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National Public Radio Fires Analyst; Plane Crash Survivor Speaks Out; Fatal Shark Attack Off California Coast; Amputee Redefines Disabled
Aired October 22, 2010 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: For the first time, the police department responsible for shooting and killing that 20-year-old college student and football star is now explaining what happened in those crucial moments and when. Plus, two U.S. senators want this taken care of, and fast.
I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VIVIAN SCHILLER, CEO, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO: It is not compatible with the role of a news analyst on NPR's air.
BALDWIN (voice-over): NPR fires news analyst Juan Williams for saying Muslims on planes make him nervous.
SCHILLER: His feelings that he expressed on FOX News are between him and his psychiatrist.
BALDWIN: The politically correct thing to do, or will it backfire on Muslims in America? We will ask.
A high school cheerleader in trouble because of this snapshot from a wedding. Was she drinking beer? What do you think now?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's -- that's -- the girls next to me, they said, well, you're -- you're suspended.
BALDWIN: The bigger picture here is stirring up debate.
There are some things you just can't say on airplanes. An elderly woman was booted for something she said. But was this merely a case of a confused senior citizen? I think you will relate to this one.
And he survived a crash in the Alaskan wilderness. Former NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe shares the life-and-death moments inside a plane crash that killed Senator Ted Stevens.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Hi, everyone. Happy Friday to you. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM. Breaking news here off the West Coast. Here's what we know. There has been a fatal shark attack, this happening in Santa Barbara County. We know this happened at the Vandenberg Air Force Base. We don't know a whole lot. We do know this involved a 20-year-old man somehow attacked by the shark and died.
We're working the phones. We're working the scene right now, trying to figure out exactly how this happened and why this time of year.
And to continue the conversation, Chad Myers is now joining me.
And, Chad, I know we -- we don't yet know what kind of shark this was.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Right.
BALDWIN: We don't know the kind. Is this -- is this -- is there something about this time of year, with perhaps the water temperature, that would, you know, lure a shark closer to the coastline?
MYERS: No. No. Sharks are there. They're there the whole time. You can -- you can go on Surfline. You can on -- you can go on -- go Google "California shark attacks" and you can see a list, and it goes -- it doesn't matter what month it is. There are people that are surfing out there. They see sharks.
When they see sharks, they swim back to shore and they get out of the water. They know that. But it just has -- it seemed today that this shark was right at Surf Beach. Vandenberg and -- I will -- I will -- I will show you a map that shows where most of the shark attacks occur in California. And there haven't been many.
I think the number is like 92.
BALDWIN: It's 94.
MYERS: Ninety-four.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: But the last fatality, 2008.
MYERS: OK, yes, but 94 since --
(CROSSTALK)
MYERS: -- 1926.
BALDWIN: Right. So --
MYERS: So, not like 94 --
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Seventy years. MYERS: -- in a decade, not -- yes, 94 in a -- in a very long time.
BALDWIN: Show me the map.
MYERS: It -- it's --
BALDWIN: Let me see what we're talking about.
MYERS: It's rare that this happens. And -- and, most of the time, a shark isn't trying to bite the swimmer. It thinks it's trying to get a seal or something, because it thinks -- I mean, seals are delicious to them. Here's L.A.
Go all the way out here, here's Vandenberg Village. And the beach that we're talking about there would be -- is Surf Beach. Hard to get to. An Amtrak train actually could take you right there, if you wanted to take the Amtrak. But other than that, here's Vandenberg. Here's the -- the runway at Vandenberg.
And then, obviously, Vandenberg is along the coast. And along the coast, especially on the south side of Vandenberg, right along the highway, is Surf Beach. You have Manhattan Beach. You have wall beach. But Surf Beach right here is where this swimmer was.
We have some pictures off of Google Earth what it looks like. Why -- why would you not want to --
BALDWIN: Beautiful.
MYERS: -- surf there, right?
BALDWIN: It's beautiful.
MYERS: I mean, OK, that's maybe a three- to four-foot swell. But you can get five-footers. And they were seeing five-footers today.
They -- I -- I don't have any information from the other surfers, other than saying that the -- the bite was so significant that there was no way to -- to stop the bleeding -- to stop the bleeding. We have Minuteman Beach up here. Here's Vandenberg. And then the -- the Amtrak station is actually right there, right near this Surf Beach thing.
And here's the map that would show you in red where most of the shark attacks have occurred over the years, Humboldt, Marin -- Marin, and also into San Diego counties, the red county here, San Diego County, right up here, Marin County -- Marin County -- just to the north of San Francisco, and then Humboldt County here to the north there, so kind of spread out all along the coast of California.
BALDWIN: Right.
