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New Terror Fears; Sharron Angle Unplugged; Jury Reaches Verdict in Connecticut Home Invasion Murder Trial; Bullying a Major Problem In U.S. Schools; Jurors Deliberate In Home Invasion/Murder Trial; Poll Indicates Teens More Likely To Use Condoms Than Adults

Aired October 04, 2010 - 15:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Serious warnings overseas. Are terrorists right now gearing up for attacks across Europe, and are we a target?

I'm Brooke Baldwin. It's now. It's urgent. It's happening here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(voice-over): More countries on high alert. What are the targets? Who's at risk? And who's behind it all?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shooting at them and shooting at them until they hit the -- the husband.

BALDWIN: Pirates hit close to home, an American couple on jet skis under attack. I will tell you about the dramatic chase.

Horror in Connecticut.

A jury decides the fate of one of the men accused in a nightmare home invasion. We're awaiting the verdict.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Hi there, everyone. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Welcome to CNN NEWSROOM.

We have got a big two hours planned for you, but, first, we want to begin with breaking news.

You and I are going to look at these pictures together here for the first time. We are learning of this fatal school bus crash. This is Carroll County, which is essentially a suburb of Atlanta. And you're looking smack dab in the middle of the screen with me. That is obviously a school bus.

It appears to be on its side. Here is what we know. We know it happened right about an hour ago on Highway 113. We don't know who was killed. We don't know if it was a young child. I don't know if it was the driver. We don't know if any other vehicles were involved or how this thing fell, obviously, to its side. But you're looking, again, live pictures courtesy of affiliate WSB. As soon as we get more information -- you know we're picking up the phones. We're getting information for you. We will bring it to you live here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

But now I want to turn to our other developing story unfolding right now in the U.S. government's terrorism warning. And now we're hearing of this potential game-changer.

Within the past two hours, we have developed information of a U.S. attack in Pakistan, a drone attack that happened today. Here's what we know. Pakistani officials are telling CNN that eight people are dead, eight people of German nationality. This is why this is important. Follow me here.

The plot U.S. officials are warning about today is said to involve nine or 10 militants. In fact, you might be looking at some of them right here in this video, and they are allegedly -- they have entered Pakistan from Germany.

I know there are some holes here. Want to fill them in as we go, as we tell this story.

But I first want to get quickly to CNN's Fred Pleitgen, who is helping get some of this information out of Islamabad for us, joining me there live.

And, Fred, first, let's just begin with this -- this new development just in the last couple of hours. And what are we hearing from authorities about the specific drone attack and these people who were killed?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN BERLIN BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Brooke, we know that this happened in the Mir Ali district, which is in north Waziristan, which is of course a hotbed of both the Taliban and al Qaeda, but also of smaller militant groups.

Now, we have two Pakistani officials, one civilian and one from the intelligence services, who are telling us that these were in fact eight Germans who were killed when three missiles apparently hit a compound that they were in. Of course, the Pakistani believe that this came from a U.S. drone, these missiles, or several U.S. drones, probably, more than that.

Now, we do have to be quite careful about this information that we're getting, because one of the things that -- that is very difficult to determine -- and anybody can tell you this who has ever been at the site of a drone or missile strike -- it's very difficult to determine who was inside a house after that house has been hit by a missile.

So we're still very careful about this information. But you said it. If in fact these were eight Germans, the big question is, then, is this in any way related to that alleged terror plot? Because one thing that we do know, Brooke, is that the U.S. has been stepping up drone attacks in North Waziristan, in part at least in relation to that possible terror plot in Europe -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Sure. And I understand, as you mentioned, we may not be able to connect the dots for some while. May have to go to DNA evidence in able -- able to do so.

But our information, Fred, here's what we have at CNN. It indicates that these Germans involved in the plot may have been naturalized citizens from other countries.

Would a description such as that square with maybe what you're hearing about these eight people killed in this particular drone attack?

PLEITGEN: Well, one of the things that we're hearing is that these were possibly Germans of Turkish descent. Now, we have yet to confirm that with any sort of authorities. This is just something that we're getting from the ground. It is very, very difficult to determine that right now.

However, if you look at past terror plots that have happened in Germany, that have been uncovered, there one was in the year 2007. That in part also involved Germans of Turkish descent. So it is something that is possible.

BALDWIN: Sure.

PLEITGEN: However, we're not at the point of being able to confirm that yet. However, it is something that has happened in the past -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Fred, thank you for breaking just these few pieces.

