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Most Successful Doping Program Ever Seen; Attack Impossible To Defend; Romney Muddies Stand On Abortion; Battle Over 2,000 Plus Tanks; Official: Attack Impossible To Defend; What Was Said When; Supreme Court Weighs Affirmative Action; ISS Robotic Arm Grabs Dragon; Another Deadly Day In Syria; Teen Girl Activist Shot by Taliban

Aired October 10, 2012 - 14:00   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Got some breaking news for you at the top of the hour. Welcome. I'm Brooke Baldwin here.

Here's what we know. Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong and his cycling team today being accused of running -- and let me just quote this here -- quote, "the most sophisticated professionalized and successful doping program that sport of cycling has ever seen." Those are the words of the U.S. anti-doping agency, the USADA, which is about to release 1,000 pages, 1,000 pages of evidence in this long running effort to prove that the cycling great cheated by using performance enhancing drugs.

We have Don Riddell. He's here with me. He anchors "World Sport" on CNN International.

So, welcome to you.

DON RIDDELL, ANCHOR, "WORLD SPORT": Thank you.

BALDWIN: We also have Bill Strickland, editor-at-large, "Bicycling" magazine. The author of "Tour de Lance."

So, Bill Strickland, let me -- I want to begin with you because I want you to explain to me, in terms of specifics, if were -- I read the statement from the USADA CEO pointing to undeniable proof of this doping conspiracy. What kind of evidence is there?

BILL STRICKLAND, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, BICYCLING MAGAZINE (via telephone): Well, we know that there's testimony from (INAUDIBLE) riders. They released the names of 11 of those. One of those is George Hamby , the long time -- and really the most loyal -- (INAUDIBLE) and George earlier today had a (INAUDIBLE) announcement, (INAUDIBLE) confirming that he gave testimony he had doped during his career and he also gave testimony --

BALDWIN: Bill, forgive me. Bill, forgive me. We have to pull away because I'm sort of hearing every third word of yours. So let's work on your audio.

And, Don, Don Riddell, let's go to you. If you can sort of fill in the blanks. He started mentioning, you know, these 11 riders whose names have been listed here on this statement. Run down this evidence for me.

RIDDELL: Yes, I mean, there's been rumors right throughout Lance Armstrong's career that he was doping. I mean particularly in France. The French journalists hated the fact not only that he was winning all their titles, but that they thought he was cheating to do so. But he always managed to evade direct proof because he passed hundreds and hundreds of drug tests. And that was always his defense, that I do these tests --

BALDWIN: Right, he said that's the proof.

RIDDELL: They knock on my door in the middle of the night. They come in. I do the test. I always pass. But, you know, one of his former teammates, Tyler Hamilton, has said, well, I was cheating and I passed hundreds of tests as well. And USADA is now saying they have so much evidence against him. I mean here is the list. They say they've got eyewitness, documentary, firsthand, scientific, direct and circumstantial evidence and testimony from 11 former teammates. They've got 15 riders on record, 26 people in total have given sworn testimony. It doesn't look at all good for Lance, does it?

BALDWIN: It doesn't at all, especially when he's quoted from this USADA statement. Lance Armstrong was given the same opportunity to come forward and be part of the solution. He rejected it. What have we heard? What has CNN heard from Lance Armstrong or his attorneys?

RIDDELL: Well, you know, he had the opportunity earlier this year to fight the charge. He said no. He basically thinks it's a witch- hunt. It's a kangaroo court. He thinks he can't win anyway. He thinks the whole system is set up to get him and to target him. So he doesn't think he can win. So he'd rather just not play.

But, you know, his attorney did release a statement last night, you know, basically trotting out the same line, USADA has continued its efforts to coheres and manufacture evidence from other riders through threats and sweetheart deals and generated self-serving media coverage through leaks and piecemeal release of tired, disproven allegations. I don't think Lance Armstrong is ever going to admit it. All the other riders that were doping in this era have put their hands up. They all want to fix the sport and move on. But I don't know if Lance Armstrong's ever going to put his hands up.

