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A Navy SEAL Town Grieves; Leaders to Discuss Credit Downgrade; World Reacts to U.S. Credit Downgrade; Inside a Rebel Offensive; Tuskegee Airmen Remember WWII; CNN Hero Debbie Cantwell Helps Breast Cancer Patients; Amanda Knox Appeal on Murder Case Resumes on Labor Day; David Cassidy Sues Sony; Chilean Miners Sue Chilean Government
Aired August 07, 2011 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOE JOHNS, CNN ANCHOR: Topping the news at this hour, 30 U.S. troops killed yesterday in Afghanistan, 22 of them Navy SEALs. They're on a mission to rescue an Army Ranger Unit on an anti-terrorism mission. New details now from our Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): The Navy SEALs were brought in to try and help another unit pinned down on the ground. They were already in the middle of a firefight. They needed help. They called for it. And the U.S. Navy SEALs came.
We now know that the unit that was pinned down were U.S. Army Rangers, members of the Army 76 Ranger regiment out of Ft. Benning, Georgia. They have been deployed in Afghanistan for some time. Part of this country's Special Operations Forces that are conducting these anti- terrorism raids across Eastern Afghanistan. They needed help. The SEALs came. And all indications continue to be we are told that that helicopter was brought down by enemy fire.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
JOHNS: One of those killed was 30-year-old Navy SEAL Aaron Carson Vaughn. We're learning the names and hometowns of those casualties as the Defense Department goes through the agonizing process of notifying 30 separate families of their loss.
CNN's Brian Todd is in one of the nation's SEAL communities today, Virginia Beach, Virginia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kimberly Vaughn describes that horrible moment when uniformed officers came to her door and told her about her husband.
KIMBERLY VAUGHN, HUSBAND KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN CRASH: And I just fell to my knees.
TODD: Arson Carson Vaughn was one of 22 Navy SEALs killed in the helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Kimberly is now left to care for 2- month-old daughter Chamberlin (ph) and son Reagan (ph), who turns 2 years old next month.
VAUGHN: I want to the tell the world that he was an amazing man, that he was a wonderful husband and a fabulous father to two wonderful children. And he was a warrior for our country. And he wouldn't want to leave this earth any other way than how he did.
TODD: On the boardwalk, in the diners of the Vaughn's newly adopted hometown of Virginia Beach, a community grieves for nearly two dozen young men who were in their midst, but who they never really got to know. Mary's Restaurant is a hangout for some of the SEALs based near Virginia Beach.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You feel like you're at rock bottom again. You just feel like you're not succeeding at what needs to be done. And you have to ask is it worth it. Is another life worth it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a grave loss, and we're very sad. Very sad day.
TODD: These were secretive, elite commandos who could never reveal what they did to these neighbors.
(on camera): Still, people here feel a close bond with the SEALs. And in only about 13 weeks, this community has gone from the triumph of the killing of Osama Bin Laden to what now appears to be the biggest single loss of life in SEAL history.
(voice-over): Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms wanted to throw a parade for the SEALs after the Bin Laden raid, but knew he couldn't. Now, he's got to help an entire city grieve for a group of young men whose names they may be hearing for the first time.
MAYOR WILLIAM SESSOMS, VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA: It hurts and, you know, but it's a shared pain, which means that everyone thinks so highly of them.
TODD: John McGuire knows all about that shared pain. He was a SEAL for 10 years, stationed near Virginia Beach.
(on camera): Is there any survivor's guilt among current or former SEALs when something like this happened?
JOHN MCGUIRE, FORMER NAVY SEAL: I think former SEALs like myself and all SEALs go through all the emotions. But, you know, we are at war and freedom isn't free. And these guys, I guarantee every one of them, if they had a chance they would do it all again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: Now the focus turns toward helping the families. Current and former Navy SEALs and their commanders are going to be trying to raise money for the Navy SEAL Foundation. That's a group dedicated to raising money, giving financial help to those left behind - Joe.
