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Largest NATO Offensive of the War in Afghanistan; A U.S. Marine and British Soldier Die in a Major NATO Offensive; Deadly Explosion at Popular Bakery in Western India; Obama Assures Haiti Funds Will Not Stop the Flow of Other World Aid Programs

Aired February 13, 2010 - 12:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, well, we're going to begin this hour with some pretty hard-hitting developments out of Afghanistan. It is being billed as the largest offensive of the war in Afghanistan and it's underway right now in the country's opium region. Fifteen thousand NATO and Afghan troops are involved. There are already reports of coalition deaths, a U.S. Marine and a British soldier, and this is all happening in the city of Marjah.

The Taliban has set up a shadow government there and the area is critical because opium profits there help the Taliban pay for weapons. So, right now NATO officials are saying all is going as planned. Fred Pleitgen is covering this story from Afghanistan's capitol.

What are you hearing right now -- Fred.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Fredricka, NATO is also telling us they are very pleased at the way all of this is moving forward. We're hearing from the British military that several key objectives of this offensive have already been achieved. They've taken some key bridges, also some key roads in that town of Marjah, in that community.

Now, they say that is a very strategic and very important thing because what they're trying to do in this offensive is they're trying to create a foothold for the U.S. and the foreign forces as fast as possible. They, of course, started the offensive very early this morning under the cover of darkness, started an air assault, a major air assault, into that community which was then followed by a major ground assault.

The big problem that they had on the ground there, however, Fredricka, was as you know, the U.S. had advertised this offensive beforehand, and that, of course, gave the Taliban time to prepare. They rigged a lot of the areas surrounding Marjah with improvised explosive devices. The Marines had to use some very heavy equipment to breach the area, to get lanes into that area to then move in.

However, what we're hearing now, once again, is that things are going fairly well there on the ground. A lot of key objectives have been fulfilled already, and the other thing that they're saying is that NATO is saying is that they've discovered a lot of weapons already. They have discovered artillery shelled improvised explosive devices, rifles, ammunition, and the like, so certainly it appears that the Taliban might have been gearing up for a fight. However, so far what we're seeing is the thing we've been seeing a lot from the Taliban in the past is hit-and-run tactics, something that NATO says they qualify as scattered pockets of resistance, and that's certainly something they are still encountering -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Fred Pleitgen, thank you so much. We'll be talking with you throughout the day on this offensive.

All right, well you can follow all the twists and turns in the war on our Web site. Our Josh Levs is here with a walk-through on that -- Josh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, and Fred, I want to get right to this because you know, we're talking about, unfortunately, the deaths of two coalition troops, today.

And one thing I like to point out anytime we talk about the Afghanistan war is that we do have, right here, a rundown of every single coalition soldier who has given his or her life at any time during the entire Afghanistan war.

Let's zoom in. I want you to see how we've done this, because we -- you know, it's easy to talk about numbers.

Scotty, can you get way in so we can see faces? Let's get in as close as we can.

We have the face, the name, the age, the home town, what they did inside the war, and the list just keeps going and going and going. You can look chronologically. You can look up anyone you know by name and learn more about them. And CNN.com's way is something of a tribute to all these people who give their lives at any time, and not just from the United States, but anywhere in the coalition, as well. We have the total that we've been talking about, more than 1,600 coalition deaths since the beginning of the war. All of that CNN.com/Afghanistan, right there.

Now, we have some other things we're talking to you about online, today, including this, which is something that's interesting because NATO, in addition to having this new mission on the ground in Afghanistan, has also launch a really big Internet effort around the world to get its message out in a brand new way all along as the same time as this. In fact, it's four days in. Let's take this piece of video. I'm going to talk to you about this.

They're calling it "30 Days through Afghanistan." And what they're doing is each day they're posting a brand-new video from inside Afghanistan in which they talk with these Afghans, and the Afghans are then helping the military get its message out. And while this is a NATO thing, it's lead by two U.S. soldiers.

Let's go ahead and listen to one student they talk about named Mohammed (ph), next video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MOHAMMED, STUDENT: There are many challenges on our way to prosperity and to peace, but the will is there amongst the youth, amongst others too, the will to be safe, the will to be stronger, more educated, and more successful as people and as a country.

