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President Obama's Approval Rating Hits All-Time Low; Neighbor Charged in Missouri Toddler's Murder; Aruban Authorities Continue Investigation of American Woman's Disappearance; Guatemalan Court Returns Kidnapped Child in America to Mother; American Kidnapped in Pakistan; Rick Perry Enters GOP Race; Singer Sara Evans Discusses Her Career

Aired August 15, 2011 - 15:00   ET

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


BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, Ms. Kaye. Thank you very much. Have a wonderful Monday afternoon to you.

And I want to begin with this. Hello, everyone. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Breaking news here, shocking new evidence.

We have been getting in these latest police documents here on this case just this afternoon about this missing 3-year-old little girl in Missouri. We have just gotten these documents filed in this particular case and a man who lives across the street from this little girl and her family has now confessed to her murder in gruesome detail. It's disturbing. I will talk to the prosecutor here in just a couple of moments. Stand by for that.

But you know what? Randi Kaye just mentioned Wolf Blitzer. So we do want to talk politics here off the top. President Obama is campaigning today. That's right. I said campaigning for reelection across the Midwest. And take a quick look here at the news he got just before leaving the nation's capital, a new personal low in his job approval rating in the latest Gallup poll. Look at that number, 39 -- 39 percent here of people approve of the job he is doing, 54 percent disapprove less than 15 months before the president faces the voters.

So there on the banks of Minnesota's Cannon River, President Obama coming out loaded for bear, saying the recent debt debate showed that some politicians -- and he didn't mention parties -- would rather see their opponents lose than see American win. Tough words. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We ended up creating more uncertainty and more damage to an economy that was already weak.

Now, we can't have patience with that kind of behavior anymore. I know you're frustrated. And I'm frustrated, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Three states in just three days by bus for President Barack Obama. You have Minnesota, Iowa and then Illinois.

And my colleague Wolf Blitzer is standing by. He hit the road. He got a break from Washington. He will be doing "THE SITUATION ROOM" from the president's next step in Decorah, Iowa.

And, Wolf, let's go to you. We heard from the president some pretty tough words today from the president clearly aimed at the Republicans.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: He's really beginning, slowly but surely, but he's beginning to get into that campaign mode.

The Republicans have been obviously in that campaign mode against him obviously for several weeks now, whether Mitt Romney or Michele Bachmann, now Rick Perry. They're really hitting him hard. But now he's beginning to respond.

It's only going to get more intense in the coming weeks and months. They're really going to go after each other. They have got their various talking points. And it's going to be a really hot and heavy political season.

And you can tell right here in Iowa. Just got here last night. But this is a state where the first-in-the-nation contest takes place. It's not that far down the road. The next president of the United States potentially could come through Iowa. It's often happened in the past. So we will see what happens.

But it's going to be a tough fight. The president desperately needs these three states that he's effectively campaigning through, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois. He won all three of those states in 2008. He needs them again this time if he's going to get reelected. So he's working hard already trying to generate that support. It's going to be a fierce, fierce battle no matter who the Republican nominee is.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: He's working hard. But you saw the poll numbers and how Americans feel about the president right now. And I want to get to more of those polls here in just a moment that show the president's popularity really taking a big hit.

But, first, let's all listen together to what may have been the president's most pointed remarks in that speech today in Minnesota. He's talking again about the debt negotiations. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: We could solve this problem tomorrow.

I put -- I put a deal before the speaker of the House, John Boehner, that would have solved this problem. And he walked away because his belief was, we can't ask anything of millionaires and billionaires and big corporations.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: Wolf, I know that the president's opponents are calling this class warfare. But I have a feeling we will be hear a lot of that, that sort of refrain in the coming months.

BLITZER: We're going to be hearing a lot about it. Look, there are stark differences, and I think everyone is beginning to appreciate that, between what the president and the Democrats believe in and what the Republicans, including all the Republican presidential candidates, believe in, on economic issues, on social issues, even on national security issues.

So there's going to be some real significant differences, probably less differences on the national security issues than on the domestic, economic and social issues. But if -- it's going to be very clear. There's going to be a real choice for the American people over the coming months and looking up to November 2012.

And I think that's becoming obvious right now. Just take a look at last week's Republican debate. On so many of the issues, the Democrats, including the president, totally disagree. It's going to be a whole new world out there.

