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Teen Accused of Murdering Florida Student; Campaigns Try to Lower the Bar for Their Candidate; L.A. Deals with Carmageddon II
Aired September 29, 2012 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUSAN HENDRICKS, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Susan Hendricks, in for Don Lemon on this Saturday. Great to see you.
I want to get your caught up on the day's headlines now. The teen accused of murdering a Florida student is being held without bail. Pedro Bravo made his first court appearance today in connection with a missing student, Christian Aguilar. Now, Bravo says, he got into a fight with Aguilar on the night he went missing. Police say, the murder charge against Bravo implies that Aguilar is dead. But his father still holding out hope.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARLOS AGUILAR, CHRISTIAN'S FATHER: I don't have no more tears, but the pain is in my chest. I still feel my son is still alive in my heart and he will always remember here in my heart.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENDRICKS: The Florida Governor Rick Scott joined the search for Christian Aguilar today.
A Guantanamo Bay detainee who pleaded guilty to killing an American soldier is back in his homeland Canada tonight. Omar Khadr was just 15 years old in 2002 when he threw that grenade that killed Sergeant First Class Christopher Speer. Khadr struck a plea deal with prosecutors that allows him to serve the rest of his sentence back at his homeland.
I want to tell you about this now. General Motors is recalling more than 40,000 cars. GM is concerned about a fuel pump that could crack and cause a fire. The recall affects the Chevrolet Cobalt and the Pontiac G5 from 2007 to 2009. Also, 2007 models from of the Chevrolet Equinox, Pontiac Torrent, and Saturn Ion are also being recalled. GM will replace the fuel parts for free.
Well, the labor battle between the NFL and its referees is now officially over. The rest of the union formally ratified a new contract today. Earlier this week, the union and the league agreed to that deal, in time for the regular refs to return to field for Thursday night's game. Critics said, the performance of the replacement refs was hurting the integrity of the game. By the way, they got a standing O when they walked down.
Six teenage girls are in jail today charged as adults for viciously beating up a woman in their neighborhood, what is worse, they made a video. Take a look at part of it. It is brutal to watch, this is outside of Philadelphia. Police say, the woman being beaten here is mentally disabled, and the girls told them they attacked her quote, "just for fun." They posted this video on Facebook, that is how police found out about it. Here is now is one of the girl's mother commenting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I never talked to my child since she went to school yesterday. I have yet to talk to her.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: What about your other daughter?
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I don't know the story, I haven't talked to her since yesterday -- can you pull that back?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: She apparently was the instigator, if you look at that video.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: OK, well, I haven't seen that video and I haven't talked to my child. I am sorry for the things that happened but I have not enough to say.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENDRICKS: The girls are charged with first degree assault, they are all locked up this weekend on $50,000 bail.
President Obama and Mitt Romney are taking time off the campaign trail, getting ready for Wednesday's first debate. But their running mates, they are out in full force.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you so much for coming out, everybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENDRICKS: There he is, republican Paul Ryan is in New Hampshire, a small but critical state that both campaigns covet. He told the crowd in Derry this morning that Mitt Romney's term as governor next door in Massachusetts proved he can get things done, even in a state dominated by Democrats.
And Vice President Joe Biden is in another key swing state, he is wrapping up a two-day swing through Florida, including this stop at a community center in Fort Myers. Biden told the crowd that he and President Obama inherited that financial mess that we see, and repeated his favorite line that Mitt Romney's economic plans favor the wealthy.
Looking ahead now to the first presidential debate, we have learned, Senator John Kerry is going to play the role of Mitt Romney in the President's practice sessions. And Ohio Senator Rob Portman is portraying the president in Mitt Romney's debate props.
Our political editor Paul Steinhauser previews Wednesday's big event.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: As running mate Paul Ryan makes the rounds on the campaign trail both here in New Hampshire, and Ohio, his boss, Mitt Romney, guess what? He's hunkering down today, he's getting ready for the debate on Wednesday, the first presidential showdown between him and President Barack Obama. Romney is spending a lot of this weekend in debate preparations. The same thing for the President.
He is of the campaign trail, today, tomorrow, he does go out to Nevada. But basically he is spending a lot of this week, we believe, behind closed doors getting ready. Meanwhile, both campaigns are playing that expectations game trying to lower the bar for their candidates. Even the candidates themselves are doing it. Take a listen to Mitt Romney, recently on the campaign trail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I mean, he is president of the United States, he is a very effective speaker.