JOHNS: Painful story there, Brian Todd, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Thanks so much for that. Among those killed in the helicopter crash, Nebraska National Guardsman Patrick Hamburger, the 30-year-old sergeant was deployed to Afghanistan just a week ago. Military officials with knowledge of the operation say Hamburger's mission was to deliver U.S. commandos targeting a Taliban commander. His brother says he always put others before himself.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
CHRIS HAMBURGER, BROTHER OF SGT. PATRICK HAMBURGER (via telephone): Pat, you know, was always - he was the guy that was always looking out for everyone around him. And, you know, I've got a twin brother, too. And he was always taking care of us and getting himself into - into bad situations to make sure that he'd taken care of us. And he just - he was selfless. He didn't worry about him half as much as he worried about everyone else. And you could have been a complete stranger and if he could help you, he would have done it.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
JOHNS: The sergeant's stepfather says Hamburger joined the guard when he was 18, and planned to propose to the mother of his 2-year-old daughter when he returned to the U.S.
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner joins a conference call with representatives of other G-7 countries tonight to discuss the fallout from the U.S. credit downgrade. Despite mounting criticism of Geithner, the White House says he will stay on the job.
CNN's Athena Jones joins us from the White House. Athena, let's start with Geithner. The president has pretty much put in a vote of confidence for him now, hasn't he?
ATHENA JONES, CNN GENERAL ASSIGNMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it's fair to say the answer is yes. We heard from White House Press Secretary Jay Carney earlier today. He said that the president had asked Treasury Secretary Geithner to stay on at Treasury, and he welcomes his decision to stay - Joe.
JOHNS: Now, what is Geithner hoping to accomplish during tonight's conference call?
JONES: Well, it's not surprising officials aren't saying too much about this call. But we can expect that Geithner is going to want to share the U.S.'s point of view on all of this. We know that the administration is angry about this decision the S&P has made. They believe there was a rush to judgment on the agency's part.
And ever since the announcement was made on Friday, they've been stressing the point of this $2 trillion mistake they say the S&P has made, and that the S&P has acknowledged making in calculating future U.S. deficits. It's a mistake that one of the president's own economic advisers, Gene Sperling said showed the agency's amateurism.
Now, it's not surprising the S&P has responded to this. Let's listen to what their managing director had to say about this on an interview early today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID BEERS, S&P GLOBAL HEAD OF SOVEREIGN RATINGS: When we made the - the modifications that we did after a conversation with the Treasury. It doesn't change the fact that in our estimation, that even with the agreement of Congress and the administration this past week, that the underlying debt burden of the U.S. government is rising and will continue to rise, most likely over the next decade.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: And so this $2 trillion mistake issue is likely to come up in discussions that the officials here are having with officials in Europe, in Asia as they look to these markets opening, Joe.
JOHNS: Pushing forward to tomorrow, has the White House said anything at all about what they expect to happen on Wall Street?
JONES: Well, in the briefing we got on Friday after this, this announcement, with sources familiar with it, no one wanted to guess or forecast what would happen with the markets. Some of the points they made were that the information that the S&P used to make this downgrade decision was already in the public domain. And so it's not something that should surprise other investors in the markets.
They pointed out that the other two ratings agencies, Fitch and Moody's have maintained the U.S.'s AAA status. And so they say in a collective way, the market still sees the U.S. as a good risk and so a good investment. But, of course, we've already seen some indications of what could happen in the markets.
In the Middle East, we saw that markets in Dubai and Israel closed down. And so there is no way to really know what is going to happen, and whether the turmoil we saw last weekend in Europe that riled all the markets will continue as marks open in Asia and Europe, now that you have this new wrench thrown into it all.
JOHNS: A fascinating story. And there are a lot of predictions out there that people are going to be taking a much closer look at S&P and the other credit rating agencies and how they do business.
Thanks so much for that reporting, Athena Jones at the White House.
JONES: Thanks, Joe.
JOHNS: When Wall Street opens for business tomorrow, it may take a cue from what has been happening on the global markets. Middle East markets were open today and Asian markets will open soon.
Alison Kosik keeping an eye on that. Let's start with the Middle East. What happened there, Alison?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It was a rough session, Joe, in the Mid East. Markets in Israel, they plunged, actually their worst plunge in 11 years. If you look there, the markets were down six percent. Dubai fell more than three percent. Saudi Arabia actually rose about one-tenth of a percent, but that's actually after it fell in the previous session about 5.5 percent - Joe.