BALDWIN: Yes. There was a story over the weekend, I'm sure you read it, that there is this whole debate just within the White House as to whether to try to pass new economic measures. But what we heard today was you have number one, extend the cut of the payroll tax, two, extend unemployment insurance, and, three, new jobs-creating infrastructure projects.

And, Wolf Blitzer, I know you listen to the president a lot. So do I. And these are the same three things he's talked about for weeks, just talked about those three last week in Holland, Michigan. When will we hear something new?

BLITZER: The White House aides are saying probably in September. He's got a whole list and he reiterated those in the town hall meeting in Minnesota earlier this morning, similar lists to what he put out last week, creating an infrastructure, extending unemployment benefits, extending the payroll tax cut. He's got a whole list of ideas -- passing free trade area agreements.

But he's going to have some more substance, we're told, probably in September. They're going to come up with some other job-creating ideas. Look, there's a limit though what he can do. He can come up with really bold initiatives. But given the makeup of the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, it's unlikely he will get any of that passed, especially if it means a lot of spending, which the Republicans are not going to go forward with. So it's -- he will stake out the differences between himself and the Republicans.

The question is, is any of those new initiatives that he may put forward on the table in September or October, or whenever, if there are any of them that are going to get passed legislatively. And given the makeup of the House, I doubt it.

Some of these things, by the way, he will be able to do through executive order by signing -- signing a piece of paper. But there's going to be a debate. And it's going to be clear that there are enormous differences between these two parties.

BALDWIN: Well, as we mentioned, you know, as I mentioned off the top, look, he's campaigning. You're in the thick of things there in the Midwest where he's going to be taking this multi-state bus tour.

And just on that note, I want to show another poll. This is a pretty fascinating poll. This is released by CNN. And in it, it showed 28 percent of Democrats would prefer another nominee from their own party other than the incumbent president of the United States.

Do we know, Wolf Blitzer, which Democrats these folks are? Is it in the base?

BLITZER: Well, there may be some of those Hillary Clinton supporters who never really thought that Barack Obama should get the Democratic nomination to begin with. They were fiercely loyal to Hillary Clinton. I don't think a serious Democrat is going to challenge the president for the Democratic Party nomination.

BALDWIN: You don't?

BLITZER: I think it's a little late in the game for that, certainly not Hillary Clinton. If that was going to happen, she would have resigned a long time ago.

Those who are dreaming about Hillary Clinton deciding to challenge President Obama for the nomination, they're dreaming. That's not going to happen. Whether there could be some marginal Democrat out there who might say, you know what, I'm going to challenge him, it's a little late for any serious opponent to really get any traction.

But the president is obviously going out there. He's starting to campaign. He's raising a lot of money already. He will have a huge financial advantage over any of the Republicans. He will also have the advantage of being the incumbent president of the United States, which is a significant advantage.

Having said that, if the economy is still in very anemic, if jobs remain elusive, if the unemployment rate remains high, he will be vulnerable and he and the Democrats know that.

BALDWIN: And, quickly, Wolf, let's just tell everyone, while you're in Iowa, other the fact that you are such the political reporter at heart and maybe wanted to take a break from the D.C. heat and see the majestic cornfields as you blog about on CNN.com/situationroom, why are you there, Wolf?

BLITZER: Well, I love Iowa, every -- especially every four years. Because, as you know, Brooke, I'm a political news junkie. It's great to get to Iowa.

I did just -- my "SITUATION ROOM" blog. I just posted it a little while ago. And I noted that I remember vividly when I was here in 1999, just before then Governor George W. Bush won the Iowa caucuses and got the Republican nomination, became the president of the United States, and I was here at the end of October 2008 when then Senator Barack Obama was running for president just before he got elected in November.

BALDWIN: And now?

BLITZER: And so it's great to come here and see what's going on. But I'm going to interview the president tomorrow, tomorrow afternoon.

BALDWIN: Wonderful.

BLITZER: We will do a one-on-one interview here in Iowa. And we will air it in "THE SITUATION ROOM." And you and I will talk about it a lot, I'm sure.

BALDWIN: Yes, I look forward to it. Maybe you can share a little bit -- a little sneak speak before "THE SITUATION ROOM" tomorrow.

