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Will Conrad Murray Testify; Herman Cain Responds to Allegations; Diversity at 'Occupy' Seattle; Online Trash Talk Leads To Brawl; Talk Back Question; RX Painkiller Deaths Epidemic
Aired November 01, 2011 - 12:01 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.
Presidential candidate Herman Cain says he wants to set the record straight about allegations of inappropriate behavior back in the '90s. Well, in an interview this morning on our sister network HLN, Cain again denied he ever sexually harassed anyone, and he tried to explain apparent inconsistencies in his earlier comments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This was 12 years ago. I was falsely accused. And secondly, the word "settlement" suggested to me some sort of legal settlement. And as I recalled what happened 12 years ago, I recalled an agreement. I wasn't thinking legal settlement.
And so the words have been suspect (ph), and I do recall an agreement. I recalled, as my thoughts went through the day, that there was an agreement with this lady who made these charges, and they were found to be false. I have never committed sexual harassment in my entire career, period. And it was found that nothing took place in terms of sexual harassment in this particular case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So, we would like to hear from you. Will sexual harassment accusations sink Herman Cain?
Our Carol Costello joins us from New York with more.
And Carol, you saw Robin Meade's interview. It was quite fascinating, how he was trying to explain himself.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was fascinating. Actually, the most fascinating part came near the end of Robin Meade's interview when he said he got this money bomb (ph) because of these allegations and the whole story is now backfiring in his favor. That was fascinating, but I digress.
You've heard the ever-shifting story by now. It started with a story on Politico. Two women accused Cain of sexual harassment back in the '90s, back when Cain was chief honcho for the National Restaurant Association.
At first, Cain's camp says the Politico story was false, a witch- hunt. Then Cain denied there had ever been a cash settlement, until he didn't.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAIN: I am unaware of any sort of settlement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAIN: I was aware that an agreement was reached.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Yes, by the time Cain was on Fox News yesterday, he had an epiphany. Not only did he remember there was a settlement, he remembered the exact gesture that made one of his accusers uncomfortable.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAIN: She was in my office one day, and I made a gesture saying -- and I was standing close to her, and I made a gesture, "You are the same height as my wife." And brought my hand -- didn't touch her -- up to my chin and said, "You're the same height as my wife, because my wife comes up to my chin."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: None of this means Cain is guilty of anything, but a shifting story matters to those who represent victims of sexual harassment. If Cain is elected president, he will be head of the largest workplace in the nation.
As attorney and women's advocate Gloria Allred told me, the president must be the gold standard of employers. Didn't we learn anything from the Clinton era?
So the "Talk Back" question today: Will sexual harassment accusations sink Herman Cain?
Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your comments later this hour.
MALVEAUX: Yes, he claims that he's getting more money now, and more attention, but clearly there's some unanswered questions, and his credibility as well, I imagine, because he acknowledged to Robin Meade, saying that Politico went with him 10 days ago, saying that there were accusations of sexual harassment by two anonymous sources. So, he claims he was recalling the story as the day went on yesterday, and I think he's going to have to do a little bit more explaining on that.
COSTELLO: Well, it is clear the story is not over. And I'm sure that many more questions will be posed to Mr. Cain.
MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Carol.
Hillary Clinton's mother, Dorothy Rodham, has died. The Clinton Foundation says that Mrs. Rodham died early today in Washington.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had canceled an overseas trip because her mother was sick. Mrs. Rodham occasionally appeared with Clinton on the campaign trail during her 2008 presidential run. Dorothy Rodham was 92 years old.
Well, after a great October stock market, it's off to a pretty rough start for November. We're talking about the markets across the board down. The Dow Jones, down now 311 points.
A snag in the debt deal in Europe has investors worried. In an unexpected move today, Greece announced plans to hold a public vote on whether or not to approve that deal.
Well, it could be Friday before all the electricity is back on in the Northeast. Utility crews, they are scrambling to fix the damage from that freak snowstorm over the weekend. You may recall some of the heaviest snow fell in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York. At last count, about 1.6 million people were still without power across the region.
Well, a plane from Newark, New Jersey -- this is pretty amazing -- makes a dramatic emergency landing in Warsaw, Poland. You see it there.
