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Manhunt for Rapist Intensifies; Hope for Peace in Myanmar?; What is a Latino?; Legal Briefs

Aired September 29, 2007 - 14:00   ET

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


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Right now in the NEWSROOM, the manhunt intensifies for a predator who police say videotaped himself raping a little girl. We're live with the latest.
Also, fighting for freedom. Despite a brutal crackdown, there's new hope for peace in Myanmar. We've got new I-Report video from inside the protests.

Plus, what is a Latino? What do they look like? The answer just might surprise you. We're uncovering America straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

First, a three-year-old raped on camera. The important thing today, police say, the little girl is now safe. Chester Stiles is the accused attacker. Police in the Las Vegas area are desperately trying to find him right now and our Kara Finnstrom is covering this horrendous case in Nevada and how do investigators believe they might go about trying to look for this suspect?

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a huge effort under way. And they're actually bringing in help from all across the country. But the effort really now focused in the Las Vegas area. This is where this man was seen last and this is where the crime occurred. The headline in Las Vegas, just 24 hours ago was the search for this young girl, who was seen brutally raped on the tape.

Today, the headline is the search for that attacker. Authorities have said that the man that they are looking for right now, their main suspect in this case, is a man by the name of Chester Arthur Stiles. Now, he is a man that authorities in this area have been looking for in connection with another crime, an unrelated crime in which he is charged with lewdness affecting a minor who is under the age of 14 years old.

He also has had a history of combative efforts with police. They say they believe he's dangerous. They believe, from people who know him, that he's paranoid, that he could be carrying weapons. So this is someone that they want to track down quickly. The sheriff in this area actually made a direct appeal to Stiles to turn himself in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF ANTHONY DEMEO, NYE COUNTY NEVADA: Chester Arthur Stiles, turn yourself in to local law enforcement agency so that you can be arrested for the warrants that we have open for you, so you can be further investigated for any culpability you have in this case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FINNSTROM: Chester Arthur Stiles, again, the person they are looking for right now. That little girl, we have a little bit more information about her. She was found with her mother. Detectives say she is now seven years old. That this attack actually took place four years ago. So there are some troubling questions about why this was undiscovered for so long. They say social workers and investigators will be talking with the family and trying to figure out exactly what happened.

But they assured the public here who is very worried about this little girl, that she will be getting all the help that she needs. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: And Kara, while the police feel like they have to be very careful, understandably, with this little girl and of course her family, too. Because they have essentially been victimized as well. How much will investigators try to learn about the relationship that this family may have had with Stiles or anyone else who is suspected of being involved?

FINNSTROM: Right now, all we know about this relationship is that the mother told detectives yesterday - and they say she's been very cooperative and forthcoming, that Stiles was a distant family friend. From some of the background of that videotape, detectives felt before all of this unfolded and they found the little girl, that Stiles had been entrusted into her care. Because they said he was obviously in a relaxed environment with this child and she was under his care.

So there will be a lot of questions about how much he had -- how involved he was with this family and exactly how this all unfolded, as well as why no signs of physical abuse were spotted.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kara Finnstrom, thank you so much.

And right now we want to focus on food. So you want to check your freezer. An important recall of frozen hamburger patties got a lot bigger a couple of hours ago. Topps is expanding a recall to cover almost 22 million pounds of ground beef. The patties carry USDA code number 9748. Look on the back of the package or check cnn.com for the list of recalled products.

The Agriculture Department counts three confirmed cases of e. coli. Twenty-two other possible cases are under investigation across the United States right now. We're working on a live report from the Topps Meat Company in Elizabeth, New Jersey. See that at 4:00 p.m. Eastern.

Meantime, some pretty scary minutes in the skies right outside of Philadelphia. Airtran Flight 47 had to return to the airport after the right side of the windshield collapsed. The FAA says a bird apparently smashed into the glass and the co-pilot actually had some cuts on his face. But will apparently be OK. And overseas now, pockets of protests amid a military clamp down in Myanmar, the country also known as Burma. A different form of protest now coming from a U.N. envoy, who arrived today to negotiate an end to clashes between the military and pro-democracy activists. Military rulers have barred all foreign journalists from the country. So our John Vause is monitoring the situation from neighboring Thailand.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is an incredible security presence on the streets of Yangon. But despite that, one source inside the country has told CNN about an incredibly dangerous game of cat and mouse between the demonstrators and security forces.

According to this source, any one time, about 100 or so protesters have been facing off against the army and against the police. These protesters have been taunting the soldiers and the police officers. They've been yelling abuse. They've been chanting slogans and then, as the security forces move in to arrest them, these protesters scatter, they run away and hide. That is the sign for a secondary protest.

