Transcripts For CNN CNN Newsroom 20110218

budget cuts. they are boiling over in wisconsin unless your state is rolling in excess cash, scenes like this could be coming to your capital, too. we begin in egypt this hour. ancient land celebrating a new beginning. thousands of citizens back in tahrir square to celebrate their so-called day of victory. exactly one week ago, they achieved the unthinkable through sheer will and staggering numbers. they ousted an unpopular president and, today, they are sending a message to the new government. >> reporter: hello there, kyra. we are, indeed, just outside tahrir square and show you whatary seeing here. the biggest demonstrations since january 25th when the uprisings began and the mood very festive down there. the crowd is congregating after fire prayers. in the square itself, they had many years who said that this revolution was the egyptian's people and it had only just beg begun. what we're seeing now, kyra, is the happiness, the celebration following the unthinkable, as you put t a week ago. while the government is looking at is demonstrations of tens of thousands of people saying they want to see an end to corruption and a quick transition to democracy. it will be interesting over the next few days to see how this military interim government reacts to the increasing numbers of protests and strikes on the streets by civil workers and also business private workers, demanding higher pay, higher pay that the government says it can't pay. >> so far, peaceful? i mean, you look at these pictures and it looks like even more people have gathered since those protests a week ago. >> reporter: these are the biggest protests since this uprising began on january 25th. i should, of course, correct myself and not say protests, say demonstrations. the atmosphere is extremely festive, extremely celebratory and occasionally hearing firecrackers going off but underneath still a lot of resentment and concern about how the military government is going to move this country forward. they are moving forward on issues of corruption. last heard, we heard about a number of former government ministers arrested on charges of corruption but the question is can the military government match the expectations of these people down in the square whose expectations, sir rah, are now sky high, given that they did do the unthinkable last friday. >> yes. interesting to see to watch this develop. our fionnuala sweeney, thanks. friday prayers are giving way to renewed anger and resolve. you can see in bahrain, funerals held for three of the four protesters killed in yesterday's brutal government crackdown. thousands of people marched and many of them condemned bahrain's ruling family. today surging protests is yet the latest signs the government of this key u.s. ally could suffer the same fate at egypt and tunisia. also facing a major challenge today, the u.s.-backed regime in yemen. today these protests are growing larger and angrier and even more violent. outburst of stone-throwing that happened yesterday. today apparently the bloodshed is even worse. cnn crews confirm a grenade attack in southern yemen where more than 10,000 people are massed a demand that the president resign. cnn's mohammed jamjoon is there. >> reporter: what we observed in the capital today, eight consecutive days of anti-demonstrations today and 1,500 demonstrators in the streets and attacked by pro government gangs, a hundred or more of them. these gang members were wheeling taggers and had sticks and trying to beat the anti-government demonstrators. the anti-government demonstrators trying to carry out a pelve protest and chanting peace and calling for regime change asking for the president here to step aside. saneh, 20 injured toop. in the south heard 10,000 people gathered in taiz. aassailant in the car drove past the crowd and threw a grenade into the crowd. we have heard at least 22 injured and trying to find out if the casualty numbers have gone up. this is a real concern for the neighbors of yemen and the u.s. because right now there seems to be momentum gaining for the protest movement here and the government is wondering whether it will pose a serious threat for the president. anti-government organizers in libya say more than a hundred thousand people have turned out for protests today and the crowds came under fire by government operatives in civilian clothes. they cannot confirm these claims or those of the government. it's reported seven people were killed in yesterday's day of rage. human rights groups believe that death toll is much higher. protests in our own country over deep budget cuts may be coming to a state capital near you. center stage for the drama right now, wisconsin. state capital on thursday was jam-packed with these protesters. likely see more of this today. state workers, a lot of them teachers, furious over government scott walker's plans to cut their benefits and collective bargaining rights. they claim his budget repair bill is really a union buster. walker says wisconsin's budget is broken and some tough choices have to be made. a lot of schools are closed again today. and teachers say they are not budging until they can get some answers they can live with. cnn talked with the head of the teachers union just a little while ago. >> taking away bargain rights is a nonstarter. we have reached out since the day after the election his people are refused to return a single call and never acknowledged the union except give us notices of termination of contract extensions. they don't want to come to the table and bargain. >> cnn's casey wian is in madison right now. casey, this is the kind of loud passion you usually see from packer fans at lambeau field! >> reporter: absolutely. over the last few days, there have been a lot of angry voices here. in fact, some of those teachers and other sympathizers, 500 or so, spent the night behind me inside the state capital on the floor. we're expecting thousands more folks to show up later today to protest these proposed cuts. teachers say they are angry about the proposal that would require them to pay more for their health and pension benefits and would severely limit their collective bargaining rights. we talked to one counterprotester who is definitely not sympathetic to their cause. >> shame on you for abandoning our children today! at least at least a few teachers out there who have the guts to stand up against you union thugs and actually teach our children! yep, you're awol! you're awol! you're awol! i have a right to be here. >> reporter: in his words, those teachers will continue to be awol today. school in many parts of the state are closed because of thee protests. i have to tell you the protesters are very encouraged by the fact that state democratic lawmakers have left the state to deprive the state legislature of the coreum it needs to move this legislation forward. so, right now, the legislative process, kyra, is at a standstill but we are pecketing a lot of loud voices at the capital later today to protest this proposal. >> casey, many of these protesters are arguing this is just a temporary solution even if these cuts go into effect, it's not going to be enough in the end. >> reporter: they seem to be convinced that this is an effort to just limit the power of unions. in fact, many of the union leaders have said publicly -- it's remarkable to hear this -- the governor is going to get his money. they are willing to give financial concessions but what they don't want is an end to their hard one collective bargaining rights that are very generous compared to what public sector -- public union workers enjoy in other states. they don't want to give those up. they say that this is not necessarily about money. there are other ways to cut this budget deficit but they don't want their collective bargaining rights to be taken away from them. >> casey wian in madison, wisconsin, thank you very much. 14 democrats from wisconsin senate left the state over this. they made a beeline for the border crossing to rockford, illinois, and stayed at the best western. j in political strategy. with them out of state not enough senators to vote on the bill. more than 14 democrats talked with cnn this morning and hear from them first and then a republican supporter of the budget chimes in. >> shame on you for abandoning your children today. at least a few teachers out there that who have the guts to stand up against you union thugs and actually teach our children! yep, you're awol! you're awol! you're awol! i have a right to be here. you can be here. i have a right to be here, too. nice language. there is kids around. they should be in school. but nice language. >> these protests could be coming to a state capital near you because wisconsin is one of many places in crisis. we will take a look at other states across the country that are dealing with budget shortfalls. that is coming up. more than 100 doctors and nurses and health care executives indicted and arrested what is described as the biggest single day crackdown on medicare fraud ever. the arrests took place in nine cities across the country ranging from miami to los angeles. the alleged false billings total $225 million. >> with today's arrests, we're sending an important message. health care fraud is not easy money. it's serious crime. as we have shown today -- >> the people arrested are accused of charging for unnecessary equipment and procedures. fbi officials say we all feel the impact of medically fraud through higher health care costs and higher insurance premiums and more expensive prescription drugs. all right. went warm-up in the east not a bad way to get the