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Absence of Sanitation in Haiti Worsens Disease Spread; Soccer Helps Refugee Children Adapt to the US; "Hug Lady" Welcomes Troops Home at Atlanta Airport; Aung San Suu Kyi Released, Midterm Election Weakened President; Russell Simmons Interview; Elizabeth Smart Testifies

Aired November 13, 2010 - 12:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: OK, very good. All right, T.J. good to see you too, take care.

All right, a lot straight ahead in the Noon Eastern hour. We're going to talk first off about Aung San Suu Kyi. T.J. has been telling you about her all morning long. She actually told a cheering crowd, "I'm very happy to see you all again." The democracy activist and Nobel Prize laureate was released from house arrest in Myanmar, today, after years of confinement. So far, the reason is unclear. Foreign reporters are barred from the military dictatorship in Southeast Asia, that the U.S. government still calls Burma.

We have a correspondent there, but we can't identify him by name. He's standing by with what we are learning right now, from Myanmar.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, Fredricka, well, as she came out of her house, of course, she was confined for seven and a half years, that was about six hours ago. Now there was a cheering crowd in front of her house cheering her on. As you said, she greeted the crowd and she told them she was going to hold a major political speech tomorrow at Noon, Burmese time, where she was going to lay out what she sees as her own political future and of course also the political future of the opposition, here in this country.

There was a lot of momentum leading up to this moment, a lot of people gathering outside of her house. Of course, many of them haven't seen her in more than 20 years. That was really a big moment for this country, of course, especially for the opposition here in this country.

And really it was quite a special moment, here in Burma. You know, many people in America don't realize how repressive this country really is, where people cannot speak their political opinions. They can get into a lot of trouble if they do. And those people today were putting on t-shirts with her picture on it, which is really something that's quite dangerous for them to do. So that's the sort of emotion that she's able to inspire here in this very reclusive and very repressed country -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: OK. And now, we just want to explain to people the reason why you can hear the reporter, you're unable to see him and we're unable to reveal his name, and that is because Myanmar is ruling junta has refused to allow CNN and other foreign news organizations into the country to cover the election and its aftermath. And the regime has also stopped international monitors from overseeing the vote. This is why we are having to allow you only to hear from the correspondent ,but not identify him.

Now, give me an idea about Aung San Suu Kyi, where she is now and what her plans are, especially after there was recently an election in this country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, right now she went straight back into her house. And what she's doing there, what she did there for the better part of the evening, it is now very late here, it's about 11:30 p.m., is that she spoke to a lot of people who are very close to her in that opposition party called National League for Democracy, basically outlining what their fear as their strategy. Because basically what's going on right now, in the time that she's been in detention, the opposition here has gotten weaker and weaker under this military repression. So many people believe that now that she's able to get out, that she has been freed that she will take the reins of this opposition party again, that she will try to unite the opposition and make it a strong force again.

No one here believes change will come very quickly. But, a lot of these people do place hope in this figure, in Aung San Suu Kyi, that she can get some sort of movement going and possibly even get some sort of change going. However, this is going to be a very, very difficult task.

As I said, this regime is very repressive. In the past they have crushed uprisings that have tried to start some sort of democracy or some sort of change here, in this country, crushed them very, very brutally. So, it's very, very dangerous for her also. And we've known in the past the junta has tried to find reasons to detain her again. So, she is treading on some very, very difficult territory, but there are a lot of people here in this very repressed country that do place a lot of hope in this figure -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much for that report. So, Suu Kyi's release from house arrest comes as President Obama tours Asia. The president saying this in a written statement from the White House, "She is a hero of mine and a source of inspiration for all who work to advance basic human rights in Burma and around the world. The united states welcomes her long overdue release." That statement from the president while he is overseas, in Asia.

