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All GOP Candidates in New Hampshire; Penn State Gets New Coach; Deported Teen Back from Colombia; Couple Loses Custody of Adopted Child; Joran van der Sloot Murder Trial; Teen Mom Kills Intruder: Not Charged; Bullied Teen Cleared of Murder; Fan's Lawsuit Against Kobe Revived; Clinton to Meet with Qatar FM; Students Sue Maryland; Woman Sues Honda Over Mileage; Girl Scouts Get Financial Lessons
Aired January 07, 2012 - 12:00 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, we've got lots straight ahead, including, of course, there's no time to waste in New Hampshire. In just three days the state holds the nation's first primary, and every single Republican presidential candidate is there today, trying to win over voters in a contest with so much at stake.
CNN's Joe Johns is live with the Election Express bus in Manchester. So Joe, most of the New Hampshire polls showing Mitt Romney leading by more than 20 points. What are his rivals doing to try and make up some ground?
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the question is just how much are they trying to make up the ground on Mitt Romney and whether they're just sort of fighting amongst themselves for second place.
It really does look right now, Fred, like a contest for the runner up position here in New Hampshire because Mitt Romney appears to be running so strong in the polls. So that means people like Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum moving around the state.
A couple more events before the real gauntlet begins. That's tonight and tomorrow. Two debates in the space of 24 hours. They'll certainly be firing away at Mitt Romney but also trying to get some votes for themselves because it could be a reasonably close race between those three individuals for second place, Fred.
WHITFIELD: OK, so which candidates really have the most, I guess, at stake, the most to lose here? We know that, you know, Newt Gingrich is still trying as best he can to try and gain some ground; Jon Huntsman as well. Where are they? What's their strategy?
JOHNS: Yes. Well, I think probably you'd have to say Jon Huntsman is the guy who's put all of his eggs in one basket, focusing on the state of New Hampshire, trying to sort of carve out his own place in a state where Mitt Romney has been running so strong. And if Jon Huntsman does not do well in the primary, it could be a real problem for him going forward, seeing as how he's pretty much placed all his bets here in New Hampshire.
The other person I think you have to talk about is Rick Santorum, who has spent a lot of time in New Hampshire while many people say he ought to have spent more time in South Carolina, trying to get a leg up on the competition, because there are a lot of social conservatives, Evangelicals in that state and he tends to appeal to that demographic.
So Santorum, but more so probably Jon Huntsman are the people who have the most to lose, depending on how all of this turns out.
WHITFIELD: Yes, and presumably Rick Santorum's still kind of riding that wave of momentum following Iowa showing, and following something like more than $2 million gained in fundraising as a result of this showing in Iowa.
So meantime let's talk about tonight, another debate. What's expected in these potential face offs?
JOHNS: Well, the one thing you can certainly expect is everybody turning their fire on Mitt Romney. Romney is a guy who's really benefited in a lot of ways from so many debates, conservatives going after each other, the polls going up and down based on performances in debates. And Romney has pretty much been aside - apart from all of that for so long.
This is going to be one of those situations, many people expect, where all eyes turn on Mitt Romney, all the fire turns on Mitt Romney. And we'll see how they do.
Also, don't count out Newt Gingrich. This is a candidate who got very upset in Iowa about the way he was treated by that pro-Romney Super PAC and all the negative ads. This will be his opportunity to really draw some sharp contrast with Mitt Romney, and he said he's going to do just that, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Yes, and we know that Newt Gingrich really does revel in debates. He wants one every day, if he could have it his way.
All right. Joe Johns, thanks so much, in Manchester, New Hampshire.
All right, CNN's live team coverage of the New Hampshire primary begins Tuesday, 7:00 P.M. Eastern. You don't want to miss that.
But, of course, before the primary coverage, join us Sunday, tomorrow, 4:00 Eastern Time, for "THE CONTENDERS 2012."
All right, Penn State University is set to introduce its permanent replacement for legendary coach Joe Paterno. Stepping in, the New England Patriots' offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien. O'Brien is taking over a program reeling from the sexual abuse scandal surrounding former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.
The news of O'Brien was met by excitement from the team.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT MCGLOIN, PENN STATE QUARTERBACK: I'm very excited about it. We heard the news late last night. I talked to a couple of my buddies on the team. They're excited as well. It's a fresh start for the Penn State program and - and I'm anxious to get going.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: O'Brien's start at Penn State is contingent on how long the New England Patriots stay alive in the playoffs.
All right, the 15-year-old Texas teenager who was mistakenly deported to Colombia is back in the U.S. This is video of Jakadrien Turner, who Colombian authorities say is pregnant, arriving at the airport in Dallas.
She spent most of the past year in Colombia after being deported by the U.S. government. Turner, who was arrested in Houston for shoplifting, was deported after claiming she was 21 years old and an illegal immigrant from Colombia.
