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Vet Group Wants 'Occupy' Investigation; Flooding Paralyzes Bangkok; Missing 11-Month-Old Baby; "Corrective Rape" for Women; 6- Point Buck Pulled From Tidal Basin; Man Gets Stuck in Hollow Tree; Bachmann Asked to Quit Race; Michael Douglas Opens Up; Couple Gives Toddler Away
Aired October 28, 2011 - 13:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Don Lemon. Brooke is off today. Let's get you caught up on everything making news this hour. We're going to do a rapid fire so let's go.
We have more on the breaking news out of South Carolina. A gunman is on the loose and ten schools right now are on lockdown after a shooting in Greenville. Here's what we know.
Police say an officer tried pulling a guy over, but then he took off. And when they finally found the car, the suspect started shooting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's very dangerous, because the fact that he will open up on an officer who was just walking in the breezeway, checking for a vehicle that had a tag that was inappropriate. So we don't know the understand, we don't know what the individual has done, why the individual has done this. We don't know these facts at this point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: But there is some good news in all of this, because all the officers involved are fine. Crews are using dogs and choppers in their search. Police are calling the attack an ambush.
We're monitoring the situation. We'll have more as soon as we get it.
Also developing right now, the search for answers after a gunman opens fire on the U.S. Embassy in Bosnia. We're told that he fired several rounds at the buildings wall in Sarajevo and hit a security guard in the kneecaps. That sparked a shootout with police. According to the local hospital, the suspect is alive right now, but was hit in the leg.
And here's a picture of the 23-year-old. There is he right there.
There are reports that he is from Serbia. No one has been hurt inside the embassy. Updates as we get them as well on that story.
Wintry weather rocking a lot part of the country as another part braces for snow. Parts of Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas already seeing the storm. This video that you're looking at right there, it's from Amarillo, Texas.
And now the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic bracing for a snowy weekend. Big sections of the East Coast under a winter storm watch. Some areas could see several inches of snow.
What goes up must come down. The Dow, up a bit just a day after stocks soared more than 300 points. It's still considered the market's best month in decades. Now, investors apparently taking a breath. You can see it's up four right now. The Dow, 12,000.
You know what? As it pours in from Europe, the debt crisis, as they get a handle on that, the Dow soared. Now it is back to reality.
Right now two men are trapped after a wall collapsed at a Kentucky coal mine, and we're told the workers were in a truck when the wall came down on them. Rescue crews have not been able to contact the men trapped in that rockslide. It's not yet clear what caused that accident. We're checking on that one as well.
Moammar Gadhafi's son is a wanted man, and prosecutors going after him are now talking about his surrender. Saif Gadhafi, on the run just a week after his father's violent death in Libya. There's another warrant out for his arrest, but international prosecutors say they're having informal conversations about Saif Gadhafi turning himself in.
A former high school teacher in Ohio has been sentenced to four years in prison for having sexual encounters with five of her former students. One victim's mother testified that her son had lost his faith and no longer sees the good in people because of Stacy Schuler.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These young men may appear as if they are tough guys, but in reality, they are truly hurting. She let him down. He trusted her.
As he begins his freshman year in college, he should be looking at life with great possibility and happiness. Ms. Schuler has stolen his innocence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And we should tell you this. Schuler pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but the judge said he couldn't make that magnificent leap.
Recognize these rappers? Well, their fans are now considered threats to America. That's right, threats to America, at least according to the FBI, which is listing followers of Insane Clown Posse as a hybrid gang.
We're told they like to deal drugs, steal, and assault people. The rap group, you'll notice, is famous for clown makeup.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, main engine start, one, zero, and liftoff --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: NASA's new $1.5 billion mission heading to space, carrying a new satellite designed to help forecast weather and predict climate change. NASA is calling the launch absolutely perfect.
We have got a lot more to cover in the next two hours. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hundreds of people killed so far.
LEMON (voice-over): A disaster in the making.
