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Soldiers Open Fired on Women Protest in Ivory Coast; Wisconsin Governor and Unions Headed for a Showdown; Major Storm System Brings Tornadoes to Baton Rouge, Delays Mardi Gras Celebrations; East Coast Rapists Arrested in New Haven, CT; Owner of Houston Day Care on the Run after Fire; New Hampshire Lawmakers to Make TSA's Body Scans, Pat- downs Sexual Assault Crimes
Aired March 05, 2011 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: We're following a developing story in Africa right now. A peaceful protest on the Ivory Coast, one moment, a blood bath just seconds later and you'll see the entire disturbing scene as it played out. The shooters, the government security forces.
Hours after Wisconsin's governor takes another step toward handing out pink slips, the budget protest in Wisconsin gets some celebrity support. We're live from the state capitol in just minutes.
A serial rapist wanted in multiple states captured. You have to hear how police got his DNA to match him to the crimes. We're live from the suspect's home.
And we're going to talk sex this hour. Who really has the power when it comes to it, men or women? You'll be interested to know.
I'm Don Lemon. But first, let's get you caught up on the day's top stories. Let me start with this, a man who has terrorized women in four states over the last 12 years may now be behind bars. Connecticut police say they have the east coast rapist in custody, 39- year-old Aaron Thomas has been under arrest -- had been under arrest or police surveillance, I should say, following an anonymous tip. He was arrested on Friday after authorities' collected DNA evidence from a discarded cigarette butt. We'll have a live report in about an hour for you.
A tornado hit Louisiana today. The National Weather Service says, it touched down in Crowley about 80 miles west of Baton Rouge. Emergency officials report a tornado also hit the nearby down of Rayne. No reports of deaths, but you can see how severe the property damage is there. This storm system also brought heavy rains to New Orleans, forcing some last-minute changes to the Mardi Gras festivities. We'll have a live report coming up as well.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has sent letters to the leaders of 13 unions, warning of possible layoffs soon. The dispute over the state budget has sparked weeks of protests. And we're told filmmaker Michael Moore joined today's march. More than a dozen Senate Democrats have fled the state to prevent a budget vote and we'll have a live update from Madison in just minutes on that as well. New evidence that the nation's job market is improving inch by inch. The U.S. added 192,000 jobs last month. That's slightly better than expected. Those new jobs were in the private sector, the number of government jobs was actually down. The Labor Department reports, the overall jobless rate dipped to 8.9 percent. That's down from nine percent in January.
A new photo has been released by the office of wounded Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. It's one of the last images taken of the congresswoman before she was shot in the head January 8th at a rally in Tucson, Arizona. The man in the photo, Jim Tucker, was shot twice in the rampage but he survived. Giffords is continuing her rehab at a medical facility in Houston, Texas. The accused shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, has now been indicted on 49 counts, including murder and attempted murder.
In North Africa, it's now midnight in Libya. Ending a deadly day of fighting between pro-Gadhafi troops and rebel forces in towns surrounding Tripoli. The opposition now claims victory in Zawiya and Ras Lanuf. An hour-long special on this Libyan uprising is coming tonight up at 10:00 p.m. Eastern here on CNN. Make sure you join me and John Vause.
Authorities in Mexico are denying reports that the 20-year-old police chief of a border town is missing. Marisol Valles Garcia made news last year when she became chief in one of the most violent towns on the U.S./Mexico border. A Mexican newspaper reported yesterday that she had fled to the U.S. for safety but town officials say, she's been on leave taking care of a sick child and is due back at work on Monday. Several police officers and mayors in her region have been abducted and killed.
We begin tonight with our full reporting here on the massacre in the Ivory Coast. We need to warn you that the horrific scene that you're going to see, it's very bloody and it is disturbing. It begins with a peaceful demonstration last Thursday in the City of Abidjan. Then without warning, government security forces fire on the women, killing at least seven people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CROWD CHANTING)
(WHISTLE BLOWING)
(GUNSHOTS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And again we warned you here, it's very disturbing to watch, so let's bring in CNN's senior State Department producer Elise Labott. Elise, again, it's horrific imagery there, horrific to see this happen. Why would these women out protesting in the first place?
