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High Court Takes Up Health Reform; Judge Worked With Charity; Less Occupy And More Movement; Nine Days Until Debt Deadline; Russia Opposes Iran Sanctions; Israel's Peres On Iran; Breivic Now In Norway Court; Banks Charging You More; Out-Of-This-World Video; Today's Rock Star Justin Timberlake; High Court Takes Up Health Reform; Space Crew Blasts Off From Kazakhstan; Future of U.S. Space Exploration; Big 10 Takes Paterno Off Trophy; Supreme Court to Hear Obama Health Care Law; Herman Cain's Drop, Newt Gingrich's Rise in Polls; Obama Calls American Businesses Lazy; Penn State-Style Scandals Are Fuel by Money; Milo Cress Says Give Up Plastic Straws
Aired November 14, 2011 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Suzanne, thank you very much and hello, everyone.
It was a campaign platform, a legislative firestorm, and the biggest political victory of the Obama administration to date. Now the health care reform law of 2010 is sure to be the biggest Supreme Court case of 2012. The high court today announced that it will hear arguments for and against four of the law's 400-plus provisions, including whether the government can require you and me to buy health insurance. A ruling should come next June in the heat of the presidential race.
But just minutes from now, CNN's Elizabeth Cohen will join me now live right here with the high cost of not ensuring everybody.
The Pennsylvania charity, founded by the former Penn State assistant football coach accused of child rape, needs a new CEO. The long-time head of the Second Mile has resigned in hopes he says of restoring faith in the organization's volunteers and staff. The group put a stop to Jerry Sandusky's involvement with children in 2008 when he told them of one allegation. It's also come out that the judge who freed Sandusky on $100,000 bail against the wishes of prosecutors has herself been a Second Mile volunteer. CNN has tried to ask her some questions, but she has not responded.
Today, the Occupy movement is a lot less occupy, a lot more movement. Police in Oakland, California are carrying out an eviction order handed down Saturday after somebody ended up shot to death allegedly by a resident of the Occupy campsite. Tents are being cleared, demonstrators who aren't moving on are being arrested.
Police in Portland, Oregon arrested dozens during and after weekend raids on camp sites in two city parks. Protests that began as Occupy Wall Street well over a month ago increasingly are being seen as threats to public health and safety.
November 23rd is now just nine days away and there's a lot more than turkey at stake if the people in this room don't get their work done by Thanksgiving eve. This is a deficit reduction super committee which has been trying, mostly in private, to come up with at least $1.2 trillion in budget savings. The alternative being automatic across the board spending cuts in 2013. The panel is said to be most at odds over, guess what? Taxes and entitlements. We will of course keep you posted.
Russia's foreign minister says his country will oppose new sanctions against Iran. The Obama administration is pushing the international community to strengthen sanctions in the wake of an international atomic energy agency report suggesting that Iran has the capability to produce nuclear weapons.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich recently said the U.S. should consider military action against Iran if all else fails. In an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan, Israeli president, Shimon Peres, says other tactics should be tried first.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHIMON PERES, PRESIDENT OF ISRAEL: I wouldn't suggest to start immediately with the military operation, nothing at all. I would rather see a tighter economic sanction, a closer political pressure, and what is lacking very much is an attack in moral sense because Iran is a small country -- it's small equipped (ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And you can see the full interview with Israeli president, Shimon Peres, on Piers Morgan tonight -- this evening, it's at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.
The man accused of killing 77 people in Norway made his first public appearance in court today. Even though he's entered a not guilty plea, Anders Breivic has admitted carrying out a bomb attack in Oslo and a shooting rampage at a youth camp last July. Breivic told the judge he does not accept the court's authority.
These are scenes outside the courtroom. Breivic was not allowed to be photographed and he was not allowed to deliver a speech he had prepared. Judge says there is no reason to believe Breivic is legally insane and his trial should begin in March or April.
The banks may have backed down from a controversial plan to slap fees on debit cards but that hasn't stopped them from raising other fees. "The New York Times" reports that Bank of America, Chase and Citi Group have all raised their monthly checking account fees. Bank of America now charges between $5 and $20 to replace a lost debit card and TD Bank will impose a $15 fee for having cash wired to your account. Bankers say they need to make up for the revenue they lost when the government capped overdraft charges and debit card swipe fees.
In just a couple of days, this amazing video has racked up more than 1.5 million views on the Internet. Take a look at it, it's a time lapse sequence made up of photos taken from the International Space Station between August and October. This part shows the northern lights up over the United States. Pretty cool.
That's pretty cool. A video maker in Germany sharpened the images and you can see there, he added music.
