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CNN Saturday Morning News

Gas Prices on the Rise; Thousands Flee as Fierce Fighting in Libya Continues; Wisconsin Budget Battle Rages On; Skippy Brand Peanut Butter Recall; Gingrich Committee Confusion; Employment Picture Improves; Auto Sales Roaring Ahead; Royal Wedding Security Issues

Aired March 05, 2011 - 06:00   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.

Terror and tear gas in parts of Libya where police clashed with protesters trying to drive the Gadhafis from the last part of the country they control. CNN has correspondents reporting all around the region. We'll have live reports throughout the morning for you.

Police say they have arrested the so-called East Coast Rapist. A man who alluded capture since the 1990s. Who is the suspect and wait until you hear how police cracked this case. Details coming up.

Plus Charlie Sheen is taking his outrageous antics on the road. Is Haiti ready for the star best known as a public relations disaster?

It's early and we're on it. From CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's March 5th. I'm Randi Kaye. Glad you're starting your day with us.

We start you off this morning with the increasing cost that we are all paying at the pump, gas prices. Filling up that tank is now taking a bigger bite at family budgets across the country.

The average price for a gallon on unleaded now $3.49. If you are paying less, well, you can consider yourself pretty lucky. One year ago, we were paying $2.70 for that same gallon of gas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ROSA DELAURO, (D) CONNECTICUT: We are trying to recover economically in the United States. If we see gas prices rise the way they are doing now because of the high price of oil per barrel, then we are going to look at more money being spent to put oil in the tank and more money for those of us in the northeast with home heating oil.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Now take a look at this map. Those of you in the dark blue states are actually the lucky ones. Your gas prices are the lowest on average, but in New York and out west, prices are fast approaching $4 a gallon.

In some places, that $4 mark has been topped. One of our iReporters in Malibu, California sent us this. She just paid $4.09 a gallon for gas. That's about $75 to fill up. It will last what? Maybe a week or so.

And check out this I-Report from David Horton. He's a student on a fixed income like all people on fixed income. A hike like this in the price of gas is especially tough. So what is driving the price of gas higher?

Well, the violence in Libya and the increasing uncertainty across the Middle East. We are hearing about fierce battles today in the streets of Zawiya not far from the capital, Tripoli. Government forces have apparently retreated from the city center after shooting it out with protestors there.

It's a similar story in Tripoli. A U.S. official tells CNN that the protesters are well armed and could carry on the fight for some time. Well armed means tanks and antiaircraft guns.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now it is surrounded. What war? What war? Then we will die.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody using guns waiting for the people to come out. Anybody makes a small move, they kill them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: The heavy fighting has forced tens of thousands to flee for the relative safety of the border, but that's causing a humanitarian crisis. Many are huddled into tent cities at the Tunisian border. A couple of American C-130 transport planes filled with relief supplies arrived there yesterday to try and help that situation.

Let's get back to Tripoli now. It is the capital and the stronghold for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. It's also the scene for some of the fiercest battles that we've seen between protesters and government forces.

CNN international correspondent Nic Robertson joins me now from Tripoli.

Nic, good morning to you. You spoke with Gadhafi's son, Saif late last night. What is he saying about the violence there and does he think that his father still actually has control of the country?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He thinks his father has control. He thinks his father is going to hold on. He says that the objective now is for the army to take complete control of the country before they get into any political reforms and any steps to meet the demands of the armed opposition at this time.

What's happening in Zawiya about 40 miles from here, he has said is hugely important. It's important because it is going to stronghold of rebels at the heart of the city. The government went in there with the arm forces yesterday, 15 people killed, 200 women. Rivers of blood is how they described it. They are running out of medical supplies.

The battle is continuing there today between the army and the armed rebels. Three of the rebels killed according to sources in the city. The government on the other hand -- when I talked to him last night that the army was almost entirely in control. It was just a mopping up operation now. The rebel leaders have all been killed.

The reason they gone in there in the first place was because the rebels were trying to strike an oil refinery just outside of the town. The refinery officials there told us there had been no sight or sound of the rebels getting close to them.

So this military operation is part of the government's effort to defeat all the rebel strongholds, but the fact that it's taking two days, the Army up against Navy, 2,000 opponents in an urban environment.

The fact that it's going on for two days and senior officials yesterday said it's just a mopping up is an indication that it's not easy for the government right now. That they are not perhaps as well equipped as they might think to taking on and defeat all these rebel opponents right now. Randi --

KAYE: And Nic, just to be clear. Who actually then is in control of the oil refineries? It is still the government, the Gadhafi regime?