ELISE LABOTT, CNN'S SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Don, they're doing what we've seen in capitals across the Middle East. They're peacefully protesting. Laurent Gbagbo, the self-proclaimed and former president of Ivory Coast basically stole the election in November. The international community appointed his challenger Alassane Ouattara as the winner, but Gbagbo refuses to step down, so for the last several months, people have been peacefully protesting. And these women were just out in the streets basically just calling for him to leave. It's really among the most horrific that we've seen so far, Don, in terms of these videos, that now it's really viral. It's made its way to YouTube and in the last few days has really just shocked people.
LEMON: Yes, how could you not be when you see that? So, what does the U.S. government have to say about this video?
LABOTT: Well, the U.S. has come out pretty strong against these videos. Yesterday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a statement saying that Gbagbo and his forces have shown a callous disregard for human life and the rule of law, preying on the unarmed and the innocent. He should step aside immediately in the name of peace, Don. And you know the United States, when the election was stolen by Gbagbo, the United States imposed sanctions against him and his family, froze his assets and imposed a travel ban. The international community has done the same and now it remains to be seen what the U.S. is going to do.
LEMON: Yes. So that's what -- that's the pressure. Is that the only pressure that the U.S. has used to get Gbagbo to step down? Has the president said anything? Has the Secretary of State said anything about him actually stepping down and getting out of office like they have said about Gadhafi and others?
LABOTT: Well, they have called for him to leave since the international community basically called the election for Otara. And we saw in this statement that Secretary of State Clinton called for him to go, the White House has called for him to go. Basically, the last few months, they've really left it to the African union to held to the mediation efforts to try and get him to go but Gbagbo has no signs of stepping down. They're hoping that these sanctions that they impose will make it difficult for him. Some international banks have closed in the Ivory Coast and they're hoping that he will run out of money, but the people are also running out of fuel. It's a very volatile situation. And now we've seen this violence.
So, I think that if you continue to see violence, this horrific against these unarmed protesters just peacefully out in the streets, there's going to be a lot of pressure on the United States to come out and take more robust action like we're seeing them doing in Libya and across the Middle East in terms of calling for these leaders to go. You've seen President Obama coming out and saying things, and I think now that this video has -- this horrific video has really made its way into the hearts of Americans and seeing what's going on there, I think you'll going to be have a lot more pressure on the president to take action.
LEMON: Yes. And that was my original question, has the president really said anything? He finally said out loud, out of his mouth, about Gadhafi yesterday. Interesting, we keep asking where is it going to happen next and, you know, it's always surprising where it does end up happening. Elise, thank you very much. Stand by. We may be needing you a little bit later on. You know, and if you don't know where the Ivory Coast is, it's on Africa's Atlantic coast between Liberia and Ghana. The Ivory Coast is slightly larger than the state of New Mexico with 21 million people. It's also the world's largest producer of Cocoa, the raw material from which chocolate is made.
Protesters in Wisconsin get a boost of support from filmmaker Michael Moore. A live report from Madison is next.
And if your child was being bullied, what would you do? One mother takes matters into her own hands. We'll show you and talk about that next.
And you know, you have a voice on this show as well. I'm online, you are too. Thanks for all of your live tweets last night during the Rodney King Documentary. Check out my social media accounts. Let's connect.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Look at this, it's a sign of just how tense things have gotten in the political standoff over Wisconsin's budget. That's a member of the State Assembly named Nick Milroy being wrestled to the ground as he tries to enter the state capitol in Madison. The building has been closed to the public and police officers are trying to keep him out. Now, Milroy later said that he was aggressive in trying to enter the building and that's a quote, aggressive, and that law enforcement were in his words aggressive as well in trying to keep him out. The republican Wisconsin governor is threatening to lay off state workers if there is no deal soon and he's trying to balance the state budget by cutting spending and restricting the collective bargaining rights of course of public sector unions. More than a dozen Senate Democrats have fled the state to block a vote.
Reporter Jessica Gomez joins me now from Madison with an update on that. Hi, Jessica.
