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Miracle Baby Survives Tornado; Georgia is in a State of Emergency Due to Severe Drought; Iona College MRSA Outbreak; Cold Medicines Unsafe for Small Children
Aired October 20, 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.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE SOYRING, JR., FATHER OF CHILD: It was very scary, I mean, to not know where he was at. You know, I didn't know, trying not to think the worst, but I didn't know if the tornado had taken him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: His family calls him a miracle baby. Nearly taken by a tornado, somehow a toddler survives the storm. The happy ending straight ahead. Also ...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SONNY PURDUE, (R) GOVERNOR, STATE OF GEORGIA: I have declared an emergency.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: A water crisis turns critical. The governor of Georgia says his state could soon run dry. Now, the president weighs in on this water fight. Plus ...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL MAHER, HOST OF REAL TIME: This is the problem with government. Hey, do we have some security in this building? Do I have to come over and take this guy down?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: That's a shout out. We'll show you what made comedian Bill Maher so angry on his own television show.
Sometimes miracles do happen. Those are the words of a firefighter in eastern Michigan where a baby was found in the wreckage from a tornado. The baby found under his crib. He had an electrical cord wrapped around his neck and covered in debris, but except for some scratches and bruises, he was unhurt.
Randy Conat of CNN affiliate, WJRT, has the story. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOYRING JR.: Next thing you know, I started shaking. Both of us thought it was an earthquake and the next thing you know, I got sucked down in the basement and I watched the tornado go that way.
RANDY CONAT, WJRT REPORTER: That's what Joe Soyring remembers when the tornado struck his Arbela Township home. He and his fiance, Nicole, found her 3-year-old daughter alive and well right away but they couldn't find 15-month-old, Blake. Their screams brought next- door neighbor, Jeff Hawks, running to help.
JEFF HAWKS, NEIGHBOR: We're locking all over for the baby. We scoured the whole three acres over here, the whole three acres on my side and we couldn't find the baby and all of a sudden I heard this little whimper and I told everybody to be quiet so we could hear it and the baby was under this huge pile of debris.
CONAT: They pulled apart the pile and found the baby was very much alive.
HAWKS: The crib had flipped over and the mattress was the only thing that saved the baby. The mattress was on top of the baby. But, I mean, there was thousands of pounds worth of stuff wrapped over this baby. I don't know how he made it.
CONAT: Digging through the rubble trying to salvage everything they can. Every item they find is precious. Blake had scratches and bruises on his head, but otherwise not hurt. He was checked at Covenant Saginaw and released a few hours later. In the daylight, they could see Soyring's house was destroyed and Hawke's was heavily damaged.
SOYRING JR.: We're lucky to be alive. I mean, look at it. That where the house sat. A year-old house, I mean, it just got built a year ago. So, now we'll start all over again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Wow, well, CNN talked with that young survivor's family earlier today. The boy's father says the mattress may have, indeed, saved his baby son's life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SOYRING, JR.: Somehow the crib and him got sucked out of the house because I think what had happened was when he had landed the crib had landed upside down and when the debris came down on top of it crushed the crib. So, when we took everything off, we found pieces of the crib, so we knew this could be the area, when we pulled the mattress off, that's where he was laying underneath.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So, indeed, it's been a pretty wild week for extreme weather. A camera on the dashboard of a sheriff's department patrol car caught these scenes in Pensacola, Florida, you are looking at a tornado in action. Watch all that flying debris. That twister also damaged a shopping mall and a Baptist church. And, this was the aftermath in Nappanee, Indiana, where a tornado wrecked dozens of homes and three factories there.
Bonnie Schneider is in the Weather Center. Incredible weather and deadly, too.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely, that's right and it's been like that for the past couple days. We had Thursday and Friday, two deadly days for tornadoes.
Looking at the U.S. now, things are much calmer, thank goodness, but we still have heavy rain that we need to be concerned with in parts of Florida. You can see a lot of rain coming into Southwest Florida right now. Some heavier thunderstorms in and around the Cape Coral area and we also have some moderate rain, just like yesterday, popping up across areas into upstate New York.
But our big concern and our focus for this weekend is fire danger, due to Santa Ana wind. Now, Santa Ana winds get their name because the air flows down the Santa Ana Mountains and as that warmer air comes down the mountain, it actually compresses and heats.
So that's why we see brisk winds coming from the Northwest and we're also seeing critical fire danger as a result. High pressure in the inland areas, low pressure off shore and as the wind blows in this direction, we're seeing warm and dry conditions in areas of Southern California. Something we're watching very closely for the possibility of critical fire danger, Fredricka, not just today, but straight through the weekend.
