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U.N. Syrian Resolution Vetoed; Nevada Caucuses Underway; Student Wins Gay Counseling Appeal; English Skills Stop Run for Office; One Big Happy Family Under One Roof; 2nd L.A. Teacher Accused of Lewd Acts; Syria Motion Fails in U.N. Security Council; The Legal Guys; Mystery Travel
Aired February 04, 2012 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(CONTINUING COVERAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): ... also preserve the territory integrity and social unity of Syria, and know that's important to forestall any external military intervention.
Now, Mr. President, that the council has not been able to reach a decision to support the Arab initiative, the roadmap still exists as the only tool and the exemplary framework which the Arab League should continue to use in its efforts to make it active.
Mr. President, we are feeling terrible pain because of the horrible events we are all aware of, and we ask that God bless all those victims so that the bloodshed might end and that the various factions of the Syrian people might be able to reach a democratic state in order to create a single, open-ended society which would enjoy understanding and concord.
We hope that the Security Council will not have to deal once again with this situation, whereas it is getting worse. We hope that all those who have influence on all the parties spare no effort, whereas the Security Council has not been able to arrive at a decision so that a larger number of the innocent victims does not occur, and that we put an end to their use of violence.
Thank you, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thank the representative of Morocco council member for its statement, and I now give the floor to the representative of France.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, it is with great sadness and great concern that I note today that a double veto has just been exercised on a draft resolution on Syria, a draft which was supported by all the other members of the council. It is a sad day for this council, it is a sad day for Syrians, and a sad day for all the friends of democracy.
And, above and beyond the thousands of dead, wounded, tortured, imprisoned since the beginning of the repression almost a year ago, history has now compounded our shame, since today is the anniversary of the Hama Massacre, and the day after another heinous massacre in Homs. Father and son are killing, and it would seem to be hereditary in Damascus.
It is now 10 months that we have been discussing Syria and we've only come up with a simple presidential statement on the 3rd of August, 2011, because a veto has already been exercised in October to a state (INAUDIBLE), which has also changed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What has happened in these past 10 months? More than 6,000 Syrians have fallen victim to repression, and what do we know really about this? Ten days ago, the Human Rights Commissioner, said that henceforth she could not count the number of the victims of repression.
The Secretary General of the United Nations has constantly called upon this council to act, to stop these crimes against humanity committed in Syria, and the council has remained silent.
The Human Rights Council three times has pointed out the overwhelming responsibility of the Syrian regime, and this council has remained silent. A hundred thirty three states in the General Assembly have solemnly condemned these criminal actions and have called for an end to them without delay, and this council has remained silent.
The Arab League, in this same room only three days ago, called on the council to support its action because of the refusal to listen of the Syrian regime.
Also, in the face of the risks that this refusal to listen entails for the entire region, the Secretary General of the Arab League and the prime minister of Qatar in this very place advocated a solution which is the only credible way towards a peaceful settlement of the Syrian crisis. A resolution submitted by Morocco and broadly co-sponsored in the council and outside it, deemed consensual for the most part, proposed this support of the council to regional efforts. Nothing more, nothing less, and the council still remains silent.
We cannot, we must not overlook this harrowing conclusion that permanent members of the council have systematically been obstructing any action in the Security Council. They are doing this with the full knowledge of the tragic consequences entailed by their decisions for the Syrian people, and they are doing this by making themselves complicit in the policy of repression carried out by the Damascus regime. They have taken the part of the Assad regime against the Syrian regime, whatever they might actually say or do.
I know the arguments that shall be brought in by those who today who oppose the action of the council. I have already heard them say that only a few more days would have been enough to come to an agreement, a few days where hundreds of Syrians are dying - Syrians are dying every day, and it's no longer possible to wait.
As long as this draft resolution represents the broadest possible consensus of the international community by supporting the efforts of the regional actors to find a peaceful solution to the crisis. For 10 days -
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: This is Fredricka Whitfield, CNN. We continue to watch the developments there with the failure of a U.N. resolution vote there as it pertains to intervening on the violence in Syria. We're now going to join our coverage with CNN International and combine our viewership in the domestic audience as well as abroad.
GEORGE LOPEZ, KROC INSTITUTE, UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME: That's true, and it may backfire dramatically on the Russians in the sense that be careful what you wish for. By not having a united resolution that dictated what states could or couldn't do, now you're back to the U.S. and the E.U. and the Arab League as the leaders here.
That could mean for some in the Arab League a stiffer kind of reaction, withdrawal of ambassadors and others, as we just heard from Tunisia. It could mean the supplying now of arms. It could be the decision of E.U. and others to maybe create a humanitarian corridor for those who would like to leave, because it's maybe worse than civil war right now. It may be a kind of anarchy, as you've heard from one of your reporters.