JESSICA GOMEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Don. Well, you know, Wisconsin's capitol building just shut its doors a few moments ago but as you can see here, protesters outside have no plans to leave yet. A pretty substantial crowd for a third weekend in a row. They're voicing their opposition to Governor Scott Walker's budget repair bill, which eliminates as you mentioned most collective bargaining rights for state workers and the latest supporter of the effort, filmmaker Michael Moore, who revved up the crowd earlier this afternoon. Meantime, Governor Scott Walker made good on his threat to send layoff notices to several unions late yesterday. Those layoffs possibly up to about 1500 of them will happen in early April, unless Walker says, his budget repair bill is passed in the next two weeks.
Now, we did speak with one of the 14 democratic senators who are still holed up in Illinois to avoid voting on the bill. Senator Risser says that he and his democratic counterparts have been talking to their GOP colleagues over the weekend, but at this point there's no end in sight. There's no deal brokered. And he says, they don't plan on coming home, back to the state of Wisconsin today, and probably not tomorrow either. Meantime, the people here say, they don't plan to stop protesting -- Don.
LEMON: All right. Jessica Gomez, thank you very much, reporting live from Madison, Wisconsin. We'll see you a little bit later on here on CNN.
A mother takes on her child's bully and it's all caught on tape. You're going to see it next.
And a cigarette containing DNA, the DNA of a suspected sever serial rapist cracks a cold case. Live report, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Your kids get bullied, so what do you do? One South Florida mother decided literally to strike back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Don't touch my child! I don't give a (BLEEP).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Twenty seven year old Takara Daniels (ph) is caught on a bus surveillance camera slapping a 7-year-old boy. He apparently hit Daniels' 6-year-old daughter, and Daniels is now charged with child abuse. And our resident psychologist and regular on this show, and she's a human behavior expert as well, Dr. Wendy Walsh joins me. Wendy, good to see you. So, listen...
DR. WENDY WALSH, PSYCHOLOGIST: Good to see you, but what disturbing video.
LEMON: It is disturbing. Here's the thing. This is wrong. Remember the guy, the man who did that a couple months back and he got in trouble for it as well?
WALSH: Yes.
LEMON: It's a terrible thing, but was her intention at least good trying to protect her kid?
WALSH: Well, the difference between the man and the woman is that I think he just yelled very loudly at another child. This woman actually expressed physical violence on a 7-year-old child. And that's where the law has to be drawn. I mean, clearly corporal punishment, if you guys haven't heard it yet and understood that the studies do not show that that actually shapes behavior. It teaches children to hit, teaches them to be bullies. They may behave well for you mom, because they're scared of you but guess what they're doing to everybody else, hitting.
LEMON: Yes. And you know the one thing about that story I like is there are cameras everywhere. So, you really can't get away with anything now. And her language, come on. She shouldn't use that language around kids anyway.
OK. Let's move on and talk about a totally different subject. There's a provocative article, Dr. Wendy, by a psychologist named Mark Regnerus, Mark Regnerus at Slate.com. The title is "Why Young Men Have the Upper Hand in Bed Even When They're Failing in Life." And it comes at a time when more young women are succeeding. I want you to explain all that. Why do men now have the upper hand when it comes to the bedroom?
WALSH: Well, when sex is cheap, when it's in high supply in the environment, men don't need to achieve social status, they don't need to make resources. Remember, one of the things that largely motivate men to have big careers, to have notoriety and to accumulate resources is because it gives them access to higher status and more women for sexual opportunity.
LEMON: It's all about impressing the woman, and you don't have to do that because there's access now. You can go on the internet or you can go to, you know, a strip club, you can do whatever. I mean, it's because of the times.
WALSH: Sex is everywhere and it's cheap. So, unfortunately for women, though, the downside is that women are complaining where all the good men. Where are the men who are the providers and the protectors and the ones who actually want to make a commitment and marry and help raise offspring? Well, you know, half of those guys are thinking they're in a sitting Jad Appitown (ph) movie drinking beer, playing videos, beer pong in their late 20s. They're useless.
LEMON: Listen. And the psychologist brings up an interesting point here. Here's a quote from the article. It says, "Yet despite the fact that women are holding the sexual purse strings, they aren't asking for much in return these days. The market price of sex is currently very low." That has to do again with pornography. I think it had something to do with the pill. And again as you said, it's just that sort of the morals that we have now.
