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Missouri Ravaged By Tornadoes; 'Happy Days' Cast Angry Over Merchandising Rights; Lindsey Lohan Back in Court, Again; Charlie Sheen Custody Dispute Continues; American Tourists Avoiding London During Royal Wedding; Travel Tips in the Internet Age

Aired April 23, 2011 - 12:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield here in the NEWSROOM. A pretty terrifying time for Easter holiday travelers in Missouri. Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, shut down after a tornado slammed into the terminal. The storm struck last night while the airport was packed with passengers. It blew out glass, raining down on the passengers there. Five people were hurt and taken to hospitals. Paramedics treated others at the scene. The damage was so bad that one witness called it "a war zone." Other witnesses say kids were crying and everyone was so freaked out that no one was actually talking to one another. This was the scene just as the storm hit. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Hear that? That was an airport official yelling, "get out" and then people started moving away from the windows. At one point, it was thought that the roof on one of the concourses might actually collapse. And as we see right here, it does have extensive damage, that side, taken place. A plane was about to take off when the storm hit and the passengers were evacuated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CURRAN HENNESSEY, EVACUATED PASSENGER: For a moment, you could feel the airplane moving under you. It ultimately became clear that we had moved pretty significantly because when we were evacuated from the airplane, we could see that we had been lifted, we were parked at the gate. We had been lifted from the gate and moved a good 15 or 20 feet from the gate during this episode.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Incredible winds, as you see right there, not just damaging the airport there, but nearby homes and businesses. With the damage reported across the state, Missouri's governor has now declared a state of emergency. And on this Easter weekend, some church members will be cleaning up the damage, they say. The storm blew the steeple off this Holy Spirit Catholic Church during Good Friday services.

So, the focus right now is on the reopening of that airport in St. Louis. According the mayor, it will take a lot of time and effort.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR FRANCES SLAY, ST LOUIS: As you know, the airport is closed. It is still closed indefinitely, but we are working around the clock to see if -- we are working toward the 70 percent capacity for the airport by tomorrow and that will depend on a couple of things. It will depend on getting the power back as soon as possible and it will also depend on the airlines themselves. Of course they're going to have to do some things and rearrange some things and move some facilities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And the governor may try to tour the damage later on today. And the local congressman has already reached out to Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP LACY CLAY (D), MISSOURI: This landmark building has taken a direct hit from a natural disaster. I've reached out this morning to President Obama and the administration and will be briefing them later today when I get the call back. I will also be assisting the city and the county with helping to focus the federal resources that are needed to respond to a disaster such as this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: OK, so let's check in with the American Red Cross because they are indeed on hand to help the storm victims. Joining us by phone right now, St. Louis Red Cross spokeswoman, Jessica Willingham who was right in the middle of the devastation.

Describe what you're seeing, Jessica.

JESSICA WILLINGHAM, ST LOUIS RED CROSS: Hi, we've been, at the Red Cross, we've been helping people since the storm struck last night. So throughout the night, we've had people that needed a safe place to go, they need food, they need emergency care and the Red Cross has been providing that.

WHITFIELD: How great the need is it? About how many people do you suppose you're going to have to help?

WILLINGHAM: Well, the estimates right now from Emergency Management is that 500 homes are damaged or destroyed and they can't live in them, so while we've got one shelter open right now in the heart of the storm area, that's in north St. Louis County in Maryland Heights, we're standing by to open other locations as need. In addition to that, we have Red Cross volunteers who are trained and ready to go before this ever happened out in the neighborhoods now, assessing damage and helping families with distribution of supplies and food and just helping them know what to do next.

WHITFIELD: So, how will you be assessing whether you need to indeed open up more shelters?

WILLINGHAM: Well, we work with Emergency Management officials including all the folks that you've been listening to in the press conferences and really see if they are displaced from their homes. That's the part of the role of the Red Cross. If they don't have a safe place to go, we are -- we will make sure that they have a safe place, a warm place, you know, a place out of the rain, that they've got food, meals, basic needs are all met and then we connect them with our caseworkers to help take care of their longer-term needs.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jessica Willingham of the Red Cross, thanks so much. I know folks there are very happy that you're there and at the ready to help them out.

So, it took a little bit of time to determine whether indeed this was a tornado. Let's check in with Bonnie Schneider.

