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Coffee Party: A More Civil Dialogue to Fix the Country's Problems;

Aired March 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: And all I was thinking right now based on his comments ...

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

WHITFIELD: ...yes, I too was a vampire once, too, working that overnight shift. He talked about how, you know, that's kind of how you feel, a vampire. But then, you gave me that very eloquent, lovely, title of queen. So, I just ruined it.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: It's all right.

BALDWIN: It's all you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, you guys have a great day.

Well, of course, everybody has heard by now that the Tea Party movement? Well, get ready for the Coffee Party. It's for voters who say they want a more civil dialogue to fix the country's problems. Over 350 events are, in fact, taking place today. Our deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser in the middle of a Coffee Party, actually at a coffee house in Washington, D.C.

So Paul, I've got so many questions beginning with, who are the folks who are attracted to this Coffee Party movement?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, Fred, this event right here, we're at a place called Busboy and Poets, it's a popular coffee establishment here in Washington. This event has been going on about two hours and it is just wrapping up right now.

As you mentioned, organizers of the movement say they're holding about 350 to 400 events today in the United States and elsewhere, outside of the country. This event right here, is very interesting mix, about 40 to 50 people, I'd say, and they talked a lot about the issues. The first two issues that they talked about were health care and they also talked about jobs. Those were two of the most important things that the people here talked about.

It seems the Coffee Party, which is pretty brand new, only about two, three months' old, there is some of the same grievances at Tea Party activists that Washington isn't working for them. But, the difference it seems is in the solutions. Whereas the Tea Party is calling for a smaller or more limited federal government, people here say they want to reform government and improve it, but not downsize it. Another thing you're hearing them talk about, Fred, is civility. Take a listen to what some are the activists told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the toxic dialogue that has kind of come out in our politics these days is really what the Coffee Party is addressing. You know, if we disagree with you, if I agree with you, I still need to be able to sit down across a table from a cup of coffee, you know, at a table and be able to discuss our viewpoints and the dialogue really, nationwide, in a lot of ways, has become so bad that you can't sit down with your Republican friends or your Democratic friends or your Independent friends and really have that conversation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It seems to be more of an alternative. People are more civil here and, of course, everybody wants their issues to be heard and everybody wants their voices to be heard, but I think can you do it in a forum that is not being uncivil.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would like to see us be able to have disagreements without being so demeaning in terms of people's character. I think that's very important. I think it's important to be able to have disagreements about fundamental issues without slinging mud.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: So, what's next for the Coffee Party movement? They say they're planning on March 27 another big get-together of events across the country -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: So Paul, is it just people have come together and say they want to talk politics here? They want to talk about civility. They want to talk about getting along, but not necessarily saying they want to start yet another party, or are they saying that?

STEINHAUSER: And that's actually very similar to what you hear from the more conservative Tea Party movements. That neither side is saying they want to create a third party movement. Now, some Tea Party activists and organizers we talked to they've been critical of this Coffee Party movement, because they say the founder Annabel Park, who's a D.C. area resident.

They mentioned that she was a volunteer in the Barack Obama campaign back in 2007 and '08. She said that actually that is not a big deal for her and that the Coffee Party movement isn't either a Democratic or Republican, not aligned with either party.

The other criticism you hear of the Coffee Party by the Tea Party, Fred, is that it's not organic, that it's grass roots. A very different dialogue from here, today. Coffee Party members say this is very much a grass roots movement, that they came here on their own. Nobody told them to do it -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. All right, deputy political director Paul Steinhauser there at a coffee shop in Washington, D.C. Thanks so much. All right, as Democratic lawmakers push for the president's health care reform, House Republican Leader John Boehner says if Democrats have the votes they would have already passed it by now. In the GOP's weekly address today, Freshman U.S. Senator Scott Brown characterized the ongoing battle over health care this way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN SCOTT BROWN (R), MASSACHUSETTS: Well, I haven't been here very long, but I can tell you this much already, Nothing has distracted the attention and energy of the nation's capital more than this disastrous detour. And the surest way to return to the people's business is to listen to the people themselves.

