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Cruise Ship Runs Aground Off Italy; Barbour's Response to Pardon Controversy; S.C. Primary A Week Away; Action Plan to Get Out of Debt; Lawsuit Over Burial Location; Cop Issues Ticket, Asks Woman Out and Gets Sued; Investigators Talk to Marines in Video; Pregnant Teen Sues Family; Pregnant Waitress Sues Strip Club; Justin Churchman: Changing the World One House at a Time; A Tuskegee Airman and His Missions
Aired January 14, 2012 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk about that dream vacation turned nightmare. A cruise ship carrying thousands of passengers did run aground near the Italian island. The Costa Concordia ship is now on its side, just as we were explaining. You can see right there the scrapings at the bottom of that ship.
Well, at least three people are confirmed dead and as many as 70 people are feared missing. Search and rescue operations are continuing at this hour and survivors evacuated from that ship describing that harrowing ordeal.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
LAURIE WILLITS, PASSENGER (voice-over): The boat tipped like he was turning, but it - it didn't return to level. On the other side of the ship, which was the high side at this point, the lifeboats got stuck and there were people hanging in the life - well, in the lifeboat safely, but they were hanging in midair for a long time, and children were crying and screaming and people actually jumping.
We - we heard the passengers jumped - no passengers, but crew members jumped at the end into the water.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: My goodness. Frightening moments.
Journalist Barbie Nadeau is in Porto Santo Stefano, where survivors are being taken. She's joining us live by phone right now.
So Barbie, what is the latest on the rescue mission, the search for the missing people and if they've come any closer to figuring out what did the ship ran into?
BARBIE NADEAU, JOURNALIST: Well, right now the rescue operations are sort of winding town. Darkness has fallen here and - and it's very - starting to get a little bit cold. The divers worked all afternoon, searching the underwater components of that ship on its side in search of bodies. They have not ruled out that there'll be more fatalities from this accident. Several people, though, that did get off the boat in Civitavecchia, which is the port prior to this one, have come forward to say they got off. So we've taken the number of missing from 70 to I think now the last count was about 51. But that's still a considerable number, and they don't know, you know, if these people are - are around somewhere.
One thing to keep in mind, of course, there are about a thousand Italians that were on that ship, so if they got off in Porto Santo Stefano, they could have just as easily called a relative and gone home and wouldn't necessarily have come forward and said that they are accounted for at this point.
WHITFIELD: So what more are some of the survivors telling you about those moments when the ship seemed to run into trouble? We heard from the one sound bite that some people simply jumped into the water. Were you hearing a lot of stories about people swimming to shore, whether there was time for them to get life jackets or even, you know, get in a dinghy or two?
NADEAU: Right. Well, what we understand is that there was about an hour that elapsed between the time that - that the electricity went off and they - obviously the boat or the ship had hit something, and when they actually called for the evacuation. So during that period of time a lot of people self-evacuated, if you will. They - they found the closest life raft and they got close to it to the point where they could get in.
A lot of experienced cruise ship people knew which side of the boat to be on. A lot of people who had never been on a cruise ship before found themselves on the high end of the ship. I guess that's the - the last place you want to be. Those people were - were in these life rafts about 45 minutes, in some cases extended in midair, you know, and this is late at night, dark, quite chilly.
So people self-evacuated to a certain extent before they - they officially evacuated them.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. All right, thanks so much, Barbie Nadeau, for keeping us updated on that. We'll check back with you as the information merits. Thanks so much.
All right, and now to a story that has sparked outrage here in the U.S., the decision by Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour to pardon more than 200 prisoners, including four murderers. Barbour is defending his decision, telling reporters he is, quote, "very comfortable with it."
CNN's Martin Savidge joins us now, live from Jackson, Mississippi. So Martin, the governor's response - the former governor's response, comes days after the pardon. Why respond now?
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, it's been almost a week now since Governor Haley Barbour made those controversial pardons, and despite the passage of time the - the controversy and the anger in this state and across the nation has not really subsided that much, so he felt that he had to go on the airwaves and once again try to defend his position.
Here's what he said on FOX.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FMR. GOV. HALEY BARBOUR (R), MISSISSIPPI: -- over at the Governor's Mansion, we trust them to play with and to be looked out for by these people. If I trust them to be around my grandchildren, I think that makes a pretty plain statement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: There's some - a couple of remarkable statements in that very short clip. Number one, he apparently is saying that murderers are much more trustworthy than your average common criminals because they get life sentences. The other thing he points out is because they were good around his grandchildren, they must be good and they must be reformed.
However, what he doesn't say is how naive that is because of course those prisoners will be on the best behavior in the Governor's Mansion because he holds the power to set them free.