BLITZER: Let me ask you a question. You just tweeted something about frozen Oreos. Tell me what...

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: I don't want to give it away. But, yes, I have heard a little something about you and a bad habit with frozen Oreos and some skim milk. We will talk about it next hour, sir. Appreciate it, Wolf Blitzer in Iowa.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Still to come, though, a little girl -- we mentioned this off the top. A little girl disappears. Shocks this small Missouri town, especially now that authorities have arrested her neighbor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are still conducting a search for Breeann's body. It has not yet been recovered.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: The search for Breeann Rodriguez goes on. Coming up, I will speak live with the prosecutor leading this case. New details coming out.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: It took an hour for her to die, chilling words from a man arrested in the murder of a 3-year-old little girl in Missouri -- 43- year-old Shawn Morgan is now in custody, accused of suffocating little Breeann Rodriguez and then dumping her body. The 3-year-old missing for more than a week was last seen playing with her pink bicycle just in her front yard. But in court documents just released this afternoon, an investigator shares details he gleaned from questioning Morgan. Morgan, by the way, lives across the street from the Rodriguez family.

And according to this affidavit I have here in my hand, here's what we're learning. Police say Morgan saw the girl standing on his pool ladder that day, grabbed her, took her inside his house and suffocated her with this white plastic trash bag.

Then he says, according to this document, he put her body in that same trash bag and dumped it in a nearby floodway. And reading on her in this piece of paper, he later took apart her bike piece by piece and dumped it around the same place.

Prosecuting attorney Stephen Sokoloff joins me on the phone from Kennett, Missouri.

And, Mr. Sokoloff, let me just begin with have you, have investigators found Breeann's remains yet?

STEPHEN SOKOLOFF, PROSECUTOR: No. They're still engaged in the search for her remains at this time.

BALDWIN: I have read this document. And it's chilling details coming forward just this afternoon.

And one thing it's missing here is the motive. Do we know yet what enraged this man so much that he felt the urge to attack this 3-year- old little girl, other than just sending her home with her parents?

SOKOLOFF: Well, as I had indicated, I'm not in a position at this point to speculate about that or to offer any theories in regard to that at this time.

BALDWIN: But based upon hard evidence or hard facts that you have come into knowledge recently, there is nothing yet that shapes into a motive; is that what I'm hearing?

SOKOLOFF: No. It's just not -- as I said, it's not appropriate. I'm prohibited by the rules of professional conduct from offering any kind of information with regard to evidentiary matters in the case.

BALDWIN: Sure.

SOKOLOFF: And so that would really fall under that.

BALDWIN: OK.

What I find chilling about this particular affidavit here is that Morgan said -- and I'm quoting -- he felt like it took an hour for her to die.

I mean, other than living down the road from this 3-year-old or across the street, what more do you know about this man? Because, according to reports, he's a father of three.

SOKOLOFF: That is what has been reported to me.

And, again, I hate to be difficult, but as far as evidentiary issues and those matters, basically anything that's outside of the actual charges, are things that I'm not prohibited to comment on at this point.

BALDWIN: OK. So you can't tell me if this family, the Rodriguez family, had any contact with this man as they lived in the same neighborhood, anything more about...

SOKOLOFF: Well, they did live in the same neighborhood. And...

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Did they have prior contact?

SOKOLOFF: Again, that gets into...

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: OK. OK.

SOKOLOFF: ... evidentiary matters.

BALDWIN: I read that this is a small town, population something like 160 people, a very low crime rate. How has this Missouri community reacted to this story?

SOKOLOFF: It's been, I think, real troublesome to the community. Seeing it is a small town and with the typical small town concerns and values. And this has been very, very disturbing to the community as a whole.

BALDWIN: Stephen Sokoloff, thank you so much.

SOKOLOFF: Sure.

BALDWIN: Now this: One moment, fans are waiting for a concert to begin. Next -- you saw what happened -- they're looking for survivors. Coming up, what Indiana's governor is now saying about blame after a stage collapse kills at least five people.

