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Newt Gingrich Under Fire; Internet Under Attack?; How to Keep Your Information Safe From Cyber Attack; New Allegations of Child Torture in Syria

Aired June 09, 2011 - 16:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: But now, top of the hour, watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: One Southern state is introducing a new immigration law. And critics say this one is much more harsh than Arizona's. Find out why children are the targets.

I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.

(voice-over): Fears grow as cyber-attacks increase. If the U.S. government and banks are vulnerable, how safe is your life online? I have got the warnings you need to hear.

Plus, the judge in the Casey Anthony murder trial is warning jurors leave if you cannot control your emotions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For those of you who may have queasiness about viewing these type of photographs --

BALDWIN: Find out what photos the jury is seeing and how Casey Anthony reacts.

Also, politics getting personal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not what you know that gets you in trouble in this building. It's what you don't know that just ain't so.

BALDWIN: A fight breaks out after an Illinois Democrat blasts a Republican, but wait until you hear why.

And --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Surprise!

BALDWIN: -- the best part of coming home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Brooke Baldwin. And I want to begin this hour with what is now being called the toughest crackdown on illegal immigration in the country. Today, Alabama's governor signed this thing into law. The new law goes even further than the controversial immigration law Arizona passed last year.

Here's a quick rundown of some of the items here. It will be a crime in Alabama to knowingly give a ride to anyone who is in the country illegally. Also, public schools must collect documentation to determine every student's legal status.

Those are just some of the items there.

Joining me now live, Alabama State Representative John Merrill, who supports Alabama's new law. Here he is. Also, Mary Bauer on the phone line, the director of the Immigrant Justice Department with the Southern Poverty Law Center, who to opposes the law. We will speak with her momentarily.

But, Representative Merrill, I would like to begin with you.

Why is this good for Alabama?

JOHN MERRILL (R), ALABAMA STATE REPRESENTATIVE: Brooke, this is good for Alabama because it will reduce illegal immigration in our state. And that's the purpose of the legislation.

BALDWIN: I know both chambers in Alabama are both Republican- majority, passed this thing, and then of course, Governor Bentley sign it. Did you at all have any hesitation in this?

MERRILL: Well, Governor Bentley signed that legislation today because it is good legislation. It's good legislation for Alabama. It's good legislation for the people of Alabama. And, ultimately, it will be good legislation for other Southern states as well.

I didn't have any hesitation about the support of this legislation because what it does is, it actually just encourages everybody to have to follow the same path to fulfill whatever commitment or opportunity for growth and personal development that they would like to experience.

BALDWIN: Representative Merrill, I do want to point out one unique piece of this law that involves children. So, we know that parents of foreign-born public school kids will be required to report their immigration status to Huntsville officials. And I picked up "The Huntsville Times."

This is from earlier in the week, and I just want to read this line this -- quote -- "Under this bill, we are going" -- and this is an editorial -- "Under this bill, we are going to keep illegal immigrant students out of all public colleges, so none of them, regardless of how smart or how hard they work, will be able to get the education they would need to become teachers, engineers, doctors, nurses, and entrepreneurs."

How do you respond to that?

MERRILL: Well, Brooke, obviously anyone that enrolls in public schools in the state of Alabama or public institutions of higher learning are required to provide certain documentation in order to gain access.

And that's not asking illegals to do anything other than what our citizens are already required to do. We don't want to try to make any special accommodation for any kind of interest group, any kind of special interest group, any kind of individual that is trying to take advantage of opportunities that are not available for the citizens of the state of Alabama.

BALDWIN: Even if some of these kids --

MERRILL: We feel that would be an error.

And what this does --

BALDWIN: Even if some of these kids, as some would argue --

MERRILL: No, all I was going to say, Brooke, is that what this requires, everybody to be treated the same way.

BALDWIN: Even if some of these kids, as some, I, know have already argued, some of these kids came into this country, didn't have a choice. To you, it doesn't matter?

MERRILL: Well, when you say they didn't have a choice, are you saying that they came here as babies or small children and they came with their parents?

BALDWIN: Yes. Yes, sir.

MERRILL: Is that what you're saying, actually?

BALDWIN: Yes.

MERRILL: Well, obviously, if somebody had to have transportation provided, they wouldn't be coming on their own volition.

But what we are talking about, as you identified for me, young people that are going to institutions of higher learning, they do have a choice. And all that what we are wanting to do is to make sure that each and every one is treated the same way. We don't want to provide any special accommodation for people that are not due special accommodation.

