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Wars Without Ends; Arizona Burning; Forensics in Casey Anthony Trial; Former IMF Chief Pleads Not Guilty; Former Tijuana Mayor Arrested; Steve Jobs to Unveil Apple's ICloud; Prayers Allowed at Public School Graduation?; The Mini-Preneur; Red Sox To Make Anti- Bully Video
Aired June 06, 2011 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Well, 67 years ago today, the allies landed on the northern coast of France and turned the tide of World War II; it'll always be known as D-Day. We've since been involved in numerous wars and hostilities all over the world but none with such a clear-cut beginning, objective and end. That's painfully clear as five U.S. Troops are killed in a rocket attack in Iraq and as Defense Secretary Gates wraps up an emotional tour of Afghanistan. Gates is retiring at the end of this month with no end in sight to the Afghan war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I just wanted you to know I think about you every day. I feel your hardship and your sacrifice and your burden and that of your families more than you can possibly know. You are, I believe, the best our country has to offer and you will be in my thoughts and prayers every day for the rest of my life. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Back at the White House, President Obama today brought in the rest of his national security team to update the plans to begin, now the key word there is begin, pulling troops out of Afghanistan.
So, let's take a look at this. Here is where things stand, OK? Technically, the war in Iraq is over as far as America's concerned. The last American combat forces departed last August. The 46,000 U.S. Troops still there are all about training and supporting Iraqis and they're supposed to be gone by year's end, that is, of course, subject to change.
Some 90,000 U.S. Troops are in Afghanistan. When the White House decided on last year's surge, it also planned to begin drawing down next month, numbers yet to be decided. The bloodshed today in Baghdad is the single deadliest attack on U.S. Forces in more than two years.
My colleague Chris Lawrence joins me from the Pentagon with much more on all of this. Chris, combat or no combat, U.S. Troops are still targets in Iraq. Will today's attack do you think hasten or hinder the total pull-out set for December? CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It really depends on what else happens between now and then, Randi. I mean, I think one of the reasons why this attack stands out is because of the very thing you just mentioned in that we haven't seen an attack like this in over two years. Of violence against American troops is drastically down in Iraq.
Of course there are far fewer numbers of Americans there than there were at the height when we had about 170,000 troops. This one is shocking in that it happened while these troops were apparently in their trailers, 5:30 in the morning. Some of these American troops were asleep when the rockets and mortars started to hit the trailers from an attack.
But in the big picture, what will it mean at the end of the year? Defense secretary Robert Gates has already said he hopes that Iraqi officials can find some way to ask the U.S. to stay longer than December, and he hopes that the U.S. would say yes to that request.
KAYE: Yes. I mean, I really -- speaking of Robert Gates, I'm struck by how emotional Secretary Gates has been in these recent appearances of his, but as you said, he is still pushing for this modest drawdown in Afghanistan.
LAWRENCE: That's right. He would like to see, A, troops stay longer than December in Iraq. He feels like the Iraqis still can't defend themselves in a number of ways, they don't really have an air force, things like that. In Afghanistan, he would like to see a more staggered withdrawal, slower, more spaced out. But of course there are going to be those voices, especially in light of the killing of Osama Bin Laden who are going to say, look, we need to draw this down, we need to ramp up and get more of these troops out of there quickly.
KAYE: All right, Chris Lawrence for us at the Pentagon. Chris, as always, thank you.
Well, we certainly have thrown a whole lot of numbers at you, but here are some numbers not to be overlooked with an election coming. By a two to one margin, Americans are opposed to the war in Iraq and only slightly less opposed to the war in Afghanistan. That poll is from January, long before the killing of Osama Bin Laden.
But take a look at this. Check it out, a poll from two weeks ago shows 54 percent of Americans approve of Mr. Obama's handling of Iraq, 55 percent approve of his handling of Afghanistan.
Our "Sound Effect" today comes straight from the line of fire in Arizona. One of the biggest wildfires in that state's history has burn some 200,000 acres and is entirely uncontained. Fire crews are hoping to hold a 30-mile line of defense but the weather is not exactly on their side. In the meantime, more than 2,000 homeowners have cleared out, including Jesse Walker. He and his wife abandoned the house he built with his own hands and it wasn't easy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JESSE WALKER, EVACUEE: A person don't realize just how hard it is to face something like that. You think you're prepared for it, you think you're mentally prepared for it, physically prepared for it, you're not. I cried all the way to town.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You did?
