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Former Massachusetts Chemist in Massive Evidence Tampering Scandal; Jobs Created in September is 114,000; One on One Interview with George Lazenby

Aired October 06, 2012 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Welcome back to the news room. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

First off, allegations of a massive evidence tampering scandal in Massachusetts. A chemist at a state drug lab may have tampered with evidence in at least 34,000 cases.

Susan Candiotti has the story for one woman who ended up behind bars on a drug charge. The whole thing seems unreal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MYLAZIA JOHNSON, SENTENCE VACATED: It was refreshing because I didn't think it was real.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): But it was real. Until last week, Eliza Johnson was doing about three years in prison on a drug conviction, then she was suddenly set free.

What is it like to be out of prison?

JOHNSON: Yehey. I can breathe.

CANDIOTTI: Breathe because of bizarre alleged actions of this woman, former Massachusetts chemist Annie Duken.

Can you tell us what happened?

CANDIOTTI: The state of Massachusetts is accusing Duken of tampering with drug evidence that could call into question at least 34,000 cases going back to 2003, 34,000. At the moment, she faces only three charges. However, in Boston alone, the D.A. estimates as many as 500 convicted felons could be set free. How big of a mess is this?

LISA HEWITT, MASSACHUSETTS COMMITTEE FOR POLICE COUNSEL: At this point, Susan, we don't know.

CANDIOTTI: At this lab now closed by the state, Duken allegedly mishandled drugs seized by police for evidence at trial. She allegedly estimated the amount of drugs at times by simply looking at them and certified some drugs as cocaine that are now testing negative.

She didn't just write down the wrong thing. Prosecutors accuse her of doctoring evidence to change test results.

JOHN VERNER, ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL, MASSACHUSETTS: She would take known cocaine from an area that she knew as cocaine and add them to the sample to make it cocaine.

CANDIOTTI: Duken is also charged with lying on the witness stand about the credentials on her resume, including a master's degree in chemistry she never received. The question is why? Was she trying to help police, was she trying to make herself look good? So far, it's a mystery. The only thing we know is what's in this court document where investigators say at first she denied doing anything wrong.

But they say Duken later admitted, quote, "I screwed up big time. I messed up. I messed up bad. It's my fault." In some cases, Duken's alleged tampering may have destroyed solid police work. In others, it may have wrongfully convicted the innocent.

HEWITT: This is the most egregious situation because this is government tainted evidence that has been presented against these individuals.

CANDIOTTI: How could something like this happen?

HEWITT: I don't have the answer for that. The community has no confidence right now in the justice system because they're being told that the scientific evidence who draw they're supposed to depend on is unlawful.

CANDIOTTI: We tried unsuccessfully for two days to reach Duken's attorney. She's free on bail on court monitoring. Judges are in the process of staying sentences and setting felon free on bail until everything sorted out, making moms like Stephanie Cooper nervous.

STEPHANIE COOPER, MOTHER: I do for more from my safety, you know, and my son also.

CANDIOTTI: Community organizer Michael Kozu is worried about what will happen to this Boston neighborhood.

MICHAEL KOZU, PROJECT RIGHT: We're concerned about with people getting let back out, it's going to go back to what it used to be.

CANDIOTTI: Mylazia Johnson insists she was wrongfully convicted of intent to sell crack on the street. After serving about half of her sentence, she's free for good and plans to challenge her conviction down the road. But what she cannot get back are the nearly two years she lost with her daughter, who are on eight weeks before she was sent to prison.

JOHNSON: I lost my child. I lost custody of my child. And I don't know -- I don't know how to fix that.

CANDIOTTI: What do you think of the chemist who is now accused of --

JOHNSON: She destroyed my life, but I forgive her. But, as long as I have my daughter, that's all I care about. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow, Susan Candiotti joining us live now from New York.

So Susan, this so disturbing on so many levels. Have investigators had any luck trying to narrow the focus of what the motive was?

CANDIOTTI: You know, Fred, it is a mystery for now. And there are so many possibilities. Was she trying to help the police perhaps in her own mind? Trying to make herself look good? Was she taking shortcuts because she had a big case load? I mean, it's hard to figure this out.