We need to drop this whole scheme of federally controlled health care, start over and work together on real reforms, at the state level that will contain costs and won't leave America trillions of dollars deeper in debt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A special federal court has ruled against parents who think vaccines made their children autistic. The parents blamed a vaccine preservative that includes mercury. But the court concluded there is no evidence linking that preservative with autism.

That ruling is in line with the scientific consensus, but CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen says many parents remain unconvinced.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Doctors will tell you nearly every doctor will tell you there is no link between vaccinations and autism. But still, parents are worried it's all over the Internet. I get more questions about vaccines and autism as medical reporter and as mom than any other topic.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Does this mean as a parent I should feel comfortable having my children vaccinated, now?

COHEN: I think that nearly doctor would say that, I think the Centers for Disease Control would say that, I think the Institute of Medicine, which has studied this for decades, the American Academy of Pediatrics, all of those people would say get your kids vaccinated according to the schedule that your pediatrician advises.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The autism controversy has already prompted manufacturers to remove the preservative from most U.S. vaccines. Our Elizabeth Cohen is also looking at a disturbing trend for new moms, maternal death rates in the U.S., climbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) COHEN: It's rare to die from pregnancy or childbirth in the United States, but it does happen, and the numbers are on the rise. Let's take a look. In 1987, for every 100,000 births, 6.6 women died.

In 2006 for every 100,000 births, there were 13.3 deaths. That's obviously a big difference, and it far exceeds the goal that's been set forth by the U.S. government for four deaths for every 100,000 births.

Now, what's particularly disturbing is that these numbers are very different based on a woman's race, so take a look at these numbers:

When you're looking at white women, you're looking at 9.5 deaths per 100,000 births. When you're looking at black women, you're looking at 32.7 deaths per 100,000 births.

Now again, as I said, it's rare for a woman to die in pregnancy or childbirth, but experts agree these numbers are higher than they should be, and they're particularly disturbed that the numbers are the increase.

Now, why do they think the numbers are on the rise? A couple of different reasons here. One is that obesity is more common than ever among women of childbearing age, and with obesity comes diabetes and heart disease and other things that can really make for a very tricky pregnancy.

Another reason is that Caesarean section rates are on the rise. Caesarean sections come with risks like blood clots.

Another reason, more and more women -- more and more everybody, but in this case more and more women -- are uninsured, and when women are uninsured, they have a very tough time getting good prenatal care, which makes it more risky during their pregnancy and during childbirth.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Preliminary results show Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki's alliance leading the vote tally in Iraq's parliamentary election. Al maliki's candidates are winnering in Baghdad where the most parliamentary seats are up for grabs. The vote tally is being closely watched by candidates, political parties and the U.N., but things are going slower than expected at the electoral commission's headquarters in Baghdad.

CNN Arwa Damon is there with more on the tallying process.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're here at med quarters of the Independent High Electoral Commission inside Baghdad's heavily fortified International Zone. This is perhaps the most important building in all of Iraq at this stage in this nation's history, because it is here where the votes are being tallied. We have political observers from the various parties keeping a close watch on screens, on the screen there is a running tally of the vote that is being kept up to date. Behind the glass here is where the most important part of the process is taking place. It's the data entry center.

Five hundred employees working in two shifts around the clock. The data is entered twice so should there be a discrepancy it will be flagged up. In fact, there all sorts of checks and balances put into place to assures against fraud or any sort of manipulations. And the United Nations is keeping a very close eye on this entire process.

Here we have the press center, and also up on the screen the results for each province as they are coming out. This entire process has been delayed, and we're hearing that it is because, according to the Independent High Electoral Commission, a technical glitch in the server. They are also saying it is taking a lot longer than anticipated to tally all the results, but are insisting the process is on track.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk weather in this country, particularly the northeast. Our weather team gave the warnings it was going to be a rainy, nasty, windy weekend, and it is.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You can check off all those. Yes. That's basically, it will fit the bill.

WHITFIELD: I know, you all were right. That's what I'm saying.

WOLF: Yeah, it's not going to be the best of weekends in places like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, back to New York even the nation's capital expecting rain and there is the potential that we could be dealing with some flooding in some spots. We're going to show you who's going to get what coming up in just a few moments, right here on CNN Saturday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We'll journey over to the Weather Center because we got a lot -- hello.