The plane, with 230 people on board, was having trouble with the landing gear. It circles the airport for an hour before it's sliding down the runway on a belly landing. Airport officials say all of the passengers are safe, no one was injured. Emergency crews sprayed that plane with foam after that strange landing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: The whole world is watching! The whole world is watching! The whole world is watching!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: It's a legal victory for the Occupy movement in Tennessee. A federal judge has blocked police from arresting demonstrators.
The judge issued a restraining order against new rules that require protesters to have permits and to abide by a curfew. Police arrested more than two dozen people on Saturday for violating that curfew.
Gunfire breaking out during Halloween celebrations in New Orleans. Right now police are investigating shootings that left two people dead. The first, outside a nightclub on Bourbon Street, sent people in costumes running for cover. One man died, seven people were injured. Another man was killed in a separate shooting.
And we've got an amazing rescue story out of Canada. It's also a story though that's about courage, it's determination, even the power of love. A man suffered a broken back during a plane crash in British Columbia. And in spite his, jury he somehow manages to pull his wife out of the burning wreckage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just don't know how he did it. He (INAUDIBLE), and he just yanked, and I felt my arms, and he yanked me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "FIELD OF DREAMS")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you build it, he will come.
(END VIDEO CLIP, "FIELD OF DREAMS")
MALVEAUX: You might remember this scene, right, form the movie "Field of Dreams"? If you build it, he will come." Well, the baseball field built by Kevin Costner's character in the middle of an Iowa cornfield has been sold. According to "The Chicago Tribune," the buyers are turning it into a youth softball complex.
Now to the courthouse in Los Angeles where Michael Jackson's doctor is on trial. So, everybody has been wondering, will Dr. Conrad Murray take the stand in his own defense?
Want to get right to our own Ted Rowlands, who is there.
Any word yet, Ted? What do we know?
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, we thought we were going to find out about a half an hour ago when the judge took the bench here, but they were working some other things, and the judge ended up getting a little testy and he cleared the courtroom. So, the bottom line is, we don't know yet technically.
All the indications are though is that Dr. Conrad Murray will not take the stand in his own defense. But it is up to him, and the judge wants an answer one way or another at some point this morning. So, the short answer to your question is, we don't know yet.
MALVEAUX: OK. We don't know yet. We will definitely be following up with this.
But how many more witnesses do we expect?
ROWLANDS: There are two more defense witnesses -- well, actually, one in a little bit. They are finishing up with Dr. White. He's their star witness, Dr. Paul White. He's already gone through cross-examination, so he's just finishing up on the stand.
And then they have one more scientist that will get on for a short period of time today. And then we expect the defense to rest its case, assuming Murray doesn't take the stand. Then the prosecution will have a rebuttal case.
It's their option one way or another if they want a rebuttal case, and they've indicated they are going to put on a small rebuttal case with just one witness, and that will be their medical expert, Dr. Steven Shafer. So, bottom line is we're looking at three more witnesses, two-and-a-half, to go.
MALVEAUX: Ted, could the jurors actually get the case by the end of the week?
ROWLANDS: Theoretically, yes, the judge has indicated he'll give both sides a day to prepare for closing arguments. So, if Shafer is on the stand for a good part of the day, today and into tomorrow, you figure the judge will allow both sides Thursday to prepare. And then Friday will be closing arguments, and then there would be a chance -- although I don't think the judge will limit the sides on how long their close will go, but there could be a chance that the jury could get the case by Friday.
MALVEAUX: All right. We'll be watching closely.
Thank you, Ted.
Here's a rundown of some of the stories ahead.
First, can Herman Cain survive? We've got the latest on the first real test of his presidential campaign.
Then, Occupy activists stepping it up a notch and planning to march on the Iowa caucuses.
Also, after just 72 days of married life, Kim Kardashian is filing for divorce.
And after 30 years in high school football, a Georgia coach viciously beaten trying to stop a fight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you're crushed up Corn Flakes, that's what all his bones looked like.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Just an hour ago, Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain spoke to Robin Meade on our sister network, HLN. And he responded to questions about what he knew and he didn't know regarding a report that two women accused him of inappropriate behavior back in the '90s. Well, the women reportedly worked with him while he was head of the National Restaurant Association. The report came out in the news Web site Politico. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAIN: All we know is that they contacted my office and said that they had two anonymous sources accusing me of sexual harassment. And we said, "Well, what details can you give us?" They couldn't give us any, other than it occurred when I was at the National Restaurant Association.