Turner's family wants to know why U.S. authorities didn't check her identity more thoroughly before deporting her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAY JACKSON, TURNER FAMILY ATTORNEY: They want their daughter to be able to get some rest. They want to reunite the family. That's the purpose of this day. They're very happy that we're able to get them home.
To make the people who are responsible to pay for the civil rights violations that Miss Turner has had to go - go through.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Federal immigration officials are investigating this case.
All right, a couple in South Carolina is desperately trying to regain custody of their adopted daughter. A judge ordered the child be returned to her biological father, citing a law that makes it illegal to break up a Native American family. It's an extremely controversial case.
CNN's George Howell has been following all the developments. So George, why has this ruling - well, first of all, why did the ruling come about, and how is it that it's generated such controversy?
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This a very controversial, very complicated case, with many different sides with it.
Let's start first with the adopted parents, Matt and Melanie Capobianco. They have known - they've been with their two-year-old daughter, raised her since birth. They know her biological mother. They say that this was an open adoption.
Now, coming into play is the biological father, and he says - Dusten Brown says that this is his daughter. He is stepping in under a law called the Indian Child Welfare Act basically to get his daughter back. He is enrolled in Cherokee Nation, his daughter Native American, so under this law, it's designed to preserve Native American families.
So on New Year's Eve the Capobianco Family had to turn their daughter over to Mr. Brown. He left Charleston, driving back to Oklahoma, with his daughter.
Take a listen. We just got some sound from the parents.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELANIE CAPOBIANCO, ADOPTIVE MOTHER: Matt said, when we had to do the transfer, it was like he was failing her as a father, to - to send her off with people that she didn't know, what she must think of us.
She just had this, in my mind, a really confused look on her face, which just - but I'll always remember her crying after us when we had to - we had to walk out of that office and leave her there.
MATT CAPOBIANCO, ADOPTIVE FATHER: I mean, everybody keeps saying, you know, how - how bad they feel for us but, I mean, she's a two-year-old girl that got shoved in a truck and driven to Oklahoma with strangers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: It's a very difficult case. The Capobiancos, though, they say that Brown signed a waiver giving up his rights, but his attorney just told me that he was tricked into doing so just before he went on a one-year deployment to Iraq. So he filed this lawsuit, again, under the Indian Child Welfare Act, and the attorney for the Cherokee Nation basically says this law is designed to keep Indian families together.
WHITFIELD: So that answers my question. My question was going to be where has he been all this time. So he's been deployed in Iraq.
HOWELL: Yes.
WHITFIELD: He's now back stateside, and this was, I guess, his first order of business, to try to pursue reclaiming his biological child.
HOWELL: And, keep in mind, he filed this litigation four months after his daughter was born. So this is something he's been working on for some time and recently got custody of his daughter.
WHITFIELD: And so is this the end of the story or can it be contested? Can the Copabianco family contest this further?
HOWELL: They filed an appeal that will be heard before the South Carolina Supreme Court, but that could happen later in the summer. At this point Mr. Brown has his daughter, and there's been no communication for several days now with the Capobianco family.
WHITFIELD: No one knows how Brown is doing, how the two-year-old is doing?
HOWELL: You know, his attorney says that the two-year-old is doing well, transitioning well with the new family. But, again, no communication with her previous family. WHITFIELD: Wow, extraordinary case.
HOWELL: Yes.
WHITFIELD: All right. George, thanks so much for bringing that to us. Appreciate it.
HOWELL: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right, Joran van der Sloot, who's on trial for murder in Peru, says he needs more time to think about his plea.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JORAN VAN DER SLOOT, DEFENDANT (through translator): I want to use my right to plea to sincere confession but do not agree with all the aggravating factors the prosecutor is charging me with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Inside the trial when we come right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, top stories are straight ahead, including fuel prices fueling outrage. We'll take you to Nigeria, where high gas prices are sparking protests there.
Joran van der Sloot wants more time to think about how he'll plead in his murder trial. Van der Sloot is charged with killing 21-year-old Stephany Flores in Lima, Peru nearly two years ago, but you also know him from the Natalee Holloway case. He was considered the prime suspect in the 2005 disappearance of the Alabama teen but was never charged in that case.
So at his trial in Peru yesterday, he asked for more time to reflect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): So you do not plead - or you don't deem yourself guilty according to what the prosecution has stated?
VAN DER SLOOT: Do - do I have time to think this further?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So I want to bring in Jean Casarez from "In Session" on our sister network, truTV, who interviewed van der Sloot's lawyer. And so Jean, you know, earlier yesterday there were reports that van der Sloot planned to plead guilty to all the charges. So now he's reconsidering. Why?
JEAN CASAREZ, CORRESPONDENT, "IN SESSION" ON TRUTV: Well, Luis Jimenez told us personally yesterday morning, before the trial began, that he was going to plead guilty to the charges the prosecutor had brought, which is qualified murder, which is akin to maybe second degree murder, and he would offer a sincere confession.
