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'Occupy Wall Street' Growing; Diplomatic Divide Over Syria; Stock Car Racer Pulls Man From Burning Car; Modern-Day Slave Can't Get Home; Talk Back Question; Students Want To Ban Leaf Blowers; America's Choice 2012 in Presidential Race; Civil Rights Leader Dies

Aired October 05, 2011 - 12:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour. I'm Suzanne Malveaux.

Want to get you up to speed.

This developing story. California police are trying to track down a man who's on the loose with a gun. They say he opened fire at his workplace today.

It's a limestone quarry outside Cupertino. Eight people were shot. It is not confirmed, but police say that two may be dead. Police identify the shooter as Shareef Allman. They say he showed up at a meeting before dawn today with a pistol and a rifle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. JOSE CARDOZA, SANTA CLARA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: The only reports we have right now is that he was disgruntled and he was unhappy. Whether it was work-related or private home-related, we don't know at this time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: We're going to keep you posted on the manhunt as the day goes on.

Well, three big New York labor unions, they are throwing their weight behind the growing protest movement in lower Manhattan. The unions are calling on members to leave work and join demonstrators this afternoon.

Now, protesters call themselves Occupy Wall Street. The group has a number of causes, everything from tackling corporate greed to protecting the environment. Generally speaking, they're unhappy about the state of the country.

Americans are absolutely fed up with Congress. New numbers leave no doubts now. A "Washington Post"/ABC News poll found that just 14 percent of the public approves of the job that Congress is doing now. That is Congress' lowest rating ever in any "Washington Post"/ABC News poll.

It is Amanda Knox' first full day at home in Seattle in four years. She says she's going to spend it with family. Knox went to Italy to study, but ended up behind bars for killing her roommate. An Italian court overturned Knox's murder conviction on Monday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMANDA KNOX, MURDER CONVICTION OVERTURNED: What's important for me to say is just, thank you to everyone who has believed in me, who has defended me, who has supported my family. I just want -- my family's the most important thing to me right now, and I just want to go and be with them. So, thank you for being there for me.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Knox was serving a 26-year prison sentence, and the court agreed with experts who testified that the DNA evidence used to convict Knox was tainted.

Well, investigators are telling a Los Angeles jury about the drugs they found in Michael Jackson's bedroom the day he died. The coroner says that Jackson died from an overdose of the anesthetic Propofol and other sedatives.

Dr. Conrad Murray's trial for Jackson's death had some star- struck moments on Tuesday. Prosecutors put Murray's three girlfriends on the stand -- yes, three. They wanted to show he was phoning or texting his girlfriends, not monitoring Jackson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEBORAH BRAZIL, PROSECUTOR: Did you in fact meet Mr. Jackson?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

BRAZIL: And who introduced you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dr. Murray.

BRAZIL: And how did it come about that you got to meet Michael Jackson?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm still trying to figure that out myself.

BRAZIL: Why is that? What is confusing about it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because it's Michael Jackson.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: The jury will hear from Murray himself. That is happening soon. Prosecutors plan to play the interview that he gave police two days after Jackson's death.

Well, there's another big bank that's jacking up fees. Citibank is going to charge $15 a month for the easy checking account unless you keep a balance of $6,000 in accounts with the bank. Citibank's move comes days after Bank of America tacked a $5 monthly fee on debit card usage.

Well, new federal regulations limit overdraft charges and debit card fees charged to retailers. Banks are adding fees to other services to make up for the losses.

Thousands of people have joined demonstrations across the country under the title "Occupy Wall Street." They are protesting, among other things, income inequality, corporate greed, many things.

Joining us now, one of the protesters who's been in New York's financial district for 19 days. Patrick Bruner, he is 23 years old. He just graduated from college, does not have a job.

Patrick, I understand that you were there. You can't find work. You're frustrated. What do you want? What do you hope to tell people?