weekend started. meteorologist rob marciano is tracking all of those high temps for us. >> to start the end of the weekend. it's still february so let's not get carried away here. a couple systems we need to talk about. first off what is going on out west is impressive. a number of storms continue to pound california and next one coming in is going to head towards the south. southern california getting into the act. these popcorn like clouds indicate seriously cold air into this and northwest people see know at the very low elevations. higher elevations, over five feet of snow in parts of tahoe in a two-day period. snorkeling won't help you. you will be buried in that stuff and blowing and snowing right now. you know, you've got to be really hard-core to get out there now but to get the powder you got to get it and probably another foot or two tonight. unreal and driving down to the south as well. winter storm warnings out for some of the higher elevations around los angeles and some of those mountains tonight. and maybe even some thunderstorms accompanying with that. then there is the heat. bartlesville, oklahoma, 82 and oklahoma city 80. a week ago these cities were buried in snow and blasting all-time state records. it was minus 30 in bartlesville last thursday and 82 yesterday. how about that for a turnaround. how long is it going to last? sunny and warm conditions for the most part, across the east coast today. enjoy it. colder temperatures the weekend. probably 20 degrees cooler tomorrow in the northeast than you will be today so enjoy your 60 in new york and 74 in d.c. and 47 degrees in chicago. we will probably see some wintry weather towards the ends of the weekend across parts of the midwest. so it's still february. enjoy the spring-like temperatures while you got them at least for today. >> it's beautiful. thanks, rob. guarding in the operating room and spots on surgical equipment and two details coming from an investigation of a v.a. hospital. more on that coming up. how are those flat rate boxes working out? fabulous! they gave me this great idea. yea? we mail documents all over the country, so, what if there were priority mail flat rate... envelopes? yes! you could ship to any state... for a low flat rate? yes! a really low flat rate. like $4.95? yes! and it could look like a flat rate box... only flatter? like this? you...me...genius. genius. priority mail flat rate envelopes. just $4.95. only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. growing protests in wisconsin about cutting the state budget. across the country nearly every state in several major cities in the grips of a budget crisis. take a look at new haven, connecticut, now. police took to the streets yesterday to protest the layoffs of 16 officers. that city is face ago multimillion dollar budget shortfall and news of the layoffs came as officers were responding to a double shooting. then in michigan, the governor is asking everyone from senior citizens to state workers to make what he calls shared sacrifices. he says he is doing his part. >> so, today, i'm making it clor that in terms of my compensation as governor of the state of michigan, i will make reimbursement so my net salary for this year for calendar year 2011 will be $1. in new hampshire, the governor is calling for a massive budget restructuring including slashing as many as 200 state jobs. >> none of us can say cut state government spending, but don't close the office in my town or don't change my program. according to the u.s. budget census shortfalls it will continue in most states throughout 2012. earlier this week, we told but problems at the cochran v.a. medical center in st. louis that forced the facility to shut down its operating rooms. well, the center is now hoping to get the o.r. back up and running again next week. and we're learning more details about all of the red flags that put that facility back in the spotlight. ktvi takes us inside. >> i really want us to regain the trust of our veterans. >> reporter: and the medical director of the john cochran v.a. medical center admits that trust is eroding. it's been two weeks since the o.r. here was shut down after spots were discovered on surgical instruments. for the first time since the shutdown, our cameras were allowed into the o.r. this is what the operating rooms look like. hospital officials say they have run all kinds of tests to try and find out what the spots are, but, so far, they are not sure. >> we would like to reopen as soon as we can, but we will not reopen until we know the cause. >> reporter: an independent sterilization consultant brought in by the hospitals said the spots could be warning signs. >> it may be indication of a more serious problem or a precursor to an occurrence which might be serious. >> reporter: so far, 104 surgeries have been canceled. 101 have been sent out and performed at other facilities. and 76 have been rescheduled. even with the problems, the chief of surgery says he still believes in the o.r. here. >> i'm absolutely confident in the o.r. our o.r. nurses are competent in the o.r. >> reporter: our cameras were allowed into the hospital's dental clinic where sterile saigs problems last summer exposed potentially 800 vets to hiv. >> i wouldn't go in for surgery right now. if i was dying, i would probably die, i'll than honest with you. >> it has been outstanding and i'm appreciative of everything i've gotten. >> reporter: i can promise you we will definitely stay on top of that story as we do with all of the v.a. issues here in this program. parts of the u.s. capital are starting to look like a cheap hotel. what would you say if your congressman was sleeping in his office? we are going to find out why they are doing it and why some critics say taxpayers are being cheated. a teen wrestler in iowa forfits his match. the reason? he says he will not wrestle a girl. ♪ rising up to the challenge of our rival ♪ looking for a simple way to help lower your cholesterol? try benecol spread - a heart healthy alternative to butter. benecol contains an ingredient that helps block cholesterol absorption and has a delicious, buttery taste. make benecol part of your healthy lifestyle. in washington, house republicans are vowing to make deep cuts to the federal budget. the showdown with democrats could lead to a potential government shutout march 4th when stop-gap funding measures run out. >> when we say we're going to cut spending, read my lips. we are going to cut spending. >> republicans have vowed to cut $60 billion from the fiscal 2011 budget. yesterday, lawmakers voted to cut $20 million from the national endowment for the arts and retain $290 million cut aimed at heating subsidies for poor households. they never want you to accuse them of sleeping on the job but a small number have taken sleeping at the office to a different level. critics say they are taking advantage of taxpayers. jim acosta is on capitol hill with a different perspective. can't these guys find a room? >> reporter: that is a good way of putting it. you mentioned the budget battle a few moments ago. they have been putting in long nights here. they wer here the other night until 4:00 in the morning and last night, they put in a long night as well. you could understand why some want to crash on the couch in their office or set up a cot. so many members of congress sleeping in their offices these days, some critics are starting to complain the house is becoming like a hotel where the lodging is on the house. after a long day on capitol hill, republican congressman joe walsh checks into what is the cheapest hotel room in washington. his own office. how good of a night's sleep is that? doesn't look too comfortable, congressman. >> i'll be honest. it's horrible. the couch is very uncomfortable. >> reporter: he sleeps on the couch and saving his family spending the money to find a second home in the nation's capital and giving him more time for business. >> i rolled off the coach to a thud. >> reporter: a liberal watchdog group isn't comfortable and calling for an investigation accusing lawmakers of bilking. this is nothing new. republican chaffetz was doing it a year ago and showed cnn. >> i haven't had a goodity into's sleep since i been here in congress. >> reporter: walsh turned down his own congressional health care plan welcomes any investigation. you don't want the federal health benefits but you'll take the free housing? is there a contradiction? no that will be determined. if this is free housing that i have to pay some tax for, i'll pay it. >> reporter: so far roughly three dozen men and not congresswomen sleeping in their office these days and might be because of the fact they don't have a shower in their office bathrooms leaving the congressional gym as the only place to wash up. if you want that kind of detail. >> that was my next question, where do they shower and brush their teeth? are you sure these guys just don't want to go home? >> reporter: they are quick to point out that they do go home to their districts on the weekends when but when they are here in washington is the stretch. this is one of the most expensive real estate markets in the country. an apartment could cost you maybe $2,000 so the savings are real. we should point out, though, they are making a cool $174,000 a year in the house of representatives. so that does give you enough money, some say, to go out and get an apartment. this may be a little bit of a story in search of a scandal, kyra. lots of things going on capitol hill these days and some of these lawmakers are puzzled as to why we are focusing on but it is kind of fun to point it out. >> reporter: it is definitely an interesting story for sure. jim, thanks. >> reporter: you bet. we follow developments in the middle east this morning. the crowds of demonstrations are growing in yemen and libya and bahrain, thousands of people fill the streets for the funerals of slain protesters. check out these crowds in cairo. live pictures here. it's one week to the day the government was toppled and today is a day of victory. thousands of people there in tahrir square are celebrating. not protesting, but celebrating. we're back in a moment. i was driving in northern california. my son was asleep. i really didn't see it coming. i didn't realize i was drifting into the other lane. [ kim ] i was literally falling asleep at the wheel. it got my attention, telling me that i wasn't paying attention. i had no idea the guy in front of me had stopped short. but my car did. -my car did. -thankfully, my mercedes did. [ male announcer ] a world you can't predict... demands a car you can trust. the e-class. