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CNN Saturday Morning News

Massachusetts Chemist Charged with Evidence Tampering; Presidential Debate Assessed; Latino Voters to Play Large Role in 2012 Election; Boy Being Bullied Caught on Tape; Unemployment Rate Falls to 7.8 Percent; Small Apartment in London Very Expensive

Aired October 06, 2012 - 10:00   ET

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


RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Live from CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Investigators have made progress into the investigation, into agent av.'s death.

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KAYE: A new theory behind the brutal death of a U.S. border agent. Why investigators are saying he may have died at the hands of his own.

And 500 convicted felons could be set free in Massachusetts. Why? This chemist allegedly tampered with evidence the last nine years.

Bullied on the bus caught on tape. It's national bullying prevention month and one mother is speaking out.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. We begin this hour with a stunning scandal out of Massachusetts. Thousands of drug cases now being called into question and hundreds if not thousands of convicted criminals could go free, all because of the allegations centered around this chemist that you see there, Annie Duken. Allegations that he faked test results, forged documents and repeatedly tampered with evidence while working at a state drug lab.

Now, every test, every evidence and sample that she touched during the nine years she worked there are raising doubts. Here's our national correspondent Susan Candiotti.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Former Massachusetts chemist Annie Duken. The state of Massachusetts is accusing Duken of tampering with drug evidence that could call into question at least 34,000 cases going back to 2003, 34,000. At the moment, she faces only three charges. However, in Boston alone, the D.A. estimates as many as 50 convicted felons could be set free.

How big of a mess is this?

LISA HEWITT, MASSACHUSETTS COMMITTEE FOR PUBLIC COUNSEL: At this point, Susan, we don't know.

CANDIOTTI: At this lab now closed by the state, Duken allegedly mishandled drugs seized by police for evidence at trial. She allegedly estimated the amount of drugs at times by simply looking at them and certified some drugs as cocaine that are now testing negative. She didn't just write down the wrong thing. Prosecutors accuse her of doctoring evidence to change test results.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She would take known cocaine from an area that she knew was cocaine and actually add them to the sample to make it cocaine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: The explosive implications of Duken's alleged crimes could be far reaching. We're talking about people who may have been thrown into prison because of Duken's questionable work. I spoke with CNN legal contributor Paul Callan about the potential fallout here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: All of their convictions could be thrown out. And many of them, by the way, are not just drug criminals, they're violent criminals, and you might have had one drug count in the conviction, but it could have been a rape prosecution or a murder prosecution. So this is an enormous, enormous scandal and danger to the people.

KAYE: Yes, 34,000 cases going all the way back to 2003. In one case, this convicted rapist whose bail was reduced after the scandal was released and is now a fugitive and you're saying the public should be alarmed in case of these dangerous people out there.

CALLAN: They should. And I think some people are going to come forward and say well, all right, so they'll just throw out the drug count. But if he's in for rape, he'll stay in for rape. Well, not true. How do we know the jury wasn't influenced by the fact that the guy was a drug dealer or possessed drugs in evaluating his credibility on the rape or the murder or whatever other charge there was? So that's what I'm really worried about. I'm not worried about drug criminals. I'm worried about violent criminals being released into the streets of Massachusetts, and elsewhere in the country, by the way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: In other news, a positive jobs report usually brings about a universally positive discussion, but not in the current climate. The unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent in September, a drop of three- tens of a percent in August. The current rate is the lowest level since President Obama took office.

Critics of the president question the bounce back. Some suggesting the books may even have been cooked. Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric, tweeted this "Unbelievable Jobs Numbers. These Chicago guys will do anything. Can't debate, so change numbers." Welch later came on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" and said if he had that tweet to do over again, he would have added one thing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: So many politicians these days are saying like Michele Bachmann will say something that factually is not correct and they'll say I'm just asking the question. Is it responsible to say I'm just asking the question, but to say they'll do anything.

JACK WELCH, FORMER GE CEO: I should have put the question mark. A question mark would have been better at the back of that.

COOPER: So you are kind of backing away --

WELCH: I'm not backing away.

COOPER: You wish you could amend your tweet?

WELCH: I wish I added a question mark to the back of it. But the same implications.

ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: To say something like this is like Donald trump saying that President Obama is not an American citizen without any proof. You are Jack Welch. You got to take this opportunity while everybody is listening to you to actually say yes, Anderson, I'm taking that tweet back. I'm going to send a new tweet to say I was exaggerating. There are problems, maybe BLS should look into it, but the actually throw out an accusation, that's like asking the government how often do you beat your wife?

WELCH: I should have had a question mark, at the back of it. Let's face it. But the facts are no matter how you want to look at this, we had 25 economists polled before this number came out. The average number they expected was about 115,000.

VELSHI: Yes.

WELCH: Not one of them had a number below 8.1.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Tomorrow, three suspected terrorists are expected to make their first court appearance in New York. They were extradited from Britain overnight after a legal battle that lasted more than ten years. One suspect has a hook for a hand and has called Osama bin Laden a hero. The radical cleric is wanted for several crimes commit against the United Nations the '90s.

The FBI now thinks that border patrol agent may have died by friendly fire. Nicolas Ivey was shot and killed in California. Initially officials said Ivey and his colleague were wounded after responding to a censor that went off. Authorities say the only shell casings found at the scene were those belonging to the agents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As you know, investigators are made progress into the investigation into Agent Ivey's death and are looking into the possibility that it was a tragic accident, the result of friendly fire. The fact is the work of the border patrol is dangerous. All of us wear the uniform know this, and yet this special breed of men and women willingly put themselves in harm's way to serve their country and to protect their communities against those who wish to do us harm.

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KAYE: That news comes as Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano traveled to Arizona to meet with officials and Ivey's family. Reacting to his death, Napolitano said in part "This tragedy reminds us of the risks our men and women confront, the dangers they willingly undertake while protect our facing's borders." Ivey is the third border patrol agent killed in the line of duty this year.

Cell phone video shows a seventh grade boy getting pummeled by two classmates on his school bus. What makes this story different, the boy was taunted by the bullies who dared him to hit them. You can see him swing, and then the two boys pounce. They since have been suspended.

And later this hour, the victim's mother will join us to talk about what happened to her son and how to deal with the bullying. So we want to hear from you on this. You can tweet me @RandikayeCNN.

The candidates are targeting Hispanic voters. We'll break down the numbers and the impact on swing states.

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KAYE: All eyes on Washington. With just a month to go until the elections, we're taking an in-depth look this morning at the effect Latinos could have on election dame you know that saying there's power in numbers? Well, Latinos have exactly that. According to the latest census, there are more than 50 million Latinos in the U.S., and of those more than 12.2 million are expected to show up at the polls on Election Day. That is just over half of Latinos who are eligible to vote.

Joining me now, as they do every week at this time, CNN contributor Maria Cardona and Amy Holmes, anchor of "The Real News" on "The Blaze." Good morning to both of you. Maria, how critical is the Latino vote in swing states like Florida, for example?

MARIA CARDONA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: It's very critical, Randi, and especially in this close election. We saw already the Latino vote being decisive. In 2008, President Obama would not have been able to turn Florida, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, would not have been able to turn those blue and win the election had it not been for the Latino vote. In 2010, Latinos basically saved Democrats from losing the Senate, and Harry Reid says this all the time.

So Latinos have already been decisive. They could be more decisive, you showed the numbers, if they came out to vote in more numbers. But essentially they will be a very critical part of deciding who the next president will be. And Republicans have said that this next candidate, Mitt Romney, cannot win the White House if he can't get at least 40 percent of the Latino vote. He's nowhere near that right now, Randi, so this should be a big problem for Republicans.

KAYE: Amy, Latinos say that the Democrats have done a much better job in terms of reaching out to Latinos and minority voters. What, if anything, do Republicans need to do to turn around that perception? Is it too late?

AMY HOLMES, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, interestingly, during the conventions, President Obama, he outspent Mitt Romney 7-1, but the spending that Mitt Romney did do during his convention was mostly in Hispanic media. So you see the Romney campaign is very aggressively trying to court and reach out to Hispanic voters.