We are not talking about citizens that have handicaps or other special needs that need to be met. We are talking about a special residency requirement, which we don't feel that we need to offer if we don't offer it to the people that are already residents and taxpaying citizens of the state of Alabama.

BALDWIN: We also read that the ACLU today coming out pretty strongly against this law, saying -- quote -- "The bill invites discrimination into every aspect of the lives of people in Alabama."

They plan to challenge it. How confident are you that this law will remain upheld?

MERRILL: Well, Micky Hammon, who is the majority leader in the House of Representatives, and Senator Scott Beason, who is chairman of the Rules Committee, have worked very tirelessly and diligently on this legislation to make sure that it was prepared in such a way that it would accommodate all the needs of all the people that we are trying to reach, not in a discriminatory fashion.

That is not the intent of the legislation. The intent of the legislation is to provide equal opportunity for all people who want to come to Alabama legally and to meet the needs that each and every one of those individuals have. And that's not asking too much.

BALDWIN: Representative John Merrill, I appreciate it. I'm going to take some of your points and then point them now to Mary Bauer. She is the director of the Immigrant Justice Department with the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Mary, let's just begin with something that Representative Merrill said, that, look this is an opportunity for equal opportunity for folks who come to this country legally, great in terms of employment for folks who feel like they have lost jobs to some of these men and women who have been here illegally. What do you say to that?

MARY BAUER, SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER: I'm not sure that Representative Merrill has read this bill.

This is not a bill about treating all people the same. This is a bill that carves out very clear rules that says that people who lack certain documents are going to get treated a certain way. And, frankly, even -- this -- this affects lots and lots of U.S. citizens.

It says that people will be presumed to be guilty if they are picked up without a license, that they may be arrested with merely reasonable suspicion if they don't have documents on them. It makes it a crime for U.S. citizens to give people a ride if they are -- if they turn out to be undocumented.

It doesn't even have an exception for churches who are providing shelter or food or rides. So, it is a very radical bill. And it is designed to crack down on one particular category of people in the state of Alabama. And it -- in our view, it is mean-spirited, racist, unconstitutional, and it is going to be costly. It contains..

BALDWIN: Well, I just have to jump in.

BAUER: Sure.

BALDWIN: What do you say to the folks who say -- I read from this mayor of Alabama talking about jobs, right? So he says, "When you have 9 percent unemployment, I think some people who might not have wanted those jobs," speaking to migrant workers, let's say, a lot of farming in Alabama -- "previously might get to be reconsidered." I have been reading a lot of tweets from people in Alabama who say, look, this is great because we finally get jobs. These people were here illegally. And this is simply the law being enforced.

BAUER: Yes, this is not the law being enforced. This is so far beyond that.

This makes contracts with undocumented immigrants void. And so the court may not enforce them. So, if a worker comes along who is undocumented and is promised a wage, they can't sue and collect that money. I would say that creates an incredible incentive for employers to hire those workers and exploit them, because they are not going to be able to sue.

It also prohibits merely renting to undocumented people. And it says that schools have to verify the immigration status, not just of students who are undocumented, but of parents of students who are foreign-born.

(CROSSTALK)

BAUER: This applies to U.S. citizen kids who are born in other countries.

BALDWIN: Yes, I do want to jump in and ask about the children, because that is so, so unique about this law, that it does target children. And I'm just curious as to what you -- what you think. What kind of strange would this put on some of these schools?

They are already burdened with budget cuts in Alabama specifically and now they're having to check the citizenship, report how much money is being paid for these kids who are here illegally. What about that?

BAUER: Well, there's no doubt that the purpose of it, it is designed to chill students and their parents from enrolling in school.

So, we would say that that is a bad public policy. But beyond that, it is inartful. And this law is so -- I'm sorry -- it's illegal -- it is inartfully drafted that it applies to whole categories of people they didn't intend to have it apply to.

The provision that prohibits undocumented immigrants from attending college in Alabama, for example, applies to whole categories of legal immigrants. So people who have asylum, people who are here as refugees from other countries are not eligible to attend Alabama's colleges under any circumstances. I'm not talking about paying in- state vs. out-of-state tuition. They are just not eligible to attend.

BALDWIN: Yes. Well, the law is the law because we saw Governor Bentley sign it today. I know some folks are talking about fighting it. This is historic, as it is now the toughest illegal law in the country. We will be following it.

