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Ferguson Grand Jury Will Not Reconvene Until Monday; Suicide Bomber Attacks Crowd At Volleyball Match In Afghanistan; Deadline For Iran Nuclear Deal Is Tomorrow; UVA Suspends All Fraternities; Major Obama Donor Facing Sex Abuse Charges; Four-Term D.C. Mayor Marion Barry Dies

Aired November 23, 2014 - 14:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A tragedy. A 12-year-old boy shot and killed by a police officer after officers get this 911 call.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is a guy in here with a pistol. He is, like, pointing it ought everybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: It turns out the gun was fake, but police say the officer didn't know that.

And one of the nation's most prestigious universities puts a temporary ban on a long-time tradition. Why all fraternities are suspended at the University of Virginia and what it could mean for other schools?

Plus, Senator Lindsey Graham is furious about an Intel report including there was no cover-up in the aftermath of the Benghazi attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: No. No. I think that -- I think the report is full of crap.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Why?

GRAHAM: Quite frankly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Who he says dropped the ball.

Hello, everyone. I'm Fredericka Whitfield. We begin with a developing story. A 12-year-old boy shot and killed after police spotted him with what turned out to be a fake gun and the police opened fire. Investigators say officers got a call yesterday afternoon for a boy waving a gun in a park. We now know that that gun was not real.

Sara Ganim has more on what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A 12-year-old boy is dead after a police shooting in Cleveland Saturday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sitting in the park. There was a guy in here with pistol and it is probably a fake one, but he is like pointing it at everybody. The guy keeps pulling it in and out. It is probably fake, I'm sure. But he is scaring the (bleep) out of people.

GANIM: The gun was fake. An airsoft replica gun that looks like a semiautomatic pistol, Cleveland police said, adding the orange tab that is suppose to identifies as a BB type gun had been removed.

But police say it's not clear if the responding officers knew if the gun might fake when they arrived to the playground of the (INAUDIBLE) center where the 911 call was made. When an officer order the boy to put his hands in the air, police say the boy instead reached for his waist band.

DEPUTY CHIEF ED TOMBA, CLEVELAND POLICE: There was no verbal or no confrontation. The officers ordered him to stop and to show his hands, and he went into his waist band and pulled out the weapon.

GANIM: Police say the officer fired two shots and the boy was hit in the torso. He died Sunday morning following surgery.

The family's attorney told CNN "it's devastating. A mom lets her son go to the park, then finds out he has been shot. We're starting our investigation. We're gathering our witnesses, and they're gathering theirs."

The Cleveland police use of force team is also investigating.

Our job is to respond to assignments and to protect the community. And when an officer gives a command, we expect it to be followed. The way it looks right now, it was not followed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GANIM: Fred, CNN spoke to the boy's family attorney today. And when the issue of race came up, he said this. He said this is not a race issue. It is a right and wrong issue. We also spoke to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutors office and was told that there is -- it's possible true that a grand jury could be convened as part of the investigation into what happened -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Terribly sad situation, Sara. And then, there was another situation, very different. This taking place in New York. But it has a lot of people upset there. We're talking about a shooting of a man, again, by a police officer. Very different circumstances. What happened?

GANIM: Right, Fred. Police are calling this one a very unfortunate tragedy. They said this was all an accident. An accidental discharge, and the victim, 28-year-old Akai Girly, they say was a total innocent.

It happened Friday in what police are describing as a pitch black stairway in the housing projects in Brooklyn. Girly was entering on the seventh floor. The officer was entering on the eighth floor. And the officer's gun went off, shooting Girly once in the chest. He died at the hospital.

Now, as you mentioned, there were protests this morning. But these people aren't the only ones who have questions about how this could have happened. The Brooklyn district attorney, Ken Thompson, he said in a statement that the shooting was quote "deeply troubling and warrants an immediate, fair, and thorough investigation." The officer, I should note, Fred, was a rookie. He was still on probationary status, less than 18 months on the job. And he has been stripped of his badge and his gun for now.

WHITFIELD: All right, Sara Ganim, thank you so much for that report.

So two tragic situations. Very different shootings and circumstances. But could these incidents, both of them, have been prevented?

