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CNN Saturday Morning News

American Tourists Kidnapped in Egypt; Spike in Violent Crime; Credit Card Giants Agree to $7.2 Billion Settlement; Syrians Attacked from Sky

Aired July 14, 2012 - 07:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: From CNN World headquarters in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

Shopping with your credit card today? Soon, you might have to pay more per swipe. The $7 billion credit card company settlement is a victory for retailers. But it could be a loss for you.

Plus, a wave of homicides hit U.S. cities. Chicago compared to Afghanistan. A spade of shootings rattle New York. All morning, we put murder in America in focus.

And later, an incredible story of survival, a month in the desert. No food, no supplies. How a man was rescued hours from death.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. It is 7:00 on the East Coast. Thanks for starting your morning with us.

We start with the massive credit card settlement that could mean more fees for you at home. Here's the deal. Visa, MasterCard and some of the biggest banks have agreed to a massive $7.25 billion settlement with retailers. The lawsuit centers around credit card swipe fees. We all know about those.

Merchants alleged credit card companies were fixing the price on the fees. Part of the agreement drops bans on credit card surcharges being charged by retailers. That means they are now allowed to charge more if you use plastic. Now, it doesn't mean they will, but it does mean that they can.

We'll have much more on the impact to your bottom line later on in the show.

We are keeping a close eye on Egypt where two Americans have been kidnapped, along with their tour guide. The incident taking place in Sinai Peninsula, an area that has been the sight of two previous kidnappings of Americans just this year.

In a Twitter posting, the U.S. embassy in Cairo confirmed the abduction, saying, quote, "We are in close touch with the Egyptian authorities who are doing everything we can to bring about safe release of the American tourists." And joining me now from Cairo is Mohamed Fadel Fahmy.

Mohamed, good morning. This is the latest in a series of kidnappings involving Americans. Tell us what makes this one different?

MOHAMED FADEL FAHMY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, actually, this one is different because yesterday, on the local Egyptian channel, the kidnappers were able to speak to the public and they vow to kidnap more tourists today if authorities do not release the uncle of the abductor who is charged with drug charges. It seems this tribe is much more organized and serious about kidnapping more.

Of course we know there was two incidents earlier this year where Americans were also abducted. One was in May and the other in was in February. And the hostages were released after hours of being kidnapped and they were all treated well, which is this is the case in this incident, too.

I mean, abductor announced that the hostages are safe. They are offered plea and food. The request or demand is to release an uncle from a jail in Alexandria -- Randi.

KAYE: You mentioned that these Bedouin kidnappers. How sophisticated are they? I mean, if they are targeting Americans and possibly talking about taking more, abducting more people, how good are they at this?

FAHMY: Well, the Sinai Peninsula has been in the state of lawlessness since the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak. They are a well-connected grid of the Bedouin tribes who are well-armed and they are in total control of this area. Basically, what we are seeing today is an evidence that the police has lost control of the Sinai Peninsula, you could say that. And we know that the hostages are well and we are following the story closely.

The two hostages are an American man from Massachusetts and a woman who accompanied him. An Egyptian translator is with them. And we know the abductor's name as he called himself on TV last night was Abu Mensa (ph).

KAYE: Mohamed Fadel Fahmy, thank you very much for the new information we were just getting from you there. Appreciate that.

And now to the end of a long manhunt. Take a look. This is Vincent Walters, the U.S. Marshals 15th most wanted fugitive. He's now behind bars.

Walters was captured in Mexico after 24 years on the run. He was wanted for the 1998 kidnapping and murder of a woman in San Diego.

A mother who adopted a boy from Russia and sent him back on a one-way flight has been ordered to pay almost a quarter million dollars in child support. Torry Hansen says that she just can't deal with the then 7-year-old. But a Tennessee judge says too bad, ordering her to pay $150,000 fine plus $1,000 a month until the boy is 18.

So, here's the question. Do you think the mother should have to pay for this boy? She says he tried to kill her. But should she pay? Should she pay more, less or perhaps nothing at all?

You could tweet me @RandiKayeCNN. I'll be sure to share your comments throughout the morning. So, keep them coming in.

A federal judge is allowing Mississippi's antiabortion law to go into effect. But the state's only abortion clinic will be allowed to stay open without punishment for now. The judge's ruling gives the clinic to comply with state's new law which requires doctors to be certified OB/GYNs with privileges at local hospitals. The ruling is seen as a win for both sides.

