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Iran Moves to Suppress Protests; No Charges in New York Police Shooting Death; President Obama Defends Budget

Aired February 15, 2011 - 14:59   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you Ali.

And we're just getting some new video from inside Iran, a look directly inside the Iranian parliament as its leaders react with venom toward the protests. The Iranian lawmakers in power right now are so threatened by the demonstrations, they are yelling and chanting and calling for the execution of opposition leaders.

We should tell you, getting new video out and the facts out of Iran has been extremely difficult. This regime, as you know, is very restrictive. Many foreign journalists have been banned from covering anti-government protests.

Now, we have a reporter as close as we can get to the unrest there. We're going to talk to him in just a moment. But first, listen to president Barack Obama's blunt talk on Iran today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I find it ironic that you've got the Iranian regime pretending to celebrate what happened in Egypt, when in fact they have acted in direct contrast to what happened in Egypt by gunning down and beating people who were trying to express themselves peacefully in Iran.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Protesters have been largely targeting President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but they have increasingly shifted their demands to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Now let's go to Reza Sayah for more on this. He joins us live from Pakistan.

Reza, the fact is, there are important differences between Egypt and Iran's government and their responses which could really shape the outcome in Iran.

How vulnerable would you say a regime like Iran's is?

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Randi, I don't think there's any question that there's differences between Iran and Egypt. And at this point, at least for the short run, I don't think there's any indication that Iran's authoritarian regime is in jeopardy of being toppled by the opposition. And that's because Iran's a brutally repressive regime. One of the biggest glaring differences between what we're seeing in Egypt and we're seeing in Iran is the crackdown by the government and the security forces. In Egypt, you had the military that pretty much stayed on the sidelines. You had the state security apparatus, the police that was either outwitted or outmaneuvered by the opposition forces.

But, in Iran, you have the Revolutionary Guard that's leading these crackdowns. This is a powerful institution that has huge influence in all facets of life in Iran, the economy, politics, even education.

So, it has a huge stake, and that's why it's fighting tooth and nail every time this opposition movement comes out with those brutal crackdowns. So, if the opposition movement in Iran, its intention is to topple the Iranian regime, I think many observers know it has a much tougher path than the uprising in Egypt -- Randi.

KAYE: And what's interesting here to point out, though, is that unlike Egypt, which was an ally of the U.S. and relies on the U.S. for so much aid, you have Iran, where the U.S. isn't there to stop them and there isn't any international media to capture it all because they're not allowed inside.

So it seems really as though there's no limit to the Iranian government's brutality. How do you expect the protesters will respond to the regime's threats?

SAYAH: Well, they have defied those threats in the past, and there's been call for more protests in the coming weeks we haven't been able to verify. But the bottom line is, the Iranian regime has made clear threats to this opposition movement.

They have made it a very high-stakes game. They have said, if you come out, there's going to be a price to pay. Despite those threats, this opposition movement has come out again and again. And based on what we saw on Monday, the protests on Monday, you can expect to see more protests from this so-called Green Movement.

But the question is, how do they do more than street protests? How do they plan to effect real political change? And that's a question that remains unanswered with this movement, Randi.

KAYE: We are all struck by these scenes, Reza, out of Parliament, the lawmakers chanting and cheering for the execution of the opposition leaders. What would you say the odds are that the leadership there will actually follow up on these calls for executions? Because I believe Iran has the highest execution rate in the world.

SAYAH: It does, but these aren't just anybody. These are the two opposition figures who are leading the charge with this movement.

And I think if the government, if the regime goes after these two individuals, it has the potential of energizing this movement, giving them a rallying cry. And I don't think that's a chance the regime wants to take right now. I think they are going to put pressure on them, but executing them, I think that is going to be very unlikely.

KAYE: And the Green opposition movement has really been largely political, but now it does seem as though there's this economic undertone. Could that shift the dynamic there?

SAYAH: It could, Randi. There's a lot of people in Iran who are suffering economic hardships, a lot of people that are working hard with master's degree that don't have their basic fulfillments met. They want better jobs. They want to earn a better living.

They want to buy homes. That's not happening. So, if, for example, the labor movement, if the merchants of Iran, who are extremely influential, join this movement, this will certainly add momentum to the movement and change the dynamics potentially -- Randi.

KAYE: Reza Sayah for us in Islamabad, thank you, Reza.