Thousands running for their lives as floodwaters rise in Thailand. And today they are peaking.
A woman says a man raped her to teach her a lesson about being a lesbian. We'll look at what some are doing to speak out against homosexuality.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't imagine what (INAUDIBLE) going through.
LEMON: Parents slapped in cuffs for giving away their 2-year-old daughter. Neighbors say they are crack addicts trying to get clean. Did they do the right thing?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You just don't do that to your baby.
LEMON: Michael Douglas reveals one doctor missed his cancer. Hear the actor's candid interview and what you should know about getting a second opinion.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The stock market is taking a breather after Thursday's big rally. Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange.
Alison, hello. So what happened?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Don.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
LEMON: And let's talk about this euro debt deal, now that they have gotten really over a huge hurdle with that debt deal, Alison. What's next for the markets? Do we know?
KOSIK: Yes. Guess what? We get to go from one debt problem to another.
Analysts say what you're going to see happen is the focus is going to shift back to the U.S. That debate happening in Congress right now.
It's involving the super committee, and the super committee's deadline is less than a month away. And its job is to cut at least $1.2 trillion in debt. And if there's no deal done by Thanksgiving, guess what? Automatic spending cuts kick in.
So, either way, these spending cuts are going to happen. They're not easy for anyone to take. And everybody just has to come together and get to an agreement at this point, and that's what Wall Street will be focusing on -- Don.
LEMON: Yes. They've got over a huge hurdle, but they don't know if it's actually going to work.
KOSIK: Right.
LEMON: So, in a way, we don't know what's going to happen.
Listen, let's move on and talk about some unwelcome news from one of the best known names in home appliances. What's happening with Whirlpool?
KOSIK: Everybody knows Whirlpool. I bet you have got a washing machine in your house or apartment that's a Whirlpool -- or a dishwasher.
Whirlpool has kind of gotten hit with a triple whammy. It's cutting 5,000 jobs. It's closing a refrigerator factory in Alabama. And it delivered a downbeat earnings report today.
Right now, its shares are getting slammed. Whirlpool shares, down 13 percent.
Now, job cuts usually boost a stock price because it involves cost- cutting, but today that's really a sign of weakness, because Whirlpool is not optimistic about the future. It says it's going to make less money this year than expected. And it's blaming the economy, and analysts say that's not a good enough excuse.
So that's why you're seeing Whirlpool shares getting hit hard today -- Don.
LEMON: Alison Kosik, always good information. Thank you very much. We appreciate it.
KOSIK: Sure.
LEMON: Occupy Wall Street -- speaking of Wall Street, Occupy Wall Street rallies its troops to march to five major banks and financial services companies in New York. The march comes as firefighters take half a dozen generators, as well as gas cans and propane tanks, out of the protesters' camp at Zuccotti Park. Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the items are a fire hazard and against the law.
Now, the move leaves protesters facing some cold days ahead.
In California, police moved into Occupy San Diego camps earlier today and kicked out protesters. About 50 people were arrested.
And in Oakland, the mayor's apologizing for this week's crackdown on Occupy Oakland.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR JEAN QUAN, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: I am very deeply saddened about what happened last Tuesday. It clearly didn't turn out the way we wanted it to. People were hurt. And I am the mayor, so I take responsibility and I apologize to those who were hurt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Some developing news when it comes to that. Iraq War veteran Scott Olsen was among those hurt in this incident right here. He was hit by a tear gas canister that fractured his skull. Olsen is hospitalized. He's in fair condition now.
In Tennessee, more than two dozen Occupy Nashville protesters were arrested in the middle of the night. Now, the protesters refused an order to clear out of a downtown plaza. The eviction and arrests came just hours after the state of Tennessee imposed a new curfew, closing the plaza from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
And Occupy Atlanta, protesters there -- or here, where I am -- are on the move after being kicked out of a city park. They spent the night outside the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, but had to leave before the center opened this morning.
More news now on Occupy Wall Street and all those demonstrations.