WALSH: Yes. It's a double-edged sword. Is that women have say, become more successful financially, have now expressed a kind of male model of sexuality. So women are behaving like men and joined the hook-up culture. And then at the same time, they're complaining, where are all the real men. Where are the good fathers, where are the partners, where are the men that can make a commitment. Well, girl, if you don't make sure that he's a protector, provider before you open your legs, it ain't going to happen. Are you OK there, Don?
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: All right. So, here's my question. Are you saying that -- I guess men are just dogs. You always say men are kind of primal because it's actually making men slackers because if they can get sex, then nothing else really matters. So, they're getting sex and sitting at home in front of the television, they don't have to go to the office. It's OK.
WALSH: Well, listen. I posted this on my Facebook page today and I got lots of interesting male responses because a lot of them said, oh, wait, you know, I like to be successful just to be successful and I am a married guy and I'm happy to be loyal to my wife. We have to remember, not all men are dogs and there are plenty of things that motivate men and women.
LEMON: Really?
WALSH: I mean, men and women are motivated to behave in certain ways because it's pleasure seeking or because it could make another person happy. They are motivated out of guilt, that's my favorite. They are motivated out of fear, advertisers know that. But for men, for a certain group of men, they're highly motivated to achieve based on sexuality.
LEMON: OK. You never know what Dr. Wendy is going to say, so you always want to tune in. Then, we're not going to let you go, I want you to stick around here. We're going to take a break and we're going to talk about another topic.
WALSH: The closet girl?
LEMON: Yes, yes, a real world example of the effects as you've been saying of easy sex on men and women. So, we're going to talk about that. And it's in Florida, it's on eBay. You can see the pictures, but Dr. Wendy is back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Back now with Wendy Walsh. She's a human behavior expert and a psychologist. And Wendy, we've been talking about how easy to get sex may have negative effects for young men and women in their 20s, and probably in 30s, young, 40s young as well.
WALSH: So, I get to test older men too, heart problems.
LEMON: Really? We're hearing, though Dr. Wendy about this 26-year- old woman from Boca Raton, Florida. You see that there's the eBay page. There she's selling her ex-boyfriend's stuff on eBay. She said she kicked him out after she caught him cheating. Some of her photos where she models his clothes are very risque. Well, actually, the very risque once. And "New York Post" says, she's made more than 1,000 bucks and that it's therapeutic. Is this legit?
WALSH: Well, she's definitely letting her anger and rage, go a little longer than I would recommend for people who are trying to get over their anger. But, having said that, this is a woman who made mistakes earlier on. She apparently let the guy move in with her to her place. She bought him all this stuff and basically supported him for five years and now she's complaining that he was cheating on her. Let's go back to that other segment. Girls, you've got to make sure he's got an income and a house before you do all that other stuff.
LEMON: Maybe some of them don't want an income and a house? Maybe it is just the sex. Maybe people date, women find guys just for the sex.
WALSH: Absolutely. That's the thing. The problem is, there are a number of different kinds of women. There are some women who are just happy to have sports sex and they can own their own car and their own condo and have their own career and they're fine. And there are other women, because guess what, eventually sex creates children. It's amazing. So then when you become mothers and you see how difficult it is to carry on that income flow while you're trying to raise small children, you realize you really do need a guy to help a little bit.
LEMON: OK. Did you say sports sex?
WALSH: This woman -- I did.
LEMON: OK.
WALSH: I don't know but I've read about it in textbooks, Don.
LEMON: All right. Hey, listen, let's continue talking about this woman. I'm going to let you finish your thought but I'm going to ask you this. What do you think of her promise, Dr. Wendy, to, quote, "Get more daring with the pics as she sells more and that she sends additional pics of herself with anything that she sells?"
WALSH: Well, again, this is a one note woman, she's again using sexuality to find the next guy.
LEMON: That's her crutch.
WALSH: She's literally selling the old guy's pants as she's wearing the pants seductively and maybe hoping to meet another one and that's the problem. Women need to be more well rounded. They need to use their brains and their maternal intelligence and their emotional intelligence as much as their bodies.