And in fact, remember, prosecutors said this woman lied on her resume by saying she had a master's degree in chemistry. Well, she didn't even need that degree in order to get her job. So, there's so much to sort out here.

WHITFIELD: And it doesn't just impact those serving time now, but others, too. What way?

CANDIOTTI: Sure, well remember, because this investigation will now go back nine years, that could involve people who already did their time and now they're out of jail, people who are out of parole already. I mean, how do you make these people right? If in fact they were involved in a case in which they were convicted because of tainted evidence?

WHITFIELD: And it costs people time, like you saw the one young lady. She can't get the time back, but it's also costing a lot of money.

WHITFIELD: Sure, and her civil liberties, too. Sure, it costs the state millions of dollars to investigate and try and convict all these people, and now they have to decide the cost of this additional investigation and then what about if they decide to retry the cases and what about the possibility of civil lawsuits? I mean, this could be a lot.

WHITFIELD: Wow. All right, Susan Candiotti in New York. Appreciate it. Thank you.

All right, new developments today in the shooting that killed a U.S. border patrol agent. The FBI now thinks Nicholas Ivie may have died by friendly fire. The 30-year-old Ivie was shot and killed this week in Arizona. Officials initially said he and his colleagues who was wounded in the incident, came under fire after responded to a sensor that went off. But authorities say the only shell casings found at the scene were those belonging to the agents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY SELF, COMMANDER, CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION: As you know, investigators have made progress into the investigation, into agent ivy's death and are looking into the possibility that it was a tragic accident, the result of friendly fire. The fact is the work of the border patrol is dangerous. All of us who wear the uniform know this and yet this special breed of men and women willingly put themselves in harm's way to serve their country and to protect their communities against those who wish to do us harm.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: That news comes as homeland security secretary Janet Napolitano travels to Arizona to meet with officials and Ivie's family. Reacting to his death, Napolitano said in part, quote, "this tragedy reminds us of the risk our men and women confront, the dangers they willingly undertake while protecting our nation's borders," end quote. Ivie is the third border patrol agent killed in the line of duty this year.

A judge read the 11 charges against radical cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri just a short time ago in New York. He's one of five men extradited from the U.K. today on terror charges. His charges include conspiracy in connection with a 1998 kidnapping of 16 westerners in Yemen. He's also charged with turning a London mosque into a training camp. Al- Masri will be arraigned on Tuesday. Two of the other suspects have pled not guilty to the charges against them.

September proved to be a lucrative month for the president's re- election campaign. Take a look at the numbers. Democrats raising $181 million. That's a record in the last month of the campaign. That cash could prove crucial, especially for ad buys in toss-up states like Ohio, where Obama rallied just yesterday.

And with one presidential debate behind them, Mitt Romney is already gearing up for the next face-off with President Barack Obama. Mr. Romney held a rally in Virginia yesterday and today in Florida, preparing for the next debate hosted scheduled for October 16th hosted by our own Candy Crowley. Romney will also hold a debate's victory rally tonight.

All right, now to the new employment report. The labor department is saying 114,000 jobs were created in September. And the unemployment rate fell, coming in at 7.8 percent. That's a drop of three-tenths of a percent point from August. Health care gave us the biggest boost in new jobs. Transportation had a good month as well, posting a 17,000 job gain.

All right, with the election only a month away now, the big drop in unemployment has some of President Obama's critics suggesting that the numbers may have been manipulated.

Lisa Sylvester looks at how the numbers are put together to find out if that's even possible.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Fred, so there are a couple things at play here. First of all, the employment rate that dropped from 8.1 percent to 7.8 percent. I say forget it, throw it out, erase it from your head. It doesn't matter. The thing you have to concentrate on is the number of jobs that were actually created. 114,000, that is right around where we thought it would be. It's not an inspiring number. It doesn't say that things are bad. It doesn't say that things are good. But, what you want to be measuring is whether or not over time we're creating jobs, adding jobs to the U.S. economic landscape.

The unemployment rate measures something different. That's phone calls that go to people's houses to find out whether they're employed, whether they work at home, whether they are self-employed. It's a less reliable number because it shifts and measures different things on an on-going basis.

