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Protesters Vow to Shut Down Wall Street; Gingrich Defends Freddie Mac fees; Assistant Football Speaks Out; Syrian President Under Pressure; New Questions in Penn State Scandal; Oil Tops $100/Barrel; Gingrich: More Support, More Scrutiny; Mother of Alleged Victim Speaks Out; Woody Woodpecker Movie Possible; Franco Harris Fired for Defending Paterno; Eight Charged in Wilson Ramos Kidnapping

Aired November 17, 2011 - 09:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thanks so much, ladies. You all have a great day.

We're going to begin in the very place that you were leaving off in New York in what could be an ugly turning point in the "Occupy" movement. Protesters are vowing to shut down Wall Street today and seize control of a public square across from city hall.

Demonstrations first cropped up two months ago today. And tensions have been building ever since.

Mary Snow is among the -- is there witnessing the protesters and she's joining us there by phone.

So, Mary, give me an idea of what the police presence is like and is this crowd growing?

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): It's been a massive crowd this morning, Fredricka. Down here in Lower Manhattan near -- in the surrounding blocks around the New York Stock Exchange.

We are on one intersection where there's been pretty much of a standoff between police and protesters. There have been the barricade up preventing them from going any closer to the New York Stock Exchange and on the last few minutes we have seen some arrests. People were carried out. We have seen also more police showing up at this intersection where we are with handcuffs.

The police got on the loud speaker just a short time ago telling protesters to get on the sidewalk. They have blocked the intersection in this block right near the Stock Exchange and it's pretty much protesters just kind of in this standoff with police.

It's been, you know, a very charged atmosphere. Certainly tense at times. But mostly peaceful. You might hear in between, you know, chanting. There is a band behind me. You're hearing that music. But this is just the first of the number of events today that protesters plan to hold in New York City.

WHITFIELD: So, Mary, among the other events for lack of a better word that some of these demonstrators are planning is to actually disrupt the commute, the evening commute at the Brooklyn Bridge. What more are you hearing about that for later today?

SNOW: Yes, and not just the Brooklyn Bridge, Fredricka. They are planning to go into several subway stations throughout New York. And then around rush hour march on the Brooklyn Bridge connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan, the city and police have already told them that they cannot block traffic on that bridge where there will be arrest. You may remember, several weeks ago, there has been a more massive march in Lower Manhattan.

So there are a number of protests throughout the day and this, of course, coming just two days after the city -- after the city evicted protesters from Zuccotti Park and they can protest there, but they could no longer camp out there.

And some of these protesters are saying that after that eviction, this has given them more resolve. This protest has been planned because it is the two-month mark of this movement. But they are really determined, they say, just to show their force here in New York today.

WHITFIELD: All right. Mary Snow, thanks so much. As we look at live pictures, thanks to our affiliate WABC there of Lower Manhattan. We were just now witnessing while you were talking, Mary, what appeared to be the arrest of at least one person there. It's unclear exactly why, but we saw that one person being handcuffed and then police then escorting another person who was in a wheelchair out. Not sure what that resulted in, but we'll keep you posted.

Meantime, Alison Kosik is also in Lower Manhattan, but at the New York Stock Exchange.

So, Alison, what might security be like there?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: As you can imagine, it's very, very tight. You know we talked with the officials from the New York Stock Exchange and they said, hey, it's business as usual, but it certainly doesn't seem that way as you try to get to the New York Stock Exchange.

I, for one, had to walk quite a ways because a lot of the streets are literally closed off surrounding the Stock Exchange. And then when you finally get close enough, it is literally fortified. The building, the perimeter, literally fortified by NYPD officers. Everywhere you look.

Also, a lot of media vans, as well -- are also surrounding the perimeter as well. I had to show my I.D. several times just to get close to the building, to the New York stock exchange. And then when I got in and I had a bird's eye view as to what was going on around the perimeter, interesting to see. Pretty much each corner of the -- of the building here, especially at each entrance, you would just see huge groups of NYPD officers just standing in mass, sort of a show of force.

Many of them on horseback. Really just a show of force here as these protesters say that they want to shut down the New York Stock Exchange before the Opening Bell. Opening Bell happening in about 25 minutes.