Now, though, I want to fill in some more of these holes. And this is the part that is -- it's kind of hard to believe, but as it turns out, this alleged terror plot may have actually been hatched at the same German mosque -- you've heard about this mosque here -- where those al Qaeda-linked terrorists planned 9/11.

You're looking at video of it here. Right there, in fact, that's -- on the right, that's CNN's Nic Robertson. He went. He found it. And he is now joining me as well.

And, Nic, here's my question to you. With regard to this particular mosque -- I know it's in Hamburg -- how were authorities tipped off to this mosque, where all these key players, these militants were potentially hatching these plots?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, authorities here say that they have been watching the mosque for some time, that they have been watching some of these militants for some time.

And they say one of the reasons they have -- they have allowed to keep -- allowed it to stay open is because it's been easy to know what these people have been doing and what they have been planning, because they watch them. They say they use human intelligence, which tends to indicate they have got people inside the mosque.

This mosque at its peak had some 250 people attending it, that that's how the German authorities are getting their information. Where their story falls down, and they admit this, is that, in late 2008, early 2009, this group of 10 or so radicals from this mosque decided to go to Pakistan, and they really moved quicker than German authorities could get to stop them.

The Germans did pass on some information, and that resulted in a number of them being caught and turning around and coming back, but not enough to stop the -- what has -- what's been the core of the plot and some of the guys themselves tied with senior members of al Qaeda from links going right back to Mohamed Atta -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: So, Nic, I just want to make sure this is what I'm hearing from you. They purposefully kept this mosque open for some time to gain that intelligence, gain that human intelligence. Yet perhaps they did it -- didn't shut it down quickly enough?

ROBERTSON: In Germany, the laws are difficult, they say.

They -- there have been moves -- the imam at this mosque here has been accused in the 9/11 Commission report of having ties to fund- raising al Qaeda. The Spanish wanted him extradited from Germany to Spain because of links to terror plots in Spain.

The German, he was arrested. Then he was released because the laws weren't strong enough. Intelligence officials here believe that he has been allowing not only radicalization to happen inside the mosque, but even inspired this group to go to Pakistan.

But the laws weren't such that -- strong enough that they could move against this group here.

BALDWIN: Aha.

ROBERTSON: If you look at what's happened elsewhere in Europe, in Britain, for example -- yes, in Britain, for example, they have closed down mosques and imams like this.

Germany hasn't been able to do it, Brooke, and we see the results today.

BALDWIN: I see. There we go.

Nic, thank you.

And there's still more to this story here. Obviously, this terrorism warning, it covers travel to Europe. They dropped this huge decision right into the lap of the NBA, yes, basketball, because as it turns out, the NBA champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, are touring in Europe right now.

They're playing right now in London at this mega-arena. It's called O2. If you have ever been there, you know it.

Phil Black is there in London to talk me through the security angle.

And, Phil, I don't know if the Lakers are playing right now. I don't know when tipoff is, but I have to imagine there's some kind of additional security surrounding not just the arena, but that American basketball team.

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, as you can imagine, a big security issue surrounding this game.

Currently, beneath that dome behind me, the O2 arena, there are 18,000 people cheering on the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves. That big crowd has traveled here from across Britain, across Europe even. There are many Americans among them. It's the sort of large public event that the U.S. government and others are warning people to show greater vigilance at.

I spoke to some of the fans as they were coming in about whether they had any fears, concerns about coming to this sort of event. This is what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If I worried about it, I wouldn't leave the house at all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In London, that's the case all the time. You could -- you could say that all the time about London. So, absolutely not. Business as usual.

BLACK: And it's not going to stop you from seeing this game?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, never, never. Nobody's going to stop me to see this game. I love this game.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I blow today, then I will be happy to die tomorrow. So --

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At least I watched Kobe Bryant play. So that's all right for me.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACK: So, NBA fans taking it in their stride, so too NBA officials, who have told us that they actually had a tipoff, advanced warning that the U.S. government had real terror concerns in this part of the world and was thinking about issuing some sort of alert.

So they say they have been able to work with local authorities in advance to make sure all the appropriate security measures are in place. That's why this game is going ahead tonight -- Brooke. BALDWIN: Sounds like Kobe Bryant is taking precedence over perhaps the travel warning when you talk to some of those basketball fans.

Phil Black, thanks for that perspective.