Now, he is a very eloquent speaker, and so, I am sure in the debates, as last time in his debates with Senator McCain, he will be very eloquent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: And it is not only Mitt Romney in this campaign that are playing that game, so is the Obama campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHANIE CUTTER, DEPUTY CAMPAIGN MANAGER FOR BARACK OBAMA: What history tells us, the challenger normally wins the first debate just by the fact that they are standing on the stage with the president. That elevates them. And they normally come into things as the underdogs, so we're coming into this debate very realistic that Mitt Romney is likely to win, if he plays his cards right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: Stephanie Cutter making those comments on Piers Morgan. Now what is the idea here? It's pretty simple, trying to bring down your candidate, lower the bar, so if your candidate does better, it is considered a big victory on debate night. How much are Americans really paying attention to that? I don't know, but they really want to hear on Wednesday night is what the candidates will do to make this country better.
HENDRICKS: Yes, that's a big night. Thanks to CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser. President Obama and Mitt Romney face to face as American voters weigh in on their election choice. The first presidential debate, as Paul said, next Wednesday night. Watch it live here at 7:00 Eastern on CNN and CNN.com. The opening scenes of Carmageddon to appear to be free of traffic jams as you may have heard, ten miles of one of the busier freeways in America are close today in Los Angeles. A repeat of what happened last year. Kyung Lah there along the 405, and Kyung, how is it looking?
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, so far, they are actually saying Carmageddon two, to quote one of the fire chiefs here in Los Angeles is a very good sequel. So thumbs up, so far. What you're seeing over here is really what Carmageddon is, it's at ten-mile stretch of the 405 that you were just talking. All of this freeway, an essential artery here in Los Angeles, completely vacant. There are no cars. If you're the one driving to Los Angeles, you know how extraordinary this is.
And then if you look up the 405 freeway, you will see exactly why the 405 has had to shut down. This is the Mulholland Bridge, and the Mulholland Bridge, the northern part of it that has to come down. So, it has to be torn down to make way, at least that section, make way for an extra car pool lane. When the car pool lane is finished through this extra stretch of the 405, from Orange County all the way through Los Angeles, that will be 73 miles of car pool lane, the longest car pool lane in the world.
But Carmageddon, specifically meaning with the shutdown of the 405, there is more traffic on all the other freeways here in Los Angeles. A city that doesn't have a lot of public transit. So far, we're hearing there aren't any major back up Susan, no major crashes, so things appear to be going smoothly for right now.
HENDRICKS: I have been on that 405 so many times in grid lock. It is not fun. I remember last year so many people were so nervous about this that they stayed inside. But I hear today is good as you said, tomorrow may be a little worse, right?
LAH: Little different, what people are saying is, OK, the first Carmageddon, you know, wasn't that bad. Everyone stayed inside. The freeways were not that awful. This time around, what the officials here are worried about is because everyone's guard is down that maybe some more people maybe out of the road. And I can tell you from just having let this are driving around some of the surface streets, there certainly appears to be more people in their cars getting around today. But not to the extent where it is causing any major grid lock elsewhere.
HENDRICKS: It is certainly a sight to see. That never happens that you see the 405 without a car on it, no traffic at all. Kyung Lah, thank you.
I want to tell you about a dramatic rescue after a fisherman is tossed into the water. It is caught on camera. You see it here, that's next. Also, this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: OK, the winning ticket numbers -- (END VIDEO CLIP)
HENDRICKS: This is a real-life Cinderella story, the victim of high school bullying becomes a homecoming princess, when a -- prank backfires, don't miss it. Sounds like wow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HENDRICKS: Torrential rains led to deadly flooding in Southern Spain this weekend, take a look. It is bad there, floods killed add least ten people in -- rescue crews discovered a body in a swamp today, and more people are still missing. The area is not catching a break either, rains continue to downs the region throughout the day today.
And look here, winds whipping through the Japanese island of Okinawa, this is all from Typhoon Jelawat, winds near the center of the storm is just over 100 miles an hour, similar to a category 3 hurricane, at least 50 people suffers injuries while more than 270,000 homes have no power. The storm is expected to weaken as it moves north to colder waters.
A terrifying moment for a fisherman tossed overboard along Mexico's Pacific Coast. The -- ran to ground, while returning to port throwing him into the restless waves. Rescue crews were able to pull him into safety, that is. Tropical storm Norman generated the strong winds and waves that caused the chaos on the coast. But he is OK.
You know there is no peace in the Syrian City of Aleppo, where the opposition says, it is fighting for control.
