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CNN Sunday Morning
Off-Duty Detective Killed; Big Names Campaigning
Aired October 17, 2010 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, everybody. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is your CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Eight a.m. here on the East Coast.
Good morning to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. I'm Kate Bolduan. Thanks for starting your day with us.
We are learning more this morning about a really troubling story we want to get to. A Baltimore police officer killed. He was off duty and just trying to park his car, we're told, when he got into some kind of altercation.
This morning, we're talking live to the spokesperson from the department about the officer's life.
HOLMES: Also, this morning, public displays of affection not wanted at one particular mall after a couple that was holding hands and shared a kiss got kicked out of the mall. But there's more to the story than that, and it's now leading to a big rally that's coming up in just a few hours. We'll explain in a moment.
But, first, we want to give a look at some other stories that are making headlines.
First off, you need to check that freezer of yours. Some frozen vegetables out there that were sold at Walmart and Kroger might have pieces of glass in them. The supplier for both store brands is recalling 12-ounce bags of green peas along with peas and carrots under the Kroger label, also the Great Value brand of 12 ounce bags of steamable peas and mixed vegetables being recalled.
Concerns again about possible glass shards in that packaging. No reports of injuries about these packages of peas and other vegetables just yet, though. But, still, you need check it and you can get a refund.
Also, police in Sacramento, California, say one suspect is in custody, another suspect has been hospitalized after a musician trying to help a man who was being assaulted by those two suspects. This happened outside a restaurant where a band was playing. Police say the musician shot one of the men as he intervened in that attack. Police haven't decided if charges will be filed against that supposedly Good Samaritan. And flooding in southern Russia has left 13 people dead, 12 other people are still missing right now. About 20 villages have had to be evacuated because of this flooding and the initial damage estimates are above $10 million.
BOLDUAN: Well, we begin this hour with what Baltimore's police commissioner is calling the senseless death of a fantastic officer who apparently died arguing over a parking space. Police say Detective Brian Stevenson, an 18-year veteran of the force, was hit in the head with a piece of concrete outside a city night spot late last night. Stevenson was rushed to John Hopkins Hospital where he later died on the eve of his 38th birthday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR STEPHANIE RAWLINGS-BLAKE, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND: This is an utterly senseless act. We have lost an officer who meant a lot to his family, to his community, and certainly to his brothers and sisters in blue, who are devastated by this incident.
COMMISSIONER FREDERICK H. BEALFELD, BALTIMORE POLICE DEPARTMENT: He worked, you know, trying to capture burglars and identify people who are out there doing a lot of the stuff we see every day, you know, these assaults and street robberies. And, you know, he dedicated himself to getting that done, and it's a loss. It's a huge loss to us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Baltimore police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi joins me now on the phone with more on the situation surrounding Detective Stevenson's death.
Good morning. Thank you so much for joining me, Mr. Guglielmi.
Can you tell me, first off, do you have a suspect in custody? That's one quick question I want to make sure we cleared up.
ANTHONY GUGLIELMI, DIR. OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, BALTIMORE POLICE DEPT. (via telephone): We do. We have a couple people of interest in custody right now and homicide detectives are -- have literally been working through the night interviewing these individuals, along with talking with some witnesses and people that were attending the establishment where the detective was killed.
BOLDUAN: Obviously, you don't want to get ahead of where things stand with the investigation. But is anyone actually charged with the crime?
GUGLIELMI: No. Not yet and you know, you hit the nail on the head. We don't want to get ahead of the investigation. We want to make sure that we are extremely methodical and that we get every single detail in this case. This is a senseless, senseless tragedy for something incredibly petty, and the Baltimore police department is grief-stricken and the family of Detective Stevenson is just simply devastated. BOLDUAN: And I wanted to ask you about that. We're told that this started over a dispute over a parking space. Any idea how or why this escalated to this point?
GUGLIELMI: You know, we're trying to figure all that out now. I mean, it's an act of violence. You're right. It resulted in a fight over a parking spot, something so incredibly silly, that an 18-year veteran of the police department, a really great detective lost his life.
Detective Stevenson was celebrating his birthday today, he would have been 38 years old and, you know, we're just very fortunate that we have some really great officers in the department who work tirelessly to get some suspects into custody overnight, and the mayor and the police commissioner have been at the hospital until about 4:00 or 5:00 this morning with the family. And we have an autopsy scheduled for about 8:15 this morning. So, once that takes place, we're building our case and we're hopeful to have some charges later in the day today.
BOLDUAN: Later today -- well later in the day. We'll definitely follow that closely. Thanks for your time this morning. It's been a rough few weeks for the Baltimore city police department. Another officer was killed in an accident, a car accident late September.
So, thanks so much for your time this morning.