PATRICK BRUNER, WALL STREET PROTESTER: Well, we want to tell people about the values that America was built on and how they've gone away. We were made as a country to make sure that the popular people were able to -- we were founded as a country so that the popular movement was able to overthrow an elite aristocracy. And we're almost in the same position today.

MALVEAUX: Patrick, why do you suppose you haven't gotten a job? What kind of obstacles have you come faced with here?

BRUNER: Well, I've come to face with the obstacle that one percent of the country owns 40 percent of the wealth. We've been convinced as a country that we're broke, and that's simply not the case. We're the wealthiest country with the wealthiest individuals ever. And we just need to have those people pay their fair share, to honor their social contracts.

MALVEAUX: And Patrick, what do you hope to accomplish being out there, being a part of those protests?

BRUNER: Well, we hope to make sure that American values are heard once again and that the American dream can once again live.

MALVEAUX: And how long will you be out there? Do you have a timetable or a cutoff? Or do you want something to happen that will allow you to either stay or leave?

BRUNER: Well, right now we're very much of the opinion that we are not planning on leaving until there's very real and meaningful change that comes out of this. We expect to see a change in the way that politics are -- the theatrics of politics in this country and in the world are changed. We want actual conversation about actual problems.

MALVEAUX: All right. Well, Patrick Bruner, we certainly will be keeping up with you, as well as your protests. We'd like you to check back in with us from time to time, let us know how your job search is going, and also what it's like to be there among your fellow protesters.

Patrick Bruner, thank you very much. Appreciate your time.

BRUNER: Thank you very much, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Here's your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. The question today: Could that movement that we just saw, Occupy Wall Street, become a new political party?

Carol Costello, she has got more from New York.

And Carol, it was interesting what he was saying there. This is a guy, you know, he can't find work. He's college educated. He's frustrated. And he says things aren't going so well. He says this is the state of our country now.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think one of the unfair things that we've run across in interviewing these people -- and not from your interview, per se -- but these are young people. They don't know the ins and outs of every single law and exactly what TARP did. All they know is they're frustrated.

They can't find work, and they want something done about it. It's like, where's my American dream? I mean, they grew up with the same dreams that we had, and they want to achieve it.

And I'm not just speaking for every protester down there, just some of them. Just food for thought to set up this segment, this "Talk Back" segment.

Ever since the dawn of the Tea Party, liberal activists have yearned for a revolution of their own.

Example, Michael Moore, who's hungry for a mass movement. How better to get than railing against Wall Street.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL MOORE, FILMMAKER: This is the end result of these bankers overplaying their hand. They were already filthy rich, but filthy rich wasn't enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Moore is lending his celebrity to the movement and paying to help protesters expand the use of social media. With the help of Twitter and Facebook, the movement has spread to other cities.

Hundreds of people have been arrested. Though we see some protesters dressed like zombies, and with often confusing messages, those protesters are also attracting some powerful allies, including a half-dozen unions who will march on New York's City Hall today.

So, when you combine clout, money, and anger at the powers that be, it kind of sort of sounds like the start of something. Although protesters don't consider themselves political animals. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TYLER COMBELIC, OCCUPY WALL STREET: We don't want to be, you know, a left political group. We don't want to be a political group at all. We want to be a group that calls for activism. Ideally, you know, if this continues to grow, if more people get involved, suddenly, people will have the same power that lobbyists have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Heads up, Wall Street. Even FoxNews.com says this could be more than just another loony protest movement from the left.

So, the "Talk Back" question today: Could Occupy Wall Street become a new political party?

Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your comments this hour.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Carol.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Right now want to look at the big diplomatic divide over Syria. The U.S. and most European nations are criticizing Russia and China for vetoing a U.N. Security Council resolution against the Syrian government. The measure threatened sanctions if Syria didn't end its deadly crackdown on civilians.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice walked out of the chamber yesterday after Syria's ambassador accused the U.S. of partaking in genocide by supporting Israel at the U.N.