The Supreme Court agrees challenges to the controversial health care reform law. What this means for your Medicare and your wallet.
But first, remember this creative Marine who invited Justin Timberlake to the Marine Corps Ball on YouTube? Well, her request was granted. The singer-turned-actor stayed true to his promise and, yes, took her to the dance. He says it was one of the most moving nights of his life. Justin, you are today's "Rock Star".
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Back now to our lead story. The biggest test yet for the biggest healthcare overhaul since Medicare. As expected, President Obama's landmark legislative achievement is headed for the highest court in the land. The key constitutional question, whether the government can force Americans to buy something, in this case health insurance. If we put it to a vote, it would likely pass now but that wasn't the case in June. Look at this poll right there, 52 percent support the so-called individual mandate up from 44 percent five months ago. The mandate is key to forcing insurance companies to take all customers no matter how sick they might be.
Joining me now to connect those dots, the CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. Nice to see you. So Elizabeth, why not make insurers insure everybody and do away with the mandate?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: OK. So, if you told insurance companies in this country, you have to take everybody. We don't care what pre-existing conditions they have, we don't care if they had a heart attack yesterday, you have to take them. That would be extremely expensive for insurance companies.
And what they said during this whole process was, we can't do that, that's an enormous amount of money. You want us to insure everybody? That means -- and here's where the mandate comes in, that means you have to bring us some more healthy young customers. You have to require that these healthy young people get insured. We like them, right? They're healthy, they're young, they pay their premiums, and rarely do they need expensive care. So, that's where the two things are connected to each other.
KAYE: What though really is the objection to the mandate? Obviously, there's two sides to this, but, I mean, we do already buy -- we have to buy car insurance, we have to do a lot of things already.
COHEN: We have to own car insurance if we want to own a car, right? That's a privilege -- owning a car is a privilege. I can't really think of anything else that we require people to buy just by virtue of living in this country. Saying to someone, hey, you live here, you have to buy health insurance and if you don't, we're going to fine you. That's unusual, that's very different and it ruffles a lot of people's feathers.
KAYE: Yes. Well, speaking of ruffling feathers, I great a great op-ed on this today. And somebody said, well, if they're to -- next the government's going to tell us we have to buy broccoli, you know? Or we have to eat our broccoli. I mean, that's where, sort of, the argument is headed. When is it going to stop? What if the mandate is thrown out? Because as I mentioned, there is these, you know, 400- plus provisions in there. So what happens to each of those?
COHEN: Experts I've talked to said that there's a really good chance that the whole thing will kind of fall apart, because you're taking all of these people with pre-existing conditions -- all of these sick people requiring insurance companies to insure them. Well, you need some money to fund that, and that's where the individual mandate comes in and the whole thing could fall apart.
You know, another thing that's going on here, this gets back to the broccoli argument that you were just giving, is that you know you have this healthy person, this healthy 22-year-old who doesn't want to buy insurance, because I'd rather go on a vacation than buy insurance.
KAYE: Right.
COHEN: Why would I want to spend that money on insurance?
KAYE: They never think they're going to get sick.
COHEN: Right. I'm never sick. They're in a car accident and they end up in the hospital. Who pays for them? You and I pay for them. The taxpayers end up paying for them. And so, that's one of the arguments for why people should be required to buy insurance, because we all end up paying for each other when we have a catastrophic event and we're not insured.
KAYE: And it is going to be interesting to see which way this goes, although we won't know probably for six months or so.
COHEN: So, we'll see.
KAYE: All right, Elizabeth Cohen, thank you very much.
The Space Shuttle Endeavor now a museum, and U.S. astronauts kind of look like sidekicks. How this snowy launch is a good look at the future.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: The Soyuz spacecraft carrying one American astronaut and a team of Russians is on its way to the International Space Station. It blasted off this morning in the middle of a snowstorm. Wow, looks like something out of a movie, doesn't it? This is the first flight of a U.S. astronaut since NASA shut down its shuttle program. So, what is the future of our space program? It is a question that we think is quite frankly "Undercovered." CNN's John Zarrella joins me now to talk more about this. All right, John, I know you love all things space. So, we have NASA space shuttle Endeavour now a museum. Space exploration was once synonymous with America. Is this the new future of space travel for us? I mean, riding shotgun with the Russians in a snowstorm?
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, for the foreseeable future. But you know, really, Randi, this is an exciting time if you look at the future. You know, NASA went under the radar last week but in two years, in 2014, NASA announced it's going to do its first test flight of its Orion capsule. That's the capsule that's going to take U.S. astronauts to an asteroid and on to Mars. They're going to fly it out 5,000 miles, re-enter the earth's atmosphere at 25,000 miles an hour. Unman that first flight but that'll be a huge step.