And next: shocking dash cam video of a cop hitting a woman walking her bike across the road. We will show you what happens next. Plus, see what she was doing there to begin with.

Also, police officers shoot and kill a college football player who was driving away from a bar. It sparked outrage, as you might imagine. Well, now we're hearing that the officers willing not face any charges. Up next, I will talk to the mother of one of the students who was inside that car, so keep it here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: I'm going to show you some video now that you may find disturbing. A deputy's dash cam captures the moment of impact as a woman on a bicycle crosses in front of his car. Now, remember, the images are graphic, and they might disturb some viewers.

Take a look. This is in Collier County, Florida, last week. That is 47-year-old Cicelia McKinnon toppling on to the cruiser's hood. The officer driving the vehicle says he couldn't see her until she dashed right in front of him. Now, McKinnon says that she purposely chose a darkened road because she was afraid police would ticket her for not having lights on her bike.

She also said she has poor vision and was not wearing glasses. The sheriff's department calls the accident unfortunate and says it released the video to show what happened. McKinnon is recovering from a broken leg, a broken arm and some internal injuries as well.

A grand jury in New York says the police shooting of a college football player was not a crime. Sounds pretty simple, right? But this story is actually pretty complicated. Danroy Henry Jr., known as D.J., was shot to death by a police officer last October outside a bar in Thornwood. That's north of New York City.

Police say they were trying to break up a brawl when Henry, who was parked in the fire lane, hit the gas. An officer tried to stop the car and ended up on the hood. Well, the officer shot at the driver, but the car kept going. Now, the police chief says cops grabbed Henry from the car, handcuffed him, without realizing that he had actually been shot.

Once they realized it, they tried to save him, the chief says, but it was too late. So that's one version of the story. Not everyone agrees with that, though.

First, Henry's dad, he told us this morning that the investigation was flawed from the start.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANROY HENRY, SR., CLAIMS SON WAS WRONGFULLY KILLED BY POLICE: We believe that all along this process was designed to get to a no true bill, not of an indictment. And so we were prepared ourselves for that. It would be impossible for us to accept, it would be naive of us to accept that a police department that knows it has both criminal and civil liability could investigate this fairly.

Their evidence was the evidence used by the district attorney's office, who -- where there are inherent conflicts, both that we experienced and that are just inherent in the process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Now we want you to meet someone else whose opinion of what happened is different from what police say.

Donna Park's son, Brandon Cox, was in the car with D.J. Henry when this whole thing happened.

Donna, thanks for joining us today.

First, your reaction to the decision by the grand jury not to indict the officer involved in the case. Do you think that they didn't have all the evidence to make an informed decision?

DONNA PARKS, SON WITNESSED SHOOTING: Oh, I think they had the evidence. The testimony of the eyewitness accounts of what happened that evening, it just could not have been taken seriously and gotten this result.

KAYE: And your son was in the car with the victim who died, D.J. Henry.

PARKS: Yes.

KAYE: And you dispute the account of what police say happened that night. What did your son tell you actually happened?

PARKS: That a police officer asked them to move out of the fire lane, so they were moving out of the fire lane, and then all of a sudden the police officer, Aaron Hess, jumps out in front of the car with his gun drawn and began shooting. They said that the police officer that asked them to move out of the fire lane then said, stop that car, stop that car, and then Aaron Hess jumped out in front of the car.

And he admits this himself, that he jumped out in front of the car and started shooting. Another officer, Officer Beckley, shot from the side as Aaron Hess was jumped on top of the car. So, why were they all shooting at the car? Not just one police officer shot. Two police officers were shooting at this car.

KAYE: And the way it sounds from police was that the car was just being moved, but you're saying that your son told you that they were actually asked to move the car.

PARKS: They asked them. They tapped on the window. They looked. They motioned for them to move. So they said, oh, we're in the fire lane. They must want us to move out of the way.

So they started moving out of the way. And then all of a sudden, someone said, stop that car. Another officer jumps in front of the car and starts shooting.

KAYE: And there was no discussion between your son and D.J. Henry and the police at all?

PARKS: No. No. They motioned for them to move out of the way.

KAYE: So after D.J. Henry was shot, he was pulled out of the car. The police chief says that the officers didn't know he was shot when they handcuffed him and they left him on the ground. Is that your understanding as well of how it played out?

PARKS: Oh, no. No. They -- there's no way -- he shot right into the car. You could see the bullet -- of -- the bullet holes in the car. How could they think they missed? They pulled him out the car. He's saying to Brandon, they shot me, they shot me.