GUGLIELMI: Thank you.
HOLMES: We want to turn to politics here now.
We got a little more than two weeks left before the midterm elections. Big names are out and about in the campaign trail. And today, the "Fire Pelosi" bus tour is going to be pulling into Indianapolis. The GOP-sponsored bus is trying to fire up Republicans to work against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Also, former President Bill Clinton is giving a speech tonight at a rally at San Jose State University. He's campaigning for Jerry Brown's bid to become California's governor.
A pretty busy time for Sarah Palin right now. She'll have a rally for the GOP in Reno, Nevada. That's tomorrow. Polls show Republican challenger Sharron Angle is neck and neck with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Also, President Obama is going to be speaking at USC, that's a rally there on Friday. He's trying to encourage those young voters to make sure they turn out in the midterms. They were a crucial group that helped him win the White House.
Well, the president was in Boston last night. He was there to stump for a good friend, Governor Deval Patrick, who, like the president, sees his popularity slipping. Polls show the governor is in a dead heat with Republican Charlie Baker. The president urged Democrats to not let Republicans take back control of Congress. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I understand that sometimes, hope may have faded as we've grinded out this work over the last several years. I know it's hard to keep faith when a family member still hasn't found a job, after months of trying. Or another foreclosure sign is hung on the house down the street. And you're watching TV and all you see are politicians tearing each other down and pundits who treat politics like a sport. I know it can be discouraging, but don't ever let anybody tell you this fight isn't worth it. Don't ever let them tell you you're not making a difference.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, also there, not just supporters of the president but some hecklers showed up last night. They carried signs that said, quote, "Keep the promise," also signs that said, quote, "Broken Promises Kill," also another sign that was spotted out there that said, "Fight global AIDS." A lot of people are calling on the president to do more to fight AIDS around the world.
Now, the president did respond to those hecklers. Now, take a listen to this. You can't really hear the hecklers and make out what they're saying, but they made enough noise that the president went off-script and felt he needed to take them on and address them directly. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: One of the great things about being a Democrat is we -- we -- we like arguing with each other.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: But I would suggest to the folks who are concerned about AIDS funding, take a look at what the Republican leadership has to say about AIDS funding.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: And a far different tone at a Republican fundraiser and rally last night in Anaheim, California, some 2,000 people turned out to see GOP star and former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, along with party chairman, Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele. Both of whom believe the Republicans are on the verge of big gains in Washington come November.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH PALIN (R), FMR. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The momentum is with us but now is not the time to let up. You know, now is not the time to celebrate, not quite yet. We've got 17 days to go.
We can't be thinking that it's over yet and we've got it in the bag, you know, as Yogi would have said, "It ain't over 'til it's over." We got to leave the dancing to someone else for right about now. But soon, soon, we'll all be dancing.
MICHAEL STEELE, RNC CHAIRMAN: We don't need Obama to care for us. Therefore, we don't need Obamacare. We don't need Harry Reid to figure out how our businesses work. Therefore, he can retire. We don't need Nancy Pelosi, period. This is your moment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Meanwhile, Arizona Senator John McCain was in San Diego last night, stumping for U.S. Senate hopeful Carly Fiorina of California. The former Republican presidential nominee had stinging words for Fiorina's opponent, incumbent U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Barbara Boxer is the most bitterly partisan, most anti-defense senator in the United States Senate today. I know that because I've had the unpleasant experience of having to serve with her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: That's a co-worker he's talking about.
BOLDUAN: It's getting -- it's getting dirty. It's getting mean.
HOLMES: I get it. It's the political season. But come on. Are you serious? And I got to go out --
BOLDUAN: You're always surprised but this happens.
HOLMES: It's just we hear from one side, they're throwing it on the other side, they're lobbing these accusations and they're being partisan. I'm sorry.
BOLDUAN: Welcome to politics.
HOLMES: I got to go back out and deal with this stuff again, al this week. I'm heading out today back on the Election Express. Hopefully, I can skip some of that stuff -- and coming out there to talk to you folks in these towns.
I'm going to be heading North Carolina, first stop, Charlotte, and then Columbia, South Carolina, and then Macon, Jacksonville on Thursday, and then, Tampa on Friday. And we're coming out trying to talk to you, trying to see what you're concerned about, out there as the Election Express rolls on this election season.
Do me a favor if you can, send me a message before I get to your town, let us know what we should be talking about, what we should see, maybe who we should go talk to in your particular town. You know where to find me, @TJHolmesCNN on Twitter and Facebook.
BOLDUAN: So, take a look at this fan. He doesn't look -- he doesn't really look like teen singing sensation Justin Bieber. So, why oh why is his phone ringing off the hook and he's being treated like a celebrity?