MYERS: The water is cool all year long. It is a -- a haven for sharks. And if the sharks are there and the surfers are there, and there's only 94 bites in 70 years, this one just kind of got unlucky.
BALDWIN: Yes. And we know, you know, our affiliate in Santa Barbara, their hands are tied, because they can't go on base right now. You can't fly over the base. So, they're working on getting some information. But, again, beaches are closed 72 hours --
MYERS: Yes.
BALDWIN: -- Surf, Wall, Minutemen beaches.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: We will see you more next hour.
MYERS: OK.
BALDWIN: Deal.
Meantime, move on to -- to a tough story. We're talking about just this particular week. It is one that a few families, an entire university and a police department no doubt wish they could just totally take back and start all over.
In just the course of a couple of days, a college athlete died, shot in his own car by police officers during a chaotic street disturbance in the wee hours of the morning. This happened over the weekend.
Take a look where this happened. Obviously, this is crime scene video of the day after it happened. This is not far from the campus of Pace University in New York, where 20-year-old Danroy Henry died.
Now, just to remind you, witnesses say police shot -- this is that chaotic video that we got for you on -- on a cell phone camera -- cell phone camera -- this is the video from someone who was there, shot through the windshield of D.J. Henry's car as he drove in a fire lane from a bar fight apparently happened inside the bar, spilled out in the parking lot there up front. And that's what you're looking at, the aftermath.
The police say Henry hit two police officers with his car after they told him to stop. Today, the chief of police there, the chief of that police department in Mount Pleasant involved spoke, and so did an attorney who is now representing several of D.J. Henry's fellow students, and they claim they were prevented from helping their friend as he lay dying.
But that's all police talk and legalese. We cannot forget here that a family is still very much still shock at the sudden and tragic death of their son, Danroy Henry.
I want you to listen to something. You're going to hear from D.J.'s father and his mother still looking for answers and getting through -- they're working through somehow one day at a time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DANROY HENRY SR., FATHER OF DANROY HENRY: We need everyone to come forward who knows -- who knows the truth of that night to help us get to the absolute truth.
ANGELA HENRY, MOTHER OF DANROY HENRY: You know, our children are fantastic. And they're -- they're giving us strength. And they're sharing all the great memories of him with us. And they're just -- they're giving us strength. They miss him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Now, the death of Danroy Henry suddenly has the attention of a name you may recognize, Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts, the Henrys' home state, whose office released this today.
Take a look with me. Here's the statement -- quote -- "Senator Brown is confident that law enforcement officials will conduct a thorough and expeditious investigation into the death of Danroy Henry."
It goes on: "He hopes the facts surrounding his death become known in a timely manner. He extends his deepest sympathies to the Henry family."
It's not only Senator Brown here that is weighing in, also Senator John Kerry urging investigation results to be disclosed in a timely manner. We have been hearing this word timely.
Now, though, let's get to what exactly happened last Sunday morning, happened right around 1:00 in the morning. No one disputes here that a -- that a bar fight erupted on to the street and that police officers did indeed fire into D.J. Henry's car.
This morning, the Mount Pleasant New York police chief went on the record with the official timeline.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOUIS ALAGNO, MOUNT PLEASANT, NEW YORK, POLICE CHIEF: At 1:30, the first EMTs arrive at the scene, rendering aid to Police Officer Hess and Danroy Henry. At 1:31, a paramedic arrives on scene, momentarily checks Police Officer Hess, then goes immediately to Danroy Henry.
At 1:35, Danroy Henry is loaded on a stretcher and wheeled to an ambulance. While medical aid is being administered to Danroy Henry, another police officer bandages the wound to Brandon Cox's arm.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: He mentioned Brandon Cox. You know, D.J. Henry wasn't the only one in that car. Brandon Cox, one of his best friends, in the passenger seat, he was hurt as well.
But that timeline and what happened around it is really now the subject of this lawsuit filed on behalf of several people who say police would not let them near their mortally wounded friend, their -- this young man, this 20-year-old.
Here is their attorney there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BONITA ZELMAN, ATTORNEY: I am the attorney for the football players and other witnesses who are students at Pace University who were threatened and brutalized by police at gunpoint and threatened with Tasers when they went to render aid to D.J. Henry. We are informed through our investigation that the first ambulance that arrived there did not render treatment to D.J., who was the only one lying on the pavement, shot, and dying at that time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Now, that attorney also accuses the law enforcement agencies involved of a cover-up. She wants federal prosecutors to take over this investigation. In fact, she had even appealed this to President Obama to intercede, if necessary.
Want to remind you, we were on this story from the beginning. We began our week with this. We talked to the families, the police, the community. I called up the police chief myself. We're going to stay on this. We're going to bring you developments as we learn them.
