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Three Percent of Voters Undecided; NYC Schools Give Out Morning After Pill; Romney & Obama Position on Government's Size; Death Row Inmate: My Victim Abused Me; Major Hasan Admitted To The Hospital; Ahmadinejad At The U.N.; Iran, Israel And President Obama; Facebook Stock Plunges; Celebrating "The Carol Burnett Show"; Ahmadinejad Criticizes Pressure On Iran

Aired September 24, 2012 - 14:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Suzanne Malveaux. Not yet. I am still waiting for my flying card. We shall see.

Suzanne Malveaux, thank you so much. I'll take it from here. Good to see all of you here at the top of the hour on CNN NEWSROOM.

We begin 43 days out from the November 6th election. Let's talk politics. Right now in a battleground state is Mitt Romney. Here he is speaking in Pueblo, Colorado. In fact, right now, just to give you some background, we'll listen in. He is ticking off the five things he says he can do to reignite the economy. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: People who (INAUDIBLE) work in the energy sector, they get jobs. But also manufacturing will come back here because energy will be a lower cost and plentiful. And, by the way, it will be less expensive for the American homeowner because electricity will be less expensive and gasoline will be less expensive if we're creating more of our oil right here. So that's number one -- energy.

Number two, trade. Trade is good for us. We sell a lot of stuff around the world. I want to open up new markets for trade. I want to make sure that as we do so, the trade works for us, though. So when we put together agreements, they're not agreements that favor the other guys. They make sure they favor us at least as much as it does them. And, by the way, if they're countries like China that cheat, I will stop it. We cannot allow them to steal American jobs unfairly.

Number three -- number three, I want to make sure our workers have the skills to succeed in the jobs of today and I want to make sure that we finally fix our schools so the kids get the skills they need for the jobs of tomorrow. And, look, we -- we know what it takes to have great schools. This is not a mystery. We go around the world and we can look at school systems that are succeeding. We can look at those that are not. We can do so in our country. I'm proud of the fact that in my state the schools are ranked number one in the nation.

How'd that happen? Let me tell you how it happens. The key to great schools, great teachers. That's where we have to put our focus is helping get the best teachers and rewarding them for their excellence. And we do that and you'll see our schools succeed. And for that to happen, we have to make sure we put our focus on the kids in school, their parents and the teachers and put the teachers union behind.

So number one, energy. Number two, trade. Number three, great schools and training systems to help our people have the skills they need.

Number four. Number four, you're not going to get entrepreneurs to risk their life savings to start a business or big companies to build a new facility and start manufacturing products here if they think we're on the road to Greece. And this president has put us on the road to Greece. These trillion dollar deficits, they lead to Greece or Italy or Spain. They lead to economic crisis. We can't go there. And so in my first days in office, I will sit down and work to make sure we cut federal spending, we cap federal spending, and get us on track to a balanced budget.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Here he is, Mitt Romney speaking in Pueblo, Colorado. We talked about how he will be in Ohio. That happens tomorrow. This is all part of his swing through some key states. Obviously states he would like to have come November 6th.

And I want you to just look at this poll. And as we look at this poll, Peter Hamby, I'm going to bring you in, our political reporter in Washington. We're going to all look at this together here. So here's this poll. The most interesting numbers down at the bottom. This Politico poll, it's done with George Washington University, finds that six weeks before the election, American voters have pretty much made up their minds, at least they have for now. You see it's 3 percent of voters say now they're undecided. Compare that to -- you see the number on the bottom right -- 5 percent. That was 5 percent in August. And this particular poll shows a virtual dead heat. The president with the two-point lead over Mitt Romney.

And, Peter Hamby, you know, I heard Romney say last night that, you know, he's tied with an incumbent. And as we mentioned, we're six weeks out before the election. And he says, you know, that's a great place to be. And then I read this morning that, you know, historically speaking, support for incumbents tends to rise as the election draws nearer, and thus the inverse, right, the support for a challenger wanes. Where does the Romney camp see itself today?

PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, Brooke, I mean Romney has -- he does have a point. You know, he's running -- there's six weeks left in a campaign against a historically vulnerable presidents. So, yes, he's technically in a good place. But what he didn't mention is that poll after poll after poll after poll shows him trailing Barack Obama here.