Out in New Mexico, Sir Richard Branson, in about a year, is going to start flying space tourists on his Virgin galactic vehicles. Elon Musk is going to be flying to the International Space Station with a cargo mission shortly after the first of the year. Boeing is building its capsule at the Kennedy Space Center, called the CST-100, that will take astronauts to the International Space Station. So really this is an exciting time. Perhaps maybe the most exciting time in years. But for the foreseeable future, yes, relying on the Russians.
KAYE: Yes, I'm glad you brought it back to that because, really, that's what people are looking at. I mean is the new -- is Russia the new space superpower? Because that's what it looks like.
ZARRELLA: Well, you know, I tell you what, it's the only game in town as far as flying astronauts, cosmonauts, European astronauts, Japanese astronauts. The only capable vehicle is the Russian Soyuz to fly to the International Space Station. But they're not necessarily the only superpower. The Chinese are coming on and coming on very, very strong. And there are a lot of experts who say the Chinese may beat the United States to an asteroid if we're not careful, with humans.
KAYE: And what about the concerns and some fears behind this launch?
ZARRELLA: Well, they lost one of their vehicles in August. A Soyuz crashed carrying a progress resupply ship to the International Space Station. So they grounded their fleet of Soyuz rockets until they worked through the problem. But the Soyuz has been flying since the '60s. they've flown more than 1,800 times. Far more than any other space vehicle in history. So they're very reliable.
KAYE: Yes. And why is, I mean for those of us who don't follow it as closely as you do, I mean why is it so important to get people to the International Space Station?
ZARRELLA: Well, if you're ever going to fly -- here's an example. If you're ever going to fly out to Mars or to an asteroid, you have to understand what long durations in space are going to do to the human body. For instance, what they're finding out now is that many of the astronauts that we've sent to the Space Station, men in particular, are coming back with problems with their eyes. Something that they never suspected. Where the shape of the eye is actually being changed from this long duration in space. They've got to understand that before you can -- as one scientist put it who is studying this, he said, what good does it do to send humans to Mars if they all end up blind when they get there?
KAYE: Good point. John Zarrella, always nice to talk space with you. Nice to see you.
ZARRELLA: Thanks, Randi.
And the Soyuz spacecraft is expected to dock with the International Space Station on Wednesday. Stay tuned to CNN for updates on the mission and the future of NASA.
The scandal surrounding Jerry Sandusky isn't just shaking things up at Penn State. How the former coach is hurting the charity he founded.
But first, on this day in 1970, the Marshall University football team would not make it home. Seventy-five people died as the plane crashed on approach to Tri-state Airport in West Virginia after a loss to East Carolina University. A memorial sits where the plane crashed. In 2006, the film "We Are Marshall" told the story of the crash and how the university recovered. That crash is this shame in history.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back.
As the investigation into the child rape charges against former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky widens, so does the fallout, turmoil and pain at Penn State and its community. Just hours ago we learned the CEO of Sandusky's charity, The Second Mile, resigned. The non-profit for troubled boys now says it will be conducting an internal investigation.
The charity's board of directors issued this statement saying, "although the allegations against Jerry Sandusky and the alleged incidents occurred outside Second Mile programs and events, this does not change the fact that the alleged sexual abuse involved Second Mile program children, nor does it lessen the terrible impact of sexual abuse on its victims." Remember, this comes a week after a grand jury report (ph) charged Sandusky for allegedly molesting, in some cases allegedly raping boys he met through The Second Mile.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We thank you so much. We thank you that you've chosen us to be here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: This scene before Penn State's game against Nebraska this weekend said it all. Players from both teams united to remember the eight alleged victims at the center of this scandal. Missing from the field -- head coach Joe Paterno. The big questions remain -- are there more alleged victims? And did others know about Sandusky's alleged sex abuse? An attorney for one of Sandusky's alleged victims told ABC News they may file a lawsuit against Sandusky and others who did not report the allegations. Pennsylvania's governor says a new state law could be coming that requires abuse allegations be reported to government officials.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. TOM CORBETT (R), PENNSYLVANIA: We have to make sure that the change in the law is one that is effective, it's easy enough to take a look to see what other states have done. But I'm sure that within the next few weeks, you will probably see bills become public. I wouldn't be surprised to see if a bill was passed within -- between now and the end of this year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Now there are serious questions being raised against the judge who granted Sandusky bail and whether or not she was in a position to make that ruling. Her biography indicates she was a volunteer at the Second Mile. A potential conflict of interest that she did not disclose in court. Going against prosecutors wishes, Judge Leslie Dutchcot freed Sandusky on a $100,000 unsecured bail. We do not know whether Dutchcot still has any affiliation with the charity.
