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Two U.S. Officers Killed in Afghanistan; RFK's Son Charged; Romney's Wife Takes Center Stage

Aired February 25, 2012 - 19:00   ET

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

SUSAN HENDRICKS, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. Great to see you. I'm Susan Hendricks, in tonight for Don Lemon.

We start with, a developing story. Two American officers shot dead in Afghanistan, not on the battlefield but in a place where they should have felt the safest, at their office, inside of a highly secured government building. And the person who pulled the trigger is still out there.

Our own Nick Paton Walsh is standing by in Kabul where this all happened -- Nick.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A day of much confusing, at times contradictory, information, what has emerged is two Americans have been shot dead on the Afghan interior ministry compound -- apparently, according to Afghan police source, on a secure part in that compound where Western forces have some of their training personnel. The Taliban have leaped forward to claim responsibility, saying that the gunman was work for him. Naming him as Abdul Rahman and saying he was acting in revenge because of the burning of the Koran that happened about a week ago on the U.S. air base, unintentionally the Americans say, just east here of Kabul.

That, of course, which ISAF can't confirmed at this time. They say the gunman was not a Westerner and that he is at large, he escaped from the scene of crime. This may suggest he is perhaps an Afghan.

And we have heard from across the Atlantic a statement from the U.S. Department of Defense that the Afghan defense minister has pledged to cooperate in this investigation and apologize for the instant, that may perhaps Afghan security personnel were somehow involved in it. But really this plays into the larger issue of trust between Americans and Afghans.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kabul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HENDRICKS: Nick, thank you. Now, because of this, General John Allen, the top NATO commander in Afghanistan, is putting all military advisers from government ministries in Kabul. Before this happened, Allen visited a base near the square of another deadly attack on the scene there on Thursday. In that that incident, two American soldiers were killed during riots over those burned Korans.

Allen cautioned his troops against seeking revenge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. JOHN ALLEN, ISAF COMMANDER: These are the moments when you reach down inside and you grip with discipline and makes you a United States soldier, and you gut through the pain and you gut through the anger and you remember why we are here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENDRICKS: Again, General John Allen speaking there.

As Nick mentioned, the military says those Korans were burned by mistake at Bagram airfield. An investigation is now under way.

Former South African President Nelson Mandela is said to be recovering comfortably after undergoing hernia surgery. Mandela was hospitalized earlier today. The news sparked fears that the 93-year- old icon was seriously ill, but a family member insists the surgery was planned and says Mandela will likely be released on Monday. The name of the hospital where Mandela is being treated was not released.

Now, Nelson Mandela is beloved by his nation, as you know, and around the world. He gained notoriety after enduring 27 years in prison for battling apartheid. After his release in 1990, Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1994, he went on to become South Africa's first black president, serving one year as promised. Mandela retired from public life eight years ago and since then has remained in virtual seclusion.

Now to New York where fresh details are emerging in a bizarre hospital incident involving the youngest son of the late Senator Robert Kennedy. We're still getting details in here.

Douglas Kennedy is facing misdemeanor charges after he claims to some sort of altercation with two nurses as he tried to leave with his newborn son.

CNN's Susan Candiotti is following this story and the fallout from New York.

Susan, what have you learned?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Susan, the question is, was he defending his rights as a parent and protecting his child, or refusing to follow a nurse's order?

Douglas Kennedy was visiting his wife Molly in the maternity ward about two days after her C-section and said he wanted to take his baby outside for some fresh air. It was about 7:30 on a Saturday night last month in a hospital in a New York City suburb. Baby Bo was swaddled in his blanket and cap. Kennedy says some nurses were willing to let him go but when others disagreed, things took a nasty turn. In sworn depositions to police, nurses say they convinced Kennedy to leave in an elevator, then he headed to a stairwell. The nurses say that's when things got physical.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

ELLIOT TAUB, NURSES' ATTORNEY: And this particular father grabbed her wrist, her arm and twisted it so severely that she had tremendous pain in her arm. She then backed of with the other nurse standing right there. This gentleman then proceeded to kick her, and kick her so hard with so much violence that she flew through the air and landed in the middle of the corridor.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Kennedy's lawyer says Kennedy was trying to protect Baby Bo and used a knee, not a foot to stop the nurses who were grabbing for his baby.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT GOTTLIEB, KENNEDY'S ATTORNEY: The only aggressors were the nurses and, in fact, initially, the nurses said that he could go outside and it only changed when another nurse and then another nurse after that became aggressive and blocked Douglas from walking with his baby outside to get fresh air.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: The nurses told police the baby's head was, quote, "shaking violently from side to side." Well, Kennedy's lawyer denies it, adding the baby slept through the whole thing. Attorneys for both sides agree the baby was not injured. An emergency room doctor who is visiting Kennedy and saw what happened defended his boyhood friend in a statement. Quote, "I can state unequivocally that the nurses were the only aggressors. To charge Mr. Kennedy with a crime is simply incomprehensible."