SGT KEN RAIMONDI, U.S. AIR FORCE: You can't help but see the future of Afghanistan in the faces of Mohammed and Manija (ph). Now we just hope to continue to have the opportunity to make their country great.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: Now, this is very much the military putting out its point of view of the military creating all this to get its message out to the world. But, it's a brand new way to doing that. And actually, there's even more to it, they post photos each day of the people they've been speaking to. You can then go online, post questions to the military. You can also post questions to the people whom they interview inside these videos if you want to talk to these people about Afghan life. It's kind of a complicated Web site to find. It's not easy to memorize, that's why I posted it for you at our blog. Let's get it up on our screen, there, the links to everything I just showed you including "Remember the Fallen." CNN.com/josh. I've also sent out in Facebook, today, Facebook.com/joshlevsCNN, Twitter.com/joshlevsCNN.

And Fred, this is just skimming the surface, here. They are doing so much online and so are we at CNN.com to help people understand what's happening.

WHITFIELD: Oh, it's fascinating. It's new age, you know, in this old war, but kind of been renewed, so it's new again, especially because of an effort like this.

LEVS: Yeah, you know, it's really an interesting way to think about it. I hadn't thought about it that way, you're right, It is.

WHITFIELD: All right, Josh, thanks so much. Check back with you.

LEVS: You got it.

WHITFIELD: All right, in a few minutes we'll get a better idea of what's happening on the ground in Afghanistan. Former NATO supreme allied commander, General George Joulwan will be joining us.

It's a snow blanket that covers one end of the South to the other. Hard to believe, but this was Atlanta yesterday. It snowed hard for several hours and made the Friday afternoon commute quite the challenge. Well, today it's clear, at least the sky is, but a lot of the slushy snow froze overnight, so a lot of residual effects from that winter storm. Here's a look a little further east in Fayetteville, North Carolina. They got a few inches of snow there, as well.

And here's the other end of the South. Dallas, where the storm pretty much hit first. Folks there digging out from under a record foot and a half of snow. It's been a while since we've seen this much snow, particularly in the South, and particularly in Atlanta, Bonnie, but it's beautiful outside.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's beautiful. Just be careful, careful driving because everything is so icy in the overnight house. But it is beautiful. The sun is shining. We can show you a live picture of Atlanta outside, right now, and it looks great. But, remember, we're going to see a lot of refreezing overnight. Temperatures are definitely going to cool down back into the low 20s, even just a little teeter just above freezing for today. But, pretty picture, there. It looks like the roads look better than they did around 3:00 this morning when I came in.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Well, given we're all being put through the wringer here, it must mean that spring and summer are just going to be awesome. And that's on record.

SCHNEIDER: That a way to look at it.

WHITFIELD: But, it almost looks like from the map that you showed earlier, that maybe the only state that, thus far, has not received snow, it looks like Florida. I could be wrong, but it certainly looks like it.

SCHNEIDER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right, Bonnie Schneider, thanks so much, appreciate that.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

WHITFIELD: All right, this hour, authorities in Alabama are talking about the fatal shootings at a university. The suspect is a professor. We'll get the latest from Huntsville.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, we're following a major offensive in southern Afghanistan, the largest of the war. Joining us from Washington now, retired General George Joulwan. He is a former NATO supreme allied commander.

General, good to see you.

GEN GEORGE JOULWAN, FMR NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: Good to be here.

WHITFIELD: If you can, in a nutshell, tell us what is the objective of this offensive.

JOULWAN: Stop the momentum of the Taliban.

WHITFIELD: And what will be the marker? How will the U.S. military or allied forces gauge whether this is successful?

JOULWAN: Well, I think they will gauge in several different ways, but mainly they've included in this coalition force, Afghan security forces, military and police. That will be essential that the people in Marjah see Afghan forces with the coalition forces coming in, and then immediately following this in the next days and weeks when there's a secure environment, civil agencies coming in from NGOs, international agencies, and from the government of Afghanistan. All of that is going to be essential. We have not done that in the past and here's a chance in Marjah to do it.