Also, it is classified technology, top-secret information here. So did Pakistan, an ally of the United States, allow China to see this chopper, at least maybe the tail portion of this chopper, that went down during the raid on Osama bin Laden? We are getting answers on this today and what this could mean for security next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: U.S. military officials believe Chinese engineers have gotten a close look at some would call high tech, very classified American equipment. I'm talking about this. Take a look. You remember this.

Remember the U.S. raid, of course, in Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden just a couple of months ago? Well, all U.S. troops, they got out alive. But they did lose this one helicopter, it was a specially equipped, secret aircraft designed to be invisible to ground radar. The wreckage is back in the United States. But now Pentagon officials have concerns about who possibly saw this helicopter, possibly took some pictures of it and maybe kept pieces of it as well.

Let's go straight to the Pentagon, our correspondent there, Barbara Starr.

And, Barbara, why? Why did military officials even think that maybe Chinese engineers were allowed up-close vantage of the secret aircraft and why then would Pakistan allow that?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Brooke, this is the issue. There's been rumors for months now that the Pakistanis were so furious about U.S. troops coming into their country that when that helicopter crashed and some of the wreckage was left behind, the Pakistanis basically said, the heck with it, we will let our Chinese friends come in and have a look at all of this and see what they think, knowing full well that this was some of the most classified U.S. military technology.

So the rumors been out there for some time. But there's a whole new series of newspaper articles emerging. And what U.S. officials are telling us is they now have reason to suspect, they say, reason to suspect that the Chinese indeed were invited in by the Pakistanis, had a look, maybe took a few samples.

This stealth technology on this helicopter would really be a prize for the Chinese. They're very interested in stealth technology. Anything that makes a radar signature less visible, it allows someone to fly through enemy airspace without being detected. It's the leading edge of military technology.

The Chinese sure would love to get their hands on it. So the U.S. suspects, but has no way of absolutely confirming it, Brooke.

BALDWIN: So the fear then is that if China got a good look at this, they could, what, emulate this sort of technology to use it on their own?

Yes. I mean, I think that's actually it. The Chinese are experts at reverse-engineering, if you will, taking a piece of technology, figuring out how it's made, going backwards through the production process, figuring out what they need to do to be able to make that same technology.

So they have some stealth capability in China, but this really is, you know, the cream of the crop of U.S. military technology. There's no way the U.S. would want the Chinese to have their hands on it.

And if they do, the U.S. can't absolutely confirm it and there's really not much that the U.S. can really do about it -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: If this is the case, as you mentioned, we have all been reading the same newspaper articles. What would this say about the U.S.-Pakistan relationship, but perhaps more importantly the relationship between Pakistan and China?

STARR: Ah, both of them indeed. It will make the already strained relationship between Washington and Islamabad even more strained.

The U.S., of course, still grants Pakistan billions of dollars in aid every year. So they -- even though they invaded Pakistani airspace, they certainly expect Pakistan not to turn around and give it to the Chinese. So that would be a major problem.

And, of course, the Pakistani Chinese military relationship, very tight, very close, something that constantly worries the U.S. because of these very kinds of situations.

BALDWIN: Yes. Barbara Starr, thank you so much.

STARR: Sure.

BALDWIN: And speaking of Pakistan, an American working in another country disappears in this complex kidnapping plot. We will tell what you the kidnappers did to distract security guards.

Also, a memorial today for those lost in the dramatic collapse at that stage at Indiana State Fair. Look at this. You will hear from a woman who captured the disaster on camera -- back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: After quite a roller-coaster week -- really weeks there -- the markets looking pretty good on this Monday afternoon. Just about 35 more minutes until that closing bell, the Dow up 185 points. You can always keep an eye on that. Go to CNNMoney.com.

Now to this: some stunning video here, checking our top stories, shot by a iReporter in the terrifying moments after that concert stage toppled and crashed into that crowd. This is in Indianapolis Saturday night. This is before any paramedics arrived, people attending the Indiana State Fair helping out the wounded. You can see them trying to move forward and help folks out digging through scaffolding and debris just to find others.

Five people have died. About 40 others were injured. And it happened when this strong windstorm suddenly just whipped up and toppled the stage while the crowd watched in terror. Take a look and listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SCREAMING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: This, again, was Saturday night. The Indiana State Fair did not reopen yesterday. It did open today. State fire marshals and safety inspectors are trying to figure out what caused the stage to crumble just as it did when the strong winds hit. Governor Mitch Daniels is telling people not to rush around and look for blame. By the way, the woman who shot this video, her name is Jessica Silas. And she will be joining me here live in just a couple of minutes to talk me through what she witnessed.

