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Diplomatic Reception for Gadhafi?; Protesters Target Iranian President; President Obama Preaches Unity at U.N.
Aired September 23, 2009 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We're pushing forward on the filibuster and the fallout: Gadhafi in America, Gadhafi in the global arena.
In a speech delivered off handwritten notes, a speech that lasted one hour and thirty-six minutes, Gadhafi unloaded on wars and persecutions, the JFK assassination, even swine flu, which he called a military tool. But he singled out the U.N. Security Council for special contempt, claiming it lets five big countries just rule the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. MOAMMAR GADHAFI, LIBYA (through translator): Anyone who says that I'm higher than or above the General Assembly should leave the United Nations and be alone. Democracy is not for the rich or for -- for the rich or for the one who terrorizes. So the one who is more powerful than us should have democracy, no.
The higher world -- should be the own nations on equal footing. Now the Security Council is security feudalism, political feudalism for those who have the permanent seats, protected by them, and they are used against us. It should not be called the Security Council, it should be called the "Terror Council."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, planting his flag is one thing, pitching his tent, quite another. Gadhafi hasn't gotten nearly so polite a reception outside U.N. headquarters as he has inside. And my next guest is a big reason why.
Rabbi Shmuley is a best-selling author and TV host who does not want Moammar Gadhafi as a neighbor.
And Rabbi, you actually made sure he wasn't going to be your neighbor. You were able to keep him out of your neighborhood.
RABBI SHMULEY BOTEACH: Well, Gadhafi's mission remains my next- door neighbor. And it was profoundly disheartening to see my next- door neighbor, the Libyan ambassador to the U.N., introduce Gadhafi as the "King of Kings." I mean, this is blasphemy according to every one of my Islamic brothers and sisters.
Gadhafi now thinks he's a deity, but he had to learn that when you come to a country of laws like the United States, you can't rip out people's trees, you can't destroy people's gates. And I'm amazed that Donald Trump, a billionaire who doesn't need the money, would rent this property to Gadhafi. And from what I understand, this is land that Trump personally supervises. It's a major development.
So, it's a bit incredulous for us to hear that Trump did not know that Gadhafi is going to pitch his tent. And if Trump is correct and he doesn't know, or did not know, he sure as heck knows now. And let us see that he is going to evict Gadhafi from these premises just as we did so in Englewood. Because, Kyra, if he does not, the Trump name will not only forever be tarnished, it will forever be associated as being a haven quite literally for terrorists.
PHILLIPS: So, Rabbi, who do you think it insults the most, just seeing this tent on Trump property in the United States, especially in light of this rant that he went on for more than 90 minutes at the U.N., talking about everything from the JFK assassination to freeing Noriega?
BOTEACH: Well, you know, Kyra, it would be too convenient for us to dismiss Gadhafi as a rambunctious clown in light of the absolutely humiliating speech he just gave. But you could see from my haggard appearance, I just came from an anti-Gadhafi rally across the street from the U.N. while he gave his speech, and it was filled with the victims who have been tortured and killed by Gadhafi, the Libyan-Arab families whose loved ones were killed in his jails, but especially the families of Pan Am 103.
These are Americans, 180 families, mostly disproportionately represented in the tri-state area, where Gadhafi now wants to reside. And this horror of their loved ones having been blown to smithereens in a cowardly attack by placing a bomb under a seat in a plane -- and they have lived with this for 20 years and now they have to live with it again. And I find it astonishing that this country, which is supposed to be a tent of fraternity and brotherhood, allows Gadhafi to pitch his terror tent of shame so that people who have lost brothers, sisters, fathers, friends need to relive the horrors of December 1998 by seeing the murderer who paid for the bomb and ordered the bomb being treated as an international dignitary at the U.N.
PHILLIPS: Well, first of all, Rabbi, you don't look haggard. I know you've been up all night and you've been protesting. I think if you want to look at someone who looks haggard, look at Moammar Gadhafi.
While I have you, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he gives his speech tonight at 7:00. Once again, another man known for outrageous comments. And I know something that burns you up, and that's the fact that he denies the Holocaust. But now this man's going to be given a platform. Who knows how long he will speak for?
What do you think of that?