So, they're pulling him out of the car, handcuffing him. If they were shooting at the car right in his area, why wouldn't they look to see if he was shot?

KAYE: And your son was injured as well, right?

PARKS: Yes, he was. He was injured as well. He was shot in the arm.

KAYE: How...

(CROSSTALK)

PARKS: Well, he's been traumatized by this whole ordeal. His arm has healed. He still has -- it still -- it hurts. It's still not healed completely. But he was shot in the arm.

KAYE: And what does he think of the fact that this officer was not indicted?

PARKS: Oh, sadly, sadly disappointed, very, very disappointed, very disappointed. KAYE: All right, well, Donna Parks, we do appreciate you sharing your side of this story with us as well. Thanks for your time this afternoon.

PARKS: You're welcome.

KAYE: And I want to keep you in the loop. We are waiting for a live news conference from NASA. The agency is releasing brand-new pictures of a comet. You will hear about this fly-by mission coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: You might have seen it this morning. The president came out and talked with reporters. He spent most of his time defending his budget proposal, which we covered in depth yesterday. The Republicans say it -- quote -- "punts" on cutting the deficit, which is one of their top priorities.

We have boiled down several of the president's main points. So let's watch this together. This is the president's news conference earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: What we've done is we've taken a scalpel to the discretionary budget, rather than a machete.

We've got a big problem in terms of accumulated interest that we're paying and that's why we're going to have to whittle down furthers the debt that's already been accumulated.

What we've done is to try to take this in stages.

What I think is important to do is not discount the tough choices that are required just to stabilize the situation.

QUESTION: Everything you've talked about, tax reform, the entitlement reform, two parties coming together, just happened in December...

OBAMA: Right.

QUESTION: ... and your fiscal commission. You had a majority consensus to do all this. It's now been shelved. It seems that you've not taken -- I guess my question is, what was the point of the fiscal commission?

OBAMA: The -- the notion that it's been shelved I think is incorrect.

It still provides a framework for a conversation.

Now, part of the challenge here is that this town -- let's face it, you guys are pretty impatient. If something doesn't happen today, then the assumption is it's just not going to happen, all right? I have had this conversation for the last two years about every single issue that we've worked on.

I mean, my goal here is to actually solve the problem.

It's not to get a good headline on the first day.

Further slashes would impair our ability to meet our mission.

And so, yes, we've got to be careful. Again, let's use a scalpel. Let's not use a machete.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Gloria Borger is with us from Washington.

Gloria, good to see you. We heard him say it twice now, a scalpel, not a machete. Is it safe to say that he's the scalpel and the Republicans are the machete, at least in his rendition?

(LAUGHTER)

GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes.

First of all, I want to say, us impatient? Come on. We're not impatient.

KAYE: Never.

(LAUGHTER)

BORGER: Never.

KAYE: Not the media.

BORGER: Yes, not us.

Look, he's making the case here that he wants to, as he calls it, win the future. And what that means is that you don't do these broad across-the-board cuts, that you still have to make your investments in education, in energy, in research and development, innovation, but that you can make budget cuts alongside it.

But his larger point is, my budget, he admits, doesn't tackle the big things. What he said is, it kind of stabilizes it. And his point is, I'm the long-view guy. I'm the guy who's going to get this done. But don't expect me to do it tomorrow. And, by the way, let's see what the Republicans come up with when they have to do their own budget proposal in the next couple of months.

KAYE: Sure.

BORGER: So it's very clear that the White House wants to wait for that.

KAYE: This can be pretty complicated, though. So let's take a look at this graph together, if you don't mind.

BORGER: Sure.

KAYE: This is the federal budget as simple as we can make it really for all of us -- 59 percent, if you see there, is actually locked-in spending on Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, the so- called entitlements that we have been talking about now. Those are all untouchable at least up to now. Seven percent is payment on the national debt. You can't touch that. So that leaves 34 percent to cut from, but a lot of that actually goes to the military.

BORGER: Military.

KAYE: So now they're talking about cutting from the red, the entitlements. That's tough political medicine. And so let's listen to the number-one Republican budgeteer asked point-blank yesterday about cutting entitlements.

BORGER: Right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN (R), WISCONSIN: Wait until we put our budget out and we will see. Yes, I can talk about what areas we will talk about. And that's what we will do when we put our budget out there. We haven't even written our budget yet, so it's premature to talk about what's going to be in out budget, given it's something that has not been written yet.

