dig deep after something bad happens and they learned teamwork. so while they may have struck out with their alleged thief of a coach, the boys seemed to have their eye on the ball. cnn news room continues right now with brook baldwin. >> thank you so much and hello to all of you. we have a developing story, in fact, two developing stories, both of which out of the pentagon, both concerning the killing of osama bin laden. first off, a remarkable plea from the head of the joint chiefs of staff, admiral mike mullen. he just came out and said, please, for the love of pete, please stop talking about the raid that killed bin laden. he said government officials are jeopardizing valuable national secrets, risking valuable tools in the fight against terror. i want to go to chris at the pebt gone. it sounds as if the brass over there is seriously worried and none too happy. >> yeah, brooke. it stopped just short of basically saying shut up. really the key is not so much

what happened in this raid, but they seemed very, very concerned about the next raid and the one after that and that those kind of raids are going to be much riskier with how much information is now out there. >> we have from my perspective gotten to a point where we are close to jeopardizing this precious capability that we h e have, and we can't afford to o do that. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com this this fight isn't over. when you extend that to the military and their families, from my perspective, it is time to stop talking, and we have talked far too much about this. we need to move on. it's a story that if we don't

stop talking, it will never end, and it needs to. >> remember, a lost what's come out is not just tactics but a lot of what we've talked about is technology as well, from the steltd helicopter to other things that the team used. >> chris, is there any source of these leaks that the pentagon is concerned about, like the white house for example? >> nobody -- they didn't name anybody by name. the white house talked about it through the counterterrorism office, leon panetta talked about it. there have been leaks from the defense department. retired s.e.a.l.s have come out and talked about it. i don't think they're pointing the finger at any one thing. as journalists we can't be too critical of all this. we're asking questions day after day, us, fox, new york times. everyone has reported there and the details keep coming out.

>> and they're saying stop talking about it. there's a whole other story that emerged from the raid on bin laden. i want you to listen quickly. this is robert gates talking about the government of pakistan. l let's listen. >> i receive no evidence at all that the senior leadership knew. in fact, i've seen evidence to the contrary, and we have no evidence yet with respect to anybody else. my supposition is somebody knew. >> so southbound knew in pakistan, just not the top leadership houchlt important is that, chris, going forward, reassessing our relationship with a nominal but very important ally here? >> both secretary gates and admiral mullen said they can understand why the american people and congress are so upset about this. but admiral mullen said, look, the head of pakistan's army, he

said he's not only a peer, but he's a friend. gates used some very strong language saying, look, they have to feel humiliated that the u.s. was able to go in there with impunity and carry out this option without them knowing it. so he said internally the pakistani officials have paid the price which could change the dynamic going forward. >> chris lawrence with the pentagon. chris, thank you. there's a whot other big story. al qaeda has chosen its new number one to osama bin laden. would it shock you to learn he actually opposed 9/11. he's egyptian. long-time al qaeda veteran and we're going to talk about that here in a moment. we did a little digging here on my team, and we found that in the 9/11 report, you know, the report from the commission appointed by president bush, here's what we found. take a look. this is from page 211.

quote, those who opposed bin laden were weighty figures in the organization including abu hafs and see the last one there? sayf al adal. you have one camp who supports the attacks on the u.s. and the other camp preferring to concentrate on camps elsewhere. do we know which camp this guy belongs to? >> we have reason to believe he belongs in the camp that opposed 9/11 just as a tactile decision. it's hard to believe that they could argue about what's the best tactic. people like him were concerned that such a grand and masterful attack on the united states would turn the world community and of course potentially future adherence to al qaeda against them and that's clearly what happened. there's actually writing from al

adel later on, an "i told you so," that he was very upset what happened to al qaeda. he would eventually return back to bin laden's fold after returns to iran. >> it's interesting you used the terminate democratic. i do want to look back and i just want go over some of what we know. he's egyptian. he was born in either 1960, maybe 1963. we're told he served for a while in the egyptian armed forces and he was indicted by a federal grand jury in the u.s. and that was in connection with the u.s. bombings in kenya and in tanzania. they killed 224 people. so clearly, he's been around for a while. >> right. he's been on the fbi's -- terrorists most wanted list

since 9/11. he's been one of the consistent few names. he sort of served as a chief of staff to bin laden and the in fact he's egyptian is probably the most interesting thing now because once again bin laden is a global organization. they have to make sure their global franchise is going to support the new leadership. bin laden was from saudi arabia and the arabian peninsula. so someone coming from egypt is sort of like a trial balloon and what we believe now is they're putting up inting up adel's nam. they're saying, look, this is the temporary leadership. i believe this may be targeted in the president's speech which is going to adraes the arab world. keep reading the word interim, temporary place holder, until al qaeda celts on a long-term

placement. going back to your word democratic, how did they go about doing that? what's the process? is there a reevoking or black smoke? i'm kidding but what are the logistics involved? >> this is reliable arab press. the u.s. has not confirmed them now. what we believe has happened is there's a tight-knit group, probably about eight of them that slim picked one of their own for the interim. in the meanwhile they're trying to get allegiance from al qaeda, mostly yesterdayen and peninsula and northern africa to support essential lay al zawahiri for the lead. that's shown through a blessing or an organization that those organizations would show to al zawahiri. that allegiance now has to shift to a new person.

and basically they're doing good old-fashioned vote counting. >> it's sort of a men at the station, blessing, you said. interesting. >> i think what's important is number two is going to come from saudi arabia and that may be a name we don't know yet. that they're going to satisfy the boundaries. >> showing, once again, they're global. thanks as always for coming on. a woman lose 120 pounds but southwest airlines said she's too big to fly. she's going to tell her story coming up. don't miss that. plus, new fallout in the schwarzenegger scandal. one of his children making a big statement on twitter after it's revealed schwarzenegger fathered a child with another woman. that's next. building up our wireless network all across america. we're adding new cell sites...