Now on to a story we have been covering for you for multiple weeks. It's a story you have been engaged in, the jury now in Connecticut right now deciding the fate of one of the men -- there are two here -- this is the first of two accused in that brutal home invasion that killed a mother and her two young daughters.

But now take a look at this tweet. We have a tweet. There's this reporter who has been covering this whole thing from inside the courtroom, and we have been following her tweets. And here's the latest tweet.

"Jurors file out to begin deliberations. Hayes'" -- that's the man on trial here, Steven Hayes" -- "now in their hands."

Of course we're -- we're awaiting this verdict. I don't know how long it's going to take this jury to -- to return this verdict. But we're going to bring you the latest details from that, including the fact that some of these jurors had a question already for the judge 22 minutes into deliberation. What's going on there? We will find out.

Also, pirates killing an American on a lake. I'm talking about a 30-year-old husband. He, his wife were chased. We will read you part of her chilling 911 call. And I'm going to tell you about the threat of pirates close to home here in the States.

Stay right here. CNN NEWSROOM will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM.

We told you last couple of minutes about this travel advisory that has gone for America if you're traveling in Western Europe. And we follow a lot of these government agencies globally and a lot of them are on Twitter.

So, let's take a look, Robert. Let's roll over to the Twitter board, because I have a couple of tweets I want to read for you, this one of course from the U.S. This is the State Department. They say, "Travel alert for Europe due to potential terrorist attacks." They have got a link. They have got information there.

Also, this is the U.S. Embassy in London. "Travel alert for Europe from the U.S. State Department," a link there as well.

Brussels tweeting about this. "Europe travel alert. State Department. When information is such that it is appropriate to warn American citizens, we act."

And one more from Budapest. "Travel alert Europe" -- short, sweet, to the point. We get it. You get it.

One other question. Here's my question to you. If you are thinking about heading to Europe, might you do anything different? Or if you're in Europe, are you at all changing the way you observe people walking around tourist destinations, hopping on the tube, transportation hubs? Let me know. Send me a tweet. That is @BrookeBCNN. I will read it live on air.

Here's something we can talk about. Did you hear about this new huge sex study? Oh, yes. Americans are talking about everything they like to do. So --

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: -- are you normal?

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: That is coming up.

Also, Sharron Angle unplugged. Wait until you hear what the Tea Party movement candidate is saying about Republicans. Jessica Yellin is standing by with all of those details. Got some information, thanks to a -- a tape recorder. That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: In the world of politics today, I have got a good one for you. You ready? Two candidates backed by competing Tea Parties held a private meeting last week, private. Their Tea Party cred aside, it sounded a lot like the same old, same old, politics as usual. How do we know that?

Because one of the candidates taped the other one, taped the conversation without the other's knowledge, and was kind enough -- we say that loosely -- to give it to us, the media.

And so we have this quote from Tea Party-backed Republican Sharron Angle. You know she's in that tight race with Harry Reid. So, here is what she is taped as saying -- quote -- "The Republicans have lost their standards. They have lost their principles."

Hmm.

That is Senate nominee Sharron Angle talking about her own party.

Jessica Yellin is our national political correspondent.

Jessica, the first obvious question is this. We're talking about two candidates within the Tea Party. Explain to me why -- why this man would do that. I mean, it doesn't appear to be playing so nice.

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, not nice, but Scott Ashjian, the candidate in question, says necessary.

I got off the phone with him a little while ago, Brooke. He says he feels that his political opponents are constantly lying about him, and he recorded this for his own protection -- these are his words -- because he says every time he has a private meeting, he gets -- thinks the truth gets distorted, the facts don't come out.

He didn't intend to release the tape, he told me, but when rumors started, he said he handed it over and told the reporter: Here's the truth. Knock yourself out.

The bottom line is Scott Ashjian is with one group, the Tea Party Party, and Sharron Angle is running on the Republican ticket. So, they are political opponents. And this is part of a political fight.

BALDWIN: Recorded for his own protection, he says.

YELLIN: Yes.

BALDWIN: OK.

YELLIN: It's Vegas. Come on, Vegas.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: It's Vegas, baby.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: OK, let me -- let me break away from you for a second, because I want to read more of what Sharron Angle reportedly said in this conversation that was taped. And here's where it kind of sounds like the same old, you know, backroom politics.