You know, on the ground it takes seem like this is defiantly one, but it takes some real science behind making that definitive determination.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, what happened was the National Weather Service employee actually saw the tornado and that's how it was confirmed so early. Normally it wouldn't be. What's going to happen throughout the rest of the day today and certainly into tomorrow where we're going to get re of a survey because there's so much information that still needs to come out: how intense was the tornado, how wide was the tornado, how long was it on the ground for? There's going to be a lot of surveying of the area and taking a look at the damage and interviewing witnesses to get a better idea of exactly what happened. If this was an EF3, for example, the winds could have been as intense as 160-plus miles-per-hour, so likely this was a very intense tornado.

All right, I want to put this into motion. This is the radar from last night and one of the reasons why I believe that we had such a, I'd say, a successful outcome in the fact that there was not loss of life with this storm system was the lead time on the warnings issued by the National Weather Service.

Two warnings were issued at 7:39 and 7:59 and when the worst of the weather his, this is Eastern Time, so it was around 8:00, 8:15 when we saw that tornado likely strike parts of northern St. Louis County, there was another large just to the south, as well that was very damaging.

So, the lead time really did help a lot for people to take cover, go to the most interior room of their house or their basement, if they had that, possibly protect themselves with a mattress or bedding. Even if you have 15 or 20 minutes, certainly that can be enough time to prepare and be safe.

But, what's the threat right now? Well, unfortunately there still is a threat because we're looking at heavy rain and flooding rain, not just for today but for tomorrow. And of all things, during Easter weekend. So, lots of rain sliding across St. Louis. Here's northern St. Louis County where the storm hit and there are some heavy downpours working their way across the state of Missouri at this hour coming up from the southwest.

So unfortunately, it's going to be a very wet night, which makes it even more complicated for the people that are possibly piecing through their belongings to see what they can salvage after such incredible devastation with this storm system. So, that's what we're watching right now. We're also watching a lot of rain coming up from the south. This is going to work its way across areas to the north and east as we go through the afternoon.

Now, the other area for threat of severe weather for today is a little bit further south, just to give you the heads-up. Severe storms across parts of Texas, it's still very dry and breezy. We've been monitoring the fire danger in the Southwest, but this line of severe storms possible right along the stationary front.

Here's southwest Missouri into southern Illinois, western Kentucky, this is the areas to the south where we're expecting more severe storms as we go through the day, but that's not to say that heavy rain won't slide a little bit further to the north, just a few hours north of Cape Girardeau, for example, towards St. Louis. So we are going to still see heavy rain. The damaging weather should stay severe, but there's always that risk as we go through the evening hours, which is really the last thing that these folks need to have more strong winds and rain come though the region.

WHITFIELD: Right. Unfortunately doesn't it always seem like an Easter weekend might be impacted by this kind of severe storm system?

SCHNEIDER: Right, in the springtime and it's been such an active season, so far. And remember, Fredricka, that May is actually the month we see the most tornadoes. We're still in April, right now, so we still a ways ahead of us for this busy tornado season.

WHITFIELD: All right, Bonnie Schneider, thanks so much, appreciate that.

Meantime, we're going to take you overseas in a moment where Libyan rebels are claiming a major victory as they try to push Gadhafi forces out of a key coastal city. Details after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Major developments in Libya today. After weeks of fighting, Libyan rebels say they have pushed Moammar Gadhafi's forces out of Misrata. CNN's Fred Pleitgen joins us.

What more can you tell us -- Fred.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hi Fredricka. And basically there's accounts, depending on who you ask and which side of the equation they're on. The Gadhafi side of things, they say that they're actually withdrawing from the city and then one of the local tribes in that area, into the mix to trying to negotiate with the rebels. The rebels, of course, are saying that's not true. They are saying essentially they've defeated Gadhafi's forces in downtown Misrata, they've cleared them out, especially the snipers who were in a lot of areas there, and pushed them to the western fringe of the city. They say there are still Gadhafi forces on the western fringe of the city.

And the other thing that seems to continue there, as well, Fredricka, is mortar shelling by Gadhafi's forces. We are hearing sources in Misrata that 15 people have been killed today in Misrata. Only about seven of those from mortar shelling, the other eight were killed when they picked up unexploded bombs that were left in the battlefield. But it seems as though Gadhafi's forces have effectively been ousted from the city center of Misrata -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: OK, and Fred what is this about this U.S. drone attack that was carried out, as well?

PLEITGEN: Well, we're trying to find out information about that and of course, the U.S. Is being very tight-lipped, as they always are, when it comes to drone strikes. They are say the first strike happened here in Libya sometime in the early afternoon hours, Local Time, so about three hours ago.

