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Snowstorms And Firestorm; Cain Haunted By Harassment Claims; Cain Speaking At National Press Club; White Halloween Is All Wrong; U.S. Faces Drug Shortage Crisis; Heated Debate Over The Wealth Gap, Tax Reform, U.S. Immigration Policy and Brain Drain

Aired October 31, 2011 - 13:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Randi Kaye. Hey, Randi.

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Suzanne, Happy Halloween. And talk about your Halloween fright, even the zombies will be wearing parkas in the Northeast tonight and the candles won't be for effect.

And Herman Cain says reports of skeletons in his closet are not true. We'll hear him live any moment now.

And we begin with the restaurant executive who went from Herman who to a top-tier GOP presidential hopeful, now haunted by reports that he subjected two of his former female employees to inappropriate behavior. Right now, Herman Cain is about to speak at the national press club in Washington where he's promised to, quote, "take all of the arrows" relating to a bombshell report on politico.com.

Politico says the incidents in question took place while Cain led the National Restaurant Association in the late 1990s. Quoting now, "These incidents include conversations allegedly filled with innuendo or personal questions of a sexually suggestive nature taking place at hotels during conferences and other officially sanctioned restaurant association events and at the association's offices. There were also descriptions of physical gestures that were not overtly sexual but that made women who experienced or witnessed them uncomfortable and that they regarded as improper." Politico's lead reporter was a guest on CNN's "American Morning."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN MARTIN, SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER, POLITICO.COM: There are reports of both physical and verbal actions by Mr. Cain. He made physical gestures, also verbal comments that made these women feel uncomfortable, made them feel awkward and angry. And so much so actually that they complained to both colleagues and senior officials at the organization about their treatment and subsequently left the organization with five big year cash payouts and non-disclosure agreements to not talk about what actually happened during their time at the organization.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Cain publicly addressed this all for the first time just about 90 minutes ago in an interview on Fox.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have never sexually harassed anyone, let's say that. Secondly, I've never sexually harassed anyone, and, yes, I was falsely accused while I was at the National Restaurant Association and I say falsely because it turned out after the investigation to be baseless. The people close -- the people mentioned in that article were the ones who would be aware of any misdoings and they have attested to my integrity and my character. It is totally baseless and totally false. Never have I committed any sort of sexual harassment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: We'll listen in, when Cain starts (INAUDIBLE). In the meantime, I want to bring in my CNN colleague, Joe Johns, to talk more about this. Joe, Herman Cain let these allegations simmer now for almost a day. Now he's strongly denying them. Where does the story go from here?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well you know, actually, if you believe some of the reporting that's out there, this may have simmered for about 10 days. As I understand it, the reporting is the first time Politico went to the Cain campaign and asked them about it was something like 10 days ago and now it's finally just sort of getting public.

So -- all right, the first question is was there an investigation and did this information turn out to be baseless. Just like he said in the sound bite. Well, a lot of people are going to continue to ask questions. Among the questions, of course, is if it was so baseless, why was there a settlement? Well, the quite natural answer will be, either something really happened or the people over the National Restaurant Association looked it from a dollars and cents point of view and said, look, we can get out of this with X amount of dollars or we can go into litigation which is very uncertain and very costly.

So, you can sort of argue that both ways. The proof of the pudding I think, Randi, is this talk of a non-disclosure agreement that somebody signed something that said they weren't going to speak publicly.

Now, with Herman Cain out there running for president, if there is such a non-disclosure agreement, or agreements, why doesn't everybody just sort of consent to have all of this opened up so the public and the news media can look at it. That would be the next question. And (inaudible) you say again and again, no -- I mean, he says he didn't engage in any sexual harassment. So, OK, what are the details? What did happen, if anything?

KAYE: Right. He is calling this baseless and false. But I mean, today's denial, Joe, is certainly a far cry from the no comment that Politico reporter got on the street yesterday. I want to play some of that and then ask you a little bit more about it. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAIN: I'm not going to comment about two people that you won't tell me who they are, OK, I'm not going to comment on that because you know, I think that is one of those kinds of things that --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, answer yes or no.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks, thanks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last question. Have you ever been accused of sexual harassment?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: I mean, Joe, that's almost painful to watch. I mean, the Politico reporter asked him about four times, and then he turned the question back on him. I mean, why not just flatly deny it then instead of waiting until today?

