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Woman Shoots Home Invader With Phone; Casey Anthony Trial Update; Wildfires Continue to Burn in Arizona
Aired June 09, 2011 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Now, I want to begin this hour with a video clip that doesn't look all that menacing until you know what's really going on. First, let's me play you some cell phone images with the sound off.
You see it there. A man carries a box down a hallway.
Now watch again, this time with sound.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sorry. Can you leave? Can you please leave? How did you get in here?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: If you recognize the man, well, I sure hope that you'll call the police in Oakland, California, because after he stole a box of electronics from the woman who shot this video, he allegedly hung around and then sexually assaulted her.
Police say he's a black male in his 40s, about 5'9", 160 pounds. There's a screen grab of the video for you. The victim is OK, we're happy to report, and being called a hero by victims' advocates.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD BLOOM, BAY AREA WOMEN AGAINST RAPE: You can see what a fighter she is, and that she's videotaping it and wants to make the report, and is OK with it being out on the air. It's just amazing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Howard Bloom joins me now from Oakland.
Mr. Bloom, thank you for coming on the show today.
It seems most everything is captured on cell phones nowadays. But this, of course, got our attention. I mean, is it rare for victims to photograph their attackers?
BLOOM: I think it is. I think this is case is pretty unique. I think her presence of mind to do that was incredible. But I don't hear of cases like that very often. KAYE: Does your group recommend that women like this woman try to document their assaults, or should they get out of the house and get away from the guy?
BLOOM: We at Bay Area Women Against Rape, our thought is whatever you can do to survive the event is a good strategy. And so if somebody is able to do that, that's fantastic. And whatever she can do to survive the event is really the most critical piece.
KAYE: Apart from the specific manhunt for the suspect in this case, what would you like viewers to take away from this story and this video that this woman took?
BLOOM: I think the most important thing is to, as I said before, to survive the event. So, for some people, fighting back is a good strategy. For some people, being compliant and going along is a great strategy. Whatever she can do.
Also, working with a local rape crisis center, if you've survived an incident like this, would be helpful for folks so they can get the appropriate support.
KAYE: It is really truly amazing that she had the courage, certainly to take this video, and considering what happened to her, certainly good news that she is doing OK.
Howard Bloom, thank you so much. Appreciate your time today.
Our "Sound Effect" is the ever increasing loneliness of Anthony Weiner. The New York congressman who admits tweeting raunchy photographs of himself to female followers is rapidly losing his own following on Capitol Hill. At last six of Weiner's fellow Democratic representatives are publicly urging him to give up his office, as are two Democratic senators.
Here's one of each.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ALLYSON SCHWARTZ (D), PENNSYLVANIA: His behavior was, again, unacceptable, to me, and it was appalling. Again, as a woman, as a colleague of his, this really does violate his relationship, I think, with his constituents. And I call for his resignation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you think about Congressman Weiner? Should he resign?
SEN. MARK PRYOR (D), ARKANSAS: It would be fine with me if he did. And ultimately, that's up to him and his constituents and his family. But I think at this point it would probably be a good thing if he would go ahead and resign.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KAYE: Technically, Weiner can be expelled, but generally it's the views of his constituents that really matter most. And as we reported just yesterday, a poll shows 51 percent want Weiner to hang on. But get this -- Weiner's district will almost certainly be eliminated when the maps are redrawn based on the 2010 Census.
He had been seen as a favorite in the 2013 race for mayor of New York.
First, there was Arizona, then Georgia, now Alabama. Its governor signed the toughest illegal immigration crackdown into law today. The law requires the police, public schools and employers to check immigration statuses and make it a crime to knowingly provide an illegal immigrant with transportation or housing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN MERRILL (R), ALABAMA STATE HOUSE: We want anybody that wants to make their home here to be able to do that, but we want every one of them to do it the right way, through legalized immigration, through processed employment. We don't think that's asking too much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The ACLU and Southern Poverty Law Center say the law's unconstitutional and plan to file a lawsuit before the law takes effect, which is supposed to happen on September 1st.