LEMON: OK. I have to ask you, though, but what about this? You know, if a guy did it, they may say, hey, he's just being a good salesman. Is she just being a good saleswoman by saying hey, I'm going to give you more provocative pictures if you buy, and she's made, you know, like $1,000 or more off of his stuff.
WALSH: Look, let's face it, Don, she's in grief right now. Her hearts broken about these guys. So, she's getting some attention and some notoriety and she deserves it and she's angry and she's hurt. And all for good reason. So she's going to use whatever she can. This is her way to get through it. And why shouldn't guys be shamed a lot, women have been shamed with the double standard for so many centuries. Put a little shame on a guy for cheating for a change.
LEMON: Yes. And you know what, the best way to let a bygone be bygone is to get rid of it. To get over it is to get over it, right? That's the best way.
WALSH: Sell it on eBay.
LEMON: Dr. Wendy, it's always a pleasure. And you say the coolest stuff. And I'm glad that you can say it, because I can't.
WALSH: We'll see you next week. I'll come up with some new studies for you.
LEMON: All right. Have a great weekend and a great week.
WALSH: You too.
LEMON: All right. A cold case gets cracked after DNA links a suspect to rape. A live report from Connecticut is coming up.
And again, I know I'm online, you're online as well. Check out my social media accounts and let's connect. Let's tweet, Facebook, all of them.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Let's check your top stories right now. In North Africa, U.S. military planes are now assisting people who have been stuck in Tunisia after fleeing from neighboring Libya because of the ongoing violence. More than 130 Egyptian refugees were today airlifted to cargo -- aboard two U.S. cargo planes. Join me tonight at 10:00 p.m. eastern for a one-hour special on the Libyan uprising.
Authorities in Mexico are denying reports that the 20-year-old police chief of a border town is missing. Marisol Valles Garcia made news last year when she became chief in one of the most violent towns on the U.S./Mexico border. A newspaper reported yesterday said she had fled to the U.S. for safety but town officials say she has been on leave, taking care of a sick child, and is due back to work on Monday. Several police officers and mayors in her region have been abducted and killed.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has sent letters to the leaders of 13 state unions warning of possible layoffs soon. The dispute over the state budget has sparked weeks of protests. We're told filmmaker, Michael Moore, joined today's march. More than a dozen Senate Democrats have fled the state to prevent a budget vote.
A major storm system in the southeast has brought reports of a tornado outside of Baton Rouge and downpours on the Mardi Gras celebrations, causing some of them to have to be postponed, moved.
Jacqui Jeras is joining us from the Severe Weather Center to tell us about all of that.
Was there a tornado or do we know for sure?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, the National Weather Service confirming a tornado too, but it was probably the same parent storm that happened in Louisiana. Crowley, they're saying it was an EF-0. This video that we have to show you is where the worst of the damage was. and this is in Rayne, Louisiana. They haven't been able to actually get to the site to be able to survey and tell how strong or how long the damage path is because there's a gas leak in the area. We now know that one person unfortunately was killed. It was a 21- year-old mother who was trying to protect her daughter and a tree fell on their home. 12 people have been injured. Authorities are still on the scene. You can see extensive damage. This is primarily on the northwestern side of town.
Now, that tornado threat is still out there at this hour, but it's moved off to the east. We'll show you the latest on the radar picture here and where that Watch Box is. This is primarily for southern parts of Alabama and into the Florida panhandle. Includes Mobile and go ahead and include yourself in Tallahassee. Sometimes, we don't stay inside those little red lines, so to speak.
In addition to that tornado threat, we've been seeing a tremendous amount of rainfall, really, really heavy with these thunderstorms. In fact, we've seen more than an inch an hour at times in the heaviest of storms. Look at all that moisture as it feeds in through the Gulf of Mexico and goes all the way up through the Great Lakes and into Canada. And we've already been dealing with very saturated ground. We have flood watches and warnings in effect for 25 states right now, 24 of those in the lower 48. So the bright green area is where we have the warnings. and there are many, many rivers out of their banks. There are many roads covered with water. So keep that in mind as you go throughout the weekend because this is going to be ongoing not just this weekend but well into next week. We'll probably be dealing with flooding the next couple of months as it is spring and the snow is melting off and heavy rain showers continue to come down.