HOLMES: Also, we are going to be hearing from some young folks, some of our youngest viewers weighing in about what we all saw this past week as those 33 miners came up alive and seemingly well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: Good morning, Washington. I'll see you soon.
HOLMES: Shortly, right?
BOLDUAN: Shortly, I'll be heading back. Got to get back to work, I can't play all the time.
HOLMES: Is that what you're doing? Are you working today when you go back? I know what you're doing, you're about to lie to the viewers.
BOLDUAN: No, I was actually giving you a compliment. I was saying this was fun.
HOLMES: Bonnie, clearly, we are -- oh, Bonnie, you got me over there, having some earpiece issues.
Hey, Bonnie. How are you doing? Everything works over there?
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Sorry, I couldn't hear you.
I think somebody was talking to me but I didn't hear it. Anyway, yes, everything is doing well. I love that "Here Comes the Sun," because we are looking at some very nice conditions out there this morning, if not a little brisk for you. We've got some temperatures that may surprise you in the heart of the south.
You can see the numbers are in the 40s, that's only 46 degrees in Jackson, Mississippi, 44 in Birmingham, Alabama, 49 in Atlanta, and a brisk and chilly 40 degrees in Nashville, Tennessee. At least the sun is shining, so that will be a nice brisk start to the day.
Now, for those of you that are traveling, boy, do I have a lot to tell you?
First off, check this out, all the planes in the air right now, there's over 2,111 planes in the air, most of the activity in the eastern half of the country certainly because it's pretty early out west -- so far so good. But we are anticipating some travel troubles on this Sunday and I want to show you where they are so you're prepared and you know exactly what to expect for today.
Now, remember the nor'easter we had that brought wind and rain to New England. It's pretty much pulled away but behind it, we still have some very strong wind gusts that will continue to hit much of New England. So, that means that we could see airport delays in Boston, for example, 30 to 60 minutes. Newark, New Jersey, also looking at delays and on the West Coast, some clouds and rain may slow you down in San Francisco. Overall, though, so far so good for this Sunday in October. We're going to have a lot more coming up straight ahead on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
HOLMES: Well, I hope you all are Justin Bieber fans, we gave you a good dose this morning. Are you guys?
BOLDUAN: I'm a fan of music.
HOLMES: Fan of music?
BOLDUAN: I will --
SCHNEIDER: I'll admit I like Justin Bieber. When it's on the radio, I don't change it.
BOLDUAN: I may change it.
HOLMES: A lot of people love Justin Bieber.
BOLDUAN: He has a ton of fans.
HOLMES: He floats around here in Atlanta. We'll show you a live picture. Now, look at these two guys.
BOLDUAN: Do they look alike? To you?
HOLMES: Maybe Justin the younger will look like that when he gets older.
BOLDUAN: Maybe. Maybe.
SCHNEIDER: He grows a goatee.
BOLDUAN: Exactly.
HOLMES: But the point here is that both of those guys you see are Justin Bieber. But the one on the left is 35 years old and lives in Jacksonville. The one on the right is 16 years old and he floats around here in Atlanta like I mentioned.
But the guy on the left has been getting phone calls and he has been getting nonstop mail because people see his name and it's spelled just the same, "Justin Bieber." Take a listen to him describe what he has been going through now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN BIEBER, NOT THE TEEN SENSATION: First mail was about two years ago, and pretty shortly after that was when the phone started ringing. When I don't recognize an address on them I usually don't open them because I figure they're not really meant for me, especially when they have little hearts written all over them. That would make my wife a little grumpy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: I can only imagine how cute the mail is, though. I mean, you know, he has so many, the other Justin Bieber has so many very young fans.
HOLMES: He did say he gets some telling him that hey, you can't sing, or complaining like that as well. Most of them not the case, but he also said the upside, Bonnie, this makes sense, I don't know how many people, Schneider is not that hard, but you might have sometimes people have a tough time pronouncing their name.
SCHNEIDER: Oh, absolutely.
HOLMES: And everybody knows how to say Bieber now, knows how to say his name, because of the younger.
SCHNEIDER: There are some upsides to it.
BOLDUAN: (INAUDIBLE)
SCHNEIDER: But people think he's an imposter on Facebook. He hadn't change account. They're like, you're not Justin Bieber, but he really is.
HOLMES: He really is, just 20 years older.
One more story here, sports fans, either one of you?
BOLDUAN: Yes.
HOLMES: Yes? And -- well that was a ringing endorsement. You wouldn't mind this, Kate, you'd be upset by it. Folks in New York right now --
BOLDUAN: Oh, I know. Yes, people are upset.