So the free-for-all now is not in the interest, I think, of the Russians, and I thought their vote was very short-sighted.
JONATHAN MANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's going to be so much frustration with this outcome today. I think a lot of people are going to throw up their hands in desperation that the outside world is doing nothing.
But, let's be fair, the outside world has already from state to state, acting independently or in groups, taken a series of sanctions against Syria. Its economy is already being buffeted by them.
LOPEZ: I think that's a very important point, and the actors of sanction can even go deeper. You can also begin to incentivize some things which are interesting, and that is to declare that over the next 30 days those in leadership who decide to defect will be taken care of in particular ways. You can begin to have multiple kinds of option of good cop and bad cop with economic measures.
But most difficult, I think, to lose in this resolution was the united condemnation and giving the political message to the Assad regime that the days are over. It's going to be very different to determine that on the ground now, and it becomes, again, much more costly as we're seeing in the loss of human life.
MANN: George, Kroc's (INAUDIBLE). Thanks very much.
And so, the Security Council votes. The Chinese and the Russians veto. We've been watching it unfold live here on CNN with the help of Richard Roth at the United Nations; Mohammed Jamjoom in Abu Dhabi; and Nic Robertson, recently returned from Damascus, live with us from London on this day.
WHITFIELD: All right, you've been listening to our John Mann there, reporting with CNN International and our team of reporters who are talking about that U.N. resolution that has now failed. Any attempt to get a united front to intervene on the violence in Syria has thus far failed.
Among the 12 countries that did give a thumbs up, a green light to some sort of resolution of intervention, the U.S. included there, but again, it appears that they're going to have to go back to the drawing board.
All right, meantime here in the U.S., all eyes on politics, the race for the White House. Today the focus on Nevada, where the Republican presidential contenders are going head-to-head in that state's caucuses, the first contest to be held in the West. Voting, that began just two hours ago and it continues throughout the day, and we continue to watch.
We have our reporters all over the state of Nevada, among them CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser, who is live at the caucus site there in Las Vegas; and political reporter Peter Hamby as well, who's at the site in the town of Henderson, where people are caucusing.
So Paul, let's begin with you. Give us an idea of how the day is unfolding there.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Fred, it's just starting right now.
We are in Becker Middle School and this is one of the caucus sites here in Clark County and there are 16 precincts here. We're in the cafeteria. Three precincts just getting underway.
And I'm joined by West Allen. He is the caucus site manager here. West, give me a quick idea of what we're seeing and what's going to happen now.
WEST ALLEN, CAUCUS SITE MANAGER: In this area there are about 7,500 registered Republican voters. Those in the geographical area come to this location. They caucus. What that means is groups of about 30 to 75 people get together. They elect delegates.
But the most important thing they'll do today is they have a presidential preference poll. They will vote for who they want to be the nominee for the Republican Party. They will do that, submit the votes here. We'll gather them up, take them back to headquarters (INAUDIBLE) state of Nevada (INAUDIBLE) Republican nominee.
STEINHAUSER: And they get - they vote, of course, but they also get to speak. Does everybody get a chance to speak, if they want, for the candidate of their choice?
ALLEN: Yes. In the caucus in Nevada, everyone who would like to speak for a candidate has the opportunity to do so. They'll meet, they'll listen to the arguments and they'll vote.
STEINHAUSER: West, thank you. I know you're a busy man. You've got 16 precincts here, so I'm going to let you go.
ALLEN: Thank you. STEINHAUSER: Hey, Fred, as this action goes on here, let me tell you, this is just one of the 125 caucus sites across the state. So we're just talking - we're talking - and they all start at different times. That is what's really interesting here.
You remember in Iowa, they all started in the evening at the same time. But here they start at different times. It's - and so it makes it a little more interesting here. And, of course, this is a closed caucus which means it's open only to registered Republican voters, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Paul Steinhauser. We'll be checking back with you throughout the day there in Las Vegas.
Now let's go to Henderson, Nevada, and that's where we find Peter Hamby. He's on the phone with us now.
So Peter, give us an idea of what's happening there and where are the contenders? Are they finding their way into Henderson or have they been to Henderson to try and appeal to some of the electorate there?
PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER (via telephone): They have been to Henderson. Mitt Romney was here in Henderson last night. This is a large suburb of Las Vegas, in Clark County, one of the big Republican strongholds in the state.
But there's not a lot of people here, to be quite honest with you. I mean, this is only the second caucus that Nevada has really had so there's not that real political culture around the caucuses that we saw in Iowa.
But Mitt Romney has really done a lot of campaign events. He is by far the frontrunner. He is leading the polls, around 45 percent. He's had an organization here in place going back to 2006 when he ran last time. He won here with 51 percent of the vote in 2008.