WHITFIELD: So is the -- is at the crux of this objective to try and hurt the Taliban economically? If this Helmand province is the place in which a good bit of the money from the sales of opium, poppy, the farming of the poppy, this is what is helping to finance the Taliban by crippling them in this way, will that be a measure of success as well?

JOULWAN: It will be to a degree, but more importantly is that the Afghan government needs to step up, here. And what they're doing, which I think is smart, is not trying do it all across Afghanistan, but one province here to try to demonstrate success that if we can have success here, which has been a stronghold of the Taliban for a long time, this will demonstrate to the rest of the Afghan people that their government is involved, that there is a better way of life, and to turn them away from supporting the Taliban, which is really run on fear and terror. So, here's an opportunity, and they have to take advantage of it.

WHITFIELD: So a lot is at stake, not just for U.S. and allied forces, but for the Afghan government, as well. So, what if this doesn't work?

JOULWAN: Well, then we have to go back and re reassess, but if it doesn't work, then I think the support that is international -- remember, there are 44 nations supporting the coalition. NATO is in charge in Afghanistan, not just the United States. It will be a failure for NATO and not just the United States, and NATO and the United States cannot fail, here. So every effort is going to be made to make this a success, but to do that, it isn't just military, it's the civil agencies, the political side, to really have a team effort here to make it work. That is going to be significant, but the jury is still out. This is one small step. It must be successful. And then you need to build on that success.

WHITFIELD: Well, there's even this Internet effort. We saw our Josh Levs explaining a little bit earlier how U.S. soldiers as well as NATO and ISAF folks were all involved in helping to build this Internet message, one that is being conveyed, hopefully to people who may be sympathetic to the Taliban. In what way do you see this as an effective tool in this war?

JOULWAN: I think all of that is extremely important. How you get the message out and what we're really trying to do and how to get the message out that the Afghans are involved, that their troops, that their police, that their government is involved. This is extremely important. We can't do it all by ourselves. It's Afghan, it's their country, and they need to see their people, their troops, their police, their government involved. If we can do that, Fredricka, I think we have a chance, here.

We've been here eight years by trying to do it another way. I think this is a smart way. It's going to take time. It's not just what we do in the first week. Where are we three, four, five months from now? Can the civil agencies come in and do the rebuilding? Can the government come in and provide some sort of rule of law? All of that is still to be done, but we've got a good start here, and we need to build on it. And NATO is crucial, here.

WHITFIELD: General George Joulwan, thanks so much. We'll be seeing you throughout the day, appreciate it.

JOULWAN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, she decided to stay home with her infant son instead of deploying to Afghanistan. Now, her superiors have made their decision on her future in the military. Our legal guys are ready to weight in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories, right now. A U.S. Marine and a British soldier have died in a major NATO offensive in southern Afghanistan. Afghan and NATO forces including nearly 5,000 U.S. Marines launched the operation early today in Marjah. The city is Taliban stronghold that is so dominated by drug money that it's called the heroine breadbasket of Afghanistan.

And an explosion at a bakery in western India has killed at least eight people and injured dozens of others. A police official says that he believes a bomb caused the blast, but that hasn't been confirmed. The bakery is popular with tourists.

And the Obama administration says it will work with them to make sure funds to Haiti will not stop the flow of funds to other aid programs around the world. State Department officials say that they'll ask lawmakers for more money to deal with Haiti over the next few days. And we'll get another check of our top stories 20 minutes from now.

All right, we've got a lot of legal stories on tap. With us right now, let's bring in Avery Friedman and Richard Herman. We're going to begin with an interesting ruling coming from a Haitian judge, and this pertains to the 10 American missionaries who say they were trying to help about 33 orphaned children, but now they're facing some kidnapping charges.

Avery Friedman, a civil rights attorney and law professor in Cleveland. And Richard Herman is a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor joining us from Las Vegas, today.

I think we are trying to work out some audio problems involving Richard, so you might see a phone in his ear. RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTY: I think we got it, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Oh, good. You can hear me. I can hear you. All right, Richard, then let me begin with you while we have audio. Let's talk about, is this possibly a reprieve for these 10 missionaries? The judge says maybe, maybe there might be bond on Monday. And if that's the case, they might be released from jail. They may have to stay in Haiti, or potentially return to the U.S.