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services. and having a partner like northern trust -- one of the nation's largest wealth managers -- makes all the difference. our goals-based investment strategies are tailored to your needs and overseen by experts who seek to maximize opportunities while minimizing risk. after all, you don't climb a mountain just to sit at the top. you lookround for other mountains to climb. ♪ expertise matters. find it at northern trust. receipt today expecting stocks to hold pretty steady and investors waiting to see if anything comes out of the g-20 meeting in paris. you hear the opening bell right there. one major focus is likely inflation and making headlines lately because food prices have been rising all around the world. u.s. federal chair ben bernanke will be speaking. we will track the numbers throughout the day. protests over deep budget cuts may be coming to a state capital near you. center stage for the drama right now, wisconsin. take a listen. >> union busting. >> this was the scene yesterday at the state capital. it was jam-packed with protesters and likely to see more today as well. state workers many of them teachers and they are furious over governor scott walker's plans to cut their benefits and collective bargaining rights. they claim his budget repair bill is likely a union buster. walker says wisconsin's budget is broken and some tough choices have to be made. well, a lot of schools are close again today. teachers say they are not budging until they get some answers that they can live with. cnn actually talked with the head of the teachers union a a little while oog agriculture. >> taking away bargaining rights is a nonstarter. wef reached out time and time again since november the 3rd, the day after the election, his people have refused to return a single call. they have never even acknowledged the unions except to give us notices of termination of contract extensions. they don't want to come to the table and bargain. >> well, 14 democrats from wisconsin senate actually left the state over this and made a beeline for the border and crossed into rockford, illinois, and stayed at the best western. why? political strategy, of course. with them out of state, there weren't enough senators to vote on the bill. one of the 14 democrats spoke with cnn this morning. we will hear from him, first. then a republican supporter of the budget chimes in. >> in this bill, which is supposed to be just a technical minor bill, he throws in the union busting provision. so, gwynne that is why we're having the problems we're having in wisconsin right now and why we had to leave the state to slow the process down to bring the governor back to the table, hopefully, and for people's voices to be heard. >> we had elections last november and the idea that union has to sign off or has to agree in order to pay for part of their pension, seems to me, a little bit ridiculous. many people in the state of wisconsin got laid off and have no job at all. many others are not having a 401(k) contribution or contributing more to their health insurance. the idea that governor walker or the state legislature can't have public employees contribute toward their pension without brian kennedy signing off is absurd! >> well, wisconsin is just one of many places in crisis. we're going to take a look at other states across the country that are dealing with budget shortfalls ahead. we're also following the protests thatling through the arab world this hour. that's bahrain where thousands of people filled the streets for the funerals of slain protesters. at least four people were killed. possibly hundreds more wounded. the crackdown yesterday by the government. many people in the crowd called the soldiers and security forces criminals. government forces rolled into the square in the milthed of the night when most protesters were fast asleep. some of the survivors say it wasing in short of a massacre. cnn's arwa damon found people at the hospital overflowing with dead and wounded. >> reporter: this is the lie of life ali says angrily when you ask him if the foreign minister claimed the police warned the demonstrators before attack. the one thing that never, ever crossed my mind was that they would attack us like this, he says. it was a massacre. the government says they used a minimum of force, claiming their forces also suffered casualties. they say they found firearms and knives among the protesters. inside, we meet zain, she and her two children were sleeping in a tent with other women and their kids when they woke up coughing on tear gas. and then they set the tent on fire. it went up in glams around us, she says. my 6-year-old grabbed on to me and said, "mommy, mommy, call the police!" and i had to say to her, "it's the police that is doing this to us." as we're walking through the hospital, we just went past the resuscitation room where a man is being treated on his last breath. still very intensive tragic atmosphere here at the hospital. an ambulance worker tells us that the police wouldn't let the ambulances through. we had to walk and then they shot us, he says. hardly able to breathe. >> once again, that was our arwa damon reporting. this morning a new explosion of violence in yemen. witnesses tell us there has been a grenade attack in a southern city where 10,000 people were holding an anti-government protest. this is an outburst of stone-throwing yesterday. today, well, the bloodshed is even worse. cnn's mohammed jam joom is in te capital with more. >> reporter: we got an update from a police official where anti-demonstrators. a grenade attack launched by an assailant. earlier today today largely students from the university here started marching through the streets. we were there and saw them. pro government gangs about a hundred people gathered and started chasing them and hitting them with clubs and throwing rocks at them. some of them had their taggers out. got quite violent. finally, the crowd was dispersed. we are seeing more and more of these kinds of demonstrations going on the last few days. today the eighth consecutive day of demonstrations in sanaa. very worrying for government officials here who feel if this protest movement keeps gaining momentum the way it has, if there is more anger, it could pose a serious threat to the regime here. >> now the u.s. embassy is apparently issuing a statement. how significant is that? how concerned do you think the u.s. is, the people even there on the ground about the terrorists, extremists gain ago foothold through all of this. >> reporter: it shows concern on behalf of the u.s. officials here and shows a concern a rising tide of violence here. the demonstrators attacked the last few days. let me read you a portion of the stadium. the embassy calls on the government of yemen to protect the life and properly and safeguard their basic and human rights. a concern here because every time there is anti-government demonstrators in the streets trying to peacefully assemble, gangs are coming out and harassing them. a lot of concern not just from the u.s. but regional neighbors. yemen before this protest movement started catching on was in a tenuous state. a lot feel it could be a failed state at any time. you have a rebellion on in the north and most worry of all, al qaeda and the arabian peninsula is a organization here and attracting more members here and able to launch spectacular attack plots from here against the u.s. and other regional allies. very concerning for the u.s. and very concerning for saudi arabia, the world's number one oil exporter and making people wonder here if this regime is in serious threat or what happens if there is a power vacuum. >> mohammed jamjoom, thanks. libya, much of the same story. protests growing across the country and anti-government organizers say more than 100,000 people turned out for protests today and the crowds came under fire by government operatives in civilian clothes. cnn doesn't have crews in libya and can't confirm these claims or those of the government. it's reporting, though, that seven people were killed in yesterday's day of rage. however, human rights groups believe that death toll is much, much higher. right now, in egypt the government has been toppled, take a look at this. thousands of citizens celebrating their so-called day of victory. they have returned to tahrir square, exactly one week after their movement ousted president hosni mubarak. pro-democracy activityists say that show of strength is sending a message to the military. egyptians are keeping a close eye on the promises not yet delivered on. donald trump is pushing is his conservative credentials but records show he has donated