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Protests Continue in Wisconsin; Protesters Fired On in Bahrain; Learning to Walk & Talk Again
Aired February 18, 2011 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: When we say we're going to cut spending, read my lips. We're going to cut spending.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The Speaker has spoken. And while the details, the dollars, are still being fiercely debated, the bottom line is very clear here, and it's not just Washington's problem. Midtown Manhattan is a long way from Madison, Wisconsin, but New York urban groups are showing solidarity today with Wisconsin teachers and other state workers who are fighting to hold onto labor rights that they've had for generations.
Take a look now at live pictures. Look at the live pictures in Wisconsin, in Madison. They've been -- this is the fourth straight day. At issue is what Wisconsin's new Republican governor calls a "budget repair" bill. It hat would sharply increase public worker contributions to health care and pension funds and take away most of the their collective bargaining rights.
What exactly is collective bargaining? Let me explain. It's simply this -- employees talking with employers to agree on matters such as pay and working conditions, organized labor.
But while the Wisconsin capitol has been teeming for most of this week -- look at these protesters sleeping on the marble floor -- the entire 14-member Democratic senate caucus has been AWOL, as well, for a day now. They and two Republicans left the state to put off a vote that they're sure to lose. One of those Democrats made his case on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," as did a top Senate Republican.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JON ERPENBACH (D), WISCONSIN STATE SENATE: In this bill, which is supposed to be just a technical, minor bill, he throws in the union- busting provision. So again, that's why we're having the problems we're having in Wisconsin right now and that's why we actually had to leave the state to slow the process down, to bring the governor back to the table, hopefully, and for people's voices to be heard.
GLENN GROTHMAN (R), ASST. MINORITY LEADER, WISCONSIN STATE SENATE: We had elections last November. And the idea that union has to sign off or has to agree in order to pay for part of their pension seems to me a little bit ridiculous. Many people in the state of Wisconsin got laid off and have no job at all. Many others are not having a 401(k) contribution or are contributing more to their health insurance.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And this just in just a short time ago. You see there from Air Force One, the president's statement today. Here's what the president said. He said, "He" -- the president -- "understands public employees need to make sacrifices, just like everyone else, but he also feels very strongly that we need not make this an assault on the collective bargaining rights of workers in any given state."
Let's go to the thick of it now and CNN's Casey Wian. He is standing by in Madison, Wisconsin. Casey, it doesn't look like these protesters are backing down any time soon.
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not at all. Their numbers have seemed to have grown throughout the day today. They began, gathered here at the Wisconsin state capitol to protest that proposed budget-cutting bill that would severely restrict their collective bargaining rights, would also require them to contribute more to their health and pension funds.
Now, the governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker, says that the cuts are needed because the state faces a $137 million budget shortfall over the next few months, and an even larger $3.6 billion shortfall over the next two years.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kill the bill! Kill the bill! Kill the bill!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kill the bill! Kill the bill! Kill the bill!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kill the bill! Kill the bill! Kill the bill!
WIAN: As you can hear behind me, these teachers and other public workers are very angry. Let's listen to what one of them had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN RADEMACHER, WISCONSIN TEACHER: Like other families. we have a mortgage to pay every month. We've got electric bills. And what I've heard is that it's about a 13 percent net drop in income with the benefits and the wages. That's what we'd be losing every month. And so then we have to start picking and choosing how we're going to make our house payments and still do other things.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIAN: Now, as painful as those financial problems would be, what these workers are saying is that the real issue is about the potential loss of their collective bargaining rights. They say -- their leaders actually have said they're willing to give up some more financial rewards, if you will, but they don't want to give up those collective bargaining rights. There are, though, some counter-protesters who are voicing an opposite view. LEMON: Hey, real quickly, Casey -- I hope you can hear me. What are the signs -- some of the signs behind you? What are people saying? We hear them saying, "Kill the bill." What's written on some of those signs there?
WIAN: Well, we can turn around and show you some of those signs and you can take a look for yourself. What they're saying is, "Stop the attack on Wisconsin families," "Care about educators like they care for your child." They're really upset about losing what they say is 50 years of collective bargaining rights that they have strived to achieve here. They say that once they give those up, they may never get them back.
They've got a lot of support in the on the Democratic side of the state senate. As you've mentioned, they've left the state, which has basically put the legislation on hold for now.
LEMON: Yes.
WIAN: And we're completely at a standstill here. The legislation is going nowhere, and neither are these public employees -- Don.
LEMON: So listen, you mentioned those 14 Democrats and then two Republicans who left the state yesterday. Are they still out of the state? They still didn't show up? And what are they doing to find them, if they're gone?