CNN's Barbara Starr with more now with the new developments that come from the Oakland protest.
And it involves that service member that I just mentioned.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Don.
The country's largest organization of military veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is now calling for an investigation into the incident Tuesday night in Occupy Oakland in which that former Marine, Scott Olsen, a young man, suffered such a serious injury with a skull fracture after being hit in the head with a tear gas canister. The IAVA, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of American, is the largest group of the veterans in the country. They have just put out a statement, and let me quote it to you.
From their executive director, Paul Reickhoff saying, "We expect to see a full and complete investigation into the circumstances of this incident. It's what Scott and all Americans deserve." He goes on to say that, "The injury of any veteran is a serious concern to the broader veterans community, especially when it happens on American soil."
The IAVA, to those who don't know it, is really a very mainstream group of veterans. They are very large. They are very diverse across the country. And they work very hard.
Their key issues are veterans' unemployment, veterans' health care, treatment for veterans suffering after coming home from the war. They have a pretty good beat on the veterans community. They are very well known, and now they are getting into all of this, saying they want to see an investigation into what happened to this young man, a veteran of the war in Iraq -- Don.
LEMON: And our Barbara Starr.
We'll be following it. Barbara, thank you so much for that update.
Have you seen the crazy weather in the Northeast? Have you lived through it?
It's snowing in places that usually don't see snow this early in the season, and it's going to get worse before it gets better. We could be looking at 15 inches of snow before it's all over.
Our Chad Myers has the weekend forecast. That's coming up.
Plus, the weather is crazy on the other side of the world, too. Thailand, getting hit with even more floodwaters. We have a report out of Bangkok coming in just two minutes.
And a horrific story out of South Africa, lesbians being raped, allegedly to make them straight. That story this hour, a little bit later on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: You know, halfway around the world, a coastal city of eight million people is waiting on a high tide from the sea just as floodwaters rise from its inland side.
And Sara Sidner has the latest from inundated Bangkok, Thailand.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're in Sai Mai neighborhood. It's the eastern part of Bangkok.
This is where the government has told people then need them to evacuate, and you're starting to see people do that. They were supposed to evacuate earlier, but we're seeing now more and more people leave.
This lady has told us that she has run out of money. She is afraid for the safety of her animals. These are her dogs. She's got a few rabbits there, and she's just trying to get them to higher ground.
She's starting to become very, very worried. That's what is happening in a lot of this area.
We are seeing some of the elderly people also getting into trucks that the army has brought and jumping in there because their homes are inundated with water. And just take a look at this water here. Now, this water right now is about calf-high on me. But as you walk further into this neighborhood -- and let me take a turn here. As you walk further into this neighborhood, just over there you'll see a home.
It's green and blue. The water is inching ever closer to the window level. It is about up to my hips here, so very, very high water that doesn't seem to be receding much here.
This water has come in and flown in partly from a canal that has overflowed. The government is very concerned, of course, also about central Bangkok.
We were in central Bangkok today. We were in Chinatown. We did see when the morning high tide happened. We saw water coming into Chinatown, which is right there in the middle of Bangkok. But then the water quickly receded.
It seems that the drainage systems seem to be working quite well. And so the middle of Bangkok and some of the business district has been pretty dry over the past day.
But there is another big concern. And that is, there is another high tide. The highest tide is coming within the next 24 hours, and people are bracing for that. The government now opening nine evacuation centers so that people have somewhere to go if the water gets too high.
Sara Sidner, CNN, Bangkok.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right, Sara.
And to help these victims of the Thailand floods, make sure you head to our Web site, CNN.com/impact.
There are new developments today in the case of missing baby Lisa Irwin. Now, investigators were going to interview her two brothers, and now the parents have decided against it.
We're going live to Kansas City with the details on that.
And an Ohio couple is arrested, accused of giving away their child. They apparently gave their 2-year-old to friends in the neighborhood. Find out why, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Lisa Irwin's parents have decided not to let police interview the missing baby's two young brothers. Word that they've yanked permission for the interviews came late last night.