WHITFIELD: Well meantime, Martin, you actually caught up with one of the men, and in fact authorities have been in touch with three of the four pardoned convicted killers. What did the one man tell you?
SAVIDGE: Anthony McCray. He's the man that got a life sentence for shooting his wife in the back. He only served about 10 years, and he is very happy to be pardoned by the governor. Here's what he told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY MCCRAY, PARDONED FELON: It's a blessing to be out, see the children, trying to (INAUDIBLE) help taking care of the children, something like that. I've been - I've been saved. I've been baptized. I've been reading the Bible for 12 1/2 years. So it's just a true blessing.
I didn't do this. God did this. God blessed and touched Haley Barbour's heart to do this for us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: Again, we have to point out to you that there was no doubt that Anthony McCray murdered his wife. It was done in front of witnesses in a cafe, and he stood before a judge and he admitted to murdering his wife. He got life, he serves only 10 years.
We talked to the judge who sentenced him and he said that's just wrong. He was expecting that Anthony McCray would be in prison till at least the age of 65, instead a decade later he's out because of what the governor did.
WHITFIELD: And this isn't over, right? Potentially the Mississippi Attorney General is exploring whether the pardon - the pardons, rather, you know, can be overturned?
SAVIDGE: Right. These are referred to as the mass pardons here, and it has simply become a mess in Mississippi legally.
So what is going to happen now is that the attorney general's office is reviewing all of the pardons that were done by Governor Haley Barbour. Right now they say many of them do not stand up to the test - were not legal under the constitution of the state of Mississippi. He anticipates that many of those pardons are going to be revoked and at least some of those prisoners that were pardoned will be going back to prison.
Also, we should point out, Anthony McCray murdered his wife exactly 11 years ago tomorrow. For the family, that's very painful.
WHITFIELD: Martin Savidge, thanks so much, from Jackson, Mississippi.
A sex scandal cost John Edwards his political career and his marriage. Now, a serious health matter delays his upcoming criminal trial. Details, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: South Carolina's primary is exactly one week away. It's the first contest in the South and one that could dramatically change the presidential race.
The candidates are all over the state today. CNN political reporter Peter Hamby is live in Greenville, South Carolina.
So Peter, a new American Research Group poll shows Gingrich running neck in neck with Romney in South Carolina, Gingrich just four points behind Romney right now. So is it, I guess, too early to say that the Lowcountry is becoming kind of Gingrich country as well?
PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: You know, there's - a lot of people in South Carolina frankly saw this poll and wondered if - you know, how spot on it was. Polls have been kind of all over the place here in South Carolina. Our CNN poll last week, which is an eternity ago in politics, had Romney with a much larger lead.
Look, I think Romney is probably lower than polls - some polls show him to be. He's still the frontrunner here. Gingrich and Santorum, Rick Santorum, are those two conservative candidates vying to be the challenger. If Gingrich becomes that person and beats Romney here, it could have a profound impact on the race because, look, voters - Republican voters against Romney have been looking for someone to beat Romney at some point and be that viable anti-Romney challenger.
If Gingrich does beat him here in South Carolina, maybe it becomes a two-person race between Romney and the anti-Romney down the road and maybe conservatives can find a way to derail Mitt Romney, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Is it that social conservative vote that's going to make the difference here? HAMBY: I think it probably will. In a six-person race someone like Mitt Romney can win with 25 percent of the vote, but six in 10 voters here call themselves Born Again Christians or Evangelicals.
I'm here in the upstate of South Carolina, in Greenville County, which is the biggest Republican county in the state. Rick Santorum was here earlier today campaigning, and he made the case that conservatives really need to get behind him to stop Mitt Romney. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The problem is, the person who's leading in the polls in the - in the primary is someone who can't make that case because he passed a bill similar to Obamacare, and said - and still says today it was the right thing to do. Well, if it - he said it was right for Massachusetts.
Well, what do you think Obama's going to do with that? Oh, it's right for Massachusetts, and - and he said at times it was - it would be right for the country. They're going to destroy him. That issue will be gone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMBY: So that's the case to social conservatives that Rick Santorum is making, and again, it's a compelling case to a certain segment of the Republican Party.
The problem for Santorum and for Newt Gingrich is that social conservatives like both of them and by consequence are dividing up the conservative vote, again giving Mitt Romney the space to possibly cobble together a win here without getting a majority of Republicans as he did in the other primary and caucus states, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. You know, Peter, let's talk about what's going on in Texas today. There's a big gathering of Christian conservative leaders there. What is this two-day meeting all about?
HAMBY: Yes, this is a similar topic. You have some anxiety among conservative leaders, among religious leaders, among party activists about Mitt Romney. Is he conservative enough for us to get behind?