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the snapshot discount. new, huge, and only from progressive. tough new sanction on syria coming from the white house this afternoon, but these aren't just the general sanctions against the country. they single out senior officials. this is an attempt to stir the regime, a crackdown on the protesters, a protest that's seen hundreds killed since mid-march. i want to go live to the white house to brianna keilar. why are they going after assad and these other officials? >> reporter: brooke, it's certainly a stepping up not just of the redrick but really in a very really way stepping up, drawing a link between the responsibility that president assad shares for the crackdown that we've been seeing against peaceful protesters in syria and the deaths there since

mid-march. we've seen more general measures before. this is different because it is specific as you mention. it targets the president as well as six top officials and it freezes their seattles in the u.s. and makes it illegal for americans to do business with these men in syria. >> you mention, you know, ramping up the rhetoric and there's certainly criticism that president obama has not dealt with syria aggressively enough. also the timing has to be significant here because it's tomorrow that the president is delivering a may jorks major speech specifically on the arab's spring. >> this should be seen as a ramp-up and momentum. there has been a lot of questions about syria. this administration has heard a lot of questions about whether they have dealt with syria aggressively enough. so this is to sort of move into that tomorrow, to deal with syria specifically, but we will also be hearing more generally about this administration's middle east policy, because some of the criticism that we've

heard is what is this white house's middle east policy. some have said that across the board when it comes to the nations in the middle east and in north africa, the obama administration hasn't dealt quickly enough, aggressively enough, and hasn't really sent a clear message. now, this white house will tell you they're trying to allow things to progress organically but some have wondered if it's create add bit of a volume and if this could have been a missed opportunity, and we're going to be hearing from president obama. he'll be talk about how this is a moment of opportunity. we'll be hearing that a lot tomorrow. >> we'll listen for him and his message on the middle east. brianna keilar. thank you. and now to this one. arnold swartz anything're's bombshell admission that he father add child with the household staff. the entire schwarzenegger family is dealing with the fallout today.

thelma gutierrez joins us live from california. has he said anything? >> the governor has kept a low profight. he's told us that he is contrite and realizes he made a terrible mistake. he also acknowledged that he has a lot of work to do to repair his relationship with his family. now, we're also told that schwarzenegger is doingering he can to take the spotlight off of his wife and children and those around him are under a very clear directive, brooke, not to talk about his relationship with maria shriver or his children. >> you mention his children. i know i've interviewed katherine schwarzenegger, lovely. a lot of these kids are on twitter and facebook, and they are still, despite what some folks are telling them, responding on social media. >> we heard from patrick schwarzenegger also going by

shriver. he posts some days you feel like kpleive and you want to quit. katherine says this is definitely not easy but i appreciate your love and support. i will always love my family. a source close to him told us he talked to his children the night before he publicly admitted he fathered a child. we're told that he apologized to his kids and he always talked to maria, that he wants to make sure his family hassering they need to get through this, even space. according to a source, schwarzenegger said he would do whatever they wanted him to do to allow them that time and space to heal. >> what do we know, thelma, about schwarzenegger's -- the former governor's future ahead? >> if we tear talki're talking

future. we know he signed three movie deals. he's going to be putting two big projects on hold to focus on his family but he will move forward on a smaller film called "cry macho," which is a drama that will begin filming this summer in los angeles, again, to be near his family and to, quote, focus on them. >> focusing on the family. thelma gutierrez, thank you very much. now to the scandal involving one of the most powerful financial guys in the world. listen to this. three weeks ago strauss-kahn said he had a vision that a woman would accuse him of assault. jie e-mail still pinching myself. going to give you the inside scoop. my favorite moments, that is next.

a couple of stories unfolding right now. first, a disaster in slow motion. the mississippi river already add record levels, you know that. it's expected to crest in mississippi in the next 24 hours. flooding of both mississippi and louisiana has forced thousands of people out of their homes but even after the river crests, the army corps of engineers says don't look for the water to go away any time soon, the flooding

to likely continue for the next couple of weeks. the accuser of dominique strauss-kahn was to testify today to a grand jury in new york city. strauss-kahn is being held on suicide watch at the rikers jail. he's accused of sexual assault. this whole thing happened at bradley international airport in connecticut. the maneuver, fairly routine. it happens when a pilot who is in the process of landing desights to abort the attempt, in this case, because of poor weather and visibility. air force one circled the runway and finally landed safely. president obama never in any danger. he was headed to connecticut to deliver the address at the coast guard academy. and let's talk about what's trending today. first, i tell you what. i'm still sitting here. i can't believe i was there last

night in chicago. got back here early this morning go. to witness television history. it was a dream come true for me and my producers. went to chicago. we went to the penultimate shows for oprah this year and to harpo studios. you don't care what i saw but you care what everyone saw inside united center. i'll tell you what. this thing was star-studded. the shorter list would be the celebrities who weren't there, but a couple of the biggest name, amazing to think they were all under the same roof. you had tom hanks, toll cruise, beyonce, katy holmes, jamie foxx, queen latifah, rosie o'donnell, diane sawyer, patti labelle, usher, there's aretha. she brought down the house at the end singing "amazing grace." everybody celebrities have been inspired by the day time talk show host. listen. >> i'm sure she was

uncomfortable at times seeing all of this love, but i think it's necessary. 25 years of a bittersweet end but it was fantastic. >> she was the one who in many times gave me the shot to talk to the world, so when i first came out i was on her show. i was able -- she believed in me enough to put me on her show and here we are ten years later and she still believes in me. >> and given everything that was going on, maria shriver looking gorgeous with the blue sequin number, oprah never letting her go. they go back decades back to local news in baltimore. keep in mind this is all a surprise. so oprah was up there on stage. sneed idea who was going to be the next celebrity to show up next. also, the show aired -- there were two different shows, so two parts. that's may 23, may 24. but the real question on everybody's mind will be who will oi pra's final guest be? will she have a final guest? we had our reporter hats on

chicago. we were asking. they wouldn't tell us. here are some of our pictures we took. this is outside of the studio. which, by the way, you cannot take a camera inside harpo studio. that's the best i could do for you. i think we have a couple more. here we go. here's the crowd. that's me and elizabeth hayden who line produces at 3:00 and angela massy, my fabulous e.p. that's inside united center. that was before the whole thing start. it was amazing. thank you very much, ladies, for going with me to chicago. now, to this. congresswoman gabrielle giffords expected to have surgery soon to replace part of her skull. elizabeth cohen spoke to the surgeon about the risks and what may happen days after it's done. that's next. [ woman ] jogging stroller. you've been stuck in the garage