BALDWIN: Let me ask the same question to Bill Strickland. Bill, I understand we have you on the phone now. Bill, the same question to you. You know, what are you hearing, if anything? You wrote the book on -- it's called "Tour de Lance." How do you think he will, if ever, respond to this conspiracy?

STRICKLAND: Yes, my understanding from talking to Lance previous to all this is that he's not interested in ever admitting to his guilt and he just wants to move on right now. He has, I think, despite this evidence and despite all the evidence that has come out, a strong core of people who believe in him and will always believe in him because of his link to fighting cancer. So he just wants to move on. He's -- he's --

BALDWIN: But, Bill, is that possible? Is that possible for him to totally move on?

STRICKLAND: It might be possible. You know, certainly he's not going to be able to move on within the sport. It seems likely that all of his tour victories will be stripped. He won't be allowed to participate in any sports that are signatory through WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency. But he's found a few triathlons to do in the meantime. The real question is, if the USADA case will now lead to a reopening of the criminal case that was closed.

BALDWIN: So if that then happens, what is next in terms of legal recourse, if anything?

STRICKLAND: Well, yes, what's next is years and years of fighting if the criminal case is reopened.

BALDWIN: I want to go back -- Don, let me go back to -- and, Bill, just sit tight with me. I want to go back to these riders and just quoting this USADA CEO statement. "It took tremendous courage for the riders on the USPS team and others to come forward and speak truthfully. It is not easy to admit your mistakes and accept your punishment, but this is what these riders have done for the good of the sport." So is the implication here that among these riders they were in on it as well?

RIDDELL: Oh, of course. I mean it's been well known that cyclists have cheated and it has been well known for many, many years. The real question was always, was Lance doing it as well. And it now looks as though he was. I mean you've got George Hincapie, one of his most loyal friends and teammates, who's also put his hands up. And, you know, he said, when he joined the sport, he actually felt like he didn't have any other choice. He said everyone was cheating. I hated the fact that I had to make that choice. I hated the fact that I had to cheat as well. But I did. I don't -- I'm not proud of it. I sincerely regret it. And he is now trying to do everything he can, or so he says, to fix the sport. He says he's been cycling clean for the last six years.

So, yes, I think it's just assumed now that everybody was cheating. We did some research when this story broke earlier in this year which was, if they were to strip Lance of the seven Tour de France titles, who would they give them to? In the seven years that he won, the four riders behind him have all failed drug tests of some kind either then or since. So, I mean, who do you even give these titles to? If you strip him of the title, you're almost just throwing them away and saying those years didn't count.

BALDWIN: Bill, 20 seconds. Does this forever leave a black mark on the sport of cycling?

STRICKLAND: Oh, it certainly does. It's, you know, it's like the Black Sox scandal in baseball. I think this is a Seminole moment, not just for cycling, but for sports with performance enhancing doping in sport. BALDWIN: Bill Strickland, editor-at-large, "Bicycling" magazine, and Don Riddell, CNN International "World Sport." Guys, thank you. Thank you both.

I do want to take you here from this breaking news to some news happening. White House daily briefing. Jay Carney talking about the attack, Benghazi, Libya, from about a month ago. Let's just -- let's dip in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, REPORTER: That there was inadequate security at the consulate at the time of the attacks.

JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think there is no question that when four Americans are killed at a diplomatic facility that something went wrong. And that is why we need to assess through the accountability review board the security posture there, the security posture of other facilities around the world, especially in areas that are dangerous as certainly Libya in this post revolution stage and this period of transition in that country is.

And that's absolutely a focus of the president's concern right now, is that we make sure that our diplomatic personnel, who go abroad, just like our military personnel, but sometimes Americans aren't as aware of it. A lot of diplomats go to very dangerous places and take enormous risks because they're serving their country and they're serving the interests of the American people abroad, because it is in our interests that America be represented in a country like Libya, a country that the United States and its people played a role in liberating from a tyrant. It is in our interests for diplomats, as well as military personnel, to be in dangerous places around the world, working to bring about democratic change and working to protect the American people.

BALDWIN: Jay Carney speaking there. White House daily briefing. You're looking at these two pictures. On the right-hand side, this is House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrel Issa. Part of this huge, huge hearing that's been taking place on The Hill today. You know, organizers say they are finding facts and critics say it is all about finding fault with the Obama administration with 27 days left until the presidential election.