I immediately recalled one, and that was the one we talked about earlier. I couldn't recall the other one.
And the reason that I wasn't going to answer his question standing on the street, after I had done another interview, that could have been taken totally out of context. I wanted to be able to put it into context like I'm doing now to explain what I knew and what I didn't know, what I can now remember and what I couldn't remember, at the beginning of yesterday.
ROBIN MEADE, HLN ANCHOR: Now, if either of these two women, one of whom you remember, one of whom you don't remember the case, you're saying, if they were watching now, what would you say to them regarding their complaints? Because you say they were false and they were found to be false.
CAIN: I would simply say, why are you bringing it up now? Obviously, someone is encouraging them to bring it up now because I'm doing so well in --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Joining me now is CNN senior political analyst David Gergen.
So, David, what do you think about Cain's comments there that, first of all, he's convinced that somebody is trying to smear him? Does he even make a case here?
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, it's possible that somebody is trying to smear him. And he has had an important defender in Mike Huckabee, who argues that -- and Mike Huckabee won the Iowa caucuses last time, as you'll recall, and is a champion of the Tea Party, and would be helpful to him. And Mike Huckabee is saying it's likely that a rival campaign planted this.
But as you know, Suzanne -- and everybody knows this -- that in a campaign, when you become a serious contender, you also come under serious scrutiny. And whatever is out there is likely to come to the surface, and you have to deal with it. That's the nature -- and it goes with the territory, like being president.
Things happen to you. People throw things at you. And one test of a presidential candidate is whether you can handle it. And I must say this has not been Herman Cain's finest hour, trying to respond to these allegations. His story kept shifting yesterday.
MALVEAUX: Right. And even today, did you buy the argument that he made that as the day went on, he recalled more and more information about this alleged settlement with this woman, having had information in his hand for 10 days that there were two women accusing him of sexual harassment? Did that ring true to you?
GERGEN: It's possible, but it did not ring true to me. The campaign had notification more than 10 days ago that this story was brewing. And just in the nature of things, I can just tell you as a guy, when somebody starts bringing those kinds of questions up against you, you remember it, and you have a pretty clear memory, because it's a dagger aimed at your heart.
And every guy know facing that situation would have a pretty good memory of what happened. And so I thought from the beginning that we're not getting the straight story here.
I think he's revealed more of it as he goes, but, you know, I think -- I bet he knew -- I bet he remembered in the beginning the first woman, and whatever the separation was. We still don't have all of the facts, by the way, on what happened, whether -- how much money was involved? Why did the National Restaurant Association -- did they fire her? Did they pay her money to stay quiet?
How much money was involved? What were the facts? We don't know all of that.
MALVEAUX: And David, what do you make of the fact that he says he's ready to move on here? Does he need to move on here? Can he actually talk about other things now, or are we going to see this play out for quite some time?
GERGEN: I bet he's ready to move on. Of course he's ready to move on. But no, I think it's going to play out for another day or two.
I think what he needs is a lawyer in his campaign or his personal lawyer to sit down and put this together, figure out what really happened, to know the full details, and to get the story out. And then, let the chips fall where they may.
There's a very reasonable chance this doesn't amount to very much. There's a chance it does.
Until we know that, the story is going to hang around his neck and it's going to damage his candidacy. This has always been an improbable candidacy, he has performed way above what one would call his fighting weight.
He's been a strong candidate. He's captured the imagination of a lot of people. But now that he's up in that stratosphere, he has to be willing to play the tough game. When you get into the arena, and you want to go up against the champions, you've got to be willing to take a punch and show you can punch back.
MALVEAUX: The game is just getting started. All right, David. Thank you very much.
GERGEN: Just getting started.
MALVEAUX: Appreciate it.
GERGEN: Thank you.
MALVEAUX: You're looking at live pictures of other Republican presidential candidates today in Iowa. They're speaking at a forum being held by the National Association of Manufacturers. Candidates Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich, all getting their 15 minutes to speak.