Seven weeks later, the local D.A. charged Kennedy with a misdemeanor for child endangerment and harassing the nurses -- Susan.

HENDRICKS: Yes. I find it interesting, Susan, that a doctor, long family friend of the Kennedy is saying, look, I was with him at the time and this is really the nurses' fault. What do the Kennedys as whole, their family, is saying about these allegations?

CANDIOTTI: Well, Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy in this case who are the parents of five children, by the way, simply call the allegations absurd and say they certainly weren't trying to kidnap their baby.

HENDRICKS: And it really sounds like it's the nurses versus what Kennedy is saying about this and luckily the baby is OK. What do the nurses plan to do next? Will they sue the Kennedy family?

CANDIOTTI: Well, we don't know whether they will yet, but their lawyer did send Mr. Kennedy a letter a month ago even before the charges were placed, suggesting that he'd hire an attorney and that he better check his homeowners' insurance policy.

So, Susan, I don't know what's going to happen next.

HENDRICKS: And again, the good news is -- right, the great news is that whatever happened there, the baby is OK. Susan Candiotti, thank you.

CANDIOTTI: Exactly.

HENDRICKS: An official with the Catholic archdiocese of Philadelphia is asking the court to throw out child endangerment charges against him. Attorneys for Monsignor William Lynn say that a 1994 memo shows that he created a list of problem priests but a cardinal had that destroyed.

Lynn is accused of keeping priests who abused children in the ministry and transferring them from parish to parish moving them around. This is the first in the U.S. that charges those who were accused of failing to stop that abuse, not just those accused of abusing.

No evacuations allowed in Syria today as heavy gunfire and explosions blasted the city of Homs.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

HENDRICKS: You see the explosion, hear the panic. At least 100 people are reported to have been killed across the country just today alone, half of them in Homs. Red Cross talks with Syrian officials broke down putting a stop to more evacuations, at least for now. That's what we know. The Red Crescent is asking for two-hour daily pauses in the fighting to be able to deliver humanitarian aid.

Right now, CNN has no reporters and no cameras inside Syria. The government strictly limits access from outsiders. Thanks to a French film maker named Mani, very brave. We are able to show you a frighteningly close look inside of that area.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

HENDRICKS: We will show you more of this video and life through the eyes of a rebel fighter. That is tonight, don't miss, 10:00 Eastern Time.

To politics -- Mitt Romney trying to secure a win in what you may call his second home state. And today, he brought out a secret weapon to win voters over. Did it work? The story in two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HENDRICKS: Welcome back.

Just three days to go before a pair of key primaries in Arizona and Michigan. And Rick Santorum's national lead has shrunk to a single point in the latest Gallup daily tracking poll. The survey shows Santorum leading Mitt Romney pretty close here, 31 to 30 percent. Rick Santorum had a 10-point lead in the same poll just three days ago. It's ever changing.

In Arizona, the news for Romney could be better. He is still ahead of Santorum there in the new American Research Group poll, 39 percent to 35 percent. But his lead has dwindled by three points over the past 10 days.

And here is where Romney has real trouble. We are talking about Michigan. The latest ARG has him trailing 38 percent to 34 percent. Factor in the margins of error here and it's very much a tossup in both Arizona and Michigan.

Losing Michigan would be embarrassing for Mitt Romney, considering he was born there, raised there. His father was governor there.

Our Joe Johns is standing by for us in Troy, Michigan.

And, Joe, many thought this would be a slam dunk as you can imagine for Romney just a few weeks ago. What is he doing now kind of for a last-ditch effort?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Susan, he's had problems with evangelicals, with social conservatives who viewed him with suspicion somewhat. But he's also had problems connecting, connecting with audiences.