Now to a story of a lost hiker who defied everyone's expectations. Utah search teams feared that they would find a body. Well, instead, they found the hiker 50 pounds lighter, 50 pounds, after more than a month with literally just the clothes on his back to survive.

Here's Sam Penrod from our Salt Lake City affiliate KSL.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAM PENROD, KSL REPORTER (voice-over): This is where William LaFever started what he thought was time of solace in the dessert at the Escalante River trail head. His harrowing adventure ended 50 miles downstream, right here, about a mile away from Lake Powell.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was just glad to see anyone. He started talking and telling about his ordeal and his hardships and what he had done to survive. He kept talking. He was as much starved for companionship as he was nourishment.

PENROD: Deputy Ray Gardner and Sean Oatfield (ph), the helicopter pilot with the Utah highway patrol, spotted him from the air sitting in the river.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He did say he did catch a fish. He ate a couple toads along the river. Some roots. Anything he could find that he thought would provide some nourishment.

His autism came through quickly. We tried to encourage him to eat something and drink so we could assist him on to the helicopter.

He started to kind of resist that. He didn't like pressure. He was too weak to get up. He was, for the last day, he said he was crawling from the river to the bank where he had been camping for the night.

He was in -- he was in tough shape. I don't think he had another 24 hours left in him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: And be sure to join us in the 10:00 a.m. Eastern Hour when I'll speak with the pilot who spotted William LaFever. The hiker apparently needed some coaxing to get him into the helicopter. So, we'll hear more of that amazing rescue.

A New Jersey town puts the spotlight on people who run red lights. And what they caught on tape might make you think twice about the way you drive.

Plus this, the number of murders in Chicago since January has now surpassed the number of troops killed in Afghanistan this year. Why so many?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The wrong people are getting their hands on these weapons and they are using them to essentially wage war in the streets of Chicago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: We'll hear from that man there. He's a police officer and E.R. doctor in Chicago. And he says the violence there is the worst that he's ever seen.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back.

The numbers are staggering. The headlines so frequent they are mind numbing. I'm talking Chicago. The violence there is nothing new. But this year, it's turning out to be especially bloody.

Take a look at this with me. So far this year, there had been 259 murders in that city. That is already up 38 percent since last year.

Now, let me give you some perspective on this. More people are being killed in the streets of Chicago than U.S. troops in Afghanistan this year. All the senseless murders and there aren't even gun shops in Chicago. Yet somehow, thousands of illegal weapons are making their way on to city streets.

I tracked one of the guns responsible for killing a Chicago police officer. You may be surprised to find out where it came from.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE (voice-over): Thomas Wortham wanted to be a police officer just like his father, but his promising career with the Chicago Police Department ended suddenly in May. Officer Wortham was gunned down by four alleged gang members trying to steal his motorcycle. It happened in a matter of seconds. Just outside his parents' house. His father, a retired police sergeant, grabbed his gun to try and save his son.

THOMAS WORTHAM III, FATHER OF MURDERED OFFICER: I saw them with their guns out, and I -- I hollered out to him.

KAYE (on camera): And you shot one of them?

WORTHAM: I won't say any more than they shot my son and in return, they were shot.

KAYE (voice-over): This is where this tale of tragedy ends. But investigators would soon figure out where it began. About 600 miles away in Mississippi where the gun used in the murder was first purchased.

This ATF agent who asked not to be identified worked the case in Mississippi.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That trace showed that one of our defendants had purchased that firearm in Mississippi.

KAYE: The ATF says it was purchased in 2007 by a man who was paid $100 to buy guns for gun trafficker Quawi Gates.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The individual went in, completed the paperwork, and gave the firearms to Mr. Gates and never thought about the guns again.

KAYE: The ATF says Gates paid at least three people to buy guns for him, which he then sold to gang members in Chicago.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He preyed upon young college students that didn't have much money. And he would offer them $100 just to go into a gun store, fill out paperwork and hand them a bag of guns. Simple as that.

KAYE: The ATF says it knows of 16 guns that Gates trafficked into Illinois. This map shows some of the crimes involving those guns. Problem is, there's no way to know how many of Gates' guns are still on the street. The ATF says it can't trace them until they're used in a crime and recovered.