So, now Iowa could become the staging ground for a new political twist in the Occupy protests. Activists are calling for protesters from around the country to converge on Des Moines. They want to Occupy every presidential candidate's office ahead of the Iowa caucuses.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a really great time for everybody to come together while the media is here, while the media is looking, go into an arena where political and economic discourse is destructive, currently, and to demand that it's time to change.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're talking about hundreds of people coming to the state, training in non-violent disciplines, no destruction of property. Go into the offices, occupy them, and extend these kinds of presence until the candidates, all of them, start addressing these issues of corporate greed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a chance to really make it clear to the candidates that, again, they're not going to ignore us. They cannot ignore us, because we're going to be in their face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: "CNN In Depth" now for a look at an offshoot Occupy protest. This one is in Seattle. It gives you just a feel for how diverse the protesters are.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATHY, OCCUPY SEATTLE PROTESTER: You know, there's (INAUDIBLE) out here, there's young kids, there's young families with babies in their strollers. I feel it's one of the reasons why I'm just compelled to come out here, because I want people on the street to see that it's middle class, middle-aged people out here, too. It affects everybody.
DARCY CONSTANSS, OCCUPY SEATTLE PROTESTER: My name is Darcy Constanss, and we come down here every weekend with my family. I'm a doctor and my husband is a teacher. My husband has been laid off every year for the past four years. I owe $150,000. And as a new doctor out, we're actually barely middle class, and kind of barely getting by. And that's just crazy.
ANNE THURSTON, SEATTLE RAGING GRANNIES (singing): Bailout those banks too big to fall. Bury the (INAUDIBLE) now, no bankers in jail.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Raging Grannies are a group of older women who are passionate about social justice.
THURSTON: We're told there's no money for health care, there's no money for schools, there's no money for taking care of the needy in this country. And never mind the needy, but middle class. I mean, all of us. Tremendous unemployment and fear that people have
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every time a business fails, a CEO gets a bonus 10 times that of his secretary's annual salary.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bring these deep tensions to the surface so the people are forced to face them, forced to interact with them, and forced to seek the change from the government.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You go into the market, and you download it, and it's called "I'm Getting Arrested," and that will send out to anybody that you want to know that you're being arrested and that you need help. Police are probably going to let you do it unless they are being you up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're all going to gather up and we're going to have our escort here take us up the hill, and we're going to occupy our new location.
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: We are the 99 percent! We are the 99 percent! We are the 99 percent!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome home Occupy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is just the beginning --
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: This is just the beginning --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- here on campus.
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: -- here on campus.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a sacrifice. You know, we all have to make sacrifices. We're tired of sacrificing our money, our dignity.
We have liberties. We have rights. And we want to keep them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: We've got new developments out of Greece. They triggered a sell-off today in the markets around the world. We're going to go live to the New York Stock Exchange to see what it means for your portfolio. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Well, taking the money and running, top executives working at big companies bought out in a merger are getting paid millions for walking away.
Alison Kosik, she's at the New York Stock Exchange.
So, Alison, does it mean that these golden parachutes are back again?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the big payouts are back, Suzanne. Not really sure if they ever left.
But "The Wall Street Journal" looked at this issue, and actually looked at payouts that CEOs will get after selling their company. And right now there are three CEOs who are in line for at least $50 million each in pending acquisitions.
First of all, Motorola Mobility being taken over by Google. Motorola's CEO is going to get $66 million.
The CEO of Southern Union, he's going to get $54 million when it's sold to Energy Transfer Equity.
Now, four others could get exit packages of $30 million.
And generally, the golden parachute, as we call it, it's the equivalent of two to three years of salary, plus bonuses and stock options. Here's an extreme case. Nabors Industries, that CEO was forced out. He's getting $100 million, but that's not a merger -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Wow. OK. So these are big numbers.
KOSIK: Big money, huh?
MALVEAUX: Big money.
Anything to really limit these big payouts now in the works?
KOSIK: You know what? Last year's Wall Street reforms, they tried to limit these so-called golden parachutes, and shareholders get an advisory vote on exit packages if the company is sold. But keep in mind it's only advisory, it's not binding.