But let me get to this 40 percent number that Maria threw out there. In fact, George Bush did win in 2000 with 35 percent of the Hispanic vote, depending on who you're talking to in 2004, he won between 41 percent and 44 percent, and that was really surprising. That was a high water mark. Because this last mid-term election, interestingly, in 2010, you had record Hispanic turnout for a midterm election, 6.6 million voters, and 38 voted for the GOP, and in three states Latinos won statewide offices, all of them Republican, Republican governors, Susanna Martinez, Brian Sandoval. So you're seeing Hispanic voters, Hispanic politicians, while Democrats tend to win the majority of them, are doing very well in the Republican Party.

KAYE: When you look at the Latino voting bloc, Maria, there are more than 11 million eligible Latinos who aren't even registered to vote. Many of them are young voters. Why so many? Why aren't they getting out to the polls?

CARDONA: Well, it's interesting, Randi, because that's clearly something that the Democrats have been focused on to make sure that we get as many Latino voters out there, especially those that are eligible to get registered and then to vote.

I think the problem is that a lot of them are very concerned with their own livelihoods. They have been really beat down by the recession that was caused by the Republican policies in George W. Bush's tenure, and, you know, a lot of them are holding down -- trying to hold down more than one job, some more than two jobs. So I really think it's incumbent upon the parties to really reach out to them to let them know that they are the deciding factor, and that this is about making sure that their families reach the American dream.

And we've seen in poll after poll, Democrats win the majority of support of Latino voters right now. President Obama, you had an NBC Telemundo poll, having President Obama at more than 70 percent. There's a survey coming out Monday of Latina moms where President Obama is at 92 percent. So these are not good numbers for the Republicans if they really want to see the White House in November.

KAYE: Amy, changing topics here, Big Bird. We can't not talk about Big Bird. He's become the big talker. PBS, though, just a small fraction of the federal budget, as Obama is quick to point out. So why do you think the push by Romney to end the funding?

HOLMES: For Big Bird?

KAYE: Well, for PBS, sure.

HOLMES: Right. Well, he said he was a fan of Big Bird, but I think he used that as an example of a federally funded organization that he believes doesn't need that taxpayer money. It certainly does well with its own private funding drives. I mean, we're forever seeing PBS funding drives, let's face it. So Governor Romney was just simply illustrating a point that he would be willing to cut even popular things like Big Bird because he doesn't see that it's a federal responsibility.

KAYE: Mitt Romney now says that he was wrong about that 47 percent comment as well. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Clearly in a campaign with hundreds if not thousands of speeches and question and answer sessions, now and then you're going to say something that doesn't come out right. In this case, I said something that's just completely wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: President Obama surprising a lot of people by not even bringing that up in the debate. But Amy, I'm going to go to you first on this one. Does this end the conversation about the 47 percent?

HOLMES: Well, interestingly enough, as so many pundits, so of the debate watchers have noted, President Obama didn't bring it up in the debate when he had a chance, talking about the economy, talking about all these folks who are unemployed or underemployed.

And it would seem to indicate that President Obama was saying that this was not worth pursuing. He certainly had used it on the campaign trail. It's been used in ads. But standing there on the debate stage, he apparently made the choice that it was unworthy of him and unworthy of the audience. Will Joe Biden bring it up next week in his vice presidential debate? He may. We'll find out.

KAYE: It might have been a strategy, too. Maria what do you think?

CARDONA: I actually think it was a missed opportunity, Randi. He should have brought it up. But I will guarantee you that Democrats, including Joe Biden, will absolutely continue to bring it up, because after he said he thought he was wrong, or before he said he thought he was wrong, he doubled down on those remarks two or three times before he realized it was really hurting him in the polls.

And we're talking about Latinos this morning. Majority of Latinos are in that 47 percent, including my mother and father and a lot of people in my family. So that's why it has hurt him and that's why he thought he needs to come out and say it was a mistake, but we're not going to let him run away from it.

KAYE: It's always nice to see both of you. Thank you.

CARDONA: You, too, Randi. Thank you.

HOLMES: Thank you.

KAYE: Be sure to tune in for a special CNN documentary, "Latino in America -- Courting their Vote" hosted by Soledad O'Brien, tomorrow night, 8:00 p.m. eastern on CNN.

The duel in Denver is in the history books. Mitt Romney seemed to get momentum in the 2012 campaign. Has this changed the game? We'll talk about it.