JOHNS: So how long from now in terms of hours do you expect to start hearing from the Asian markets?
KOSIK: Asian markets begin trading at 8:00. They're up next. Actually, futures markets, the futures for U.S. stocks opened about 10 minutes ago. Right now they're indicating a flat to positive open. So I'm talking about the Dow, the S&P and the NASDAQ. That's good news, because we are talking about how each of these - how each of these markets, how each of these indices feed off of each other. So this could be a good sign, at least in the short-term. But it doesn't necessarily indicate how things will open.
One of the good things to remember, though, Joe, is that, you know, investors here in the U.S. who are going to be trading on Wall Street, you know, they've had the weekend to really digest, really process this downgrade. So it's not really coming as a shock. It's also not coming as a shock because Wall Street has kind of been expecting this for the past two weeks. I mean, we've seen the Dow actually plunge almost - well, actually more than 1,200 points over the past two weeks.
Some of that was because of these - these talks swirling about S&P possibly downgrading the U.S. credit rating. And now that it's happened, Wall Street is of the thinking, you know what? It's happened. It takes that uncertainty off the table. Now, we can move on to other things, so that could be a good thing.
A couple of traders I talked to said you know what? There could be a sell-off at the open tomorrow morning. But the expectation is that things would stabilize and then move on from there - Joe.
JOHNS: And I can tell you, from all the craziness, even on Capitol Hill over the last couple of weeks, when I was out there, many, many members of Congress said they expected the United States to be downgraded. So you're right. I mean, there's not a whole lot of surprise in actually hearing this.
Other countries, Alison, have been downgraded in the past. Let's talk a little bit about how their stock markets have done afterwards.
KOSIK: Yes, and interestingly enough, Joe, you know, after these countries have been downgraded, you know, their stock markets really didn't get hurt at all. You know, you look at Canada for one. Canada was downgraded in 1993. And in a year after that, its market rose 15 percent. Its bond yields did rise, however, but by less than one percentage point.
And then you look at Japan. It was downgraded in 1998. Its stock market, the Tokyo Stock Market rose 25 percent. I know you can't just compare Japan and Canada to the U.S., but it really shows you that you really don't know what is going to happen and it really may not be as bad as everything is talking. JOHNS: Alison Kosik, you know, a lot of people in the United States right now are certainly hoping you're right. Thanks so much for that report.
KOSIK: Sure.
JOHNS: As night falls in London, there is fear that there could be a repeat of last night's fiery riots.
And in Libya, some incredible pictures of a fierce battle over a key town held by Gadhafi forces.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHNS: Let's check some international headlines.
The Abu Ghraib guard described as the ring leader in the physical abuse and sexual humiliation of Iraqi prisoners is a free man. Charles Graner Jr. served six and a half years of his 10-year sentence at the Army Disciplinary Barracks in Kansas. He was released early for good behavior.
Turning to London, where more than 50 people have been arrested after a night of rioting. Rioters burned buses and police cars, looted shops, set other vehicles and buildings on fire.
Let's listen as ITN's Richard Pallot explains how it all started.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD PALLOT, JOURNALIST WITH ITN (via telephone): Mark Duggan, he was a father of four, was shot in North London on Thursday. And about 20 to 30 members of his family and friends marched to the police station in a very peaceful protest.
But from there it's escalated now. Obviously, many of the people involved in these incidents are nothing to do with the friends and family as such and there will be many questions as to just who they are. But it basically escalated from that. We have police cars torched, a very iconic London double-decker red bus burning in the middle of a high street. Shot some fires in a residential house on fire. At one stage, I believe there were some people trapped in there. So it's absolute chaos.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: It is nighttime in London now, and police there are braced for more unrest.
Just over two weeks ago, CNN's Africa Reporter David McKenzie brought us the first devastating pictures of the famine in the Horn of Africa. Since those pictures first surfaced, we have learned of a human disaster unfolding that threatens the lives of millions. Here are some new developments.
On Wednesday, the United Nations widened the famine zones in the Horn of Africa. It declared three new regions of Somalia faced death by starvation. Then on Saturday, the rebel group Al Shabaab withdrew from Somalia's capital city of Mogadishu in what the militant Islamic group called a change of tactics.