Experts say it is obvious that Russia and China are protecting their own interests. Both countries have strong economic and military ties to Syria. The relationship between Moscow and Damascus dates back to the former Soviet Union era. Russia delivered some $25 billion in arms to Syria over three decades. Russia also maintains a servicing point for its naval vessels in one of Syria's Mediterranean ports.

China's military ties, not as big as Russia's, but China does provide Syria with missile and missile technology.

We should point out that Brazil, India, South Africa also objected to the idea of sanctions. Like Russia and China, the other countries argue that the Security Council's resolution on Libya had been twisted to allow NATO's war against the Libyan government. They're determined, basically, not to have that happen when it comes to Syria.

Our CNN's Jill Dougherty explains all this from the State Department.

Jill, now that Syria essentially has dodged this bullet, there are no sanctions, no arms embargo, not even a statement condemning the government's killing of protesters, do we think that Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, is sitting pretty, safely in power now?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, he may be very happy with his vote, because, obviously, you know, the U.S. and Europe -- after all it was a European initiative -- they weren't able to pull it together. They were not able to get Russia and China aboard. And so that goes crashing into flames.

Now, but does it really mean that Assad is sitting pretty? I don't think so. I mean, we've been talking with some people who look at this very closely, and there's some other things going on.

Turkey is an increasingly important player in the world. Turkey says that it is going to be having sanctions against Syria.

The Russians, interestingly, have invited the opposition, members of the Syrian opposition, to Moscow this month to talk with them. And as one expert was saying, Elliott Abrams from the Council on Foreign Relations was saying, they're hedging their bets. So the Russians do know that the writing is on the wall.

MALVEAUX: It's very interesting, Jill.

Ambassador Rice, ,she walks out of this meeting, the Security Council meeting, when her counterpart from Syria accuses the United States of being party to genocide for sporting Israel.

Is that the only recourse now that the United States has, these symbolic gestures?

DOUGHERTY: You know, there's not a lot that the U.S. by itself can really do, because the U.S. doesn't have a lot of business interests. It's basically tapped out on sanctions. It's done as many sanctions as it can.

So, really, what it has to do is continue to work with other countries. The European Union is extremely important, because they're the people who really have the economic ties with Syria and could put the screws on Syria.

And, you know, Suzanne, it's important to point out, it's not just -- these sanctions, not just trying to target and hurt Assad, but it also is a way of sending a signal to the elites who are around him that this is just going to get worse and worse.

MALVEAUX: All right. Jill Dougherty.

Thank you very much, Jill. Appreciate it.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

MALVEAUX: A stock car racer in Oklahoma pulls a driver from a car that's in flames. He was inspired by what he saw happen to his father when he was a child, and he's going to join us after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: When stock car racer Kip Hughes was a boy, his father was badly burned in a car race. He saw it happen from the stands as he decided if he ever saw a car wreck again, he would do whatever he could to help.

Well, Saturday, three cars wrecked at a race in Oklahoma, and one of them burst into flames. You can see it there. Hughes jumped out of his car, pulled the driver out, and now he's being called a hero.

Kip Hughes joins us from Breckenridge, Oklahoma.

And Kip, it's so nice to have you here. I mean, you see that video, you realize that that guy could have been in a heap of trouble there. And when you saw that, what was going on through your mind?

KIP HUGHES, STOCK CAR RACER: I mean, you just said it yourself. It goes back to, you know, I was a little boy in the stands, whenever the wreck happened with my father. And I know that that guy had family in the stands just like everybody else did that was there. And I just wanted to make sure that nothing happened bad, they didn't have to go through what my family had to go through back in '91. It took two or three years for everything to kind of get back in order after all that stuff.

So, my main thing was just his safety, trying to make sure that he was in any immediate flames and, you know, try to go through -- we kind of go through procedures in such incidents. So, as far as making sure the steering wheel is off, making sure the window net is down before you release the belts, or a guy will get stuck in there that way. So I was just trying --

MALVEAUX: Sure. Kip, did you worry at all that you were going to be -- that you were going to get caught up in those flames? Did you worry for your own safety, or were you not thinking about that at the time?