HERMAN: Yeah. It doesn't go to the merits of the case, Fred. It just goes to whether or not the judge is going issue bail conditions so that pending the trial, that ultimate determination; these people can get out of prison. I think we're going to start seeing on Monday some of the 10 will be released. I think it will happen over the period of next week, but I think they're going to have to remain in Haiti. Seriously, if these people leave Haiti, do you really think they're going to go back to for this trial?

WHITFIELD: That was going to be my next question, Avery, no way they would they return, right, if the judge were to allow them to actually leave the country.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTY: Right. Well, the likelihood of them going back to Haiti, Fredricka, is less than remote, but there's another complication. Judge Bernard Saint-Vilm who's the investigating magistrate actually recommended provisionally for the bond. The problem is, late yesterday another issue arose, and that is whether or not Jorge Puello, who is the attorney for nine of the 10 may even be a lawyer. In fact, there are allegations from Salvador, el Salvador that this individual not only is not licensed as a lawyer to represent the nine of the 10, but indeed may be involved in, believe it or not, child slavery trafficking. So, that also has to be investigated.

WHITFIELD: And that's astounding. Now, that's the charge. Yeah, there is no proof that he is indeed the case, but that would potentially discredit him from being able to represent the nine people. So then where would the representation go if he's being investigated too?

FRIEDMAN: Well, the problem is, and this is what the magistrate judge has to resolve -- assuming that bond is going to be set, the question is who is representing at least nine of the 10? That is unresolved, so we don't know if we're going to see a bond release on Monday.

HERMAN: And Fred, the further nightmare, the prime minister of Haiti is saying, listen, we need to divert our attention back to the earthquake victims and the destruction by the earthquake, we need to get away from this.

FRIEDMAN: You know, Richard, he's part of the problem. He's characterized these missionaries as criminal kidnappers.

HERMAN: Well, maybe they are. Maybe they are, Avery. FRIEDMAN: Maybe they are, but the fact is there are 300,000 Haitian children who have, for generations, been sold by poor Haitians to rich Haitians. I mean, I think this whole thing is just incredibly hypocritical.

(CROSSTALK)

HERMAN: A lot of these children have parents right there in Haiti.

FRIEDMAN: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: All of that still to be resolved.

Let's talk the case of Nancy Kerrigan, the Olympian. Her brother Mark is now facing homicide charges involving the death of their father. Richard, apparently investigators say as well as the doctors say that it appears as though the father was actually strangled. Daniel Kerrigan may have died of asphyxiation and maybe at the hands of the son. Why in the world is the family now in the middle of this now trying to dispute this claim?

HERMAN: I think, Fred, the scenario coming from the family is that they had words, the son and the father had words. It got a little physical, there. They don't believe the son tried to kill the father in any way, shape, or form. They think it was accidental. They are sensitive to the son who is a veteran from the war. And they claim that he has certain mental issues. And they're just trying to stand behind him and support their brother. What a tragedy for this family.

FRIEDMAN: It is.

WHITFIELD: And Avery, actually let me rephrase that, it's actually thought, the words of the investigator is, as a result -- he died as a result of a struggle with his son.

FRIEDMAN: Yeah, the medical examiner, Fredricka, talked about cardiac arrhythmic behavior caused by a neck injury. I mean, obviously they're assigning the death to Mark Kerrigan, the son, but the reality is the family, including Nancy, have all come to the aid of this relative, this brother, saying, look it, not only does he have PTSD, but the fact is Daniel, the father, has had a serious history of heart problems. They're bringing their own experts in to testify about what -- for the defense, here. It's a mess.

HERMAN: It doesn't help that he has a criminal history, Fred, and the son has some real issues, here.

FRIEDMAN: Absolutely right.

WHITFIELD: That's so sad.

Let's talk about Alexis Hutchinson, this is a woman in the military. She was facing deployment to Afghanistan and she said, wait minute, I don't have anyone to take care of my son. She refused to be deployed. Her 10-month-old that she's hold him right there, Kumani (ph). The military steps in after giving her a 30-day extension, and now it looks as a though, Avery, she is not going to face court martial, anyway -- after all. Good for her.