The president is wrapping up his tour with a stop in Japan, he is attending APEC, an international economic summit where the focus is trade. The president held separate meetings with the prime minister of Australia and Japan and tomorrow he meets with the Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev. Today he called on all nations to work together to expand trade.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA (D), UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: I make no apologies for doing whatever I can to bring those jobs and industries to America. But what I've also said throughout this trip is in the 21st century there is no need to view trade, commerce, or economic growth as zero sum games, where one country always has to prosper at the expense of another. If we work together and act together, strengthening economic ties can be a win-win for all of our nations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: President Obama heads back to the U.S. tomorrow. His Asian tour included a stop in India where he announced a multi-billion dollar export deal. But in South Korea he and other world leaders walked away from the G-20 summit without a some comprehensive plan to boost the economy. Our senior political analyst, David Gergen, pointed to several other setbacks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SR POLITICAL ANALYST: To be fair to the president, he did have a good trip before this, he did have a good trip to Indonesia. But, this was a really bad day for him. As you say, basically he went into this trip to South Korea wanting a trade deal with South Koreans and saying he would have it by this time and it fell through because they resisted his demands. He wanted a deal from the Chinese on currency manipulation, they rejected that. He wanted a deal from the other nations on basic trade imbalances, they rejected that.

I think that what was more fundamental here is a growing sense that America itself, especially in relationship to others in the world, is no longer the leader it once was.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Pretty strong statement, there. Let me pring in deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser in Washington.

So Paul, you know, there was a lot of talk when the president began the trip that he was heading to the summit's weekend from the Democratic losses in the midterm elections. Has, indeed, the president lost his clout on the world stage?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: You can take away from the defeats, I guess, he got on some of these things David Gergen was just talking about and say, yes and that's what a lot of pundits are saying that the president is not the same president, his approval rating is much lower than it was a year or two ago and that he was weakened by the midterms. Our senior White House correspondent Ed Henry and our White House correspondent, Dan Lothian have been following the president's every move. Take a listen to Dan Lothian's question to the president and about just that yesterday at the news conference in South Korea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Do you feel that the election has weakened you on the global stage?

OBAMA: The answer to the second question is no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: Well, there you go. There you go, a big no from the president. But I think some pundits will see it the other way, though, Fred. Remember, the president comes back tomorrow, to the United States and when he gets back he's got two humongous issues to deal with and the lame duck Congress coming back, the president is going to have to deal with them about tax cuts, extending bush era tax cuts, the Bush tax cuts, to the wealthiest Americans or not. And also, the Deficit Commission, we've seen some initial reports from them this week, the full report comes out on December 1. These will be the two overwhelming issues that are going to dominating us, here in the United States, in the next month.

WHITFIELD: OK, and I guess the White House would, you know, perhaps their retort would be, well one out of four, in terms of those Asian countries, that were visited. Maybe there was one defeat, but perhaps there were three other victories, so it will be interesting to see how the White House interprets this Asia trip, as well.

All right, meantime now let's talk about some other domestic matters. Even after the Republicans' victory midterm elections, now the RNC chairman, Michael Steele, is really facing some big challenges. There were rumors of that leading up to midterm elections and now big challenges in a very big way.

STEINHAUSER: Yeah, his term is up in January of next year. So, it's almost up. The big question is will Steele run for another two years in office. He's been hinting, yeah, maybe he will, but he hasn't made a firm declaration of that. And he's been criticized, as we well know, for almost his two full two years in office now, at the head of the Republican National Committee, not only for some of his, I guess you can call it foot-in-mouth moments, but also for his fundraising abilities and how the RNC has spent its money. So he has come under a lot of criticism.

But at the same time, as you mentioned, Fred, the Republicans have done extremely well in elections since he has been chairman. Now, they won the two gubernatorial contests last year, they won that special election in Massachusetts for the Senate this year and of course, they did very, very well last week in the midterm elections.

But yesterday the former Republican chairman of Michigan, Saul Anuzis, announced that he is going to run for the RNC chairmanship. He ran last time against Steele, among others, obviously he didn't win, Steele did. But he made his firm commitment yesterday that he will run and we may see some others run. So, this is going to be a fascinating next two months and we'll see what happens. Of course, Steele, the first African-American to run the Republican Party.

WHITFIELD: All right. Paul Steinhauser, thanks so much. Appreciate that.

STEINHAUSER: Thank you. WHITFIELD: All right. Straight ahead, Russell Simmons, you know the name -- Media mogul, fashion, music mogul. Well, he gives a public inside look into his personal and professional life in a new reality television show in part one of my face-to-face interview with the hip- hop mogul. I asked about controversial images and languages in his new show.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: You use the "B" word, your daughters, Ming and Aoki, would you want them to watch that? Do you want them referring to themselves as "B"s or hearing dad refer to other women as "B"s?

