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Flights Still Grounded Due to Volcanic Ash From Iceland; African-American Leaders Meet; Library of Congress Archiving Public Postings From Twitter

Aired April 17, 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: Let's begin with the headache, not fun for anyway. We're looking at another day of travel chaos across northern Europe. Thousands of flights grounded again today all because of this thick ash coming from a still-erupting volcano in Iceland. It can cause jet engines to shut down.

And no one knows when air travel will actually get back to normal, so thousands are paying any amount that to get where they are going by any means available. They're taking cars, buses, trains, and even ferries, little comfort to the airlines, however, which are losing some $200 million a day because of this.

Just look at how many countries are being affected by this ash cloud. Around two dozen in all, from Great Britain to Finland and Austria and, of course, that doesn't take into account all the people trying to get to Europe from other places.

CNN's Jim Boulden is at Heathrow Airport outside of London.

So normally, Jim, it is packed with international travelers. You're outside there, what is the scene

JIM BOULDEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The scene is very, very empty here, no planes, obviously, flying at all today out of any U.K. airport beyond a few that left Scotland this morning. The fact is it will be shut at least until tomorrow morning, and that's optimistic. It's just, we get updates every few hours.

But we're getting e-mails from American Airlines, Continental; they're canceling, obviously, a lot of their flights in and out of Europe, today. It's not just affecting the U.K., of course, most of Scandinavia, northern Europe, and as the cloud moves you get an update and a change. And it's obviously pessimistic. You got these hotels full of people very frustrated that they cannot get out. Some people are sleeping in the terminals, here, Terminal 3, here at Heathrow, some sleeping in terminals as Brussels as well.

They are beginning to get more frustrated, I should say, Fredricka, because they want information. The want to be able to rebook on the flights. The problem is, of course, the airlines tell us they cannot rebook the flights or they can get people off -- you know, some seats a few days later, but there is no guarantee, of course, that those flights will take off. So they're warning people, don't come to the airport, please call. Thought I do know it can take up to an hour for somebody to answer your call from some of the airlines -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: What a nightmare. Jim Boulden, thanks so much. Appreciate that. We'll check back with you throughout the day.

So, of course, these disruptions caused by the ash clouds are even affecting world leaders who are actually trying to get to Poland for tomorrow's state funeral of the country's president and the first lady. Some have actually canceled their plans, altogether, since Polish airspace has been closed indefinitely, others are driving or taking trains, if they can.

At this point, President Obama is scheduled to leave for Poland later on this evening, but the White House is monitoring the situation and has yet to say definitively whether, indeed, the president will still be on his way to those funeral services.

Our Bonnie Schneider, here in the Weather Center.

It is a nightmare. Isn't this really phenomenal that it is affecting so many countries, so many modes of transportation, business, commerce in general?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It really is. and it's all location, because Fredricka, volcanoes erupt all over the world all the time, but this one erupted right here in Iceland. And look at all the airports. These are transponders that show you where we're getting signals where there's air traffic and air travel.

The yellow, down here, across the Mediterranean through Corsica down across Spain, that's where we're getting some travel activity. but then we look further to the north there is a whole lot of nothing happening, really. All the way from Romania further off to the west to Belgium.

So, that's the picture for travel as you well know. Here's a look at where the ash cloud is in Iceland and you can see the plume working its way further to the south and to the east with those westerly winds coming in. And it's really -- you know, the winds are not going to change everything, but they could at least shift some of the direction of where the ash plume goes. And we're going to expect that to happen not this weekend, unfortunately, but it looks like it will later on in the week.

So, here's the pattern, right now, where is where the volcano is, ash plume right across the sea. We have Scandinavia to the north and much of central Europe affected currently, including Germany, Poland, France, Austria, Switzerland, all these countries affected by this ash plume.

But then as we go into the latter part of the week, and I'm talking about Wednesday, Thursday, really, we will see some change in the upper level winds. They will start to shift a little further to the north, so the ash plume here, through the U.K. all the way down through the center May shift to the north, so Scandinavia, Sweden and to Finland, will be more affected. So, it might be better for some, but worse for others, Fredricka. It's not a picture that I can say is going to clear up anytime soon, because it's such a huge amount of debris in the air.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, could be days.

SCHNEIDER: Or longer.

WHITFIELD: Wow. All right. Thanks so much, Bonnie.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

WHITFIELD: All right, back to this country for those not having a difficult time with the commute, particularly in the New York City area, African-American leaders and activists are in that city this weekend to address the biggest issues impacting so many lives. The National Action Network, an organization founded by the Reverend Al Sharpton, is hosting this four-day event. CNN's Susan Candiotti is there.