BOTEACH: Every September, around the Jewish high holidays, New York City, which has the largest concentration of Jewish residents of any city in the world, is turned into a rogue gallery of anti-Semitic dictators. And we're forced to stomach the diatribes of people who slaughter their own citizens.
Let us recall, Ahmadinejad is not just the enemy of the Jewish people by saying that the Holocaust is a lie, and by claiming he will wipe Israel off the face of the earth. He is the enemy of the Iranian people.
He has slaughtered his own people for simple, peaceful demonstrations on the streets of Tehran because they reject his fraudulent election. So, he is the enemy of humanity, and he is the biggest enemy of the Iranian people. And I find it again astonishing that we allowed America's foremost city to be turned into a haven for these people.
The U.N. is in need of serious reform, and it should be renamed the UDN, the United Democratic Nations. These people are not elected by their citizens. They're not representative of their citizens. So, what right do they have to come and speak on behalf of their citizens?
And by granting them that right, the United States and President Obama, who's the leader of the free world, we give them a passive stamp of approval that we accept that they are their leaders. So, here you have the Iranians dying in the streets of Tehran, protesting Ahmadinejad, but we, in this country, are calling him the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
There's something wrong with that picture.
PHILLIPS: Rabbi Shmuley, it's always interesting to talk to you. Thank you.
BOTEACH: Thank you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Protesters are sending Iran's president a message right now as well. And it's a loud one.
CNN's Allan Chernoff with them outside of the United Nations.
Allan, no matter how far Ahmadinejad is from Tehran, he can't escape the controversial election. We heard Rabbi Shmuley mention that as well. And the street protests and the violent crackdown that happened there, all those behind you have talked to you about that.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, tremendous opposition to Ahmadinejad. But we should also point out it is not purely Ahmadinejad's presence here at the United Nations that is bringing all these people out.
They are terribly motivated by atrocities, by what happened to the young woman, Nada, who we all tragically saw killed live on television. Also by the protests that have been happening day after day throughout Iran. These are the sorts of scenes that have brought thousands of people here to the U.S. from all over. Not only from all over the U.S., but also from Canada, elsewhere. They've come here to voice their feelings.
Nazarene (ph) is one of those. You're from Canada, correct?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I'm from Canada.
CHERNOFF: What is the message really that you want sent?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want to say to Ahmadinejad, he's not our president, and he's been elected by people. He's been forced to be our president in Iran. And we are here today to tell him he's not welcome and he's not president.
CHERNOFF: Many people here have said to me that they feel it's not just Ahmadinejad, it's really the entire regime, a religious- oriented regime that is oppressive.
Do you feel that way?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. The whole regime is oppressive. We want to that regime. We want to change the regime. As you can see, "Regime change." We want the regime to be changed.
CHERNOFF: And there are just hundreds and hundreds deep here. There are a few hundred more who will be marching soon from the mission, from the Iranian mission, to here at (INAUDIBLE) plaza, which is right across from the United Nations.
This also is Najeem (ph). She came from Charlotte, North Carolina.
And Najeem (ph), why are you here?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am here to let the voice know, the voice of the Iranian people, they want to free Iran, they want to have a chance to choose their own leaders. They are tired of Islamic Republic telling them who should be the leader of our country, Iran. And I am supporting their voices, the voices of the women and the students and the people of Iran.
CHERNOFF: And what is particularly interesting here is that some of the younger people have said to me, they suddenly see an opening. What's happened over the past few months, the protests that have exploded in Tehran and other major cities, something they never imagined could have happened. And indeed, that is why so many people right now are here protesting at the United Nations -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: A lot of people, Allan Chernoff, wanting to know what he is going to say, and you can find out tonight, 7:00 Eastern, right here on CNN. We will have Ahmadinejad's U.N. speech as he gives that to us, and we're going to read between the lines afterward with analysis. You won't want to miss it.
President Obama has been power-lunching at the U.N. He meets with Russia's president next hour. And a little earlier, he took center stage on the world stage and spoke before the General Assembly. He said that he's leading the U.S. into a new era of engagement, but he also said that all countries need to push forward on things they care about, like peace, justice, prosperity and the environment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK H. OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have reached a pivotal moment. The United States stands ready to begin a new chapter of international cooperation, one that recognizes the rights and responsibilities of all nations. And so with confidence in our cause, and with a commitment to our values, we call on all nations to join us in building the future that our people so richly deserve.
