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Costa Concordia Shipwreck Survivors Share Harrowing Tales; Legal Analysis of Wreck; Rick Perry Bows Out of GOP Race for White House; Santorum Not Romney Won Iowa; Trouble for Romney; South Carolina Poll Numbers; Explosive Allegation from Newt Gingrich's Second Ex-Wife; Kodak Files for Chapter 11
Aired January 19, 2012 - 00:16 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BECKY ANDERSON, HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Hugging the mother who sold her into slavery, one woman's life of hell and a long, emotional journey home.
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ANDERSON: Oh, live from London, I'm Becky Anderson. Also tonight --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible)
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ANDERSON: The initial payoff and confusion on board the Costa Concordia. Six days on, hopes of finding further survivors are fading.
And Newt Gingrich closes the gap on his rival, but could an ex-wife stop him ambitions for the White House?
Forced to live in terrible conditions and endure horrendous treatment, slavery steals lives. It is by no means stuck in the past. Though, today, it's estimated as many as 30 million men, women and children (inaudible) slaves worldwide, every single one of them a victim.
Well, CNN is fully committed to fight to end this despicable practice, and tonight, we've got a rare chance to bring you a happy ending to what is a shocking tale. This is the moment a woman from Taiwan was reunited with her mother who had sold her into a life of misery, abuse and despair. Life in slavery on the other side of the world. Martin Savidge has "Isabel's" story.
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MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): In her 20s, Isabel's grown up a Southern California girl, yet she can barely read.
ISABEL, DOMESTIC SERVITUDE VICTIM: This blue truck turns --
SAVIDGE (voice-over): She doesn't know how to drive, only recently learned how to order in a restaurant and didn't know how to use money.
ISABEL: The first time, I remember, I just walked out of the door -- I walked out of the store because I don't know how and embarrassed.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): It wasn't a medical or mental problem. It wasn't because she comes from another country. It was because of something her parents did when she was very young in Taiwan.
SAVIDGE (on camera): You were sold by your family.
ISABEL: Yes.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Do you know why?
ISABEL: I know why. My family poor.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): So poor, she says, her mother wanted to sell Isabel's younger sister.
SAVIDGE (on camera): So, you offered to sell yourself. In other words, tell your mother to sell you rather than your baby sister.
ISABEL: Yes, because I love my sister. I remember, she was just a little baby and then my mom said, you know, sell -- told he -- and then I told my mom, I said, "No, you want to sell her, sell me, like because she's so little."
SAVIDGE (voice-over): In the end, she says, her mother sold them both into slavery to two wealthy Taiwanese families.
SAVIDGE (on camera): How old were you?
ISABEL: I remember around that time, everyone would tell me I was seven.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): So, as other children went to school, Isabel cooked and cleaned. Her bedroom was the garage; her bed, the floor; food, whatever the family didn't want.
ISABEL: Every time she gave me food, like it's -- the food is sour, and then she made me stay in the corner. There was no table.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): And there were the beatings, she says, often with a spatula. Once, when she was accused by her owner of drinking a cup of tea, a toilet bowl brush.
ISABEL: She grabbed that toilet brush, put it in my mouth and then twisted, and it hurt my mouth like -- I was so, so sad. Very, very sad. It hurt -- it hurt me. It was miserable, it hurt me so bad.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Eventually, the family moved to the U.S. and settled in in an upscale southern California neighborhood. Isabel may have made it to the land of the free, but for her, nothing changed.
SAVIDGE (on camera): Did you ever go see a movie?
ISABEL: No.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Did you every play with other children?
ISABEL: No.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Birthday parties?
ISABEL: I never had a birthday.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): By her teens, she would escort the family in public. She thought of running away, she says, but never did. Victims services expert Heidi Thi says that's not uncommon.
HEIDI THI, CSP VICTIM ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: She would tell you that she didn't know where she would go if she didn't speak the language, if she didn't know anybody else, if she didn't even really have any sense of where she was.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): But on one such outing, Isabel met a woman.
ISABEL: She did not say much. She just said, "This is my phone number. Everything you need, you would need, just call me."
SAVIDGE (on camera): So, she suspected something was wrong.
ISABEL: Yes.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Eventually, they made a plan. As Isabel took out the garbage one night, the woman and her husband pulled up in their car.
SAVIDGE (on camera): You ran to the car.
ISABEL: Yes, I run, run, run, run. Run to the car. And my heart was like, it couldn't stop beating. But, you know, like I was so scared.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): To this day, Isabel still fears retaliation from the family she escaped, which is why "Isabel" is not her real name. But the dramatic turnaround in her life is real. She has her own apartment, where she babysits children. She goes to school. And the woman who had no childhood dreams one day of opening a day care center.