Now, "The Wall Street Journal" says right now 25 votes so far are in, no payouts have been voted down. Not such a big surprise there, because you have to remember that shareholders, they generally get pretty good premiums for their shares if the company is sold as well, although some shareholders have protested. The mergers and acquisitions part of it ain't too bad for the shareholders either -- Suzanne.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
MALVEAUX: So unpredictable. OK. Alison, thank you very much.
KOSIK: It is.
MALVEAUX: Well, will he or won't he? All eyes are on the courtroom in Los Angeles. Any minute now Michael Jackson's doctor is expected to say whether or not he is going to testify in his own defense.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEUAX: Here's a rundown of some of the stories that we're working on. Next, will Dr. Conrad Murray take the stand in his defense or not?
Then reality show star Kim Kardashian answering questions about whether or not her marriage was staged for publicity. We're getting a report out of Los Angeles.
And later, the role that social media played in a brawl that injured a high school coach in Georgia.
So, we're still waiting for Conrad Murray to say whether or not he's going to the stand. Murray's on trial in connection with Michael Jackson's death, and the judge gave him until today to say whether or not he wants to testify.
Right now, the judge and attorneys are going over all of the exhibits, and the judge wants to know who objects to what.
So, joining us now from Las Vegas, criminal defense attorney and law professor Richard Herman. Good to see you.
First of all, while we wait for the doctor's decision here, what are the pros and cons of him taking the stand in his own defense?
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I think at this point Suzanne, I think it's 50/50 whether he's going to testify. And in this particular case, his worst-case scenario, if everything goes wrong for Conrad Murray, maybe two weeks in jail and then house arrest for a period of time. That's his worst-case scenario.
So, I think if the defense feels that Dr. White got real hurt on the cross-examination and they need Dr. Murray, I think he just very well may get up there and testify. And if he does, look, he's going to face a blistering cross-examination. But he's an amiable person and he's going to convince some of the jurors he meant no harm to Michael Jackson and he did the very best and he was a team player. And I think it could (INAUDIBLE) to his benefit if he testifies.
MALVEAUX: When do we expect the trial to wrap up?
HERMAN: I expect -- look, it's either -- if Dr. White steps down today, I believe that the prosecution will call Dr. Shaffer as a rebuttal witness and then maybe one more person. And I think it's over. So, maybe another day or two, and I think you're going to hear summations to the jury. And we could have a verdict by the end of this week.
MALVEAUX: Richard, I understand that the jury has -- that the trial is actually resumed now and that they are questioning the witnesses. Give us a sense of the kind of portrait we've seen of Dr. Murray. How has he painted in this trial?
HERMAN: Well, there are two portraits. If you look at the prosecution pore trait, he's a womanizer, he's a money-hungry guy that will do anything for the good ol' buck.
Then we heard the defense position that he was really -- that he opened a business in a very poor area, that he saved people's lives, that he was committed to his patients and kind of contrary to someone just seeking the almighty dollar.
So, it's really two sides, it depends where you go. If you're a staunch Michael Jackson person, you're going to take the negative implications. If you're willing to give Conrad Murray a fair shake or if you happen to like him, then you're going to be in his camp. I think this jury will be split. I don't think it's going to be unanimous. I think we're going to be looking at a hung jury here -- at a minimum hung jury.
MALVEAUX: Really? Do you think it makes any difference that the Jackson family recently has been in the courtroom, even in the front row?
HERMAN: Well, they are trying, I mean they are trying to influence as much as they can, and they have every right to be there, Suzanne. I mean, would not like it as a defense attorney representing Conrad Murray, but they have every right to sit there. And as long as they are not making facial expressions or shaking their head no or doing anything to sort of interrupt the jury, the judge has no choice. They have every right to be there. It's their brother and their son. And they have every right -- I would have the children there, too, if I was the prosecutor. I would have them sitting in the front row also.
MALVEAUX: All right. So, we're watching pictures of the parents there. Richard, thank you. We'll keep a close eye on all of this. We'll see which way Dr. Conrad Murray goes whether or not he's going to take the stand. It should be very interesting. Thanks, Richard.
HERMAN: Going to be very interesting, and I'll see you soon, Suzanne.
MALVEUAX: OK.