JOHNS: Well, what you want to know is what's out there already before you respond to it. And you know, we keep talking about whether or not there was sexual harassment. If you read between the lines of the Politico article, there are very sort of specific assertions there and there are assertions about behavior by the candidate. He did certain things. He made suggestive statements or remarks or gestures or what have you.

And now -- in other words, if you're going to say this person committed sexual harassment, that's one thing, but did this person do certain things, engage in certain conduct? Those are the kinds of questions we'd like to get at, and presumably the people who were involved in making these assertions are the ones who would actually, you know, come out and talk about it.

That's him I guess walking up to the podium right now. So, the Press Club is one of those situations where they give the candidate or the person speaking a bunch of questions and that person has an opportunity to answer them. Not necessarily all of them would be about this one particular topic. More likely he'll get, you know, two or three questions about it at tops and then move on to something else. So, we'll see what he says.

KAYE: No doubt it will come up, though, Joe. So, let's listen in for just a moment here and see if he addresses it early on.

(BEGIN LIVE COVERAGE)

HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIATE: -- this club for 44 years and who has some special coincidences with me and my campaign. His name is Mr. Andrew Price. While chatting with Mr. Price as he was serving us at the head table, he was asked, how many presidents have you served? And he said, about eight. Which means that I would be number nine. Now, some things you might call coincidental, I call it -- I call it a good sign. About three weeks ago or two weeks ago, we started hitting the top tier of those running for the Republican nomination. And so for a couple of weeks now, I've gotten used to what it feels like to be near the top.

And as a result of today's big news story, I really know what it feels like to be number one. Renewing America. We indeed need to renew America because America has become a nation of crises. We have an economic crisis, a national security crisis, we've got an energy crisis, a spending crisis, a foreign policy crisis, a moral crisis, and the biggest crisis we have is a severe deficiency of leadership, in my opinion, in the White House. And this is why I believe we need to renew America, by fixing the stuff that's broken. There's a difference between a typical politician and a businessman -

(END LIVE COVERAGE)

KAYE: And that is Herman Cain addressing the National Press Club there in Washington. Joe Johns, I know you're still with me. You heard it there at the top, I mean almost making light of the big news story of the day, as you called it, these sexual harassment allegations against him from the '90s saying he knows what it feels like now to be number one, meaning number one at the top of the polling, at the top of the GOP candidate list, at this point. So, what do you make of that.

JOHNS: Well, he's a very confident candidate, and we see him again and again and again able to find himself in a position and get out of the position which is a real skill for somebody who is in the top tier of those running for the nomination of his party.

So, he may very well be able to do pretty well with this because as I said, he's not going to get necessarily a whole questions about it. You've heard his denials that he did not engage in sexual harassment. I think the other important point you have to make is not only does he says he didn't engage in sexual harassment, he also says he wasn't aware of any settlement that may have been entered into by the National Restaurant Association, and he hopes that there wasn't a very big settlement, because in his view it was all negligible, it didn't happen anyway.

So, that's his story and I to have him and hear him say the very same thing right there at the National Press Club today. He's a quality candidate and he's been running a pretty good race even though he has a very little organization and he's been able to get himself out of tight spots before, Randi, so we'll see.

KAYE: Yes, we certainly will. Well, let's leave this for just a moment. We're going to continue to monitor it for you. And when the Q&A session begins, I'm sure that Herman Cain will be asked about these allegations, and we'll bring that to you live.

In the meantime, the latest on October's surprise snowstorm. More than two million people in at least five states still shivering without power. A live report from one of those hard-hit areas next.