I talked to a man in this audience here in Troy, Michigan, where Romney appeared today, who said he feels as though Romney can be canned, if you will. And he compared him to Rick Santorum who he said sounded more spontaneous, more authentic.

So, what this campaign, the Romney campaign has been trying to do is find ways to help the candidate connect. One of the big ways is to bring out one of their so-called not-so-secret weapon. That would be Ann Romney, who is the wife of the candidate. They brought her out here in Troy, Michigan. And she really warmed up the audience and connected with them.

Listen to the sound bite.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANN ROMNEY, WIFE OF MITT ROMNEY: A year ago when we were making that final decision whether to step forward and do this again, it was a tough decision, let me tell you. Because I told Mitt four years before, I was never going to do this again. He laughed and said, you know what, Ann? You said that after every pregnancy. So -- maybe I should do all the talking and let him just stand here and watch me.

I have also -- I have also decided no more debates. If we are doing a debate, he is going to sit in the audience and watch me. And that will be it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: She does have an advantage, though. She, like Mitt Romney, grew up here in Michigan. So, she was going to be received warmly especially in this place.

HENDRICKS: Joe, I think that was a great move. Ann Romney, very funny, kind of warmed up to the audience there. And I know they are trying to humanize Mitt Romney.

But it seems like he almost has so many missteps, you want to just cringe. He was talking about being from Michigan, loving the trees. Then he talked about the cars that he drove and that, quote- unquote, "the cars that his wife drove," right?

JOHNS: Right. Right. Exactly right. And the thing about that, I was in the room there at that cavernous football stadium where he gave that speech, and the message that he was trying to send was he and his wife Ann really love cars. But I think the message that some people might have received was that they are really, really rich.

So, that's a problem for him. And as you said, there's never a time where he does any huge damage to himself but it's just a bunch of little cuts and a lot of times, it's about the way that he refers to things, the way he talks about things -- truly a problem for Mitt Romney going forward, especially because the nomination, because he's going to go up against a guy who tends to connect with audiences when he has to, that would be Barack Obama.

HENDRICKS: Yes. As we have seen before, Joe, anything can happen in Michigan and in Arizona. Joe Johns in Michigan -- thank you.

In Tuesday, two more opportunities for one of the candidates to separate from their Republican competition. Our coverage of the Arizona and Michigan primaries begins at 6:00 Eastern with the special edition of "JOHN KING, USA," followed by complete live coverage of the results starting at 7:00 Eastern. Don't miss that.

You know, there are 45 drivers competing in tomorrow's Daytona 500. But one of them has been grabbing the bulk of the headlines. Guess who? Danica Patrick.

She is making her NASCAR's Sprint Cut debut. She is bringing a lot of extra attention to the race. But is that causing jealousy here?

We are live from Daytona in less than three minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HENDRICKS: In a reversal compared to other major sports, the NASCAR season starts with the most celebrates contests of the year, the Daytona 500. Danica Patrick is making her mark this week with her first Daytona 500 start ever.

Joe Carter is at Daytona International Speedway.

And, Joe, it's been a wild week already for Danica, right?

JOE CARTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Susan. You know, it's been a real up and down few days for Danica Patrick. I mean, she's really just crashed two cars in short amount of time, in just three days. But the positive is that the two cars that she wrecked, she wrecked them and it wasn't her fault. That's the positive.

The bad news, her garage guys got a lot of work to do because she has two smashed up cars. On Thursday during the dual event, it was the final lap. She was coming around the last curve, she got clipped on the side and sent into the wall. It was a really violent crash.

And that camera angle that's on the inside of the car showing her remove her hands from the steering wheel. That's actually a safety maneuver she learned during her time in IndyCar to protect her hands and her wrists.

Now, after that race, she rebounded well. She qualified on the first spot on the nationwide qualifying event on Friday. And then Saturday, down goes Danica again. It was like 50 laps into the race when we saw her hit by her teammate this time, Cole Whitt, just nudged her enough in the back bumper to send her into the wall again. She was very frustrated. She was actually exchanging expletives with her crew chief over the radio, frustrated that she finished in 38th place, crashing two cars in three days, certainly not the way she wanted to start her weekend at Daytona.

But the greatest thing about sports is that she gets a chance to rebound tomorrow. She gets another crack at it. It's the Daytona 500. It's the big race, the most prestigious race in the sport. And if she can shock the world and win that race, no one is going to be talking about the cars that are sitting that garage that are all messed up.