Here's what she tells her opponent, that if he will quit the race, if he will bow out, she says -- quote -- "I can offer to you whatever juice I have. You want to see Senator Jim DeMint? I have juice with him. I go to Washington and I want to see Jim DeMint, he's right there for me."

She goes on say: "I want to see Tom Coburn, he's right there for me. I want to see Mitch McConnell, he's there."

Question, Jessica: Should it surprise a Tea Party backer to hear their candidate talking about -- you said she's running on the Republican ticket -- talking about the Republican Party like that?

YELLIN: Right. This is the part of the conversation that's the most potentially politically damaging for her, because, again, the Tea Party's whole argument is that they're there to shake up the Republican establishment, and what she's saying in this conversation appears to be, I have got juice with the Republican establishment.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: What's up with that word, by the way? Juice?

YELLIN: Juice? You know, it means political power.

BALDWIN: Political pull.

YELLIN: I can get you access. Pull, pull, good word --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Thank you for the translation.

YELLIN: So, the substance of what she said is not addressed by her campaign. Her campaign did put out a statement in response to this tape release, and, basically, it says: "Just like many folks in Nevada, Sharron Angle is angry with Washington. And she's a blunt, plainspoken leader who is willing to shake things up."

So, clearly, they're avoiding the substance of her conversation. I think what's most telling in this whole thing is her fundamental admission that she's worried this other guy, Scott Ashjian, could take votes away from her, that she could lose if he stays on the ticket, and he ain't going to budge. He wants to stay on that ticket.

BALDWIN: How do you think, though -- when voters in Nevada hear this -- hear bits and pieces of this conversation, how do you think they will react to it? Do you think this will be a home run for her for all these Tea Partiers out there, or will it work in the reverse?

YELLIN: For people out who are already concerned that she might be a little bit unconventional, shall we say, too unconventional and too outside the circle to function well in Washington, it might reaffirm their fear that, as Harry Reid puts it, she's too extremist or unstable.

But I think, bottom line, this is a campaign about, how much do you dislike Harry Reid out there and how much do you think she can get the job done, and this will sort of be a wash.

(CROSSTALK)

YELLIN: This tape is just more drama.

BALDWIN: Drama -- drama with the juice.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: Jessica Yellin, thank you.

YELLIN: Good to see you.

BALDWIN: Did you see this shot? I was talking about this in our editorial meeting. This is the Tiger Woods one-in-a-million shot. This is certainly not a game-changer, but a close call a photographer obviously will never forget. Look at that. You see that blob there? That's a golf ball.

But, first, the extreme consequences of bullying making headlines across the country right now. Are young victims finally being heard before it's too late? We're going to drill down on possible solutions when we come back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Want to take you to new video that we're just getting, unbelievable pictures of this very, very busy port.

This is Houston from KPRC. So, what happened Sunday morning is, you have this huge, huge, tall power tower. And, obviously, they're zooming in to get a better shot, I guess. You have this massive power tower. It was -- basically came crashing down after a tug pushing three barges hit this thing.

So, right now, they have all these other barges that are basically hanging in the balance to come into port as they fix this. But here's -- here's the kicker. Here's this huge problem. This -- this ship channel crash is causing $100 billion in a loss for this particular port for what's happening there in Houston.

So, that is a tough situation, obviously, for some of those barges heading in and out of there.

Also this today: Quietly and in candlelight, hundreds of young people turned out last night to remember a teenager some say was definitely driven to suicide.

Take a look with me. You're going to see the campus of Rutgers University. There was a similar vigil also across the river in Manhattan, but all these people, younger, older, they're gathered in memory of Tyler Clementi. I know you know that name by now. He's the 18-year-old who was that Rutgers freshman who was -- who jumped off the George Washington Bridge the other week.

Several other teenagers, by the way, have killed themselves in recent weeks as well, allegedly after being singled out and harassed because they were gay.

I'm about to show you the story of a kid -- a kid -- I want to underscore that for you -- he was just 11 years old -- who killed himself. His dad says he couldn't take the bullying.

But, first, I want you to watch this. You know who actor Neil Patrick Harris is, right? Remember him, Doogie Howser? He released this video to MTV urging bullied young people to hang tough, and he tells them to be patient.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS, ACTOR: But let me assure you, if you're getting bullied and you're feeling like you're on the outskirts, that it gets better because, when you get older, you find that people are actually drawn toward individuals with different points of view who are proud of who they are and who make interesting and different and unique choices for them. At least I am.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Neil Patrick Harris with the It Gets Better campaign. But now I want to tell you about that heartbreaking story about this child in Oklahoma, what he did, why he did it, and his grieving father's mission to prevent it from ever happening again.