For more on that I'm joined now by retired detective Steve Rogers and here with me in Atlanta defense attorney Tanya Miller.

So let's start with the Cleveland shooting, and let's begin with you, Steve.

Do you think this is just a tragic case where the officer thought the gun was fake or was real, could he reacted differently?

STEVE ROGERS, FORMER DETECTIVE, NUTLEY NJ POLICE: This is every police officer's nightmare to get involved in the shooting involving a young person. I don't believe based on the report that I have read that the police officer could have acted differently. Look, he didn't know if that gun was real, if it was fake. Remember, that 911 called came in that there was a gun being pointed at people. So the officer, he gave a lawful order, and in very sadly and unfortunately, the 12- year-old did not obey the order, and the officer had to make a quick split second decision. And it's usually the decision that's based on either see someone die or you do, or, unfortunately, you'll have to take the necessary action to prevent that from happening.

WHITFIELD: But I guess, does it also con to the idea or thoughts that as soon as you arrive in the scene, you see it's a kid that perhaps there may have been some dialogue that would take place, or just simply by virtue of you being the adult, you are the bigger person, that is being the kid, that maybe you could have tried to tackle the person. Are any of those scenarios realistic in your view?

ROGERS: Keep in mind, Fredericka, that most of the school shootings around this nation that kill many, many dozens of children, those crimes are perpetrated by kids. It's sad. It's unfortunate. Whether you are 20, 80, or 12, you point a gun at somebody, that bullet is going to find a target and kill that person.

WHITFIELD: So then, Tanya, is that partly to blame here that we're talking about a climate, you know, tragedies involving young people in recent years and so no longer is there that kind of presumed innocence when you talk about kids. And so officers on the scene are going to treat them just like they would an adult who may appear to be a threat?

TANYA MILLER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Maybe. I mean, I think whenever you're looking at an officer's use of excessive force or deadly force, you have to look at the reasonableness of his conduct, right? So, of course, what's going on around him, what he knew, what he understood, the circumstances of the case, those are all going to factor into whether or not the shooting is going to be deemed to be justified or not. I do think in this case there were at least some evidence that the officer had that the gun may have been a toy. We don't know exactly. We heard that the child was --

WHITFIELD: We know there's a dispatch that 911 call, but we don't know whether that was conveyed to the police officer that responded. That's, you know --

MILLER: Well, you know, no. See, those are things that are going to have to be investigated and certainly we'll want to know that before we determine whether or not, you know, a charge is appropriate or whether the use of force was justifiable.

But, again, I agree with you, Fred. I mean, we have a 12-year-old kid at a REC (ph) center. Maybe he was at the time I think at least he was seated. If he was reaching for his waist band, were there things the officer could have done short of shooting him to try to gain control of that situation? Those are questions that we have. We'll have to see what the investigation reveals.

WHITFIELD: And we know those questions will be asked and perhaps be answered during those investigations. Tanya Miller, thank so much. Steve Rogers, appreciate you as well. Thank you.

All right, now to Ferguson, Missouri, where residents are anxiously awaiting a grand jury's decision on the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown. Law enforcement officials tell CNN the jury reconvenes tomorrow and protesters, well, they're already voicing their anger over the death of this unarmed black teen in anticipation of a decision. And they're also demanding an indictment against Darren Wilson, the white police officer who killed Brown.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

WHITFIELD: Police say two people who were blocking traffic were arrested for unlawful assembly.

Our owned Sara Sidner is live for us right now in Ferguson.

So Sara, many thought the grand jury might reach a decision by Friday. That didn't happen. They'll reconvene tomorrow. What's the climate of things there where you are?

SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Look, this town has been on pins and needles for some time now, for many, many weeks, months, actually. And every time there is some new information that comes out from sources saying that the grand jury is meeting or it could happen soon, it certainly heightens tensions here or at least it heightens nervousness.

And we should point out that the only people who know when the grand jury's decision is coming are the 12 people on that grand jury. In order for there to be an indictment, nine of the 12 have to vote yes. They are the only ones that can really tell us when exactly it's over, and they are supposed to keep quiet until the decision is made and then that information will go to the prosecuting attorney's office.