RUSSELL SIMMONS, HIP HOP MOGUL: I think that the show is a real life example of 7th Avenue. I'm comfortable with the different kind of characters. I'm more concerned with the 10 billion suffering farm animals than I am language. I'm more concerned with the lack of interest in gay rights.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Creating an international multi-million dollar business, for Russell Simmons, that was just the starting point of his career. After co-founding Def Jam Recording in the 1980s, the hip-hop pioneer branched out, he has launched clothing lines, a communications company, and now he's actually on reality TV and I haven't mentioned all that he's involved in. I talk face-to-face with Russell Simmons about his new show, why he says it's important to keep his brand relevant and how this show also portrays women, in particular.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Great to see you.

SIMMONS: Nice to see you.

WHITFIELD: You got a lot going, on as you always do. So, this latest venture, "Running Russell Simmons." I know you've been involved in reality TV before with your brother, with your ex-wife Kimora, what made you say, you know what, I'm ready to try this myself?

SIMMONS: You know, it's a fun process. And you know, it's a good branding exercise in so many ways. And if you have things that you think are inspiring or that you want to share, what better way than to actually let them see it in the making. You know? We've been involved in so many philanthropic, social, and semi-political kind of activities, all of which I think are helpful to communities and to people and to me. Right? So it's like I have five charities that I run and they all need exposure.

WHITFIELD: Do you think people will get that message? Because there are other -- there are a lot of distractions from that message or those messages in...

SIMMONS: Well, you know, you can't -- you don't hit them on the head. I'm a yogi, not a priest, I want to do things that are not harmful and I'm not quite so religious, so you may be referring to the fact that I operate out of 7th Avenue, and there's a lot of fun stuff going on. You know, not hurtful stuff.

WHITFIELD: I'm actually referring to, there were a lot of theatrics involving the interns. You know? And there were images of women that, because your business, it seems, or you surround yourself with quite a lot of women.

SIMMONS: I'm on 7th Avenue. I'm on 7th Avenue.

WHITFIELD: Well, what does that have to do with it? What does that mean?

SIMMONS: I mean, I'm in the fashion business.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. You've got a couple of interns who were profiled very heavily in the show and you even tease in the next episode there's a basic instinct moment that...

SIMMONS: That wasn't a tease. That was a little bit upsetting. But it was kind of funny, it's kind of real life.

WHITFIELD: But decisions are made about, you know, whether to include that kind of material if that will distract from the message that you're trying to send especially...

SIMMONS: No, it will add to ratings, so the message could be sold.

WHITFIELD: Well then, is that a conflict, the ratings versus the message.

SIMMONS: You have to have a balance. One foot in this world and one foot in the real world, and the real one, the spiritual one. I notice Kim Kardashian has more Twitter followers than the president.

WHITFIELD: What does that say?

SIMMONS: And I sent her to Africa to my school and we raised a lot of money. But I'm able to do a lot of fundraisers because of the my celebrity.

WHITFIELD: And I just wondering if you are comfortable with the images of women, particular, in the show?

SIMMONS: Do you have a boyfriend?

This is drama of life. I'm more concerned, you know, there's lots of judgment about the language.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, you use the "B" word, your daughters, Ming and Aoki, would you want them to watch that? Do you want them referring to themselves as "B"s or hearing dad refer to other women as "B"s?

SIMMONS: I think that the show is a real life example of 7th Avenue. I'm comfortable with the different kind of characters. I'm more concerned with the 10 billion suffering farm animals than I am language. I'm more concerned with the lack of interest in gay rights.

WHITFIELD: Do you end up having these discussions with the network and the producers of this show, does it become a real boiling point?

SIMMONS: It is a boiling point.

WHITFIELD: About what to include, you know, what kind of political statements to make. How much control do you have about the content that ends up in the show?

SIMMONS: There is an ongoing battle, it's true. I want to put a tweet in there. Can we put the tweet in?

WHITFIELD: "Happiness comes from relieving the suffering of others." Do you think, though...

SIMMONS: We tweeted quite a bit.

WHITFIELD: When people are watching, though, and they're saying that juxtaposition of that phrase up against the tease for the next show with the young girls that we're talking about, the basic instinct moment, and everybody remembers Sharon Stone of crossing her legs...

SIMMONS: Well, to her it's revealing. When she gets in trouble and her mentors were doing the office and almost fire her.