HOLMES: -- they're going to be hot because a lot of folks are going to miss their FOX NFL football games today in the New York area, 3 million people are without FOX on their Cablevision cable because of the dispute between the two companies, News Corps and cable -- and FOX --
BOLDUAN: Cablevision.
HOLMES: -- can't come to an agreement about how much money should be paid to FOX to carry the program on Cablevision. So, if the Yankees happen to make the World Series, which is a good possibility they can, the World Series is carried on FOX.
BOLDUAN: Right.
HOLMES: New Yorkers are going to have a problem.
(CROSSTALK) SCHNEIDER: As you were saying that --
BOLDUAN: People are going to be switching their cable.
SCHNEIDER: And I was thinking about my family, missing all those sports, especially the Giants, my dad. Not good. Crazy.
BOLDUAN: People get --
HOLMES: Crazy about these sports.
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: They were hoping to get that work out. The FCC has been trying to get them to work it out. Nothing yet.
BOLDUAN: Hopefully, they will.
HOLMES: But, hey, you're going to have your CNN, though. We'll never leave your cable provider.
SCHNEIDER: Right.
BOLDUAN: We love talking about sports.
HOLMES: Quick break, folks. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Twenty-one minutes past the hour. We're creeping closer and closer to Election Day. And CNN.com, that's a good way for you to keep track of all the races, especially the ones that matter to you most.
BOLDUAN: Yes. And Josh Levs is here with that this morning.
Hey, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hey there, guys.
Look, we're talking a lot about a lot of specific races around the country. What's happening right now is more and more of you are starting to look at your local races in these final days, trying to make decisions about how you're going to vote and learn more about it.
Well, CNN.com/Election has a really great spread for you. What I want to do is start off looking at the Senate because this is a nice, clean map here -- looking at the Senate race here, everywhere you see blue or red, there is a race taking place. Just click on it and it will give you the basics about what's going on there, you can learn all the basics there.
By the way, I mentioned this one a couple hours ago. More Senate races than almost ever this year because of three special elections, you got 37 of these going on. Take a look here, House races is even more complex here and it's great. You can find what's going on in your individual district. Let's pick a state at random and we'll go into Iowa and once you're inside Iowa, just click on your district, boom, you get who the candidates are. You can also click around to get a lot more information.
At any time, you can get back to this national map that will talk to you about all of the races going on in all 50 states and where things stand.
And with the governorships, we have more races than usual here as well because of a special election going on in Utah, 37 of these. So, take a look here. Again, just click on your state, it will give you some basics.
We also have something called a polling center, and I find the polling center really striking. I pulled out some facts from it because I think what it does is -- it goes black when you don't want it to.
So, let's go back here. what it does is talks to you about what some of the key issues are that are facing the country right now, what it is that people, the voters are telling people are most worried about. We have our latest polls for you all the time and we have a rundown on all these major issues -- the economy, the deficit, health care, where candidates stand on it, and what's the latest poll say about that.
So just check it out any time, CNN.com/Election. Hopefully, it will help you get educated, learn anything you got to know to make your decision.
Guys, how many days are we away from it now, 12 or 14? About 16 days away to big voting day, right?
BOLDUAN: I know we talked about this earlier -- there are so many names.
LEVS: Yes.
BOLDUAN: There are so many races, so many names, so many candidates that CNN.com/Politics is extremely helpful now.
LEVS: Best place to be.
HOLMES: We're a fan of it, folks, if you haven't noticed, CNN.com/Politics.
LEVS: (INAUDIBLE) for pushing it.
HOLMES: Thank you, Josh.
LEVS: Yes.
HOLMES: Well, taking a look now at some of the stories that are making headlines.
First here, 13 people killed and flooding in southern Russia. This is according to state media there. Local official says a pregnant woman among the dead. They've been seeing torrential rains that caused the rivers there to overflow. Some 20 villages had to be evacuated. Damage is estimated at about $10 million.
Also, take a look at this piece of video, a pickup truck crashing through the door of a North Carolina church. This was yesterday in Greensboro. Police say the driver tried to leave the scene.
The pastor says, yes, in fact, people were inside the church at the time of the crash, but luckily nobody was injured. Services will go on as usual today. It might be going on right about now.
Also, also a beloved TV mom has passed away. Actress Barbara Billingsley has died. She was best known as June Cleaver from "Leave It To Beaver" -- also remembered as the helpful passenger who spoke jive in the film "Airplane." Billingsley, 94 years old.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Twenty-seven minutes past the hour now.
You've been hearing the words inspiring, uplifting, triumphant -- just a few of the descriptions about the Chilean mine rescue.
BOLDUAN: And Carl Azuz from CNN Student News is here to discuss the story -- the impact on students.
What have you been hearing from high school and middle school?