WIAN: To the best of our knowledge, they -- yes, to the best of our knowledge, they remain outside of the state. There have been some rumors that maybe some are back, but we haven't heard from any of them. And as far as we know, they're still outside of the state and outside of the reach of state troopers who, if they were in the state, could actually force them to come back in and deal with this issue.
LEMON: So what's -- is there a contingency plan for all of these kids who are out of school today? Two huge school districts had to be shut down because of this, Casey.
WIAN: What they're saying here is that even though the schools are shut down today, this is about the long-term prognosis for schools here in the state of Wisconsin, and frankly, throughout the country. They say that are not just here protesting for their rights as teachers and public employees, they say they are here also demonstrating for the rights of students to get a quality education in the future.
LEMON: All right. That brought a lot of cheers. Our Casey Wian in Madison -- Casey, thank you. We'll check back with you throughout the day.
OK, let's move on to Washington now. Washington has budget problems. Wisconsin has budget problems. And you have to look hard to find a state, a city or a county that doesn't have budget problems. And keep in mind, states -- they have to balance their budgets. They just can't let it pile up, like -- in debt, like the feds do. They have to balance their budget. So I want you to look at this map. Forty-four states plus the District of Columbia predict deficits for fiscal year 2012, which in most states starts July 1st. And from coast to coast, education is a prime target for the cuts. What you're re looking at now -- those are just the six states -- five of them up here, one of them's Alaska -- that don't have a projected budget deficit for 2012.
But take a look at this. Let's start out here. We'll go here. That's Michigan. Those are the problems that Michigan faced right there, $470 -- proposing $470 per pupil cut. Let's move on now and go to Ohio. Ohio has a huge problem there. It is estimated that (ph) the governor, $8 billion overall is going to have a budget shortfall -- $8 billion. He says everything is on the table, and educators fear potential cuts as high as 20 percent.
Move on now to Texas. In Texas, the governor wants to cut $5 billion from public schools, chiefly from arts education, pre-K and teacher incentive pay. Job cuts, he says, possible as well. And then there is California. We've been hearing about their crisis for a while now. In budget matters, the Golden State is in a class really all by itself. Huge problems there. And schools are paying the price for it.
CNN's Paul Vercammen joins me now from LA with that. Paul, so let's start with higher education. For a year now, we have heard about these hits -- these hits to the state university system. What's going on?
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, because of the doomsday budget scenario that they've talked about here in California, there is a rumor that under one proposal, we could see tuition rise even more, Don, and that would just absolutely touch off another firestorm. You might remember, in recent years, we've had a lot of protests. We've had sit-ins at schools such as UCLA and other schools because for a long time, California had this reputation of having a great education at a bargain price.
If you can believe this, it now averages about $30,000 a year to send an in-state child to a California university. That used to be $15,000 10 years ago. And go back 20 years, it was only $10,000. So that bargain no longer exists, many of these students now complaining, Not only can we not afford this, we might even have to drop out of college because of these rising costs. So tuition again very much a hot button issue, and none of the students or their parents want to see tuition raised again to try to make up for this $26 billion budget shortfall, Don.
LEMON: Yes, I remember, recently, about a year ago, those crazy protests that the students were having and the sit-ins in the universities. Hey, let's talk about elementary schools now. What's going on with that, Paul?
VERCAMMEN: A unique challenge in California. We have a high percentage of English language learners. So it's difficult enough to educate students in California as it is. And with all this budget talk, the principals of the public high schools and elementary schools just reeling because they fear there could be even more cuts on the horizon, and we could have an increase in the student per teacher ratio in the classroom.
Things are pretty bad as it is right now in California, Don. You may have seen our test scores are really lagging in reading and math.
LEMON: All right, CNN's Paul Vercammen. Paul, thank you very much.
Wisconsin's brewing war is sparking lots of national debate. But what's it like there on the ground? We get some local perspective coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right, our big story in this country today is unfolding in the capital of Wisconsin. You're looking at live pictures of the protests there. It's been going on for four days. Schools are closed. Hundreds of thousands of people -- I should say tens of thousands of people have been out protesting. They're upset at the governor's proposal. The troves of teachers and other state workers who've marched to Madison to protest the governor's budget plan have thrust the state into the national spotlight.
So joining me now to talk about this war in Wisconsin, really, is Milwaukee's longest-serving TV news anchor. His name is Mike Jacobs. He's from the station WTMJ there.
So Mike, thank you for joining us. It's good to see you, sir. Why is this battle getting so much national attention?
