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Tropical Storm Earl Hits Nova Scotia, Sheriff Joe Arpaio Uncooperative, CIA "Kill List"; Kindergarteners Save For College; Top Celebrity Court Cases of the Week; Fantastic Parade
Aired September 04, 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 day long.
We'll be with you the rest of the day as well, all folks along New England shore, well they are right now breathing a sigh of relief after Tropical Storm Earl blew by leaving much of the area unscathed. Now people are trying to salvage their Labor Day weekend plans.
Earl brushed the shore never making landfall in the U.S., but it is still causing a few problems such as rip current, some beaches reopened along the East Coast later on. And there were power outages in New England, far fewer than many initially expected and the apparent impact on air travel seems minimal.
Also, with major northeast airports reporting few delays as well. All pretty good news. The same can be said for passenger train service in the northeast with Amtrak resuming normal schedules earlier this morning. Our team covering the storm includes CNN's Susan Candiotti, live in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and meteorologist Reynolds Wolf, who's right here in the Weather Center.
So Reynolds, take it away.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: OK, let's begin with the latest on this storm. The latest we have for you that is still just falling apart. I mean, this used to be a powerhouse. Right now it only has winds of 70-miles-per hour. No hurricane, just a tropical storm with gusts up to 85-miles-per-hour. The impact this storm is going to have on much of the eastern seaboard, at this point, will be the rip currents. That's going to be an issue for Maine southward to Florida. So, keep that in mind.
One of the reasons why this is moving out is something that you can see right here on this satellite image. We've got an area of low pressure, right there. At the same time, we got frontal boundary that is going to just drift its way to the east and it's going to extend all the way southward to, almost to the Gulf of Mexico (INAUDIBLE) Florida, and it'd going to continue to kick the storm out. And the storm expected to continue its march up to the north and northeast. By the time it gets to early Sunday morning, winds around 50-miles- per-hour, gusts to 65, it is going to be moving into colder water.
To tell you the truth, I wouldn't be surprised if the storm dies out by the time we get to Sunday morning, it doesn't even make it that far, but it is a weakening system and that is the good news. Some other good news for you, high pressure building into the center of the U.S. that's going to dominate your forecast in the southeast. Very dry conditions, beautiful conditions for you. The Eastern half of the Great Lakes breeze is going to pick up by the afternoon. Could see some scattered showers in parts of the southeast and mostly into Florida, but for Georgia and Alabama, that part of the southeast very dry, very low humidity maybe a stray shower along the Texas coastline, but out West it is going to be fantastic.
And your high temperatures, check this out, going up to 69 degrees in San Francisco, 95 in Salt Lake City, 88 in Los Angeles out by the Staples arena, Staples Center and 80 degrees in Kansas City, 81 in Washington, D.C. and Fredricka, 82 degrees in Atlanta. It's going to be beautiful, but along the coast again, rip currents could be a big threat through the holiday weekend.
WHITFIELD: Yes, so still be very careful if you're out there, beachside.
WOLF: Absolutely. You bet.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much Reynolds, appreciate that, have a great day.
WOLF: You too.
WHITFIELD: All right, well Earl has weakened; it is still causing a few problems across Canada's Maritime Provinces. Thousands of people in Nova Scotia are without power, right now. And among the areas feeling the impact, Halifax, as we see rough water in the city's harbor, right there.
Air travel has pretty much slowed to a standstill at the Halifax International Airport. The airport in St. John, New Brunswick, is also closed, for now. Ahead of the storm, campgrounds and beaches across Nova Scotia closed and resorts reported cancellations and we'll have a live report from Halifax, actually, coming up.
So let's go to Cape Cod, now. This Labor Day weekend will be a washout, completely, like a lot of people actually feared. Earl didn't cause the damage that it might have caused had it's been a direct impact. CNN's Susan Candiotti is live from the cape, right now.
How's it looking?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, beautiful. You know, most of the time, there's one thing you can count on after a hurricane blows on by, the sun comes out again and it has in a big way, today. Look at this beach, just gorgeous. This is Nantucket Sound and we are in Yarmouth, Massachusetts. Where they actually have the honor of recording, you could say, the high test wind gust, 58- miles-per-hour, of course that's tropical storm force winds.
WHITFIELD: All right, looks like we are having a problem there, with Susan's shot. Well, even though the storm has, for the most part, passed, we still have a few problems, little gremlins in the air, interrupting our signal.
So, let's move on to a state of emergency which is in effect for Christchurch, New Zealand after a major earthquake. There are no reports of death, so far, but damage is substantial. The 7.0 magnitude quake caused buildings and roads to crumble.
Lee Harry Paul lives in Christchurch and he's joining us, right now, by phone.