WHITFIELD: Alright, thanks so much, Bonnie.
And, you talk about dry, well here is a pretty vivid example of that. Water is in such short supply in Georgia that the state's governor today declared a state of emergency. Right now, extreme drought has cut Atlanta's water supply to 80 days left. And, in Georgia alone, 85 counties face such a water emergency and the governor asked Washington now for help.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PERDUE: That's why we filed an injunction yesterday with the middle district of Florida to immediately restrict water flows from leaving our reservoirs. That's why this morning I signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency. That's why just this morning I've sent a letter to President Bush asking him to declare a major disaster area in this section of Georgia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The White House quickly responded to Purdue's call for help. White House correspondent Elaine Quijano is traveling with the president and joins us live from St. Michael's, Maryland and, so, what was his response? ELAINE QUIJANO, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, White House Spokeswoman, Dana Perino, is actually the one who issued the response and said that the Bush Administration has been in frequent communication with officials in Georgia about this very issue. She says the Bush Administration will certainly review the governor's request. In a written statement she went on to say, "We have already begun drafting interim rules to use procedures and flexibility to address the endangered species requirement and the Army Corps has started the process of revising the operations manual for the river basin."
Now these concerns, Fredricka, come on a day when President Bush tried to highlight his environmental policy dealing specifically with wildlife. Early this morning the president began his day with a stop in Laurel, Maryland, at the Patuxent Research Center there to outline his efforts at preserving and also restoring habitat that migratory birds use on their long journeys as stopovers in the United States. The president then traveled here to St. Michael's, as you noted, where he signed an executive order that the administration says is meant to conserve the populations of two types of fish; Rock Fish and Red Drum Fish.
Now environmentalists, though, question what kind of impact this order will really have and commercial fishermen aren't happy about this at all. They say that this order puts the interest of recreational fishers over their own. Well, then, after a trip on the bay where the president actually took some time to do some fishing, Mr. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush headed over to Vice President Dick Cheney's home here in St. Michael's and this marked the first time, Fredricka, that President Bush has been to the Vice President's weekend home here on the eastern shore of Maryland -- Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: Alright, Elaine Quijano, thanks so much. Sorry I put you in St. Michele's. St. Michael's, Maryland, thanks so much.
You may have noticed something a little different on the bottom of your screen. The little CNN logo has turned green and that's because CNN is going green over the next week. We're digging deeper on environmental issues covering stories that affect all of us from the air we breathe to the fuel we use. It all coincides with the premier of "Planet in Peril." A special report from Anderson Cooper with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Animal Planet's, Jeff Corwin, that's next Tuesday and Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.
Well, another deadly blast in Pakistan. This one killed seven people at a bus station in a town that's been hit by insurgents before. Earlier this week, a bomb attack killed 136 Pakistanis celebrating the return of former Prime Minister, Benizer Bhutto, U.S. agents are helping Pakistan with that investigation now.
Police in the Philippines say a blast at a Manila shopping mall was caused by a bomb. At least nine people there were killed in yesterday's explosion. More than 100 others were injured. The police chief says it was probably the work of terrorists.
And the curfew has been lifted in Myanmar, it's the latest sign that the officials in former Burma have put an end to demonstrations against the military junta. People are being told they can come out of their homes now and, once again, they're permitted to gather in small groups.
Well, it is being called a "superbug," a fast-spreading infection that kills. Straight ahead, you'll hear from a young patient who survived the scary illness.
Later, David Copperfield is making headlines that aren't so magical. We'll have the latest on the police investigation involving this famous illusionist.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, parents, listen up, a clear message to you from a government advisory panel saying don't give cold and cough medicine to children under the age of six. It's not effective and it's not safe. The panel met for two days to review the data on over- the-counter children's cold medicines. It concluded that the risks clearly outweigh any benefits for younger children and even for older children, there's considerable evidence that cold medicines don't work.
One expert says parents who decide to give it their children anyway should be cautious.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JOHN JENKINS, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION: What I think parents should take away from this at this time is, as always, they should carefully follow the directions on the labeling of over-the- counter products and use the products as directed. They should pay close attention to using the same ingredient in multiple products that might lead to a potential overdose situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: While the panel's recommendations are non-binding, they eventually could lead to new rules on how children's cold medicines are labeled and marketed.
Well, the latest report of a school-base staph infection comes from just north of New York City. Nine athletes and a coach at Iona College have MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant staph infection first seen in hospitals and now being reported at a number of schools. Officials say the Iona College outbreak is under control and one student who was hospitalized has been released. MRSA does not respond to penicillin or related antibiotics but can be treated with other drugs.