MIKE JACOBS, WTMJ ANCHOR: Well, it seems to be getting more traction each day -- big crowds yesterday, even bigger crowds today. Reverend Jesse Jackson is going to be showing up at 5:00 o'clock this afternoon, so I would guess the numbers would even swell more by that time. Also plans to continue throughout the weekend.
I think this thing is getting national attention for a couple of reasons. One, the pictures, very dramatic protests going on both inside and outside the capitol. Secondly, I suspect there are a lot of states that are in financial crises that are not dissimilar to what we're seeing here in Wisconsin. So there are taxpayers across the country and government officials across the country who are saying, All right, let's wait and see what happens in Wisconsin because, ultimately, we could be facing some of these same issues in our states in the weeks and months ahead.
LEMON: So Mike, I've seen people say that this is -- the people you're seeing are really the loud minority versus the silent majority. Do you get the sense that everyone there supports this cause?
JACOBS: Well, clearly, not everyone supports the cause. There are very large numbers of very vocal protesters at the state capitol out there. And clearly, there are a lot of people who are against the government's budget repair bill. At the same time, the governor says that he is receiving thousands of e-mails and communications from people all across the state who support his proposal. I don't think we've seen any specific polling that has said -- breaking it down by percentages, but clearly, there are a lot of people on both sides of this issue, many of them supporting the protests that are going on and others who haven't rallied at Madison who are in support of the governor, although there is a Tea Party rally scheduled at the state capitol tomorrow. So I think that will be the first time we'll have an opportunity perhaps to see large numbers of supporters of the governor there outside the capitol.
LEMON: The two together, just by coincidence. OK, so listen, does -- people say this is about collective bargaining. Is it just about collective bargaining? Does it end there, or is there more to come? They're concerned about possibly the universities and then aid to counties, as well.
JACOBS: Well, Wisconsin is facing a huge deficit, $137 million deficit for the remainder of this fiscal year, which ends at mid- summer. But then for the next biennium, we're facing a budget deficit of over $3 billion. Clearly, the governor got elected in November by promising to balance the budget, not to raise taxes and to try and increase employment in the state of Wisconsin.
So many people say, well, essentially, he is living up to what he said he was going to do during the campaign, so people shouldn't be surprised by that. But if you step back and take a look, this issue, should it go forward, will certainly save the state millions of dollars but not enough to offset the deficit that Wisconsin is facing. So while people are watching this today, they're also saying to themselves, All right, what's next? Because more cuts are going to be necessary to balance Wisconsin's budget.
LEMON: I've been getting a lot of people saying -- you know, e- mailing me saying the bottom line is really the kids. Really, the kids here. So Madison schools closed today. Milwaukee schools closed today. A lot of kids are out of school. Is there a contingency plan when it comes to the kids and getting them back to school?
JACOBS: Well, I think each district is probably going to have to handle that on an individual basis. Madison has been out for three consecutive days now. This is the first day that Milwaukee teachers called in sick at such levels that they were not able to hold classes. Sporadically, there have been a dozen or more districts around the state that have had those similar problems.
I think people are sort of waiting to see, taking this a day at a time to see how long this plays out. Will any of these issues get resolved over the weekend? If so, then you would expect most of these school districts to reopen on Monday. But if there isn't some type of resolution to the problem, I think superintendents, principals will be -- and parents ultimately will be waiting for the call Monday morning. Will my kids have classes or won't they?
LEMON: Yes. Is it going to be a so-called -- we used to call them snow days. So what happens now? State troopers have been dispatched to find these AWOL Democrats -- and two Republicans, I should mention. So what's next here, Mike? JACOBS: Well, I think the assembly may take up this issue. There probably are enough representatives there to deal with it. But at the senate, at this point, they don't have enough for a quorum. The 14 Democratic senators, to the best of our knowledge, remain out of state and essentially untouchable. Troopers have gone out to at least to one representative -- or senator's home in the Madison area to see if he is around. Physically, they can't arrest him and drag him back, but they can compel him to return to the senate chambers.
But my guess is there's a lot of phone calls going on behind the scenes, communication between Republican senators, the leadership there and Democratic senators, trying to come up with some point of negotiation that might entice or intrigue the senate Democrats to return and discuss this matter.
LEMON: All right. Mike Jacobs is the longest serving anchor in Milwaukee. Very impressive, sir. And you look really young, too.
(LAUGHTER)
JACOBS: Thank you. Good to talk with you.
LEMON: Thank you. It's a pleasure meeting you, even if it's just on television.
