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President Obama Speaks in Miami About Education; U.S. Economy Added 192,000 Jobs in February; Standoff Continues in Libya Between Pro-Gadhafi and Anti-Gadhafi Forces; Update on the Casey Anthony Case

Aired March 04, 2011 - 16:26   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: President Obama clearly full of hope, speaking for a good half hour there in Miami at Miami Central High School. And he could not have been more clear and talk about the timing, speaking there in Miami about education, about jobs on this day when the unemployment rate is down, private sector jobs up for the 12th month in a row. And he couldn't have been more clear about the connection between investment in education, thus improving the economy and growing jobs.

But let me back up and just talk to you a little bit about why he was there at this particular school in Miami-Dade. It was Miami Central Senior High School. It was one of those underachieving schools. He was talking about some of the grades. For years, they were getting an "F" grade from the state of Florida, but what they did -- and all of this is because of those -- the thousands of dollars from the president's school improvement grants -- is they fired their principal and they replaced nearly half of the teachers.

So pretty strong medicine, you could say, prescribed as it were by the White House. And that is the path chosen by Central Senior High, to get aid from the federal government totally -- it was more than $750,000.

Sam Chaltain is an educator and an organizational change consultant.

And, Sam, I want to talk a little but about this whole concept with the SIGs, with the school improvement grants. And we know in this case at Miami Central High School, what they did, they fired the principal, they cut like half the staff loose, they extended, I think, the school day, extended the curriculum, that's part of the whole program here, but what's the theory behind doing all of that?

SAM CHALTAIN, EDUCATOR AND ORG. CHANGE CONSULTANT: Well, the theory is, of course, that in any school or in any organization, the culture that provides the foundation for the people that are going to be working and learning there is the key.

So, obviously, it was a pretty extreme case at Miami Central and a bit of a scorched earth policy that has apparently yielded some really impressive results. We certainly would like to imagine that in many places the fix does not need to be so extreme.

BALDWIN: That's an excellent point because, you know, just even if you look at the dropout rate -- the graduation rate climbed to like 65.3 percent, dropout rate went from 8.9 to 4.74. So this is a perfect example and it's obvious why the president chose this particular school to sort of tout his program and say, hey, look and see what I did.

But is this the kind of fix, this extreme fix, would it work at any school?

CHALTAIN: Well, potentially, but I think there's a bigger message even in the president's most recent remarks when he was recounting the success story that speaks to, I think, a bigger problem.

Obviously, there are a lot of great things, again, that need to be celebrated at Miami Central. The problem is their measure of success -- and this is not the school's fault, this is the system's fault -- was, as the president said, they galvanized around making sure that they were going to pass the state test.

Now, I'm not somebody that thinks that testing has no place. I think standardized tests can be valuable. I also think they are extremely overvalued.

And the bigger problem -- I'm encouraged to hear that the president and the second are going to be traveling around the country asking questions. I wish that our commander in chief this coming month would become the nation's teacher in chief, because really what we need as a country is to have a deeper reflective conversation about what powerful learning and teaching actually looks like so that we can start to realign the system so that thousands of people in this community aren't focusing all of their efforts on passing a single state test.

We all know that for young people to be really successful in the 21st century, to have the types of skills that they are going to need for the jobs that don't even exist right now, as you and the I are talking, it's going to take a hell of a lot more than passing a state test to create a truly world class 21st century learning environment.

BALDWIN: Yes, Sam, I think a lot of people would agree with you that there's too much emphasis put on those test scores not just in Florida but really nationwide. Sam Chaltain, I appreciate you sticking around and listening to that. And the president also underscored a culture change and responsibility not just with the schools but with the parents.

I want to talk jobs with Alison Kosik because the president did make the clear link between education and jobs. I'll speak with Alison right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Well, we just heard the president speaking live at Miami Central High School talking about the fact that he and Education Secretary Arne Duncan will be touring the country, listening to teachers and is to students and to parents practicing responsibility and reform and hopefully achieving some results which will then lead to growing jobs in the country.

And on that note, let's go to Alison Kosik live at the New York Stock Exchange. Alison, it's been a pretty good day in terms of looking at those February numbers, both the unemployment and the jobs growth, but is it too premature to be cheering just yet?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I think it is. You know, we have to look on both sides of this. First of all, sure, the recovery has been real spotty. But if you compare this February number to the February two years ago, two years ago in February we lost 700,000 jobs, Brooke. In February just one month behind us, we gained jobs, 192,000.

So, sure, this was a strong report. It shows, that you know, we're finally turning a corner for the jobs sector, especially in the private sector because we've really come very far. But the fact is the economy needs more. Millions of people are still out of work, Brooke.