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KAYE: It's 21 minutes past the hour now, and this just in. The Obama campaign says it raised $181 million in the month of September, with more than 1.8 million people donating. The campaign is trumping donors who gave a small amount, 9eight percent of the contributions were $250 or less.

Joining me now is Brett O'Donnell, former chief strategist for Michele Bachmann's presidential campaign. Good morning. What do you make of those fundraising numbers?

BRETT O'DONNELL, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, they're great fundraising numbers. But, you know, the governor, I'm sure, will have a great month as well. It's more about message than it is about money now heading down into the final days.

KAYE: Mitt Romney may soon get a cash boost of his own after the strong showing, a lot of folks say, in that debate. His performance surprised many, but you helped prepare him for the primary debates. Was it exactly what you expected?

O'DONNELL: Well, you know, the governor has gotten increasingly better across both sets of primaries, from 2007 and 2008 to now this primary cycle, and across these primary debates he's gotten better and better, especially when he got into Florida and Arizona, had to go one-on-one with Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. He really grew, and I think what you've seen as a progression to the performance from the other night.

KAYE: Here is what Democratic strategist Hillary Rosen told me earlier this morning about the president's performance at that debate, which was panned by both critics and supporters. So listen to this and I want to get your reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY ROSEN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: You know, President Obama didn't do so badly. He was much quieter, he was more thoughtful, he got a lot of facts out. It was just -- when push comes to shove, the policies for President Obama, looking to support education, not wanting to see the health care cuts, those policies -- supporting women -- are much more popular than Mitt Romney's policies. I think that the Obama team is going to double down on that over the next few weeks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Brett, your reaction to that?

O'DONNELL: Well, you know, on Wednesday night, those policies didn't look so good. A debate's about a competition of ideas, especially a political debate. So the president's got to be able to defend those policies if they truly are superior, and on Wednesday night he didn't do a very good job of doing that.

KAYE: Columnist David Brooks and Peggy Noonan praised Romney's performance after slamming his campaign for its missteps in recent weeks. Brooks writing this, "Romney finally emerged from the fog and at long last began the process of offering a more authentic version of himself." Noonan wrote this, "America got its first sustained look at the good and competent Mr. Romney." How much do you think does the public support of leading conservatives like the two of them help Romney, not just with Republicans but with undecided voters?

O'DONNELL: I think it helped some, but the person who helped Governor Romney most was Governor Romney. On Wednesday night he was before almost 70 million people, a lot of them I presume to be undecided voters trying to make up their mind. And he made a very clear case that, you know, he is someone who can connect.

I thought the thing that was most shocking to me was the fact that the governor -- you know, the president has said to be better liked, more likable, better able to connect with voters, and it seemed to me as though the governor did a better job at doing those things on Wednesday night than the president. So I think he helped himself tremendously.

KAYE: I want you to take a look at this poll with me. This is a Quinnipiac Poll. There it is. There you go. Likely voters, who cares about the needs and problems of the people like you was the question. Obama 60 percent, Romney 46 percent. What do you make of those numbers?

O'DONNELL: I think we'll have to see how those numbers change over the course of the next few weeks I don't know that those numbers actually reflect what voters got to see.

The president has been the president for four years. By and large, Mitt Romney is still being introduced to the American people because they don't really pay attention until after the conventions. And what happens in the next couple debates, Governor Romney has to keep performing because surely the president will up his game in the next couple of debates.

KAYE: Brett O'Donnell, appreciate your time. Thank you.

O'DONNELL: Good to be with you.

KAYE: The counterattack Jewish and Christian leaders are launching in response to this controversial ad. The ad war unfolding underground in the big apple.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

The Navy's newest warship won't be named after a historic figure or a president, but one of their own. This is a live picture out of New York of the USS Michael Murphy. The ship is being commissioned and honors Murphy, who was a Navy Seal lieutenant.

Murphy was killed during a reconnaissance mission in 2005 in Afghanistan. He was leading a four-man team on a mission to find a key Taliban leader when Murphy's team came under fire. Murphy was the first American awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for the Afghanistan war.

Here are some other stories we're watching this morning.

An advertising campaign battle of sorts is being waged underground in the subway system of New York City. Check out these ads. The message is clear -- religious tolerance, unity, and support for the Muslim community. This is a part of three separate ad campaigns launched by Jewish and Christian groups. It is a direct response to this controversial ad that references savages and calls on civilized man to support Israel, defeat jihad.