We're going to take you live to L.A. in just a few minutes to figure out what went wrong, what went right. Kim Kardashian's marriage. Yep, she's filing for divorce after 72 days.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: So, Hollywood marriages often - they don't go the distance. But there's a lot of talk today about why Kim Kardashian is bailing out so quickly. Entertainment correspondent Kareen Wynter. She joins us from L.A.
OK, Kareen, a lot of people are talking about this, whether or not this was a charade or whether or not there was really something that happened in the marriage that just didn't work out.
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT; I know it's so hard to tell. Was it real love? Was it a publicity stunt? One can only guess, right? But reality queen Kim Kardashian and basketball player Kris Humphries, they tied the knot. You saw it. A big wedding, a lavish and highly publicized ceremony just two months ago after dating for only a few months.
Well, Suzanne, yesterday that whirlwind romance came to a screeching halt, an abrupt end. Kardashian filed for divorce on Monday, just 72 days after a self-described fairy tale wedding to Humphries. In court documents, we have it, it cites irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split. But early reports say that Kris, he wanted to move back home to Minnesota after he finished his NBA career, and that just wasn't in Kim K.'s plan. You know, I just can't picture her in the Midwest.
Anyway, of course, the larger issue seems to be they didn't really know each other, right -- very well?
MALVEUAX: A couple months.
WYNTER: So things weren't sorted out - exactly! So, they didn't sort out regular things that normal people would sort out before walking down the aisle. But of course, Suzanne, there were the ratings to consider with what was being called, at least in the States the big wedding of the year. You see that big rock? My question is, what's going to happen to that ring? Maybe she'll auction it off, give the money to charity. That would be a good thing.
MALVEAUX: Yes, yes, there is the issue of the ring and all of money that kind of happened when they got married. How are fans reacting to all of this? Is there sympathy for either one of them here?
WYNTER: Hmm, not a lot of sympathy we're seeing. But outrage; people feeling duped, if you can imagine that. You know, as crazy as it sounds, a lot of fans got wrapped up in this whole fairy-tale wedding thing. And they thought that this couple, you know, they were really making an attempt at love. So, this has a lot of people asking if the whole thing was a scam to promote the E! reality series and two-part wedding special. You know, there have naturally been a lot of jokes as well as some real anger, Suzanne.
And what caught my eye was the reaction from celebs who support same-sex marriage. You know, the battle on that end. And then you see something like this happen, which some people say it's really a slap in the face to those who don't have the same marriage rights.
But while Kim Kardashian announced her divorce, Kris Humphries is saying he wants the marriage to work. Don't see that happening right now, folks. In a statement to "Showbiz Tonight," he says, quote, "I love my wife and am devastated to learn she filed for divorce. I'm committed to this marriage and everything this covenant represents. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make it work."
Suzanne, we just spoke to her brother last night. Kim Kardashian's brother, Rob, after he competed on "Dancing With the Stars." You got to hear what he told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROB KARDASHIAN, KIM KARDASHIAN'S BROTHER: We're justhere as her family to be real supportive. We support anything she does, and that's about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WYNTER: So it's no secret that the Kardashians are really one of TV's most successful families, and there are reports that the couple made up to $18 million from the wedding. We've done the math. That adds up to $250,000 for every day of the marriage or more than $10,000 bucks an hour. So, love at least when it comes to the Kardashians, it isn't cheap, Suzanne?
MALVEAUX: All right, Kareen, thanks. One of my writers on my team, Richard, wants to know if at least she's available for dating. But we'll see about that, huh?
WYNTER: Oh, he's bold!
MALVEAUX: He is.
(LAUGHTER)
WYNTER: That's a courageous thought.
MALVEAUX: We'll pass on the information to you, the e-mail and all that stuff. I'm sure you'll get it to her.
WYNTER: All right, I'll work on that!
MALVEAUX: Well, it may have started online but ended with violence on a football field.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you're a crushed up corn flakes, that's what all this bone looked like.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
A high school football coach is permanently injured; social media apparently played a role.
But first, here's some free money advice from the CNN Help Desk.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Time now for the Help Desk where we get answers to your financial questions. And joining me this hour, Lynette Khalfani-Cox, the founder of the financial advice blog AskTheMoneyCoach.com. And David Novak, he's a certified financial planner and an adjunct professor at NYU.