A lot of folks just waiting to hear, and there have been plenty of people who are preparing, businesses, some of them very close to the police department have boarded up. Many of them -- most of them, I should say, on West Florescent were the very early protests happening in August where they started. They have all boarded up with the exception of perhaps one business.

And then you just have regular folks around here just waiting and watching and wondering, and, of course, the police and the National Guard are all at the ready at this point in time. The protesters themselves have said, look, we've been protesting for weeks now with no real issues, no violence, no one has been hurt. Nobody has been, you know, breaking up different things. They have been peaceful, and they said we're going to try to continue that. Whatever the decision is -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Sara Sidner in Ferguson. We'll check back with you.

We're also following another developing story. A suicide bomber has attacked a crowd at a volleyball match in Afghanistan. At least 45 people have been killed, 60 others are wounded.

Nick Paton Walsh is live now for us right now from Turkey, along the border there.

So Nick, any idea of who carried out this attack?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is not clear who is behind it. The Paktika (ph) region where it happened, this happened in an area called Delahil (ph). It is a stronghold of a group called the Hokani network. They are strong part of the insurgency there. But these sorts of attacks on civilians aren't really their calling card.

So it's unclear who did it, but certainly, they targeted a provincial level, a high level volleyball match here. A lot of civilians in the crowd looking on where the bomb was detonated, and 100 lives affected, 45 dead as you said, 60 injured too. So people still really counting the toll here.

But it comes just after the White House made it clear they wanted to expand U.S. capabilities in the years ahead. And just today, the lower house of the Afghan parliament ratified a key agreement called a BSA which allows U.S. forces to have a sustained presence in the years ahead.

Remember, the previous president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, had made it so clear, he didn't really want to see Americans there in the future. The new president, quite a different term -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Nick Paton Walsh. Thank you so much. Appreciate that.

All right, coming up after being buried under seven feet of snow, Buffalo is bracing for more bad weather. A look at the new threat from mother nature that could prove even more dangerous.

And now, we're getting word the deadline for a nuclear deal may be delayed, but what does this mean for the United States? CNN's Jim Sciutto is live from the top of Vienna -- Jim.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: A last minute flurry of diplomatic activity here in Guinea, less than 24 hours to go before that deadline. I'll have more right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The deadline for an Iran nuclear deal is tomorrow. But now, a senior U.S. state department official tells us the deadline may be extended. Iranian media reported that because of the limited time it would be quote "impossible to find common ground."

This, while U.S. secretary of state John Kerry says big gaps still remain in the negotiations that will likely shape the U.S. relationship with Iran for years to come.

Our chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto is in Vienna. CNN's Reza Sayah is in Tehran for us today. And Jim Walsh is an international security analyst and a research associate at MIT security studies program.

Good to see all of you.

So Jim, let me begin with you. The U.S. had been reluctant to discuss extending the talks. What's changed?

SCIUTTO: Basically, publically saying that an extension is on the table. It is interesting, in private, everyone here acknowledge that they may not reach agreement on this core issues by that midnight deadline tomorrow. But then you want to say that in public. They wanted to say listen, we're still focused, laser focused, on reaching an agreement before the deadline comes.

Putting that out there lays the ground work for that happening, prepare. There's an expectation management preparers for whatever damage control is necessary at that point. That said, there is still a flurry of diplomatic activity here. Just a few minutes ago a meeting between secretary of state John Kerry and the Russian foreign minister. There was a one-on-one between Kerry and the key, of course, the Iranian foreign minister. We know there's going to be a working dinner tonight among the western

powers. So they're still pushing. The question is what are they pushing for? Are they pushing just for an extension, or are they pushing for something that's beyond an extension. Moving the ball forward even if they don't, Fred, reach a final agreement.

WHITFIELD: And so, Reza in Tehran, was there ever a feeling that this deadline would be met?

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think a lot of people were hopeful, especially the Iranian population who are eager to reach an agreement with the international community, eager for these sanctions to be lifted.

