly.
And I understand you would really like to meet President Obama one day. Any luck working that out?
WILKINS: Pretty much, but I haven't done it yet.
KAYE: Oh, not yet, huh? I guess, is there anyone that really inspires you? Is it is -- it President Obama, or is there any other president that you've learned so much about that maybe has inspired you to become president one day?
WILKINS: Well, not really, I guess.
KAYE: Oh, you don't want to be president?
WILKINS: Well, I mean, if I could, that would be great. But I might not be able to, but if -- I might -- I will try, I guess.
KAYE: What do you think you want to do when you grow up? WILKINS: I might become a Major League Baseball player, maybe into the Hall of Fame.
KAYE: Oh, wow, that's pretty impressive. In fact, I'm glad you brought that up because I understand your sports knowledge is about as good as your presidential knowledge, is that true?
WILKINS: Not as much.
KAYE: Not as much, but have you all the teams memorized, just like the presidents?
WILKINS: Yes, football, baseball and basketball.
KAYE: Do you have a favorite team?
WILKINS: Cincinnati Reds, baseball.
KAYE: How about football?
WILKINS: Bengals.
KAYE: All right. We're going to get to a quiz here with you in just a second, but I want to ask you, because I think this is so nice to know that you've been reading since age 3. How often do you go to the library?
WILKINS: Usually, we just return books because I usually just take books.
KAYE: Oh, you take -- OK. But you read a lot.
WILKINS: Yes. I can read like, I don't know, 105-page book in two hours.
KAYE: Wow. What do your friends think of all your presidential knowledge?
WILKINS: They are actually impressed, but I really don't want them to.
KAYE: How come?
WILKINS: Well, because I just want them to treat me like a normal person.
KAYE: Oh. Well, it is pretty impressive though. I think we all have to admit. You know who was really impressed by it is our meteorologist Reynolds Wolf and he's so impressed that he thinks he might be able to take you on in this quiz.
WOLF: I never said that. Are you kidding me? This guy is a genius and he's adorable. There's no way.
KAYE: Reynolds, I'm trying to help you here.
WOLF: I know you are. You're my friend.
KAYE: All right. So, Jaden, Reynolds is here with us. And I'm going to ask both of you some questions and see who can come up with the right answer. I think we already know but we'll give it a try.
So, here is question number one for both of you, and just raise your hand when you think you know the answer, shut it out, whatever you're comfortable with. Who was Martin Van Buren's vice president, Jaden?
WILKINS: Richard Johnson.
KAYE: Reynolds, did you have an answer?
WOLF: I was going to say George Jefferson, but probably doesn't fit in there too well.
KAYE: Well, shockingly, Jaden is correct. That is true. Good job, Jaden.
All right. Question number two: Where did president James Garfield -- he's already celebrating -- where did President James Garfield go to college?
Reynolds?
WOLF: Amherst -- Amherst College.
KAYE: Close, not it. Jaden?
WILKINS: Kenyon College.
KAYE: Which one was that?
WILKINS: Kenyon College, I think.
KAYE: Williams College, Massachusetts. All right. Well, here's number three
WILKINS: Huh? Please, what?
KAYE: Williams College? Are you doubting us?
WILKINS: Oh.
KAYE: Maybe we're wrong. All right. Here's question number -- I mean, I trust this kid. Maybe we are. Who knows?
Question number three, how long did President Warren G. Harding serve in office?
Jaden?
WILKINS: About two years.
KAYE: Oh, very good. Reynolds, did you think that was -- WOLF: I know he left early. I know he died in office. But --
KAYE: Yes, 1921 until his death in 1923, according to Jaden.
WOLF: Wow.
KAYE: Question number four, guys. Here we go. Which president is famous for his 1948 whistle stop tour?
WOLF: Got it.
KAYE: Oh, Reynolds?
WOLF: Harry S. Truman.
KAYE: Wow.
WOLF: Yes, thank you.
KAYE: Jaden -- is he right, Jaden?
WILKINS: Yes, I guess.
KAYE: OK. Are you impressed by Reynolds yet, Jaden?
WILKINS: Yes.
KAYE: You are. Oh.
WILKINS: Yes, I was about to say that because he already knew (INAUDIBLE).
KAYE: Oh, OK.