FRIEDMAN: This is the luckiest soldier in the United States military, right now. Fredricka, there are 70,000 single parents serving in the military, half of whom are in the Army. And the fact is that you have to execute a 5305, which is their form that tells the military, look I have my child care well in hand. They give soldiers a reasonable opportunity to take care of it, and you're right, they did give Miss Hutchinson an additional period of time. While she's going go on a dishonorable discharge and lose substantial veteran and military benefits, the fact is she could be facing court material, she won't. She's a very lucky soldier.

WHITFIELD: So, Richard, do you see the far-reaching implications, there will be other military personnel who will state the same kind of case? And there's precedence here now, they may have to follow that ruling.

HERMAN: Yeah, there is precedent for this case now, Fred. She got a less than honorable discharge. She was relieved from facing a court martial which would have resulted in federal criminal charges against her. That felony conviction would have followed her through life. She double have that. She caught a good break.

WHITFIELD: OK, when we come back, you guys, we're going to be talking about your favorite individual, former Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich. New charges, eh? All right, we're going to ask you all about that. Richard, you're ready, you're ready. I sure hope we don't lose your audio before then. All right, I'll talk to you in a few more minutes. Thanks so much.

Meantime, let's talk the winter Olympics, soon. They are underway in Vancouver; I'm going to get some insight from a double silver medalist and three-time world champion ice-skater, Elvis Stojko.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Pretty as a postcard, snowing in the Deep South. I doesn't happen that often, and it usually -- when it does happen, it's usually just a little dusting. Not this time. Parts of Texas saw more than a foot of snow and more than its share of downed power lines as well. In Alabama and Georgia, over three-and-a-half inches fell. People left work as soon as the first snowflakes appeared, and then they went out to play in the snow.

All right, not too often we get to shovel the snow in the Deep South.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

WHITFIELD: But I don't know, it was kind of nostalgic for me, Bonnie, to be able to you know, kind of get the snow off the car this morning and chip away the ice. SCHNEIDER: Only if you didn't have to ...

WHITFIELD: I actually enjoyed it.

SCHNEIDER: ...do it every day, though.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: But I did enjoy it.

SCHNEIDER: Oh, I'm glad to hear it and you're not alone, Fredricka. I wanted to show you this map on Google Earth. It's the U.S., and it shows we are covered coast to coast ...

WHITFIELD: Wow.

SCHNEIDER: ...with snow. That's right, snow. Even a trace of snow in the panhandle of Florida. You can see it here; we just updated this.

WHITFIELD: So, really every state.

SCHNEIDER: So, it's kind of cool. Yes, every state -- well, there's some, you know, debate whether or not we have snow in Hawaii because some of the higher peaks of the volcanoes ...

WHITFIELD: Oh yes.

SCHNEIDER: ...you may see a dusting of snow. But I'll tell you, here across ...

WHITFIELD: Mainland.

SCHNEIDER: ...this mainland, we are looking at a snowy, snowy picture for sure. And you know, we're not done yet.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: All right, well, how young is too young to face adult murder charges? Next, our legal guys delve into the case of a 12- year-old boy accused of killing his father's pregnant fiancee.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, welcome back. We're following a shooting on the University of Alabama's campus in Huntsville. Three people are dead, and three others wounded, and authorities say an assistant biology professor may have pulled the trigger.

Catherine Callaway is in Huntsville. Catherine, there is a woman in custody? Is that the ...

CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right.

WHITFIELD: ...assistant biology professor? CALLWAY: Yes, that's right, Fredricka. She is 42-year-old Harvard-educated Amy Bishop Anderson. She was arrested yesterday shortly after the shooting, which occurred during a faculty meeting in the science building, which is right next door to the building we are in today. There were three fatalities from that shooting and three injuries. One of those injuries, the individual is in critical condition.

We just watched a news conference here at the university with local officials. The Huntsville Police Department was represented and university officials were represented. They say that the weapon was a 9-millimeter and it was found in the second floor of the science building, the Shelby science building.