David, your question comes from Beth in Pennsylvania. Beth wrote that she and her husband have $25,000 in credit card debt consolidated on two card. They've also got money in a 401(k) but they're worried about withdrawing from there because of the implications because it would count as income earned when their son applies for financial aid. That's an interesting question. What can they do?
DAVID NOVAK, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER: Probably I would leave the money in the retirement plan alone if possible. One other option may be to get a home equity loan or line to pay off those credit cards because rates are at historic lows and that may be a better option.
If they are insistent on taking the money out of their retirement plan, another option may be to take it out as a loan assuming because that way it wouldn't count as income because they are basically borrowing it from the plan. You need to be careful about that, if they leave the job, the money would be due immediately.
HARLOW: Sure. Very good point.
Lynette, your question comes from Jason in Colorado. Jason is 38 years old and single. Contributes about 14 percent of his $60,000 a year salary towards his employer-sponsored 457 retirement plan. He's thinking of moving some of that into a Roth IRA. and says the employer doesn't offer a match. How should he split the contributions, do you think?
LYNETTE KHALFANI-COX, FOUNDER, ASKTHEMONEYCOACH.COM: He may want to rethink that strategy overall by maxing out to the extent he is. Right now he's contributing about $8,400 or so to a 457 plan. You know, he's lowering his taxable income for the here and now, and obviously he's reduces the taxes he has to pay.
Obviously, the Roth has its own benefits, though, because he is going to be able to take out those moneys tax-free on the back end. If he wants to do a split, he might want to think about 60/40 split. Sixty percent in the employer-sponsored retirement plan and using the other 40 percent to go ahead and fund the Roth IRA.
HARLOW: All right, guys, thank you so much.
Folks, if you have a question you want answered, just send us an e-mail any time to the CNNhelpdesk@CNN.com.
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MALVEAUX: All right. So many of you, your kids, all of us part of the FaceBook nation. You tweet, you text, active in social media. But for the most part, right, it's fun, it's harmless. But our David Mattingly looks at one disturbing incident of social media fueling violence right here in Georgia.
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DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After 30 years coaching high school football, David Daniels says it was the one hit he didn't see coming.
COACH DAVID DANIELS, WARREN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL: They said all this looked like corn flakes.
MATTINGLY (on camera): Corn flakes. What do you mean?
DANIELS: That there was like -- if you had crushed up corn flakes, that's what all this bone looked like.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Five hours of surgery, five metal plates to replace shattered bone, Daniel was struck in the face with a helmet when he tried to break up a brawl between his players and another team.
DANIELS: It just makes no sense. I mean I don't understand it.
MATTINGLY: Coach Daniel is a victim some say of trash talking fueled by social media and text messages. But what's particularly hard for people here to accept is where this happened. Small town rural Georgia. Daniels' Warren County Screaming Devils were playing against perennial rivals, the Hancock County Bull Dogs. Footage from the press box that night shows the game itself was peaceful. There are no pictures to show what happened after the game.
CAROLE JEAN CAREY, SUPT., WARREN COUNTY SCHOOLS: And we saw this sea of people and it was just like moving like waves. And then all of a sudden we saw a helmet go up.
MATTINGLY: Superintendent Carole Jean Carey was there when her coach was struck down outside the locker room. She has demanded a state investigation.
CAREY: There was talk on FaceBook before this game or some going back and forth on FaceBook. Maybe some text messages before.
MATTINGLY: Text messages including this one, allegedly from a Hancock volunteer assistant coach who had coached at Warren County the year before. Apparently taunting Warren County players. Hancock administers say that text was actually sent after the brawl. But the school's head coach is also among those blaming social media for fanning the flames.
COACH ZACHERY HARRIS, HANCOCK COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL: FaceBook kind of keeps everything going. You know, if I don't see you, we have no confrontation. But now FaceBook puts everybody together all the time.
MATTINGLY: Searching players' pages on FaceBook, we could finds no evidence of trash talking, but school safety consultant Ken Trump says it's becoming a problem for all schools.
KEN TRUMP, SCHOOL SAFETY CONSULTANT: Social media is increasing the communication speed to the point where rumors and threats that used to sped in hours and days is now spreading within minutes and seconds and it's escalating very quickly and the violence can escalate along with it.