Take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: See all these pictures? This story continues and continues. You know this is France. And if you block an oil refinery, you can expect a pretty dramatic response. You see them there? Riot police. We have amazing footage from new clashes over a planned hike in the retirement age.
Remember, they're just trying to go from 60 to 62. Plus, the French Senate's late-day decision, that is next.
Also, one of the survivors of that plane crash that killed Senator Ted Stevens reveals those harrowing moments -- harrowing moments and hours after the wreck, and describes the heroics of the youngest passenger from the Alaskan wilderness. We will have that for you.
We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM. TGIF, by the way.
Let's get you caught up on the day's top stories.
Eleven days until Election Day, and the president in the midst of his five-state, four-day whirlwind tour. It's a tour designed to help keep Senate incumbents in some very competitive races, the president now -- there he is -- hopping off Air Force One. This is Los Angeles.
And at the bottom of the hour, he will be attending this fund- raiser luncheon. That will be for Senator Barbara Boxer and former Governor Jerry Brown.
And this news just in -- just within the last hour, the French Senate has now approved its version of that controversial pension reform measure. This whole thing really is to save money. It's a government cost-saving move to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62.
You have seen the video. Here's some more of it. Protesters really have been scuffling with police for days and days. In fact, just this morning, these riot police ended a blockade of an oil refinery near Paris. A similar measure has already been approved by the Lower House. Legislation could possibly reach President Sarkozy's desk next week.
And, if current obesity trends do not change, one in three American adults will have diabetes by 2050. Look at those numbers. This is according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Right now, one in 10 adults has diabetes, and 25 percent of people living with the disease don't even know they have it -- the overwhelming majority of people who develop type 2 diabetes, which is often the result of a poor diet, obesity, and lack of exercise.
CNN Election Express rolling on, this time through Florida, of course, home of this weekend's big three-way Senate debate. We're going to get a preview here of voters' sentiment and the latest polls with T.J. Holmes. That's up next.
Also, jail or rehab? Where will Lindsay Lohan be spending the next few weeks? We will have a live update from Los Angeles coming up. Stay there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Here we go, 11 days until midterms, really, folks, getting down to the wire, with Democrats trying to hold on to power and Republicans going out trying to grab it all back.
Case in point, let's talk Florida. There, we have this three-way Senate race. Look at the numbers with me. Wow. Latest CNN poll numbers show -- you see Marco Rubio, 46 percent, way out ahead, 46 percent of likely voters. By the way, you should also know -- also know these three candidates will be taking part in a live CNN debate Sunday morning that will be moderated by our own, the lovely Candy Crowley.
But now T.J. Holmes has been out and about on the CNN Election Express all week long, and he's ending his tour of the Southeast in Tampa, Florida. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I was expecting a little more youth enthusiasm. I found zero youth enthusiasm.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you work 60 hours a week, there's not really a lot of time for anything else.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's all game in Washington. And none -- none of them care about us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some people, you know, seem to be a little apathetic.
HOLMES: That was a little, frankly, disheartening.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We all have different opinions.
HOLMES: At the same time, it was good to find smaller communities who are taking care of each other.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And all the businesses right here are independent businesspeople, so our neighborhood wants to support that.
HOLMES: They admit, "We don't agree on a damn thing" when it comes to politics, religion, taxes, you name it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, still get along and we still help each other out.
HOLMES: You know, I get to get out for stories, but not until I get on the bus for a full week like this do you really get to just immerse yourself in community and the issues that are going on.
We landed here on day five, stop number six aboard the Election Express, where the bus will be through the weekend, big political weekend, with our Candy Crowley hosting a -- a debate -- a Senate debate here in Florida on Sunday, then our John King doing one, the gubernatorial debate on Monday -- Brooke.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: T.J. Holmes for us in Tampa -- T.J., thank you.
Coming up here, we're going to play you a portion of an interview. I'll tell you, I saw this, this morning, I stopped in my tracks. This stuff is compelling. For the first time, we are now hearing how some of the passengers survived that crash that killed Senator Ted Stevens.
You remember this from this summer? Former NASA Chief Sean O'Keefe, he is now talking today about the frightening hours and moments after that little, little plane went down in the Alaskan wilderness. You will not want to miss that.
Also, you remember that Mel Gibson, his comeback that everyone was talking about a couple weeks ago, right? Well, now there's plans -- a little change in plans. We're going to tell you why someone apparently got some cold feet and why. That is next in trending.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Sean O'Keefe, he uses the word random and miracle when he talks about why he's still alive today.
The former NASA administrator is just one of four people who survived through this small plane crash in August that also killed former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens and four others.