Mary Bauer, I appreciate you coming on. Now to our breaking story from the world of politics. Newt Gingrich's campaign manager, along with several other senior aides, have just quit the Republican's presidential campaign.

I want to go straight to Joe Johns in Washington.

Joe, what else do you know about this?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Brooke, well, this is a work in progress right now.

There have been rumblings since last weekend at least that something was up with the Gingrich campaign, but what we know right now is, according to a source, Newt Gingrich's campaign manager has resigned, the press secretary has resigned, top strategists in Iowa and South Carolina.

So we are talking about a number of staffers resigning from the Gingrich campaign. The former speaker has put out a statement. He said -- quote -- "I'm committed to running the substantive, solutions- oriented campaign I set out to run earlier this spring. The campaign begins anew on Sunday in Los Angeles."

And he is scheduled to speak Sunday night before the Republican Jewish Coalition in Beverly Hills. An aide told CNN that Newt Gingrich also will, will participate in Monday's debate in New Hampshire, as originally scheduled, that, of course, appearing on CNN.

So, what has prompted all of this? One of the senior aides who resigned, Dave Carney, told CNN -- quote -- "The professional team came to the realization that the direction of the campaign they sought and Newt's vision for the campaign were incompatible."

What does that mean? Can't tell you right now. It would be nice to get more of a readout.

BALDWIN: Yes.

JOHNS: What's already in the record, though, is that the former speaker had a very rocky rollout of his campaign. Some of his decisions have been a little hard to explain.

He went on that long-planned vacation cruise with his wife, Callista, in the Greek Isles. He rubbed a bunch of people the wrong way with his comes over entitlement reform. And, Brooke, one last thing. The other angle we are working on is that some of the people connected to the campaign who may have left might also have some allegiances to Texas Governor Rick Perry.

BALDWIN: Ah.

JOHNS: And there's been some talk that Rick Perry is considering getting into the presidential race. So, that is another level of intrigue entirely to explore.

BALDWIN: Wow. Well, that would certainly be some news if they decide to go that way.

Joe Johns, thanks so much.

JOHNS: You bet.

BALDWIN: And now this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For those of you who may have queasiness or uneasiness about viewing these type of photographs, I ask you to leave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Emotions run very high in the Casey Anthony murder trial after the judge issued that warning. What happened next? What made Casey Anthony burst into tears? That's coming up.

But first, cyber-attacks, they are on the rise. And if the government is getting hacked, along with major companies and banks, and even Kate Middleton, how safe are you online? Coming up next, I will talk to a convicted hacker who knows about how you can be targeted. And who is watching what you do on the Internet?

Stay right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Citigroup is letting 200,000 customers know hackers got into the company's server. The security breach happened last month and hackers got access to their names, account numbers and contact info, which includes e-mail addresses and phone numbers. But the company says customer Social Security numbers, date of birth and security codes were never compromised.

The Citigroup hack is the most recent in what has been a series of high-profile cyber attacks. The FBI, Interpol, even the U.S. Defense Department contractors have seen hackers target their secure systems and it doesn't end there. British media report that is cell phones of Tony Blair and even Kate Middleton were targeted by hackers.

Cyber crime has become increasingly sophisticated, almost every major city has a white-collar unit. There are even hackers who have switched sides and that includes my next guest here, Kevin Mitnick, now a security consultant and also a former hacker.

And, Kevin, I know you have a lot of insight into some of these crimes. I read about you, you are self-taught. So before we talk about what you can tell us about how we can protect ourselves, I'm just curious, I know you were convicted and now out, now on the good side, but why did you do it?

KEVIN MITNICK, FORMER COMPUTER HACKER (via telephone): I did it for three primary reasons when I was a hacker, and this is -- don't forget this is from the '70s to the early '90s.

BALDWIN: Yes.

MITNICK: Pursuit of knowledge, adventure, and curiosity. Those were the three factors that drove me.

BALDWIN: When you read about -- they are calling it cyber attacks, cyber espionage, it is increasingly sophisticated, it's difficult to decipher. Do you agree with a that or is it pretty easy?

MITNICK: Yes, I do some of the recent attacks on Lockheed and a company called RSA, these were extremely sophisticated attacks where the attackers might have been nation states. It looks like RSA, who provides authentication products, was compromised and then that information was leveraged to try to compromise Lockheed. So it seems like it was quite a sophisticated attack.

BALDWIN: Do you think hackers here are setting some kind of trend, trying to target these high-profile companies, and what do they get out of it?