Boy, this was really a remarkable occurrence. Give me an idea what you experienced?
LEE HARRY PAUL, CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND RESIDENT (via telephone): It was -- it felt like the wind was going to swallow us up. It was shaky and it was just something like out of the movies, really. It was unbelievable.
WHITFIELD: Where were you, exactly, when the quake hit?
PAUL: I was in bed and my room just shook and -- it is still a shock, really. I was just (INAUDIBLE), just worried about my own family and getting on to my mother's house and trying to help her out.
WHITFIELD: And so once you did decide to venture out, give me an idea of what you saw, because we're looking at these images and we're seeing collapsed roofs, we're seeing things piled up on top of vehicles. What did you experience? We're seeing the search dogs that were involved, as well.
PAUL: Sure. Well, what I saw was at my mother's house, the chimney had collapsed and just the structural damage to a lot of houses in the suburbs and the city, itself. It was just fires breaking out and yeah, you would think that you can't imagine, really.
WHITFIELD: Had you ever experienced a quake?
PAUL: Yes, I have, but nothing like this before. Christchurch has had a few tremors, but nothing to this scale or anything like that.
WHITFIELD: OK, Lee Harvey (SIC) Paul, thanks so much, appreciate it and all the best in the recovery efforts throughout your area.
PAUL: Oh, thanks very much.
WHITFIELD: All right, a glancing blow for the U.S., a direct hit; however, for Canada. You saw some of the pictures, earlier, and you got the latest update on what's going on with Tropical Storm Earl. We'll try to update you further, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Heavy rains and gusty winds are lashing parts of Nova Scotia, right now. Tropical Storm Earl made landfall there, about an hour ago and Brian DuBreuil is with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, he's standing by right now, in Halifax.
So, give me an idea of what you all are experiencing.
(AUDIO GAP)
WHITFIELD: OK, it looks like we're going to have to work out that audio problem. We've got all kinds technical problems, today. So, just hang with us a little bit, we're going to take a short break and we'll be right back with much more in the NEWSROOM, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: OK, we are going to try this again. Tropical Storm Earl, right now, is battering Nova Scotia and Brian DuBreuil is with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He's, right now, in Halifax.
We see some branches that are down, behind you, we can definitely the wind is blowing, but I just saw a car go behind you, so it can't be all that bad, right now.
BRIAN DUBREUIL, CBC NOVA SCOTIA: Well, that's right, you got us at a good time. It has blown through Halifax, now. It's now heading across Nova Scotia towards Prince Edward Island. But over the last couple of hours, the wind was blowing here, really strong winds, a lot of rain.
We were talking winds of about, sustained winds of 90 to 100- kilometers-an-hour with gusts to about 120-kilometers-an-hour, which is about 70 to 75-miles-an-hour, wind (INAUDIBLE). So, that has been causing a lot of problems.
We've seen a lot of this. These are the tree downs. You talk about the trees down, here. Here, these big limbs, the branches off trees, that's happening all over from the coast southern Nova Scotia all the way up through to Halifax and now into the middle of Nova Scotia as it goes on.
And of course, these have been knocking out a lot of power lines. Nova Scotia Power, the main power company, here, tells us about 115,000 people, here in Nova Scotia, are without power, right now. It's also closed, well it hasn't closed, the Halifax National Airport, but there are no flights going in or out of the airport.
The big problem for a lot of folks has been trying to keep people safe. A lot of people have been heading into the beaches, into Peggy's Cove, which is a very popular tourist, but I'm sure a lot of your viewers have been out there who visited this neck of the woods and there's big rocks and big waves and police had to close off the roads to try to keep people from going onto the rocks and getting themselves into danger.
But, I just got off the phone with our emergency measure folks, here, and they're telling me that no real reports of any real widespread damage anywhere else. The kind of damage that we're seeing is a few trees down, a couple of houses damaged by trees, some roads have been blocked because of that, but again, most of the damage has been this kind of stuff: just tree branches down in yards and onto the power lines.
And the big thing over the next few hours is going to be trying to get the power back, because that's the one that's causing the biggest problems for people here, right now, a lot of folks just don't have power.
WHITFIELD: OK, but at least for the most part, it seems like a fairly easy clean up, folks just have to be a little patient before power is restored. Thanks so much. Brian DuBreuil, there in Halifax, Nova Scotia, appreciate that.
DUBREUIL: You're welcome.
WHITFIELD: All right, meantime, sounds like a good time to bring in our legal guys. A lawsuit against President Obama and his entire administration. At issue, the ACLU wanting to stop the feds from killing a man allegedly linked to al Qaeda.