HUGHES: It's in the back of your head, but it's just something -- I mean, I just don't worry about it. I wear race suits made by Hinchman Indy, and that's what my dad was wearing whenever he got burned. And I know it's good stuff.

I had more time than anybody else around there at that time. So I felt like it was kind of up to me to make sure things were taken care of and Terry (ph) was out and all was well.

MALVEAUX: And what does your dad think about what you did?

HUGHES: Dad's kind of easy with the praise. So he's proud. He just kind of pats me on the back and says, "Good job." But he's been giving me a hard time about all this stuff, about all the media and this other stuff.

MALVEAUX: He's giving you a hard time about it?

HUGHES: Oh, yes. Everybody's been ragging on me, giving me -- "Well, Mr. Celebrity now." I'm like, "No, I'm just Kip Hughes from Breckenridge, Oklahoma." I was at the right place at the right time, and there was a reason why.

MALVEAUX: Well, sure. What did the driver -- did he talk to you afterwards? How is he doing? I understand he has some burns. But did he say anything to you?

HUGHES: I walked over -- Terry (ph) used to race with my dad before my dad got burned. And I've always known his name and been at several races with him, but I never actually met him until that happened.

And I walked over to his pit afterwards and was kind of just looking -- me and my grandfather walked over there just kind of looking things over. And he walked up, and you can tell he's very -- he doesn't say a whole lot.

He came up and said, "Man, thanks. You didn't have to do that." And that meant the most to me.

Two of his kids have contacted me since then and thanked me, and that means more than anything than you can think of, just to know -- I wished there had been somebody there that I could call and thank, but we took a bad situation and turned it into -- down the road, 20 years later, turned it into a good situation.

MALVEAUX: You certainly did, Kip. We really appreciate that.

I know his family appreciates that as well. That was a good job. And I know you guys are short on praise there, but we want to make sure you get your due. It was a really good thing you did. Thanks, Kip.

HUGHES: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: Here's your chance to "Choose the News." Text "22360" for the story that you would like to see.

Text "1" for "Denmark Fat Tax." The country has just become the first in the world to tax foods that are high in saturated fats. Well, before the tax took effect, the Danes started hoarding some foods. We're going to show you which ones.

And text "2" for "Surfing Becomes Sport." Move over football, basketball. Surfing is about to become an official sport for high schoolers in Hawaii.

And text "3" for "Leaf Blower Ban." A group in Florida wants to ban those noisy machines. Yes. We're going to tell you about their push and how far they have gotten.

So you can vote by texting "22360". Text "1" for "Denmark Fat Tax"; "2" for "Surfing Becomes Sport"; or "3" for "Leaf Blower Ban."

The winning story is going to air later this hour. So the 2012 presidential is race shaping up to be a battle over different visions of America. And, of course, CNN's going to be all over it with comprehensive coverage, insightful analysis. We're going to bring you our campaign kickoff right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Nobody covers politics like CNN. Our team of correspondents, analysts, anchors, ready to bring you the most comprehensive coverage of the 2012 presidential race.

Who better than to help officially launch the election coverage than our own Wolf Blitzer? He joins us from Washington.

So, Wolf, I mean, I'm excited about this. 2008, we were all about "CNN Equals Politics," being a part of that. One of the most fulfilling experiences I had as a journalist. It was an historic election.

Now we've got a new look, new brand for 2012. Yes?

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, CNN'S "THE SITUATION ROOM": I want to show your viewers, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: OK.

BLITZER: I want to show you, I want to show all our viewers here in the United States and around the world. They're going to be seeing a lot more of this new graphic. Let me put it up on the screen right now.

You can see CNN Politics" America's Choice 2012. There it is right there. Let me read a statement that our Washington bureau chief Sam Feist just issued. The choice Americans will face in 2012 is between two very different visions for governing the United States. CNN's goal is to leverage our extraordinary resources and offer our viewers the most unbiased comprehensive coverage of the most important choice the American voter will make for the next four years. And Sam goes on to say, "CNN's America's choice 2012 branding reflects our commitment to helping American voters make that choice. So there you see it. CNN Politics: America's Choice 2012.