A lot of conservatives feel burned by John McCain last time. They thought he didn't represent a bold enough contrast to the Democratic nominee and he couldn't really rally the Republican base in a general election and that's why they lost.
So in Texas you have people like former Focus On the Family leader James Dobson, Don Wildman - a host of conservative leaders gathered there to kind of strategize about should we get behind a single candidate in the race. They say this isn't against Romney. We're just trying to find the best candidate for conservatives to get behind.
But again, we're still looking to see whether these conservatives might pick either Santorum or Gingrich. They seem to be the two candidates that they're talking about.
WHITFIELD: All right, Peter, you're covering a lot of ground, but this is, you know, really do or die in this stage of the presidential race. Let's talk about Virginia now and a judge's ruling, a federal judge's ruling against four GOP candidates that want to be on that ballot on March.
HAMBY: Yes. This is my home state, Virginia, and they have very, very tight ballot rules there. You need 10,000 signatures to get on the ballot, 400 signatures in each of the Congressional districts in the state.
Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman and Rick Santorum did not make the cut. Most of them submitted the petitions but they were thrown out because there were some flaws in their signatures.
Basically this means that on Super Tuesday Virginia has 46 delegates at stake and the only two candidates on the ballot are going to be Mitt Romney and Ron Paul. And there were jokes on Twitter all day yesterday that, well, it looks like Mitt Romney just won the Virginia primary because, you know, he's - he's the frontrunner in that state and most other states and frankly, compared to him and - if you compare him and Ron Paul, more Republicans view Romney as electable than Ron Paul.
So it could be a walk in Virginia on March 6 for Mitt Romney, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Peter Hamby in Greenville, South Carolina, thanks so much. Appreciate that.
And of course you want to join us every Sunday afternoon at 4:00 Eastern Time, when we dedicate an entire hour to the presidential contenders in this 2012 election.
All right, meantime, coming up today at 4:00 Eastern Time, we'll talk to Tony Perkins. He's the moderator of that big conservative Christian gathering in Texas. We'll ask him which candidate the group just might be backing for president.
And straight ahead, race, religion and the removal of a body from a cemetery. Our legal guys will be weighing in on that case, straight ahead.
Next, how to tackle credit card debt. Our Christine Romans has an action plan to help you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Coming up, Oprah's choice for the White House.
But first, we're just three weeks into the New Year. Are you still on track with your financial New Year's resolutions? If not, the best investment you can make is getting out of credit card debt.
Christine Romans shows you how in this week's "Smart is the New Rich."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: America's national debt is now about as large as the entire U.S. economy, more than $15 trillion and growing. Politicians are deadlocked over how to fix it, but only you can tackle your own personal debt, and we're going to help you do just that.
I mean, you can pay down your highest interest rate credit card first. That's a lot of advice, but if you need to pay off one that's a low interest rate because it's the smaller balance just because it can make you feel good, you can do that, too. Whatever it takes to get you to start - start spending - cutting down that debt.
Also, cut your spending. Strive to live on 70 percent of your income. If you can't afford it, put it down.
Use a debit card if you need to, or cash to limit spending, and don't activate the overdraft protection.
But you can take advantage of your credit card protections. Keep your credit card balance below 30 percent of your overall limit.
And finally, please, please, please, please, please, check your credit history at AnnualCreditReport.com. Clean up any mistakes right now. Don't just close your eyes. You've got to find out what that credit history looks like. It's really important, folks.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, that was Christine Romans for "Smart is the New Rich."
All right, later on CNN, if you want to go back to school or just get a jumpstart on your career, we'll have some information that can help at 4:00 Eastern Time. Our lifestyle coach, Valerie Burton, will have five tips you need to know.
So what do you think about the idea of going back to school, college, vocational school, community college, any of that? Send us your thoughts. Either tweet me or send me to - send me your comments through my Facebook page.
And a police officer accused of crossing the line, all for a date. Our legal guys weigh in on that case, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: John Edwards' criminal trial is being delayed because he has a life-threatening heart condition.
The one-time senator and presidential candidate is accused of violating campaign contribution laws. He allegedly used money to hide an affair, a scandal that ended his political career and his marriage.
The judge delayed his criminal trial to late March now.
A Jewish woman claims her temple had no right to allow the burial of a black woman in a Jewish cemetery.
Let's bring in our legal guys - Avery Friedman, a civil rights attorney and law professor, joining us from Cleveland; and Richard Herman, a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor, joining us from - he should have an Hawaiian print shirt on, but he's got a suit on to kind of, you know, as a decoy. He's actually joining us from Honolulu after a little surfing this morning. You're killing me, Richard.
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I've the bathing suit on underneath, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK. Just checking.