WHITFIELD: Are people paying attention to that written message? That's a powerful spiritual message you are really wanting people to sit up and look at themselves and appreciate the show.

SIMMONS: I like this discussion. Let me say this to you. So, I know the pop world, I don't regret being in it and I don't have any misgivings about what it is, and I don't judge it so heavily. I live in it and I have my instincts about what I can do with my relationships in there and I'm pleased with my results. And I'm pleased, certainly pleased with the show.

There's a little bit of everything. I think there's a very broad audience we're going after. I don't judge people. In fact, I like to go speak at prisons more than I do liking to go speak at Harvard. I feel I resonate better there. And in fact, sometimes I like those people better.

My service is not to those people who are sitting in church. You know, they're really not, and -- I believe I'm a servant and I believe that my messages resonate. And I believe you've got to plant seeds where ground is fertile.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Some pretty extraordinary messages, face-to-face with Russell Simmons. We'll continue our conversation at 2:00 Eastern Time. I'll talk with him about his new book, "Super Rich" and he says being rich actually has very little to do with money.

And making sure you don't miss the warnings now, the new push to get smokers to kick the habit and the pushback from tobacco companies. Our legal guys are ready to jump in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, time for our legal segment, now. Elizabeth Smart testified this week against the man accused of robbing her childhood. Let's bring in our legal guys, civil rights attorney, Avery Friedman in Cleveland and criminal defense attorney Richard Herman joining us from Las Vegas.

Good to see you, gentlemen.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTY: Hi, Fredricka.

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTY: Good morning, Fred -- afternoon.

WHITFIELD: OK, so let's talk about this trial. Brian David Mitchell charged with kidnapping and the rape of Elizabeth Smart. Her testimony was unflappable. It is detail oriented. So one has to wonder, Richard, this suspect right here, standing trial, he equated himself with King David. So what kind of insanity defense are we anticipating especially after this provocative testimony from Elizabeth Smart.

HERMAN: Well, you said it, Fred. It's insanity d they have employed it. It works in about three percent of the cases, three out of 100 are successful when they seek insanity. The guy is walking around making crazy statements. He was singing hymns in court. They removed him from the courthouse, so when she testified she wasn't there looking at his face. And what she did was she told the jury that this man is not insane. Everything he did was calculated. He understood and could appreciate the nature of his actions, because that's what the definition of insanity is, someone who cannot understand or appreciate what they're doing. And she basically blew the lid off of it.

WHITFIELD: And in fact, Avery, you know, one of the examples of that is when she tried to convince him, you know, return me back to Salt Lake, you know, you would want to find another Mormon girl, in her words, and that he said, according to her, that it would be a good idea, so that certainly showed he had the capacity to reason or at least have this kind of conversation with her. How powerful is that?

FRIEDMAN: That's right. And remember, she did it when she was 14. This guy -- Mitchell is in his 50s. She said she prayed, let's go back to Utah, we'll find another 14-year-old to be your wife, steal her from camp, and Mormon camp and the numbskull actually bought it. So, imagine a 14-year-old manipulating this guy, getting him back to Utah, increasing the chances of discovery and escape, that's what happened. Poise, unflappable, riveting testimony. I don't buy the insanity defense at all, and I think Elizabeth Smart is locking this prosecution up for a conviction.

WHITFIELD: So, I wonder if his defense, Mitchell's defense attorneys would use it against her, that you know what, she was held against her will for nine months, but there was at least one opportunity where she would have gotten away, where she, OK, face-to-face with a police officer who was describing that they were searching for her. She didn't say anything. She testified, Richard, that she just was paralyzed at the moment, couldn't say anything, when really, I guess his attorneys might be able to say why didn't she take advantage of that if she really was being held against her will.

HERMAN: Slippery slope. It's very difficult to attack a rape victim in a case like this where she detailed daily rapes and abuse by this guy. Don't forget, she was taken at knifepoint from her bedroom and whisked away by this animal who threatened her if she went to the police, he was going to kill her family. This was the fear she was under. I don't think they're going to attack her that way. I think her testimony was riveting, as Avery said. I think this guy, the insanity is not going to hold for him.

WHITFIELD: OK. Let's move on to these cigarette warning labels. The FDA wanting to use these graphic images, much bolder statement about why you shouldn't smoke. Now, I wonder, Richard, you know, the tobacco companies are saying, wait a minute, this is an example of just government getting too involved in private industry. Might this actually be executed or might there be success in challenging it?