The shootings actually occurred on the third floor in a conference room where there were 12 people in that building. As you know, six people were shot. Many more could have been shot as more -- as many more shots were fired, but the gun was found at 9:30 last night. So, it took them some time to find that weapon, Fredricka.

The Huntsville district attorney was also here, Rob Broussard, and he says that more charges may be filed in this case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROB BROUSSARD, MADISON COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Bishop Anderson has been charged with capital murder. The basis for that is the intentional killing of two or more people during one course of conduct. As has been mentioned, we are currently looking at the facts of the case. We're considering further charges such as attempted murder charges.

It's still early in the stage. The next -- the next level of this will be a preliminary hearing for the accused, probably within a six-month to -- or six weeks to two month period ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLAWAY: So, as you just heard, we're not expected to see Amy Bishop Anderson in a courtroom until six weeks from now. As it stands right now, there is one capital murder charge against her. Classes are canceled for next week, Fredricka. But we heard the university president say that they are going to keep the campus open for faculty members and students who do feel the need and want to come back to campus.

WHITFIELD: All right. Terribly sad. Thanks so much. Catherine Callaway in Huntsville, Alabama.

A look at our other top stories right now. A major assault on a Taliban stronghold is underway in southern Afghanistan. Two coalition troops, a U.S. marine and a British soldier have been killed. A British military spokesman said so far, so good when reporters asked how the offensive overall is going.

And in Tampa, Florida, authorities say a 53-year-old man was the trigger man in three separate shootings on Friday. One person was killed, two are in critical condition. The suspect was arrested at a gas station as he filled up his car. Police think he knew all three victims.

Let's check in again with our legal guys. We're going to begin with a pretty disturbing case involving an 11-year-old who is believed to have shot and killed his father's fiancee. The child is now 12.

Our legal guys are back with us. Avery Friedman is a civil rights attorney and law professor, joining us from Cleveland. And Richard Herman is a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor, joining us from Las Vegas.

We're looking at the images right now of the crime scene and there was also the mug shot of this now 12-year-old Jordan Brown.

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: So, Richard, what is the charge that is being considered? Is it first-degree murder?

HERMAN: It's two counts of homicide, Fred, for not only the woman but for the 8-month-old fetus. It's a classic circumstantial case. He got a shotgun for Christmas. It was the gun that was in the house. The ballistics matched the gun. The seven-year-old daughter of the dead woman said this boy did it. That's the testimony they have.

The prosecutor said I had no choice. I either charge him as an adult or I didn't charge him. I had no choice in Pennsylvania.

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

HERMAN: So, this boy is charged. The Supreme Court is making determinations now whether or not children 14 and below can face life without parole. This case is a mess right now.

FRIEDMAN: Well ...

WHITFIELD: This is sad. And now, here's the picture, Avery, of the 26-year-old woman, Mackenzie Houk.

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: As Richard mentioned, she was eight months pregnant. And so, now apparently the family members or even the defense attorney is saying of this 12-year-old, that wait a minute, this little boy would go hunting with his father, and yes, you may have seen some kind of gun, you know, ammunition, residue, on his clothing but it's because of the hunting experiences, not because of this particular shooting. Is that a stretch?

FRIEDMAN: Yes. The reality is that -- actually, it was an Easter present. Chris Brown, the father, instead of giving him jelly beans or an Easter bunny, gave him the gun when he was 11-years-old. There was some evidence or some evidence at least from the prosecution's perspective that he was jealous that his dad was going to remarry and there were other children, so they're assigning a motive to this.

But the issue is much deeper than this, Fredricka. It is whether or not a child who's 11-years-old even has the capacity. The law that's being used here was a law typical that -- of laws that were passed in the 1980s and the 1990s to make children responsible for serious crimes.

But now, this case will face off, I think, to the issue of science. Can a youngster like Jordan Brown who was 11 at the time really have the capacity to murder? It's going to be a sad, tragic, but very interesting case because, you know, those are the sort of issues, the science issues which will now factor into this trial.

HERMAN: And Fred, currently ...

WHITFIELD: What's that going to mean -- oh, go ahead.

HERMAN: Yes, I'm sorry, Fred. Currently, they're trying to move the case to the juvenile system. There, the record will be sealed and the sentencing potentially could be a lot less severe.