Thank you very much, everybody.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And that was President Obama's first address to the U.N. General Assembly.
White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is covering it for us.
Suzanne, what was the most important message he wanted to get out there?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, it certainly was about engaging world leaders, that this was not going to be a unilateralist approach like many leaders saw from the former president, President Bush, a go-it-alone approach.
But that with this engagement also comes an increase in responsibility and accountability, and that he was really trying to set the tone in a different way. That even if policy, perhaps, the pursuing, it remains the same, or very similar to the Bush administration in some ways, you talk about troops for Afghanistan, or you talk about Middle East peace, that he wants these world leaders to know that he is willing to listen, that there is an open dialogue here, but that they do have a certain responsibility.
And here's how he put it.
Oh, we don't have that sound, Kyra, but essentially some of the things he talked about was that it sounded familiar to the campaign, that he said, "I am not naive, I know this will be difficult," when he talked about Middle East peace. He also said something that was very familiar as well. He said, "The people of the world want change."
These are the kinds of things that he used to mobilize people to support and vote for him during the election. It is also the kind of thing that he's trying to use to mobilize world leaders to see it in their best interest to go along with some of the U.S. policies that he had talked about, policies that's going to be very difficult, Kyra, to carry through. One of them, of course, is Middle East peace.
PHILLIPS: Well, talk about difficult, how about getting through the hour and a half plus more of Gadhafi 's rant there at the U.N. Is anyone from the White House commenting on that yet? MALVEAUX: Well, we know the president wasn't there during that speech. He walked out. But yes, Robert Gibbs, in a briefing that is happening as you and I are speaking, at the same time my producer Becky Britton (ph) got some comments from him, and he says it was Gadhafi being Gadhafi . He says, "If I was to try to explain the actions of Gadhafi, I would busy for the better part of the afternoon."
About the fact that the two of them did not meet, that there was kind of a hesitation there, he said that the president did sit down in the chair after making his own speech for several seconds, and then got up and left. So maybe there was an opportunity there.
And then, finally, on the comment that he made -- Gadhafi said, "We are content forever if Obama can remain president" -- a little joke from Robert Gibbs, saying, "Leaving aside the amendments in the Constitution, it would be an interesting concept to continue to be president beyond one's natural life."
So, it's clear, Kyra, they're trying to kind of joke, be a little bit flip about this. They do not want to talk about Moammar Gadhafi. They want to stay focused with the president's message about engaging everybody.
PHILLIPS: Maybe something that makes sense.
Suzanne Malveaux, thanks.
MALVEAUX: OK.
PHILLIPS: Well, to forgive and to not count the costs, at least not as much. Two of America's biggest banks overhaul their overdraft policies, and it could mean more money in your pocket.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BUSINESS REPORT)
PHILLIPS: Time now for the top stories.
In California, investigators are combing the property of Phillip and Nancy Garrido, so they found no evidence linking them to other high-profile child kidnappings. The husband and wife remain behind bars, charged in the 18-year-long abduction of Jaycee Dugard.
Chicago police say their seven-hour standoff with a gunman inside a veterans hospital is finally over. That suspect peacefully surrendered. The man reportedly barricaded himself in a hospital exam room after firing off a round in the lobby. No reports of anyone getting hurt.
Border police in the San Diego area say they have arrested two of the three drivers that they were targeting. The drivers allegedly tried to speed their immigrant-filled vans past a border station yesterday. Agents fired on the vehicles. Four people were reportedly hurt. The driver of the third van is believed to have hightailed it back to Mexico.
Imagine losing everything. A lot of people in the Southeast did this week. Floods washed away their homes, their possessions. And now, while they're waiting for the water to go down, they're starting to try and pick up the pieces.
We're going to take you live to the flood zone.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: In parts of the Atlanta area, the road ahead will be very tough for hundreds of people. Cleanup will be almost overwhelming. And right now, there's a need for such basics as drinking water.
CNN's Catherine Callaway is in one of the hardest-hit areas, Douglasville. That's just west of Atlanta.
Catherine, what it's like right now?
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now the sun is out and we're in a holding pattern. I'll tell you more about that in a second. But I just want to tell all the viewers out there that this is one of the hardest hit counties in the flood region.