HERMAN: I don't think there's going to be success, Fred. The intent of the government is to make sure the consumer knows the dangers of the product that they are consuming. The government is not saying, OK, you all can't smoke. You can smoke, but if you want to smoke, we want to make sure you know. So now half of the package of cigarettes is going to be -- contain some 26 different types of warnings. They are going to have very graphic, like those commercials you've seen with the person smoking through their tracheotomy. I mean, they're going to be graphic and they're going to be horrific, but I think they are going to stand.

WHITFIELD: So, Avery, Is this a prelude to the government doing something more stringent as it pertains to the tobacco industries?

FRIEDMAN: Oh, I think so. The tobacco industry actually brought to the federal district court saying they have a first amendment right freedom of expression. And it's very interesting, of course seriously considering it, but at the same time that same federal court in Kentucky said that the FDA has authority. These new rules with the graphic important trails of people dying of cancer and diseased lungs will actually take effect in about two years. And I don't think there's any stopping it. It's an engine on the track.

WHITFIELD: OK, and real quick, in just about 15 seconds, Avery, the CIA officials they admit to destroying, water boarding evidence. Why is this being protected, to destroy this kind of evidence -- Avery.

FRIEDMAN: It should not be. John Durham who is an experienced federal prosecutor did the assignment very quickly. Attorney general wanted to look into it, said the people that destroyed, operated on advice of counsel used that as an excuse to destroy this criminal evidence. I think it's an outrage that these people in the CIA, some of them are going to walk. HERMAN: Fred, there was a standing order by a federal judge, Do not destroy those tapes. And despite that order, the CIA destroyed those tapes. This is outrageous.

WHITFIELD: All right. And when we come back, gentlemen, we're going to talk about Mel Gibson going to court, custody battle with his ex. What's next for Mel Gibson? All right, Avery, Richard, we'll see you in a moment.

All right, helping to level the playing field for the children of refugees, a small town provides a new lease on life, thanks to one woman and the game of soccer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK, I know it says fall, but it's actually winter in some places where already there are snowflakes flying. Let's talk about the upper Midwest. That's where Bonnie Schneider's going to begin with us. Hi, Bonnie.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Fred. Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: Get those parkas out. Get the skis ready.

SCHNEIDER: It's not winter yet.

(LAUGHTER)

SCHNEIDER: It's kind of an early snowfall in Minneapolis...

WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE) weather.

SCHNEIDER: Yes, we're having snow there, and it's been falling since this morning, heavy at times. And yesterday we had snow to report in Nebraska. Let's take a look at Omaha. We can show you some pictures of what it looked like with snow on the roads. This is last night. Not such great conditions to be driving in Omaha. And I think you're going to see some strong wind as we go into the evening hours. You can see the snow kind of dusting the area, but it's a wet snow, so it's a little slushy and mixing in with rain and sleet. Oh, I hate driving on that.

All right, well, if you're in Minneapolis, the conditions are actually -- have gotten worse, particularly to the north, well north into northern Minnesota. That's where we're getting some reports of really intense snowfall, where it could be snowing as hard as an inch an hour. That's really intense. So it's a deep area of low pressure that's going to trigger the heavy snowfall that will continue through the evening hours. So we'll be watching for that. You'll be shoveling out the wet snow mixing in with rain at times.

Now, here's something interesting. Check out the current temperatures. It's about mid-30s at this hour. Just below that is the wind chill factor. So with those brisk winds out of the north, it feels like it's in the 20s. The snowfall totals, about five or six inches, kind of varying right now. But remember, it is still snowing out there, so we're still tracking definitely more accumulation.

Light rain across the Northwest. And then to the south, we are tracking some intense wind, wind advisories posted through the afternoon today in Sacramento, where the winds have just gone up since our last report. And we're also tracking strong winds developing across southern California. This is especially true for Santa Clarita down through San Bernardino and Riverside.

And finally, for those of you that are traveling on this Saturday, look at this, thousands of planes in the air. One spot of delays. Guess where it is, Fredricka? I'll just tell you. Minneapolis, delays due to now an hour-and-a-half fight now.

WHITFIELD: Oh!

SCHNEIDER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: OK. Thanks so much, Bonnie.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

WHITFIELD: Check back with you throughout the day. Appreciate it.