The number of jobs created minus the number of jobs lost; that is an absolute number that have measured overtime. And if you look back to the beginning of President Obama's term, we were losing an average about 750,000 jobs a month. It started to get better through 2009 started to improve. 2010, we saw a senses bump that created some jobs in the beginning of the year then we so drop off. But basically, from the middle of 2010 onward, we have been creating jobs.

The most important thing, though, out of today's numbers is not the drop in the unemployment -- this weekend's numbers, is not the drop in the unemployment rate. It's the drop - it's the addition of jobs in the previous two months. July and August, we added 86,000 more jobs than we thought we had. That is typical to seize those numbers revived. So, bottom line is you walk away from the jobs report, it's OK. It's not fantastic. It's not something for Barack Obama to boast about and it is not really enough for Mitt Romney to criticize -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, that is Ali Velshi reporting. We will try to get to Lisa Sylvester's report a bit later.

All right, in New York this morning, the Navy commissioned the USS Michael Murphy. You can see the ceremony right here. It's the Navy's newest guided missile destroyer. The ship was named for a Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan back in 2005. Lieutenant Murphy was shot when he ran out into enemy fire. He was trying to get a clear signal to call for back-up for his four-man team. Murphy, who grew up on Long Island, was also awarded the Medal of Honor.

The verdict is in for a man in the Pope's inner circle, but a guilty verdict may be tempered of with some mercy for the linking confidential documents. We will take deeper.

And military wives go topless in support of their husbands. Find out how the pictures are launching a pretty sizable movement.

And later, my conversation with George Lazenby. You know him? He was a Bond, James Bond. In just one movie, he reveals why he turned down the chance to do more Bond films.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE LAZENBY, ACTOR: Let me get the mood.

WHITFIELD: OK.

LAZENBY: My name is Bond, James Bond.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Venezuelan president, Hug Chavez, is up for re-election tomorrow. The 58-year-old leader is hoping a subsidy that has kept gas prices low will help in his re-election bid. It is only $2 to fill up the tank there. And in an effort to woo young voters, he's even taken on a rapper's kind of Persona to bring the rallies there.

The Israeli air force shut down an unmanned drone over Israel this morning. They said it had entered Israeli air space. The Israeli soldiers are searching the area for remains of the drone. It's not yet clear where the drone originated.

And into Russia where an 11-year-old boy found the remains of a woolly mammoth sticking out of frozen mud. Scientists named the mammoth Jenia, after the boy who found it. It may be more than 20,000 years old, extraordinary. Scientists say, it may have been killed by an ice-age man. Really? Wow.

Another story making headlines around the world today, the Pope's former butler found guilty. The Vatican Court announced today that Paolo Gabriele will serve a year and a half in jail for stealing the Pope's confidential papers and leaking them to a journalist.

CNN International anchor Jonathan Mann is here with me now. So, OK, so he gets a guilty, but he's really very lucky. Because he just might get a break later.

JONATHAN MANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: He might, and the first thing we have to say is yes, the butler did it. The same as we are saying is if you ever saw the Da Vinci code, this is not that. There are no dead people. There was not much of a mystery. He admitted from the very outset he took the documents. And so, the court considered that he took the documents. He didn't really make any money from it. He wasn't expecting to make money from it. He said he was guided by the Holy Spirit to try to his part to fight corruption inside the church.

WHITFIELD: But, is there a savior?

MANN: He thought he was helping. Really, he thought he was helping. And though, he admits the errors of his ways, the court said he did it in good faith though for the wrong reason, you admit you made a mistake. And so, he was sentenced to three years in jail. They nearly cut the sentence to 18 months, and there's every prospect and the Vatican has been hinting very broadly that the Pope will pardon him which is after all in the catholic tradition of clemency.

WHITFIELD: And plus, he wrote a letter right, asking for forgiveness?

MANN: They have asked for clemency. And here's the thing. He's sentenced to a year and a half in jail. Well in Italy, first of all, the Vatican doesn't have a prison. WHITFIELD: No.

