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Investigators to Reopen Natalie Wood Case; Secret Service to Guard Cain; Passengers Hit Up for $200 Mid-Flight; Another Child Molestation Plagues University; Hundred Arrested in "Occupy" Protests; Syracuse Child Molestation Accusations; Challenging Health Care Reform Law; OSU Women Hoops Coaches Dead; X-Rays Tell All

Aired November 18, 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: Good morning to you, ladies. Thanks so much. Have a great weekend, as well.

Meantime, out west, homicide investigators in Los Angeles have reopened the Natalie Wood death case. The movie star drowned 30 years ago this month during a boating trip. Her husband actor Robert Wagner and actor Christopher Walken were onboard at the time.

The coroner ruled Woods' death an accident but authorities say people have contacted them with additional information. They won't confirm if the boat captain Dennis Davern was one of those people. In the past Davern has said that Wood's death was a direct result of a fight with Wagner onboard his boat.

Listen to what Davern told NBC's "Today" show this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID GREGORY, NBC ANCHOR: So you're saying that Wagner did not do everything he should have done to look for her after she went missing.

DENNIS DAVERN, FORMER "SPLENDOR: CAPTAIN: Exactly.

GREGORY: Was she -- was he responsible for her death in some way?

DAVERN: Well, like I said, I think we all made mistakes that night and --

GREGORY: Mr. Davern, that wasn't my question. Was he responsible for her death? I'm not asking about your story.

DAVERN: Yes, I would say so, yes. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Robert Wagner's publicist gave CNN this statement. Wagner's family, quote, "Fully supports the efforts of the L.A. County Sheriff's Department and trust that they will evaluate whether any new information relating to the death of Natalie Wood Wagner is valid and that it comes from a credible source or sources other than those simply trying to profit from the 30-year anniversary of her tragic death," end quote.

Authorities have scheduled a news conference set for 2:00 Eastern Time today.

Let's talk to law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks about this.

So, Mike, that the captain of this boat is now saying he wasn't completely truthful at the time. He didn't tell authorities everything he knew. He didn't do everything such as use a search light.

MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Right.

WHITFIELD: With Mr. Wagner looking for Natalie Wood. What can investigators gleam from this kind of information and how do they proceed from here?

BROOKS: Well, they're going to have to reopen the whole thing, Fred, because he went on further to say that basically everybody on the boat got his story together to tell investigators. So were they not being truthful? And that led to the coroner ruling it an accident?

That's going to be -- that's going to be the main key -- the key thing here because, you know, her body was found about a mile away from the boat early next morning and the dinghy was found washed up on the beach. And she had some bruising to the left side of her face, which the coroner said that he believes she got from slipping as she was trying to get into the dinghy after this big fight.

So anybody who was there -- they're going to try to bring anybody who knew anything in the original investigation. They're going to have to re-interview them and this boat captain, he is going to be one of the key figures in the reopening of this investigation by the L.A. Sheriff's Department.

WHITFIELD: So the captain was -- and he acknowledges, he was interviewed before. But now he says that there was an argument that took place between Wagner and Wood, and that from there next thing he knew that she was missing and that he also tries to offer a little bit more information about the composure of Wagner, that he discouraged him from using a search light, discouraging --

BROOKS: Right.

WHITFIELD: -- him from going to authorities or taking what would be an ordinary search effort to that next level.

BROOKS: Right. He said that they were up in the wheelhouse of the Splendor. The boat they were on. And he wanted to use the searchlight and Wagner didn't want to use a searchlight and basically he made up a story, got the story together with everybody there. And that's what they told investigators when they found her body. But they didn't take the -- but the captain says the efforts that they should have taken weren't taken that night.

And, you know, but the whole thing is, what's the motivation here? And that's one of the other things that the L.A. Sheriff investigators are going to have to look at, Fred. You know, is there a monetary reason they're coming forward now, almost 30 years later? That's -- there's a lot of questions that remain unanswered in this case.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Monetary motivation or is this an issue of clearing a conscience as well.

BROOKS: Exactly.

WHITFIELD: All right, Mike Brooks, thanks so much.

BROOKS: Thank you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: We'll see you a bit later on in this hour, as well.

Meantime, Dennis Davern, the captain of that book -- of that boat, rather, will be on CNN later on today in the noon Eastern hour.