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Well, they're thrilled about it for a number of reasons. I mean, on CNN Student News, we cover a lot of the stories you guys do. So, the news is often catastrophic, it can be tragic or sad. We hit some political headlines. We cover the economy, which many people argue is also tragic and sad.
BOLDUAN: Tragic and sad.
AZUZ: But for students, this was a chance to celebrate the news and that's something they don't get a chance to do too often. It's become a "where were you when" moment for them and you can hear that in this comment from Tatyana.
Listen to what Tatyana told us. She wrote into our blog that she was happy she's alive to witness this. She's looking forward to telling people who are even younger than she is, our audience is middle and high school students, about this event.
Also a comment from Mina who's telling us a story about how her class was clapping and celebrating when they heard about this. Another class passed by. Her teacher told Mina to announce to them what had happened and the class started celebrating. So, it created a commotion in the hallway of that school.
So, this is a great chance for them to really get into the news and be happy about something they're seeing.
HOLMES: How much were they following it up to the rescue? Of course, everybody was captivated by the images when they started coming out. But were the kids really taken by the story before the images really started coming out?
AZUZ: That's a good question. We did have a lot of them talk to us. I think it was several weeks ago saying one headline they wanted to see was that these folks had been rescued.
They had a sense. They're hearing CNN Student News and then going home and watching the news, they had a sense those guys had been down there awhile. And they started talking to us saying we want to see that happen and then as it did, I think that just added to their excitement.
BOLDUAN: And you mentioned just shortly ago that teachers are kind of this as kind of a teachable moment, how they can capitalize on it. What do you mean by that?
AZUZ: Yes. We got something at CNNStudentNews.com this year called the Teacher Blog. It's actually called the CNN teacher's lounge, and we're inviting teachers and even you parents out there, if you want to comment something on the news.
The subject this time around is the teachable moment from the Chilean mine rescue and I have a comment like we're getting on our CNN teacher's lounge from Reading Rocks. This teacher is an English teacher and tells us that it's taken us out of our comfort zone as Americans, allowed us to us write about topics and as an English teacher, very grateful to be able to talk about writing with the conviction they might not otherwise have had. So, we had that comment.
We had another one from another teacher coming in as well, talking about tolerance. How this was helping this teacher illustrate to their students good examples of tolerating, specifically people when you're in close quarters with 32 others for that length of time.
BOLDUAN: Very interesting.
AZUZ: So, you know, there are a lot of different angles coming out of this we're enjoying.
HOLMES: We're glad we have wide open space here. We have some --
AZUZ: Plenty of room in the studio. Thank you, guys.
HOLMES: Carl, good to see you as always, buddy. Thanks.
AZUZ: Appreciate it.
BOLDUAN: So, the Chilean mine rescue is an inspiration for so many people. Coming up in our "Faces of Faith," we take a look at what some miners say kept them going in that 69-day ordeal. HOLMES: Also a couple kicked out of a shopping mall for their display of affection. What in the world we're they doing or is it really about more so who they are? One of the women speaks out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: Let's get a check of some of our top stories.
A Baltimore, Maryland police department has identified the off- duty detective killed last night in a dispute that apparently began over a restaurant parking space. Police say 18-year veteran Brian Stevenson died shortly after he was hit in the head with a piece of concrete. Stevenson was celebrating his 38th birthday.
We talked to a police spokesman earlier this hour who said they hoped to announce charges later today.
And Iranian authorities have released an Iranian-American businessman detained there for more than two years. Reza Taghavi had been locked up in one of Iran's most notorious prison since May 2000. He had been accused of supporting and anti-regime group trying to restore the monarchy in Iran.
Also a vegetable recall we want to tell you about this morning, packages of frozen vegetables sold at Wal-Mart and Krogers stores in the southeast may contain glass fragments. No are no reports of injuries but the Tennessee company that supplies the vegetables says consumers should return them for a refund.
HOLMES: Well, a couple shares a hug, a kiss, and holding hands and that gets them kicked out of a shopping mall. And not just any couple, though. This was a lesbian couple. At least that's what the mall says they were not just any couple. This incident took place Wednesday in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Yesterday the managers of that mall apologized to the women. The case though, could now be headed to court. We get the story from our affiliate WRAL.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAITLIN BREEDLOVE, EJECTED FROM SHOPPING CENTER: It bothers me that it's 2010 and I have to be here.
ADAM OWENS, REPORTER, WRAL (voice-over): Caitlin Breedlove was here, sitting on this bench. She says she and her significant other had been holding hands, and walking around the Cameron Village Shopping Center. That's when Breedlove says a security officer walked up and had this to say.
BREEDLOVE: "You have to leave because your behavior is inappropriate."