Bombs across Iraq today, 20 separate bombings, and the casualties are very high. In Baghdad, Tikrit, Karbala, and here in Kut, suicide bombs and car bombs and also shootings, some targeted groups of civilians. Others hit police and military targets. In all across Iraq today, at least 75 people were killed. More than 250 are hurt.

And it is the midpoint of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the same time period last year when extremists unleashed that large-scale nationwide wave of violence. No group yet is claiming responsibility for today's attacks. Iraq had been relatively calm since the start of Ramadan.

It is the mysterious case of an American citizen snatched from his home in Pakistan. Take a look here. This is the home where according to the U.S. Embassy, gunmen forced their way in, took away development expert Warren Weinstein in the wee hours of the morning Saturday. Now, so far, there's still no claim of responsibility, no demand for Weinstein's release. And police reportedly have no leads. This man works for a consulting firm in Northern Virginia. And he has reportedly lived in Pakistan for several years.

Bay area subway riders might want to gear up for a tough commute today. In just over four hours' time, activists are planning to demonstrate at one of the BART stations. They're frustrated that BART officials cut off their cell phone service at several stations last Thursday. BART officials said they did that because of safety concerns. Activists say that the transit agency is honing in on their First Amendment rights, playing Big Brother. I be will talking to the chief communications officer for BART, as they may or may not blacken those cell services come the protests later on today.

Coming up, witnesses say this man grinned, grinned as he shot up that youth camp, killing dozens of people. Now, weeks later, he has returned to the scene of the murder spree, telling investigators what happened moment by moment. The chilling images on video, you will see next.

Also, missing in paradise. Investigators say she met a man online. She went with him to Aruba. But then she's nowhere to be find. And he is in court. We will go live to Aruba next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: The man accused in the horrible shooting attack in Norway last month returns to the scene of the crime. Police took this man, Anders Behring Breivik, back to the site yesterday for this reenactment. This is all part of the investigation. But take a good look. You can see him wearing a bulletproof vest and a harness that tethers him to the officers. You can also find him because he's generally in the front of the crowd wearing that same red sweater.

Police say they were afraid Breivik might try to escape or hurt himself, so there were police choppers in the air and armed officers in the water as well. And the whole reenactment took eight hours. Remember Breivik is accused of killing 69 people, mostly those teenagers at that youth retreat at a youth camp on Utoya Island last month. He's also accused in the bombing of government buildings earlier that day. Eight people died in that attack in Oslo.

He has pleaded not guilty, but police also say he has admitted responsibility for the attacks. They said he was cooperative yesterday and gave them lots of details, but never showed any remorse.

Still no sign of a 35-year-old woman last seen in Aruba two weeks ago now. And we are still waiting to hear if a man held in the case might walk free. Robyn Gardner vanished from Aruba more than 10 days ago.

Let me take you back a little bit here, because Gardner went on this vacation with this man, Gary Giordano, who she met on this Internet dating Web site. Back on August 2nd, he told police she disappeared after they went snorkeling. He was arrested after his statements didn't quite add up and police want to hold him longer.

Let's go to Martin Savidge in Aruba live with the latest details there. And Martin, where does the case stand? I understand Giordano's supposed to be in court. Has he shown up yet?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a critical part of the investigation today because it's now at a point where a judge is going to hear the evidence, two sides. The prosecution is going to say, look, we need to keep him longer. We're just starting the investigation. We need to find out, of course, what happened to Robyn Gardner.

Then there's the other side of this, and that is where you've got the defense saying, look, he was just witness to a tragic accident. This was not a suspicious death. You don't have any evidence against this man. He needs to leave and get back to the United States where he has a job and everything else. So that's the hearing scheduled to go on behind us here at the courthouse.

Now we've just learned before we came to air, Brooke, that the hearing is taking place at a police station which is about 14 miles down the road very near where the beach is. Apparently instead of he coming to the judge, the judge is going to him. And you know, Brooke, we saw this several years ago in the days of the Natalee Holloway disappearance. When there was a suspect so high-profile in nature, the judge went to them instead of them coming to us because of all the media attention.