So the goal of this hearing -- and, again, these are live pictures -- is to learn what exactly happened in Benghazi, in Libya, in the months before and the day of the September 11th attacks in these two compounds. The U.S. consulate there on the left, and also that safe house just about half a mile away. You know the story. Four Americans killed, U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, Foreign Service Officer Sean Smith and Security Officers Glen Doherty and Ty Woods.

The chair of the government committee that initiated this hearing opened up by saying the State Department was, quote, "coming clean" as it released new details just last night. Those details include officials saying that attack at the consulate in Benghazi was impossible to defend. And today a regional security officer testified the assault was something the United States had never seen before at a diplomatic outpost. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC NORDSTROM, STATE REGIONAL SECURITY OFFICER: I had not seen an attack of such ferocity and intensity previously in Libya, nor in my time with the Diplomatic Security Service. I'm concerned that this attack signals a new security reality, just as the 1983 Beirut Marine barracks bombings did for the Marines, the 1998 east Africa embassy bombings did for the State Department, and 9/11 did for our entire country. However, we must remember that it is critical that we balance our risk mitigation efforts with the needs of our diplomats to do their jobs. The answer cannot be to operate from a bunker.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Also revealed in this hearing still underway on The Hill, how officials in Benghazi asked for more security at the consulate but were denied. The committee member who just returned from Libya just this past weekend says there were plenty of signs the risk in Benghazi was growing. He is Congressman Jason Chaffetz. He spoke of two attacks before that day, before September 11th.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JASON CHAFFETZ (R), UTAH: It was a test by terrorists and it was successful. And we didn't respond fully and adequately. We didn't acknowledge it. We didn't talk about it. We pretended it didn't happen. It was a terrorist attack on a U.S. asset in Libya. And it was never exposed. We pretended it didn't happen.

Well, guess what, the third time the terrorists came to attack us, they were even more successful, killing four Americans. I believe, personally, with more assets, more resources, just meeting the minimum standards, we could have and should have saved the life of Ambassador Stevens and the other people that were there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Want to talk to foreign affairs correspondent Elise Labott, who I know is watching this hearing throughout the day.

And, Elise, I have to say, I talked to Congressman Chaffetz just yesterday. I read the letter that he and Chairman Issa sent to, you know, Secretary Clinton pointing out point by point by point, going through the dates of all these instances in which IEDs were thrown, et cetera, you know, saying basically the security was not there. How is the State Department responding?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS REPORTER: Well, Brooke, the State Department is trying to respond. I mean we spoke to, as you said, some senior officials last night who went by a kind of blow by blow account of the attack, both on the main compound and the annex a half a mile away.

Basically what they're saying is, no amount of security could have prevented this attack. That they were outmanned by kind of four to one. There were about 40 guards. Basically today, Brooke, this was a really politically charged hearing. It reminded me more of kind of "L.A. Law" and a cross examination than really trying to, you know, let the State Department make their explanation, whether you believe it or not, whether you believe in the end their explanations or not really cutting off the witnesses a lot. There was a lot of grandstanding by some members of the committee. And I think what's really going to happen is, I don't necessarily know if this investigation by the Oversight Committee is going to be the final word in what happens with this investigation.

There's also an independent review board that's been appointed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, really stellar people whose integrity and credibility is beyond reproach in Washington and around the world, are going to ask the same exact questions of these witnesses and will then make attack and then I think the American people will try to piece all of this together and see what happened, whether it could have been prevented, and what can be done -- most importantly, Brooke, what could be done next time to make sure that this doesn't happen again.

BALDWIN: Sure. And you point out "L.A. Law" and I know a lot of Democrats are saying, look, this is just total, you know, political theater here today. But in terms --

LABOTT: On both sides. On both sides.

BALDWIN: On both sides, let's be fair. But in terms of the actual investigation, Elise, has anyone been arrested that's accused of direct involvement in the deaths of those four Americans?