So Susan, give me an idea. The organizers say this meeting is more than just talk. What happens after the four days of talking?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sure Fredricka, because in years past, you and I, probably most of our viewers have gone to conferences in the past or seminars, and you go there and listen to lively great debate and say, OK, that's just wonderful, and then meet again next year.

What's difference this time, is that the National Action Network wants everyone to set a goal for themselves and then the moderator or the host, in this case, CNN contributor Roland Martin and Tom Joyner on his radio show, they're going to check in every 90 -- every three months or so, every 90 days or so to see whether people are keeping up with specific goals that will be made here.

Joining us, two guests to talk some of those goals. First, we have Dr. Lenora Fulani.

And you're here to talk about specifically, one thing have you been working towards is to see how Independent registered voters who are registered Independents, will be able to vote in party primaries, it's usually not allowed in states. How do you hope to turn that around in order to more empower people?

DR. LENORA FULANI, ALL STAR PROJECT, INC.: My goal as one of the founders of the Independent Party is to pass, over the next 12 months, nonpartisan election reform in New York City, which does away with party primaries and allow the one million voters in the city who are registered as Independents to vote in a first round and that would take care of it.

CANDIOTTI: This happens in a lot of different states, but why do you think you'll be able to come close to achieving that? That's a tough barrier that you have to get across.

FULANI: Most of the cities in this country have nonpartisan elections, and the majority of those young people, people locked out, Independents, are people of color -- 20 percent African-American, and 11 percent Asian, 24 percent Latino and 25 percent under the ages of 30. What our young people are saying is we don't want to be in a party, we are Independents and we want to do politics in a new way and we have to support that effort and that's what we are fighting for here in New York City.

CANDIOTTI: Dr. Fulani, thank you very much.

Mayor Nutter, what do you make of the conference in trying to set goals unlike past conferences?

MAYOR MICHAEL NUTTER, PHILADELPHIA: Well, goal setting, of course, is very, very important. It's what we do every day in local governments. That's why I am so focused on anti-truancy efforts as well as literacy programs in our city. Every day, upwards of 15,000 young people are out of school, half of them have no legitimate reason. We can't teach children if they're not in school.

CANDIOTTI: And what do you hope to accomplish in the coming, let's say, three month if they check back and say, all right, what have you done, Mayor Nutter?

NUTTER: In the next 12 months, because school will be going out very shortly. We are looking for at least a 25 percent reduction in the number of young people out of school on a daily basis for no reason. Kids have to go to school. We need to get the children and their parents focused on their education. We can't teach them if they're not in the classroom.

CANDIOTTI: All right, Mayor Nutter, thank you very much for joining us. Dr. Fulani, also.

Again, one of the themes this year is to meet, to motivate and then to act. Let's see if they can accomplish that in the coming year -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Susan Candiotti, thanks so much. We'll continue to join that setting throughout this hour. We understand that Congressman James Clyburn is among those who are going to be speaking, in fact, there's a shot of him right now. And we will dip in from time to time to see exactly what people are talking about and what they are promising, and how the follow-up will then happen.

Actually, we're going to listen in, right now to the congressman.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D), SOUTH CAROLINA: ...community colleges. Because we believe that if you are a lawyer, you need a plumber. If you are a plumber, you need a doctor. If you are a doctor, you need an electrician. We got to start focusing on where peoples' skills are and it's in this bill.

(CROSSTALK)

ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Literally, 15 seconds.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will give you 30.

MARTIN: No, no, you got 15. You got 15.

If gay and lesbian people yesterday found out the president argued that they should be able to visit their people who are in the hospitals if they're not technically related to them, I'm saying that -- with Congressman Clyburn, if we don't know the money is there, if it's not earmarked, if we can't publicly articulate it.

The people who need to get the money who don't know that the money has been targeted toward them won't be able to go there, so we have to come out the closet of race, more specifically about targeting black communities, so that the upward mobility that we imagine with these policies can be cattlized. I think we have to be more explicit about...

AL SHARPTON, NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK: We got $10 billion, y'all.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You cannot separate education, economics. That's the problem. That's the holistic approached. Our people are miseducated to not to vote in their self-interest.

MARTIN: Specific?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Specifically, we have to stop the miseducation of our school. There is no achievement gap, there is an access opportunity gap and we have to put our history and my specific is this, the museum that started when we called the Rising Network. We will start anti-fear study groups.

Fear has the false evidence appearing real. We will start them in the church and communities. So, at the grassroots level, our people will understand their history of greatness. And that we'll be deceiving, believing that our enemies are our friends. When we do that, they will vote in their best interest.