Apparently a red flag, a fighting peacock flag, the symbol of the pro democracy movement in 1988, that goes up, hundreds fall in behind. They start marching and they start chanting Buddhist prayers and then the police and the army turn their attention to those protesters. They, too, run away and hide. All of the demonstrators then regroup at another location and it starts all over again.

Today, though, there was almost no sign of any monks on the streets of Yangon. Many have been rounded up. Hundreds have been arrested. Others have been confined to their monasteries. And after days of unrest, it seems the military is now trying to regain control without the bloodshed, at least in public.

One reason for that could be the presence of the U.N. special envoy. He is now in Myanmar's capital, he is there to try and broker some talks between the government and the pro-democracy movement. I'm John Vause, reporting from Bangkok, Thailand.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And because many journalists, like our John Vause, are unable to get into the country to see for themselves, many of the pictures you've been seeing on our air, we've been getting out of Myanmar from our I-Reporters. The Myanmar government has a long history of cracking down on dissent. The fact that we are getting these pictures shows the powers of the average citizen, even in the most isolated areas of the world to get the story out.

Professional journalists, as I mentioned, have been mostly unable to report from inside that country. So the crackdown is so tight, pictures and information we're getting are usually smuggled out. I- Reporters have supplied one of the few sources of these pictures. And in doing so, they actually do place themselves at risk. Well, here are some additional facts about Myanmar, slightly smaller than state of Texas, Myanmar is located in southeastern Asia with borders on India, China, Bangladesh, Thailand and Laos. And originally a British colony, the country gained independence in 1948.

Myanmar is home to more than 47 million people and 89 percent of them are Buddhist. The country was first called Burma. But since 1989, military authorities have referred to their country as Myanmar, although the U.S. government and many expatriates still do use the name Burma.

An explosion rocking a tourist hub of the Indian Ocean now. Twelve people were hurt in the blast today in the Maldives. An official says two British tourists were badly burned and authorities called the device homemade. It exploded in park in the capital of Male.

And the Pentagon says the latest test of a missile defense system was a success. This decoy rocket lifted off from Alaska. A missile shot from California then intercepted it over the pacific. The multi- billion dollar project was -- or, rather, has a mixed track record. Officials count seven successful tests out of 11 attempts.

And forget what the calendar says. It is snow season, at least in Oregon's Mt. Hood. The Cascades are looking at one to three inches of snow above 4,500 feet. Not quite enough to bring out the skiers, but there are a lot of folks are pretty excited. And a sure sign that summer is definitely a goner.

And there is more snow, apparently, on the way. Isn't that right, Jacqui? Although remember, last week, I was kind of aghast as you mentioned snow last weekend. And here we go again.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: All right. Good. And hopefully they'll just fizzle out.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Karen will do that, yeah.

WHITFIELD: Thanks a lot, Jacqui.

So just days ago, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, his name was back in the news and he actually hinted that he just might run for president. Now today, apparently he's singing a different tune. We'll look at why Gingrich decided a presidential run just isn't in the cards.

And the man at the middle of the mystery at sea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we talked to him, he was extremely cool and collected and we tried shaking him up, but were unable to.

WHITFIELD: Strange story. But what do we really know about him? CNN's David Mattingly investigates, straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

And a new twist in the videotaping scandal that got the New England Patriots in some pretty big trouble. Find out who is suing the team and the coach.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It is a no go for Newt Gingrich. Just two days after the former Republican House speaker hinted that he just might run for the White House, his spokesman tells CNN Gingrich has decided not to run, because he couldn't legally run his political action committee and form a presidential exploratory committee at the same time. Gingrich had told supporters he would enter the race for president if they pledged $30 million by the October 1. That assessment never quite got off the ground.

And there's this news across America, a New York Jets fan takes on the New England patriots. A class action lawsuit accuses Patriots coach Bill Belichick of violating the integrity of the game. The Patriots got caught illegally videotaping the Jets signals during a game earlier in the month.

And in Bellevue, Washington, a teenager is injured in an auto accident while shopping inside a TJ Maxx. Police say the driver apparently lost control and smashed through the automatic door, took out several clothing racks and then stopped nearly 20 yards inside the store. The driver now under arrest.

And don't you just hate it when you get stuck behind a slow- moving house? Well, this one was moved down an L.A. freeway this week, 11 days after the owners left it on the side of the road. They had tried to move it themselves. But that didn't work, obviously. So, now they'll get a bill from the state. Probably a lot of angry letters, too, from a lot of angry drivers.

And something else that's not supposed there. This fellow was discovered in a YMCA pool. Where else, Florida? Not an outdoor pool either. This gator found his way inside. He's not big by gator standards, measuring just three and a half feet, but it's a gator nonetheless, still big enough to be handled only by the pros.