MATTINGLY: Coach David Daniels says he wasn't aware of any problems before the fight that left him permanently injured and he refuses to say anything negative of the kids involved in the violence.
DANIELS: I'm just not like that. You know, everybody wants to be hateful and I can't do that. You can't do that. It's kind of bad off.
MATTINGLY: His emotional and physical injuries, still obvious. Two weeks after the brawl, I watched Coach Daniel return to the field for the first time.
MATTINGLY (on camera): Take a look at this guy. Constantly on the go. On the move on the sidelines. One thing he can't do, however, is raise his voice. He says if he yells, it causes a lot of pain.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Quietly, he complains of severe headaches. More surgery may be need. And while a criminal investigation continues, no one at this small town school is sure how to stop the violence from happening again.
David Mattingly, CNN, Warrenton, Georgia.
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MALVEAUX: Today's "Talk Back" question, will sexual harassment accusations sink Herman Cain? Katina says, "I didn't think he had much of a chance anyway, but this certainly eliminates any that he did have." More of your responses up ahead.
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MALVEAUX: You've been sounding off on our "Talk Back" question. Carol Costello is here with some of your responses. Hey, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Suzanne.
The "Talk Back" question today, will sexual harassment allegations sink Herman Cain?
This from Ken. "With or without the accusations coming to fruition, Herman isn't even going to make it to the White House period. Mark my words, he's just not cut out for the job."
This from Alice. "They might. I'm a Paul supporter. But in defense of Cain, people should let the sinless cast the first stone. Nobody's perfect. Stick to the issues."
This from Glenn. "Asking question about a factual documented case that could show the quality of character, not necessarily guilt, of a candidate is a smear campaign. But continually questioning a president about his birth, even after definitive proof is shown in which has no basis in fact, it's just good politics?"
This from Jacquee. "Ultimately it's not about the harassment charges or even the settlement. It's the lying about it and changing his story four times in a 24 hour period that will do him in. He's done."
Keep the conversation going, facebook.com/carolcnn. And thanks, as always, for your comments.
MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Carol.
Well, prescription painkillers, they're legal. But did you know that they now kill more people than cocaine and heroin combined. We've got the details from a new report.
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MALVEAUX: Prescription painkillers are now responsible for so many deaths in this country that the Centers for Disease Control has just labeled it an epidemic. Elizabeth Cohen is here to tell us about a new report that just came out.
And, Elizabeth, how many people are we talking about here?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, the numbers are really staggering. I mean we were really surprised when we saw this. Let's take a look. In 2008, the most recent year for which they have statistics, 15,000 deaths from prescription pain relievers. Compare that to 1999 when it was only 4,000. So this means that in 2008, those deaths you see there, more than the deaths from heroin and cocaine overdoses combined.
MALVEAUX: That's unbelievable. Are there certain types of folks who are -- actually fall victim to overdosing on prescription painkillers.
COHEN: There are. And they sort of defy conventional wisdom. It's actually middle aged folks in rural areas are the most likely. It's not young people and it's not city people. I mean it happens to them too. But most likely middle aged and rural areas, they're more likely.
MALVEAUX: And why are people dying? Why are so many people dying now?
COHEN: You know doctors are prescribing these drugs more, which in many ways is a good thing. I mean these are wonderful drugs for people who are in pain and they should be prescribed. But doctors and patients often aren't careful to make sure that that prescription -- that taking it for a good reason doesn't turn into taking it for the wrong reasons and also they aren't as fearful as they should be about making sure that that patient doesn't go and try to sell that prescription.
MALVEAUX: And what can we do to fix it? COHEN: All right, doctors have to be better about making sure that when they prescribe for three days that it's really three days and it doesn't go on for three months or longer. And patients also need to recognize signs that they're no longer taking it for pain, they're actually taking it for something else. And then state governments need to be better too. They need to watch out for people who are doctor shopping and aren't really sick. And also there are doctors who are just pill mills and they just prescribe these pain -- these medications because they make money and states need to do a better job of catching them.
MALVEAUX: All right, Elizabeth Cohen, thank you for the advice.
COHEN: Thanks.
MALVEAUX: CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Randi Kaye.
Hey, Randi.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, Suzanne. Thank you very much.