And the death toll rises. The U.S. says in just the past 90 days, nearly 30,000 children have died from famine in Somalia alone.
CNN's Anderson Cooper and Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta are on their way to Somalia. They'll join our team of Nima Elbagir and David McKenzie for extensive coverage of the famine and devastation. Watch Anderson Cooper tomorrow night at his new time, 8:00, Eastern.
More violence in Syria today. Government forces are seen on the street in this YouTube video. An opposition network says 29 people were killed in clashes today. And now a human rights group accuses the Syrian government of killing premature infants by cutting power to a hospital in Hama. The group says it's part of a renewed crackdown on anti-government protests.
In Libya, rebel fighters launched a new offensive against Moammar Gadhafi's forces Saturday less than 100 kilometers from the capital city of Tripoli.
CNN's Michael Holmes was there. He and his team captured some incredible images you will only see here on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The rebels were on the move before dawn. Hundreds of them sweeping in from the Western Nafusa Mountains to the plains below in a well coordinated attack. Their target, the town of Bir al-Ghanam, a place that's already seen fighting in recent months, but which the rebels have never held for long.
Rebel commanders said 1,500 men were involved in this assault. They are what some have dubbed the Mad Max army, a fleet of pickup trucks modified to take heavy weapons, speeding across the desert, splitting up to attack on several fronts. Most of these men civilians before this war.
(on camera): You lived in Canada. You're an aircraft maintenance engineer. And you find yourself here on the front line. Is that a bit strange for you?
MOHAMMED AKKAR, REBEL FIGHTER: Not strange. But I have to share this. I have to share where I will be.
HOLMES (voice-over): While the battle raged on the outskirts of the town, there was another front engaging a Gadhafi military encampment three kilometers to the west. Rebels fired dozens of rockets towards loyalist positions along with anti-aircraft fire and mortars. There was return fire, too, forcing the rebels to take cover.
This latest push comes after other successes last week, when rebels seized seven towns. (on camera): After what was obviously a very fierce battle lasting several hours here at Bir al-Ghanam, some joyous rebel says they have won this fight.
Now, the importance of this town is that now they have secured it, it's a comparatively straight shot to the coast.
(voice-over): The town in their sight there's, Azawia, just over 60 kilometers from Bir al-Ghanam, and itself a mere 40 from Tripoli. After five hours of fighting, the only shots being fired in Bir al- Ghanam were from the guns of celebrating rebels.
AMMAR MUKHTARNI, REBEL FIGHTER (through translator): It was very, very fierce fight. But there is no time to rest. The next step - Tripoli.
HOLMES: At a field hospital set up in a roadside cafe, doctors said they had treated more than three dozen wounded rebels and reported several deaths.
Here a fighter from the Gadhafi side is brought in. Rebels said he was from the African nation of Chad. Later we saw two more Gadhafi fighters, one wounded, one dead on the back of a rebel pickup. The wounded man told CNN he and his dead companion were both also from Chad, further backing rebel assertions many of Gadhafi's fighters are paid mercenaries from outside Libya.
Civilians long ago fled Bir al-Ghanam and the fight for it, as have residents of many other towns and cities. Today just rebels showing off captured weapons and ammunition, things they'll need if they're to secure this place and move forward.
Michael Holmes, CNN, Bir al-Ghanam, Libya.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS: The Tuskegee airmen have a legacy of honor and courage. Now, one of the airplanes the squadron flew during World War II is headed to the Smithsonian. We'll hear from several of the airmen.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHNS: A look now at some other stories we're following. If you live in the southeast, don't be surprised to see these faces on digital billboards. The FBI is in an all-out manhunt for a brother, a sister and a half-brother. This trio is wanted for an armed bank robbery in Georgia, and the attempted murder of a Florida police officer.
Verizon workers from Massachusetts all the way to the District of Columbia have walked off the job. Their union contract expired at midnight. Workers are upset that the company wants to cut health care benefits and their pensions. A Union official says the strike could impact your phone, your Internet, your TV service. But Verizon says services will not be affected.