WOLF: He's getting the money. I'm sending money to him. I got to. I'm going to give him his own president. I got to give him a Lincoln. There you go. Going to you.
KAYE: That's s funny.
What is President -- here's our last one -- what is President Grover Cleveland's first name? Jaden.
WILKINS: Steven.
KAYE: Oh, there you go. We got a winner.
WOLF: I was going to say spider, but I don't know, I thought maybe --
KAYE: Yes, Reynolds, I think --
WILKINS: How about black widow?
WOLF: Black window, yes. I'm going to call myself, give my civil a Lincoln loser beard. See? KAYE: No, look, I think you guys did a great job.
Jaden, of course, you were the champion here. No surprise there.
But, Reynolds, thanks for playing. That was really fun.
WOLF: All right. I'm going to go cry for a little bit. Great job, Jaden. Nice job, man.
KAYE: Jaden, great to meet you, and continue to study those presidents and sports, and we'd love to have you back on, so you can impress all of us a little bit more and maybe teach Reynolds a few things, OK?
WILKINS: OK.
KAYE: All right. Jaden Wilkins for us from Washington, D.C. We're going to have to leave it there for a just a couple of minutes. And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. I'm Randi Kaye. It is 32 minutes past the hour.
Checking "Top Stories" this hour: In Wisconsin, the standoff over proposed state budget cuts enters a sixth day with both sides refusing to blink. State workers are angry over provisions which would remove most of their collective bargaining rights. Republican Governor Scott Walker remains adamant saying the bill has enough votes to pass.
We're still trying to confirm whether an American couple who was sailing around the world are among the four people taken hostage Friday by Somali pirates. U.S. military officials say they are aware of the incident and are reviewing potential options in response.
Escalating violence along the U.S./Mexico border has Mexican President Felipe Calderon dispatching more troops to fight the country's ongoing drug war. Since Monday, at least 14 people have been killed in Ciudad Juarez, which is just across the border from El Paso, Texas, among them a U.S. Immigrations and Customs agent along with a man and his 8-year-old son.
Now to the Middle East where anti-government protests are heating up today on the first day of the workweek. Protesters in Libya, vowing to keep up the pressure even though the government has staged a brutal crackdown on anti-government demonstrators; at least 184 people have died this week. The Libyan government says the demonstrations are being led by outside forces which he says are intent on destabilizing their country.
A short time ago I talked with one witness who says he has seen the bloodshed in the streets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Libya wants to be free of the -- of the unjustice -- unjust movements of the Gadhafi and his sons and his family. I mean, they have been -- actually taking over Libya for 42 years now, and we think that's more than enough. I think the -- the -- the first -- the first people who should have actually made this revolution were us, not Egypt, not Tunisia, but we thank them -- we thank them very much for making us here today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And we want to stress that getting any information, any independent confirmation out of Libya is very difficult in terms of what's happening there on the ground and the violence there. The Libyan government is maintaining very tight control on communications. In fact the government there hasn't even responded to CNN's repeated requests for access to that country.
Libya is not the only hot spot for protests right now, but what are the major differences between what happened in Egypt and what is going on in Yemen, Bahrain and Libya?
Rachel Bronson is the Director of Middle East Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Good morning, Rachel.
Let's start if we could with -- with Libya and the military there, because the military really seems to be taking a hard line with the protesters, unlike Egypt where the military stood as one with the protesters, and in Libya we see them actually firing on them.
So how significant is that?
RACHEL BRONSON, DIRECTOR OF MIDDLE EAST STUDIES AT THE COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Well, of course, it's very significant, and as we see across the region, the different leaders are trying to calibrate what's happening in their neighbors, countries and what's happening across the region on how best to respond.
So you see the leaders today, you see Gadhafi having learned from Egypt that the military doesn't come out. He may not be around tomorrow. You see in Bahrain they are trying to figure out how much violence is too much, and they are learning from each other on the fly. It's a very dynamic and fluid time.
KAYE: And how do you see this all playing out? I mean, what do you think the chances are that Gadhafi would step aside as Mubarak did in Egypt, or is that just not going to happen?
BRONSON: Well, I think if we asked a -- a few weeks ago whether Mubarak would have stepped down, we would have all said it's not going to happen.