MANN: There's not going to be doing hard time, you know, Spanish inquisition style. The idea is that he would serve his 18 months in and Italian prison. But in Italy, if you're sentenced to 18 month or less, you stay home. You are under house arrest.

WHITFIELD: You are kidding.

MANN: So right now, Paolo Gabriele, who was convicted of stealing some secret documents from one of the holiest men on earth, is back home with his three kids and his wife. So as converts go, he's doing OK.

WHITFIELD: And like I said, he is one lucky man.

MANN: He really is.

WHITFIELD: Or one blessed man in this case.

MANN: This is an extraordinary thing. He just said that he really was trying to help the Pope. And he said he doesn't feel like a thief, but he feels like he betrayed the trust of a man he considers his father. And so, the whole thing is infused with a strange mixture of faith and allegations of corruption which was what the documents were all about. They were published as a bestselling mock-raking book in Italy. It caused quite a fuss. The Vatican investigated because they were trying to figure out. It was like Wiki leaks in the United States. This is badly leaks. They had no idea who was getting these papers. Well in fact, it was the man who is serving the Pope breakfast, who was stealing the papers.

WHITFIELD: For 20 years, his loyalty to the papacy.

MANN: It is unbelievable. And he didn't - this is the amazing thing. He also stole a check for 100,000 Euros. It is like $130,000. He has a check made out to the pope.

WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE) in his faith?

MANN: No. I mean, who are going to cash that? What are going to wear on that day? He's got the Pope's check. He has got a nugget of gold. He had a historic manuscript that must have been worth $1 million at least. But the bottom line, he claims he was trying to help in a misguided way.

WHITFIELD: He thought he was doing good. So, a lot of the papers became public documents so not, I guess some of what you think would be secret is public material anyway. But did the Vatican feel like they were in any way harmed by the publishing of some of the documents or papers?

MANN: They were. They were. I mean, think about all of the scandals around the has -- started around Catholic Church in years. And here's a whole other one, instead of coming from some unknown source, these are documents with, you know, the Pope's own stamp on them. There was no question about the authenticity of the documents.

And so, here's one of the interesting things. The Vatican launched an investigation. Cardinals were put to work to try to figure out where the leaks were coming from. That investigation is eventually what led to this arrest. But, that investigation has never been made public.

And so, hanging over this is the fact that Gabriele (INAUDIBLE) said he had others working with him. And now all of a sudden, they have found their guy and he's not talking about having any accomplices whatsoever.

So, case closed and the cardinal's investigation is not being made public. So, we don't know what they found out or we don't know how widespread the effort was to try to embarrass the Pope and uncover these allegations of corruption.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Still enshrined in a bit of secrecy.

MANN: Yes. It is now quite of a Di Vinci code, but almost gets you a little bit.

WHITFIELD: OK. Someone get still makes for a good mystery.

All right, John Mann. Thanks so much. Appreciate it. Fascinating stuff.

All right, some women in this country now are going topless for a good cause. We'll show you why these military wives are baring it all and how just one photo actually sparked an entire movement.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Some military wives in Tennessee are taking a unique approach to raise awareness about post traumatic stress disorder. They're going topless for their cause.

Julia Bruck with our affiliate WSMB shows us how the wives came up with the idea to battle bare.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA BRUCK, REPORTER, WSMB (voice-over): Ashley Wise uses this eyeliner to bring attention to more than just her eyes. She pens a battling bare pledge on her back of army wife Jennifer Brown for a photo to add to the group's facebook page.

ASHLEY WISE, FOUNDER, BATTLING BARE: This pledge that you're making for your spouse is just as important as marriage vows.

BRUCK: Wise said she came up with the pledge and battling bare at a desperation which she says grew as she try today get help at Fort Campbell for her husband with PTSD.

WISE: I felt like striking general drawing because there may be a naked woman would get attention and they wouldn't sweep me under the rug. I decided to instead, do a photo campaign and it was what I call a God moment, pledged picture and ten minutes later, it was on facebook.

BRUCK: This is a picture Wise took wearing her husband's hat and holding his gun. But Wise said her husband was not her only inspiration.

