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Cain Says Don't Bother Asking; Terror Plot Of Three Men; G-20 To Greece; No More Debit Card Fees; "What Would Ben Stein Do?"; Senators Push To Repeal Gay Marriage Ban; Conrad Murray Trial Nears End

Aired November 02, 2011 - 12:59   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, Fred, and hello, everyone.

We are casting the news net wide this hour. Global finance abroad, political intrigue at home and down home insurrection, alleged, exposed and foiled in the Georgia mountains. We begin with questions Herman Cain does want to hear and allegations one ex- employee is not free to repeat. At least not yet. My colleague, Jim Acosta, is following the fallout from the harassment claims that came to light on Sunday.

And, Jim, I understand things got a little bit heated today.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. You can say that Herman Cain got a little testy with the reporters earlier this morning, Randi. We're at this hotel in northern Virginia where Cain met with a group of conservative doctors earlier this morning. And, obviously, you know, this should come as no surprise to Herman Cain, but a lot of reporters were staked out outside of the event, hoping to get a question to the candidate as he was making his way out of the ballroom. And at that point Cain really lost his cool with reporters. Let's show you some video and then explain, give you a little context on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me say one thing, I'm here with the doctors and that's what I'm going to talk about. So, don't even bother asking me all of these other questions that you all are curious about, OK? Don't even bother.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you concerned about the fact that these women do want to (INAUDIBLE) --

CAIN: What did I say?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- who wants to come forward. Are you concerned about --

CAIN: Excuse me. Excuse me! What part of no don't these people understand?

(END VIDEO CLIP) ACOSTA: And so, after Mr. Cain made those comments, he made his way into another conference room and there was a bit of pushing and shoving that was going on. Cain's security staff was trying to get the press out of the candidate's way so he could go into a conference room and give another statement to this group of conservative doctors.

And Randi, basically, the questions that were being asked were fairly simple. Reporters were trying to ask Cain whether or not he would call on the National Restaurant Association to release two women who have accused Herman Cain of sexual harassment from these nondisclosure agreements that they reportedly signed in order to receive some financial settlements from that lobbying organization. Cain did not answer that question.

I did have a chance to ask his chief of staff who was also at this event about that and he held up a phone to his ear and said, well, this may be the call now. Sort of an indication that those talks are ongoing, but there was really no response from the candidate to these questions today -- Randi.

KAYE: Well, as you know, Jim, and I know one woman's attorney is suggesting that her confidential agreement may not be confidential for much longer. I mean, do you have any indication if there's any movement on that at all?

ACOSTA: Right. I did have a brief exchange with that attorney, his name is Joel Bennett, he's an employment attorney in Washington. He represents one of the two women who made the accusation. We should know it was back in the late 1990s and Cain has denied the harassment ever occurred. That attorney told me that he plans to meet with that client of his later on today. Haven't gotten status report as to whether or not that meeting occurred but he indicated that it should be later on this evening. And so, at that point, we may see the ball rolling a bit more in terms of seeing this story develop.

Another thing that Mark Black said to me after this clash with reporters here earlier this morning, he said it should be an interesting 48 hours and an indication that perhaps things might develop and obviously we don't -- we can't forecast exactly what's going to happen. But things may develop to the extent that these two women may be allowed to tell their side of the story and get their story out there. But all of that, we'll have to wait and see -- Randi.

KAYE: All right. Jim Acosta, thank you very much for the update.

Well, when it comes time to saving the constitution, that means some people got to die. That is a quote in the arrest affidavit of four Georgia men charged with plotting attacks on politicians and other government officials. The FBI says that the group planned on using explosives in their attacks and even discussed plans to manufacture the highly poisonous substance ricin. Three of the four men are in their 60s, and the fourth is listed as 73 years old. They are listed to make their first court appearance today in Gainesville, Georgia. And that's where we find our George Howell.

George, how did the FBI discover this plot?

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, all along, Randi, confidential informants were tipping off investigators about the actions of this militia that called itself covert (ph) group. And agents say while there has been a great deal of focus on international terrorism, this is a reminder -- this is proof, rather, that there is continuing concern about the rise of militia groups and anti- government sentiment.