But first, it doesn't get much better than this. Just in case you missed it, check out Rutgers player, Eric LeGrand, leading his team onto the field Saturday, as they prepare to take on West Virginia. A year ago, Eric was paralyzed from the neck down during a play, he has made what some call a remarkable recovery and is even able to stand 40 minutes at a time. So, for inspiring a team and a school one yard at a time, Eric LeGrand, you are today's "Rock Star."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back. Well, you never hear anybody dreaming after white Halloween and now we know why. A freak October snowstorm dumped at least a foot of snow from West Virginia to Maine. As we speak, more than two million homes and businesses don't have power and may not have it for days. The storm is blamed for at least eight deaths and states of emergency are in effect for New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut. You know it's serious when they postpone trick-or-treating. No joke, several towns in Massachusetts say it is just too dangerous even for monsters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL O'BRIEN, CITY MANAGER, WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETS: Well, we're postponing it. We here in Worcester are certainly a hearty bunch, battle hardened and seasons to snowstorms. We're kicking this one in the pants, as expected, but public safety always is our priority so we're pushing it off until Thursday night for our children and our parents to get out there and trick-or-treating. We don't want them competing with snow piles, brush that's down, as well as power outages, right? The streets are dark, porches aren't lit, and so all that leads to concerns as to their safety and certainly doesn't take a holiday. So, these few extra days are going to be critical for us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: CNN meteorologist Chad Myers is in southeastern Pennsylvania. Chad, looking there behind you, I don't see much snow. What's the situation there?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No, we're good. We're done. We were done yesterday really. We were the first ones to get the snow and the first ones yesterday to get the sunshine to melt it. So it was never going to be a very long term event. And when it warms up to 50 degrees, the snow literally goes away.

When the snow was coming down -- I want to take you over to a couple trees over here. Kind of mother nature's way of trimming, pruning. Those limbs were just bending on those power lines yesterday. Not well pruned, not well trimmed back by the power companies. I've noticed that a lot around here. Many limbs right now are bending over the power lines. Didn't break them off in most spots here. But if you get farther up to the north, millions of power lines literally were being bent over by limbs being held down by the snow.

This was very heavy snow. Don't get me wrong, this was the heaviest snow we've seen. Probably only seven inches of snow compared to one inch of water. Now typically in a summer where a cold snow, probably 10 inches of snow to one inch of water. So when you pick this snow up, you knew that it had a lot of moisture in it. The leave were bending, the leave were bringing down the power lines, and they came down left and right here. Even here in north Pennsylvania.

Now, farther to the north, it was even worse. We got about eight inches of snow. I've heard in some spots now saying 30 inches of snow across parts of the Berkshires and up into Vermont and Wisconsin -- or up into New Hampshire. That's just -- that's unheard of even at this time of year.

Twenty years ago yesterday was the storm of the century. Remember that one where -- like the year that the perfect storm as it ran on up and the Andrea Gail sunk? The big story. And it was a story and a movie brought about by it. But I'll tell you what, this -- although not a surprise because we forecasted it. It certainly was a surprise when you woke up and go, wow, I didn't even think this was possible, right?

KAYE: Yes. Yes, well I know one of my sister's lives in that area and she's been trapped in her home with four kids playing monopoly for the last couple days. So I think she'll be happy to see the snow melt, along with so many other people.

MYERS: Yes.

KAYE: Thank you, Chad, very much.

So, what if your hospital can't get the life saving medicine that you need? Next, a serious shortage of nearly 200 crucial drugs and what the president just did to deal with the crisis.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Imagine you go to the hospital for an infection, chemotherapy or surgery and the doctors tell you they'll have to switch your drugs, delay your treatment or worse, they just don't have the drug that you need. That is the reality for some patients right now and an "Under Covered" story that we wanted to bring to your attention. The country is in the midst of a crisis. A serious shortage of important drugs that is, quite frankly, troubling. And it's why President Obama signed an executive order less than an hour ago that is meant to address the drug shortage and the possibility of price gouging. A White House official says the order directs the Food and Drug Administration to take action.

According to the FDA, there is a shortage of nearly 200 drugs. We're talking about crucial drugs used to treat childhood leukemia and other types of cancer, including breast, colon and lung cancer, antibiotics, medication to treat high blood pressure and anesthetics used by patients undergoing surgery. Now that is just the start.