LABOTT: There have been about four Libyans that have been arrested in Libya. I'm not sure if they're actual Libyan citizens, but I should just say people have been arrested by the Libyans. Not really sure whether the U.S. has had access to these individuals.

There's also been two individuals arrested in Turkey that Defense Secretary Panetta has said that the U.S. is looking with interest and possible connection with these attacks. So no real hard suspects yet. Clearly there is going to be a lot more investigating and a lot more piecing of this together.

I thought one other thing, Brooke. I thought what was really interesting is one of the women at the State Department, Charlene Lamb , who was a security official, who was the one that made -- denied these requests, I think there are going to be some real accountability today over what happened. The buck really stopped with this woman. These didn't go up to the chain of command. And I think that's one of the things that this review board will be looking at.

BALDWIN: OK, Elise Labott for us. Elise, we'll keep watching, of course, the hearings today, still on The Hill. Elise, thank you.

As polls tighten and now move toward Mitt Romney, did the Republican just move toward the middle on the controversial issue of abortion? I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is, I think, Paul's first debate. I may be wrong. He may have done something in high school. I don't know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: You see, that's not correct. Why? Because I'll be speaking live with the very first congressional opponent Paul Ryan ever debated.

Plus, prepared for war. Everything from body bags to billy clubs found in one passenger's luggage.

And, a teenage girl takes on the Taliban and ends up the target.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: This just in to us here at CNN. South Carolina's voter ID law has been upheld, but South Carolina voters will have to -- will not have to show photo ID to cast ballots in next month's election. So, you get that here? This three judge panel, this federal panel ruled in favor of the photo ID law but decided there's not quite enough time to implement it before the election. It says the law does not discriminate against minorities as the Justice Department had argued. As you know, voter ID battles are being waged in several states and today's ruling further clouds the issue.

Mitt Romney appears to be fuzing his stance on abortion and it's less than a month before the election here. Take a look. Mitt Romney, Mt. Vernon, Ohio, today. He appeared there late this morning with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Romney is now saying that signing legislation to limit a woman's right to get an abortion would not -- would not be part of his presidential agenda.

Now, that kind of wording leaves him a lot of wiggle room. So we want to try to nail down exactly what Mitt Romney is saying. But first, let's look at Mitt Romney's evolving stance on abortion. We're going to first take you way back to 2002 when he was pro abortion rights.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (2002): I will preserve and protect a woman's right to choose and am devoted and dedicated to honoring my word in that regard. I will not change any provisions of Massachusetts' pro choice laws.

ROMNEY (2007): I would welcome a circumstance where there was such a consensus in this country that we say we don't want to have abortion in this country at all, period. That would be wonderful. I'd be delighted.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you sign that bill?:

ROMNEY: I'd be -- let me say it. I'd be delighted to sign that bill. But that's not where we are. That's not where America is today. Where America is, is ready to overturn Roe v. Wade and return to the states' that authority. But if the Congress got there, we had that kind of consensus in that country, terrific.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Do you intend to pursue any legislation specifically regarding abortion?

ROMNEY: I don't -- there's no legislation with regarding -- regards to abortion that I'm familiar with that would become part of my agenda.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, to review, 2002, he says, quote, "I will preserve and protect a woman's right to choose." 2007, quote, "I would be delighted to sign legislation banning abortion." And just yesterday, quote, "there is no legislation regarding abortion that would become part of my agenda." That's a cliff notes version for you today on Mitt Romney's evolution on abortion.

Jim Acosta, he is with the Romney campaign on a bus somewhere in central Ohio.

And, Jim, this latest statement here on abortion, it seems to conflict not only with some of what Romney has previously said dating, you know, years back, but then you also have his spokeswoman Andrea Saul on the very same day saying this, quote, "Governor Romney would of course support legislation aimed at providing greater protects for life."

Jim Acosta, I'm confused. Fill me in.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Well, Brooke, let me tell you first what the Romney campaign has said about all of this. Andrea Saul, you just mentioned her a few moments ago, a spokeswoman for the Romney campaign, when she was first asked about this by "The National Review," she gave this statement that Governor Romney would, of course, support legislation aimed at providing greater protections for life. But when she was contacted by CNN, she gave a different statement and said that Mitt Romney is proudly pro- life and will be a pro-life president.