CNN's National Correspondent, Keith Oppenheim, spoke with a survivor.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 12-year-old Pharon Cowser lies in a hospital bed next to his mom. Less than a month ago, he truly thought he was going to die.
PHARON COWSER, MRSA SURVIVOR: I was telling my mom I don't want it be here no more. She said, what do you mean? I said I want to go with god. I can't be here.
OPPENHEIM: Pharon was fighting a staph infection known as MRSA, a strain of bacteria that is highly resistant to most antibiotics.
INDA COWSER, PHARON'S MOTHER: He had a fever for like 35 days straight, 102. He was in excruciating pain. I mean, his screams worst than a horror scream I ever heard.
OPPENHEIM: The question is, how did this nasty bug get into Pharon's body? The answer is no one is quite sure. The bug might have got into his system from a scrape he got when he fell off his bike. He might have gotten it later when he went to the emergency room. However it got in, the "superbug" acted fast. Pain in his legs, excruciating pain and a fever.
DR. ROBERT DAUM, PEDIATRICS, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO: Patients like him, once it's in the blood stream sometimes get showers of organisms, bacteria all over their body and this is when things get out of control for us very quickly.
OPPENHEIM: Dr. Robert Daum of the University of Chicago says it was once thought MRSA was contracted mostly in hospitals and now that's changed.
DAUM: The community is where the epicenter is now.
OPPENHEIM: It's most likely contact in the community that led to 17-month-old Simon Sparrow catching the bug three years ago.
EVERLY MACARIO, SIMON'S MOTHER: I still can't believe it.
OPPENHEIM: Everly Macario is Simon's mom.
MACARIO: He just did not look like himself at all. His whole body had just transformed into something else.
OPPENHEIM: In less than a day after going to the hospital, Simon died. The doctors say most cases are not nearly as extreme, that MRSA can be treated.
DAUM: If you scrape your knee and start to get a fever a couple days later that doesn't look like a cold, go see the doctor.
OPPENHEIM: In Pharon's case it took nine surgeries and 47 days in the hospital to get to this point.
COWSER: I feel like a whole new boy.
OPPENHEIM: Some indication that a superbug, powerful as it may be, can be stopped.
Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Chicago. (END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And more chest-thumping war talk out of Iran today, a top military commander says if Iran is attacked, it will immediately rain 11,000 rockets on it enemies. He was presumably talking about U.S. troops in the region and, of course, Israel.
Iran's point-man at nuclear talks is now out. The government says Ali Larijani resigned, many analysts see the move as a victory for Iran's hard-line President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He stuck to the hard-line position in nuclear negotiations with the West but as far as hardliners go, he was more of a moderate hardliner. Iran insists its nuclear program is for electricity, not bombs. The Bush Administration doesn't believe that.
He worried about being deported, so, guess what he did? He deported himself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NOE BERMUEDEZ, SELF-DEPORTEE: I could face the jail time, which I'm not willing to, you know, do jail time. I'd rather be free, you know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: But there are still consequences. An illegal immigrant leaves his legal family behind.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, this is pretty remarkable. He says the pressure just simply got to be too much so an illegal immigrant in the U.S. for 20 years left voluntarily rather than being deported. But he also left behind his family.
CNN's Harris Whitbeck reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Noe Bermuedez does not want to be hanging out here in his grandmother's kitchen in the small Mexican town where he was born. He loves her, but Noe has a wife and four children back in the U.S. They are legal, he is not. And he was scared.
BERMUEDEZ: They told me that I could face jail time, which I'm not willing to, you know, do jail time, I'd rather be free, you know. And plus, knowing that I was in the situation at night I couldn't sleep it was 2:00, 3:00 in the morning, I couldn't sleep because I would hear and any little noise I hear, I would think, there they are. They hear from me, you know, the immigration police and I'm like, I'm not willing to put my family through this.
WHITBECK: Noe says he left his family back near Irving, Texas, where there has been a major crackdown on illegal immigrants. During the past year alone, Irving Police have referred 1,600 people to federal officials for possible deportation. A week ago, Noe broke the news to his family, he could not take the uncertainty any longer.
BERMUEDEZ: I said, you know what, I can't do this any more. Even if I'm going to have to struggle in Mexico or whatever, it's been 20 years I haven't been over there, I'd rather do that and when they told me I could face jail time, you know, I decided, I told my wife and, you know, when I left, she was crying and my kids, but I'm like, I'd rather be over there then for you guys to see me behind bars.