U.S. military personnel traveling on orders will now be able to check more bags for free on Delta flights. The policy change takes place immediately. It follows the outrage stirred up by two U.S. soldiers returning from Afghanistan who vented that Delta charged them hundreds of dollars in bag fees and posted it on YouTube.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STAFF SGT. ROBERT O'HAIR, U.S. ARMY: We had actually ended up paying out of pocket, our own money, to allow the fourth bag to be taken.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How much did you pay?
O'HAIR: Two hundred dollars per bag.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: All that added up to nearly $3,000. Military personnel will now be able to carry four bags in coach and five bags in first and business class for free. United Continental has made similar changes, and American Airlines just announced today it will allow five free checked in bags for the military.
Powerful moments today at the Casey Anthony murder trial in Florida. Photographs of Anthony's murdered 2-year-old daughter were shown in court.
We'll get you caught up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: A difficult moment today at the Casey Anthony capital murder trial in Orlando. Photographs of 2-year-old Caylee Anthony's skeletal remains were shown in court.
Sunny Hostin, legal contributor for "In Session," joins us now from New York to talk about this.
Sunny, first of all, you're a former prosecutor. I mean, why show these pictures?
SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: Well, you certainly have to show the pictures to show that Caylee Anthony was indeed is no longer with us, no longer alive. Some pictures don't always come in, Randi, because their probative value is so outweighed by their prejudicial effect, but these pictures were put into evidence, they were shown to this jury. And I will say, in every single murder case, this is an extremely sobering moment for everyone -- for the prosecutor, for the defense team, and also certainly for the defendant, but especially for the jurors.
The jurors today were looking at their monitors. Each juror has a monitor to see what evidence is being placed into evidence. And Casey Anthony, when little Caylee Anthony's remains were shown, her skull was shown, just sobbed, just cried throughout the evidence begin placed in.
I will say this -- Judge Perry let everyone know in the courtroom that these graphic images were going to be introduced as evidence, and George and Cindy Anthony took that moment to leave the courtroom. So they were not in the courtroom when Caylee's remains were shown to the jury.
And just so you know, we're continuing to watching some of these live moments from inside the courtroom as we continue our discussion, Sunny.
I want to ask you though about Casey. I mean, this is a woman who really hasn't shown a great deal of emotion, certainly lately in court. Correct?
HOSTIN: That's right. I mean, we saw a lot of emotion coming from her in opening statements. We saw a lot of emotion coming from her during jury selection, each time the indictment was read. But recently we haven't seen that. We've seen a much happier Casey Anthony.
That is not the case today in the courtroom. Again, a very sobering, sobering moment in any case when the victim's crime scene photos are shown, when autopsy photos are shown. And that is what is playing out in the courtroom right now. The medical examiner is on the witness stand.
KAYE: And her brother Lee was called back to the stand today. What was the importance of that? What did they want to learn from him today?
HOSTIN: Sure. Well, there was some evidence put in yesterday about computer searches, and one of the searches that was done on July 16, 2008 was for Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez. Remember, that's the nanny that Casey Anthony claimed had taken little Caylee Anthony. Well, Lee Anthony described for this jury that he was the one that did that computer search based on the story that Casey Anthony told him on that day.
KAYE: All right. Sunny Hostin following it for us and along with us.
Sunny, thank you as always.
And we want to know what you think about this. Should Casey Anthony take the stand there in court?
Join the conversation on our blog, CNN.com/ali. And you can also post on either Ali's or my Facebook and Twitter pages. We'd love to know what you think about this one.
And our sister network HLN is your destination for complete coverage of the Casey Anthony trial. Right there, you can watch special coverage of the trial throughout the entire day.
It is a state that could serve as a poster boy for all that's wrong with the economy, and it is expected to be a key battleground in next year's election. A live report from Nevada right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: As wildfires continue to burn in Arizona, a red flag alert has been lifted for the eastern part of the state. But some residents are refusing to leave and fighting for their homes.
Jim Spellman joins me live from Apache County, Arizona.
Jim, what's the latest from there where you are?
Jim, can you hear me?
JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Randi. Sorry. Are you there? Hi, Randi. Yes --
KAYE: I am. Tell us what's going on there.
SPELLMAN: Yes. They lifted the red flag warning today. That means the winds are lower, the humidity is up a little bit, and it's given them their first break in 10 days to try to get a handle on this fire.