Now, you read that quote off the top and I want to read a few more from the alleged leader of this group, Frederick Thomas, and striking quotes here. The first I will read to you, quote, "We have to blow the whole building up like Timothy McVeigh." Another quote, he says, quote, "There is no way for us to save this country to save Georgia without doing something that is highly, highly illegal." Again, striking stuff here.

Again, investigators say the men planned to buy ammunition and explosives and that they planned to produce a deadly toxin called ricin and spread it on highways in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Newark, New Jersey, several other cities. Again, we are expecting to see the four men here in federal court just here within the next few hours, and we are still waiting to learn more about their plan. We are told they planned to attack the ATF and IRS buildings in Atlanta -- Randi.

KAYE: And I understand that they were dealing with these undercover agents, which obviously they didn't know about, but how far did they actually get in Georgia? I mean, how -- was the public in any danger?

HOWELL: Well, you know, again, I have been reading through these affidavits and it seems that the informants were watching all along until it got to the point where the men were ready to purchase the explosives, the ammunition. When that happened, that's when federal agents moved in.

KAYE: And are there recordings of these men? Were there phone calls? Or what is the evidence that they have against them?

HOWELL: According to the affidavits, there are recordings and I -- we will see if that is used here in court. But that's where we are getting a lot of the quotes that are in the court records right now -- Randi.

KAYE: All right, George Howell there in Gainesville, Georgia for us. George, thank you very much.

And now, to the south of France or as the Greek prime minister might see it, the woodshed. It seems the Greeks have spoiled what was meant to be a triumphant meeting of the group of 20 economic powers by calling a vote on the bailout agreement worked out with the European union. The E.U., as you may know, is desperate to turn around the debt crisis that threatens its common currency, the Euro. So, a day before the G-20 opens its annual summit, the Greek leader has some explaining to do.

CNN's Becky Anderson is watching and waiting in Cannes. And Becky, Greece isn't even a G-20 member. How does it hold such sway over the world economy?

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the deal is this. When the Europeans got here, what they needed was a water tight European debt deal. Convince other world leaders that they have their shot in order so that everybody else could start talking about how we deal with this global economic crisis. How are we going to promote sustainable growth going forward and indeed jobs? Those are crucial, as you know, for everybody around the world at present.

Forty-eight hours ago -- when everybody else thought that there was a deal on the table and the Greeks would have what they need to really push on and stay within the Euro, so there was than any sort of contagion effect, 48 hours ago, the Greek prime minister decides to put a spanner in the works and to offer the debt deal to the Greek people as a referendum possibly as late as January.

Now, what's important about that is the Greeks are being asked to pay huge amount of new taxes, lots of them are losing their jobs, civil servants thought they had jobs for life, for example. Not anymore. We have got these austere measures. People's pensions are being slashed. The very idea that they might, in fact, vote no is well up for debate. This is no new dawn as Nicholas Sarkozy hoped he could hail here at this meeting. And the rest of the world is looking to Europe at the moment and saying what is going on -- Randi.

KAYE: So, when you look at that, and you look at what it would mean for the Greeks, I mean, why should they accept it?

ANDERSON: Well, the point is this. They can't pay their bills at the moment. They are looking to the rest of the Euro zone and indeed other European members to help them out. There is a deal on the table which would offer them $160 billion odd in cash in order they can pay their bills by the end of this month. And it also looks to European banks to write down about 50 percent of the losses. So, sounds like a good deal to all intents and purposes. Like I say -- you know, and you say, would you and I want to vote for increased taxes, losing our jobs, losing our pensions? It is a big, big question mark at this point.

KAYE: Yes, certainly is and more questions ahead. Becky Anderson, thank you very much.

Occupy wall street wants to end corporate rule and return the power to the people, but how they plan on make thing change isn't exactly clear. Why Ben Stein says they are just a bunch of bums that need to stop banging on drums and go to work. He joins us live, next.

But first, Bank of America is dropping its plan for a $5.00 monthly fee for using a debit card. Why? It could be because of this 22-year-old. That's right. Molly Katchpole was not happy with the bank's idea and collected hundreds of thousands of signatures in an online petition, demanding that (inaudible) take the idea off the table. For leading the charge, Molly, you are today's "Rock Star."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: It is a big day for the Occupy movement. Protesters in Oakland are calling for a general strike. They hope, and I quote, "to shut down the one percent." On the other side of the country, Occupy Philadelphia is in the midst of a 99-minute strike, 99 for the vast percentage of Americans that aren't the rich and powerful.