But this is also a very politically savvy and aware population, and the position is that we'll believe it when we see it. As far as Iran's position at this hour, according to state media, whose named and unnamed source, they don't really want an extension of these talks. And one source saying that even if we extend these talks, it doesn't mean that we're going to reach an agreement. The statement could be gamesmanship. It could be posturing. We'll have to wait and see. But certainly the clock is ticking, Fred.

WHITFIELD: And then Jim, how do you -- Jim Walsh, how do you interpret this possible extension? Is that a sign of hope, or is that a pessimistic piece of development? .

JIM WALSH, MIT SECURITY STUDIES PROGRAM: Yes. There are extensions and then there are extensions. So if they do what they did last July and say we are going to keep this down the road for six months because we are too far apart, I think that that essentially means that the patient is in a coma, and you should go ahead and schedule the funeral, the six men stay on the line. Because what's going to happen is if they're not close, Congress -- a new Congress is going to come in and pass sanctions. Then the Iranian legislature is going to feel compelled to retaliate. So you know, it hit tit for tat. And back and forth we will go, and this will slip away. That is one kind of extension, a sort of just pushing it off where it all goes down.

The other type is something it says we are almost there. We have a framework agreement. We are have some set of principles we can agree on. We just need a little more time to finish the details. I think that would be acceptable and significant. But they can't just keep pushing it down the road because that is not going to work.

WHITFIELD: And then Jim Sciutto, while you said there is a flurry of activity, is there also talk of what happens if this doesn't work?

SCIUTTO: There is, although at this point they don't want to talk about that because they clearly do want to get to some sort of deal. I think Jim Walsh makes a very good point there because there are two kinds of extension. One is that kicking the ball down the road. Another one is where you have made progress, but not enough progress to reach a final agreement.

And I'll tell you, I think that is really the best case scenario at this point because the idea of narrowing these gaps in the next 24 hours looks somewhat unlikely, but the measure of success will be can they push that ball forward? Because remember, tremendous political pressure both at home in the U.S. and also in Iran for progress here, to have another extension of the status quo. Difficult to sell at home for both sides.

WHITFIELD: All right, fantastic of view. Perspectives from all around the world. Out ream, Jim Sciutto in Vienna, Reza Sayah and Jim Walsh. Thank you so much. Appreciate that.

All right. Still ahead, first, big snow in Buffalo. Now the threat of dangerous flooding. We go live there next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, warmer weather should be welcome news for folks in Buffalo, still digging out from that massive snowfall. But as the mercury rises, so does the risk of flooding as mountains of snow start melting.

Alexandra Field joining me now live from Buffalo.

And so, well, how does it look out there? Kind of slushy. But is it causing big problems yet?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, no big problems yet. They've cleared a lot of the streets, but there are still a lot of piles of snow that immediate to be removed. That is the focus right now. And it's a job that a big team of people are doing. They're working together around the clock at an incident command center in Buffalo. We talked about how they're handling this snow and the coming threat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARNELL WHITFIELD, BUFFALO FIRE COMMISSIONER: This is an old facility, but as can you see, very functional.

FILED: You are in here around the clock?

G. WHITFIELD: Around the clock, 24-7. We have New York estate and office of emergency management here. We have FDNY. We have national grid. We have utility services here. Everybody is in a room. New York City is here. They're out in the field mapping data and they are sending it back here. They're showing us what streets are cleared. You know, what streets are impassable.

FILED: They're looking at the city like a grid.

G. WHITFIELD: Yes. And they are documenting everything that we are doing.

FILED: And what you were you looking for? What did you know you should take picture.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yesterday our mission was really just to check out BPW was doing on road clearing. FILED: Basically, you had your phone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pretty much just the phone and the camera also. When we open the application, it pushes everything straight back to that map we have it before.

FILED: Look at the dots on the map mean?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These dots were all areas that we collected. All the pictures with geo-tags. You can see exactly where that picture was taken. She just climbed out over that fogless small mountain. This was on the Stevens Bridge, which we were told is prone to ice dams in the spring.

FILED: So, you are adding layers of data to this every day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

FILED: You come back, and you see picture. And what does this tell you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it tells me that they made a pass down that street. Looks like we can access this street if there's an issue on that street and so our response crews would know that in advance.