WHITBECK: Noe says he was 9-years-old when he was taken as an illegal immigrant to the United States by his mother. He grew up in California, went to high school and started a family but he was never able to obtain U.S. citizenship. He says confusion led him to make mistakes in the application process. He was briefly held in an immigration detention center and released when he told a judge his wife and four children were U.S. citizens but he gave up on the process of becoming legal. Now, Noe says this Mexican town where he spent his early childhood no longer feels like home.
BERMUEDEZ: Here I feel like, you know, kind of dumb. When I have to pay with money, I have to take somebody so they could tell me how to pay, that way they won't rip me off with money because they know I don't understand how to manage the money here. So I have to take my cousin, you know, somebody, so when I go buy even a soda, I feel like so stupid, you know.
WHITBECK: But this, he says, is better than the threat of jail back in the States, even if it means being separated from his family.
Harris Whitbeck, CNN, Vichuacon (ph) Mexico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And digging deeper now, Bermuedez and his wife talked with our Rick Sanchez on CNN's "OUT IN THE OPEN."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Whether you're on one side of this argument or the other side of the argument, the idea that a family has been separated, torn apart. How are you and your kids dealing with the fact that your husband is gone and you may not see him for a long time?
LEANDY BERMUEDEZ, WIFE OF DEPORTEE: It's tough. I have a 2- year-old and a 5-month-old from him and my 2-year-old never calls us mommy or daddy. He calls us Noe and Leandy and you hear Noe and Leandy and you hear him say Noe, Noe, Noe, and he's looking for his dad.
SANCHEZ: It's got to be difficult. Do we have him? Let's go over here, I want to take you over here to this monitor. He's standing by now, he's joining us, as well. We hope we can come out a little bit on him. Noe, can you hear us -- are you there? In Mexico.
BERMUEDEZ: Yes, I can hear you.
SANCHEZ: Why did you make this decision? What finally was the straw that broke the camel's back and why didn't you just decide to stay like millions of others in this country?
BERMUEDEZ: The reason that made me make the decision is the fact that, you know, I don't want to go to jail because they tell me I could go to jail for this, for not leaving the country. So, I decided to, you know, instead of being in jail, I would just go through this. What I'm going through right now instead of, you know.
SANCHEZ: Tell us what you're going through right now? Tell us what life is like in Mexico by yourself in a country you don't know without your wife, that I'm looking at right now on camera, and the children I'm sure you miss.
BERMUEDEZ: Well, it's pretty tough because the fact that I got my family over there and I miss them. But, you know, it's not that good over here. The way I thought it was going to be. The customs, I mean, the way they live here is tough.
SANCHEZ: I want to ask you something, we did a poll here at CNN today to find out what America thinks and what we found out is that most people here in the United States, in fact, I think we got that poll. It's like 69% of Americans are saying there are just too many illegal immigrants and that seems to be what is pushing people like you out. Do you understand, do you get why Americans feel that it's almost an invasion that's taking place in their country?
BERMUEDEZ: Yeah.
SANCHEZ: You get that?
BERMUEDEZ: Yeah, I understand.
SANCHEZ: Does it make you angry?
BERMUEDEZ: Yeah. I mean, it's not fair what they're doing, but what can you do? That's their decision. You can't change their decisions.
SANCHEZ: That's interesting because we've been having a lot of conversations about whether you're really a good candidate for removal or a lot of other people in this country that, perhaps, are not as decent as you. You're saying, I'm not going to break the law, I'm just going it leave. Maybe some people in this country that should go. I want you guys to do something. I know you guys don't get a chance, you're probably watching yourself on television right now, so Leandy, what do you have to say to your husband who has been gone from you now?
BERMUEDEZ: I love you and just fight, don't give up and soon, one way or another, you're going to be back. We have, I believe in an almighty, powerful God and I know -- I know that justice needs to happen. I am totally for it. Go after the felons, the sexual offenders, but not decent people like my husband who are here to make a living and live with their families.
SANCHEZ: She obviously misses you an awful lot, Noe, what would you say to her now that we have her on TV with you and she's listening?
BERMUEDEZ: Well, like I said, I think we feel the same thing, you know, about both of us and my kids. I love her and I miss her but, you know, this is the way things have to be. We have to obey the laws. This is the decision they made, you know, we have to go through this and, you know, we can't do nothing about it.
SANCHEZ: Noe, Leandry, we thank you for share your story with the rest of America.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, that interview from CNN's "OUT IN THE OPEN" with Rick Sanchez it airs weeknights at 8:00 eastern only on CNN.