So that's where it stands. We don't know the ruling. It's a closed procedure. We expect to hear sometime today whether he's going to be released or whether he stays. If he's released, they'll hold him until 8:30 tonight because that's when the original warrant for his arrest will expire.

BALDWIN: OK, so he is 14 miles down the road. As for Robyn Gardner, still no one knows where she is, where she was. How is the search coming along? Where are they looking for her, Martin?

SAVIDGE: Well, the active search has come to an end. However, that doesn't mean they've totally stopped looking. They are alerting people on the beaches. They're telling the authorities. They still make patrols in that area. So it's sort of be-on-the-lookout-for.

But here's the thing that people are surprised about, natives on the island. That area most people do not swim because it's very dangerous, and there have been a number of people that drowned there. But when they have, their bodies have come ashore. This is what they find so surprising.

Now, it has been nearly two weeks, there's been no sign of her body, no sign of her, period, which is why Aruban authorities are somewhat suspicious here. If the drowning took place normally the body comes to shore. That hasn't happened, if there was in fact a drowning. And that's what the authorities are wondering at this point.

BALDWIN: No evidence, no body. Is there any evidence linking Giordano at all to her disappearance?

SAVIDGE: Well, first of all, the authorities don't share everything they know with us or with members of the media. And then keep in mind that the FBI conducted a couple of investigations for Aruban authorities. They went into the home of Gary Giordano in Maryland. They went into Robyn Gardner's home. They checked out other witnesses or at least those who have given statements about Giordano's history and past.

And so the Aruban authorities are waiting to hear back on that. They want to know what evidence was gathered, especially from computers, because if there was any pre-planning, any pre-motive on this, maybe the computers hold that information. And that's what they're waiting to hear back on.

BALDWIN: It's amazing what you can find on computers these days. Martin Savidge in Aruba. Marty, thank you so much.

Coming up, a stunning discovery 300 feet long under American soil. Nope, this is no ordinary drug tunnel. Wait until you hear what this is all about, the bells, the whistles, how long it took to build it.

Also this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LILLIAN BERNHAGEN, HOMEOWNER: He said, well, don't be surprised if you see a lot of policemen in your backyard. And I said, oh, what's going on?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: One woman wakes up to a big surprise in her backyard, a surprise that weighs 3,600 pounds. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Advocates say she was stolen from Guatemala, kidnapped and sold to an adoption agency. But a judge's ruling may force her adoptive parents to say goodbye to their little girl. Rafael Romo brings us the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Loyda Rodriguez broke down in tears after hearing the decision. For the first time a judge in Guatemala is giving her the possibility of seeing her daughter, who she says was kidnapped.

LOYDA RODRIGUEZ, MOTHER (via translator): I have fought so hard for this. It's been almost five years, and the surprising ruling makes me very happy.

ROMO: It happened almost five years ago. Loyda Rodriguez told authorities she was arriving home in Guatemala City with her three children when a woman grabbed her then two-year-old daughter and got into a waiting taxi. The girl now six years old was apparently sold to an international adoption agency and eventually adopted by a couple in Liberty, Missouri.

RODRIGUEZ (via translator): All I want to tell them is to return my girl. I don't -- that's why I want to ask them to return her to me, because I have been suffering for five years.

ROMO: Rodriguez searched for her daughter, posting flyers, talking to officials and even staging a hunger strike at one point. Adoption reform advocates say this is an emblematic case.

USHA SMERDON, ETHICA: Just an absolute tragedy. But if something like this is what it takes for there to be real reform and oversight over the international adoption process, that portion of it is a good result. But I would never wish this on anyone.

ROMO: The American couple apparently had no idea that the girl they were adopting was kidnapped. A spokesman for the adoptive parents says "The family will continue to advocate for the safety and best interests of their legally adopted child. They remain committed to protecting their daughter from additional trauma as they pursue the truth of her past through appropriate legal channels."

MARCIE BABCOCK, LIBERTY RESIDENT: I would just have to think about like what if the situation were reversed and my only child were kidnapped. It's sad to know that somebody in our community is going through that.