HENDRICKS: Very true, and when you see the inside look at that car, Joe, you see how brutal that sport really is and how dangerous this is.

CARTER: You're right.

HENDRICKS: She is getting a lot of attention on the cover of "USA Today" the other day, magazine covers, you name it. How are the other drivers, kind of, responding to that attention that Danica is getting?

CARTER: You know, I think the smart drivers like the attention because it helps the sport. I think some of the other drivers that just don't understand the attention don't like it.

So, here's the thing -- she has an effect on this sport much like Tiger Woods has an effect on golf. They call it here the Danica effect. When she races, TV ratings go up. When she races, merchandise sales go up.

But the thing is, there's a lot of drivers who are jealous, there were some drivers that are jealous because of the amount of money she's making because she doesn't really have a lot of success on the track in either IndyCar or NASCAR, but she makes more money than most of the drivers out here. That is where the jealousy lies. But when we talk to her about it, she insists that she's not going to get caught up in any of the jealousy talk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANICA PATRICK, RACE CAR DRIVER: I don't really think about what other drivers think of me or how they feel about me. It's for me -- it's just about working hard and doing my best on the racetrack and getting results because that's when I get the most amount of attention, is when things are going well.

KYLE BUSCH, RACE CAR DRIVER: She does get a lot of attention. It is a little unwarranted. She hasn't been successful yet. But, you know, it draws attention to the sport.

JIMMIE JOHNSON, RACE CAR DRIVER: People (INAUDIBLE) their features ruffle, and need to look at the health of our sport perspective to form the right opinion of it. She is bringing in new fans and fans that were not interested before. And that's very helpful for all us, keeps us all employed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARTER: The big question on a lot of people's minds: does she actually have a shot at winning this race on Sunday? And the answer to that question, Susan, is yes she does because last year, for the Daytona 500, a rookie by the name of Trevor Bayne won his very first Daytona 500. So, if he can do it, Danica Patrick certainly has a great shot of doing it as well -- Susan.

HENDRICKS: Don't count her out. We're looking forward to tomorrow. Joe Carter, good job out there. Thanks.

You know, you can have the fastest car on the racetrack but ask just about any NASCAR driver and they will agree if you don't have a strong pit crew, you won't walk away with that checkered flag. CNN's Rob Marciano found out firsthand after training with driver Carl Edwards' pit crew. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twenty-five seconds.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You look intimated running out in front of a race car.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's coming in hot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENDRICKS: All of the day's work. Did rob make the cut? Find out later this hour. A nurse in New Jersey has spent the last four decades working in the operating room. She is in her 60s but she says she is nowhere near retirement and it's not because she needs the paycheck. You'll meet her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HENDRICKS: It's an election year, as you know. So, it's no surprise that politicians are giving their 2 cents about what Americans want and what they need. But we wanted to go beyond political sound bites to get to the heart of what it means to be you, to be an American.

We asked our 1 million iReporters to define today's American, how we are evolving culturally, socially, economically. Many of them share their stories. And tonight, we head to Morristown, New Jersey, and a nurse who has been spent four decades working in a operating room with no plans to retire.

Here's CNN Money's Poppy Harlow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANN DOSHI, OPERATING ROOM UNIT EDUCATOR: I walk kind of fast, so you have to keep up, all right.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM (voice-over): At 62 years old, nurse Ann Doshi isn't anywhere near retirement.

DOSHI: You have the knowledge and you have the chance to share it. And that's what I like to do.

ALLISON MURPHY, MENTORED BY ANN DOSHI: Ann has tons of energy. She has more energy than some of us younger nurses.

DOSHI: This is the OR table. This is where the head of the patient would be.

HARLOW: After 40 years in the operating room, Ann trains nurses and medical students at this New Jersey hospital. It's a field where experience counts.

DOSHI: It used to be years ago that there was a saying that older nurses, seasoned nurses, ate their young. And I'm not saying that that doesn't still exist in the field, but I think for many people today, they realize that the older person can be a lot of help to them.

HARLOW (on camera): Ann's employer, Atlantic Health System, has been singled out for its effort to retain and recruit older workers. In fact, last year, AARP named it one of the top 10 best employers for workers over 50. Thirty-eight percent of its workforce is over 50. That's above average for the labor force as a whole.

You guys want older workers, is that right?