(on camera): This room is where the ATF in Chicago stores some of the illegal guns it's recovered off the street. Over the last few years, agents say they've seen a greater demand for more dangerous guns. Criminals, they say, are no longer satisfied with a smaller gun like this 0.25. They're now demanding that traffickers bring them something like this, a 0.9 millimeter. You can see the difference. This one can do much more harm.

(voice-over): ATF Director Andrew Traver was an agent in Chicago at the time, he says an illegal gun may stay on the street for decades.

ANDREW TRAVER, ATF: We've recovered guns that were originally purchased in the '70s that turn up in homicides here. They can bounce around and be used in multiple crimes.

KAYE: Traver says guns are trafficked into Illinois from at least 25 states because there are no gun stores in Chicago.

(on camera): How much money do the traffickers stand to make?

TRAVER: I'm sure they're making close to 100 percent profit on the guns that they sell.

KAYE (voice-over): In the case of Officer Thomas Wortham, Quawi Gates made a few hundred dollars profit on the gun that fired the fatal shot. In the game of gun trafficking, the price of a policeman's life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: The drug trafficker in this case was caught and is currently serving out a 10-year sentence.

Our next guest deals with the victims of this violence on a daily basis. Steve Salzman is a trauma surgeon in Chicago at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Chicago. He's always a police officer.

Steve, good morning.

STEVE SALZMAN, ADVOCATE CHRIST MEDICAL CENTER: Good morning, how are you?

KAYE: I'm well, thank you.

You have been working at the hospital for 13 years and you say that this is some of the worst violence you have actually ever seen. Why is that?

SALZMAN: I think it's multi-factorial. Certainly, between the drug trade that is going on, the gangs, the availability of guns, I think they have all conspired together to take the violence basically to an unprecedented level. And it's truly at an unprecedented level now.

KAYE: What type of cases are you seeing in the E.R.? I mean, are we talking gunshots, knife attacks? What do you see on a daily basis?

SALZMAN: Good question. The answer is, since yesterday, we have seen 512 gunshots and stab wounds. That's just penetrating injuries.

KAYE: You said just since yesterday?

SALZMAN: No, just since yesterday when we looked at statistics for the year.

KAYE: OK.

SALZMAN: From January -- not that violent.

From January 1st until yesterday, there have been 512 gunshots and stab wounds. That does not include all of the blunt trauma, assault, pistol whippings, and all of the violence associated with the gangs and drugs. It's really a huge amount of violence that we are seeing and it's on a daily basis.

KAYE: And when you talk about the victims, who are they? Are they young? Are they old? We hear so much about Chicago school kids getting killed. We did a lot of that happening in Chicago a while back. Are they mostly gang members?

SALZMAN: Well, you know, unfortunately, that's the problem. It's not just gang members against other gang members, it's innocent bystanders, it's children that are being hit in the cross fire. Just a month ago, I had a 1-year-old that was shot in the head. So, nobody is immune from the violence.

We have anywhere from infants, from neonates, to all the way up to 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s. Everybody is basically affected by the violence. And the unfortunate part is, I see many people who are not necessarily tied to the violence itself but they are the unintended targets of the violence. And it's very, very difficult to sort of swallow.

KAYE: It's terrible to see the kids outside who maybe working on their homework getting caught in the cross fire. Over the years, though, there have been plans to curve the violence but nothing has really worked. I want to play a part of the interview from Chicago police superintendent Garry McCarthy on their newest plan. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARRY MCCARTHY, CHICAGO POLICE SUPERINTENDENT: The issue with the violence is the retaliatory shootings between the gangs. We have spoken about this and talking about this and spoken about this. The fact is we did not have a comprehensive strategy to address it in the past.

We have things that we did about gangs. We now have a strategy to address it. How is it working? It's working pretty well because this weekend alone, we had less shootings than we did for any weekend this year going back to February.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: So, bottom line, Steve, I mean, do you think this will work?

SALZMAN: You know, it's a disease process. Basically, if you have somebody that's diagnosed with cancer and they have an advanced cancer, you're just not going to snap your fingers and all of a sudden, it's going to go away.