Well, then we get in the trial and you just heard what he did, and it's either that he wanted to stop this trial in its tracks, which he did, or he didn't understand the question from the judge because he doesn't want to plead guilty to cruelty and - and that he was just so, so horrific with Stephany Flores when he killed her, so brutal. He doesn't want to admit that, but that's part of the charges and so he wouldn't - didn't want to answer the question, and so he halted the whole thing.
WHITFIELD: And then there's something about this posttraumatic stress that he's experiencing?
CASAREZ: Now, this is very interesting. You know, we spoke with his attorney, as you said, and it was the fifth year anniversary of Natalee Holloway's disappearance, and when Joran confessed to this, and that's going to come into this trial, he said that he had gotten an e-mail on his computer that called him a mongoloid because it was the five-year anniversary of Natalee's disappearance. That caused the big issue between he and Stephany.
Well, now the defense is going to turn that around to try help them. Take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LUIS JIMENEZ, JORAN VAN DER SLOOT'S ATTORNEY (through translator): We are sure that with the support from the corresponding experts it will be determined that Joran was living in a posttraumatic state during the attack. Let's remember that the fatal morning was the five-year anniversary of the disappearance of the American citizen, Natalee Holloway, and he's a young man, 22 years old, who has practically lived persecuted for a crime he says he didn't commit or for a disappearance that he cannot explain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASAREZ: So, Fredricka, what the - what the defense is trying to do here is to mitigate so that he'll serve a lesser term. That's what they're trying to do all around, to get him to serve the least amount of time possible in Castro Castro.
WHITFIELD: This is really fascinating. And so meantime, you know, the judge talked to van der Sloot two different times yesterday, asking him to act appropriately. In what way? What was going on?
CASAREZ: It was amazing. He gets into the courtroom, everybody stands up out of respect to the court. He doesn't, and so the judge has to admonish him to stand up.
And then, it even got worse. He started to close his eyes, he started to sleep, he started to repeatedly yawn. He even looked at his watch, and he wasn't wearing a watch. He just looked at his wrist. So -
WHITFIELD: So he's not taking this seriously or he's mocking the court, the system? CASAREZ: It appeared as though he was mocking the court. That's exactly right.
Now, let's play devil's advocate. Was he so nervous that it just came about that that's how he reacted? Because this is the first time he's been in a courtroom and this was his murder trial that was beginning. But the three judges watched every single bit of it.
WHITFIELD: Wow, he's acting as though he doesn't want to see the light of day, I guess, right?
Jean Casarez, thanks so much. Keep us posted on all that follows -
CASAREZ: (INAUDIBLE).
WHITFIELD: -- in this trial. Thanks so much.
CASAREZ: I will.
WHITFIELD: All right, meantime, another trial that all seems to be enamored by was the Casey Anthony case. Well, she's been out of the headlines for months now, but now she has resurfaced. In online videos earlier this week, she was seen in a four-minute video diary posted on YouTube and on Facebook, but her lawyer says she did not release it.
This is the first we've heard from Anthony since a jury acquitted her of killing her daughter, Caylee. Here she's talking about how much things have changed for her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CASEY ANTHONY, ACQUITTED FROM MURDERING HER DAUGHTER: It's just a little surreal how much things have changed since July and how many things haven't changed. But the good thing is that things are starting to look up and things are starting to change in a good way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Anthony is currently serving a one-year probation sentence for a 2010 conviction on check fraud charges.
A bullied teen takes matters into his own hands and stabs his classmate to death. Our legal experts will weigh in on this case in just a few minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: An Oklahoma mom who shot and killed an alleged intruder, trying to protect her son, will not face criminal charges but the alleged accomplice will.
Let's bring in our legal guys - Avery Friedman, a civil rights attorney and law professor in Cleveland. Good to see you. Happy New Year.
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Hi, Fredricka.
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Happy New Year to you, too.
WHITFIELD: And Richard Herman, a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor, joining us from Vegas. Happy New Year to you, too.
HERMAN: Happy New Year, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, gentlemen. Let's talk about this. It's an extraordinary case in Oklahoma.
So apparently this young lady, Sarah McKinley, an 18-year-old mom of a three-month-old. Someone is knocking on the door, trying to make their way in. She calls 911, asked if she can, you know, fire her weapon or how - to what extent can she protect herself. The dispatcher says do what you have to do to protect you and your baby, and in doing so she opens fire, killing 24-year-old Justin Shane Martin.
But now it's his alleged accomplice, 29-year-old Dustin Stewart, who is charged with first degree murder. How unusual is this, Avery?
FRIEDMAN: Well, it's unusual because there are only 26 states that have what is called the Make My Day Law. You know, I mean the Clint Eastwood Dirty Harry approach to dealing with this.