WOLF: Welcome to the world.

WHITFIELD: Well, thank you for having me over here. A lot of crazy stuff particularly in the northeast and Pennsylvania getting hit real hard, right now.

WOLF: Very much so, but the thing that's interesting of what's happening in the Mideast -- in the northeast, also the mid-Atlantic states is basically the snow that we have.

We were talking just moments ago off-air about the heavy snow we had in places like D.C. and them back up into Pennsylvania, all the snow is gone, because temperatures are well above the freezing point, everything's melted. Now, when you bring in anywhere from two to five inches of rainfall, that's the last thing they need, so flooding is a real danger for people up there.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, a look at our top stories, right now. Former secretary of state, Henry Kissinger is in a hospital in Seoul, South Korea where he is being treated for a stomach virus. A doctor tells CNN all of Kissinger's signs are normal and he could be released tomorrow. The 86-year-old Kissinger is in South Korea for a security forum.

Authorities say actor Corey Haim had a fraudulent prescription when he died that was linked to a major drug ring. The California Attorney General's office says it's trying to find out how the former '80s teen star got the prescription. Haim died Wednesday at the age of 38. And exact cause of death has not been determined. Haim's mother is asking for donations to move the body back to Canada.

And Irish police have released three people arrested over an alleged plot to kill a Swedish artist. They were released with no charges, but four other people are still in custody. An American woman Colleen Larose, who calls herself "Jihad Jane" is in custody in Philadelphia. The suspects are accused of plotting to kill an artist who had drawn a sketch of the prophet Mohammed with a dog's body. More top stories in 20 minutes.

Let's talk more about the Colleen Larose, also known as "Jihad Jane" with our legal guys. They've got a lot to say about this. Avery Friedman is a civil rights attorney and law professor, and Richard Herman is a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor. There they are. Good to see you all.

AVERY FREIDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Hi, Fredricka. How are you?

RICHARD HERMAN, NEW YORK CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Hi ,Fred.

WHITFIELD: I'm doing pretty good. OK, Richard, let's begin with you. Let's talk about the road ahead for "Jihad Jane," that's actually what she calls herself, as she allegedly was recruiting for al Qaeda.

HERMAN: Well, she can call herself facing life in prison. That's what she's called right now. So...

WHITFIELD: Why do you always make us laugh? Even on serious stories?

HERMAN: I mean, this is insanity, here. Obviously she some mental disorders. I mean, she was arrested back in October, nobody heard about the story all of a sudden it's coming out now. She's facing life in prison for going on the Internet and trying to recruit people to help the cause, jihad. I mean, the woman is off her rocker. They're going to try to use her to get information about any other intelligence they can to spare her life.

WHITFIELD: And Avery, what's the likelihood of that?

FRIEDMAN: Well, I think it's great, Fredricka. They're clearly something wrong with Miss Larose, it's more than obvious. But the fact is that she is so overt in her criminality, if you will, that there's actually a YouTube piece out there that she did.

There's a co-conspirator to whom she's already said she's ready to die and kill for the cause, so I think the government is going to be looking into her association with others on a much larger scale, but, yeah. I agree with Richard. She's in a big bowl of trouble right now.

WHITFIELD: OK, let's talk about something else that had been taking place, which really hurt so deeply for a lot of families. Military funerals taking place and just as people were burying their loved ones who died in war or on active duty, you had people who were protesting, it became a court case, there was a five -- $10 until settlement, and then it become a $5 million settlement.

And now we're talking about a case that's going to a supreme court because the appellate court ruled, no, this actually may be a freedom of speech issue.

So Avery, pick it up from there.

FRIEDMAN: Yeah, you know, as Americans, we are a decent people, but we have to remember our freedom of speech under the first amendment is very broad. What Fred Phelps did, holding up a signs at a military funeral that god loves dead soldiers is outrageous and something that shouldn't be tolerated in a just society.

But the court of appeals ruled, Fredricka, that this is free speech and it invalidated a law that kept Fred Phelps and his supporters away. So, it is a constitutional smack-down headed to the Supreme Court and I think a lot of commentators are sort of guessing what the Supreme Court's going to do, here.