ROBERTSON: It is. They say 80 percent production, 90,000 barrels a day. They have the normal exports of gas. It's only their production for asphalt that's been damaged because nobody is picking up their asphalt because they're not making new roads at the moment. So they say it's essentially business as normal at that oil refinery, Randi.

KAYE: All right. Nic Robertson for us reporting from Libya. Thank you, Nic. And we are also watching some other hot spots in the region.

This is the scene in Ivory Coast. We want to warn you that this video has some very graphic images. It's from YouTube and it apparently shows demonstrators being fired on by forces loyal to the self-proclaimed president. U.S. officials say seven people were killed in that attack.

In Alexandria, Egypt several protesters were shot by police when they stormed the state security headquarters. You can see the aftermath of those demonstrations right there. Disbanding the security force was one of the main demands of protesters in Egypt last month.

Antigovernment protesters were back out in the streets of Yemen calling for the country's president to resign. Security forces opened fired on the crowd in Northern Yemen killing at least two people there.

Let's move now to the budget battle here at home in Wisconsin. Many states are watching how this one plays out as they look for ways to cut their own budgets.

Despite more protests from organized labor supporters, Governor Scott Walker sent out warning letters to unions saying massive layoffs are coming in April if no deal is reached on a new budget.

Senate Democrats are blocking a vote on the governor's controversial budget, which would eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON ERPENBACH (D), WISCONSIN STATE SENATOR: I thought we were fairly close yesterday based on what I heard from my colleagues, but here we are today.

MARK MILLER (D), WISCONSIN STATE SENATOR (via telephone): It looks as though the governor is not serious about negotiating. We will assess the timing of when we return.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Now take a look at this bizarre scene at the state capital there in Madison. You can police wrestling a man to the ground. Well, it turns out that man is a Democratic assemblyman. Police say he did not show his ID. The legislature was closed to the public after protesters caused a whole lot of damage.

Before you make that peanut butter sandwich, well, listen up. Some Skippy peanut butters are being recalled because they may be contaminated with salmonella. We're talking about two reduced fat varieties, creamy and super chunk. The company says they've got best if used by dates in May of this year. They were shipped to 16 states. For a complete list, if you want to check it out, just go to FDA's web site at fda.gov.

I've got a new picture of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords to show you this morning. It shows the congresswoman meeting with two of her supporters at the January event in Tucson shortly before the shooting. She's there with Jim and Doris Tucker in that photo. Jim Tucker was one of 13 people wounded in the attack. His wife, Doris, was not injured.

A grand jury in Arizona has a new indictment against the suspected Tucson shooter, Jared Loughner. He's now charged with 49 counts including murder, attempted murder and attempted assassination. This new indictment carries the possibility of the death penalty. Loughner is expected to be arraigned on the new charges on Wednesday.

We are just a few hours away from a police news conference in New Haven, Connecticut. That's where authorities say they have made an arrest in the East Coast Rapist case. The 39-year-old suspect is identified as 39-year-old Aaron Thomas. Police say he's the guy wanted for at least 17 sexual assaults in four states dating back to 1997. It comes only days into an intensive media blitz showing multiple police sketches of the suspect.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have small kids here. The neighborhood is filled with small kids. It's like here in New Haven right across the street. I've been concerned about this all the time I have seen it on TV.

SGT. KIM CHINN, PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY POLICE: Sure there are probably some cases out that we don't even know exist. It's great to have him off the street.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Thomas is yet to be officially charged, but authorities say they got his DNA linking him to the crimes. That police news conference begins at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time and we will take you there when it happens.

This woman is now on the government's most wanted fugitive list. Jessica Tata is accused of abandoning a day care center with seven children inside. It caught fire, killing four of those children. She's charged with manslaughter in the case investigators say she fled from Houston to Georgia. They think she may have gone on to Nigeria. She's considered armed and dangerous.

If you're looking for Newt Gingrich's new web site, well type very carefully. They launched newtexplore2012.com this week. It's for his exploratory committee looking into a possible presidential run.

But if you reverse the first part and type in explorenewt2012.com, you'll get the web site for Buddy Romer's exploratory committee. The former Louisiana governor is also thinking about a possible run. He says his people had nothing to do with the web address confusion.