They've got a large airplane. Initially, they were going to get a 747. Now it's a DC-10, ready to drop retardant on the front if the weather conditions stay like this.
They've got bulldozers out there. They're working setting backfires where they intentionally set some fuel on fire so that when the fire gets to it, it's starved and won't make it into any of the towns and hit the structures. Three hundred or 400 feet is their goal for these paths.
We hope to go up under the front lines here in just a few minutes, Randi, and see what kind of progress they make. They hope today is the first day that they can get some kind of handle on this, but they say containment is days off, at least -- Randi.
KAYE: And so far, where you are, what's the damage like? And what type of equipment do these guys have to even battle something like this?
SPELLMAN: Well, they're up to now over 3,000 firefighters here. All the stuff that you might see, pumper trucks, that sort of thing, plus giant bulldozers. And a lot of this is just heavy work by hand, using hand tools, because they have to hike into places far from any kinds of roads.
Now, they're able now, as the weather gets better, also, to do aerial tours and use infrared cameras to see exactly where the heat is, where things are progressing. So far, still only a handful of structures have been destroyed in a couple of small towns. They're able to hold the line here at Eagar and Springerville and keep that away from these larger population centers.
Of course, they hope they'll keep being able do that. But they're saying they're going to be here for a long time. It could be weeks at least before they have this fire under control -- Randi.
KAYE: All right, Jim. We'll let you get to the front lines, along with them. And be safe out there. Thank you.
Well, talk about a state that's been hard hit by the recession. Nevada's got it all -- a record rate of home for closures, high unemployment, and a nearly evenly split divided electorate. Put it all together, and you have the making of a battleground state in next year's election.
Casey Wian joins us from Henderson, Nevada. That's near Las Vegas.
Casey, tell me, does any party right now have the upper hand?
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely not, Randi. This is a state that is very closely divided. Let me give you a little bit of background on what's been happening here economically.
We're in Henderson, Nevada, the second largest city in this state. It's a city that's grown from 65,000 people in 1990 to 270,000 today.
We're in one of these recreation centers that the community has built, seven of them like this. It just shows the kind of explosive growth they've had here. But now, half of the homes that are sold in this area are under foreclosure, and the unemployment rate is around 12 percent. And that is weighing very heavily on the minds of prospective voters in 2012.
We met one man who actually voted for President Obama in 2008. That was about the same type his small business really took a significant hit. He went from about $40,000 in revenue a month to just $1,500 in revenue.
Who's he going to vote for this time? He's not sure.
KAYE: And Casey, what are folks there saying about the issues in general?
WIAN: The issues that they're concerned about are health care, and the number one issue is the economy. They are very concerned about jobs, they are very concerned about this home foreclosure market.
There are 10,000 homes just in Clark County in southern Nevada alone per month that are still going into foreclosures. It's not the same rapid rate that they've experienced in the past, but it is still weighing heavily on this community.
They are -- this state has about 460,000 -- excuse me, 560,000 registered Democrats, 460,000 registered Republicans. So about 100,000 voter difference there.
But there are 300,000 registered voters who are either nonpartisan or belong to smaller parties. So that's a huge swing vote.
The people you talk to here say they haven't really seen anyone to jump behind from the Republicans, and they're not all that thrilled with what President Obama has done so far. So they're really waiting to see what happens in the Republican campaign to decide who they're going to vote for.
It's going to have a big impact, because the Nevada caucuses are the third primary next year, just eight months away from now. After Iowa, after New Hampshire, comes Nevada. So even though this is a state with only about 1.3 million registered voters, it will play a very, very big role in the 2012 election -- Randi.
KAYE: All right.
Casey Wian for us in Henderson, Nevada.
Casey, thank you.
And remember, next Monday, CNN will host the New Hampshire presidential debate. Join us as Republican hopefuls gather to size one another up and debate the important issues. The New Hampshire Republican presidential debate, next Monday night, only on CNN.
(NEWSBREAK) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" and so do I.
We're here together in the CNN NEWSROOM around the world.
Hello, Richard.
RICHARD QUEST, HOST, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": Hello, Ali.
We are actually here together in person in New York, and each week Ali and I are coming to you around the world because we have to talk business.