And a lot of people are pretty skeptical whether or not they'll be success on that. You could see I took some pictures out here. You see the officers on horseback. Just how many officers are here. It really is amazing and not one -- I did not see one protesters as I walked towards the building. So NYPD definitely is running a tight ship today -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And so these pictures that we're seeing that you took. The still pictures, that is. If we can go back to that. Those were images of the assembly of these mountain police officers and other police officers. So this is kind of, I guess, unfolding that area is almost like a command post or a starting point for those officers?

KOSIK: Stay on that picture. You see this picture here with these officers on horseback, this is one of the entrances to the Stock Exchange. And you see they are just fanned out, just in one -- this is just one of many entrances and they're saying, you know what, you won't be able to get through here. But even beyond the officers sitting there are just layers upon layers of gates, which I began to see yesterday when I left the exchange at the end of my work day yesterday.

These layers of gates. Literally one upon the other. Surrounding. It literally is like a fortress here at the New York Stock Exchange, just in case, just in case the protesters try to make their way here.

WHITFIELD: All right, Alison Kosik, keep us posted on that. And thanks for sharing those images that you took earlier today, as well.

All right, meantime, across the country cities are showing the strain of this "Occupy" movement. Seattle's mayor is apologizing for the police using pepper spray on peaceful demonstrators. He's asking the police chief to investigate.

And this morning in Dallas, police are surrounding the tent city, but not planning to evict the protesters there. The city is trying to define a compromise with the "Occupy" leaders there in Dallas.

And this morning there are new questions meantime and contradictions in the Penn State child molestation scandal. Also, we hear from the mother of one of Jerry Sandusky's alleged victims. We've disguised her voice to protect her son's identity.

Here she describes his reaction to the interview Sandusky gave to NBC News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was upset. He was very upset about it. He said -- I didn't watch it at the time, I watched it when it was on and he watched it after that. And he said that he cried. And I said, well, why did you cry? And he said because I'm afraid he might go free. ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: He's afraid that Sandusky might go free?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And more now on other disturbing new developments in the case. The "New York Times" is reporting that three years of records are missing from Second Mile, the charity that Sandusky founded and where he met many of his victims. His alleged victims. Well, the paper says those alleged victims were reluctant to cooperate. They told investigators that both the public and the prosecutors would not believe them when pitted against the beloved Penn State football program.

In fact, the prominence of that program prompted investigators to meet a key witness, assistant coach Mike McQueary in a secluded parking lot.

And today new questions about McQueary and an e-mail he recently sent a classmate. McQueary claimed in the e-mail that after he witnessed Sandusky raping a boy in 2002, he went to police. But this morning, there is no record of that.

CNN's Sarah -- Sarah Hoye is on the Penn State campus.

And, Sarah, tell us more about this conflict and this contradiction of events.

SARAH HOYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right. So earlier this week, "The Morning Call" newspaper, like you had just said, reported that McQueary sent an e-mail to a former classmate. And let me just read some of that to you. In this e-mail he says, I did stop it. Not physically, but made sure it was stopped when I left that locker room.

He says that he reported it. And in this same e-mail he goes on to say, he had discussions with police and with the official at the university in charge of police.

Now, as of yesterday evening, both Penn State officials and State College Police say they have no record of any police report filed with either agency -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK. Sarah, thanks so much. We're going to check back with you momentarily.

Also turning now to presidential politics. Newt Gingrich has enjoyed a recent surge in polls, but today he's on the defensive. At the very time that he was rallying against politicians and their cozy relationship with Freddie Mac, the mortgage giant wads doling out nearly $2 million in payments to his company.

Our deputy political director Paul Steinhauser is in Washington.

So, Paul, how much does this hurt Gingrich potentially?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Troubling for him. You know, Fred, we've seen this before where a Republican presidential candidate rises or jumps in the polls and comes under increased scrutiny. Think Herman Cain over the last couple of weeks.

Now for the former House speaker this is, I guess, even doubly troubling. Why? Because it wasn't that long ago that he was very critical of Democrats such as Barney Frank and Chris Odd who dealt with the troubled mortgage giant. In fact saying maybe they should be jailed. And it seems that Gingrich has changed his story a bit. First saying he offered Freddie Mac advice as historian, and he said he offered strategic advice, but denying he did any lobbying.