I think you have to have a multi-prong, a multi sort of factorial attack to this problem so that we can potentially get things under control. Yes, I think that all of the things that they are instituting may help. Certainly, one of the things that I'm involved with, which is CeaseFire, is more along the lines of I think what need to happen, which is that out of the box thinking, which aren't these little cut violence prevention programs who are necessarily these educational based programs, but programs that really think out of the box and attempt to go out into the street, to go out into the conflict, to resolve and to mediate this complex, to present recidivism and retaliation.

So, again, that's one thing that I certainly believe in. And I'm on the board of CeaseFire. I think it's important. Programs such as that along with I think a policing strategy, increased police officers, I think there's got to be a sort of comprehensive approach to this problem.

And it's very important to impart to the public, this is not going to go away. This is not just going to disappear. And it's a disease process that needs to be treated like a disease violence.

And again, it's one day at a time. Very important to sort of impart that, you know, you save one life at a time. But, you know, what I learned is saving one life has a lot of impact, because you don't realize just one person who is injured or one person who is killed, they have their family, they have their friends, they have their school mates -- there's a lot of people hurt by violence secondarily or in addition to just the victim.

KAYE: Right.

SALZMAN: So, it's a huge problem. I think we'd be kidding ourselves if we think it's going to go away today or tomorrow. But, you know, one life at a time, one child at a time, one incident at a time.

But it's a huge problem. And it's going to take a very, very long time, unfortunately, I think, to get it under total control.

KAYE: And especially with the gangs, there's revenge killing. It just gets bigger and bigger and bigger.

Steve Salzman, thank you very much. Nice to have you on the show this morning.

SALZMAN: Thank you very much.

KAYE: Well, Chicago isn't the only city hit with a rising in crime. New York is seeing a spike as well. And one city lawmaker has a fix. We'll hear from him next hour.

A family tragedy for one of Hollywood's best actors. Still ahead, Sylvester Stallone mourns the loss of his son.

A global banking scandal affecting more than $10 trillion in loans. That's your credit cards rates, home mortgage. You name it, just about everything. Our Richard Quest will break down what you need to know.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Focusing now on your money. Bankers behaving badly has been a theme of the global recession. And a lot of focus has been on American banks until now.

Public outrage is growing over allegations that for years, banks all over the world manipulated what's called LIBOR -- the world's most important benchmark for interest rates. And that has impacted roughly $10 trillion in loans. Your credit card rate, your car loan, your home mortgage, just about everything.

Richard Quest is joining me now from London to talk about this.

All right. Richard, good morning to you. In super simple terms here, explain what it is and who actually sets it.

RICHARD QUEST, ANCHOR, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": LIBOR is the London Interbank Offered Rate. But forget that it's in London. It's in all currencies, the euro, the pound, sterling, and of course, and the dollar.

What it is, is the banks getting together and working out amongst themselves what money they would lend to each other, known as the wholesale rate. They put that into the market. They take the top and bottom out. You get an average.

Now, that number is crucial, Randi, because everything else, it's the barometer, it's the benchmark, if you like.

So, for example, a bank in the Midwest of America may make a car loan at LIBOR plus 2 percent. A bank on the West Coast may be selling you some insurance or a loan on a sofa and it will be LIBOR plus 1 percent. That's the way it works.

The benchmark by which others determine what interest rate they will charge. And it all goes back to the 16 or so banks with their rates.

KAYE: So, could this scandal alone -- I mean, could it have created a ripple effect regarding jobs cutting since 2008?

QUEST: Let's take a breath at this point -- a deep breath -- because it's been a lot of hype about the effects of the LIBOR fixing scandal. The truth is, we don't know. Yes, there were those cases where every interest rate during those times where LIBOR was being fiddled would have been affected.

But here is the problem, Randi. Sometimes LIBOR is fixed higher and sometimes lower. So, those municipalities would have bonds out, some of them would have gained as a result, some of them would have lost. We simply don't know.

And also, it's by no means certain that all the fiddling of the rate actually worked. I think, personally, that this is not so much necessarily a story about did somebody pay a bit more or somebody pay a bit less. It's the ethics and integrity, the very Dramamine (ph) of the whole issue of LIBOR that these bankers thought for whatever reason that it was OK to fiddle and fix the single most important interest rates in the world.