OWENS: She admits she was showing affection but Breedlove claims it was nothing more than a kiss and a hug. According to her the officer was upset her significant other was another woman. BREEDLOVE: It's because you're same-sex and it's inappropriate behavior and quote, "Nobody wants to see that here at Cameron Village."
OWENS: According to Breedlove the officer had not received complaints from other people and the public display of affection was minimal.
BREEDLOVE: A couple of people would ask did you all plan this.
OWENS: Breedlove works for a social justice group and is a gay activist. However, she says the confrontation was not a stunt.
DAN PALATUCCI, MANAGER, FLYING BISCUIT: We really just don't discriminate at all. We love everybody that loves our food.
OWENS: Dan Palatucci is the manager of the restaurant where the couple had been eating. He brought the concern to Cameron Village management. He feels they're working to get to the bottom of it.
PALATUCCI: I know that Cameron Village as a whole isn't taking it lightly and they are aware of it, but they are just trying to get information about the incident.
OWENS (on camera): And now it appears the ACLU is getting involved. They say they are appalled at what happened and are now looking into possible legal recourse.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Now Caitlin you heard from there actually said they didn't have any plan to file a lawsuit, just really wanted an apology which they did get also wants anti-discrimination training for the security guards at that shopping mall.
BOLDUAN: Trapped 69 days in an underground mine in Chile, so how did the 33 miners stay strong and endure those -- that very long ordeal.
HOLMES: Some would tell you it was their faith. We're taking a look at the power of faith, coming up. It's 36 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, our favorite part of the show is right now. That's when we get to talk to Candy Crowley coming up on "STATE OF THE UNION" here in about 22 minutes. And today she's going to be talking about money and politics.
BOLDUAN: Yes Candy is joining us live from Washington. Good morning, Candy.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": Good morning. He's such a sweet talker, Kate. Do you notice that?
BOLDUAN: He is such a sweet talker. I know, it's hard to deal with him sometimes.
HOLMES: Years of training, Candy, years of training.
BOLDUAN: So Candy you've got David Axelrod on. He made quite -- he got a lot of attention let's say this week talking about anonymous donors and the idea of foreign money being funneled through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in terms of campaigns and -- and ads. Some say that they think this is what David Axelrod has been saying about anonymous money here it's kind of turning it into a bit of a distraction from the bigger issues like the economy and jobs.
CROWLEY: Well, and maybe -- and maybe that's the point. I mean, you know, there's -- politics has many layers here. And -- and -- and frankly Axelrod is really only reflecting what his boss the president is saying on the campaign trail.
Now, they backed up just a bit and don't outright say foreign money is going into these campaigns. In particular they are talking about the Chamber of Commerce, which does take in dues from foreign companies with sort of American affiliations from American citizens.
The -- the problem here is that since the Chamber of Commerce doesn't have to release its donors that help fund its ads the president and the rest of the administration and many Democrats have said look as far as we know, foreign money could be flowing into these ad campaigns that you're seeing all over the place.
So you know, it is an issue, the Democrats say it is something they want to put out there, but here is the criticism, from some Democrats as well, saying this issue has like zero resonance with the American voting public, because A, they don't understand it and B, they're really kind of worried about their own money, not the money going into these ads or what the Chamber of Commerce is doing.
Nonetheless, as you know, some of these issues that are out there, that is sort of the landmark legislation that the president has passed hasn't played that well in some areas of the country, and so some of these Democrats are looking and saying, this just isn't what we ought to be talking about but others are saying listen, this has some resonance because it goes to that whole big money party. That's what the Republicans are, they're trying to buy your vote -- that kind of thing.
So I guess we'll know after November whether there's been any cause and effect here between this talk about politics and money, and what happens at the voting booth.
HOLMES: All right, well we've got to take off but give us your rundown, what's coming up in a few minutes?
CROWLEY: David Axelrod as you mentioned. We're also are going to have Gary Bauer on, he in fact is affiliated with one of those groups that doesn't have to disclose where the money came from for their ads. And then we're going to look at the politics of it with "Time" magazine's Mike Duffy as well as the sheer numbers, $3 billion overall being spent on television ads this campaign season, with Evan Tracy, who is an ad analyst.
HOLMES: All right.
BOLDUAN: Money is fascinating to me.
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: Yes.
BOLDUAN: -- and how much money is going into this election.
HOLMES: Candy, we'll keep the airwaves warm for you. Until we see you here --
CROWLEY: Hey, you always do. Thanks.
HOLMES: -- in about 18 minutes.
Candy thank you so much, "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley again, coming your way 9:00 Eastern and 6:00 pacific right here on CNN.
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HOLMES: Well, 43 minutes past the hour now.