(SPEAKING IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
This video is said to be from Aleppo, CNN though cannot confirm its authenticity. But no one disputes that the fight for the city has been one of the deadliest of this war. Mohammed Jamjoom looks at the latest casualty of the city's ancient markets.
MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Rebels battled government forces in the flashpoint Syrian city of Aleppo on Saturday. And what the opposition is describing as a decisive battle to push out President Bashar Assad's forces and gain control of that city once and for all.
The seesaw fight for Aleppo which is effectively at a stalemate has been ongoing since July, and the number of casualties there has been steadily increasing. Opposition activist say that in the past few days, Aleppo has experienced its heaviest fighting yet.
Syrian Arab News Agency reported that Syrian forces had killed and wounded armed terrorists at several sites in Aleppo on Saturday, including part of the city's medieval souk as the historic market place there. Meanwhile, amateur video posted on line purported to show a fire spreading through that souk. It is still unsclear how the fire began and how much of the market was burning. But several activists say that it was fighting between Syrian government forces and rebels that sparked the blaze. The souk at Aleppo are labyrinth of narrow and covered alley ways, where everything from food, to clothing and souvenirs are sold. It was once a major tourist attraction, and just one of the reasons why the heart of Syria's commercial and cultural capital is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN, Beirut.
HENDRICKS: This is an ongoing debate, should you spank your kids? Is it child abuse or do you think it leads to more disciplined children? We are discussing this with our human behavior expert in two minutes. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: These men that swat these girls, they are telling the boys in the school, it is OK to hit a girl. And it is OK to bruise a girl. And that is not right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENDRICKS: A very angry mom you heard from right there. She stood up at the school board meeting in Texas debating its current spanking policy. It is allowed at that school. What infuriated the parents two girls who were caught cheating was that these teenagers were spanked by a male assistant principal.
Now, human behavior specialist Wendy Walsh joins me now from Los Angeles. Wendy, it's great to see you.
In response to the complaints, the policy at the school did change Wendy, a male administrator, let's break this skit down, can still spank a female student, but a female employee has to be there to witness it. It doesn't seem to be getting any better to add a female to the room. What's your take on this?
WENDY WALSH, HUMAN BEHAVIOR EXPERT: Oh, yes, let's just add a dose of trauma to the compassionate adult woman who now has to watch this abuse. Look, I just want to say this, if you're -- if a public employee assaulted your teenage daughter, a male public employee on public land, a sidewalk, and that teenage daughter incurred bruises and blisters like this young girl in Texas did, he would be put in jail. But yet it is legal to do it in a school setting, an academic setting? Does that make sense to you?
HENDRICKS: Not at all. And the schools says though Wendy, on their side, they said that this does work, they're going to add a female to the room to kind of balance it, I would assume. What do you see is maybe an option B for them, maybe positive reinforcement? Take something away from the student if they're caught cheating. I'm not sure. But I don't think this is the answer.
WALSH: Listen, moving from school corporal punishment, parental corporal punishment, the rules are still the same. There is no research, no data out there anywhere of significance that shows that it actually changes the behavior. In fact, it increases anti-social behavior. Kids who are hit grow up to be bullies or bully themselves. They're more likely to engage in domestic violence and they may have more anxiety, depression, what have you. So, what can you do? You take away all the things they love. It is so simple. I love the advent of technology and kids are so addicted to screens now, those little cell phones and those gaming machines and those X-box, and TVs. You start taking that away in various increments, you wouldn't believe how well they behave. It's amazing.
HENDRICKS: Yes, the iPad just may do it. But Wendy, the other side of it.
WALSH: Yes.
HENDRICKS: And I can hear people and see them now in their living room saying, come on, I got spanked, I turned out fine, you're over-reacting, is there some merit to that side?
WALSH: Well, you know, I'm sure there are a number of adults now, who, you know, where -- I call it abuse, were abused, or given corporal punishment, violent as a child and turned out OK. But let me ask you this, if you think you turned out fine, are you one of the one in three American women who's on anti-depressants? Do you suffer from phobias? Do you have anxiety? Are you depressed? Have you ever been known to strike out when you are angry, break something even? Again, using physical violence as a tool is something that is taught.
HENDRICKS: So, I would assume the policy of this Texas school, you think can really inflict serious pain, cause a lot of problems. Do you think that school will change their policy, or should they, in your opinion?