WHITFIELD: And so Richard, because it's heading to the Supreme Court, does that already mean Supreme Court has said, yes, we welcome this case, we're taking it?

HERMAN: Yes, they are taking it.

WHITFIELD: Or is it -- OK.

HERMAN: Yeah, they are taking it and it's going to be a balancing act. But I mean, this Westboro Baptist Church is protesting people's acceptance of homosexuality and the way they're doing it is saying because of that, god is killing all of our soldiers. So, we're celebrating the death of soldiers, and they're actually demonstrating at these military funerals. Can you imagine this? Where's the common sense anymore? Is anybody awake to keep these animals away from these type of ceremonies? I agree with the First Amendment, but there are -- I mean, there has got to be boundaries here, Fred. It's outrageous.

FRIEDMAN: And you know what? That's the very -- that's the very issue the Supreme Court will have to resolve, exactly right.

WHITFIELD: Well yeah, because there are people especially at funerals there is privacy, there is dignity that is afforded to everyone during such a somber event.

FRIEDMAN: And this guy says -- this guy says that it's his freedom of religion to say that god loves dead soldiers. A terrible thing I agree. As decent people, terrible, but the Supreme Court's going to have to resolve it.

HERMAN: And it's such an emotional -- OK, Fred, go ahead. I'm sorry. Go ahead.

WHITFIELD: That's OK. I know we're going to have to talk about the case again, because it will be...

FRIEDMAN: We'll be talking it for years.

WHITFIELD: OK, let's talk about John Edwards, the tape this time, which allegedly was found by his former aide, Andrew Young. Andrew Young apparently did say that he handed over all that he had as it pertained to that tape, but then the judge said, wait a minute, the judge in North Carolina said no. We want you to bring whatever remnants of a tape or duplicated tape.

I mean, it's all so confusing, Avery, because while the judge seemed to be pretty clear that there were other versions of this tape out there, come to find out yesterday now, no tapes and so there is no contempt of court issue.

FRIEDMAN: Well, you know, this contempt matter really lost with the big issue. This is a case of involving Rielle Hunter and her right of privacy. And what Andrew Young and his wife, Cheri, did it take the sex tapes between her and John Edwards and disseminate them. All Judge Abraham Penn Jones wanted was the truth, and he threatened to put him in jail a couple times. This judge was very patient, Fredricka. Did the right thing. Now the case will move forward under the privacy matter.

WHITFIELD: OK, Richard, you get the last word on this.

HERMAN: Yeah, what happened here, Fred, was Young was testifying and apparently he had sworn that he sealed the tapes over a year ago and they hadn't been removed. Well, they put a witness on stand to say actually Young showed us the tape several months ago.

So, the judge look at him, you know what, I'm put you and your wife in prison for contempt, you're not telling me the truth. The wife had a breakdown in court there. They said come back again we're going to hear the truth. I want to know everything. So, he's going to come in, he's going to swear up, down and around that was a lapse of his memory. Here's everything, judge, we don't have anything else. The judge is not going to put them in prison.

WHITFIELD: OK.

FRIEDMAN: But if he screws up, if it does surface, he will be going to jail. That did come out of last night's hearing.

WHITFIELD: OK, all right, we're going talk to you all again in part deux, as we like to say it, or I like the way you say it better, Avery. And when we come back, we're going to talk about a Catholic school disinviting a student because the student's parents are lesbians. That's going to be one of the legal cases we're going to delve into. Thanks so much, gentlemen. See you in a few.

HERMAN: Bill Maher will be listening, Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK.

All right, well she has scored touchdowns herself. Now she will be leading a team as the head coach. A woman is putting new cracks in football's glass ceiling.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, if you've got financial questions, we've got answers for you. Send us your comments and concerns to CNN.com/josh. He'll be joining me and the financial expert during the 2:00 Eastern hour to answer some of your questions.

Let's talk football with a name Natalie Randolph. Who says that you can't control what others say? But she warns she's ready for any trash talking. Randolph is the new head football coach at Coolidge High School in Washington, D.C. She's got the resume for the job. Randolph was a wide receiver for the D.C. Divas, a professional women's league. Women's group calls the decision to hire Randolph historic, but she's not the first woman to coach varsity football.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NATALIE RANDOPLH, COOLIDGE H.S. HEAD FOOTBALL COACH: Some people will undoubtedly want to focus on my gender, and they'll focus on the historical meaning of this day, but I would much rather focus on something that all dedicated coaches already know.