We all heard the cheering from those Chilean miners as they were pulled up from nearly half a mile beneath the earth. Take a listen to it one more time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MINER RESCUED FROM CHILE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now you see one of the miners, I think that was one of the first to come up, maybe the first to come up and stop and said a prayer when he got out. And many of the 33 men say they relied on their faith to get them through the more than two-month ordeal. Some, like I said, dropped to their knees and prayed after the rescue.
One of the miners says it's a miracle from God that they were able to survive and see their loved ones again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIO SEPULVEDA, SECOND MINER FREED (through translator): I never had any doubts about how beautiful Chile is. I always had faith in the professionals of Chile. I never had any doubts, and as to faith, I always -- faith in the great creator. I had great luck. I was with God, and I was with the devil, but God won. I held on to God's hand, the best hand, and at no point in time -- how do I explain this -- at no point in time did I doubt that God wouldn't get me out of there. God doesn't carry out tests with anyone, no.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, we've asked two people who were inspired by their faith to join us this morning. Immaculee Ilibagiza, she survived genocide in Rwanda. She joins us author of the book "Led by Faith". Joining us this morning from New York also Dr. Joy is with us, she used her faith to overcome the loss of her son. You may know her as Dr. Joy on her radio program. They have both joined us this morning. Ladies, thank you both for being here.
Immaculee I want to start with you, though. You dealt with genocide in Rwanda back in 1994, essentially for three months had to hide out and depended on your faith. You prayed, I read, essentially for three months straight every single day. What did prayer do for you every day?
IMMACULEE ILIBAGIZA, SURVIVED GENOCIDE IN RWANDA: Oh, prayer did everything for me. I was in that bathroom with eight women, trapped in three-by-four feet bathroom. And every single day they were coming to search for us and they never found us. Every day we were waiting. We were angry, fearful, and then through prayer, it was only time you can feel there was hope.
I remember a time where I had to eat the Bible, really wanted to disappear, just disappear in the words of God, yes.
HOLMES: Was the prayer in some ways, of course, you're holding on to faith and hoping for a better outcome or better predicament than you were in. But did it serve in some ways as a distraction just to get your mind to a different place?
ILIBAGIZA: Oh, completely. Any time I prayed, I felt it was only time I had peace in my heart. Otherwise, the voice they are talking about, it was there always telling me, you're going to die. They will find you. Even if they don't find you yesterday, they will find you tomorrow, and then that causes you so much fear.
Then there is another beautiful voice, especially when you start praying that tells you, God is almighty. He can do all things, and that will transcend everything.
HOLMES: Immaculee fascinating to hear her.
I want to turn to Dr. Joy, who is in studio with me now. You turned to your faith in dealing with the loss of your son --
DR. JOY, AUTHOR, "MOVING TOWARD WHOLENESS": Right.
HOLMES: -- that died suddenly unexpectedly in an accident.
How important is faith? Could you have made it through the healing process without faith?
DR. JOY: I wouldn't want to make it through without my faith. I've always had a strong faith and I always have compassion for people who don't because I can't imagine moving on with life without it. HOLMES: That was going to be my next question. There are plenty of people aren't very religious. Sometimes when people go through something and they find religion as some would say but someone who is not religious, what would you say to them in trying to deal with a difficult time, God forbid, if they have to go through something like you did?
DR. JOY: Right. Well, I think that, you know, we can define faith in a lot of different ways. There's many faith traditions, traditions that people have but to believe in something bigger than yourself. Some people find faith walking in a park. Some people, Buddha under a tree.
We just need to -- there is something greater that keeps us going than just our own will. And I was able to be carried, if you will, through my grieving process, and my calling now is to help others move toward wholeness, to live the best life that they can live, even in tragedies, even when we lose people.
HOLMES: Immaculee, I want to turn back to you now. And I know you watched -- seems like the rest of the world watched these miners, trapped down there, certainly a different circumstance than what you were going through but in some ways similar, in that you're trapped, don't know what's going to happen to you, you're holding on for hope that you're going to get out of something alive.
Did you see some parallels as well as you watched the story of the miners in Chile?
ILIBAGIZA: Oh, definitely. You know, I wish we knew we were going to be in the bathroom for three months. We didn't know if it was going to be a year, two years. And when I was watching them, I knew in their mind, they were hoping for the best but they don't know when is it going to end, today, tomorrow, five months from now? And that is a scary thing.
And I thought about exactly what I was going through in the bathroom. There must be so many voices in their mind, one reassuring them the worst and the other one telling them maybe there can be good. It was a lot of parallels for sure. You just know your life is in the hands of God.
HOLMES: And Dr. Joy, it sounds like something you kind of hit on. She's saying you really have no control over your circumstances
DR. JOY: That's right.