We're also hearing about the liberation of one city east of Tripoli. We were just speaking with our Nic Robertson in Libya as we want to take you back there. Antigovernment protesters are declaring victory over forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi.

CNN's Ben Wedeman joins us on the phone now from Ras Lanuf.

Ben, can you tell us what is the scene there?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, we have seen this town is fully under control of the anti- Gadhafi forces. This is after a battle late yesterday afternoon and well into the night. According to medical sources, at least ten people were killed in the battle.

It's not over yet though because we are in this town and we have already seen jets overhead. We heard a large blast from different parts of town. We couldn't see what the target was.

Also helicopters have been in action over the town and what we're seeing that the anti-Gadhafi forces, these sort of do-it-yourself militia men have really concentrated in this town and they are already talking about as early as today starting to push in the direction Zirk, which is the hometown of Moammar Gadhafi.

KAYE: And Ben, yesterday, U.S. officials just said that they expect this could be -- some U.S. officials saying they expect this could be a sustained conflict. Is that what you are seeing as well? Do you see any end in sight?

WEDEMAN: Well, certainly, what we have seen is that these anti- Gadhafi fighters are actually being successful at pushing back the government forces and fairly dramatically. I mean, yesterday, they got about 50 or 60 kilometers or about 40 miles of new territory along the coastal road.

We were seeing pressure from the west as well in towns like Zawia and Misurata, which continued to be under the control of anti-Gadhafi forces plus the forces from the east moving towards the west. So it's hard to say.

This may not actually last as long as some people are expecting. It may not in fact be a protracted conflict. This offensive is moving ahead and they don't seem to be running into much resistance.

KAYE: All right, our Ben Wedeman for us reporting from the newly liberated Ras Lanuf. Thank you, Ben. Good to talk with you. Stay safe.

Well, if you are planning on getting outside this weekend, maybe doing a little shopping, seeing some friends, Reynolds Wolf has the forecast. Reynolds, what are you seeing out there?

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We're seeing lots of rain, lots of dark clouds over parts of the Ohio Valley, whoever is doing the rain dancing needs to stop. They've had plenty of rainfall, flash flood watches and warnings across the region and maybe some strong thunderstorms in parts of the southeast.

All of that in a big wax coming up in a few moments. You are watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING. See you in a little bit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back.

NASA is looking for a satellite lost during launch over the South Pacific. The rocket carrying the new satellite into space didn't make it into orbit. NASA says there was a problem with the cover that protects the spacecraft. The $400 million Glory satellite was supposed to find out how the sun and tiny atmosphere particles called aerosol affect the Earth's climate.

It is 14 minutes past the hour. I bet we would know who has the answer to the question. Reynolds Wolf would know all about the atmospheric particles and all that good stuff.

WOLF: We are still learning every single day. There are so many questions that are unanswered that we don't know about what's happening. I tell you one thing it will be happening though across parts of the Ohio Valley, Eastern Great Lakes would be the chance of flooding. Take a look at this map.

First and foremost, you are going to see a lot of green. It's going to be different shades. Wow. We are going to see the possibility of flooding including in a few place including portions of the mid and southern Mississippi Valleys. Certainly we are going watch out for that for you.

The reason we are seeing all the precipitation actually quite simple is this frontal boundary that is just pulling off towards the east, scattered showers and thunderstorms possible up and down this system. Maybe even some severe storms into portions of the southeast, especially Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and into parts of Louisiana especially about late in the afternoon only a slight chance in storm predictions in terms of strong storms with these.

Your biggest thread is going to be cloud to cloud lightning. At the same time some small hale, maybe even some flash flooding in parts of southern Alabama and right along parts in New Orleans could see heavy rainfall today. Where you have any flights going into New Orleans or the smaller regional airports, perhaps in Montgomery maybe (inaudible) or in Pensacola, you might have some delays there.

In terms of high temperatures, very quickly to the north in Chicago 36 is the high, 26 in Minneapolis, 48 in Salt Lake City, 70 in Los Angeles. Back to Boston, 48 degrees, 62 in Atlanta and as we wrap it up in Tampa, 80 degrees is the expected high. It's going to kind of a busy weather day especially into the afternoon and evening. We are going to keep you up to speed.

Randi, back to you.

KAYE: OK. Thank you, Reynolds.

Well, before there was line dancing, America was hooked on the do-se-do. It's was even a part of the public school curriculum. Now square dancing could be a dying art.