Thank goodness they got there first. So it was supposed to be an overnight charter to the Bahamas. Now it's a troubling mystery at sea with the two survivors in custody and four people missing and believed murdered. As CNN's David Mattingly reports, authorities are learning more about one of the suspects.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Before he and another man were found drifting in a life raft, caught up in an apparent multiple murder at sea, 35-year-old Kirby Archer was a wanted man, on the run from a tumultuous life in Arkansas.

MICHELLE ARCHER, WIFE OF SUSPECT: The way things have happened, it's just not the Kirby I knew. MATTINGLY: Michelle archer is the wife he left behind, disappearing without a word in January, after allegedly stealing more than $92,000 from the Wal-Mart where he worked.

ARCHER: It's a total different person. It's like he doesn't care.

MATTINGLY: When he vanished, Archer was also under investigation in a case of child molestation. Archer denied the allegations and no charges have been filed.

CAPT. JODY DOTSON, LAWRENCE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: When we talked to him, he was extremely cool and collected and we tried shaking him up, but were unable to.

MATTINGLY: Michelle Rowe, Archer's previous wife told CNN Wednesday she had taken custody of their two young sons and Archer vanished just days later.

MICHELLE ROWE, ARCHER'S EX-WIFE: I do think of him as a violent man and he's capable of anything.

MATTINGLY: And neither his ex-nor his current wife has any idea where he has been for the last eight months. On Saturday, archer and his 19-year-old companion, Guillermo Zarabozo paid $4,000 cash for what was supposed to be an overnight trip to the Bahamas onboard the fishing boat Joe Cool. The vessel was found abandoned, drifting 160 miles off course near Cuba. The U.S. Army confirms to CNN that Archer, a former M.P., once served in Guantanamo Bay in 1995. He was discharged in 2004, before moving to Arkansas.

ARCHER: I knew if he was alive, more than likely, he would be going to Miami or Cuba. Because that's where his closest friends are.

MATTINGLY: Authorities doubt Zarabozo's story that pirates murdered the crew of four and then let the two men go. The Coast Guard has called off the search with no sign of Captain Jack Branham (ph), his wife Kelly (ph), nor crew mates, Michael Gamble (ph) and Samuel Kerry (ph).

LT. CMDR. CHRIS O'NEIL, U.S. COAST GUARD: We're confident in our search plan. We're confident in the abilities of our air crews and our boat crews and we believe that if the crew of the "Joe Cool" was in that search area, whether they had been on land, on an island somewhere or if they had been in the water, we would have found them by now.

MATTINGLY: David Mattingly, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Turnabout is fair play, so the saying goes. Well, Iran's Parliament today condemned the CIA and the U.S. Army as terrorist organizations. Iran points to U.S. behavior at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq and even the U.S. nuclear attacks on Japan in 1945. The move appears to be retaliation for a U.S. congressional resolution. It calls for the U.S. to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard a terrorist group.

So what does it mean to be a Latino? The answer just might surprise you. Here now is a hint. It's not about race at all.

Plus, treating the victims of HIV/AIDS abroad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We started using the concept of recycling medicine. All the medicines come from people with HIV around the U.S. and goes abroad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: We'll tell you how this "CNN Hero" is doing it straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: So hundreds of you have stepped forward to help a man who has found a way to save lives all over the world. He does this by collecting AIDS medications that would otherwise be thrown out. He is a "CNN Hero." And because of you, he has expanded his network of drug donors and recipients, and he also received a $35,000 grant from the Elton John Foundation. His name is Jesus Aguais.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're rolling.

JESUS AGUAIS, AID FOR AIDS INTERNATIONAL: The simplest idea could make the biggest impact. Recycling HIV medicine. How many people out there are looking for medicine? And how many people with HIV in the United States have no idea that they could save lives with something that is just a leftover for them?

My name is Jesus Aguais. I'm the founder of Aid for AIDS International. I'm dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with HIV in developing countries.

Early in 1993 I got a job as a counselor in one of the Latino AIDS organizations here in New York. In terms of helping people abroad, there was very little that you could do. There was no medicine at all. Only people with lots of money could come to the United States. The rest, the common people, have to die.

In 1996, the first two protease inhibitors got approved, but some people couldn't tolerate it. A treatment that cost $1,200 was being thrown away. I just knew it was wrong, purely wrong. I was telling people, why don't you bring it to me?

We started using the concept of recycling HIV medicine. All the medicine comes from people with HIV around the U.S. and goes abroad. People can send it directly to us, or if they live in the New York City area, we can pick it up, and we send it on a monthly basis straight to the patient. (SINGING)

AGUAIS: This is a matter of saving life. People need this medicine. We need to get it to them. It's our responsibility. I see it as what I'm here to do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: So go to cnn.com/heroes to nominate a hero that you know. You've only got until the end of the day tomorrow, September 30th, to get your nominations in. And selected winners will be honored during a special live global broadcast October 6th hosted by our own Anderson Cooper.