WALKER: Hard, I got to go.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Walker says he has a brother who lives nearby and is not leaving. He wants to fight for what's his, walker says, and I don't blame him.
And now, to the Casey Anthony murder trial, and day 11 where forensics are front and center. A research scientist testified today that forensic testing on a carpet sample from the trunk of Casey Anthony's car showed the presence of chloroform that was, quote, "shockingly high." He says the testing also seemed to indicate that decomposition had occurred in the trunk. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The odor was extremely overwhelmingly strong and I was shocked that that little bitty can could have that much odor associated with it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And did you immediately recognize the odor that was emanating from the piece of carpet in the can?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And what did you recognize that odor to be?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was -- I recognized it as human decomposition.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: This forensic testing is key to the prosecution's case. Casey Anthony faces seven counts in the death of her two-year-old daughter Caylee. If convicted, she could face the death penalty.
And you can, of course, watch special coverage of the Casey Anthony trial all day long on our sister network, HLN. That is the place to catch it.
He's accused of sexually assaulting a hotel maid, but former IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn says he is not guilty. The plea today as Strauss-Kahn came as he was indicted on seven criminal charges stemming from a May 14th incident inside a posh New York hotel. Strauss-Kahn's attorneys formally asked prosecutors to provide scientific reports and formal statements by the housekeeper. Information they say has already been leaked to the media.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CROWD CHANTING): Shame on you! Shame on you! Shame on you!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Hotel workers protested outside the courthouse shouting shame on you as Strauss-Kahn walked in. Strauss-Kahn remains under house arrest in a luxury New York town house.
Former Tijuana mayor, Jorge Hank Rhon is in custody in Mexico City after soldiers allegedly seized a large cache of illegal weapons and firearms from his home. Soldiers burst into Rhon's home this weekend and arrested him, along with ten other people. One of the richest and most controversial politicians in Mexico, Rome denies any knowledge of the weapons. A judge is expected to rule today whether there is enough evidence to keep him. Rhon has not yet been formally charged yet with any crime.
Well, all eyes are on Apple today. CEO Steve Jobs is taking to a San Francisco stage this hour to unveil the very highly anticipated iCloud. Apple hopes the new software will significantly change the way people listen to digital music. The iCloud will allow users to store their music outside their personal computers, then play that music from their personal devices. The service will reportedly cost $25 a year. Apple has inked deals with several top record labels to make downloads easier for users.
A Texas public high school was allowed to use the "p" word this weekend at the graduation of the class of 2011. We are talking about "prayer." We'll tell you all about it, and we want to know what you think. Should public schools be allowed to pray at graduation? Join the conversation on our blog, CNN.com/Ali. You can also post on either Ali's or my Facebook and Twitter pages as well. Love to get some feedback from you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Last week, prayer was banned at a public high school graduation in Texas after an agnostic family complained. The graduation was held over the weekend, and this is what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGELA HILDENBRAND, CLASS VALEDICTORIAN: Whether you would like to join me or not, feel free to do as you see best. God, I thank you for the support of our whole entire community through this case hearing, and it's in Jesus' name I pray, amen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And there you have it. Valedictorian Angela Hildenbrand prayed at graduation for the 2011 class of Medina Valley High School in Castroville, Texas. The original ban was imposed last Wednesday by a U.S. district court judge, Fred Biery. The ban caught the attention of governor Rick Perry and state attorney general Greg Abbott, both men supported an emergency appeal filed by the school district. Governor Perry issued this statement -- the First Amendment prohibits governments from interfering with Americans' rights to freely express their religious beliefs and accordingly the U.S. Supreme Court has maintained that Congress may convene every day with a prayer. An attorney for the family who made the initial complaint argued that prayer at the school's graduation ceremonies were not student initiated but government sponsored and put pressure on audience members to participate against their beliefs. Texas State Attorney General Greg Abbott joins us live now on the telephone.
Greg, first of all of, let's start with why you supported prayer at a public high school graduation.
GREG ABBOTT, TEXAS STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL (via telephone): Well, first of all, what the trial court did here is it went too far as some courts tend to do in trying to wipe out any reference to god, any reference to prayer, and that is not what the constitution requires.