ALICIA MCCOY, WIDOW: These are my husband's dog tags. They were found in his car when they retrieved his car and brought it back to me after they found my husband's body.

BRUCK: Alicia McCoy's husband, Sergeant Brandon McCoy committed suicide in March. She says her husband sought help for PTSD but it wasn't enough.

MCCOY: Our soldiers have a lot to say. They have a lot bottled up inside of them. And no one's listening. I feel like they're afraid to be able to be able to say what they need to say because they're afraid it's going to hurt their record.

BRUCK: It's a silence Wise and the other women hope to slowly break with battling bare's mission.

WISE: Insuring that the stigma of PTSD goes away and people talk about it. And that's really the biggest thing. And in talking, there's healing. And not ignoring it because ignoring it, people are dying.

BRUCK: One picture, pledge, and soldier at a time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Thanks to Julia Bruck of our affiliate WSMB for that record. Battling Bare now has more than 32,000 people following its facebook page.

A deadly disease is hitting people across the states and it has been traced to infected medicine. We'll have details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The CDC says more people have died from fungal meningitis infections. Seven confirmed deaths, 64 people in nine states are sick. It started after they received steroid injections for back pain, and the medicine was tainted. Now, physicians and clinics are checking patient records to see how many received the contaminated injections.

Our Brian Todd has detailed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just a week after getting a steroid injection she thought would help her, Janet Russell is in intensive care out of Tennessee hospital. That tainted injection might well have given her meningitis. Her family is more than just concerned.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course, we are just worried sick is the main thing.

TRACY BARREIRO, JANET RUSSELL'S DAUGHTER: This doesn't happen in America. I mean, this doesn't - I mean, I know -- I hope that doesn't sound -- but you're thinking this is something that is not even real.

TODD: Their mom is more than one of two dozen people in Tennessee and dozens more in at least seven states believed to be victims of an outbreak of fungal meningitis from bad steroids. Some have died. Meningitis is an inflammation of the ling of the brain and spinal cord. Health officials believe the victims in this case got it from a tainted batch of this steroid, methoprednison (ph) acetate, injected into the spinal column to treat back pain.

In Maryland, a state where hundreds of people could have been exposed, we went to clinics known to have received shipments of the steroid. At the SurgCenter in Belair, at least six people got injections.

JANICE STEWART, SURGCENTER OF BEL AIR, MARYLAND: The ones we have talked to have all been fine, thank goodness. And hopefully they will continue to be fine. I mean, they say the symptoms can take a while to show up.

TODD: But other clinics here could have a bigger problem. An administrator at the green Spring Surgery Center in this building in Baltimore did not want to go on camera with us but did tell us they had 300 patients who got injunctions of that drug.

The administrator said that they are working with federal and local officials to investigate the case. They have contacted all 300 of those patients. The ones who have had mild symptoms, he says, they have urged to get checked. The administrator said they have no confirmed cases of meningitis from people from this facility who got the drug. He did say that they are disappointed in the drug manufacturer and that manufacturer put patients at risk.

The manufacturer is the New England compound center in Framingham, Massachusetts. In a statement to CNN, the company says, it has recalled that steroid, is working with health officials in the investigation, and has shut down temporarily. Quote, "the thoughts and prayers of everyone employed by the NECC are with those who have been affected.

As for this form of meningitis, how dangerous is this? Is this very contagious?

DOCTOR LUCY WILSON, MD DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND MENTAL HYGIENE: So, this type of meningitis is not believed to be trance miscible from person to person. So, we're really reaching out to people who have been exposed to the contaminated product and those to the people that should be working for symptoms.

TODD: Those symptoms include fever, chills, headaches, stuff neck, and unlike patients with other types of meningitis, they can even get small strokes. Officials are scrambling to get the word out to as many people as possible who may have taken the steroid.

Brian Todd, CNN, Baltimore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And it sounds really futuristic, but it's not far off, 3D printing at home. We'll show you how.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, personal 3D printing is becoming more affordable and more innovated. Soon, we will be able o actually print shoes, jewelry and buttons right from out homes.