Now what can you expect for tomorrow and your travel concerns. We do have some delays right now, by the way. Chicago O'Hare a ground stop in effect because we've got some snow in the area as well as some low clouds. We think the big travel issues tomorrow will be up and down the east coast. This is a very slow-moving system. The severe weather threat not really there for tomorrow but we will see cold air move in behind the system, Don. And we're talking about snow again into interior parts of the northeast. The big cities are going to get out OK on this one, just seeing some of that rain, but we could see half a foot or more of snow in other parts of the northeast tomorrow.
LEMON: So if you want good weather, you'd have to go -- it looks like Texas.
JERAS: Oh, boy, it's windy there, though.
(LAUGHTER)
Arizona has been doing OK for the most part. Phoenix isn't bad.
LEMON: All right.
JERAS: Yes.
LEMON: Thanks.
(LAUGHTER)
JERAS: Sure.
LEMON: A terrifying story to tell you about. A 12-year, four-state crime spree may now be over. Connecticut police say they have arrested the East Coast Rapist. It happened at his home in New Haven, Connecticut, on Friday.
That's where CNN's Susan Candiotti joins us now live.
Susan, why haven't we seen a mug shot of the suspect yet?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, Don, that's a good question. But police say they're not releasing that mug shot because the investigation is still too sensitive and that they don't want to possibly influence victims who might have to look at a photo lineup.
So we can tell you that police -- the police web site that's been set up on this case for now reads "captured."
The suspect is an unemployed truck driver, 39-year-old Aaron Thomas, who lives right here in New Haven on this very street. So for now a composite sketch that was featured on electronic billboards that were set up just this week. The only thing we have to see what he looks like. He's also featured on Facebook as well.
Now, investigators say they caught up with him after an anonymous tip. and a law enforcement source tells us that that tip originated in Virginia. They called police and that led them eventually here to Connecticut.
His DNA allegedly links him to rapes, 12 of them in all, in Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia, and an incident in Rhode Island. Police have been working on this case over the course of 13 years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. JULIE JOHNSON, NEW HAVEN POLICE DEPARTMENT: Recent information was developed in this case. DNA was collected and subsequently matched by the Connecticut State Forensic Sciences Lab, confirming that Thomas was the East Coast Rapist.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: A law enforcement source tells CNN that that DNA match came from a cigarette butt. That's right. A law enforcement source tells us that they made that DNA match after they had been watching him appear at a court case here in New Haven earlier this week on an old larceny case. And then, as you heard, they made the match.
Neighbors say, on this street, that he's kind of an odd duck. That, for example, he rides his bicycle at long hours. Another neighbor told us how he punched her husband in the face after an incident here in the neighborhood. We also learned that he lives with his girlfriend in the house over my shoulder and that girlfriend herself told me that he fathered one of her children. She said that he had never been violent with her, but she said perhaps he could have been with other women.
Don, back to you.
LEMON: Susan Candiotti, thank you very much for that. A Houston woman, who operated a day care where four children -- four toddlers were killed in a fire, flees the country. What can law enforcement do to get her back? We're going to talk to our legal analyst, our legal expert, Sunny Hostin, about that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: On the job, Jessica Tata (ph) was said to give loving care to kids she watched, but now the 22-year-old woman is on the run after a fire in her Houston day care center killed four toddlers. The U.S. Marshal Service has placed her on its list of 15 most wanted.
Sunny Hostin is here to talk legal matters with us.
So, Sunny, we know you're a contributor to our sister network, TruTV, and you're on "In Session."
There's been a lot of criticism here, Sunny, about how this woman was able to flee to Nigeria where she has a family. Here's a quick timeline for you. Thursday the fire happens. Two days later, she flies to Nigeria after police say she dodged several interview questions. Sunday, police issue a warrant and then they learn she flew out the day before.
So, Sunny, can't police detain someone right after an incident happens if it looks like the person is going to be involved in this crime?
SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR & HOST, IN SESSION: No, they can't. I mean, they really have to continue their investigation and complete their investigation. The Fourth Amendment of our Constitution provides that we are not just arrested or detained without probable cause. In this case, what the detectives are saying and the fire investigators are saying is the investigation just wasn't complete yet. They needed to make sure that she was the target of the investigation and that no one else was responsible for this fire and that no other adult was in that day care center. So that was the issue here, at least that's what's being reported, and that's what I've heard from a lot of the parties involved.
