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Lingering Fear After Egypt's Bloodshed; WWE's Darren Young: "I'm Gay"; Cops To Give Doritos To Pot Smokers; Lesbian Teen Offered New Plea Deal; Broadcaster Overcomes Handicap
Aired August 15, 2013 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Are we perhaps looking at a civil war, sir?
KARIM HAGGAG, PROFESSOR, NESA CENTER FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES: No. I think the dynamics of what we're seeing in Cairo look a bit different. The problem with the Muslim Brotherhood, their confrontation is not with the government or even with the military. Their problem is that their confrontation is with the broad center of Egyptian society that has risen up to thoroughly repudiate their hard line ideology.
And we've seen this. On June 30th we saw what was probably the largest political demonstration in recent history with up to 17 million Egyptians demonstrating on the streets against on the streets the Muslim Brotherhood. So if the Brotherhood continues on this path, they will be the biggest losers, unfortunately.
BALDWIN: From the military perspective, we've been talking a lot about this aid that the U.S. gives Egypt, some $1.3 billion. How much does the threat to possibly pull U.S. aid really matter to Egypt?
HAGGAG: Well, obviously I think whatever difficult decisions the government has to take, they will take them for purely Egyptian considerations. That being said, however, this is a very important relationship between the United States and Egypt, a very strategic one that has benefited the national interests of both countries. But I think what was important in the announcement that we heard from President Obama this morning was not so much about any threats implicit or explicit, but his desire really to capture the nuance and complexity of the situation.
He did say, he did have very strong concerns about the violence. But at the same time, he clearly mentioned the fact that the Muslim Brotherhood governed in the very exclusionary fashion. That compromised their legitimacy.
BALDWIN: Shouldn't the military in Egypt carry some of the blame here?
HAGGAG: Well, I think this -- the decision that we've seen the government take was not the military's decision yesterday to break up the sit-ins. This was a very difficult decision by the interim government. To deal with what really was an intolerable situation. We've seen reports that have since been validated about arms being stacked in the sit-ins. We've seen instances of torture documented by amnesty international that was going on in the sit-ins.
Then after that we've seen repeated attacks on churches, police stations and ordinary Egyptians that involved heavy gunfire and oftentimes RPGs. So we were not looking at a peaceful demonstration. This was a very difficult situation that any government that wants to preserve its credibility really would not tolerate.
BALDWIN: It's difficult, I think, if you were to be on the ground in Cairo and beyond to really sort of sort through the real story, what's really happening. Not just among who seem to be peaceful protesters, but among the military, among perhaps members of the Muslim Brotherhood as well. But the bottom line is, we see the carnage. We see the blood running through the streets. I do want to ask you, because this has sort of mystified many people, you worked for Mohamed Morsy. Do you have any idea where he is, and do you think he's safe?
HAGGAG: Well, the government has not disclosed his location. He is being held in detention by a court order because former President Morsy is under investigation for serious crimes of incitement of violence. Recent international visitors have been permitted to visit the former president. They've attested to the fact that he's being treated with respect and in accordance with the law.
BALDWIN: Karim Haggag, thank you so much, sir, for joining me. I appreciate it.
HAGGAG: Thank you.
BALDWIN: Coming up, potential first for pro wrestling. A WWE wrestler makes an important and surprising announcement. He's gay. You will hear how people are responding to this one, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: WWE, are you a fan? It is one of the most macho groups around. So it's not exactly every day when one of its superstars reveals he is gay. In fact, Darren Young here may just be the first. CNN's Nick Valencia is following this one for us today. First, just back up. How did this whole thing happen, this revelation that he's gay?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So Summer Slam is a big WWE event coming up on the 18th of august. A lot of wrestlers, they're superstars, are flying to be in Los Angeles in place to be at that event. He was also expected to be at an anti-bullying event earlier this morning. He was there in time for that. The TMZ camera men caught up with these impromptu interviews. They asked him if he was a gay wrestler, if that is possible? Can a gay wrestler succeed in the WWE?
BALDWIN: Not actually knowing that he was --
VALENCIA: The cameraman was caught off guard, stumbled with his response. I didn't know. Thank you for sharing something so beautiful and personal with me. He didn't know. Darren Young came out. Not prompted to come out.
BALDWIN: What's been the reaction among fans and WWE?
VALENCIA: So this is the interesting part. The WWE almost immediately after he releases this, they came out with a statement. I think we have some of that statement. I spoke to them this morning. They said the WWE is proud of Darren Young for being open about his sexuality and we'll continue to support him as a WWE superstar. And they mentioned this event he was going to be at today. In fact, Darren will be participating in an event, one of our be a star anti- bullying rallies in Los Angeles to teach children how to create positive environments for everyone regardless of age, race religion or sexual orientation.
They came out immediately to support him. Then there are these dissenting voices. I mentioned on twitter I was going to cover this story. I got a very poignant tweet. One person said why announce your sexuality? Other people said I never even heard of this guy before. We should mention the WWE does consider him a superstar and he's been around for a couple years now.