THI: She knows who she is, she knows what she's worth, that she's valued and that she has potential, and that she can do things on her own.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): One goal, though, stands out above all the others. And it may shock you. She wants to find her mom.
SAVIDGE (on camera): This is the mom who sold you.
ISABEL: Yes.
SAVIDGE (on camera): You want to find her?
ISABEL: Yes.
SAVIDGE (on camera): And what would you say when you found her?
ISABEL: If I find her, I'll say, "Mom, I love you so much. I always wanted to find you."
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ANDERSON: No criminal charges were brought against the family who took Isabel to the U.S. from Taiwan, but she has settled a civil lawsuit with that family and is no longer in touch with them. Well, amazingly as Martin was reporting, Isabel told us she wanted to meet her mother again.
Well, these are pictures of Isabel arriving at Taipei Airport on Wednesday, where she was whisked through security.
Crowds of reporters surround her, lots of flash photography, as you can see. When CNN first reported Isabel's story in November, it sparked a media storm in Taiwan. Even the foreign minister got involved. He met up with her when he was in California and pledge to help her find her mom. Well, finally, after 20 years, they were reunited.
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ISABEL: I know everybody is doing their job, and, indeed, you guys are so helpful. I really appreciate it. You know, I'm here. Thank you for everything.
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ANDERSON: We understand that Isabel is planning to spend Lunar New Year with her family in Nagay (ph), where her younger sister is waiting before returning to Los Angeles. A story that has captured your attention and rightly so online.
Emeka Emmanuel says simply, "This is an eye-opener to the rest of the world."
Bridget says, "It's sad slavery still happens -- it's even worse that it appears that no one can get it under control, including the authorities. Sad."
"I've been tracking this story, and I'm really touched," writes Heyi.
Listen, you can take part in this discussion. Get in touch, facebook.com/cnnconnect, and let us know how you feel about what is our Freedom Project.
Modern-day slavery is a global scourge, and we make no excuses about helping put an end to it. The Freedom Project is committed to exposing a multi-billion dollar industry which trades in human life by bringing you the victims' stories.
Now here's a question for you: every time you eat a chocolate bar, do you ever think about where it comes from? Well, 10 years ago, the industry pledged to end child labor in West Africa's cocoa plantations.
For the CNN Freedom Project investigation, David McKenzie traveled to the world's largest cocoa producer -- that's Ivory Coast -- and came back with proof that kids are still hard at work. Here's just some of what he found.
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DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): On this farm, we find Abdul (ph). He survived three years of work. He's just 10. He earns no wages for his work, he says, just food, the occasional tip from the owner and the torn clothes on his back.
Put in the simplest of terms, Abdul (ph) is a child slave. We move away from the group, so he can speak more freely. And through our translator, he tells us his story.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If he had a choice, he wouldn't work.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Abdul (ph) says he's from neighboring Burkina Faso. When his father died, he says, a stranger brought him to Ivory Coast. Abdul (ph) has never eaten chocolate. He tells us he doesn't even know what cocoa is for.
We met Jaku (ph) on the same farm, also from Burkina Faso.
"My mother brought me when my father died," he tells me. Jaku (ph) insists he's 16, but he looks much younger. His legs bear machete scars from hours clearing the bush. The emotional scars seem much deeper.
"I wish I could just go to school," he says, "to learn to read and write." But Jaku (ph) says he's never spent a day in school.
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ANDERSON: David McKenzie with the CNN Freedom Project special presentation, "Chocolate's Child Slaves." See it first Friday, 8 pm here in London, and 9 pm in Berlin. (Inaudible) work out the time (inaudible) locally for you.
Now also back (inaudible) stay tuned after that special documentary. My colleague, Richard Quest, and I will be hosting a discussion focusing on the world's growing market for chocolate and the industry's efforts to combat child trafficking, and what you and I can do to play our part in helping stop modern-day slavery.
On your thoughts and your ideas, you can get in touch as ever through facebook.com/cnnconnect, and use @beckycnn on Twitter at #endslavery. Your thoughts, please. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD live from London.
Still to come, from rescue to recovery, 21 people are still missing, but the search for survivors on the Italian cruise ship may be coming to an end. There's a battle over beer for the 2014 Brazil World Cup. Don Riddell with the details just ahead on that. And then there were four. Another Republican candidate quit the race for U.S. president. We will see who's picking up Rick Perry's support.
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ANDERSON: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD here on CNN, the world's news leader. Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson. For you now, six days after the cruise ship crash off the coast of Italy, authorities may be on the verge of changing their focus from rescue to recovery, and that would allow salvage experts to start pumping fuel out of the ship.