And another important point with all of this, and my friend Aaron Blake wrote about this just now at "The Washington Post," if you keep looking at a lot of these national poll numbers, President Obama's job approval rating keeps hitting the crucial 50 percent approval rating number. So, you know, if 50 percent of voters approve of the job President Obama's doing, you know, chances are they're not going to throw him out of office.

So president -- or, excuse me, Mitt Romney does have a lot of work to do here. And like you pointed out, there's so few undecided voters left. So not only does he have to sway those folks, he's got to peel away maybe a little bit of Democrats and some of those folks that are comfortable with President Obama right now, Brooke.

BALDWIN: And he's trying to do that right now, right, in Colorado.

HAMBY: Yes. Right.

BALDWIN: And we'll see him do that in Ohio as well.

But I want to ask you about taxes, because Mitt Romney is basically saying, reduce each tax bracket by 20 percent. So that would mean we would all be paying this lower rate of federal income tax. But he'll eliminate a number of deductions and he won't say which ones. Here he was on "60 Minutes."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will not raise taxes on middle income folks. I will not lower the share of taxes paid by high income individuals. And I will make sure that we bring down rates, we limit deductions in exemptions so we keep the progressivity in the code and we encourage growth in jobs.

SCOT PELLEY, "60 MINUTES": And the devil's in the details, though. I mean what are we talking about? The mortgage deduction? The charitable deduction?

ROMNEY: The devil's in the details, the angel is in the policy, which is creating more jobs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, you know, Scott Pelley asked him about the details. Romney was asked, you know, point blank, but he wouldn't say whether he'd protect the mortgage interest deduction specifically. Let me just tell our viewers what President Obama has said, because he's pledged to preserve that write-off. Here's a quote from the president here. This is when he was speaking at the DNC. Quote, "I refuse to ask middle class families to give up their deductions for owning a home just to pay for another millionaire's tax cut."

Peter Hamby, that appears to be, you know, a pretty stark, you know, contrast. Obama saying, I'll protect the mortgage interest deduction. Romney not really saying specifically either way.

HAMBY: Yes, no, Romney's been strikingly candid about -- he's just been up front about saying, I'm not going to release all the details on my tax plan. I'm going to wait until I'm elected president. And he's saying that because he says the Obama campaign, like they're doing right now, they're going to do it either way, is going to start to flog, you know, these specifics and demagogue them and take them out of context. That's what Mitt Romney's saying.

Look, back in April, in Palm Beach at a fundraiser, he said straight up, one of the things we're going to do is get rid of the mortgage interest deduction for high income earners. His campaign not realizing that reporters were listening into that fundraiser, quickly walked it back.

The fact that Mitt Romney is not being specific about what's in his tax plan is not just something the Obama campaign is seizing on. The Tax Policy Center, which is non-partisan, has said that, you know, the numbers don't add up here. And Romney, last night, you know, one thing he did say that the Obama campaign is seizing on today, is that he said he thinks he pays a fairer tax rate than middle class Americans because, you know, he paid a 14 percent tax rate, largely capital gains, and he -- and Scott Pelley asked him, do you think that's fair that you pay a lower tax rate than someone making $50,000 a year? And Mitt Romney said, yes, you know, that's the way the economy works.

So the fact that Mitt Romney is not being specific here, he says the Obama campaign is going to attack him for that. Well, they're attacking him already. So, you know, you -- it's a lose-lose situation for Romney here, Brooke.

BALDWIN: It is a preview, though, a lot of people are writing and, you know, blogging today that that interview with Scott Pelley, both of them, President Obama and Mitt Romney, as sort of a preview of what we'll expect, what is it, a week from Wednesday, that first presidential debate in Denver, Colorado. Peter Hamby, thank you, sir, for us in Washington.

HAMBY: Thanks.

BALDWIN: And a lot more happening here this hour. Roll it.

The morning after pill in some high schools. How this is creating quite a stir in one of America's biggest cities. I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PIERS MORGAN, CNN'S "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT": Do you fear that war is imminent?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Piers Morgan sits down with the man at the center of a nuclear standoff, and the interview gets testy.