The FDA's commissioner, Dr. Margaret Hamburg, joins us from just inside the White House there -- or actually inside the White House there it looks like now.

Dr. Hamburg, the drug shortage is admittedly a complicated issue that could take years to resolve. I mean how much will the -- will the president's executive order really help? DR. MARGARET HAMBURG, FDA COMMISSIONER: Well, the president's executive order really enables us to strengthen and extend the activities that we're involved in that we know make a difference. You mentioned that the number of drug shortages has increased in recent years and that is true and very troubling.

But the good news is that when we get information early about a possible drug shortage, we can work with the industry, with the companies that are making those drugs, and help to either prevent a shortage or lessen the time of shortage. In this last year alone, we've been able to prevent about 99 drug shortages of critical drugs.

So this is an important effort to put a spotlight on why this issue matters for patients, and for their families, and for our health care system and to give us some of what we need to really make a difference.

KAYE: Right. The executive order instructs the FDA to do a number of key things. What stands out to you? What would be your first move?

HAMBURG: One of the things that he's asking us to do, and actually we did this morning, is to send a letter to all drug manufacturers to remind them of their legal responsibilities to report drugs shortages or discontinuations of the manufacture of drugs under certain limited circumstances. But importantly to encourage them to now voluntarily report to us when they have reason to believe that a drug shortage might occur.

The earlier that we know, the more closely we can work with them. The sooner we can get involved. And we can make a difference. We can prevent shortages from happening when we get that early warning. Not in every instance. And ultimately the solution to the problem will involve working closely with industry to get new manufacturing capacity up and going in many instances. But that's going to be key.

KAYE: Right. Well, anyone who might be watching who's facing a drug shortage or needs a drug to survive, whatever it is that they're dealing with, they're probably wondering, well, realistically, I mean how long is this going to take? When am I going to get my drug and how quickly can this all be implemented? Do you have an answer for them?

HAMBURG: Well, it's important, number one, for the public to realize that even though this drug shortage problem is very, very important, it does involve a very limited number of drugs. I think at the present time we know of about 84 active shortages. We're working every day and new drugs come back into availability and other drugs may go on shortage. But it is limited. It's mainly what are called sterile injectable drugs.

But I think that for patients and their families, this is obviously a issue of huge concern. And for the health care community, who want to be able to assure their patients that they can give them what they need. And that's why it is so important that today we are really focusing on the importance of this issue and examining all of the factors that make a difference in what can be done to get us towards our goal of making sure that every American has the drugs that they need when they need them.

KAYE: Well, as we said, we think this is an "Under Covered" issue an we'll continue to watch it and maybe we'll have you back and see what kind of progress has been made.

HAMBURG: Terrific.

KAYE: Dr. Margaret Hamburg with the FDA. Thank you.

HAMBURG: Thanks. Thank you.

KAYE: He is the defense team's key witness, but can he drive home Conrad Murray's innocence when he's up against the prosecution? The latest from the Michael Jackson death trial.

But first, on Halloween in 1926, a legendary act comes to an end. Magician Harry Houdini dies. But how is still something of a mystery. Some say he was poisoned, while others claim he was punched in the stomach. One thing is for sure, Houdini died after complications from a ruptured appendix. Now that's this shame in history.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: And as we promised at the top of the show, we've been monitoring the comments by Herman Cain, the GOP presidential candidate, facing allegations of sexual harassment. Let's listen to him at the Press Club.

(BEGIN LIVE COVERAGE)

HERMAN CAIN (R), REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE: We're not going to chase anonymous sources when there's no basis for the accusation. I would draw your attention to the three people mentioned near the end of the article that were at the Restaurant Association as past chairman, chairman, and incoming chairman of the board, who would have known about this if it had turned out in fact to be a charge with some validity. But it was not. And so, as a result, I have never sexually harassed anyone, and those accusations are totally false.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So would it be fair to say that you're asking the Restaurant Association to help you further shoot this down to the extent that they might have further records, if indeed there was or there weren't? Obviously they can look at their records. It might have affected their insurance. They might have had to book, you know, such a payment. Will you be getting back to us in the coming days to verify or shoot it down entirely?