Plus $3.49 a gallon, that's how high the average price of gasoline has jump. Do you think the sale of gas guzzlers like SUVs and trucks would maybe take a dive, right? But then again, maybe not. More on that in less than two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: The latest unemployment numbers paint a picture of an economy slowly emerging from recession. We have details on that and the business week ahead from Stephanie Elam and Poppy Harlow. We kick off the business week with Alison Kosik.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Randi.

The job market is improving. The economy added 192,000 jobs in February and unemployment rate dipped below 9 percent for the first time in about two years. The gains were widespread with construction, manufacturing, leisure and health care all adding positions and even though there were big cuts at the state and local government levels. The overall report is positive. But oil prices jumped above $104 a barrel.

And fed chief Ben Bernanke said higher commodity prices will temporarily be passed on to consumers. That made for a volatile week on Wall Street still stocks ended modestly higher -- Stephanie.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Alison. BP executives won't get bonuses this year because of the biggest oil spill in U.S. history. That includes former CEO Tony Hayward and current CEO Robert Dudley. Both men still received salaries of more than $1.5 million.

Americans don't seem bothered by high gas prices. Auto sales jumped last month on strong demand for trucks and SUVs. Ford Explorer sales doubled while the Chevy and Dodge Ram rose 60 percent and 80 percent.

And finally, women still lag behind men when it comes to pay. The White House says women make 75 percent of their male counter parts, but at the same time more women attend college than men. The number of men and women in the work force is almost equal.

Poppy Harlow has look at what's coming up in business news.

Hey, Poppy.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Thanks a lot, Steph. Well, the health of the American consumer will be in focus this week. Reports that show how much individuals are borrowing and how much we are spending and overall how we feel about the economy.

All of these things are critical when we talk about economic recovery because two-thirds of our economic growth is based on consumer spending. That could be hampered by very high oil and gas prices. We are going to keep a close eye on crude prices, which closed above $104 a barrel last week.

That's all ahead. We'll follow it for you on CNNMoney.

Randi, back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: All right and thanks to all of you.

The odd, some would say completely off the wall behavior or Libyan strong man Moammar Gadhafi is still providing plenty of inspiration for late night comedians.

Here is Leno last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JAY LENO, HOST, NBC'S "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": After closing the U.S. embassy in Libya, the Obama administration has put a freeze on the assets of Moammar Gadhafi. And of course, Gadhafi is now doing whatever he can to make money. This guy is just doing whatever he can to raise fund. I saw this today.

Take a look.

ACTOR PORTRAYING MOAMMAR GADHAFI: Hi, this is Moammar for Sham- Wow. The perfect towel for every clean-up job. This is for your house, your car, your camel. It holds 20 times its weight in liquids. The only thing it won't clean up is corruption in your government. Two for $19.95. Call now. I'm only here for a limited time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Charlie Sheen, humanitarian? There's nothing like a drug- crazed womanizing self-proclaimed war lock who wants to help the people of Haiti, right? Yes, we are talking about Charlie Sheen. Wait till you hear the new twist in his plans for the future.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Don't you just love that music? It's 24 minutes past the hour and it's time for "Globe Trekking" now. We go to London where the talk of the town is the upcoming royal wedding. It's a party that will be watched by millions around the world, a very high profile party. Along with that comes a big security challenge.

CNN's Dan Rivers takes us to the streets of London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The 29th of April, the world's eyes will be on London for the royal wedding, but it will present some strict security challenges.

(on camera): Buckingham Palace is here. This is part of the route. Security specialists will get with me. This is going to be a bit of a nightmare, isn't it?

WILL GEDDES, SECURITY EXPERT: It's going to be a considerable nightmare because we bear in mind how many people are going to be watching this event around the world.

But secondly, the number of people that will be coming into London to actually be part of the whole celebration. It makes for an incredibly complex operation.

RIVERS: This will be lined with people. What is the biggest risk here for example?

GEDDES: Well, the biggest risk will be first trying to contain the number of attendees who are coming along with a number of visitors. But it will also be ensuring that not only the royal family members, but all the dignitaries coming from around the world are safe and can move securely and quickly to a certain extent from one location to the other.

RIVERS: Obviously, the risk of Islamic terrorism is going to be in the forefront of everyone's minds.

GEDDES: Absolutely. We are at the second highest level where terrorist attack is highly likely. Certainly, the royal wedding would be seen as the most ideal type of event to target by these extremist groups.