Now, they wouldn't give any further information; however, there is a source on the ground that we have in Misrata who says that people there think that they heard this drone strike because they heard a buzzing noise and afterwards, a strike in the vicinity of a vegetable Market where some Gadhafi forces were stationed. So, that's no confirmation, but it is maybe an indication that this first drone strike that happened was in the Misrata area. And, of course, this is something that's very significant because the Predator drone is, of course, a weapon that you would think is perfect for that sort of environment because this is a place where it's very densely populated. You have Gadhafi's forces trying to hide in the city in amongst civilians, installations. They're also hiding their tanks under trees, they're using civilian vehicles and picking out those difficult-to-find targets. That, of course, is what the Predator drone was made to do -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Fred Pleitgen, thanks so much from Tripoli. Appreciate that.

On to Syria now where security forces reportedly opened fire today on a funeral procession attended by anti-government protesters. A witness says five people were killed. The violence comes a day after security forces and anti-government activists clashed in several towns, more than 80 people were killed. Eyewitnesses caught these images, so take a look.

(VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Frightening stuff. But the international community is strongly condemning Syria for this crackdown. President Obama released a statement saying, "We call on President Assad to change course now and heed the calls of his own people."

Back in this country, can a GPS be used to track a suspect without a warrant to try to build a court case? Our legal guys will weigh in on that, after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, this week on the one-year anniversary of the oil spill in the Gulf, BP tries to get an upper hand. BP is suing the manufacturer of the failed blowout preventer claiming it helped cause that devastating spill.

Well, all week, we've been taking an in-depth look at the impact of the disaster and the continuing legal fallout. BP claims to have made significant changes to its safety policies and to personnel in the last year. CNN's Jim Boulden has that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At daybreak, April 21, 2010, it became clear just how deadly the explosion was on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig the night before -- 11 workers killed, the well had broken, oil was spewing unabated into the Gulf of Mexico.

Weeks went by, the well could not be shut off. Cleanup would cost billions. The Gulf and BP were changed forever.

IAIN ARMSTRONG, BREWIN DOLPHIN: I think it's very difficult to change a company like BP within 12 months. I think, obviously, the personnel have changed, the attitude toward safety has definitely changed. The -- the asset base has definitely changed.

BOULDEN: Here's a breakdown of those three changes: BP and its then CEO, Tony Hayward, were under attack by fishermen, environmentalists and the White House.

DAVID MARGULIES, CRISIS PREVENTION & MANAGEMENT EXPERT: One of the big mistakes BP made, and many companies make, is they put one person in charge of everything.

BOB DUDLEY, CEO, BP: Well, there's no question we're going to learn a lot from this accident in the Gulf Coast.

BOULDEN: By July, Heyward was on the way out. Bob Dudley was elevated to CEO later that year.

Dudley grew up in the Gulf region. A new CEO helped take off some of the heat coming from Capitol Hill and the White House.

What about safety and risk management?

In a video just launched on BP's Web site, Dudley details how BP has restructured.

DUDLEY: Looking to the future, it also explains the changes we're making in BP today, to put safety and risk management at the heart of everything we do.

BOULDEN: Another big change, BP, the oil giant, is just a bit smaller, as it sells $30 billion worth of assets as part of putting $41 billion aside to pay for the Gulf disaster. BP does have plans, of course, to grow again.

ARMSTRONG: It's very, very slow growth and it's deliberately very, very slow great, because they don't want to get caught in a sort of position where they're saying, look, you're starting to cut corners again. They have to be the ultimate in terms of caution, I think, going forward.

BOULDEN: For long-term growth, BP is refocusing in certain areas. Deepwater deals were struck off China, Australia and Brazil, onshore deals in Indonesia and India.

And in early January of this year, an announcement that BP would swap equity with Russia's largest state-controlled energy firm, Rosneft, to explore the deep waters of the Russian Arctic -- the first private oil company to swap shares with a state-controlled oil company.

But if Dudley hoped this would help BP move on from the Gulf disaster, it hasn't. BP is now mired in a legal battle with its Russian partners in TNK-BP, who say they have a deal to be BP's sole Russian partner. While this moves through the courts, the Rosneft plan is on hold and opens BP up to claims it's moving from crisis to crisis.

(on camera): And one year on, it's still not clear exactly how many barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, and, therefore, how large a fine the U.S. government will impose on BP and its partners in that stricken well.

Jim Boulden, CNN, London.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, can the government track suspects via GPS without a warrant? Let's bring in our legal experts: Avery Friedman, a civil rights attorney and law professor, in Cleveland. And Richard Herman, a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor, joining us from Los Vegas.