First, take a look at these amazing pictures. This is the first time, folks, you're seeing these on CNN. We were able to turn these around -- Coast Guard rescuers tending to O'Keefe and the others rescued from an Alaskan mountainside, where their plane crashed without warning en route to a remote fishing spot. Finally got access to these -- this video.
Sean O'Keefe, by the way, spoke publicly today for the first time since that harrowing crash.
I want you to listen to this. Listen to him describe his first thought after the crash: Where was my son, and did he make it?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE TODAY SHOW")
SEAN O'KEEFE, FORMER NASA ADMINISTRATOR: He was flying in the right seat next to the pilot, so he was behind the bulkhead on the front end of the -- the cockpit of the aircraft.
And when the impact occurred, apparently, it moved to the left, the seat that he was in. And having been in harnesses that were -- were suspended from the overhead of the aircraft, he moved just a little bit to the left. So, it was just a surreal look of him just kind of hanging there.
MATT LAUER, CO-HOST, "THE TODAY SHOW": Still in the harness.
O'KEEFE: Still in the harness.
LAUER: Not moving?
O'KEEFE: Yes. He was -- he was unconscious at the moment, and came to a few minutes later.
LAUER: Can you describe the moment when you heard him speak for the first time?
O'KEEFE: Relief.
LAUER: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
O'KEEFE: It was just -- I -- I couldn't imagine how difficult this would have been to have persevered through it had he not been able to respond.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Again, we're looking at some video that we -- we are getting for the first time here on CNN. These are the Coast Guard rescuers who had to wait an excruciating 12 hours to safely extract Sean O'Keefe, his son, and two others who managed to survive that crash.
O'Keefe, as you saw in that interview, you saw the -- the -- the neck brace. He broke his neck. He also broke his foot, some ribs, and has a dislocated hip. His 17-year-old son, Kevin, broke his jaw, but was able to return to school this fall. He was there day one.
Here's another look at the crash site. This is obviously an aerial view there in Alaska. This happened August 9. This was southwest of Anchorage, pretty -- what is that? It seems like pretty foggy. Former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, the pilot, three other people died. Investigators still do not know what happened.
Here's a question a lot of you were talking about, the story about Juan Williams and NPR. My question is this: Did Juan Williams' comments about Muslims expose the way many Americans really feel? And does the Muslim community have reason to get angry, or should they be afraid? We're going to tackle those questions coming up next.
Also, it's happened again, a Facebook photo getting someone in hot water. Parents, you looking at this with me? This time, it is a high-schooler with a bottle of beer. But wait until you see the whole picture. There's part of it. Should she have been punished?
We're going to talk live to the mother of that cheerleader with that beer bottle up to her lips. That is coming up in our next half- hour. Stay there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Aimee Mullins wants to redefine disabled.
AIMEE MULLINS, ACTRESS/ATHLETE/AMPUTEE: The thesaurus entries I found when looking up disabled, it was shocking. It starts out like wrecked, stalled, maimed -- maimed, lame, mutilated.
And, at first, it was almost humorous. And I was reading this, thinking, you can't be serious.
GUPTA: At one year old, Mullins became a double amputee. She was born without fibula bones in her legs. And doctors amputated what was left. Having never met another amputee until she turned 18, life with prosthetics was challenging.
MULLINS: When I was a teenager, you know, junior high, I would have traded prosthetics for flesh and bone legs in a heartbeat. GUPTA: But look at what she's accomplished. As I said, Aimee is redefining the very term disabled.
MULLINS: The shift for me was going through the process of, you know, wishing I was something else to acceptance and then to celebration, having fun with it. To then deciding actually I determine what my strengths and weaknesses are.
GUPTA: It's that determination that propelled Mullins to become a successful actress, a model, an athlete. She was named one of "People's" most beautiful 50 people in the world. She's modeled high fashion in London. She broke world track and field records in the 100-meter, 200-meter, in long jump events. And when she's not competing, she spends her free time working with the Women's Sports Foundation.
MULLINS: We use this phrase a lot, we say, you know, in spite of having prosthetics legs, she's been able to accomplish X, Y and Z.
GUPTA: Right.
MULLINS: And I was finally able to articulate why I was frustrated with that this year and it's because of having prosthetics legs that I have been able to accomplish X, Y and Z.
GUPTA: To Mullins, her prosthetics are a source of strength, not disability. And that's a message she wishes everyone could hear.
MULLINS: Ultimately, one day, if I could just be Aimee Mullins. It doesn't have to be prefixed with disabled athlete or whatever.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: There is so much fallout from Juan Williams' firing, from the NPR firing. You have to wonder if they're handing out flak jackets at NPR now. You have conservatives and some liberals here who are slamming NPR's decision to can Williams for saying this about Muslims on Bill O'Reilly's show on FOX.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUAN WILLIAMS, FORMER NEWS ANALYST, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO: Look, Bill, I'm not a bigot. You know the kind of books I've written about the civil rights movement in this country.