But I want to give some face time now to dissenting voice and, I might add, a familiar face. Ben Stein is a writer, an actor, a lawyer, economist, and author of the new book "What Would Ben Stein Do?" Ben, welcome to the show. So tell us, what would Ben Stein do if he had a gripe about wealth and equality and corporate greed?

BEN STEIN, AUTHOR, "WHAT WOULD BEN STEIN DO?": Well, I wouldn't bang on a drum and leave my feces on the ground of a public park. I would -- if I thought there was some specific example of fraud, I would read about it and bring it to the attention of the Securities and Exchange Commission. I would bring it to the attention of a law firm and I might bring a suit about it. But I don't say they are all bums. Some of them I am sure are very fine people who want to help. But the idea that you can help in a complex securities fraud, complex banking fraud by banging on the drum and sleeping inside of a tent, is -- it's just incredible. It is unbelievable. It shows the complete collapse of education in this country if people think banging on a drum is going to solve this problem.

KAYE: Well, I know that you do not object to protest movements, in general, you've been a part of them (INAUDIBLE) --

STEIN: I love protest --

KAYE: -- at one point.

STEIN: I used to protest -- a lot of it, a lot of it. I was involved in Black Panther party protests, anti-war protests, helping African-Americans got the right to vote protests. But we had specific requests, we had specific ideas, specific things we wanted the government to do.

We didn't just bang on a drum and leave a total mess in a park. I mean, if these guys are serious, there are a lot of corporate documents lying around in warehouses and online, that can be read and people can find out about corporate fraud, bring it to the attention of the authorities, and they can get maybe get action taken on it. Banging on a drum will not accomplish anything.

KAYE: Let me share with our viewers something that you wrote on a blog -- actually in a letter on your blog and a letter to the protesters. You wrote, it means -- STEIN: It's the American spectator.

KAYE: -- zero to be against greed. Greed is a basic part of animal nature. Being against it is like being against breathing or eating, it means nothing. So, do the Occupiers really have no legitimate grievances do you think?

STEIN: I think everyone who is concerned about fraud on Wall Street and about excessive pay in the corporate power structure in America has a legitimate grievance. But to say, we're against greed, that's meaningless. You have to find the specific incidents of wrong doing, you have to take -- find out if it's a violation of law, and then try to get it stopped by law. Nothing that sleeping inside a tent can do will accomplish that. I mean, it's real work. This is something that perhaps the demonstrators don't realize. It's work to get fraud stopped. It's work to perpetrate a fraud, and it's work to get a fraud stopped. And when they try to close the Port of Oakland, that's just means that a lot of innocent, hard-working people will lose a day's pay or a couple of days pay. So, that's just childish behavior and very selfish behavior.

KAYE: I want to mention, once again, "What Would Ben Stein Do?". And in your new book, you actually call work a gift from God and not just for the paycheck.

STEIN: A gift from God.

KAYE: Tell us what that means.

STEIN: Absolutely. It means it gives you self esteem. It means it gives you a way of structuring your day. It means that you've finished the work day and you go all through the work day (INAUDIBLE) of your life has some purpose. It means you don't have devastating blows of low self esteem.

Work is a gift from God. I'd say, aside from finding the right man or woman to spend your life with, work is -- and being grateful for America and to God, for God's gifts. Work is the best thing that there ever was. I mean work is an incredibly great thing. And I wish the people would -- more people would realize it. And I wish more people would say, look, we don't want to work at McDonald's, we don't want to work at Burger King. We'd like to be directors of major motion pictures, but this is the only job there is available, so we'll take it until something better comes along. I wish more Americans would say that.

KAYE: Just very quickly, any chance you'll head down to some of these protests and give them some of your advice?

STEIN: I've been to the one in Washington. And, to tell you the truth, I didn't see a single person outside the tent. I went to the one at McPherson Square thinking I might have a conversation with some of those nice people. I didn't see a single one outside the tent. And it was a perfectly bright, warm, sunny day.

KAYE: All right, Ben Stein, thank you so much for your time and always a pleasure to speak with you.

STEIN: Thank you so much.

KAYE: Thank you.