ROMO: The ruling issued by the Guatemalan judge says the girl must be returned to her biological parents within two months. Advocates for the biological family in Guatemala say because this could be a considered a human trafficking case under international law, if the girl is not returned, Interpol could be asked to assist in taking the girl back to her native country.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Some soldiers in Mexico say they found a tunnel being dug for one purpose, smuggling drugs. The nearly 1,000-foot tunnel begins inside a house in Tijuana and it extends beneath the border into the United States. The tunnel has electricity -- see the light there -- and ventilation. Mexican authorities arrested 10 people working on this thing, which by the way, wasn't yet completed. There was no exit point on the U.S. end yet.

And a Miami family, man, they were lucky to be alive after a car crashes into their house in the middle of the night. Take a look with me. Home securities cameras were rolling as this out of control car smashes into the home. How, you ask, did this happen? According to police, the car had three people inside, lost control, hit a stop sign, went through a fence, smashed into a bedroom.

A man in the bedroom getting ready for bed was not hurt. Two of the people in the car, they got out of there. They ran away, but they were later caught. Despite all the damage, the homeowner says he's feeling pretty fortunate.

And imagine waking up getting a call from a neighbor and hearing this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNHAGEN: He said, well, don't be surprised if you see a lot of policemen in your backyard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Well, you are looking at what is left of a 3,600-pound, 128- foot long visitor that crashed in the backyard of that lovely lady, 94-year-old Lillian Bernhagen. This unmanned booze advertising blimp broke free from a strong windstorm early Sunday morning. Lillian said she knew there was a storm but thought the blimp crashing was loud thunder. So what did she do? She rolled over and went back to sleep, of course.

And as we close on the presidential election year, it bears reminding CNN = Politics. Today we will help you get to know another candidate entering the presidential primary race, Rick Perry, in his own words.

Also, today is music Monday. And the artist we're featuring is feeling stronger than she has in a long time. You'll hear why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: So the last time I spoke with country singer Sara Evans, it was actually on this show. She impressed me on how she was raising awareness and money for the victims of the deadly tornadoes in Alabama couple months back. And it is a place she holds very near and very dear to her heart because her husband, Jay Barker, is from there. And then just last night she wowed the crowds at the Country Music Association festival, and a new cd, add a summer tour to the mix. There's a lot going on with Sara Evans. So today's music Monday is decidedly country. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARA EVANS, COUNTRY MUSIC SINGER: Come on put your hands together, Atlanta!

It feels great to be on stage. It feels great to be back on the radio, now doing concerts with a hit on the radio again. That's what feels incredible.

In between the making of "Stronger," I had a lot of changes in my career. I changed management. So that delayed my career for about nine months, just put everything on hold. Then I just didn't feel satisfied with the album the way it was when we were about to say it's finished. And something inside me just said it's not finished. I'm not happy with the single that we're going to release as a first single. So I'm actually saying can we take a little bit longer, continue to look for songs and let me continue to write.

(MUSIC)

EVANS: That's when I made that decision, "A Little Bit Stronger" got sent to me. I was like, thank god. Thank god I decided to wait. "A Little Bit Stronger" really influenced us for the rest of the album.

(SINGING)

EVANS: I like to be a comedian on stage. Making jokes, making fun of myself, really talking to the crowd.

Come on sing it for me, Georgia.

(SINGING)

EVANS: When I was growing up, my mother and father were very, very much into country music and especially the old country music. So I grew up listening to Kitty Wells and Hank Snow, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Sr. That's how I was ingrained with country music. My mother would play those albums over and over and over.

I started singing on stage when I was four-years-old. And by the time I was nine, I was doing a 9:00 to 1:00 show in a bar where I was covering every single country artist and every top 40 country song that was out.

(SINGING)

EVANS: When fans tell me that my song got them through. I got this more than any other hit - "your song has helped me through so much." It means the world to me.

I pray every night before I go onstage, lord, let me make someone's day. Let me do a great show for these people so that they have a great time. Maybe I'll say something and smile at somebody or do something that will maybe impact someone's life. And so when you hear a song you chose to record or release as a single really did have a positive impact on people it makes everything that you're doing worthwhile. It makes it like, yes, this is why we're doing it.