Meanwhile, newly released Coast Guard logs show that when authorities contacted the Costa Concordia after the ship hit rocks, a crew member simply reported a blackout. He offered no indication of the looming disaster ahead.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language);
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language)
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ANDERSON: Well, 11 people are known to have died in the disaster and 21 are still missing, according to the Italian crisis unit. Let's get more on the search and rescue effort. CNN's Dan Rivers with us now from Giglio Island.
Dan, what is the latest from there?
DAN RIVERS, CNN REPORTER: Well, they've been out again today, using explosive again to try and open up parts of the ship. Let's talk to one of the people involved, Commander Cosimo Nicastro.
Just tell me -- you're from the Coast Guard and helping coordinate (inaudible). How's it going? Are there any chances now of survivors being found alive?
Italian Coastguard spokesman, Commander Cosimo Nicastro: We hope always. We didn't stop just after yesterday's event and our rescue team (inaudible) before the ship moved. So today we -- after we check the ship was at a -- at a good stability to start again. So we will start to rescue operation on the water with our scuba divers.
So we (inaudible) that with the Navy SEALs that open the -- with the explosive the way to go look. And we could find farther that look of somebody under the water. So we didn't stop. We are not stopping. We're working all the night, and we started checking under the water tomorrow morning. We did the first light of day.
RIVERS: I don't think anyone can accuse you of not having tried hard enough, but at some point, I suppose you're going to have say there's no chance. We go now towards the salvage part. When does that happen?
NICASTRO: You know, this is a -- you need deal with weather conditions (inaudible). And we are in the winter, and the weather forecast, it is for the -- the weather is getting worse in the next two hours.
But this is not a problem. The problem is the stability of the ship. The ship is close to the part of the bottom of a -- of a (inaudible) go deeper until (inaudible). So we are already working with septic (ph) condition at a minimal level. But we don't -- we don't stop.
RIVERS: OK. Thank you very much indeed (inaudible) the time to talk to us. So the search goes on, but I think the reality is this weekend they're going to start looking, beginning the salvage part, the separation, as the commander said. They want to get that started before the weather turns -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, understandably. So, Dan, thank you for that. There are, though, some dramatic tales of survival. We're going to bring you more on that story in the next 50 minutes. Do stay with us for that.
Look now at some of the other stories, our CONNECT YOUR WORLD tonight, and the Arab League's fact-finding mission in Syria has come to end. But (inaudible) remaining inside the countries, both sides negotiate an extension.
Now that comes amid continued violence across the country. This amateur video is said to show people attempting to rescue a man after a bomb destroyed his home. CNN (inaudible) independently verified the authenticity of these images.
Pakistan's prime minister told the supreme court the country's president has, quote, "full immunity" from corruption charges. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani was ordered before the court after being issued with a contempt notice because he wouldn't reopen cases against President Asif Ali Zardari and others. Pakistan's interior minister defended Yousaf Gillani.
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PAKISTAN INTERIOR MINISTER REHMAN MALIK (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): We have submitted ourselves out of respect for the courts, and I think this gesture of the prime minister should be appreciated.
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ANDERSON: Well, British actor Jude Law has been awarded a $200,000 payout over phone hacking by the "News of the World" tabloid. He's one of 18 people, including his ex-wife, who have been compensated by Rupert Murdoch's News International.
The "News of the World" was closed, as you'll remember, in July of last year after claims it hacked into the voicemail of some murdered teenage girl. Law said he is, quote, "appalled by the behavior of the paper."
Well, in cricket, some rare good news for Pakistan. They sent a message to the cricketing world after thrashing the world's top-ranked Test seed. Don Riddell with more after this.
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ANDERSON: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD live from London, welcome back. It's about 22 minutes past 9:00 here. I'm Becky Anderson.
Now, FIFA has locked horns with Brazil over the right to sell beer at the 2014 World Cup. Alcoholic drinks have been banned in Brazil's stadiums since 2003, a move aimed at preventing violence among hardcore fans at football matches.
The FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke said on Wednesday that selling beer at the World Cup was to be part of the law. Don Riddell joins us -- joins us now. I'm sure we'd all like a beer when we go to a game, but of course, you can't --
DON RIDDELL, CNN REPORTER: Now when we're working.
ANDERSON: (Inaudible).
RIDDELL: But if we're there as fans, absolutely.
ANDERSON: We can't get on in Brazil, apparently.
RIDDELL: Well, and this is (inaudible). And this is the law they brought in in Brazil, what nine years ago now, and with good reason. But apparently, when they signed up to the right to host the World Cup in 2014, a part of that agreement was that they would agree to sell beer and change their laws.