A group of determined senators vows to redefine marriage and repeal the one man, one woman law. The actions they are taking.

But first, a look at the top videos that you're watching on cnn.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: It has been 15 years since President Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act. The controversial law keeps same-sex couples from receiving federal marriage benefits and allows states to ignore same-sex marriages that may be sanctioned by other states. But now there's a big push to repeal the act that's gotten very little attention. Today's "Under Covered" story looks ahead to tomorrow's possible vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Richard Socarides, Equality Matters president and former Clinton senior advisor, joins us now to discuss this.

So, Richard, the vote could preview what will happen if the bill reaches the Senate floor. What outcome are you expecting?

RICHARD SOCARIDES, PRESIDENT, EQUALITY MATTERS: Well, I'm not sure it will happen tomorrow. But at some point in the near future, we think the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote out of committee with a positive recommendation to the full Senate to repeal -- this bill that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. We're not quite as optimistic that we'll get a full Senate vote on it this year. And we are actually quite pessimistic about its chances in the House.

But having said that, this markup tomorrow is an important milestone in a process which will hopefully lead us to repeal of this legislation.

KAYE: And why has it taken so long and what could stop it?

SOCARIDES: Well, you know the things take a while. It took us a long time to repeal "don't ask, don't tell." We worked on it for many years. Long after we knew it was broken, you know, it took Congress many years after that. You know, typically, sometimes Congress works more slowly than public opinion.

But I think that, you know, what we see in this country now is an increasing majority of Americans who support the basic freedom to marry for all loving and committed couples and Congress, like it sometimes do, is just catching up with that.

KAYE: There are so many lawsuits that I've been reading about, which is part of why this caught our attention, that really are making a statement. I mean do you think that individual states and individual lawsuits could overturn DOMA even before the federal government gets it? SOCARIDES: Well, that's an excellent point and a very good question. I do believe that the courts, as often happens in issues like rights, equal rights, civil rights, as we saw in the African- American civil rights movement, I think that the courts are moving faster than the Congress. And it is more likely that this law will be declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court perhaps in two or three years. And that will happen sooner than I think the actual congressional repeal.

You know, you never know because these things are moving so quickly. We saw this summer in New York where many people were surprised when our state legislature here in New York moved as quickly as they did. And that has been an extremely welcomed development. As Governor Cuomo has said, you know, people are thrilled that New York joined the states that recognize every loving and committed couple's right to marry.

KAYE: As we mentioned, you advised President Clinton, who ended up signing the Defensive of Marriage Act in 1996. If you were advising President Obama today, what would you tell him about this?

SOCARIDES: Well, President Obama has already done a lot to advance the cause of basic fairness for gay and lesbian Americans. And he supports this legislation. His Justice Department has taken some important steps in providing a much fairer, much more reasonable context in which the courts are hearing these cases. So I would advise him to keep it up.

You know, I think that when President Clinton signed this bill, unfortunately, you know, no states -- in no state could you be married. And this was a Republican ploy at the -- right at the beginning of the 1996 re-election campaign. So, you know, I think he regrets signing it. And he has announced himself that he supports the right of all Americans to have equal marriage rights. So I think President Obama, you know, has really done a lot already.

It's interesting, you know, as we start to focus on the upcoming election, that all of the Republican candidates support taking away the limited rights that gay and lesbian Americans already have. Many support going back to "don't ask, don't tell."

KAYE: Yes. It is a -- so it's going to be interesting come election time certainly where the votes will come from.

Richard Socarides, president of Equality Matters. Richard, thank you for giving this issue some time with us.

SOCARIDES: Thanks, Randi.

KAYE: The defense rests. Conrad Murray not taking the stand. Only closing arguments remain before his fate is handed to the jury. What his lawyers need to do to send his message home.

But first, on this day in 1959, "Time" magazine cover boy Charles Van Dorn confesses to competing in a rigged quiz show. The producers of "21" were looking to pick up ratings and Van Doren admits he was looking to win some cash. Robert Redford's movie "Quiz Show" is based on that scandal. But the rigging derailed Van Doren's career. And that is this shame in history.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, won't take the stand, but there are still his police interviews, the stew of drugs in Jackson's bedroom, orders for what amounts to four gallons of Propofol. Those are just some of the details jurors will have to weigh. Deliberations could begin as soon as Friday in Murray's involuntary manslaughter trial. Attorneys on both sides are in the middle of preparing their closing arguments as we speak.