It is a lot it digest, we know. HLN's Mike Galanos has been on top of this story since it broke and he joins us now from Penn State's campus at University Park.
Mike, let me first ask you about this, that we just got in to CNN. Big Ten apparently removing Paterno's name from the championship trophy, calling it inappropriate to keep his name on the trophy at this time. That's coming from the Big Ten commissioner. What do you make of that?
MIKE GALANOS, HLN: Not surprising at all, Randi. And, again, this story -- and everybody agrees -- that it's much bigger than football, but it's just another dent in Joe Paterno's legacy when you think of his name being on his trophy and should have been for years to come, obviously.
And Penn State, by the way, could end up playing for this championship, but his name off. And Amos Alonzo Stagg's name is being put on. And he is an old-time founder of the game of football here in the United States. And basically the statement says to have his name on there would be inappropriate at this time. So that's where it stands. So, just again, one more piece, not surprising, but it just brings home the gravity of what we're dealing with here, Randi.
KAYE: So, Mike, what is the next move for Penn State?
GALANOS: You know, on so many different fronts -- and you just kind of touched on it, there's so much to digest here. Let's talk just on an investigative front. There's so many investigations going on. Here at the university know -- we know that they've basically put together a special committee, headed up by Kenneth Frazier (ph), and he said it's going to be transparent, it's going to be a rigorous investigation. And it leads to some of the questions you were just asking -- who knew what when?
And the more grave question -- are there other victims out there? When you consider Jerry Sandusky founded this Second Mile program in 1977, and the first allegation in the grand jury testimony doesn't come until 1994, that's a 17-year window. There could be other victims out there pre-'94 or even after the fact, all the way up until 2008. So that's all the questions we're dealing with at this time, Randi.
KAYE: Yes. And just very quickly. We know that Sandusky doesn't live far from the campus there. I mean has -- do you know at all if he's been getting any threats? Is he getting any type of protection?
GALANOS: Well, we know that our colleague, Mary Snow, was out there and it was really interesting just to see what it looks like in and around Jerry Sandusky's house. They're blocking off the road that leads to his house for his own protection. There were reports there was a cinder block thrown through his house.
And then you look at where his home lies. It's a stone's throw away from a playground and a school for kids up to the age of eight. And we know some of his alleged victims are eight years old. So there's a lot of outrage on that front as well.
And one other thing. I'm here at State College. I went into a store, Randi, and people were buzzing because Jerry Sandusky, just a few days ago, he went into the store with Penn State gear on, of all things. That's unbelievable to me.
KAYE: Wow. Yes, a lot of strong feelings on this story. Thank you, Mike.
Sandusky, by the way, faces 40 counts of various sex abuse charges. It's important to point out, he has maintained his innocence. Sandusky's lawyer says he denies all the charges. The former Penn State defensive coordinator appears in court again next month.
President Obama's questionable choice of words calling American business leaders, quote, "lazy" a good idea? It is "Fair Game" and it's next.
But first, our political junkie question of the day. Who was the leading vote getter in the first Iowa caucus in 1972? If you know the answer, send me a tweet @randikayecnn. I'll give a big shout out to the person with the right answer when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(SINGING) KAYE: Before the break, I asked who got the most votes in the very first Iowa caucus back in 1972? The answer to who, is Maine Democrat Senator Edmund Muskie. He actually finished behind, uncommitted by less than 1 percent. The Republicans didn't have a caucus in Iowa until 1976. So let's give a shout out to the Kev Master, who sent me the right answer first on Twitter. Nice going, Kev Master.
Time to go beyond partisan talking points to the heart of the political debate where all sides are "Fair Game." We've got several good topics to cover today so let's get right to it.
With me today is CNN contributor, Will Cain; and Democratic political consultant, Ed Espinoza.
Welcome to you both.
Let's start with the big news from the Supreme Court. Deciding to hear the appeal on the health care law, a decision expected now in June.
Will, the Republicans are united in calling for the repeal of the law. If the court does it for them, does that take away a key part of their campaign against President Obama?
WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR & COLUMNIST, THE BLAZE.COM: Absolutely not. It reinforces it. Look, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear this some time next June -- or next spring and render a decision next June. If the Supreme Court said that President Barack Obama's centerpiece of legislation over the last four years was unconstitutional, that forcing Americans to buy a certain product from a certain industry was unconstitutional, that's just short of devastating, I think, for his re-election campaign. That takes nothing away from conservatives.