WALSH: Well, here is the good news, Susan, we are moving forward. You know, my hero Sigmund Freud wants said, the first man to hurl a word instead of a stone had evolved. You know, in 31 states, it is illegal to have corporal punishment in schools. There are still 19 outstanding states. But if you can imagine this in as recently as 2006, more than 200,000 kids were hit in an academic setting. But that has gone down and it continues to go down in this trajectory that we're seeing towards more positive ways and more rewards for good behavior. This is how you change human behavior. You reward it. Susan, do you come to work because you're afraid your boss might hit you if you don't? No, you come to work because you'll get a paycheck.
HENDRICKS: All right. Good point.
WALSH: You get rewarded for good behavior.
HENDRICKS: Positive reinforcement, always key. Wendy Walsh, thank you.
WALSH: And join us tonight, or just set your DVR right now, 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time, we'll be talking more about this topic. I know there are two sides to it. We have some great guests lined up. You don't want to miss that. You know, one of the most notorious and mysterious disappearances we have ever seen is getting another look. Who are we talking about? Jimmy Hoffa, is he buried under a Michigan shed?
But first, we're talking about the housing recovery. It is real. But it is not time to celebrate just yet. Home prices are now back to where they were nine years ago before the market peaked and then crashed. Here is Christine Romans with today's Smart is the New Rich.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JENNA OPIELA, HOME SELLER: We put the house on the market the Thursday before Labor Day and we were under contract the following Tuesday.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Opielas are a sign of a recovering housing market. They bought their two bedroom, one and a half bath row house in DC's Capitol Hill area for $350,000 in 2009.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Do you love living in Capitol Hill?
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Yes.
ROMANS: Now, they're selling.
DAN OPIELA, HOME SELLER: We were originally thinking of listing maybe around 430, 440, something like that. And after our original meeting with the realtor, he suggested 469. Which at first, I was little bit worried about it. I thought maybe that would scare people away. So we went ahead and listed it at that level.
JENNA OPIELA: Turns out to be the right thing to do.
CAMERON SHOSH, CENTURY 21 REDWOOD REALTY: Things are absolutely outstanding, open houses are very busy, there's buyers out there getting a lot of internet response on listings. I'm getting a lot of calls on listings, and things are moving fast.
ROMANS: The latest housing headlines show improving builder confidence, rising sales, and prices and record low mortgage rates.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: The housing is coming back to life.
ROMANS: But don't break out the bubbly just yet. Home prices are not expected to return to their peak until 2003.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: There are three million loans that are in foreclosure, or they're very late, in likely going into foreclosure. That is a lot of loans, 49 and a half million people with mortgages. In some markets across the country, still a big problem.
ROMANS: But for those in the market. UNIDENTIFIED MAN: It is a fabulous time for buyers and re-financers. For the first time in six, seven years, the sellers, you know, do have some leverage in the negotiations. Prices are rising and they don't have to cut their price like they did before.
ROMANS: Here is what buyers need.
GREG MCBRIDE, SENIOR FINANCIAL ANALYST, BANKRATE.COM: You're going to need good credit, you're going to need proof of income and you're going to need some money in the form of a down payment.
ROMANS: As for the Opiela's, they're looking to sell for a profit. And they hope their next selling experience is similar.
JENNA OPIELA: So, it is always going to be like this, going forward, right?
Christine Romans, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HENDRICKS: Welcome back, it is almost half past the hour, and I'm Susan Hendricks, in today for Don Lemon. I want to take a look at the headlines for you. Today, ten miles of one of the busiest freeways in America are closed. The people in Los Angeles are calling it Carmageddon II. So far there's no major traffic snarls are reported. The first Carmageddon happened last summer when another part of the Interstate 405 was shut down. This weekend, officials are once again asking people to stay away, stay off the road, that stretch of 405 will be reopened again on Monday.
The Pope's former butler went on trial today on Vatican City. He is accused of stealing secret papers from Pope Benedict the XVI and leaking them to an Italian journalist. The court denied a motion to strike some of the evidence, including a gold nugget found in his apartment, the butler faces a sentence of up eight years if convicted.
Police in Belfast breathing a sigh of relief today as one of the biggest Protestant in years went off without violence, many in Northern Ireland feared the march would inflame tensions with the Catholics especially in the area near Saint Patrick's church. The parade marks the 100th anniversary of the Ulster Covenant, that laid the foundation for the creation of the British providence.