In New York, the ultimate endurance test for athletes. The New York City Triathlon kicked off this morning with more than 3,000 athletes swimming, biking and running. This year's winner is Ben Collins. Some of the participants were CNN iReporters who have been training since January in the Fit Nation Triathlon Challenge. I'd like to try that.
The Tuskegee Airmen made history during World War II. They formed a squadron of African-American fighter pilots during a time when the military was segregated, and many thought they couldn't do the job. History proved the critics wrong.
Now, with one of their restored vintage training planes heading to the Smithsonian, several of the airmen look back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAYMOND WILLIAMS, TUSKEGEE AIRMAN: What does it mean to be a Tuskegee Airmen? Well, certainly we're a member of a very exclusive group of airmen. We all worked together. We love one another.
HERBERT CARTER, TUSKEGEE AIRMAN: I was doing what I considered the one of the most challenging and pleasant careers of my life, and that was flying.
WILBUR MASON, TUSKEGEE AIRMAN: It was like a fraternity. There was a tremendous amount of brotherhood. Because guys were helping each other, you know. A fellow couldn't perform to some degree or couldn't grasp something immediately, his buddies would jump in and try to encourage him and teach him.
CARTER: I went overseas with the 99th Pursuit Squadron. We were the first black fighter squadron in combat. I flew 77 combat missions, going overseas to fight was doing so as an American, that I felt very proud of being, and was willing to go fight and die for. It had nothing to do with racial status that I had to endure. And it was my love for - for America, in spite of her imperfections.
MASON: Thinking we were making history, a part of history never occurred to us. And we were just doing the best we could.
WILLIAMS: We went for many, many years when nobody knew that we existed. Right now, it's about almost 70 years ago. So it took a long time for them to recognize us.
CARTER: I feel that recognition has finally come around. I simply hope that our young men and women of America will look at this experience and the story of these Tuskegee Airmen, and from it make themselves a committee of one so that we can perpetuate the legacy these airmen have left.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS: This week's CNN hero gives hope to women as they fight for their lives. That story after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) JOHNS: More than a quarter of a million women across the U.S. have been diagnosed with breast cancer before their 41st birthdays. As many don't have the emotional and financial support they need during their treatment and that's where Debbie Cantwell steps in, a CNN hero who knows all too well the devastating toll the disease can take.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBBIE CANTWELL, COMMUNITY CRUSADER (on camera): When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, my kids were really young, and I was working full- time. We were struggling. And when you start adding hospital bills and medication costs, it just throws your world upside-down.
My husband took care of me, took care of the kids. My parents and my friends did everything for me. But through treatment, I was meeting women that just didn't have it as easy as me. All these people were there for me, and I couldn't possibly pay everybody back. So I decided I was going to pay it forward.
My name is Debbie Cantwell, and I provide care and comfort to young women fighting breast cancer.
We get Subway, get 225 (ph) Subways.
We send out gas gift cards, restaurant gift cards, grocery gift cards and house cleaning services.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was really bottoming out emotionally. And then all of a sudden, I could buy diapers. And I could get food.
Yes, there's a card. Look at that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. It's so much more than just tangible things. It's hope.
CANTWELL: I help young women that can't wait for a cure. These women are sick right now and need help today.
Hi, Rachel (ph), how are you? Did your groceries come?
"RACHEL", CANCER PATIENT: They did. I just got them.
I appreciate it. It's such a huge help.
CANTWELL: They're my sisters and I honestly would do anything to help them out.
I take it really personally. It's hard when I lose somebody, but it's just a part of the job. I'll probably die of breast cancer someday, but I want to really make the most of the time I have by doing some good in the world and being the best I can for whatever time I have left.
(END VIDEOTAPE) JOHNS: If you know someone who deserves special recognition, just go to CNN.com/Heroes.
Remember pop star David Cassidy? His face was all over the place in the 1970s, from board games to lunch boxes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CASSIDY, ENTERTAINER: I was told by my manager I received a check for $5,000. And I never heard another word.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: Now, it's almost 40 years later, Cassidy claims he is owed a fortune for all this merchandising.
A CNN exclusive, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHNNS: Checking top stories.