MARTIN: So, let me say this here, let me say this here, and Leslie I'll be speaking for you right here...

WHITFIELD: OK, so you're just getting a sneak peek of the dialog that's taking place during this four-day event in New York City. This is being hosted by the National Action Network founded by the Reverend Al Sharpton. You saw him there, there's CNN contributor Roland Martin who is moderating this forum. A host of people.

NAACP's Ben Jealous, there, you saw Congressman James Clyburn as well, and even author Eric Michael Dyson, and they are talking about everything from economics to education and the idea is for a year a commitment will be made, some solutions coming out of this conference and for an entire year people will be monitored to see how well they are living up to some of the promises.

We're going to continue to dip in throughout the afternoon. And then in the 2:00 Eastern hour, CNN contributor Roland Martin will be actually joining us to talk a little bit more concretely about what kind of resolutions are actually coming from this forum today and over the next four days.

All right, so who said tweets are trivial? Find out why everything posted publicly on Twitter will last forever.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, every one of us has been affected by the recent financial meltdown, losing homes, jobs, a lot of money in our retirement accounts. Well, now the government is going after one of the biggest players on Wall Street. Goldman Sachs charged with civil fraud in connection with the subprime mortgages.

The Securities Exchange Commission alleges the investment firm defrauded investors by selling securities to one group while letting another bet against them. The firm calls the charges "completely unfounded," and you can bet our legal guys will weigh in on this one in a few minutes from now.

And Web sites, well, they come and go, but it looks like Twitter is forever. Do we like that? The Library of Congress is archiving all public postings from Twitter since the social networking sight actually began in 2006. Josh Levs is here to tell us how it will work.

Do you like that? I know you Twitter, so you will be on record forever.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Actually, I'm going to put you and me on record right now. I have this Tweet that I've put up, right here, from my Twitter account, JoshLevsCNN. "On live with Fredricka. Hello, Library of Congress archive." And I'm going to tweet it right now. So Fred, there, it's official, for history that you and I were on air together at this exact moment.

WHITFIELD: We're documented.

LEVS: We are documented. Here's the deal. So, the Library of Congress, esteemed institution, obviously, holds on to all sorts of important documents and books, now they are holding on to every public tweet ever from the very beginning going back to May 2006. And it's a statement; it means that they believe this is one way of tracing history.

And let me show you some of the big ones that they are highlighting. This is the first tweet of all times, Jack Dorsey, who created, who tweeted "just setting up my twttr." The first tweet of all time. also, Barack Obama, before he was president, "We just made history," this is right after the election, and "all of this happened because you gave your time, talent and passion. All of this happened because of you. Thanks."

WHITFIELD: So wait a minute, but really only the impactful stuff, or we mean everything, even those tweets when you're like, I'm about to make coffee? Oh, I'm not changing my shoes, I'm tying them now. Thank kind of stuff, too?

LEVS: There's a lot of useless stuff on Twitter and if the person has chosen to make his or her Twitter account public, then yes, every single tweet. But it kind of ends up being what you're saying, there is a lot that's useless, but there are also diamonds in the rough. Let me show you one more that's really good story.

You might have heard about this. There was a journalists in Egypt who was arrested and he tweeted one word as he was being arrested, he tweeted the word "arrested." That set off a whole chain of events which ultimately led to his being freed the next day and he tweeted he was free and that's how people found out.

So, amid all the other random things that you find on Twitter, Fred, there are the also these cases in which you see the relevance of Twitter and you see history being made and history being recorded. So, that's why the Library of Congress is jumping in there.

WHITFIELD: And I guess, that's the beauty of it, that there is a variety, stuff that's very nebulous and stuff that's very impactful and important, and everyone should know about.

LEVS: And hey, if you want to look up in 80 years was your grandmother having coffee one day at 2:00 in the afternoon, you can.

WHITFIELD: And what was she brewing?

LEVS: Well, it's probably on Twitter.

WHITFIELD: Right. OK, thank you so much, Josh. Appreciate that, we'll check back with you later on.

OK, well this is the case of big brother going high-tech. Schools spying on kids at home allegedly using school-issued web cams. More came to light this week and our legal guys are tracking it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at the top stories right now. In Warsaw, thousands turn out for a memorial mass in honor of the 96 Poles that died in a last week's plane crash that also killed the nation's president, first lady and political dignitaries. A funeral service for a late Polish President Lech Kaczynski will be held tomorrow.