VELSHI: Yes.
QUEST: Travel. We have to talk innovation. And nothing's off limits.
VELSHI: But today it's about innovation. It's all about the cloud, cloud computing specifically.
We had a big announcement from Apple this week. It's becoming increasingly popular, allowing users greater freedom in an on-demand world.
QUEST: He hasn't even started and he's talking.
It's when you store things in a central server, not on your home computer, sites like Flickr, Hotmail.
So, the question, Ali -- and you're going first this week -- should you ditch your conventional hard drive for cloud computing? Is it time to ditch the drive?
(BELL RINGING)
VELSHI: All right. Let's talk about it first.
For people who don't know what we're talking about, this is a hard drive. It could be one that you carry around with you, it could be the one that's in your computer. It's where you used to store data.
This is the cloud. Now, what's the difference? The cloud, you still store information on something, it's just not your hard drive, not your computer. And the question is whether or not this as safe as this.
Now, Richard, this is the same conversation we had years ago about this -- should you use your credit card to buy things online? Now, the bottom line, this cloud, you don't have to store it. You can't lose it. It's cheaper. It's more efficient. It's more accessible.
So, instead of arguing over the pros and cons of this versus this, what we need to do is make this safer and more useful. Look, let me just give you some numbers here.
U.S. e-commerce sales last year -- not last year, in 2000 -- $42 billion. Last year, $142 billion. And we're going to add another $100 billion next year.
This is how we do business. You've got store stuff. This is old-fashioned. This is the future. It's the way I'm going.
(BUZZER)
QUEST: Answer the question, is it time to ditch the --
VELSHI: Totally time to ditch that.
QUEST: And that is why you are so seriously wrong.
VELSHI: You've got to be kidding.
QUEST: All right. Here we go.
VELSHI: You've got 60 seconds.
(BELL RINGING)
QUEST: Is it time to ditch the hard drive? Absolutely not.
Yes, this may well be the future, but the reality, we've got a long way to go before -- it's too difficult to use the cloud at the moment. There are too many issues.
Of course the cloud will be there in the future, just not yet. Whether it's companies like Amazon or Salesforce.com, which are making great leaps and bounds in making us -- allow us to use this sort of computing, but when it comes to you, the consumer, you would be a fool to rely on the cloud just at this point. It simply isn't there.
Amazon, Google, Apple, they may be all offering music services. But at the moment, it is simply not reliable. It is not safe.
There are bugs. There are viruses. And most important of all, Ali, there are costs involved in using the cloud, which ultimately you may find to your detriment. So I've no doubt in the future we will be bobbing along on a cloud, but --
VELSHI: For now he's going old school.
All right. This is where we separate the men from the boys. It's time for the quiz. It's when "The Voice" comes on.
Hello, Voice.
THE VOICE: Hello, gentlemen.
Now, both of you may be starting on cloud nine, but one of you will suffer an unceremonious fall to Earth. Our first question: According to Internet world statistics, which of these is the top language for the majority of Internet users? Is it, A, English; B, Chinese; C, Spanish; or D, Arabic?
(BELL RINGING)
THE VOICE: Ali?
VELSHI: English.
(BELL RINGING)
THE VOICE: English is correct. Very good, Ali. You're on the board with one. English barely edges out Chinese, even though there are more users in China than anywhere else.
All right, Richard. Get ready. You are way behind.
China --
QUEST: Whoa!
THE VOICE: Way behind.
QUEST: Way behind?
THE VOICE: China has the most Internet users, but still lags in so-called Internet penetration. Which of these countries has the highest percentage of their population connected to the Internet? Is it, A, Qatar; B, South Korea; C, Iceland; or, D, Germany?
(BELL RINGING)
THE VOICE: Ali, you are first again.
VELSHI: South Korea. South Korea.
(BUZZER)
THE VOICE: Ali, first is not always best.
Richard, your chance to steal.
QUEST: Iceland.
(BELL RINGING)
THE VOICE: That is correct, Richard. Iceland is number one.
It's a perfectly valid question.
VELSHI: OK.
THE VOICE: The U.S., by the way, ranks 16th. The U.K., 15th.
All right. We are now tied, 1-1. This is where we separate the men from the boys.