thousands of dollars to democrats. so what is up with that? he was a contender to be state champ. instead, he forfeited the match. why did this high school wrestler refuse to wrestle? well, he didn't want to wrestle a girl. ♪ our survivor and the last known survivor ♪ high school wrestler in iowa refuses to compete because as he looked across the mat at his competition, he saw a young woman. joel northrup gave up his chance to be a state champ by refusing the match. she is the first girl to ever qualify for the state tournament. after the forfeit, northrup released a statement saying wrestling is a combat sport and can tcan get violent at times. i could not believe it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner. it is unfortunately i have been place inside a situation not seen in most other high school sports in iowa. northrup's athletic director later commented on the decision. >> i'm sure it was hard for him like it would be hard for anybody. but, you know, it's a decision and his family made and that is what it is. >> interesting. his family made the decision. northrup is still eligible to compete in the consolation round. monday, i will speak to this young man who made that controversial decision so set your tivo now. joel northrup will be in the newsroom 9:00 a.m. monday on make his case. migraine sufferers listen up. what if all this time it was more than a really bad headache? for one man it was. in fact, it was a knife in his brain. either opera is going camp or this may be a sign of the times. end times. a new show on a prestigious london stage. are you ready for the name of it? 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[ female announcer ] so book today. freestyle cruising. only on norwegian cruise line. the sooner the better is florida's position when it comes to holding its 2012 presidential primary but it's getting some pushback. more on that from mark preston. hey, mark. >> reporter: good morning. we always talk about iowa and new hampshire and nevada and south carolina as states that really are the proving grounds for presidential candidates. well, florida wants to get in on the action. in fact, their primary is on january 31st of 2012. this is going to cause a big headache for the republican national committee because they have already created a calendar that has iowa, new hampshire, south carolina and nevada holding their contests in february. what is the rub? well, those contests are supposed to go first so if florida doesn't move their date to later on, then those four states are going to have to hold their contests back in january of that date. so florida have to come under some kind of penalty from the rnc and might lose delegates to the convention which will be held in tampa so can you imagine the rnc right now telling florida republicans they can't go to their own convention? right now, the rnc has this big headache on their hand. dean cannon the florida house speaker was at cnn yesterday. he says he doesn't think florida is actually going to change their date from january 31st. he said his state is more representative of the whole electorate across the country. we will see how this plays out but, again, a big headache for the rnc. ed rollins a contributor here at cnn was the political director for ronald reagan and he actually ran mike huckabee's presidential campaign in 2008. but a new column he is not talking up huckabee but chris christie, that tough-talking new jersey governor. what he says in his column conservatives want chris christie to run. why? he contends that christie is a tough talking honest republican willing to make tough budget decisions including rejecting billions of dollars from the federal government to build a tunnel underneath new jersey for a commuters heading into new york. kiran? >> mark, thanks so much. apparently developing news out of bahrain. we have been talking about the anti-government protests. now we are just getting word from our arwa damon there covering that that she is in an area she heard shots fired. what exactly can you tell us and is it going more violent? >> reporter: i'm just outside of tahrir square with the first round of anti-government demonstrators that tried to march back on to the square. they were initially greeted by bursts of gunfire. we were a short distance away and arrived to the square in the middle of talking to a man covered in blood and describing as the demonstrators arrived the soldiers took down on one knee and began shooting them and an ambulance worker told us four people had been killed. an unknown number wounded. as we were having this conversation, we heard shots fired. again, the crowd scrambling back, using the ambulances for cover. the ambulances themselves actually moving and trying to protect the people from the incoming hail of bullets. the situation right now, bearing in mind this only happened around ten minutes ago has been quiet. one gunshot that we heard. the demonstrators are very distraught and agitated and unsure what move to make next. they do appear they want to take on the military but as soon as they try to approach this outer corydon that is on one corner of the square they are shot at and forced back. kyra? >> arw, okay. our arwa damon calling into us from bahrain, where we have seen these anti-government roasts get stronger throughout the morning. there was actually a number of people that showed up to honor the dead, those appropriators that were killed within the past couple of days, are what. has that already finished? is this a continuation of that, of that march that we saw through the square will in bahrain? do you see that it's getting bigger? kind of give us a sense comparing yesterday to today. >> reporter: well, kyra, the specific spot that we're at the, the demonstrators that were trying to march in from this direction, and there were those who we saw earlier in the morning who was at the funeral, they really dispersed at this point in time, standing around in small clusters seeming as if they're trying to regroup, figure out what their next move should be. they were also joined by a number of doctors, demonstrators, who were sitting in in front of the hospital, because if you'll remember that thursday night, when the police went in and attacked the demonstration site, they were also preventing ambulances from entering. doctors had to enter on foot, and, in fact, a doctor from this hospital was killed, an ambulance worker wounded as well, so they were staging their own sit-in in front of the hospital and went out to join in with the crowds that were coming here from the various locations where the funerals were takes place. but, as i said, the crowd kind of dispersed right now, not sure what their next move is going to be. people keep grabbing us and trying to point out positions where they believe the military and the police may be set up. it's a very, very tense situation here. >> keep us posted and call in as you get new developments. arwa damon calling in from the square in bahrain. how are those flat rate boxes working out? fabulous! they gave me this great idea. yea? we mail documents all over the country, so, what if there were priority mail flat rate... envelopes? yes! you could ship to any state... for a low flat rate? yes! a really low flat rate. like $4.95? yes! and it could look like a flat rate box... only flatter? like this? you...me...genius. genius. priority mail flat rate envelopes. just $4.95. only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. all right. grab your passport. we are heading around the world for stories that caught our eye this morning. first stop, a bizarre medical story out of china. migraines had plagued this man for years, and like a lot of migraine sufferers, he simply dealt with the pain and recently began bleeding from the mouth. a trip to the hospital revealed a four-inch 95 in his brain. turns out he'd been stabbed in the jaw during a robbery attempt in 2006. doctors pulled the blade out and said the 95 missed a brain artery. staying in china, a lan turn festival marks the official end to chinese new year's. all across the country, colorful celebrations, dragons, cocktails and lan turns. part of the celebration, children are given riddles to solve. what's full of holes but can still hold water? yes, a sponge. london, covent garden is turning low brow to attract a new audience. it's at story of the one-time stripper turned playboy model turned tv reality star turned billionaire widow turned infamous legend here in the states, and now apparently in london. writer richard thomas says he liked anna nicole because she's a figure that resonates with the times. >> it's a rags-to-riches story and a cautionary tale all thrown in a blender with two bottles of tea keel la, whisked up and poured over a two-hour time fra frame. cast of characters? none other than larry king. all advanced tickets have sold out, and we can't wait to bring this story to you. this vietnam vet, if he doesn't inspire you, no one will. he's proof that ability is far more important than disability. he just needed some better clubs to improve his golf score and thanks to the folks at nike, he should have a better game this summer. well, it's fashion week in new york. it's the super bowl for design junkies and clothing connoisseurs. the fashions unveiled this week will determine the trends that will end up in department stores and ultimately in your closet. alina cho has a lot of those fashions in her closet, and she will talk about that maybe live from new york. alina. >> reporter: it's my personal super bowl, kyra. >> isn't that the truth? >> reporter: you know, we are going to show you all of the beautiful