Next to Colorado, where police have issued an Amber Alert following the disappearance of this 10-year-old girl. Jessica Ridgeway was on her way to school but never showed up, prompting officials to call her mother. But the search, it turns out, was delayed because her mom who works the night shift slept through those phone calls. So far police have searched the surrounding area but have found nothing.

And the fungal meningitis outbreak is spreading. The CDC says at least 47 people have been infected. Five people have died. The cause of the outbreak is believed to be contaminated steroids. Clinics in 23 states received the tainted drugs, more than 17,000 vials have been recalled now. Doctors are trying to figure out how patients were actually infected.

It's been one of the Romney campaign's longest running talking points, 43 months of unemployment over eight percent, and the president to blame.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: Eight percent unemployment for over -- how many, 43 months? We still have unemployment over eight percent. He told us to hold unemployment below eight percent.

PAUL RYAN, (R) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Unemployment above eight percent month after month after month.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KAYE: But all that changed yesterday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting the unemployment rate falling to 7.8 percent. Where does the Romney campaign go from here?

I'm joined by a Republican spokesman Kirsten Kukowski is Washington. Romney has said the president's policies aren't working and the eight percent was an indication of that. What's the response now?

KIRSTEN KUKOWSKI, REPUBLICAN SPOKESPERSON: Well, I think clearly the number of Americans who are still looking for work, the people -- the work force participation rate is still far, far too high, so I don't think that 7.8 percent unemployment is something anybody, even the Democrats, are cheering about.

So I think that the president still clearly has a case to make for why another four years are going to be better under his leadership.

KAYE: The Democrats would say, as they've said on our air this morning, that it is heading in the right direction at least. But normally a jobs number comes and goes, but yesterday certainly quite a bit of controversy over this latest number, some Republicans, including former GE CEO Jack Welch, saying that the number may not be correct. Welch tweeted this. "Unbelievable jobs numbers. The Chicago guys will do nothing. Can't debate so change numbers."

Does the Romney camp share that position?

KUKOWSKI: Well, I think the point is it's one month of unemployment numbers. We'll have to wait and see next month what happens. But I think clearly the message is that the unemployment number is still 7.8 percent. We still have a work force participation rate that is far, far too high. We have 23 million Americans who are still looking for work or struggling to find work.

So I think we still have a lot of Americans who are going to argue that they are not better off now than they were four years ago. I think that is the central question that people are asking right now as we're about 30 days out form the election.

KAYE: But my question was does the Romney campaign stand with where Jack Welch stands, that these numbers may have been manipulated?

KUKOWSKI: Like I said, we're going have to wait and see. I think that there are some questions about, you know, work force participation rate, so we'll have to wait and see. It's one month of numbers and we'll see next month when the numbers come out again.

KAYE: Mitt Romney's big push has been his economic experience, but if the president's policies are showing signs of recovery, where does that leave Mitt Romney and his campaign? Where do they turn now?

KUKOWSKI: Well, like I said before, I think that even the Democrats, the president's team yesterday, 7.8 percent unemployment is not exactly something to be jumping for joy about. And there are a lot of Americans, whether it's what they pay at the gas station, what they're paying in the grocery store, the level of debt and deficit this country is facing, it's clear that we have a lot of problems in this country that the president has just not addressed.

And I think that's why we saw his debate performance the way that it was a couple of nights ago. He has a really, really hard time defending his record, defending the last four years and that's why we saw such a difference between him and Governor Romney on the stage last Wednesday in Denver.

KAYE: Kirsten, thank you very much. Appreciate it.

KUKOWSKI: Thank you.

KAYE: A 12-year-old boy is attacked on a school bus but didn't tell his mother. We'll tell you how she found out.

It's one of the most recognizable guitar riffs ever recorded, the theme to "James Bond." Ever wonder how much the guy who played it made? We'll tell you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: You know that theme song, don't you? It's Bond, James Bond. While today's bond is walking around in custom made tom ford suits, the guitarist here, you could say he got the short end of the stick. Vic Flick was paid just $15 for his iconic guitar rift. From Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, what are your favorite James Bond moments and characters as well? The movie series turned 50.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you having?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll have a vodka martini, shaken, not stirred.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you expect me to talk?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: To me, the best bond villain of all time is Goldfinger. He is obsessed with gold. You would think somebody like that would be easy for James Bond to foil but he actually gets smarter as the film goes along.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll never find another girl like you. Will you marry me?