MITNICK: I think there's different motivating factors here. I think you have one group that might be, you know, committing some sort of industrial espionage or try to get some sort of secrets from defense contractors; and then you have another group that's doing it for basically fun and to point -- to poke fun at these companies and to show off their skills.

And another reason, another factor that is kind of trending right now is hacktivism.

BALDWIN: Hacktivism? Are you serious there is a word for this? I have never heard that before, hacktivism.

So how do we protect ourselves now that you've, you know, you're -- you understand how to do it and now are on this side of it. How can we protect ourselves, just as individuals, from being hacked?

MITNICK: Well, unfortunately, companies that have been hacked in the media, you know, they have your information so you can't control it at that point, but there are things that the consumer can do. The no-brainer stuff is of course, having a personal firewall and keeping your anti-virus software up to date.

But think about coffee shops, when you're using wireless --

BALDWIN: All the time.

MITNICK: Yes, in Starbucks or whatever, you know, using VPN so that way a hacker cannot intercept your communications.

Using a stronger, more secure browser, like Google Chrome, I like that one.

And attackers are really looking at attacking the desktop software, you know, on your computer, whether that's Flash, whether that's Adobe Acrobat, whether that's Java. So there is a free product called Personal Software Inspector that you can download. And what it will do is tell you if these programs are out of date.

Because what happens is, you know, attackers find vulnerabilities in these program and then what happens is the manufacturers fix them, so you to make sure you're running at the latest release.

BALDWIN: OK. So this is my last question this sort of sparked a bit of a discussion in our morning meeting. When it comes to, let's say, online banking, highly, highly private of information where should you do it? Should do you at home? Are you safe? Let's say you don't have a firewall. Some people do it at work, what is the safer place?

MITNICK: You know, I would rather do it at either my workplace or home. If you are using a coffee shop, again, using VPN.

But try to find a financial institution that used two-form factor authentication. That's where they give you like a token and the password changes every 60 seconds, that way it increases your security.

And one great service, you know is -- e-mail service is Google Mail, you know, Gmail, you know, they actually allow consumers to activate two-step authentication. So could you use your BlackBerry, your Android and your iPhone and install a program on there that, you know, displays a six-digit number that changes every 60 seconds and then have you to log in with your password and that secret number, and those together allow you to access your e-mail. And that's much more secure than the services like Yahoo! or Hotmail that don't have this free service.

BALDWIN: So interesting. So even though sometimes we get frustrated by all these logins and these passwords it is really good thing for all of us.

MITNICK: One of the serious problems that I see a lot of users use the same password everywhere. They pick a password, they use it for everything.

BALDWIN: Guilty.

MITNICK: So, might be a good idea to download like, you know, a free password manager, like Key Pass, so you have one pastor password and then in this encrypted database on your computer, it stores all your other passwords. And that way, it's more secure in the sense that you're using different passwords for different websites, especially your bank.

BALDWIN: Kevin Mitnick, great information, come on, please.

MITNICK: Thanks so much, Brooke. Have a great day.

BALDWIN: Thank you, Kevin. Appreciate it, same to you. Lots of passwords, dually noted. People in Syria, they're running for their lives, thousands crossing the border to escape the government crackdown, but there is this new shocking video showing what security forces are allegedly doing to children and this is sparking a firestorm. You have to stick around. You have to see this video know in order to fully grasp the outreach.

Hala Gorani is standing by, she is going to explain this whole thing to me next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Time to take you "Globe Trekking," and there is a new face for the Syrian uprising. Syrians are rallying around this 13- year-old boy and against the regime they believed tortured him to death.

Hala Gorani joins me now from Washington, D.C.

And, Hala, we that the video of this young boy's body has already made its way, of course, to YouTube. Our viewers should be warned, it is disturbing to look at. But tell me the story and what are the claims?

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: Well, you will remember Hamza Khatib, that young man, 13 years old, who became an icon, a symbol of the uprisings in Syria. Over the last 24 hours or so, a new video has surfaced of a 15-year-old boy, Tamer al-Sharei.

And you are seeing there images that have surfaced on YouTube and online of a body that looks mutilated, with several bullet holes. Even hear a woman say I recognize my son from a scar on his head. We understand from reports that his neck was broken, bullet wounds, leg broken. Activists say that the body showed signs of torture.

What is interesting, Brooke this young man came from the same village as Hamza Khatib, the 13-year-old. It is unclear if the two boys were friends, but they did disappear, according to activists, the same day, April 29th, that these demonstrations took place in Daraa.