And you might be wondering what's the distinction here. And I think this might explain why your -- you know, you and many other viewers out there might be confused as just to where he stands on this issue. Mitt Romney, if you listen very carefully to what he said to "The Des Moines Register," he talks about legislation. Well, that's very different as you and I know, Brooke, from supporting nominees to the Supreme Court who would outlaw abortion, who would overturn Roe v. Wade. That's very different than supporting legislation that would try to do that in Congress. And so I think that might be the distinction there that Mitt Romney is going for.

As you mentioned just a few moments ago, he has evolved on this issue over the years and Romney has not shied away from that. He admitted back in 2004 that when he was governor of Massachusetts that he had had a conversion on this issue. BALDWIN: Yes.

ACOSTA: It was when he was basically told about what happened to embryos during stem cell research. That is when he says he had an epiphany on the issue of life. And from then on forward, he has been pretty staunchly anti-abortion.

BALDWIN: So, let me just jump in because, you know, you know, you say distinction, we could call it nuance, you know, that the nuance on this abortion issue is cropping up just as the president and his supporters are accusing Romney of, you know, flip-flopping. Flip- flopping on all kinds of items since, really, you know, debate number one.

ACOSTA: That's right.

BALDWIN: And we have some sound. Let me just play this. First, this is Bill Clinton, and then President Obama, both talking about that. First, Bill Clinton.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I thought, wow, here's old moderate Mitt. Where you been, boy? I missed you all these last few years.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (voice-over): Governor Romney put forward a whole bunch of stuff that either involved him running away from positions that he had taken, or doubling down on thing like Medicare vouchers that are going to hurt him long term.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, Jim, does the nuance here on abortion by Romney, does it play into what the president, what others are saying, that Romney's essentially reinventing himself here, you know, 27 days before the election?

ACOSTA: Well, the Romney campaign would argue, no. But you are right that the Obama campaign is starting to seize on this. The Obama campaign had a conference call earlier this morning and they latched Stephanie Cutter, a deputy campaign manager, latched on to something that Mitt Romney said at the CPAC conference back in February of this year when Mitt Romney said he was a severely conservative governor. Stephanie Cutter said on that conference call that, quote, "his severely conservative positions that got him through the GOP primary are still there. Now he's just trying to cover them up."

And so what they're saying is that Mitt Romney is still very much a conservative, but he is trying to move to the middle with precious little time left in this election to appeal to swing voters and independent voters, undecideds out there.

And, Brooke, I have to tell you, there's something else that Mitt Romney has been doing out on the campaign trail the last several days to appeal to those undecided and swing voters.

BALDWIN: What's that?

ACOSTA: He's been opening up. He's been opening up and telling emotional stories about himself, talking about friends who have died over the year and their stories that he says that touched his life and inspired him. And he's also talked about the deaths of soldiers, fallen soldiers, whose lives and whose stories inspired him as well.

And I have to tell you, Brooke, some of this is starting to become some news today. Mitt Romney, in the last couple of days, has been talking about former Navy SEAL Glen Doherty, who was killed in that diplomat --

BALDWIN: Got a little emotional.

ACOSTA: That's right, got -- he got a little emotional yesterday in Iowa. He told the story last night. He told it again this afternoon. Glen Doherty died in that consulate attack in Benghazi last month. Well, I have to tell you that the mother of that Navy SEAL has asked the Romney campaign, for the former Massachusetts governor to stop telling that story. She said in an interview with WHDH TV in Boston that she doesn't trust Romney and that he shouldn't make her son's death part of his political agenda. She said, quote, "it's wrong to use these brave, young men who wanted freedom for all to degrade Obama," end quote. And I reached out to Andrea Saul with the Romney campaign and she said that they respect the wishes of Mrs. Doherty and the campaign confirms to CNN that he will no longer be telling that story.

BALDWIN: OK.

ACOSTA: So it is interesting to see, you know, Mitt Romney sort of making some of these adjustments to his campaign speeches. Some of them going over well. Some of them not going over so well, Brooke.