CNN's Jim Spellman in Kansas City, Missouri, for us.
So, Jim, what is happening here? JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's really strange, Don.
The investigators want two main things. They want to be able to re- interview the parents, Deborah Bradley and Jeremy Irwin, without conditions, and they want to interview them separately from each other. They haven't spoken to police meaningfully in over two weeks.
The other thing they want is to interview these two boys. The night that baby Lisa went missing, Deborah Irwin had said that she was drinking, possibly even blacked out drunk that night. But these two boys ages 6 and 8 were in the house. Investigators haven't interviewed them since that night.
Since then, through their investigation, of course they have learned a lot more and they have a lot of questions. They also want the boys' DNA to match DNA they found in the house so they can eliminate some of that DNA and try to narrow down their search on that front.
These are all tools that investigators tell us every day that they need to be able to find baby Lisa. The family, though, is not agreeing to any of this. And every time we think they've made some progress in thawing this relationship, something happens. The main thing being today this interview.
They said they were comfortable with the circumstances. Specially trained social workers were going to do the interviews. It was all set. Then, late last night, they pulled the plug. They say they are going to reschedule for some time possibly next week, but all that is still just up in the air.
Meanwhile, investigators are searching ponds, they searched woods. They follow up every tip they get. But without that cooperation from the family, they say it's very difficult to move forward.
LEMON: OK. So slow down here. Let's go back to something you said, when you said that they were possibly going to do it again.
I'm sure there is some negotiating going on, the possibility of interviewing the boys at a later time, right?
SPELLMAN: Yes, indeed.
I mean, the attorneys tell us that it's not canceled, it's postponed until a future date. But honestly, Don, it's been so confusing dealing with the attorneys and having an investigator. And one attorney is based out of New York, but he's been in Italy. And then they had a local attorney. She said just this morning she's no longer associated with the case.
So, getting clarity from them has been very difficult.
Obviously, police are ready to do those interviews any time. And again, they have these specially-trained social workers. It's not even going to happen in a police station, but in a place they say is safe. And it's not going to be like an interrogation. So, the family had said that they were comfortable with those terms and they were going to move forward. But now, again, it's all -- I'd like to say that we know reliably it's going to be postponed until a certain date, but it's been so chaotic, dealing with the representatives here, that it's really hard to say that -- Don.
LEMON: So, chaotic dealing with the representatives on both sides or from the police? Because the family is saying, oh, we're not comfortable with police, and police are saying -- are they saying that the family is stonewalling them in some way? I need a little bit of clarification here.
SPELLMAN: Sure. Well, what we heard from the family, via their attorneys, is that they didn't want to put the boys through a potentially sort of damaging -- emotionally damaging interview. So, then, finally, they came to these terms where it would not be police officer, it would be social workers in this facility that is much more like a house than it is a police station or anything.
They said that they were happy with those terms and that --
LEMON: OK.
(CROSSTALK)
SPELLMAN: -- and they weigh the boys' needs with the needs of the investigation.
LEMON: I got that. I got that part.
SPELLMAN: Police tell us the same thing every day.
LEMON: Yes, I got that. But it seems like -- so everyone has their representatives. So, are the family members aren't speaking directly with police? Is it like, you know, you've got to call this person's representative in order to talk to -- I mean, there's a missing baby here.
SPELLMAN: Yes, that's exactly how it is. And investigators say, look, we want to find baby Lisa, but they have to speak through attorneys.
And nobody begrudges them the ability to have attorneys, but the police tell us every day that they just want to be able to get these questions answered, that they are happy to work out accommodations that will please everybody, but they need to ask these questions. You know? It's become this stalemate, and it goes on. Every day it gets worse.
LEMON: It sounds like, I'll have my people call your people. That's kind of what it sounds like you're saying here.
And again, I know you mentioned this, but there was a search yesterday in the lake. Nothing?