HOLMES: But all you have is your mind that you can control, and it seems like you're almost -- you're almost playing games with yourself trying to keep yourself sane in some ways.
DR. JOY: For me the situation is any situation in life, the loss of a child, which is pretty dramatic, the loss of a job, loss of a loved one, being confined for 90 days, any situation you can view as a burden or an opportunity. Burden or opportunity -- you get to choose within yourself. You get to choose how will I carry this? And there is a way to get to opportunity. And there are so many people who have lost loved ones who turn that situation into a calling to help others. And by helping others you really help yourself.
HOLMES: And last thing to both of you ladies here, a lot of people, whatever they may be going through in life, you ladies have been through more than anyone would ever imagine to go through; Immaculee, certainly you with a genocide in Rwanda, Dr. Joy losing a child.
But Immaculee, folks out there who are having a hard time, whether it is their job, home life, this economy, about to lose their home, whatever it may be, what advice would you give them as someone who has gone through so much trauma?
ILIBAGIZA: I would tell them hold on to hope, there is always hope. I went through that time and I came out, my whole family was killed, everybody. The same even just going through that grief, it was always what voice to listen to; the one that tells you it's over, give up, kill yourself, or the one that says wait, light will come. If you can only believe in that inspiration, because we have both in our own heart, it will be fine in the end, no matter what you're going through today.
DR. JOY: That's right.
HOLMES: And Dr. Joy, you answer that for me.
DR. JOY: I would say, you know, surrender is important and forgiveness for yourself, because you tend to blame yourself for being in situations you find yourself in. I think if you just surrender to what is, and then forgive yourself and others and you can get through anything.
HOLMES: Dr. Joy, Immaculee, two ladies who have certainly gone through a lot we appreciate you being here sharing your stories and also sharing some advice right now for a lot of people having a hard time in different ways. Ladies, thank you so much for being a part of our "Faces of Faith" this morning.
DR. JOY: Pleasure.
ILIBAGIZA: Thank you for having us.
HOLMES: All right. Quick break here -- thank you. Quick break here; we're right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: What if Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner were to suddenly appear on "Days of Our Lives" to pitch out the bailout plan or Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown showing up on "All My Children", talking health care? Does that sound crazy to you? It might.
HOLMES: No, Nadia that does sound crazy to us but it's not so crazy in other places. This is actually happening somewhere.
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In Thailand -- the finance minister in Thailand Korn Chatikavanij has appeared actually on a commercial using a soap opera type show. So the soap opera is called "Vanida". And unlike soap operas here it's in the evening. So this is prime time viewing in Thailand.
And what happened is because he theme of "Vanida" features loan sharks, there's a huge problem in Thailand amongst loan sharks taking advantage particularly of poor people charging interest of 40 percent to 60 percent, large amounts.
So what the finance minister is he has done a kind of commercial around the soap opera using characters from the soap opera. And in it, one of the characters who is the colonel in "Vanida" speaks about being in debt and then he says how he's getting out of debt. And he speaks about ways the government can help you get out of debt.
HOLMES: He's not actually in the -- what is this I'm seeing?
(CROSSTALK)
BILCHIK: I know. There were confusing reports. What they did is they created a commercial around the soap opera using the soap opera actual characters and actors.
HOLMES: So it looks like.
BOLDUAN: Got you.
BILCHIK: It looks like, exactly. You have to understand people on the street, vendors on the street in Thailand talk about this.
BOLDUAN: What do they think of that?
BILCHIK: It's been interesting. Some people think it's very creative and wonderful. Other people say he should be doing his job. What's he doing being in a commercial. I don't know if you remember in 2008 the Thai prime minister program was in a cooking show and he got paid for it and was forced to resign.
HOLMES: Well, you know what? We should have asked that question earlier, which soap opera would you like to see President Obama show up on? We should have gotten some interesting ones.
BILCHIK: Well, he's certainly handsome enough.
HOLMES: Well, we know how Nadia feels.
BILCHIK: Exactly.
HOLMES: Quick break here, folks. We're right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Just a reminder, I will be hitting the road along with the CNN Election Express coming out to talk to you about what's on your mind. We're going to be hitting Charlotte, North Carolina and heading all the way down to Tampa, Florida. Wherever you may be, all points in between. We will see you on the road as we continue our election coverage on the way to the midterms which are just about 16 days away.
I want to say thank you, as always, to our Kate Bolduan. Coming to hang out -- it's been a while since you've been down here with us. Good to have you back.
BOLDUAN: Thank you. Thanks for having me.
HOLMES: Now get on out of here.
BOLDUAN: See you.
HOLMES: Candy Crowley starts right now. Thank you so much for spending your Sunday morning with us here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. We'll see you back here real soon.
Candy is right now.