Good to see you gentlemen. I feel like it's been awhile.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Boy oh boy, it's good to see you back, Fredricka, wow.

WHITFIELD: I know, I missed you.

All right, lots has changed. Let's talk about these legal cases then we'll talk about some other life-forming change later on, hint, hint, Richard.

OK, so Avery, you first, constitutional law expert. Why would the Justice Department want to pursue this and take it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court?

FRIEDMAN: I'm not sure they want to, but they have to, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Why? FRIEDMAN: Here's the reason: Warrantless GPSs, these monitors, essentially are being put on cars in private driveways and our courts, interestingly enough, have split. So because there's a split in the circuits, because there's a split in the various state Supreme Courts, the Obama administration has petitioned to see if the Supreme Court will actually take the case in order to resolve this difference of opinion.

WHITFIELD: Well, you know, Richard, explain the criteria, if you can. Are you a suspect or are you a person of interest? What would allow any jurisdiction to say, we want to put a tracking device on you to find out if there is probable cause?

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, what the argument would be is that you have no reasonable expectation of privacy when you use the public thoroughfares and the public roads. That's the argument. But we all know that's ridiculous. And even in this particular case that prompted the appeal, Fred, the government pursued the warrant, they got a warrant, they had ten days to install the GPS. They installed it on the 11th day, therefore all the information they gathered, which was used to give a life sentence to this alleged or convicted drug dealer, were thrown out and he walks out.

WHITFIELD: Wow, that's extraordinary. So, you know, several states: Utah, Minnesota, Florida, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Hawaii and South Carolina have all enacted some legislation requiring a warrant before the use of the GPS in a criminal investigation. So, already there has to be a substantial, I guess, there already has to be some probable cause in order to have a criminal investigation, right, Avery?

FRIEDMAN: Well, there should be. The fact is that for those people that actually believe in what the founders had in mind in creating a fourth amendment against unreasonable searches and seizures, unlike other places like workplace, there is a reasonable expectation of privacy and these legislatures, as you pointed out, are now passing laws saying, you want a GPS? Go get your warrant.

WHITFIELD: OK, let's talk about another interesting case. This is getting a lot of people's attention, especially if you are on the scene, dating and you use a Web site service like Match.com. This is a challenge that one woman is launching against Match.com saying they have the onus of finding out whether any of the candidates have a criminal background and they should be open about revealing that. So, Richard, where might this case go?

HERMAN: This case is going in the garbage, that's where it's going, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Really? It's going nowhere?

HERMAN: Yes. It's going nowhere because, as all my contract students know, as any person who knows how to read knows, when you get a contract and a term of use, you have to read it and in the Match.com contract in paragraph seven on the terms of use, it's bold printed, it's the only paragraph in the entire terms of use that's bold printed saying, hey look, we're not making any representations to you, do your own due diligence, be careful, use these dating guidelines. And look, Fred, this was...

WHITFIELD: So, you should be Googling any potential candidate, you should do your own research to find out if this person is who they say they are?

HERMAN: Absolutely, absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Avery, you're saying oh no?

FRIEDMAN: Yeah, that's easy to say. Of course I agree that especially if you're a single woman, you're out there looking for a date, with the Internet and everything, obviously you're going to go on there. But the fact is that Match.com and these other dating services has a responsibility to people who subscribe. And...

WHITFIELD: Because you're saying people go to these sites thinking that there is screening that take place?

FRIEDMAN: They trust them, right. Right, they trust them. And notwithstanding the language, I agree with that, the fact is, though, that they're now beginning to go to the National Sex Offender registry since the filing of the lawsuit. That tells you something. And I think there's a responsibility on both the individual wanting to date and the service providing it. I don't think this is going away at all. I think it's a very serious, fascinating case.

WHITFIELD: And it's serious, too, because this young lady, Carol Marken, you know, is filing the suit against Match.com because she says she was assaulted on the second date with this person that she was connected with from Match.com. And you don't think, Richard, that that is something that will help further this case?

HERMAN: You know, Fred, despite the language, again, in the contract in bold print, on paragraph seven, she says after the second date, she went on the Internet and it disclosed the fact that he was on a federal sex registry, so she found this information out. It was readily available to her. Enter at your own risk, buyer beware. This case is really going nowhere. Avery, put a dinner on this one.

WHITFIELD: Oh, OK. All right.

FRIEDMAN: You know, yeah we'll put a mark on that one, pal, absolutely.