Coming up, a follow-up to one of our CNN Heroes. The show "Extreme Makeover" steps in to help his cause. You don't want to miss this one.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We have an update now on one of last year's CNN Heroes. Dan Wallrath builds home for wounded veterans. He caught the attention of the television show "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" and teamed up with them for a special project helping a soldier who survived the Ft. Hood shootings. Here's a taste of what's to come in this episode that airs this Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is my honor to present CNN Hero Dan Wallrath!
DAN WALLRATH, CNN HERO: Being a top 10 CNN Hero was just very humbling. The true heroes are servicemen and women who answer the call. Since the show aired, we've been getting phone calls and e- mails and donations from all over the world. It's just been incredible.
GEORGE VERSCHOOR, "EXTREME MAKEOVER HOME EDITION": We had seen Dan on the CNN Heroes tribute, and we thought that's a perfect guy we got to team up with.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning, Patrick and Jessica!
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "AC360" (voice-over): ABC's "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" joined forces with Dan to build a home for an Iraq war veteran wounded in the 2009 attack at Ft. Hood in Texas. Thirteen soldiers died, but Staff Sergeant Patrick Ziegler pulled through.
WALLRATH: He was shot four times, once in the head. He's just made a remarkable recovery.
COOPER: For Dan, who normally works with around 200 people, it's a chance to help build a home on a much larger scale.
WALLRATH: It has been 4,000 or 5,000 volunteers involved. We have tons of military folks helping us.
Bless you.
This house is going to be built in about 100 hours, where normally, we take about six months.
COOPER: At an event at Ft. Hood honoring Patrick and his fiancee, Jessica, Dan made a special announcement.
WALLRATH: We have established a Ft. Hood victims' fund to reach out to all the families affected by this tragedy.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
WALLRATH: I feel so good all the time about seeing these lives change. Now we're going to be able to change a lot more.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And if you know another amazing American like Dan who's making a big difference in their community, please tell us about them. All of this year's CNN Heroes are chosen from people you nominate at CNNHeroes.com.
It's a cosmic event that can affect airlines, satellites and even power grids. Could be the plot line to a Hollywood blockbuster, but this time it's for real. We go "Off Radar" next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right, here he is. You know him. You love him, meteorologist...
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Sometimes!
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Depends on who you're talking to, right...
(CROSSTALK)
MYERS: ... talk about your town, then...
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: ... because two different -- very different weather outlooks in the country today. MYERS: A lot of rain in LA and a lot of snow in the mountains.
LEMON: All right.
MYERS: The snow in the mountains above 6,000 feet east and north of LA, they're are saying 24 inches and much larger amounts possible.
LEMON: Twenty-four inches?
WILLIAMS: I don't even know what that means, much larger amounts. I'm not seeing that. But the rain's coming into San Francisco all the way down to Big Sur and all the way down to LA later on today. And it rains for a lot of tomorrow.
LEMON: OK.
MYERS: The weather has warmed up...
LEMON: Wow!
MYERS: ... in the middle part of the country.
LEMON: Wow!
MYERS: This is a warm air mass just being ripped out of Mexico and into Oklahoma. Let me take (ph) you on what's going to happen today -- 74 Dallas, and even some spots even warmer. If you remember, this time last week, Bartlesville (ph), Oklahoma -- we talked about record lows, 31 degrees below zero -- not wind chill, air temperature. Yesterday, it was 82, 113 degrees warmer today!
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes...
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: ... and it'll change. All right, let's go "Off the Radar." So listen, I got this off a -- I guess you're talking about the sun. Solar flares -- what is a solar flare?
MYERS: The sun is getting active. We have bottomed out, couple years ago bottomed out, not sunspots. There was just no energy coming out of the sun, other than what we see.
LEMON: OK.
MYERS: But the past couple of weeks, things have really started to flare up. Oh! Didn't even catch my own pun on that one! CMEs -- coronal mass ejection solar flares shooting at the earth. There was one that hit last night. The good news is it wasn't a big one.
We have to worry about these things now. Many more satellites in space than the last time this thing peaked years and years ago. We could see disruptions. We could see power grid interruptions. We could -- this is just a piece of energy getting... LEMON: It's beautiful, though.
MYERS: ... shot out of the sun right at the earth. And when it comes, we get aurora borealis, but we also get other problems sometimes, too.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Say the flare up again. Say that line?
MYERS: The flare...
LEMON: The flare -- you're not -- I was just going to give you a drum roll.
MYERS: I'm sorry!
LEMON: Someone in the control room said, Ba-dump bump.
MYERS: We're done.
LEMON: Yes, we're done.