And Daraa is very interesting because that is the city in which the uprising started after the arrest of 15 young people. This strikes a chord in Syria, Brooke, as it does in many other countries, when children are targeted.

BALDWIN: Yes, I imagine that this video -- it was just so difficult to look at of this 13-year-old mutilated. I mean, the reaction, I imagine, is pouring in in outrage.

GORANI: It's difficult to ascertain because we are not allowed to report from inside Syria. We really can gauge the mood only through online reaction and through what activists are telling us.

Hamza al-Khatib's face has been carried on posters and banners in Syria. We haven't seen it with this young man, but if this video continues to circulate, then yes, it will become potentially just the latest outrage surrounding the alleged torture and killing of a child, a 15-year-old is a child.

And according to one human rights organization, 77 children have been killed since the beginnings of these uprisings in Syria, and that is almost 10 percent of the total, of the lowest total that has been estimated in Syria.

BALDWIN: I know you would love to be in Syria, get the reaction first hand. You were in Jordan, tried to get in there. They still won't let us in, frustrating.

Hala Gorani in Washington, thank you.

More Democrats, they are calling on Congressman Anthony Weiner to resign, and he is now responding. You're going to hear his two reasons for why he will not quit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Time now for your CNN Equals Politics update for this hour. Let's go to our senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash there on Capitol Hill. And Dana, let's talk Anthony Weiner. We know yesterday, you were reporting about the stepped-up effort amongst some of his colleagues to force him to, you know, step aside. What are you hearing today, and is it working?

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, Brooke, there is no evidence he is going anywhere. In fact, he is saying he is staying put.

I'm told from a source that had he a private conversation with one of his colleagues from New York where he said one of the reasons is because his wife wants him to stay in Congress. He also said in this private phone conversation that he has seen and cited polling data showing a that a majority of New Yorkers want him to stay, and that is the reason he is not going. And the source described Anthony Weiner as very dug in on the idea of resigning from Congress.

Now, this had phone call I'm describing came as a series of calls we have been reporting on that he has been making the past several days to supporters and to colleagues and to friends, really saying that he is sorry, being very contrite, according to many of the sources I'm talk to.

One of those calls happened with Democratic Congresswoman Nita Lowey, who is somebody -- not only a colleague but also a friend. She is one of the few members of Congress who actually went to his wedding. Brooke, I'm told in this conversation Lowey told him she is very disappointed in him and said his behavior was inexcusable.

BALDWIN: Whatt today, Dana, are you hearing from some of Congressman Weiner's colleagues? Anything new?

BASH: We really saw a lot -- not a lot but a lot more than before of his members of -- his colleagues in the House saying that he should resign, about six in the House, eight all together yesterday. No more that we have heard of so far today, but Jim Clyburn, the number two Democrat in the House, he told reporters that went House comes back -- they are now back in their districts that Democratic caucus in the House will have something to say about it. He didn't elaborate on that, Brooke. It's not really clear what he meant by that.

But again, there's no public calls for him to resign so far today. But one quote that I just want to give to you. This is from the number two Democrat in the Senate, Dick Durbin. Our Ted Barrett reports he alluded to an old quote by Woodrow Wilson and he said "Don't murder somebody who is already committing suicide."

BALDWIN: Hmm. Woodrow Wilson. Interesting. Dana Bash, like you said, though, congressman says he is still dug in. Thank you.

BASH: Thanks, Brooke.

BALDWIN: The man expected to replace Defense Secretary Robert Gates is testifying before lawmakers on America's wars, and Leon Panetta is getting quite candid today. You will hear what he says about how fast troops will begin leaving Afghanistan next month.

Also, the next time you try on clothes, you may see a camera in the dressing room. I'm serious. A camera. But wait until you hear why.

Alison Kosik, I don't know where you find this stuff, I know we have talked about some crazy stories before. This is a special day with you. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Leon Panetta talks Afghanistan, and cameras now making an appearance in your dressing room. Time to play "Reporter Roulette."

And Barbara Starr, I want to begin with you there at the Pentagon. We talked about this briefly yesterday. We know that the head of the CIA, currently Leon Panetta, is testifying today, telling Congress how he would handle Afghanistan if, in fact, he is confirmed as the next secretary of defense. What is he saying today?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now, he is walking a pretty fine line, Brooke. At this hearing this morning, he talk about the need for not rushing. Not rushing for the exit doors in Afghanistan, sort of hinting that he would go with the general notion around the Pentagon of a modest troop reduction, though he didn't use those words.