Our CNN Money Tech reporter, Laurie Segall, take a look at how 3D printing is going mainstream.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAURIE SEGALL, CNN MONEY TECHNOLOGY REPORTER: See this paper right here? Well, this is what you think of when you think of traditional printing. Well, we went to a fair where 2D printing was a thing of the past. 3D printers read blue prints of an object that users download to a computer.

So here's one getting a lot of attention. It is called form one. The thing that people are excited about with the form one, the detail.

DAVID CRANOR, FORMLABS CO-FOUNDER: The technology we are using really allows us to get much higher resolution.

SEGALL: I'm going to want to beat you in chess using this one.

CRANOR: You're going to want to beat me using this one.

SEGALL: Good. The form one uses a different process than most 3D printers, light as opposed to heat to harden plastic, and in general, in the crowded field of 3D printers, it's still wonky tech.

SEGALL: But, here's a sign that 3D printing may be becoming main stream. Maker Bot opened up a retail store just recently in New York City devoted to selling those printers. Maker Bot just released its replicator two. It's a faster model that produces higher resolution products.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think, one of the way we are different is this is our fourth generation machine.

SEGALL: Industrial 3D printers have been around for decades. They have been used for everything from printing prosthetic limbs to food. 3D printers are getting closer to household use. Teachers are starting to use them, too. A program at NYU deployed 3D printers in schools.

BEN ESNER, NOW YORK CITY POLY: They were able to print this gold ends and then what they did is they actually put them out on a sand table and created a river in the sand table and then flooded the river. What that allowed the kids to do is really see how soil erosion works. SEGALL: Right now, Maker Bot and Formlabs can only print plastic and a six-inch item can take an hour to print, but makers say they can spur innovation.

CRANOR: You lost a button, you go to the JCPenny Web site. Here you go online and download drivers for your printer and download the new button and hit print button.

SEGALL: So, much cooler than this, right?

CRANOR: I think so.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SEGALL: Fredricka, imagine being able to print something like your own shoes in your home. I mean, that's pretty interesting. But look, you know, it's still expensive. It's still two to $3,000 to buy one of the ones we showed you in the segment and put them in your home.

So, you know, we're not there yet, but I did speak to Maker Bot's founder, Bre Pettis. You saw him in the segment. And what he said is we're just at the beginning of this. So, you can imagine in the future the types of things we would be able to actually print in our own homes -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, sky's the limit. Thanks so much, Laurie.

For more high-tech ideas and reviews, just go to CNN.com/tech and look for the gaming and gadgets tab.

All right, more than a million kids are having to take care of their sick parents or other family members. We'll meet the CNN hero who is helping them get their childhood back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: More than one million children are caring for ill, disabled, or aging family members. More than a third of these are under the age of 12. That's where this week's CNN hero steps in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You OK? Here, let me help you. My mom has been sick for as long as I can remember. You need more methadone. Helping her out is a bigger priority than going to school. Because I don't know what I would do if something happened to her. I wouldn't be able to really live.

CONNIE SISKOWSKI, CNN HERO: In the United States, there are at least 1.3 million children caring for someone who is ill or injured or elderly or disabled. They can become isolated. There are typical effects, the stresses of it and the worries --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, baby. Thank you so much.

SISKOWSKI: But these children suffer silently. People don't know they exist. I'm Connie Siskowski. I'm bringing this precious population into their lives to transform their lives so they can stay in school. We offer each child a home visit. We look at what we can provide to meet the need. We go into the schools with a peer support group, and we offer out of school activities that give the child a break.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is so relaxing.

SISKOWSKI: So, they know that they are not. We give them hope for their future.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, I'm getting As and Bs. And I feel more confident.

SISKOWSKI: We have a long way to go. There's so many more children that really need this help and support.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Connie Siskowski is with me now.

So, you know, Connie, I think a lot of people don't even imagine that there are so many children taking care of their family members. How and when did you learn about this? That there was this need?

SISKOWSKI: Well, Fredricka, I took care of my grandfather as a child. But then I went to first international conference on family care giving in London in 1998 and learned about how far ahead they were than we are. Having identified this population, and with the encouragement of my husband, I went back to school to get my Ph.D., and it was during that doctoral research at London University that I discovered the prevalence among our population.