So what you have in all of these countries is the leaders themselves they've been around for decades and are determined not to leave power and it's a question of whether they can hold on. So that -- that Gadhafi has the military and the police taking orders at the moment suggest that he's not going anywhere but especially in this authoritarian states, what the security services do and decide on how loyal they're going to be is going to tell us where the country are going to go.
When the army didn't turn on the people in Egypt, that made all the difference. We're watching what's happening in Bahrain, we're watching what's happening in Yemen. The Libyan forces seem pretty clear that they are willing to shoot, but each day is going to be another day.
KAYE: Yes and as we watch all of this unrest spread throughout the region, how much do you think all of these uprisings in these other country have to do with Egypt? Because in many ways there are -- there are some similar themes. We have the -- the protesters are angry about corruption, unemployment, high food prices, but can they really be all grouped together as -- as one common theme?
BRONSON: Well, they can be grouped together in the sense that what was happening in one Arab state, other Arab states are watching so and -- what happens in the region spreads and what happened in the Egypt in the 1950s, we saw it spread throughout the whole Middle East and that's what leaders today are -- are focused on. These things are contagious.
Of course, each country is different; what their opposition is like, how well they're organized, how well they're connected internationally matters very much. So I -- I why I keep focusing on Bahrain is this is a very organized opposition who like in Egypt has been at it for a long time, in fact, longer than the opposition in Egypt.
In Libya, you have a long-standing opposition but it hasn't been as pervasive as loud and noisy so what I watch is on Bahrain, that opposition and how they respond, but it's a very dynamic time in the Middle East, and each day it's a new country that we're focused on.
KAYE: And just real quickly before we let you go. How do you think the U.S. is handling this? I mean, should the United States and President be flexing more muscle or stepping back?
BRONSON: I think the Obama administration has been spot on, on this one. They have been in a sense one step behind which is exactly where we want to be. The U.S. should not be out in front on this. We don't know where it's going. We don't want to give the message that we are leading this. This is very indigenous what we're seeing, but we can't be backing these kinds of leaders wholeheartedly.
So I think the Obama administration has played this exactly right and it's very, very tricky.
KAYE: Good conversation. Rachel Bronson, thank you for your time this morning. I appreciate it.
BRONSON: Ok. Thank you.
KAYE: And this morning on "STATE OF THE UNION," a prominent member of the Bush administration shares his perspective on how things played out. I'll get Candy Crowley's take on that interview and much more straight ahead.
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KAYE: "STATE OF THE UNION" with host Candy Crowley is coming up next right here on CNN and Candy is joining us from Washington with a preview. Good morning, Candy.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": Hey, Randi.
KAYE: So we're talking about this -- this fear of a government shutdown, of course, this morning and -- and we're talking about possibly airport security, maybe veterans benefits all being affected. How do you see this all playing out?
CROWLEY: Well, you know, here's the problem. Congress never acts until it acts, and you never know whether they're going to pull the rabbit out of the hat or they are going to get bogged down, and you don't know at this point.
When you have basically the Speaker of the House John Boehner saying, "I'm not even going to pass a temporary bill to keep the government operating unless that has cuts in it", that's a pretty big threat, if you will. That's a pretty big statement.
So, you know, do they seem serious about shutting down the government if they can't get cuts in that budget? Yes, they do, but you have to seem serious as part of the negotiating process. So you know, I don't -- you don't know whether they are trying to bank Democrats in to a corner. I do know that Republicans believe that the atmospherics are different now than they were the last time the government shut down, that people do want cuts in spending.
But as you mentioned there's a lot of things that kind of hit home to people when the government shuts down. Now it is -- as social security checks keep coming for a while. In fact, in the last shutdown they -- they weren't disrupted, but, you know, things begin to happen, and it's -- it's talked about incessantly, and so the question is you know, would the American public sort of stick with that this time around and Democrats are betting they wouldn't.
So I think, you know, in the end I guess I would bet they would come up with something because they have to, but I just think it's so hard to tell right now how much is part of the bluff and how much is real.
KAYE: Sure. I won't hold you to it, don't worry. But we're all -- we're -- we're watching the possible government shutdown and we're also watching a lot of the protests throughout the Middle East.
I know that you're going to spend some time on that this morning. I guess my question is what -- what do you think are some of the options there in that region for the U.S.?