Also this morning, a new child molestation accusation is rocking a college campus. This time it's Syracuse University. The accused, an associate basketball coach who has been with the program for decades, his accusers served as ball boys for the team in the '80s and '90s.

CNN's Alina Cho is in New York with more on this.

Alina, just like the Penn State investigation, these allegations actually surfaced years earlier.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's absolutely right. And in fact, two people have come forward. One some years back. The other one just now. And most notably, this second victim, alleged victim says that he came forward because of what was going on at Penn State. And finally had the courage to speak out.

Now Syracuse University is Associate Men's Basketball coach Bernie Fine has been placed on administrative leave. And police in that city now say they have reopened an investigation into disturbing allegations of sexual abuse.

Now Fine who was seen here allegedly molested two former ball boys, including a man named Bobby Davis who is now 39 years old. Davis told ESPN's "Outside the Lines" that the abuse started back in the 1980s.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOBBY DAVIS, ALLEGED SEXUAL ABUSE VICTIM: Probably when I was, you know, sixth grade, 11, 10 years old, and he started trying to touch me and things like that. You know, and, honestly, I don't even remember if I thought that was what's supposed to happen, you know. I know I cringed up and didn't want it to happen and I was very, you know, like, what's going on? I just never been disgusted in a sense. You know that's when everything -- you know, when he started trying to touch me in my private.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: Now Davis says the abuse took place at Fine's home, Syracuse basketball facilities, even road trips, including the 1987 Final Four. Now part of the reason this is now coming out is because there is now a parent corroboration, that second alleged victim has come forward. He is Davis' older stepbrother named Mike Lang. He's now 45 years old.

Lang was also a ball boy for Syracuse and he told ESPN's "Outside the Lines" that Fine touched him inappropriately back when he was in the fifth or sixth grade.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE LANG, ALLEGED SEXUAL ABUSE VICTIM: When he first did it, he moved away and didn't want to say anything because, you know, you didn't feel like you were capable of saying anything. You know? He's a god to you, you know? Or he can do whatever he wants. But not with me. I didn't feel right about it. And I told him that, Bernie, please, don't do that to me. And then, you know, he'd do it again and again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: Now the first alleged victim, Bobby Davis, meanwhile says he first alerted Syracuse University officials about six years ago. That's 2005. The university said it immediately launched its own nearly four-month investigation and that everyone else involved, including the assistant coach, Bernie Fine, denied the story.

And that Syracuse police, ultimately, decided not to pursue the case because the statue of limitations had expired.

Now in a statement released last night, Syracuse University said, quote, "In light of the new allegations and the Syracuse City Police investigation, this evening Chancellor Cantor asked director of athletics, Dr. Daryl Gross, to place associate head coach Bernie Fine on administrative leave."

And late last night Syracuse head basketball coach Jim Boeheim also released a statement saying in part, quote, "Bernie has my full support."

Now, Fred, Fine has been part of the Syracuse basketball program for 35 years. That's the longest streak of consecutive seasons for an assistant coach in Division 1 Men's Basketball. The 65-year-old was also inducted into the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame just last month. In and around Syracuse, Fred, he is known as the king of Syracuse.

Now having said that, I've just been handed a lengthy e-mail that was sent to alumni by Syracuse chancellor Nancy Cantor. I've just read through it very quickly, but let me just read part of it for you and I'm just reading this for the second time. So bear with me.

"Let me be clear. We know that many questions whether or not a university in today's world can shine a harsh light on its athletic programs, we are aware that many wonder if university administrations are willing to turn a blind eye to wrongdoing. I can assure you, I am not and my fellow administrators are not."

She went on to say, Fred, we do not tolerate abuse.

WHITFIELD: All right, very disturbing report and investigation. Thanks so much, Alina Cho.

And we're not done with this topic. At the bottom of the hour, the view from campus. We'll talk to a reporter from the independent student newspaper, "The Daily Orange."

All right, now to politics. The Secret Service now said it's protecting Herman Cain. He's the first Republican candidate to earn that distinction in this presidential race.

Senior political editor Mike Preston, who broke this story along with our John King, is in Washington.