But when I get on a plane, I have to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think they're identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: In the wake of all of this I mentioned a couple of people are coming forward, including Republican Senator Jim DeMint planning legislation to ends funding for NPR. On the flipside, the NPR chief executive Vivian Schiller, who is now apologizing after including a bit of a personal attack on Williams while explaining his firing just yesterday. Here is her apology.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VIVIAN SCHILLER, CEO, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO: His feelings that he expressed on FOX News are really between him and, you know, psychiatrist or his publicist or take your pick. But it is not compatible with a news analyst -- with the role of a news analyst on NPR's air.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: I should say that's what she said yesterday. She has since apologized by the psychiatrist comment.
Meantime, some in the Muslim community are concern this whole episode could skew the debate over Islam. Akbar Ahmed is the former Pakistani ambassador to the United Kingdom and chair of Islamic Studies at American University and in fact traveled the whole country exploring how Muslims are fitting into America society and turned this whole trip into a film. He's calling it "Journey into America -- the Challenge of Islam."
Dr. Ahmed, thank you for coming on. I look forward to chatting with you here as part of this massive national conversation. First question, let's get to the Juan Williams firing. Good call, bad call by NPR?
DR. AKBAR AHMED, FORMER PAKISTANI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.K.: I think, Brooke, it simply reflects the larger reality in American so sight today, because as we traveled as you point out throughout the United States for one year and with my young American researchers, the conclusion we came to was that the gap that had opened between Muslims and non-Muslims after 9/11 did not really close.
So we feel that any incident could be amplified, exaggerated, blown out of proportion. And we've seen a series of incidents involving Muslims -- the ground zero mosque controversy, the burning of the Koran in Florida, and now the firing of Juan Williams on the remarks he made.
This is simply one in a series of incidents involving Muslims which reflects the kind of distrust, fear, ignorance, even hatred around the Muslim community.
BALDWIN: There have certainly been a series of incidents, but specifically, sir, if I can on the firing just going back to that, do you agree with NPR's decision to fire Mr. Williams or no?
AHMED: I would say, Brooke, again, if you are to hold similar standards for everyone in America like Helen Thomas is fired, Rick Sanchez is fired, then he deserves to be fired. On the other hand, I think we may be becoming far too politically correct. I think we need to discuss some of these issues that are out there. We need to discuss them and face them in a cool and rational manner. That is not happening because the amount of heat that is generated simply means we cannot be discussing the substantial issues in society.
BALDWIN: You bring up the political correctness and the sensitivity which pertains to -- let's just rattle off the string of stories recently. You have the Islamic cultural center near ground zero in New York. You have that Florida pastor threatening to burn all those Korans. Then you have Bill O'Reilly saying on "The View" recently Muslims killed us on 9/11.
My question to you is, obviously this is a major flash point for us here in America. But are Americans being overly sensitive here?
AHMED: Brooke, Americans need to understand that right now the U.S. 0 Pakistan strategic talks have concluded in Washington where General David Petraeus, Secretary Clinton, all the people representing United States met senior officials from Pakistan where Pakistan was assured that we're your best friends, trusted ally, and so on.
On the one hands the Muslim world is seeing this generosity and friendship in order to win over the mainstream Muslims and marginalize Taliban and Al Qaeda.
On the other hand we have constant nonstop attacks on Muslim community which broad brush paint an entire community as somehow potentially terrorist or violent. And I think that has to be confronted in so sight and stopped, because that is creating a lot of damage and confusion in America and abroad.
BALDWIN: And part of that confrontation and part of that discussion -- you mentioned a bunch of big name politicians meeting about it, but I want to talk about people like you and I, people within America. And you took this journey and visited 75 cities to look at this very issue. Let's play a clip of your film and talk about it on the back half.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AHMED: I had set out to learn about Islam in America. But I found I could not do so without understanding American identity.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mohammed was a child killer. You're a racist.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not a one ethnic group country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That has challenged this country to the core.
AHMED: The founding fathers passionately believed in a pluralist America. But how can people accept each other?
(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: Sir, what did you find in talking to people for that film? Are we a nation full of xenophobics and Islamophobes, or are you finding some acceptance?
AHMED: I think, Brooke, I was very inspired by a lot of people I met in the field. I'm talking about Jews and Christians and secular people, and of course Muslims who really believe and passionately would defend this vision of America given to us by the founding fathers.
This is very inspiring, great hope for the whole world, not just the United States, the city on the hill.