Richard and Avery, there they are, they'll be along, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The federal government sues a popular and controversial sheriff in Arizona and he is simply digging in his heels. Let's check in with our legal guys. They are joining us from their usual places, right? From Cleveland, civil rights attorney and law professor, Avery Friedman and in New York, criminal defense attorney and law school professor, Richard Herman.
Good to see both of you, professors.
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Look at that, last of the summer white. Wow.
WHITFIELD: Yeah, this is my last shot at white. After Labor Day you are not supposed to do it. I'm going to try to adhere to the rule, here.
FRIEDMAN: Yeah, somebody made up that rule.
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You can always do it, Fred, you can always do it.
WHITFIELD: I don't like that rule. It's making getting dressed very complicated.
All right, let's talk about the interesting stuff. Sheriff Joe Arpaio says, you know what, I'm not going to cooperate; I've already done my part and so Richard, what really is in store for him? He's supposed to hand over documents and he says, you know, I've done everything I've been asked to do, be gone, Justice Department.
HERMAN: Well the civil rights division of the Justice Department has sought information from him concerning the way he operates his office and the way he does all these types of raids, out there in Arizona. He's saying that, basically, I have complied and his attorneys are saying, and we'll continue to comply.
So the federal government got all upset over this, so they went and flashed and brought the lawsuit -- I have a copy of it, here -- and basically what it asks for is just to have the court compel the sheriff to provide the documents, now. If the court does that, and they will do that, Fred, and he fail to comply, then I'm sure they will hold him in contempt of court.
WHITFIELD: So Avery, this really has nothing do with, or do you believe there is a connection between the Justice Department's pursuit of Arizona's newest immigration law?
FRIEDMAN: Yeah, it's got nothing to do with it, Fredricka. But actually, Arpaio is really a human calamity. Let me tell you exactly what's on the line, here. The law that's involved has been on the books, passed by Congress over 45 years ago. All he's got to do is turn over the records to show how he's treating everyone.
Tom Perez, who's the top lawyer for the Justice Department, has asked Arpaio, listen to this, 51 times. Not only is he facing personal trouble, but Phoenix and the county, Maricopa, will lose millions of dollars because he won't turn the records over. It's nothing more complicated than that. but there's a reason --
WHITFIELD: Well then, internally would anyone in the state be offering some pressure on the sheriff to say, we would be losing millions of dollars, you need to go ahead and supply these documents?
FRIEDMAN: Yeah, it is basic. I'm sure some of these officials are saying look it, sheriff, turn the stuff over like every other sheriff in America does. He won't do it. There's no reason not to do it. I don't understand his position. He claims it is political, but frankly, if the records are turned over, it will show one of two things, No. 1 that he has complied with the law or No. 2, he hasn't.
If he's afraid that he hasn't, that is that he's treated Hispanics and others more harshly than Whites, then he's in trouble. So, he's afraid of turning it over, that's what this controversy's all about.
WHITFIELD: So, Richard, if he has something to hide, that's the conclusion, then it seems as though the Justice Department is really going to throw the books at him, even tougher, if indeed, they're able to prove that he is treating people differently, regardless of whether he hands over documents?
HERMAN: Well, there is one other component here, Fred. There is a federal criminal grand jury investigating him, right now. So, if I was representing him, and if I was giving him advice, I would probably not allow him to turn over certain documents and that might be the rationale that's going on, here, because, you know, when the grand juries get together, Fred, and he's a controversial guy, you know, they say you can indirect a sandwich, you know, they're gunning for him. He's in the crosshairs, they want him bad. I wouldn't be surprised if he got indicted, criminally. WHITFIELD: OK, and there is a so-called "kill list." The CIA keeping a so-called "kill list" according to the father of a man who is on this list. A, Richard, will we ever really know whether there is indeed a CIA kill list which is now at the centerpiece of this federal case?
HERMAN: Well, our government says after 9/11, Congress empowered the executive branch to protect the United States from al Qaeda; and so, we're doing everything we have to do in accordance with the laws and rules and regulations to protect U.S. citizens from al Qaeda. They are never going to come out and say oh, yeah, by the way, we have kill lists for people that are trying to stir up al Qaeda to cause havoc and terrorism in the United States. So, they're never going to say that. This ACLU lawsuit is trying to expose that, Fred.
WHITFIELD: And so, what is the legal basis, really, of this lawsuit, if you have to, Avery, first even prove that there is a kill list, if you can't prove that, then you really don't have a case, right?
FRIEDMAN: Yeah, this is a very complicated case. It involves individual rights guaranteed under, your question, the legal basis, under the Fifth Amendment, the due process rights. The guy that they are looking for is the son of the person bringing the suit, who's an Islamic cleric, probably somewhere in Yemen.