The volcanic ash could -- or rather the cloud could be spewing in Iceland and continues to hamper the travel plans of world leaders and even President Obama's plans. They are planning to attend tomorrow's funeral service, but it's unclear whether the president will indeed make that flight.

And for the second time this week, more technical troubles for Toyota. The automaker is voluntarily recalling an estimated 600,000 Sienna minivans sold in cold climate states between 1998 and this year. Toyota is concerned rust could corrode a fastening cable for the spare tire creating a potential safety hazard. Early this week, Toyota suspended sales of its higher-end Lexus Grand SUV after a consumer report said the vehicle has a high risk of a rollover.

And next scheduled stop of the space shuttle Discovery, home. The shuttle and its seven astronauts undocked from the International Space Station about three and a half hours ago, and they are set to return to earth Monday morning at Florida's Kennedy Space Center. And it may be a long time before so many people are actually together again in space. Only three shuttle flights remain, each with a crew of six.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, back to a top financial story, which is on now a top legal story. Our legal guys, Avery Friedman, is a civil rights attorney and a law professor in Cleveland, Ohio.

Good to see you.

Richard Herman is a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor.

Good to see you, as well.

Of course, I am talking about Goldman Sachs and the charges of securities fraud. Goldman Sachs accused by the SEC of creating and selling feudal mortgage investments. Goldman Sachs says the accusations are "completely unfounded in law and fact."

So, Avery, you first. Does Goldman Sachs have a leg to stand on? Do they say this is really unworthy of a legal challenge?

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Remember, this is not a criminal fraud, but a civil fraud suit brought by the SEC. And it's very intriguing because what they're doing is they're relying, very simply, on a 29-year-old vice president hooked up with a hedge fund group and basically marketed something without disclosing that relationship. The hedge fund group walked away with $1 billion. They didn't market, they are not in trouble, and Goldman Sachs is.

WHITFIELD: So Richard, could this potentially open the floodgates for other legal challenges as it pertains to Goldman Sachs?

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, not only it could open the floodgates, Fred, but it could also open the floodgates to a criminal prosecution, here. Because many times when the SEC files these civil fraud cases, a criminal case is not too far on the horizon, here.

But Goldman Sachs had the obligation to make full disclosure to its investors and they failed to disclose. This was just not some hedge fund, this was one of the largest in the world and this hedge fund was betting against the investment, Fred, and they did not tell their investors that not only what the hedge fund betting against it, but Goldman Sachs was too, and Goldman Sachs they made $15 million on this.

WHITFIELD: Wow, all right, so we're at the tip of the iceberg on this. Blackwater, let's talk about them. Best known as the government contractor who did a lot of work for securities for the U.S., particularly in Iraq. Now, we're talking a about the former president, Gary Jackson, and a few other officials have been indicted by a federal grand jury.

So, is this an indication, perhaps, Richard, that the Justice Department is trying to find a way, they are maybe hell-bent on trying to bring down Blackwater even though this is the former president.

HERMAN: Yeah, and sometimes they get hell-bent, they make mistakes, Fred, and at first glance and revealing all the documents on this, this looks like a politically motivated prosecution, here.

WHITFIELD: It does? Why?

HERMAN: Because Blackwater is saying the government knew for years, all the weapons cache, they knew where it was, they observed it, they were on the premises, they saw it. When they came to do the raid, they were stopped at the gate and they had to show credentials in order to get in.

WHITFIELD: So it's a "why now" issue?

FRIEDMAN: Look, I don't know why Blackwater and its successor company gets a free pass on this. I mean, the fact that the government knew about it doesn't' mean that it's right. The face is that Gary Jackson and the rest of -- I mean, even these guys aren't taking it, apparently, all that seriously, but I think it's a very serious matter.

The fact is that there were efforts to work through the sheriff's department and other things. Bottom line here, is it's a serious matter. I don't think it's politically motivated, let's see what happens, here.

WHITFIELD: OK, well let's follow up on a case that was just heartbreaking. We all talked about it once before, many months ago. We're talking about a 14-year-old kid who died in a boot camp, and if my recollection is clear, Avery and Richard, they were essentially -- the guards were essentially cleared of any wrong doing, but now the federal prosecutors are involved here, and they want to see whether there was some civil rights violations should be pursued by the guards. So Avery, you take a stab first.

FRIEDMAN: Well, I actually was suggesting that this is the way to go, and I am disappointed that the Justice Department is declining the federal prosecution. There was a state prosecution, Fredricka, it was not successful. They were exonerated, that is, the people at the boot camp. It's disappointing...

WHITFIELD: And the family was devastated by that, so this is like another attempt.