So, Mark, do we know why this campaign requested the protection?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: We don't know. But this is certainly an important development right now, Fredricka, in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

The campaign reached out to the Secret Service. They presented their case as to why Mr. Cain should receive Secret Service protection and after review by the Secret Service and an advisory panel which consists of the congressional leadership on Capitol Hill, they decided that, in fact, Mr. Cain was worthy of receiving this protection.

That can only lead you to one thing, Fredricka. And that means that, obviously, Mr. Cain's safety was at risk. So starting late last night, Herman Cain started receiving Secret Service protection and this is something we will expect to see throughout the remainder of the campaign at this point.

Now, Fredricka, it's interesting to note that the Secret Service started protecting the president of the United States back in 1901 and this was after the assassination of President William McKinley, and then in 1968 after Bobby Kennedy was assassinated -- of course he was running for the Democratic presidential nomination -- the Secret Service extended their protection to major presidential candidates.

So now Herman Cain on the campaign trail will have Secret Service protection. The good thing for him in some ways is that it will not cost him any money. He will not have to pay for private security. The bad things is, though, is that he will not be able to have that touchy feel that you get on the campaign trail. There'll be more under lock by the Secret Service agents -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And many will remember that kind of protection was extended to President Barack Obama when he was candidate Obama, as well.

All right, meantime, Iowa caucus right around the corner. It's been a pretty long campaign, thus far. Is it taking a toll on any of these candidates in particular? And if so, how?

PRESTON: I think so, Fred. And I think if you look at all the candidates right now, they're getting very tired. We talked about the brain freezes, we talked about the moments in this campaign where the candidates just seem to stop in their footsteps.

In fact, let's look at this interview from Herman Cain from our affiliate up in New Hampshire WMUR TV talking about the rigors of the campaign in his family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Almost can't say it. Holding the bible when I sworn in. Emotional, huh?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PRESTON: And there you have Herman Cain now. He was asked about, you know, the campaign and he was obviously discussing about whether or not he would become president and how he would feel if he was sworn in at that time. And of course, you could see the exhaustion in his face right now, but before he gets to Iowa, certainly before he gets to being sworn in as the president, he has to come here to Washington, though, for next Tuesday's CNN debate on national security.

CNN and the American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation is really going to have a debate focused on national security issues that have not been addressed fully here in this campaign. Obviously, huge because the president is the commander in chief. We'll also be talking about the economy, as well, which a lot of people say is the number one national security issue facing this country -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Mark Preston, appreciate that from Washington.

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

All right, we all know flying certainly is not cheap. Airlines charge for just about everything from food to baggage. Well, now we're hearing two chartered jets hit passengers up for extra cash in mid- flight during a layover.

CNN's Max Foster -- Max Foster, rather, has the latest from London. So, Max, what happened? Explain here. I know passengers were irate.

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Absolutely. Well, the backstory is quite complicated. But essentially what happened was there was a load of passengers on the plane traveling from India to the UK and the plane stopped, was brought down in Vienna and everyone on board was told to stump out cash, tens of thousands of dollars worth of cash, to pay for the fuel to help them on the last leg of the jury.

And some of them had to -- they released off the aircraft, some were allowed to go out to cash machine to get the money now, to borrow off each other's extraordinary situation. Eventually, they did get up into the air, but they were left out of pocket. We also hear that another group of passengers were asked to stump up extra cash before they even left India.

So it's a complete mess. And there's a real blame game going on here, but as a result of all of this, the flights have been canceled on this particular charter. And the load of passengers, Fredricka, are still stuck in India.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. How uncomfortable. And just looking at those pictures, you're seeing people tuckered out there. All right, thanks so much, Max Foster, appreciate that.

Meantime in this country, now protesters clashing with police at "Occupy Wall Street's" so-called day of action and both sides get ugly.

Coming up we're asking about police tactics about police tactics and when they cross the line. And if they do.

And this got a school bus driver suspended. Video of her playing around with something in the palm of her hand. Is that a cell phone? All this while she's driving a busload of kids. We will tell you how school officials punished her for that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Here's a quick check of news across the country now:

Look at this video from Albuquerque, New Mexico. It shows two police officers beating a car theft suspect. Kicking him right there, beating him over his head over and over again and then when it's all over, you see right there, just their feet, but they are apparently chest bumping each other, the officers that is.

The police chief fired both officers and they could face charges now. They say -- they thought the suspect was reaching for a gun.