This is Douglas County. Six of the fatalities happened in this county.
There are about 100,000 people here now that do not have drinking water, either because of low water pressure from broken pipes or contaminated water. And here they were trying to get water to some of those residents in Douglasville, and an 18-wheeler arrived this morning with 1,300 cases of water, pulled up in this church parking lot, and they began distributing water. And the line went beyond the parking lot and down the street.
As you can see from the video, hundreds of people showed up to pick up that water that they need to do those essential things like brush their teeth, and obviously just drinking water. And the 18- wheeler took six hours to get here to deliver that water to only go what should have taken less than an hour, but because of all the road closures here, they had difficulty getting the water to the people.
We spoke to the victims. They told us that not only are their homes damaged, but they have no way of getting around because of all the road closures. We're told by one official there could be up to 150 roads and bridges closed in this county alone.
And Joe Smith told us that his home was so severely damaged, he really shouldn't have stayed in it while it was being repaired. But he did receive some help from an unlikely source.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOE SMITH, FLOOD VICTIM: We're all in bad need of money, you know. And we didn't have no money to, say, go get a motel room or anything. So I got a daughter in the Air Force (ph). She sent a little money to help out. But a roofer rented a room so we could stay the night.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLAWAY: So he actually received help from the roofers, who paid for a room for him at the hotel while they repair his home. Another gentleman we spoke with woke up to a swimming pool in his basement. His concern though was trying to get medical attention to his son.
Listen to his story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BECKETT, FLOOD VICTIM: We lad to taken him to the emergency room yesterday. My wife tried to get out one way, she couldn't go that way. She had to come down -- actually, she came right down to the corner here. And now we've got to get a nebulizer for him. And we're trying to find that and find a way to get out to pick that up, too.
So, logistics is a pain right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLAWAY: Yes, a real pain. In fact, logistics -- we're waiting on this 18-wheeler to deliver more water. People keep driving up asking where it is. It was supposed to be here a couple of hours ago, Kyra. We're waiting to see if the interstate that is supposed to be opened again will help get him a little bit faster, because people are really in dire need.
PHILLIPS: We'll follow up. Catherine Callaway, thank you so much.
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Chad.
Maybe it's never crossed your mind, but security experts can't stop thinking about it. A restaurant full of people eating and chatting. It'd be a piece of cake for a terrorist to hit. We're going to see what Homeland Security is saying about protecting soft targets.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: The man at the center of a growing domestic terrorism probe is due back in court. Najibullah Zazi and two other Afghan men were arrested over the weekend in what the feds called a plot to bomb targets right here in the U.S. Prosecutors want to hold Zazi over until a trial. A formal detention hearing is tomorrow in Denver, and meantime we're getting new details from court papers. They suggest that New York police may have compromised the FBI's investigation by questioning one of the men who was later arrested.
A special court hearing is being held this week in Mumbai, India as prosecutors prepare to try suspects in this deadly militant attack that took place last year. A coordinated assault on two luxury hotels, a train station and other targets shocked that city. We're talking about India's commercial capital.
Those attacks shook security big wigs around the world, too, and made them think about how to protect so-called soft targets. You won't look at your favorite hangouts the same way again. CNN's Jason Carroll has more from New York.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, the Department of Homeland Security actually has a list of protective measures for hotels to follow if they so choose, but will they choose to upgrade security, and if they do, will their customers be up for it?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL (voice-over): The United States is a country that prides itself on its open society. A place where people can see a movie or go to a ball game, or check into a hotel without having to pass through the same type of security found at airports. But what if that changed? What if there were security checkpoints at hotels?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I kind of would hate to move in that direction. I think what's great about America is the freedom to go places.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once it starts, I think people get used to it.
CARROLL: In comparison, heightened hotel security is not unusual overseas. The Sheraton in Karachi, Pakistan, armed guards on patrol, none at the Sheraton in Los Angeles. The Marriott in Jakarta, Indonesia. Metal detectors. None at this Marriott in Washington, D.C.
Now that the Department of Homeland Security has released a bulletin saying hotels are attractive targets for terrorists and generally lack the security to prevent access by terrorists, some security experts say it's time U.S. hotels become more proactive in increasing security. Pat D'Amuro is the FBI's former executive assistant director of counterterrorism and counterintelligence.