And actually, the facts were really more dramatic than this. Both Justin and Dustin - you know, Justin and Dustin - are banging on the door, trying to get in because they think there are drugs in there. She has a 12-gauge shotgun, Fredricka, ready to go as soon as he breaks down the door, which is what he did. She fires after the guidance from the dispatcher, kills him.
Dustin runs to the police department, the cops grab him, and now he is charged because of the murder, because of the killing of his - his compatriot, and he is now facing very serious charges.
WHITFIELD: So Richard, was this a case of Dustin, when he went to the police department, he was thinking that perhaps she would be held accountable for the death of his, you know, friend? Or was he 'fessing up?
HERMAN: Fred, he wasn't thinking anything. These two guys were loaded that evening, and Avery is right -
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Because they were allegedly both high on prescription drugs, right?
HERMAN: Yes. And her husband had recently died from cancer, so they were going there looking for drugs.
That is burglary. They're breaking into a home. That's a felony. There's a felony murder rule in the state which says that if there is a murder or a death committed during the course of any felony, anybody involved in that is going to be held responsible for murder.
Now, usually what happens is in most circumstances the victim is the person who they're breaking in to try to steal the item from. They shoot whoever is in the house. That person dies and then all of the defendants get charged.
WHITFIELD: Oh, boy.
HERMAN: This case is so strange because here one of the co-defendants gets killed and his co-defendant is being charged with his murder. So that's why it's a very strange case.
But it absolutely is applicable. I've seen it before under the felony murder doctrine. And she did the right thing, she blew them away with a shotgun.
WHITFIELD: Amazing. All right. And apparently - allegedly, one of these young men actually went to the house the day that this young lady actually buried -
HERMAN: Before.
WHITFIELD: Yes, or the day of the funeral of her husband and said that he was a friend and wanted to see how things were going. So possibly kind of casing the joint beforehand.
All right, so now let's talk about another case of self-defense, this one very different. This is a case of a Collier County, Florida boy. The judge rules that Jorge Saavedra acted in self-defense when he killed a classmate at a bus stop because apparently there was a real track record that this young boy had been harassed quite a bit, had been bullied quite a bit, Richard.
HERMAN: Yes, Fred, and in this particular situation, this young boy had a history of being bullied. He came to school with a knife that day, showed it to some of his friends. The bully continued.
He got off the school bus to get away from the bullying. The bully got off the bus, hit him from the back of the head. The kid turned around, took out his knife and went insane on him and ended up killing this young man, and under Florida law that was acceptable because they've judged - the law says if you are in fear, subjective fear of great bodily harm or imminent death -
WHITFIELD: No matter where you are?
HERMAN: -- you can kill - yes, no matter -
WHITFIELD: It's not an issue of being in your home? No matter where you are?
HERMAN: No matter where you are. No matter where you are, you have the right to kill that person, and so that's what happened here. He killed a person and charges will not be brought.
WHITFIELD: Avery? FRIEDMAN: Well, it's a little bit different. You know, the first case in Oklahoma is the so-called Make My Day law. In this case, this is the Stand Your Ground law, and 17 of the 50 states have that. Florida does.
Let me tell you something, Jorge, who was 15 years old, had no idea about the Stand Your Ground law. I mean, he just freaked out after being bullied.
WHITFIELD: He was scared.
FRIEDMAN: And the fact is in Florida you can do it. Yes, he was scared. And, you know what? If it weren't Florida, if it were a majority of the states, he probably would be facing very serious charges.
WHITFIELD: Incredible.
FRIEDMAN: But because Florida has the Stand Your Ground law, forget the police, forget the parents, he actually is not going to be charged. Well, he was charged but he is - he is essentially acquitted.
WHITFIELD: Yes. I think very few people would know if they're in one of those 17 states that had Stand Your Ground law.
All right. Let's move on to something -
FRIEDMAN: But how would you know? How would you know?
WHITFIELD: How would you know? Right. All right.
Well, thanks for telling us. And now we'll have to do some additional research to find out if you live in any one of those 17 states. But hopefully you're not being bullied or harassed.
FRIEDMAN: What happens in Georgia.
HERMAN: There you go.
WHITFIELD: OK. All right.
Well, let's find out now about - this is - this, too, is very unusual. This is a day of unusual cases. So you get court side seats at an NBA game and you're thrilled to have that and sometimes you do have contact with some of the players.
In this case a young man by the name of Bill Geeslin did have contact with Lakers player Kobe Bryant. Allegedly Kobe was going after a ball and - and then, you know, ran into this seating area, and Geeslin alleges that he got a bruised lung as a result of that impact. But then, what happens three years later has now led to an assault and battery charge against Kobe Bryant. This young man died allegedly of complications from that bruised lung.
Richard, is this going to be a legitimate argument in which to make, that Kobe Bryant should be held accountable, culpable for this man's death?