And the head of a Connecticut utility has resigned. Connecticut Light & Power took a lot of heat for its response to last month's snowstorm. It left some customers without electricity for nearly two weeks.

And then watch the school bus driver in Florida right here. She apparently is texting and driving, while, by the way, the bus is packed with kids. School officials saw that video and she has since been suspended for one day.

All right. Thousands of protesters across the country show that they're not giving up on the Occupy Wall Street movement. They swarmed streets, stopped traffic, entangled with officers on the two- month anniversary of the anti-greed movement.

More than 200 people were arrested in New York as protesters pushed through barriers in Manhattan and then marched across the Brooklyn Bridge. These protests played out nationwide with the arrests in Los Angeles, Portland, Atlanta, the list goes on.

Let's check in now with Amber Lyon in Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan. Amber, the day was built as a mass day of action, but Mayor Bloomberg said it wasn't as big as expected. Were organizers please would the turnout? I see you got still have a pretty significant turnout behind you.

AMBER LYON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know, there are about a couple die-hard protesters out here and they've been out here all night in the freezing cold. My hands are getting numb and they're not allowed to bring blankets and tents and tarps out here after they were evicted. So, they've been passing out hand warmers, coffee, just trying to keep these guys warm.

As far as the turnout for yesterday's protests, organizers were very pleased. If you go to the unofficial, official Occupy Wall Street Web site they estimate almost 30,000 people were in New York City yesterday, and we saw several clashes with police officers, especially here at Zuccotti Park, because these protesters say they want to be able to camp out here again. They consider this kind of the base area for this entire Occupy movement across the country.

About 245 protesters arrested yesterday. Police say seven police officers were injured.

We have kind of the feeling out here now in Zuccotti Park -- if we can take a look at Allen here. He has his sign to Mayor Bloomberg. He says he needs his stuff back. He wants his tent, his bag, his pack, his wallet, guitar.

And that's the feeling out here. They want this park back and they say they're not going anywhere. You can arrest as many as they want. More will just show up and this movement is going to continue on -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Amber Lyon, thanks so much, in Lower Manhattan, in Zuccotti Park.

So, the chants, the signs, the songs of Occupy Wall Street may be overshadowed by pictures like this -- a protester with blood streaming down his face. Police say he threw a battery at officers and then resisted arrest according to "New York Times."

HLN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks is here.

So, Mike, several officers and protesters were hurt in New York. Any evidence that anyone crossed the line?

MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: From what I was watching all day yesterday, Fred, I did not see any crossing of the line. In fact, I thought that the officers used great restraint because you saw barricades being thrown at officers. You had four officers early on in the day yesterday who had vinegar sprayed in their face. You had another had star-shaped object that cut him.

I thought they used great restraint. And if you look --

WHITFIELD: And that's what the mayor said. Mayor Mike Bloomberg. BROOKS: Right.

WHITFIELD: Those were his words. That he thought that the officers showed great restraint considering the fact that there was a pretty significant presence of law enforcement there matched up with some protesters who were throwing things.

BROOKS: Exactly. And, you know, law enforcement, you saw some of them with no hats on or the soft hats instead of the helmets. They were trying to maintain a low profile. In fact, law enforcement, while this is going on, they videotape everything their officers are doing and they go back and review the actions of the officers.

But I thought the officers were very professional. Last night at the Brooklyn Bridge, there were 99 people blocked traffic, you know, for the 99 percent. They were arrested. And everything was peaceful for the most part there and also in the transit system.

And around the country yesterday in Los Angeles, we saw them blocking an intersection there. There were about 50 arrests in L.A., about 46 arrests in Chicago. But for the most part, I think officers used great restraint and very professional in dealing with little violent factions of this group.

WHITFIELD: All right, Mike Brooks, thanks so much. Appreciate that.

BROOKS: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Switching gears straight ahead now. Is there a royal baby on the way? So many people hope so. One magazine says it is not a rumor. We'll separate fact from fiction, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. The rumor mill has been in overdrive with news that Prince William and Kate are expecting their first child. Well, now, at least one magazine says it is no rumor. Live now to CNN's Max Foster, again, in London.

So, Max, bring us some clarity here.

MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I wish there was some. I mean, the palace is saying if anyone's going to announce this, we're going to announce it. That's what the palace is saying. We're not going through to do it through an American magazine.