(LAUGHTER)
WILLIAMS: Have a good weekend.
LEMON: Thank you, sir.
Developments continue to take place in Wisconsin's budget battle. State Democrats walk off the job, and the president accuses a newly elected Republican governor, Scott Walker, of unleashing an assault on unions. More on that up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We want to catch up now on some of the big stories you may have missed this hour.
Still, no breakthroughs in the most visible budget battle. Democratic state senators in Wisconsin are still off the job and apparently out of state to stall voting on a bill that would make state workers cover more of their health care premiums and pension contributions. School districts have cancelled classes for a third day while teachers protest at the capitol.
Live pictures of the protest now.
As wrangling over the budget continues in Wisconsin, President Barack Obama found time to make a statement today. Obama spokesperson Jay Carney delivered remarks aboard Air Force One. Here's what he said -- he said, "He, the president, understands public employees need to make sacrifices, just like everyone else. He also feels strongly that we need not make this an assault on the collective bargaining rights of workers in any given state."
Republican Governor Scott Walker is looking to slash $131 million from the state budget.
At least four people are reported dead in anti-government clashes in Bahrain today. Medical sources say at least 50 people were treated for injuries at a hospital in Bahrain. Five are reported in critical condition, including one with a bullet wound to the head. A crowd of about 2,000 people showed up on the hospital grounds chanting slogans against the government and the king.
Egypt has agreed to allow two Iranian warships to cross the, Suez Canal. It is a key waterway for international trade. Millions of barrels of oil move through the Suez every day on the way to Europe and North America. The post-Mubarak government gave the green light to the Iranian warships today. They are expected to be the first Iranian warships to sail through the Suez since the Islamic republic's 1979 revolution.
Japan has cancelled the rest of its winter whaling season. A top official claims environmentalists made it dangerous for whalers to stay on the high seas. The Japanese minister of agriculture told reporters that the country's government halted whaling because of actions taken by the animal rights group, Sea Shepherd -- the group is called Sea Shepherd. Now, this would be the first time since the country cancelled its whale hunt in Antarctica since 2005.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: You know, it's been a day of rage in Bahrain in more ways than one.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
LEMON: Look at that. Pro-democracy protesters scattered in panic when gunfire rang out in the capital of Manama. Now, we have reports of at least four people killed. Protesters say security forces opened fire on peaceful marchers. A pro-government official claims there were no deaths here.
So, President Obama today expressed his deep concern about events this week in Bahrain as well, as in Libya and in Yemen, saying the U.S. condemns the use of violence by governments against peaceful protesters in those countries.
So, here with me to talk about all of that is CNN International anchor and correspondent and anchor of "BackStory," Mr. Michael Holmes.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you, my friend.
LEMON: Tense time, yes.
HOLMES: Yes, it is. I mean, real tense atmosphere. I was actually on the phone with Nic Robertson earlier and he said the atmosphere there is extremely tense, as both sides really are wondering what the other one is going to do next.
Now, you had earlier the ruling royal family offering what they called a national dialogue with the protesters and opposition groups once things calm down. Now, protesters are dubious. They've heard it before. There's been other assurances of increased democracy. It didn't happen or didn't turn out to be much at all.
When we talk about this fight, we got to talk about the sectarian issue. It is 70 percent Shia Muslim ruled by Sunni monarchy. The wealth disparity between the two is enormous. And Shias want more of a voice. You know, for example, they've got four of 24 members of the cabinet.
Now, the fear being raised, rightly or wrongly, is that if true representation happened in Bahrain, Shias would run things because they're in the majority. The fears in the West are that that would mean Iranian influence. All of this right on Saudi Arabia's doorstep.
And that's why many believe if things get out of control in Bahrain, the Saudis would step in to help out. They don't want their own Shia minority getting smart ideas basically.
LEMON: So, listen -- let's -- can we now turn to Egypt?
HOLMES: Yes.
LEMON: Because we covered that for such a long time. It's been -- it's the one-week anniversary of Hosni Mubarak stepping down. And I hear there is some activity, lots of it in Tahrir Square.
HOLMES: What a 180? What a 180? We just talked about the violence in Bahrain. Tahrir Square was a place of happiness today. They had thousands, tens of thousands turning out. It's one week today since Hosni Mubarak was ousted, of course. Totally peaceful, happy people waving flags, enjoying the day, and really had a good time out there.
So, yes, a completely different situation.
LEMON: Look at the live pictures, Mike.
HOLMES: Yes? Are they live?
LEMON: Yes, these are live pictures.
HOLMES: Unbelievable, a week ago today is when it all happened. Just amazing.