KAYE: Right. So, I guess it's really hard to know, because some did benefit and some did lose at different points. But now, cities and states from Massachusetts to California are looking at their pension funds and wondering, wait a minute, did these banks force us to lose money by fiddling as you saw with these interest rate.

QUEST: Yes. Well, look -- yes.

KAYE: It's going to get messier with the lawsuits coming.

QUEST: There's no doubt in my mind that if you drill down far enough, you will find a municipal bond or you will find a pension fund that did a transaction that was based on LIBOR at a particular date where LIBOR might have been one way or the other. No question about it. And if you look at the FSA report, it's online, there are certain dates where you can see how one bank Barclays probably did have an effect.

But here's the point. It wasn't just Barclays in the U.K. We don't know the full range of banks that were up to it. The investigation is still on.

Barclays were the first ones out of the gate to say hands up, we'll take the fine. We'll get a discount for that. We did it.

But, what we don't know and this is perhaps a bigger scandal at the moment is who else is in this cesspit with Barclays.

KAYE: You certainly helped in a big way in terms of understanding how this happened, why it happened and who might be involved. And we should definitely check out your article on CNN.com.

Richard Quest, thank you very much.

KAYE: Coming up in 10 minutes, investigators say these two men were aiming to shoot to kill. Why? Not money revenge, but something much scarier.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye.

Here are some of the stories that we are watching this morning.

Visa, MasterCard and some of the country's biggest banks agreed to a historic settlement with retailers that totals a whopping $7.25 billion. It's a lawsuit centers around credit card swipe fees. Merchants alleged credit card companies were fixing the price of those fees.

Now, retailers will see the fees reduced temporarily. This settlement may cost you more whenever you swipe your credit card to pay. Merchants will now be allowed to tack on a surcharge for credit card purchases. And there's a "but" to that, too.

So, let's bring Doug Kantor who is a lawyer for the National Association of Convenience Stores. He's on the phone with us.

Doug, good morning.

DOUG KANTOR, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CONVENIENCE STORES (via telephone): Good morning.

KAYE: Help us break down the settlement. I mean, who is the real winner here? Is it the retailer?

KANTOR: Unfortunately, it's not. The only winners here are Visa, MasterCard and their banks. They have gotten a hall pass if this deal goes through. And I want to emphasize it's not a done deal. It's just a proposal right now.

They have a hall pass to continue to raise their swipe fees without restraint and not have anybody be able to enforce the law against them. So, they have to be feeling good right now.

KAYE: Right. So, the swipe fee reduction is only for eight months. So, what could happen after that? It would just go back up?

KANTOR: Well, I tell you, with the credit card companies, you always have to read the fine print, and what you read there is remarkable. They're not even going to reduce the swipe fees for the eight months. What they're going to do is take the dollar value of that and roll it into the settlement. But because there's nothing to change the structure of how they do things today, by the time the merchants actually get any of that money, swipe fees will have gone up by more than the amount of that money. So, merchants are just going pay for this, themselves.

KAYE: So, the folks at home are wondering, OK, that's what happens with the merchants. But what does this mean for me? What will it mean for those of us who pay with credit cards?

KANTOR: It means the swipe fees that all of us pay now, without even knowing it, we're going keep paying without even knowing it. And the big banks are going to make plenty of money and all of us are going to be left wondering why we have less spending power than we thought we should. It's a really unfortunate deal.

KAYE: What do you think the long term implications here, if the settlement goes through might be?

KANTOR: Unfortunately, the long term implications are we get more of the same. These swipe fees are $50 billion a year now. And it's going to be more than that.

What we really need is a fundamental change where Visa and MasterCard can't set the rates for their banks so they don't compete.

We need competition and transparency, and this proposal doesn't get us there.

KAYE: Doug Kantor with the National Association of Convenience Stores -- thank you very much. Appreciate your time this morning.

Furor over these uniforms for Team USA is leading Ralph Lauren to make a change for the next set of Olympic Games. The company announcing that it will make uniforms for 2014 Games in the United States. That is a change from this year's outfits which were made in China, sparking outrage in the fashion world and beyond.

All right. Check out this amazing video from New Jersey, incredible stuff here, where officials in one town hope to cut down on the number of drivers running red lights by setting up this camera at a local intersection. Officials say that since the camera was installed, violations plunged 47 percent. Miraculously, no one was hurt in that incident that you have been watching there. That is incredible.