BALDWIN: OK. So they will be respecting the mother's wishes to please stop telling the story about her fallen son.

ACOSTA: That's right.

BALDWIN: Jim Acosta for us in the mother of all swing states in Ohio on a bus. Jim, we appreciate it.

A quick reminder to all of you. Please stay with us. Stay with CNN for debate night in America. Tomorrow night, the big night, Vice President Joe Biden and Congressman Paul Ryan get their turn to tackle the issues facing the country. The vice presidential debate tomorrow night. Coverage, CNN, begins 7:00 Eastern. And, of course, click on to cnn.com as well.

Someone in the Army had an idea that could save billions with a b, billions of dollars and it involves this. What is this, you ask? CNN gets rare access to an area holding thousands of U.S. Army tanks and we'll tell you who wanted to save the money and who said stand- down. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Taxpayers on the hook it refurbish more than 2,000 tanks that the Army admits they don't really need. I'm talking tanks here, built in the 1980s, collecting dust, just sitting in the parking lot.

So who exactly is telling the Army it needs to update the tanks when it says we can save billions if we don't? Drew Griffin investigates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is a remarkable site, parked in the California desert, more than 2,000 of them, row upon row of M-1 Abrams tanks, built by General Dynamics, beginning in the 1980s. Most of them are still ready to roll.

So when the U.S. Army's budget folks sat down to make some tough decisions about what to cut, they saw a great opportunity. Postpone what they said would be a $3 billion expense, the refurbishing of hundreds of these tanks at this general dynamics plant in Lima, Ohio.

U.S. Army's chief of staff marched up to Capitol Hill with a great idea.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Lima, it would cost us $2.8 billion to keep it open. Our tank fleet is in good shape. We don't need to -- because the great support we have gotten over the last few years.

GRIFFIN (on camera): So who decided the general was wrong? That he actually does need more tanks? I'll give you one word, Congress.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Congress, Drew Griffin, this is one piece of the whole thing. We can watch this on cnn.com. I know this has gotten all kinds of attention online. People want to know what the government is doing with the taxpayer dollar. But why is Congress doing this? Why are they expanding when they should be slashing?

GRIFFIN: You know, that is a good question and that's why people are so outraged on this. It is catching on, online, our story because it is easy to understand, Brooke, outside the beltway.

Inside beltway up on Capitol Hill, when they try to explain the unexplainable they tell you it's complicated, it's complex, lots of lobbyists are hired.

General Dynamics spent lots money on Capitol Hill to keep this project going, they spent some cash at certain time and they got it through Congress. Congress telling the U.S. Army, no, no, we're not going to listen to you, you keep the tanks rolling.

BALDWIN: And when we say Congress, we're not talking about just Republicans. We're not talking about just Democrats. We're talking both parties.

GRIFFIN: We're talking about 173 members of Congress who signed this letter, urging the Pentagon to keep this line of tanks going. And 137 of them got money from General Dynamics.

Bipartisan support to keep spending your money and everybody looks at this and says, how are we ever going to cut the budget when we can't even agree to cut what the Army says they don't want?

BALDWIN: Two thousand tanks in the desert.

GRIFFIN: That's a lot of them.

BALDWIN: Drew Griffin, thank you. Just a quick note for all of you, the piece as Drew pointed out getting huge, huge traction online. To see how the entire investigation played out, go to cnn.com.

And on Capitol Hill, getting testy, lawmakers grilling the Obama administration over its handling of the attack on the consulate in Benghazi. You are about to hear how the administration changed its answers about what happened over the course of just a couple of weeks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: A congressional hearing on Capitol Hill about what exactly happened on September 11th of this year, in Benghazi, with the four Americans including the U.S. ambassador to Libya were killed at the U.S. Consulate and at a safe house.

This is how the hearing started. Committee Chairman Darrell Issa makes a pointed note.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPRESENTATIVE DARRELL ISSA (R), OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM CHAIRMAN: It had never been the State Department's position, I repeat, never been the State Department's position, that in fact this assault was part of a reaction to a video.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So this video as you know is the one that mocked the Muslim Prophet Muhammad. But the chairman's statement does not apparently jive with the public statements made by Obama administration officials.