CROWLEY: Well, I -- I think it really depends. What's -- what's been interesting is we've tended to link all of these countries together as we've watch progressively protests grow from Tunisia to Egypt, but there have been very different outcomes. Why -- because they are very different countries with different complexities both in the socioeconomic mix in those countries and the leaders.
The U.S. certainly feels as it -- if it has and it has used influence on the King of Bahrain to get him to back off because there had been, as you know, a huge crackdown and some deaths on protesters. He seems to have backed off, so the U.S. has some leverage there, but you look at a place like Libya and you can come out and say we're for protests and open up a society, but our ability to influence Moammar Gadhafi is pretty limited.
So sometimes the U.S. is pretty much an observer, and other times there can be an active role played as was the case and is the case in Bahrain, which is a U.S. ally.
KAYE: And just very quickly, we only have about 30 seconds left with you. I know you have former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on today. What are we going to hear from him?
CROWLEY: Well, you know, we talked a lot about, as you can imagine, the weapons of mass destruction never appearing in Iraq, but we also sort of moved it forward. We talked a little about what is going on in the Middle East region and about how he basically feels about the way he's being viewed right now, and so it's a -- it's a mix of things. He is an interesting fellow, whether you agree with him or don't.
KAYE: All right. Candy Crowley, always a pleasure. Thank you.
CROWLEY: Thanks.
KAYE: And do keep it here for "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley. It starts in just about 15 minutes at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time, 6:00 a.m. Pacific, right here on CNN.
And when we come back, you're having a bad day with the kids, and you wish you could ask your own mom and dad for advice. Lots of people do it, but what if you're a parentless parent? Losing your own parents can have huge impact on how you raise your own children. We're talking to the author of "Parentless Parents" right after this.
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KAYE: In this morning's "Parenting Pop", parenting is hard enough when you have a full support system to help you out, right, but what if are you trying to raise a child without your own mom or maybe even without your own dad to go to for some advice?
Allison Gilbert found herself in that very position and shares what she's learned in a book called "Parentless Parents".
Allison, glad you're with us. I know that, obviously you've lost both of your parents which is very hard, but where do you feel the void most when it comes to raising your children?
ALLISON GILBERT, AUTHOR, "PARENTLESS PARENTS": Well, there's something I call the "I factor" and the "I" stands for all the things that are irreplaceable when I'm raising my kids without my mom and dad. The real void is when it comes to my kids' developmental milestones and not having access to the information about my own developmental milestones and when I reached them.
So for example, if your kid started walking late or you were concerned about when they were starting to actually begin to reach those milestones, it might actually be really reassuring to you to ask your own mom or dad, hey, "When did I start walking because I'm a little bit concerned here". And no amount of parenting magazines or blogs or books that you can read that are so general is specific to you and that's the problem.
KAYE: Yes. It's -- I mean I've lost both my parents as well and you certainly know that a lot of information dies with them, you know, information that you wish you could have and certainly be able to pass on to your kids. Do you find yourself trying to carry on some of the same traditions that you had with your own parents in trying to pass those on to your children as well?
GILBERT: Oh, for sure. That is so important, and there's a whole section of the book I think I call "The Grandparent Gap", and that's really all about the things that kids miss when they don't have grandparents in their lives or at least fewer of them because my kids have grandparents. My husband's parents, thank goodness, are alive and they are wonderful, but from my side of the family, all those traditions that you were just mentioning before, the ones that were important to my family, those are really on my shoulders now to kind of present to my kids and make sure they get them and understand them and value them, if not equally to what comes from my husband's side of the family. At least to really get that there's two sides here.
KAYE: Right. I know you have some really great information here your book for keeping memories alive and helping to do so. Three very specific tips that I want to make sure we get in before we run out of time.
GILBERT: Yes, yes.
KAYE: The first one you say is use specific language. What do you mean by that?
GILBERT: Yes. You know, I really wanted to talk about the positive and uplifting things you can do to connect kids to their grandparents, and specific language is crucial. If you constantly talk to your kids about your parents as my mom and my dad, that's not their relationship, but if you start saying your grandpa and your grandma just in terms of how you talk with your children that makes a huge impact on your kids.
KAYE: That is a good idea. How do you create interactive experiences, as you suggest?