SPELLMAN: Nothing. They had cadaver dogs out there, even a dog in a boat that's trained to smell the scent of human remains through the water. They didn't get any hits.
Police tell us that wasn't based on new tips. But with a lack of solid leads to pursue, they've been just expanding the perimeter of their search and that's sort of the next thing that you get to, to investigate out of this neighborhood, Don.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Jim Spellman, appreciate it. Thank you, sir.
Up next on CNN --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These guys are full of anger and it was not a guy that I was coming with, the guy who understands lesbians.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So what happens next? It's happening all too often in South Africa. They call it, corrective rape, corrective rape. That's men attacking women to cure them of being gay.
So up next, you'll hear the haunting story of one woman and how she's pushing her case to police including hidden camera video of her confrontation with investigators. Stay right there. You'll want to see this one.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: You know, there's a first time for everything. First time I've ever heard anything like this and probably the first time you have, too.
They call it "Corrective Rape." Men sexually assaulting lesbians to leach them a lesson, to cure them, it's happening in South Africa and one victim reveals what happened to her in haunting interview with CNN Nkepile Mabuse.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NKEPILE MABUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was December of 2009, a night 20-year-old Zuki Zargata (ph) will never forget.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I went to see my friends at one of the pubs.
MABUSE: After drinking at a local bar, she says a man tried to ask her out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I said I was a lesbian so I don't date guys. Then he said, OK, I understand that. I have good friends that are lesbians. So just go. I don't have a problem with date.
MABUSE: He was nice to her so she trusted him. They ended up at a home of his friends, a little more than a shack in this neighborhood. That's when Zuki says his mood shifted.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His eyes were full of anger and he was not the guy that I came with, the guy that understands lesbians.
MABUSE: She says he left the room briefly and returned a different person.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He came back and said to me, you know what, I hate lesbians and I'm about to show you that you're not a man.
I said, no, I'm not a man. I am a lesbian. Then he said, now I'll show you that I am a man and I have power, more than you. So it came to me.
He came to me as I was sitting on the bed and opened my trousers and take it off and then raped me. At that time, the only thing was to just kill myself after it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Well, the case is still pending and there have been no arrests here. Now CNN follows her as she confronts police. I want you to watch a hidden camera.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MABUSE: In more than a year since her case was opened, she's heard almost nothing from the police. Using a hidden camera, we go with her as she looks for answers. She's determined to confront her investigating officer.
The third assigned since she reported the rape. From room to room, building to building, she's forced to recount her case as she searches for investigator, finally, an answer. The detective of South Africa specialized sexual offenses unit is stationed 30 minutes from her home.
Despite the sensitive subject, the investigator meets her in a wide- open office. No privacy here. Another police officer joins in as she recalls details of the harassed she experienced.
Zuki asked if the police have questioned the man she says witnessed the rape. Her investigator goes through his file and admits no statement was ever obtained from the eyewitness believed to be the suspect's friend. At this point, his colleague interjects with a stunning assertion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible).
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: So in South Africa, gay rights are supposed to be protected by the constitution, but the justice system does not recognize these hate crimes.
Now lesbians there are speaking out and are getting angry. This is all part of the fascinating special report. You'll meet these women and hear their stories. It's tomorrow night on CNN International. Don't miss "World's Untold Stories." Check out "World's Untold Stories" on cnn.com.
I have a question for you. Why is one Tea Party group asking Michele Bachmann to get out of the Republican presidential race? We're going to go live to D.C. in our very own Wolf Blitzer coming up.
Plus, dramatic video of a deer rescue in D.C. They actually had to use a rescue specialist armed with a lasso.
And you can file this into -- you got to see it to believe it category, a man is stuck in a tree. He's stuck inside the tree. He is literally stuck in the tree. Two minutes away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A six-point buck is not exactly a trophy, but it was quite a catch in morning in Washington's tidal basin. The deer somehow slipped into the water and could not back up. Animal control experts safely lassoed the exhausted animal and got him back on land. The buck is expected to be OK.