On the other hand, we do have challenges. And these challenges really to my mind stem from ignorance, from hatred, from prejudice. Very often Islam has now become or Muslim has become a shorthand for one who may be a potential terrorist or extremist.
And this really, Brooke, is simply profiling. Even Juan Williams' remarks -- I'm surprised he's been explaining and defending civil rights movements and the heroic struggle of African-Americans in the '60s and '70s. Now how could he make a statement as a member of the minority community against another minority community?
BALDWIN: Perhaps this will be just another in the string of stories that we tell, and hopefully we can talk about it, the nation can talk about this and find some sort of solution past all these challenges that you have obviously outlined. Dr. Akbar Ahmed, thank you for talking to me.
AHMED: Thank you, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Well, here we go. There she is, Lindsay Lohan. Has she run out of second chances? We're going to tell you what a judge decided to send the troubled starlet after this morning's court hearing. Was it jail? Was it rehab? Find out next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right, here's a familiar sight. See the redhead there? That is Lindsay Lohan. She is going to court again. She faced a judge this morning and admitted she violated her probation in that drunken driving case. In fact, she could have gone back to jail.
But the judge is sending her back to rehab instead. Entertainment correspondent Kareen Wynter was at the courthouse. And Kareen, do we know -- Kareen Wynter is going to give us a little bit more. She was in and out because of a drunken driving issue. She had admitted to, remember, failing her drug test via tweet. We'll get to Kareen after the break. We'll be right.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: We're going to take you back to that Lindsay Lohan story. She was in court today. Might she get rehab, might she go to jail? Here's the picture as she walked up the court steps. Who was also there? Our very own entertainment correspondent Kareen Wynter. She is now live for us. There she is.
Kareen, so we finally know Lohan will be going to rehab, which I'm sure she's happy with considering the alternative option. Do we know how long she will go?
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: She will be able to remain in rehab for the next couple of months in essence until January 3rd. Some ask how does she do it? Lohan managed to dodge jail time again, in essence remaining in the same environment that she's been in the last 24 days.
She voluntarily checked into the Betty Ford center in Rancho Mirage, California, several weeks ago, and she's been there for 24 days. But she had this probation violation hearing that she'd to show up for today. Today she got there 30 minutes early. That was a first for her.
And the judge was really lenient. He had some harsh words for her. He said, "You're an addict. I will not be manipulated by you. You need to change your lifestyle if you want to continue working in this town." Maybe that spoke volumes with the judge. She's trying to do the right thing here. She's been consistent the last several weeks.
We're going to keep it up and see what happens until January 3rd. Then she has to be back in court on February 25th.
BALDWIN: Let me ask you, if she's going back to rehab and violates rehab I imagine she goes back to jail. If she doesn't, Kareen, what's next after January.
WYNTER: You can bet that judge Elden Fox will lay down the law. He said I'll allow you to continue rehab but toss you back in jail if you have violate the terms of your probation in any way, if you miss any random drug tests, if you get into any trouble at all. He was very adamant about that.
So if she slips up she'll be back in jail for not just 180 days. But she won't have the option for early release here, so she better get it together in time.
BALDWIN: So as she's getting it together and getting back to rehab it's kind of tough keeping up with miss Lindsay Lohan. If you can, why was she in court in the first place? Was this what was stemming from that drug test she failed? Wasn't she tweeting about that this summer?
WYNTER: Indeed, from September 24th. It's a little confusing here, so I'll try to capsulate it for you.
This is a woman, she's always in and out of trouble, jail, rehab. But the judge, Judge Elden Fox early in the summer sentenced her to 90 days in jail and 90 days rehab for violating her probation back then.
And so she got out of jail on early release. She was sent to the UCLA medical center to undergo rehab there. And doctors said she's not that bad, we'll let her go early I believe 23 days. And so she was out, and not long after that, just day, she failed a drug test.
And so that's why we are where we are right now. Judge Elden Fox sent her to jail. But that apparently was against the law. Her rights were being violated because it was considered a misdemeanor. So another judge stepped into the picture, overturned that.
And so after she was released she checked into rehab. We'll have to see how long she keeps up with this good behavior and stays clean.
BALDWIN: Addiction a very tough, tough issue to deal with. We wish her the best. Kareen Wynter, thank you.
WYNTER: Still ahead here, we're going to talk about this controversy. It is brewing in Houston where a confused and disoriented teenager turned to police for help. The reaction he got outraged his mother. We're going to take you beyond the headlines for that in our next hour.
BALDWIN: Also, so Mike Tyson convicted of sexual assault can star in "The Hangover," but the guy on the right side, foul-mouthed actor Mel Gibson, is not apparently welcome on the sequel. What's up with that? What's going on? That's next.