LEMON: So, Sunny, they can't hold her or they can't park someone outside of her house and keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn't -- there's nothing they can do to keep someone like that from fleeing?
HOSTIN: Well, they certainly can question her. And they tried to do that, Don. Apparently, they went to her home and she didn't want to speak. They tried to, you know, talk to her when she was at the hospital. She didn't want to speak then. Apparently, she also said she couldn't remember it. So they can question. But detain and arrest, they need a little bit more.
LEMON: OK. So what happens next? Can detectives simply get her in Africa? We can't just go there. There's extradition, right? We have to go through that whole thing.
HOSTIN: That's right, the extradition process. And I will say, unfortunately, sometimes it takes years. We've heard about these cases, right, where the governments have to get together. There has to be an extradition treaty in place. And then somebody can fight that extradition. So certainly, this is a process that could take years.
LEMON: OK. So speaking of travel, you're talking about extradition there, there's some New Hampshire lawmaker that say want to make random pat-downs and body scans at the airport of a person's private parts without probable cause -- they want to make it a sexual assault. Can they do that? Can a local law go against the federal --
HOSTIN: Isn't that something?
(LAUGHTER)
It really can't. But I've got to tell you, I sort of love it because I was just groped recently when I was coming back from Florida, and I was thinking, wow, really?
So, no, I don't think that they can do it. The TSA is under federal jurisdiction. This is a state law. It's probably not going to happen. And I should also mention, in New Hampshire, where all of this is going on, they don't really even have those intense body scanners that make you look naked. They don't have that kind of equipment there.
But what the lawmakers are saying, they want to put the warning out to TSA that they better not do it because they are going to take it on. But you've got to say good luck to them for trying it because, you know, nobody wants to be groped at the airport.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Well --
(LAUGHTER)
No, I'm only saying that.
HOSTIN: Maybe some people do. Not me.
LEMON: No, no, no. I don't mean it that way. I mean if you think that the patting down is a grope. I would rather that than have something happen, than an incident. Don't take that the wrong way, that's what I'm saying, yes.
HOSTIN: Absolutely, absolutely.
LEMON: So go ahead, do your thing. As long as I'm safe, touch me all you want.
HOSTIN: Yes.
LEMON: Finally, Sunny, our affiliate, WXIA, reports three middle schoolers in the Atlanta area were suspended after they called their teacher a rapist, a pedophile and bipolar on Facebook. Can a school do that? Isn't Facebook a private venue separate from school? HOSTIN: It is. I'm a bit troubled by this. A school certainly has an interest in Facebook and they have an interest in making sure that things that are posted on Facebook aren't disruptive to the school body. Certainly, if there are threats on Facebook, I think the school has the authority to take action. But expelling middle school students, I mean, we're talking about sixth to eighth graders, for these comments that were made, I think this is pretty extreme.
This is really a hotbed area of litigation. I don't think the law has really caught up with technology. But this is lawsuit land, Don. You kick out a kid because of a posting on Facebook. The law is very unclear in this area. I would imagine that this school district just bought themselves several lawsuits.
LEMON: Yes, and shouldn't kids be more careful on Facebook? Shouldn't parents be like, you know what, you should not be doing that on Facebook regardless of whether it's legal or not for the school to do it.
HOSTIN: That's right. That's right.
LEMON: But my parents would have spanked my behind if I had done something like that.
HOSTIN: Oh, I would have been in trouble. That's why sometimes I put my lawyer hat off and I put my mommy hat back on and think, well, parents, you have to monitor. I don't know that middle school students should be on Facebook. I have an 8-year-old that wants an e- mail account and I'm thinking no way, who are you going to be talking to.
LEMON: Too soon. Too soon.
HOSTIN: So I think that really is the issue. That is the issue, or one of the issues.
Parents, beware. Come on.
LEMON: Sunny Hostin. It's always sunny with Sunny Hostin. We appreciate it.
HOSTIN: Oh, thank you.
LEMON: All right.
And, Sunny will be back at 7:00 p.m. eastern to talk about Charlie Sheen and if he has a case to sue CBS. You may be surprised.