But it hasn't actually been passed yet in government, and FIFA announced, saying, look, you agreed to this. This is what you've got to do.
Interestingly, the Brazil sports minister has come out and said, yes, look, we did agree to it, and this is what we are going to have to do. But one or two ministers in the Brazilian government are really reluctant to change the law. And it's going to be interesting to see how this one plays out.
ANDERSON: 2014 is a couple of years. They'd better start working on it now.
Listen, there's not an awful lot of good news coming out of Pakistan these days, but oh, my goodness, they have absolutely taken the England team in cricket apart.
RIDDELL: Yes, a Test match, over in three days, is never good when you're the losing side. England are the top-ranked team in the world right now. And remember, Pakistan, as you say, I mean, they've had so little to celebrate. They can't even play in their home country because of the whole terrorist against Sri Lanka a few years ago. Nobody will go and play in Pakistan.
Then we had the spot fixing scandal against England two years ago, the reputation of the Pakistan team is absolutely destroyed on the international stage. But the team have come back, in the first Test match against England, in Dubai, which is where they now play. They've beat them inside three days, beat them by 10 wickets. England have been absolutely humbled.
ANDERSON: I wonder whether their winning streak will now last as long as one squash team from the U.S.? I know they're not professionals, but, my goodness --
(CROSSTALK)
RIDDELL: Do you remember what you were doing in February 1998?
ANDERSON: No.
RIDDELL: Do you remember anything you were doing (inaudible)?
(LAUGHTER)
RIDDELL: Well, that was the (inaudible) -- that was the year that Trinity College started this incredible winning streak. Their squash team has won 252 consecutive matches, from February 1998 all the way up until this week, when they lost to Yale. They lost to Yale last night, huge achievement for Yale, absolute despair for Trinity College.
I mean, '98, that's the year France won the World Cup. That's the year Bill Clinton was impeached. Think of what's happened between now and then, and this team have been winning every night since --
ANDERSON: So if you -- if you recall here, back -- way back then, and you were playing in this team, you'd be nearly 40 now.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: Unbelievable.
RIDDELL: I suspect they've replaced a few players (inaudible).
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: Thanks, Don. Come back in an hour and we'll, of course, (inaudible). Don't go away. Stay with us for that. And still to come on CONNECT YOUR WORLD, this (inaudible) traumatic tales of lost (inaudible) and (inaudible) efforts to escape, really some of the extraordinary stories from those who've survived the Costa Concordia.
Also gaining ground, just in time for a critical weekend primary, we're going to look at shift in momentum in the Republican race for the White House. You're watching CNN. I'm Becky Anderson in London. We'll be back after this.
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ANDERSON: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD here on CNN. I'm Becky Anderson in London for you. I want to get you a check of the world news headlines at this point, just before half past nine in London.
Texas governor Rick Perry has dropped out of the race to become the Republican candidate for US president. Just two days before the South Carolina primary, he is now endorsing the former House speaker Newt Gingrich.
Divers are still going through the wreckage of the Costa Concordia six days after the cruise ship wrecked off Italy's coast. But hope is fading fast of finding more survivors, 11 are confirmed dead, 21 people remain missing.
Arab League monitors are being told to stay in Syria because it's possible their fact-finding mission could be extended. League members are set to meet this weekend to discuss the monitors' findings on the crackdown on dissent by Damascus.
And Afghanistan's president has ordered an investigation into a recent NATO bombing raid in Kunar province. Reports suggest that six civilians were killed, including four children. Hamid Karzai has signed a member of parliament to lead the inquiry.
Well, we are getting more of a picture now of the harrowing experiences passengers and crew endured last Friday as their cruise liner hit a rock off the Italian coast. There have been some gritty stories of survival and some heartbreaking moments.
I want to get you to listen, now, to a clip of Georgia Ananias as she recounts her tragic tale on Anderson Cooper's show "AC 360." Before that, though, take a listen to Justin Evans describing to my colleague Hala Gorani how he got off the ship.
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JUSTIN EVANS, SHIPWRECK SURVIVOR: We tried to figure out exit plans, if we had to jump onto the rock, we left our coats. We tried to think about ways that we can take off our shoes and our boots so that we wouldn't be weighed down if we had to jump off the ship into the water or onto the rock.
We thought about angles that maybe we could grapple onto the -- to the metal banister that was in the ship in order to go up in case the ship started to flood. We were thinking about exit plans every second of the way.