Yesterday on the campaign trail in Iowa he was peppered by reporters with questions. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Strategic advice over a long period of time.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: How much did you spend like on a monthly basis for this kind of work? It seems like a lot money.

GINGRICH: We'd have to go back and look. First of all, it wasn't paid to me. Gingrich Group was a consulting firm that had lots of people doing things. And we offered strategic advice.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: So you did (INAUDIBLE) personally?

GINGRICH: Sure. But I don't know the amount.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Is the $1.6 million figure correct?

GINGRICH: I don't know, we're going back to check.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: It sounds like a whole lot more than just being a historian.

GINGRICH: Well, look, I mean I was speaker of the House and a strategic adviser.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You also consulted Fannie?

GINGRICH: No.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Just Freddie.

GINGRICH: That's right.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEINHAUSER: Now a source who worked at Freddie Mac linking Gingrich was on the payroll there says -- tells CNN that Gingrich offered political strategic advice, not lobbying but political strategic advice.

Gingrich on the campaign trail today in Florida. I think we're going to hear a lot more about this story and some of the other candidates running for the White House such as Michele Bachmann, now criticizing Gingrich over this saying that while he was taking Freddie Mac's money, I was fighting against it -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much. I know this is not the first and the last hearing about it. Thanks so much, Paul.

All right, well, Tuesday night on CNN the Republicans running for president will gather just steps away from the White House for presidential debate on national security and the economy. The debate co-sponsored by the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute beginning at 8:00 Eastern Time, Tuesday night.

And we'll have your next political update in one hour and a reminder for all the latest political news, you know exactly where to go. CNNPolitics.com.

Reports of explosions and gunfire today in the Syrian capital. Details are scarce, but along with these new clashes, there's new pressure from the international community on President Assad.

Zain Verjee joins us now with details and other world headlines -- Zain.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hi, Fred, good morning. Let's take you through some of the newspaper headlines around the world. All of these are comment or opinion pieces, OK.

This is what "Gulf News" headline is. It says, "Al Assad has run out of options." It goes on to say, "What is regrettable and surprising is the Syrian president not cooperating with the Arab League. What lies ahead is difficult to ascertain at the moment."

Then, look at the "Jerusalem Post." Syria on the brink." "The latest threat to the Assad regime is multi-facetted which is precisely why it should be taken seriously. What should be cleared, though, is that a chaotic violent transition of power would not be in Syria's interest or Israel's.

Finally, the "Wall Street Journal" it says Syria game change. This is the Europe edition. It says it may not be this or next week, but Bashar Apssad is heading for a fall of Syria. The puzzle for the Syrians other Arab states and not least the U.S. is how to get the butcher out of Damascus quickly with as little bloodshed as possible."

Fred, I just want to point out, too, though, Bashar al-Assad in spite of all of this pressure still holding out but also still does have friends. Number one on the list is Iran. Russia is still a really strong ally and, finally, China is saying, look, why don't you just dialogue with the opposition.

The Chinese are also not calling for Assad to step down. China and Russia are really critical players because they have veto powers on the U.N. Security Council. So those do matter -- Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right. Matter indeed. Thanks so much, Zain Verjee.

All right. Coming up, we'll take a closer look at the latest developments in that Penn State case. We'll ask a trial attorney and former prosecutor about a report of missing files from Jerry Sandusky's charity and what this could mean to the case.

Plus, a driver has a seizure while she's driving and her car goes flying into a cold lake. She could have died right there, but the state trooper who just happened to be driving behind her wasn't about to let that happen.

That story is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's take a quick look at news from across the country now.

The man police believe fired a shot that hit a White House window will be in a Pittsburgh courtroom later on today. Twenty-one- year-old Oscar Ortega-Hernandez was arrested yesterday at a hotel in Pennsylvania. Police say he is mentally ill and has a long, criminal record.

And check out this protest in California. College students along with Occupy Long Beach were furious after the California State University board of trustees approving a 9 percent tuition hike. That means students will have to pay an additional $500 next fall. Police in riot gear used pepper spray and batons to control the crowd.

And in Minnesota, a woman could easily have died in her car on her birthday. That car, she had a seizure and her car went flying into a cold lake. But a state trooper was driving behind her. He and another trooper pulled her out seconds before that car sank.