Let's head now to Laguna Hills, California, a beautiful, beautiful area. Someone, there you can see, he is inside a hollow tree. But it's not a Keebler elf. Firefighters spent about 90 minutes trying to free a man who crawled inside the hole in a trunk.
Why? Who knows? The man managed to get his arms and head out, but he was literally stuck in the tree. But the rest of him was stuck tight and the rescue workers were alerted by his screams for help. Can't get enough of that video.
Let's talk politics right now. Michele Bachmann used to be a Tea Party presidential favorite, but now that relationship is in question somewhat.
To get some clarification on this, let's go to CNN's Wolf Blitzer. He joins us now with details for America's choice 2012 politics update.
That's a mouthful, Wolf. So Michele Bachmann, a Tea Party favorite. She won the Iowa straw poll and now what? Are they turning against her it's just one group?
WOLF BLITZER, HOST, CNN'S "THE SITUATION ROOM": One Tea Party group making it clear they want her to actually drop out of this Republican presidential contest. The group is called "American Majority."
Their president, Ned Ryan issued a statement saying it's time for Michele Bachmann to go and he outlined various reasons why he thinks Michele Bachmann should simply drop out. Michele Bachmann's campaign issued a statement saying, the strength of the Tea Party is all individuals' opinions are valued, but no single leader speaks for it.
Mr. Ryan, the statement from Michele Bachmann's campaign says supports Texas Governor Rick Perry. Ryan later came out with a statement saying he doesn't necessarily endorse anyone. Even though he did blog earlier in the week that he liked Rick Perry's tax policies that were released earlier in the week calling for some sort of modified flat tax.
Another American Majority official, Executive Director Matt Robin said, these are very strong words when you think about it. I think it's pretty obvious that Michele Bachmann is about Michele Bachmann. Let's face it. She's a back bencher and has been a back bencher congress person for many years.
This is not a serious presidential campaign, pretty strong words. I'm going to be speaking, by the way, in "THE SITUATION ROOM" later today live with Michele Bachmann. We'll get her to react to this.
She's got her own economic plan coming up. But there's a lot to talk about with her as well. So it's always lively out there in the world of politics as you know, Don.
LEMON: Yes, I'm going to be watching that one. Very interesting to hear what her reaction is, especially again, as we keep saying, Tea Party favorite.
BLITZER: One Tea Party group. There are a lot of different Tea Party groups out there, but this is an influential one.
LEMON: Yes, Tea Party Patriots, Tea Party Express and then this group as well. Wolf, you mentioned Rick Perry. He held a press briefing just a short time ago and he talked about the presidential debates and his future involvement. What is he saying?
BLITZER: Well, he's leaving open the door now to participating in the debates. His communications director earlier in the week, Ray Sullivan said on CNN's "JOHN KING USA," that he might not necessarily appear in all of the debates. But listen to this phrasing from the Texas governor today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOVERNOR RICK PERRY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't know whether or not we're going to forego any debates or not. There's going to be a lot of debates. I may get to be a good debater before this is all done and over with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: It sounds like to me like he's thinking about participating in those debates. He needs to participate in the debates. That's one way a lot of the pundits out there are suggesting that he may have a chance to come back.
He still has several million dollars. He's got the cash. He's the money, but he's got to go out there and show that he can compete with his fellow Republican candidates because he's got to reassure a lot of Republicans out there.
Not only can he debate a Mitt Romney or Herman Cain or the other Republican presidential candidates, but he can also down the road if he were to get the Republican nomination debate President Obama. That's President Obama as we know, he's a pretty good debater. I moderated four Democratic debates four years ago including that debate with Hillary Clinton, the final debate and Barack Obama was pretty good in those debates.
And he was pretty good in the three presidential debates he had with John McCain. So if you want to run for president, here's a fundamental fact of life, you have to be a good debater. Not just an adequate debater, you got to be a good, if not excellent debater.