GEORGIA ANANIAS, SHIPWRECK SURVIVOR (via telephone): One of the moments when I was on a -- I had climbed a -- when the ship was listing and we had to climb up and pull a human chain to pull ourselves up onto a stairwell, and another couple turned around and gave me their baby and said, "Take my baby."
And I held the three-year-old, and I was holding on, the ship is moving, and I was afraid the child was going to down the stairwell, and I knew -- I looked at my husband, who's been in the navy, and he said "This is it."
And I handed the baby back to the parents and said, "Be with your baby."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Just hearing those stories makes you wonder just how one can be possibly compensated for what has been a terrifying ordeal. CNN's Lisa Sylvester takes us through what legal rights these victims may or may not have in the US if they are an American citizen, or in Italy.
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LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The 1920 Death on the High Seas Act is a US law that allows survivors' family members to sue a cruise line, but damages in the case of death are limited to lost wages and funeral expenses. There is no compensation for pain and suffering, grief, or bereavement.
For Americans on the Costa Concordia, who suffered injury or mental trauma, their claims are also limited. When you sign a cruise ticket, that's actually a binding legal contract says maritime lawyer James Walker.
JAMES WALKER, MARITIME LAWYER: There's a number of surprises if not outright shocks contained in the fine legal print of the legal mumbo jumbo. The cruise lines have spent literally decades and they've had their defense lawyers draft every conceivable protection of the cruise line to limit the ability of injured passengers to pursue their remedies.
SYLVESTER: Read the fine print and you'll find passengers are not able to file a class action lawsuit. Each claim against the Costa cruise line must be brought individually.
Lost baggage claims are limited to no more than $500 per passenger unless the traveler pre-purchased insurance. Death and personal injury claims are limited to $70,000 under maritime law, as spelled out in the Athens Convention of 1976.
The statute of limitations is only a year after the incident, and passengers or their survivors have only six months to notify the cruise line of their intent to file a lawsuit.
And when it comes to jurisdiction, lawsuits against the Costa cruises are not heard in the United States, but in Genoa, Italy.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: The standard form contracts that passengers sign are incredibly slanted in favor of the cruise companies because they count on the fact that nobody reads them.
In fact, if these cases actually go to court, sometimes those contracts can be overcome, but it is a long and difficult legal process.
SYLVESTER: But companies engaged in crisis management often do above and beyond what is legally required, if nothing else, for PR reasons.
Carnival in a statement said it is committed to providing full support to those impacted, the company's CEO Micky Arison saying, quote, "I give my personal assurance that we will take care of each and every one of our guests, crew, and their families affected by this tragic event. Our company was founded on this principle and it will remain our focus."
The captain of the Costa Concordia is currently under house arrest. The chief prosecutor in the case says toxicology tests are being done on samples of his hair to see if he might have been under the influence at the time of the accident.
SYLVESTER (on camera): Lawyers may try to apply wrongful death suits under other US or Italian statutes, particularly if it can be proven the captain acted with intentional recklessness. Carnival may be eager to resolve any claims out of court as we learn more details in this case.
Lisa Sylvester, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, our next guest is a maritime trial lawyer who's, over the course of his career, represented the Costa company's parent, Carnival. Jack Hickey has also worked on behalf of cruise passengers and crew members, both the industry and its clients, and I'll be talking to Jack in a moment.
First, though, I just want to take you through what I think is some pretty fascinating stuff. Let's consider what we are learning about the route Costa Concordia has reportedly taken in the past. Shipping newspaper "Lloyd's List" reporting that Friday was not the first time the Costa Concordia passed so dangerously close to shore off Giglio Island.
Take a look at this map as we zoom into the area where the accident actually took place. The red line is the route the liner took when it ran aground on Friday. This blue one is the one that we're told -- or "Lloyd's" tells us -- is the previous path in August of last year.
The newspaper editor in chief, Adam Smallman, telling CNN today the cruise ship must have come within a whisker of the rocks it hit on Friday night. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADAM SMALLMAN, EDITOR IN CHIEF, "LLOYD'S LIST" (via telephone): On the basis of the data that we've looked at, which is exclusive analysis from shore-based systems called AIS, we are estimating that it got that close, 230 meters at one point, the closest point on that voyage, which was actually closer than this voyage up until the last moment, when it came in.
So, our estimate is that it must have come within sniffing distance of the rock -- the underwater rock that it hit on this voyage way back in August.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And Jack joining me now. Jack, given what we've just heard from "Lloyd's List," how does this reflect on the Costa company and the way they not just do business, but the way they might have to defend themselves in any case going forward?
JACK HICKEY, MARITIME TRIAL LAWYER: Well, that's a really good question. Becky, what we have here is a shift in the amount of information we're getting.