OK, well this is an interesting case, gentlemen, because we're talking about a woman who is imposing this lawsuit. She says that a black woman should not be buried in this Jewish cemetery. But Avery, you first, isn't the burial plot, isn't that in an area that's considered an interfaith plot? And wasn't this 72-year-old woman who was - who was part of this contesting of this burial, part of the original, I guess, agreement that it was OK to bury someone of another faith in this interfaith section?
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Yes. Back in 2009, Fredricka, the Colchester Congregation opened up a section of the cemetery because of interfaith marriages and conversions. And the wonderful thing about that is that the deceased person, Juliet Steer, who actually was thinking of converting - she's African-American. This is where she wanted to be. She was buried there in 2010.
Now, one of the congregates who voted for this change says, well, she's buried a little bit too close to my relatives, if you can believe that, and she wants the body exhumed. Well, about a month ago a superior court judge in Connecticut - this is in Hartford - said that she can move forward with her case and now she has to prove whether or not it's appropriate to exhume the body.
I think - I think she's going to lose this case, but it's a fascinating question. And it's sad for everyone, actually.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Well, Richard, it's interesting because Juliet Steer, she bought this plot because it was a peaceful location. There was an agreement that, you know, she was going to be buried in this location. They accepted her money.
And now, after her death and after accepting the money and after the agreement, why would the court not side with her estate? Why would the congregation be able to make this decision post-death, post- payment?
HERMAN: Because of this merger agreement that Avery mentioned back in '99. But the - the temple did authorize a certain section for interfaith marriages and non-Jewish people.
This is just a disgusting case, Fred. This woman was 47 years old. She died of cancer. She selected this plot. They took her money, like you said. Even though her lawyer proclaims that her motives are pure, this is nothing but just blatant racism.
This is horrible, and I hope that the judge will dismiss this immediately or, you know, as soon as they can. This is just a horrific height of hypocrisy for this claim to be made like this.
WHITFIELD: And - and this woman, you know, Juliet Steer, she's not the only one buried in that interfaith section, though, is she?
HERMAN: I think at this point, Fred, she is. She's the only person buried there. And - but the fact of the matter is, they approved this area for this. They took her money. She carefully selected it.
FRIEDMAN: Right.
HERMAN: And she died at 47 of cancer. Give this poor woman a break.
This is just horrific.
WHITFIELD: OK. Well, that case is not over. A hearing is planned for February 29th.
Meantime let's talk about another case -
FRIEDMAN: That's right.
WHITFIELD: -- which is very unusual, this in the Chicago area. A young woman alleges that, you know, she was stopped for a speeding ticket, gets a citation and then not long after she gets a note on her door - on the door of her - the windshield of her car, rather, from the police officer saying that he wanted a date.
So, Richard, she is now saying, you know, she feels a little creepy about it. It's a violation of her privacy. She's actually suing the police officer who, by the way, has not commented since this has become a legal case.
What are her chances of this lawsuit -
HERMAN: Who does Miss Thing -
WHITFIELD: -- her privacy being violated?
HERMAN: Yes. Who does Miss Thing think she is? I mean, it took a lot -
WHITFIELD: Oh, my - what?
(CROSSTALK)
HERMAN: It took a lot for him to leave a note on the windshield saying, listen -
WHITFIELD: Richard, you're funny.
HERMAN: -- I'd like to take you to dinner. That's all. If you don't want to, throw it away and - (CROSSTALK)
FRIEDMAN: That's not right.
WHITFIELD: OK.
FRIEDMAN: That's not right.
HERMAN: She sued in federal district court.
FRIEDMAN: That's not right. No.
WHITFIELD: OK, let me - can I read you a little bit of the note? It says, you know, "It's Chris. I'm that ugly, bald, Stickney cop" - that's the name of the area in Chicago - "who gave you that ticket on Saturday. I know this may seem crazy, and you're probably right, but truth is I have not stopped thinking about you since and I don't expect a girl as attractive as you to even go for a guy like me, but I'm taking a shot anyways. But hey, I did cost you $132. The least I can do is buy you dinner."
FRIEDMAN: Yes, that's right. And you want to know something, Fredricka - hold on. In 1994, Congress, after the murder by stalking of an actress, passed a law called the Driver's Privacy Protection Act, the DPPA.
That is a federal law, and it prohibits police officers and other officials from using the data that they gain, like from the leads or other source, from doing exactly what Chris Collins, who's the defendant in this case.
Creepy is an understatement. I mean, every person in this country -
WHITFIELD: No, he should have known better. He should have known that he crossed the line. There are -
FRIEDMAN: Forget it. It's a violation of federal law.
HERMAN: Oh -
FRIEDMAN: Even if it's the immoral thing to do, I am glad that Evangelina Paredes, who brought this case, is doing it because it's a principled, righteous case, and Americans have the right to be left alone.