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starting within 5 minutes. and that makes a difference in my breathing. today i'm back with my favorite team. ask your doctor about symbicort. i got my first prescription free. call or click to learn more. [ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. you can call it another milestone in congresswoman gabrielle giffords' recovery. a piece of her skull was taken out simply to allow for swelling, which is common after this kind of brain injury. in an exclusive interview, senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen spoke with her nurse about the next steps. >> reporter: when congresswoman giffords was shot in the head, she defied death. not only did she live through this traumatic injury, she can

walk. that's her at the top of the stairs, and talk, and even traveled in an airplane to watch her husband mark kelly take off in the shuttle "endeavour." and now more than four months after the shooting, another milestone. an effort go make gabby whole again. after the shooting they cut a hole in her skull like this one to give her brain a place to swell. now the swelling is gone. i sat down with giffords' neurosurgeon who will be performing the surgery at the university of texas. >> is this a big step in someone's recovery? >> yes, it is a big step. >> reporter: dr. kim will implant a piece of synthetic bone made especially for giffords it. >> fits in and it feets in perfect as you can see. then we take these little plates and screws. we want to put in generally one here, there, and there. >> so this is holding the implant and the real skull

together. >> that's right. it really is a significant step. more than getting bone back, it's a marker for where we are. >> reporter: he told me patients like giffords often need another procedure, this one to get rid of the buildup in the brain. he inserts a tube to remove the fluid in the brain and the abdominal cavity. a shunt will be in place forever. >> so people walk around with this tubing all their life? >> very small plastic tubing. it can last for the rest of their life. >> reporter: for gabby giffords, it's the end of one stage and the beginning of the next, trying to get back to the life she once knew. >> i tell you what, elizabeth cohen, just watching that i i'm still marveling at neurosurgery how they're able to go in, perfectly fit that piece? >> isn't that amazing? it's a customer maid piece. they send a cat scan to the company that makes these implants, prosthetics, and they make it to exactly fit that

paetsch sneenlt do we know when her virg will be? >> we don't. there were reports in some newspapers it was today. we don't know. we do know they want her to have this surgery in the near future. >> okay. so explain to me. you have the helmet because we've been talking about it is a softer part of her skull right now or part of her head missing the piece of skull so what does she have to wear? >> dr. kim explained to me when patients have this hole once they get out of bed or walk around or are doing physical therapy, they have to do this because god forbid if they fall they need to be protected because they don't have the skull on one side of the head. they wear this. it's lightweight. it's soft. not like a bike hello met. he said it's this wonderful moment after the virg when they get that piece back in that they don't have to wear this anymore. >> this is no longer. >> don't need ittet. and psychologically it's a huge boost. you walk around looking normal again. >> that's amazing. bottom line she's doing

oklahoma. >> bottom line the interests tell me she's doing very well. they hope she's back to having the brain she had but they won't know that for several years. >> obviously she went to florida to see her husband take off. >> two trips to florida. >> we wish her well. keep us posted. now, coming up -- >> we've just come in. >> i'm sorry. >> we heard all about her medical condition. >> do you want to tell me her story on camera? >> of course. i'm very, very sorry. >> for what, sorry? >> i'm very sorry for the manner in which i addressed -- next you'll hear from the plus-sized passenger asking for that mea culpa. building up our wireless network all across america. we're adding new cell sites... increasing network capacity, and investing billions of dollars to improve your wireless network experience.

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this week cnn in dep significant focusing on america's job hunt. it's hard to imagine anyone can write their own job hunt, especially college grads where workers can play games, enjoy flex time, telecommute. has to o be a thing of the past. right? not so in silicon valley. dan simon explains. >> reporter: for ross, he's used to standing out because of his unusual name, but what really set this stanford student apart are the innovative websites he's

built, like this one called youtube instant. >> you start types a few and i play a video i think you'll like. >> the youtube ceo offered him a job before they met. others are knocking on his door, and he's only a junior. choosing a suitor when the time comes will be difficult. >> all the areas in this country are trying to compete. facebook has laundry services where they say laundry is something that will take an hour to do so we'll do it for you. >> reporter: companies are offering perks like free round the clock food because the competition for talent is fierce. generally they don't have problems finding employment but this year's crop of scientists have it especially good. silicon valley is in the height of a hiring boom with software engineers in demand.

>> it's more competitive in silicon valley. talented designers than football athletes. >> reporter: that means the fine details are important. in keeping with silicon valley tradition, it's a loose atmosphere, a ping-pong table, a comfy place to sit down. here they've kicked it up a notch because here they have tents and sleeping bags for all of those restless engineers burning the midnight oil it's about working hard and playing hard so that's what everything is trying to do. >> for ross seen her with mark zuckerberg interning last year. he feels blessed to be entering a job market where his skills are coveted. translation, he could write his own ticket. >> if you have an idea for company you can get funding for it. if you are -- if you're looking for an internship, there are tons of companies hiring. you can get an interview

anywhere. you have a really good shot at getting a job. >> reporter: and the starting salary, 80 to $100,000 a year. that's what it means to have the skills in a hot silicon job market. >> ping-pong tables and tents. dan simon. thank you. now, it has just about been a week since newt gingrich has announced he's running for president but some analysts say he's blown his chances. republicans are bashing him. even a guy with glitter, none too friendly. gingrich with his wife. julie bornstein wrote a column. i'll tell you what -- when we stop to fill it up. ♪ ♪ [ son ] you realize, it's gotta run out sometime. ♪

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try new tradearchitect and trade commission free for 60 days. left off a couple minutes ago. dan simon is live in san francisco. dan, we just saw your piece. you know, you had me with the ping-pong table in the basement but you lost me with the tents in the corner for as you said the engineers burning the midnight oil. but in terms of drivinging this kind of job growth inside silicon valley, what is it that's describing it? >> reporter: first of all, broorks what we're seeing is a modern-day gold rush. we haven't seen this kind of hiring since the internet bubble back in the 1990s. but in terms of what's driving all this is really three areas, social media led by facebook and

twitter. anything that has to do with mobile and also cloud computing. those are the three things in terms of what is driving all this hiring. but these are really for highly skilled positions. if you look at the open positions in silicon valley, there are about 130,000 open jobs and 40% of them are for software engineers. that's why if you're a computer scientist graduating from a top university you can have the pick of the litter with all these jobs available. >> dan, quickly hourk much -- how much pay are we talking here salarywise? pretty desent pay? >> it's, you know, pretty good pavement 80 to $100,000 for a first job. so that is a great pay for somebody coming out of college. and the benefits that these companies are offering are just incredible because

listen to this.