So no one here expects Mitt Romney to lose. The real question is the battle for second place, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Now, what about Newt Gingrich then? Give me an idea of what he believes his strengths are in that state. We know that he's had the backing of a casino, a very influential or wealthy casino owner in Las Vegas, but is that influential enough?
HAMBY: Probably not, Fred. Sheldon Adelson, the casino magnate, has really given a lot of money to the Super PAC supporting Newt Gingrich, but Gingrich's campaign here has really fallen flat. And he's polling in second place, if you look at the polls, by a pretty wide margin over Rick Santorum and Ron Paul, but there's a lot of questions as to whether Gingrich will actually finish second because Ron Paul has a really strong organization in the state.
In a caucus you need a really strong ground game, of course. Ron Paul is strong in the rural counties.
Newt Gingrich doesn't have much of a campaign apparatus here at all. He hasn't had a lot of campaign events. He only has one event on the schedule today, and it's a press conference tonight after the caucus results come in. He's going to have a tough month ahead. A second place finish will be good for him, obviously, in the delegate hunt, but again we're looking at a second place finish,
I think a lot of Republicans here are saying between Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich, so we're going to be watching that second place fight.
WHITFIELD: All right, fascinating stuff. Thanks so much, Peter Hamby. We'll check back with you throughout the afternoon.
And join us every Sunday afternoon at 4:00 Eastern Time when we dedicate an entire hour to the presidential contenders in this 2012 election.
And of course you want to stick with us throughout the day for continued updates on what's taking place with the caucusing in Nevada. And tonight our expanded coverage starts at 6:00 P.M. with a special edition of "THE SITUATION ROOM." You'll want to join Wolf Blitzer and the rest of the CNN "Best Political Team on Television" for live coverage of all of the results.
Up next, an Arizona judge rules one woman's Spanish accent is too heavy to hold city council office. Now she's fighting to get her name on the ballot. Our legal guys will be weighing in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, a graduate student claims she was kicked out of school because of her religious beliefs on homosexuality.
Let's bring in our legal guys, Avery Friedman, a civil right attorney and law professor, joining us from Cleveland. Good to see you.
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Hi, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Richard Herman is ready for the game -
FRIEDMAN: Look at this. What is that?
WHITFIELD: -- but he's coming to us from Las Vegas. A New York criminal defense attorney and law professor, joining us from Vegas with - you are "Go Giants" all the way, right? I hope you have your sunscreen on.
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Go, Giants. Go, Giants. Absolutely.
WHITFIELD: All right. Good to see both of you. Too much fun.
OK, let's talk about -
HERMAN: It's a charming look. It's a good look.
WHITFIELD: It's a very good look. Let's talk about this grad student out of Eastern Michigan University. She said she was let go from the university because she refused to counsel a student who was gay, and she says that's against her religious beliefs. And so, Avery, she says this is an issue of religion. Is it?
FRIEDMAN: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Yes?
FRIEDMAN: Well, a three-judge - a three-judge federal panel said it was in part because of her religion. Julea Ward was a grad student at Eastern Michigan University and she said because of - she considers herself - she calls it an "Orthodox Christian" and she wanted to refer it.
Well, the federal judge threw it out, but a three-panel judge said, you know what? It may be religious bias, and the three-judge panel is sending it back so Julea may have her trial in front of a jury.
So we now have to see if she can convince the jury that it was because of her religion that she got tossed out of school.
WHITFIELD: OK. So Richard, she says, you know, this is her quote, she says, "I had never refused to counsel homosexuals. I had simply refused to affirm their lifestyle," and that she would then refer this student to another counselor, which is something that many counselors just might do. Why is it different this time?
HERMAN: Yes, I don't know why it's different, Fred. But I'll tell you one thing, I don't know what psychology students are doing providing psychological analysis and counseling to people. These are students, they're not qualified to do that, first of all.
Second of all, she is a student, so she has to deal with every situation that comes about. I don't think she has the right to turn down or refer outpatients when she's a student. I think she has an obligation to understand and try to evaluate and deal with any situation she's confronted with.
So I'm kind of on the school's side on this. The problem the school did was when they interrogated her, they tried to convince her to change her religious beliefs, and I believe that's where the problem is here.
WHITFIELD: You know, and according to Insidehighered.com, their reporting is that Eastern Michigan says that allowing someone to refer all members of a group to other counselors is a specific violation of the counseling association's code of conduct and that is why Julea Ward was dismissed.
Final thoughts on that, Avery?
FRIEDMAN: Well, yes. It's like saying, well I don't care for black people so I'll refer them, too. But, you know what? The three-judge panel said very quickly this doesn't mean she wins, she just gets to go to trial to convince them that it was because of religion.