I'm here to give these young men, these student athletes, these wonderful students, the best opportunity and guidance to succeed in the classroom, make good decisions at home, and perform well on the football field.

And while I'm proud to be part of what this all means, being female has nothing to do with it. I love football. I love football. I love teaching. I love these kids.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: And they already love her. Comments at CNN.com are overwhelmingly supportive of Randolph. One person writes, quoting here right now, "It's kind of sad that this even makes the news in 2010. Sounds like a headline from the 1950s." Well, congratulations to Natalie Randolph.

All right, well, where do you draw the line between free speech and a family's pain? At issue, a porn magazine's request to publish nude photos of a murdered woman's mutilated body. Our legal guys will be weighing in on that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Checking some of the hour's top stories -- six days and still counting votes in Iraq. Results are trickling in. The alliance led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is ahead in Baghdad where most parliamentary seats are up for grabs. Don't look for final results until the end of the month, however.

A sign North Korea may be ready to talk about its nuclear weapons program again. A South Korea newspaper reports the communist state wants to return to the bargaining table next month. It quotes a North Korean diplomat who says his country will present a way forward, then see how the U.S. responds. In the past, North Korea has demanded the U.S. lift sanctions before talking.

And people are doing a lot of talking at coffee parties all over this country today. It's the official kickoff of a new political movement aimed at people who say they want a bit more civility and action in Washington. Some see it as an alternative to the tea party movement.

A Mississippi high school decided to cancel a prom rather than allow a same-sex couple to attend. Well, now a New Orleans businessman is trying to make sure the students don't miss out on this rite of passage.

Camille Whitworth of New Orleans affiliate WDSU explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEAN CUMMINGS, HOTEL OWNER: Hey, kids, the end of your high school experience should not be laced with negativity and public policy decisions and legal skirmishes.

CAMILLE WHITWORTH, WDSU CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The message from Sean Cummings is clear: prom should go on despite the controversy surrounding it. We met inside of his International House Hotel, a possible venue for the high school party.

CUMMINGS: I was just bummed out that the kids were penalized and she was penalized.

WHITWORTH: Cummings is offering it all to students at Itawamba County Agricultural High School in rural Mississippi: the place, transportation to and from New Orleans and a high school party he says they'll never forget.

CUMMINGS: I admire her for standing for something and standing up like she is and she needs to know that there are a lot of people who support her and the students need to know that there are a lot of people who feel like they are being wronged, and wrongly so.

WHITWORTH: The prom was cancelled when the school district found out a lesbian student, Constance McMillen, planned on bringing her girlfriend as her date. In a school memo, it states, "Dates must be of the opposite sex."

CONSTANCE MCMILLEN, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: It's really not fair to the people that are gay at the school.

WHITWORTH: McMillen says she was also told she wasn't allowed to wear a tuxedo. The American Civil Liberties Union backs her up.

MCMILLEN: I'm not going to be pretend I wasn't raised like that. I was raised to be proud of who you are and I don't think that you should have to hide who you are to go to a school event.

WHITWORTH: Cummings agrees. That's why he offered to help.

CUMMINGS: It's a disappointing and yesterday dotcom way of thinking.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: So, while that offer is being made in New Orleans, we understand that Christine McMillen is also asking a federal judge to reinstate her high school's prom, which was set for April 2nd.

So, let's ask our legal guys about all this and whether the federal judge would step into a case like this. Avery Friedman is a civil rights attorney and law professor, hello again. Richard Herman is a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor.

OK, gentlemen, so Richard, you first. The ACLU wants to challenge the school for this case. Will a federal judge weigh in just as Christine McMillen is asking?

HERMAN: You know, Fred, I think there's a very good chance they will here. The school's policy, this resulted from public distraction of the educational process.