WHITFIELD: So, you organization can only help but so many. And you said it is a very prevalent problem. So, is it your view that, you know, maybe public organizations or agencies need to step in to help, to offer more assistance to these kids and these families?

SISKOWSKI: Absolutely. I mean, we can't do it all alone. But we have proven a successful motto that we want to replicate in other parts of the country. And even a little bit of support makes so much difference for these children, and knowing that they're not alone as they face the many challenges that are really adult-sized challenges.

WHITFIELD: In fact, you testified before a Senate subcommittee. What was the reaction? Did it seem as though your testimony is going to provoke any real assistance or change or was it enlightening to many of those in that subcommittee?

SISKOWSKI: Actually, that was before I got involved with children. It was dealing with family care giving issues related more to adults.

WHITFIELD: So in your view now, what does it mean to be one of the top ten CNN heroes? Clearly, you know, your organization and efforts have been recognized in the struggles of these kids, but how has it impacted or changed the way you're able to conduct big business and reach out to those in need?

SISKOWSKI: We are so thankful to CNN because one of our big challenges has been raising awareness. And you have done that. We have heard from people from 32 states and the U.K. and Canada, and many others who want to help as well as to begin to support children in their own community, and that's the only way that we'll reach our goal that no child in the United States should have to drop out of school because of family care giving responsibilities.

WHITFIELD: Well, Connie Siskowski, thank you so much and congratulations on being one of the top ten. And of course, those at home, you can vote on these honorees who are all being honored, top ten honorees. Go to CNNheroes.com. The winner will actually receive $250,000.

All right, as many as seven million students are chronically absent from school. We're investigating the problem and showing solutions.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Chronic school lap is dismissing one of every ten school days. It is a problem for at least five million elementary and high school students.

Athena Jones looks at how one school system is fighting back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to try to teach you to make a decision.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Baltimore team, Jerrod Williams has come a long way. In seventh grade, he missed 33 days of school and was in danger of dropping out.

JERROD WILLIAMS, HIGH SCHOOL SOPHOMORE: Every day, I would stay home, play the game. Eat, sleep, and that's about it, watch TV.

JONES: Williams struggled to get passing grades at a school where he didn't feel the teachers cared. That's where Karen Webber-Ndour came in. She handled attendance initiative by city's school district.

KAREN WEBBER-NDOUR, STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES, BALTIMORE CITY SCHOOLS: I saw him on the first day of school, and one of the teachers who knew him said this boy hasn't been in school for days and days and days. And we approached him and said this is going to be a very different school year for you. We expect to see you here.

JONES: In eighth grade, Williams missed just five days of school. The following year, just two. At 17, he's now a sophomore in high school with perfect attendance and his grades have improved, especially in math.

WILLIAMS: I got Bs and B pluses and one A.

JONES: At Johns Hopkins University study estimates five to 7.5 million K-12 students are chronically absent each year. That means, they missed one school day out of every ten. Maryland, where were 11 percent, is one of six just states just tracking the issue.

ROBERT BALFANZ, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: So, it is really a hidden problem I think, they say like bacteria in hospital, that it actually creates habit, but we don't know it because we are not measuring it.

JONES: Repeated absences are common in kinder garden and in high school. And low income students are more likely in this class, often, due to transportation or health issues and sometimes because they have to work or take care of family members.

WEBBER-NDOUR: We have to go the extra mile. We are texting parents now, the school system itself is texting principals saying you know, there are a large numbers of students absent from your rooms. What I going on?

JONES: Baltimore schools also use robo calls to alert parents about absences. Social workers talk to families when students are missing too many days -- now rewarded for good attendance, like this elementary school.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who is excited to come to school every day?

JONES: -- which won a field trip, a grant and a visit from the mayor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Elementary schools

CHILDREN: We won!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We won. A trip to Port discovery.