clothes on the runway from the top designers in this fashion special debuting tomorrow. you'll also hear from the top editors and stylists about trends so you'll get a look at what you may be buying months before the clothes hit the stores. we also sat down with michael koors, who is celebrating 30 years in the market. he talks about when he climbed inside a window at a department store to help dress the mannequins. he also want to hear my one on one with victoria beckham and talked about her fashion line and being 4 1/2 months pregnant. listen to what he said. everybody you speak to will say i want a healthy baby but three boys, a girl would be nice. >> it would be nice, but if i don't have a girl this time, maybe i will be lucky enough and have a girl next time. >> reporter: the next time. this is your fourth. how many children do you want to have? >> we'd whoic to have a big farm. >> reporter: there could be a fifth? >> who knows. >> reporter: or a sixth? >> i'm not angelina. c'mon! >> reporter: you know, we also talked about her days as a spice girl. does she miss singing and performer? she says, no, i'm not that good of a singer. a big family. you're pregnant with twins. how does six sound to you? >> i'm barely ready for two. how does she handle six and career and husband and everything el, all of the media. she sure does dress nicely. that's for sure. >> reporter: yeah, she does. it is the top of the hour. 7:00 in california, 9:00 a.m. in wisconsin, and this morning we're expecting more scenes like this in madison. thousands of teachers and state workers protesting the state's budget plan as the state money crisis is coming to a boil. that is just one state. yours could be next. 5:00 in cairo. look at tahrir square. last week it was it the scene of protests and violence. now a huge celebration of victory. the battle lines are being drawn in state capitols across the country. it's public workers versus some governors who want to take aim at union benefits the flash. point, wisconsin. tens of thousands of public employees and their sympathizers have been flooding the state capitol. they are fighting to block a sweeping anti-union bille that could strip them of their collective bargaining rights and jack up their rates for benefits. look at all these people. 14 democratic lawmakers. they're not there. they fled to illinois to delay a vote on the bill. school mismadison closed again for the third straight day. teachers say they won't go back to class until the governor agrees to open a discussion. >> it's very hard because i'm very passionate about what i do, and i feel attacked, and i feel that they're not listening. >> certainly the thousands of people here and outside the capitol have every right to be heard but i want to make sure that not for one moment are their voices drowning out the voices of the millions of taxpayers all across the state of wisconsin. >> well, this is bigger than just wisconsin, and now even president obama is weighing in. senior white house correspondent ed henry bringing us up to speed on that in just a moment. first let's goat casey wian in madison at the heart of this debate. what exactly do these protesters want? >> reporter: well, what he want is the restoration, the protection, if you will, of their collective bargaining rights. we're expecting thousands of protesters here for the fifth straight day. they say they're willing to give up money to help balance the state's budget. the governor says there is a $137 million shortfall by june 30th. a $3.6 billion shortfall over the next three years. the teachers do not want the collective bargaining rights to be eroded and the teacher here are very angry. >> like other families, we have a mortgage to pay every month. we have electric bills, and what i've heard is it's about a 13% net drop in income with the benefits and the wages. that's what we'd be losing every month, and so then we have to start picking and choosing how we're going to make our house payments and still do other things. >> reporter: teachers say, in fact, they believe this is not about money. they say it's about an effort to bust theirs and other unions. but we've encountered some counterprotesters who are not at all sympathetic to their argument given the high rate of unemployment in this and other states. >> shame on you for abandoning our children today. at least there's a few teachers out there who have the guts to stand up against you union thugs and actually teach our children! you're awol! you're awol! you're awol! >> reporter: meanwhile, many schools throughout the state remain closed for a third consecutive day because many of those teachers are coming here to the state capital to protest, kyra. >> we will follow it, casey. 40 plus states are facing major budget shortfalls. the darker the red, the bigger the problem, and the effort in wisconsin is beginning to spread across the rust belt and beyond. president obama has given his two cents now. ed henry has that. the president had strong words for the governor? >> reporter: republican scott walker, the president did a couple of interviews earlier this week and inviolated affiliate reporters in from states like wisconsin and was direct in saying you can't let these teachers and public employees lose their corrective bargain rights and took direct aim really at the governor. >> some of what i've heard coming out of wisconsin where you're just making it harder for public employees to collectively bargain generally seems like more of an assault on unions. >> reporter: an assault on unions, the president really taking on the republican governor there, and that's why you have republicans here in washington, like speaker of the house john boehner, pushing back and saying that the president shouldn't be getting involved like that and should realize that while workers might have to given up some collective bargaining rights those are sacrifices that are going to need to be made if, in fact, deficits on the local level and also on the national level are going to be solved. this is really just the beginning of this battle. >> the significance of the political group getting involved. >> reporter: organizing for america, the president's political arm. they have gotten involved, making calls, trying to build the crowds by spreading the word, working with labor unions on the local level and national level. i think that's very significant for this reason. this is not just about wisconsin. as you noted a minute ago, and casey was saying as well, same kind of fight may brew in hoirk new jersey, around the country, and may be a precursor to march forth here in washington when current funding for the federal government runs out and there's going to be a showdown between speaker boehner and other leaders as to whether they're going to continue funding the government or shut it down. you will see a lot of protests in the run-up to march 4th, and the republicans are saying, if the president is going to side with labor unions and say we can't make cuts or give up rights, where's the sacrifice going to come? how do you balance the budget. this is a battle. this is really just round one in wisconsin. >> ed henry, live at the white house. this morning, we have been following protests across much of the arab world today. take a listen. [ chanting ] actually, this was the funeral procession that happened, but it was just moments ago that we heard gunshots. our crews there in the square tell us that those shots were fired upon the massive demonstrations. witnesses tell us that soldiers opened fire on the protesters, and a number of people were wounded, according to our crew. just yesterday morning, the government launched a brutal crackdown on protesters sleeping in an encampment. the u.s.-backed regime in yemen, the protests are growing angrier and more violent. this is an outburst over the stone-throwing we saw yesterday, and today, apparently, the violence is getting worse. there was a grenade attack in southern yemen where more than 10,000 people massed to demand that the president resigned. the volatility is rising in libya. more than 100,000 people have turned out for protests, and the crowds came under fire there as well. cnn can't confirm the claims or those of the government. it's reporting that seven people were killed in yesterday's day of rage. we've got egypt, where this all began, just after tunisia, and it's an ancient land that's not demonstrating today, but, rather, celebrating a new beginning. right now, thousands and thousands of citizens are back in tahrir square for their so-called day of victory. exactly one week ago they achieved the unthinkable. through sheer will and staggering numbers, they ousted an unpopular president. senior international correspondent ben wedeman live in tahrir square. quite a different scene than a week ago. >> reporter: oh, an incredibly different scene, kyra. this has been a huge celebration in tahrir square. it's impossible to calculate the number of people. egyptians are talking about millions of people coming here, and, certainly, this is the most crowded we have seen tahrir square yet. this is a day of celebration, a day when egyptians -- it's the weekend -- when egyptians can take stock of the fact that be in just 18 days they were able to overthrow in a relatively bloodless revolution, president hosni mubarak who was in power for 30 years. what we've seen today is that at midday there were prayers. the square was incredibly quiet and solemn as hundreds of thousands of people joined in the muslim friday prayers, and then afterwards, it became a street celebration. there's dancing. there's singing. people are making speeches. it's an incredibly festive at moz sever -- atmosphere. egypt is basking in this new found freedom. ben wedeman live in tahrir square. going to veer into your lane. so watch out. [ male announcer ] accidents don't announce themselves. that's why the rx helps protect you with 360 degrees of safety. see your lexus dealer. that's why the rx helps protect you with 360 degrees of safety. hostcould switching to geico 15% or more on car insurance? man: no way! man: hey rick check this out! anncr: geico. 