FRIEDMAN: The family got a civil resolution in terms of millions of dollars, but the individuals will not be accountable for what they did to this youngster. WHITFIELD: Yeah, OK, Richard let's move on to another case, where accountability is at the center of this. And we're talking about Pennsylvania school district which allocated hundreds of computers to students and the allegation here is that the school district was then spying on these students.

So, you've got at least one family alleging this, and now a few other families are jumping in on this, because new revelations were revealed this week that come to find out, some educators thought -- or kind of dubbed this a little soap opera, that some of the educators were actually watching some of the webcam images of these kids, this is getting nastier.

HERMAN: Not just an educator, this was an administrator there, who apparently, in the course of the civil litigation was directed by a judge to turnover her laptop. She refuses, despite the court order to turn it over. Avery, you want to bet what is on her laptop, here? There are footprints on these things, Fred. This Califari (ph), this Carol Califary (ph), the administrator, she is in big trouble, here. There's more than one family claiming misconduct.

WHITFIELD: And that is the administrator of the computer program that actually stepped down and that she has resigned makes what kind of statement in a kind of legal pursuit, here?

FRIEDMAN: Well, it's significant only to the extent that when they asked her to talk about it, she asserted her fifth amendment rights against self-incrimination. You know what, it's sort of like the blue dress in Monica Lewinsky, I didn't believe it, I didn't believe this was here, but as the evidence unwinding here, it really is terrifying -- 42 examples of and 400 shots of Blake Robbins, the sophomore, this thing is actually a lot bigger than we originally thought. A big deal.

WHITFIELD: Wow. OK, we're going to talk with you again later on in the hour. We're going to talk about Ben Roethlisberger, no charges, but it doesn't necessarily mean case closed. People are still talking and we're going to get your input on it as well. Avery, Richard thanks so much. See you in a few minutes.

FRIEDMAN: See you in a bit.

HERMAN: OK, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, the fate of U.S.-Russian adoptions, all of that now up in the air. Moscow suspended adoptions this week, angry that an American family actually sent their adopted child back to Moscow, unescorted. We have an update on diplomatic efforts to try and smooth things over. Plus, an expert on international adoptions will joining us with critical information for families who are hoping to adopt.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, despite travel problems from volcanic ash in the atmosphere, U.S. officials are still scheduled to travel to Moscow this weekend to discuss the future of U.S.-Russian adoptions. On Thursday, Russia announced it was suspending adoptions of Russian children by American families. That decision came after a Tennessee mother sent her adopted Russian son back to Moscow by himself. The woman sent a note, saying the child had psychological problems and violent tendencies.

But U.S. officials appeared optimistic the adoption issue can be resolved and said there are still adoption cases that are moving forward. It's a painstaking process now made even more complicated for American families wanting to adopt and for Russian children hoping to call the U.S. home.

Dr. Amy Pakula, a pediatrician and an expert on international adoptions is with me now. Give me an idea -- families wait months, sometimes years to try and get an adoption sealed. That this might be suspended, give me an idea what families here who are this close to perhaps welcoming a Russian child now, what are they going through?

DR. AMY PAKULA, MARCUS AUTISM CTR., INTL. ADOPTION CTR.: Fredricka, I'm sure they are just devastated. There are so many families who have been through so much and have spent so much time and effort in preparing to bring their child home only now to find that this process has been postponed yet again. And at the same time, there are these children in orphanages who are experiencing very difficult conditions and have already begun the bonding process with their American families.

WHITFIELD: Right, because a lot of times, they've met already, a family has already made a couple of trips

PAKULA: Right.

WHITFIELD: And these kids are looking forward to it, but for some reason, maybe it's because of paperwork and etc., it may take another couple weeks, another couple months, but now these kids say for instance in Russia who are hearing about this one child's experience, many of them may be questioning whether it will ever happen for them now. How emotionally traumatic must this be for them?

PAKULA: Yes, I'm sure it is. These are children who have already experienced loss and are already dealing with feelings of abdonment and may be again facing another grief process. If the adoptions are somehow disrupted, you know, this will only have a negative affect, I believe, on any future attachment processes that they go through with future adoptive parents.

WHITFIELD: Russia one of the top three foreign countries where there's this very strong relationship between American families trying to adopt, China, Ethiopia also a part of the top three. Is it particularly difficult for, say, American families trying to adopt abroad versus when American families are trying to adopt domestic?

PAKULA: Well, I think it's difficult in either respect, but there are unique challenges I think that families who adopt from other countries face that they don't necessarily have to face here. A lot of times, they are dealing with children who have been through very unique situations, and have experienced a number of stressors that may not be present here.