The bottom line, is he is saying his due process rights were violated. That's an individual right and Richard's right, there's war powers, there's executive power that basically deals with dealing with the enemy, so ultimately, a federal district judge is going to have to balance that. And you know what? I don't know if I can predict the results of this, because both arguments are extremely strong. A very complicated case, but one that is very important in finding out if indeed there is a kill list.
WHITFIELD: Interesting. All right, let's move onto Facebook. This is impacting a whole lot of people, potentially. They are facing a class action suit by Facebook users who say that their privacy is not being secured by Facebook, especially as it pertains to minors. So, where do you see this one going -- Richard. How much privacy should you have on this rather public domain?
HERMAN: You know what's compelling you to get on to Facebook, and if you're going to go on, you have to comply with their rules and regulations and accept what they prescribe for all of their participants. What the lawsuit says, Fred, is that children, minors, 14 to 18 years of age, in California, are being abused because Facebook is using their profiles to sell and try to gain membership into Facebook and sell products using their names and likeness and so they're brining, it's a major lawsuit, multiple millions of dollars. Facebook says no, that is wrong we don't disclose any profile information for any minors, so the lawsuit's going nowhere, it's a farce.
WHITFIELD: Oh, wow. All right, real quick -- Avery. Do you agree?
FRIEDMAN: It's not a farce. I mean, there are a million 14- year-olds in California and it is a serious matter. Actually, the allegation is that Facebook is using these 14-year-olds to market issues, I think it's a complicated, important case, and it's going to deal with privacy issues that affect untimely affect everyone. A very important case.
WHITFIELD: Fantastic. All right, we are going to see you again later on in the hour. We're going to talk Paris Hilton, Botox, Caroline Giuliani and none of those cases are related. We're going to talk about them separately, however. But it is also fascinating, isn't it? Stuff that folks may not already know about it.
FRIEDMAN: It would be fun to see if we can put them all together.
WHITFIELD: That would be scary, actually.
HERMAN: Yeah and Fred, Most importantly, it will not affect your beautiful Facebook page. Your Facebook page is fantastic.
WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh, you are kind. Very nice. OK, I'll see you in a few minutes. Thanks so much.
All right. well meet the high school graduating class of 2023.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR GAVIN NEWSOM, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: How much money is this?
CHILDREN: Ten.
NEWSOM: Ten dollars. And do you think, if you go to college, do you think it costs more than $10? Probably, huh? So you need a lot of these to go to college.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Well, the pressure's on. San Francisco's mayor says these kindergarteners are seven times more likely to go to college because they are already saving money for higher education and it's all courtesy of the taxpayers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: So all week long, CNN has been looking into ways to fix our schools. Our mission: to document the education crisis in America, as well as shine the light on success stories.
The federal government says about 70 percent of high school graduates headed off to college last year, that is a record high, but higher education comes with a hefty price tag and the cost keep rising. Right now, at public universities, students pay nearly $20,000 a year for tuition fees, room and board; nearly $40,000 a year for a private university. So we wondered how much college will cost in 13 years, when today's kindergarteners enroll. The college board predicts that by 2023, private school will cost more than $73,000 a year.
Well that is a huge financial burden, but kindergarteners in San Francisco's public school system are actually starting to save for college right now, and those 5-year-olds can thank the taxpayers for the investment.
Here's CNN's Dan Simon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAYOR GAVIN NEWSOM, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: What would college be? Is it a sport?
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: It's a kind of school.
NEWSOM: It's a school. Well done.
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): San Francisco's mayor, Gavin Newsom, doing a classroom show-and-tell with five-year- olds.
NEWSOM: How much money is this?
CHILDREN: Ten.
NEWSOM: Ten dollars. And do you think, if you go to college, do you think it costs more than $10? Probably, huh? So you need a lot of these to go to college.
SIMON (voice-over): The mayor has come to Sarah Elementary School because starting this year, every kindergartner here will get a college savings account, courtesy of city taxpayers.
(on camera): We've never heard of anything like this before.
NEWSOM: No, to our knowledge, it hasn't been done in the United States. And what a nice backdrop, you know, in the midst of everybody talking about budget cuts and constraints.
SIMON (voice-over): The program, which will take a couple of years to fully implement, is fairly modest. Children will get $50 to start, $100 for lower income children. One of the goals is to get families to save.
As an added incentive, a private foundation will contribute $100 for every child whose family saves $100, at least for the first few years.
JOSE CISNEROS, CITY TREASURER, SAN FRANCISCO: We know that $50 or $100, even after 12 years of interest and compounding, it's still not going to be enough money. We know that what really needs to happen is the families need to step in. Families, relatives, friends, they really need to help and augment those savings so they grow year after year after year. And that's what gives a child enough money to go to college.
SIMON (on camera): One of the main ideas behind this program is just to get children thinking about college at a very young age. City officials like to point to a study from Washington University in St. Louis that found that children who just had some money set aside for college were seven times more likely to go.