I'm not sure, Suzanne, if we should say 2012 or 2012. What's your preference?

MALVEAUX: 2012 is pretty simple. Keep it 2012.

BLITZER: We used to say 1958 or whatever, 1974, 2012, I keep saying 2012 but I'm not sure what's going to stick. We're only 12 years into this new millennium. At some point I'll make up my mind.

MALVEAUX: OK. Well, let me call it 2012, 2012. I want to get into it a little bit here. Let's delve into the political landscape. So we know that the Republican pool is narrowing with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie saying now is not the time. I imagine, Wolf, that Mitt Romney and Governor Rick Perry are already scrambling to recruit those who are pushing for Christie. How do we think this is going to shake up the race?

BLITZER: I think it's great news the decision by Governor Christie to not run for presidential nomination. It's great news but especially for Mitt Romney from the Northeast, Chris Christie from the Northeast. They sort of appeal to some of those establishment big time republican leaders some of the wealthy republicans on Wall Street and elsewhere. So it's probably going to help Mitt Romney to a certain degree. Perry hopes to pick up some of those supporters. I'm not sure he's going to pick up a whole lot. Right now his campaign has been in a deep slide over these past three debates or so. We'll see if he can pick up his game next week, the week after.

MALVEAUX: Right.

BLITZER: We have a debate coming up as you know in Las Vegas on October 18th. So he's got his work cut out for him. Herman Cain is doing very well right now. We'll see if that's just a sort of passing fad or if it will stick around. But all of this political news it's great to cover. You love covering politics. So do I and we'll be doing a lot of it here on CNN.

MALVEAUX: That's great. Mitt Romney, he just hosted a town hall at the villages. It's one of Florida's largest retirement communities. I remember it well. It's one of those stops that all and many of the presidential candidates make on the campaign trail. He criticized President Obama pretty badly. He said we've gone from yes, we can to gee, sorry, we can't, these on issues creating jobs and allowing the free market to create jobs. How effective, Wolf, do we think that strategy is and using all the fire power against Obama instead of Perry?

BLITZER: It will be effective for all the republican candidates. What they want to go is really go after the president of the United States. They think he's vulnerable right now. They think he could be defeated in this bid for re-election.

But, you know, at that same event Mitt Romney was not shy in going after Rick Perry, either, you know. He pointed out, you know, calling social security for example a hot button issue as you know in Florida with so many seniors down there. Rick Perry was talking about social security being a Ponzi scheme. He at one point in his remarks Mitt Romney said he's afraid that social security could be a Perry scheme if Perry had his way and social security could be handed over to the states rather than the federal government. Talk like that obviously gets a lot of seniors or people close to retirement deeply worried and it's a big problem that Rick Perry has, right now the whole social security issue.

MALVEAUX: All right. Wolf, thank you very much. Obviously we're going to be kicking this off in high style and a lot of work ahead so looking forward to it very much. Thanks again, Wolf. Appreciate it.

BLITZER: Thanks, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: We have some sad news to report. Civil rights leader Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth died this morning in Birmingham, Alabama. Now, you may recall he was the Reverend Martin Luther King's right hand man in Birmingham. He helped create the Southern Christian Leadership Conference along with Martin Luther King Junior and Ralph Abernathy. His house had been bombed several times, once with his wife and his kids inside. But the bomb had malfunctioned. It had spared their lives.

Fred Shuttlesworth, he was 89 years old. A friend of Shuttlesworth, a fellow activist, an icon in the civil rights movement Andrew Young is joining us by phone. Mr. Young, if you can tell us what he meant to the civil rights movement and what he meant to you as a friend.