Here now, CNN's Carol Costello.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kirk Smalley is on a mission. There he is an honored guest at Oklahoma City's Western Heights High School, trying to put a stop to bullying.

KIRK SMALLEY, TY SMALLEY'S FATHER: I have to make a difference. I promised my son on father's day this year I would stop this from happening to another child.

COSTELLO: For years, Smalley's son, Ty, struggled with a bully at school.

(on camera): And when you say he was being picked on, how was he being picked on?

SMALLEY: Name calling, Ty was always kind of small. Shove here, push there.

COSTELLO: His father says Ty was a typical kid with typical grades who took the abuse for two years. On the day Ty finally decided to push back physically, he got into trouble. He was suspended from school. For Ty, that was too much to bear. On that day last May, he killed himself. He was 11 years old.

SMALLEY: Ultimately, my son's safety rested in my hands. I was responsible for my son's safety. I don't hold -

COSTELLO: That's a harsh thing to say about yourself. I mean -

SMALLEY: I'm his dad.

COSTELLO: I know but he's out in the world -

SMALLEY: It's my job to protect him. No matter what, no matter where he was, it was my job to protect him.

COSTELLO (voice-over): But how do you protect your child from a bully? Assistant Deputy Education Secretary Kevin Jennings was appointed by President Obama to keep kids safe at school. Ty's story could easily have been his own.

COSTELLO (on camera): Were you bullied in school?

SMALLEY: Like many kids, I was bullied very severely when I was in junior high and high school. And the first day of tenth grade I actually refused to go back because I simply wasn't going to go back to a place where I got bullied every day.

COSTELLO (voice-over): Jennings organized the first ever bullying summit, but even he admits it's a baby step. Experts can't agree on how to define bullying. Is it physical, electronic, psychological, nonverbal, or all of the above?

COSTELLO (on camera): When might something happen? When might the federal government act and say these are the guidelines we want to put in place. Do it.

KEVIN JENNINGS, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION: I think that it's taking us a long time to develop a bullying problem, and I think it's going to take time to solve it.

COSTELLO (voice-over): It's why there are no federal guidelines schools must follow to deal with bullying. They are on their own. In Smalley's home state of Oklahoma, each school district deals with bullying in different ways. It's something else that infuriates Smalley.

JENNINGS: A lot of schools around the country the answer to bullying is they threat victim leave a little early. They let them go home early to get a head start on the bully. You're singling this child out. This child has been picked on and you're singling him out now.

COSTELLO: Real solutions will come too late for Ty. But Kirk Smalley is on that mission. It's why he organizes vigils at the Oklahoma state house. He thinks bullying ought to be a crime. And it's why he tries to convince other kids to stand up for the bullied.

SMALLEY: Save their fragile self-esteem. Save their lives.

COSTELLO: It's his promise to a boy who loved his family, hunting, and the St. Louis Cardinals.

SMALLEY: We haven't done Ty's last load of laundry because it smells like him. We haven't washed his sheets because I can go in there and lay on his bed and still smell my boy. You want to learn what bullying and suicide's all about, you talk to the people directly who it affects the most.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: That is tough to watch. We have an entire special, by the way, dedicated to bullying, the personal stories, the tragedies, the prevention. It is tonight at 10:00 eastern. It's called "Bullying, No Escape," a CNN Special Report tonight.

Forget Angle and McDonald and Paladino. Would you believe the hottest GOP race in the country right now, the big state of West Virginia? Why is Senator Byrd's old seat in the party spotlight? That is ahead.

Also, after sitting for weeks of graphic, emotional, and damaging testimony about that deadly Connecticut home invasion, jurors are finally getting to deliberate, and the stakes are high. We are talking about a possible death penalty. That is next. You're watching "CNN Newsroom." (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Let's get to that developing story out of Connecticut. This is the one that involves the killing of a mother and her two daughter in this horrific home invasion. A Connecticut jury of seven women and five men filed out of the courtroom within the past hour to begin deliberating here in the case against Steven Hayes.

He is the man -- there he is. He's charged with 17 different crimes. That's including robbery, kidnapping, arson, rape, and murder. Six of those are capital charges, meaning if he's found guilty of one of those six, he could face the death penalty.