NFL superstar Michael Vick is already facing a likely prison sentence, and now he has failed a drug test. So what will it all mean for his future? Our legal experts will tackle this issue when the CNN NEWSROOM continues.

And this isn't your average chow line. No way. Today the military's top chefs are facing off in a culinary competition. Let's say it again, culinary competition.

All right. We'll take you there live straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Here's what's happening right now, police are searching for suspected child molester Chester Arthur Stiles. Nevada officials say he videotaped himself sexually brutalizing a three-year- old girl. The child has been located with her mother, and she's now seven-years-old by the way, and is said to be OK.

Well, check your frozen hamburger patties. The Topps meat company is now recalling almost 22 million pounds of ground beef products, USDA code number 9748. The Agriculture Department is investigating 25 possible cases of e. Coli linked to the product.

Military troops are out in force today across Myanmar as a key U.N. envoy arrives. He's trying to negotiate a peaceful resolution to clashes between the military and pro-democracy activists.

Are threats made in the wake of the Jena 6 case, hate crimes? Civil rights leaders asking the Justice Department to investigate now. Noose hangings and other alleged threats were made following marchers on behalf of an African-American student in Louisiana. Mychal Bell and five other students are accused of beating a white classmate.

Well now, on to some other legal cases. Music producer Phil Spector, cult leader, Warren Jeffs and quarterback Michael Vick. New twists and turns in all of these cases.

Avery Friedman is a civil rights attorney and law professor, good to see you.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Hi, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Richard Herman is a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor. Good to see you, as well.

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Hi, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right guys, well, I know we've got a lot to cover in such a little bit of time, so ...

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: ...we're going to try and go through these kind of in bullet point fashion.

Let's begin with the Phil Spector case. Richard, did you see this coming? A mistrial?

HERMAN: Well Fred, now (ph) the defense case was really so scientific, and it really laid the foundation for reasonable doubt defense there. A 7-5, the first time they broke, and claimed it was a mistrial, was pretty strong, you know. We don't know how it fell 7-5. But either way, if there were five people voting to acquit him early on, I mean that is really powerful.

Now, the judge modified the jury instruction, which I think was a critical error. And if had he been convicted, I think it would have been reversed on appeal. But you know, the government, they're going to learn from their mistakes this time. They're going to shorten the case, and 10-2 is kind of close. He could be in trouble next time.

FRIEDMAN: Wow.

WHITFIELD: Really? So Avery, could be in trouble because you think they really are going to retry this case?

FRIEDMAN: No, this is ...

WHITFIELD: Because that is an option, right?

FRIEDMAN: Well, it's -- and as a matter of fact, within 24 hours after the verdict, the district attorney correctly said we're going to re-try Phil Spector. And it's the correct thing to do, because it was attended to and two of the jurors obviously got confused by this defense ofuscation (ph) when it came to scientific evidence.

HERMAN: Sounds like a prosecutor.

FRIEDMAN: This was overwhelming evidence, a near flawless case. They're going to get him. We -- we're going to have a new defense team. Roger Roesen (ph) is out. Look for a new trial in the spring of 2008.

WHITFIELD: Oh, so that's a big blow to the district attorney's office, that these prosecutors, while they may have had all this great evidence, apparently they didn't execute this trial correctly, is that what you're saying, Avery? FRIEDMAN: Oh no, no, no, no. I think they did exactly right. I think the defense did a great job in confusing a couple of jurors, and then, what we're going to see here is that will be addressed when this is retried in the spring. So, the kind of defense we saw here with all the scientific evidence, which frankly didn't make any sense ...

HERMAN: Hey, Avery.

FRIEDMAN: ...is going to be cleaned up.

HERMAN: Boy, you sound like a prosecutor. That's called reasonable doubt.

FRIEDMAN: Well, I don't mean to be -- I'm trying to be objective about this thing. I think they'll get the conviction in the spring.

HERMAN: That's called reasonable doubt, the defense case, Fred. That's what was going on.

FRIEDMAN: I don't know about that (ph).

WHITFIELD: OK, all right, well, let's move on to the Warren Jeffs because -- well, the jurors in this case said forget it, he's guilty on two counts, at least ...

FRIEDMAN: Sure.

WHITFIELD: ...of being an accessory to -- or is this -- am I going in the right order, people? All right, well sorry.

We're going to go on to this case that I think I took it out of order. Sorry, guys.

FRIEDMAN: Doesn't matter.

WHITFIELD: But the jurors said, no, he's found guilty for being a participant in rape, essentially, this 14-year-old girl who was forced to marry her first cousin, no less, 19-year-old.