PAT D'AMURO, GIULIANI SECURITY AND SAFETY: You have to be reasonable. You have to protect your guests, and you have to try to make it as unintrusive as possible. However, the guests are going to have to realize that this is being done for their safety.
CARROLL: Several suggested protective measures are outlined in the Homeland Security bulletin such as installing perimeter barriers, adding highly visible security, and random screening of guests. We contacted several major chain hotels including Marriott and Starwood resorts to ask about the likelihood of implementing the recommendations. None would comment.
Clark Ervin does not believe U.S. hotels will change. He's the author of "Open Target: Where America is Vulnerable for Attack."
CLARK ERVIN, THE ASPEN INSTITUTE: 9/11 proves that we are no longer impermeable to the kinds of security threats that other countries around the world, sadly, have routinely had to deal with. And so we're going to have to learn either to put up with these kinds of security measures before an attack happens or to do it after.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: Well, Kyra, a representative at Hilton waited (ph) on the topic, giving us a statement, saying, "Hilton Hotels Corporation views guests' and employee safety as our highest priority, and has comprehensive security policies and procedures. We continually monitor security related practices and work with law enforcement wherever additional guidance is issued."
Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.
PHILLIPS: It was a cruel summer lesson for a group of black and Hispanic kids. Now the swim club that kicked them out is learning about consequences. A Pennsylvania state panel just found probable cause of racial discrimination in the June incident.
You probably remember this story. These kids here at the day camp had paid to swim at a club every week, but after the first visit, the privileges were yanked and the money was refunded. Some of the kids reported racial comments from white members of the Valley Club. The manager said, no, no racism here, just too many swimmers and not enough lifeguards. Well, the state panel does not agree. It's ordered a $50,000 civil penalty. The club's lawyers say they will appeal.
A white man accused of beating up a black woman in front of her daughter. He's in jail with no bond for now. Troy Dale West was indicted this morning on three felony charges on top of several other charges. The woman says that West almost hit her seven-year-old daughter with a restaurant door as he left a Cracker Barrel south of Atlanta. When she called him on it, he allegedly started punching, kicking and yelling racial slurs at her. The FBI is looking into this as a possible hate crime.
An ousted president, his cowboy hat, and about a hundreds of his supporters holed up in your embassy and won't leave. What do you if you're in Brazil?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: President Obama meeting with leaders from around the globe right now as the U.N. General Assembly kicks off a new session. Last hour, he toasted a power lunch hosted by Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. The president spoke of the need for peace and growing cooperation from all U.N. memebers. New charges in the death of former Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith. Prosecutors are again going after her lawyer/boyfriend Howard K. Stern. He and two doctors are accused of aiding her death by getting her prescription drugs All three pleaded not guilty in May. The new charges accused Stern of using a false name to get the drugs.
It's a pretty emotional day for actor John Travolta. He's testifying in the trial of two people accused of trying to extort $25 million from him in the Bahamas. Travolta says he gave his seizure- prone son CPR, trying to save his life, and a paramedic and a Bahamas senator allegedly tried to blackmail the movie star by threatening to reveal details about efforts to revive Travolta, which failed.
Honduras's problem is now a situation for Brazil. Jose Manuel Zelaya, the ousted president of Honduras, holed up in the Brazilian embassy since Monday, along with about 100 of his friends and supporters. There's still a warrant for Zelaya's arrest. Brazil wants the U.N. Security Council to hold an emergency meeting to talk about the situation.
Our John Zarrella is actually in Honduras with more. Tell us about the conditions, John, because the airport was shut down. No one was able to get in, but now I understand you were able to, but it's taken time.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRSPONDENT (via telephone): Yes, it certainly has, Kyra. In fact, we had to travel over land and flew into El Salvador late last night and made our way this morning to the border.
We reached the border between El Salvador and Honduras at a place called El Amatillo. There were at least 200 trucks lined up, waiting for the border to open, so they could bring in food and supplies. They did allow us, the members of the press, to come through the checkpoint and on our way in to Tegucigalpa, we passed and were stopped at at least a dozen checkpoints along the road.