(voice-over): This Latino father says he wants to send his two children to college, but like many parents, hasn't saved for it and is intimidated by the costs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you're unemployed and not working for five months, it's kind of hard to think about saving.
NEWSOM: One-half of the Hispanic community in San Francisco doesn't even have access to a checking account or savings account, but their child has that and now it's being matched by the private sector. And Stanford University and the Gates Foundation are going to do an independent analysis to see if this works.
And other members of the community are going to say, hey, you know what, I'd love to contribute.
You watch. This thing will take off and all of a sudden, we'll deal with that one limiting belief, that is, I can't afford college."
SIMON (voice-over): The program would have to survive budget negotiations each year, but at a cost of $200,000 this year out of a $6 billion budget, the dollars seem minuscule, especially if it works.
That, of course, we won't know for many years until these children reach college age.
Dan Simon, CNN, San Francisco
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All the best to those kindergarteners and beyond.
All right, let's talk legal again. We've got our favorite players back.
Contrary to a popular saying, not everything that happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Just ask Paris Hilton. And maybe we should ask Richard Herman, because we know that's kind of one of your home away from homes. You do a lot of business there.
Richard Herman, Avery Friedman, back with us.
OK. So, Richard, you first. You know, Paris Hilton, it's just never ending. This time, you know, she says it was gum that fell out, turns out it was cocaine and then, in addition to that, she said, oh, but wait, this was a borrowed purse, so I don't know about any of this.
What are we going to do or what is she going to do about her defense, because we all know about it now.
HERMAN: Well, hopefully, Fred, what happens in cases like this is there is a negotiated plea that is resolved that satisfies both sides.
But, Fred, the car was pulled over because an officer in the car behind said he smelled and odor coming from the car traveling in front of him, so he pulled the car over. That sounds ridiculous to me and if that stop is bad, everything gets dismissed.
WHITFIELD: Wait a minute. You said what is ridiculous is this smell? The police officer can't smell something that smells familiar, smells like marijuana and that's not due process? You can't pull somebody over for that?
HERMAN: Cause are moving down a street and he smells something from a car in front of him? It is 100 degrees in Vegas. He had his air conditioning on, he didn't smell anything. That's ridiculous.
But wait a minute, Fred, assuming --
WHITFIELD: That's going to be T.I.'s defense too. That's another case.
FRIEDMAN: That's got nothing to do with what happened Paris.
(CROSSTALK)
FRIEDMAN: Wait, wait. Paris wasn't driving, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Right, she was the passenger.
HERMAN: Right. That is right.
FRIEDMAN: So she pulled -- he pulled the driver over and he issued a summons to the driver, she just wanted to go inside to go to the bathroom. How did they detain her?
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Didn't something allegedly drop out of her bag?
FRIEDMAN: I mean, this is after the stop. It has nothing to do with that. The fact is, she is going to the lady's room, she has her Channel clutch, she says, oh, Miss Officer, can I open my purse, and out falls the cocaine. It has nothing to do with the stop. Nothing to do at all. Nothing.
HERMAN: Why did she have to ask anybody?
FRIEDMAN: I think she's in trouble.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Yes, the vehicle is pulled over, she is a passenger, she doesn't, I guess, refute that, but doesn't she have to ask because --
FRIEDMAN: Richard, you have to listen to, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Yes, funny.
Wouldn't she have to ask because she is part of what, I guess, a crime scene in the making, a detainment, an arrest, a citation in the making and she is at least a witness to it even if she isn't a party to it, right?
FRIEDMAN: She was a witness, right.
HERMAN: But you don't get arrested for that. You don't get detained for that, Fred.
Having said that all that, you know, if you go in Las Vegas, every weekend there are 50 people there who get pulled over after coming out of clubs with some sort of possession of some sort of illegal substance. All I'm saying is they should treat Paris like they treat everybody else similarly situated.
(CROSSTALK)
HERMAN: Do they charge them with felonies and threaten prison for them? They don't do that, Fred.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Oh, I see. So, Richard, you're saying because she's a recognizable face, Paris Hilton, she was treated differently and this entire case is being treated differently.
FRIEDMAN: She wasn't. Fredricka, she was not made an example --
(CROSSTALK)
FRIEDMAN: -- a hundred people that gathered around. That's not correct. There were a hundred people, the police escorted her inside. And now, not only is she charged, but she is now banned from the hotels, at least from the Wynn hotels.
WHITFIELD: OK, and so she's --
(CROSSTALK)
HERMAN: Well, from two Wynn hotels, she is Hilton so.
WHITFIELD: She is apparently is going to be -- yes, there is a Hilton in town, so she'll always have a place to stay.