GILBERT: Yes. You know, the one fun really creative thing that I've come up with our grandma and grandpa tours so if you know where your grandpa or, you know, your children's grandparents grew up and your parents grew up, take them to their hometown and take them to the schools that they attended. Go to the restaurants where they used to go. Make them fun and engaging.
Kids learn so much better when there's interactive things to do together; they will start glazing over if all you do is show pictures, tell stories. But if you make it fun, kids learn by do, and that's a real good idea
KAYE: And I know the last one you said -- just very quickly -- is using technology.
GILBERT: This is fun. If you have a picture of your parents and you have a picture of your kids, if you use a system like Photoshop and actually combine them and actually make a single photograph out of the two, your kids can see, unlike any other possibility, the physical traits that they may have inherited from their grandma and grandpa. It's really a wonderful thing for these kids of parentless parents to see.
KAYE: Yes, it is great and really important tips, and we really appreciate the book and you coming on and talking about it because there are a lot of people, I know even from your blog, who really need advice and need some help.
So, Allison Gilbert, thank you so much.
GILBERT: Thank you.
KAYE: Have a good day.
GILBERT: Thank you. Thank you so much. You too.
KAYE: She's known as Ruby "The Heart Stealer" and her charms threaten to topple the prime minister of Italy; new details this morning about the alleged prostitute, the prosecutor and the prime minister with a love for pretty girls.
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Globe trekking now and we're going to Italy where Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is facing an unprecedented trial and sex scandal. He's vowing to fight, but his once tight grip on popular opinion and on his supporters may already be lost.
CNN's Diana Magnay takes a look.
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DIANA MAGNAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The coverage is relentless; interest in Silvio Berlusconi's Ruby-gate showing no signs of letting up. And unlike any previous scandal which involved the popular prime minister -- and there have been many -- public opinion now seems to be turning against him.
The charges center on this woman, Moroccan dancer, Karima El Mahroug or "Ruby the Heart-Stealer" as she calls herself. Underage, prosecutors say, when Mr. Berlusconi allegedly paid her for sex. He's also charged with abuse of office for placing a phone call to police to ask them to release her from custody.
The prime minister denies the prostitution charge and says he didn't know Ruby was a minor. Statements Ruby says are true. Publicly he's not letting his feelings show, but his Deborah Bergamini, who was once his personal secretary says he's upset at what she calls a relentless campaign on the part of Milan prosecutors to bring him down.
DEBORAH BERGAMINI, FORMER PERSONAL SECRETARY OF BERLUSCONI: He's hurt, of course, but nothing of what is happening is coming unexpected on his part and on the part of the country. He knows very well that he's being under attack. He used to being attacked, and of course, every time this is hurting him. He's a man, a human being.
MAGNAY: A man who likes parties and pretty girls, a prime minister with a majority in parliament which looks increasingly fragile. This trial an opportunity for the opposition to demand he step down.
GIOVANNA MELANDRI, ITALIAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: What I would really think this country needs is that he just takes a step back and goes under trial and if he's innocent he proves himself innocent. If he's not, he's not.
MAGNAY: Regardless of how compelling the evidence may be, the legal process will still far outlast the remainder of his term.
PAOLA SEVERINO, CRIMINAL LAW PROFESSOR: We have three degrees of judgment: tribunal, court of appeal and Supreme Court. And so I think it will be possible that the duration of the judgment in these three degrees will be a long duration. I think that four or five years.
MAGNAY: Even though some would like to see him convicted already, Mr. Berlusconi is innocent until proven guilty, and he's a fighter. He's unlikely to go until he's pushed. For now he has the numbers in parliament, even if he's losing points with the public.
Diana Magnay, CNN, Rome.
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Kaye: "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley is coming up at top of the hour, but first a quick check of this morning's headlines.
At least 184 people have been killed in anti-government protests this past week in Libya. The largest protests have been in Benghazi in eastern Libya. Protesters want an end to the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi.
More demonstrations today at the state capital in Madison, Wisconsin, the Republican governor wants to cut most collective bargaining rights for public workers. That brought out huge crowds. Earlier today the Democratic minority leader in the senate told us the governor's main aim with the budget bill was to bust unions in Wisconsin.
That will do it for us. I'm Randi Kaye.
Candy Crowley is up next with "STATE OF THE UNION".