The politically safe response, I suppose, is to do nothing. I wonder about that, though. Unfortunately, this is the path the president has chosen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: So, Gloria, both sides saying that they're willing to cut entitlements, but are they both saying, you go first? I mean, nobody wants to take the first step, right?

BORGER: Right. A little Alphonse-Gaston, you know, you go first, if you will.

The president sort of today, though, I think, outlined a kind of a road map. And it was interesting to me, because it wasn't very much unlike what the deficit commission had been talking about. But again, it is not going to happen tomorrow. What he said was, OK, we can do entitlement reform, but along -- and he said Social Security, by the way, is not the problem. Medicare/Medicaid is the problem. But alongside of that, we can do tax reform.

Now, he didn't talk about tax reform in his State of the Union. But everybody knows that what tax reform involves is a lowering of the rates, particularly the top rate on the wealthiest Americans, but, in exchange for that, you close tax loopholes. And so you can see what the president is talking about, that eventually they all may get to the table and decide to do that, but they're not ready yet. There's got to be all of this stuff that goes on before they can actually get there.

(CROSSTALK)

BORGER: Huh?

KAYE: One of them has to jump first.

BORGER: One of them has to jump first. And, look, we're going to see what the Republican budget says, what Paul Ryan does. The number-two Republican leader, Mr. Cantor, yesterday said that they will do some form of entitlement reform.

And don't forget, their voters, particularly the Tea Party voters, are not in the mood for compromising on the budget deficit. They think, we want to get this deficit down. But most of the voters in this country -- and this is where the Democrats make their political calculation -- most of the voters in this country say, yes, we want to get the deficit down, but, by the way, don't touch my Medicare, don't touch my Social Security.

So the Democrats are betting that when you look at some of the more draconian, if you will, cuts that are coming, that the public will side with them. We're just going to have to see how that plays out.

KAYE: Right.

BORGER: And, by the way, big unknown, there are all of these new Republicans in the House, half of whom have never held elective office before.

KAYE: Right.

BORGER: And I don't think the speaker can even count their votes at this point, because he doesn't know where they are going to end up. So, it's going to be quite interesting to see how they do...

(CROSSTALK)

KAYE: And we will keep watching it. Gloria Borger, thank you.

BORGER: Thanks, Randi.

KAYE: Stunning allegations against the Pentagon. Women say that they were raped and harass and the military did nothing about it. And some of the alleged attacks happened in the war zone. That story is straight ahead.

Plus, Amanda Knox is behind bars, convicted of murder. But now her parents are facing trial. We will tell you what Italian prosecutors are actually accusing them of doing. So stick around for that story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back, 25 minutes past the hour. A group of military veterans, 15 women and two men, some former military, some still serving, well, they're suing the Department of Defense today, saying that they were sexually harassed, sexually abused and in some cases raped. And the top brass, they say, did absolutely nothing.

Barbara Starr is our Pentagon correspondent. And she's with me now from the Pentagon.

Barbara, this isn't just one lawsuit. I mean, we're talking about 14 current and former members the U.S. military. Who exactly are they pointing the finger at?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a lawsuit that perhaps has been a long time in coming, Randi. Assault, sexual trauma, rape has been an issue in the U.S. military, as it is in society, for some years.

But there's been a growing sense amongst the ranks that in -- especially women, that these cases, these allegations have been ignored and really haven't been dealt with. So, today, we have 15 women and two men filing lawsuit against Defense Secretary Robert Gates, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, very graphic details in this 42-page lawsuit about what they say happened to them in the war zone, at home, on bases in Korea, assault, rapes, derogatory behavior.

And they say that the Pentagon didn't take it seriously and in many cases failed to properly investigate. I think we have a piece of sound from one of the victims speaking out today about all of this.

KAYE: Yes. Right. Let's take a listen to that and we will talk some more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MYLA HAIDER, FORMER U.S. ARMY SERGEANT: The people who commit these offenses are sexual predators who are very good at selecting their victims and tend to offend again and again. And that is a fact that is not recognized within the DOD system. It is treated as if it is an issue between soldiers. It is not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Some of the details are so disturbing, Barbara. One victim said she was drugged and gang-raped. Another, I read, she was assaulted in the ladies room.

So what is the Pentagon saying about all of this?