The students do have a First Amendment right on their own to feel free to recognize god or to say a prayer at school, and so we stepped in and filed an amicus brief to ensure these students in the school were going to be allowed to conduct their graduation ceremony in a perfectly constitutional fashion by saying a prayer.
KAYE: And the family has issued a statement about the graduation ceremony. They said, quote, and it's just in part, "our family chose not to attend the ceremony because we did not feel welcome at the event and we even feared for our safety in light of how hostile some of the public comments have been. In addition, school officials released the name of our minor son to the media, almost ensuring that he will be a target for abuse."
Now, Greg, seems like a valid complaint. People do get fired up about the separation of church and state. Do you think that the school acted accordingly?
ABBOTT: You know, the school acted perfectly consistent with the constitution and that's exactly what the federal court of appeals held. What was going on here was not a school sponsored prayer. In fact, the system was set up in a way that the students were chosen at random and it could have been either an agnostic or a Catholic or someone who believed in a faith completely different who had the opportunity to get up there and give those remarks.
And so, this was done in a fashion where prayer or a particular religion was not being dictated by the school but simply the school allowing the students to say what they want at the conclusion of their high school graduation.
KAYE: I want to go back to just a little bit more that the family had said, quoting again here, "public education is public for a reason; it is supposed to include everyone. The district's sponsorship of religious activity ostracizes us from the school community. How would you like to respond to that?
ABBOTT: Well, what they were seeking to do -- the agnostic family was seeking to do is to elevate agnosticism above the beliefs of all others, and seeking to alienate and exclude all others. And what the courts have made clear, and that is that agnostics don't have special standing that enables them to drive down the religious beliefs or recognition that others want to uphold. And the courts have agreed with the allowance of prayer and have disagreed with allowing agnostics to force their belief system on others.
KAYE: How do you think this family should have handled it?
ABBOTT: The courts have made clear that if this agnostic family did not want to be around anyone praying, they could have avoided the situation by not engaging in prayer. The same thing that would have happened had an agnostic person been chosen at random to give the closing remarks. Everyone there who is Christian or Jewish or who believes in some other faith would have had to deal with whatever the agnostic chose to do.
KAYE: All right, Texas state attorney general Greg Abbott, thank you for joining the conversation on this. A lot of people are talking about it. Appreciate your time.
ABBOTT: Thank you.
KAYE: And, remember, we do want to know what you think about this. So you can join the conversation on our blog, cnn.com/ali. You can also post on either Ali's or my FaceBook and Twitter pages as well. We're getting a lot of comments, so be sure to send us yours.
So, how do you use $10 to create a cutting-edge company shaking up the business world? Well, we have the answer and we're going to tell you next. So don't go anywhere.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Well, this is our final week taking a special look at pint- sized entrepreneurs to watch. At 17, my next guest isn't so tiny today, but he joined the entrepreneurial ranks four years ago when he borrowed $10 from his parents to build a website devoted to aviation. He later sold the website and used the profits to create Rock Style Media, a multi-faceted marketing and web development company in India. And the teen CEO, Farrhad Acidwalla, joins me via Skype from Mumbai, India.
Farrhad, thanks so much for coming on the show. When you borrowed the $10 from your parents to start this website, did you have the hopes and dreams to one day turning it into this growing empire that it is?
All right, well I should have known because he wasn't looking at the camera there, but he is not hearing us. So let's get some top stories to you right now. And 20 minutes past the hour, time to check on these top stories that we've been following for you.
Five U.S. service members were killed today in central Iraq. The U.S. military did not say how or where the five died, but Iraqi security officials say a mortar attack at a U.S. base in Baghdad was responsible. The deaths are the single largest loss of life among U.S. troops in Iraq in two years.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former chief of the International Monetary Fund, pleaded not guilty today to seven charges involving an alleged sexual assault on a New York hotel maid. His lawyer says he, quote, "intends to defend this case and defend it vigorously."
Airline industry profits are expected to fall worldwide this year. Meeting in Singapore, the International Air Transport Association blames rising fuel prices, political unrest and natural disasters. Just three months ago, the group predicted an $8.6 billion profit. Now it's revised that prediction by more than half down from $4 billion.
Well, he is one of the biggest Boston Red Sox fans you will ever find. But it's not just baseball that's driving this boy to make things better in the world. I'll tell you what he did that has the Red Sox team responding. He'll join me live coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: And, welcome back.