Let's bring in Michael Jackson's former attorney, Mark Geragos, to give us some insight into Dr. Murray's case.

Mark, after more than 20 days of testimony, tomorrow, as you know, is the final stretch. I mean what does the defense need to do? What are the key things the defense needs to say in those closing arguments?

MARK GERAGOS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I think basically the defense is going to attack the causation and there's going to be a jury instruction. The judge will read a series of instructions. Jurors are going to focus, I think, on the one that says basically, was there an intervening cause? I know that's a legal term, but that comes down to, was Dr. Murray's negligence the direct cause for Michael Jackson's death? And the defense is go to say, no, there was an intervening cause. That's why we've heard this testimony from Dr. White. This kind of supposition of the hypothetical of Michael injecting himself. And they are going to argue that if that's a reasonable possibility, then that raises reasonable doubt as to whether or not his -- Conrad Murray's negligence, gross negligence, caused the death.

KAYE: Right. And because he's not taking the stand, the jurors will have to rely quite a bit to the statements that he gave police, specifically about how much Propofol he was giving Michael Jackson. Let's listen to that and then I want to ask you more about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DETECTIVE (voice-over): You've administered it more than 10 times.

CONRAD MURRAY (voice-over): Yes.

DETECTIVE: More than 20 times?

MURRAY: Thirty days a month roughly, every day.

DETECTIVE: A daily --

MURRAY: Daily, with the exception of three days leading up to his death. I tried to wean him off.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KAYE: So, Mark, I mean, witnesses testified that this guy was having these drugs shipped to his girlfriend's home and then bringing them to Michael Jackson's home. Will the jury buy that he was trying to wean Michael Jackson off Propofol knowing that?

GERAGOS: Well, I think that the reason they put on the five witnesses that were so-called character witnesses was that's a back door attempt by the defense to put into evidence the idea that, look, this is a caring doctor. You know there's always the backdrop of the $150,000 a month. He had no incentive to do harm here. And what he was trying to do, basically, was to wean Michael off.

And that's one of the reasons that they have adopted what a lot of people in the media call the blame-the-victim strategy. It is -- I think from the defense standpoint their position is, look, he was there and he didn't know what other doctors were prescribing. He didn't know what Michael was ingesting. And, therefore, he was doing the best job that he could in trying to, as you just heard, wean Michael off.

KAYE: He's facing four years in prison. Do you think he will actually serve any time if convicted?

GERAGOS: As of October 1 here in California, we have kind of had a sea change in what's happened under the law here. We have something now that's called realignment.

Even if he is convicted, even Judge Pastor gives him the maximum, which is four years, because it is involuntary manslaughter, first of all, he would only do two years, and arguably it is what's called a county jail felony, where the sheriff could then release him on monitoring, home detention, something of that sort. There probably would be an outcry or an uproar if the sheriff did that. We have seen what happens in the past with others of note or high profile who the sheriff releases early. But arguably the most he would ever do is two years.

KAYE: Mark Geragos, nice to see you. Thank you very much for your time.

Herman Cain says these accusations won't take him down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAIN: There are factions that are trying to destroy me personally, as well as this campaign.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: That force, the people. But will they continue to pull through for him? That's "Fair Game" next.

But, first, political junkies, let's test your knowledge. Here we go. Current polling has Cain, Romney, Gingrich, Perry, and Paul at the top of the heap for the GOP nomination. Which of those five candidates has never lost a political race? If you know the answer, send me a tweet @RandiKayeCNN. I will give a little shout-out to the first one with the right answer when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Before the break we asked you a question about GOP nominees. Specifically, which one of the leading GOP candidates, Cain, Romney, Gingrich, Perry, or Paul, has never lost a political race. The answer is Rick Perry.

Perry won his first race back in 1984 as a Democrat. We said that we would give a shout-out to the first person who would tweet me the right answer. And that's Anthony, @T_Tappel!, Twitter handle there.

Anthony, congratulations. Nicely done.

All right, so Herman Cain's campaign said it raised more than $400,000 on Monday, this after the story broke alleging that he had been accused of sexual harassment. Also, a super PAC sent out a fund-raising declaring, "The left is trying to destroy Herman Cain just like they did to Clarence Thomas. They are engaging in a high- tech lynching."