LEMON: But a week ago, if we were looking at those live pictures, before, you know, Hosni Mubarak stepped down, we'd see people protesting. And then when it did happen, lots of cheering, people crying. This is just -- it's interesting to see the fireworks and what-have-you.
HOLMES: A juxtaposition, though, on what's going on in the rest of the region, of course.
LEMON: So, listen, as you said, juxtaposition. Yemen.
HOLMES: Yemen, yes, more violent protests there and these are getting even more intense.
LEMON: Really?
HOLMES: You know, Yemen had a fragile leadership to being with and they are trying to hold it together. You know, a country that's already shaky, very important to the U.S., too -- al Qaeda central if you like for the region.
You know, there is a rising momentum there. And we've seen protests in other towns as well outside the capitol. And we heard the U.S. president voicing concern about what the U.S. embassy there called a disturbing rise in the number and violence of attacks against Yemeni citizens gathering peacefully to express their views on the current situation.
So, a lot of concern in Yemen as well, which also, like Bahrain, borders Saudi Arabia.
LEMON: You know, and this is in Yemen, more violent protests in Libya, right, that we hear about. Here's what a medical source is saying: at least 20 people were killed today and some 200 wounded in Benghazi, on the Mediterranean coast.
Is Gadhafi losing control?
HOLMES: Not yet. I mean, 42 years in power, this guy knows how to stick around and he knows how to do so in a brutal way and oftentimes total domination there of the people. And he is likely to be using ruthless measures to put down dissent. There's no opposition infrastructure.
What you're looking at there is a pro-Gadhafi demonstration that was on state television. It's not like that in other parts of the country. That's for sure.
In fact, I got an e-mail from our international desk a couple minutes ago. They're saying that soldiers in Benghazi, their second biggest city in the country, have put down their weapons. Now, if that's true, that's an interesting development because they were shooting on the streets there recently.
LEMON: We have seen gatherings of people, and you and I talked about Libya, Yemen, Egypt, Bahrain -- just in this one conversation.
HOLMES: Yes.
LEMON: Have we ever seen this much unrest and protest against a government in that region?
HOLMES: Unprecedented, absolutely unprecedented. To have -- it all started with Tunisia. And then everyone just got emboldened and it went from there to Egypt. And it's just -- it's really just going from one to the other, a domino effect. But they could all have vastly different outcomes.
LEMON: Yes. HOLMES: I cannot imagine the Saudis standing by and watching the Bahraini royal family fall because it's not in their interest.
The U.S., of course, in the meantime, is walking that incredibly fine line where they say protesters in Iran should be allowed to voice their opinion and urging them on. On the other hand, just sort of more restraint please in places like Bahrain where the 5th Fleet is, very important to the U.S.
LEMON: Yes, we don't know what's going to happen there.
HOLMES: Yes.
LEMON: I have to ask you. Domestic as opposed to international as far as coverage, because when unrest was happening in Egypt, live wall-to-call coverage, domestic.
HOLMES: Right.
LEMON: Is it still -- how is it playing in the international media? Is this still the number one story? Still wall to wall coverage?
HOLMES: All over the world, yes. Problems we got certainly in a place like Libya, you can't get in because Gadhafi doesn't let international media. And so, we're having to get out information and pictures out basically by cell phone videos and stuff like that. Very difficult to cover.
We've got people in Bahrain. That's big one at the moment, everyone's watching.
As I said, Yemen, very shaky. In the middle is Saudi Arabia. And we never even got to chat about Israel who must be sitting their biting finger nails as all of this is going on, in his tough neighborhood.
LEMON: And I talked about the Suez Canal and all of that.
HOLMES: Yes.
LEMON: Hey, I want to ask you, you're a war correspondent, a foreign correspondent. In any of these places, if you had your druthers, which one -- where would you go?
HOLMES: To cover?
LEMON: Yes.
HOLMES: Bahrain.
LEMON: Why?
HOLMES: Absolutely. Because I just think it's key. It's key strategically for the United States. It's key in terms of the region, in terms of its neighbors. It could go very badly there.
If the crackdown there happens, if the Saudis go in and help -- which could happen, it's happened before -- and it becomes a brutal crackdown, that's going to put the U.S. in an even worse position because they're not going to -- it will happen at a level that the U.S. is not going to be comfortable watching allies do, if it becomes even more rough there. The alternative is to have a widening of democratic reform in Bahrain, but if it becomes too democratic, the Shias will win.
LEMON: Yes. I have to tell you this, and you feel the same way, I sent your boss a note saying I had correspondent envy, because we want to be where the big stories are.