We are now in Tegucigalpa, in the capital city. We made our way in here. I can tell you, traffic is very heavy, and Kyra, I know people in the U.S. can relate to hurricanes when people are filling up with gas. That's what we saw today. The supermarkets are jam-packed. Gas stations, 30, 40, 50 deep, the cars, waiting to fill up with gasoline. Very busy on the streets of Tegucigalpa.
There's still, we believe, a curfew that will be reimposed later today, although we have not confirmed that yet. But right now, the streets are very, very crowded. We did see some military presence on the streets, but very, very little. Mostly, it's the national police that we have seen repeatedly and the ones that were manning all the checkpoints. Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And just to give our viewers a little background who are just tuning into this story, John, let's talk about why Zelaya was ousted and the support that he still has there and how he had to sneak back into the country. ZARRELLA: Right. Well, a lot of how he snuck back in is still up for debate, although he did say I took him 15 hours over land through multiple countries in Latin America to get back in here, and then he shows up at the Brazilian embassy. And at first, the interim government here, led by president Roberto Micheletti, said he wasn't here. Then they had to acknowledge when he went on television that in fact he was in the country.
The dispute began several months ago when the president Zelaya at the time decided that he wanted to try to get an extension of changing the election laws to allow the president to serve two terms. Now, that didn't sit well with the supreme court apparently here and the legislature. And on the day that they were supposed to hold this referendum on allowing two terms for the president, he was ousted, removed from power and flown out of the country.
So, that's sort of the background to all of this. And what's interesting was also that he was supposed to be at the United Nations -- Zelaya, right now -- and so it came as a real big surprise when he turned up here in the country. It was expected even in Washington, in our capital, that Zelaya was going to be in New York for these big meetings at the United Nations.
PHILLIPS: John Zarrella, we look forward to seeing you live as you move your way in there. We'll be following the story with you later today and into tomorrow. John, thanks.
Sarah Palin can see Russia from her home state, Alaska. But it's the view from her overseas hotel room that's making headlines today. We'll tell you where she is and why she's there.
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PHILLIPS: Sarah Palin didn't have much foreign policy experience when she was on the campaign trail, but she appears to be making up for it now. The former Republican VP nominee is in China, speaking to Asian bankers. But they're the only ones that will see her. Eunice Yoon explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EUNICE YOON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Former U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is on her first visit to Asia. She's in Hong Kong, though it's hard to tell.
(on camera): I was wondering if you know who Sarah Palin is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I don't.
YOON: You don't know who Sarah Palin is? This woman, is she familiar to you? Have you ever seen her before?
Sarah Palin, do you know who Sarah Palin is?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
YOON: This woman?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nope.
YOON: Have you ever seen her before?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nope. Never.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. Is it a politician? I don't know, I'm sorry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sure I don't know.
YOON: Sarah Palin. She's this woman. Does she look familiar to you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes. Yes.
YOON (voice-over): But outside of that photograph, the only people who are going to get a good look at her aer inside this hotel.
(on camera): Palin is the star speaker at an investment conference here, but it's closed off to the public and we can't get inside to see her.
(voice-over): Nor can anyone else.
(on camera): Have you seen Sarah Palin?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In my dreams.
YOON (voice-over): Other dignitaries have spoken at the same investor conferences, most of their speeches haven't been public either, but other VIPs made a big splash. When former U.S. vice president Al Gore visited here in 1996, he premiered his documentary "An Inconvenient Truth." During his stay for the conference in 2007, South African rights activist Desmond Tutu came on CNN.
But despite numerous media requests, including from CNN, Palin isn't making any appearances outside this single speech. The government of Hong Kong knows of no meetings with officials here.
Audience members said Palin's speech was wideranging, from life in Alaska to criticizing China.
If people in Hong Kong wanted to win her over, they didn't have much of a chance. Palin can see Russia in her home state of Alaska, but here, she's only seeing China from her hotel room.
Eunice Yoon, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: All right, we have all had to stay after school, but a trip to the nurse's office shouldn't mean detention, accidental or not. Just ask Angelina. Late Friday afternoon, her mom got a call from a janitor at Coyote Springs Elementary school near Phoenix, saying that he found Angelina, age 7, locked in the nurse's office. The school had closed for the weekend an hour earlier, so the staff had gone home. Little Angelina was overlooked.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GINA ANDERSON, ANGELINA'S MOTHER: When she couldn't get anyone to come to her, then she wet herself. All she could do is throw herself on the bed and cry and pray for Mommy to come and get her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The humble Unify School Districts calls the matter unfortunate and says it's investigating. Angelina now goes to a different school.