LESLEY MEYER, H.R. MANAGER, ATLANTIC HEALTH SYSTEM: Absolutely.

HARLOW: Why?

MEYER: Older workers bring us invaluable experience, knowledge and skills.

HARLOW (voice-over): Allison Murphy, a 28-year-old nurse mentored by Ann, says the contribution of older co-workers can't be overstated.

MURPHY: We really, truly learn from them. I think they're very innovative. They're right there on top of all our new equipment, all our new procedures.

HARLOW: But studies have found an overwhelming prejudiced against older job candidates. Experts say, though, it's a myth that older workers are less productive or less innovative.

PETER CAPPELLI, PROFESSOR, THE WHARTON SCHOOL: Everything gets better with experience and, therefore, everything gets better with employees who are older. Absenteeism declines. Turnover actually declines. Job performance increases. Certainly knowledge of the work increases. And their personal skills improve.

HARLOW (on camera): Are there risks to having an older workforce?

MEYER: We haven't found any risks.

HARLOW: Really?

MEYER: Actually, our health care -- employee health care costs have gone down.

HARLOW (voice-over): The company's health care costs fell a modest 1 percent last year. But what is going up, the number of Americans ages 55 and older in the workforce. That's not surprising since many older workers don't believe they can afford to retire. But others, like Ann, say staying on the job is about more that financial security.

DOSHI: The majority of my work right now, to be very honest, is because I really love my work. I want to do this. And I don't want to stop.

HARLOW (on camera): You don't want to stop?

DOSHI: No, I don't.

There's some rooms that are identical.

HARROW (voice-over): In Morristown, New Jersey, Poppy Harlow, CNN Money.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HENDRICKS: Ann is pretty amazing, isn't she?

We want to know what makes you an American. Share a video like Ann, a photo, your story, what makes you American.

You could end up on CNN. Just go to CNNiReport.com. And make sure to include your name and the words "I am America."

Half past the hour now. I'm Susan Hendricks. Great to see you. I'm in tonight for Don Lemon. Want to take a look at the headlines.

Two American officers have been shot dead in the highly secure Afghan interior ministry and the gunman is at large. The Taliban is claiming responsibility saying the shootings are in response to the burning of Koran at a U.S. base. The burning has brought riots across the country but military says it was a mistake.

A relative of Nelson Mandela says the former South African president is in quote "satisfactory condition" after undergoing hernia surgery. Mandela was hospitalized earlier today sparking fears. The 93-year-old anti-apartheid leader was seriously ill. We are told Mandela is comfortable and could be discharged by Monday.

The compound in Pakistan where U.S. Special Forces killed Osama bin Laden last May is being demolished. If you look close here you can see heavy machinery knocking down the walls around the compound and the three story building where bin Laden had been hiding. The Pakistani officials says they didn't want to turn it into a shrine for would-be followers of bin Laden.

How about gas prices? We are feeling the pain at the pump, right? But is Washington paying attention? And most importantly, will our leaders do anything about it? We are asking the tough questions.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HENDRICKS: In an election season headlines become key ingredients for campaign promises. But with the price of gas spiking across the country and just by promises from the campaign trail can our government really do anything to lower the price that you pay?

Our Athena Jones looks at it if and when Washington may be able to get you some relief.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As prices at the pump rise, so does the rhetoric on the campaign trail.

RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They are saying by the summer drive time it will be $5 a gallon.

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I developed a program for American energy so every American can look forward to $2.50 a gallon.

JONES: And in Washington.

JOHN BOEHNER (R), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Gas prices have doubled since the president took off.

JONES: The average has risen some 40 cents a gallon over the year. And boosting domestic energy production is an increasingly important topic of debate on Capitol Hill.

NATHAN GONZALES, ROTHENBERG POLITICAL REPORT: Gas prices are so important because it is such a tangible and real impact on people's lives. They can feel it. It affects their everyday life and that is why it is such a political issue when it comes to fighting between the two parties.

JONES: The Republican controlled the House has passed a bill that would increase offshore drilling, open the Arctic National Wildlife to drilling, develop U.S. oil shale resources, and fast track approval of the Keystone XL pipeline.

These rules would not bring down gas prices immediately. Experts say, the only way to do that would be to cut the gas tax. But they say, that's not necessary the reason to reject them.

JOHN KINGSTON, PLATTS ENERGY: But to judge the merits of a long term project on whether it has a short term impact, I mean that is like not saving for retirement now because you are not retired.