Plus, it's a multibillion dollar industry, but there are serious concerns now that a ragtag team of refs is disgracing the NFL.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL BURNETT, ACTRESS: Watcha my lip. I'm going to say this to you so even a child will understand. No badge, no office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And two queens of comedy join me live. What Carol Burnett and Vicki Lawrence think of today's leading ladies.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: The morning after pill. It's known as plan b. It is offered in schools to kids as young as 14 years of age. It's a program. It's been going on in New York City schools and parents do not even need to give their child approval. The city's mayor addressed this issue today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (I), NEW YORK CITY: The good news is, we brought teenage pregnancy down by I think something like 25 percent over the last 10 years. The bad news is, there's still an awful lot of girls who get pregnant at a very early age.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Alina Cho, I want to bring you in, in New York, because I know this story has most definitely picked up some steam today, though this program, as Mayor Bloomberg pointed out, it's been going on for a little while.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. The mayor likes to say it's not news, Brooke. The truth is, it is news and it broke over the weekend here in New York and it got a lot of attention. It's a pilot program called "Catch." It could actually be the first of its kind in the nation. And you're right, it has been quietly going on since January of last year until the New York media got a hold of the story. So far we can tell you that more than 1,100 students in 13 high schools in the city have been given birth control pills, including the so-called morning after pill, known as plan b. That's the part that's really controversial.

The city department of health says the schools in the program were picked because the students there were known to have a higher risk of getting pregnant and a lower access to health care. Now, one of the schools involved, listen to this, Brooke, actually dropped out of the program because students were overloading the medical office.

BALDWIN: Wow.

CHO: And the most surprising part, of course, is that many parents may be clueless about it. As you mentioned, the children do not need permission from their parents to get these pills. The default is that they will be allowed to do so unless parents opt out of the program by signing a letter. The question is, are these parents actually getting the letters? We are told that the letter was both mailed and sent home with students, but the Department of Health says no more than 2 percent, maybe 1 to 2 percent of parents have sent those letters back signed. Under federal law, we should tell you, that kids under 18 do need a prescription for plan b. If you're over 18, you can buy it over the counter. So how are these kids are getting it? They are getting them from health department doctors here in the city at school. According to the CDC and the New York City Health Department, 46 percent of New York City teens have had sexual intercourse. That's just official numbers. Seven thousand city girls get pregnant by the age of 17. Ninety percent of those pregnancies are unplanned, nine out of 10. And seven out of 10 of those pregnant teens actually end up dropping out of schools. Which is why the city says they are doing this program to keep these kids in school, to keep these unwanted pregnancies from happening.

The New York City Health Department also did release a statement saying, in part, quote, "we are committed to trying new approaches, like this pilot program, in place since January of 2011, to improve the situation that can have negative consequences that last a lifetime."

And, Brooke, I should point out that one unnamed school staffer did say, you know, quote, "we can't give out a Tylenol without a doctor's order, why are we doing this?" And that is the question that people are asking.

BALDWIN: So back to this letter that you point out is, you know, mailed to parents and also sent home to parents. If the parents don't actually return that opt out letter, does that then mean that the kids, if they want this morning after pill --

CHO: Yes.

BALDWIN: That they can get this --

CHO: Yes.

BALDWIN: Without mom or dad saying go ahead?

CHO: Yes. Yes. And without their knowledge in some cases. I mean it's already happened. In the case of the morning after pill, more than 500 times. And with all of the -- when all of the birth control pills are counted amongst these dozen or so schools, more than 1,100 times since the pilot program was implemented.

As you might imagine, parents are quite vocal about how they feel on either side. We spoke to some of them in New York just this morning. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If my child was -- if my daughter was a minor, yes, I would want -- I would want to know that she did the plan b.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I think kids are -- they're going to get into trouble. So at least the school can help them out some.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that's absolutely fine. Kids are going to have sex. They've always had sex. And they should have birth control available to them. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think that any kind of contraception, including the morning after pill, will alter teenage behavior. I'm the mother of a teenage boy and kids do what they want to do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Given that the parents can't control whether she has sex or not, she certainly should be able to control that she doesn't get pregnant. I absolutely believe this is a wonderful thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: So there you have it, Brooke. Never a shortage of opinion on the streets of New York City, and particularly about a story as controversial as this one.