And now back to our special look at pint-sized entrepreneurs to watch. At 17, as I mentioning before, my next guest isn't so tiny today but he joined the entrepreneurial ranks about four years ago when he borrowed $10 from his parents to build a website devoted to aviation. He later sold the website and used the profits to create Rock Style Media, as he calls it, a multifaceted marketing and web development company in India. And the teen CEO, Farrhad Acidwalla, joins us now via Skype from India.
Farrhad, I hope you're with us this time. Thanks for coming on the show.
Tell me, when you borrowed $10 from your parents to start this website, did you have the hopes and dreams that it would become this growing empire that it is today?
ACIDWALLA: Absolutely not. Like at that time I didn't know exactly what I was doing and it's many luck and like everyone helping me. And so it's turned out this way. And I try to (INAUDIBLE). I don't think too much about the future.
KAYE: What inspired you to create all of this?
ACIDWALLA: I've always like been interested in (INAUDIBLE) activities and everything (INAUDIBLE) sports and everything. So I've always wanted to venture into something different. And one day I came across an article about website and everything. So that pretty much inspired me. And I just started it. And it turned out to be pretty great. And slowly, steadily, step by step, it's just progressed. So that's how it's all worked out.
KAYE: And any big obstacles that you might have had getting your business started? ACIDWALLA: Well, the first time I got a check, OK, it was like about I think $1,200. That was my first check. And when I went to deposit it in the bank, the people couldn't believe it that, like, you know, I think I was 13, 14. They couldn't believe it. So they were like, no, we don't know -- (INAUDIBLE) this check in your name. you have to put it in your parent's name. So basically in India the main thing is, age is a very big obstacle. Although I have managed to turn it around now. But even, you know, it's not that widespread that entrepreneurs can't be young. It's just (ph) people don't expect it, you know, (INAUDIBLE). So that, I think, a very big obstacle.
KAYE: And what would you tell other kids who might want to follow in your footsteps to help them out with avoiding obstacles and just finding the same success?
ACIDWALLA: See, I just (INAUDIBLE) one conditions (ph) and that's a journey of a thousand miles starts with one step. You have to take the first step. If you don't take the first step, you'll never know how it ends. So that first step is the most important. And, also, you have to fail. Only if you fail miserably will you ever achieve greatly. So failure (INAUDIBLE), I guess that means enormous (ph) success.
KAYE: And my last question for you, did you ever repay your parents for that $10 loan?
ACIDWALLA: Absolutely. And I always try to give to my parents something, although like it's not something big or anything, but I always try to give it to them because, honestly, without their support, I'd be absolutely nowhere. Like my dad's in the corporate world and if he hadn't advised me how to take a business forward and all, I'd be absolutely nowhere today.
KAYE: Oh, I love that you have such an appreciation for how they helped you out and I'm so glad you repaid them. That is very, very nice of you. Farrhad Acidwalla, we wish you the best of luck with your future projects. Thank you.
ACIDWALLA: Thanks.
KAYE: Well, a 12-year-old New Hampshire boy has combined his passion for baseball with his passion against bullying into something pretty amazing. And a Major League Baseball team has taken notice. The Boston Red Sox announced this weekend the team will be producing a video for the "It Gets Better" project. That's an online campaign aimed at helping gay youth and combating suicide. And it's all because of this 12-year-old boy, Sam Maden. You can see Sam started an online petition last month asking for support in getting his favorite team to produce a video. And in just days, really, Sam had secured more than 9,000 signatures.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAM MADEN, BOSTON RED SOX FAN: I figured that since the Boston Red Sox are my favorite team, I really wanted them to do it. And I thought it would just help. (END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Sam's idea was inspired by his gay uncle, a diehard Red Sox fan who died unexpectedly this year. And with the help of family and friends, his message quickly spread.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MADEN: They told their friends and family members and then went on from there and soon I had people from like California, I had one from Hawaii and one from Puerto Rico. There was -- it just started growing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Well, someone else who knows how fast a powerful message like this can grow is Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns. In October of last year, Burns made a heartfelt plea to his fellow council members about the issue of anti-gay bullying. Burns, a gay man, talked about the bullying he faced as a young kid.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOEL BURNS, CITY COUNCILMAN, FORT WORTH, TEXAS: One day when I was in the ninth grade, just starting Crowley (ph) High School, I was greeted after school by some older kids who roughed me up. They said that I was a faggot and that I should die and go to hell where I belonged. That erupted the fear that I had kept pushed down that what I was beginning to feel on the inside must somehow be showing on the outside. Ashamed, humiliated and confused, I went home. There must be something very wrong with me, I thought. Something I could never let my family or anyone else know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Burns' story struck a chord across the country. To date, his video has received more than 3 million views. And joining me now from Washington, Joel Burns, and 12-year-old Sam Maden, from Manchester, New Hampshire.