All right. Let's talk about more new development in the Penn State case. "The New York Times" reports that three years of records are missing from the charity that Jerry Sandusky founded and where he met his alleged victims.

B.J. Bernstein is here to talk about this. She's a trial attorney and former prosecutor.

So, how important could those files be? Clearly, they're missing. So, now, investigators are going to be hot on the trial to find out where they went and who's responsible for their missing.

B.J. BERNSTEIN, TRIAL ATTORNEY/FORMER PROSECUTOR: Exactly. And in terms of the prosecutor being together a case to show the length that people went to protect Sandusky that would indicate something was very wrong, as opposed to just an innocent mistake and that's how that's going to become a significant.

Or they may find the files. Someone may have them. Someone they have done something and have them at their home and finally come forward now.

WHITFIELD: And what is interesting about this article, it also talks about this code of silence that persists. We've heard it time and time again as it surrounds this investigation. But now, we're looking at many entities that are possibly complicit here. We're talking about campus police that is under the microscope and even the college station police. Many, including the university, who may have known about these allegations but just didn't do anything because they thought while there could be charges imposed against Jerry Sandusky, the problem is, we may not be able to get a conviction because he's so revered.

BERNSTEIN: In my practice of law, as both the prosecutor and defense attorney and as a civil litigator, I confronted that with clients and victims that are represented for the state where the person is in such power and that little kingdom -- whatever it is, whether it's a national stage, whether it's a local stage like that small town that relies on that college. And truthfully it takes some very brave people to bust through that. And the code of silence is what allows child molestation to continue.

WHITFIELD: Adding to that problem, however, a lack of physical evidence. That, apparently, is at the crux of whether this investigation or how this investigation might be able to go forward.

Yes, there may be eyewitness accounts, the victims, the alleged victims, their stories. But then how difficult would it be to prosecute or move forward without DNA, without some kind of physical evidence?

BERNSTEIN: Completely easy. Only television makes DNA think that it's in every case. I would say when I was a child abuse prosecutor and I tried, let's say, 38 child molestation trials in a short period of time, none of them had DNA. The word of the victim is enough to convict someone.

And add to it here something that you never have, which is someone saying, I saw it happen. That, you know, changes the dynamics completely. What really the concern, you know, we have this interview of Sandusky now who says he was in the shower, who he says, you know, slapping the towel.

What's interesting to me about that interview is it was a very careful interview to get around the legal issues here, which is, it's not just that you were alone in a shower with a child, but that you had the intent, the sexual intent there. And that interview was significant because it shows where the defend --

WHITFIELD: Did it establish that intent?

BERNSTEIN: Well, that's what the defense was trying to do. Now, why in the world they ever did it on national television and not save that for the courtroom, I have no idea.

WHITFIELD: Interesting.

BERNSTEIN: But that's what is significant there. It's not so much not having the DNA, not having the physical, or even -- but since they've got him cold in the shower, so to speak, they have to try to say, well, it was innocent as opposed to meant for a purpose of sexual assault, which is what the criminal statute would require.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. All right, B.J. Bernstein, thanks so much. Fascinating.

All right, I think we're going to move on now to oil prices. Soaring to a three-month high topping $100 a barrel. We'll go to the New York Stock Exchange for a look at what it could mean for gas prices, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It's the two-month anniversary of the start of the Occupy Wall Street movement -- and you're looking at live pictures right now and how demonstrators are trying to kick it up a notch. Their plan today is to try to disrupt a lot of Wall Street business today on what they're calling a day of action.

Among the plans, protesters say they're hoping by evening rush hour to disrupt subway traffic, as well as a vehicular traffic, as well as possibly shutting down or disrupting the Brooklyn Bridge.

We've got our own correspondents on our the ground there keeping close watch on the activity taking place there in the streets of Lower Manhattan, as well as from the point of view from inside the New York Stock Exchange.

It appears, as though, the numbers have swelled quite a bit this morning. You see police presence. There are mounted police, as well as a number of policemen on foot, as well, trying to keep the peace there. It is unclear exactly what will unfold today.

But what we do know is that this is two-month marker of the start of the Occupy movement, that really has spread across the country from coast to coast.

Our Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange.