Back to you.

BALDWIN: Yes, sitting here looking at my tweets as we've been having a conversation and people are definitely all over it.

CHO: I'm sure.

BALDWIN: Keep tweeting me @brookebcnn. And I'm also wondering, too, as with, you know, issues in New York, if what goes in New York, we could then potentially see elsewhere in the country, Alina Cho.

CHO: Oh, sure. It's is possible.

BALDWIN: It is possible. Alina, thank you very, very much, for me from New York.

CHO: You bet.

BALDWIN: And from baby boomers to the economy, what role should the government play in your life? The presidential candidates have differing views. We hear their thoughts, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: As President Obama and Mitt Romney get ready to face off next week in the first presidential debate, we are sizing up both of these men's positions on issues, including the size of government. Here's Tom Foreman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Here are three reasons why the federal government has grown bigger in the past few years. Because the economy has crashed, forcing more people to rely on government programs like unemployment and food stamps. Because the baby boomers started retiring, collecting Social Security and Medicare. And maybe because Barack Obama is president.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (January 20, 2009): The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works. FOREMAN: From the start, Mr. Obama has clearly believed government is a positive force, that expansion is not bad and that it serves to control what many consider the excesses of the free market.

OBAMA: And without the levening hand of wise policy, markets can crash, monopolies can stifle competition, the vulnerable can be exploited.

FOREMAN: He frequently cautions against unwarranted government growth, yet through the economic stimulus, health care reform and the auto bailout, he has sounded like another Democratic president, Franklin Roosevelt, when the Great Depression insisted that government must protect economic rights.

FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: The right of every family to a decent home, the right to adequate medical care, and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health.

FOREMAN: Flash forward four decades and here comes another president with a very different view.

RONALD REAGAN, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT (January 21, 1981): Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem.

FOREMAN: Ronald Reagan's perspective has dominated Republican thoughts on this matter for years, including Mitt Romney's opposition to Barack Obama.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have a very different approach, the president and I, between a government-dominated society and a society driven by free people pursuing their dreams.

FOREMAN: Romney insists the federal government should be smaller and less intrusive in terms of regulations and taxes. It should expand only when absolutely necessary, and that largely it should keep out of the free market.

ROMNEY: I line up with a smaller government, a less intrusive government, regulations being paired back.

FOREMAN (on camera): Such views on both sides, of course, can make a difference. But here is the catch. For the past century, with few exceptions, the government has been expanding no matter which party has held the White House.

FOREMAN (voice-over): More cabinet positions, more agencies, more spending per citizen, and much of that is driven by things like we mentioned at the start, population growth, economic trends and entitlements, meaning the question is probably not whether the government will keep growing under Mr. Obama or Mr. Romney, but rather how fast.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: And from Washington to Pennsylvania we go. This controversial capital murder case out of there. The question is, should a murder's life be spared because he, too, was a victim? That story is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Now to this capital murder case in Pennsylvania. There is absolutely no question about Terrence Williams' guilt. He murdered a man and, in nine days, he's supposed to die for that crime. But his attorneys say Williams' life should be spared because the man Williams killed, he says, brutalized him as a young boy. Is giving Williams life in prison the right thing to do or is this all the final deception by a desperate man? Here's CNN's Jason Carroll.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Terrence Williams may have less than two weeks to live. He sits in a Pennsylvania prison waiting to find out if a court will stay his execution. In 1984, when Williams was 18 years old, prosecutors say he lured a 56-year-old man, Amos Norwood, to this cemetery as part of a robbery plot, stripped him, tied him up, and beat him to death with a tire iron. But was that all there was to it? Williams' attorneys now say the victim had been routinely sexually abusing the one-time high school football star. A mitigating circumstance they say should have made Williams eligible for a life sentence rather than death. And, they say, the jurors, like Diane Brown, should have known about it.

DIANE BROWN, FORMER JUROR: If we knew about that, I think we would have definitely voted a different way.

CARROLL: Brown questioning why she and the other jurors were not told.