JONES: Athena Jones, CNN, Baltimore, Maryland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: For 50 years, movie audiences have been thrilled by the exploit of super spy, James Bond. And I got to talk with one of the actors who played him. Do you recognize him?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAZENBY: I think a lot of men would be able to get a girl when they want.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: My fascinating conversation with George Lazenby on why he only played in one Bond movie.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It is one of the most famous guitarists in movie history.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING) WHITFIELD: And you know what is coming after you hear that? Well, behind those strums there, Vic Flick, the guitarist who originally performed the James Bond theme. He first played the rift when the theme music was reported back in 1952, and made just $15. But in the '90s he started to earn royalties. Flick took part in the celebration last night. They honored 50 years of James Bond movies.

And British singing superstar Adele releases the theme song for the new James Bond movie "sky fall".

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

WHITFIELD: So the movie hits theaters in November. And it may be no surprise that the new theme song is already topping the iTunes charts. Adele sold more than 20 million copies of her album - her last album "21".

All right, six men in all have played James Bond during the franchise's 50-year run. But only one actor has played the sexy spy in just one film. And that man is George Lazenby.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

WHITFIELD: In 1969 he appeared in "Bond, her majesty's secret service." He turned down an offer to appear in seven more Bond films. But before playing Bond, he had been a model in his native country, Australia. He told me how nervous he was during the an audition.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAZENBY: I was way above my head. I knew I couldn't fool this guy any longer. I had not spoken in front of the camera in my life.

WHITFIELD: So I wonder if one of the criteria for being James bond, being cast for James Bond, you had to say "Bond, James Bond just right, didn't you?

LAZENBY: Yes, I know, and I did.

Bond, James Bond.

LAZENBY: Do you want it now is that what you're asking?

WHITFIELD: Yes, sure.

LAZENBY: Let me get in the mood.

WHITFIELD: OK.

LAZENBY: My name is Bond, James Bond.

WHITFIELD: Very effective. And you got to say that a few times in that movie, in her majesties secret service. So what was that experience like being James bond in know movie, and saying you know what? This is enough for me, just one? LAZENBY: Well, it is enough for me, was management talking to me. Because they told me James Bond was over, the hippies are in, and all of this stuff. And you know, "Easy Rider" was the number one movie.

But the bond thing, I did all of my own stunt, by the way. I am the only one that did that and didn't know that the others didn't do it. And that is where this line came from, this never happened to the other guy. Because I have to jump out of the helicopter 20 feet up in the yard and say, did the other fellow have to do this? And they would say yes, yes, say that line of yours. I would say what, they said say that line again, this never happened to the other fellow. And so, I said it and they used it in the film.

This never happened to the other fellow.

WHITFIELD: So in hindsight, do you feel that if you asked for a stuntman that perhaps you would have done all seven movies that you are contracted to do?

LAZENBY: No, because the reason I didn't do it was not that. It was because my management told me that I'm better off getting out of it, this is Sean Cannery's gig. Bond's over. Nobody is wearing a suit anymore. And, you know, you have to imagine the '60s, late '60s, early '70s, everyone had flowers, and make love, not war. It was totally anti-bond. And I believed them.

WHITFIELD: So do you regret listening to their advice?

LAZENBY: I do. I wished I would have done two, to prove to people that they didn't throw me out, that I threw them out. Not that it makes any difference anymore.

WHITFIELD: So do you have any favorites? I realize you say you didn't watch any of the bonds, but do you have a favorite actor who played besides yourself?

LAZENBY: Well, of course, Sean Connery, I'll give you an example. 1962, I went to see the doctor in Australia with a girl. I had a 90 percent chance of getting lucky on the way in, and a 20 percent chance on the way out. So, I said I wanted to be that guy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell me, is it topping of an American missile is really compensate for having no hands?

LAZENBY: He is a cool guy. I only met him a couple of times briefly. But I just find him -- a real man.

WHITFIELD: Oh, James bond, I mean George Lazenby, thank you so much for your time and happy anniversary on 50 great years of James Bond and your role in it, as well.

LAZENBY: Well, thank you, it has been my pleasure.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Handsome then, and now, hey once a Bond, always a Bond, right?

Well, Mr. Lazenby is the proud father of three young children, and says that while he has some regrets about turning down more Bond films, he feels like he would not have time to be a father had his career taken a different turn.