HOLMES: Absolutely.
LEMON: You got this great gig as an anchor, but do you sort of envy -- do you want to be there on the ground?
HOLMES: Oh, yes, I was talking to Nic Robertson earlier and expressing the same thing, asked if he wanted to swap. Yes. I spent a lot of time in Iraq and Afghanistan, as you know. But we've got (INAUDIBLE) at the moment, I'm just waiting for somebody to need a rest.
LEMON: Yes, but what I'm saying is that to say, people, you know, we talked about the dangers. That's if you want to do this, you're going to continue to do it anyway, whether or not you are attacked or what happened. It's sad that it does happen, but that's what
HOLMES: It's needed. Yes, it is.
LEMON: Thank you.
HOLMES: Good to see you, mate.
LEMON: Thank you, sir. Appreciate it.
All right. Same-sex couples raising a family, women choosing to have babies without a husband -- just some of the changing family trends that we're going to talk about. Some new information that might surprise you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Right now, you're looking at live pictures. That man is the CEO of Intel. His name is Paul Otellini. And this is in Hillsboro, Oregon.
We're showing you that because the president is going to speak shortly. You heard the president in the State of the Union talking about winning the future and ways to do that is by getting kids better education, talking about how to improve the economy, how to grow the economy, how to grow jobs and industry.
Again, the president in Hillsboro, Oregon, going to speak at Intel in just moments. We're monitoring it and we'll bring it to you right here on CNN. You know, it's been nearly 20 years since TV's "Murphy Brown" stirred up a heated debate by her decision to have a baby out of wedlock. Now, fast-forward to 2011, and many American's attitudes haven't changed when it comes to single women raising children on their own. That's according to a new Pew study -- research study on nontraditional families.
Take a look at the study. The respondents fall into one of three categories: rejecters who tend to be white, Republican, married; and then skeptics who are more likely to be young, a Democrat or minority; and then there are the accepters, more women, Hispanic and East Coast residents in that one.
The categories are based on how they view the changes in family structure over the last 50 years. Ninety-eight percent of rejecters say the increase in single motherhood is bad for society. It's bad for society.
But look at the sharp contrast between the other two groups. While the skeptics aren't as critical of the changing face of American families, including same sex couples raising children together, they draw the line at single motherhood. That's where they draw the line. Nearly all think women should not be raising children alone.
But just 2 percent of accepters say this.
One psychologist says many hold a strong belief that children need both parent. Regardless of how some feel the number of unwed mothers has risen here in the U.S.
The National Center for Health Statistics say nearly four in 10 births are now to unmarried women. Now you know.
How do you get back on your feet after being shot in the head? Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta becomes a patient in the same place Gabrielle Giffords is going through therapy. That's up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Less than six weeks after being shot in the head, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is talking, laughing, even singing -- thanks in large part to intense and exhaustive therapy.
Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, was granted extraordinary access to the facility in Houston where Giffords is undergoing rehab. He found out firsthand what she's going through and he's back to tell us about it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I can tell you, Brooke, people have described what's happened with Congresswoman Giffords as remarkable and you're about to see part of the reason why.
You go inside a rehab unit and you look at the various therapies that are sort of charged with trying to restore function, trying to make someone whole again. And it's a really fascinating process.
Keep in mind, she was shot on the left side of her brain, that's often associated with speech, the left side of the brain, as well as strength on the right side of the body. That's what they're focused on. Take a look.
(voice-over): For about an hour most days, Congresswoman Giffords does this.
MAEGAN MORROW, MUSIC THERAPIST: Sometimes I come in and that's all they can do. And --
GUPTA (on camera): And that's significant?
MORROW: That's significant because it gives me a clue, hey, they know this song and they want to fill it in.
GUPTA (voice-over): It's called music therapy. Most people never see how it or much of the technology, big or small in this building, actually works.
So, I will show you. As if I, like Congresswoman Giffords were a patient of Dr. Francisco and his team.
(on camera): It seems like a pretty long day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a long day.
DR. GERARD FRANCISCO, TIRR: After a brain injury or a stroke, there is a tendency for the patient to forget one side of the body.
GUPTA: Just neglect it?
FRANCISCO: Just neglect it.
GUPTA (voice-over): But this bike doesn't let you forget.
(on camera): These little cords here actually attach to the muscles in my leg and as my leg is moving, it's sort of predicting which muscle should be using and it's giving that muscle stimulations.
(voice-over): They call this the "Superman" device, learning to walk without the burden of my body weight.
Surprisingly, this shopping cart is also used as part of therapy.