BROWN: I feel betrayed, actually, you know. Like we weren't told -- now that I know more about this case and more about what happened, we weren't given everything that we needed to know to give this guy a fair trial.

CARROLL: A hearing is underway to determine if a stay should be ordered, if the judge finds the state suppressed evidence. Andrea Foulkes, who prosecuted Williams 26 years ago, now telling the court, "did I suspect a sexual connection? Yes, but I had no proof. I had not a scintilla of evidence that Mr. Williams had actually had any sexual relationship with Mr. Norwood." The judge overseeing the hearing referred to Foulkes' own notes where Foulkes referred to Norwood as one of Williams' johns. The notes also showed Foulkes had heard from others about possible incidents of Norwood abusing boys.

ANDREA FOULKES, WILLIAM TRIAL PROSECUTOR: I didn't suppress evidence at all. Never have, and I will never suppress evidence. Been a career prosecutor for 36 years.

CARROLL: Also called to the stand, Williams' admitted accomplice, Marc Draper, who is serving a life sentence. He told the court, "there was a relationship there, and whatever happened, it was because Terry snapped in some sort of way." Draper also alleged prosecutors told him not to mention a sexual relationship during the trial in exchange for parole. Prosecutors called Draper and Williams' stories bold-faced lies.

CARROLL (on camera): Are the three of you confident that this man should be put to death?

RONALD EISENBERG, PHILADELPHIA DEPT. DISTRICT ATTORNEY: The courts are the -- are the -- the agencies that decide that question. And the courts have decided it. This case, with these claims, has already been up and down all the available courts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Let me bring Jason Carroll in live for me in Philadelphia.

So, Jason, the real question I have is, you know, if these -- if these lawyers are arguing that this new detail about the sex abuse should help spare this man's life, where was that during the trial?

CARROLL: Well, that's a good question. And a lot of people are sort of asking the question, you've been following this case, Brooke, why didn't the defense bring it up back in 1984?

Well, Williams' current legal team says the reason why that didn't happen back then is because Williams was assigned his attorney and met his attorney the day before his trial actually got under way.

And those who often deal with people who have been victims of sexual abuse say oftentimes it takes a while for these people to talk about that type of abuse -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Today's day three, Jason, of this hearing, to see, you know if Williams should not be executed. Is this really his last chance to stop the execution?

CARROLL: Essentially, Brooke it really is. I mean, and I want people to understand what is happening during this hearing. Both sides are arguing their cases, prosecution and defense. It is not in front of a jury. It is basically in front of a common pleas court judge.

She is the one who will ultimately rule and there are several options that could happen here, Brooke. She could stay the execution. She could temporarily stay the execution, and ask for a more -- a longer type of hearing to go into more facts, detailing the case.

So there are a lot of options that could happen here, but essentially this is it for him.

BALDWIN: We'll follow it right there with you, in Philadelphia, this week, Jason. This man is quite literally fighting for his life. Jason Carroll, thank you.

Also today, Major Nadal Hasan, that Army psychiatrist charged in the 2009 shooting rampage of Fort Hood, Texas, has been admitted to the hospital. He's in good condition and the base isn't releasing any details about his health, but his court-martial had been scheduled to begin last month.

You remember the story. He's accused of killing those 13 people and wounding 32. But a series of delays prevented the military trial from getting under way.

And in just a couple of hours from now, President Obama sitting down with the ladies of "The View" and critics are blasting him for finding time to meet with Whoopi Goldberg, but not Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu. Reaction live at the U.N. next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Big happenings in New York this week, President Obama scheduled to speak to the United Nations tomorrow, just one day before the president of Iran will address the general assembly.

And our senior United Nations correspondent, Richard Roth is live there for me. And, Richard, I know Piers Morgan has spoken with Ahmadinejad. We're going to play a little part of that interview and talk to Piers about that.

But when -- when Ahmadinejad takes to the podium, you've seen this. We've all seen this. You know, he can launch into a tirade, the delegates up and walk out. Is this something we should expect come tomorrow?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT: You can expect he already spoke today on another subject, not as paramount as his Wednesday remarks. For the last few years western nations walked out when he usually questions how 9/11 occurred and various other statements about Israel, a member country.