CAIN: Mark, no, there's nothing to shoot down. And, secondly, the policies of the Restaurant Association is not to divulge that information. And so they -- unless they have changed their policies. Remember, I was the chairman of the board, so as far as we're concerned, you know, enough said about the issue. There's nothing else there to dig up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Do you think that one of your rivals might have helped to put this out there? CAIN: I told you this bull's-eye on my back has gotten bigger. I have no idea. We have no idea the source of this witch hunt, which is really what it is. We have no idea. We've been busy trying to get my message out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I would say that perhaps if you work aggressively to affirm or deny in the coming days, can you move on to that. Obviously we had to deal with this issue today. We appreciate your willingness to answer the questions here at the podium.

Another issue that is out there that I know people have been asking about in recent days is this abortion issue. You clarified that to a degree yesterday with Bob Schieffer. However, in an earlier interview, you seemed to indicate that there might be exceptions where abortion should be allowed. So you have seemed to have vacillated on this a little bit in the last few weeks. So under what circumstances would an exception be allowed to an outright ban? And have you only come to this conclusion in recent weeks which has led to this apparent, you know, change in direction the way you've been commenting?

CAIN: Let me state what I stated. Because part of an interview that I did was taken out of context. I am pro-life, from conception, period. I have been that way for many, many years. I have not changed. And I don't plan to change.

I have been consistent. In that one interview, the reporter tried to pigeonhole me on a specific case involving a hypothetical situation: What if it were my granddaughter? And they took that piece out of context as I was trying to explain it to come to the erroneous conclusion that I am something other than pro-life from conception, end of story.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. So how far are you willing to stand behind that feeling that you have that you -- that abortion should not be allowed? Would you back legislation to outlaw it?

H. CAIN: Yes, I would.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. And there would be no exceptions allowed? Would that be the federal and state level?

H. CAIN: Can't determine the state level, but I would support that at the federal level if that legislation were to come to my desk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then what about in choosing Supreme Court nominees? Would you allow that to be an issue that would help you to vet a would-be nominee?

H. CAIN: I will -- I will recommend the appointment of Supreme Court justices that, first of all, have a record of enforcing the Constitution of the United States of America. I want constitutionalists.

(APPLAUSE) H. CAIN: There will be no litmus test. We need people that will enforce the Constitution and those are the kind of people that I would appoint.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, in other words, that would not be...

(END LIVE COVERAGE)

KAYE: And here you have it, Herman Cain answering some questions about his thoughts and position on abortion.

But just before that, he did respond to the allegations against him from the 1990s, a Politico report coming out today of sexual harassment, saying, telling the Press Club there, the National Press Club there, "I have never sexually harassed anyone and those allegations are totally false."

That is what Herman Cain is accused of, as we mentioned. Could the past take down this GOP top dog? We will find out. We will discuss it all in "Fair Game" next.

But, first, our political junkie question of the day. Since 1900, how many presidents have been elected while holding no political office at the time of the election? The answer straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Before the break, we asked you how many presidents since 1900 were elected while hold no political office at the time of the election? Here is your answer: three, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, and Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Time now to go beyond partisan talking points to the heart of the political debate, where all sides are "Fair Game."

A little earlier, we talked about sexual harassment allegations against Herman Cain back in the 1990s. After a day of talking around the edges, Cain finally met it head on. Here's what he said just moments ago at the National Press Club.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

H. CAIN: In all of my over 40 years of business experience, running businesses and corporations, I have never sexually harassed anyone.

Number two, while at the Restaurant Association, I was accused of sexual harassment -- falsely accused, I might add. I was falsely accused of sexual harassment. And when the charges were brought, as the leader of the organization, I recused myself and allowed my general counsel and my human resource officer to deal with the situation.

And it was concluded after a thorough investigation that it had no basis. As far as a settlement, I am unaware of any sort of settlement. I hope it wasn't for much because I didn't do anything. (END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: All right, so let's talk about this with CNN contributor Will Cain and Democratic political consultant Ed Espinoza.