FILED: You know, this is a really significant part of the operation for you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On what the information they are giving us is literally saving lives.

FILED: Have you had a setup command of this scale here before?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not on this scale. Never on this scale. Yes. We have structural collapsing. We also have a water rescue team here. So the logistics are just quite amazing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FILED: Mayor of Buffalo says that so far they lifted up and carted away 80,000 tons of snow. The goal right now along the picking up of the snow is really clearing the storm drains. That's a best chance for mitigating any risks of flooding as the temperature rises over the next day -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: My goodness. I know folks are bracing, and then hoping for the best. We're hoping for the best for the folks in buffalo too.

Alexandra, thanks so much.

All right, one of one of the most prestigious universities in the nation suspends all fraternities after a stunning accusation of sexual assault. Will other universities follow suit?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Here's a look at some of the other top stories making news right now. A 12-year-old boy carrying a fake gun was shot and killed by police in Cleveland. Police say officers were called to a recreation center because a person was waving around a gun.

Investigators say police told the boy to put his hands up in the air, but he didn't, and police opened fire. Investigators say the boy's weapon turned out to be an air soft replica gun.

In Ferguson, Missouri, anxiety filled weekend as the community wait to hear whether a grand jury might indict Darren Wilson. The grand jury expected to reconvene tomorrow, Monday. The white police officer shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager.

Law enforcement officials tell CNN the jury will indeed reconvene. People held protests throughout the weekend, and police say two out of state people who were blocking traffic were arrested for unlawful assembly.

In a stunning move, the University of Virginia is suspending all fraternities and parties associated with them until January 9. This comes after "Rolling Stone" magazine published an article last week about a student who said she was gang-raped at a frat party.

Now her story has brought a federal investigation of the prestigious school and is exposing an alleged cultural issue at college campuses around the nation. Here's Joe Johns.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a shocking allegation of rape at the University of Virginia. A report in the current "Rolling Stone" magazine alleging a culture of rape and sexual assault there including a story about a first year student said to be considering suicide after she went to a party in 2012 at the Phi Kappa Si fraternity house and was allegedly gang raped.

Quote from the article, "Grab its leg," she heard a voice say, and that's when Jackie knew she was going to be raped. She remembers every moment of the next three hours of agony during which she says seven men took turns raping her. Annie Forest is a friend of the accuser.

ANNIE FOREST, FRIEND OF ACCUSER: She was just doing what a normal girl on a date would do, and then he led her upstairs, and where she was taken into a room and pretty much ambushed by these men.

JOHNS: Since the article, another student has come forward, similar story, same fraternity.

KELLY ORGANSKI, FORMER UVA STUDENT: I had to walk on campus with my rapists for the next two and a half years.

JOHNS: And the issue is not just one fraternity house or even one school. SABRINA RUBIN ERDELY, "ROLLING STONE" CONTRIBUTOR: I was told that University of Virginia is actually quite typical. Even though the things that I discovered at University of Virginia are really horrifying, what I was told is that really what happens at UVA is probably fairly normal at a college campus.

JOHNS: According to "Rolling Stone," the accuser did not report the incident at the time to police, but did speak to a university official.

FOREST: When she left the fraternity house that night and called some of her friends, they actually recommended that she not go to the police.

JOHNS: At the university, damage control is in hyper drive and police are investigating. The fraternity chapter is suspending all activities and said it will cooperate fully with the investigation.

UVA's president said in a statement that the report includes, quote, "Many details that were not previously disclosed to university officials. The university takes seriously the issue of sexual misconduct. We have recently adopted several new initiatives and policies aimed at fostering a culture of reporting and raising awareness."

It's a national problem, 88 colleges and universities are under investigation for how they handle sex assault cases. A former dean at UVA is now the national president of a group dedicated to ending sexual assault on campus. He says schools could be sanctioned.

JOHN FOUBERT, FORMER UVA ASST. DEAN OF STUDENTS: They could face a loss of federal funding which would decimate an entire institution. That has never been done, but there are fines that the Office of Civil Rights can levy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS: Important to say that in the case of UVA, it was the university that called for authorities to get involved, including police and the Virginia Attorney General's Office.