All right, let's go to Haiti. An around-the-clock battle against cholera is under way. The illness has killed more than 800 people and it's still spreading. Part of the problem, hundreds of open dumps. CNN's Paula Newton is in Port-au-Prince.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There is no delicate way to put this. Port-au-Prince looks and smells like a dump because it is. Ten months after the earthquake, the city has degenerated into a filthy cauldron of water, garbage and human waste. The garbage situation has always been a problem here, but now no one pays any attention to where they dump it, and the government makes virtually no effort to pick it up.

(on camera): Don't you think that Haitians deserve better than this? It's...

JUNIOR RIDORE, PORT-AU-PRINCE RESIDENT: We got -- we get used to it. We get used to it. We grow up -- everybody grow up in this country, we got used to it.

NEWTON (voice-over): But the stakes are higher now. As cholera stalks the city, these are the conditions that so worry health experts. Just Look, patients desperate for water collect it from a pipe right next to a burning collection of waste.

(on camera): The city is like an open garbage pit. This is the central canal. It cuts right through the middle of the city. And garbage of all descriptions flows right through it.

And this is where it ends up, right down the canal and piled up, tons of garbage, just laying waste here in the canal, that no one ever seems capable of collecting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: CNN spoke with Haiti's environment minister about the garbage problem in Haiti. He said the government is working on it and plans to partner with the private sector to try and deal with that issue -- a sad situation being made even that much more deplorable.

All right, refugee children in a small Georgia town are getting a new lease on life thanks to one woman and the game of soccer. CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the story in today's "Human Factor."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At first glance, they just look like a bunch of kids playing soccer. But take another look, a closer one. This is the Fugees Family.

(on camera): Anybody who wants to be a part of this family can be?

LUMA MUFLEH, FOUNDER, FUGEES FAMILY: Any refugee that wants to be a part of this family can be.

GUPTA (voice-over): And that is what binds them together. They are all refugees, 86 children and teens from more than 28 countries.

MUFLEH: Any country that's had a war in the past 20, 30 years, we've had kids from those countries.

GUPTA: What started as a casual soccer team six years ago is now a school full of students, most of whom have never been in a classroom before.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First, from Mombasa (ph), I come to Russia. From Russia, I come to America.

GUPTA: Robin Dikori sharply dressed in the school's uniform, blue sweater and tie, is an 8th grader at the Fugees Academy, something that would have been almost impossible in his native Sudan.

(on camera): Right after you moved to the United States and someone said, Robin, what are you going to do with your life, what would you have said?

ROBIN DIKORI, FUGEES FAMILY: I really didn't know what to say during that time. And now when I look at myself, I want to be someone, like, very good and make my people proud.

GUPTA (voice-over): Life in America has not always been good to Robin.

(on camera): When you're an outsider from Sudan living in the United States, what is that like? I mean, what happens to you?

DIKORI: It's very hard. Like, everyone is picking on you. Like, they're treating you really differently. You don't belong here.

GUPTA: What did you do?

DIKORI: I used to fight a lot. But nowadays, I don't really get into fights. I try to resolve them and not make people fight.

GUPTA (voice-over): And while there are refugees living all around the United States, the Fugees Family is the only group combining soccer with the hope for a better future.

(on camera): Are there other organizations that you know of like this around the country?

MUFLEH: No. I mean...

GUPTA: So this is it.

MUFLEH: This is it. And we get e-mails every week from people around the country and around the world, When will you bring the Fugees to us?

GUPTA: How many more years before you finish?

DIKORI: I have four more years because I'm in 8th grade right now.

GUPTA: Four more years, and then?

DIKORI: Another four years.

GUPTA: Of?

DIKORI: College.

GUPTA (voice-over): Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Clarkston, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Fired for trashing her boss on FaceBook. One woman's fighting to get her job back now. Our legal guys are ready to weigh in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, the war of words continues for actor Mel Gibson and his ex-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva, but this time in court. Our legal guys are back, Avery Friedman in Cleveland and Richard Herman in Las Vegas.

All right, good to see you again, gentlemen. Avery, you first. So they're going to have words in court. And this time, Mel Gibson says, You know what? I want my child, but I don't want anything to do with Oksana. So she is, of course, saying, How can he have the child when he allegedly abused me? So where is this going this week?