RIVERS: Can they search everyone that comes in here? There will be tens of thousands of people along here, is that possible?

GEDDES: Well, it's virtually impossible to search every person. But the complexity of the policing operation is going to be on many, many different levels from not only an over police presence to covert officers and various special forces who will be intermingling with the visitors to hopefully identify any threats.

RIVERS: This is Westminster Abbey where the wedding will obviously take place. What are the other security concerns?

GEDDES: One of the other very, very important concerns will be the (inaudible) element. We already are aware of various groups coming together to try and consolidate their agenda from the class action into what they are terming their project as a royal orgy.

RIVERS: Now this is looking to create disruption of various points along the road so they are already planning their disruption? We know they are online recruiting people, coming up with ideas?

GEDDES: Absolutely. They have put a map out because the route of the procession is already out there in the public domain.

RIVERS: Profound challenges for the authorities here in London already we have seen Prince Charles and Camilla having been attacked - their convoy any way being attacked during student protests here. Everyone is hoping there won't be a repeat when Katherine and Prince William head off to get married here at Westminster Abbey on April the 29th.

Dan Rivers, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Well, that story had us all wondering, what does somebody get a royal for their wedding? They have everything, right? They have the jewels. They have the China. What would you buy a royal if you were invited to that wedding?

We want to know so do us a favor. Tweet me at randikayecnn. Let me know what your idea is what nice gift might make for the royal couple?

This is something that just might break your heart. This next story, it was the winning shot for an undefeated regular season in high school basketball. But sadly, it was the last 30 seconds in the life of a remarkable young man.

How did this happen? We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: It is 31 minutes past the hour. Welcome back. I'm Randi Kaye. Thanks for starting your day with us.

Let's catch you up with the Libyan uprising. Now entering its 19th day as the North African nation seemingly teeters closer to the brink of civil war. Here is the newest video we have from the latest flash point of fighting. The Libyan town of Zawiya. Where we are hearing a back and forth type battle between government forces and rebel fighters. The rebels are saying they forced Gadhafi's forces to withdrawal out of previous positions on the city's outskirts. The battle is described as intense and deadly on both sides.

Meanwhile, President Obama says it's time for Libya's long-time strongman Moammar Gadhafi to leave. We have yet to see anything out of Libya suggesting Gadhafi has any intention of doing that.

The Libyan uprising presents the diplomatic challenge of a double-edged sword: get overly involved, and be accused of meddling in the domestic affairs of other nations, or do nothing and get called out for being too timid and not do enough to help democracy flourish in the Middle East.

There's been a lot of talk lately as to whether the U.S. should take a page from the Iraq war and institute a no-fly zone over Libya. Listen to what Senator John McCain, a ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, says about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ) RANKING MEMBER, ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: I do not subscribe, nor advocate, ground troops, U.S. ground troops in Libya. Let me make that clear. But there's a lot of ways we can assist the Libyans without that kind of action. It seems to me, one of the options, and one of the most important options is a no-fly zone where it's pretty clear that there are not a lot of aircraft that Gadhafi has flying. His air defense systems are certainly old, and it is not a major challenge, at least in my assessment of being able to impose a no-fly zone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: How valid is Senator McCain's assessment? I want to ask Gen. George Joulwan, he's the former NATO supreme allied commander. And he joins us live from Washington.

Good morning, Sir. First your reaction on the plausibility of Senator McCain's proposed no-fly zone over Libya.

GEN. GEORGE JOULWAN, FMR. SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER, NATO: I truly believe, Randi, it's all in the details. If you are going to impose a no-fly zone and I was involved in one when we did one over Bosnia. It isn't just putting air craft up. It's taking out the air defense systems on either side of what we call the Gulf of Sidra in Libya.

When you start doing that, or attacking the airfields, that's an attack of war. I just hope we understand what that means. It's not just putting a cap. And then it is the unilateral side of that. Or do you want to go multinational? I would always urge, if we can, to try to get our NATO allies involved and some sort of U.N. resolution which legitimizes what we are doing.

KAYE: Is it possible to have a so-called safe no-fly zone given Libya's aircraft and military arsenal?

JOULWAN: I don't know what you mean by a "safe" no-fly zone --

KAYE: How concerned are you for people who might be involved in that?