newt gingrich, what you just did to paul ryan was unforgivable. >> i did don't anything. >> yes, you did. you undercut him in the house. you're an embarrassment to the republican party. >> i'm sorry you feel that what i. >> why don't you get out before you make a bigger fool of yourself. i'm sorry. >> you write about this in your candidate. you say a candidate throws gasoline on a fire and walks right into it. let's talk about the reaction from some of the republicans. you wouldn't think it was paul ryan that gingrich criticized. you'd thing it was the pope. >> in many ways paul ryan car carries the holy grail for the republican party and that's what's so interesting about newt gingrich. i'm not quite sure whether he had his pulse on the republican party when he called it a right-wing social engineering, the ryan budget. you know, this really attacks the republican paefrmt almost every house republican walked

out on a political limn. voted for that budget which turned out not to be real popular back home. and then what does newt gingrich do to them? he runs them over with a bus. and so he's not very popular right now among republicans especially ones in washington who actually vote nard plan. so you can imagine how they feel about having him as their presidential nominee. >> let's talk about reaction here. you have the house majority leader, eric cantor. here's something he said, quote, many have said he is now finished. from charles krauthhammer, he's done. rich galen, sooner or later i suspect unfortunately the campaign will collapse from the top because people are going to say i lon him and he's really smart but he can't be president. it's swift, unsparing. let me ask you this. does it seem like from some of

the people that we're hearing from didn't want him in the running in the first place? >> yeah. i think there are a lot of people who believe -- they credit newt gingrich -- don't forget. this is a man who engineered the retaking of the house for republicans after 40 years of democratic rule in 1994. so this is somebody who gets a lot of credit. former house speaker. but they also think that his time has passed, that he can't recreate that, and that he wasn't in touch with the republican constituency and how it feels about the ryan budget plan. he apologized but i think this is a very republican thing for him because he's got to win the republican primary. when he seemed to be criticizing the ryan plan it seemed to me he was already talking as if he were in a general election rather than having to win a republican primary, and he seemed to be forgetting that.

so he doesn't have a lot of friends right now in the republican establishment nor does he have friends in the tea party who are furious about it. >> you write in your columbia saying sort of looking ahead h will no doubt continue to inflachlt his friends saying he can't help it. gloria, is he done? >> well, is he done? you know, you've got me. i'm not a -- i'm not a voter in a -- in any primary. i'm not, you know, an official in the republican party. so it's hard for me to tell you. what they said, they're the king makers in the republican party. i don't know, you know. i think newt gingrich is going to have a very tough time now because we live in a 24/7 cycle, and these things tend to build on themselves. look, joe biden had a tough start the last time around. he called barack obama plain and

articulate on day one of his campaign. newt gingrich has a problem because he has an inflammatory language. it's not a friendly language. he usually uses it against the democrats. this time he used it against his own party and that's a problem. i can't say. you know, i can't say what's going to happen to him, but i do think he's going to have to re-evaluate how he behaves and how he runs his campaign. >> gloria borger, as always, i like to tell everyone. you can read her opinion. ms. borger, thank you very much. another republican thinking of throwing his hat in the ring.

before we get you to wolf blitzer in washington, you're look at live pictures of the president of the united states getting out of the limo and heading on to air force one. he was in connecticut today giving the commencement address at the coast guard academy. remember, we will be seeing the president giving a very, very significant speech, specifically on the arab resolution and many people will be looking to the message from the white house tomorrow. that is from the president

there. now to washington where the president is headed now. wolf blitzer is joining me now with the latest news hot off the cnn political ticker. someone you had on your show recently, new york congressman peter king keeping his options opened might we see him running for office? >> we might indeed. i just taped an interview with him where we were talking about his role as chairman of the house homeland chairman security and why he's holding hearings next week on the bin laden killing and lessons learned and all of that. in long i'd land, where he's from, he's a republican from new york, he's not closing the door to running for president of the united states. what you and our viewers. >> i saw this story, you're not necessarily running and the

academy organization last night at their annual dinner, i was with mayor bloomberg and the county chairman and they want to pursue it, it's fine with me. and the national convention whatever happens, happens. i'm focused on re-election. >> that suggests that they are opened to the possibility of running for iowa and are you thinking about all of that? >> no. right now i have no plans to go to iowa or new hampshire. i just know it's the most powerful organization in the country. they want to pursue it and see what happens. i don't expect it to lead anywhere. i'm going to pursue election.

>> it sort of suggests to me, brooke, that he could be a candidate if the republican party in nasa county, not only in long island or new york state and not ruling it out, he's not interested. in fact, he's suggesting, maybe there is a possibility. let's see what happens over the next few weeks. what it does also say to me, brooke, is that this race for the republican nomination is wide open so many of these candidates deciding not to run in the next few days, mike huckabee, haley barbour and mitch daniels, the governor of iowa, and others are begging chris christie, the governor of new jersey, rick perry, governor of texas, jeb bush, the former governor of florida. they don't necessarily like the current feel that is out there until someone like peter king,

if one of his republican leaders in long island says, why not peter king. he didn't just dismiss it as ridiculous. he said, you heard what he said. >> wolf blitzer, thank you. we'll look for your interview later. and now to this. this is a story that we've been working on. she says southwest airlines told her that she's too big to fly. one woman is taking on the airlines and, guess what, southwest is responding. she is going to join me live. that's next. ctions when he tries to use his miles. ♪ that's a lot of red tape! step on it! [ tires screech ] ♪ i can't escape the red tape! now you can with rapid rewards! come on! [ tires screech ] [ male announcer ] join rapid rewards and enjoy