HERMAN: The sixth circuit got it so wrong here, Fred. These - the justices on that bench either never went to a basketball game, never saw a basketball game. They claim that - Kobe Bryant's lawyers moved for summary judgment to dismiss the case, and the trial court granted it saying you can't sue. It's an assumption of the risk. If you sit in the front row, you assume the risk of a ball getting thrown towards you and a player running into you.
So what the justices said was when Kobe fell initially, that was the assumption of the risk. But then Kobe took his hand and pushed of the gentleman to help himself get up. And because -
WHITFIELD: So now we're talking about intent.
HERMAN: -- of that motion - right. No, no, not intent. That motion in and of itself took it out of assumption of the risk and that was the - the civil assault that they're allowing this case to go forward on.
I think it's ridiculous. It's pathetic.
WHITFIELD: So, Avery, you get about the last 15 second on this one. Is this going anywhere or are you in agreement with Richard that it's, in his words, ridiculous and pathetic?
FRIEDMAN: Well, no. No. I don't agree with that at all. I think all the judge did wrong at the beginning was say, look, let the jury sort this thing out. The three judges in - in the federal court of appeals made it very simple. Send it back, let's see what the jury does.
And the bottom line, Fredricka, this one's going to be a settlement for the estate of Bill Geeslin and that will be the end of the case.
WHITFIELD: Really?
FRIEDMAN: Yes. Yes. There'll be some settlement here.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: So Kobe Bryant (INAUDIBLE) to challenge it and then The Arena? I mean, this - this took place in Tennessee, by the way. The Arena wouldn't be brought into this? The Arena -
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Protections?
FRIEDMAN: Well, there are other parties in there, but I don't think Kobe is willing to take a week out of his life and spend it in Memphis, Tennessee in front of a federal jury. This case is going to settle.
WHITFIELD: All right. Avery and Richard, we're not done with you. We're going to see you again in about 20 minutes to talk about a woman who is suing Honda in small claims court over a mileage dispute. See how many miles that case gets.
And then, a day of fishing turns into a high seas rescue. The harrowing story of two young boys and their father, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, just a few days away from the New Hampshire primary, the first in the country. So, what's the weather going to do? Hopefully sunny, and that means a big turnout, right Alexandra?
ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, as sunny as it could be. We're actually working on a record high day today.
WHITFIELD: Oh, good.
STEELE: Forty-two degrees right now.
WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE).
STEELE: Yes. It should be 32 for a high, heading to maybe 47, 48 today. So flirting with a record. We saw 1,100 records this past week alone, so certainly the heat is on.
In terms of the election forecast, this is the satellite radar composite and where the clouds and rain will or will not be, and they will not be here in New Hampshire and much of New England, for that matter. A weak front moving through, but more or less dry. All the rain to the south, no question about that.
Temperatures all above average. Low temperatures in Manchester, New Hampshire. Tuesday morning, it will be 25 degrees. It should be 11. It will be 17 to the north, should be in the single digits.
That's the morning. By the afternoon, temperatures really warming up, about 10 degrees above average. Forty-two on Tuesday for a high, should be at 32. So the heat is on, no question about it, but not only there but here, too. Today 61 in Washington, D.C. You should be at 40 degrees. So incredibly mild, right?
WHITFIELD: Yes.
STEELE: Fredricka's from there. She knows.
It should be in the 30s from Boston to New York; going to be in the 50s in Atlanta, Georgia, mid-60s, should be at 52. So, on the whole, incredibly warm for today and we're going to cool off the next couple of days.
WHITFIELD: Yes, more of the same. It was incredible being home for Christmas, and we didn't have to wear coats.
STEELE: Right. That's right. In Washington, D.C. and in the mid- Atlantic, too.
WHITFIELD: I know. It's very nice. Warm then, too.
All right. Thanks, Alexandra.
STEELE: Sure.
WHITFIELD: Appreciate that.
All right, checking today's top stories now, the Republican presidential candidates are furiously campaigning in New Hampshire, under the sunshine, as Alexandra explained. They have three days before state holds that nation's first primary.
Rick Santorum is in Amherst. He is hoping to build on a strong showing in Iowa. And the man to beat, Mitt Romney, is holding a commanding lead in recent polls there.
All the candidates, by the way, face off in New Hampshire tonight at a debate. Tune in to CNN Tuesday night for full coverage of the primary results.
And people are protesting in the streets of Nigeria as gasoline prices doubled literally overnight. The government removed the fuel subsidy on January 1st. It had kept gas prices artificially low.
Nigerians reacted angrily, staging mass demonstrations. The police responded with force, killing at least one protester.
And a harrowing rescue off the coast of Australia. Two men were out fishing with their 11-year-old sons when their boat caught fire near the Sydney Harbor. Now, the boat, which they bought just two weeks earlier, started to sink. They grabbed on to a floating cooler and then waited for help to arrive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT SMILES, SURVIVOR: The boat was on quite an angle to the stern. I grabbed the (INAUDIBLE), grabbed my wallet, ran out. By that time, Rick had life jackets on the boys. Grabbed the (INAUDIBLE), jumped off the back deck, and the boat sunk pretty well straightaway. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How quick did it happen?