WHITFIELD: So, it sounds like you're saying there has to be an expectation. If you're an American family and you're going to adopt a child abroad, there has to be some great expectation that there may be emotional trauma, because there are a variation of reasons why the kids are in the position that they are, that they have been orphaned.

So, are American families being prepared to look for certain behavioral tendencies, emotional tendencies, and to be a lot more patient and understanding and figure out a way to work through those things, because these children are coming with some extra baggage because of their circumstances, right?

PAKULA: Correct. I think that, you know, it's first important that parents become informed of the sorts of situations and the social backgrounds of these children. They have had experiences in orphanages that may include, you know, very early psychosocial depravation, issues with malnutrition, issues with crowding, exposure to other things.

WHITFIELD: And don't most families know that? Aren't they prepped on that as they reach toward kids abroad? Don't they know that this is a likelihood?

PAKULA: Yes, I think they're prepped to some respect, but -- in some respects, but I think that they -- there's a difference between being informed and really understanding the depth of and breadth -- the differences that these children have experienced.

So, it would be -- it's helpful for them not only to know something about the backgrounds of the children that they are adopting, but also to avail themselves of the resources that are available to them in their respective communities so when they return, they are prepared.

That they know about resources for speech language therapy and occupational therapy, for neuropsychologists who have experience in evaluating children with these backgrounds. And particularly, therapists who have experience in working on the behavioral problems of children who have had institutional exposure.

WHITFIELD: And clearly, these are not things that are restricted to foreign adoptions, it happens -- these are the same ...

PAKULA: Yes.

WHITFIELD: ...kinds of obstacles and challenges that one faces when they're adopting a child right here in the U.S., but since we're talking about this particularly, about the case of Russia, we are focusing on the foreign adoptions.

Dr. Amy Pakula, thanks so much.

PAKULA: Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate it and hopefully, a lot of help is being offered to families and children who are trying to find each other.

PAKULA: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, no criminal charges to be filed against Ben Roethlisberger, but the small town police officer who investigated sexual assault allegations against the NFL quarterback abruptly quit this week. Our legal guys think there's more to come on this case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, a look at our top stories right now. Thousands of people stranded across Europe, and in many cases their flights simply canceled. A number of major airports, including London's Heathrow shut down, all because of the thick ash spreading east from an erupting volcano in Iceland. Ash particles can actually cause jet engines to fail.

And that situation is keeping some world leaders from attending tomorrow's state funeral for Poland's President and First Lady. At this point, President Obama still plans to go. Today, about 100,000 Poles filled Warsaw's biggest public square for a memorial service. Their president and 95 others were killed one week ago in a plane crash in western Russia.

Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs now faces allegations of securities fraud. The Securities Exchange Commission filed the complaint yesterday. Among other things, the firm is accused of selling bad securities to one group of investors while letting another investor bet against them. Goldman Sachs calls the charges completely unfounded.

All right, welcome back. Our legal guys ...

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK, we're going to welcome our legal guys back because we've got a few other cases that caught our eye. Avery Friedman, a civil rights attorney and law professor from Cleveland, Ohio, and Richard Herman is a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor coming to us from New York.

All right, gentlemen. Let's talk about quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He was accused of sexual assault of a 20-year-old college student, but then we learned this week, no charges to be filed. However, there are details that are coming out from a police report, though. Is this case on or off, Richard?

HERMAN: Well, Fred, this case is off. There will be no criminal prosecution from this particular district. But, you know, $100 million quarterback or professional athlete allegedly having sex with young women in bars and restaurants and public areas who are intoxicated ...

WHITFIELD: Wait a minute, plural now? Plural or just the one?

HERMAN: Well, I'm just saying -- well, plural here, but there are other allegations of other cases. It's a recipe for disaster. This guy has to stop allowing little Ben to think for big Ben because he's going to find himself in a world of trouble and the -- I see you -- you let it go? Nobody says anything, OK. And the ...

WHITFIELD: We're smirking.

HERMAN: ...the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to discipline him. They're going to discipline him on this, Fred. He's going to get disciplined by the Steelers.

WHITFIELD: Oh OK. And so, Avery, is there really any fallout about the handling of this case? Are we talking about, you know, this case handled differently because you've got this, you know, celebrity NFL player, and a small town in Georgia?

FRIEDMAN: Yes, yes, there's no doubt about it. This was handled not only very poorly by the local cop who had to resign this week, but also the Pennsylvania state trooper who acted as the so-called bodyguard, who is also going to be investigated. And I think if there's a hero at all, it's Art Rooney, the owner of the Steelers, who's made it clear he doesn't care if there's a civil or criminal case. He's come out publicly.