(on camera): Take a look here, obviously, Julie helping, for example, if I had right leg weakness, really sort of moving my leg along, preventing me from falling.
(voice-over): But here's the thing: all these different therapies work together. The music isn't just rehabilitating the mind, it's also teaching patients to walk. And sometimes --
MORROW: And I'll give them a song to kind of get their mind off of the pain. (SINGING) -- kind of thing like that. GUPTA: So, again, when you look at all those various therapies, music therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, you see how they all work together and they all expedite the recovery.
You know, Brooke, as a neurosurgeon, I sent patients to rehab all the time. But it's really the first time that I got to see, you know, myself totally immersed in this to see how the process works.
You know, you think of the brain sending signals to the muscle. That's what typically happens -- raise your arm, raise your leg. As part of the idea of rewiring the brain, they're also giving electrical stimulation to the muscle when it should be moving a certain way like while riding a bike or walking. And that sends a signal to the brain as well. That's part of this whole rewiring process.
Next for her, you know, this idea of occupational therapy, how to brush your teeth, use utensils, do stuff that you would do at home, the activities of daily living and the future as well. Even while we're at this particular rehab center in Houston, they brought in this robot which can help obviously increase mobility and strength of a weak arm, as you see here. Also, I'm playing video games here, so it improves cognition and concentration.
But, again, just a glimpse and part of what really expedites, speeds up someone's recovery from something like this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. Obviously, they got the tape -- my tape and Brooke's mixed up. Brooke's --
(CROSSTALK)
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: -- like me.
LEMON: I know, I do. Brooke's coming up next here on CNN at the top of the hour. So, don't go away.
Time now for a CNN political update -- and another senator is on the way out.
CNN senior political analyst, Gloria Borger, joins me now from Washington at the CNN politics desk.
What's going on?
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, let's talk about the Democrats in the Senate in 2012. It's a real uphill battle for Democrats to keep control of the Senate. That's because twice as many Democrats are up for re-election as Republicans. And to make matters worse, today we learned that the Democratic Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico will announce that he's not going to run for re-election.
We're hearing a lot of this early because Democrats and Republicans want to know about who's going to leave so they can recruit people early, because that's very, very important when you want to increase the majority.
Now, retirements are also happening, Don, on the Republican side. We learned just recently learned that Jon Kyl of Arizona is going to say good-bye to the United States Senate. Lots of people have been talking about the possibility of Gabby Giffords running for that seat. If that's not the case, some Democrats approached Janet Napolitano, the head of Homeland Security, about that seat and she has said, no, thank you. I would like to stay at my current job.
One other person who's trying to make up her mind and this is for the presidential race, not Sarah Palin, but Michele Bachman. Now, she gave an interview to the Dave Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network and said that her decision would be made because of -- prayer and reflection would help her do that, and that she will not run unless she feels a sense of inner assurance. So, we'll have to watch for that inner assurance to come out.
LEMON: Gloria Borger, thank you.
BORGER: Sure.
LEMON: Another update in one hour here on CNN.
You know, you think Wisconsin is far from your doorstep. Why moments like these could be coming to your street in my "XYZ."
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LEMON: It is time right now for my "XYZ." And perhaps my XYZ today should be renamed "Tough Talk."
You can't help but to be drawn in by the sight of schoolteachers and other union workers taking to the streets in Wisconsin, and especially in this economy. We can all use every penny we earn. We feel for people who essentially are going to lose money by having to pay more benefits, more for benefits, while raises get smaller. Everyone gets it. We all feel it here.
So, here's the tough talk, here's the tough part -- Wisconsin is just the tip of the iceberg. In Illinois, for example, the governor is hoping to clear billions of dollars in unpaid state bills with a newly announced $35 billion budget. And, by the way, last month, the same governor approved a massive statewide tax hike.
To New York now -- New York City -- where just yesterday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg presented budget plans that could eliminate more than 6,000 teaching jobs in the next fiscal year.
Camden, New Jersey, a city besieged with crime, nearly half of its police force and close to a third of its fire department laid off.
California now under a statewide government hiring freeze.
Do you feel me here? you know what I'm saying?
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 35 U.S. states and Puerto Rico report projected budget shortfalls for fiscal year 2012 totaling $82 billion. That said, look for a Wisconsin moment in your town, in your neighborhood, on your street, and in your home soon because we're all going to have to make sacrifices we don't like. We're all going to have to do it.
And remember, the people you elected are going to have to make hard decisions that you and even they won't like. And that's my "XYZ."
Time now for Brooke Baldwin -- Brooke.