I do need to point out, Fredricka, that this is the same magazine that had exclusive sources early in the year saying that the duchess of Cambridge couldn't have children and the palace was devastated and the queen was devastated. So, I'm not really sure what to make of the latest rumors.

Also, the sources they're quoting are giving so much detail. It's not just usual. But they may be right. We don't know whether or not she's pregnant. They say she's six weeks pregnant.

I have been to a couple events with her recently. She doesn't look pregnant to me. If it is only six weeks, it wouldn't show.

I have to say, Fredricka, I'm invited today to an event on the 6th of December. And this is the next time we're going to see them out and about. Duke and duchess are going to be out with Charles and Camilla at a gig, a rock concert.

WHITFIELD: Oh, really?

FOSTER: You're going to see them dancing. Yes.

WHITFIELD: We'll see how fast she moves then, because, you know, people are paying attention to how many times she touches her tummy, or if she's eating anything with peanuts in it, or she's refusing to take in champagne. Now, they'll be watching her groove on the dance floor.

FOSTER: Yes. Absolutely. And how she's moving. Camilla, as well. Everyone wants to see her dance, I have to say.

But, yes, they look at what -- she doesn't really drink. So, we can't really get anything from that. We reported on this peanut paste issue. She denied the chance to have some peanut paste when she was at a center up in Copenhagen. And people are reading into that, that mothers would like to eat peanuts when they're --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: As far as we know, or at least reportedly she doesn't have peanut allergies.

All right. Max Foster from London, thanks so much. Appreciate that, doing double duty for us this hour.

All right. Coming up, detectives reopen the 20 -- I'm sorry -- the 30-year-old death case of Hollywood superstar Natalie Woods. We'll have details in your "Showbiz Headlines."

Plus, new allegations of child molestation rock a major college and its sports program. We'll get the view from the campus of Syracuse University.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now:

No new arrests reported overnight in the Occupy movement. But yesterday, thousands of protesters panned out across New York, hoping to shut down the financial district. Almost 250 arrests were made.

A historic move by the Obama administration. The president is sending Hillary Clinton to Myanmar formally known as Burma. It will be the first visit by a U.S. secretary of state in more than half a century.

And Herman Cain becomes the first Republican presidential candidate to get Secret Service protection this year. The Cain campaign asked for the protection. It's still not clear why. And this morning, we're following new child molestation accusations at another major U.S. college. Syracuse University has suspended associate basketball coach Bernie Fine after two men publicly accused him of abuse decades ago. And just like the Penn State investigation, there are questions over what the school knew and when.

Michael Cohen is the sports editor for "The Daily Orange," the independent student newspaper at Syracuse.

All right. So, Michael, what are these questions about? How is the university reacting versus what the athletic department is saying, versus what the alleged victims are saying? Where's the conflict?

MICHAEL COHEN, SPORTS EDITOR, THE DAILY ORANGE: Well, I guess the real conflict lies with the fact that the alleged victims Bobby Davis made these claims back in 2005 and there was a full investigation conducted by Syracuse University, as well as the Syracuse Police Department and nothing was found. No wrongdoings. They couldn't corroborate his story.

And that's why it came back, all of a sudden, now in 2011 because his stepbrother, Michael Lang, came forward and said he, too, was molested by Bernie Fine. And that was the cooperation that I guess police were seeking in order to reopen the case. So, that's one of the big reasons why it's come back into the news now, compared to what the athletic department is saying.

Jim Boeheim, the coach of the team, he came forward last night and gave a statement saying that he is in complete support of Bernie Fine and the allegations are totally false. He backed him 100 percent. So, we'll have to see how that plays out moving forward.

In terms of the campus here, the students, a lot of them, were completely shocked especially in the wake of the Penn State news.

WHITFIELD: Are they worried? Are people saying they are worried that this will take a similar path to the Penn State investigation and fallout?

COHEN: You know, that's actually not what I've heard so far. The biggest thing I heard so far is people are questioning the timing of this and saying that it seems like a very strange coincidence that these people would suddenly come forward again within, you know, a week or two after the Penn State scandal.

So, a lot of people are questioning whether or not this is true, is this real, or are they just trying to use the Penn State as a stepping stone to get something that they want out in the open, whether or not it's true, we'll have to see.