Let's go back in time a little bit here. We've shown you this unsettling 911 call from the bank. This is where the wife, Jennifer Petit tried to withdraw money to save her family. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have a lady who is in the bank right now who says that her husband and children are being held at their house. The people are in a car outside the bank. She is getting $15,000 to bring out to them, that if the police are told, they will kill the children and the husband. She says they are being very nice. They have their faces covered. She is petrified.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Correspondent Beth Karas has been in the courtroom for "In Session" on Tru-TV. And Beth, I know this is a tough case to sit through. Let's begin with the jury. Obviously, they left to begin the deliberation process today.

So I want to ask you if you have any idea on a case like this, how long deliberations may take. And secondly, I read in a tweet from a reporter in the courtroom that some 22 minutes, I guess, into deliberation, the jury already came back to the judge, already had a question. What are we to take from that?

BETH KARAS, CORRESPONDENT, "IN SESSION" ON TRU-TV: That's right. You know, Brooke, people who sat through this trial and are familiar with it wonder how it could take the jury any more than about five minutes before returning with a verdict. However, there are a lot of crimes they have to go through, and the defense does have a good argument as to some of the crimes.

Now, they did have a note within the first half hour. They've been going at it about an hour and a half. And that note asked for a transcript of one of the key witnesses in the trial. That is a detective who had a conversation with Steven Hayes shortly after his arrest, and Hayes admitted to many of the actions he's now on trial for.

So they wanted that transcript, and the judge said, we don't have a transcript for you, but the court stenographer can read back the testimony of that detective for you. That will take 45 minutes. Jurors looked at each other, and there seemed to be one juror in particular who may have wanted that transcript. And they said, no. That juror caved and was OK with going back and deliberating with their notes and their memories. So there was no read back of the detective's testimony.

BALDWIN: So, Beth, we have no idea what it was about that detective's testimony, why they specifically wanted that testimony? We just don't know?

KARAS: Well, you know, we don't, but I can take an educated guess. Hayes does pass off some of the more egregious acts to his codefendant, who will be tried at some point next year, saying he's the one who inched his violence into this. Their intent was to tie up the family, look for jewelry and money, and make a getaway.

However, Hayes, of course, during the six and half hours of torment and torture of the family, does go out and buy several gallons of gasoline in one gallon jugs, which they use to spread around the house and on the bodies of the three women before setting the house on fire.

So while he may try to pass off the more violent acts, there is ample evidence he was complicity in all of them.

BALDWIN: Beth, take me back. It's Friday. We talked about how it was closing arguments and it was the defense who was essentially arguing they concede to some of these charges but not all of them. And it seemed to me the crux of the issue with regard to Hayes is whether or not it was arson murder versus intent to kill. Is that right?

KARAS: Yes. Here's where the defense is going. The defense says that Hayes did not intend for the two daughters, who were tied up in their beds upstairs, to die. They do admit that he strangled and raped mom, who was downstairs.

Many of the capital charges are based on this intent to kill -- intended to kill Haley, one of the daughters, during the course of a kidnapping. If he didn't intend to kill, he's not guilty of that capital defense charge, same thing for Michaela, same thing for the capital charge, which is killing two or more people.

But intending to kill two or more people in the same transaction, if he didn't intend to kill the daughters, he can't be held guilty of that capital felony either. There are six capital felonies. So they're trying to get rid of all of them so he would face life in prison and not the death penalty.

BALDWIN: We know prosecutors are saying, hey, it doesn't matter. The plan changed.

My final question to you, and I know I have to let you go. In terms of the makeup of the jury, we know it's seven women, five men. It appears to be the average age right around 50. How may that help or hurt Hayes' case? KARAS: This is a very liberal part of the state. There are only about ten people on death row in Connecticut. But this is an extremely emotional, egregious case. The jurors have been living with this case for a long time. I'm not sure the gender breakdown is going to have any effect.

I suspect there is going to be a verdict soon, maybe not today, but tomorrow. And I do expect it will go to another phase.

BALDWIN: If we hear anything from the jury definitively today, do me a favor and hop back in front of the camera because we certainly want to bring the verdict to our viewers. Beth Karas, thank you for that.

Up next, I want to tell you about -- we want to get you caught up first in some of the breaking news stories, some of which we talked to you about. The school bus crash that's already claimed one life, happened in Georgia, Carroll County, a suburb of Atlanta, pretty compelling images. Here's a picture of a bus on its side. We're going to walk through more of the information we're getting there out of Georgia next.