FRIEDMAN: Well, actually, this week, part of that wound up being addressed because he's not in the house. Lucia, the baby, and Oksana are in the house. So instead of paying child support, what does Mel do? He decides he doesn't have to pay it because they should be renting. And therefore, that turned into a big blow-up.

But you're right because the district attorney in Los Angeles, Fredricka, continues to investigate the domestic violence claim against him. Interestingly enough, the family judge this week said he does have a right to have access to the baby. That sounds right. But it has nothing to do with the criminal case, and we'll have to see where that goes because the criminal case will clearly impact the rights of Mel Gibson in having access to the baby one way or the other.

WHITFIELD: And Richard, how do you see this unfolding, especially as it pertains to Mel Gibson saying, I want a gag order in place? I want to keep her from talking publicly about all these sordid details.

HERMAN: Well, it doesn't surprise you that this racist drunk would want a gag order imposed on his actions. But you know, this is family court, and typically, all these proceedings are closed and private proceedings. So I kind of understand where he's coming from, not wanting what happens in court to be spilled out into the public. But he's a public figure, and the judge denied that request.

The battle in court was that she claimed that he doesn't even spend time with the kid. There's a nanny that's there in his huge house. The child stays with the nanny. Has he no interaction with the child. So therefore, you know, he has no basis to even have the child. But the best interests of the children are always the standard, Fred. And as Avery said...

FRIEDMAN: That's right.

HERMAN: ... if that criminal case comes with a conviction, he's not going to have child -- he's not going to have visitation, or supervised visitation is the best he'll be able to hope for.

FRIEDMAN: That's right.

WHITFIELD: All right, that this might get heated is the understatement, right, prediction? All right, so let's talk about what's taking place in Connecticut now. A Connecticut company says, You know what? We don't like the comments. We think they're derogatory, placed on our employee's FaceBook page, and so you're fired. So I wonder, Avery, can a company fire you for your behavior outside of company grounds and company property?

FRIEDMAN: I love this case, Fredricka. And that's exactly the question that the National Labor Relations Board, which is first-time prosecution of the very issue you raised. That is, if you're saying something, like your boss is unfair, on your personal FaceBook page, can you be fired for that?

Well, this ambulance company fired the employee for putting something on her FaceBook page, and the federal government said that's unfair. There's a hearing coming up in January of 2011 to answer the question. And you know what? I don't think a company can go that far. I think the employee walks away with a victory.

WHITFIELD: Really?

FRIEDMAN: She gets back pay and her job back.

WHITFIELD: Oh! Richard, agreement?

HERMAN: Well, yes, no, as you said with T.J. earlier, of course we're going to disagree on this one, Fred.

(LAUGHTER)

HERMAN: The company -- the company...

WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE) prediction.

HERMAN: ... has a clear, clear -- he was concerned about it, by the way. But check his FaceBook, T.J.'s.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HERMAN: But the company here had a clear -- crystal clear zero tolerance policy. If you're an employee in this company, you must not post...

FRIEDMAN: So what?

HERMAN: ... on the Internet disparaging comments. That's their policy. If you don't like it, don't work for them. Those were the rules. But in addition, there's another little wrinkle in this case. They claim they didn't terminate her because of the FaceBook, they claimed that for two incidents where she acted discourteous...

WHITFIELD: Yes, outside of the FaceBook...

(CROSSTALK)

HERMAN: ... that's really why.

WHITFIELD: OK. All right. That's their contention.

FRIEDMAN: Has nothing to do with anything.

WHITFIELD: OK, well, now...

FRIEDMAN: The employee's going to win this one. Employee's going to win.

WHITFIELD: OK, we're going all over the map...

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: We're going to head back out west now. Let's go to Alaska, where at issue now, the intent of the voter, this involving the Senate race. Joe Miller is saying, You know what? They didn't -- voters weren't spelling Murkowski's name, Lisa Murkowski's name right, so we want to make sure those ballots are thrown out completely. Now, Avery, this is heading to federal court. And one has to wonder whether the intent of the voter will, indeed, be challenged here, or if it's rather clear. It's not Murkowski has any similar spelling to Miller.