Thanks to both of you for coming on the show.
Sam, I want to start with you first. Did you ever imagine that your petition, all your hard work, would get this much attention?
MADEN: No, not really.
KAYE: How do you feel about it?
MADEN: Well, it just -- it just overwhelms me with joy. It started off small, maybe 100 signatures, and then change.org helped me and I got -- it grew wicked fast and never expected it.
KAYE: And when you heard that the Red Sox were signing on, how did you feel about that?
MADEN: I felt great. They're my favorite team. So when I heard they would help me, I felt good.
KAYE: And, Joel, I have to ask you, what is your reaction to Sam's petition and the reaction that it's getting?
BURNS: Well, first off, I'm proud of Sam and I think that his bold action is yet another example of people joining in this conversation about teenage bullying and suicide, and that all of our kids' lives have worth, and even the children have a role in participating in that conversation.
And I'm so very glad that he did this. I'm so glad that his uncle Chris inspired him to take those actions just like my parents inspired me to get involved in what was happening in my community which led me to run for office. And it's important for the adults and the children to have those conversations about the impact that bullying has on lives across our country.
KAYE: That is so well said, Joel.
But Sam, I know that this started as a school project. I imagine that you're getting an A for this one. But I want to read what the Red Sox said about you.
They wrote, "We are proud of dedicated Red Sox fans like 12-year- old Sam who have taken the courageous step of publicly standing up against bullying of LGBT youth."
What's been the reaction from your school, Sam, on this one?
MADEN: I had lots of comments from both teachers and my friends and they've all been good. They said that -- all my teachers said they're really proud of me and my friends said that it was cool and some of them wanted to help me. And I couldn't -- there was -- two of my other friends, we worked on the project together. So people have been approaching all of us and talking to us about how we're doing and how we're doing it and that they want to step in.
KAYE: Yes, that's great.
Joel, let's talk a little bit about the importance of the Red Sox decision. They now follow the Giants and Cubs becoming the third major league team to record a message.
How important do you think it is for the sports world to recognize this and take action?
BURNS: Well, as the conversation grows, it's grown into state legislatures around the country. Congress is currently taking up a Safe Schools Initiative Act. But one of the hardest places to take this issue on is in locker rooms and athletic teams across the country. And the highest level of that is our major league sports.
And for major league players, for professional players, sports players, across the country, to be taking on the issue of bullying in general, but also specifically, LGBT bullying, I think shows that this conversation is a larger, national one. I know that an NBA player recently recorded a PSA for the Gay- Straight Student Education Network. There's been have come to this conversation. Ben Cohen who's a famous rugby player, others. And so I think it points to that this -- the need to address bullying transcends beyond just the school playground, but it goes all the way up to the major league ball fields.
KAYE: Yes. I've covered so many of these stories and many of them did not end well and I'm just happy to see a young man like Sam taking action on behalf of so many.
So Sam, congratulations to you.
Sam Maden and Joel Burns, thank you both so much for coming on the show and for what you're doing for this cause. Appreciate it.
Tomorrow night CNN's Anderson Cooper examines a shocking therapy intended to keep feminine boys from growing up to be gay. See what one family claims was the devastating result. Be sure to watch an "AC360" special report: "The Sissy Boy Experiment". That's tomorrow night, 10:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: And let's get to the latest on the big stories today and some developments that you may have missed.
In Arizona, one of the worst wildfires in the state's history is burning out of control and could get even worse today. Fire crews battling extreme fire conditions fueled by high winds. They are especially worried about the wallow fire in eastern Arizona. The windy conditions are threatening to reverse what little progress they've actually made there. The wallow fire has burned nearly 193,000 acres and it's forced more than 2,200 people to leave behind their homes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JESSE WALKER, WORRIED HOMEOWNER: You think you're prepared for it. You think you're mentally prepared for it, physically prepared for it. You're not. I cried all the way to town.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You did?