A fire in Syria's largest city has reportedly destroyed hundreds of jobs, activists believed heavy fighting in Aleppo overnight sparked this fire. An ancient covered market, is part of the Aleppo's old city which is a U.N. World Heritage site. Rebels say they are fighting a decisive battle for the city.
Well, it happened again. Jimmy Hoffa fever turned out a big bunch of nothing probably, most likely, investigators a sign at a Detroit area residential, yesterday, acting on a texter's claim that he saw a body buried there around the same time that Jimmy Hoffa disappeared. By the way, 37 years ago that was, they dug up some soil samples, and their first impression, not encouraging.
CHIEF JAMES BERLIN, ROSEVILLE MICHIGAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: We took two separate samples, both down about 60 feets, all the samples were just basically looked like murky, muddy earth. Because of the murkiness, there is really no discernible remains visible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENDRICKS: Well, police will check the soil samples anyway. We should know on Monday what the analysis turns up, we'll let you know.
Jimmy Hoffa's disappearance is still an open case. And every few years, a new clue pops up that re-energizes the search, and fuels a million stories about what really happened to Jimmy Hoffa, the legend actually grows with time.
More on that from CNN's Carol Costello.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jimmy Hoffa, the mafia-backed union guy, remained unbowed despite the efforts of then- attorney general, Robert Kennedy. "Hoffa" the movie.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: The Justice Department has plenty on you, Mr. Hoffa.
JACK NICHOLSON, ACTOR: You don't impress me. I don't need $300 million, and my brother elected president while you're (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: But in 1975, Hoffa disappeared. And an American anti-hero was born.
Many believed the mafia killed Hoffa and buried his body under the former Giant's Stadium, until they eventually dug it up and built a new stadium. No body, no Hoffa. In 2004, authorities removed floor boards from a Detroit home to look for traces of Hoffa's blood. No go. In 2006, the FBI razed a Michigan horse barn. No Hoffa.
(SHOUTING)
COSTELLO: Hoffa's son, James, is now president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, without connections to organized crime. Still, he can't escape his father's notoriety. Last year, he urged fellow union members to defeat Tea Party candidates. But it was the way he said it that caused a fire storm.
JAMES HOFFA, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS & SON OF JIMMY HOFFA: You know what, everybody has to vote. If we go back and keep the eye on the prize, let's take these (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out and give America back to America, where we belong. COSTELLO: Hoffa refused to apologize. And his union is equally tough when it comes to latest clue in Jimmy Hoffa's death. Quote, "The Hoffa family doesn't respond every time a tip is received by authorities. They will have no comment until there is a reason to comment."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HENDRICKS: Police say they don't think they found any human remains under that driveway yesterday, but they are checking out the soil samples they took and say they will release their findings in a couple of days.
You may have had to take a second look at the prices at the grocery store lately. Your eyes are not fooling you. Pork and beef prices are up a lot and they may go even higher. We'll tell you why.
In Afghanistan, women typically don't have much of a place in society. And Islamist extremists often use violence to keep girls from getting an education. But one woman is braving all that to educate girls at a free school near Kabul, and she is this week's "CNN Hero."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAZIA JAN, FOUNDER, AFGHANISTAN GIRLS SCHOOL & CNN HERO: In Afghanistan, most of the girls have no voice. They are used as property of a family. The picture is very grim.
My name is Razia Jan, and I am the founder of a girl's school in Afghanistan.
When we opened the school in 2008, 90 percent of them could not write their name. Today, 100 percent of them are educated. They can read. They can write.
I lived in the U.S. for over 38 years, but I was really affected by 9/11. I really wanted to prove that Muslims are not terrorists.
(SHOUTING)
JAN: I came back here in 2002.
Who? Hey, everybody.
Girls have been the most oppressed, and I thought I have to do something.
It was a struggle in the beginning. I would sit with these men, and I would tell them, don't marry them when they're 14 years old. They want to learn.
How do you write your father's name?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: B-A-S --
JAN: After five years now, the men, they're proud of their girls when they themselves can write their name.
Very good.
Still, we have to take this with cautions. So many people are so much against girls getting educated.
(LAUGHTER)
JAN: We provide free education to over 350 girls.
(SINGING)
JAN: I think it is like a fire that will grow. Every year, my hope becomes more. I think I can see the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENDRICKS: And Razia is touching so many lives. She is just one of our top-10 honorees eligible to become "CNN Hero of the year." Go to CNNheroes.com to vote for the most inspirational hero. All 10 will be honored at "CNN Heroes, an All-Star Tribute," on Sunday, December 2nd, but only one will be named CNN Hero of the year.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HENDRICKS: Welcome back. On your next trip to the supermarket, you may want the brace yourself. Why? Because the price of meat is going up, up, and up, and nobody is happy about it, not farmers, butchers, or you, the consumer.