I don't think this case is over.

WHITFIELD: No.

FRIEDMAN: I think the criminal case is over because after all ...

HERMAN: Right.

FRIEDMAN: ...she was drunk, there are credibility issues. But this matter is far from over and I think the repercussions will hit a lot of people as it unwinds.

WHITFIELD: And whatever happened to the witnesses? If apparently he was bar-hopping with a group of college kids ...

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: ...aren't their eyewitness accounts, or is the police department saying that there were not any credible eyewitness accounts and that's why there are no charges in part?

FRIEDMAN: Well, the bodyguards actually blocked these eyewitnesses from trying to get more facts, to protect their friend, this young woman and again, that's why I think these officers are going to be looking at charges and complications. So, that's why I say this thing is far above and beyond Ben who's in trouble; other people are going to be adversely affected by what happened here.

WHITFIELD: OK. And we figured it had been a while, because it was time to involve one of your favorite subjects of a legal case, former Illinois Governor Rob Blagojevich and apparently, there is some new information now, we understand, gentlemen, whereas the first couple had said that they used personal money for home renovations. Now, a 91-paged document is saying or alleging that they actually funneled tens of thousands of dollars into their account by setting up a sham real estate commission.

So, Richard, now what? Boy, this is the longest legal fight ever and it gets more and more complicated as we go on. I'm lost. Where are we on this case?

HERMAN: Yes, the light is at the end of the tunnel, Fred. There's a trial coming up on this case and you know, I think he thinks by putting his face up there in the public, he's garnering support for himself.

WHITFIELD: With the "Celebrity Apprentice" and such?

HERMAN: But -- yes. I think just the reverse. I think people hate him more now than ever.

WHITFIELD: You do?

HERMAN: And I think, you know, I noticed -- I think so.

WHITFIELD: It didn't show a softer, more appealing side of Rob Blagojevich, and maybe thereby kind of taint a jury pool or influence potentially?

HERMAN: Well, I think the jury pool is annihilated. I think this guy, regardless right or wrong of the facts, I think a jury hates him, and I think they're going to crush him in this case ...

FRIEDMAN: Well, and ...

HERMAN: ...even though he may have viable defenses.

FRIEDMAN: What happened here, this was a motion by not either the defense or the prosecution, Fredricka, this is first amendment at work. This is the "Chicago Tribune" and other media outlets that force the release and the defense team ...

WHITFIELD: And the document.

FRIEDMAN: ...wanted to block it because they thought it would be -- it would taint the jury pool. I actually agree with Richard. I think the jury pool is so tainted anyhow, but the fact is that the public's entitled to know what the government entends to prove, they won that motion, that is the "Tribune." Good for them. Patrick Fitzgerald, the U.S. attorney now discloses the information. It will continue to flow until we get to the trial.

WHITFIELD: All right, fascinating ...

HERMAN: And Fred, the defense says ...

WHITFIELD: What?

HERMAN: Yes, Fred, the defense says this is recycled information, it's nothing new, but I'm learning that there are corroborations for Redsco's (ph) statements here which are going to come back and hurt him ...

FRIEDMAN: Yes, there are tapes that are going to be coming out.

HERMAN: ... and again, the whole ...

FRIEDMAN: They are audio tapes ...

HERMAN: Yes.

FRIEDMAN: ...that have -- have now been ordered to be turned over, right.

WHITFIELD: OK, all right.

HERMAN: But the theory is he's trying to raise money for what he's going to do when he gets out of office. And that's the theory. But beyond his services -- the counts, they're going to go by ...

WHITFIELD: Well, that legal bill is going to be huge.

FRIEDMAN: We'll see.

HERMAN: They're going with the Supreme Court rules.

WHITFIELD: I mean, I could -- how could you ever make enough money? Oh OK. All right, and one more case. This in Illinois, too. This time, specifically in Chicago. We're talking about a dad -- we talked about this case a while back. A dad took his child to church, the mother who was Jewish said wait a minute, that defies our custody agreement, you're not supposed to do that. But now, apparently there's some resolution that bodes well for the dad, right, Avery?

FRIEDMAN: Well, a little bit. Actually, the mom got put ...

WHITFIELD: A little?

FRIEDMAN: Yes, let me tell you what happened. The mom, Rebecca Reyes got full custody and she has the right to determine the faith of the child, Ella, but the father Joseph, the ex-husband, who yanked the kid to church with all the local media in tow should have been put in jail in my judgment. But the judge gave him a pass, and bottom line is the judge said take the three-year-old to church shouldn't make a difference. What happens when shes five or eight or 12? That question is not answered. So, we'll see.