FRIEDMAN: Well, that's right. Ironically, this Tea Party candidate who said the federal government is overreaching, when he needed help, where did he go? Not to state court, he went to federal court saying voter intent doesn't matter. Hey, look, a couple of voters up there in Alaska voted for Elmo, but most of them voted for Lisa Murkowski. The fact is, the federal judge, we think, is likely to say voter intent does count. Murkowski wins, Miller loses, justice prevails.

WHITFIELD: Awesome. Always great to see you all. You always make us so much smarter.

FRIEDMAN: Well, I don't know about that, but it's sure fun.

WHITFIELD: All right, Avery, Richard, thanks so much. Have a great rest of the weekend. See you next weekend.

And we'll be right back with more of the NEWSROOM after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Time now for the latest political update. Sarah Palin is calling on Congress to, quote, "de-fund Obama care." In a message on her FaceBook page today, Palin called on new members of Congress to stick to their campaign promises. She says the first step is to stop funding the health care reform Democrats passed earlier this year.

When Congress reconvenes next week, Democrats will be pushing for a special payment to elderly Americans. Because of lower inflation again this year, there will be no cost of living increase in Social Security benefits. Democrats want to help make up for that by sending $250,000 -- $250 checks, rather, to Social Security recipients.

Alaska senator Lisa Murkowski accuses her opponent, Joe Miller, of trying to disenfranchise voters. Murkowski ran for reelection as a write-in candidate, and they are still counting the ballots. Miller supports -- supporters, rather, are challenging the ballot of voters who didn't spell Murkowski's name correctly.

All right, some returning service members get parades. Well, one woman thinks they deserve something much more personal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BETTE ROSE BOWERS, THE HUG LADY: I'm a sucker for a man in uniform, and I hug them because I want them all to know that they're appreciated.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, we take you to one of the world's biggest airports to meet "the hug lady." (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: If you're in the U.S. military and you're in uniform when you go through the Atlanta airport, for instance, get ready to be hugged. Our photojournalist William Walker takes us to meet "the hug lady."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BETTE ROSE BOWERS, THE HUG LADY: Welcome home, soldier.

My name is Bette Rose Bowers, and I'm at the Atlanta Airport.

Welcome home. God bless you. Where y'all heading?

We welcome the troops as they are coming in for their two weeks of R&R.

Where are you coming from?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Afghanistan.

BOWERS: They're coming in from Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq.

Welcome home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

BOWERS: Where's home?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Huntsville, Alabama.

BOWERS: I've been told that I've been affectionately called "the hug lady."

God bless you. Thank you.

I'm a sucker for a man in uniform, and I hug them because I want them all to know that they're appreciated.

Seeing a service person see his child, his baby, for the first time, probably just a matter of weeks old, a little baby, and he got to see her for the first time -- if that doesn't bring tears to your eyes, then you're pretty heartless.

That's worth all the pictures in the world, isn't it?

Having that father see his baby -- that was great.

It's unbelievable, the feeling that it gives you. Or seeing a little girl...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love you.

BOWERS: ... see their mother or daddy and just run -- I mean, just run into their arms. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm waiting on my son. He's coming home from Kabul.

Welcome home, Slade (ph). Love you. Love you, love you.

BOWERS: Parents seeing their sons or daughters that they haven't seen for several months.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, here we go!

BOWERS: I can't tell you how many times I have shed tears.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you! Thank you!

BOWERS: But good tears, happy tears.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm happy he's here in one piece and safe and sound.

BOWERS: I have a grandson who's in -- in the Army. I can't help but want to put my arms around these young people and -- and I want them to know that they're cared about and that we're proud of them. And what they're doing, they're putting their lives out for us. You're welcoming them home. They deserve a hug.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, CNN is honoring the men and women who have dedicated their lives to serving our country. Today at 3:00 o'clock Eastern, we're bringing you "Veterans in Focus." Don't miss it.

But first, in the 2:00 o'clock Eastern hour, with the changes in the new Congress, should you change your financial strategy? We'll see what our personal financial experts, the Dolans -- they're back, yes -- what have to say about it. They are back. Also in the 2:00 o'clock Eastern hour, my face-to-face interview with Russell Simmons. In part two, he talks about what makes him happy, and it's not money or things. It's also the subject of his must book, "Super Rich." And 3:00 o'clock "Veterans in Focus," and then 4:00 o'clock Eastern, movie reviews. We'll tell you what's hot at the theaters.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Atlanta. "YOUR $$$$$" starts right now.