STARR: Well, as you suspect, they're not speaking about the lawsuit in particular, but there's an office in the Pentagon that handles all these types of issues. They're reporting nearly 4,000 complaints, 4,000 cases reported to them last year.

That's a very interesting increase. There's two ways you can report assaults in the military. You can report it openly, and they open an investigation and they talk to the accusers and the accused. You can report it confidentially, so you can keep your identity secret and get confidential counseling.

And that confidential reporting, it's actually up, which is an indication, experts will tell you, that women are very traumatized by all of this. And, you know, we shouldn't say it's shocking, but it is in many cases.

Two men joined this lawsuit, two members of the United States military, saying they were sexually assaulted by other men in the military, very graphic details about what happened to them, Randi.

KAYE: And instead of using the military chain of command, do they feel that this is -- that's just worthless and that's why they filed the lawsuit?

STARR: Well, many of them actually do feel that they're not taken seriously.

One of the Marine Corps members, a young woman, said that, even after she reported the rape, that she was forced to work alongside her accuser for months to come. That is a routine practice that many women report. They report being ostracized. They report being told that no one will take them seriously. A lot of intimidation, they say is going on.

Whether -- how widespread is this, 4,000 cases amongst hundreds of thousands of people in the United States military? But Defense Secretary Robert Gates, through his spokesman, says this is now a command priority, that they want to get a handle on it, that they have been trying, but they know there is more work to be done here at the Pentagon -- Randi.

KAYE: All right, Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us, thank you, Barbara.

STARR: Sure.

KAYE: Now a strange twist in the case of Amanda Knox, the American convicted of murder in Italy. Her parents have now been indicted for allegedly lying about police.

In a 2009 "Sunday Times" interview, her parents claimed the police in Perugia, Italy, withheld an interpreter, food and water, and were actually physically and verbally abusive to Amanda after her arrest.

So, Amanda's mother now telling CNN today, "Yes, I am going to trial for libel, along with one of my lawyers and a group of journalists."

A hearing on the case is set for July 4.

Now, remember when our solar system went from nine planets to eight? It's only been five years since Pluto was actually denoted. But the number of planets may be changing again. Trending today, the search is on for what two American scientists suspect is a new planet. They talk to the British paper "The Independent," and the scientists believe there could be a ninth planet that's four times the size of Jupiter and 375 times further from the sun than Pluto.

The scientists are calling the possible planet Tyche. They believe it could be orbiting in the outer edge of our solar system. "The Independent" reports the first data will be released in April. And if Tyche does exist, scientists think the data can lead them to their location in just a couple of years. Pretty cool.

Up next, Charlie Sheen's erratic new interview. He's still at rehab at home, so what exactly possessed him to call into a radio show for nearly half an hour yesterday? And why on earth did he say what he did about using crack cocaine? We've got the clips for you. You will want to hear these, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Charlie Sheen in recent years, he's become a poster boy for celebrity addiction. He's in and out of rehab. His escapades plaster the headlines and celebrity gossip blogs and entertainment talk shows. Divorce, domestic violence charges, reports of booze- fueled hotel rampages are all part of his story.

Last month he made an emergency hospital visit after a reported binge. His sitcom "Two and a Half Men" went on hiatus and Sheen began a self-styled home rehab program. Yesterday he told a popular radio show yesterday he's ready to go back to work, but his words may inspire more concern than confidence actually. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLIE SHEEN, ACTOR: People kind of know that I've had problems and this and that. I'm sort of notorious for, you know, surfacing, going deep undercover, deep underground. So I said, stay away from the crack, which I think is pretty good advice, unless you can manage it socially, Dan. If you can manage it socially, then go for it. But not a lot of people can, you know?

DAN PATRICK, RADIO SHOW HOST: Did you think you could?

SHEEN: Sorry?

PATRICK: Did you think you could?

SHEEN: Yes, yes, but that kind of blew up in my face, like an exploding crack pipe, Dan.

PATRICK: You want to go back to work?

SHEEN: Oh, yes. I'm a man of my word. I have a contract. I heal really quickly, but I also unravel pretty quickly. So get me right now, guys. I'm here, and I'm ready, they're not. Bring it.

PATRICK: Best piece of advice you've gotten since you stopped partying?