Again, thanks to Sunny Hostin.
Some 20 years after his beating at the hands of Los Angeles police, Rodney King was pulled over in Arcadia, California, this week. He allegedly ran a red light and was cited for driving without a license. His beating was captured by amateur video and touched off really riots in Los Angeles and around the country.
And I recently spent time with Rodney King looking back at the day he was beaten, and his life in the last 20 years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RODNEY KING, HIS POLICE BEATING STARTED RIOTS: I took three steps back and, said laid down. When I laid down, I laid down like this. And my face was facing this way so I could see them. They said, no, put your F'ing head down, face down. When I finally was face down, bam. Took the blow, bam, a real hard blow to the temple. When he did that, I looked and then I went up like that and run this way with my hands up to show no threat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: "Race and Rage, the Beating of Rodney King" airs tonight at 8:00 and 11:00 p.m. eastern right here on CNN.
And tomorrow night, tomorrow night, 6:00 p.m. eastern, Rodney King joins me live in the "CNN NEWSROOM." He'll answer your questions, he'll answer mine, and I'll ask him about that recent driving event, what happened. Tomorrow night, 6:00 p.m., here on CNN.
A father and son reunite for the first time after nearly six decades. We'll tell you how they found each other.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Nearly two million children in South Africa have been orphaned by AIDS. Not only are they left without parents, often they don't have any meaningful relationships with adults. That's where this week's "CNN Hero," Amy Stokes, steps in. She uses the Internet to create a bond between teens in Africa and caring adults from all over the world.
(CNN HEROES)
LEMON: Remember, all of this year's "CNN Heroes" are chosen from people you tell us about. So nominate someone you know who is making a big difference in your community. Make sure you go to CNNheroes.com.
This just in, developing news to CNN. This is according to our affiliate at central Florida News 13. This is the Atlas "V" rocket launching at Cape Canaveral. It's on its second test run. Some call this the baby space shuttle, but the X-37B experimental space plane is headed to orbit onboard the rocket. The unmanned rocket is about the size of 2.5 minivans and looks like a mini shuttle, based on a NASA prototype of the 1990s that was never built. The hope is that this will usher in a new era of reusable space technology. Again, the Atlas "V" has launched from Cape Canaveral.
Rebels say they shot down a Libyan jet fighter. That report and more of your top stories coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Welcome back, everyone. Each week we look at ordinary people accomplishing extraordinary things. For a long time, Toby Tanser's goal was being a successful long-distance runner, but when he was attacked a nearly killed for his shoes, it changed his focus. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta caught up with Tanser near his home in New York.
(HUMAN FACTOR)
LEMON: Let's check your top stories right now. Rebels in Libya today say they shot down a Libyan fighter jet in the desert outside the strategic oil town Ras Lanuf (ph). A CNN crew made it to the crash site. They found two bodies. Much more on this incident at 10:00 p.m. eastern in our one-hour special on the Libyan uprising.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has sent letters to the leaders of 13 state unions warning of possible layoffs soon. The dispute over the state budget has sparked weeks of protests. Michael Moore, the filmmaker, joined today's march. More than a dozen Senate Democrats have fled the state to prevent a vote on the budget.
The National Weather Service says a tornado touched down in Crowley, Louisiana, today about 80 miles west of Baton Rouge. Emergency officials report a tornado also hit the nearby town of Rayne. No reports of death but you can see the property damage pretty severe there. This storm system also brought heavy rains to New Orleans, forcing some last-minute changes to Mardi Gras festivities.
Looks like Charlie Sheen wants CBS to put its money where its mouth is. The troubled actor says he wants to sue the network. CBS canceled the rest of the season of Sheen's hit show, "Two and a Half Men," last month after he launched what he called an anti-Semitic rant again the show's producer. Sheen has been on a downward spiral for the last few months after making headline for drugs, drinking, rehab and wild parties with porn stars.
Coming up at 7:00 p.m. eastern, does Charlie Sheen really have a case against CBS? We're going to talk about the business of Charlie Sheen as well. Making millions and millions even, as he says, he's a winner without a job, an unemployed winner. He's still making millions.
I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. "The Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer begins in just moments.