WHITFIELD: All right. Michael Cohen, thanks so much for your time from the independent student newspaper. Thanks so much.

COHEN: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up next, six years of being one of Hollywood's hottest couples has now come to an end. Demi Moore files for divorce from Ashton Kutcher, say it ain't so. We'll get you the scoop in your "Showbiz Headlines."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It's been 30 years since the mysterious death of famed actress Natalie Wood. And now, Los Angeles homicide detectives have reopened the case.

Entertainment correspondent Kareen Wynter joins us now.

So, Kareen, why reopen this investigation 30 years after the fact when it involves the stories of people who did talk 30 years ago?

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, great point. That's because the Los Angeles County sheriff's office say they were contacted by people who claim they have, quote, "Additional information about that drowning." They're promising to give us a whole lot more details at a press conference scheduled for 11:00 a.m. local time today. That we'll be covering.

But this story, Fred, it's one of Hollywood's biggest mysteries. Natalie Wood -- she was on a yacht with her husband, Robert Wagner, and friend, Christopher Walken, before drowning on November 29th, back in the 1980s, 1981. And while her death was ruled an accident, the circumstances, they've always been so mysterious.

Dennis Davern, the captain of the boat that night, now says he wasn't totally honest with the police at the time. He's also saying, Fred, he believes Wood's death was a direct result of a fight with Wagner and that Wagner is directly responsible for her death. And we should add here, Fred, that Davern, he wrote a book about Wood's death two years ago.

Robert Wagner, he released a statement responding to all of this news, saying, "Although no one in the family -- in the Wagner family has heard from the L.A. County Sheriff's Department about this matter, they fully support the efforts of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department." Wagner also says he hopes this is a real break in the story, Fred, and not just someone's effort to cash in on the 30th anniversary of his wife's death.

But, again, that big press conference coming up in a few hours and we're going to be all over it.

WHITFIELD: Yes. We're looking forward to that.

Meantime, a very long-time relationship now ending in divorce. We're talking about the marriage between Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher. What happened?

WYNTER: Yes, we saw this coming over the last several months. True enough. Demi and Ashton, they've called it quits.

Demi, she broke the news yesterday with a statement saying, "It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I have decided to end my six-year marriage to Ashton. As a woman, a mother and a wife, there are certain values and vows that I hold sacred. And it is in this spirit that I have chosen to move forward with my life."

Fred, reading between the lines there, it sure seems like there is something to all those rumors about Ashton's infidelities that we have been talking about for quite some time.

Now, for his part, Ashton spoke out. He responded via Twitter saying, "I will forever cherish the time I spent with Demi. Marriage is one of the most difficult things in the world and, unfortunately, sometimes they fail."

Before officially announcing the split, everyone was tipped off they were separating because they un-followed each other on Twitter. So --

WHITFIELD: Oh, my.

WYNTER: -- another marriage bites the dust. It looks so happy in old times.

WHITFIELD: I know.

Well, guess what, Kareen, I got a little entertainment story for you. So, the 40th anniversary of Soul Train. Yes. And last night in Atlanta was the Soul Train Music Awards and who was there, but none other than our very own Wolf Blitzer, not only -- I was there, too, along with Brooke Baldwin and Suzanne Malveaux.

WYNTER: Oh, my gosh!

WHITFIELD: And, most importantly, we were there, the three of us ladies were there, along with Wolf Blitzer, because we were kind of Wolf's angels or maybe Wolf's pack. You recognize some of those faces. Malcolm-Jamal Warner and none other than Bootsy Collins back there. Yes.

WYNTER: You guys had the blast.

WHITFIELD: Yes, we were there and having a good time.

WYNTER: I wish I could say that you broke the news, but, you know, I've done my research coming this morning.

WHITFIELD: You know.

WYNTER: I was checking --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: And there's our T.J. Holmes.

WYNTER: T.J. and his beautiful wife. You guys were all over the Internet. You're such stars in rocking that leather. That dress is beautiful.

WHITFIELD: No. No, actually, it's Wolf Blitzer who is the star. You recalled last year that he did kind of the dougie with Doug E. Fresh.

Well, there he is on the stage with Doug E. again on the scramble board there. I'm not going to reveal any more because you have to watch the Soul Train Music Awards, this Sunday after Thanksgiving, November 27th. It was incredible.