WALKER: It's hard. I got to go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Various fires burning throughout the state have destroyed more than 270,000 acres so far.
U.S. troops in Iraq today suffered the single largest loss of life in two years. Iraqi security officials say five American service members were militants attacked the U.S. Military base in Baghdad with mortars. The deaths come as Iraq debates whether U.S. troops should stay beyond next January's withdrawal deadline. Mortar attacks and roadside bombings against U.S. troops have increased recently ahead of that deadline.
The Casey Anthony murder trial is unfolding today like a real life CSI crime drama. The 25-year-old mother is accused of murdering her two-year-old daughter Caylee. Jurors got a grim lesson on human decomposition as prosecutors tried to build their case around a strand of hair and the smell of death in Anthony's car. A research scientist testified that samples taken from Anthony's trunk smelled of human decomposition. He also discussed another disturbing observation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARPAD VASS, FORENSIC SCIENTIST: The reason we progressed is because the chloroform was shockingly high. Unusually high.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Lawyers for Anthony are attacking the state's forensic evidence. They're calling it junk science.
Well, ABC announced today that Katie Couric will host a syndicated daytime talk show for ABC and contribute to the network's news programming. The announcement comes just hours before Scott Pelley is set to debut as Couric's replacement in the CBS "Evening News" anchor chair.
Turning off the cancer switch. New drugs could be giving new hope to people with melanoma, offering up promising results with an eye towards targeting treatments. We'll tell you all about it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Some exciting medical news out of Chicago this weekend, having to do with skin cancer and new drugs used for targeted treatment.
The first of these drugs blocks cancer cells from growing. The other boosts a patient's immune system. Both can prolong survival in patients with melanoma that has spread to other parts of the body.
Joining me to talk about this is Dr. Lynn Schuchter, head of the Melanoma Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
Doctor, this sounds impressive. But how big of a breakthrough are we really talking about here?
DR. LYNN SCHUCHTER, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, MELANOMA CENTER: This is a major breakthrough. So to have two new approaches to treat patients with advanced melanoma is really unprecedented. To have a new immunotherapy drug (INAUDIBLE) that prolongs survival is really remarkable. And I think in a more important step is a new, targeted therapy with vemurafenib. And this is particularly for patients who have melanoma with a broken B-ref gene. This is a completely new way of treating melanoma.
KAYE: So you mentioned one type of patient there. But who exactly does this help? How much of a -- how large of a group is this?
SCHUCHTER: So it's a large group of patients. So fortunately most patients who are diagnosed with melanoma are detected early and are cured by early intervention with surgery. But there are about 7,000 or 8,000 patients each year who die in the United States of melanoma.
So these new therapies are for patients with advanced melanoma, or metastatic melanoma, melanoma that's traveled throughout the body. The vemurafenib, the B-ref inhibitor is specifically for those patients who have a broken or mutated B-ref gene and that occurs at about 50 percent of patients with melanoma.
So these treatments are going to benefit a large proportion of patients with melanoma.
KAYE: Yes. And when you say 7,000 or 8,000 people die from that, those are some pretty big numbers. These are study results though we're talking about.
So how soon could we see these drugs available for patients outside of the clinical trials?
SCHUCHTER: So the (INAUDIBLE) was FDA approved about six weeks ago and that was approved because it was shown to improve survival and study results at this year's ASCO (ph) meeting showed that again (INAUDIBLE) compared to chemotherapy really benefited patients, they lived longer. The vemurafenib was also presented at this year's ASCO meeting, and again, showed a huge difference in the response rate using this new agent compared to chemotherapy. And based upon these results, it is expected that it is going to receive FDA approval later this year.
KAYE: So just so I understanding this correctly, these aren't cures, right? But they do point us in that direction?
SCHUCHTER: That's a really important point. So these therapies are not curing patients, although it's possible that a subset of patients are cured. But it really lays the foundation to build upon this.
In the past, we really didn't have effective therapies for patients with advanced melanoma. It didn't improve survival. It didn't improve patient symptoms. So these new therapies are a huge advance but not a cure. But we believe combing these therapies and ongoing research is going to make a tremendous difference and lead to that cure.
Importantly, patients can find more information about these new therapies for melanoma at www.cancer.net. This is a site sponsored by ASCO which really has this important, updated information and how this would be helpful for patients.