ANDREW YOUNG, CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER (via telephone): Well, I would think that it's honest to say that Fred Shuttlesworth probably saved the civil rights movement. We had been bogged down in Albany, Georgia and people are saying that nonviolence wouldn't work. And Fred said, "Look, the only thing we can do is nonviolence. You have to come to Birmingham." And Birmingham was probably the meanest place at that time. There had been 60 unsolved bombings in 1962.

And Fred had not only had his house bombed, he had been beaten by the Klan and almost left for dead. He still went to try to register his children for desegregated school. And he was absolutely fearless and the amazing thing is not that he's dying at 89. But the amazing thing is that he lived this long because he never compromised with segregation. He was always willing to put his life and his family's life on the line. And, it's, I mean it was on his legacy in Birmingham that we were able to get the 1964 Civil Rights Bill and the march on Washington.

MALVEAUX: He certainly was a courageous individual in the civil rights movement. He was one of those people who also supported the leaders. Why do you suppose he didn't get as much publicity as some of the others who were very well known in the movement?

YOUNG: Well, I'll tell you, Fred was a pastor. And he primarily was concerned with his church. He didn't go around the nation making speeches. He did most of his work in Birmingham and then later in Cincinnati when he was pastoring there. And he was not trying to be a national leader. He was trying to lead the people in the community that he served. And he launched all of the rest of our careers from Birmingham practically. But he stayed relatively low key after Birmingham.

MALVEAUX: Andrew young, thank you very much for your perspective.

YOUNG: Yes, that is, you know, we don't think of death as sad. We think of it as a transition to a new life. And he is certainly entitled to a place in the kingdom and we ought to say thanks for all that he did and celebrate the fact that he lived this long and this well. And that he now is going on to claim his reward in a new life.

MALVEAUX: Andrew young, we thank you and we also thank Fred Shuttlesworth for his work in the civil rights movement. Thanks again. Well, imagine being forced to work in a factory and it's modern day slavery that you're not even aware of. We're going to take you to a factory in Malaysia where workers are trapped by debt. They have to pay their employers in order to be free.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Following the trail of modern-day slave labor. A CNN exclusive investigative report for CNN's Freedom Project. Our Dan Rivers takes a revealing look at how factory workers are kept as virtual slaves in Southeast Asia. They have to pay for their freedom. In part two of the series, Dan takes us to a factory where those women are working.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN RIVERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Our search for the victims of modern-day slavery took us to rural Cambodia. There I met a mother who showed me a photo of one of her daughters we're calling Chinari, who's still trapped in a factory in Malaysia, unable to return home until she pays off her debt.

We visited the agency in Phnom Penh, where we were briefly locked in before an angry exchange with the agency owner hastened our departure.

(on camera): All right. We're going. We're going. We're going.

(voice-over): It was time for us to go to Malaysia to the northern city of Penang. This is the booming center of Malaysia's high tech center. Components built here power millions of computer hard drives around the world.

(on camera): This is the end of the night shift in one factory here in Malaysia. And you can see all the buses are lining up to take hundreds of workers home after an exhausting 12-hourshift.

(voice-over): The workers appear to be from all over Asia including many Cambodians. I suspect one of them is Chanari, the young woman who I'm looking for. Through an intermediary, we finally track her down and make contact.

(on camera): They're standing on the right.

(voice-over): After a little persuasion, she agrees to meet us along with three co-workers, all worried if they're seen talking to us, they'll be punished.

Over breakfast, they told me they were promised $250 a month by the Un Rithe (ph) agency in Cambodia, but 50 percent of their wage has so far been deducted to cover agency fees. After other deductions, they say they only receive about $100 a month, barely enough to feed themselves.

Their passports have been confiscated by the agency and they only have a photo copy. Chinari tells us they've already tried to escape once, but were caught by the police trying to cross into Thailand without a passport. A sign of how desperate they are to go home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(on camera): Her friend says she's just 17 years old and claims she was given a passport by the agency with falsified information showing she was 21. It's illegal for under 18s to work here. All the women say they can't leave until their debt to the agency is paid off.