CNN's Athena Jones has the reasons why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE STACHOWSKI, OWNER, BUTCHER SHOP: People love meat.
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meat has quite a place here at Jamie Stachowski's butcher shop in Washington.
STACHOWSKI: What can I get for you, my friend?
JONES: Ham, pastrami, steak, it's all here.
STACHOWSKI: We're a meat-eating country, and no matter what, people will find a way to get meat.
JONES: But with price of pork and beef expected to rise next year, this long-time meat man says consumers will have to pay more or get used to new cuts.
STACHOWSKI: What happened in the last increase was people went from eating a lot of primals to New York strips, the porterhouses, they went to eating secondary cuts.
Everybody loves steaks.
JONES: This coming sticker shock will impact not just butchers, but restaurants and dinner tables across the country.
(on camera): The worst drought in decades means higher costs for animal feed and lower profits for farmers. Farms like this one here in Maryland have already had to raise prices to keep up.
JULIE GRAY STINAR, FARMER: What are you doing, honey? Hi, pig.
JONES: (voice-over): Julie Gray Stinar runs a small farm near the West Virginia border where she raises hens, hogs and cattle. A third of her cost goes to animal feed, which is mostly corn and soy. The prices for chicken and pig feed have skyrocketed since July.
STINAR: It was 14.77 on July 2nd. Now it's 16.79. So it's gone up by two dollars in two months.
JONES (on camera): That is a significant amount.
STINAR: And so here we have the pig pellet was $12.22, and now it is $15.06.
JONES: So it will get worse?
STINAR: Oh, it will get a lot worse.
JONES (voice-over): She is now charging a dollar more for her sausage, pork chops and bacon, and plans to switch from corn-based hog feed to sorghum to save money.
STINAR: It is requiring a lot more creativity. You have to be really good at adapting.
JONES: Since she doesn't raise broiler chickens, the kind you eat, in winter, Stiner is hoping to avoid the worst of the price spike for their feed. And unlike most American farmers, she grass feeds her cattle, meaning she won't have to worry about grain prices for them.
Back in Washington, Stachowski's customers are preparing themselves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The quality is worth it, I don't mind spending the money.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is a limit to how much any person would pay.
JONES: One tongue-and-cheek solution for the problem?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Eat more tofu?
(LAUGHTER)
JONES: Then again, tofu is made of soy.
Athena Jones, CNN, Sharpsburg, Maryland.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HENDRICKS: So what if you love tomatoes. Well, be prepared to pay more for them, too. That's because the Commerce Department says it may end a 16-year deal with Mexico. This is great news for farmers in Florida who struggle to compete with the low prices of Mexican tomatoes. But the end of this agreement would mean the cost of tomatoes could spike at big retailers like Wal-Mart.
Tens of thousands of drug cases in Massachusetts could be overturned, all because this woman lied about who she really was and did the unthinkable. One of our legal experts weighs in on this one.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HENDRICKS: The man believed to be behind that anti-Muslim film that led to violence in the Muslim world is being held without bail in a California jail now. New sketches show Nakoula Basseley Nakoula in court. He is charged with violating probation for a bank fraud conviction two years ago. Now the prosecutors argue Nakoula is a flight risk, but his attorney claims he shouldn't go to jail for safety concerns, claiming there are a lot of Muslims in L.A. jails and Nakoula would be a target.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENDRICKS: This video went viral. Occupy protesters being pepper sprayed by at close range by a campus policeman last year. You may have seen it. Well now, the University of California is offering to pay each of them 30 grand if approved by a federal court. Now the deal would settled a suit by the 21 demonstrators. The officer responsible for the spraying no longer works at the school, but the university will not say if he quit or was let go.
Tens of thousands of drug cases in Massachusetts could be overturned after a former state chemist admitted to wrongdoing during her employment. Anna Duken (ph) is her name. She admitted to lying about having a master's degree. But that is not all. She misled her employers when applying for the job at the Department of Public Health. She was led away from her Franklin home in handcuffs.
Criminal defense attorney, Holly Hughes, is joining me.
Holly, she has held this position for nine years, impacting 60,000 drug samples. What charges could she face here in terms of if the samples came back positive or negative? That would influence if somebody went to jail or not, wouldn't it.
HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY & FORMER PROSECUTOR: Absolutely. Well, the biggest challenge right now is the statute of limitations, which has been running because she has been at this for a long time. But for the most recent cases, those still falling, you're looking at evidence tampering, obstruction of justice. And if they can go back far enough, you may be looking at fraud because of how she got the job initially.
HENDRICKS: And there's allegations, Holly, that she even kind of painted the samples of the drug testing, allegedly.
HUGHES: Right.
HENDRICKS: Which means these people in jail could now get out. As we said -- we were talking during the break -- this could cost millions. Do they re-try all the cases here?
HUGHES: This will cost major dollars. The taxpayers of Massachusetts need to buckle up because it's going to be a bumpy ride. They are going to have to retest everything she had access to. Now, they say she "touched" -- is the terms they're using -- 60,000 cases. But if all she was just one person in the chain of custody, say she picked it up out of a steel box -- because when we bag and tag evidence, what we do is, we put it in the plastic bag, you seal it. The officer who sealed it will write his initials or signature on the top of the seal. If all she did was pick them up out of a lock box, take them to another chemist, and the other chemist broke the seal, then the convictions stand. But if she, in any way, had access to the actually substances, if they were opened in her presence, if she was able to transport them once they were opened, then you are looking at a possible overturning of the conviction.
And the Norfolk D.A. has already came out and said, Susan, we wouldn't oppose bond. All of these folks who are now going to be going through the appellate process, we can't oppose them being out on bail because, for all we know, it was tainted evidence. And let's face it, we need to play fair.
HENDRICKS: That is such a mess. There are allegations of her maybe even testing -- this is what I read -- allegedly, testing maybe four samples and then saying the rest of them were positive, without going through the proper ways of doing this, of testing it.
HUGHES: Exactly. And if this is the case, then you can't rely on the results. I mean, this is a chemical analysis. And if she is going to lie about one, who is to say she is not lying about all of them. So all of the tests will have to be re-run. That is assuming if there was any sample left, if the sample wasn't consumed or done away with and thrown out.
HENDRICKS: I'm thinking, why would someone do this. We always discuss that in terms of crimes, of course. Why did this happen. But they don't have a motive. But they say she wanted to be considered an effective worker in this. We may never find out exactly why this occurred.
HUGHES: Well, that didn't turn out too well.
(LAUGHTER)
She will be known as the most ineffective worker, because all the cases could come back. All these folks are going to get out, whether or not they are wrongfully or rightfully convicted. We wouldn't know that.
And the taxpayers are on the hook for all the re-testing that has to be done. So that whole goal of effective worker, she didn't quite make it.
HENDRICKS: Innocent people may be in jail because of her.
HUGHES: They absolutely might. That's exactly right.
HENDRICKS: Holly, thank you. Appreciate it. Good to see you.
HUGHES: Absolutely. You, too.
HENDRICKS: And coming up, some high school students thought they were pretty funny when they nominated a girl for homecoming court as a joke. But that backfired. The bullied girl is getting the last laugh. The inspiring story is in two minutes. Stay with us.
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HENDRICKS: This may have been the catch of the season in Miami. But this one was not on the field. It was in the stands. Take a look here. A Marlins fan managed to hang on to his food and drinks with one hand and grab the ball with the other. He did it without spilling a thing. There it is again. Pretty, amazing.
When Whitney Kropp was nominated for homecoming court by her classmates, she was thrilled. But her excitement soon turned to embarrassment when she realized she was the victim of a prank. Now this Michigan teen is turning the tables on her bullies.
CNN's Trish Welch has her story. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(SHOUTING)
CHRIS WELCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A super star practically overnight. 16-year-old Whitney Kropp is a role model to anyone who's ever been bullied.
(CROSSTALK)
(SHOUTING)
WELCH: But this sophomore's journey to stardom was no fairy tale. When her peers picked her for the homecoming court as a joke, she had thoughts of suicide.
WHITNEY KROPP, VICTIM OF BULLYING: I was like, wow, I feel like I'm trash. I feel like a little thing that nobody cares about.
WELCH: At her sister's urging, she decided to keep her title on the court.
(on camera): If I were in your position, that would be really hard to do.
KROPP: It's really hard to do right now, because, at first, I had thought about dropping out of the homecoming court. But I'm not this joke that everyone thinks I am. I can just prove all these kids wrong.
WELCH (voice-over): That's exactly what she did. And since then, she's been swamped with support, from the local hair salon that gave her a new "do" --
SHANNON CHAMPAGNE, WHIT'S END HAIR STUDIO: To find out is was all just a joke, it just, it really touched me.