WHITFIELD: OK, let's move on to the John Edwards case. And this is very interesting, is it not? We're talking about -- remember there was his alleged affair that may have been supported by his campaign fund, that's what this investigation is really all about. But now, apparently there's this motion in court to try to get some unsealed documents or some sealed documents unsealed. This is not coming from John Edwards, not Rielle Hunter, not Andy Young. Richard, who is calling for this?

HERMAN: Fred, the press is calling for it, Fred, the press.

WHITFIELD: I wanted you to say that (ph). HERMAN: They want to get this salacious information from his deposition which has been sealed, so they're the ones that are pressing for it. You know, and under North Carolina law, if all this information has been brought out to the public knowledge, which the news agencies are saying it has, they're entitled to it, it's public records, it should be disclosed. I think the judge is making a mistake here. It should all be released, it's public records.

FRIEDMAN: Well, the judge hasn't ruled, though, yet. I mean, what's on the line, I don't think, is whether or not news organizations, under the First Amendment, under "Freedom of Press," should have access to this sealed deposition. The -- CNN and other organizations are arguing to that judge, look it, all the stuff is already out by Andrew Young and by Rielle Hunter. It's all out there. But I think there are very serious implications. If John Edwards' deposition does surface, his sworn testimony, there's still sitting a federal grand jury, and believe me, the United States attorney would love to get its hands on that information. So, I think there's civil and very important criminal implications, here.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. All right, you want one last word on that, Richard?

HERMAN: Trust me, Avery, the feds already have his deposition, they're using it in the investigation. It makes no difference if this is out in the public domain, right now.

FRIEDMAN: And nothing's happened to this point and that's two years, already.

HERMAN: Right.

WHITFIELD: All right, interesting stuff. Avery, Richard, thanks so much.

OK, we're going to talk to you again later on about happy days no longer for at least some of the former cast members of that show, "Happy Days," but happy days from this point on for Richard. We'll explain why.

A state of emergency is in place in Missouri this Easter weekend after powerful storms battered that state. There's heavy damage in Lambert St. Louis International Airport right now.

Take a look.

The roof on one of the concourses was heavily damaged by this tornado. We know for sure now it was indeed a tornado. Right now, the airport is shut down. It was packed with Good Friday travelers when that storm hit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of a sudden it went pitch black and the windows were busted out, dirt and debris came flying up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was very, very real, like being inside a movie.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The sky went totally black. The wind picked the car up, maybe an inch or two, dropped it, and blew out the windows.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So those storms also damaged homes and businesses and a church not far away from the airport. Thankfully no reports of deaths.

Let's check in with our Bonnie Schneider. You said this is the time of year, typically, but it usually gets much worse come May?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's true.

Also, this is a very intense one. We're still getting the information in terms of a storm survey. We have confirmed it was a tornado. But how strong was this tornado? How wide was it? How long was it on the ground for? Still a lot of questions that need to be answered.

But going forward, and moving this forward, here's what the problem is going forward. We have a flood threat that's not just for St. Louis but it is across much of the region.

Take a look at the forecast for precipitation over the next five days. It's incredible. Our legend shows you the colors in purple here could be 10 inches or more. That's a lot of rain. As you saw from the video of what it looks like today in St. Louis, for example, there's so many communities that are completely demolished by this incredible tornado.

So now people have to kind of gather their stuff and go through their belongings and heavy rain that is working its way across the city, and across the region. Heavy rains expected for Cincinnati to the east and to Columbus and certainly for Louisville, Kentucky. Some watches and warnings are posted.

The ones you see here in the St. Louis area are warnings just south of the region. A lot of that continues straight into Sunday and may likely be extended into Monday as well. It's going to be a wet go of it for those of you even traveling by car on Easter Sunday. You're going to see a lot of rain moving through.

We're looking at a lot of rain right now. As you can see on the radar, there are heavy cells coming up across much of St. Louis. And that's what we're watching for, Fredricka, as we go through much of the day.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Bonnie.

We know there have been some very stormy days for actress Lindsay Lohan . It just doesn't seem to stop. Our legal guys will be back to give us the latest on what's happening in her life.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, back with more "Legal Briefs."

The gang from "Happy Days" not so happy these days. Actors from the iconic show about the 1950s are suing CBS.

Our legal guys are back right now. Avery Friedman in Cleveland, Richard Herman in Las Vegas.

We're talking about four of the former cast members and the estate of the late Tom Bosley, all saying they are owed millions because of lunchboxes, T-shirts, cups all that with their images. And CBS did not pay up.