Apparently, the principal met with her back in December. She gave her intention she was going to come with her lesbian date to the prom, she's going to wear a tuxedo. And in February, the school district issued rules and regulations prohibiting this and as a result of that, they cancelled the prom for all the students. It's unbelievable.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HERMAN: Are we in 2010? Where are we? WHITFIELD: Yes, it is pretty remarkable, Avery, that something like this, that there would be a climate in place that would be accepted -- or that would accept this kind of decision. No one will enjoy the prom because someone has a problem with a couple of the kids who were going to be attending the prom?

FRIEDMAN: Well, legally speaking, the burden on the school district is to show that the prom would in some fashion materially be detrimental to the educational process. They're not going to be able to to do that. So, to answer your question, it's likely that a United States district court would enjoin the district from prohibiting the prom. Now, that may be rendered moot because Mr. Cummings and his work in New Orleans, to protect the children. Well, it's a fascinating issue.

WHITFIELD: Well, it seems pretty -- yes and it -- but it seems tricky, does it not? Because if -- if the school district were to say, we are going to bar you from attending because you are lesbian, then clear-cut case, right? But instead, the school district or the school, seemed to know exactly what it was doing by saying, well, this just means nobody will enjoy it, so ...

FRIEDMAN: Yes, that's smart.

WHITFIELD: ...it'll be difficult to be able to argue any kind of discrimination, right? No one can enjoy it?

FRIEDMAN: It's smart by half. They outsmarted themselves by doing that. It's frankly a silly move by these adults. Legally, they're in a world of trouble. So, by punishing all the children on prom night, oh my goodness. Both bad judgment and they've got illegal practices.

WHITFIELD: OK, well, let's talk about what's taking place in Colorado as well. We're talking about a Catholic school bishop who says, I am no longer going to allow these two students to attend this school because their parents are lesbians.

Richard, what kind of legal case do we have here now?

HERMAN: Well, the school is saying ...

WHITFIELD: Private school.

HERMAN: It's a Catholic school and they're saying, you know, intimacy outside the marriage, we frown on that, and they're defining marriage as between a male and a female. And therefore, they're saying, look, there's a lot of other very good educational opportunities out there. Take your children there. We are not going to accept your union. We are not -- it goes against everything we stand for, and our private Catholic school here, therefore, we don't want children of lesbians coming to our school.

WHITFIELD: And this is difficult, Avery, because we're talking about a private school, a private school that can come up with all kinds of criteria as to why a student should be accepted or not. So, is this a little bit more difficult?

FRIEDMAN: Well, private or not, Fredricka, the issue is is there a law that prohibits the school from doing it? The answer is no. When you send a kid to Catholic school, you sign an agreement that you will abide by the church's doctrine. That is inconsistent. So, these children, one was a preschooler, one was a kindergartener, are tossed out of school. Richard's exactly right. The case is going nowhere.

WHITFIELD: OK, now an interesting case involving "Hustler" magazine saying they requested some graphic images of a young lady who was murdered, a hiker in Georgia, Meredith Emerson because they're doing a news story about crime.

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: The family says no. We don't want these images to be put in there. And in fact, in Georgia, apparently the attorney general's office has said or the coroner's office has said no, we're not going to release these images, either. So, is this a free speech issue, a free press issue -- Richard?

HERMAN: It really is, Fred. And again, you know, there has to be common sense in the law here. This is "Hustler" magazine who's looking to do this expose and Larry Flynt has tested the boundaries of constitutional protections throughout his career.

But this is a picture of a young woman who is decapitated and who is nude, and they're saying that, you know, you see pictures of soldiers getting killed and you see that, and this is not an autopsy, which would be banned. Autopsy pictures, you do not get public access to those.

FRIEDMAN: Right.

HERMAN: But they're saying this is a crime scene and therefore, we're entitled to it. And the court was just so repelled by it that they said no. There's going to be a balancing test here. I'm not sure if it's going to stay out.

FRIEDMAN: It's a temporary restraining order, Richard. The court blocked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation from releasing the pictures, but it's still going to be a showdown. Again, the question of censorship and decency. Just like we started our segment today, ultimately, the court's got to make that balance.

WHITFIELD: OK. Another showdown to talk about real quick. E- trade has a very comical ad out. They've got a few comical ones, but this one caught the attention of actress Lindsay Lohan who said wait a minute. You're making a mockery of me. That's me you're referring to as a milkaholic. So -- does she have single name recognition in that she has a leg to stand on in this argument, Richard?