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner will join a conference call tonight with other Representatives of the G-7 countries. They will be talking about the impact of the U.S. credit downgrade.
In just a short while, Asian markets will open for the first time since standard & poor's announced the downgrade. What happens in Asia will set the stage for what happens on Wall Street when U.S. markets open tomorrow.
President Obama is offering his condolences to the families of the Navy SEALS killed in Afghanistan. He returned to the White House from Camp David today. The president says the deaths of the 30 troops, including the 22 SEALS killed in the chopper crash are a reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices made by the men and women of our military and their families.
No word from Iran today on the fate of two American hikers accused of spying. Tehran announced last Sunday that the trial had concluded and a verdict would be announced within seven days. Today is the seventh day, and it's already nightfall in Iran.
Amanda Knox's appeal hearing resumes on Labor Day. In the meantime, the American student sits in an Italian jail, convicted of killing her British roommate, Merideth Kercher in 2007.
Journalist Nina Burleigh is the author of "The Fatal Gift of Beauty" which details the murder investigation, Knox's trial and the world's fascination with the case.
Nina joins us now live from New York.
Nina, what did you learn from the investigation while you were covering the trial? You know what is your impression now that you have sort of gotten into all the evidence? NINA BURLEIGH, AUTHOR, THE FATAL GIFT OF BEAUTY: Well, Joe, I went over there assuming that she was probably guilty as charged. I've been a journalist for a long time. I've covered a lot of crime stories, and I've been reading about it in the American press and the British press before I went over. And within about a month, I guess, after interviewing the prosecutor, interviewing the -- looking at the investigative record, especially the transcripts of the interviews that they did, that the police did with her, and with the witnesses, I realized that a lot of the things I had been reading about here simply weren't even true. They didn't even exist in the record.
Things like these students were goggling bleach the day after the murder so that they could clean up the scene. Not true. That there was mixed DNA blood in the house, mixing Amanda's blood with Meredith Kercher's blood. Not true. And so there were a lot of memes that have been put out there. And I think has something to do in - my book is about a lot of things. It's about Italian journalism. And --
JOHNS: But before you go, why? Why do you think we got these sorts of misperceptions here in the United States? Why it is that the information was so bad?
BURLEIGH: Well, I think we are all, all of news the media much more fascinated with the occasional female alleged diabolical killer than we are with the more common run of the mill mundane domestic abuser or sexually violent male. And I think that's what is going on here. And as I was trying to say, the British tabloids had a lot to do with it. They pay witnesses for information. They pay sources for interviews. And so people are sort of telling stories that aren't backed up by the record.
And then you the judicial system in Italy which is much different than ours. It doesn't have a public face. It's very opaque. And lawyers would walk out of these hearings and just drop rumors and gossip. And reporters over there print this as fact. And they never corrected it. So you had kind of this perfect storm of this attractive photogenic young woman which the media is very interested in. You have this diabolical story and this salacious story that people couldn't turn away from, that she was the leader of a sex game gone wrong. And these things together and the way the media handled it I think it all kind of came together. And there was no turning back. Now there is an appeal, of course.
JOHNS: In the trial. Before you get to the appeal, do you think the evidence that the original court actually looked at was not handled very well? Do you think they came out with a guilty verdict when they shouldn't have?
BURLEIGH: I do. I mean I sat through the trial and I felt at the end that there was enormous doubt that these two students that were on trial were guilty. They had already had a third guy whose DNA and fingerprints were all over the room in prison convicted. And they had really nothing connecting these students to the murder room, other than they were on the scene when the body was found the next morning.
So it was a very strange trial. It was kind of like watching the inquisition in action, because they were appealing to god at the end, the attorneys. And you had this young attractive woman, again, in the center of it. And there was this inevitability, this sense that she was absolutely going to get convict nod matter what at the trial level from the Italian press. And now we're at the appeal level.
JOHNS: I don't mean to interrupt. You think appeal is a better chance for Amanda Knox?
BURLEIGH: I do, Joe, yes. The appeal, now they have thrown out the DNA evidence. And I think kind of in a way the system over there works definitely than ours in that the appeal level is when the defense actually gets to put on its case and get taken seriously, where as at the trial level it's much more of an inquisitional system.