Richard, do they have an outstanding case? We're talking 37 years after the fact. But if their images were on the merchandise, why didn't they get paid?

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, they do have a case, Fred. They do. It was prompted by the slot machine "Happy Days." And apparently CBS as acknowledged they do owe them a lot of money. There may be a partial statute of limitations issue. But they're clearly owed a lot of money. And if the Fonz would --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: It is a lot, if not millions, that the cast members say they want. But CBS is saying maybe thousands?

HERMAN: Right. That's going to be the discrepancy. But obviously, it's a lot of money.

WHITFIELD: Right. OK, So, Avery -- might that admission benefit these cast members?

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Can't hurt. The fact is that CBS acknowledges that they owe about $9,000. Marion Ross and the estate of Tom Bosley, all the rest, Potsy and Ralph, they all believe they're entitled to millions and millions of dollars.

And especially, Richie Cunningham's mom, Marian Ross, is very mad. In addition to the money, I think she wants to send CBS executives to their room. They're not really taking that part seriously.

But the bottom line, there's a lot of money involved here. I think based on those revenue reports, which is what they wanted from CBS -- for some reason, CBS hasn't turned them over.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. So, then CBS says it is open to mediation. To me that sounds like, Richard, there's a lot of wiggle room that maybe that $9,000 could indeed become millions.

HERMAN: It's like the segment before, we talked about contracts. There's a contract. It says they're entitled to 5 percent of the merchandising revenue. It says it. It is in the contract. They're entitled to money. The only question is how much. But they're absolutely going to win this case. WHITFIELD: Interesting. So, Ron Howard and Henry Winkler apparently are not part of this lawsuit. It may be that their contracts said something differently and they are not taking issue with this.

All right. Let's move on.

FRIEDMAN: Chachi walks with nothing, by the way. Chachi gets nothing out of this thing.

WHITFIELD: Maybe -- really? OK.

Let's talk about Lindsay Lohan, another fave of you all's. Always seems to find her way on the docket --

FRIEDMAN: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: -- for our segment. She was back in court. Had nothing to do with what she was wearing or anything like that. Now we're talking about that once-felony being reduced to a misdemeanor.

Richard, does that mean that the value of the necklace has now come down? Wasn't it a felony because of the value of the necklace? What's going on that it would be reduced to a misdemeanor now?

HERMAN: The judge made a judgment call based on the hearing testimony that he felt the case should not have been a felony, it should be reduced to a misdemeanor based on her history and the fact that it was a DWI a few years ago, and this and that. That's ridiculous. Because I tell you, Fred, I've seen it over and over again.

If this was a defendant, a minority defendant, with this history, this criminal history, there is no way this would have been reduced from a grand theft to a misdemeanor. This is horrible. This judge should really take a look at himself in the mirror. He did an injustice here. It's horrible. I don't care if she goes to prison or not, just treat her like everybody else. And he didn't do that.

WHITFIELD: Avery, you disagree?

FRIEDMAN: You know what? First of all, it is Tiffany Sotner (ph) it is a she. And the bottom line is that give credit to Shawn Holley, who is Lindsay Lohan 's attorney. She was able to show that the element of concealment was not there because she goes out.

I'm not justifying her behavior. But the fact is that that concealment could not be shown because she's the kind of person whose picture is going to be taken. I think it was a brilliant argument. I think the judge did the right thing.

I also agree with Richard, that I think for poor people, they'd never get away with something like this. But the bottom line is she was ordered four months in jail for probation violation. It is revoked, that is on appeal. But the court of appeals, in my judgment, will absolutely affirm that four months.

WHITFIELD: I wonder how much of this has to do with the fact that someone who works at, or the manager of this jewelry store is now saying, OK, didn't know that she was wearing the necklace out, didn't say anything at the moment, but gave her a phone call later -- it's gets murkier and murkier. So, if they allowed her to leave knowing that she had their merchandise, why does it become an issue a legal matter, at that, so many days, weeks, months after the fact? Kind of strange.

HERMAN: It goes to her intent, Fred, her state of mind. What the judge said is that she had an obligation --

FRIEDMAN: That is the issue. Right. That is exactly right.

HERMAN: She had an obligation to call that jewelry store and let them know she had it and she's going to return it, and that was brazen that she did not do that. That's why he did not dismiss the case.

FRIEDMAN: But "murky" is Fredericka's word. And is exactly where the defense is going to trial. Absolutely right.