I don't think she's going to prevail in this case, Fredricka. We'll see.
WHITFIELD: OK. Well, now we've got another case which is very different, and this one at the - at the center is discrimination, very different way. This out of Arizona.
Alejandrina Cabrera was running for St. Louis, Arizona's city council seat, but then she was barred from running and a judge weighed in, saying that her thick Spanish accent was just too much for that constituency, you know, to understand her. And so, thereby, she's barred from running for city council. But now she's taking it a step further and she is suing that her name be put on the ballot.
So, Richard, why does she stand a fairly good chance of making her argument?
HERMAN: Well, she does stand a good chance. The problem is it's not going to be decided in time. That's the problem. The political process - the legal process takes a little time and she's got a deadline here, I think, of the 7th of February to get a decision. I don't think she's going to get one.
But this is politically motivated by her adversary, Fred. She didn't do herself any help by bringing in an interpreter during her proceedings.
But she graduated from the same high school as this man. She's able to speak English. The town is 90 percent Spanish. I don't know, it seems such a political - political mess here.
I think she's going to end up prevailing, but I don't know if it's going to be in time.
WHITFIELD: Avery, you're shaking your head. Why?
FRIEDMAN: Yes, she's going to get on the ballot because if it's handled right, she should be in federal court right now under the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which bars literacy tests. What Arizona has done is used a state law that's 100 years old to keep Mexicans out.
Under federal law, under the constitution, she wins. If she gets to court in time, I think she will, and I'd like to think that she'll be on the ballot this coming week.
WHITFIELD: All right. We're going to talk with you all again because we've got another fiery - a couple of other fiery cases that are on our docket.
In about 20 minutes or so we'll be talking about a billionaire who adopted his girlfriend in order to protect his fortune. I can't wait to hear what Avery and Richard have to say about that one. And then, another teacher is under arrest in Los Angeles. This one allegedly touched seven-year-old girls inappropriately, and apparently there are photos as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Of course you love your family, but can you really picture this? Grandparents, mom and dad, kids and grandkids all in the same household?
Well, a lot of people are in fact doing just that. Christine Romans finds out why and how it's actually working.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meet the Loefflers.
TOM LOEFFLER, LIVES IN MULTI-GENERATIONAL HOUSEHOLD: I'm dad.
SHARON LOEFFLER, LIVES IN MULTI-GENERATIONAL HOUSEHOLD: I'm the mom.
MATT LOEFFLER, LIVES IN MULTI-GENERATIONAL HOUSEHOLD: I am the son.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm the grandmother and great-grandmother.
ROMANS: Three generations, plus one dog, living under one roof. Make that four generations when granddaughter Ella visits.
S. LOEFFLER: I really value family. It means a lot to me to have everybody together a lot.
ROMANS (on camera): For the first time in decades, more generations are moving in together, reversing a trend that's been in place since World War II. It's about culture, it's about convenience, it's about money.
(voice-over): The trend has grown 30 percent over the past decade, fueled by immigration, people living longer, and, more recently, job losses and foreclosures.
DON DYRNESS, SPECTRUM CONSTRUCTION: We have a couple of bedrooms upstairs.
ROMANS (voice-over): New Jersey builder Don Dyrness renovates single family homes to accommodate more than one generation.
(on camera): When you look at what's been happening in the housing market, you can see that this is an area in housing that is showing growth. No question. Are you seeing that in your business?
DYRNESS: Absolutely. We've been doing multi-gen houses for 20- something years. (INAUDIBLE) one a year, two a year, zero, and then in 2009, it's grown to three to five projects per year.
ROMANS (voice-over): One of those projects, building an addition for the Loefflers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the kitchen.
I could have never lived by myself. I could have never afforded it. I never - I couldn't, you know?
S. LOEFFLER: For her, it was definitely economic. But, for us, I think it was peace of mind, having her here.
ROMANS: Peace of mind also meant a new social dynamic to keep the peace.
S. LOEFFLER: Mom is sensitive to our family dynamics, too.
T. LOEFFLER: It was important for us to keep her room separate. I mean, she's an integrated part of the house, but, you know, she could make it separate. And she has a separate entrance on to the back deck.
So she - I think - hopefully she feels like hey, it is separate. I think those are the important things.
ROMANS: But change comes with unexpected perks, too.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a washer and dryer right here.
M. LOEFFLER: Every couple of days, I bring my laundry down, drop it off, and when I come home from work it's all pressed and good to go.
ROMANS: Christine Romans, Secosana (ph), New Jersey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And a teacher under arrest in Los Angeles. This one allegedly touched a seven-year-old girl inappropriately.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A second teacher at the same elementary school in California is under arrest, accused of fondling two girls. Also allegedly involved, bondage pictures of children as young as seven years old.