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when is someone too fat to fly? a mother and daughter were denied boarding on a southwest flight. the exchange with an employee happened for 45 minutes and happened in front of other customers. she blogged about it and said that they were singled out. asked about buying an extra ticket even though the employee admitted that he didn't know what the restrictions were. she used to weigh 400 pounds. she has lost 120 pounds and says she had no problem on the flight out there. the airline says the passenger

must fit a second seat if they can't fit across the arm seats which is some 17 inches across. they have offered an apology and travel vouchers. this is the same airline that asked film director kevin smith for getting off a film for being over weight even though he was already seated and buckled in. good to have you on. read your whole blog here last week. i want to get to something that you wrote. you have never experienced this kind of public disrespect, discrimination and ever before. take me back. >> well, i definitely experienced it as someone who weighed 400 pounds. i'm still over weight. i still experience it, but never on an airline and never to this degree. it was -- but i am not here to

say that i have the right to encroach on some one's seat. but one-third of americans are over weight. it's time to talk about it. >> take me back. what specifically happened? why were they irked with you? what were they saying? >> well, i had been on a flight from denver to new orleans via dallas. there was five minutes until boarding time. did i that. it was fine. my mother and i both received our boarding passes and there was a public thing going on with another passenger who then said, why aren't you -- why aren't you discussing this with those women as well? so she pulled us into their conversation at which point they demanded that we buy an extra ticket to fly. we did get to board but that wasn't until i took my camera

out and started -- you know, i used my iphone to document what was happening and the tune changed quickly. we were allowed to board but not after -- it was 45 minutes of silliness. >> back and forth. let me bring up your iphone can we play that clip? this is when you did sort of get an apology from this -- go ahead. set it up. >> at this point we were getting ready to board. they offered us $200 vouchers because we suggested that they broke a lot of privacy laws. they asked me how much i weighed and what size clothes i weigh and as someone in a weight loss journey i was having to tell them. however, it was very inappropriate. so at this point he was offering apologies and i asked if he would like to do it for my website and this is what he said. >> okay. let's watch. >> i'm sorry. >> you heard all about her medical conditions. >> do you want to tell me on camera? >> of course.

i'm very, very sorry. >> for what? >> i'm very, very sorry for the manner in which i addressed it. i addressed it. >> thank you. >> okay. good enough? you know, it's tough to say. i think we all have bad days and make mistakes but he did it in an airline full of people. there's a solution to this problem. i mean, jetblue, for instance, offers passengers the option to pay $38, i believe it is, for extended legroom. it's a really simple problem. a really simple solution. someone could get in and widen a few rows of seats at which point everyone becomes more comfortable. again, i don't want to encroach on anyone. i just want to express to the airlines that it's time to, instead of deeming what is a proper size of a human being without regard for a human being to instead put a little thought

into it and let's go forward with additional room. i mean, it's -- there has to be an answer. there are people -- i've gotten hundreds of e-mails from people who are at this point driving 20 plus hours -- >> i was going to ask you. >> because of what happened with me that day. >> i was going to ask you what kind of outpouring you got. because we've picked up the phone and reached out to southwest airlines, they promised that they would give us one. we're still waiting to hear back. you understand the rules and the guidelines but you mentioned that they asked you about your dress size publicly. this is just about to you, blatant insensitivity. is that right? >> to me, you know, i'm not hear to sound like a victim. i'm here to be an advocate for people that are being discriminated on a regular basis. we have money to pay for flights, so let's adjust to the fact that people are larger than they were 50 years ago. it's a reality.

i'm doing the best that i can to change my situation. but i can't judge everyone's situation. people who are thin deserve the right to fly, people who heavier deserve the right to fly. this is about equal rights to equal access and it's not impossible to make everyone more comfortable flying. so i just -- again, i can't stress enough, i'm not interested in encroaching on anyone else's personal space. i want equal rights to equal access. >> it's all the way, weigh, best of luck, and now let's take a look at this. someone through gasoline on this boy on his 8th birthday. years later on his death bed, he kept a secret, one he kept for so long. >> i realized i was on fire.

>> the details will shock you. i'll speak live with his mother. plus, newt gingrich is not having a very good week and it's only wednesday. but why aren't republicans coming to his defense. and it's not your every day x-ray scan. wait until you hear how hundreds of immigrants packed into trucks and how much cash they paid to sneak into america. welcome back. i'm brooke baldwin. the story out of the pentagon on the operation to kill osama bin laden, a remarkable plea from admiral mike mullen. he said, for the love of pete, please stop talking about the raid. government officials are jeopardizing valuable, national secrets in the fight against

terror. chris, it sounds like the brass at the pentagon is very, very worried about everyone talking. >> yeah, brooke. it really stopped one step short of just saying shut up. really what they are doing is they are expressing a lot of concern over not so much this mission, which is already over, but saying the capability and ability of these forces to conduct similar missions in the future is going to be a lot riskier because of these leaks. >> we have, from my perspective, gotten to a point where we are close to jeopardizing this precious capability that we have and we can't afford to do that. first of all. secondly, when you now extend that to concern with individuals in the military and their families, from my perspective,

it is time to stop talking and we have talked far too much about this. we need to move on. it's a story that if we don't stop talking, it will never end. and it needs to. >> some of the concern that i've been hearing from the pentagon is not just the fact that tactics of the s.e.a.l. team was revealed but also some of the technology that they used as well. brooke? >> do they have any idea who the source of these leaks are, chris? >> well, you heard from the white house counterterrorism officials. you heard from the director of the cia, defense officials speaking on background about it. there is enough leaks to go around. there are plenty of people to talk about this. so i don't think they are

pointing the finger. >> chris lawrence at the pentagon, thank you very much. now more news unfolding right now. rapid fire. let's go. air force one aborts a landing with president obama on board. it happened at bradley international airport. we hear the maneuver is fairly routine. it happens when the pilot decides that they can't land yet and in this case it was because of poor visibility and weather. air force one landed safely. president obama never in any danger. he was going to connecticut to deliver the commencement address of the coast guard academy. a computer glitch is blamed for flight numbers that were retired after the 9/11 terror attacks. the glitch happened and a spokesperson apologized for the error and the numbers will

remain off the books for good. a disaster in slow motion in vicksburg, mississippi. it's already at record levels and expected to crest in vicksburg by tomorrow morning. thousands of people have been forced out of their homes. the army corps of engineers says don't expect the water to go away any time soon. queen elizabeth is the first british monarch to visit ireland. she is also remembering the 14 irish who died on bloody sunday. that is the day in 1920 when british troops opened fire on a crowd at a football game. the incident sparked the country's drive for independence.