Can you imagine a single woman having to be exposed to this sort of thing? Good for her. I'm glad she's in federal court.
WHITFIELD: OK. Richard, she said it made her very fearful and nervous and she, you know, was filled with a whole lot of anxiety. You're - you're just not feeling her (INAUDIBLE) here?
HERMAN: I think it's so ridiculous. I mean, you look at the note -
FRIEDMAN: Oh, my goodness. HERMAN: -- you just read excerpts from it. It's very - look, if you don't want to, don't come. Throw it away. Come on, I think this guy is OK. I think she's completely overreacting.
FRIEDMAN: Oh, shame on him.
HERMAN: She sued the police chief, she sued the police division, she's in federal court, seeking punitive damages. I think she may be a little nuts, this woman. So that's -
(CROSSTALK)
FRIEDMAN: Try to put yourself - try to put yourself in the shoes of a woman. That's really outrageous to say that, with all due respect.
WHITFIELD: Either way, we knew that both of you would feel strongly about that case.
And we know you feel strongly -
FRIEDMAN: Absolutely.
WHITFIELD: -- about the next case that we're going to be talking to you about in about 15 minutes from now.
FRIEDMAN: All right.
WHITFIELD: This is about a pregnant teenager who claims her family wants to force her to have an abortion. Can they do that by law?
We'll see you soon, 15 minutes or so away.
All right, and military investigators have contacted the four Marines seen urinating on dead bodies in Afghanistan. A live report from Kabul, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, checking our top stories, at least three people are dead, dozens remain unaccounted for after a cruise ship ran aground in Italy. Rescue teams worked through the night to evacuate more than 4,000 people from the Costa Concordia. Some passengers fell into the chilly waters when the ship fell to its side.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
LAURIE WILLITS, PASSENGER (voice-over): The boat tipped, like he was turning, but it - it didn't return to level. On the other side of the ship, which was the high side at this point, the lifeboats got stuck and there were people hanging in the life - well, in the lifeboat safely, but they were hanging in midair for a long time, and children were crying and screaming and people actually jumping.
We - we heard the passengers jumped - not passengers, but crew members jumped at the end into the water.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour is defending his decision to grant pardons to more than 200 convicts, including convicted killers. Barbour pardoned four murderers in his final days in office. The convicted killers all worked as trustees at the Governor's Mansion.
Barbour faced massive criticism when the inmates were released, but the former governor says that these men should be trusted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FMR. GOV. HALEY BARBOUR (R), MISSISSIPPI: I've let my grandchildren play with these five men. I've let them ride their tricycles out in the - on the driveway with them, watching out for them. I have no question in my mind that these five guys are not a threat to society.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: A judge temporarily halted the release of the pardoned inmates who are still in custody.
And Oprah Winfrey is celebrating the first graduation at her leadership academy in South Africa. Why she's speaking out about leadership in the United States and why she hasn't officially endorsed President Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPRAH WINFREY, MEDIA MOGUL: Everybody always asks, you know, are you going to do what you did in 2008? What I did in 2008 I did because people didn't know really - my own friends didn't know who he was at the time. They were like, "Who's this guy? You think that guy is going to be president?" I go, "Yes, I really do."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Winfrey tells CNN that she will help the campaign if the White House asks her to.
All right, military investigators have talked to four Marines seen this week on a video urinating on dead bodies in Afghanistan. Nick Paton Walsh joins us now, live from Kabul.
So Nick, what do we know about these men and what's going to happen from this point on?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that these Marines probably left Afghanistan in October last year. We know they were Marine snipers. That's a reasonably elite part of the Marine force that could often spend many days isolated out in the field in small groups.
We know they were in a pretty rough part of town here in Northern Helmand, Musa Qala, where a lot of violence has gone down. But, of course, at this point we have no idea what possessed them to commit this act.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATON WALSH (voice-over): The U.S. Marines endured some of their worst losses in Afghanistan's Helmand Province. Text (ph) posted with the video identified a sniper unit recently deployed in Northern Helmand, but not much else is clear.
(on camera): The video you're about to see is hard to watch, but listen to how casual, almost cheerful the men sound, as though they're recording a trophy video rather than evidence of a possible war crime.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Good one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have a great day, buddy.
PATON WALSH (voice-over): There are some clues that the helmets worn here adapted to suit the sniper rifles they hold -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you get the middle guy?
PATON WALSH: -- consistent with the claim they're a Marine sniper unit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm trying, trying, trying -
PATON WALSH: The dress of the men on the ground, likely Afghan. All of it sparking universal condemnation.
LT. GEN. ADRIAN J. BRADSHAW, DEPUTY COMMANDER, ISAF: A video recently posted on a public website appears to show U.S. military personnel committing a disgusting act with insurgent corpses.