Our Thelma Gutierrez has this disturbing story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is 61-year-old Mark Berndt, an elementary schoolteacher accused of taking bondage photos in his classroom of more than two dozen boys and girls between seven and 10 years of age.
On Friday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's investigators arrested a second teacher, 49-year-old Martin Bernard Springer, a colleague of Berndt's. CAPT. MIKE PARKER, LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERRIFF'S DEPARTMENT: The allegations involve two girls who were allegedly fondled in the classroom at Miramonte School by suspect Springer. They were approximately seven years old at the time of the incidents, which were alleged to have occurred during the past three years.
GUTIERREZ: At this point in the investigation, officials could not say if there was a relationship or connection between Berndt and Springer. Both men taught at Miramonte Elementary School in South Los Angeles, a low income area which is 98 percent Latino.
Parents at the school are outraged that they're just learning about the sex crime allegations.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm angry. I'm disgusted. I'm sad.
GUTIERREZ: Investigators say the case against Berndt broke in 2010 when a film processor noticed disturbing images of Berndt with his arm around the children or his hand over their mouths. Others showed the children with their eyes blindfolded and mouths covered with tape. Some depicted children with Madagascar-type cockroaches on their faces.
SGT. DAN SCOTT, LA CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT., SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT: The children felt this was a game. They didn't realize they were being victimized. They thought they were just being blindfolded and gagged as a game.
GUTIERREZ: Detectives discovered 400 photos. Some showed children with spoons at their mouths filled with semen, which they believed was liquid candy. They recovered a plastic spoon and empty container from the suspect's classroom, tested the contents and found a match to Berndt's DNA. So far, 23 victims have been identified.
SCOTT: There's at least 10 children that we have not been able to identify. Obviously, we can't put their pictures out because they are potential victims.
GUTIERREZ: Berndt had taught at Miramonte for 30 years. Gloria Polanko (ph) has two children in the school. She says she and other parents want to know why, if the bondage photos were brought to the attention of authorities back in October of 2010, why Berndt was allowed to remain in the classroom for three months until school officials finally removed him in January of 2011. Los Angeles school superintendent John Deasy says the school district acted as quickly as it could.
SUPT. JOHN DEASY, LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT: The police were very clear that we were not to be involved in the investigation, and we followed everything to the letter of the law that they directed us to do. And I believe that is why, in the end, they were able to collect the evidence.
GUTIERREZ: Polanko says if these crimes had been committed in another area, where there are Anglos, like Beverly Hills, this would have been handled differently. She says news of the two arrests has shaken their trust in the school, and now some parents are talking about pulling their children out of Miramonte elementary school for good.
Berndt is being held on $23 million bail, and his public defender has not spoken to reporters about the case. Police say Springer is being held on $2 million bail. Charges are expected to be filed against him early next week. Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And straight ahead, more on the U.N.'s failed attempt to stop violence in Syria. Our Richard Roth joins us after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: About 20 minutes ago in New York, the U.N. Security Council voted down a resolution condemning Syria's crackdown on anti- government protesters. Let's go to CNN's Richard Roth, who is live at the U.N. Twelve countries voted in favor of it, including the U.S. What happened?
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT: Well, 13, actually. China, Russia with a veto. They put their hands in the air, the ambassadors, and they did the same movement in October. But this time, some diplomats thought it might be different, considering the level of violence that has occurred in Syria, including overnight and last night in Homs, the Security Council rocked by two vetoes from permanent member countries who have those veto rights, and thus a resolution which would have demanded a halt to the violence and a political transition of power under an Arab League plan -- well, that's all been shot down.
And U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice was furious.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUSAN RICE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: The United States is disgusted that a couple members of this Council continue to prevent us from fulfilling our sole purpose here, addressing an ever-deepening crisis in Syria and a growing threat to regional peace and security. For months, this Council has been held hostage by a couple members. These members stand behind empty arguments and individual interests while delaying and seeking to strip bare any text that would pressure Assad to change his actions.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROTH: The Russia -- the French ambassador indicating, in his view, that China and Russia are complicit now in what's happening in Syria. China and Russia have not spoken formally to explain their vetoes, but in the past, Fredricka, either (SIC) the U.N. goes too far and shouldn't get involved every time a country -- a member country of the U.N. runs into internal problems. Russia has some lucrative arms deals and has been an ally of Syria. There are a lot of other interests at stake here.
But despite the huge increase in violence over the last few months, the Security Council is not acting officially. The French ambassador says, We're still going to try, but there's still a limit to what they can do.
Back to you.