All right, guys, let me just read you a little bit more from what Herman Cain said today. He said: "As far as we're concerned, enough has been said about the issue. There is nothing else there to dig up."

So, Will, let me start with you. Is it a non-issue now?

WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, assuming he is correct, yes. Assuming the allegations are baseless and that no further information comes out refuting that, then, yes, he's in a strong position.

KAYE: Ed, what do you think?

ED ESPINOZA, DEMOCRATIC CONSULTANT: Unfortunately, things like this in politics tend to not go away very easily.

The problem Cain has isn't necessarily what happened, because we don't know exactly what happened. But we do know what his initial response was, which is different than the response this morning. And him kind of pushing it off and brushing it aside creates doubt. And the problem is in politics, when you have candidates that you don't know very well on the national scene, this paints a picture of how we perceive them.

Perception becomes reality. Now if you can create a reality that defends against that, then Will's right, it could go away. But otherwise, it remains to be seen what will happen.

KAYE: Will, when it comes to voters, do they remember the allegations or do they remember the denial more?

W. CAIN: They remember the allegations. I agree with Ed in that respect. And that's something to lament. It's not something necessarily I want to completely strategize about, because what we end up dealing with now is with the question of should.

These unsourced allegations said things, that Herman Cain made offensive statements -- I'm sure I could offend and will offend half the audience in the next 30 seconds -- that they had innuendo and he made physical gestures that weren't overtly sexual. The point is, I don't know what any of that means.

But I do know that people will remember there were sexual allegations made against Herman Cain, and that accusation is completely powerful. We remember that today about Clarence Thomas. Dominique Strauss-Kahn will never be president of France because of that accusation. We therefore should be treating these very carefully.

KAYE: And also the word settlement, Ed, that sticks in voters' mind, doesn't it? ESPINOZA: Yes, it does. And that is the thing. And Will is right, the court of public opinion is not the same as the court of law. And in the court of public opinion we're all lawyers, we're all judges and people read those things differently.

So when it comes down to whether or not we should weigh this, it is sometimes hard to shed these things. Now, as far as them being anonymous sources, this is a sensitive subject. There's some -- the legalities may not allow certain people to talk on the record. But, ultimately, what it comes down to is people are generally uncomfortable when money is exchanged to make a problem go away, rightly or wrongly. That's just kind of how it sits.

KAYE: Ed Espinoza, Will Cain, thank you both for weighing in.

That is "Fair Game" today.

Have a good day, guys.

ESPINOZA: Thank you.

KAYE: Well, he's the defense team's key witness, but can he drive home Conrad Murray's innocence when he's up against the prosecution? The latest from the Michael Jackson death trial.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Prosecution lawyers here in Los Angeles are cross- examining a key defense expert today in the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray.

Dr. Paul White suggested that Michael Jackson himself may have administered the drugs that killed him. Today prosecutors tried to raise questions about Dr. White's credibility.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it your testimony under oath that the only compensation you're going to receive in total for your time put in this case is $11,000?

DR. PAUL WHITE, ANESTHESIOLOGIST: I hope I receive some compensation for all the time I have spent in the courtroom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Joining me now from New York, journalist and author Diane Dimond.

Diane, nice to see you. I know you have been following this along with us.

(CROSSTALK)

KAYE: What about Dr. White's testimony? Does it raise reasonable doubts about who actually administered the fatal dose of drugs to Michael Jackson?

DIANE DIMOND, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Yes, I thought last Friday his testimony was the best shot the defense had. This is the man, so-called the father of propofol.

And he told this jury that the little bit of propofol I believe Dr. Murray gave him was not enough to kill him. It was all that lorazepam that Michael Jackson had in his system. Murray didn't give it to him, so Michael Jackson, he said, I believe, took it himself.

KAYE: But even if Michael Jackson did do that to himself in the 20 or 30 seconds that Dr. White says it all went down, even if he gave himself the fatal overdose, it doesn't exactly let Conrad Murray off the hook, does it?