(voice-over)The women work at this electronics factory JCY, which makes computer hard drives for major international clients, including Western Digital. But in fact, the women are subcontracted by another company, so legally JCY is not responsible for them.

So Chinari and her friends were the first part of a complex chain recruited by the Un Rithe (ph) agency but then employed by a middle man along with dozens of other workers at this factory, which is owned and operated by JCY.

We decide the best way to help the girls is to hand over their case to a local aid agency which specializes in helping migrant workers. Caseworker Robin Fernandes says their situation is bleak.

ROBIN FERNANDES, AID WORKER: One of the reasons why this is happening is because of outsourcing. When you outsource, you're not responsible directly for your employee. So he wash -- the company washes its hands of whatever responsibilities. It's the agent who's supplying the workers.

RIVERS (on camera): In theory, workers at factories like JCY are free to go whenever they want. In theory, their employers are legally obliged to hand over their passports whenever the workers ask for them. But in practice, it is the employers who sign off the workers' exit visas. And without that signature, they can't leave the country. Meaning, they're stuck here.

RIVERS (voice-over): JCY refused to do an interview, but told us most workers willingly give their passports to their respective agents for safekeeping and are able to obtain their passports at any time upon their request. The statement went on, "all workers in our plants have free access to our human resource department and our management to report any grievance they may have. We try to resolve all grievances in a fair and equitable manner. As far as we're concerned, workers are free to leave their employment in our company at any time."

These women may not have a ball and chain around their feet, but they are saddled with a huge fee that they must pay off before they can leave. And what's amazing is that all this is legal in Malaysia, meaning some people get stuck here for years working 12 hours a day, seven days a week, to pay off their debt.

In the final part of our investigation, why is this allowed to continue in Malaysia?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Slavery? It's a -- you can say modern forms of slavery.

RIVERS: And the computer accessories you use that are built with debt bonded labor.

Dan Rivers, CNN, Penang, Malaysia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: We'll bring you the final parts of Dan's investigation tomorrow. He tracks the products that are made with slave labor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RIVERS (voice-over): I checked in one shop and the man behind the counter knew nothing about where or how the hard drives were made.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just sell them, basically.

RIVERS (on camera): Yes. Yes. But -- so most people don't really ask questions about, you know, how it's manufactured, where or --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

RIVERS: The ethical dimensions of it, really, they're not that bothered?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not really.

RIVERS: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: You can watch Dan's exclusive reports again at the CNN Freedom Project website. That is cnn.com/freedom. It gives victims a voice. It exposes the traffickers behind this multibillion dollar business and shows how you can help put an end to modern day slavery.

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MALVEAUX: Checking our stories that our affiliates are covering across country.

A huge dust storm between Phoenix and Tucson caused a three chain reaction car crash. One person was killed. More than a dozen injured. Visibility was so bad that helicopters couldn't even fly into help. Another dust storm even bigger than Tuesdays is predicted tomorrow.

In Massachusetts, heavy rains caused severe flooding for much of Essex County. Between three and five inches of rain came down in less than two hours, flooding homes and other buildings and trapping drivers in their cars.

In California, what would you do if you saw this on your neighbor's lawn? That's right. Authorities say it's probably the same pair of mountain lions spotted in the Sierra Madres several times over the past month. Police chased the big cats back into the woods.

Today's "Talk Back" question, could the movement "Occupy Wall Street", become a new political party? Randall Gove writes, "the new anti-Tea Party. I'd vote 'em in." More of your responses right after this.

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MALVEAUX: You've been sounding off on our "Talk Back" question, could "Occupy Wall Street" become a new political party?

Carol, what are folks thinking about it?

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Interesting comments this afternoon, Suzanne. The "Talk Back" question again, could "Occupy Wall Street" become a new political party.

This from Mally. "I think it's ironic that the now Tea Party members and their supporters are now against private citizens making their voices heard. We're young, but we're not naive or criminals. This country, this world, will soon be in the hands of the 20, 30, 40 somethings. We want to make sure we have a country left."