And, Alison, earlier, you described the police presence. You even took some pictures of your own. We shared them, mounted police, as well as, you know, quite a bit of protesters who are outside the buildings and barricades being put up.

Meantime, business does move on. We're talking oil, crude oil right now. That's the focus of attention inside there at the New York Stock Exchange. Crude crossing the $100 a barrel mark yesterday.

Tell us more.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know, that milestone there that you're talking about with oil hitting $100 a barrel, it's more of a psychological milestone. We haven't seen it happen since July. And, you know, in this case, especially, it's tough to really pin it on one reason that is really driving prices higher.

One reason could be that there have been some encouraging U.S. economic reports that the thinking here is that the better the economy gets, the greater the demand for oil and then gas. And this is despite the fact that oil supply seems to be in check. So, you see how prices have gone over the past month. They're up 17 percent.

Now, analysts are split on how it's going to wind up affecting gas prices. Some say gas could rise a few cents, others say it could wind up topping $4 a gallon. Right now, national average is sitting at $3.39 a gallon.

And, of course, as you know this, Fredricka, when you go to the gas station, you know, the price seems to change day by day. Same with oil, it's a day-by-day thing. Things can change quickly as far as oil goes -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. In the meantime, we also have a couple of economic reports out this morning: jobless claims and home construction all being impacted. What do they say about the recovery, so to speak?

KOSIK: Yes. So, so they say the recovery is, plotting along, as one way to put it. We have some new reports telling us that. One, new jobless claims continue to fall last week. That's a good sign because it shows fewer people are being laid off.

We also got another report on what's being called housing starts. That's actually new home construction. That number fell but didn't fall as much. You see how the bar is kind of set low these days.

We also got a final report on building permits. That is future construction. That number went up, that's a good sign because that's a sign of future construction. Though, we are still not at a point that indicates we're in the middle of a healthy economy. But things are definitely improving ever so slowly and slightly, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much. Alison Kosik, keeping us posted there on all that's taking place inside the New York Stock Exchange. Of course, we'll keep you posted at home, too, on all that is taking place outside on Wall Street with this so-called day of action involving Wall Street protesters.

All right, coming up, more politics. Newt Gingrich storms to the top of the pack and gets pummeled on his Freddie Mac connection. We'll look at his place in the Republican field and if he's likely to stay there.

First, Jerry Sandusky broke his silence. Now, the mother of one of his alleged victims is speaking out. Her thoughts and her son's fears, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Checking our top stories right now:

The Occupy movement is staging a mass day of action right now in New York's Zuccotti Park. Protesters are taking their fight against economic inequality to the New York Stock Exchange. They want to shut down Wall Street, occupy subways and march across the Brooklyn Bridge.

And at least five people were killed after severe storms and possible tornadoes swept across the Southeast yesterday. A search and rescue operation is under way this morning in South Carolina.

And overseas, President Obama arrived in Indonesia in the island, on the island of Bali, just a few hours ago. He's taking part in economic talks with Asian leaders.

One by one, the Republican hopefuls have seen it, zooming to the top of the polls means more support and much more scrutiny. Now, it's Newt Gingrich's turn, thanks to a recent spike. The former House speaker is tied with Mitt Romney for frontrunner position.

On the stump, Gingrich has blasted mortgage giants like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Well, now, a report that Freddie paid his firm more than $1.5 million bucks is dogging him. At issue: the nature of his work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What I try to do over and over again with folks was offer strategic advice to whatever they were dealing with. And we did that very successfully at the center for health transformation. A lot of it was aimed at health care. How do you lower the health cost for your employees? How do you explain what you're doing and how you're doing it?

But I did no lobbying of any kind. That's all I got to say it about it. That's all I got to say about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN contributors Maria Cardona and Will Cain joining us now. OK. This is interesting. This is a straight forward issue? I mean, Gingrich is saying he was given political, strategic advice. He was giving strategic advice, not political advice.

So, Maria, would this save him from scrutiny or is this a double standard? Hypocritical?

MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, I do think it's hypocritical and I don't think it really matters in the minds of voters whether it's strategic or a political or for communication purposes. I think what they'll remember is that this is somebody who greatly criticized Democrats for doing work with Freddie Mac and supporting Freddie Mac and here he is getting paid millions to help Freddie Mac.