In the beginning, we all knew and we all know about the negligence of the captain himself. And of course, the cruise line is responsible under every aspect of maritime law, whether the US, Italy, or anywhere, the cruise line's responsible for the negligent actions of the captain.
But now we are seeing that this company allowed its ship within 230 meters of the shore last August, in fact, in that previous route, number one. Along with the fact that we're getting all those -- all those accounts from the passengers that it was not only the lack of management or leadership from the captain that night, but all of the officers were missing.
ANDERSON: Sure.
HICKEY: I mean, where were the other officers, the staff captain, the first officer, second officer, and on down the line?
So, yes, this is all going to come up in the court proceedings, and if -- in Italy, because this is going to be brought -- these proceedings will be brought in Italy under the contract ticket.
So, this is going to show that a whole pattern of problems with regard to this cruise line so that they will not be able to say, "Well, gee, too bad, so sad. It was one errant person who committed these wrongs, and -- but everything else is hunky dory at our cruise line." It's really not like that. That will effect liability on the cruise line. And --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: If you --
HICKEY: -- as I say, and --
ANDERSON: Sorry. If you were representing clients, then, in this case, I want to get you and our viewers now to listen to some new sound that we've just got in. This is from the cook on the boat, and this is what he said when asked about the captain's activities. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROGELIO BARISTA, COOK, COSTA CONCORDIA (through translator): The captain asked for dinner, and it must have been around 10:00 or 10:30. I saw that he was with a woman that I didn't know.
I asked the other cook, Mr. Jesus Velasquez, "What is he thinking?" At that moment, everything was falling down, the kitchen was destroyed. I couldn't believe what was happening.
During the years, I've had some accidents on ships, even on the Concordia. I told myself never to be afraid. I looked around and I saw the captain, who was still waiting for his drink. I asked myself, "Why is he still waiting for desert with his female companion with everything that is happening?"
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: If you were representing clients and you had this sort of evidence to consider as part of your case, what would you be thinking today?
HICKEY: I would be thinking and I would be alleging and I think I'd be proving that this is a callous disregard for the safety of people. This is intentional action. This is unbelievable.
Here we have a cook saying that at 10:00 or 10:30, the captain was asking for his dinner, we know from the coast guard logs that the collision occurred at 9:41. At 9:41 PM, a collision -- a major collision occurred. Hard aground. This ship was hard aground so badly that, in the cook's words, things were falling. I understand the power was starting to go out at this time. This is unbelievable.
And of course, the fact that it is so willful and wanton and where's the company? I mean -- and the coast guard wasn't notified.
But more to the point of the company and back to that whole pattern, it really does reflect on the company. They have this $500 million US asset that's floating in the water and carrying 4,200 people, and the -- they don't track it? "Lloyd's List" does a better job --
ANDERSON: Sure.
HICKEY: -- at tracking their ships than they do? I don't get that.
ANDERSON: Very briefly, what sort of compensation --
(CROSSTALK)
HICKEY: So, yes, that's going to impact this whole case.
ANDERSON: What sort of compensation will these passengers be looking for and how long is this going to take?
HICKEY: Well, I've been asked this question over and over, and I'm sorry, I have to give the same answer, and that is as far as amount of compensation, really depends upon the injuries, right? And obviously, if you've lost a loved one, it's going to be governed by the Italian maritime law in regard to wrongful death, which there is a remedy for wrongful death in Italy.
And I -- it depends up on a number of factors. In -- Italy is, as you probably know, a civil law country, unlike the United States and England, which are common law countries. In the civil law countries, of course, they have schedules of things. It's not that easy, of course, because they have factors that weigh into them and then the judge makes a final decision.
So, there's going to be some compensation. I dare say not enough. Probably the civil system is not known for generous compensation, so -- so, that's that.
ANDERSON: All right.
HICKEY: But there's compensation. I don't mean to imply it's just for death. It's also for personal injury and for interruption of the vacation.
ANDERSON: Jack, always a pleasure. We thank you very much, indeed, for joining you -- joining us this evening. Your expert on the subject, fascinating stuff here in London tonight.
Still to come on this show, a victory that got his campaign off to a great start wasn't a victory at all. Some bad news for presidential candidate Mitt Romney, up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, he's always been a fighter, he says, but he knows when to retreat. Turning now to a big shakeup in the Republican race for the White House just days before what is a crucial primary.
Now, Texas governor Rick Perry has dropped out today, leaving just four candidates remaining. He entered the race with high expectations, the darling of many conservatives and evangelical Christians. But he then stumbled with a series of gaffes and poor debate performances. He now says he'll support the candidate he calls a conservative visionary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: I've always believed the mission is greater than the man. As I have contemplated the future of this campaign, I have come to the conclusion that there is no viable path forward for me in this 2012 campaign.