WHITFIELD: Yes, and what would be the next thing that it could do?
ROTH: Well, it can issue statements, which may not require a -- the same amount of votes, but they're not as legally powerful, and they will probably bounce off the Assad regime. I think the Syrian government is pretty happy that their allies -- Russia blocked action. The Russians are going to visit Syria in a few days. They think there should be a dialogue between the government opponents and the Syrian government. But the government opponents in Syria say Assad's got to step down first.
WHITFIELD: Richard Roth at the U.N., thanks so much.
Up next: A former student says unpaid internships break labor laws. So now she's suing. Our "Legal Guys" weigh in on that case.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A former intern at "Harper's Bazaar" magazine claims that she worked so many hours that she deserves a paycheck, and she's suing for it.
Our "Legal Guys" are back, Avery Friedman in Cleveland and Richard Herman in sunny Las Vegas. Good to see you guys again.
All right, this is interesting, gentlemen. So many of us have done internships. And this young lady, Diana Wang (ph), says there must be a really big misunderstanding. She was an intern at the magazine's accessories department from August to December last year, where she says she typically worked at least 40 hours a week and sometimes more than that. And now she's saying to this magazine that they owe her back pay and overtime.
Avery, how is she going to make this argument? And will she win this argument?
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Well, it's a very clever one, Fredricka. She's arguing under the Fair Labor Standards Act that she essentially was doing the work of somebody that "Harper's Bazaar" would have to hire. And so she's saying, Give me minimum wage, give me overtime. I think it's a principled case.
WHITFIELD: You do?
FRIEDMAN: And I think it's going nowhere.
WHITFIELD: Even -- oh, OK.
FRIEDMAN: Going nowhere.
WHITFIELD: All right. So Richard, typically, internships, unless it's made very clear -- typically, you get college credit, you get class credit, you get the experience. But most times, you don't get payment. What would be different this time? Would she be able to make such demands and actually convince a court that she's been wronged?
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Nothing, Fred. I don't believe this is a principled case. I think this is a sham, and I think that she has absolutely blackballed herself in the industry. No one's ever going to hire her now. So any aspirations she thought of working in an industry like this, forget it.
"Harper's Bazaar" gave her an internship. She had four months there. Now to claim that she's entitled to wages because she did work that other people did -- look, whether it's at "Harper's Bazaar" or at a law firm, for paralegals, these unpaid internships are invaluable. They provide experience, a little education.
HERMAN: They get your foot in the door. You see things you never would have seen before. This is a sham. She got bad legal advice here. It's going nowhere.
WHITFIELD: Oh, and this is what Hirsch (ph) says, a statement from them. "The internship programs at each of our magazines are designed to enhance the educational experience of students who are receiving academic credit for their participation and are otherwise fully in compliance with applicable laws. We intend to vigorously defend this matter." All right, we're going to see where that case goes.
All right, now let's talk about the case of Wellington polo magnate by the name of John Goodman, who was charged with DUI manslaughter in the death of a 24-year-old by the name of Scott Wilson. To protect his estate, he has adopted his girlfriend so that she will manage the estate for his two children.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: So you know, Avery, you laugh, but apparently, there's some real legitimacy in the way in which he adopted the girlfriend to protect the estate, right?
FRIEDMAN: Yes, you think so? You like that?
WHITFIELD: That's what the legal minds are saying.
FRIEDMAN: It may be entirely --
(CROSSTALK)
FRIEDMAN: -- as long as there is no lineal consanguinity -- that is, close blood line -- Goodman can actually do it. I think it's a fraudulent conveyance.
WHITFIELD: You do?
FRIEDMAN: So now the two children of Goodman, the two children -- you know, Muffy and Biff, or whatever their names are -- will now have to share the family children's trust with the girlfriend, who is 42 years old. It's a technicality. I think it's terribly creepy, but I think she's going to get away with it.
WHITFIELD: Richard?
HERMAN: I do not think she's going to get away with it. I agree with Avery. I think it is a fraudulent conveyance. When you're faced with a big money judgment, Fred, or someone has a judgment against you, the law says you cannot hide your assets. This trust that was set up for his children --
WHITFIELD: Is this considered hiding?
HERMAN: -- was protected property. The judge said -- he said it's not part of the estate, but now that he tried to adopt his girlfriend, which apparently he did, this is going to be looked down on by the surrogates court.
The purpose of the adoption statute is to create a parental-child relationship. That's not what was created here --
FRIEDMAN: There you go.
HERMAN: -- or you'd have an incest problem. This is a big problem here, Fred. I think they're going to undo it. It's not going to fly. I don't know why he doesn't have enough insurance to cover this. He's going to get hit by a big number. I'm sure --
HERMAN: -- an umbrella policy will take over. Well, then he's going to have to settle the case if he's such a big millionaire polo guy. But this conveyance, this is a sham. Nice try by the attorney. It's going nowhere.