But is this strategy of blaming the left for Herman Cain's current problems a sound one?

That is "Fair Game" for my guests today. With us, Democratic strategist Maria Cardona and Christopher Metzler, who is an associate dean of the Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies.

Chris, let me start with you.

Rush Limbaugh said that this is not a new story, called it partisan politics, while Ann Coulter called the charges outrageous. They also both blamed liberals. Is this a good strategy?

CHRISTOPHER METZLER, ASSOCIATE DEAN, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY'S SCHOOL OF CONTINUING STUDIES: No. It is actually a disastrous strategy.

Now, if we want to have a conversation about how black conservatives are treated and black conservatives being looked at as an enigma, we can have that conversation. The problem here is to use this racial hyperbole about high-tech lynching and all of those kinds of things really muddies the water. Furthermore, here is the problem. And here is why that argument is illogical.

If the left were going to attack Herman Cain, they wouldn't do it now. They would wait until he is the nominee. That's what would make more sense. At this point, if there is going to be an attack, it is going to be from the right. Because they want to knock him out of being the nominee. I mean, so this entire thing doesn't make any sense.

It clouds the conversation and it really gets us to the point where the right now is trying to use racism and it is just -- it is awful. It is an awful kind of gutter politics.

KAYE: Yes. Herman Cain has said he thinks this is about race but he doesn't have any evidence to support that.

Maria, what do you think? Will this strategy work on the base?

MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think it clearly has worked thus far, Randi, or else he wouldn't have raised all that money. But the question is, is it sustainable?

And I guess I would I have additional questions for his supporters, number one. Do you really want to support somebody who has unanswered questions and inadequate questions about sexual harassments allegations? And it would be interesting to see if most of his supporters and most of the people who have given him money are male.

And number two, I would also question, frankly, more importantly than those allegations are his stances on very important foreign policy and domestic issues, which he has completely blundered. For example, immigration, does he really want to electrify a fence and have people who come over killed? Does he want to really negotiate with terrorists? He walked back from that one.

When he described his stance on abortion he sounded like a Democrat and had to walk that back. And then recently he talked about how he's really nervous that China will become a nuclear power. Herman Cain, China has been a nuclear power for more than 30 years. Those, I think, are the really difficult issues.

KAYE: I want to get back to the quote though of calling this high-tech lynching because this really seems to be out of Justice Thomas' playbook. It worked then.

So, Christopher, why wouldn't it work now?

METZLER: OK. Here is the reason why it is not going to work now.

First of all, I'm a conservative who has been attacked for many of the positions that I have taken. Take that out of the conversation. Here is the difference with Justice Thomas and in this case with Herman Cain.

What happened with Justice Thomas and Anita Hill was that she came out at the point where he was being considered for the Supreme Court. The difference here is that there's been an investigation, something has been concluded and, in fact the company made a decision to settle, whether it is for nuisance value or whatever.

Those are two very different situations. And as a result of that, this -- what the right now is doing is resorting to these tactics of high-tech lynching and all of those kinds of things, raising the race card, when they are blaming the left for having done the same thing. And the reason that people like Herman Cain is because he has made the complicated simple. In this case, he sounds a little like Bill Clinton. It depends on what the meaning "is" is. And that's not going to fly.

KAYE: All right. Christopher Metzler, Maria Cardona, thank you very much for playing today. That is "Fair Game."

(CROSSTALK)

CARDONA: Thanks, Randi.

KAYE: Thank you both.

Up next, it is a country known for an annual population growth rate near zero. It is also known for a popular food item. But today it's in the news for its really incredible moment on the runway, reminiscent of the miracle on the Hudson. So where are we? The answer and the amazing video in two minutes when we go "Globe Trekking."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Let's go "Globe Trekking" now.

We start in Poland where passengers are thrilled to be back on the ground safely after a flight from Newark made an amazing emergency landing on Tuesday. The Boeing 767 had a problem with its landing gear, leaving the pilot no choice, you see it there, but to land the plane on its belly. According to the airline, all of the passengers remained calm during the landing and there were no serious injuries. Passengers were allowed to leave after some brief interviews with investigators. Amazing. Amazing.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has lost a court battle to stay in the United Kingdom. An appeals court ordered him to extradited to Sweden to face questions about sex charges he faces there. Though he has not been formally charged, Assange has been on house arrest for nearly a year waiting for a ruling on that extradition.