Therefore today, I am suspending my campaign and endorsing Newt Gingrich for president of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Perry's endorsement is a big boost for the former US House Speaker, but another candidate has also got new bragging rights today. It turns out that former senator Rick Santorum actually won the Iowa caucuses, the first contest of the nominating season.
Now, the Iowa Republican Party says final results show he squeaked by former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney by just 34 votes. Romney declared the winner in Iowa, of course, two weeks ago, making him the man to beat ever since.
Well, these setbacks for the front runner come right before Saturday's crucial primary in South Carolina, a state that's pretty much the buckle of America's Bible Belt. The candidates have one last chance to face off before then. A debate hosted by CNN begins in just hours.
Jim Acosta is live for us in Charleston with a preview on that. Well, they've had to take away a seat, of course, or at least a position where Mr. Perry can stand. How does him dropping out change the nature of this race, if at all?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, just a few days ago, Mitt Romney was not just referred to as the GOP front runner, but some people were calling him the inevitable nominee for the Republican Party. And so, things have changed dramatically in just the last 24 to 48 hours.
You just mentioned a few moments ago that Republican officials out in Iowa have determined Rick Santorum actually won that state, not Mitt Romney. And then you add to that the fact that Rick Perry has dropped out of this race and endorsed Mitt Romney's chief rival, Newt Gingrich.
All of this spells trouble for the former Massachusetts governor. We tried to catch up with Mitt Romney earlier today to ask him about all of this. He was very tight-lipped about all of these developments, only offering a few words of praise for Rick Perry. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Governor Perry, terrific guy, terrific conservative, been a great governor, was great in the race, and we're going to miss him on the stage tonight.
ACOST (on camera): How about those final results in Iowa, governor? Is it fair to call it a tie when Rick Santorum came out on top? Governor. It's been a big news day, can you just give us a couple of comments, sir?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, guys. Move out of the way, I've got to get through.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: So, obviously there in damage-control mode over at the Romney campaign. And just to give you a little context of what I was trying to ask the governor earlier today, the Romney campaign earlier this morning, Becky, put out a statement calling the results in Iowa a tie.
As it turns out, earlier this afternoon here in the United States, Mitt Romney called Rick Santorum to, quote, "congratulate" the former Pennsylvania senator for the results out in Iowa. The Santorum campaign said that Mitt Romney conceded, and then the Romney campaign came back and said, "No, we didn't concede. We only congratulated him."
So, things got a little confusing this afternoon on that front. But let me just show you this -- the poll that just, I think, paints the whole story right now as to how interesting things are getting in South Carolina.
Very quickly, Newt Gingrich with a one-point lead over Mitt Romney, now, in South Carolina. Becky, a week ago after New Hampshire, it was a double-digit lead for Mitt Romney. All of that has changed.
ANDERSON: Yes, this is remarkable stuff, making it really quite an exciting watch. Jim, than you for that. A reminder, of course, that the CNN Southern Republican Presidential Debate just hours away, live coverage from Charleston, South Carolina, early in the morning if you're in Europe, 1:00 AM, London time.
Now, Newt Gingrich may have to answer some fairly uncomfortable questions tonight about explosive allegations concerning his private affairs. In interviews with ABC News and the "Washington Post," his second ex-wife, Marianne Gingrich, said he offered her a shocking choice after revealing that he was having an affair in 1999.
You're going to see them here together in this file video. Here's part of what she told ABC News. Callista is now his current wife.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIANNE GINGRICH, NEWT GINGRICH'S EX-WIFE: I said to him, "Newt. We've been married a long time."
And he said, "Yes, but you want me all to yourself. Callista doesn't care what I do."
BRIAN ROSS, ABC CORRESPONDENT: What was he saying to you, do you think?
GINGRICH: Oh, he was asking to have an open marriage, and I refused.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: All right. Well, Gingrich told reporters today that he will not say anything about his ex-wife Marianne, but he says his two daughters have complained to ABC, calling the interview, quote, "tawdry and inappropriate."
Well, the allegations could hurt Gingrich among so-called "values voters." But then again, he's weathered storms before and emerged barely wet. Veteran political analyst Bill Schneider joins us, now, from Washington with some perspective.
You've been around Washington for long enough. These guys have been around Washington for long enough. They're pretty tough, aren't they, these guys?
BILL SCHNEIDER, POLITICAL ANALYST: They certainly are. But I'll tell you something, anyone who understands the situation in the Republican Party right now is grossly misinformed. Because it is incomprehensible.