(LAUGHTER) WHITFIELD: So, she apparently will be arraigned in October by the same judge who was involved in the latest O.J. Simpson case, Avery. So I wonder, if there is I guess a statement or if she or anyone is being made an example of or celebrities being made an example of, would this judge want that as part of their track record?
FRIEDMAN: Well, there is going to be an arraignment. The judge does very, very little here.
But you know what, I don't know who is representing Paris, but one thing that her lawyer might consider --
HERMAN: I do.
FRIEDMAN: -- recommending is that she has to stop tweeting messages, giving all these details about what happened and all the explanations, cause everything she is saying will be and should be used against her in a court of law, and that is a problem.
WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness.
HERMAN: If law enforcement -- OK. They're going to make a nice resolution here, this should be disposed of this fall and everyone is going to go their own way. That's what's going to happen here.
FRIEDMAN: I think that's right. I agree with that.
WHITFIELD: OK, all right. Let's move over to your neck of the woods then, Richard, and let's talk about Caroline Giuliani, you know, charged with shoplifting. Community service is, I guess, the worst that's about to happen to her or has happened to her and then back to school.
HERMAN: Well, Fred, that's my example. She was treated like everybody else is treated under those circumstances. She got what's called an ACD in New York, an adjournment and contemplation of dismissal. She has to be good for six months, not get arrested or convicted of a crime during that period of time, and all these charges will be completely dismissed, her record will be clean. That's what they do in cases like this.
WHITFIELD: Really? So everyone is treated that way?
FRIEDMAN: That's right.
HERMAN: Yes.
FRIEDMAN: And you know what, Fredricka? That is the way it should be. I mean, this was, you know, foolish, it is an appropriate, you know, deferment of action. She's not going to get in trouble, she is back at Harvard right now. She's going to be just fine, case will be dismissed.
WHITFIELD: What was the item by the way? This was all over what?
(CROSSTALK)
HERMAN: Sephora, I thought. Sephora.
FRIEDMAN: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh, I'm sorry.
FREIDMAN: That's sacrilege, though, isn't it, Fred? Sephora?
WHITFIELD: OK, it is a happening place, but that is a steep price to pay for something like that.
FRIEDMAN: Paris Hilton doesn't shop there by the way.
WHITFIELD: You never know.
Michelle, we have more time or we're done. OK.
Sorry, guys, we are out of time it is never enough time.
FRIEDMAN: We ran out of Botox.
WHITFIELD: I know, that's right.
HERMAN: We need the hour. We need the hour, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Something tells me that, you know, that has real staying power, that Botox case. So it is not going anywhere. We can revisit it anytime.
FRIEDMAN: Nice, good, very good.
WHITFIELD: Just trying to keep up with you two.
HERMAN: Oh, boy, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Avery, Richard always good to see you. Thanks so much, appreciate it.
FRIEDMAN: Take care.
HERMAN: See you soon.
WHITFIELD: OK, well she has spent her life enriching other people's lives through dance, now the White House prepares to pay tribute to an incredible woman. Keep it right here as we talk to Judith Jamison.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has been fighting the battle of her life. Navratilova was diagnosed with breast cancer just this past February and she allowed CNN to follow her throughout her treatment and recovery.
That documentary airs later on today, but I got an opportunity to sit down with the tennis champ -- or still the tennis champ, for a revealing one-on-one conversation yesterday.
Here is a little bit of what Navratilova had to say about her decision to go public.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTINA NAVRATILOVA, TENNIS CHAMPION & CANCER SURVIVOR: My life has been an open book in years past, and I wasn't about to change that. Although, I do guard private life a lot more closely than I ever did before.
As I get older, I'm keeping that circle a little tighter, but I feel that I owed it to the women of my age to really be honest and again, be true to myself. And if I can make a difference, I just felt obligated to do that. I just couldn't -- like I said, I couldn't walk away from it.
But I didn't know how much of an impact it was going to have. Initially, nobody wanted to talk to me. You know, I won't name publications, but they're like, oh, it's not that big of a deal. I was, like yes right, because it is not happening to you. But it is not because of me, it is because of the women that it is a big deal. You know, the numbers have been going down.
And I remember 20 years ago, it was maybe one out of 12 women was going to have breast cancer. Now those numbers are like one out of seven. I mean those odds are going down because of the stuff up in the air that we're drinking, eating, et cetera, the stresses of everyday life. So, if we're not affected by it, we certainly will know somebody that is affected by it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: She says, you know, what, you don't have to ask her anymore, how are you doing, how are you doing, because she gets that question all the time. She appreciates the care, though.