So I want you to just see for yourself, from this compilation of what they said right here on CNN, and what they said on NBC and how these attacks evolved from a spontaneous event to an act of terrorism.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: Some have sought to justify this vicious behavior along with the protests that took place at our embassy in Cairo yesterday as a response to inflammatory material posted on the internet.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The United States condemns in the strongest terms this outrageous and shocking attack. No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation.

SUSAN RICE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: Our current best assessment based on the information that we have at present is that in fact what this began as was a spontaneous, not a premeditated response to what had transpired in Cairo.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: What we do know is that the natural protests that arose because of the outrage over the video were used as an excuse by extremists to see if they can also directly harm U.S. interests.

CLINTON: What happened in Benghazi was a terrorist attack and we will not rest until we have tracked down and brought to justice the terrorists who murdered four Americans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a terrorist attack because a group of terrorists obviously conducted that attack on the consulate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: And we will have much more here coming up. I'll speak live with Fran Townsend, CNN national security contributor who has been breaking news on every step along the way here on this story.

She is going to join me at the top of the hour to tell me what she is hearing about security just before that attack in Benghazi. Definitely stick around for that.

Coming up next, considering race is a factor for college admissions. The makeup of the Supreme Court has changed since affirmative action was last considered. And today the case went to the nation's highest court.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Question, should your race or ethnicity be considered when you apply to college? Hours ago, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on a case that could change affirmative action as we know it. Here is the young woman who started this whole legal fight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABIGAIL FISHER, FILED LAWSUIT AGAINST UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS: I hope the court rules that a student's race and ethnicity should not be considered when applying to the University of Texas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: She is Abigail Fisher. She claims the University of Texas at Austin rejected her college application back in 2008 based upon a policy that she says is unfair to white applicants. Let's take you to the Supreme Court, to Joe Johns there, following the case for us. And, Joe, how did the justices react today to the arguments?

JOE JOHNS, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: You know, the school actually says even if you throw out the issue of race, you wouldn't have gotten in, which is an interesting point there, Brooke.

But overall I think you can say the justices behaved very predictably and in any case before you listen to the -- you go to court, you listen to their questions, during the arguments, try to get a sense of where they might come down when the opinion is written.

And what I heard is the justices on the right taking a critical view, expressing a lot of skepticism about the use of race preferences in college admissions, Chief Justice Roberts hammering one of the attorneys about the seeming absurdity of trying to determine classroom diversity of students who come from mixed race families.

A lot of skepticism expressed about how a university can use any metrics at all to try to determine when it reached the right mix of minority students to achieve diversity, what is called critical mass, part of the law for years.

On the left, Justices Sotomayor, Ginsburg and Breyer questioning whether attempts to measures diversity and the mix takes you back to racial quotas, which is something the court already said it is against.

So, Brooke, a real struggle at the court today, I think the headline is that racial preferences and higher education definitely came under attack today.

BALDWIN: So let's just remind everyone, what was it? Ten years ago, when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld affirmative action, less than, it was 2003, what has changed since then?

JOHNS: You're right. This case is factually similar to that University of Michigan case nine years ago. What has changed is the court, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the majority opinion nine years ago upholding diversity as a compelling interest.

O'Connor is no longer on the court. Today, the person to watch is the Justice Anthony Kennedy, who isn't against the idea, but hasn't found the affirmative action program that is narrowly tailored enough for him to really like it.

BALDWIN: What about the fact that Justice Elana Kagan, she has recused herself here. So that means there could be a tie. They could decide, you know, four justices one way, four another. What happens in that case?

JOHNS: Well, in that case, the previous precedent stands. So the University of Michigan case from nine years ago would continue to be the law of the land if they ended up in a 4-4 tie.

BALDWIN: All right, Joe Johns, thank you very much, U.S. Supreme Court today.

Also this, miles above the earth, a Dragon, sort of, has latched on to the International Space Station. We're going to tell you how this changes everything about the space program.

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BALDWIN: Today, a big first for our nation's space program.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have tamed the Dragon. We're happy she's on board with us.