You know, some say the unemployment rate went down people dropped out of labor force, they got discouraged, and they are not count in the unemployment number. So that's the reality here that it's really going to take a long time to see true recovery in the jobs market.

BALDWIN: Alison, we just needed your perspective and we appreciate it. Alison Kosik in New York.

And coming up next, we never go too far from Libya, and one witness called it "indescribable," talking about the deadly violence today in that country. Nic Robertson is reporting from the capital city of Tripoli.

Also, did the governor of Wisconsin follow through with his threat to start firing thousands of state workers today? David Mattingly is there in Madison, Wisconsin. "Reporter Roulette" is coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Got a lot happening on this Friday. The army private in the WikiLeaks case claiming he was naked for hours in jail. Wisconsin's governor threatens layoffs if senator Democrats do not show up, and violence escalating in parts of Libya.

It's time for "Reporter Roulette." I want to begin with Nic Robertson in Tripoli -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What the anti- government protesters there had hoped to do is after gathering for Friday prayers they were hoping to get a march along the big highway all the way to the heart of the capital. They weren't able to do that because the government forces and police were out firing tear gas and we were told.

We couldn't ourselves go into that neighborhood, when these demonstrations were happening. Our government officials told us it would be too dangerous to get in there. Some were able to get there. We were able to get to the outside later in the day. The government has been able to control and tamp down and force the protesters back in and off the streets and to stop the protests here in the capital.

BALDWIN: Nic Robertson in Libya. Nic, thank you.

Next on "Reporter Roulette," I want to take you to Wisconsin where we have David Mattingly talking about the budget battle raging on in the capital of Madison where we know thousands of employees, according to the governor, could be getting pink slips. Why is that?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The reason for that is $137 million shortfall in the state budget. The state is broke. The governor laid that out very clearly in an address the other night, and now he says because the 14 Democratic centers who have gone into political exile in the state of Illinois to stop this budget process, he says unless they come back to act on that budget, then there will have to be layoffs.

Those notices, he says, will go out today and going to employees warning them that their jobs are on the line so that the state won't be able to get some of this money back. Of course, this is part of the political pressure that's being put on those 14 Democratic senators. Some talks have been going on. It could be a day-by-day thing, but those senators saying we're not coming back until you take that collective bargaining issue off the table. The governor wanting to remove a lot of the collective bargaining that union members in the state now enjoy.

BALDWIN: David Mattingly in Madison, thank you. Finally here on "Reporter Roulette," Chris Lawrence at the Pentagon with some of the new details about the army private accused in the WikiLeaks conspiracy. First, Chris, why did the army answer the charges against the private?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: They say, Brooke, it more accurately reflects what he is accused of. The big one they added is aiding the enemy. The military isn't defining the enemy, but if you look at charges it's saying he provided intelligence to the enemy by indirect means which could lead one to think, OK, the enemy is the Iraqi or afghan insurgents. He didn't directly hand the intel to them, but they are accusing him of putting it out there publicly knowing that the enemy could have access to it.

BALDWIN: Chris, I read reports today that manning was stripped naked in his jail cell. His attorney is outraged. True?

LAWRENCE: Yes. It is. The military admits that he was stripped down naked.

Just to be clear, he's already under this special watch in which he can only sleep in his underwear, so it's not like he's taking off all his clothes when this happened. He was already down to his underwear, but last couple of nights they even took that away from him, and for a brief time he had to stand at attention while he was naked. The military saying this was not punitive and a Pentagon official suggested it may have been done to prevent him from hurting himself, to protect him, though it does beg the question if he's that mentally unstable perhaps prison is not the right place for him as he awaits trial.

BALDWIN: Chris Lawrence, who knows. Chris Lawrence at the Pentagon, thank you. That is your "Reporter Roulette" for this Friday.

Coming up next, let's talk about former governor Mike Huckabee and what he said, trying to explain yet another controversial comment he has made. This time it's one about Natalie Portman. Joe Johns all over this one for us today. He's live with that in "Political Pop" next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: We have been talking a little bit about Newt Gingrich lately. Much of the reason is because we've been hearing the whole "will he, won't he" when it comes to a possible presidential run next year. But here's something you might have noticed as well. His wife, Callista, seems to be always by his side.

Joe Johns is here with a little bit of that in our "Political Pop."

And Joe, other than the fact today is her birthday, oddly enough here, what more do we know about her?

JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, she's 45 years old today, born in 1966, from what we can tell in social media, the president of a production company, Gingrich Productions, keeps busy. Just this week, out screening a movie "Nine Days That Changed the World," about Pope John Paul.

She is Catholic. Newt Gingrich has converted to Catholicism. Some people call her "Calli" (ph) from Wisconsin. She's a D.C. presence though. I saw her around the Hill. She worked on the Hill in a former congressman's office.