SHEEN: Stay like this, right? Just keep it simple, stay like this. And you know, today I'll stay like this. I'm having a ball.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Wow. Just leaves you shaking your head. Did he really say manage crack socially? Yes, he did. Dr. Drew Pinsky responded to that part of the interview yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. DREW PINSKY: I never met that person. It's very predictable where this is going to go. It's going to go to horrible places.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: But despite that frightening outlook, Sheen still holds a good bit of power and sway. After all, he stars in the highest rated sitcom in television and many troubled actors continue to work. So joining me now to help explain this complicated dynamic is TV guide business editor Steve, Battaglio. Steve, good to see you.

STEVE BATTAGLIO, BUSINESS EDITOR, TV GUIDE MAGAZINE: Good to be here.

KAYE: Have Sheen's recent antics fueled concerns at CBS about his health?

BATTAGLIO: Well, my understanding is that this interview was listened to by the people close to the show, and he sounded, overall -- I mean, there were a few headlines, some of the odder jokes that he made, but overall he was coherent.

And there apparently is a plan to bring the show back into production at the end of February, and that seems to be on track. Nothing happened yesterday that made anyone think any differently about starting the show up again.

KAYE: Are you saying CBS thought he sounded coherent or you're just saying that?

BATTAGLIO: I think the general reaction from the people close to the show, and I'm not going to say who, felt there was nothing in there that made them more concerned about his condition. He is clean right now. I think he called the show because he is bored. He's an addict so either he has to work all the time or do drugs. He's not doing either of those things, so what is he going to do?

He likes sports, he likes "The Dan Patrick Show." He went on, clowned around a bit. I think that's the result you got. But I don't think that's changing what's on track right now, which is for him to go back to work at some point in the near future.

KAYE: What would you say the biggest concern is for CBS-Warner Brothers at this point? Are they concerned about the image of the show?

BATTAGLIO: They're not concerned about the image of the show at all because every time Charlie gets in trouble, the ratings stay the same or go up. The show is the number one show again last night. Even when the show is on in repeats it gets higher ratings than almost every other sitcom in television with the exception of "Modern Family." So the public doesn't care about what Charlie does in his free time.

But the studio and the network do care about Charlie. Corporate responsibility is important to them. They don't want to see this guy die on their watch, and they are concerned about that and they are watching that very closely.

At the same time, he has to decide that he wants to get sober. He's the only one that can make that decision. Warner Brothers can't make him sober. He's got to do it.

KAYE: He has a lot of people's futures really in his hands because this certainly has an effect on others working for the show.

BATTAGLIO: He certainly does.

KAYE: What about the rest of the show?

BATTAGLIO: It's a delicate balance. You have a business that employs a lot of people. Their livelihoods are involved. But you're also talking about the health of an individual. I mean, it's a tricky thing they're trying to navigate.

But there have been reports that the show is going to start up again in a couple of weeks and that they plan to make four or five more episodes this season I think if he does stay sober.

KAYE: Steve, we'll leave it there. Thank you. Good discussion.

So who better to discuss the collision of addiction in Hollywood than someone who's been there and lived to tell about it, right? Child star turned reality star and radio host Danny Bonaduce joins Brooke Baldwin in the Newsroom tomorrow. She will ask about that phrase "functioning addict" and the pressure to perform even in the throes of addiction.

Now, remember the anthrax scare, deadly biological toxins mailed to news outlets and Congress to the weeks after 9/11? Remember, five were killed? Today the FBI is sticking by its claim that the crime was the work of an army scientist who committed suicide while under investigation.

But the scientist's lawyer says a new review of the evidence effectively exonerates his late client, Bruce Ivans. Homeland Security correspondent Jeanne Meserve is on the story from Washington. Jeanne, can you help us make sense of this?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Sure, Randi. There was a panel experts convened by the National Academies of Sciences asked to look at the scientific evidence. They say the scientific evidence alone isn't enough to say definitively who was behind the anthrax attacks.

The letters could have come from the army microbiologist Bruce Ivans, as the FBI alleges, but the panel did not rule out the possibility that they could have come from someone else. Ivans did anthrax research at the army's lab in Ft. Dietrich, Maryland. He once helped the FBI with its investigation. But eventually he became the focal point. He knew he was under suspicion and he committed suicide in July of 2008 before any charges could be filed against him.

After his death, the FBI closed the case, saying the spores in the anthrax letters were identical to the anthrax spores in a flask in Ivans' lab, constituting a smoking gun. But today's report says the FBI didn't fully explore all possible sources and Paul Kemp, a lawyer who represented Ivans, told CNN, "Their smoking gun just turned into smoke and mirrors." Randi?