WHITFIELD: All right, that was Joe Johns reporting. I want to bring in CNN legal analysts, Paul Callan and Danny Cevallos now. So Danny, to you first, UVA's president said this, quote, "The wrongs described in "Rolling Stone" are appalling and have caused all of us to reexamine our responsibility to this community."

Considering her statement, is this suspension which goes through what, Thanksgiving and the winter breaks, they come back to school in January, is that enough?

DANNY CEVALLOS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, it's hard to say whether it's enough. I mean, suspending all of the fraternities pending an investigation, look, the bottom line is since Title Nine and the office of civil rights in the last ten years universities have been under a tremendous economic incentive to investigate these cases. And many would argue -- many defense attorneys would argue to find guilty students or convict students because they use standards like a preponderance of evidence. Students aren't given the same due process rights. To say that universities have not as a culture been investigating sexual assault cases is really not accurate.

Because the last decade alone has seen a tremendous rise, a tremendous incentive for attorneys -- or for universities to investigate, prosecute, and some would argue find accused students guilty.

So look, when it comes to fraternities and sororities, many would say that their time may be at an end. They just are hotbeds of liability, and maybe too much going on with too little supervision.

WHITFIELD: And so Paul, you agree with that? The incentive just hasn't been there? I mean, in "The Rolling Stone" article it said UVA suspended 183 people for honor code violations, which would be tantamount to cheating on exams since 1998, but no student has ever been expelled for sexual assault or alleged sexual assault.

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: You know, I'll tell you what surprises me about this, this talk of a rape culture existing in American universities and specifically in fraternities even currently because bear in mind, for the last ten to 15 years, our societal attitudes about this sort of thing have changed radically.

If we were talking about the 1950s to 1960s, this wouldn't surprise me, but I'm frankly stunned. If these allegations are true, that seven men could have raped a woman in a fraternity house and then her complaints ignored by the university, it's a shocking indictment if true.

But I think we have to be careful here and remember what happened in the Duke case, which looked like a shocking indictment of Duke and the lacrosse team, and that story kind of fell apart in the months to come. I would like to see what all of the details are here, and before, you know, we condemn everyone.

Nonetheless, if it's true, Fredericka, it's stunning and shocking and you need major changes not only at Virginia, but other places if this is what's going on.

WHITFIELD: Right. Danny, of course, you know, a lot more evidence would have to come forward before anyone can really make up their mind about it, but at least according to that article, if one student in that article said one of her alleged attackers actually told another attacker, quote, "we all had to do it, so you do too."

If that is true, it sounds like we really are talking about a cultural problem if not just on that campus, but then, you know, maybe on other campuses too potentially?

CEVALLOS: Well, what are we saying about a cultural problem? Investigating and prosecuting sexual assault cases is difficult on a college campus. It's difficult at work, in the home. It's difficult everywhere. The very nature of it is asking someone to come forward and speak about something incredibly uncomfortable and devastating. In many of these cases, citizens realize that by the time it gets to trial, if there's no forensics, if there's no rape kit, it will come down to a credibility determination and how well they perform on the witness stand.

No matter whether you are at a university or out in anywhere else, the idea of doing that is terrifying to complainants. I don't know if there's any more of a culture at universities than there is anywhere else since time for all of humanity. Prosecuting these cases, investigating them has always been difficult.

CALLAN: You know, Fredricka, the thing that occurs to me too is rape is such a serious crime, and we have this thing at universities where women are supposed to go and report it to the administration and then they handle it internally.

You know, we don't do that in murder cases. You go to the police right away. Big cities have special victims units. They have levels of sophistication in handling victims, and I'm just wondering if we're using a wrong mechanism to investigate these cases, and women are suffering as a result of it.

WHITFIELD: All right. Paul Callan, Danny Cevallos, thanks to the both of you, Gentlemen. We'll leave it there. Appreciate it.

CEVALLOS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, a major Obama fundraiser is facing sex abuse charges. Why his lawyer says it's all the result of an extortion attack. That's next.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Scaled the heights as a player back in 1989 becoming the youngest male ever to win the grand slam title at the age of just 17 when he took the French Open in Paris.