You can hear more of the conversation in our 3:00 p.m. Eastern hour. Then at 4:30 Eastern, don't miss the half-hour CNN documentary -- actually, it's "NAVRATILOVA: MY TOUGHEST OPPONENT." And if you miss it at 4:30, you can see it again at 7:30.
All right, Tuesday, policymaking at the White House gives way to music and dance. Everything from ballet to Broadway, in large part paying tribute to an amazing woman. You recognize this dancer right here. Judith Jamison has spent much of her life as a dancer/choreographer and for the last 20 years, artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She is joining us right now. This is kind of a farewell tour.
Can we call it that? Good to see you, Judith.
JUDITH JAMISON, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER: Hi, Fredricka. How are you?
WHITFIELD: I'm doing great. JAMISON: How are you?
WHITFIELD: Great to see you. I hate the distance, however, but I know we will make it appear as though we are close and right across from one another.
JAMISON: Yes, and we're going to see each other in Atlanta on tour, you know that. We'll be in Atlanta next tour, my final U.S. tour. So I will see you there.
WHITFIELD: I'd love that.
JAMISON: But in the meantime, I'm so excited about this, Fredricka. I don't know what to do.
WHITFIELD: You have to be. What an incredible honor.
JAMISON: I'm beside myself. Because I've been to the White House before -- yes, I've been to the White House before, but never has a first lady invited me to celebrate me by having other dance companies other than my baby, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, celebrate dance in America. That's amazing.
WHITFIELD: It is really a first for the White House to do this period, to make sure that dance is the showcase and the center point and this is your turn.
So give me an idea how extraordinary, I guess, you know, this must feel knowing that there are so many other dance theaters that are represented as well paying tribute to you. So it is not just the White House, but it's the entire dance community that says you were so well respected, you deserve this and they are honoring you for 20 years of this dedicated service to this art.
JAMISON: How does it feel? It feels great. Because my body hurts. I have been dancing for 40 or 45 years now, so this feels wonderful to sit on the other side and to not only watch the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, but all of the participants.
There are students that are participating in this whole event from the Ailey school, from Ballet Hispanico, from Cab Calloway School of the Arts, there's -- Harlem, Interlochen Center for the Arts and the Washington School of Ballet. They're all participating, plus I'm bringing my Ailey family and whoever else I can fit into that White House East Room to really celebrate what dance is to America.
And what dance is to America is this, it is a reflection of us. We are the cultural ambassadors of our country -- the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater -- but for all dancers, we are culture. We are the culture, the culture is reflected in our arts.
And with dance, we can speak it without even saying words. We can tell you about yourselves and about your condition, about the human condition. We can tell you about how important it is that you see us represented through our bodies and through what we do. Through our beauty and through our intelligence and through our motivation to dedicate ourselves to making these instruments something that you watch on stage and be transported.
And that the first lady, that Mrs. Obama recognizes the importance of the arts and particularly dance at this time and by honoring me, I am -- I'm beyond absolutely grateful for the gifts that God has given me all my life. Dance has brought me this far.
WHITFIELD: It is very clear that the White House, that the first lady is very passionate about this performing art, but do you get a sense that people in large volume are as passionate and as dedicated about this performing art as perhaps you were when you were starting out? As perhaps Alvin Ailey was when he created so may particular performances just with you in mind? Are you seeing that kind of passion that has kept this industry alive during your 20 years? Are you seeing that reverberation today, particularly in young people?
JAMISON: Oh, yes. Yes, particularly in young people, particularly in the generations of dancers that I see coming along through our school. The Joan Weill Center for Dance is the largest dedicated dance building in the United States, you know that.
But through the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, of course other companies that I see, but of course I concentrate on Ailey, and I see generations in the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Everybody from Renee Robinson to Matthew Rushing to the youngest of these, Michael McBride or Kirbin Boyt (ph). You know (INAUDIBLE), you see generations of and then you generations of dancers, one after the other.
Then you see grandparents bringing their children to performances. You see people who are still being dragged, but when they leave the theater, they feel differently. They are transformed.
WHITFIELD: And inspired.
JAMISON: So, yes, dance is work and inspired and uplifted. Alvin always used to say, dance should entertain, uplift and educate.
We're doing that and we're celebrating 50 years of revelations and 52 years of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and this celebration of American dance is incorporating everything we believe that dance should do. It should up lift, entertain and educate and you should know who you are. When you leave the theater, you should be changed.
WHITFIELD: Well anyone who has gone to Alvin Ailey feels all of these things. And perhaps, if they've never been, when they get a chance to see what takes place on Tuesday at the White House, they will be inspired to check this out Alvin Ailey this fall and winter as it makes its way across the country.
Always good to see you, Judith. And congratulations, well deserved and now even more people will know about your incredible contributions to this performing art.