Number three, now to clouds we can actually see. Which of these clouds forms highest in the sky? Is it A, stratus; B, cumulus; C, stratocumulus; or D, cirrus?
(BELL RINGING)
THE VOICE: OK, Ali. Your shot.
VELSHI: Cumulus.
THE VOICE: That would be -
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
THE VOICE: -- no!
VELSHI: This is embarrassing. (INAUDIBLE) world kids know the answer to this.
QUEST: Just remind us again, it's stratocumulus --
THE VOICE: Cumulus -
VELSHI: Stratocumulus or cirrus.
VELSHI: Well, cirrus are those flat little ones. That can't be it.
QUEST: It's stratocumulus.
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
THE VOICE: All right. Ali, you take another shot?
QUEST: Aww, come on!
VELSHI: Well, okay. I'm going go just back to my Latin now. It's got to be stratus because we're talking about the stratosphere --
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
THE VOICE: This one should be easy for you, Richard.
(BELL RINGS)
QUEST: It's the other one!
(LAUGHTER)
THE VOICE: That's right, Richard. It is the other one.
QUEST: It's cirrus!
THE VOICE: Congratulations on what we have to call a win, but that's questionable. VELSHI: Yeah, well, all right. I'll get him next week.
That will do it for us this week.
QUEST: Yes. We are off for lunch on this card. Remember we're here each week on "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS."
VELSHI: 18:00 GMT or CNN NEWSROOM 2:00 p.m. Eastern. Keep the topics coming on our blogs. CNN.com/qmb and CNN.com/ali. Tell us each week what you want to talk about, and we'll see you next week.
Richard, have a good one.
QUEST: Have a good one.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: It is about half past the hour. A look at stories you might have missed.
In the capital murder trial of Casey Anthony, jurors were shown two photos of her daughter's skeletal remains. Anthony cried as those photos were displayed. A crime scene technician who responded to the scene described what was found along with remains, including a red plastic Disney bag and duct tape which could be seen on the little girl's skull.
As wildfires continue to burn in Arizona, a red flag alert has been lifted for the eastern part of the state. But utilities are now planning for the possibility of transmission lines being affected with the fire just eight miles from power lines in Tucson. Tucson Electric serves about 400,000 customers. Firefighters have been aided today by calmer winds in that area.
Rapper Flo Rida has been arrested in Miami on suspicion of DUI and driving on a suspended license. Police say the rapper was pulled over early today while driving his 2008 Bugadi erratically in South Beach. The rapper, real name Tramar Dillard, blew a .185 on the breathalyzer test, more than twice the legal limit. Flo Rida made it big in 2007 with his single "Low."
And we have to warn you, this next video we're about to show you is very graphic. Residents in the Indian city of Mysore were stunned when two wild elephants stormed into the city. The elephants kept police and forest officials at bay for about six hours yesterday before they were knocked out by tranquilizers. At least one person was killed, three others injured. Police believe the elephants came from a nearby forest.
A phone hacking scandal sweeping Britain. This high-profile couple among the alleged victims. Yes, the duke and duchess. Details in "Globe Trekking" right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAYE: Welcome back. In Britain, it seems just about everyone is talking about a phone hacking scandal. And at the center of it all, Rupert Murdoch's media empire. Here to talk about all of this with us is Michael Holmes.
So, this isn't the first time that he's been accused of involved in some hacking.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, no, no. Far from it. In fact, there's already a police investigation under way over the hacking of people's cell phone voicemail. And he's already settled -- I think it's five cases against high profile people for this. What would happen, he was having people - or the newspaper was having an investigator hack into people's cell phone voicemails, use information for these hugely sensational stories and the like --
KAYE: That's not how you're supposed to get a scoop.
HOLMES: Not really. That's not very journalistic of them, is it? Sienna Miller the actress, just settled the other day for, I think it was 100,000 pounds or something.
But this has become broader, bigger. And there are calls for the investigation to get more and more widespread. And it all centers on one particular private investigator. His name is Jonathan Reese, accused of targeting politicians, royalty, as you mentioned, even terror informants who are informing on the IRA and things like that.