A representative for Sylvester Stallone says the actor is devastated after his son Sage was found dead in his Los Angeles home. The younger Stallone who appeared in movie "Rocky 5" with his dad was working on several film projects and was engaged to be married. Sage Stallone was 36.

Heading overseas now to Egypt where two American tourists and their guide have been kidnapped in the Sinai Peninsula. Officials say the three were taken from a tour bus in a region that has seen two other kidnappings of Americans just this year. The U.S. embassy in Cairo offering a few specifics on this incident, saying via Twitter that it is, quote, "close touch" with Egyptian authorities as they work on this case.

And from Egypt to Syria now where U.S. intelligence is closely watching chemical stockpiles. Officials believe President Bashar al- Assad government forces have been moving some chemical weapons in recent days.

Meanwhile, it's been a bloody day with reports of helicopters launching attacks on towns across the country. Nearly two dozen people were killed just this morning. The relentless violence comes two days after Syrians endured what maybe the single deadliest day in the 16- month crisis.

And now Syrian protesters are making it clear they are tired of diplomatic talks that have gone nowhere. And they want Kofi Annan to be removed as special envoy.

Let's check in now with Mohammed Jamjoom who is following all of this from Abu Dhabi.

Mohammed, good morning. What more can you tell us about these latest attacks?

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Randi.

Well, very disturbing reports emerging from Syria from opposition activists. We are hearing about helicopters that are flying low in the suburbs of Damascus, certain suburbs and firing on towns there. In fact, there's one amateur video that we cannot verify. But it purports to show a helicopter flying over the suburb of Maliha, suburb of Damascus, and a voice on this tape can be heard saying that this helicopter is firing on the residents of that town.

Now, in addition to that, we have heard reports a short while ago from the Syrian state news agency and from opposition activists that in the country side of Hama, that there's a huge explosion. Many are saying that it was a car bomb, it was targeting some sort of security installation and that many security personnel and civilians have been killed as a result. We are still waiting for more details about that attack.

Beyond that, we are talking about where the reported massacre happened on Thursday. Opposition activists saying as many as 220 people may have been killed there that day alone, the single deadliest day they are calling it since the beginning of the Syrian uprising. And we've heard reports today that there are members of the U.N. observers that have entered that town, although we have not been able to reach the U.N. observers mission.

There are videos that purport to show U.N. vehicles in that town. What exactly they are doing there, we just don't know at this hour. Although yesterday, the head of that mission, General Robert Mood told the media that the mission would like to go there, would like to investigate what happened, but they were not able to make that passage yesterday because of the continued violence -- Randi. KAYE: And what about Kofi Annan. I mean, he has been trying to negotiate a cease-fire and end to this violence really hasn't gone anywhere. Is that why the opposition is so angry with him?

JAMJOOM: That's right, Randi. It was fascinating to see videos emerge yesterday from all across the country. Huge rallies. Opposition activists were calling for rallies, calling for the removal of Kofi Annan as the special envoy to Syria.

The outrage in Syria isn't just being directed right now at the regime there. It's also being directed at Kofi Annan and the U.N. mission that's there, because the activists are saying not only has Kofi Annan not been able to achieve what he's wanted to do, not only has he not been able to implemented a cease-fire or his six-point peace plan, but they say that the violence and deaths have only escalated, that the situation has only gotten worse since he's been involved. And they say that these negotiations that have been ongoing is giving more time to Bashar al-Assad's regime to carry out these brutal crackdown that's been going on for so long -- Randi.

KAYE: Mohammed Jamjoom, thank you very much for your reporting.

And coming up in 10 minutes, investigators say these two men were aiming to shoot to kill. Why? Not money or revenge but something scarier.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Trying to kill people for kicks. That is what investigators in South Carolina say these two young men were doing. Twenty-year-old Brian Holder and 17-year-old Mattison Schomer with the goatee right there, are each charged with three counts of attempted murder.

It's a blessing really that they apparently had some pretty bad aim. Of the three people they targeted while laying in a field off a highway, just one, a teenage girl was hit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF CHUCK WRIGHT, SPARTANBURG CO., SOUTH CAROLINA: We have a young girl doing nothing wrong that got shot because she was sitting there. And by the grace of God, she's going to have a full recovery.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: The sheriff just announced the arrest. The shootings were at the beginning of this month.