Ten years after his greatest triumph, the American launched the Champ Family Foundation. It delegates to integrated tennis, community service, and his Christian faith. The 42-year-old is now keener than ever to pass on that winning mindset that served him so well as a player.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My mentality was I've been given this talent. You know certainly I want to go out and make the very, very most of it. I want to become the best tennis player that I can be, but at the same time I had this platform.

I had this platform to touch lives. Hopefully inspire some kids. But if I have gone and spent my 16 plus years, you know, going out and trying to achieve my own things but never did anything for anybody, never, you know, took the time to spend to either sign an autograph or talk to a youngster or somehow encourage them, then really kind of what's it all for? You know, sometimes I think people forget that. (END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A man President Obama once called, quote, "a great supporter and friend" is facing sex abuse charges in Oregon. Democratic donor, Terry Bean is charged with abusing a 15-year-old boy last year. Here's CNN's Erin McPike.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Terry Bean has been a major fundraiser for President Obama bundling a reported half million dollars for his 2012 re-election campaign.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I want to thank somebody who put so much work into this event, Terry Bean. Give him a big round of applause.

MCPIKE: Here's Mr. Obama praising Bean at a 2009 event for the Human Rights Campaign. The politically influential gay rights group he co- founded.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: To my great friend and supporter, Terry Bean, co- founder of HRC.

MCPIKE: Now police say Bean who is 66 has been arrested in Portland, Oregon charged with sodomy and sex abuse of an underage boy reportedly a 15-year old, and also arrested on the same charges, 25-year-old Kyle Lawson, identified in news reports as Bean's former boyfriend.

In statement, Bean's lawyer says, quote, "Over the course of several months in 2013 and 2014, Terry was the victim of an extortion ring led by several men known to law enforcement. This current arrest is connected to the ongoing investigation of that case in which Mr. Bean has fully cooperated.

No allegations against Terry Bean should be taken at face value. We look forward to the opportunity to clear his name." Lawson's former attorney told the "Oregonian" newspaper that Lawson had stumbled upon a camera Bean had used to secretly record sexual encounters with him and other men, took screen shots, and hoped to secure money from Bean in an exchange for their return. That led Bean to allege extortion.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Erin McPike joining me now live from the White House. What more do we know about Terry Bean and what's next?

MCPIKE: Well, Fred, I have asked the White House if they have had a reaction to this situation. We have not heard anything back yet. We have, however, heard from the Human Rights Campaign and a spokesman for that organization told us in a statement that Terry Bean has taken a voluntarily leave of absence until these issues are resolved -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Erin Mcpike, thanks so much.

All right, he was one of the nation's most well-known mayors in Washington, D.C. He was elected and re-elected to public office. Many times Marion Barry was nicknamed "Mayor for life."

Well, last night, Barry passed away at a D.C. hospital. Barry was a civil rights activist and served four terms as D.C.'s mayor. His fall from political grace came during that notorious drug bust in 1990.

Later, he would return to D.C. politics as a city councilman. I spoke with Mr. Barry last July about his life journey depicted in his book "Mayor for Life."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FORMER MAYOR MARION BARRY, D.C.: I've had a rich life, not just a 15- second sound bite, but when you say Washington, D.C., everybody knows, when I came here in 1965, Washington was a sleepy, southern town. No high rises, no anything except for the FBI building. Look at Washington now, all of downtown.

Our neighborhoods have been transformed because of my blueprint. I appointed Herb Miller. He was living downtown. More importantly, I brought hope to the hopeless. In Washington, I have worked hard for the people. And I'm beloved by the people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Overnight, Barry died at a Washington hospital just hours after being released from another hospital in the city. He was 78 years old.

And Senator Lindsey Graham is furious about an intel report concluding there was no cover-up in the aftermath of the Benghazi attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: No, no. I think the report is full of crap.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why?

GRAHAM: Quite frankly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Who he says dropped the ball.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Senator Lindsey Graham is slamming a recent GOP-led report on the 2012 terror attack in Benghazi. That attack killed four Americans and became a lightning rod issue for critics of the Obama administration. Graham is one of those critics.