KAYE: Yes, so why would they name him as a suspect? You have to wonder why they would take it that far now knowing they weren't even sure, there isn't even the evidence.

MESERVE: Well, first of all, let me say the evidence uncovered today by the study doesn't exonerate Ivans. It just says that perhaps the FBI could have looked at other avenues. But the FBI says science wasn't the only fact it considered. This was a hugely complex investigation involving something like 600,000 investigator work hours.

The FBI says the science helped, it helped direct law enforcement and pointed toward Ivans. The National Academies panel didn't weigh in on any of those law enforcement matters or other sorts of forensics. They just weren't asked to do it. And they refused actually to weigh in on the guilt or innocence of Ivans or anyone else in the case, Randi.

KAYE: Jeanne Meserve, thank you.

There is a bizarre mystery unfolding right now. Police pull over a pest control truck -- inside a sick man and a boy having a seizure. Also in the back, a body bag. Investigators say it's a murder investigation now. The new developments straight ahead.

Also, it's that time of year. "Sports Illustrated" revealing the cover of its swimsuit issue. Or did they? There's a bit of controversy involving a leak and David Letterman. We'll tell you the whole connection, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back. So what happens when you unveil a gigantic billboard with "Sports Illustrated's" newest cover model? People notice and it's trending.

David Letterman's "Late Show" secretly unveiled the 2011 swimsuit issue cover girl billboard in broad daylight yesterday. They were recording the cover model announcement for last night's show, but they clearly didn't get this billboard covered up quickly enough.

Who would notice a larger than life model in a barely there bikini? Enough people did, and they snapped pictures and they sent them to all of their friends. So meet Irina Shayk, the first Russian ever to grace the cover of "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit edition. But she's no rookie when it comes to modeling swimsuits. She made her sports illustrated debut in 2007 and has appeared in every swimsuit issue since.

Going from supermodels to space -- NASA is releasing brand new pictures of a comet. They were taken during a fly-by mission, and we are going to show them to you next.

But first, we all need money advice from time to time. Well, you can get it for free right here on CNN. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Time now for the help desk, where we give answers to your financial questions. Joining me is Ryan Mack, the president of Optimum Capital Management, and Doug Flynn, a certified financial planner. Glad you are with us today.

Let's get to our first question. I know that if I withdraw money from my 401(k) early I have to pay a tax and penalty. Will the tax and penalty be on the whole amount, Doug?

DOUG FLYNN, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER: Well, likely it will be, especially if it was pretax money that went in, definitely. Here's the thing. If you're about 40 years will old and have $10,000 in your retirement account. You think it's $10,000. Realistically, after taxes and penalties, it's only $6,000 or $7,000. If you take the money out, you might only get six or seven and missing out on possibly $50,000.

ELAM: Know the bigger picture.

Our next question - "does my mortgage company have the right to keep reporting me to the credit bureau every month after my foreclosure has been finalized?" What do you say, Ryan?

RYAN MACK, PRESIDENT, OPTIMUM CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: It's a big problem with deficiency judgments, individuals going through foreclosure, think they're free and clear of obligations. What happens is, if they sell your home in the auction for less than the amount owed, they have the right to go back the amount you were short. So sometimes individuals months later get $200,000, $300,000 bills which they're requesting financial statements, may be garnishing wages, some are getting put in prison for this type of information.

So what you have to do is when you're going through foreclosure, make sure you get a good HUD counselor or attorney to give you all the ins and outs.

ELAM: Gentlemen, thank you so much for your advice today. If you have a question you want to get answered, send us an e-mail anytime, CNN Help Desk at CNN.com. We're happy to help you out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: There is a pretty big hunk of real dirty ice flying around in outer space, and scientists are beaming today about a pile of new pictures they snapped of it. John Zarrella is in Miami, and he's got a whole lot of friends at NASA. And they are telling us what, John, about this comet?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Randi, it's called Temple One, and we're still waiting for the NASA news conference to originate out of the jet propulsion laboratory. When you look at those pictures, I know you've seen them, kind of looks like a giant boulder space or maybe a meatball that wasn't formed quite right out there.

KAYE: Yes.

ZARRELLA: Yes. It's way out there. What's interesting about this comet is it's not the first time that NASA has visited the temple one comet. This was billed as the Valentine's Day rendezvous. Actually Temple One was rendezvoused with the stardust spacecraft late last night and began sending down 150 or so images.