JOULWAN: I think there's always -- we had an airplane shot down over Bosnia. I think there's always that possibility and then you are putting troops on the ground to try to rescue them. What does all that mean? I just hope before we get involved, there's a clarity here of what is the mission? What are we trying to do? I think the military planners need to understand what is the risk of doing that?

KAYE: Where would the U.S. need to set up and maintain a strong no-fly zone? Already some ships are in the Mediterranean. Where would you need to stage this?

JOULWAN: What we did-and it is interesting. What we did in the Balkans is about the same distance of where Tripoli is from Italy. We used most of the bases in Italy. There's something called in the NATO system, a Combined Air Operations Center, which is in Italy that could control this under a NATO command called AB South Allied Forces, Southern Europe and Naples. That would be, to me, the command and control. You can do it unilaterally if the U.S. was going to go in from an aircraft carrier as a command and control ship. But I think you are much better off, if it was multinational, under an organization like NATO.

KAYE: If you look at where the U.S. is right now. The United States is involved in two wars. Can we, should we, get involved in this?

JOULWAN: I would caution against getting involved. In fact, many of the ships we see passing through the Suez, and the Mediterranean are coming back, are rotating back from Afghanistan and Iraq. The Marines in particular that are there, there are about 800 of them, the Cursards (ph), the Ponce (ph), they are rotating back. And to get involved with the uncertainty we see in Libya is a risk.

I'm not sure the U.S. wants to take a unilateral risk in doing that. The European Union, NATO, and particularly the U.N.. need to stand-up. And we need to pull other levers of power, diplomatic, economic, get the Saudis involved in Gadhafi, with Gadhafi, and see if we can get him to leave the country. I think those things need to be tried before we use military power.

KAYE: This is such a tricky situation, because there's also the concern about collateral damage. When you think about Gadhafi's supply of mustard gas; I mean, how do you get rid of that, how to you take that out without the loss of life?

JOULWAN: That's always a challenge. The people say we can bomb it. You know the risk involved in doing that. We have-there are trained sort of special forces units that know how to deal with that. That takes time. Again, there's risk of escalation when you do that. So, I would, at this point, want to get the political will here in our own country, as well as with our allies, and with the United Nations to make sure there's political will in doing this. And we pull the string out to know the second, third and fourth effects are of what we are doing. I would urge our military commanders to get the clarity of the mission before they get involved.

KAYE: Such an important discussion to have. We are glad we had a chance to have it with you, Sir. Thank you for talking with us this morning. George Joulwan, former NATO supreme allied commander. Great to have you with us for that discussion.

JOULWAN: Thank you.

KAYE: Thank you.

Checking top stories. Police in New Haven, Connecticut say the suspected East Coast rapist is in custody. U.S. marshals arrested 39- year-old Aaron Thomas yesterday claiming he's the man who has assaulted at least 17 women in four states, dating back to 1997. His arrest comes on the heels of an all-out media blitz. Police say an anonymous tip pointed them in his direction. A news conference on the arrest is slated for 10:00 a.m. Eastern, this morning. And we will have that for you.

Mexican authorities say Marisol Valles Garcia, the 20-year-old police chief of a crime-riddled border town is taking care of a sick child and that she has not left Mexico and is not seeking asylum in the U.S., as some published reports do suggest. City officials in Praxedis say that they expect Chief Garcia back on the job on Monday.

The federal mediator who is overseeing the labor negotiations between pro football team owners and players, says the talks have been extended once again. This time for another week, their new deadline is now March 11.

All you have to do is say "Charlie Sheen." His marathon of public appearances kept viewers enthralled.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLIE SHEEN, CELEBRITY: I don't want their lives, and they want mine. But they want to criticize the hell out of it, you know? And now they've run the gamut from, like, OK, he's not loaded, now what? Oh, he's manic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: The self-proclaimed warlock's next move just might surprise you. So stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back, everyone. Time now for our "Extremes of the Week." No one has been more extreme this week than Charlie Sheen.

It started with his morning show rants. You know, the ones where he said he was a warlock and had tiger blood. Sheen was just trying to explain his behavior.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHEEN: I'm tired of pretending like I'm not special. I'm tired of pretending like I'm not (EXPLETIVE DELETED), total frickin' rock star from Mars. And people can't figure me out. They can't process me. I don't expect them to. You can't process me with a normal brain.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you owe CBS an apology?