But then he talked about supporting the president's idea of significant troop reductions. He even used General Petraeus's favorite words, that progress in Afghanistan is fragile but reversible. So, a pretty typical confirmation hearing. Walking the line, not trying to offend Democrats or Republicans, getting himself confirmed. Then he'll come to the Pentagon, and I guess we'll find out what he really thinks. BALDWIN: We know he was talking about Afghanistan, as you mentioned. Also reading, talking about cyberattacks, etc. Did he outline what his priorities would be if and when confirmed?

STARR: Well, it is the number of international events, of course. Wrapping up Iraq, Afghanistan, the unrest in the Middle East, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Iran, North Korea on the other side of the world, the whole list.

But he is also facing an economy crisis here at the Pentagon. He is under orders from the White House to look for possibly another $400 billion in budget cuts here. That's going to mean less capability for the U.S. military, less ability to do things. The Panetta era here may be about crossing things off the Pentagon's to do list rather than adding them on.

BADLWIN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Barbara, thank you.

STARR: Sure.

BALDWIN: Next on "Reporter Roulette," Alison Kosik in New York with a pretty unique story that has a little something to do with jeans --

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And how they fit.

BALDWIN: And one's gluteus maximus. Explain.

KOSIK: That's right. Yes, I will.

So, I'm actually talking about an asscam. Yes. That's what it's called. It's a trademark name. It's by the clothing retailer American Rags. Here is how this thing works. I don't know, this comes from the category of what will they think of next? Take a look at this picture, this picture will tell a thousand words here.

What happens is this closed-circuit camera is actually positioned behind you at butt level. And the mirror is in front of you, see the guy looking in the mirror which, by the way, I think it's funny how they get a guy to show what this is like. Yes, they're not putting a woman out there.

But anyway, so the mirror in front is like a TV screen, so he is seeing the image of his rear end up there, and the camera down there is streamed to that mirror, so you don't have to contort your body around to see how fine the backside looks. You know, you can just look right there and that little almost TV screen.

What do you think? Is it a plus? Is it a good thing?

BALDWIN: Let me ask you this. I mean, I guess, you're not doing the whole craning your neck but is this really something we are going to see all over, or is one store trying to make a buck with a little PR?

KOSIK: You know what? There are two stores in California that have this. There's one in Chicago that has this as well. And American Rag, the one in California, says it's really getting positive feedback on this. You know, I wouldn't want to step into a fitting room with a camera. How many times do cameras -

BALDWIN: Yes, I don't think so.

KOSIK: -- something goes wrong, right? Something goes wrong, and the feed goes out to the whole store.

BALDWIN: And on YouTube and then your mother sees it and then it's not good. But nevertheless --

KOSIK: Oh, yes.

BALDWIN: You went there and Alison Kosik --

KOSIK: I'm not step into one of those.

BALDWIN: We appreciate it. Thank you. And that is your "Reporter Roulette" for this Thursday. Told you would be wild.

Now to one of those dramatic delays in Roland, the Casey Anthony murder trial. First, her brother has returned to the stand. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did your sister tell you the reason for Caylee being taken was?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: This is the first time that the jury is hearing Casey Anthony's claims that a woman kidnapped her daughter. Also, the judge warns the jurors if you are someone who knows emotion, you have to leave now. Prosecutors revealing a disturbing piece of evidence. This is a moment that caused Casey Anthony to look away and break down into tears. You're going to see it

I don't know what that was, but that wasn't Casey Anthony. We're going to show you that a little bit later in "Political Pop." Stay right with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Here is a scenario, a man breaks into your home, starts walking out with your things. What do you do? Do you scream and run? I think I would pick up the phone and call 911. Maybe you would have presence of mind to grab your cell phone and shoot a video.

Well, given all of that I want you to catch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you please leave. How did you get in here? (END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Okay. So the voice, that's 28-year-old woman. She used her cell phone to shoot this video Tuesday morning inside her home. This is Oakland, California. Police released it to the public because the guy allegedly came back and sexually assaulted the woman. They are hoping someone with -- take a good look, someone will recognize him.

We are going to freeze the video, here he is. This is the suspect. If you know this guy, Oakland police would love to hear from you.

Now, let me back up and say the woman who shot the video, she is OK with showing it on television, by the way. But police say she doesn't want any other woman to go through what happened to her.