The death toll from the massive flooding in Thailand continues to climb. So far 381 people have been killed. Bangkok's central business district has avoided serious flooding but some of the capital's outlying areas are dealing with chest-high water. The stranded elephants that we told you about when the flooding first began are no longer threatened by the rising waters. But workers are having difficulties getting food and some other supplies to them as well.

Blood money for cancer screenings, that's what some are calling the fee that you have to pay if you want an extensive genetic test. Why one company is not making it affordable.

But first, I have got to ask, how is the new iPhone 4S? I can already hear you complaining. First it was the death grip and the antennas on the iPhone 4. Now it is the battery. You would think a newer version would mean fewer problems. Unfortunately, not so much. If all the blogs, posts and long thread on Apple's Web site mean anything the battery life on the new iPhone 4S stinks.

We have no problems was Apple, just the big headache. For that, we are giving the iPhone 4S this upgrade notice. Your 15 minutes are up. Hopefully your battery will last longer than that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: So, imagine this. You're getting a cancer screening and the technician tells you if they simply push a button the machine can detect even smaller hidden cancers. Sounds great, right?

What if they ask for another $700 to do that?

Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen says one company is doing just that and putting women's lives in peril because of it.

So, Elizabeth, explain to us what exactly is going on here with this.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Randi, I have to say in 20 years of medical reporting rarely have I heard doctors and patients as outraged as they are about this situation.

Here is what's happening. If a woman has breast cancer in her family, let's say her mother or her aunt or whoever,they often go and get a genetic test to see if it is just a coincidence or if she has a bad gene. So, Myriad Genetics, which makes the breast cancer genetic test, has a test that will show you most but not all of the genetic abnormalities linked to breast cancer.

If you want to get a second test that will show you the rest of them, you have to pay $700. And that's just too expensive for many women. And they don't get it and they don't realize that they carry a genetic abnormality for breast cancer.

KAYE: What's the advantage to knowing if you do carry that?

COHEN: Right. If you know that you carry a genetic abnormality for breast cancer, you would then get screenings more often. You would get mammograms starting at 35 instead of 40 or you get MRIs which, you know, can be even better detecting breast cancers.

Some women, Randi, even go so far as to getting their breasts surgically removed to make sure that they don't get cancer, because if you have this genetic abnormality, you have a relatively -- a very, very high risk of getting breast cancer.

KAYE: And very quickly, what's the company have to say to these charges of blood money?

COHEN: The company says, look, we developed a new technology to make this second test and we have the right to charge for it. Others say there is something wrong here, because there is no competition. You cannot get a breast cancer genetic test anywhere else. Myriad owns the patent on the gene itself. They have no competition.

KAYE: Wow. That's amazing that that's happening to women.

Elizabeth Cohen, thank you very much.

COHEN: Thanks.

KAYE: Every day on this show we call out someone who really has just, well, you know -- and we just can't get enough of Kim Kardashian and her wedding drama.

As you have probably heard, after just 72 days of marriage, she and her man, she and her man Kris Humphries are calling. I guess it wasn't exactly bliss, even with all that bling.

And speaking of bling, Kim Kardashian has decided to donate her wedding gifts. Imagine the size of that charity donation. All the goodies are going to the Dream Foundation, which makes dreams come true for adults facing life-threatening illnesses. Those goodies by the way include a $1,600 coffee pot and $6,000 vase, according to TooFab.com.

Kim also blogged, by the way, to let us all know that she did not make millions of dollars off the wedding. Does this all make you feel warm and fuzzy inside? Should Kim's decision to donate all this stuff make it all better, make it all go away?

Well-played, I must say, Kim Kardashian, but it is still time for you to face the music.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWS BREAK)

KAYE: Whatever your beliefs may be about guns, I want you to imagine your mom, maybe even you or your sister is walking in a public park, but she is suddenly attacked, her clothes are torn off, a repeat offender attempting to rape her.