BALDWIN: OK, Nick, thank you.
VALENCIA: You got it.
BALDWIN: Coming up, we are going to go to Seattle, Washington, where police have something in store for people who smoke pot at a festival celebrating marijuana. It is called, wait for it, operation orange fingers. We're going to tell you what this tasty plan is, why Doritos is involved, after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: OK. This next one has a lot of people talking. Police will be giving free Doritos to marijuana smokers in Seattle this weekend. Curing the munchies, it's not the goal. The Doritos give away for Seattle's Hempfest, police are planning to use the Doritos to educate people on Washington State's new marijuana laws. Police are calling the campaign operation orange fingers. I kid you not.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. SEAN WHITCOM, SEATTLE POLICE DEPT: Operation orange fingers, it's going to have some information about, you know, can you smoke pot here or there and who gets to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Adults in Washington State can now legally possess one ounce of marijuana. Police are giving away one ounce bags of Doritos with a handy link to a police web site that outlines and clarifies new pot laws.
Vivian McPeak is the executive director of Seattle Hempfest. Vivian, good to see you. Operation orange fingers, what do you make of this?
VIVIAN MCPEAK, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HEMPFEST: Well, Brooke, Hempfest is a free speech event. If the Seattle Police Department wants to get their message out with bags of Doritos, we support their free speech. While we're talking about Doritos, the cost of prohibition to American taxpayers the $42 billion a year and our return investment is America's the largest dealer citizens per capita in the world and marijuana seems to be everywhere.
BALDWIN: So is there much confusion among pot smokers in Washington State as far as what they can do, where they can't smoke it, et cetera? Have you seen that issue pop up?
MCPEAK: This will be the first festival we've had since the passage of I-502. I think most people know what's going on. I can understand why the police would want to get the message out and know clearly what the parameters are.
BALDWIN: Do you think pot smokers are going to flip the bags around and pay attention to the web site and said information?
MCPEAK: I think once they ravishly consume the goodies and satisfy their hunger, that some are probably going to be curious as anyone else is to see what's written on those bags, what the messaging is.
BALDWIN: What's your take on the new laws regarding selling?
MCPEAK: Well, you know, I've been involved with this for 22 years with Seattle Hempfest. When you are a protest reform event, seen this kind of historic victory with two states voting, it's a potential game changer. We're pretty excited. It's pretty big.
BALDWIN: Vivian McPeak, Seattle Hempfest. Thank you so much. Do not forget to catch Dr. Sanjay Gupta's report on marijuana. You have to see this. Set the DVR. The report everyone has been talking about. Called simply "Weed." You can watch it tomorrow night 9:00 p.m. eastern. Do not miss it.
Coming up, a young woman who just turned 19 faces possible jail time for statutory rape in what she says was a consensual relationship with a 14-year-old girl. But a judge is offering her a plea deal. No jail time. We're going to tell you why she is saying no, again, legal panel debating that one, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: New developments today in the case of a 19-year-old woman who faces 15 years in prison if convicted for having sex with a 14-year-old girl. Florida prosecutors are waiting for Katelyn Hunt to accept a new plea deal that would keep her out of jail and keep her from having to register as a sex offender. Keep in mind, this is the second plea deal they have offered before going to trial, but it still includes a felony charge.
According to our affiliate WPTV, Hunt's mother says if the state would offer the plea deal without the felony, she would 100 percent advice Kate to take it. Hunts who was 18 at the time when she was charged, says her relationship with the girl was consensual.
Let's talk about this with former prosecutor Monica Lindstrom and legal analyst Lisa Bloom. Ladies, welcome. Lisa, first to you, what do you think of Hunt's mother's advice? No deal with the felony charge in there?
LISA BLOOM, LEGAL ANALYST, AVVO.COM: She's hanging tough on behalf of her daughter. Good for her. If they go to trial and she loses, and she probably will lose. As you say she's facing up to 15 years in prison. You don't really want to play Russian roulette with this young girl's life. The problem with this case is if she were male, if she were an 18-year-old male who had, quote, unquote, "consensual sex" with a 14-year-old girl, she'd be facing the same penalties. We all have a lot of sympathy for her because it's a female on female relationship, but the law is blind as to gender.
BALDWIN: Do you agree? We were sitting around our morning meeting saying the same thing, if it was male/female versus female/female. Monica, do you agree?
MONICA LINDSTROM, FORMER ATTORNEY: I think Lisa is absolutely right. If this was a male, who is 18, now 19 with a 14-year-old girl, the plea agreement would be way worse than what they're offering right now. And I can understand that the mom wants to be strong for her daughter. But based on what I've seen so far, it would be a huge mistake to not accept this. Because let's just say she gets convicted and she has to register as a sex offender. That can prevent her from ever adopting a child in the future ever having a child perhaps even taking her child to school. There are a lot of ramifications that they really have to think about. This is a really good offer, I think.