(MUSIC)

(APPLAUSE)

EVANS: Thank you very much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Thank you, Sara Evans. You can always see our music Mondays. In fact I was just at a concert a couple nights ago. You will definitely enjoy an upcoming Music Monday. I post all of these on my blog. Just go to CNN.com/Brooke. Check them out. Share your music pics with me. I love how you tweet with me on Mondays. Who's it going to be? Here's the shows coming through Atlanta. I love hearing from you.

And listen to this -- cell phone service blacked out. Why? Two quiet protesters. Could it be like Iran? Am I talking about Syria, perhaps? No. It happened in one of America's biggest cities. Coming up we'll talk to someone behind this big brother controversy and ask him some tough questions.

Also this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WAYNE SLATER, SR. POLITICAL WRITER, "DALLAS MORNING NEWS": There is a pistol with him, laser-lighted pistol when he jogs. And although this is not necessary Texas, he's a man of trust in his family. His father-in-law actually did his vasectomy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: A closer look -- and when we mean close, we mean close -- behind the man looking to take President Obama's job. Texas Governor Rick Perry in his own words, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: I believe it was last Thursday we were the first to tell you right here on this show that this guy you're about to see, Texas Governor Rick Perry would officially enter the race for president. In fact, he did so Saturday. And as we said he would, he did it in Charleston, South Carolina. And he vaulted automatically somehow into the GOP's top three candidates. So Romney, Michele Bachmann, and now Rick Perry.

Now today Perry spoke at soapbox in Iowa. Remember, we were talking about this on Friday. And we'll play you some of that in just a moment. But if you missed my interview with Wayne Slater, who covers Rick Perry for the "Dallas Morning News," let me play you a quick 40 seconds here. This is good stuff.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SLATER: He is George Bush on steroids. For people who thought they knew who George Bush was, Rick Perry is the real thing. He was actually born -- raised on a west Texas ranch. He wears cowboy boots every day, as do a lot of Texans. He was educated at Texas A&M, that's the Aggie college where he was a leader. He carries a pistol with him, laser-lighted pistol when he jogs. And, although this is not necessarily Texan, he's a man of trust in his family. His father- in-law actually did his vasectomy. So he's a man who trusts his family and lives big in Texas.

BALDWIN: Wayne Slater, you are the man who gets the details, I will give you that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: OK, so we have heard enough from Rick Perry over the past couple of days to know he's on the trail. He's going to talk about god. He's going to talk about jobs and talk about the federal government, which he doesn't have much faith in. Here he is today in Des Moines, Iowa.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK PERRY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I grew up on a farm. My dad was a dry land cot upon farmer. You want to know how I learned my faith. Be a dry land cotton farmer and you understand that you're going to spend a lot of time asking the good lord to do something on the weather side of things, whether it's dried up or rain or whatever it might be.

My entire growing up time in 19 -- I guess 1960 through 1972 I was in high school going off to Texas A&M university. Got any Aggies in the crowd? We got to have some Aggies in the crowd. That may not be an Aggie over there. I'm pretty sure. He may not be an Aggie fan.

(APPLAUSE)

We need to get American back working. We need to be able to create an environment in this country where everyone who wants to can work and find a job. And I'm really proud of what we've done in the state of Texas over the last decade. Over half of the jobs created in America during periods of time in that decade were in the state of Texas, 40 percent of all the jobs created in America from June of 2009 until present were created in Texas.

I know how to create jobs. You let the private sector free them up from over-taxation, free them up from overregulation, free them up from over-litigation, then government, get out of the way. Let the private sector do what the private sector knows how to do.

I just want to say thank you for the hospitality. This is like going home for me. Rural, small town farming and ranching people are some of the great backbone of America. It's men and women like you who still believe in this country, that still believe America is exceptional, who still believe that if America can loosed from overregulation and over-taxation and over-litigation that we again can be the most powerful, the most influential, and the country that the world needs to be strong.

I want to say god bless you, god bless Iowa, and god bless the United States of America. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And there you have it, Governor Rick Perry of Texas, jumping head first into the presidential race. Later this week, the governor is expected to return to South Carolina. We do expect to see a lot of him there.

And quickly, we are under the minute before that closing bell rings on Wall Street. The Dow looking good, up 207 points here as we are about to close a positive day of trading on the New York stock exchange.