All right, so does this mean, Avery, this guilty verdict means perhaps creating a new path to more charges for Warren Jeffs, or does that mean it's simply over for Warren Jeffs, maybe move on to other potential participants in this whole cult or this community?

FRIEDMAN: Well, what's going to happen with Warren Jeffs is now he's facing an additional eight charges concerning rape and a federal flight charge. The fact is that the prosecution did this correctly. There was some fear that there may have been a stealth juror, but this was rape by proxy. He was an accomplice to rape. The young woman was 14, Fredricka, not 19, she was 19 when the charges were brought, she's 21 now.

WHITFIELD: Right, she was 14, but the guy was -- right, 19.

FRIEDMAN: Right, but there are eight new cases that will move forward, probably even more to come. This was the beginning of the end. There is much more to go. Warren Jeffs is in a whole bowl of trouble right now.

HERMAN: And I'll tell you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HERMAN: I was absolutely stunned on this conviction right now because I thought ...

WHITFIELD: Why?

HERMAN: ...this was the lowest of all the cases they had. Avery is right there. There's a steam roll of cases coming at this guy that are going to bury him. But, to get convicted as an accomplice to rape when they didn't even charge the husband, to me was so bizarre.

FRIEDMAN: Well, the husband -- the husband is now charged, Fredricka. Right.

HERMAN: Well I know, he got charged right after the conviction.

FRIEDMAN: Right.

HERMAN: He's going to be charged, and the jury just -- you know, a 14-year-old can consent to sexual relations.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HERMAN: So, that was the issue when the jury believed her testimony. Avery was right, he called the conviction. I said it probably was not going to be a conviction here. So, I was really stunned with this one, I've got to tell you.

WHITFIELD: All right, well, let's talk about the Michael Vick case. His sentencing is to be in December, but there are a whole lot of other things that have now taken place that really might jeopardize all of that or make it tougher on him, I suppose.

Now, Virginia handing down state dogfighting charges. So, now I got to wonder, Richard, did his attorneys fail him in this respect, because I think all of us talked once before. If you're going to plea, then don't -- you want to involve all the jurisdictions so that perhaps something else doesn't kind of -- something else isn't waiting in the wings? I mean, he pled guilty with the Feds, but then, the state comes out and says, well, we've got charges of our own?

HERMAN: Hey Fred, you have ...

WHITFIELD: Were they blind-sided?

HERMAN: Fred, you have a brilliant legal mind, and I was stunned ...

WHITFIELD: I am learning from you two ...

HERMAN: You are.

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: ...every weekend.

HERMAN: You are.

FRIEDMAN: Boy, oh, boy.

HERMAN: I mean, I was stunned that his defense team did not try to make this a global resolution, meaning combine it with the state, make a plea on the state, run the sentences concurrent and to get blind-sided by this, if they were blind-sided by it, you know, they're going to try to make motions for double jeopardy, they're going to say they -- all of the actions arise out of the same set of operative facts and circumstances and, therefore, the state is a duplicate of the federal and, therefore, it should be dismissed.

FRIEDMAN: That's not going to work.

HERMAN: But Avery, I don't know, it's probably not going to work.

FRIEDMAN: Not going to work.

HERMAN: He pled guilty to interstate travel with a dog for fighting, and here ...

FRIEDMAN: By the way, by the way ...

WHITFIELD: Yes?

FRIEDMAN: ...you know where his lawyer was when all this was going on?

WHITFIELD: Oh, I know! Taking care of the Craig ...

FRIEDMAN: Billy Martin was in -- at Dena (ph), Minnesota ...

WHITFIELD: Oh, OK.

FRIEDMAN: ...fighting to try to get ...

WHITFIELD: The Craig case.

FRIEDMAN: ...Senator Larry Craig's ...

WHITFIELD: Yes.

FRIEDMAN: ...disorderly conduct case overturned.

WHITFIELD: Uh-oh.

FRIEDMAN: It's ridiculous. He should have been paying attention to what was going on.

Actually, Richard's exactly right. I mean, this was a case that required attention by the lawyers and I don't know what they were thinking.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

FRIEDMAN: I actually had suggested this might happen, and now it is.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

FRIEDMAN: It is happening.

WHITFIELD: And not to dog Billy Martin, because he has an incredible reputation and highly respected, but everybody ...

FRIEDMAN: You can only be in one place ...

WHITFIELD: ...makes mistakes, I guess, and ...

FRIEDMAN: ...you can't be in two place at one time.

WHITFIELD: ...I mean, something's wrong here. Yes.

FRIEDMAN: You can't do it.

HERMAN: And now he's out on bail and he gets busted for smoking pot and having pot in his system.

WHITFIELD: Oh yes, I failed to mention that part.