JONES: The measure, part of a larger transportation bill that is yet to reach the House floor, faces stiff opposition in the Senate where democratic lawmakers are working on their own bill without the drilling measures.

President Obama has touted what he calls an all of the above approach energy policy, one focus on increasing domestic production improving car and building efficiency and developing alternative energy sources. He says America can't drill its way to lower gas prices.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: While there are no short term silver bullets when it comes to gas prices, I have directed my administration to look for every single area where we can make an impact and help consumers in the months ahead.

JONES: On Wednesday, three House Democrats sent the president a letter asking him to develop a quote "aggressive strategy" for releasing oil from strategic petroleum reserve to ease oil prices. The White House says they have taken no response off the table.

Athena Jones, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HENDRICKS: All right. As of today the gas prices climbing for the 18th straight day. I know you are feeling it. But there is some disparity on the prices around the country depending on where you live state to state, not just the actual cost but how much of an average resident's income is actually going to putting gas in the tank.

Our Jacqui Jeras is here to kind a break it all down for us. Hi, Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, AM METEOROLOGIST: Hi there, Susan.

Yes. There is a lot of information out there for you for you. So, we'll hone in on a couple of key points here.

First of all, you mentioned the 18th consecutive day and there is no signs of that stopping at this point. The average national price that you are paying is $3.67 for a gallon of just regular unleaded fuel. And that is up 30 cents from a month ago.

Now, this map from CNN money will show you what you are paying per state. And it really varies quite a bit. The dark reds, California, Hawaii and Alaska, those are the state that are paying the most at the pump, $4.20 is the average in the state.

And then, take a look at this. Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, you guys are all down toward $3 a gallon. But take a look at this. This shows you what percentage of your income is actually going toward what you pay at the tank. And the states that have the biggest problems here, Mississippi, 11.8 percent of your income and Montana with your net around 11 percent as well. So, that is a big chunk when you look at the numbers from that category -- Susan.

HENDRICKS: Yes. And if you are wondering where you stand where you live, you can check it out on CNN.com.

Jacqui, thanks.

JERAS: Sure.

HENDRICKS: A 3-year-old boy decides he wants to be a girl instead. At just three, he decided this. His parents say, OK. They agree. But is this what is best for the child known as Zachary. We are discussing this with our human behavior expert after the break.

But first, in order for Americans to compete better globally, and students to gain a rich learning experience, experts say they will simply have to stay in school longer during the year. But as education contributor Steve Perry explains the challenge comes down to spending the money.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CORRESPONDENT: The rest of the world is going to school longer than most the American children. One of the reasons why is because we made it too expensive to spend the children to school year round. It's not more expensive to run the buildings because the buildings run no matter whether we are in them or not. It's because of labor cost, the administrators and most of all, the teachers. They get paid more if they work a longer year. And to pay them more would mean we would not be able to run a longer school year. We need our teachers to understand that our schools need to go longer not just longer for longer sake but longer to give children to have a deeper dive in academics experiences.

We can do better as a country and we know what it takes to run a good school system. The question becomes, when will we decide we are going to run those schools in this country?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HENDRICKS: Doctors in England say they have encounters one of the youngest ever cases of gender identity disorders. Zachary was just 3-years-old when he refused to live as a boy. According to the British newspaper, "the Telegram." Now his family and school have accepted his desire to live like a girl. There he is.

Dr. Wendy Walsh, joins me now from Los Angeles. Wendy, great to see you. Let's talk about the misconception surrounding gender identity disorder. Explain what it is.

DOCTOR WENDY WALSH, DOCTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY, CO-HOST, THE DOCTORS: Gender identity disorder is when your brain doesn't match your body parts when you feel that you belong to a different gender. And while this is an extreme case because it has been identified so early in life and we should say here that, you know, this child has -- these parents took him to a lot of professional visits before this decision was made to allow him to live as the other gender and they have four other children. So, they are not inexperienced parents. They also keep his close filled with lots of gender neutral clothes and boy clothes so if he ever, you know, wants to switch back they are open and accommodating. And it's important to keep that in mind.

HENDRICKS: And Wendy, Zachary is 5-years-old now. Again, at three is when he decided to live as a girl. My personal opinion is that at that age you know and he is not too young. Do you think a 3- year-old is capable of making that decision?