So, I do think it's the double standard issue. I do think it's something that he's going to have to face. And what's interesting about him is that, you know, he is not good at being disciplined. He is not good at withstanding these kind of questions. He gets testy. So, we'll see how he withstands this.

WHITFIELD: All right. Will, I don't want to talk about it any further. Is it done because he says he doesn't want to talk about it further or is he in trouble here?

WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: You know what? I agreed with Maria about four words into her statement. It's not going to matter in the minds of voters. She should have put a period right there.

Here's the deal, tactically. Strictly as a tactical analysis, this will not resonate with voters.

WHITFIELD: Really?

CAIN: You remember the story for about a day or two, but you need to have the word "sex" or do something that will end up on "Saturday Night Live" for this to end up resonating with voters.

Here's what it will do? It will join a quilt of issues for Newt Gingrich, including having $500,000 line of credit or whatever at Tiffany's, and his issues of walking out on his wife during cancer. That altogether can begin to mean something to voters.

But I want to say this, this is the important thing, Fred -- substantively, it should matter. This story joins two other stories this week. The Solyndra e-mails from the Obama administration that they asked not to lay off employees until after the midterm elections and the "60 Minutes" piece about political insider trading.

The point is crony capitalism. This is the issue. If you focus on the men, if say we need better leaders, you're not looking at the right problem.

The problem is the government involved in economics. These kinds of problems will be endemic as long as you enable the government to be involved in economics.

WHITFIELD: OK. Now, let's look ahead to Tuesday's debate. Right here on CNN, national security and foreign policy are likely to be the focus.

Will this debate, the performance of a debate, whether it's Newt Gingrich or maybe Mitt Romney, might the performance help solidify that frontrunner position? Maria?

CARDONA: Well, it's going to be tough to say because we're going to have to see how they all perform. We've seen that these debates really have changed the process in terms of who's up and who's down in the way that debates have really never done during any primary process.

In terms of foreign policy, it's going to be interesting to see. I do think Gingrich is going to have a leg up because I think he is the smartest person on that stage. But going back to something that Will said, it is the cumulative effect in terms of what is going to dog Gingrich and in addition to this, which I do think will be substantive in terms that it adds to the hypocrisy.

The issue with Gingrich is not just discipline, but the fact that he has been quite moderate on the some issues that are so important to conservatives. He supported at one point cap and trade. He supported the individual mandate, which we all know, is what conservatives hate about the president's health care plan.

So, I think that all of those issues will come back to haunt Gingrich in the long run.

WHITFIELD: Will, you see it that way?

CAIN: You know, I'm not Nostradamus; I don't have a political crystal ball. I can't say where Newt Gingrich is going to go. But I can say, if history is our judge and tell us what will play out -- Newt Gingrich has a problem of talking himself into problems, such as saying Paul Ryan's Medicare reform proposal which was right wing social engineering.

It's as if you give Newt Gingrich a mike, he'll create the problem. Also, I do agree with Maria. Newt Gingrich has a long, long history. Not all of it is pretty. And the more that gets to be known, you know, that can't have a positive effect of where he stands in the polls.

WHITFIELD: All right, Will Cain, Maria Cardona, thanks to both of you. Always good to see you.

CARDONA: Thanks, Fred.

CAIN: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: OK. So, mark your calendars, once again. Tuesday night, right here on. The Republicans running for president gathering just steps from the White House for a debate on national security and the economy. It is co-sponsored by the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute. Things get under way 8:00 Eastern, right here on CNN, with Wolf Blitzer moderating.

All right. Straight ahead, the child molestation scandal at Penn State and a mother demanding justice.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "A.C. 360": What do you want to see happen to Jerry Sandusky?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (via telephone): I want Jerry Sandusky to go to jail for the rest of his life.

COOPER: Would that be justice?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't even know, to tell you the truth. At this point, I don't even know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: After the break, we'll hear more from the mother of an alleged victim.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: This morning, new questions about a central figure in the Penn State child molestation scandal. Earlier this week, we learned that assistant coach Mike McQueary claimed he went to police after he allegedly saw Jerry Sandusky raping boy. But local police department and campus police say they have no record of that report being made.