SHEEN: No. They owe me a big one, publicly, while licking my feet. People think I'm insane or they don't think what I'm saying is true, then I have no interest in their retarded opinions, I really don't. I'm going to live my life the way I want. I'm going to win inside of every moment, and they can just find the most comfortable chair in their small house, and sit back and enjoy the show.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: It's sort of like watching a car wreck in slow motion, isn't it? Knowing that there's nothing you can do about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHEEN: Then I can have a life like theirs. I'm going to pass.

PIERS MORGAN, HOST, "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT": Really? Why?

SHEEN: Because I'm a winner. And their lives look like, you know, ruled by losers. Just to put it in black and white terms. I don't want their lives and they want mine, but they want to criticize the hell out of it. Now, they have run the gamut from like, OK, he's not loaded. Now what, oh, he's manic. I don't even know what that means. I guess it would imply that there is going to be a crash. I don't know when it's coming. Maybe you can cover it when it does.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Sheen said that he was rededicating himself to his kids. But a judge did not seem so swayed. He ordered Sheen's two-year-old twins taken away after ex-wife Brooke Mueller obtained a restraining order.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHEEN: Bob, Max, it's your Dada. And I have never lied to you. And this is another example of that. I will see you soon. You are in my heart and I love you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: His other ex-wife, Denise Richards, also says she doesn't want Sheen around their kids either. But he is not limiting himself to television. He also logged on to Twitter to post gems like this one. Here we go.

It reads: "Face it folks, you just feel better when you say it, winning."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONAN O'BRIEN, COMEDIAN: This Charlie Sheen mania, it is sweeping the country right now. He's everywhere. Charlie Sheen joined Twitter. Two days ago-two days ago. He already has 1.4 million people following him. Yes. Isn't that crazy? To be fair, most of those people work for the Center for Disease Control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Needless to say, Sheen provided the late-night comics with a week's worth of material. But you can't deny the Twitter success. Sheen actually set a new Guinness world record for the fastest Twitter user to have 1 million followers. Now that is winning.

Still not enough Charlie Sheen for you? Sirius XM Radio is stepping up with "Tiger Blood Radio." I'm not kidding. It is a 24- hour channel that is all Sheen, all the time. Well, at least for the next 24 hours.

What is next for Charlie Sheen himself? He tells reporters he's heading to Haiti to help Sean Penn humanitarian efforts there. Penn says that he is looking forward to have Charlie there to help him out.

Have you heard about this story? A star basketball player is kicked off his college team for the rest of the season reportedly for having sex with his girlfriend. His school is now speaking out on their decision. We'll have that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: It was the shot of a lifetime. In an ironic twist of fate, it was the end of life for a high school basketball player in Michigan. The score was tied. The game in overtime Thursday night when 16-year-old Wes Leonard hit a last second lay up to win the game. And lift the Fennville High School Black Hawks to a perfect season.

Amid all the jubilation, tragedy, Leonard collapsed. His heart had stopped beating. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors tried to revive him for an hour and 20 minutes. An autopsy revealed he died of cardiac arrest caused by an enlarged heart. The town is in mourning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was amazing. I mean athletic wise, academically. All around good kid.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: A Facebook memorial page was created for Leonard and quickly filled with thoughts and prayers. "Black Hawk Down" is what one person had written.

Brigham Young University is standing by its decision to suspend a star basketball player. On Tuesday BYU suspended starting forward Brandon Davies for violating the Mormon university's honor code. Now, pay close attention here. Officials won't say exactly why Davies was suspended, but "The Salt Lake Tribune," citing multiple sources said the sophomore violated the ban on premarital sex among students.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HOLMOE, ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, BYU: We won't relax the honor code for a situation that is -- has to do with the basketball player.

We understand that people across the country might think this is foreign to them, and they are shocked and surprised. But for us, we deal with this quite often.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: The BYU code prohibits the use or alcohol, tobacco, or illegal substances. It also prohibits any physical intimacy that exhibits homosexual feelings. The Cougars came into the week ranked third in the AP top 25 and coaches polled.

There was a time, not too long ago where square dancing was class taught in most public schools and colleges across the country.

A little do-si-do for you this morning. Well, now square dancing is a art form struggling to find a home. We'll have more on that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: It was a dance created to bring order out of chaos. During America's infancy, settlers gathered for fellowship and to celebrate a week's work. But the dances from each culture were different. So the settlers created one pattern for all, and the square dance was born, an American original. It became a community staple and was even part of the nation's educational curriculum. But now the square dance is struggling to simply survive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE (voice-over): These men and women of the Cherokee Squares, a square dance club in Woodstock, Georgia. Twice a month for the last seven years the group has met to, well, dance. But the group grows smaller each year.