I mean, the list of names is amazing. Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, George Michael, Kate Middleton as you said, when she was the prince's girlfriend. Other members of royalty. The prime minister, Tony Blair, when he was in office, hacking and getting information, getting the voice mail open. It's just extraordinary how this allegedly happened.
KAYE: And they can get a lot. With Sienna Miller, I think they had conversations of her talking to her ex-boyfriend at the time, talking about having children.
HOLMES: And she said it actually made her really paranoid because she didn't know if someone in her family was betraying her or how information was getting out until it came out, this. So, this British MP saying his needs to be widened out, this needs to be a huge investigation.
KAYE: So, they're taking it seriously?
HOLMES: Oh, very, very. Yes, yes.
KAYE: Something else that really caught our attention today is this story out of China, where you have these two cases. And in both cases somebody was killed. But it has to do -- it's really like a class situation, it seems is what what's happening in term of the punishment.
HOLMES: That's right, exactly. The first one was this young fellow, 21-year-old music student from a well-to-do family. He hits a girl, a peasant. She was a worker from villages --
KAYE: He was driving a car.
HOLMES: He was driving a car. Hits her on a bicycle. She's injured, badly, but she's alive. She -- he sees her taking down his license plate number, his registration number, so he goes back and he kills her. He stabs her eight times and kills her.
And four days after this happened, there was another case of another guy who ran over someone and as he was leaving the scene of the accident and the cops were there he's yelling out the name of his father, saying I'm the son of --
KAYE: A big --
HOLMES: He's a senior police officer.
KAYE: Right, right.
HOLMES: And yet, he got six years for his. This other fellow was executed.
KAYE: But that's -- that's the problem, right? These are two very similar crimes.
HOLMES: Yes. Part of the one with the guy who got executed was there was an Internet outrage, and hundreds of thousands of tweets and Facebook outpourings of anger about this, and there are those, bloggers in China, saying that that's what pushed the courts to execute this guy.
KAYE: Because normally they wouldn't - someone of that status?
HOLMES: No, they wouldn't - well, not that status but they wouldn't normally for someone who turned themselves in, it's very unusual to someone to be given the death penalty for that and certainly for the crime as well.
But it seemed to be a show of the power of the Internet and also the anger that exists in China with the children of the upper class and the powerful who do things and do get away with it, and seem to run around town, you know, breaking the law and getting away with it, acting with impunity. And this was the situation of people being fed up with that, and there was this outcry against this guy. And he got executed for it.
KAYE: This other guy didn't turn himself in, actually ran away, right? Just shouted his powerful father's name and got six years in prison.
HOLMES: Exactly. It's interesting when you talk about executions, too. You've got to remember with China, in 2008, Amnesty International, they had figures of 1,700 people executed in China. That's three-quarters of the executions around the world. There are only, I think, 600-something that was the rest of the world combined. So, China's long had a reputation for being the biggest executor of people in the world as well.
KAYE: So, do you think anything would change? I mean, after something like this, so much anger and so much attention on it?
HOLMES: Well, what the Chinese are saying in the last few years they're going to do is try to reduce the number of executions. They have actually stated that. We don't have figures for the last couple of years at the moment, but 2008 was the last one where I saw figures of 1,700. So, they say they're trying to reduce the number of executions.
But in terms of the societal aspect of this, it's fascinating. There has long been anger at the privileged and particularly the kids of the privileged getting away, in this case, with stabbing a woman on the street because she was taking down his number because he run her over.
KAYE: Plus, this other guy. I mean, you think about it, he ran away. He knew what he was doing when he ran and shouted his father's name because he knows how much that weight that has there.
So, all right. Michael Holmes. Thank you.
HOLMES: A couple of weird stories.
KAYE: Yes, a couple. I agree.
Well, she is beautiful, smart, and glamorous, but still a mystery to many. Anthony Weiner's other half and our growing fascination with her. We'll give you a close-up look at Huma Abedin, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: The voices are growing louder on Capitol Hill, calling on New York Congressman Anothny Weiner to resign. But despite the embarrassing fallout, Weiner is clinging to office. Why? Apparently for his wife, Huma Abedin, who is pregnant. A source familiar with the conversation says Weiner today told another New York House member his wife wants him to stay in Congress.