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BALDWIN: As promised, an update for you on the school bus crash. But first, let me update you on what's happening in Fairfax County, northern Virginia, pictures from WJLA. You are looking at a whole bunch of mud and mess, and who knew, trench specialists.

What they are doing is they are trying bucket by bucket to get the dirt out of this hole where this construction worker is buried in his waist in mud. The call came in right around an hour, hour and 15 minutes ago.

Here's what we know about this worker. He's trapped in a six foot by eight foot trench, which is essentially in the middle of your screen. He's conscious. That's what we're hearing from Prince William battalion chief. Like I said, these trench specialty units are called in to do just this, try to get this guy out of there.

So hopefully, once we get the big picture that we all want to see, this guy being pulled out so we know he's OK, we will bring you that back to you live.

Meantime, I want to go to some tape of that story we brought you at the top of the hour from Carroll County, Georgia, suburb of Atlanta. See the bus? Boom, there it goes, back standing up straight. There was some kind of crash. We don't know how this happened, with kids, a driver. We know one person died. We don't know if it was the driver or a young person.

But the wheels are off the top of the bus. In fact, if you can see with me, the top almost right, those are the two rear wheels just sitting on the grass. We don't know how the wheels fell off. It doesn't appear there are any other cars around that might have been involved in that. But, again, Carroll County, Georgia, one dead, bus wreck. As soon as we get more, we'll bring it to you. In the meantime, CNN NEWSROOM rolls on.

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BALDWIN: All right, young people are reckless when it comes to having sex, right? Wait a minute. A new study, this huge new study that's out this month suggests that not so fast, not true. In fact, teenagers are being more responsible than older folks.

Now, that is a major revelation. Take a look at this with me. Here's part of the findings of the study. Researchers say condom use is higher among 14 to 17-year-olds than it is for people over 40, and 80 percent of young men and 69 percent of girls say, yep, they use protection. They use condoms. It seems like the safe sex message has indeed been getting through to our kids.

And there's a whole lot more to this study. So I'm bringing in some expert help here too to walk me through this. Sari Locker is a sexuality educator and author of several books on sex. And Sari, I know the study here we're talking about, just for putting it out there, was done by researchers at Indiana University. It was paid for by Church and White, the company that makes Trojan condoms. That same company was also involved in developing some of the questions in the survey.

OK. That said, Sari, thanks for joining me. Hi there.

SARI LOCKER, SEXUALITY EDUCATOR: You're welcome. Thanks for having me.

BALDWIN: So I want to walk through some of the most revealing stuff we found in the study. First, the big one is obviously condom use. So here's what we saw about condom use. It is higher, as I said, among 14 to 17-year-olds than those over 40. Sari -- especially highest among black and Hispanic Americans.

But I want to go back to the age because everybody thinks young folks aren't using protection and old folks, they know what they're doing and they are using condoms. It's actually the reverse of what one would think. Why is that?

LOCKER: Well, previous studies have found that about half of people in this teenage group are using condoms when they have intercourse. So this study did find that a little more than that are using condoms.

What we don't know is whether they're using condoms correctly and consistently and whether they're using them every time that they have sex.

One of the reasons why young people might be using condoms more often than people who are in their 30s or 40s, as the study found, is simply because younger people might not have access to many other birth control methods. So they might be using condoms for birth control protection, whereas people in their 30s and 40s who are using condoms less frequently are either protected in other ways from pregnancy, or maybe they're trying to conceive, or have other methods of birth control, even at that age, permanent birth control methods as well.

So there are lots of reasons why people may choose not to use condoms as they get older.

And also the studies in the general examples didn't talk about married versus single. We should point out that the study found out that single adults are more likely to use condoms than married adult, which is are glad to hear too.

BALDWIN: We're glad to hear. Sari, take me back to the fact that some of the younger folks are using condoms specifically. Is that something that parents sit at home should hear or should they breathe a sigh of relief, or not so fast?

LOCKER: I think it's important for parents to talk to their teenagers about the importance of using condoms to protect from sexually transmitted infections and also add something to help with pregnancy, although I always recommend people use an additional method for birth control besides just condoms.

But condoms of course do not protect from all diseases all the time. So it's more important to talk to your teen agers about why they should wait and what else they might be enjoying that is putting them at risk. But of course, talk to them about condoms to they are responsible.