Any acts which treat the dead, enemy or friendly, with disrespect are utterly unacceptable and do not represent the standards we expect of coalition forces.
PATON WALSH: President Hamid Karzai's spokesman called it simply inhuman and condemnable in the strongest possible terms, calling for severe punishment.
The Taliban condemned this barbaric act of American soldiers and called it an action against every human and ethical value. For once, rare agreement between ISAF, the Afghan government and the Taliban.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PATON WALSH: Now, you've got to remember actually how disgusting this act is to the Muslim faith, of course deplorable globally, but in the culture here where a dead body is held in great sacredness, washed very quickly, buried within 24 hours where postmortems are forbidden.
We've also heard condemnation from Afghan President Hamid Karzai, from the Taliban as well, but what we haven't seen, really, is how this video, this image which many fear may become so symbolic for the dislike towards the NATO presence here, we haven't seen how it's played out really yet in Afghan society, where the Internet's pretty rare, television not particularly common, and many people may learn over this in the days and weeks ahead. We'll have to see how that harms the presence of NATO troops here and efforts to try and bring peace to Afghanistan after a decade of war - Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Nick Paton Walsh, thanks so much, from Kabul.
And then coming up in the 4:00 Eastern hour, we'll talk to a former naval military attorney about this disturbing case and look into what charges these four Marines just might face.
And in other news, Bieber Fever just won't seem to go away. Coming up, a surprise performance from one groom to his baby.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A pregnant teen claims her family demands that she have an abortion. So who does the law side with?
Our legal guys are back - Avery Friedman in Cleveland; Richard Herman in Honolulu. Oh, we're feeling so sorry for you.
HERMAN: (INAUDIBLE).
WHITFIELD: OK, so Richard, you first. This teenage girl from Corpus Christi, she gets pregnant. She's at about 10 weeks pregnant. She wants to keep the baby. Her family says you've got to get an abortion.
You know, I guess by law, can this family force her to make the decision that they want about her pregnancy?
HERMAN: No. Texas Center for the Defense of Life has stepped in. There's been court proceedings. A guardian has been appointed for this 14-year-old young girl and temporary restraining orders have been issued against the family from pressuring her or taking her to any sort of abortion clinic.
If this young 14-year-old wants to have this baby, she's going to have the baby, Fred.
WHITFIELD: And so, Richard, so this judge has stepped in, you know, barring the family from forcing her to do so, just as Richard explained, but, at the same time, giving like a deadline by next Thursday. A deadline to do what?
HERMAN: A deadline to choose whether to keep the baby or not keep the baby, but she wants to keep it and she's going to be allowed. Under the law no one can force her to terminate this pregnancy, Fred.
WHITFIELD: So Avery, how do you see it? What could potentially happen here?
FRIEDMAN: Well, I - I see this case very differently. Reproductive rights, if this young woman who became pregnant at 13 years old wants to keep the baby, she certainly has that right.
But what we have is the lawyer for this anti-abortion group making representations about what's going on, claiming that the family used violence to get her to end the pregnancy. In an interview with the grandmother, however, the grandmother admitted, yes, we counseled her. We said, you know, you can terminate this pregnancy or you can go full term. And that's been spun, it's been turned around as if it's a reproductive rights case.
An injunction has been entered, based on those representations, by the lawyer for the young woman, and so we'll find out if that injunction is renewed. My bet is that it will not be, because there is no pressure on this now 14-year-old to end the pregnancy.
At the end of the day, Fredricka, I think it was a spin against choice issues. This young woman has the choice, yet if the family used violence, I - I simply don't accept it.
WHITFIELD: All right. So even when - when involving a minor, the family -
HERMAN: Interesting, Fred. Fred, I wonder what would happen if it was reversed and she wanted to terminate the pregnancy and her family did not. I wonder how it would be treated in Texas, from the -
(CROSSTALK)
FRIEDMAN: Or you wonder - or you wonder if this organization would be supporting her.
HERMAN: Right. Exactly.
FRIEDMAN: Because it's a one-way street. That's why it looks like a spin.
HERMAN: Right.
WHITFIELD: Interesting.
All right, let's move on to another case, this too involving a pregnant woman. And this woman is suing Larry Flynt's New Year Hustler Club because she said she was fired and first demoted because she is pregnant. Can a company do that, Avery?
FRIEDMAN: No, they can't do that. I mean, there's -
WHITFIELD: Even when there's a uniform involved, which is what the company is saying, there's a certain, you know - there's a certain look that they want their waitresses to have and -
FRIEDMAN: Certain what? Well, what is that look, Fredricka? What is that look?
WHITFIELD: One that would be belly-baring, apparently, because of the costume. But not a pregnant belly-baring.
HERMAN: Yes.