RILEY SMILES, SURVIVOR: I feels like a few seconds before it disappeared. I was just shocked.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Wow. Incredibly lucky there.
All right, turning now to a high-level diplomatic meeting this coming week. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is scheduled to sit down with the foreign minister of Qatar Wednesday at the State Department.
CNN's foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty joins us live now from Washington. So Jill, this week Qatar said it is willing to allow the Taliban to open up an office, liaison office, in the capital. Is this expected to be a big topic of that conversation with Hillary Clinton?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: You know, the State Department won't say directly, as you might expect, but it certainly has to be at the top of the agenda because this is really major news. You know, the idea that the Taliban could be opening an office for peace discussions with the United States and its allies, that really is a big deal.
And there are a lot of questions about it, I have to say. A number of skeptics who say, well, who are the Taliban? You know, it's a very disparate group of people. What do they want? What would they be willing to accept?
Because the U.S. has put red lines out there. They have to respect the constitution, which includes rights for women. They have to turn away from violence and turn away from al Qaeda.
So there are a lot of questions, but certainly even just saying that. And we know, by the way, negotiation - I should say discussions, not negotiations, have been going on for about two years. Sometimes quietly, you know, secretly, but are going on. So there's some hope, but with a lot of caution.
WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk about another area where there's potential trouble brewing. We're talking about Kenya now and some planned attacks for the capital city of Nairobi. What do you know about that?
DOUGHERTY: Right. These are coming from the U.K., from Britain, and what they are saying is that the terrorist group al-Shabab has been planning and in fact they say it could be in the final stages of planning attacks on foreigners. It could happen at places where foreigners gather, and that would be hotels, shopping centers and beaches.
Now, why is this happening? Because Kenya sent troops over the border into Somalia to go after al-Shabab and al-Shabab wants to get back at them.
You know, the U.S. had warned back in October, November about the same thing, so it could be potentially a dangerous situation.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Jill Dougherty, in Washington.
All right, back in this country now, a matter of legal cases. A woman is taking Honda to court. She says her car's mileage isn't good enough.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, students and alumni from four of Maryland's public, historically black colleges and universities say the state is not doing enough to support them.
Our legal guys are back, Avery Friedman in Cleveland and Richard Herman in Las Vegas. OK, gentlemen, this is a really unusual case. The trial is about to begin in federal court. This lawsuit alleging that segregation is perhaps at the root here of these historically black colleges and universities not getting enough state funding.
So Richard, how will this case go forward?
HERMAN: This is a very serious case, Fred, and there's I guess $2 billion worth of damages at stake here and it looks like these colleges are going to succeed. It's just a matter of them proving up their damages.
There's no jury who is going to hear this. A judge is going to rule from the bench. And what the four colleges in Maryland are saying is that the state did not do enough to apply and - to apply the desegregation laws and therefore they were damaged over the - over the course of the last 20 years or so by virtue of having inferior labs, inferior library facilities, et cetera.
So they're bringing this claim. They are just basically putting on a measure of damages case here and there's going to be - this is - this has happened in Alabama, with two universities in Alabama, where the universities were victorious, and it's going to happen here in Maryland. Maryland better get out the cash register right now and settle this case because they're going to get hammered.
WHITFIELD: Really? So we're talking about Morgan State, Coppin State, Bowie State and University of - University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Avery. So is the argument that the state of Maryland must , you know, provide proportionate funding to all public funded universities, colleges, just across the board, and these four these four colleges and universities are going to be able to establish that they received a disproportionate amount of funding?
FRIEDMAN: Well, yes. A disproportionately low amount of funding. I mean, you know -
HERMAN: Yes.
FRIEDMAN: -- Fredricka, I've been at literally over three dozen universities and law schools, teaching, and I've been to historically black colleges and universities. And, oh, my goodness. I mean, if these are public institutions, how could they be underfunded?
The issue here under the Equal Protection Clause is if you're funding majority a public universities, you have to fund them equally. It's an equal funding case. And I'm in accord. I think this issue is very serious and going to be very expensive.
Maryland concedes that they could be doing so much more. But, Fredricka, now the trial is underway, it started this week, there's a lot of money on the line, and it's the only way, unfortunately, that historically black colleges can get equal funding. It shouldn't be in a courtroom, but it is, and now look what's going to happen here. It's - it is a necessity.
WHITFIELD: And is it your view that this will end out of settlement so as to prevent this being a very lengthy, costly trial, Avery?
FRIEDMAN: Well, it didn't settle in Mississippi, it didn't settle in Alabama. Many of the Southern states had the same problem. I've seen these schools in Texas. Oh, my goodness.
So Maryland better think about getting this thing resolved or else. Richard's right, about $2 billion on the line here. Exactly right.