And, you know, Wolf Blitzer, he's the rock star. You know what I thought was really super amazing. Everyone from the likes of Gladys Knight, Natalie Cole, Malcolm Jamal-Warner, Bootsy Collins, oh, the list goes on. Philip Bailey, Verdine from Earth, Wind, and Fire, all of them wanted to be in a picture with Wolf Blitzer.

WYNTER: You're killing me here. I'm jealous.

WHITFIELD: As opposed to the other way around, they were all like hurdling the chairs. Not really, I'm just kidding on that one.

(CROSSTALK)

WYNTER: All the time here in Hollywood, but it's to cover shows. Not to sit in on them, so I'm a little jealous.

WHITFIELD: Yes. It's something else to hang with Wolf, he's rocking. So, it was very fun to be part of the Wolf pack.

WYNTER: Can't wait to see it.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Kareen.

WYNTER: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: We'll check back with you.

Coming up in the next hour, in fact, of "Showbiz Headlines" a fond farewell to Regis Philbin. Oh, my goodness. People are going to be tearing up all morning. His last show as host of "Regis and Kelly." This morning, Kareen, you're going to be back to show us some of the highlights. Get your hankies out, people.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Let's check news across country now.

President Obama's uncle shows up in Massachusetts court to fight his drunken driving arrest. Onyango Obama was pulled over in August. Police say he rolled through a stop sign but Obama's lawyer says the arresting officer didn't have a clear view of the intersection and therefore, no legal reason for a traffic stop.

And in Western Massachusetts, a state soccer semi-final is cut short by an ugly brawl. Players, fans, even parents got some punches in. After police broke it up, the refs ended the match with two minutes left on the clock.

And school officials in Florida are giving their new science textbooks an "F". The books contain several errors, including upside down covers and a U.S. map that shows Florida on, not the East Coast, but the West Coast.

All right, this week, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it will take up President Obama's health care reform law, more than two dozen states have challenged it. Their main objection, the so-called individual mandate, which would require all Americans to buy health insurance.

Steven Presser is a professor at Northwestern School of Law. He has been involved in several of the lower court challenges here.

And he has just written an opinion piece for CNN.com, "Why the Supreme Court should stop Obama's health care plan." Professor, you pin your argument on the Tenth Amendment. Explain that for everyone.

STEVEN PRESSER, NORTHWESTERN LAW SCHOOL: Sure. The Tenth Amendment is a provision of the Constitution that says essentially that the federal government is supposed to be one of limited and enumerated powers. And that the state governments, the governments closest to the people are the ones that ought to have the responsibility generally for welfare and for everything else concerning the citizen.

This particular act, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is without a doubt the boldest attempt by the federal government to regulate affairs that it never has tried to regulate before. This is one-sixth of the economy and that's why, indeed, 26 states have said, wait, wait, wait, you're impinging on our government and you really can't do this.

And I should say, as well, that there are four and a half hours allocated to the argument in this case, which I have never seen in the 40 years that I've been following the law.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: So what does this tell you about the merit --

(CROSSTALK)

PRESSER: This is going to be one of the most --

WHITFIELD: -- what does this tell you about the merits of the case that the U.S. Supreme Court is taking this case on?

PRESSER: Well, it tells you that it's a very, very important controversial and uncertain case. What it tells us is that there is doubt about whether the act is constitutional.

WHITFIELD: And that it could -- and it could be next summer, June, just months before the presidential election in which the Supreme Court could make a decision.

PRESSER: That's right. The argument will likely be in February or early March and the decision should come down at the end of June. And it should be very important for the election, I think.

WHITFIELD: All right, Professor Steven Presser of Northwestern School of law. Thanks so much. And of course, you can read the professor's piece at CNN.com/opinion. And if you like, you can join the conversation and perhaps even leave a comment for him.

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WHITFIELD: All right, stories making news later on today. At 11:00 Eastern Arizona sentencing for self-help guru James Arthur Ray who was found guilty in the deaths of three people inside a sweat lodge two years ago.

At 11:00 a.m. Eastern in Mount Vernon New York, a private funeral will be held for rapper Heavy D.

And at 2:00 Eastern, the Los Angeles County sheriff's department holds a conference on the reopening of their investigation into the 1981 death of actress Natalie Wood.