bittersweet news for the space shuttle "endeavor." commander mark kelly was at the choels inside the space station. they rank the ship's bell in a naval welcome announcing "endeavor" arriving. and now to a shocking case, an emotional one you will never get. a young boy was attacked on his 8th birthday. years later while he laid dying, he he revealed a secret he never talked about before. we'll speak with his mother and her son's secret and what she wants to happen now. what does justice mean for this woman? don't miss that. >> - up to 60% off. i am familiar. your name? > naomi pryce. >> what other "negotiating" skills do you have? > i'm a fifth-degree black belt. >> as am i. > i'm fluent in 37 languages. >> (indistinct clicking) > and i'm a master of disguise >> as am i.

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okay. the story i'm about to tell you is almost too terrible to be real. it involves a brutal attack that left a young boy burned for most of her body. a secret that he kept for years, it was a death bed revelation. he was walking through the woods on his 8th birthday to see a friend when he encountered the 13-year-old boy who lived next door to him. but that encounter changed his life forever. i'm going to let you hear from robert middleton himself. this was april 12th, days before his 21st birthday, just before he died of cancer. and i just want to mention this. we have added subtitles because it's difficult to understand. a warning, it may be tough for some of you to watch.

robert middleton talked about how that day affected the rest of his life.

>> then robert dropped a bombshell. he revealed something that he's never told anyone, the reason that he was attacked 13 years ago. listen to this. >> robert said not to tell anyone about this rape or he would hurt him again. collins was never tried on the attack on robert but robert and

his mother's lawyer hope that will change. i want to bring in his mother, colleen, in st. louis, and her attorney in san antonio. colleen, my condolences to you. your son's death was very recent. this is the first time that you have heard that part of your son's deposition describing this alleged sex abuse. listening to it as a mother, how did the words sit with you? >> it's what kind of child is robert? i know he was a very good kid? >> he was a very good kid. he was happy go lucky. he was very considerate towards people. he loved animals, just like everybody else's child, i

suppose. >> we're looking at some of these pictures and we're going to click through some of these that you share but i want to warn our viewers, some of them are tough to look at. i've read the depositions. he endured some 200 surgeries. his life clearly physically drastically changed but how was it moving forward, colleen, after he was 8? here is he at christmas time. how did everything change for you? >>. >> everything changed. i had to grief for the child that he was for what could have been and i grieved for it for a long time but then eventually robert became the same happy go lucky child and life was good. life was liveable again. >> it was liveable but you said you lost in a sense what was the toughest part? >> all that could have been. he was just so full of potential

and he was so healthy. robert ran everywhere he went. he was just such a healthy child. and then that was taken away from him he never fit in. everywhere we went people stared at him. he was never normal in that sense again and he was the same, sense happy go lucky child that he had been. >> now, we know that this neighbor boy was arrested. my question to you, why wasn't he ever tried? >> well, we're still trying to figure that out. we have recently learned that there was a confession at or near the time of the incident and evidence available. and i think the big question is why no one talked about the potential molestation.

that's the reason why we are doing what we're doing now. we're trying to ask that question. why wasn't he prosecuted and what can we do to make it happen now. >> from what i have read and from the research that we have done, prosecutors say that there was contradictory evidence. i want to make sure that i'm hearing you crystal clear. donald collins never spent a day in jail at the time, he was 13, so did he never spend a day in jail or juvenile detention for any of this? >> no. well, what took place was he was taken into custody under what i think at the time we've been able to discern was the authorities heard him make statements or statements for recounted to them, establishing that he knew something that only somebody at the scene would know. they took him into custody, held him for a while, and he was released. at the time i don't believe he had an official guardian since his mother had passed and this investigation went on for the better part of two years when it was decided that they would suspend the investigation. >> that's what i wanted to make

clear. he was in custody but ultimately it was dropped at the time. colleen, to you, then, what are you hoping to get out of this civil lawsuit and do you want this to go beyond simple restitution here? are you hoping that this will turn into a criminal case? >> yes, i am. i am hoping and robert hoped also to stop this person from injuring any other children. >> i know in looking at part of this deposition that there is this medical abstract deposition and there is this carcinoma, he died of skin cancer spreading to his stomach. if you're seeking a murder charge how then do you link his skin cancer to the burns he received back in 1998, from the gasoline attack? >> his skin cancer was specific to burn scars. he had something called a marginal ulcer and it's found in

people whose skin have been burned. >> so since i'm clear, doctors have explained that this particular type of cancer is linked to what happened to him in 1998? >> yes, ma'am. >> we've reached out to mr. collins, donald collins, to his attorney, we have yet to get a response but i want you to have the last word. you lost your son and in a sense lost him many years ago. what is justice for you looking forward? what do you want out of this fight? >> i want to make sure that i can move ahead with a clear conscience knowing that i did everything i possibly could to stop these people from injuring another child like they did robert. >> colleen middleton, craig, thank you both. we'll be following up with both of you. appreciate it. coming up, as dominique strauss-kahn sits on suicide watch, some people are angry

about this, his perp walk. plus, after nearly three weeks in custody, iran has just released a female journalist. hala gorani has spoken with her fiancee. she's going to join me next. at liberty mutual, we know how much you count on your car and how much the people in your life count on you. that's why we offer accident forgiveness, man: good job. where your price won't increase due to your first accident.