BALDWIN: Oh, yes?

JOHNS: Yes. It was Steve Gunderson of Wisconsin. And she was also clerk for the House Agriculture Committee. So she has been around politics a lot -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: She is also Newt Gingrich's third wife, and we know that this is the kind of thing that might create some challenges for politicians, create questions? Right? Family values questions, affecting the conservative vote.

Is that a factor? How much of a factor might that be for Newt?

JOHNS: Well, it's definitely an issue. They have been married 11 years now. So they haven't just gotten married. A lot has been written about Newt's private life, previous wives, one of whom had cancer. You know, and as he makes a decision on whether to get into the presidential race, he really sort of has to measure how much his political opponents are going to go after him on all the messy details.

He got a question just last week from a Democratic activist at the University of Pennsylvania about his private life. Here's how Newt answered it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH (R), FMR. HOUSE SPEAKER: (INAUDIBLE) American people is the future. And that's a debate I'll be happy to have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: Basically saying he'd be happy to have the debate if it's about the future.

BALDWIN: Not the past.

JOHNS: Absolutely.

BALDWIN: Not the past.

Meanwhile, Mr. Johns, more social conservative politics on our radar today. Mike Huckabee, making all kinds of headlines today. Now he's sort of clarifying his remarks, right, about -- I'm blanking on her name -- help me out -- "Black Swan" --

JOHNS: Natalie Portman.

BALDWIN: -- Natalie Portman, thank you, about the fact that she's having a child out of wedlock.

JOHNS: Absolutely. And, you know, going down this road has not always been a winner for politicians in the past. You see a big star having a baby out of wedlock, start a controversy. And Natalie Portman, you'll remember, just won at --

BALDWIN: The Oscars.

JOHNS: -- the Oscars, right, and she talked about having the baby while she was at the ceremony. Listen up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NATALIE PORTMAN, ACTRESS: And my beautiful love, Benjamin Millepied, who choreographed the film and has now given me my most important role of my life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: So, there you go. Mike Huckabee, who is a potential presidential contender, peddling a book right now, got asked about it on the radio. Now, he says he didn't slam Natalie Portman, but you sort of listen it to yourself, be the judge.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

MIKE HUCKABEE (R), FMR. ARKANSAS GOVERNOR: One of the things that's troubling is that people see a Natalie Portman or some other Hollywood starlet who boasts of, hey, look, we're having children. We're not married, but we're having these children, and they are doing just fine.

But there aren't really a lot of single moms out there who are making millions of dollars every year for being in a movie, and I think it gives a distorted image that, yes, not everybody hires nannies and caretakers and nurses. Most single moms are very poor, uneducated, can't get a job. And if it weren't for government assistance, their kids would be starving to death and never have health care.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: So, you know, I don't know. Some people say that was a slam. Some say it wasn't. In any case, he put out a statement today --

BALDWIN: He was clear -- yes, he walked back a little bit, didn't he?

JOHNS: Just a little bit. I mean, the gist of the statement was he was basically saying, "I did not slam or attack Natalie Portman or criticize hardworking single mothers." The point he's making in this clarifying statement is that it's unfortunate that society glamorizes having kids out of wedlock.

So that's a debate certainly that will continue.

BALDWIN: It will. Joe Johns, thank you so much. Can't believe I forgot her name. Natalie Portman, of course. Thank you.

Talk about a dream come true, a YouTube star who is 10 years of age, by the way, joins Lady Gaga on stage. "You Gotta See This!" Next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: It is time "You Gotta See This!"

Ten-year-old Maria Aragon (ph) of Canada gets the thrill of a lifetime when she gets up on stage with Lady Gaga -- can you imagine -- to sing the song "Born This Way."

(MUSIC)

BALDWIN: Lady Gaga invited her after seeing a YouTube post of the 10-year-old performing that very song. It was a video that got something like 17 million hits after Lady Gaga, of course, tweeted about it. And now, did you know a certain someone in Washington is a huge Lady Gaga fan who, this time last week, Mr. Blitzer, I believe you were bragging about your Lady Gaga concert experience the night before and the penultimate song.

Did she sing "Born This Way"?

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": No, that was the ultimate song. She ended the concert with "Born This Way." The penultimate song was "Bad Romance."

BALDWIN: That's right.

BLITZER: And the crowd went -- you know that song, "Bad Romance"?

BALDWIN: Of course I do.

BLITZER: Of course you do. You didn't go to that concert, did you?

BALDWIN: I know. I didn't. I was hard at work preparing for my show live from D.C. the next day. We can't all be like you.

BLITZER: I know. I had a great time. It was an excellent, excellent -- she's very talented, Lady Gaga.