KAYE: All right, Dr. Lynn Schuchter, appreciate it. Such an important finding there and certainly good news in the fight against skin cancer. Thank you for your time.
SCHUCHTER: Great. Thank you very much.
KAYE: Chaos and uncertainty hang over a key U.S. ally in the fight against al Qaeda. A live report on the turmoil in Yemen right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. Chaos and uncertainty grip Yemen this hour. The country's president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, is in Saudi Arabia being treated for wounds suffered in an attack on the presidential compound on Friday. There are conflicting reports on his condition and whether will he able or even allowed to return home once he recovers.
In Yemen, anti-Saleh groups appear to only be offering lukewarm support for the vice president. Yemen has been a close U.S. ally in the fight against al Qaeda, and the Obama administration is watching both in Saudi Arabia and Yemen closely.
CNN's Nic Robertson is following developments from Abu Dhabi for us. Nic, what do you know about Saleh's condition and whether he will eventually return home to Yemen?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, according to his party in Yemen that he was only in Saudi Arabia for some minor medical treatment. According to other sources, though, he's had two operations to remove splinters of wood that were embedded in him when he was very close to that explosion last Friday in Yemen's capital, Saana. So, they vary widely on the one hand that he may take several weeks to recover from these operations, and on the other hand that he could be coming back to Saana within a matter of days. That's what his vice president said earlier on today, Randi.
KAYE: Nic, what is your sense of the situation in Yemen right now?
ROBERTSON: Well, senior Western diplomatic sources I just talk to says that the cease-fire that's in place is, by an large, holding at the moment with a few small exceptions. The tribal forces that had come to the capital to confront Saleh's forces the last few weeks are not being seen on the streets. The atmospherics, if you will, from the people in the city there is very serious apprehension because the opposition groups have told the vice president that they're willing to work with him if he agrees to go through with the reforms that the president was holding back on. And he said, well, the president's coming back to the country, which does seem to indicate that he is not about to bow to what the opposition parties are saying right now.
So, the scene does seem to be being set while it is calm right now for the real potential for confrontation. But these diplomatic Western sources do say that if -- if -- Ali Abdullah Saleh while he's in Saudi Arabia, can agree to the same principles to transfer power that he apparently agreed to at the end of last week. Then there could be a peaceful transfer of power, but I don't think a lot of people are holding their breath on that at the moment. There's a lot of apprehension still in Yemen right now. Randi?
KAYE: Yes, because even before he was wounded, there was a lot of talk that the country was on the verge of civil war. And that seems to be the general feeling still, it sounds like.
ROBERTSON: There's a window of opportunity. The window is going to close unless this -- unless President Saleh will agree to this transfer of power. Will he, because he's on his sickbed in Saudi Arabia agree to it, or will he be pressured into it because certainly Saudi authorities would very much like him to stay out of the political equation and not go back.
But at the same time, you have his son's nephew in charge of the army, the internal security forces. They're very powerful, and analysts fear these could be very destructive forces if they decide to fight to the end. And that would play to al Qaeda's strengths in Yemen. We know al Qaeda there, the most operative branch of al Qaeda -- operationally operative branch of al Qaeda anywhere in the world right now.
While the security forces are focusing on the capital and the fight for political power, al Qaeda is getting a free run in other parts of the country, Randi.
KAYE: Yes, it certainly sounds that way. Nic Robertson for us in Abu Dhabi. Nic, thank you as always.
Well, you may be aware of the new 3-D film and TV craze, but now there is 3-D printing. We'll tell you about what could be the next tech craze right after the break. Don't go anywhere.
And don't buy that new printer, whatever you do, until you see this next story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Well, everyday on this show, we do this segment called "The Big I." It's all about big, new ideas, innovations and solutions to really big problems. Today's Big I is all about 3-D printing. Printers that allow you to create 3-D objects like this one right here.
Take a look. My little mini Ali Velshi. Check him out! Look at him! He's really cute!
Well, it sounds like something out of Star Trek, I'm sure, but it is not out of this world. You may even have one in your home pretty soon. CNNmoney's Laurie Segall reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAURIE SEGALL, CNNMONEY.COM: 3-D printers. Cutting edge, 21st century tech. But they have been around since the last century. Who used it?
RAJEEV KULKARNI, VP OF GLOBAL ENGINEERING, 3D SYSTEMS: Automobile companies, aerospace companies, big companies that had the budget to buy expensive printers and expensive C.A.T. systems.