HERMAN: I mean, who's watching over this?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HERMAN: He's reckless, he's reckless. He's really going to get -- he could be incarcerated for the trial.

WHITFIELD: Oh man, it's such a sad case

FRIEDMAN: Exactly right.

WHITFIELD: ...all the way around. It really is.

All right, Richard, Avery, thanks so much. And we're not done with you guys, though, because we are going to talk about the U.S. Supreme Court ...

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: ...because they're going to be convening Monday. And all that on the heels of Clarence Thomas' new book. So I can't wait to hear your thoughts on that.

HERMAN: OK, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Meantime, in today's "Uncovering America," you know those ethnicity questions on forms that you have to fill out?

Well, CNN's Thelma Gutierrez shows us that you cannot define race by checking a little box.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What are Latinos? What do they look like? You may be surprised.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We go from black to white, so we have mestizo, we have indigenous, we have Arab.

GUTIERREZ: And some of us are Asian. I'm Chinese and Mexican. But contrary to what most people think, Latino is not a race and it's not a particular ethnic group.

PROF. PETE LOPEZ, VALLEY COLLEGE: We transcend race. We're not one racial, monolithic group, and that's the biggest misnomer.

GUTIERREZ: Pete Lopez teaches Chicano studies in Los Angeles. He says politicians and marketing executives target the Latino market, but usually miss their mark.

LOPEZ: They think if they put on a cultural base, tons of celebrations, and then talk immigration, the outcome (ph). The misnomer is that we all come from Mexico or that we all come from Central America or South America.

GUTIERREZ: Latinos share a tie to Latin America somewhere in their family. My grandfather migrated from China to Mexico, where he married my grandmother and started a family. Several generations and many interracial marriages later, this is the outcome. Different ethnic backgrounds tied at least in part, by the Spanish language and the Mexican culture.

LOPEZ: The Latino is a person who understands that he or she comes from this community. If you feel that you were raised, have been raised in a Latino household, you'll know that. You'll feel that. It's almost visceral, it's almost firmer (ph) -- something that you feel, you sense.

MARCELLA ORTIZ SARDANIS, VALLEY COLLEGE: My name is Marcello Ortiz Sardanas. I'm French, Spanish, and Mexican. I'm Latina.

The stereotype is that all -- we all speak with accents, that we all do not want to embrace the culture here, that we are all are dark skinned, black-eyed, and we have one look, and we absolutely do not.

DOUG MARRIOTT: I'm Doug Marriott. I'm Canadian and Mexican, and I'm Latino.

I remember somebody saying that if you have access to two languages, it's like having two souls. And I thought that was kind of true, because when you dream in Spanish or feel things in Spanish, you feel things differently.

GUTIERREZ: Latinos can be multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-ethnic. At 44 million and counting, the U.S. Census Bureau projects Latinos will exceed 100 million by the year 2050. Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And perhaps you want to know more, so check out CNN.com's special online report, "The Hispanic Experience Today." Read about the real issues facing the Latino community and significant moments in Hispanic history. You can also share your stories and photos through an i-Report. That, and more at CNN.com/uncoveringAmerica.

Straight ahead in the NEWSROOM, we'll find out what's cooking at the fierce competition for military chefs. And Gary Nurenberg, you get to taste it all, right?

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do CIA chefs have enough secrets to beat chefs who work at the Joint Chiefs of Staff? Do Navy chefs know enough to sink the Coast Guard? Answers to those questions and who gets to eat the lobster anyway, when we come back, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Oh! That's what I want to know. Save me a plate.

All right, thanks a lot, Gary.

NURENBERG: OK.

WHITFIELD: We'll talk to you soon. But first, a CNN news quiz. Here is one of the new questions for the U.S. citizenship test. Would you pass? Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States. Just one, one of the two. The answer when we come right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, today's news quiz. We asked you to name one of the two longest rivers in the United States. If you said the Missouri or the Mississippi Rivers, then you were right.

All right, let's talk again about our legal, I guess, hurdles, straight ahead. The U.S. Supreme Court is beginning its new session on Monday, and our legal guys are back.

Once again, Avery Friedman and Richard Herman, and maybe one of the hurdles that the Supreme Court justices, guys, have to get over is the fact that Justice Clarence Thomas has a new book, and it will be out and much talked about. And they'll all be greeted by that on their first day. How is that going to, I guess, change the mood of things, Avery?

FRIEDMAN: Well, it will have no effect. This is a book where Justice Thomas reportedly got about $150,000 about a year and a half ago. It took him a year and a half to finally write the book. It's now out. He's going to talk about one thing: abortion. It will have no effect on the Supreme Court, none whatsoever.

WHITFIELD: All right, Richard, do, you know ...

HERMAN: Well ...