FRIEDMAN: Hey, look, federal law requires that an employer reasonably accommodate an employee. The fact is that Josie Muriel, who is the plaintiff here in federal district court, is now claiming that she can perform the job. She is a waitress. She is not a stripper, she is a waitress, and she can perform the job.
And you want to know something? If Hustler wants to change the uniform a little bit to reasonably accommodate, that - they can do it, but they are fighting this thing. They want her out. They don't want pregnant women in there. Apparently they want to, you know, appeal to the - people that like to see semi-nude women.
Well, that's too bad. Judge Colleen McMahon, who's a federal judge in New York, has entered an order this week. There's a hearing coming up, and I think Josie's going to prevail.
WHITFIELD: OK, and Richard, I guess by federal law pregnancy is treated as a disability, so her condition is protected.
HERMAN: It's protected, Fred. But, come on, let's be realistic here. She's a waitress. They wear very skimpy outfits, the waitresses. The woman is pregnant. She's full-blown, showing everything. She can't wear the skimpy outfits -
WHITFIELD: So they should have a maternity version. No (ph)?
HERMAN: Yes. I mean, she needs -
FRIEDMAN: Right.
HERMAN: -- maternity leave or something.
FRIEDMAN: Right.
HERMAN: Or a baggy outfit or - or something there. But, I don't know. I don't - look, Larry Flynt, he's been around constitutional issues for years. I think he'd better dig into some - some of the funny money. I think he's going to be paying this woman.
WHITFIELD: OK. Well, we're laughing because you all make me laugh, but it is a serious matter and this is a case that is being taken very seriously -
FRIEDMAN: Sure it is.
WHITFIELD: -- so it will be interesting to see how it is eventually concluded.
Richard and Avery, thanks so much. Appreciate that.
HERMAN: See you soon.
WHITFIELD: So here's another case that you all are very familiar with - yes, go back to surfing there, Richard, in Honolulu.
HERMAN: Yes. (INAUDIBLE).
WHITFIELD: We're jealous.
All right, this is a case, now considered a case closed, one that we heard a lot from Avery and Richard. This on to Peru now, judges sentenced Dutch national Joran van der Sloot to 28 years in prison for killing a 21-year-old Peruvian woman in 2010.
He was visibly upset after the decision was issued. Van der Sloot also has to pay more than $74,000 to the victim's family. The judges said they took his confession into account but they still gave him a sentence two years short of the 30-year maximum.
Joran van der Sloot was also the prime suspect in the death of 18- year-old Natalee Holloway. An Alabama judge signed an order on Thursday declaring her legally dead.
Holloway was last seen May, 2005, leaving a nightclub in Aruba with van der Sloot and two other men.
Holloway's father filed a petition in June of last year to declare his daughter dead. His ex-wife, Beth, opposed the move and told supporters that she was upset by this judge's latest decision.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETH HOLLOWAY, NATALEE HOLLOWAY'S MOTHER: Natalee's father wanted to see this through, and - and of course it makes me very sad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: No one was charged in Natalee Holloway's disappearance and her body has never been found.
All right, coming up, this Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, announced plans to correct an inscription on his national memorial in Washington.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, coming up, Denmark's royals celebrate a major milestone.
But first, another memorable moment, especially for one particular bride.
Hi, Alexandra.
ALEXANDRA STEELE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi.
WHITFIELD: And you're not the bride in this case?
STEELE: No, I'm not.
WHITFIELD: You're here to talk with me about the bride.
STEELE: It's Miss Emily. Right.
WHITFIELD: Let's take a peek at what happened with Miss Emily and her groom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD (voice-over): And everybody else decided to (INAUDIBLE). Really cute. (INAUDIBLE).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Oh, isn't that cute?
STEELE: Right. Going viral on the Internet -
WHITFIELD: Yes.
STEELE: -- 1.9 million people have viewed this.
WHITFIELD: Everyone's a dancer now.
STEELE: Well, Brian surprised his bride, Emily, and did this whole choreographed thing. That seems like it's very popular these days.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Yes. I think people have really caught on to this and, you know, they're taking music video -
STEELE: I know.
WHITFIELD: -- I guess, to a whole other level and they're making it live and very personal.
STEELE: And look what they - how cute they all look. And Justin Bieber actually have even seen it. Someone has sent it to him, and he tweeted, "Nice moves. Great song. Great job, guys."
WHITFIELD: OK. Well, maybe - maybe, you know, he can hire them if he needs another act. I doubt it.
STEELE: I know.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks Alexandra.
STEELE: Sure, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Very fun.
All right, so one teenager is giving his time and effort to put a roof over the heads of many people in need, one roof at a time. You'll meet him, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, stories making news around the world now.