SEGALL: Now these devices are moving from big business to the mainstream. Doctors are using them to print model organs. Chefs are testing them out to see if we'll design our own food in the future. And 3-D printing companies mare making big bets that the future of these printers lies in the hands of everyday folks.
KULKARNI: We have been doing 3-D printing for 25 years. We have had production systems and large systems in place for a long time, and this is our attempt now to get at a consumer level where we make 3-D printing available to the mass market.
SEGALL: Here is how it works. Users create a three-dimensional design using specialized computer software. That image is fed to a printer. Instead of traditional ink, the printer syringers may be filled with a liquid consistency, like food or plastic. The printer uses that liquid to essentially build that object layer by layer.
3D Systems isn't the only one looking to break into the consumer market. Tech giant HP launched its own 3-D line and start-up Maker Bot is selling its printers for $1,000
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They want to make it as easy as a toaster oven in the kitchen.
SEGALL: But the question remains, how will these 3-D printers be used in the future?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have this thing in your house that produces little objects. You need to fix something, you can produce an extra part for a table or a swing. Or if you need to make a toy for the kids, you can make on fairly easily. Just snap it together once it's done.
SEGALL: According to the market researchers at Weller's Associates, the 3-D printing market will be a $5.2 billion industry by 2020, up from $1.3 billion last year.
3-D Systems says they are at the early stages of what they hope will be a 3-D printing revolution.
At the consumer end, we're just at the beginning.
KULKARNI: We are just in the beginning. And this will only go lower in price points and it will increase that option of the technology (ph).
SEGALL: Is this going to be in the daily households in the future in the next five years? Are we going to own 3-D printers in our house?
KULKARNI: I surely think so.
SEGALL: Laurie Segall, CNNmoney, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE) KAYE: And for more about 3-D printing, you can check out our blog at CNN.com/ali. And don't forget to tune in tomorrow, as always. Same "Big I" time, same "Big I" channel.
And one day, you can have one of these little guys right here, a 3-D printer image. Check him out. Little Ali. Good boy!
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Time now for the CNN Political Update, and a little smackdown out of Iowa for one of the potential Republican presidential candidates.
Joe Johns joins me from the political desk in Washington. Joe, who are we talking about here?
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Randi. Well, the conservatives have been saying for a while that former Utah governor Jon Huntsman is not an Iowa kind of guy, meaning he would not do well in the caucuses there. And now that he has said that assuming he runs for president, he will skip the caucuses, he is already hearing back from the people in Iowa who don't think much of that decision. The Iowa secretary of state, Matt Schultz, says Huntsman needs a lesson in Iowa politics and may not be ready for the big dance.
Huntsman has said he is not interested in going to Iowa, because he does not believe in subsidies that prop up corn, soybeans and ethanol which is a risky proposition for somebody who might be running for office in Iowa, but Schultz's questioning of Huntsman actually is afraid to defend his stance on other issues. So, probably will hear more about that down to road.
KAYE: Yes, I'm sure we will. And what is this threat, Joe, that we are hearing from Sarah Palin?
JOHNS: Well, this is very much about Sarah Palin's ability to suck up all of the media attention wherever she goes, really. She showed up in New Hampshire as we remember, and looked a bit like she was upstaging Mitt Romney on his big day when he was announcing his run. But on Fox News now, she actually apologized and said she did not mean to step on anybody's toes.
But here is the threat. She essentially said she reserves the right to step on the toes of people who, in her words, are quote, "screwing up and making poor decisions to the nation." So, that sounds like a call to action against those other guys, but not Mitt Romney.
KAYE: Yes, some tough talk there.
And why, tell me, is the White House communications director making news today?
JOHNS: Well, the White House communications director, Dan Pfeiffer, is going to address the grassroots progressive Democratic activist of Netroots, and this conference is going to be in Minneapolis. Probably, the biggest question here, bottom line, is how is the Obama White House going to energize the left for its reelection campaign? And Dan Pfeiffer is expected to at least start giving us the answer to that question.
He is going to be the keynote speaker at Netroots next week, apparently going to participate in a question-and-answer session. And we have also heard that Congresswoman Debbie Wassermann Schultz, the DNC chairwoman, is likely to address that conference as well -- Randi.
KAYE: All right. Joe Johns, nice to see you as always. Thank you.
JOHNS: You too. You bet.