KAYE: We're going to get to Ed in just a second. But, Will, sticking with you on this one question. We have a new poll, the new CNN/ORC poll numbers are out just today. I want to share them with you because it is pretty interesting. if you look at numbers here. Look at Newt Gingrich. Back in October, he was at 8 percent. He's now at 22 percent. That's a 14-point jump. Look at Herman Cain. He was at 25 percent. He's now down 11 percent, at 14 percent. What's the bigger story here do you think, Herman Cain's drop or Gingrich's gain?
CAIN: You know, I think the story, Randi, is the overarching theme. That's just the continued search for an alternative to Mitt Romney. I don't think you've seen the end of the play. This is just simply something happening in the second act or so. Gingrich's rise, Cain's drop. We're liable to see self-others of these kind of rise and falls, much before the Iowa primaries. Newt Gingrich, there's a lot of information -- essentially, the dogs will be released on Newt Gingrich. He's been off to the side of the stage getting to play the grumpy old uncle. Now people will go after Newt Gingrich and attack him. Watch how grumpy he gets now.
(LAUGHTER)
KAYE: Well, I guess we'll see.
Let me ask you about something President Obama said while in Hawaii at the APEC summit. I want to play it for you, then I'll ask you about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've been a little bit lazy I think over the last couple of decades. We've kind of taken for granted, well, people will want to come here and we aren't out there hungry, selling America, and trying to attract new businesses into America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Poor choice of words, Will, calling American businesses lazy, as he says?
CAIN: Yes. This is awesome, by the way. I get to make all my affirmative arguments? And Ed has to rebut them in the back half?
(LAUGHTER)
KAYE: Let me point it out, it is because we are having a few technical difficulties getting Ed, so this might be your show today.
CAIN: Oh, oh.
(LAUGHTER)
CAIN: All right.
KAYE: But he's listening, I guarantee you.
(LAUGHTER)
CAIN: Randi, I think President Obama's choice of words is revealing. It is unclear who he is talking about is lazy. Is he talking about the government? In that case, I think it is revealing what he thinks the role of the government is in enticing business. The role of the government is not to cheer lead, it is to set policies and step aside.
If he's talking about American businesses, let me say this. Conservatives have consistently said President Obama is apologizing for America. Let me tell you why they keep saying that. Because this concept that he is a pragmatist, we have to lead from behind, we have a humble foreign policy and such. That's where that message is coming from.
And you know what? Maybe that's appropriate when you start talking about foreign policy. But when you start calling American businesses lazy, that's very revealing about your core view of who we are. KAYE: Guess what, Will, we got all those difficulties work out with Ed. He is with us.
Ed, I don't know how much of that you heard. I don't know if you heard all of what Will said. But let me ask you first about this repeal of the Health Care Act. The Supreme Court now agreeing to hear it. If the Supreme Court gets rid of it, which is basically the Republican platform, does that hurt them? This is a key part of the Republican campaign.
ED ESPINOZA, DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL CONSULTANT: Well, first of all, hopefully, you can hear me. But the issue with this is, there aren't very many times where the Supreme Court rules on something that will immediately affect an election in front of it. This is really a unique situation here.
But the question is, will the Supreme Court rule on the entire health care law or pieces of the health care law. There are really some important pieces here. Pre-existing conditions, will they strike that down? Will they support the notion that the Medicare doughnut hole is gone? These are important issues that affect a lot of voters in swing states.
So it might be a Republican issue to get rid of the law, but when you get rid of the most important parts of the law with it, that creates problems in places like Florida, Nevada, Pennsylvania. So obviously, I support the law. We think it is good for the land. We'll see what happens with -- the Supreme Court thinks. But this will probably be a 4-5 decision hinging on one or two justices. We'll have to see what happens.
KAYE: All right.
We will leave it there, Ed.
We did hear you and it was nice to get you on there eventually. Though Will kind of stole the show today, I'm sorry.
(LAUGHTER)
But thank you both, guys.
CAIN: Thank you.
KAYE: Appreciate it. Nice seeing you.
That is "Fair Game."
And remember, CNN is hosting the next Republican presidential debate November 22nd, 8:00 p.m. eastern. The only place you'll find it is right here on CNN.
We're about to take you to a European country that's in the process of changing leaders. The old prime minister, outspoken and frequently outrageous. The new nominee is a low-key technocrat. What country are we talking about? The answer just ahead in "Globe Trekking."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: "Globe Trekking" today begins in Italy where a new government is getting ready to take over. There were celebrations in Rome after Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi announced his resignation. Italy's president has nominated 68-year-old Mario Monti, a respected economist, to take over as the new prime minister. The nomination has already won endorsements from Italy's main political parties but it may be several days before Monti is confirmed. Monti is expected to push austerity measures in a bid to save Italy from defaulting on its debt.