Testimony in the Casey Anthony murder trial is cut short for the day. We showed you the moment just a little while ago because she has become ill. The judge suddenly called a recess a little more than an hour ago, and the jury and Casey Anthony spent much of the day being shown heart-wrenching pictures of two-year-old Caylee Anthony's skull and her mud-caked Winnie the Pooh blanket.

Sunny Hostin is "On the Case." And Sunny, what is it exactly that the jury saw?

SUNNY HOSTIN, LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR, TRUTV: They saw very graphic photographs of the crime scene, Brooke, with little Caylee Anthony's skull in those pictures. They also saw pictures that the medical examiner referred to that were much more cleaned up, but in my view, perhaps more graphic, pictures of little Caylee Anthony's skull, pictures of her mandible, pictures of hair sort of matted to the skull, teeth were a part of that picture, you could also see teeth as well as the eye socket.

And so extremely graphic photographs entered into evidence, seen by the jury, on little monitors, they are about I guess, one monitor shared by two jurors throughout the jury box and so I would say this is probably perhaps the most sobering moment for this jury because now, little Caylee Anthony is a victim.

Now they know that the little -- the pictures of little Caylee Anthony they have been seeing before, of a -- very much alive beautiful little girl is no more.

BALDWIN: So as the jury is sitting there looking at these tiny monitors, looking at these gruesome images. What is Casey Anthony doing? How is she reacting?

HOSTIN: We saw a really emotional Casey Anthony, Brooke, in the courtroom today. From my vantage point, I thought she was sobbing because I saw sort of this dry heaving or heaving with her hands covering her mouth.

Her face was very red. A few folks in the courtroom say they saw no actual tears rolling down her face. So I think some people are speculating that it is theatre, but from my vantage point, she was extremely emotional and Judge Perry said she is ill.

BALDWIN: We saw her leave, it was recessed but then also today, we saw Casey Anthony's brother, Lee. He testified. He said Casey told him that Zanny, the nanny actually snatched little Caylee from her. Let's watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEE ANTHONY, CASEY ANTHONY'S BROTHER: During that meeting, Zanny held Casey down and told her that she was taking Caylee from her and she did that with the help of her sister.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So pretty short, pretty concise testimony. Will it have a big impact on the jury?

HOSTIN: You know, it's just sort more of the same at this point. The jury knows that she is a liar. She's an admitted liar. The defense has conceded it. There is no Zanny the nanny, Zenaida Fernandez Gonzalez was never Casey Anthony's nanny.

So I don't know that advanced the ball any further really for this prosecution, but Brooke, there's no question that I think today was probably the most important day for the prosecution in putting little Caylee Anthony as a victim into that courtroom.

BALDWIN: OK, case number two. Last hour, I spoke with a man, his name is Greg Fultz. He's put this billboard up in this small New Mexico town. Claiming his ex-girlfriend had an abortion. Here is the picture, cradling what would be an infant.

The case raises all kinds of legal questions, but I want to start here with the constitutionality here. This is essentially -- she is saying it is an invasion of her privacy. He's arguing, look it is free speech. He says -- first of all, let me start there. What flies?

HOSTIN: It really is incredible, isn't it? But I mean, bottom line is, even the First Amendment really usually trumps everything, including an invasion of privacy and in this case, people are really uncomfortable with it, but distasteful discourse, distasteful speech is also protected.

But you know, the commissioner here disagrees with that premise because the commissioner has ordered him to take that billboard down and we will see a judge agrees with the commissioner. But right now it appears he has to take that billboard down.

She is suing him for harassment and invasion of privacy and perhaps the commissioner thinks that billboard is harassing her.

BALDWIN: Yes, he told me, look, it's going go down, but it's going to have to be forced down. I'm not doing it and I'm going to go to jail instead. We'll follow it. Sunny Hostin, thank you very much.

HOSTIN: Yes.

BALDWIN: What is the best part of coming home? Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Surprise.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: A little girl gets a big birthday present all the way from Afghanistan. You got see how this heart warming moment ends. We will play it for you, next.

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BALDWIN: One little girl got the birthday present of her life wait from Afghanistan. Grab your tissues. You got to see this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MALE: Surprise!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I knew it. I knew it. I knew it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: I knew it, I knew it, she says. That box was a little too big for a dog. Maybe that would be dad. That's Daniel Fragoso, a veteran, served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has been overseas since October so cute, as a contractor developing communication strategies for the military.