LEMON: He has a little sense of humor about his performance. Critics have, you know, -- weren't so hot in his performance and he said, maybe I'll get better at it. Wolf Blitzer, we'll be watching.
BLITZER: You know how you get better at anything, Don?
LEMON: Keep doing it.
BLITZER: You practice.
LEMON: Yes.
BLITZER: If you want to be a good tennis player, you practice. If you want to be a good CNN anchor, you've got to practice, practice, practice. If you want to be a presidential candidate, a good one, you got to practice. That means doing a lot of debates.
LEMON: Yes and Wolf Blitzer, you're always on. So you are the perfect anchor. Thank you for lots of practice. We appreciate it.
Let's move on now and talk about legendary actor, Michael Douglas, is now speaking out about his throat cancer diagnosis. He sat down with fellow actor, Alec Baldwin and he talks about a possible misdiagnosis.
And the moment he got the actual news that he had stage 4 cancer. We're going to play some of that for you in just two minutes and make sure you stay with us for that fascinating interview.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Turning now, throat cancer survivor Michael Douglas, he's opened up in an interview with actor, Alec Baldwin. I want you to listen to this if you would.
This is Michael Douglas describing the very moment that a doctor discovered his cancer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL DOUGLAS, ACTOR: He literally opened my mouth and took a tongue depressor and I will never forget that moment that he looked up at me and looked back down, I knew.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So joining me now, Dr. Amy Chen of Emory University. She's followed the actor's case very closely when Michael Douglas underwent chemotherapy and radiation. As far as you know, still cancer-free?
DR. AMY CHEN, EMORY UNIVERSITY: As far as I know, yes.
LEMON: Still cancer free. And what are doctor saying and you're hearing about it?
CHEN: Well, I'm not his treating physician, but it's not uncommon for after head-neck cancer treatment to have follow up scans and as far as what we know that he is still cancer-free.
LEMON: So Michael Douglas told Alec Baldwin that he had been seeing a doctor for six months and he was complaining about his throat and other things that he had been working.
I think it was on "Wall Street Never Dies" and they just thought maybe had he strained his vocal cords or what have you. If something like this happens, I'm going to ask you on the other side of this question, what should you do?
But let's listen to what Michael Douglas said about it.
(BEGN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUGLAS: The reality is, with all the doctors that I have here in New York, if I had been checked back in January for head and neck cancer, this could have all happened a lot early. And the thing with cancer is, you want to get it as early as you can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So, doctor, how do you miss that? Is it common to miss something like that?
CHEN: Well, I think some of his symptoms that he described are very nonspecific. All of us can get a sore throat, get some difficulty swallowing. The problem is when the symptoms don't go away or the signs don't go away, attention needs to be addressed.
And further examination needs to be done. I'm not familiar with that part of the case but unfortunately, it's not too uncommon to see patients present with advanced cancer because the symptoms have not been addressed.
LEMON: So persistent. If the symptoms are persistent, how long are we talking about? We're not just talking about the normal sore throat, the scratchiness that maybe last depending on the length of your cold, a couple of weeks or so, maybe a couple of days, right?
CHEN: Correct. Everyone is going to get a sore throat. Even patients who've head-neck cancer will get a sore throat. But if the symptoms last longer than two to three weeks, it's best to go ahead and get an exam.
If the person does not like what the doctor says or feels like there's further treatment that needs to be done, then the individual can automatically seek more treatment or more evaluation from a specialist.
LEMON: There may be people who are sitting there at home and who may be watching us saying, I have a sore throat. It doesn't mean that they have cancer, but there could be people who are actually sitting there and they might. That's a real possibility.
CHEN: Right.
LEMON: So if you have a sore throat, it doesn't necessarily mean that, but what should you do? Should you go and be checked out anyway? You shouldn't go to get checked for cancer every time you have a sore throat?
CHEN: Correct. Not everyone who has a sore throat has cancer. However, some common signs and symptoms are ear pain, difficulty swallowing, sore throat, a lump in the neck region, which doesn't go away after two or three weeks should be addressed by a physician.