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okay. it's time to go globe trekking. first, we have the reaction to the sexual assault case of dominique strauss-kahn. hala gorani is here. let's start with the strauss-kahn case. the french were very, very angry about the u.s. showing what we called a perp walk but at the same time, the frempbl media is identifying this victim. >> some media outlets are and this is something that the united states is not done. you usually don't identify the victim of an alleged rape. in the case of this chamber made at the hotel in new york, i have seen her name in some french outlets. we're finally getting the first polls about what percentage of frempbl people believe that

dominique strauss-kahn is guilty or innocent. 50% believe he's a victim of conspiracy. they say how for tu tis for those that were his political rivals for allegedly assaulting a maid at a new york hotel. but then, again, 70% of the readers of the french newspaper that is writing say, we believe the u.s. justice system has treated dominique strauss-kahn fairly. >> that's interesting. second item, we have the al gentleman engineer ra journalist saying that she is safe. >> when he didn't know whether she was held in syria or in iran. today she was released after several weeks in custody. she flew to damascus, held on april 29th, syrian authorities

say that she was deported to iran and today she was finally released. so there's a we hadding dding i future. this is part of what he told me just a few hours ago from canada. >> it was a fantastic, you know, the complete opposite of the call that i got from al jazeera saying that they lost contact with her for 24 hours. it's impossible to explain. because they are ten hours ahead and the time when she called it was -- we were passing time. me and her father were playing cards and my mobile phone rank are rang and it was her phone and i couldn't believe it. first words out of her mouth were, i'm so sorry. and she -- we knew that she was going to be more concerned about us and how we were doing and

she's strong as -- she's tough as nails. she got through it. >> so the first words out of dorothy's mouth were i'm sorry i put you through this. >> he was so happy saying the wedding is this summer and i just want to see her. and today on this day we have four journalists released. >> it is an x-ray scan that you have never seen before. hundreds of immigrants trying to sneak into the united states. why where they were coming from and how much they paid to come to america. plus, gloria borger is standing by in the world of politics. that is next. in 2011, at&t is , building up our wireless network all across america.

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a shork shocking story of smuggling. take a look at what mexican authorities have found. folks, this is human cargo. here it is. more than 500 people of them sitting and standing in two different trucks in mexico. the trucks were stopped along the mexico-guatemala border.

inhumane conditions. the illegal migrants paid some $7,000 each to make this journey into the u.s. they were likely headed to the u.s. they have now been given food and medical assistance. mexican authorities are asking to send them home some came from china and nepal. gloria, what do you have? >> well, let's talk a little bit about mitch daniels, the governor of indiana. >> okay. >> we've had a lot of heat in this republican race, in case you haven't noticed, over the last couple of weeks. we've also had some dropouts. mike huckabee and donald trump

not running that person seems to be the governor of indiana, mitch daniels, somebody with a lot of washington experience and there's a feeling that he's about to announce any time soon. he told the indianapolis star on tuesday, i'm not going to take much longer. i spoke with somebody who is a friend of his who said, he's gone radio silent on me. he's thinking that is a sign that an announcement is coming soon and he's kind of a wanky guy but they think it will be time for a wonk. who knows. >> what else have you got? >> the question again about mitch daniels, whether he's too moderate because he famously gave a speech to the conservative action here in

action and he was talking to people who are largely concerned with social issues in the republican party and what he was saying to them, right now we've got to focus on these issues of the deficit and the debt. he's a former and the question really is whether they can do well with the an gel cal voters and particularly in a state like iowa. so that is another consideration for him. one other thing i've got for you today is how all of this leads to mitt romney. i would argue you bet he is and an indication of that is that in las vegas, in one day he managed to raise $10.5 million. >> wow. >> i think all of the candidates are looking at that in the republican field and saying, you

know what? that's something to beat because the money people only go to the candidates that they think can win. brooke? >> 10.5 million. wow. >> you can do that. >> that's quite a bit of a change. >> thank you very much there from washington. >> sure. how do you tell if your kids have a sibling they never knew about? it may happen than more americans care to forget. but what if your mom and dad are known as arnold and maria? new orders for sanctions against syria from the white house next. what's this option? that's new.

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the white house is making a decision on syria. brianna keilar, there are tough new sanctions, particularly s singling out bashar al assad. explain to me how these sanctions work. >> reporter: brooke, they would freeze the assets of president assad and six other officials and make it illegal, assets in the u.s., make it illegal for americans in the u.s. to do business with these men. as you said, these are specific

and draw a link. >> and let's talk about the timing. you have these sanctions now one day before president obama will give a very significant speech on the arab resolution. timing cannot be a coincidence. >> the timing is not a coincidence. it's designed to give the president a momentum as he goes into this very significant address tomorrow and this white house has heard so much criticism about how it has spopspo responded to the arab spring uprising. some have said that there's no clear middle east policy in light of what has been a significant shift towards democracy, more than we've seen in years. the president will be articulating his policy. we're told that he is expected to say that it's a moment of opportunity and articulate what

american values r. human rights, democracy, and how the u.s. plans to take those really support what they see as positive changes in the region, brooke. >> brianna keilar at the white house. thanks. alma is live with more on the love child scandal surrounding the schwarzenegger family. what are you hearing today? >> well, brooke, after the scandal broke, two of the schwarzenegger children posted tweets. 17-year-old patrick schwarzenegger, who also goes by the name of shriver wrote, some days you feel like ex me tif and some days you want to quit and be normal. yet i love my family until death do us part. his sister, katherine, who is 21 also wrote, this is definitely not easy but i appreciate your love and support as i begin to heal and move forward in my life. i will always love my family. brooke, a source close to governor schwarzenegger told us that he talked to his children

the night before that he publicly admitted that he fathered a child. we're told that he apologized to his kids and wants to make sure that his family has everything that they need to get through this time, even time away from him. >> thelma, thank you. and a surprising development in the casey anthony murder trial. we've been talking about this jury selection for days and days. the judge calling a sudden and unexpected recess. but why? we'll take you live to the courthouse for the latest twist and turn next. [ woman ] can't anything help these itchy allergy eyes?