And he returned from Afghanistan just this past Tuesday, just in time to surprise little Madison there, eat a little cake, let her put on her crown for her birthday so sweet. Love those coming home stories.

Now, coming up in a couple of minutes, "THE SITUATION ROOM" with my colleague Wolf Blitzer. Wolf, as always, joins me live with a preview. Wolf Blitzer, what do you have coming up?

WOLF BLITZER, THE SITUATION ROOM: I love those stories, too. I don't have a tissue. You watch that for a little while. You appreciate the sacrifices those men and women do for all of us. They go spend six months a year and then they do it repeatedly overseas in a dangerous environment whether in Iraq, whether in Afghanistan.

They finally come home. They see their little kids, it's always, always so nice to see that reunion. We are going to have all the important news including the breaking news on Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign. You have been reporting it.

We are going in depth on what's going on. Is his campaign imploding right now with the mass exodus of all of his top aides? What is going on with Newt Gingrich? We'll have a lot on that.

We're also taking a look at Leon Panetta's confirmation hearings as the next secretary of defense. What's he saying about U.S. troop withdrawals potentially from Afghanistan? What about who's going to pay for all of this especially in Libya?

Got a lot of analysis coming on that. So we've got all the important news of the day coming up, as you all know, right at the top of the hour. Brooke, back to you.

BALDWIN: We know it. We'll see you in 5 minutes. Wolf Blitzer, appreciate it.

We learned a little something new today about politics. Don't ever bring up someone's parents during a heated debate. Why? Because it could lead to a fist fight, just like it apparently did between a Republican and Democrat in Illinois.

Joe Johns has that story coming up in "Political Pop." That's next.

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BALDWIN: This is the time of year a lot of state legislatures are finishing up their business. Sometimes things can get a little heated. Case in points, state of Illinois, putting to rest the investigation of a not-so-civil moment on the Senate floor.

Joe Johns, he is back, with "Political Pop." And Joe, set this whole thing up and why did it start?

JOE JOHNS, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes, it was supposed to be about electricity rates, right?

BALDWIN: OK.

JOHNS: But you know, it's hot. You're tired. It's the end of the senate session, the state senate session and then somebody starts talking about your daddy. You know, OK, you have big temperatures in the Midwest and the east and it's probably nothing will get anybody hotter under the collar this time of year than utility rates.

And that's what the debate was supposed to be about raising the rates to fix up the grid out in Illinois and without going into all the fine print, one state senator mentions that another state senator's father is a lobbyist for utility company that would benefit from the bill before the senate and then it just goes downhill from there. So listen to a little bit of the debate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYLE MCCARTER (R), ILLINOIS STATE SENATE: The sponsor's father is a registered lobbyist, lobbying for, who else, but Comed.

MIKE JACOBS (D), ILLINOIS STATE SENATE: My friend across the aisle, my young friend, it's not what you know that gets you in trouble in this building, it's what you don't know that just ain't so. The reason I support this bill is because it's the right bill.

We need to move Illinois forward. If you don't have the courage to do it, I will. And I don't care, you can look under my underwear, I don't care where you look. But the fact is I support this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Goodness, Joe.

JOHNS: Yes, I know. Underwear?

BALDWIN: Really?

JOHNS: I'm not going to go there, right? So, the fists start flying, a punch gets thrown, maybe more than one, now we got a police investigation in the legislature where President Obama used to work. The prosecutors not going to prosecute, but the state Senate still has to decide what to do about that punch.

BALDWIN: So is there an official investigation yet?

JOHNS: Yes.

BALDWIN: Yes.

JOHNS: And I think that determined that a punch was thrown, but the prosecutor said I'm not going there because this occurred during the time of Senate business and that is up to the state senate in Illinois. So Springfield, start her up.

BALDWIN: Like you said, bring in somebody's daddy into the conversation, things can get nasty.

JOHNS: Yes, it happens all the time.

BALDWIN: It does. Joe Johns, thank you so much. I'm coming to your neck of the woods, by the way. I'm hopping on a plane, coming to Washington, D.C. for the weekend. Maybe I will see you.

JOHNS: I can't wait to see you. Give us a buzz.

BALDWIN: And that is it for us here. Coming up now in "THE SITUATION ROOM," as Wolf Blitzer mentioned, he'll have the latest news here on the breaking political story.

Newt Gingrich hoping to be president come 2012, big news, big news, is his campaign imploding with a number of senior staffers leaving? Here he is, Wolf Blitzer, "THE SITUATION ROOM" starts.