WHITFIELD: OK. OK. All right. And now this next case perhaps underscores you've got to be real careful about what you tweet about because, apparently, what you tweet before you fly may mean that you will be grounded.
That's exactly what happened in the case of two British tourists who had every intent to make their way to the U.S., but apparently, what they tweeted got to the eyes of TSA and others. They said, No, they cannot fly.
Avery, explain more. Does it have to be very clear and fluid that you have, you know, malicious intent upon, you know, arriving at your destination, or is it just that there are certain words that are trigger words that you just cannot utter?
FRIEDMAN: Well, if you see words like "destroy America" and "dig up the body of Marilyn Monroe," I think that's a pretty clear idea to get the TSA guys pretty cranked up. Look --
WHITFIELD: But they say they were joking!
FRIEDMAN: -- since 9/11 --
WHITFIELD: The passengers say --
FRIEDMAN: Yes, I know they were joking --
WHITFIELD: -- they were joking, don't take it seriously.
FRIEDMAN: Well, hey, work for the TSA and try to run that by them. Look, the fact is, since 9/11, it's insane to do that. These are 20- something Brits trying to come over to the United States. You know what? I think TSA did the right thing. They never intended to do it, but that's how it goes.
WHITFIELD: All right. So Richard, this is what -- this was one tweet that they exchanged. "Free this week for quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America," with a question mark. Lesson to all, you just don't --
HERMAN: You know, this is --
WHITFIELD: You don't joke about things like that.
FRIEDMAN: That's for sure.
WHITFIELD: If, indeed, this was a joke, right?
HERMAN: You know, this is what it's come to. This is what it's come to in our society, that everybody's so jumpy. Look, we speak English in the United States, they speak English over there. They look down on our English. It's slang, "I'm going to destroy America" is a slang term for party up in America.
Look, Homeland Security obviously overreacted in this case. They just better forget about it, move on with it. It's going nowhere. They could have questioned them, but then they had to release them, so it's really -- Fred, it's ridiculous.
FRIEDMAN: Fredricka --
WHITFIELD: OK.
FRIEDMAN: Fredricka --
WHITFIELD: Yes, Avery?
FRIEDMAN: We've had to look at this Giants jersey for the entire hit (ph). I mean, goodness, gracious. I mean --
WHITFIELD: Are you a Pats fan?
FRIEDMAN: -- David Gergen wrote about this -- well, Myra Kraft said, that -- passed away, is the wife of the former owner -- the Patriots are going to be out there fighting. And let me show you guys.
WHITFIELD: Oh!
FRIEDMAN: There we go right there.
WHITFIELD: Wait a minute!
FRIEDMAN: There it is.
WHITFIELD: You should have been revealing that the whole time, and we'd have equal time for the Pats and the Giants!
FRIEDMAN: Oh, no, I had to be discreet about it.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: And I've got a little blue for both, you know? I'm indifferent. How's that?
FRIEDMAN: All right, well, that's -- you're supposed to be. You're the anchor. Right.
WHITFIELD: I'm cheering for both teams. All right, thanks so much. And I'm always cheering for you all. Avery, Richard, thanks so much. Always good to see you.
FRIEDMAN: Take care.
WHITFIELD: All right, take care.
HERMAN: Fred (INAUDIBLE)
WHITFIELD: Oh, Richard's got more to say! What? You talking smack? What?
FRIEDMAN: Forget about it. Forget about it.
WHITFIELD: OK.
HERMAN: Giants big tomorrow, Fred.
WHITFIELD: There you go.
HERMAN: Giants big.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, guys. Appreciate it.
HERMAN: I heard --
WHITFIELD: What?
HERMAN: I heard Haley Barbour pardoned LT, so we're ready.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: OK. All right, thanks so much, Richard, Avery. Appreciate that.
All right, so now an update on one of the cases that Richard and Avery have been talking about over the last couple of weeks. Remember the case involving a woman who took Honda to small claims court? Well, she won. Case closed. Or is it? Heather Peters (ph) wins more than $9,800. A Los Angeles superior court commissioner ruled that Honda misled Peters when it claimed her Civic Hybrid could get 50 miles to the gallon. Well, Honda says, Not so fast. It's putting on the brakes. It will appeal.
All right, look for an adventure on your next vacation? Who doesn't? We're going to tell you about a new travel trend, and it's full of a lot of surprises.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, most people spend months or even years planning their vacations, but now many people are leaving it all up to chance and buying a mystery trip. Rob Marciano explains why this adventure into the unknown can be the trip of a lifetime in this "On the Go."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Liz Ozaist booked a mystery trip, she didn't expect to be soaring above the trees in Hawaii.