15 minutes could save 15% or more on car insurance. basic. preferred. at meineke i have options on oil changes. and now i get free roadside assistance with preferred or supreme. my money. my choice. my meineke. okay. we are continuing to follow those protests in bahrain. as you can see, there were thousands of people that have continued to turn out for anti-government protests. this was the funeral procession for one of the protesters killed, and it wasn't long after this our crews there in bahrain actually heard shots fired into the crowd. both our arwa damon and nic robertson are there. nic, i know you are sharing a phone there amid the protesters. i understand you were tear-gassed. is that correct? >> reporter: what had happened, kyra. we heard a group of protesters -- it doesn't seem as far as we know they were connected with the funeral marches earlier in the day but they decided to walk back to the roundabout, the place where they were camped and the police charged them out of there two nights ago. they tried to return there. there is a security cordon at the area of the rountabout. there were shots fired. it's not sure if they were fired into the crowd or over the heads, but live rounds, and an ambulance worker reported that four people can killed in that first volley. arwa and myself arrived there a little after that first incident. the crowd tried to move forward, stopped to pry, and tried to move forward, and the police fired tear gas. the second time when we were there and they fired tear gas, the crowd ran away from the police. the police charged down the road and there was an absolute barrage of tear gas flying over the heads of crowds as they were trying to run away. we saw people being picked up and put into ambulances. there were about ten ambulances there when we first arrived there. >> nic, as we saw things get violent in cairo, president hosni mubarak finally had to come out and say something publicly. has the king addressed the people yet at all? >> reporter: the king has addressed the people. he talked to them earlier in the week and he said that he was sorry for the death of the protesters earlier in the week. people took that very much at face value, but in the subsequent days, of course, there have been the violent demonstration, and the police think the kings a words are empty words. there is also word from the foreign minister and the bahraini representative to the united states, and he said proportional threat was used and they were staring into a sectarian abyss and used the minimum force necessary to maintain the security of the country for the economic interests of the country and for the stability and security of the country. so the government has addressed these issues. it seems to have drawn a very clear line in the sand. there are places where it will not let the protesters muster and gather, and in the statement, he warned people not to gather in large numbers because it could be potentially dangerous. that's what appears to be happening now is protesters are not allowed to go to what are now becoming sensitive locations where people have gathered so far, kyra. >> now, your equipment was confiscated yesterday. did you ever get your equipment back? and have you been able to shoot any video of what's taking place there? >> reporter: we have been able to get some of our equipment back. some of it remains with the customs authority. the foreign minister has been providing assistance to try to get that equipment to us, and we have some equipment available to us. we are being able to report the story and no military has stopped our access to locations around the city or events. some of the events are dangerous at the moment. >> nic, it looks like we're losing you on the sat phone. could you try moving in a different direction and give me a test once again on that sat phone. >> reporter: we are moving around all of the time at the moment, so it is a little tricky for me, perhaps, to give you a better test. this is the best we can do at the moment. >> i hear you perfectly now. do you want to pass the phone over to arwa, and i can ask her a couple of questions as well. >> reporter: absolutely. arwa was at the front and had a much better view than me. >> hi, arwa. you heard what nic had to say. you actually got inside the hospital and actually got to see how many people had been injured, what kind of wounds they were suffering from. you know, it's so hard for us to get the real picture until we get a chance to talk to you and nic. we do have video of you, and the funeral protests. with regard to the violence, give us a reality check. how bad is it? how bad were the hops, and what's your take on how violent it could get today. >> reporter: we went to the hospital last night and were taken into the morgue and saw three bodies. most of them had sustained numerous wounds caused by these pellet bullets that the police were using, and one man appeared to have had a bullet fired into his head at close range. that is what the people working at the morgue told us. another young man while we were there also bled out from wounds he sustained. the doctors were unable to save him. when we arrived outside pearl square tonight, we were in the middle of interviewing a man who was literally covered in blood. he said it was after the first volley of gun fire we heard where he was describing how the soldiers out front actually went down on one knee, and he says, they were firing into and over the crowd. the man standing next to him took a bullet to the head. he was trying to help him. that's why he was covered in blood, and in the middle of that interview was when the military opened fire once again. the crowds went running back, using the ambulance for cover. the ambulances were moving in front forming something of a barricade between the demonstrators and the military. eventually, the demonstrators decided to move forward once again, as nic was describing, stopping, praying, and i asked how long they were going to keep it up. were they afraid of getting killed? he said, even if i do get killed, there would be nothing better than to die for my country and that was when we had the very intense volley of tear gas, and as nicholas said, we had to leave the scene. >> arwa damon and nic robertson following the protests that have gotten deadly and violent in bahrain. we will continue to follow of story with both of them as they are right there in the center of the square. hey what's going on? doing the shipping. man, it would be a lot easier if we didn't have to weigh 'em all. if those boxes are under 70 lbs. you don't have to weigh 'em. with these priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service, if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. no weigh? nope. no way. yeah. no weigh? sure. no way! uh-uh. no way. yes way, no weigh. priority mail flat rate shipping starts at just $4.95, only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. should i bundle all my policies with nationwide insurance ? watch this. on one hand, you have your home insurance with one company. and on another hand, you have your auto with another. and on another hand, you have your life with another. huh... but when you bundle them all together with nationwide insurance... ... they all work together perfectly-- and you could save 25%. wow... it's all in the wrists. ♪ nationwide is on your side protests that have gotten deadly and much more violent in bahrain and we want to go once again live to the square there where we are now talking with rema, naktabi. rema, what did you tell us from your vantage point and how intense these protests are getting? >> reporter: well, we're so close to the place where the protests have been happening, and the whole day had been going well until this protest started, and we hear about gunfire and gunshots and live ammunition, and a lot of police presence in the roundabout along with people killed. so far it's four. and many injured. there are many ambulances around there, and the whole thing started with two groups going into the center when the clashes started. this has been building up throughout the day. it's friday. it's the friday prayers for muslims across the middle east and especially here in bahrain, and there were many funeral processions during the day for protesters who have been killed in the past days. two days ago. so this anger and sadness has been building up throughout the day, and it's reached this level and his point, kyra. >> and, rima, is there any way, or have you heard in any way, shape or form, if the king is going to come out and address the recent violence? obviously, we haven't heard, the protesters have not heard from anyone within the royal family for days. >> reporter: well, we know from sources that the royal family is watching what's happening closely. they are very worried. yesterday, there was a major meeting for countries like qatar and saudi arabia and the united arab emirate. there are a lot of people building up here. it is different than egypt and tunisia. this was about poor living conditions, however, it is a sectarian strike against sunnis and shiites. >> rima. thanks. much more this morning as we have been following the protests across the arab world. just minutes ago cnn crews in bahrain tell us shots were fired onto a massive demonstration there. witnesses say the soldiers opened fire on the protesters. ambulance crews say at least four people confirmed dead. you know, just yesterday morning, bahrain's u.s.