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BALDWIN: The Dragon capsule launched just this week from private space entity Spacex, now officially is attached to the ISS, the International Space Station, marking the very first commercial cargo mission.

Astronauts were able to maneuver the robotic arm to grab the capsule this morning. The unmanned capsule contains about a thousand pounds of supplies for astronauts aboard the ISS including as we learned earlier this week, a little treat for them, some ice cream.

And then that just hangs out at the space station for two and a half weeks before it is packed full of experiments and failed parts and then shipped back to earth.

She stood up and she has the right to be educated. So the Taliban then shot this teenage girl. The never before seen interview with her is next.

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BALDWIN: Another deadly day in Syria's ongoing civil war. Opposition activists say at least 131 people have been killed across the country and this comes on the heels of a bombing just yesterday that claimed 197 Syrian lives.

Meantime, the "New York Times" is reporting that the U.S. military has secretly sent 150 specialists to Jordan to help deal with the estimated 180,000 Syrian refugees who have flooded into the country.

And now to this young woman so many of you I know are following here. Malala Yousufzai is one tough young woman. Malala is that 14-year-old Pakistani girl, singled out on a school bus by Taliban gunmen who asked about her by name, then shot her point blank.

Her offense, speaking out, posing a threat to the Taliban by telling the world she has a right to be educated. As I said, this young woman is tough and you're about to hear from her. But first, Reza Sayah has an update on the effort to now save her life -- Reza. REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, it took three hours of surgery, but a neurosurgeon tells us that he successfully removed a bullet that was lodged in the neck and shoulder area and he's 90 percent sure that she will recover.

This was an attack that outraged much of Pakistan throughout the day. Pakistanis were trashing the Taliban on social media, Twitter and the newspaper, in the streets. This is a girl that many people here in Pakistan know.

Outside of Pakistan, you may not have heard of her. Late last year we got a chance to sit down and talk to her and once you meet her and listen to her speak, you really get an idea why she inspired so many people. Here is a look at our interview.

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SAYAH: So why do you risk your life to raise your voice?

MALALA YOUSUFZAI, EDUCATION ACTIVIST: Because I taught that my people need me and I should raise my voice because if I didn't raise my voice, no one will raise their voice.

SAYAH: Some people might say you're 14. You don't have any rights, just to listen to your mom and dad.

YOUSUFZAI: No, I have the right to education. I have the right to play. I have the right to sing. I have the right to talk. I have the right to go to market. I have the right to speak up.

SAYAH: What if you give that advice to a girl not as courageous as you and she says, Malala, I'm afraid. I want to stay in my room?

YOUSUFZAI: I tell her that don't stay in your room, because God will ask you on the day of judgment where were you when your people were asking you, when your school fellows were asking you, and when your school was asking you that I am being blown up when your people need you, you should come up, you should come and stand up for their rights.

SAYAH: If you were the president of this country, how would you handle the Taliban?

YOUSUFZAI: First of all, I would like to build so many schools in this country because education is a must thing. If you have -- if you don't have educated people, the Taliban will come to your area. But if you have educated people, they will not come.

SAYAH: Well, educated or not, the Taliban come with bombs and guns. How do you handle that? Do you still talk to them or do you call in the army? What do you do?

YOUSUFZAI: First of all, I would like to talk to them.

SAYAH: What would you say?

YOUSUFZAI: I would say that what are your demands? What do you want?

SAYAH: We want you to shut down the school is what they would say.

YOUSUFZAI: So I would tell them that don't shut our schools because school -- I will --

SAYAH: You're 14. You have no idea what you're talking about. We're going to shut down your school.

YOUSUFZAI: So -- give me a second. So, first of all, I will -- I will show them Koran, what Koran says, Koran didn't say that girls are not allowed to go to school.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAYAH: A remarkable young girl who is recovering from a gunshot wound at this hour. We put a lot of tough questions to her and she never backed down. That's why she's been an inspiration to a lot of people -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Reza Sayah, thank you so much, 14 years old.

Much more here coming up on our breaking news on Lance Armstrong and all these accusations that he was part of the, quote, "most sophisticated, most successful doping program the sport has ever seen." We are hearing teammates testified against him.

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