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: The best bond girl, Tracy from "On her Majesty's Secret Service." She's the woman that bond marries. She has everything that you could want in a great bond woman character. She's brilliant, she's strong, she's beautiful. She's also incredibly troubled, and her father happens to be one of the great crime lords of Europe.

Best action sequence of a bond film is one where bond doesn't have to rely on technology. In fact, can't rely on technology, "Casino Royale." Amazing leaps over a building under construction. It really shows James Bond's determination, drive, guts and ingenuity. Best James bond car by far, Aston Martin DB-5. Cost more than most British citizens made during the course of a year when it came out. You see it in all the recent bond films as well. Best James bond moment has to be when bond skis off a cliff at the beginning of "The Spy who Loved Me," tumbles to his face. Everybody watches it holds their breath until the James Bond theme kicks in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You should give up smoking. It is very bad for your chest.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I think all of the actors who played James bond brought something unique to the role and really brought something to the series that has kept it alive. My favorite, of course, is Sean Connery, who introduced the world to James Bond, made him a phenomenon. A close second, Daniel Craig.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The name's Bond, James Bond.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: And Daniel Craig returns as James Bond in "Skyfall," the 23rd movie in the Bond series debuts next month.

A mother could tell her 12-year-old son was acting strangely but didn't know why. We'll tell you why an influx of text messages and phone calls answered her question.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Bullying not only exists in classrooms, playgrounds, and buses, but it can also pollute your job. October is national bullying prevention month.

And we were reminded this week just how serious the issue can be. Jennifer Livingston is a news anchor in Wisconsin. And one of her viewers decided to share his thoughts about her weight and emailed her station, quote "Surely you don't consider yourself a suitable example for this community's young people, girls in particular. Obesity is one of the worst choices a person can make."

In response to that email, Jennifer decided to make a suitable example out of Kenneth Krause.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER LIVINGSTON, NEWS ANCHOR: What really angers me about this is there are children who don't know better, who get emails as critical as the one I received, or in many cases even worse, each and every day. The internet has become a weapon. Our schools have become a battleground. Listen to me right now. Do not let your self-worth be defined by bullies. Learn from my experience that the cruel words of one are nothing compared to the shouts of many.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: "Good Morning America" caught up with Mr. Krause and got his response. He said his intention was never to hurt anyone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNETH KRAUSE: Like I say, it's possible that I could have revised a few things. Like I say, I never meant to hurt Jennifer in any way. If she is truly hurt, I do apologize for that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: And no word if she will accept that apology.

Now, in Phoenix, Arizona, a mother finds out her son is being bullied on the school bus after she receives a barrage of texts and phone calls from concerned parents. Take a look at this cellphone video as her 12-year-old son was repeatedly punched by two brothers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: And joining us now from Phoenix is the victim's mother, Tiffany Hunter. Tiffany, good morning. I'm sure that's hard for you to watch. It's hard for us to watch. At what point did you know that something was really wrong that day?

TIFFANY HUNTER, MOTHER OF BULLIED CHILD: Well, honestly, when he came home from school that day, he seemed a little bit off. He wasn't really saying much to me. He did say he had a head ache. He basically didn't want to do homework, which kid does? But he just was more -- kind of weepy. And all of a sudden I started getting all sorts of phone calls, text messages, everything from friends, which one of my friends actually sent me the actual video that you saw.

And of course, I asked my son what exactly happened and he fessed up. He told me everything that had happened. And he didn't want to tell me because he was afraid he was going to get in trouble or there would be more repercussions from the other boys.

KAYE: What was it like for you as his mom to see that happening to him on the school bus?

HUNTER: It's heartbreaking. There are so many things. You want to ask questions. Why didn't somebody stop it? They were able to pull out their cell phones but no one stopped it. You know, that's really hard.

KAYE: The two brothers who were accused in this case were actually suspended from school. Have they apologized to your son or to your family?

HUNTER: No, they have not. They were suspended for two days, but that was it.