-backed government launched against protesters sleeping in an encampment. in egypt, quite the opposite. thousands of people jamming into tahrir square to celebrate their so-called day of victory. one week ago today the anti-government movement toppled president hosni mubarak. in libya, more than 100,000 people turned out for protests today, and the crowds came under fire. cnn can't confirm the claims or those of the government. it's reporting, though, that seven people were killed yesterday in the day of rage, but human rights groups are going against that saying that they believe the death toll is much higher. also facing a major challenge, the u.s.-backed regime in yemen. the protesters are growing larger and much more violent. yesterday it was stone-throwing, and today the blood shed is worse. a grenade attack in southern yemen happened where more than 10,000 people had massed to demand that the president resign. now, the protests in our country, well, totally different story. we're talking about deep budget cuts. state money crisis coming to a boil in wisconsin. take a look. >> what's disgusting? union busting! >> it's a third day of protests there in madison. thousands of teachers and other state workers say governor walker's bill will slash their rights. now, wisconsin's budget, as we know, is broken, and the governor says some tough choices had to be made. here's how broken it is. the state is facing a $3.6 billion budget shortfall. the controversial repair bill, offering up $300 million in cuts. so what does that mean to a individual? the average salary for a state worker in wisconsin is $48,000. each worker would pay about 3,300 each year for benefits. let's talk about this. the bummer part is the kids really suffer when this happens. schools are closed and teachers are out there protesting. you want them to have, you know, what they want, but at the same time, the students really lose out when they can't go to class. >> especially, too, when you see smaller class sizes. i have a couple of examples of how budget cuts affect the bigger school districts in the country and it does spell out to what could be a bigger challenge for students and for their teachers. i want to start off by showing you a comparative salary chart. the salaries between experienced teachers and those at the start of their career. in maryland, starting salary is about $37,000. the ten-year salary is $49,000 on average. you are looking at a 32% difference, 42%, georgia, and 22 in washington. as a reaction to that, many school systems throughout the country are looking to eliminate the jobs of the more experienced teachers and fill them with teachers at the entry level and one example is something we're seeing in baltimore. they are offering the experienced teachers a buyout. 75% of their salary for the next five years, and during this time they could substitute teach and work other jobs, and, of course, this would save school districts money if they replace them with teachers at the entry level. there are big downsides to this. for one thing, there is the potential for smaller class sizes if they do not feel all of those teachers slots with entry level teachers. in addition to that, you are looking at losing the classroom veterans who have been in there for a while if they take the buyout would vacate their classrooms. >> how long do you think this could last, could take? it's been a really -- we were talking that you see crowds like that at lambeau field, packers' stadium, not in wisconsin. it is usually a friendly education state. >> i think you hit an interesting point of how long this could take. we don't know. when i started reporting on this a few years back, we were talking about school budget cuts in terms of bus routes being eliminated and students losing out on field trips, and now we're looking at possible teacher buyouts in wisconsin and massive layoffs in new york city. it just makes my earlier reports on cuts seem so insignificant. >> we will stay on top of that story. thank you so much. something else we're talking about. seems the whole world has bieber fever. he is only 16 years old, but he has millions, teens and adults, of fans swooning over this kid. probably why he landed a "rolling stone" cover on stands now. his videos are among the most watched on youtube and has 7.3 million followers on twitter and more than 21 million facebook friends. not to mention a hit movie at the box office. "never say never" you can say that again. not normally money associated with controversy until now. he is actually talking health care, women's rights and politics. to weigh in on these comments on bieber and the "rolling stone" magazine, of course, we turn to pete dominic, comedian, radio host, regular contributor, totally insane man. i had a feeling -- >> i got bieber fever, kyra. >> yeah. you're bieber-licious this morning. >> thank you. >> this is one of those things that, okay, i just -- he has so much influence on so many young kids, and i just want to throw it out there. when you don't really know what you're talking about at the age of 16, should you be addressing controversial issues like abortion? i mean, let me just read the quote, and i want you to, you know, tell me what you think about this. when the reporter asked about abortion, he said, it's like killing a baby. he goes on to say, well, um, i think that's really sad but everything happens for a reason. i don't know how that would be a reason. i guess i haven't been in that position, and i wouldn't be able to judge that. that's talking about if someone were raped and had to have an abortion, it just seems like something this young kid shouldn't be talking about. >> well, absolutely. you're absolutely right, kyra, but he's a 16-year-old kid, and he's going to answer the questions that his mom who handles him, his manager and his publicist tells him to answer. but apparently his publicist didn't pay any attention to general stanley mcchrystal's interview with this same magazine which i'm a huge man of. his people should have known a little better than to put him down with a rolling stone reporter and having him answer those questions which, of course, he should not be answering. i will say this, kyra, you have the other quote he said about universal health care. this is interesting. >> he says, you guys are evil. canada is the best country in the whole world. we go to the doctor and don't need to worry about paying him but here your whole life you're broke because of medical bills. >> yeah. here's what we can learn. there is something that we can learn about this, those of us in the media that talk about this. the labels conservative and lib ra bral, this is a conservative kid who we consider in america to be very liberal with health care but on the issue of abortion, he's pro life, so he lines up with conservatives. we learn that labels don't apply from justin bieber. >> he talks ability abortion and politics and health care. on politics, it's about korea, and he says, i'm not sure about the parties, but whatever they have in korea, that's bad. >> yeah. no risk there. he doesn't get hurt on that one at all. that was a safe answer and fairly obvious. i think he makes it through on that one. >> so you think this was just kind of a p.r. person kind of dropping the ball and should have prepped him better? >> yeah, i mean -- yeah, absolutely. he's a pop star. he's a musician. he's a dancer. he shouldn't be commenting on politics. he shouldn't be asked to comment on politics. it's only going to hurt his numbers. can't hurt him too much. he's one of the most famous people in the world. he's 16. what does he know about the world with all due respect? he's a great singer and dancer. my daughters still don't know who he is. i'm sure 33 at some point. no on politics. stick to what you know. >> very young, a lot of growing up to do, experiences to have, then maybe when he matures a little bit he can talk about the issues. definitely raising eyebrows. pete dominic thank you for joining me. you always have an opinion. >> if i could get some of this twitter fans, i wouldn't mind. >> mao goodness. if this vietnam vet doesn't inspire you, no one will. he's proof ability is far greater than disability. he just needed better clubs to improve his golf score. thanks to the folks at nike he should have a better score this summer. 