This from Michael. "I'm not a Tea Partier and I'm not a liberal. I'm an independent. I'm 54 and I've been waiting for this. In 20 years working at two different careers, the starting wage hasn't changed in all that time, yet corporate executive salaries and investor profits have gone through the roof. Somebody isn't being fair. Show me the money."

This from Marc. "It's a fad, like the Tea Party. They accomplished nothing in two years other than finger pointing and lying."

Well, that's pretty harsh, Marc.

And this from Patrick. "We don't need a new political party. We need a nonpolitical party. A government that truly represents the people of this country and our rights. In our world, when you fail to do your job, you get fired. It's time for politicians to learn of this harsh, but needed reality."

Keep the conversation going, facebook.com/carolcnn. And thanks, as always, for your comments.

MALVEAUX: Carol, you know what we really need?

COSTELLO: What?

MALVEAUX: All right, so we need to shower you with kindness, smiles, compliments. You know why? Today is "do something nice day" and I found out about it from you, right?

COSTELLO: Oh, and I thought it was just -- I thought it was just because of me. MALVEAUX: So we thought about flowers -- no, no, no, we thought about flowers and candy, but, instead, we decided to get you one of your favorite snacks, right? Did somebody come in and give you that snack? The potato chips? Is somebody coming in?

COSTELLO: I see them right here.

MALVEAUX: Yes.

COSTELLO: This is my very favorite.

MALVEAUX: We've been coordinating this all day, Carol, right? Let's do something nice day. And we don't even know where it came from, but you talked about it this morning. Do you have any idea like how it even came about and who started it?

COSTELLO: You know, it was probably the flower industry lobby, if I had to guess. A lobby of some kind.

MALVEAUX: You're so cynical, Carol. You got potato chips and you're still cynical about this.

COSTELLO: I know. You know, that was bad. I'm sure it was just some nice person who said I think we should come up with a do something nice day.

MALVEAUX: All right. Well, we hope you like your potato chips.

COSTELLO: I do. Thank you so much. I'm eating them right now.

MALVEAUX: OK. We'll let you get to your chips.

You told us what you wanted to see. Your "Choose The News" story is just minutes away.

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MALVEAUX: They're loud, annoying to some, but should leaf blowers be banned in Florida? Dan Cochran from our affiliate WPTV explains.

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DAN COCHRAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a common sound across south Florida, the leaf blower. Not everyone likes it. And this groups wants this piece of equipment and all that comes with it banned in all of Palm Beach County.

ELIZABETH BACHELDER, S.A.V.E.: You can't even have any type of conversation. You can't even hear your music. You can't hear the birds. It's just -- it's very annoying.

COCHRAN: Some Palm Beach State College students are calling themselves S.A.V.E., Students Against Volatile Emissions. And this week they'll urge county commissioners to ban the use of leaf blowers effective January 1, 2012. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think there's to many of us that haven't had a conversation over the phone, had one of those walk by and say, hold on a minute, you know, wait until the groundskeeper goes past.

COCHRAN: It's not just the noise, but also the health and environmental impacts S.A.V.E. says a leaf blower brings. Ray Alvarez, who owns Pro Lawn Care Plus, says such a ban would take away one of the most efficient tools he has.

RAY ALVAREZ, OWNER, PRO LAWN CARE PLUS: If we can't use this, this is like cutting an arm, you know, to do the job that we need to do.

COCHRAN: Alvarez says the leaf blower works much faster than cleaning up with a broom. He says saving time saves money.

ALVAREZ: It's probably not going to be as easy, as fast and as cost effective for the customer.

COCHRAN: Still, S.A.V.E. wants commissioners to listen to its message so that no one in Palm Beach County will be listening to this.

Dan Corcoran, "WPTV News Channel 5."

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MALVEAUX: If your choice didn't win or you just want to check out the runners up, I'll have links to them on my page at Facebook.com/SuzanneCNN. CNN continues right now with Randi Kaye who's in Los Angeles. Hey, Randi.