They were not in the order NASA had hoped. They had hoped to get the really good ones, the close-ups first, and then they would get the faraway images later. But through the day-to-day, one every hour or so, these images have been coming down, and they are quite spectacular.

KAYE: So how close -- I'm sure a lot of people are wondering how close actually is this to earth. I mean, where is this thing?

ZARRELLA: This thing is 200 million miles away, so we don't have to worry about it. It's not on a collision course with the earth.

KAYE: That's good.

ZARRELLA: Or coming anywhere close to the earth so we're OK there.

KAYE: And apart from being just really cool, what good do these pictures actually do us here on earth?

ZARRELLA: You know, here's what's interesting. From NASA's point of view it shows they can do space missions on the cheap. The reason I say this is this stardust spacecraft that took these pictures actually had a first mission where it orbited another comet called Wild, gathered dust and debris out of the coma of that comet and brought that debris back to earth, dropped it off in another spacecraft and then was given this mission, all for about $350 million. That's cheap when you consider one space shuttle flight is $500 million.

And from a science standpoint, they are going to get an idea of what happens to these comets as they come around the sun and how the sun influences them. And all of this information they gather really helps lead towards more information about the origins of the universe. Randi?

So NASA will have a big press conference, and you're going to learn even more about this big hunk of ice?

ZARRELLA: Yes. One real quick point -- what's interesting about all of this is that five years ago another spacecraft called Deep Impact actually intentionally was flown into the surface of Temple One, formed an enormous cloud. NASA was hoping to get pictures of what the crater looked like at the time but never got those images because of the cloud.

So now they are hoping that this fly-by by this stardust spacecraft will give them pictures of the crater formed by the impact from deep impact. So we'll see what they say at this presser, and we'll have it for you as soon as we can.

KAYE: Got it. John Zarrella, I'm really glad we talked because now we don't have to fear that this thing is too close to home.

ZARRELLA: Don't worry.

(LAUGHTER)

KAYE: Hear that at home, everybody. Don't worry. It's not coming at us. All right, thanks, John.

Well, this isn't your normal dui pullover. Why? Well, because the guy behind the wheel is actually a police chief. You will see what happened to him coming up.

Plus, Rahm Emanuel is running for mayor of Chicago. We all know that. But did you hear what President Barack Obama said about helping his former chief of staff? Mark Preston is standing by. The CNN Political Ticker is next.

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KAYE: Now time for a quick political update. Mark Preston, good to see you. What's happening in Washington?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, Randi, good to see you as well.

Do you remember Sharron Angle? She is the Tea Party-backed candidate that almost knocked off the Senate majority leader Harry Reid in Nevada in the midterm elections. She was not successful in trying to take him out, but she might have eyes on the White House.

In fact she will be in South Carolina on Friday for the opening of a Christian movie called "The Genesis Code." After that she's going to head to another very important early state of New Hampshire when the film debuts up there.

She's already been to Iowa where the film premiered, and when we caught up with her at the Conservative Political Action Conference last week, we asked if she was interested in running for the White House, she said "Maybe. I think I have lots of options, and I'm exploring all of them."

So Sharron Angle, is she running for the White House? Is she not? Who knows? But she's certainly heading to some very important early states. Randi?

KAYE: Lots of folks this time of year certainly hinting about that. Mark, let's talk about president Obama today telling reporters that Rahm Emanuel doesn't need his help in the mayoral election, but he also took a pretty playful dig at his former chief of staff. Mark, can you tell us about that?

PRESTON: Sure, Randi, President Obama earlier today, he was holding his press conference talking about the budget, talking about, you know, a bunch -- a host of different things, including foreign policy and what have you, but he was specifically asked about whether he was going to help out or make phone calls on behalf of his former chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who is running for Chicago mayor. Well, he took a playful dig at Mr. Emanuel. In fact, let's hear what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't have to make calls for Rahm Emanuel. He seems to be doing just fine on his own. And, you know, he's been very busy shoveling snow out there, you know? I've been very impressed with that. I never saw him shoveling around him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PRESTON: There you have president Obama taking a playful dig at Rahm Emanuel who is favored to win next Tuesday's mayoral election out in Chicago. You know, Rahm Emanuel was the enforcer for President Obama in the White House, and Mr. Obama certainly doesn't think that he needs his help in this election next week. Randi?

KAYE: All right, Mark Preston, thank you.