Tom Foreman gives us a look at the woman beside Anthony Weiner in today's "Big Breakdown."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As she travels abroad with Secretary Clinton, Huma Abedin appears to be doing what she always does, tending to her work and keeping a low profile. Friends say she has indicated she will fight for her marriage and her husband's career, but they openly worry about the couple's future.
James Carville knows Abedin.
JAMES CARVILLE, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Every conversation starts the same thing: God, I wonder how Huma is holding up. She didn't do anything to deserve this. So some -- any variation of that, every conversation always starts with that.
FOREMAN: Abedin has been a rising star in the Democratic Party ever since she interned for First Lady Clinton in 1996. 35 this year, she was born in Michigan to parents who are both college professors. Largely raised in Saudi Arabia, she came back stateside to go to George Washington University in D.C.
She is a practicing Muslim, fluent in Arabic, and has emerged over the years as one of Clinton's closest aides and friends.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anybody else? Anybody?
FOREMAN: Famously professional, untiring, and discreet.
When candidate Clinton finally wrapped up her White House bid and thanked her staff --
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And to my extraordinary staff, volunteers and supporters --
FOREMAN: -- the cameras went to Abedin.
(on camera): They often do. Her success, striking looks and love of high fashion even landed her a "Vogue" magazine feature in 2007, calling her Hillary's secret weapon and mentioning close ties to actor John Cusack and cyclist Lance Armstrong.
(voice-over): In that article, Clinton, who is often described as having more of a mother-daughter relationship with Abedin, said, "Her combination of poise, kindness and intelligence are matchless."
REP. ANTHONY WEINER (D), NEW YORK: Ok. Stand right here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right there. Good.
FOREMAN: But it was Abedin's relationship with Anthony Weiner, 12 years older and Jewish, that made Washington buzz.
He says she knew of his weakness for Internet sex chat before the wedding, but he told her it was past, and they took their vows, presided over by former President Bill Clinton -- ironic, since Abedin's internship at the White House occurred around the same time another intern was there, Monica Lewinsky.
WEINER: I love her very much, and she loves me.
FOREMAN: Representative Weiner insists, like the Clintons, he and his wife will stick together. But that's what he says. And with their first anniversary coming up in a few weeks, she is not talking.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Should your doctor be able to ask you whether or not you own a gun? Should your doctor go to jail for asking you whether or not you own a gun? Our "Stream Team" will tackle this topic right after the break.
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KAYE: A bill proposed in Florida would have put doctors in jail for up to five years if they asked their patients this question -- do you have a gun in your house? The bill pitted the gun industry against the medical community, and a compromise was passed. It is not as unforgiving as the original, but it still requires that doctors, emergency medical personnel and other health care providers not ask about gun ownership unless the information is relevant to the patient's medical care or their safety.
So, our question for today's "Stream Team" is this: should a doctor be able to ask a patient about anything, including guns? Dr. David Evans is with the National Physicians' Alliance, and Andy Hill is a retired sergeant with the Phoenix Police Department joining us for the "Stream Team today. Thank you both.
Dr. Evans, I'd like to start with you. What is wrong with limiting doctors' questions to relevant medical care only?
DR. DAVID EVANS, NATIONAL PHYSICIANS ALLIANCE: This is really an issue about patients and doctors being able to freely and confidently communicate in the exam room. We talk about a lot of sensitive subjects, whether it be substance abuse, bodily functions, sexual issues, and all of this needs to be confidential and easy to communicate.
KAYE: But anyone watching this might wonder, why would a doctor even need to ask a patient if they own a gun? So, how would you respond to that?
EVANS: Well, the issue here is a safety issue, and just as I asked patients who -- whose children ride bicycles if they wear helmets, it's not unreasonable to ask if there are guns in the home.
KAYE: Andy, I'm curious. Did personal questions from doctors to patients really ever help you as a police officer?
HILL: Well, all the time. When you think about it, as it relates to law enforcement, police officers are always responding to calls to emergency rooms where there are gunshot wounds of gun crimes involved. So, the police officers really depend a lot upon information from the physicians that are attending.