WHITFIELD: OK, so now let's move onto Honda. Let's start up this case, and this is the case involving a woman in -
FRIEDMAN: Yes.
HERMAN: Start me up.
WHITFIELD: -- in California who's taking her case -
HERMAN: Put the Rolling Stones on.
WHITFIELD: That's right. Let's crank up the Rolling Stones - who claims in small claims court now that her Honda did not give her the 50 or so miles per gallon that she was expecting. Instead it was more like 30 miles to the gallon, so she's saying that Honda needs to, you know, divvy it up. They need to compensate her as much as $100,000.
Avery, what's this really about? Because she really could have joined in on a class - on a class action suit, but she says, no. She's going alone. Why?
FRIEDMAN: Well, because in the class action case she walks away with $200.
What she's doing - and this is - this is Miss Peters, who has obviously a lot of time on her hands. She is taking that differential between 50 and 30 miles a gallon times let's say 50,000 miles that she's driven in her 2006 Civic. And what she's calculated out is an enormous amount of money.
Actually, if you calculate the difference, Fredricka, it's about $2,500. Even if it's $1,500, I guess her theory is, I've got all the time in the world. I'd rather get that rather than the $200 in the class. Good for her. Good for her. What the heck.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Except Richard, (INAUDIBLE) people make the purchase of a vehicle based on the mileage that is promised on that sticker, and so she's, you know, likely alleging that she bought this Civic Hybrid in large part because it was going to save her money.
FRIEDMAN: Yes. That's right.
HERMAN: A misrepresentation, consumer fraud. But Fred, it's brilliant. She's bringing it in small claims court, where the cap is 10,000, so even if she gets her $7,500 in the state she brought it, she is now going to probably represent - she's not a lawyer. She used to be a lawyer. Now she's a paralegal. She's going to probably represent hundreds and hundreds of people in small claims court. They're going to get more money in small claims court than they would have gotten if they went in the class action. That's why this is so brilliant. She's going to win -
FRIEDMAN: Never going to happen.
HERMAN: -- it's going to be victorious, and she will win it in small claims court.
FRIEDMAN: Never going to happen.
WHITFIELD: All right. We're going to have to put the brakes on it for now, gentlemen.
(CROSSTALK)
FRIEDMAN: -- for herself.
HERMAN: The brakes. Good, Fred. The brakes.
WHITFIELD: Avery, Richard, thanks so much. Always good to see you. Look forward to seeing you again next weekend.
HERMAN: See you seen.
WHITFIELD: Right here.
FRIEDMAN: Yes.
HERMAN: Be well, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right.
All right, you heard of wind surfing, of course. Well, you have a board and a sail and the wind takes you for a pretty good ride. But how do you wind surf in the stillness of winter? The answer, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD (voice-over): A very rare sight on the Arabian Sea, an Iranian fisherman hugging a U.S. sailor. We're going to explain why.
And concerns linger over several whales found beached in New Zealand. We'll have details on that, coming up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right, first we've got something that's gone viral. Have you ever been wind surfing?
STEELE: No.
WHITFIELD: Oh. OK.
STEELE: Have you?
WHITFIELD: I have. It's a lot of fun. But usually you associate wind surfing with warm temperatures, you know, great wind, of course -
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD (voice-over): -- and a great beach, et cetera. But some diehards say, you know what? So it's winter. Let's come up with a different way to kind of wind surf with ice involved.
STEELE: Or hard water sailing, you know, it's called also. And you can see - I mean, you can see how fast you can go. This guy's not going very fast, but, you know, the record, the world record - and speed is the thrill with this deal.
WHITFIELD: Of course.
STEELE: A hundred and forty-six miles per hour is the world record. But it's, on average, people go -
WHITFIELD: But you've really got to be proficient. You've got to know what you're doing.
(CROSSTALK)
STEELE: -- people can go 100 miles per hour.
But the key with this right now, though, is the ice thickness. That's what could be scary, because it's been so warm, even in Montana.
WHITFIELD: Good point.
STEELE: Yes. It's got to be a certain thickness to be safe.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: So maybe you don't want to venture out to do this just now. Maybe you better wait till February. Maybe it will get cooler.
STEELE: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Colder. Icier.
STEELE: Well, four inches you need to even go ice fishing.
(CROSSTALK)
STEELE: -- ice skating. Yes.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.
Well, that's gone viral. A lot of folks are fascinated, and so are we.
All right, thanks Alexandra.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD (voice-over): All right. You know, Girl Scouts are known for their cookies - were you a Girl Scout?
STEELE: A brownie.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Me, too.
(CROSSTALK)
STEELE: -- made brownies, and then when I figured out, we did - like, yes.
WHITFIELD: Oh. OK, well - Girl Scouts (INAUDIBLE), too. They sold cookies, but now actually people are turning to some Girl Scouts not just for brownies and for cookies but instead for mortgage advice these days.
That's incredible. We're going to explain why, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, stories making news around the world now.