KAYE: And what about their parents? Have you heard from the boys' parents? HUNTER: No, I have not. Not a word.

KAYE: I'm sure as a parent it is very hard. We do a lot of interviews about bullying on the show. Parents, it's very hard for them to understand what's happening and know what the right thing is to say to their children. Do you have any advice for your son? Have you given him some advice if he finds himself in a situation like this again?

HUNTER: Well, I definitely have. I mean, honestly, I'm saying tell somebody. The biggest problem is you look at -- especially junior high, the kids don't want to say anything, and so they're afraid to tell because they don't want to be considered the snitch. So I've just tried to really encourage him, if you see somebody being bullied, tell me, tell a teacher, tell anybody so that it can stop, because if everybody's afraid to say anything, then how are we going to stop it?

KAYE: Did he feel as if he had no choice when they were encouraging him and antagonizing them to swing at them and hit them? Did he feel as though he couldn't do anything else?

HUNTER: Basically, yes. He felt he was just trying to get him to stop. There was quite a bit that happened before the video that you saw and it was them just continuously -- just pushing him around and they just would not leave him alone.

KAYE: He's 12 years old. That's such a difficult time on its own without this, certainly. Tiffany Hunter, thank you very much and we wish your son the best.

HUNTER: Thank you.

KAYE: After losing a yearlong battle in Britain to avoid extradition, radical Islamist Abu Hamza al Masri and four others arrived right here in the U.S. to face terrorism charges.

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KAYE: After more than a decade-long legal battle, the notorious radical cleric Abu Hamza al Masri has arrived in the U.S. He and four other suspected terrorists were extradited from Britain overnight. You may recognize him from the hook on his hand. Two of the suspects appeared before a judge in Connecticut this morning and pleaded not guilty.

CNN's Richard Roth is in New York following this along with us. Richard, good morning. So exactly what charges are these men facing?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they face potential charges involving incitement for terrorism, plotting to conspire, setting up a camp in 1999. In Britain, the one-eyed hook cleric was giving fiery series of remarks in a London mosque, and many people have gotten to know the names of people that authorities say he helped, such as Richard Reed, the shoe bomber, among others.

As you mentioned, they arrived early this morning in Westchester County, two planes, five men. You mentioned two of them going to Connecticut where a spokesman there says they entered not guilty pleas. Three others will be in a New York court later today just for presenting first appearance in a legal system.

KAYE: How important is this case for the U.S.? What's riding on it?

ROTH: Yes, what's riding on it, according to FBI Assistant Director Mary Gallagher, the extraditions of he and the two other men are milestone in the federal government's efforts to combat high level terrorist suspects. They're not going to give up the fight. After 9/11, authorities say they were potentially very influential people. They deny that they were involved in any activities like this and they believe that their treatment in U.S. prisons is why they should have been allowed to stay in the U.K.

KAYE: All right, Richard Roth, thank you very much.

The whole apartment is only 10 feet long and eight feet wide. Yes, not kidding. So why are people so eager to pay a quarter million bucks for this tiny London flat? Richard Quest explains.

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KAYE: So how much would you pay to live in an apartment that is only 10 feet by eight feet? That is about the size of some parking spots, or a garden shed. But in the U.K., it's actually getting bids of more than a quarter million dollars. Richard Quest reports.

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RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Some are compact, others bijou. Then there's flat 8-f. Nothing quite prepares you for something so small. This is it, all of it. There is no more. I can't touch from one side to the other without hitting the wall. I am 6'1" tall. And this is the length of the flat. The apartment is a converted porter's toilet and cloak room. It tasks even the estate agent's vocabulary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unusual, unique, interesting market opportunity. I would point out the high ceiling, the natural light coming through, the refurbishment, the location.

QUEST: The original asking price of $145,000 has been well exceeded. The current top offer is believed to be around $280,000 for one simple reason, the old rule location, location, location. This tiny apartment is in the best part of London and next to the top people's department store Herrod's.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With this post you're going to get a hell of a lot of interest.

QUEST: The demand for this unique property has been intense, more than 100 viewings, a dozen offers. Ironically, the winner is likely to be an investor from Greece.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Richard Quest reporting there. We have much more ahead in the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING, which starts right now.