Well, this morning on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" chief political analyst, Gloria Borger, reminded Graham of his past statements on the issue.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRAHAM: When Susan Rice said I have no regrets, I gave the American people the best evidence available, that's a bald-faced lie.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: This report says no one lied, period that, they were receiving bad information, but no -- or --

GRAHAM: That's a bunch of garbage. That's a complete bunch of garbage. Who told Susan Rice --

BORGER: Why is the Republican chairwoman of the House Intelligence Committee buying a bunch of garbage?

GRAHAM: Good question.

BORGER: Answer it. Yes.

GRAHAM: Why -- that's -- yes, I don't believe that the report is accurate given the role that Mike Morrell played in misleading the Congress on two occasions. Why didn't the report say that? Here's my point.

When Susan Rice was on television after the attack, she said on three different occasions the consulate was strongly, substantially, and significantly secured. Nothing could have been further from that -- from the truth, and there's nothing in the talking points about the level of security.

She gave an impression to the American people that these folks were well taken care of when it was, in fact, a death trap. Who told her to say that? Ben Rhodes came up with the talking points saying under no circumstance can we suggest this was anything other than a riot caused by a video, when there was no evidence of that.

BORGER: To your point about the death trap, Senator, this report also says that there -- I'm quoting here -- that there was no evidence, that there was a stand-down order or a denial of available support. Do you still believe that there was?

GRAHAM: I can tell you that three contractors working for the agency said that they were told to wait for 20 minutes. This report puts all the blame on the State Department and absolves the intelligence community.

When the Department of Defense committees looked at it, the Department of Defense was held blameless. At the end of the day everybody is pointing fingers to everybody else. That's why you need a joint select committee.

Thank God for Trey Gowdy and Elijah Cummings. When the intel committee says there's no evidence of manipulating the American people, that is absolute garbage.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Graham also had a lot to say about this week's executive action on immigration from President Obama. More on that next hour.

All right, it happens year round, hardworking Americans sending gifts to their loved ones, but often the packages are stolen right off the doorsteps. Now, guess what. There's an app to stop those thefts.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Across the country many colleges catering to students that want nothing but the best, and then there are schools that are reaching out to students willing to build while learning. Chief business correspondent, Christine Romans, has the story of Blackburn College.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some universities are starting to look like resorts with pricey amenities like spas, rock walls, and swimming pools. And they're passing along the bill to students.

Tuition expenses have risen more than 1,200 percent since 1978. But Blackburn College in Illinois is keeping tuition costs low thanks to a little thrift.

(on camera): Blackburn College is expanding. This is a $2.5 million renovation project, but a novel way to pay for it, student work crews. We can see where students for years have been literally laying the bricks.

STEVEN ROTMAN, PRESIDENT, AMERITECH: We do maintain a pretty lean organizational staffing structure, and that is done with the expectation that we do use students to supplement those labor needs.

ROMANS (voice-over): And it's not just construction jobs, 90 percent of the student body works ten hours per week on campus in everything from gardening to security to administrative positions. In exchange they get tuition credit.

(on camera): What do you say to parents who say I don't want my kid to go to school to work. I don't want them to be distracted. I want them to go to spend four years to learn.

ROTMAN: We do have that. We do have parents that question that piece of it. What we explain to them this is an enhancement, an enhancement to their overall portfolio that will make them more marketable upon graduation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, guys. Can you grab me 431?

ROMANS (voice-over): Software John Esperaza (ph) manages Blackburn's motor vehicle fleet.

(on camera): They call your generation, generation debt. Does that worry you at all?

JOHN ESPERAZA (PH): By the decisions that I have made with school, not really. Because going to that I know I am saving a lot of money. I came for the work program because I felt with baseball and school and a job, I wouldn't have time to get distracted by video games or going out to parties. I actually went to Michigan State University. They had big pools, nice buildings, newer dorms, but it was kind of a distraction. I'm here for an education.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. You can watch the "IVORY TOWER" tonight on CNN at 9:00 p.m. eastern exploring, "Is college worth it?"

We'll have much more after this.