WALSH: Well, certainly young children, toddlers and two and three and 4-year-old do play with gender a lot and experiment with different gender roles. They are picking up messages from our culture. So, the question is whether to allow him to live entirely as a girl at this stage. I think at the end of the day it has to be child led as long as the parents and school are not pressuring one way or another or making a big deal about it we will all turn out how we are supposed to turn out.

HENDRICKS: Exactly. Great point. And this is one of the biggest misconceptions, is that people kind of equate sexuality to this and one of the questions is, when I was reading this article, did this make him gay? But, I don't think sexuality plays a part in this, do you?

WALSH: Absolutely not. Gender identity, gender role and sexual orientation are three distinct concepts. So, gender identity is how you feel, how you identify, male or female. Gender role is the kind of roles you do in your household whether they intend to be traditionally male or female and sexual orientation is something different. This young boy, biological boy at this stage, may grow up to still be attracted to women.

HENDRICKS: Yes.

WALSH: So, we just don't know.

HENDRICKS: And I think this family is very brave for doing this and courageous. It's not an easy decision. They have other children. Do you think coming out and talking about this in the public could damage their son Zachary?

WALSH: Well, you know. The question of whether to put any child in the media is always an issue. But I wonder how much they are sheltering him from the media exposure. So, you know, submitting one or two photographs to the media so we can all become more open and explore to worry about gender. I mean, it's crazy in this day and age to think with all the mixes and matches, biology and psychology, that there are only two genders? Absolutely impossible. There is a range of gender and we fall somewhere in the scale.

HENDRICKS: You see the sad stories out there and the children who are abused in the wrong homes. And you see this little boy happy as can be, smiling with the family makes you wonder.

Wendy Walsh, thank you. Appreciate your input.

WALSH: Thanks. Good to see you, Susan.

HENDRICKS: A suspected drunk driver charged in an accident that kills two people. We hear about this happening far too often. But there's a twist here. A passenger is also charged with being responsible for those deaths. A passenger in the car. We are talking this case with our legal expert, Holly Hughes next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HENDRICKS: Handing over the keys to a designated driver is considered a smart practice, right, when you had too much to drink. But a Tennessee woman is facing up to 30 years behind bars for doing that. She's 21-years-old. Her name is Erin Brown. She gave the keys to her boyfriend saying she was too drunk. His name is Trever Brunch (ph) thinking he was sober enough to drive. He wasn't and struck and killed, sadly, two young boys, two pedestrians.

Let's talk law and justice. Criminal defense attorney, Holly Hughes is here. And Holly, it seems like she did the right thing or wanted to, 21-years-old, hands the keys over to her boyfriend and says, here, you drive. I had too much to drink. Now, she's in big trouble.

HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Right. And this is what we call party to a crime which basically in for a penny, in for a pound. So, they are charging her because the person she was with committed this crime. I understand that when you're doing an armed robbery and, you know, somebody gets shot, even though you didn't pull the trigger, you were all in it so you can be charged. This just seems fundamentally unfair to me. She did attempt to do the right thing. She handed over the keys. She said I know I am too drunk to drive, so you go ahead. He's an adult. He's two years older than she is. He should have at that point in time checked himself, done just what she did and say I am too drunk to drive as well, let's get a cab. So, this one bothers me. I'm not a big fan of party to a crime in these instances.

HENDRICKS: I think the attorney on the other side may say let's OK, say they were at a bar together, she saw he was drinking several cocktails, maybe she knew. Could this set the precedent? Could this change how these cases are tried.

HUGHES: Well, you know. You can always charge party to a crime if your state has that law. But the way I would counter that argument is she's impaired. She's admittedly impaired. She's so drunk, she knows she can't drive. What makes her judgment any better when deciding somebody else is impaired. I mean, she's already saying, I'm not in my right mind. I should be driving.

HENDRICKS: Right.

HUGHES: She shouldn't be judging other people's ability to drive.

HENDRICKS: She handed the keys over.

HUGHES: That's exactly right. I don't think she should be charged in this particular incidence.

HENDRICKS: We are certainly going to be following this. Let's see what happens. Again, Erin Brown, just 21-years-old.

Let's talk about a bizarre case, a sad case to put it mildly. A sad case that happened in Georgia. Hemy Neuman, he is on trial. He admitted to shooting another man, Rusty Sneiderman. He's pled not guilty by reason of insanity. He says he's even seeing spirits from Olivia Newton-John. Really bizarre.