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BALDWIN: Welcome back to CNN newsroom. This is the part of the show where we say enough of what we want to talk about. Let's talk about what you're talking about, what is trending today, what you're tweeting about.
Sandra Endo is here with that. You are looking at what's trending all day long, and this particular story, that's had all of us talking in the editorial meeting. You really have to be careful what you say and tweet and put on Facebook.
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're talking about social media, the good and the bad. This is a story that's trending out of Ohio. It's another controversy spawned by Facebook. Here you have a cardinal high school cheerleader in Ohio. She's the brunette, and she is 16 years old. This is a picture posted on the social networking site. She's with her friend at a wedding. That girl, the blonde is actually 22 years old.
BALDWIN: She is of age.
ENDO: Yes, she's of age. It appears that the brunette is holding a bottle of beer. That picture was sent to her school's principal with an anonymous note. And the school then took action and suspended the high school junior for the last two games of the season.
I think right now on the phone we have Susan Vargo, Bree's brother on the phone. Hello.
SUSAN VARGO, BREE VARGO'S MOTHER: Hi.
ENDO: So according to the athletic director and the rules of the school, it says that any athlete in possession or consuming any drugs or alcohol will be suspended. What do you think of that rule, and the school says it's just following the rules here.
VARGO: I believe that the rules should be upheld, but she was not holding that beer. I was there when that picture was shot. The 22-year-old is the matron of honor, and Bree, the 16-year-old, was the maid of honor. They linked arms, they crossed arms.
And when the person who was taking the picture said to Bree, Bree, the bottle is right in front of your face, Bree made a silly face and the picture was shot. That is -- I'm sorry?
ENDO: Go ahead.
VARGO: That is one of 199 pictures that this particular guest at the wedding posted on Facebook. I have looked at these pictures hundreds of times because it was a joyous day when my second daughter got married. Whoever sent this did it behind everyone's back, and it's just ridiculous.
ENDO: I think your daughter is with you. If she could get on the phone, that would be great if we could ask her a couple of questions as well.
Mrs. Vargo, you also think that the school went too far here. Today, your daughter would be cheerleading at one of the main events for the season, is that correct?
VARGO: Yes, absolutely. Tonight is senior night, and the senior boys will be walked across the field prior to kickoff by the cheerleaders, and Bree was not allowed to participate in that. Next Friday night is the big rivalry game between two of -- ourself and another school. So this coming Monday starts spirit week. They have bonfires, they have a pep rally where Bree was very instrumental in making up the whole routine.
BALDWIN: This is not the time of year where, as a cheerleader, you want to be missing out.
By the way, hi, Mrs. Fargo, this is Brooke.
VARGO: Hi, Brooke.
BALDWIN: I guess my question is, you explained to these gals, they were linking arms, so Bree wasn't the one drinking the alcohol. First, as a mom, do you approve of the picture, number one, even though she's not drinking? And number two, when you explained this to the school, what did they say?
VARGO: Well, I do not condone underage drinking. My daughter did not drink at my daughter's wedding. I don't drink myself. I toasted my daughter's nuptials with a diet coke. There was also an off-duty sheriff assigned to the wedding hall because when there is alcohol at this particular hall there has to be an officer on duty. My daughter is not going to drink in front of me or an officer.
BALDWIN: So when you explained this to the school, what did the school say back to you?
VARGO: This is the way it happened. They called Bree in at school, the principal, the athletic director, and the dean of students called my daughter into the office, the principal's office.
They laid the picture on the desk and said, explain this. She said that's not mine. That's the other girls. She didn't want to mention the other girl's name of course, even though the girl is 22 years old and allowed to drink.
They proceeded to question her, they said she was suspended. They stand, the three administrators stand she held a beer at some point at that night. Now, I held tons of beers that night as well, because I had to clean up the hall and she helped me clean up the hall.
Ohio law states a parent can give their underage children alcohol if they are present and at a family function. I don't condone that. I don't drink myself, I don't like to drink. I don't like drinking, period, and I would never, ever allow that picture to be on Facebook if I had not understood the complete context of that picture.
BALDWIN: Lesson learned. Be careful what you put on Facebook, even if it's not you with the bottle. Do we have Bree, Mrs. Fargo? Can we put Bree on the phone?
VARGO: Yes. I just wanted to confirm as well, we did not post that picture. That was posted by a guest of the wedding. Bree's here.
BALDWIN: Bree, are you with me?
BREE VARGO, SUSPENDED OVER FACEBOOK PIC: Hello?
BALDWIN: Bree, so you're missing -- this is the best time of the year as a cheerleader and you're missing out and you're frustrated. What's next for you?