That is what police say happened in Spartanburg, South Carolina, which prompted their frustrated sheriff to say this at a news conference on Monday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHUCK WRIGHT, SPARTANBURG COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA, SHERIFF: I'm really aggravated. Got a lady on Sunday, afternoon, guys, Sunday, walking her dog, and this animal comes up and attacks her. I don't want you to go for the mace. I want to you go for the concealed weapons permit.

I'm tired of looking at victims and saying, we are sorry. We have don't the best we can to get them in jail.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Sheriff Chuck Wright joins us now on the telephone.

Sheriff, my first question to you is, why did this case, this attempted rape, make you give that advice to women?

WRIGHT: Well, after 25 years of law enforcement, or almost 25 years of law enforcement, I'm really tired of looking at people and telling them that our justice system has failed them once again. We have lost a deputy in the line of duty in 2007 because of a fellow that was arrested 34 times.

It's constant. It's all over the United States, not just in South Carolina. And I'm very frustrated because I want people to understand that I don't want every person to go get a weapon. I do want every person that feels the need to carry one to do it with my blessing and get a concealed weapons permit.

I don't think everybody should own a gun. There's some people, I don't see how they dress themselves, much less own a gun. But I just -- you know, for people who want to protect themselves and want to go out walking and not be attacked in the middle of the day that want to arm themselves, I'm all about it.

KAYE: You took it as far, though, to not only say that women should carry a .45-caliber, but you even displayed fanny pack, telling them how they should carry it. What has been the response?

WRIGHT: I'll tell you, that was crime of opportunity right there, I have to say. There was a news crew there. They had one of those fanny packs.

I picked it up and I said this right here is what you can put around your waist while you're jogging. And you can put your concealed weapon in it, and it is perfectly legal.

So, I'm just really tired of looking at -- let me back up and say this. If you -- if people that are listening to me have never been around a rape victim, it not just affects them. It affects their husband, their children, their grandchildren, their social outings. It almost destroys most women. It is very difficult to get back on track.

And the only thing that they did to provoke this attack was just being a female. We have to do better across the country. I'm asking that everybody hold your legislatures and your lawmakers more accountable. We should bring back the chain gang, not the same style as we had in the '60s. That's kind of inhumane.

KAYE: Right.

WRIGHT: We should have some form of chain gang and we should not let people out of jail so quick.

(CROSSTALK)

WRIGHT: It is just frustrating when you look at a woman -- and I'm very thankful that I was able to talk to this woman and not her husband who is grieving her death now, that -- she did nothing wrong. She was walking her dog in a public park and was attacked, only because she's a female. And I have had it.

(CROSSTALK)

KAYE: Sheriff, obviously, you feel very strongly about this, Sheriff, and we appreciate you coming on and talking about that. We will check in with to you see how it is going when we can. Thank you very much.

And now we do have some breaking news just into CNN.

We want to get to our Gloria Borger, who is in D.C.

Gloria, what do you have for us?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, CNN has this first, Randi, and it's a statement from the National Restaurant Association telling us that they have actually heard from one of the women's attorneys who is accusing Herman Cain, or did accuse in the past, accuse him of sexual harassment.

Let read this to you.

"Attorney Joel Bennett contacted the National Restaurant Association this morning. An Association representative promptly returned his call and asked Mr. Bennett to contact the association's outside counsel. Mr. Bennett indicated that he would do so tomorrow, after he met with his client."

So it is clear that Joel Bennett is now intending to meet with this woman and speak with outside counsel at the Restaurant Association. And of course this leads to the question of will they release her from her confidentiality agreement, so she can tell her side of the story, which is clearly what she wants to do?

KAYE: And I know, Gloria, I was watching you on "ANDERSON COOPER 360" last night.

BORGER: Right.

KAYE: And you were, along with many, Anderson and others, grilling this attorney for this one accuser.

BORGER: Right. KAYE: What is he telling you?

I mean, he -- from what I understand, he does think that sexual harassment took place.

BORGER: Yes, he does.

And he says that a settlement occurred not because of severance, but because of this woman's harassment claim. And it was settled as a result of her sexual harassment claim.

So, he and his client clearly believe that there was harassment, and that is why she ended up leaving the organization and getting some money for it.

KAYE: Gloria Borger, thank you very much for breaking that news, along with us here.

And that will do it for me. I will hand it over now Brooke Baldwin in Atlanta.

Hi, Brooke.