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a new flood of information with the case of casey anthony murder trial. right after the lunch break the judge promptly stopped jury selection. watch this. >> you may be seated. okay. let the record reflect that the defendant is present along with counsel for the defendant and assistant state attorneys. have you had an opportunity to discuss the matter with miss anthony? >> i have, your honor. >> okay. anything you need to add? >> okay.

this court will be in recess until 8:30 tomorrow morning. >> jean casarez is outside of that courtroom in florida. jean, we've been talking about this. it's taking such a significant amount of time. what is behind this sudden recess here? >> reporter: this was so surprising to everybody because, brooke, this morning the judge in talking about the defense on the record said, look, we've got to get this going because in two days we're not going to have the courtroom here in pinellas county anymore. it's going to be occupied. so the judge has been pushing and pushing for this jury selection. this seems to be a total turn around and here we sit. on the legal front, it could be a couple of things. this morning, the defense argued a motion to object to the procedure and process of jury selection. they say it's not fair the way it's being done and violates the due process rights of casey anthony. on the other front, brooke, you can always have negotiations for

a plea deal. >> that's interesting. so a possible plea deal. with this curve ball, the picking of a jury, are they even close and could they run out of time? >> reporter: good question. they've got 11 but there are still strikes that are left so each side can actually excuse them. and then there are alternates. are we close? sort of, kind of, but not really. >> sort of, kind of, but not really. so with that answer, when, then, would the judge hope to have opening statements happen? >> well, he says monday. the judge said, okay, look. this is this morning. we've got the rest of the day and we'll work through saturday and hours are dependent upon you. and that's it. because assuming we have a jury, it will be on monday for the opening. we don't know where that stands at this point because nothing is happening this afternoon.

>> in clear water, florida, that's where they have been holding the jury selection and then they move to orlando for the trial. how long will they have? >> one day to get their bags packed and then they will be escorted to orlando to be in a hotel, sequestered for up to two months. >> that is quite a summer, jean ka sarress. thank you. and coming up tonight on piers morgan tonight, ted nygunt goes off on politics and has choice words for those who want to ban certain types of guns. here's a preview. >> let me put it in an official piers morgan term. shall i? >> yes. >> anybody that wants to disarm me can drop dead. anybody that wants to make me unarmed and helpless, people that want to literally create

the proven places, we're going to bump you. >> the whole point of your defense is that a lot of people drop dead precisely because you are armed to the teeth. >> ted on piers morgan tonight right here on cnn. do not miss it. and newt gingrich having a bit of a tough week and folks it's only wednesday. he even gets glitter bombed. but here's the question. why aren't more republicans coming to his defense? that is coming up.

so wolf blitzer, this is the time when we talk about serious stuff coming up in "the situation room." but if i may, do you remember saturday night life? >> yes, i do. how could i forget? >> let me say this. there is some sort of facebook campaign to get you, sir, hosting saturday night live. in fact, let's pull up the facebook page because we come prepared. wolf blitzer should host "snl." what do you think about this? you were the one saying -- >> i would be happy if they -- i don't have to host the show.

>> that's the deal. >> i want to be a co-anchor with seth myers on a news update or something. do a little skit. >> here's what is going to go down. >> i don't have to be a big host. i can make a little modest appearance. >> you need to host a show and then i will co-host with you because i think the genesis of this whole thing happened because of this thing you and i had on monday. >> i think you, brooke baldwin, should be hosting saturday night live. that would be a good career move for you. >> you're the big cheese. >> i would love to watch you co-hosting with me "saturday night live". >> there he is. >> there you are. the tie, the suit, the whole package. >> there he is. >> three nights a week doubles as my bedroom. earlier this week, president barack obama. >> we'll see how many people like it. we saw what happened with betty white. it could happen with you. >> who knows. this is a great country.

>> moving on, i guess you just taped the interview with congressman king as we were talking earlier would maybe be opened to higher office come 2012. >> you heard the possibility of him being drafted, from new york state, he might be opened to running for the republican presidential nomination. at the top of the hour we're going to speak with jeffrey shapiro, the lawyer for the woman at the center of this sexual assault case in new york against the former or current head of the international monetary fund dominique strauss-kahn. so we're going to speak with a lawyer live in "the situation room" right at the top of the hour. i want to alert our viewers to stand by. >> we'll be watching and they will stay with me and you at the top of the hour. we'll see you in eight minutes, mr. blitzer. >> thank you. republican presidential candidate says john mccain does not know anything about harsh interrogation. really? the former prisoner of war, john

mccain? joe johns is next. but, first, to date, only one president made it to all 50 states in one single term. that was president george bush senior. but president obama hot on the heels with only ten states to go. this is number ten, arkansas, nine, he has not quite made it to idaho yet. number eight, there's no place like kansas. number seven, nebraska. number six, of the state the president has yet to visit, north dakota. what are the five final he has to go? think about it. that's coming up after the break. stay here. building up our wireless network all across america. we're adding new cell sites... increasing network capacity, and investing billions of dollars to improve your wireless network experience. from a single phone call to the most advanced data download, we're covering more people in more places than ever before in an effort to give you the best network possible. at&t. rethink possible.

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president lincoln was not born in nebraska. pardon me. with more than one year in office, ten states to go, the last five, number five on the president's list, oklahoma, south carolina, number three, south dakota, number two. number one on the list here, vermont. a beautiful state. newt gingrich gets glitter bombed.

he had a bit of a week, did he not. >> it's incredible the week that he's had. the video of him getting covered in glitter is almost symbolic. you think, what is the caption? when it rains, it pours. first gingrich goes on "meet the press" and slams the medicare plan and he has gotten so beat up about that he's had to apologize and that was from people in his own party and now this. i mean, the glitter culprit is named nick espinoza. he's in his 20s and calls himself a political activist. >> that's a lot of glitter. >> yeah, a lot of glitter. he's apparently best known as a prankster. thousands of pennies making political points all along the

way. this is another one of his 15 minutes of fame. >> how did his bodyguards handle it? >> it's glitter. some people said that he was all smiles, which we know is important. a big scowl does not play well for the cameras. >> and then the guy runs off. they ran him off. >> okay. rick santorum, another presidential contender and john mccain. what is he saying? and santorum goes on the radio and says senator john mccain doesn't understand how enhanced

interrogation works. of course, the problem here is that mccain is extremely familiar with this and he was tortured and held for years as a p.o.w. during the vietnam war. that sort of comes off as a faux pax. >> he disagrees with senator mccain whether for example, will catch osama bin laden but also says is he disrespecting the service to his country. so probably clean that up, especially since he's talking about the white house. >> okay. we'll be watching and waiting to see what happens come 2012. joe johns, good to see you. thank you very much. before we hand things over to