So it is almost a Broadway show. You've seen ten times before, this may be his final appearance here, his second term in office is concluding. Ahmadinejad will not really be that loud or crazy.

I mean, that's a caricature that's been put up there. He knows how to speak at a diplomatic forum, but, yes, again, you should see people heading for the exits.

BALDWIN: As we look for that, there is some news coming out of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who apparently has already warned Ahmadinejad to tone it down, tone down his rhetoric. Can you confirm that?

ROTH: Yes, that has been said before, I think, when Ban Ki-moon visited Tehran recently. I don't necessarily expect that to make a difference. I'm not sure the remarks were specifically about the Wednesday speech.

But in general when Ahmadinejad implies that Israel or directly says Israel could be wiped off the face of the map or doesn't exist, they have been trying for years with this.

And certainly with the atmosphere from the cartoon issue, the secretary-general is very angry and frustrated about all of these incidents happening and the damage it does and creates trouble in all of the hot spots of the Middle East.

BALDWIN: Yes, I know Piers asked him about that specifically. We're going to play some of that sound in a bit. You mentioned Iran and Israel, very much so at odds, perhaps an understatement and the U.S. over the nuclear program in Iran.

Domestically, you know, there are some Republican complaints out there that President Obama has, you know, somehow found time to sit down with the ladies on "The View" while he's in town in New York, but he hasn't, you know, set a meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. Is there any talk, any buzz at the United Nations, Richard, about that?

ROTH: Well, they seem to understand that he's in a presidential campaign. I'm not sure they appreciate the talents of Whoopi Goldberg, but I think they are aware of the fact that the president can call his own tune.

It is a little different that the leader of the United States is not having any, quote, "bilateral meetings" that we know of yet. Anything can be switched or arranged.

The Israeli ambassador was just more upset today about Ahmadinejad saying that he's a serial holocaust denier and it is like having an arsonist in your house.

So there are obviously big rifts at times between Washington and Israel over a variety of issues, and Iran is at the center of that.

BALDWIN: Richard Roth for us at the U.N. Thank you, Richard.

Happening right now, as markets stay pretty flat today, look at this here, we can tell you about Facebook. Facebook stock is down a whopping 9 percent. We're going to tell you why next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Happening right now, Facebook stock taking quite a plunge. It is down 9 percent. Alison Kosik live at the New York Stock Exchange. Alison, why? What's behind the drop?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know what, it shows you the power of the media. What happened was over the weekend, there was an article in the publication "Barons" that said Facebook stock price is overpriced and it should be closer to $15 a share.

Right now, Facebook shares are at $20.96. So what happened, well, trades on the Nasdaq, it started tumbling. It tumbled at least 10 percent today. It tripped what are known as circuit breakers at the Nasdaq and those circuit breakers are tripped to keep the stock from falling any more.

The stock has come back a bit. It is now down about 8.3 percent. But, you know, some traders are surprised by the tumble because the article didn't say anything new that they already didn't know that Facebook, you know, has already faced a lot of criticism about not having a clear growth strategy. Most of us access Facebook on our tablets and on mobile devices and the big question is, how is Facebook going to monetize this, how is Facebook going to make money of its mobile users with advertising.

That's nothing new. But for some reason, this article over the weekend certainly spooked investors, they decided to sell of Facebook today -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: OK, 8.3 percent, Facebook stock. Alison Kosik, thank you. We're also told there was some other bad news when it comes to Facebook.

We are getting Dan Simon up. He's our correspondent in Silicon Valley Bureau. So if you're on Facebook, you need to pay attention. That's coming up in just a little bit.

Meantime, a comedy icon is going to join me in a matter of minutes. She is Carol Burnett. Her TV show had America laughing for 11 years. She has now chosen, check this out, this is heavy this is a big old box set, 22 discs, funniest moments she's chosen.

She's going to share a couple of them with us. And she's brought along, there they are, hi, guys, some of her favorite friends. That's next. Don't miss this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: What a total treat for us today. Carol Burnett, she is a lot of things, like a comedy icon.