Next to another country dealing with a debt crisis. Yes, you guessed it -- Greece. The new prime minister laid out his government's policy goals before the Greek parliament today. He's trying to get lawmakers to ratify a bailout deal offered by European leaders, but he is running into opposition. One of his coalition partners vows to oppose some of the austerity measures included in the deal.
Let's see how the markets are reacting to the latest developments in Europe. The Dow right there, you see it there, down 72 points.
Now to Syria where President Bashar al Assad is finding himself increasingly isolated. A major Arab leader spoke out against him today. Jordan's King Abdullah told the BCC that al Assad should step down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING ABDULLAH, JORDAN: I would believe if -- if I were in his shoes I would step down. However, it's not -- if I was in his position I would -- if it was me, I would step down and make sure whoever comes behind me has the ability to change the status quo that we're seeing. And again, I don't think the system allows for that. So if Assad has the interest of his country, he would step down, but he would also create an ability to reach out and start a new phase of Syrian political life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The United Nations says more than 3,500 people have died since al Assad's government began cracking down on dissidents. The dissidents claimed 13 people died in today's violence alone, including a man allegedly shot to death in front of his 9-year-old son.
Finally to Germany, where two suspected members of a neo-Nazi cell have been arrested. Police believe the cell has killed at least 10 people, mostly of Turkish and Greek origin. Germany's interior minister says his country is facing a new form of right wing extremist terrorism. Germany has a large Turkish population that has been in the country since the late '60s.
What's behind the alleged cover-up at Penn State? Some blame the school's athletic program. Our next guest says it is all about the money.
But first, for two decades, world leaders at APEC have posed for a silly picture. The economic summit post-country pick the outfits, like linen shirts in Singapore ponchos in Peru. But this year, President Obama breaks tradition. No Hawaiian shirts. No coconut bras, not even a single lei. We can only imagine wistful leaders wearing their silly shirts on the inside. Sadly, silly shirts, your five minutes are up.
(SINGING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. As we learn more details in the Penn State scandal, the big question still is, why were the alleged crimes kept quiet for more than a decade? In 2002, why weren't police told about allegations assistant coach Jerry Sandusky had been seen abusing a young boy on campus? One theory is because an investigation could have hurt Penn State's football program and the school's ability to raise money.
Peter Morici is a University of Maryland business professor. Now he says that perception is backwards and scandals like this are fueled by big-money athletic programs.
Peter, nice to see you. Explain your thinking behind this.
PETER MORICI, BUSINESS PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND: Well, essentially big money corrupts athletics and it corrupts the universities. In 2002, Graham Spanier was brought -- it was brought to his attention that something had taken place. He was given a very sanitized version.
But this is a man whose background is in family counseling and so forth. He should have known something was up. He chose not to investigate. In 1999, the police, the district attorney, were told that something was up. They were given very graphic examples. They chose not to prosecute. No, the fear that they would lose the access, the imprimatur of the big money to raise money for Penn State really was at play.
KAYE: So looking more closely at your system, the system that you propose, which is separating athletics from academics, how exactly could that have prevented this scandal from unfolding at Penn State?
MORICI: Well, I advocate for the very top universities, maybe the top 30 that are in football and basketball and so forth, to acknowledge that these are businesses. Essentially, align them with a pro team and allow them to operate near campus but not be connected to the university's fundraising activities. They can't raise money from the alumni. They have to finance themselves with ticket sales and TV and pay the athletes. Then the rest of the universities in the country can operate the way the Ivies do or West Point and Naval Academy. The State of New York university schools don't get scholarships. Then athletics would be for the students again. The money would still be there to be raised but you would raise it from different means.
KAYE: I'm glad you brought up scholarships. Really, for disadvantaged kids, scholarships are the only way they can go to college and you propose getting rid of scholarships. So what happens to those kids then?
MORICI: We are admitting disadvantaged children right now to America's universities and providing them with scholarships. Why do we have to do it through an athletic program? And if there is money to be raised, and there is plenty of money to be raised, if we aren't aligned with athletic programs, we can raise it in other ways and provide scholarships for them.
Also you don't do a child much service by taking them to a place like Penn State with very high administration standards today, or my university, when their academic background is really not what it needs to be to survive there. Instead, they either don't get diplomas or they get diplomas in soft areas. We're really not helping them this way. We are using them.
KAYE: I'm sure you realize this. Kids like to go to a school with a big football team. I went to a college that had no football team. It was awful! So a lot of kids out there are saying, hey, I want to be a Gator. Without all this money, is there going to be a big football team for these kids? And what will happen then if they're just not interested in going to those schools?