BALDWIN: You can understand, I guess, if you try to put yourself in her shoes, this now 19-year-old. Basically accepting a plea deal is admitting guilt, correct? If she is saying this was a consensual relationship, I'm not pleading, how do you advise her, Lisa?
BLOOM: Well, the problem is the law, right? The law is just ridiculously tough against this young woman.
BALDWIN: The law.
BLOOM: Right? To say a young woman who is 18 years old who had a consensual sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl should face 15 years in prison, this is the whole problem with mass incarceration in this country. We have prison sentences that are way out of line with the proportionality of what happened here. I personally think 18-year-olds should face some legal sanction for having quote, unquote, consensual sex with 14-year-olds, but not 15 years in jail. That's just ridiculous.
BALDWIN: Monica, what do you think of the prosecution lessening the charges after promising to fight for conviction? LINDSTROM: It's appropriate. When you're a prosecutor and you have to come up with a plea agreement or a plea offer, you have to think about the victim, the defendant, the deterrence factor and office policies. It's very appropriate. Like Lisa said, 15 years is just ridiculous. Then again, if this was a man people would be screaming for closer to that 15 years than probation and able to erase it off of her record. That's another thing, Brooke. This plea gives her the opportunity to erase this off her record down the road. That's significant.
BALDWIN: This is all just according to our affiliate that she rejected this second plea deal. Lisa Bloom, Monica Lindstrom, thank you both very much on the case today.
Coming up next, new video just into us here at CNN of a woman giving birth on the hospital floor, it couldn't wait. Wait until you hear who came to the rescue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Now to some of the hottest stories in a flash. "Rapid Fire." roll it. First this terrifying video, this high-speed chase here with a kidnapped baby in the backseat of the car. The driver got up to 80 miles an hour before slamming a squad car. Authorities say the driver was a friend of 8-month-old Katelyn Stover's mom. CNN affiliate WGCL reports 22-year-old Samantha Barret is facing several charges. Amazingly, this little one wasn't hurt. He is now home with mom.
In Kansas, heavy rain this week has turned parts of Wichita into a swamp. Some places saw up to an inch and a half of rain in just half an hour. It has made commuting a soggy mess. Forecasters say more storms with damaging wind and hail are possible today.
And the FDA taking a closer look at the safety of sleep aids specifically whether people can shake off the effects the next morning. You know that groggy feeling? Researchers are worried those drugs may affect people's ability to drive. Doctors wrote close to 60 million prescriptions for sleep aids last year according to the research firm IMS Health.
A sports announcer steps out from behind the microphone to show that people who have disabilities can do almost anything. Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces us to Jason Benetti in this week's "Human Factor."
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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's Wednesday night at the ballpark in Syracuse, New York. And the Syracuse Chiefs, they're taking a beating from the Scranton Wilksbury Well Riders. Jason Benetti is up in the press box. He's calling the game. Benetti has been the voice of the chiefs for four years and he has a loyal following though few would recognize him off the field. When they do meet him, they're usually surprised.
JASON BENETTI, SYRACUSE CHIEFS ANNOUNCER: I like that people are surprised.
GUPTA: Benetti has a mild form of cerebral palsy. It causes him to walk with a slight limp. He's had it since he was a toddler and lived with the stares and glares of being different. It's also why he thinks he initially gravitated toward radio work.
BENETTI: Of course, I wanted to do it because I was not on camera.
GUPTA: Benetti learned that meeting people in person gave him strength. He's wicked smart, a journalism degree from Syracuse University and a law degree from Wake Forest. He now realizes his condition is something to be proud of. Not something to hide.
BENETTI: Murphy's throw is there! Got him!
GUPTA: He now does play by play on television as well.
BENETTI: If my look is an issue for something on television, great. I'm going to change your mind.
GUPTA: Life for Benetti is not just about sports. He knows he can make a difference especially when it comes to inspiring young people with disabilities. This month he hosted a group of campers from Chat, an organization who helps children who cannot speak use advance technology to communicate. He gets great satisfaction watching the kids make a connection
BENETTI: All you do is tell us what happened, and there you go. It's fantastic. I love seeing the light bulb go off for people because many light bulbs have gone off for me.
GUPTA: An adjunct professor at SU, Benetti would eventually like to write more and live by the water. Right now life is full of locker rooms and stats. For Benetti he'd have it no other way. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
BALDWIN: Hundreds are dead. There's no leader. And quickly Egypt, a U.S. ally, is spiraling out of control.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very clear that this experiment in democracy that started about two years ago with a lot of euphoria is dead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: As President Obama breaks his silence, does Egypt really care what Washington thinks? I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
A doctor tells his patients, you have cancer and sends them for chemo. Turns out they weren't sick.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When your doctor tells you that's what's going to cure your cancer, you don't argue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Wait till you hear about this alleged scam.
Plus, coffee's wake-up call. A new study shows how the brew could be deadly.
And a paralympic committee tells a swimmer she can't swim because she's not disabled enough. We're on the case.
Hour two. Here we go. Thanks for staying with me. I'm Brooke Baldwin. You're watching CNN here.