HERMAN: She's irrelevant. Who is this person? We don't even know who she is. It's ridiculous. For $220, anybody can sue anybody they want. It doesn't mean there's any validity to it. She's been burned out, she's nothing. Nobody knows anything about her. It's ridiculous.

FRIEDMAN: Well ...

WHITFIELD: So, might this have been a publicity stunt instead, Avery?

HERMAN: Absolutely.

FRIEDMAN: Well, she has a right to publicity, whether it's a publicity stunt or not, we don't know. The fact is, though, that she's indicated in various tweets that it really didn't bother her. I don't think Lindsay is Madonna, and that's basically what her argument is. I think the case is going absolutely nowhere, Fredricka. Nowhere.

WHITFIELD: Oh OK.

HERMAN: Fred, I think Lindsay has the big head like the queen in "Alice and Wonderland." I think that's what's going on here, Fred.

FRIEDMAN: Yes, maybe.

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh. OK, thanks so much. Richard, Avery, always good to see you ...

FRIEDMAN: Oh guys, I should mention this.

WHITFIELD: Yes, yes, yes.

FRIEDMAN: Happy St. Patrick's Day.

WHITFIELD: St. Paddy's Day week. Oh, you look dapper.

FRIEDMAN: Yes, coming up this week.

WHITFIELD: Very lucky.

HERMAN: I like your green, Avery.

FRIEDMAN: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right gentlemen, good to see you. Appreciate it.

FRIEDMAN: Take care.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, he stays up all night to make the Vegas Strip bright. We're not talking about Richard who was coming to us from Vegas. We put the night shift in focus in the NEWSROOM.

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WHITFIELD: So, if there's one American city that comes to life after dark, it's Las Vegas. And at night, it's all about the neon. As part of our "Night Shift in Focus" series, service technician Kevin Hentzell takes us and shows us what it takes to keep the strip glowing. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEVIN HENTZELL, SERVICE TECHNICIAN, YESCO: It's a 24-hour town.

BILL MARION, CHMN., NEON MUSEUM LAS VEGAS: Las Vegas became the neon capital of the world because it was the neon signs that lured people off of the highway and into your property.

HENTZELL: Oh, the morning. People are just now starting to wind down, they're going in, we're coming out to work. Everybody else is sleeping at 4:00 a.m. People want stuff fixed right now, not tomorrow, not next week, right now.

We can see outages right now. When they're out, we can see if there's any hidden problems that you may not see in the daylight. So, it gives us the opportunity to fix every outage that we can spot at night.

MARION: It takes courage. It takes skill. The kind of education that you're going to have to have as well as just the physical temerity to get up on these cranes and work on these signs. That takes a great amount of mental discipline.

HENTZELL: Everything is an obstacle, it's a nightmare. You always run into electrical problems. We get shocked. You got to be careful. We got anywhere from 9,000 to 15,000 volts traveling through those units.

We work odd hours, long hours some days and the element, the actual weather itself. It's hot, it's cold. It's freezing, sometimes 120 degrees, 140 in the sign. You deal with it and you adapt to it.

Some of these still have water in them.

Nowadays, you have to know electronics, sheet metal work, rewiring a sign, high voltage, low voltage. It's an easy job once you get used to it. You know, you deal with the elements, it's an all right job. Nothing I can change right now, nothing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And you definitely have to have those lights on Vegas. That's from "Nightshift" which starts in our 3:00 p.m. Eastern hour. And I actually talked to the program's producer this week, photojournalist Bethany Swain and I started by asking about how many Americans are familiar with the nightshift?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BETHANY SWAIN, CNN PHOTOJOURNALIST: Yes, we found in a new CNN opinion research poll that came out this week that exacly over half Americans at some point in their career have worked overnights. And that was something -- working in TV, a lot of us who worked on the special have worked overnights and wanted to know how many other people out there had this kind of experience. We're talking a lot about economy and jobs these days. We wanted to look at people that were not working the traditional 9:00 to 5:00 to make ends meet. And one of our pieces -- we've 10 different stories that put together to make the special.