WHITFIELD: And forever murky is the Charlie Sheen case, we're talking about the custody battle. Apparently his ex, Brooke Mueller, she has had some problems, won't even acquiesce to the drug test.

Should she continue to get full custody? Should he? They both have their track record with drugs and that's at the crux of this custody battle. So, how in the world, Avery, will the court decide who is more suitable to be the parent of these kids, if they both have very similar backgrounds?

FRIEDMAN: Quick answer, quick answer, the court will not. The court will have shared custody. That's the end of that particular case. The $100 million, we'll save for another day, all right?

WHITFIELD: Quick word on that, Richard?

HERMAN: Yes, the arbitration clause will be upheld against the television station. And worse and worser, how do you decide the best interest of the kids with these two parents. Just horrible.

FRIEDMAN: Yes. That's right.

WHITFIELD: OK, speaking of babies. We know this baby is oh, so lucky, as are the parents. Let's talk about Baby Herman. Is this not the most beautiful little thing you've ever seen? Congratulations, Richard. New papa!

HERMAN: Yes, that is Briella (ph). Thank you.

WHITFIELD: To beautiful Briella. Gorgeous.

FREIDMAN: Congratulations.

AVERY: Thank you. Tuesday.

WHITFIELD: All of 7 pounds and 10 ounces.

FRIEDMAN: You know, Fred, if men had to deliver babies, there would be no civilization because --

WHITFIELD: It wouldn't happen.

FRIEDMAN: I wouldn't happen. My wife -- I don't even know how to thank her. I don't know how she did it.

I have to tell you, Fred, Doctor Wilkes and his staff, especially Mary Jo, Doctor George, Southern Hills Hospital. I mean, it was a little struggle there. But we came through and she is just -- she gets more beautiful every second. And Elisa (ph) and I are just -- we love her so much.

FRIEDMAN: That's right. That's what babies do, Richard.

WHITFIELD: Oh, congratulations.

FRIEDMAN: That is what that is, Baby Briella.

WHITFIELD: And you are still basking in the glow, that is so sweet.

FRIEDMAN: Congratulations, man.

WHITFIELD: You've got your baby pink on today, in honor of her, right?

FRIEDMAN: That's right.

HERMAN: Got the pink on.

Fred, it's so much more special because even with the cancer I had and they said all the chemo, you are not going to be fertile anymore, you can't have kids. Here she is. The oncologist will be paying for college, but that's OK. We're very, very happy.

WHITFIELD: All right. Whoo! You've had an incredible journey. All the best. Congrats and big hugs coming your way.

FRIEDMAN: Congratulations, buddy.

HERMAN: Thank you, Avery, Fred, CNN, Claire, thank you all.

WHITFIELD: Claire, our executive producer, big kudos to everybody. Thanks so much.

All right, guys, see you next weekend.

Meantime, let's talk about the bookies in London, they are taking bets on the royal wedding. Countdown is on. One topic generating some huge interest. Will Kate include the word "obey" in her vows?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The countdown is on. Before the break, we told you London bookies are already taking bets on the royal wedding. One topic generating a whole lot of interest, will Kate include the word "obey" in her vows? The bookies think odds are pretty good, 8 to 11, that she will follow in the footsteps of William's mother, Diana and leave it out. It's all abuzz.

In London and beyond, only six days away. This is what people are thinking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The world definitely needs it and it's exciting to be here. Everybody's very excited. People are happy. It's a great atmosphere.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I'm excited for them. But I'm here as a tourist. So I'm trying to avoid the royal wedding so that the people from England can have their time with the royals. And we Americans will come in and see the beautiful sights and then boogie out of town.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm pretty excited. I didn't want to be here on the day, though, because it would be way too busy. I'm going to have my mom tape it for me, even though I'm going to be in the U.K. when it is on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: That's kind of confusing, you're there, but you're not really there. Don't want to be there. I don't get it.

Well, you know, we know that Zain Verjee is there and happy to be there at Westminster Abbey, Westminster Abbey.

Boy, this is so exciting. Six days away and people are seemingly very giddy about it all, despite those Americans there who say they want to be there, but not really. What's that?

(LAUGHTER)

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes, they do. They do.

WHITFIELD: They want to be here.

VERJEE: It is -- the excitement is building. Westminster Abbey hasn't had a wedding since 1986, that was when the Prince Andrew married Fergie. And now we only have six more days to wait.

Fredricka, I just want to give you a little bit of an idea about Westminster Abbey. This is the spiritual heart of London. It has been a historical and geographical center. And ever since 1066 they've had coronations here of kings and queens. William the Conquer started it at that time. Then you have had weddings here, Princess Diana's funeral was here.