Well, why are police searching a warehouse for property of illusionist David Copperfield? We'll have the latest on the investigation straight ahead.
Plus, this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAHER: See this is the problem sometimes with government -- hey, do we have some security in this building? Or do I have to come over and take this guy ...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: He is a comedian and political commentator and now a part-time security guard. Bill Maher blows his top on live TV. We'll show you the whole thing, coming up next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: One more glance at what's making news right now. A remarkable story of survival in eastern Michigan where a baby was found in the wake of a tornado, covered in debris. Baby was scratched and bruised, but otherwise pretty unhurt. You see him right there.
And the White House says it's drafting plans to deal with a severe drought in Georgia. It could cause Atlanta's watertaps to run dry in 80 days. Georgia governor Sonny Purdue declared a state of emergency today and asked President Bush to declare northern Georgia a disaster area.
Showtime for Rudy Giuliani. He's courting Christian conservatives today, the Washington Forum put together by the Conservative Family Research Council. Giuliani is trying to convince Evangelicals to support him, even though he supports abortion rights and is moderate on gay rights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You have absolutely nothing to fear from me. I find it difficult understanding those who try to make me out as an activist for liberal causes. If you think that, just read any "New York Times" editorial while I was mayor of New York City.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Christian conservatives also heard from presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Sometimes we talk about why are we importing so many people in our work force. It might be because for the last 35 years, we have aborted more than a million people who would have been in our work force had we had not the holocaust of liberalized abortion under a flawed Supreme Court ruling in 1973.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And they are down to eight now. Kansas Senator Sam Brownbeck is out of the Republican presidential race. He brought in less than $1 million in the third quarter fundraising period.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. SAM BROWNBACK, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I leave this stage a better man and hopefully, America a better place. And I'm amazed at such a wonderful nation, a powerful nation that could allow the son of a Kansas farmer even to dream he could live it and lead it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Brownback doesn't plan to run for re-election to the Senate in 2010.
On the Democratic side, CNN's latest National Poll shows Hillary Clinton 30 points ahead of her next closest rival, Barack Obama. And just over half the likely Democratic voters say they'll vote for her, but Obama says if he wins Iowa, he will be the nominee. Does it really work that way?
CNN's Josh Levs is here keeping them all honest.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Well, it's tough to figure out, isn't it?
LEVS: Isn't it weird?
WHITFIELD: Because, you know, it was always a lot of surprises in presidential politics. LEVS: There's a lot -- yes, absolutely. But isn't it weird that someone can be 30 points ahead and then you can still say, well, if they lose Iowa, everything changes. I mean, that's what gets me. I was like, we really need to look into this.
WHITFIELD: Yes, and so you did.
LEVS: Because this is a bit -- yes, I did, there you go. This is a big question. You know, is it true that Americans all over the country decided, oh, well if Iowa's doing that, forget what I ever thought in the first place. You know what, here are the answers from recent history.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS (voice-over): Her standing is the envy of all the other presidential candidates in both parties. The latest poll from CNN and Opinion Research Corporation shows Hillary Clinton with 51 percent of Democrats, 30 points ahead of Barack Obama.
But he says it's all about the Iowa caucuses.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If we win Iowa, I'll be the nominee.
LEVS: Can that be true? If Iowa picks someone other than the frontrunner, do voters say, forget what I thought, I want what Iowa wants. To some extent, yes.
In 2004, just before the Iowa caucuses, Howard Dean was at 26 percent nationally, John Kerry at 9. Then Kerry beat Dean big time in Iowa, and turned the tables. The next national poll, even before the New Hampshire primary, found Kerry on top. Some voters switched camps and some undecided voters lined up behind Kerry. America loves a winner.
Of course, it wasn't just the Iowa vote that turned some off to Dean, let's not forget ...
HOWARD DEAN: Yeah!
LEVS: Still, this state with one percent of the U.S. population can act as a reset button for the race. But it doesn't always.
In 1998, Michael Dukakis and George Bush came in third in their respective races in Iowa, but went on to clinch the nominations. Hillary Clinton isn't about to take that risk, hence the push for every possible supporter in the Hawkeye State.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: And keep in mind, as you look at this, that people in Iowa are choosing candidates based not just on the national issues, but also on local issues, as well. The candidates go there and they make these promises to caucus goers that are specific to Iowa, which makes it all that much more wild how much power these Iowa caucus goers end up getting and Fred, this is especially true this year when you've got tight races in Iowa on both sides.
WHITFIELD: Yes, something about Iowa.