JOHNS: Right. Very interesting case. And we all follow it very closely. Thanks. Be looking for your book too. Appreciate that.
BURLEIGH: Thank you so much.
JOHNS: A teen idol from the 1970s tells our Poppy Harlow all he wants is his fair share.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CASSIDY, ENTERTAINER: If somebody does not pay you and you are entitled to a percentage of the profits and you know they're making profits, is that stealing?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: Find out who David Cassidy claims ripped him off so many years ago.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHNS: He may have been your teen idol. Partridge family star David Cassidy was famous around the world, playing Keith Partridge in a '70s show. But now nearly 40 years after "The Partridge Family" went off the air, Cassidy is mounting a battle to get paid for all that merchandise with his image on it.
CNN's Poppy Harlow has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's 1970, and a 20- year-old named David Cassidy is starring in "The Partridge Family."
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HARLOW: Not only did the show and sold-out concerts go on to make him a star, but the teen idol's success spawns an avalanche of merchandise.
CASSIDY: This is a dress-upset. Remember these? Oh, gosh. Nice outfit, David.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you please put your hands together for the one and only David Cassidy!
HARLOW: Thirty seven years after "The Partridge Family" went off the air Cassidy is still performing and producing. And now he is on a personal mission, to get paid for that merchandise from Sony, which owns the show.
You say you've been robbed for the last few decades.
CASSIDY: How would you call it? If somebody does not pay you, and you are entitled to a percentage of the profits, and you know they're making profits, is that stealing?
HARLOW: Cassidy says according to his contract, while the program was on the air, he was entitled to 15 percent of net merchandising profits when his image was used, half that if he appeared with other cast members.
Were you paid for that?
CASSIDY: I was told by my manager I received a check for $5,000. And I never heard another word.
HARLOW: Cassidy's lawyer sent this letter to Sony requesting a prompt and full accounting and payment of proceeds for any merchandise sold using his name, likeness, voice, or other exercise of such merchandising rights. Sony responded that it could not locate any merchandising statements, but found letters showing that Mr. Cassidy's representatives audited such statements. Therefore they must have been rendered to him.
The company went on to say it was not aware of any new merchandising licenses with his name, voice, and likeness after "The Partridge Family" went off the air, and said the statute of limitations had run out on any claims. Sony had no other comment to CNN.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
CASSIDY: I don't want to sue you. Just be fair. Be real. Be genuine. Don't be greedy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: As for the other cast members, Brian Forster, who played Chris Partridge said he did get about $1100 from merchandising back in the 1970s. But the other cast members that we spoke with say they either didn't have a merchandising deal, or they don't remember getting paid for any items.
And of course Cassidy's battle follows the ongoing fight between cast members of "Happy Days" and CBS over merchandising money.
You can see our full story on David Cassidy tonight on CNN presents at 8pm Eastern. You can see a lot more right here on CNN money. Joe? JOHNS: All the major Republican presidential candidates are about to face off. Find out where the showdown is going to take place, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHNS: Republican presidential candidates are gearing up for some verbal sparring. CNN's Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser has more in the political look ahead.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey, Joe. The race for the White House runs through Iowa this week. Thursday all of the major Republican candidates face off at the first presidential debate in the state which holds first in the primary caucus and calendar.
Two days later there is a crucial GOP straw poll in Iowa. Representative Michelle Buchman and Ryan Paul, former Governor Tim Pawlenty, former Senator Rick Santorum and Businessman Herman Cain are all spending a lot of time in the state in advance of the straw poll.
Just about all the candidates, even front-runner Mitt Romney who is not showing up in the straw poll, they all make stops at the Iowa state fair. Rick Perry won't be there, but he is heading to South Carolina, the first southern state to vote. The Texas governor who appears to be closer and closer to jumping into the race for the White House. He speaks at a major conservative gathering put on by redstate.com's Eric Erickson.
The spotlight is also on in Wisconsin this week.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Recall Walker!
STEINHAUSER: This past winter's protest over controversial plan to strip workers of some of their labor rights rocked the state assets capitol. Tuesday some of the state lawmakers who had a part of the controversy face recall elections. Joe?