WHITFIELD: ...it seems like, I guess, the justices have like, an unwritten rule. It's like you just don't talk about your life while you're on the bench. Is this any different?

HERMAN: No, it's not different, and I'm not a fan of his. I don't think he should have cut that book deal right now. No problem with our own Jeff Toobin doing a book about the Supreme Court.

WHITFIELD: No, he's not on the bench.

HERMAN: This is -- right, exactly, he's not on the bench.

Justice Kennedy is going to be the swing vote in so many cases that are coming up this term. He is leaning towards the liberal side here, and the Guantanamo Bay cases are huge. A national child pornography law is coming up. And a review of the federal sentencing guidelines, which I implore this court to examine, because these guidelines are so harsh, they must be rectified, they must be fixed and brought back to reality.

WHITFIELD: And what's with the whole dispute over the whole penalties, Federal penalties on crack versus cocaine powder? I mean, this apparently is a contentious issue, Avery, why?

FRIEDMAN: You just nailed the exact issue because of the racially disparate impact of those guidelines, but that's the point. At this point, they're merely voluntary, most Federal judges use them.

But I must say, one thing I do agree with, if you really want some insight on what this term is going to be and what the justices are like, I agree. Moving up the charts, I think No. 5 on the "New York Times" Best-Seller's List is CNN legal correspondent -- senior legal correspondent's Jeff Toobin's book, "The Nine."

WHITFIELD: "The Nine."

FRIEDMAN: It gives you insight ...

WHITFIELD: It's good, too.

FRIEDMAN: ...it gives you insight on each of the justice's thinking. If you really want to handle -- to understand them, what's going on, on all these cases that Richard has mentioned and I have mentioned, you got to get the book. It sounds like a plug, but it isn't, it's first-class work.

HERMAN: And Fred ...

WHITFIELD: Yes, Jeffrey's going to be sending you thank you cards in a moment.

HERMAN: We're not getting paid for that, Fred, and by the way ...

FRIEDMAN: Absolutely. HERMAN: ...I knew Mississippi River, I just want you to know that.

FRIEDMAN: And I knew Missouri, absolutely.

WHITFIELD: OK, good. Well, hey, there you go. What a pair.

All right guys, thanks so much. Always good to see you, have a great weekend.

HERMAN: Have a great weekend, Fred.

FRIEDMAN: Thank you, take care, see you later.

WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk a little food now. Yum-yum, army chow. Well, it may not have the best reputation, but some military chefs are trying to change that image.

Right now, they're battling it out in a cooking competition, and Gary Nuremberg is front and center, live from Washington. Tell us all about it.

NURENBERG: Fred, we're outside the Marine Baracks in Washington, D.C. for this competition for military chefs. Some pretty fancy pants guys here, they cook for the secretary of defense, the secretary of the Navy, the CIA director.

These gentlemen, a joint team, army and navy reservists from Columbia, Missouri, working on a firecracker-glazed stuffed pork loin. I don't know what it means, but I can tell you the competition here is tough.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that potatoes done? You've got to ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, they're being (ph) worked on, right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just mash them.

NURENBERG (voice-over): They may be some of the best chefs in the American military.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I say we get this thing cranked to 500.

NURENBERG: Outside the Marine Baracks in Washington, 13 teams competed in the military culinary competition.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need cuts. They're going to be looking for the knife skills.

NURENBERG: It's a cooking contest with the clock running.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One hour and 10 minutes.

NURENBERG: There are Navy teams, Air Force teams, one that cooks for the CIA director, one from the Joint Chiefs, one cooks for the secretary of defense. The judges design it to be tough.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're looking for taste, creativity, presentation and food utilization.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gentlemen, you currently have 50 minutes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're having fun, we're enjoying this, you know, and we're all part of, you know the same team, also.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wildest pressure, wildest pressure.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wildest pressure.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wildest pressure is on.

NURENBERG: No planning before hand, the teams got a sealed box, open it, and have to design a meal based on what's inside.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am trying to get this lobster meat out of this shell so we can actually stuff it with a pesto.

NURENBERG (on camera): How hard is that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a little bit difficult.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twenty-five minutes, gentlemen.

NURENBERG: It's sponsored in part by the Food Services Executives Association, which wants spectators to recognize the chefs' talent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope they walk away with the thought in mind that military cooks are awesome.

NURENBERG: The finished product goes to judges, who make careful notes, so they can remember at the end of round three what something tasted like at the end of round one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you taste it? Taste it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NURENBERG: OK, we found out what firecracker-glazed means, it means hot. The good news, you get to see chefs cooking incredible meals. The bad news Fred, you can't have any. The best you can do is a $5 bratwurst up the street at Oktoberfest.

WHITFIELD: Are you kidding me? That's no fair. I was ready to say sign me up for that lobster and pesto.