LEVS: It's amazing, isn't it? I mean, when you look at what's actually going on there, like, people -- if it were just in Iowa, people are the most educated that you can follow their lead, that would be one thing. But since there are also all these local issues, the fact that they have that much influence nationally is amazing.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: What we're seeing right now actually shows some different numbers from what we're seeing in the country. You know, Hillary Clinton is in a very tight race there, and as for the Republican side, you've got Romney leading, whereas nationally, Giuliani is leading.
So really, what happens in Iowa could effectively create a big deal on both sides.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Wow, really remarkable. Well, thanks for looking into it.
LEVS: You got it.
WHITFIELD: All right, Josh.
Well, how about looking Cajun politics? How about looking into that? Bobby Jindal leads the pack of 12 candidates in today's governor's race in Louisiana. Polls suggest the Republican congressman could get more than 50 percent of the vote today and win the governor's job without a runoff. If Jindal pulls it off, the Indian-American would be the state's first minority governor since reconstruction. Jindal narrowly lost the Louisiana governor race to Kathleen Blanco back in 2003.
Well, CNN is your campaign 2008 headquarters. Next month, CNN and YouTube team up to bring you the GOP presidential debate. So, get out your cameras and submit your questions at youtube.com/Republicandebate. And, of course, you can watch it right here on CNN.
Well, almost anything can happen on live television. That we know. Here's further proof.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL MAHER, COMEDIAN AND COMMENTATOR: This is part of the Democrats ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) New Jersey!
MAHER: I am from New Jersey. Yes, like I even ... UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
MAHER: Boy, sometimes here at CBS, I wish the sound wasn't working.
(APPLAUSE)
MAHER: I don't even know what that (EXPLETIVE DELETED) is saying.
But, you know, see, this is the problem sometimes with government ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chris Matthews, you said (INAUDIBLE) ...
MAHER: Hey, do we have some (EXPLETIVE DELETED) security in this building? Or do I have to come over and take this guy (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out of here? (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Hey, hey, hey! Out, out, out, out!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Out, out, he says, and out he went. Well, the comedian and political commentator Bill Maher, large and in charge. He took security into his own hands on his own television show last night after a rowdy protester, as you just saw, held up a sign and started yelling, "9/11 is a cover up fraud" and it just kept happening and you saw that Bill Maher just kind of lost his temper and said, forget about it.
Well, several other protesters sprinkled throughout the audience tried interrupting the show, as well. And I should add Maher's show is on HBO, a company owned by Time Warner, which also owns CNN.
Well, we have a pretty busy slate lined up for our legal eagles. Hello, guys.
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Hey, Fred.
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Hey, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: We'll be asking them about the David Copperfield case in just a moment, and a few other things.
HERMAN: What action in Vegas?
WHITFIELD: How about rapper T.I. -- what?
HERMAN: What action in Vegas?
WHITFIELD: A lot of action in Vegas, across the country, in fact. We're going to talk to you about some jurisdiction issues, particularly from Vegas to Seattle, that involving the Copperfield case and the Bahamas, and then, T.I., right there, bond hearing. But the judge says he's going to wait, think it over, a month.
HERMAN: Bill Maher's a tough guy.
WHITFIELD: Oh no, I'm sorry, a week.
What's that?
HERMAN: Bill Maher, 5'2", he's a tough guy.
WHITFIELD: Yes, he is.
All right, we'll talk to you in a second.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A shocking allegation against master illusionist David Copperfield. But like Copperfield's act, his attorney says some things just aren't real.
Here's CNN's Brian Todd.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID COPPERFIELD, MAGICIAN: I used to vanish this every night, twice a night.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A serious allegation against a superstar illusionist. Two law enforcement sources tell CNN David Copperfield is accused of sexual assault. Seattle police tell us a woman filed a police report over the summer and that the alleged incident took place in the Bahamas. A top Bahamian police official told us there's no official record there of any incident involving Copperfield.
The performer's attorney won't say whether he was in the Bahamas over the summer, but he responded emphatically to the allegation.
DAVID CHESNOFF, DAVID COPPERFIELD'S ATTORNEY: We haven't even been told officially through the law enforcement, the name of anybody, but since it wouldn't matter really what the name is because it's categorically denied as a false accusation and an impossible kind of claim.
TODD: FBI officials tell CNN federal agents from Seattle and Las Vegas raided a Las Vegas warehouse owned by Copperfield this week. CNN affiliate KLAS, citing a source close to the investigation, reports the agents took a computer hard drive and a memory chip from a digital camera system, along with $2 million in cash that was inside a safe.