But I want to point out one more thing about this study. First of all, it was a tremendous study. They used online questionnaires to interview 6,000 people.

BALDWIN: From like 14 to 94. They ran the gamut.

LOCKER: That's right, 14 to 94. Right. So it's a huge study. We're just beginning to look at it now. Just today, the "Journal of Medicine" published a special issue with the pieces of the study. You'll hear more about this.

But one of the other bits I want to mention relative to teenagers is that the study found that for 14 years, only seven percent have had intercourse. Of course, don't we all wish it were zero.

BALDWIN: 14.

LOCKER: But seven percent -- right -- but seven percent is still fairly small, obviously small, and maybe they only did it once. It doesn't distinguish whether it was consensual or not.

So one think I hope one thing viewers take away is teenagers are not all having sex doing wild and crazy things. This is not the era -- this is not the era of Jamie Lynn Spears and Bristol Palin and everybody's getting pregnant. It's truly a time we can help teenagers understand sex will be a part of their life, it's a part of all of our lives, but they can do it safely and they can wait until they're mature and ready.

BALDWIN: OK, Sari Locker, thank you.

Anti-war protesters target a soldier's funeral and set up a fight that has gone all the way to the Supreme Court. That is ahead.

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BALDWIN: Coming up here on the "CNN Newsroom," we're talking about pirates. We're not talking pirates half a world away here. We're talking about pirates attacking our border. An American is dead. His wife miraculously survived this dramatic chase in this lake you're looking at. It all happened between Texas and Mexico. That is coming up.

Also ahead, Wolf Blitzer standing by with brand new information just in from the world of politics. The CNN Political Ticker is next.

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BALDWIN: Welcome back. Check in with Wolf Blitzer at the CNNpolitics.com desk, of course leading "The Best Political Team on TV." Wolf Blitzer, how are you?

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Hi, Brooke. There is a lot of stuff going on CNNpolitics.com on our political ticker. Right now there's a big debate in Connecticut between the two Senate candidates, Linda McMahon, the Republican, she's challenging Richard Blumenthal, the attorney general. He's the Democrat.

He served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War but he never served in Vietnam. That's the issue. She has a new ad on the eve of this debate she's now released this in Connecticut. Watch this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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BLITZER: Well, I think that's the wrong -- that's the wrong commercial. That's the other side's commercial. She has an ad that's really going after Blumenthal for lying about his service during the Vietnam War. He never served in Vietnam, he served in the marine corps stateside here in the she said.

She is saying, "Would you lie about serving in the war? Dick Blumenthal did again and again. If he lied about Vietnam, what else is he lying about?" He's got some tough ads, as you just saw, going after her -- her reluctance to speak out, if you will. So I guess that's going to be part of the debate tonight.

We may have the correct ad right now. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDA MCMAHON, (R) CONNECTICUT SENATE CANDIDATE: I'm Linda McMahon and I approve this message.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you lie about serving in the war?

RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, CONNECTICUT SENATE CANDIDATE: I served it in Vietnam.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dick Blumenthal did again and again.

BLUMENTHAL: When we returned, we saw nothing --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So it's a really close race according to the polls in Connecticut right now. It really shouldn't be given that there are more Democrats in Connecticut than Republicans. We'll see how they do in the debate.

Two other races, Brooke, we're watching in Colorado right now. It looks like Ken Buck, the Tea Party favorite, the Republican nominees, he's doing well against the incumbent Michael Bennett, 50 percent to 42 percent in the latest poll. Similarly in Wisconsin, the long time incumbent Democrat Ron Wyden -- excuse me, Russ Feingold -- I'm thinking about Oregon. Ron Wyden could be in some trouble in Oregon as well.

But Russ Feingold in Wisconsin, he's got a challenge from the Republican Ron Johnson, the newcomer in politics. 7-point advantage in this McClatchy-Marist poll as well. So, Democrats facing some serious problems. In California, it looks to be better for the Democrats than some of these other states, Brooke; not so good, at least right now, but four weeks to go.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: So many names, so many races. Wolf Blitzer, I think you did a pretty good job, keeping it all straight.

BLITZER: We're trying.

BALDWIN: Wolf, thank you. We will have another political update in just about half an hour. And just a reminder, you can always get the latest political news. Hop on the internet and go to CNNPolitics.com or I know your Twitter hit, go to at Political Ticker.