DIMOND: No. That's such a great question, Randi, because why was that lorazepam in that home in the first place? Why was the propofol there and the midazolam and the clonazepam, all of these drugs that Conrad Murray ordered?

We saw the pharmacy statements on it from a pharmacy in Las Vegas. None of those drugs should have ever been in a private home in the first place, and Dr. Murray put them there.

KAYE: The prosecutor David Walgren on cross today actually asked Dr. White have you administered propofol in someone's bedroom? And he said, no. And then he said have you ever heard of it prior to this case? And he said, I have not.

But to some extent, Diane, isn't Michael Jackson sort of on trial here as well?

DIMOND: Well, he really is. And that's really the best defense for the defense is, look at this man. He had years and years and maybe decades of drug abuse, look what he did to himself, look how hard he drove himself. He went to another doctor, Dr. Arnold Klein, and got hooked on Demerol. That was in their opening statement.

So if even a few of the jurors have people in their families or know people who are addicted to substances, they know that grip of addiction and they might say, you know what? It was Michael Jackson's own fault that he got himself in that position.

KAYE: I know you wrote extensively about Michael Jackson, certainly related to -- in your book -- related to his battles and the child molestation charges against him. One of the things that you wrote in your book, the very last line is: "It is up to him what his life becomes from this point forward."

Were you at all surprised that Michael Jackson ended up this way?

DIMOND: I write a syndicated column every week. And I wrote right after his death that I knew I would be writing his obituary because I have studied this man since 1993. I know his psyche well enough to know that he was not going to come to a good end. He was anorexic. He took too many drugs. He in my opinion carved his face up to near disfigurement. And he was not a man who took care of himself. And I am of the mind that everyone has personal responsibility. You can't be a professional victim always. And it did not surprise me that it ended this way. It surprised me, though, Randi, that he died so young.

KAYE: Yes. So much drama in his life and so much drama now in trying to figure out how his life ended.

Diane Dimond, appreciate your time. Thank you so much.

DIMOND: Thank you.

KAYE: The Occupy Wall Street movement has some people seeing change, while others are seeing dollar signs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it's trademarkable, someone is going to trademark it. And why not me?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: But would trademarking Occupy go against the demonstrators' message? A report on the Occupy trademark next.

But, first, call it a little bit bittersweet taste of Halloween. While you may be watching out for the boogeyman or all those witches and goblins tonight, you would be watching out for someone far more dangerous and spooky, black licorice. No joke. According to the FDA, eating just two ounces of black licorice a day for two weeks could land you in the hospital with heart problems.

Yes, this is a classic, but black licorice, your 15 minutes are up. You're out of the candy jar. Happy Halloween. Trick or treat.

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KAYE: Well, they said it wouldn't last. This just in, they were right. Kim Kardashian is filing for divorce from her brand-new husband, Kris Humphries. And by brand-new, I mean 72 days.

The couple wed August 20 in a ceremony that is rumored to have cost as much as $10 million. It's also rumored, not confirmed, the cake isn't even stale yet. Kim filed the papers this morning, citing irreconcilable differences and asking that she not be forced to pay alimony. The star-crossed couple did, we understand, did have prenup.

Well, I'm glad that's out of the way. Now to something far more serious, CNN in depth this week, and we're taking a closer look at the Occupy movement from Raleigh and Richmond to Seattle and Salt Lake. Demonstrations that started in New York are now in cities and towns all across the country. This has led to some tense moments between protesters and police. Take a look here. This was the scene in Austin, Texas -- 38 protesters were arrested. The demonstrators had been asked to leave and to take down food tables but they refused. It was a similar story in Portland, Oregon. More than two dozen protesters were arrested there when they refused to leave a city park.

Police say the people were trespassing. Protesters say they have got a right to be there. Let's also take a look at Denver. It got pretty ugly there over the weekend. Police in Denver used pepper spray and rubber bullets. They say it was necessary because protesters got aggressive because protesters got aggressive and knocked one officer off his motorcycle. Twenty people were arrested. Volunteers put up bail money to get most of them out of jail.