JAMISON: Thank you so much, Fredricka. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All the best. Thanks so much. Talk soon and hopefully see you soon, particularly when you come through Atlanta again.
JAMISON: OK.
WHITFIELD: All right.
OK, we're going to take quite the turn. There is a different kind of performance, so to speak, going on in particularly in Atlanta today. Where do dragons, storm troopers, wizards, where do they all come to life? Lucky us, in Atlanta today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right some pretty strange sights, but welcome ones in Atlanta this morning. Take a look.
Yes, that was Darth Vadar. I'm not sure what that character is, but sometimes you can improvise and do your own thing. This parade is part of Dragon Con, the world's biggest science fiction and fantasy convention, and it's underway and people are so hyped about it. Convention participants, they dress up as their favorite characters from films, TV shows, books, games, you name it, turning downtown Atlanta into a temporary alternate universe.
Recognize that one? Storm Trooperish?
Grand marshals have included actor Kevin Sorbo who played Hercules on TV back in the '90s, way back, back into time.
All right, CNN's Suzanne Kelly has been checking out the Dragon Con Convention this weekend. You've been going as yourself, but somehow you have fit right in. You are getting tweeted, you are getting calls from people who are just like, you are now driving Con.
SUZANNE KELLY, CNN EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: I know, I'm like the poster child. Because, for so long people just kind of pushed this aside and said, oh these are just a bunch of geeks (INAUDIBLE).
WHITFIELD: Geek is cool.
KELLY: But it's changing industries. It is a business. It's therapeutic for a lot of people. There are so many interesting elements to the story that, I mean, how can you go wrong?
WHITFIELD: I know, and you see the costumes and you're thinking, OK, this is something that's appealing to kids, but we are talking grown people -- parents, grandparents -- they're into it.
KELLY: These conventions go on worldwide, and they are a little bit different. Some of them are more kid friendly than others. I don't know that I would take mine to this one. There are a lot of adults --
WHITFIELD: Not seeing any little people around there.
KELLY: Yes, but it is such a revolution to kind of see what social networking hat done to this business.
And if you are a young star these days in sci-fi or drama or whatever or if you have a new show that you want to promote and hype, it is not sort of the traditional means of reaching your fans and audience anymore. It's things like Dragon Con. It's conventions like this. It's social networking.
You know, Colin Ferguson who plays this quirky and funny sheriff on a show called Eureka on ScyFy was on this morning talking about it.
WHITFIELD: And he has a lot of fans here.
KELLY: He has a lot of fans, and every person is coming out of the woodwork to come meet here. I was like, I didn't even know you worked here. But anyway, he was twittering about his sort of his experience. So we pulled that up today.
WHITFIELD: OK.
KELLY: I don't know that he's really going to love this, but that's OK.
WHITFIELD: Really?
KELLY: I don't ever have to talk to him again.
(CROSSTALK)
KELLY: He's like OK, it is 3:00 in the morning. I'm not getting any sleep because there are a bunch of drunk women downstairs at his hotel like singing don't stop believing or something,
But a lot of people who can't come to the conventions are following their favorite stars on these social media sites to feel like they could be there. There was a woman on, Felicia Day, 1.7 million followers on Twitter.
WHITFIELD: You're kidding?
KELLY: What would most television shows give to have a quarter of that audience.
WHITFIELD: So what is it? Is it that people are just getting so bogged down with real life, you know, real problems, that this is a form of escapism that is fun? A slice of going somewhere else?
KELLY: For one weekend you don't have to worry about wars and Iraq or Afghanistan or hurricanes or oil spills or your mortgage payment. You don't have to worry about any of those things. For three days, you can be anything you want to be.
WHITFIELD: Wow, and they are doing it full force. Something tells me it gets bigger every year. Last year the numbers were so huge and people talked about the recession and we don't have real numbers yet now --
KELLY: Up 15 percent from last year.
WHITFIELD: We do have those numbers.
KELLY: Between 35,000 and 55,000 people here this weekend. And those shoes would fit in perfectly. I love the shoes.
WHITFIELD: You think so? OK. I'm ready for Dragon Con. I'll bring my voice too.
KELLY: I'll pick you up.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks. We'll sneak out maybe in the 1:00 hour.
All right, straight ahead, coming up 3:00 Eastern hour, are our kids overburdened? Overworked? Overstressed? We talk about adults being all of these things and going to Dragon Con, well we're going to catch up to the creators of a documentary called "Race to Nowhere" and they talk about what this stress has done to a lot of kids who are preparing for school, trying to get into higher education, name schools etc.
Then, at 4:00 Eastern time we'll move ahead to the movies. Always fun, George Clooney is back on the big screen. Stay with us throughout the day for any latest breaking news.
Right now time for "YOUR MONEY."