We meet Lynette, who's a baker in New York City and she works overnight so that way, she can stay home with her three kids during the day and doesn't have to put them in day care. She doesn't see her husband that much because they work different hours, but this is a way that they found to make ends meet.

WHITFIELD: And when is she sleeping?

SWAIN: That's good question. So, I mean, they have a real team atmosphere. We meet her husband in the piece, too. We were -- when the kids go -- the older two kids are in school. Then, she sleeps part of the day then, too.

WHITFIELD: And that's part of the real conundrum here. Not just working odd hours, but it really does turn a lot of people's lives, health issues upside-down and people have to kind of figure out a way to juggle all of these things, these challenges that come with the nightshift.

SWAIN: In all the different pieces that we do, they're done by the photojournalist. And the people tell their own story. In each one, we go Las Vegas, we go to Boston, we go to New York City, to D.C. And all of them talk about how working a nightshift impacts their lives and each one of their stories is a little bit different.

WHITFIELD: And you have some favorites?

SWAIN: Absolutely. My favorite piece is one that came out of Boston done by our photojournalist Bob Riley (ph). And he takes is for a really intimate look inside an animal hospital. And it's really -- it's a life and death look at trying to keep the animals healthy. And that's definitely a job that doesn't just happen from 9:00 to 5:00.

WHITFIELD: All right. Bethany Swain, thanks so much.

SWAIN: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: So of course, to meet more people who work late to keep society moving, tune in to our hour-long photojournalist special hosted by Tom Foreman. That's today 3:00 p.m. Eastern time right here on CNN or go to CNN.com/nightshift.

Honoring heroes of World War II. They never served in combat, but their contributions were invaluable to U.S. success.

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WHITFIELD: Honored at last, about 175 former civilian women pilots received the Congressional gold medal this week for their service during World War II. They were members of the Women Air Force Service Pilots created in 1942 to fill all types of flying jobs at home which freed male pilots to go to the front. So, fewer than 300 of them are still alive, and finally being honored.

Dawn Seymour is a proud WASP veteran and one of the very few who flew the massive B-17 bomber. She was honored at that ceremony earlier this week in Washington and I spoke with her about her accomplishments as a World War II pilot.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAWN SEYMOUR, WASP VETERAN: My best memory of my time is my best landing, and I was at Roswell, New Mexico, and it had rained. And the field -- the runway was still damp and I came in and leveled off and pulled back and I made a -- there was no squeak, no noise, and the wheels just glided on to the runway and I thought, uh-huh. That was it.

WHITFIELD: Was there ever a moment at the time where you felt like you or any of the other women wanted to be in combat? Did you like the idea that you were for the most part training a lot of other male pilots ready for combat and not getting a chance to be in combat yourself?

SEYMOUR: Well, I -- we were flying the B-17 for the gunners who were training at Ft. Myers, Florida, at Buckingham. And I remember the first graduation and I thought to myself, was it possible for me to go into combat and fly, and I said, yes, we -- it was necessary and I could do it. So, we never had to do it, of course, but.

WHITFIELD: What was the lure, I guess, about becoming a B-17, excuse me, pilot? Did you feel pretty eager about learning how to be this pilot in the first place? How did you find yourself in this position?

SEYMOUR: Well, it was all by chance, and I was asked to be a member of the CPT organization in Cornell University. There was a program for new pilots, and this particular person, Dr. Richard Parmeter (ph) was asked to be director of flight research. He thought there might be some way that you could figure out how to avoid pilot training in an airplane a cheaper method.

And so, I was one of his guinea pigs, and then that led to Jackie Cochran's program, and I was selected for B-17 combat pilot training, and I loved it. I just absolutely loved it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Ninety-two-year-old Dawn Seymour among the 150 or so women getting their due. Getting one of two of the highest awards, civilian awards bestowed upon anyone in this country. Receiving the gold medal, Congressional gold medal this week. Congratulations to all of them.

All right, looking ahead to what's coming up later on in the CNN NEWSROOM, at 2:00 Eastern time, a financial expert joins me to talk about what you can do now to enjoy your retirement. And then, Josh Levs will be joining us with your personal finance questions as well. Just post them at CNN.com/josh, also on my blog page, CNN.com/fredricka.

"YOUR MONEY" starts right now.