LIZ OZAIST, TRAVEL WRITER: I actually had never done ziplining before, believe it or not.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Neither had I.
(LAUGHTER)
MARCIANO: From ziplining to surf school, each day a new activity was revealed. Even their destination was a surprise.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In a mystery trip, they don't tell you exactly where you're going to go or what the extras are or what hotel exactly you'll be staying at.
MARCIANO: Most mystery trip planners try to make sure the adventure matches your personality. One even gives a quiz to determine a travel sign.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We both came up as a barbarian when we took the quiz.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And that sign is people who love to travel to the ends of the earth, basically.
MARCIANO: Taking a chance can also help you save some money.
MARK ORWOLL, "TRAVEL & LEISURE": For example, Luxury Link on line -- they offer options for destinations. They don't tell you exactly where you're going to go. You can get a great value for a very little amount of money.
MARCIANO: And with an open mind, a mystery trip can be worth the suspense.
OZAIST: Go with the flow. TODD BRADWAY, "MYSTERY TRAVELER": You just go with the flow, and you know, enjoy the moment.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: A vote at the U.N. on Syria's deadly crackdown. The results after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now. Republicans in Nevada are flocking to caucus sites all across the state to vote for their favorite presidential candidate. It's the first early voting contest in the West. Mitt Romney is leading in the polls by double digits.
And just about an hour ago, the U.N. Security Council voted down a draft resolution condemning Syria's deadly crackdown on anti- government protesters. Russia and China voted -- vetoed, rather, the measure, and the U.S. and 12 other Council members voted to pass it. And outrage over Syria's crackdown intensified this week after army forces reportedly killed at least 260 civilians in the town of Homs.
All right, well, it shouldn't be unusual to see snow in Denver, Colorado, but it's been such a warm winter. Our Reynolds Wolf is here giving us an idea of why this weather, I guess, system, has been kind of so colossal for Colorado. It did cancel a lot of flights. It's a bit of an inconvenience. But come on, it's Colorado!
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. Yes. And you know what's interesting, parts of Colorado, especially up in Boulder, had over 20 inches of snowfall. And it really has been something they've been waiting on for a long time. You've got many ski resorts in Colorado where they had to make some artificial snow. But the ski season there has been incredible despite that.
Now we've got more of the snow that's actually leaving parts of the Rockies and now moving into the central Plains. Parts of, say, Nebraska, back into Iowa, even into Kansas, you could see 8 to 12 inches of snowfall today. With those wind gusts, you could have whiteout conditions.
That area of low pressure is not going to stay nailed (ph) to the ground (ph). It is going to drive its way to the east. And as it does so, it's going to bring some heavy rain to parts of the Gulf Coast, even into Louisiana. With that, 3 to 6 inches of rainfall, and with that, the possibility of some flooding. They already have flash flood warnings just northeast of Alexandria and just to the west of Jackson, Mississippi. As we wrap things up, 44 degrees the high in Kansas City, 67 Atlanta, 59 Seattle, 75 in Los Angeles and 46 in New York. Fred, back to you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet.
WHITFIELD: Have a great rest of the day.
All right, you probably remember this. It's been 30 years since the hit television show "Fame" debuted, making us all believe that there was a singer or a dancer inside all of us. In fact, Reynolds right now is kind of dancing to a tune that he just heard.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: So remember all the tough talking that you heard from the teacher, Lydia, played by Debbie Allen? Well, she's still tough talking, directing, choreographing, acting. She's still doing it all. Well, next week, she and I talk "Face to Face" about a lot of things, her new role on the TV show "Grey's Anatomy," her dance studio you see right there, and the future that she sees in the performing arts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBBIE ALLEN, DANCER/ACTOR: (SINGING) Do you know where you're going to -- I need Diana Ross to come and tell me!
(LAUGHTER)
ALLEN: I love her. I do have her number in my cell phone!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Next week, "Face to Face" with Debbie Allen. She also opens up about missing a best friend and one of her best dance students, pop icon Michael Jackson.
All right, coming up this afternoon, what to do with your fat dog or cat. Our Josh Levs joins us with advice from a veterinarian to get those extra pounds off Fifi and Fido.
Plus, who's more stressed out, men or women? Valerie Burton joins us with the answer and how to defuse all that stress.
At 4:00 Eastern time, while we focus on the Nevada Caucuses, Wolf Blitzer will join us to talk about Tuesday's primaries in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri, and then Saturday, Maine. A lot going on. Half of the Republican candidates are already in some of those states.
I'm Fredricka Whitfield, see you later on this afternoon. Right now, time for "YOUR MONEY."