BALDWIN: I know she is. I know she is.

BLITZER: Puts on a great show.

BALDWIN: Talk to me about what's coming up on "THE SITUATION ROOM."

BLITZER: She didn't invite me to come up on stage though.

BALDWIN: She did not?

BLITZER: No. I would have if she would have invited me.

BALDWIN: You've got to sing YouTube, Twitter, Wolf Blitzer. Done.

BLITZER: It didn't happen. It didn't happen, but it was an excellent, excellent concert.

BALDWIN: Good.

BLITZER: You want to go through some of the other songs she did?

BALDWIN: Let's talk "THE SITUATION ROOM."

BLITZER: No, no, no. Let's talk about what's coming up. We've got some serious news coming up on "THE SITUATION ROOM."

A lot on the latest in Libya, more air strikes, more deaths. Tens of thousands of additional refugees. What is the international community going to do?

Nick Kristof of "The New York Times," he's going to be joining us. He's got some thoughts on what President Obama should be doing right now you'll be anxious to hear.

And we're also going to talk about what seems to be -- at least I suspect and I know Nick does as well -- there's a split within the Obama administration about what the U.S. should be doing, what the U.S. shouldn't be doing. You know there's a major split between Robert Gates, the defense secretary, John McCain, the Senator.

So we're going to get into a lot of that in "THE SITUATION ROOM," and a lot more. That's coming up at the top of the hour.

BALDWIN: OK. We will see you in a couple of minutes.

Wolf Blitzer, have a wonderful weekend, too, by the way.

And wait until you see what happened in a court hearing for murder suspect Casey Anthony. You may not believe it here. Talk about tension in that courtroom.

Sunny Hostin is going to walk us through that. "On the Case" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Casey Anthony's mother, she returns to the stand. Keep in mind this is day three of a very, very important motions hearing that's leading up to Anthony's trial on charges that she allegedly murdered her 2-year-old daughter Caylee.

Sunny Hostin is "On the Case."

And Sunny, what did Cindy Anthony testify about today?

SUNNY HOSTIN, "IN SESSION," TRU TV: Well, today she testified, Brooke, about the fact that the state, through its detectives, tried to use her to get information from Casey Anthony while Casey Anthony was in jail during courthouse visits. It's a very interesting argument that the defense is saying.

The defense is arguing that Casey was, of course, represented by Jose Baez (ph) at that time, yet detectives were telling the family members, go and speak to Casey. We can't speak to her. Try to get some information out of her, and we are going to be taping these jailhouse visits.

So a very, very interesting, novel argument by this defense.

BALDWIN: We saw Casey Anthony in the courtroom yesterday, tears streaming down her face. Did today's testimony have the same impact?

HOSTIN: It really didn't. We saw a very composed Casey Anthony today, a very different Casey Anthony today. She was in the courtroom listening to her mother, taking notes, looking through courtroom documents. So no tears today as far as I could see -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: But there was definitely some tension in the courtroom. This was yesterday, when Casey Anthony's brother, Lee, testified, Sunny. Tell me about that.

HOSTIN: There's no question that there's no love lost between these siblings. Remember that she has accused her brother of sexually abusing her as a child and sneaking into her room and fondling her. So when he got on the witness stand, she was glaring at him, and when he got off the witness stand, he mouthed the words "I love you" to her. She wouldn't even look his way.

Take a listen and look at what happened in the courtroom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right there you tell your sister that if she gives you a letter through this letter system, that you won't share it with anyone if she doesn't want you to.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Correct. That's what I said, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you say that to her from brother to sister?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were you lying?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOSTIN: You saw her reaction to that. She just sort of, you know, dismissed him.

BALDWIN: What did you think of that?

HOSTIN: You know, I think that it is clear that he went in there, tried to get information from her, and shared it with detectives. When he told her, listen, I'm not going to share this information with anyone, that was a lie. So he lied to her.

I think this family, Brooke, just wanted to find Caylee. They wanted to find that little girl, and that's what was going on.

BALDWIN: Is it all over? We know the hearing stopped today, what, at noon? When will the judge, Sunny, rule on these motions?

HOSTIN: It is not over. This is one of the longest suppression hearings I've seen in a while.

BALDWIN: Wow.

HOSTIN: It's going to be starting up again on Monday, in the afternoon. I'll be watching. And I don't know when the judge is going to rule. This is a complicated issue, and I would imagine in a couple of days we'll hear what -- if he's going to suppress anything.

BALDWIN: Well, let's pick back where we left off on Monday, shall we?

Sunny Hostin, my thanks to you. Have a wonderful weekend.

And same to you as well.

Now to Wolf Blitzer in Washington -- Wolf.