Not only that, but the focus that we've had over the last six months since Congresswoman Giffords was shot was what information was available ahead of time, and could something like that be prevented? You have to allow, I think, the physicians to have freedom to release some information if they come across it, and they have -- need to have that patient/doctor relationship where they are able to get information and sometimes able to help for safety's sake prevent loss of life.
And that law that had a good idea in terms of its intent certainly in practicality was not good if it restricted in any way a physician/patient relationship.
KAYE: So, Andy, let me just read you something here. This is from the NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer. He says, "We pay doctors to be doctors and give us medical care. Instead they're trying to be social workers and bring their gun ban politics into the examining room."
Andy, but you say some of notes that these doctors take can actually help you in crime solving.
HILL: Well, absolutely. You know, investigators always have to try and get physicians' notes if there was a gun crime that they responded to or something that turned into a homicide and usually they have to subpoena those records. And therefore there needs to be good records.
Not only that, but I'm sure physicians would be very concerned about liability issues if there were certain restrictions. Law enforcement does not want doctors to have to go into you know, what they kind of call a written medicine protocol. They need to be able to do what they need to do, but law enforcement needs to access in order to present cases and keep the public safe, really.
KAYE: Dr. Evans, I mean, you heard me read that quote. Is this about bringing gun politics into the examining room?
EVANS: I don't think so. The National Physicians Alliance doesn't have a position on guns one way or the other. This is really more about safety and about the confidentiality of the doctor/patient relationship.
It's important for me to be able to discuss any safety issue with my patients. I want my patients who have pools, to have fences around their pools. I want my patients who bring in their newborn baby to know that car seats are important and how they should be positioned. As anybody who has a child knows, when you bring a child into the home, everything changes, including the safety - or the relative safety of firearms.
KAYE: All right. Dr. Evans, Andy Hill, thank you both. Interesting discussion.
It's time for CNN Political Update. CNN White House correspondent Brianna Keilar joins us from the political desk in Washington. Brianna, President Obama naming a new political director.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Taking the political desk over to the White House today, Randi.
That's right. President Obama beefing up his re-election team with Katherine Archuleta as his political director. She'll be the first Latina to hold a role like this on a major presidential campaign. And right now, she's the chief of staff to Labor secretary Hilda Solis. So, she'll be going from D.C. To Chicago, joining the re-election team, including campaign manager Jim Messina and former White House deputy chief of staff, David Axlerod, who are now spearheading re-election efforts. And also on the ticker, you'll find new poll numbers. A spike in support, this poll shows, among Americans for bringing home U.S. troops from Afghanistan. You can check out the new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll at CNNpolitics.com. What it show is almost three-quarters of those surveyed said the U.S. should withdraw some or all troops from Afghanistan. This is pretty significant because it's a 10 percent jump from May. And if you ask our polling guru, Keating Holland, he'll tell you, Randi, it's likely because of the death of Osama bin Laden.
KAYE: All right, Brianna. Thank you very much.
Next update from The Best Political Team on Television is just an hour away.
So, we all know that people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, right? Well, people who don't wear skirts shouldn't build glass staircases. Yes. We'll explain that. I'll take that up in my "XYZ."
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KAYE: Time for my "XYZ." And today, we take you to Columbus, Ohio, where they are awfully proud of their brand-new $105 million courthouse. There's just one problem. It also has a shiny, new glass staircase that's proving to be a real challenge, you might say, for women who work at the courthouse. You see, a glass staircase and women who wear skirts or dresses to work. Yes, that doesn't make a very good mix. Anyone standing below that staircase can see right up through it. Brilliant, right? I mean, who designed this? Maybe they should have thought of this before they dropped more than $100 million on the courthouse.
Judge Julie Lynch, who wears dresses to work under her judge's robe, said she thinks the courthouse must have been designed by men. Clearly, women would have thought of this, right? After all, about half the employees at the courthouse are women. So, some women aren't just worried about a stolen glance here and there, but cell phone camera shots that could end up on the Internet. You know how it goes these days.
Judge Lynch has sounded the alarm and now folks are discussing whether they might need to change the design. I'd say that's probably a pretty good idea. Or just build another elevator.
CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Brooke Baldwin. Hi, Brooke.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Glass stairs? Really? Really, Randi Kaye?
All right. Thank you.