And CNN's Nick Valencia is joining me now. He's been looking into this, this morning.

So, how are they targeting them? Was this really just random?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is just bizarre, Randi -- just a bizarre plot to randomly shoot people. You can imagine how terrified the residents there in Spartanburg, South Carolina, must have been reminiscent of that 2002 D.C. sniper beltway shooting, and, of course, what happened earlier this year in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

But in this instance, these suspects laid in a grass field, just along Asheville Highway, that busy interjection there, a busy highway, and targeted, at random, two shooting incidents there. A man and woman were in the car. The man didn't get shot. But the woman was shot in the back nearly being paralyzed, according to the sheriff there.

And then in a separate incident, also along Asheville Highway, another man who was pressure washing some gas pumps, he was targeted. You had mentioned how terrible the shots they were. Just imagine if they were, you know, more accurate.

KAYE: Right.

VALENCIA: They were shooting to kill according to the sheriff's office. There in that shooting, the man escaped. They are being charged with three counts of attempted murder.

KAYE: Well, thank goodness they go these guys. First of all, how did they get them and are they talking?

VALENCIA: Well, that's a good question. There was an earlier robbery in late June. About 11 weapons were stolen from a home just outside of Spartanburg, South Carolina, including this high-powered rifles that was used in the two shootings.

The way -- what they are saying now, actually, they're not saying much. One suspect is remorseful. The mother of one of the suspects is talking more and we have sound from her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER BLACKWELL-THOMPSON, SNIPER SUSPECT'S MOTHER: I forgive him and I love him but I want to know why. Why would you do something so callous and heinous?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: A lot of people looking for answers including one of the mothers of the suspects there.

KAYE: Yes, that's incredible. A lot of emotion there, really an amazing story. So, thank goodness, as we said, that they had the bad aim.

Nick, thank you very much. Appreciate it.

VALENCIA: Thank you.

KAYE: A mother adopts a child and sends him back to where he came from. Now, she's been ordered to pay up a lot of money.

And we all have goals. Wait until you hear what one 26-year-old has set his sights on. Comedian Bill Santiago joins us with that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAYE: We got a little Michael Jackson going for you this morning. Well, it is good to have a goal in life, even if it is to lick every cathedral in the United Kingdom. Yes, you heard me correctly.

We thought it was bizarre. So, we thought we'd bring in comedian and "Huffington Post": blogger Bill Santiago to talk about this story.

Good morning, Bill.

BILL SANTIAGO, COMEDIAN: Good morning. Good morning.

KAYE: All right. So, let's give our viewers the facts here. Twenty- six-year-old bet his roommate that he would lick every cathedral in England before December 16th. He's blogging about it in the cathedral- licking diary.

What do you think?

SANTIAGO: Well, I mean, I don't know what to make of this. I have heard church's fried chicken is also finger-licking good. But I would personally be too chicken to lick am actual church unless I were totally fried.

I don't get it. Why would he be licking the inside of the church when there were so many clergymen on the inside who would gladly give him a tasty gourd (ph)?

KAYE: I just don't --

SANTIAGO: Well, I'll tell you what? I am curious -- exactly how many licks does it take to get to the center of the Angelica Church. That's something we can find out.

KAYE: I just love that he's taking photographs of himself. Look at him standing there licking the outside of the church.

But apparently, this should not surprise. The roommates made this bet in a bar. Crazy, right? Win or lose, this is going to happen, right?

SANTIAGO: Yes, yes, yes. I have made many bets myself that I lost. I bet I would never be on TV talking about a guy licking cathedrals all over England and apparently, I've lost that one.

KAYE: All right. Well, let's talk about something else. I mean, we've seen enough of this guy, leaking churches around the area.

So you see the movie "Back to the Future" right?

SANTIAGO: Yes. Many times.

KAYE: Then you'll know where this next story is going. This 12-year- old boy recorded a message to himself 20 years ago. Now that boy is a man --

SANTIAGO: Brilliant.

KAYE: -- and 32 years old. And he turned that message into an interview with himself. Check this out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMIAH MCDONALD, FILMMAKER: Hi, Jeremiah.

OLDER JEREMIAH: Hello, Jeremiah.

YOUNG JEREMIAH: You look different.