We're following lots of developments in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's check in first with Alina Cho live in New York.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey Fred, new explosive allegations of sexual abuse involving yet another assistant coach at another prominent university. We're going to tell you what two former ball boys are saying about what happened and which school is involved coming up at the top of the hour.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: I'm Paul Steinhauser at the CNN Political Desk. Herman Cain becomes the first Republican presidential candidate to receive Secret Service protection. The big question: why is he getting it? Details at the top of the hour.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATION UNIT CORRESPONDENT: And think your vote matters to those people in Congress? Think again. I'm Drew Griffin. An investigative report on why many say the political system is rigged. Gerry-rigged.

WHITFIELD: Also next hour, a vigil was held last night for a ten- year-old girl who hanged herself because she was being harassed at school in Illinois.

Next hour we talk about that case and others with one of the spokespersons for a bullying campaign, Zach Veach.

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WHITFIELD: All right in sports, we begin with sad news out of Stillwater, Oklahoma. Officials at Oklahoma State University confirm, women's head basketball coach Kurt Budke, assistant coach Miranda Serna and two others died last night in a plane crash outside of Little Rock, Arkansas. Not a lot of details at this point.

The coaches were apparently returning from a recruiting trip when their plane went down. Saturday and Sunday games for the Cowgirls have been canceled. The University of Missouri suspended head football coach Gary Pinkel yesterday after his arrest late Wednesday night on suspicion of drunken driving. Pinkel will not coach in the Tigers final home game of the season against Texas Tech. Missouri's athletic director says Pinkel he will donate a week's pay to an alcohol awareness program on campus. And his salary will be frozen for a year.

Thursday night NFL action and more game winning for -- from the Denver Broncos' ongoing quarterback experiment, Tim Tebow. Broncos down 13- 10 with a minute to play and Tebow comes alive after a lackluster performance all night. He caps a 12-play, 95-yard game-winning drive with this 20-yard touchdown run. It was nearly all Tebow in the final moments rushing six times for 57 yards and the win. The broncos are now 5-5.

Chopsticks. With tweezers and other everyday objects found in almost very unlikely places, stuck inside people's bodies. Jeanne Moos has the X-Rays.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Need we say that this goes here and not in here? An electrical cord, x-rayed in somebody's gut? There are a hundred of these. What was a gun doing up there?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, with the tuna can lid.

MOOS: The tweezers? What could they have been trying to pluck?

The x-rays are all in a new book called "Stuck up: 100 objects insert and injected in places they shouldn't be". It's co-authored by this emergency room physician and other doctors. We doubt the patient's going to be able to pass the salt or the pepper mill or the egg beater or the chopsticks?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most commonly, we do see long slender objects because that is the most form fitting.

MOOS (on camera): We're not going to dwell on how these everyday objects ended up where the sun don't shine; most of the time it was not an accident. Though often, that's what people claimed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I accidentally fell on an object. That's probably the most common accidental story you'll hear.

MOOS (voice-over): Who hasn't sat on their glasses, really, really hard while nude? The doctors say the x-rays are real, though outlines of some objects are graphically enhanced so the reader can easily see them. Everything from a computer mouse to a cassette tape.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was definitely an older x-ray.

MOOS: A more recent X-Ray displays an iPod nano. We can only imagine its playlist.

So how did that gun get stuck in the middle? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Certain people love their guns.

MOOS: The good news.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was not loaded.

MOOS (on camera): Maybe the patient was. You thought a light bulb went off in your head? How about this light bulb in someone's gut and this string of Christmas lights. The series "Scrubs" did a whole episode on the subject..

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Either this kid has a light bulb up his butt or his colon has a great idea.

MOOS: And "Scrubs" accurately describe how to remove a light bulb.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All we need to do is thread an angioplasty balloon past the bulb and inflate it and then pull.

MOOS: One of the oddest items?

See where that tuna lid rolled up like a cigar ended up. But the doctor's favorite found objects are action figures. Poor Buzz Lightyear from "Toy Story".

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To infinity and beyond.

MOOS: He said beyond. Not behind. And this is Barbie. But it isn't her dream house she's in.

Jeanne Moos, CNN --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, do you have a magazine?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not in me. I mean, on me.

MOOS: New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)