BREE VARGO: I have no idea. I'm going to try to cheer for the last game. We're going to talk to the board of education. We are filing an appeal. We're going to see where that gets us.
ENDO: Breanne, just a quick question, do you feel targeted here? And what do you think about social media now that this targets your age group? Everyone is on Twitter and Facebook. What are your thoughts now?
BREE VARGO: I feel extremely targeted, because I'm the only one that got in trouble for anything that anybody does at that school, when there are other people who drink at that school and do drugs and go to the games under the influence, and no one ever gets in trouble.
And I don't have a problem with social media because I didn't post that picture. I will definitely watch what people post of me now and I will make sure there's nothing bad because I'm not going to get in trouble for something I didn't do again. BALDWIN: We're in a different day and age. Thanks for picking up the phone and talking to us. Appreciate it. A different time, isn't it?
ENDO: Absolutely. You have to be careful.
BALDWIN: You do.
Still to come here, O.J. Simpson, he wants out of jail now. We're going to tell you what a judge had to say about his appeal of his 2008 conviction. That's coming up in the next hour.
But first, Wolf Blitzer has been tracking the latest developments as he does everything single day there in Washington from the campaign trail. We'll check in with Wolf when we come right back.
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BALDWIN: There are 11 days and counting here until Election Day. And CNN has all your political news with "The Best Political Team on Television," CNN = Politics. And Wolf Blitzer is at the CNNpolitics.com desk.
And Wolf, happy Friday to you, sir. Let's talk president, and I'm not talking the current one. Very in demand former president Bill Clinton has some advice for Maryland voters. What's he telling them?
WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": He's telling them to study the issues in this election as if they were a sporting event to get into the details. He says take a look at all of the numbers.
At one point he was being sort of sarcastic, the former president, who is very popular on the campaign trail for many of these Democratic candidates. He says sarcastically, "It's only when something has absolutely no significance to us, like the economy, the future of our children, the way the nation's going to turn out, that we don't bother with the facts. I've got my mind made up."
In other words, he's saying, take a look at the candidates. Look closely at the issues. Study them as if this were the World Series or the Super Bowl, and then make up your mind.
He was being pretty sarcastic there, but, at the same time, it's obvious that he's a very, very popular component out there for Democrats.
For the Republicans, Haley Barbour, the governor of Mississippi, the chairman of the Republican Governors Association, he is pretty popular on the campaign trail right now. He's a former chairman of the Republican Party.
He's going to make 13 states, visit 13 states over five days to campaign for a whole bunch of Republicans. Some of these states, he's going to be joined by other popular governors, Louisiana's Republican Governor Bobby Jindal, Bob McDonnell of Virginia, Chris Christie, what is an up-and-coming star, of New Jersey, Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota. A lot of these governments -- governors, by the way, they are thinking, at least thinking, of the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.
Finally, another item, Brooke, that's moving at CNNPolitics.com on our "Political Ticker," the president has announced that Denis McDonough will be the deputy national security adviser. Tom Donilon is the new national security adviser. As you know, he took over for General Jim Jones, the retired U.S. Marine Corps commandant who just stepped down.
So, there's continuity, no new faces coming in, but moving faces, people up. Tom Donilon and Denis McDonough, they have been working for the president for the whole time. And they're just moving up a little bit, certainly not moving out.
BALDWIN: Wolf, let's go back to Haley Barbour. You mentioned he's going -- I think you mentioned 13 states. And we looked specifically. He has stops in Iowa, New Hampshire and Florida. So if we want to look into our political tea leaves, are you reading anything into that?
BLITZER: I think he's thinking about it. He's been pretty popular in Mississippi. He's got that national exposure. A lot of remember him when he was chairman of the Republican National Committee.
All these governors, you get to be a governor -- in the old days, you get to be a senator and then you start looking in the mirror and you say to yourself, you know what? I should be president of the United States. Nowadays if you're a governor, it certainly is something they start thinking about.
Chris Christie, for example, in New Jersey, people are asking him all the time, are you thinking of running for president? He keeps saying no, no, no. Thinking of running for vice president? No, no, no. But you know what? They're politicians. They like this kind of stuff. We will see what they do.
I suspect Chris Christie, Pawlenty, some of these other governors, including Haley Barbour, they're thinking about it.
BALDWIN: And that makes your jobs fun, the prognosticating of the possible...
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BLITZER: Don't forget, Brooke, the day after this election, on November 3, the race for the White House begins.
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BALDWIN: Yes. It does indeed.
Wolf Blitzer, good to see you. Thank you. By the way, we're going to get another political update for you in half-an-hour. You can also get the latest political news. Go to CNNPolitics.com and on Twitter at @PoliticalTicker.