Tensions build in the Strait of Hormuz. This Defense Department video shows Iranian speedboats harassing U.S. ships last week and getting dangerously close to them. The crew members seem to be holding AK- 47s.
This comes after Iran has threatened to close the strait, a vital oil shipping lane. Coming up at 3:30 Eastern Time I'll talk to retired Navy Captain Alec Fraser about strategy in this volatile situation.
And Eurozone countries react to Standard & Poor's credit rating downgrades. A total of nine countries were bumped down. The French financial minister brushed aside the negative news, insisting France is still a safe bet for investors.
The move wasn't unexpected. The S&P warned 15 countries last month that rating cuts were probably coming.
And celebrations in Denmark this weekend as the country's queen marks 40 years on the throne. Queen Margaret II began the day solemnly by laying a wreath at her father's grave.
During official jubilee day tomorrow, she will present herself to the public.
All right, millions of young people say they want to change the world. Well, today CNN Heroes recognize one person who actually did.
Justin Churchman is just 18 years old, but he's already changing lives in Juarez, Mexico. How is he doing it? One house at a time.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JUSTIN CHURCHMAN, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: To give someone a home is from your heart and it's to their heart.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN SPANISH).
CHURCHMAN: You really change their life forever.
My name is Justin Churchman. I work with an organization called "Casas for Cristo" and they build houses in Juarez, Mexico.
After I built my first house, I just fell in love with it. It changed my heart and it changed the way I saw the world. It's an addiction.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He organized a team and at 13 years old led a group of Americans across the border. He built a home and he handed the keys of that home to that family in need.
CHURCHMAN: This is our first house that we built. We met this wonderful lady and I've just fallen in love with it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN SPANISH).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He had a goal pretty early on that he wanted to build 18 houses by the time he turned 18.
CHURCHMAN: And my parents got behind me and supported me, and "Casas for Cristos" supported me, and on my 18th birthday I completed my 18th house.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's absolutely a young wonder. He's changing the world one house at a time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: So do you know someone who is making a big difference in the lives of others? Go to CNNHeroes.com now and tell us about them. Your words just might change the life of someone working every day to help others. Nominate a 2012 CNN Hero today.
And, coming up, on the eve of the release of the "Red Tails" movie, one of the original Tuskegee Airmen talks about his role in World War II.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's 2012, and capitalism is on trial.
I'm Ali Velshi. Welcome to "YOUR MONEY."
WHITFIELD: A luxury vacation has turned into a fatal shipwreck with dozens of people missing. A liner from Costa Cruises ran aground off the coast of an Italian island, killing three people.
Right now the crew - the cause is not known. There were more than 4,000 people on board.
And the movie "Red Tails" is in screenings around the country. It's about the Tuskegee Airmen and their roles in World War II.
Among those who watched an early screening of the movie, Airman Robert Friend.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's give those newspapers something to write about.
(INAUDIBLE). Hello.
WHITFIELD (voice-over): Robert Friend was among those who got a chance to watch the movie firsthand. He was a P-51 pilot.
I got a chance to talk with him and he says it's important to recall history, whether it be in person or in a movie.
ROBERT FRIEND, TUSKEGEE AIRMAN: I flew 142 missions.
WHITFIELD: You say that like it's no big deal.
FRIEND: It was no big deal.
WHITFIELD: Really? FRIEND: No. In fact, when the war was over, I - I was really a little bit disappointed because I - I was frustrated that I didn't know what I was going to do the next day.
WHITFIELD: Did your gut ever say that this was a program that was designed more for failure than it was success?
FRIEND: I don't believe that you can design a program for failure, because you can't control all of the elements. They couldn't keep us from doing the right thing. They couldn't keep us from learning what we could.
WHITFIELD: Portions of this history have been told in various ways, but it seems as though within the past 15 years or so there's been almost like a birth or rebirth of interest.
FRIEND: Probably because it's starting to disappear, down to a very few.
WHITFIELD: There may be only about 40 of the P-51 pilots -
FRIEND: Forty - 40 of the ones that were overseas, yes.
WHITFIELD: And maybe as a whole about 300 airmen?
FRIEND: Less than two.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And be sure to join us next weekend for our full interview with Tuskegee pilot Bob Friend as the movie "Red Tails" hits theaters across the country next weekend.
Speaking of movies, the 69th Annual Golden Globes are tomorrow. Today, at 3:30 Eastern time, we're going to talk motion picture drama contenders. We're also going to talk about the hot new gadgets that you need to have, like a smarter smart phone. That's what's being discussed at the Consumer Electronics Show.
And then, at 4:00 Eastern time, what is it worth going back to school? Tweet me or send me your comments for my Facebook page.
I'm Fredricka Whitfield. See you later on. "YOUR MONEY" starts right now.