We'll see what happens after tonight's CNN debate. That's going to be a crucial event. It's likely to be boisterous and rollicking as the four candidates who are left go after each other.
ANDERSON: Sure.
SCHNEIDER: You've got virtually a tie between the two -- between Romney and Gingrich right now. It could turn out either way or maybe even Santorum.
ANDERSON: Right. How have these debates been going for these candidates, and how important have they been in driving their popularity or not, as it were.
SCHNEIDER: Absolutely crucial. What we've seen is, it's like a series of auditions with the debates, and there'll be a debate, Newt Gingrich does very well, he shoots to the top of the polls. Then someone else does well, that candidate shoots to the top of the polls and they drop Gingrich.
It's like a series of failed auditions, one candidate after another.
ANDERSON: Sure.
SCHNEIDER: They've had, like, six front runners in this contest. It was supposed to be Romney, who was supposed to have won the first two contests. It turns out he really didn't. Now, of course, Gingrich is coming up fast in South Carolina, which has chosen the Republican nominee since 1980. Anything can happen.
ANDERSON: Is it any -- or, sorry. Let me phrase that another way. Are we any closer to working out what the Republican Party candidate will stand for going forward into this election against Obama?
SCHNEIDER: Well, clearly the Republican candidate -- they don't disagree on many issues. They all want to repeal the Obama health care plan. I think all of them who are left want to repeal the financial reform plan.
Basically, what the Republicans are seeking is revenge on the Obama administration and the Democrats, so they want to reverse most of what Obama has done, and they want to plan for smaller government, less spending. They say they'll pay more attention to the deficit, but they also are talking about new tax cuts. They're not great substantive disagreements among these candidates.
ANDERSON: Were you surprised by Rick's -- Rick Perry's decision to back Newt Gingrich today?
SCHNEIDER: Not really. I was surprised he didn't -- he stayed in the race this long. I thought he was out after Iowa. He was destined to come in last to -- on Saturday in South Carolina, which would have been embarrassing.
A lot of people expecting that he might endorse Rick Santorum, because the two of them both appeal to the so-called "values voters," the religious conservatives, who are very numerous in South Carolina, as they were in Iowa.
So, it was a bit of a surprise that he endorsed Gingrich, but Gingrich looks like he has the best chance of stopping Romney.
But I'll tell you something. Most people who know anything about the Republican Party simply do not believe that this party's going to nominate Newt Gingrich, because he'd be a very difficult candidate to elect against Obama.
ANDERSON: It's fascinating stuff. Bill Schneider, always a pleasure. A face you'll see regularly here on this show as we move towards November 2012. Bill, thank you for that.
You're with CONNECT THE WORLD here on CNN, of course. The phrase, "Remember the times of your life" meant one thing to generations of Americans: Kodak. Now, the photography icon is fighting for its life. The whole picture after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Eastman Kodak falling victim to the revolution it helped create. The company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US, protection from its creditors, of course. Kodak has been struggling to find its way in the digital age, even though it's actually one of the pioneers of digital photography.
Bankruptcy protection may give Kodak the time it needs to find buyers for some of its patents.
Well, it's only fitting, then, that tonight's Parting Shots, well, they're yours, as you and I say good-bye with some of your best Kodak moments.
Kate Barber sent this into iReport saying these Kodachrome slides from their family vacations were between 1950 and 1970 and were her favorite.
Time for a hug. Amanda Lewis said this picture was taken 20 years ago after making up after a fight with her cousin. Sweet, isn't it? Today they are still best friends, she says.
This photo from 1958 and shows Kathi Cordsen's three sisters and one brother. She said this photo captured the innocence of them all as kids.
This past summer, Holly Gallacher from Scotland loaded her camera with some Kodak film to capture these beautiful images of Glen Esk.
And another stunning landscape photo, this time from Indonesia, shot in 1989 by Gergorious Suharsono, I hope I've got your name right, on Kodachrome slides. He says this was his most memorable journey to Mount Krakatau.
And finally, take a look at this snapshot from 1965. You may recognize that man as Paul McCartney. No, it's not, is John Lennon, isn't it? Oh, I can't say -- is it? It looks like John Lennon to me.
Lynn Kordus, you were only 17 when you took that. It was 1965, so maybe you just didn't recognize him.
Anyway, do you have a memorable Kodak moment? You can share it with CNN's iReport. Check out the assignment at iReport.cnn.com.
I'm Becky Anderson, that was CONNECT THE WORD for you. Thank you for watching. World news headlines and "BACKSTORY" here on CNN up after this short break, so do not go away.
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