Who can make Tarzan's famous call of the wild her own. She can also take a secretary --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Come here. Watch my lips. I'm going to say this to you so even a child would understand. No badge, no office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And turn the role into a showcase for the absurd. But most of all, Carol Burnett knows how to make you laugh.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: From television city in Hollywood, it's "The Carol Burnett Show."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: For 11 years, 1967 to 1978, she had one of the most popular shows on television, simply called "The Carol Burnett Show," winner of, count them with me, 25 Emmy Awards, and take a look at this, I showed it to you a minute ago, this is -- this is basically what she herself and her team. They have chosen some of her favorite moment from all the different shows, put them together, this is a 22-disc box set. So, Carol is joining me right now from New York, brought along some of her good older friends, co-stars from her show, Vicki Lawrence and Tim Conway.

So, Carol, Vicki, Tim, hello, welcome. I'm pinching myself at all three of you legends are sitting here joining me on the show.

BURNETT: We wish you were here.

BALDWIN: I wish I was there as well. This will have to do. And, Carol, let me just begin with, you know, with 11 years of shows, how the heck do you begin to choose your favorites? Like choosing between children, your favorite children?

BURNETT: No, that was tough. I think what it is -- I have a pretty good memory about some of the sketches that I really love, and I have a pretty good memory about is some of them I did not like.

So I tried to do the ones that I could remember that had -- not the whole show might not have been that great, but there might be two or three segments that were really outstanding.

And sometimes I would choose things because of a special guest and so forth, but I just remember some of the favorite ones that I had, so that's what we did.

BALDWIN: So let me just play one. This is one of the reoccurring skits. This was, you know, the family. So we'll take a peek and then we'll chat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICKI LAWRENCE, CO-STAR, "THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW": Hello, mom.

BURNETT: Hi, Dear.

LAWRENCE: What a surprise! And Ann, well, it's been so long. It's been too long.

TIM CONWAY, CO-STAR, "THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW": Long time, no see. How's tricks?

LAWRENCE: Tricks are fine, Ed. I cannot get over how small this place looks. Isn't that always the way, Eunice, when you've been away from a place for a long time?

BURNETT: Well, I wouldn't know. You see I come over here to visit Mama fairly often, Ellen.

LAWRENCE: And I don't come over enough. What fun, you telling me how to conduct my life again?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Vicky, Mama, how did you keep this fresh week after week? LAWRENCE: They were so well written. They were little plays, just beautifully written. The part of Mama was written for Carol and she didn't want it, I often said it was yet another gift from her. And I think the mother is this functional mother, everybody knows, is the centerpiece of every family.

BALDWIN: What these functional mothers know, come on, let me play you something. You mentioned, Carol, some of the big stars, right, huge at the time, some would go on to be really, really huge, like this guy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONWAY: That's a sign of peace.

BURNETT: Ask him where he's from.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Steve Martin, this was 1978. This was his wild and crazy guy phase. How do you keep a straight face when you're staring at Steve Martin or when wearing that?

BURNETT: I'm OK with that. Where I'm not OK is with Tim Conway.

BALDWIN: Tim, how did you keep a straight face?

CONWAY: Well, I'm a very compassionate actor, and have gone to many dramatic schools, and --

BALDWIN: I see Vicki laughing. She's laughing at you.

LAWRENCE: He is the troublemaker. He was -- of all of us, the non- rehearser and the troublemaker.

CONWAY: Blame, blame, blame, yes. I enjoyed breaking up Harvey because he is very poor performer and quite easy to break up. So we had quite a good time on that show.

BALDWIN: Can we talk about the dress? Let's talk about the dress. So iconic --

CONWAY: I don't wear it anymore. I like to --

BALDWIN: Hold on. Let me -- people don't know what the dress is. Roll the clip, guys. Roll the clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: What brings you to Tara?

CONWAY: You, you vixen, you. Scarlet, I love you. That gown is gorgeous.

BURNETT: Thank you. I sought it in a window and I just couldn't resist. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Carol, tell me this story, the back story, how did this dress come to be?

BURNETT: Well, the back story it was a wonderful sketch, a takeoff on "Gone with the Wind," as you know. So they had written that Scarlett runs up the stairs with the draperies and then I would come back down with them, just kind of hanging on me, right, which would have been OK.