Maybe if he had just say, "Don't Tase me, bro," none of this would have ever happened. (INAUDIBLE), 81 years old, walks with a cane, had a series of strokes and has no use of his left arm. And he can tell you what it feels like to get Tasered by the California Highway Patrol.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the worst whipping I have ever taken in my whole life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: He (INAUDIBLE) says that Shiafini (ph) attacked an officer back in July with a deadly weapon: his cane. He's considering filing an excessive use of force complaint.
He was once a political golden boy, but the sex scandal that has tarnished John Edwards' career gets more and more sordid. A former aide is leaking all the details, and you got to hear them.
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PHILLIPS: John Edwards used to love the spotlight, but the glare shifted from flattering to sizzling hot. The former presidential candidate could face criminal charges over his alleged attempts to cover up an affair with a campaign workers. You might think, "I have heard this story before," but believe me, you haven't heard these details. Our Joe Johns unravels a sticky web of deception.
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JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The details are almost too sordid to believe.: Elizabeth Edwards suffering from terminal cancer, while her husband, former presidential candidate John Edwards, was having an affair with a woman named Rielle Hunter.
Now "The New York Times" is citing a leaked book proposal by onetime Edwards aide Andrew Young claiming that Edwards told Ms. Hunter that, after his wife dies, he would marry her on a New York rooftop in a ceremony where the Dave Matthews Band would play. (MUSIC PLAYING)
JOHNS: On top of that, there are now persistent reports that Edwards is considering taking responsibility for Hunter's baby, though Mrs. Edwards is said to be opposed to that.
JOE SINSHEIMER, FORMER DEMOCRATIC CONSULTANT: If he were to admit paternity, then I think that, as a society, we would feel that he should play a role in the baby's life. And I think that the potential is there that Elizabeth is uncomfortable with that.
MATTINGLY: Neither Edwards would comment for the story. Hunter's lawyer didn't respond to a call either.
Earlier this summer, Hunter went to testify before the grand jury, parading the baby in front of the cameras for all to see.
SINSHEIMER: It just created a different set of emotions when you saw the visual image of her holding the baby walking in the courthouse. And I think it added to what we will call the sort of yuck factor to the story.
JOHNS (on camera): This is where John Edwards is believed to spend much of his time these days, his heavily-wooded 102-acre estate in the Chapel Hill area, a secluded place, a former presidential contender now in seclusion.
To many, he was the golden boy of past elections. Now he is fodder for the tabloids.
(voice-over) Former Edwards staffer Andrew Young, married father of three, a guy who went the extra mile for Edwards but got, many say, little to show for it.
(on camera) Andrew Young appeared before the grand jury earlier this summer, which meets here at the federal courthouse in Raleigh. A source familiar with the story tells CNN at first he believed in John Edwards, worked for him for years.
And when Edwards allegedly came to him and asked him to take responsibility for fathering Rielle Hunter's child, he did it because he wanted to help.
Another source familiar with this story says he later became angry and hurt, because he felt that Edwards had dropped him like a hot potato.
At some point, Andrew Young decided he would have to take care of himself and his family. He recanted his story, said he was not the father of the child, and wrote up a book proposal.
(voice-over) And where is this going legally? Rielle Hunter's video production company was paid more than $100,000 to produce short Web clips of the Edwards campaign. So the grand jury is looking into whether any campaign contributions paid to Hunter were inappropriate. JAN BARAN, ELECTIONS LAW EXPERT: If the investigation discovers that some campaign money went, for a purely personal reason, to somebody, then that could constitute a violation of the law.
JOHNS: Even if Edwards is cleared in the investigation, details of the affair have tarnished his reputation, and many believe it's doubtful he'll ever reclaim his status as a favorite son of North Carolina.
Joe Johns, CNN, Raleigh, North Carolina.
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PHILLIPS: Well, that does it for us. We'll be back here tomorrow from 1:00 to 3:00 Eastern time. Rick Sanchez picks it up from here.