LEMON: Two or three weeks?
CHEN: Yes.
LEMON: But that still can be a cold or some sort of infection or something.
CHEN: Correct.
LEMON: -- come down with something.
CHEN: Basically, it's the trend. If the symptoms are getting worse, are not being relieved with usual medications that you have taken in the past for colds, or if the mass is getting bigger, if you're losing weight, those are all signs and symptoms that need to be addressed more seriously.
LEMON: Yes. And men don't like to go to the doctor. Can the ladies look after them and say, you're losing weight? What is the lesson in this? Men don't like to go to the doctor.
CHEN: Well, women can get this as well. I think men and women need to work together as a team.
LEMON: I'm talking about this in the case of Michael Douglas. I know that women can get as well. Women are better at getting checkups. It may go unnoticed in a man for a longer period of time.
CHEN: Right. And I think that for men sometimes it's luckier because some men tend to shape more on the neck and they tend to pick up the neck masses earlier than women, for example.
However, if a woman notices that the neck collar or change in the size of the shirt is different, the woman should -- around them should encourage them to go get medical attention.
LEMON: That's good advice. If the neck changes on - that's great advice. Thank you, Doctor. We really appreciate you coming in and sharing your expertise.
CHEN: You're welcome. Thank you for having me.
LEMON: OK, let's move on now and talk about Ohio. A 2-year-old covered in flea bites is given away to neighbors. And now her parents are charged with child endangerment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's what concerns me the most is what she went through and why should she have to go through that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: We're going to hear more from the child's grandmother and neighbors who took in the child. Coming up in about two minutes here on CNN. Make sure you stay with us.
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LEMON: This is a disturbing story out of Ohio. Two parents thrown behind bars after police say they gave away their own daughter and their apparent reason for doing it? It involves crack, apparently. And here's Melissa Reed from our affiliate WJW.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA REED, WJW (voice-over): Meet 2-year-old Navea Aldridge. Police say Navea was given away by her parents, 23-year-old Courtney Followay and 24-year-old Gavin Aldridge of Cleveland. Ten days later, Navea is in the arms of her grandmother, Teresa Cox.
THERESA COX, GIRL'S GRANDMOTHER: I can't imagine what this child was thinking or going through at the time and that's what concerns me the most is what she went through and why should she have to go through that?
REED: Followay and Aldridge were arrested on charges of child endangering, obstructing official business and cruelty to animals. According to Theresa, the couple is addicted to crack.
COX: I wish there wasn't a drug in this world, really, that they could get hooked on. I wish they would quit making it or quit making the chemicals that they have made it with. It's destroyed my family.
REED (on camera): It was inside this home that police arrested the couple. Police say inside they found an emaciated pitbull along with fecal matter all inside the home. And according to Courtney's mother, the carpet was infested with fleas.
(voice-over): So where was Navea for the past ten days? Police say a couple streets away at her parent's friends' house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was feeding her and watching her.
REED: According to Tony Ganjiry, Followay and Aldridge dropped her off contingent on one thing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were trying to get clean and they brought us their daughter because Courtney's mother wasn't -- you know, hasn't been in the child's life for three months.
REED: Police record say when the couple handed Navea away, she had bumps and insect bites and her eyes were crusted shut.
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: Yes, she had some flea bites and yes, I guess, it turned out to be pinkeye in her eye. And we asked for the medical records and they were - Courtney just can't find them. She was going to get them from her mother.
REED: But that never happened. Police took Navea to the hospital for treatment and she's recovering in the arms of her grandmother.
COX: You just don't do that to your baby. You don't. I'm upset with her. I'm really hurt that that's something you don't do. I didn't teach her to do things like that and it hurts me.
REED: In Cleveland, Melissa Reed, Fox 8 News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: A quick update for you, police releasing the parents today without charging them. It is not yet clear what happens to them next, but the little girl is now living with the grandmother.