But I went into costume fittings on Wednesday, we taped on Friday, and Bob Mackey said, I have an idea. Our costume designer and sure enough I went in there and there he had the curtain rod, the whole thing.

And I fell on the floor, I just said, well, this is probably going to be one of the funniest sight gags you could ever see. It was just genius on his part.

BALDWIN: Who, this question really is to -- I love to hear all three of you weigh in, in terms of comedy, physical comedy and who today in 2012 you could see wearing a dress like that, I mean, who is performing right now that you really love?

BURNETT: Gosh, man, Tina Fey, Steve Carell.

LAWRENCE: Steve. Jane Lynch.

CONWAY: I have a neighbor that can be --

BURNETT: Jon Hamm. Could you get me Jon Hamm and bring him here right now, please?

BALDWIN: I will do what I can. Can I, before I let you all go, Carol, can I get the ear tug?

BURNETT: Sure. I may pull this thing out that you put in my ear, but here we go. There you go.

BALDWIN: Wow. Wow. Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, Tim Conway, truly a pleasure and honor. Thank you, all, so, so much.

BURNETT: Thanks, Brooke.

LAWRENCE: Thank you, Brooke.

CONWAY: Thank you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Right now, some of the world's most powerful people, we just saw some of the world's funniest to the most powerful. They're in New York City, getting ready to meet at the United Nations, including the man at the center of a nuclear standoff, Iran's president sat down with Piers Morgan and the interview got very, well, provocative. We'll play a clip next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BALDWIN: Iran' president doesn't speak to the United Nations until this Wednesday, but as we mentioned, he is already talking to CNN. What he has to say is as provocative as ever.

Piers Morgan sat down and got this exclusive interview with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran, over this past weekend. One of the big talk topics they talked about, Iran's attempts to develop nuclear technology and Israel's hints of a possible preemptive strike.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PIERS MORGAN, HOST, CNN'S "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT": If Israel launches a strike against your country, what will your response be?

PRESIDENT MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, IRAN (through translator): The response of Iran is quite clear. I don't need to explain that. Any question and any nation has the right and will defend herself, but my question is this.

Why should the world be managed in such a way that an individual can allow himself to threaten a rich and deeply rooted historical ancient country such as Iran, a great country such as Iran based on an excuse of his own fabrication.

So anyone can do this. Another country can say I am guessing that country B is doing activity X, therefore I will --

MORGAN: Do you fear, Mr. President --

AHMADINEJAD (through translator): I will attack that country. Can this be a successful formula for the management of the world?

MORGAN: Do you fear war is imminent? Do you fear there will be military conflict, perhaps even before the end of this year, between your country and Israel?

AHMADINEJAD (through translator): Of course, the Zionists are very much -- very adventure some, very much seeking to fabricate things and I think they see themselves at the end of the line. And I do firmly believe that they seek to create new opportunities for themselves and their adventurist behaviors.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Piers will join me live in just a couple of minutes to talk a little bit more about this interview with Ahmadinejad and also make sure you watch his complete interview tonight, 9:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.

For months they have attacked each other on the campaign trail and soon they'll do it face to face. We're now getting a preview of what a debate will look like between President Obama and Mitt Romney. I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.

As the investigation unfolds into the death of a U.S. ambassador, the Obama administration defends itself against criticism. Plus, it is a multibillion dollar industry, but there are serious concerns now that a ragtag team of refs is disgracing the NFL.

And Smokey Robinson joins me live on why he and former President Bill Clinton are teaming up.

And here we go, top of hour two, Brooke Baldwin, thank you for being with me. Mitt Romney just finished a speech in Pueblo, Colorado.

Let's listen to Mitt Romney, his voice getting hoarse here, 43 days before the election. Mitt Romney spinning out a series of campaign promises just moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: We're going to see more jobs. We're going to see more take home pay. You're going to see your kids when they graduate from high school or graduate from college, they're going to be jobs waiting for them. We're going to make sure all of you who are waiting or living paycheck to paycheck, you'll finally be able to save a little bit, put a little aside. You'd be able to go to the movies again, go out to dinner. Look, this is the way it's --