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[ female announcer ] visit aveeno.com to save on nourish plus. well, for months, we've shown you how hard it is to be a veteran. va hospitals that can't seem to keep their equipment sterilized, butting veterans at risk, two horrific word, injuries, ptsd, a record rate of suicides, homelessness, arlington cemetery even dropping the ball there. but at the same time we're always looking for stories to inspire our men and women that are coming home from war and we found that in this man, vietnam vet mike reeder. he inspired us when we first met him last year, and now he's inspired the golf experts at nike as well. tiger woods, lucas glover, stuart sink, elite golfers you might see at nike in ft. worth, texas, the place where skilled craftspeople forge the tools that keep these champions on top of their game, not a place the average golfer will ever see, but mike reeder is not an average golfer. >> c'mon in. welcome. >> reporter: mike lost both his legs in vietnam. he's been playing golf for the last 22 years and playing well. in 2010, he got to live a dream. he played the fabled course at st. andrews in scotland. >> my first few swings over in scotland, last year, everybody said, you're a links player. >> reporter: he shot a 79 on the old course. when he first shared his story with cnn, he drove a few balls live on the air. well, nike saw mike's story, and the next thing he knew, the company invited him to the oven for custom-made clubs. mike played, nike got to work. >> you know, i've always had to just make due, and i don't want to have to make due anymore. >> that makes sense. >> nike's club experts say no problem. >> the function is the same as when we work with a tour athlete. it is having the right tools and having them set up to mike's specs. >> always have forever, my mental picture is payne stewart. but i'm always a realist. >> exactly, exactly. >> after watching mike on the course, nike's matt plum has an idea what he needs. it's back into the oven to meet the craftsmen who will customize his woods, iron and putter. >> that's the fun part. >> if he even resembles santa claus. >> he's got the red and green on today too. >> yep. >> pretty? >> yeah. >> let's go do it. >> so how do the test clubs feel? >> once bounce and check. i ain't used to that. >> and it just keeps getting better. >> oh, superb. >> i like that. >> for distance, yes. >> i think we have a winner with the two wedges. pretty much. >> good, good, good. >> i'm seeing the ball go where i want it to go, and that's making me very happy. >> nike then puts mike through the putting lab, finding the perfect fit for his form. >> that's a better roll. >> you are getting creative. >> we definitely do. that's what makes it fun, though. >> fun, creative. >> we're all pretty excited about it truthfully. >> and for this disabled vet, a lifetime experience like no other. >> one thing is we like a good challenge around here. >> well, that i am. to have nike already set up for me, to have a bunch of different heads, different heads, for me to try, and then plus the different shaft combinations, you know, i'm in hog heaven. >> mike is hoping to put up better scores this summer at his course in flank clin, tennessee. matt plum, you saw him in that story. he was mike's host at the oven. matt, what was is like spending time with mike? because this was a totally different type of fitting than you usually do. >> it sure was. it was great to meet mike finally. we exchanged so many e-mails leading up to the process and great to get him in there and show him what we were able to do and provide him with some better equipment. >> what stood out about him? you're usually dealing with tour professionals, and sometimes they can be a little, you know, not so easy to deal with all of the time. there could be a little drama. you got this vietnam vet, man, who got the call from you, and was so excited and humbled. what was it about him when you met him, when he came through the oven, and all of your skilled krafsmen and krafs's women met him. what was the buzz? what did they say? >> everybody was inspired. we heard so much and talked so much about this crist before mike got in there. everyone was so excited to meet him and see how he does what he does. what stood out was his passion for the game, his love for wanting to perform this sport and do what he does. it was great to see. >> what do you think? how did you see the clubs work in his hands and drive the ball, putt the ball? do you think this is going to make a difference in his game? >> definitely. what mike does is truly remarkable and truly inspirational for anybody who shares the love that he does for this game. you know, i think we made some big improvements in mike's game. i know he was pretty excited about the irons that we got and the wedges that we made for him and we definitely picked up some distance on his drive. so that was great. >> that's great. i'm hoping to get out there and play some golf with him. maybe i can borrow some of those clubs. matt, thank you so much for hosting him. we thank you and we thank you beth gass and, also, of course, your president who made this all happen for us. we really appreciate it. >> thank you very much. >> you bet. we are also talking, of course, about the celebrations in egypt. right now, this is tahrir square. a day of victory, they're calling it. it's not like what we saw last week. there's no violence. there aren't people being beaten up, taken to the hospital. they're basically just waiting to see the changes that they fought for so heavily last week when they got their president ousted there in that country. quite a different switch from what we're seeing in bahrain and other parts of the arab region. i'm katie and this is george. i'm allergic to cats. 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[ male announcer ] while others are content to imitate, we'll continue to innovate. the lexus rx. why settle for a copy when you can own the original? see your lexus dealer. and you want to pass along as much as possible to future generations. at northern trust, we know what works and what doesn't. as one of the nation's largest wealth managers, we can help you manage the complexities of transferring wealth. seeking to minimize taxes while helping maximize what's passed along. because you just never know how big those future generations might be. ♪ expertise matters. find it at northern trust. this morning we have been following protests cross the arab world. cnn crews in bahrain told us shots had been fired upon a massive demonstrations there. witnesses tell us that soldiers just opened fire on the protesters. ambulance crews say at least four people are confirmed dead and yesterday morning braur rain's government launched a brutal crackdown on protesters sleeping in an encampment. in yemen, those protests are growing larger, angrier and more violent. this is an youft burst of stone-throwing we saw yesterday. today the bloodshed worse. cnn crews confirm a grenade attack in southern yemen. now, in libya, anti-government organizers say that more than 100,000 people have turned out for protests today, and the crowds came under fire as well. cnn cannot confirm these claims or those of the government because we can't get crews in there. it's reporting that seven people were killed in yesterday's day of rage but human rights groups are saying that that death toll is much higher. we do have a protester in the area on the phone. for his safety, we are not identifying him. sir, can you tell us what you are seeing? >> people are coming from everywhere. i can tell you the last call was about 10,000. i guarantee there are a lot more than that. there are marchers coming from all sides of the city towards the courthouse, and they are asking people watching in their houses to come and join this demonstration. they are peaceful. bring your kids, your family. don't worry. there are no police, nobody in front of the courthouse. >> so you are saying thousands of protesters are out on the streets there in libya, but you have not seen any violence? there have been no attacks on those protesters? >> no. there is a lot of violence, but here in front of the courthouse, so far, there is no police, nobody. we know they are surrounding areas in the city but there is nobody we can see beside the courthouse. so only protesters, and it's peaceful demonstration. >> you are talking about in benghazi? >> yes. >> now, have you been able to talk to anybody in other parts of libya somewhere. >> yes. >> do you know what it's like in tripoli? >> no, i can't tell you about the other areas. there is no police or any government forces there. all of the people controlling the street and the cities. all of the forces now are surrounding benghazi. >> got it. we sure appreciate you calling in. it's been hard to report from libya, obviously, because we can't get crews in there to give us firsthand coverage. we appreciate you calling in, sir. the power of pictures, a cnn documentary focuses on the work of civil rights photographer ernest withers. 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[ ding ] well, pictures are said to be worth a thousand words, right? and you could argue some are worth just a little bit more. a cnn documentary premiering this weekend focuses on the work of civil rights photographer ernest withers. here's soledad o'brien. >> reporter: through one lens, memphis and much of the american south was a frightening place to be. but through another lens, the lens belonging to budding photojournalist ernest withers, it could also be exhilarating, exciting, inspiring. >> i don't think that he had the impression at the time that he was taking this for preservation of his people. but he had a sense of the purpose and importance of what he was doing. >> if you look at his work, one of the things had he a feel for was the little guy, the poor guy that's working hard. he had a way of being able to photograph someone's face. it was almost like you were looking at the person's hands or something because you could see how hard their lives had been, and it was in their faces. >> reporter: in 1960, black sharecroppers in fayette county, tennessee, were being evicted from her homes for registering to vote. tent city was an emergency camp set up on donated land for those people who suddenly found themselves with no food, shelter, nowhere to turn. withers rushed there with the only aid he had, his camera. >> that was a sense of mission to him. i can remember him calling all of the different editors and reporters around the country. >> reporter: to pitch the

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