MORICI: Well, they're going to go to school someplace. I don't know that children should make their choices about where to go to college on the basis of what Saturday's football is like.
However, there would still be football. At Notre Dame and maybe 30 other top schools, there would be these teams that are associated with the university and 100,000 people can go watch them on a Saturday afternoon. For the rest of the universities, football would look like it is supposed to look like. The way it is at Johns Hopkins or the Ivy League or look at West Point and the Naval Academy. They have plenty of pageantry there. The students have a very good time. And they're not corrupted by all this. West Point and the Naval Academy have figured it out. They're universities. They're not a farm system for the NFL or the NBA.
KAYE: Peter Morici, nice to see you. Thank you very much.
MORICI: Take care.
KAYE: Well, every day on this show we call out someone who we think deserves it. So today, say hello to Mayor Mike Winder of West Valley City, Utah. We understand everyone likes a little good P.R., of course.
But listen to what the "Deseret News" says the mayor did. He didn't like all the negative publicity his city was getting. He was tired of all the crime stories. So he took things into his own hands, quite literally. Under a fake name, an alias, he signed on with the local paper as an unpaid writer who focused on positive articles about his city. He used the name Richard Burwash, which belongs to a one- time professional tennis player from California, actually.
Not only did Mayor Winder write these articles but he even quoted himself in some them, as if the writer had interviewed him. After realizing the paper had a no-fake byline policy, the mayor came clean and reportedly admitted, quote, "I was an easy source." He said he was standing up for his city that too often gets the short end of the stick.
Well, Mayor, nice effort. We'll give that you. But sadly, your short-lived writing here has only brought more negative attention to your community. It is time for you to face the music.
(SINGING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Now, let's go "Street Level" with stories making headlines across the country.
I want to take you first to Chicago where tarmac delays at O'Hare have the Department of Transportation smacking American Eagle Airlines with a massive fine. We're talking a penalty of $900,000. That follows the new delay rules that kicked in last April. American Eagle is the first airline to get slammed with a fine to make passengers wait too long. The Transportation Department said 15 American Eagle flights with more than 600 passengers sat on the tarmac, delayed for more than three hours. American Eagle blames the delays on a, quote, "single slow-moving weather system and resulting congestion."
In Los Angeles, California, a whistle-blower exposed at the state's mass transit system, known as Caltrans, may be putting countless commuters at risk. An investigation by a local newspaper revealed safety reports of bridges across the state were made up. If the test results weren't fabricated, the insider told "The Sacramento Bee," the safety results weren't exactly accurate, with tests reported done with faulty equipment. Caltrans engineer responsible for faking those safety reports was placed on leave.
Next stop, Springfield, Illinois, where a thief has taken a precious piece of history, specifically a piece from former Abraham Lincoln's tomb. If you've never see the tomb before, it's now missing a three-foot-long copper sword that was attached to the bronze statue of a civil war artillery officer. It's been gone for a few weeks. It hasn't happened since the 1890s -- get this -- when the same sword was stolen. A little bit of history there repeating itself.
In Orlando, SeaWorld experts have a creative solution to help a pilot whale do what she does best, swim. I want you to meet 300. She was rescued back in May but developed severe scoliosis. You see that blue device there? It's a custom-made orthopedic brace that SeaWorld workers are hoping will straighten out her curved spine over time. The brace is a first-of-its-kind used on a whale. SeaWorld animal experts say it's too early to know if the brace is going to work.
And finally to Boston, Massachusetts. I get to interview politicians, newsmakers and celebrities all the time. But out of all these people, you're about to meet one of my hands-down favorite guests ever. Milo Cress, he's a 10-year-old on a one-man crusade to cut down on plastic trash. He presses restaurants to do just one simply thing, only give customers a straw if they ask for one. This little idea has caught on, from his home state of Vermont to Tennessee and California.
Because I wanted it, because the viewers demanded it, the amazing Milo joins me to get us caught up on his mission.
Milo, I have to tell you, last I spoke, I told you I was going to stop using straws. I have used them a couple of times. I've broken down. And every time I do it, I feel guilty and I think of you. So please give me, give our viewers, pointers on how to be better.
MILO CRESS, FOUNDER, BE STRAW FREE: Well, thanks so much for having me back. Well, I -- well, what do you mean?
(CROSSTALK)
KAYE: How can we be better on trying to wean ourselves off the straws? How can we be better at refusing to take the straws? Sometimes a drink demands a straw.
CRESS: Well, I encourage customers who don't need a straw to order their drinks without one. And some people do need straws, and that's OK. I'm not trying to ban straws. And you shouldn't feel guilty if you need a straw because some people do.