OLDER JEREMIAH: Really?

YOUNG JEREMIAH: Yes. I am 12 years old? How old are you?

OLDER JEREMIAH: Thirty-two.

YOUNG JEREMIAH: You look older?

OLDER JEREMIAH: Thank you. Older than 32, you mean?

YOUNG JEREMIAH: Yes.

OLDER JEREMIAH: Or even better. Good.

YOUNG JEREMIAH: It goes to show how much things have changed. My hair and voice.

OLDER JEREMIAH: OK.

YOUNG JEREMIAH: Getting older man. Getting older. Get down. Oh yes. It's quite quaint.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: All right. First of all the fact this kid thought of recording himself all those years ago is amazing. But you, you had this same thing, didn't you? You actually thought about that all those years ago.

SANTIAGO: Yes. Yes, I have. I think we're going to look at a clip here of the first reunion of my 12-year-old self and future self, which would be me. Let's take a look at it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL SANTIAGO: Hi, me of the future.

YOUNGER BILL: What's going on? How have I been?

OLDER BILL: Oh, my God. Look at you. I can't believe I ever looked so innocent. You look so auto clueless. You have no idea what's coming your way, do you?

YOUNGER BILL: Hmmm.

OLDER BILL: The heart aches, disappointments, betrayals, recessions, dot-com bubble, 911, Justin Bieber. Brace yourself. YOUNGER: Look, if I can survive this haircut, I'm sure I can handle anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Oh, boy. I don't know if that was creepy but it was definitely funny. You haven't aged a bit. You look just like your former self there.

SANTIAGO: Thank you, thank you. I hope you appreciate the humiliation I've done in the service of this program.

KAYE: I thought it was great. Nicely done.

But speaking of handling things well, "American Idol," two judges quit this week. What is the show to do without them?

SANTIAGO: Yes, well, you know, I'm sure it will cut into their ratings, but there's something they could do. What they should do, stop focusing on the judges, you know? Have a special one-time show from the Apollo Theater in Harlem with the special guest appearance from Mitt Romney singing the great sing God bless the child with his own offshore tax shelter -- guaranteed everybody will be watching.

KAYE: Oh, boy. I want to talk to your former self next weekend. Can you have him here?

SANTIAGO: OK. Yes, I can talk to him.

KAYE: I love talking to you, but I'd love to talk to the kid you.

SANTIAGO: It could be arranged. It could be arranged. He's much less sarcastic.

KAYE: Yes, I'm sure he is . Bill Santiago, nice to see you always. Have a good day.

SANTIAGO: We'll see you. Bye-bye.

KAYE: A mother returns her adoptive child to Russia and is forced to pay nearly a quarter million dollars in child support. The controversial story is straight ahead.

And a man using old toy parts and during them into new medical devices. And then he donates them to countries where people are in desperate need of help. That is on "THE NEXT LIST" tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSE GOMEZ-MARQUEZ: My name is Jose Gomez-Marquez and I use toys to make affordable medical devices.

When you're using toys, it demystifies the process of medical technology. Often, we look at these medical devices and we think that they are a black box. You need an expert to take a screwdriver. You may not have courage to hack a $1,000 device but you definitely have the courage to heart attack something that's $5. You add a little ingenuity it becomes as powerful as a $1,000 medical device.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: A mother who adopt ad boy from Russia and sent him back home on a one-way flight is ordered to pay almost a quarter million dollars in child support. You may remember the story from 2010. Just six months after adopting a 7-year-old, a Tennessee woman put him on a plane back to Russia alone, with a letter saying that she didn't want him anymore because he was mentally unstable.

Well, now, a judge is ordered the mother in the case Torry Hansen to pay for the boy's care in Russia since legally she's still considered his mother. She was slapped with $150,000 fine and a payment of $1,000 every month until he's 18. That amounts to $246,000.

I've been asking your thoughts on this all morning. Here are some of them.

Sharon tweeted, "Yes, and/or lock her up forever emotionally marking the child."

Linda said, "Yes, she should pay child support after returning the child. She abandoned a child. There is a risk raising all children."

A lot of strong emotion about this one. Continue to send those tweets @RandiKayeCNN. I'll share your comments throughout the morning.

Thanks for starting your morning with us. We've got much more ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING which continues right after this.

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