So only the judges get to taste?

NURENBERG: There were some recruiting -- you know, yes, only the judges get to taste. But if you want us to sign you up, there are army recruiters here.

WHITFIELD: OK, maybe I'll pass on that. You don't want to see me cook.

All right, thanks a lot, Gary.

All right, well, how about this -- does crime pay? One enterprizing thief was counting on it when he used a backhoe to actually steal an ATM. That story straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It was almost like "America's Funniest Home Videos," which I love. It is funny. So, you going to make me laugh today, Josh?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm going to do my best. Yes, the hot videos on .com today are so fun.

WHITFIELD: Really?

LEVS: I love them today, they're so hot and they're so much fun.

WHITFIELD: Loving them, loving them.

LEVS: You know, we have all these reporters, we are also chasing all these top stories and then the hot videos are the ones I'm going to show you. But, it's worth it. You're going to love this.

Let's start off with the first one here. This is a Guinness record that was now set in a competition that took place in Germany.

WHITFIELD: Oh! How embarassing.

LEVS: The goal is to shatter as many of the safety glasses as you can with your head. The winner, Martin Blacaugh (ph) ...

WHITFIELD: Oh. (INAUDIBLE)

LEVS: ...10 of them ...

WHITFIELD: Really?

LEVS: ...in one minute. He uses his head with that helmet on. Ten of them ...

WHITFIELD: I'm sure he had a headache later.

LEVS: And then here's another one that people are loving.

WHITFIELD: No, no.

LEVS: It's very disturbing.

WHITFIELD: No.

LEVS: OK ...

WHITFIELD: That's sick. LEVS: How many live snakes can he put in his mouth, and there were ten of them.

WHITFIELD: In one (ph).

LEVS: In his mouth. Let's move on because that whole snake thing is just too much.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LEVS: Let's go on to the next one.

WHITFIELD: Heebie-jeebies.

LEVS: All right, the second hot video today that people are taking a look at on CNN.com is a story that you were referring to earlier, and that's this one, all right.

WHITFIELD: Yes, yes, yes.

LEVS: Theives stealing not money out of ATMs, but actual machines.

WHITFIELD: I know, I'm hearing that's all the rage.

LEVS: They're driving up -- yes, but first they steal a backhoe, and then they go up to the machine and then they steal that. But, I've done a story on this. They can't always get the money out.

WHITFIELD: Yes, that's where I was going.

LEVS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I mean just because you have the whole machine doesn't mean you're actually going to get the -- reap the rewards, so to speak.

LEVS: That's right. It's a slim chance that they're actually going to get the money out of it. Because they -- even if they get close to the money, there's sometimes this ink that destroys the money so they can't use it.

WHITFIELD: Right, and so they actually think that they're not out caught on videotape these days?

LEVS: I know, well, you know, no faces in this, but they're seeing the backhoe and the car that was before it, so they are trying to get who might have taken it. $100,000 in cash was in there. But has it been spent? They don't know.

All right, last one over here, my favorite. I love this. G.I. Joe, the G.I. Joe drop.

WHITFIELD: What?

LEVS: All right, the G.I. Joe drop at CNN.com WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh, I remember doing this. I was a tom boy.

LEVS: Did you do this with a parachute?

WHITFIELD: Yes!

LEVS: But not from one of the tallest atriums in the world?

WHITFIELD: Well, no, not me, but you know, throwing my little G.I. Joe type toy.

LEVS: I love G.I. Joe.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LEVS: So, the drop there at a hotel in Atlanta ...

WHITFIELD: I know, total boy/girl.

LEVS: ...500 feet.

(LAUGHTER)

LEVS: I think she's moved on.

WHITFIELD: I was a total tomboy. Anyway ...

LEVS: Wasn't there an adult commercial about?

Anyway, so, there you go, OK. Really quickly, one of our favorites that's also online, this photo. That's the size of a silver dollar. It's a two-headed turtle. A lot of places online showing that right now.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's kind of freaking me out.

LEVS: That's out of a pet store in Pennsylvania. Yes, poor little guy doesn't know which way to go, you know.

WHITFIELD: Yes, guys.

LEVS: But -- they're taking good care of it. Guys, guy, whatever.

WHITFIELD: I mean, plural, whatever.

OK, all right, Josh. Thank you.

LEVS: The fun segment for the end of the hour.

WHITFIELD: I know, I like it. I love that you brought fun. Thank you.

LEVS: There you go. Thank you, yes.

WHITFIELD: All right, well, nearly 22 million pounds of meat -- this is not funny -- recalled. And it could be contaminated with e. Coli. The latest on the recall next in your check of the headlines.

And coming up after that, CNN "SIU" presents "Fed Up!" Still talking about food, "America's Killer Diet."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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