HAZEL STOVER, MEMBER, CHEROKEE SQUARES: It was. It was a big group all over Georgia at that time. We belonged to a club in Marietta then. Then we went to the state convention in Macon ,and there would be 1,000, 1,200 people there at that time, big crowds. Now, when we go, it's not hardly 1,000 people, 800 usually is a norm number.

KAYE: Some square dance supporters tell you the popularity of the art is a crossroads, a place it's been before. Its origins have been traced back to the Colonial New England and the American pioneer. When the settlers gathered for food and fun on Saturday nights after a week of building cabins and toiling the land, they would dance. But the beats were different for the Scots, Irish, French, and others. So a new common dance was created with steps from all the new Americans.

Groups would be divided into squares, and eventually a caller was added to keep everyone in rhythm. As America grew, so did the popularity of the dance.

Then came the roaring '20s, the flappers, jazz, the jitterbug and urbanization of America. The square dance was quickly becoming obsolete. But for one man, it just might have faded away for good. Industrialist Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company, made it his mission to save what had been reduced to a fad. Ford set out to reintroduce square dancing to the country by sponsoring community dances, programs in public schools and colleges nationwide, and a nationally syndicated radio show, featuring legendary dance caller Benjamin Leavitt.

Ford wanted the country to have an alternative to the evils of the roaring '20s.

Today, several U.S. states have designated it as their official state dance. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan signed an act making square dancing the country's official national folk dance.

Then there was yet another crossroads, the popularity of line dancing. Still, square dancing survives.

STOVER: We don't draw in too many young people. And lot of the middle-aged people are busy with their children and stuff. I would say we have some in their 50s, we've got some in their 40s, but most of us are 60 and above.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: In part two of our look at the fight to save square dancing, you'll meet some of the new faces of one of the country's oldest art forms, and the diversity of the groups just may surprise you. You'll see both a black square dancing club and a gay one, all on a mission to save what some are calling a dying art. Part two beginning tomorrow morning, right here, at 6:00 a.m.

And $4 billion, a drop in the federal budget bucket, but it is a lifesaver for families desperate to avoid homelessness and bankruptcy. The real cost of spending cuts coming up.

Plus, hanging on for dear life; 100 feet above the ground. Look at that. The amazing rescue caught on tape.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back.

Earlier this morning on the show we were talking about the upcoming royal wedding next month, and I asked you what you would give the royal couple for a wedding gift. We got a lot of great Tweets. I asked you to Tweet me @RandiKayeCNN. Thank you for sending all those Tweets. I want to share a couple of them with you.

The first one, says, "Tickets for two to watch the Minnesota Vikings play the Chicago Bears on 'Monday Night Football' from Minneapolis."

Now, being a Vikings fan, I think that's an excellent royal wedding gift.

And then there is this one, "I would give the royal couple, Will and Kate, an invisibility cloak as a wedding gift, for when they want to have a normal life."

That would be an excellent idea for a gift. Keep those Tweets coming @RandiKayeCNN. We always appreciate you sending them to us.

"Cross Country" now, a look at stories making news coast to coast.

In Yonkers, New York, a terrifying ordeal and narrow escape for two workers on a scaffold. They were left hanging more than 100 feet in the air for an hour. Can you imagine that? After a scaffolding collapsed outside an apartment building. Incredibly, they remained calm as rescue crews scrambled to get to them.

To San Francisco, where some police officers are accused of abusing the shield. Surveillance video appears to show the officers bursting into homes without a warrant. They are also accused of lying about their alleged unlawful entry and police reports and in court. The FBI is conducting its own investigation.

CNN attempted to contact the officers involved. But spokesman for the San Francisco Police Department says they are not available. The officers have been reassigned to a non-contact unit while the matter is under investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL MICHELETTI, TWEETED APOLOGY FOR STALLED BMW: The black BMW stalled in the center lane of I-5. Yes, that's me. Sorry, I don't like it, either.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KAYE: You're going to love this story out of Seattle, Washington. One man stalled BMW causing heavy traffic on Twitter. He says he posted the tweet to make fun of his situation. But within minutes, people were retweeting the message including the Department of Transportation. The whole thing played out in less than 20 minutes. The traffic on Interstate 5 remained backed up for another half hour.