Iran is calling the rescue of 13 Iranian fishermen by U.S. sailors a humanitarian act. A Navy helicopter spotted a suspected pirate ship alongside an Iranian boat Thursday. After receiving a distress call confirming their suspicions, a crew from the USS Kid boarded the ship.
The crew took the 15 suspected pirates into custody and then freed the Iranian hostages.
And conservationists are keeping a close eye on a group of troubled whales off the New Zealand coast. Twenty-five pilot whales found beached at high tide last night. Eighteen survived and were sent back to sea, and they're hoping the whales don't return to shore.
All right, Girl Scouts used to be just about green sashes, green shirts, camping, and, of course, cookies. Well, now they are learning about careers, mortgages, interest rates and taxes.
Christine Romans has the story in this week's "Smart is the New Rich."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amelia and Ava are not saving for toys, they're not saving for games, but something much more important.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: College.
ROMANS: So is five and a half-year-old Emily. Why?
EMILY, GIRL SCOUT DAISY: Because it costs a lot, a lot of money, $ 138,000 (ph).
ROMANS: Meet the modern Girl Scouts, where money smarts count and will earn you a badge.
The Girl Scouts are 100 years old this year and way past the days of cross stitching and sewing. As part of the first badge redesign in a quarter century, 13 new badges reward money savvy.
Amelia, Ava and Emily are daisies. Girls their age learn about savings.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five dimes equals a half dollar.
ROMANS: Junior Girl Scouts like Abigail learn what to do with their money.
ABIGAIL, JUNIOR GIRL SCOUT: You save it and then donate it.
ROMANS: And in the Cadet troop, it's about mortgages, property taxes and careers. Master it, and nab the Financing My Dream badge.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's hold up our dream job. Go ahead, Gabby. Show us your dream job. Lawyer.
ROMANS: Twelve-year-old Gabby is exploring whether she can afford her dream home.
ANNE COFFEY, REAL ESTATE BROKER: If you take your, say, $2.5 million house that you want, and you put 20 percent down, that means you're going for a $2 million loan.
ROMANS: A real estate broker helps this cadet realize -
GABBY, GIRL SCOUT CADET: I really couldn't afford it. It was a bit too much money.
COFFEY: Well, it's so important because, you know, the largest purchase they're ever going to make is going to be their home and, you know, to learn that at a very young age, that you really need to save your money to purchase that dream home, is so important.
ROMANS: Of course, if you've ever bought a box of cookies from an aggressive entrepreneur in a green or brown sash, it's pretty clear these girls know money. Just ask Girl Scouts CEO Anna Maria Chavez.
(on camera): I mean, there are these stereotypes of women and money, but girls have been handling money for -
(CROSSTALK)
ANNA MARIA CHAVEZ, CEO, GIRL SCOUTS OF THE USA: For a very long time.
ROMANS (voice-over): And consider that by the time these girls graduate from college, they'll have, on average, $22,900 in student debt.
(on camera): You can't get around it. You've got to learn about money.
CHAVEZ: Absolutely, and it's so important. It touches everybody's lives. And, again, we're hoping that the girls not only learn those - those issues for themselves, they understand how to invest their money, but they teach other kids around them and they bring them along the path with them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's my girl.
ROMANS: Christine Romans, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And a teen deported to Colombia is back home. That story, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Our top stories now, the Republican presidential candidates are moving full steam ahead as Tuesday's all important first primary approaches. Mitt Romney, the frontrunner in New Hampshire, met with supporters at an early morning rally in Derry.
And Rick Santorum held a roundtable discussion at St. Anselm College in Manchester. It was the first of four events the presidential hopeful is holding today.
And former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman visited voters in North Haverhill. All of the candidates will meet back at Manchester tonight for the first of two weekend debates.
A 15-year-old Texas teenager who was mistakenly deported to Colombia is now back in the U.S. Jakadrien Turner gave immigration authorities a fake name and was deported to Colombia last May. Immigration officials are investigating the mistake.
And it will be one year tomorrow since that Tucson, Arizona shooting, leaving six dead and 13 injured, including Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. This weekend, that tragedy is being remembered in many different ways. Giffords made her first appearance at her Tucson office, presenting a plaque honoring her aide, Gabe Zimmerman, who was killed, and part of a hiking trail was renamed for him as well.
Today, in memory of the victims, trees will be planted for peace. Tomorrow, an interfaith church service, also there will be a candlelight vigil at the University of Arizona, which Giffords will attend.
Today at 2:00 Eastern Time, get your financial house in order with a new plan this year in our financial fix show, "YOUR MONEY."
At 3:00 Eastern, check out the newest app for social media. It could make phone calls obsolete.
Then, at 4:00 Eastern time, affordable homes across the country up for sale, but many banks don't want to finance them because they don't see it as profitable.
I'm Fredricka Whitefield. See you then.
"YOUR MONEY" starts right now.