WHITFIELD: OK. Richard, you got a quick a little thought on that?

HERMAN: Yes, the bottom line is this is not in the best interest of the child. This is a three-year-old girl, Fred, and these parents do not know how to raise this child.

FRIEDMAN: Shame on them.

HERMAN: They're just selfish individuals and they're hurting this little child. Terrible.

FRIEDMAN: Absolutely right.

WHITFIELD: OK. All right, Richard, Avery, thanks so much. Good to see you. I missed you guys last week.

FRIEDMAN: See you soon. Yes, missed you, too. Glad you're back.

WHITFIELD: Glad we're back together.

HERMAN: We miss you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, you all have a great rest of the weekend. Appreciate it.

OK, well, this story caught our attention this week. Dr. Jack Kevorkian speaking out. Did you hear his extremely candid conversation with CNN's Anderson Cooper? The retired pathologist dubbed "Dr. Death" claims to have participated in more than 100 assisted suicides of seriously ill people.

He served eight years in prison for second degree murder and in a rare interview since his prison release three years ago, Dr. Kevorkian responds to critics who say he's playing God.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: A lot of people, as you know, I mean say, look, you're playing God. That shouldn't be ...

DR. JACK KEVORKIAN, ASSISTED SUICIDE ADVOCATE: Well, isn't the doctor who takes a leg off playing God?

COOPER: You're saying doctors play God all the time?

KEVORKIAN: Of course. Anytime you interfere with the natural process, you're playing God. God determines what happens naturally. That means that when a person's ill, he shouldn't go to a doctor because he's asking for interference with God's will. But of course, patients can't think that way. They want to live as long as possible and not suffer, so they call a doctor to help them end the suffering.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Fascinating stuff, huh? Dr. Kevorkian is profiled in a new HBO film called "You Don't Know Jack" which premieres next week. Al Pachino plays Kevorkian. So, are you interested in seeing this film and do you agree with Dr. Kevorkian's philosophy? We want to hear from you. Log on to my blog at CNN.com/fredricka and let us know. We'll get some of your comments on the air later on this afternoon.

All right, waxing poetic in public. Why this guy is letting perfect strangers rip away his hair. Why is he doing that? I know, it's not funny, that's painful. It's a viral video, however, that you don't want to miss.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The Obama administration plan that was designed to stem foreclosures may not be helping millions of troubled homeowners who actually need it. A government watchdog group released a report this week saying for every home saved, 10 are lost. So, if you're trying to save your home, what should you do with this information?

A personal finance expert will be joining us in the 2:00 Eastern hour with some answers to that question, as well as other money questions, including if you get a refund, what do you do with that refund? Do you spend it, do you invest it? You can send your questions to my blog at CNN.com/fredricka.

All right, the latest, greatest viral videos. We'll have them for you today in the 2:00 Eastern hour, but Josh Levs is with us right now to give us a little preview of what to expect.

LEVS: Yes, a half hour earlier than usual, Fred. We're going to be around 2:45 today and the first one I already know that you're going to love. I've already seen you ...

WHITFIELD: And I saw it, too. Hilarious.

LEVS: This really -- I'm not kidding, let's take a look. It might actually be starting a trend worldwide for what people will do for charity. Let's try that video if we can.

WHITFIELD: Really?

LEVS: Well, anyway, there you go. There it is. He -- let's just say he does something very few guys would ever do in a public place, and you are there to witness all the pain. And yet, somehow, it's good for charity and is inspiring people all over the world -- ouch!

WHITFIELD: Ow!

LEVS: Plus, we're going to have the robot that will do all your laundry for you, and Fred, every week, what I promise you, a moment of zen to help relax after watching this.

WHITFIELD: Oh good. Got to have that zen. I don't know what's more crazy, you know, or who's the crazier one, the one that rips or the one that's being ripped. That's pretty nutty stuff.

LEVS: Actually, I'll be able to answer that at 2:45.

WHITFIELD: OK, we're going to look forward to that. Thanks, Josh.

LEVS: All right, see you.

WHITFIELD: See you then.

LEVS: You got it.

WHITFIELD: Much more straight ahead after this. No more ripping, though.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, you want to join us in the 2:00 Eastern hour because we're answering your questions about foreclosures, overdraft fees as well as what to do with that refund that you're going to get from your federal taxes. Just send your questions to my blog at CNN.com/fredricka. We'll get your questions posed to our financial expert 2:00 Eastern hour.

Meantime, time right now for "YOUR MONEY."