WELCH: -- to the Facebook page with over 100,000 fans.
BERNICE KROPP, WHITNEY'S MOTHER: It's cool to see the e-mails she's getting from other students from all over the place, telling their stories and how it helped them and it touched them. My daughter is out there as an inspiration to a lot of people, and it's a really cool thing.
See, you're like Cinderella. "Mistreated, unappreciative of you, but after much support, you're going to have a great time at the ball."
KROPP: I thought before, no one cares about me. I thought not even my own brother and sister care. But they're proving to me they do care. The world is proving -- well, not that they really care about me, but they care about the situation.
WELCH (on camera): Folks from all over the state are here tonight. In fact, this group of girls traveled more than an hour away.
You left your home football game to come here to support Whitney. Why?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just wanted to show Whitney that our entire student body is completely and 100 percent behind her.
WELCH (voice-over): From being bullied, to the bully pulpit, she's using her new-found fame to send a message.
KROPP: The kids that are bullying you, do not let them bring you down. Stand up for what you believe in. Go with your heart and go with your gut. That's why I did and look at me now. And this is a happy campaign.
WELCH (voice-over): Whitney says she'll likely face bullies again in her future, but, she says, when that happens, she'll be able to confront them with her head held high and with a new confidence.
Reporting from West Branch, Michigan, Chris Welch, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HENDRICKS: Whitney is such an example of strength and such an inspiration to so many kids. Coming up, as we get closer to the presidential election, there is a lot to sort through with all the speeches and plans laid out, so we're going to help you out with this. Next, we break down where both candidates stand on big government.
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HENDRICKS: Just six more weeks until the election, and you can expect to hear plenty of noise and lots of spin on the big issues. So CNN will help you figure out where the candidates stand on each.
Today, Tom Foreman takes a look at Barack Obama and Mitt Romney's position on the size of our government.
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TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here are three reasons why the federal government has grown bigger in the past few years. Because the economy has crashed, forcing more people to rely on government programs, like unemployment and food stamps. Because the baby boomers started retiring, collecting Social Security and Medicare. And maybe because Barack Obama is president.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The question we asked today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works.
FOREMAN: From the start, Mr. Obama has clearly believed government is a positive force, that expansion is not bad, and that it serves to control what many consider the excesses of the free market.
OBAMA: And without the leveling hand of wise policy, markets can crash. Monopolies can stifle competition. The vulnerable can be exploited.
FOREMAN: He frequently cautions against unwarranted government growth, yet the economic stimulus, health care reform, and the auto bailout, he has sounded like another Democratic president, Franklin Roosevelt, who, when the Great Depression insisted government must protect economic rights.
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FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The right of every family to a decent home, the right to adequate medical care, and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health.
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FOREMAN: Flash forward four decades and here comes another president with a very different view.
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RONALD REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem. (END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Ronald Reagan's perspective has dominated Republicans' thoughts on this matter for years, including Mitt Romney's opposition to Barack Obama.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY, (R), FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have a different approach, the president and I, between a government-dominated society and a society driven by free people pursuing their dreams.
FOREMAN: Romney insists the federal government should be smaller and less intrusive in terms of regulations and taxes. It should expand only when absolutely necessarily, and that largely it should keep out of the free market.
ROMNEY: I line up with a smaller government, a less-intrusive government, regulations being pared back.
FOREMAN (on camera): Such views on both sides, of course, can make a difference. But here is the catch. For the past century, with a few exceptions, the government has been expanding no matter which party has held the White House.
(voice-over): More cabinet positions, more agencies, more spending per citizen, and much of that is driven by things like we mentioned at the start, population growth, economic trends and entitlements, meaning the question is probably not whether the government will keep growing under Mr. Obama or Mr. Romney, but rather how fast.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HENDRICKS: Child sex trafficking, those three words, pretty disturbing. Even more disturbing, how some web sites make ordering a girl for sex just as simple as ordering a pizza. Coming up at 7:00 eastern, CNN's Deb Feyerick confronts the lawyer behind one of those sites.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How would you feel, for example, as a mother, if you saw an ad like this? Or an ad like this? Or, I mean -- this girl, she says she's 19. If you saw your daughter in this, like this, what --
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HENDRICKS: Her answer tonight at 7:00 eastern.
I'm Susan Hendricks at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. See you back here in one hour.
"THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer starts now.