Well, every day on this show we call out someone who we think has, yes, screwed up. So I would like you to meet Justina Jensen. Take a look. I have a mug shot for you. Jensen is in trouble with the law, not because she has attended an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street protests in Manchester, New Hampshire, but because she allegedly tried to prostitute a young girl she met there. Nice mug, eh?

Yes. Well, here's what we know from "The Union Leader" newspaper. After meeting the girl, Jensen allegedly used the Internet to arrange a meeting between the 16-year-old and a man who turned out to be an undercover police officer. The teen's mother reported her missing and told police her photograph had been posted on a Web site advertising adult party entertainment.

Well, an undercover officer calling himself Mad Mike negotiated a price of 150 bucks for the 16-year-old girl and Jensen gave him her home address as the meeting place. She is brilliant, isn't she? The missing teen was reportedly found upstairs. Jensen is charged with felony prostitution and resisting arrest.

Seems like the only thing that you're going to occupy for a while, Ms. Jensen, is a jail cell. For using a protest to prostitute young girls, it is time for you, Justina Jensen, to face the music.

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KAYE: So if I said that you have $4.50 a day for food or about $1.50 for every meal that you eat, what would you say? We can already hear you, and your stomachs grumbling. But that's how much 45 million Americans have to live off on food stamps, this their food budget. Think about that, could you live off of this right there?

Well, some lawmakers in D.C. are going to try. Nearly a dozen Democrats in the House are living off a food stamp budget for one week as a part of the food stamp challenge.

Pinching her pennies, Congresswoman Marcia Fudge is one of them.

Congresswoman, thank you so much for joining us.

The fact is, some in Congress are considering deep cuts to the $64 billion federal program. Clearly, you and the other congress men and women doing this are trying to make a point. What are you trying to prove here?

REP. MARCIA FUDGE (D), OHIO: We're trying to prove a number of things. Certainly, we want to prove that that is not a good cut to make, because we do not believe that the poor and hungry families and children are the problem with our financial situation in this country.

And we do not want them to make any significant cuts to SNAP, which is food stamp, or to WIC or any other of the programs that help the most needy people in this country. So, the 11 of us are taking this challenge. I'm already trying to figure out what in the world I can eat for what amounts to $1.50 for per meal for a week.

KAYE: And have you figured that out?

FUDGE: It's just staggering to think about how many people live that life every day.

KAYE: What do you expect you will be eating?

FUDGE: I'm going to start looking at the coupons in the newspaper and see what I can find on sale. But I will probably go with some of the things that I know that food stamp recipients in my district eat, go to things that are going to stretch: rice, beans, pasta, potatoes, things that are filling, although, quite frankly, not very healthy, but things that will get me through the week.

KAYE: Yes.

I know that you're trying to show how difficult it is to live off of food stamps. And really for the 45 million Americans on food stamps, as we mentioned, this is their reality every day. So, to some, though, this might still seem like a bit of a political stunt. Do you think that you can actually accomplish something by doing this?

FUDGE: I certainly believe we can accomplish something, if nothing more than to let people who are unaware that that amounts to one in seven Americans, one in seven. And more than half of those people are children and a significant portion of them are seniors.

I need for them to understand that so many of us take for granted the ability to have fresh fruits and vegetables or go out to lunch or go out to dinner, where more than 45 million measures do not. And we just want to be sure that when they start to look at the cuts that are coming from the super committee or the cuts that are going to be coming out of the farm bill, that the people who are most in need are not the people who are used to balance the budget.

I think that that accomplishes a great deal, as well as it brings some real attention to the amount of hunger and poverty in this country, which so many of us tend to ignore.

KAYE: As you said, the 11 of you who are taking part.

We will continue to watch it and see exactly what might change as a result of it.

Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, thank you very much for your time.

FUDGE: Thank you so much.

KAYE: And thank you, everyone, for watching today.

As always, I would love to hear what you think. You can continue the conversation with me on Facebook or on Twitter. You can find me @RandiKayeCNN.

That will do it for me today. Happy Halloween, everyone.

Time now for me to hand it over to Martin Savidge in Atlanta.

Hi, Martin.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Randi. Thanks very much.