KENT ALEXANDER, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: Federal authorities have to be really careful and it looks like they are being careful. There's no charge against David Copperfield and to -- sully his name or image with rumors and innuendo would be absolutely unfair.
TODD: A spokeswoman for the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas tells CNN federal agents also searched the theater there where David Copperfield performs. She says the search took place the same evening as the FBI raid on Copperfield's warehouse. The spokeswoman does not know what, if anything, the agents took from the theater.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, David Copperfield is just the latest celebrity facing legal trouble. We'll talk about a few of those cases and also, a strange twist in the case against Brian Nichols, he's the man charged with killing a judge and three others here in Atlanta.
Our legal experts are Avery Friedman, a civil rights attorney and law professor, good to see you, Avery.
FRIEDMAN: Hi, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Richard Herman, he's a criminal defense attorney and law professor. Hello.
HERMAN: Hi, Fred and Avery.
WHITFIELD: All right -- all right you guys, we're going to deal with this in kind of a bullet point fashion because we've got so many topics in which to cover.
FRIEDMAN: Right.
WHITFIELD: So, let's talk about Copperfield first. Are we looking at some possible jurisdiction problems? We're talking about Seattle, Las Vegas, Bahamas, Avery?
FRIEDMAN: Well, you just nailed it, Fredricka. Alleged crime in the Bahamas, the victim lives in Seattle, he's in Las Vegas, they had a raid in Las Vegas looking for David Copperfield's magic wand apparently, and some other paraphernalia. Jurisdiction issues all over the place.
HERMAN: Fred, there is federal jurisdiction, the case is being brought, investigated by the FBI. David Chesnoff's one of the finest criminal defense attorneys in the country, but David Copperfield is a target and 99 percent of the targets get indicted. So, this is going somewhere.
WHITFIELD: Ouch, OK.
Rapper T.I. in Atlanta, bond hearing yesterday. The judge says, I got a few things I need to think about. I'm not going to post or give you a bond in which to post yet, I want to think about it for a week. How unusual is this, Richard?
HERMAN: Well, it's not unusual, Fred, it happens. At least they didn't say, no way, no bail at all.
WHITFIELD: True.
HERMAN: He says I'll reconsider it in a week and that's good for this guy. But I got to tell you, he's a convicted felon and now, he's being charged with purchasing machine guns. It's not a good sign for this guy, Fred.
FRIEDMAN: Right.
HERMAN: And they may supersede this indictment and they add more charges of what's being threatened here, so.
FRIEDMAN: Well ...
HERMAN: This guy is in big trouble.
FRIEDMAN: On top, you've got not only the machine guns and the firearms, then he also lied to local law enforcement, then he tells the judge, I took some drugs before the BET Awards ceremony ...
WHITFIELD: Oh boy.
FRIEDMAN: The judge will grant bond, but he has that week to take -- to make the decision.
WHITFIELD: And I guess, allegedly, he had some marijuana on him, too, when they made the arrest.
FRIEDMAN: Yes.
WHITFIELD: All right, Brian Nichols in Atlanta, his trial has been delayed. What's the hang up? Why is this case taking so long, Avery?
FRIEDMAN: Well, it's very simple. He's entitled to an adequate defense. The Public Defender's Commission claims there's no money to do it, that's under Governor Sonny Purdue. There's a hearing on Monday before the judge to prove whether or not there is enough money, if there isn't, the case can't go forward.
WHITFIELD: All right.
HERMAN: Hey Fred, one of the best grounds on appeal if a conviction comes to this case, is ineffective assistance of counsel. If they take attorneys away from him, this record's going to be horrendous ...
FRIEDMAN: Right.
HERMAN: ...he's going to win an appeal.
FRIEDMAN: Right.
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK.
And your favorite, O.J. Simpson, his case, Las Vegas. Let's take a trip back to Las Vegas now. Only in this case, it looks like all his friends have cut a deal to testify against him. I don't know if anyone's too surprised at that one, Avery.
FRIEDMAN: Yes, we got a double flip this week. Both defendants are going to say if it was O.J.'s idea to get the guns, load them up, don't use them, scare them. Hey, that's a crime. He's in a world of trouble right now.
HERMAN: It's a la Michael Vick, Fred. I got to move out to Vegas, that's where the action is these days.
(LAUGHTER)
HERMAN: But I got to tell you, if these guys come in and say that against O.J., even though their credibility is going to get destroyed on cross-examination, it really puts O.J. in the middle of this and that kind of testimony is really going it be ...
WHITFIELD: Except ...