JOHNS: And for the latest political news, you know where to go, CNN politics.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHNS: This just in, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Syria is being called back for consultations. In a message brought cast on Saudi state TV, King Abdullah said there is no justification for the bloodshed in Syria. The Syrian government has been leading a violent crackdown on dissidents.
One by one they came to the surface from a half mile below ground. Remember this? This is the part where we all marvel that it's been a whole year since their ordeal began. Thirty three men became trapped in gold and copper mine in Chile. They have been guests of honor and toasts of the town everywhere except in their own country.
CNN's Rafael Romo has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They spent 69 days in the bowels of the earth, n not knowing if they would survive.
The story of the 33 Chilean miners trapped at 700 meters and the miraculous rescue made headlines around the world.
This week four of the miners traveled to Washington, D.C. to commemorate the anniversary by opening an exhibit in their honor at the Smithsonian Museum.
MARIO SEPULVEDA, RESCUED CHILEAN MINER (through translator): In spite of our painful experience it's important to us that what's being exhibited will show what happened.
ROMO: Since all 33 of the miners were rescued alive and well last October, they have traveled the world and appeared on multiple TV shows.
They were all invited to Disney World for a week during which they served as honorary grand marshals of the main street USA parade.
At home in Chile, one of them says celebrity has not been what he expected.
JORGE GALLEGUILLOS, RESCUED CHILEAN MINER (through translator): They love us move abroad. They congratulate us. They want to touch us and get a blessing from us. That is not the case in Chile. Only a few greet us with affection. Many more say hi with envy.
ROMO: Edison Pena Mania, the miner who worked underground in the darkness ran the New York marathon. The Elvis fan was also a guest of honor at Graceland in January.
EDISON PENA, RESCUED CHILEAN MINER: Elvis.
ROMO: A movie and book about their story are in the works, but at home relations with the Chilean government are strained. Thirty one of the 33 miners filed a lawsuit accusing the agency that oversees mining of failing to ensure safety measures.
CARLOS BARRIOS, CHILEAN MINER (through translator): We're not suing the current president. This has been happening for a long time. This happened during the administrations of other presidents. Why didn't they take a closer look?
ROMO: Chilean government officials say they respect the Miners right to sue.
HERNAN DE SOLMINHAC, MINISTER, CHILEAN MINING (through translator): As any Chilean citizen, the miners have the freedom and the right to file any lawsuit that they wish. They have chosen to do so and our judicial authorities are evaluating the suit.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMO: The miners are seeking the equivalent of $60 million in U.S. for the damages for the collapse of the mine where they got trapped last year at Chilean Atacama Dessert. They say their lawsuit isn't about the money, but about raising awareness about the working conditions for miners in the country, which they say have been neglected for a long time.
Rafael Romo, CNN.
JOHNS: We got the heat wave that just won't quit. Parts of the country just sweating through yet another, yes another day of 100 degree plus temperatures. Dallas has triple digits every day for over a month.
Jacqui Jeras here with us.
Now, the interesting thing though is that Oklahoma, sooner state, just a break that lasted hours?
(WEATHER REPORT)
JACQUI JERAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Oklahoma City got so lucky today. You know we had showers that just kind of developed in a line here. And it managed to keep you cool enough all day long that you only got up to 87! 87, can you believe it? That's glorious for you folks. And I wish I could say it will last. Because I think those temperatures will be back up to the triple digits again for much of the rest of the week.
All right, so you're going back to work what can you expect in the week ahead? We do have more heat expected here in the place, but it will be better in places like Kansas City and St. Louis as we approach the middle or lateral part of the week.
Heat still staying across parts of the southeast as well. Showers and thunderstorms have really been causing big problems up and down the Eastern Seaboard this afternoon. But we are expecting more of that tomorrow, severe weather in the nation's midsection, that's that cooler air coming in. It's kind of butting up with the hot, humid air to the south. And that's why things could get nasty with damaging winds and a few isolated tornadoes as well. Keep that in mind as you head back to work.
JOHNS: Absolutely. All right, thank you very much, Jacqui
JERAS: Sure.
JOHNS: That will do it for me. CNN NEWSROOM continues at the top of the hour with Don Lemon. Have a great week.