This morning, we're also hearing from the mother of one of Jerry Sandusky's alleged victims. She spoke to our Anderson Cooper and we've disguised her voice to protect her son's identity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: How did you learn what had happened?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The school, well, I called the school and I had brought it to their attention about Jerry, you know, calling him out of class and things like that. And the school, they said, oh, well, you know, it's not uncommon for him to do that. And I said, OK, well, let's just look at this from an educational standpoint. I had already talked to them prior and told them that I had a suspicion of something, but I didn't, I didn't want to accuse anybody of anything. But I just, something was off.

And I said, you know, I told her, I said, I'm not going to accuse him of that because, you know, I just -- what I want you to do is I want to end him taking out of class, number one. Number two, I want you to pull him down to the office and just ask him -- just ask him how he feels. And that's what I told them to do.

COOPER: And what happened when they did that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, when they did, the principal had called me in tears and she was crying. I could tell she was crying. She told me to get to the school right away.

So, I went to the school and met with the guidance counselor and the principal. And when I did, they told me that my son had some things about, that there was a problem with Jerry and he didn't know, he didn't really admit anything at that point that was -- he just said that he thought he need to tell somebody or it would get worse.

COOPER: That's a really brave thing for him to have said.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then, yes, it is. And then, and then the principal said, oh, you know, Jerry has a heart of gold.

COOPER: The principal said that to you, that Jerry has a heart of gold?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, yes. And that -- and I said, listen, I was very upset at this point. You know, I was extremely upset and I was basically yelling at them that they needed to call the police. I said I want you to call the police, call Children and Youth, you know, I said call the police right now. I said it three times, call the police right now.

And they said, no, you need to think about, they said I needed to think about the ramifications of what would happen if I did that.

COOPER: What do you think they meant by that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know. I guess, I'm assuming what we're going through now. I don't -- I don't really know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Still ahead, the big questions. Who knew what and when did they know it? Next hour, our Drew Griffin tries to track -- tries to crack this Penn State wall of silence.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Yes, he's an old bird, but the 61-year-old one-time superstar could be making a comeback at the movies. A.J. Hammer joins us now to tell us about the possible return of -- not you, you're not 61 but I'm talking about Woody Woodpecker -- A.J., it's been a long time.

A.J. HAMMER, HLN HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Yes, very exciting.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HAMMER: Well, it has, Fred. And it looks like Woody is bringing that world famous big laugh back to the big screen. At least one more time, I for one say, it's about time. Hollywood reporters saying that Universals Illumination Entertainment, which is the animation house behind "Despicable Me" is working on a feature project for the animated classic character.

Woody Woodpecker film career started all the way back in the 1940s. He was a huge hit in theaters throughout that whole decade. Of course, he later became a TV staple that was in the '50s. Those reruns that we're looking at right now basically how most of us know Woody.

According to the "Hollywood Reporter", Universal bought the rights to Woody Woodpecker back in 1985 and they're just now using this movie to try to launch a whole film franchise, Fred. And really the cliched reporter thing for me to do right now would be to ask you to do the Woody Woodpecker laugh. I won't do that, though, because it's a cliche unless you want to. WHITFIELD: I'm not going to do it, but I do it well. I'm not doing it. I don't want to embarrass myself.

HAMMER: There you go.

WHITFIELD: How is that?

HAMMER: Perfect. I knew I'd get it out of you.

WHITFIELD: Ok, let's talk about the Golden Globes. Three times, third time is a charm, right?

HAMMER: Yes, this was actually a huge surprise to a lot of people. The host of the Golden Globes this year is Ricky Gervais and yes it's his third time hosting the show.

The move has been rumored for a while but if you told people the day after the Globes last year, that Gervais would host the show ever again, nobody would have believed you. He got so much criticism --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HAMMER: -- that you probably remember from last year. The people behind the Globes, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association even acknowledged last year in their announcement. Here's what they said, "While many may welcome Gervais's return, not everyone is happy with the decision because last year his blunt one-liners caused anger and resentment in some quarters."

Yes, he took very tough shots at Angelina Jolie.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HAMMER: Johnny Depp, Scientology, Robert Downey Jr.

WHITFIELD: Right.

HAMMER: In fact Fred, you probably remember, Robert Downey Jr. called Gervais outright there on stage saying, "The vibe of the night was", as he put it, "mean-spirited with mildly sinister overtones."