HERMAN: ...you know, it's going to convict him.
WHITFIELD: Except I read that none of these co-defendants are going to testify that he actually had a weapon on him, did not actually carry a gun, so it wasn't him who actually did the whole -- no.
HERMAN: No, they're going to say -- Fred, they're going to say that O.J. told them, bring guns ...
FRIEDMAN: Right.
HERMAN: ...make sure you bring guns so we can scare the hell out of these people.
FRIEDMAN: That's exactly right.
WHITFIELD: And that's enough?
HERMAN: That's enough.
WHITFIELD: That's just as bad?
HERMAN: That's bad.
WHITFIELD: Oh.
HERMAN: That's a conviction, that's a conviction.
WHITFIELD: Drag. Oh, wow, OK. Well, we'll be watching that case, all these twists and turns.
Celebrities and non-celebrities, or non-celebrities making themselves celebrities by all these kinds of legal cases.
FRIEDMAN: And trying to do it rapid fire.
HERMAN: Crazy, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Do you like that?
FRIEDMAN: Oh, a lot of fun.
WHITFIELD: We thought we'd try a little, you know, something different.
FRIEDMAN: Yes, sure.
WHITFIELD: Criminal in there. You all did great, as usual.
HERMAN: We left Britney out running over people's feet and everything.
WHITFIELD: I know, you want to talk about that, we got time?
HERMAN: Well, I tell you, this girl -- this woman is in big trouble. She's worried about seeing her kids, I think she's going to be in prison soon. She's completely out of control.
FRIEDMAN: Well, that could be. That could be, absolutely, it's sad, very sad.
WHITFIELD: Aw, it's so sad -- it's a sad unraveling, come on.
FRIEDMAN: Absolutely.
WHITFIELD: Whether you're a fan of hers or not, you've got to say ...
FRIEDMAN: Right.
WHITFIELD: ...poor child.
HERMAN: $100 million, she's worth $100 million, Fred, come on.
WHITFIELD: Yes, dwindling fast.
FRIEDMAN: Right.
WHITFIELD: All right, Avery, Richard, thanks so much, have a great weekend.
FRIEDMAN: Take care, nice seeing you.
HERMAN: Take care, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, one of the hot legal topics lately that we've been talking about. Avery, Richard and I, the new book on Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas, written by him. Thomas was in his home state of Georgia this week promoting his autobiography called, "My grandfather's Son" and he took some time to speak before the Atlanta Press Club about what most surprised him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS, SUPREME COURT: What surprised me is that it actually got through the den. I mean, the -- this negativism stuff is just, it's so loud. It's hard to talk. I don't know if you've been -- of you've ever sat with people and you had a bunch of people at the house and you're trying to have a conversation and people are yelling and screaming at each other. It's like so much now, we can't have a conversation about anything. You can't say anything. So, getting through the den has been a surprise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Thomas' new book is currently number 15 on Amazon's Best Seller List.
And these guys here, well, they decided to take a flying leap this weekend. Whoo! And some of them making some pretty nice dives, too. It's the annual tradition. We'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Whew, sweet dive, but no swimming pool. Hundreds of thrill seekers instead are jumping off a famous West Virginia bridge today. Why?
Well, it's the only day of the year where they're allowed to parachute from this span. A New River Gorge Bridge stands 876 feet above the water, the tallest bridge for car and truck traffic in North America, so makes for a good jump off mark if you're a parachutist. And so these guys are, and divers, too. And by the way, a parachutist must have at least 100 jumps under their wings to take part in this festival. The festival draws about 100,000 tourists. I'd say you'd have to be a pretty good daredevil, too.
Well, take a look at this. Amazing video of two water spouts over the Gulf of Mexico. Whoo, good images there. I-Reporter Mike Howe captured this scene in Panama City Beach, Florida. First, one spout formed and then the second one just dropped down right beside it. Pretty ominous looking.
Bonnie Schneider is in the weather center. You never want to see that if you're on land.
SCHNEIDER: No, if you're on the beach ...
WHITFIELD: If you're way out there on the water, that's OK. It's interesting, fascinating.
SCHNEIDER: Oh boy, imagine how scary that was.
WHITFIELD: Just stay there. I know.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: All right, now, I'm back in an hour with more news in the NEWSROOM. Plus these stories.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Step by step.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Combined body and soul for a heavenly workout. Hear from the man behind the book, "Bod for God." And after that, teenage boys with cameras. They call themselves the pint-sized paparazzi, those cool dudes. Look out Paris, Britney, Lindsay, they're on the prowl.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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