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: But what does that mean, the capacity to murder, if this woman was allegedly in her bed laying down and this child allegedly brings the gun over to her head while she's sleeping.

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: What capacity are we talking about if it indeed unfolded that way?

FRIEDMAN: That's the very point. It can -- an 11-year-old understand the significance of the particular act. And again, even though there was this jump in juvenile crime why this law was passed, ultimately you're going to hear experts probably as part of the defense saying, look it, yes, he did it, but yes, he also didn't understand the significance of it. Whether it works or not is something we really don't know.

WHITFIELD: OK. Well, let's talk about your famous character ...

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: ...former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. He is now facing new charges, but wait. Let's listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROD BLAGOJEVICH, FORMER ILLINOIS GOVERNOR: I challenge the government. I challenge the government. If you are on the side of truth and justice as you say you are and if this was a crime spree like you claim it was, then don't hide behind technicalities. Play all the tapes. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And so, Richard, now what?

HERMAN: Well, now, the government has accepted his challenge, they have superseded his indictment. They're just not basically prosecuting him under the honest services provisions which are probably going to be thrown out by the United States Supreme Court.

FRIEDMAN: Right, right.

HERMAN: But they have conspiracy charges against him. They've loaded the indictment again, and in addition, Fred, of significance, two of his former chiefs of staff who were indicted with him have pled guilty. In laymen's terms, that means those two former chiefs ...

WHITFIELD: They're going to testify against him.

FRIEDMAN: Yes, right.

HERMAN: Absolutely. The government's star witness is against him.

FRIEDMAN: As well as this week, Robert Blagojevich was also indicted. So, the bottom line here is that, you know, for what we do, Fredricka, Rod Blagojevich is the gift that keeps on giving. I mean, it never changes. What he is really saying here is he wants all 500 hours to be played in court.

Well, the truth is it's not going to happen, but he raises something very important. There may be things on that tape that will help him in the defense, but the fact is the evidence right now appears to be absolutely overwhelming.

WHITFIELD: Wow. All right, last topic I think we have time for. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt saying, you know what, there was this British tabloid that said we are splitsville and now, we're going to sue because that's not true. So Avery, sue on the basis of what? Is this a defamation of character issue, slander? Can they sue for something like that?

FRIEDMAN: Well, in America, a case like this would go absolutely nowhere. But there's something very unique in the UK, in British law.

WHITFIELD: What?

FRIEDMAN: And that is that if you use private information that you're not supposed to get your hands on, because the liberal laws in the UK, they actually have a shot. Now, the truth is both Angelina and Brad really only wanted a retraction and an apology, and since the newspaper wouldn't give it to them, that's why the case is going forward. Look, they don't need the money, all they want to do is have this rectified. And you know what, it's likely they're going to have a shot at this.

WHITFIELD: And they want to teach them a lesson. FRIEDMAN: Yes.

HERMAN: And you know, Fred, over in the UK, they take defamation very seriously. You can only get a jury trial in a criminal case and in a defamation case. So, that's what's going on over there.

FRIEDMAN: Serious, very serious.

HERMAN: But where's Jen? I want to know where's Jen in the middle of all this. Isn't she involved somehow?

WHITFIELD: I don't know.

FRIEDMAN: Got me.

WHITFIELD: You know, you're going to have to make your phone calls. You've got connections. Find out and tell us.

HERMAN: OK.

WHITFIELD: All right, Avery, Richard, thanks so much. Glad we had your audio, Richard.

HERMAN: Yes, thank you.

WHITFIELD: Glad it all worked out. All right, you all have a great weekend ...

FRIEDMAN: Take care. See you later.

WHITFIELD: ...rest of the weekend. Happy Valentine's.

HERMAN: You too, Fred.

FRIEDMAN: Happy Valentine's Day to you.

HERMAN: Happy Valentine's Day.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much.

All right, ladies, and gentlemen out there, Valentine's is a good time to think about your heart. I mean the vital organ that you've got to take care of. I'm going to introduce you to an organization that's actually trying to make women more aware of their heart health.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Hearts are a real focus and symbol this Valentine's weekend, but an Atlanta woman puts the spotlight on heart health all year round. She runs a group that tells people about the warning signs for heart disease. It's information that she wishes that she actually had a few years ago when she had multiple heart attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD (voice-over): Katy Attebery, a married mother of two suffered three heart attacks in just five days, and she's still here to talk about it.