And one of the things a lot of people come to see at Westminster Abbey is all the really famous people that are buried here. You have Charles Dickens, the author. Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, the actor Sir Lawrence Olivier, Thomas Hardy, the author. There's a lot that people come and see here. There's even a little place called Poet's Corner at Westminster Abbey hearing a lot about this place. WHITFIELD: Oh, yes. And you know, Zain, I don't want to put a damper on things, but, duh, you have to think security. And what a giant undertaking this is, not just for the city but for the royals, for everybody there. What kind of extraordinary measures are being taken?

VERJEE: Yes. Think about it, this is going to be such a tough operation. You're going to have something like 2 million Britons out on the streets. They're expecting almost 1 million tourists to come here.

Some of the things they're doing is they have 5,000 police officers going to be out on the streets. They have aerial surveillances, they are checking for explosives in, like, drains and lamps. They're also sectioning off part of the city. They really are going to crack down tightly and monitor crowds carefully.

WHITFIELD: All right. Zain Verjee in the thick of it all now, and on the day of, Friday the 29th, as well. Look, you're giddy. You can't wait. Do you have your outfit and everything already picked out? Pretty hat?

VERJEE: It's a good news story. Yes, I've got my outfit picked out. But I don't have to worry about an outfit for that place. That would have been pretty exciting. But most people who are going to the wedding, Fredricka, the only way that they can really express a sense of fashion is with the hats.

WHITFIELD: I know. That's why I'm wondering?

VERJEE: So, look out for the hats on that day.

WHITFIELD: Will you be wearing a chapeau? Will you have a nice feathery cap?

(LAUGHTER)

VERJEE: No.

WHITFIELD: You're not answering.

VERJEE: No, I won't.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: You have six days to shop. Find one, my lady.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Zain Verjee, thanks so much at Westminster Abbey.

VERJEE: All right, darling, I will.

WHITFIELD: Beautiful place.

We are, of course, counting down to the most anticipated wedding in decades. Tomorrow at 8:00 Eastern Time, we take you behind the scenes with "CNN Presents: The Women Who Would Be Queen." Then, of course, on Friday, April 29th, tune in for CNN's "Royal Wedding Experience" or you could DVR it, beginning at 4:00 a.m. Eastern. I say set your alarm clock. You want to see it live, right?

So everyone is looking forward to their summer vacation as well. But when should you actually book it to get the best deal? We'll explore that straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: If you're taking a summer vacation in a big city this year, there are several easy ways to find out which sites are worth seeing.

CNN's Stephanie Elam has details in this week's "On The Go."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: When you take a look at gas price, you see airfares are really high, doesn't mean you can't get out there, right?

JON SHANNON, TIME OUT NEW YORK: Exactly. The best thing to do as soon as you come to a new city is to try and get some of the local knowledge. I always like going to a bar in the afternoon and find a friendly bar keep, and maybe you can get some advice from them. The local press is always pretty good. Independent coffee shops are really good for that sort of thing. And also they have notice boards as well that will tell you what is going on.

ELAM: Let's talk about social media because it has changed the way people can find out what's going on in a city now.

SHANNON: Yes, I found Foursquare to be just so useful. They have a trending feature on it. So it will show you where Foursquare users are congregating in a particular area that is near you. If you follow those trending places, you can find some of the local's favorite places.

ELAM: So, I hear that there are some people who really like to work out when they travel, but they don't want to just go to gym in the hotel. What are some of the things they can do?

SHANNON: Always check Meetup.com. It is across the nation. And people use it to organize pick-up games. It is only going to cost you a couple of bucks to go along, and you'll probably meet a few new friends in the area that can tell you what to do as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: So "TIME" magazine has released its annual list of the world's most influential people. Included this year, are Prince William and his fiance, Kate Middleton. Also Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who has made -- here's a question for you: Who has made the "Time" 100 list the most times? We'll tell you after this. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Before the break, we asked, who has made "Time" magazine's 100 most influential list the most? Oprah Winfrey, currently winding down her talk show, has been named one of "Time" magazine's most influential people every year since 2004, more than any other "Time" 100 designee. Winfrey is followed by President Barack Obama; he's made the list six times.

Here's a question for you. Do you want to be a millionaire? I know the answer already. Come back in the 2:00 Eastern hour and we'll tell you how.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield. See you again one hour from now.

Time now for "YOUR MONEY."