(LAUGHTER)
KAYE: Right, including myself. So tell us, for those of us who maybe didn't catch your last appearance on our show, because now quite frankly, you're a regular, tell me what inspired you to get people to stop using straws.
CRESS: Well, I noticed if I didn't order my drink without a straw, it would come with one in it automatically. That seemed like a huge waste because I don't usually need a straw. It made me wonder how many straws are used every day in America. And so we did some research and we found that we use about 500 million straws in the U.S. every day. That's a lot of straws.
(LAUGHTER)
KAYE: That is a lot of straws!
(CROSSTALK)
CRESS: I thought -- this is --
KAYE: And I understand you got your school --
(CROSSTALK)
KAYE: -- straw-free?
CRESS: Yes. They -- they offer straws instead of putting a straw with every meal automatically. And it's really great.
KAYE: To people who like to use straws, and say, this is just a little piece of plastic, how much harm can this really do in a landfill or something like that, what do you say to those people?
CRESS: Well, sometimes I think we forget that every straw, every piece of plastic we use today will be here on earth, somewhere on earth, even when my grandchildren are born, even longer than that. So we should reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink plastic.
KAYE: And I know you have this beach cleanup in Cape Cod planned. Is that just a one-day thing?
CRESS: Two-day. It's -- we're organizing it to be 18 miles. And it's going to be over the school break, April break, I think, April vacation.
KAYE: Well, Milo, we love what you're doing. We'd love to have you back. I have a few straws here. I'm going to toss them. Just get rid of them. We're done with them.
But I do hope to see you again. And keep us up to date on all your work to make us straw fee.
Thank you so much. Nice to see you.
CRESS: Thanks so much.
KAYE: Boy, is he adorable.
Earlier, I shared some new numbers we have on the race to be the Republican presidential nominee. We have Mitt Romney on top. But the big gain by Gingrich and the big drop by Cain that really are the big stories here.
CNN deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser, joining us from Washington.
Paul, it's going to be hard for you to top Milo there, but let's talk politics. How do you explain Newt Gingrich's rise in the polls?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Milo's converted me as well, Randi. I'm tossing the straws. That was terrific.
(LAUGHTER)
But, yes, Gingrich, the former House speaker, listen, we've seen him at ten presidential debates. He does very well at these debates. And he's popular, and it seems increasingly popular with Republicans voters.
Let's break down the numbers in our polls. Check this out. Favorable rating of the candidates, this is among Republicans only, look who's at the top, more six in 10 Republicans say they have a favorable opinion of Newt. That's higher than Romney or anybody else in the battle for the White House. That's one of the reasons why Newt Gingrich is where he is right now, Randi.
KAYE: When we talking about Herman Cain, we're look at his numbers in the new polls. He's gone from 25 percent to 14 percent, an 11 points drop. Is it the sexual harassment allegations, do you think?
STEINHAUSER: Yes. It indicates -- it does indicate that it is taking a toll. It's been two weeks now since the allegations first hit.
Check this out. We asked the opinion of the charges against Cain. We asked this of Republicans only. Is it a serious matter or is it overblown? Six in 10 Republicans say overblown. But, listen, 39 percent is a lot of Republicans. They say it's a serious issue. Among women Republicans, that number goes up. We also asked, who do you tend to believe in this story? Among Republicans, we asked, do you believe Herman Cain or do you believe the women who have made the charges? Again, a sizeable amount of Republicans say it is the women who make the claims they believe. Again, that number goes up with women Republican voters. Randi, that's troublesome for Herman Cain.
KAYE: Yes. It certainly looks that way. What about Rick Perry? His numbers aren't moving much. Can he rebound?
STEINHAUSER: Yes. You look at the numbers and see nothing's change, so maybe that oops incident in last week's debate didn't hurt Herman Cain (ph). But when you break it down, when you break down the numbers, there is trouble for him. Look at this. Perry, does he have the presidential qualities a commander-in-chief should have? Well, 58 say yes, the Texas governor does. But that's down from 72 percent, 14-point drop from September. The "nos" are on the rise by 14 points. That is a problem for Rick Perry as he tries to reignite his bid for the nomination -- Randi?
KAYE: Yes.
Paul Steinhauser, nice to see you. Thank you.
And thank you everyone for watching today. As always, I'd love to hear what you think. You can continue the conversation with me online on Facebook or Twitter at randikaye/cnn.
Now I will hand it over to Brooke Baldwin.
Hi, Brooke.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Randi Kaye, back in Atlanta, in person after a long time there in Los Angeles.
(LAUGHTER)
Good to have you back, Randi.