KATY ATTEBERY, CO-FOUNDER, QUEEN OF HEARTS: And I was in so much trouble that I never would have been able to get to a telephone to dial 911 and Christopher would have come upstairs in the morning, a senior in high school, and found me dead. So, everybody's experience with this was so profound.

Being overweight, not exercising ...

WHITFIELD: It grew out of an idea on a napkin, a conversation about health that's now taken to the streets. Katy Attebery and her friend Carmen Perez call their organization Queen of Hearts.

ATTEBERY: I came to the realization that we really weren't talking to one another, and I think that that is a really strong sense of who the Queen of Hearts foundation is.

WHITFIELD: On Saturdays, Queen of Hearts hosts "Play for Your Heart," giving parents and children an opportunity to play together while slipping in a quick lesson about a heart healthy lifestyle.

Doctors say the symptoms of a heart attack are very different for a woman. No numb left arm and chest pain that men experience. For women, symptoms can be pain in shoulders, back, and neck, nausea, shortness of breath, and unusual fatigue. Risk factors for heart disease includes family history, diabetes, high cholesterol and blood pressure, and tobacco use.

Nearly 300,000 American women died of heart disease in 2006. That's nearly eight times more than the number of those who lost their lives to breast cancer.

DR. SARA MOBASSERI, CARDIOLOGIST: Unfortunately, women, because they're often in the role of being the caretaker for their families, their husbands, their children, they sort of put themselves last in terms of coming. And because of that, they don't get the attention that they need in a timely manner.

WHITFIELD: And Katy Attebery wants to make sure women take care of themselves and speak up when it comes to matters of the heart.

ATTEBERY: I said and the greatest gift that God has ever given me is to be here today because this is the engine that drives the train, and you can do everything it is to your body from any other disease, but if this stops working, the party's over.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And if you want to find out more about Queen of Hearts, the foundation, log on to its website, www.qohf.org.

Did you hear? It's a chance to sound off on the most provocative news moments of the week. Go to my blog page at CNN.com/fredricka and you'll see this week's moments. It features New York's Governor David Paterson talking about rumors being published about him and Joe Jackson talking about charges brought against Dr. Conrad Murray. You can check out the blog, listen to it, and then we want to hear from you. Weigh in, write your comments and then we'll get them on the air.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Checking today's top stories, NATO military commanders say a major offensive against Taliban militants in southern Afghanistan is off to a promising start. A military -- a British military spokesman says insurgents appear disoriented and that bridges and roads are being secured without much interference. One U.S. marine and a British soldier have died. Military officials say several militants have been killed and captured.

And the University of Alabama campus in Huntsville is in mourning today. Police say an assistant biology professor shot and killed three faculty members and wounded three others yesterday. The suspect's name is Amy Bishop -- there's a still photograph of her. Authorities say the shooting happened at a faculty meeting where Bishop learned that she would not get tenure, and that was CNN affiliate WAFF with some of those images and also reporting. No students were involved in the shooting.

In the meantime, look at the pictures right there. Let the games again. Vancouver, British Columbia, is playing host to the Winter Olympic Games. Friday's opening ceremony took place before 60,000 spectators at the BC place, not to mention the millions who actually tuned in by television.

Still, there was a shadow cast over the Games and still is. A 21-year-old luge athlete from the Republic of Georgia slid off the luge track Friday and hit a steel pole. The impact killed him. IOC President Jacques Rogge addressed the tragedy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACQUES ROGGE, IOC PRESIDENT: The IOC is in deep mourning. Here, you have a young athlete who lost his life in pursuing his passion. He had the dream to participate in the Olympic Games. He trained hard and he had this fatal accident. I have no words to say what we feel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Friday's opening ceremony was dedicated to Nodar Kumaritashvili. The IOC says the luge track has no deficiencies and will reopen today.

Stay with CNN throughout the day for the latest breaking news. Meantime, "YOUR MONEY" starts right now.