But if you ask me, it mkes sense to bring Gervais back because all the controversy is certainly good buzz for the awards this year. You know we're going to be doing a lot of stories about hey what's Ricky going to do this year?

WHITFIELD: Oh my God. Yes.

HAMMER: And if you look at his Twitter feed, I need to point this out, Gervais is not acting at all like he's planning on toning things down Fred. Piers Morgan asked Ricky if he'd appear on CNN after the Globes first, for his first "sorry if I offended anyone" interview. Listen to what Gervais replied. "What if I'm not sorry, like last time?" (CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: You sounded like Woody Woodpecker. Yes and you know what this is a case when you don't want to sit in the front. Because when you sit in the front row and there's a comedian on stage, you are going to be a target. So now all of the stars are going to want to sit in the back on that Golden Globe.

HAMMER: This is why they serve alcohol at the Golden Globes.

WHITFIELD: Oh,yes and that too. All right, a little sobering. All right, thanks so much, A.J. Hammer.

All right, coming up our next hour in "Showbiz Headlines", Lindsay Lohan well, she is getting some career advice from former Hollywood madam, Heidi Spice -- a story that you don't want to miss next hour when A.J. returns with your "Showbiz Headlines."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Stories making news later on today.

The man police believe fired a shot and hit the White House window has a 2:00 p.m. federal court appearance in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In New York, "Occupy Wall Street" protesters have a rally set for 5:00 p.m. Eastern to commemorate the second month of the movement.

And 5:00 p.m. in Washington, Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to the U.S. is scheduled to make his first public appearance since an alleged assassination plot reportedly targeting him came to light.

And we're following lots of developments in the next hour in the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's check in first with Sarah Hoye.

SARAH HOYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. Here we are still on the State College campus. And as you know, there's been some fallout with that McQueary e-mail. That's the assistant coach who had sent an e-mail to a former colleague saying that he spoke with campus officials, campus police, city police.

There is a question as to why neither agency has said how come nobody had heard about those reports being filed.

Well, "In Session's" Sunny Hostin talking with Anderson Cooper last night had made an interesting point in which she had said although people can speak with law officials, law enforcement (AUDIO GAP) that we may be able to -- that they're just (AUDIO GAP)

WHITFIELD: All right. We're having some interruption on Sarah's audio there. We'll check back with you momentarily, Sarah. Meantime, we're also going to look at a pilot in mid-flight headed to New York taking a short break to use the restroom and then the door gets stuck. He's locked inside the toilet.

That's just the beginning of a rather bizarre story coming up next hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. With today's "Big Play", HLN Sports' Jeff Fischel is with us -- that was a mouthful trying to say that together.

Anyway, let's talk about Penn State and the follow up to that.

JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORTS: Yes, exactly. Now we're talking about one of the legends of the school, one of the former players now having an impact or at least the scandal impacting him. The former Nittany Lion and NFL Hall of Famer Franco Harris has been dropped by a Pennsylvania casino for simply speaking out for fired football coach Joe Paterno.

Harris criticized Penn State for firing him, now Harris is the one who's being fired as casino spokesman. The casino says, quote, "In light of the recent developments with Franco Harris regarding Joe Paterno's dismissal, Franco and The Meadows have mutually decided to put their business relationship on hold at this time while these matters are looked into further."

Harris thinks Paterno should actually be rehired as coach. Reports now out of Venezuela say eight people are now charged in connection with last week's kidnapping of Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos. Ramos was freed by Venezuelan commandos two after being taken at gunpoint from his mother's home. The suspects include a 59- year-old woman and a 74-year-old man.

To golf now. The first round of the President's Cup in Melbourne, Australia. Tiger Woods shaking hands with his former caddie, Steve Williams. Their little rift is apparently over. It was a brutal round for Tiger and his partner, Steve Stricker. Tiger shot way outside, ends up on the beach. They got blown out. Despite the meltdown, the U.S. has a 4-2 lead after the first round of play. Today, Tiger is teamed up with Dustin Johnson.

WHITFIELD: A second handshake there.

FISCHEL: Got to be polite. It's golf.

WHITFIELD: Got to be police, that's right. Ok. Thanks so much, Jeff. Appreciate that.

FISCHEL: Sure.