Well, the woman, the widow, was banned from the courtroom now. She was kicked out because of her behavior in the courtroom, even hugging witnesses, calling out in court. Finally the judge said enough, you're out. And there's a lot of inconsistencies here, Holly.

HUGHES: There absolutely is. And I got to tell you, you know, I have a good friend of mine who is very close to this investigation so I've gotten some very good feedback and very good information. And sadly, I think we'll see some very powerful psychiatric testimony and it just going to break your heart because typically, when we see people claim insanity, you know, they have got a long history of criminal behavior in the past.

This particular man doesn't have any history, then he gets involved with this woman who, like you said, takes the stand, gives all kinds of inconsistent stories, says things that other witnesses are coming behind her and going that's just not true. She was giving out information about, oh, my husband was shot, before they even announced it.

How did she have that inside information if she wasn't part and parcel of this whole thing? So, you know, it is a heartbreaking case. You've got a father who has been murdered with children left alone now without a daddy. And now on the other side you've got a man who I think we're going to hear some serious testimony does have some mental issues.

HENDRICKS: And I believe it was the doctor who said Andrea Sneiderman's reaction when she found out her husband had died, it wasn't normal, he said. And who know what is the normal reaction is in the situation like this. But as you said, you have inside sources to this. We will see what happens there as well.

Holly Hughes, as always. Thanks.

HUGHES: Thanks.

HENDRICKS: Appreciate it.

HUGHES: Yes.

HENDRICKS: We're talking NASCAR again. Do you think what you have what it takes to be a NASCAR pit crew? Our Rob Marciano who gave it a shot, it looks exhausting, doesn't it? On the team that now has the pole position for tomorrow's Daytona 500.

Did Rob pass the test in two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HENDRICKS: Welcome back. You may think of CNN's Rob Marciano as a guy who just takes his hurricanes or stands out knee deep snow to do weather for us. But he's a big fan of sports and a fan of NASCAR. He's also been getting ready for tomorrow's Daytona 500.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We are in Roush Fenway where a racing with prepping three teams for Daytona. Today, we get to spend time with Carl Edwards' 99 pit crew to see how they make it happen. That was fast. What's the goal here? How many second?

ANDY WARD, ROUSH FENWAY RACING PIT CREW COACH: We shoot for 11 seconds in practice. You'll have your left hand here. And then when he pulls it out just --

MARCIANO: How much does that tire weigh?

WARD: Sixty five pounds or so.

MARCIANO: I've been changing diapers for three months. If that's more than nine pounds, I can't lift it. So you got the job already.

WARD: Right. Jack man leave --

MARCIANO: It's like playing forgers.

WARD: Playing forger. 25 seconds, Rob. Very good.

MARCIANO: You look a little intimidated running out in front of a race car.

WARD: He's coming in hot. Wasn't sure he was going to stop.

MARCIANO: The 17 car in now for pit practice. The 99 team in the weight room. At last, you are the strength guy?

LES EBERT, ROUSH FENWAY RACING STRENGTH COACH: Yes, I'm the strength guy.

MARCIANO: I need some help.

EBERT: OK. Have a sit here.

MARCIANO: How often do these guys trains?

EBERT: They train twice a week doing total body strength training workouts and then they train two other times a week doing conditioning work outs.

MARCIANO: That hurt.

EBERT: First and foremost, their abilities are durability. Varsity NASCAR is a long season. They do a lot of pit stops.

MARCIANO: I guess, you like to give them championship team.

All right, this one of the cars that Carl will be running down in Daytona. What are the things we're working on today?

EBERT: Today we're working on the set up stuff. We're going to check the air pressure. We are going to set heights and we will get suit out in.

MARCIANO: All of what you're showing me is incredibly precise, serious engineering. A lot of people say they're just driving around in circles. That must drive you bananas.

EBERT: To make a 2,500 pound car turn left at 200 miles an hour, it mean it takes a lift to make that happen.

MARCIANO: What kind of tricks to get up secrets? Tell me the truth.

EBERT: I can't say.

MARCIANO: Come on.

EBERT: No.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HENDRICKS: Top secret stuffs. Apparently, because of Rob's great work, Carl Edwards and his team won the pole at tomorrow's Daytona 500. I don't think Rob is giving us his day job, which is good for us.

Checking our headlines now. Two American officers have been shot dead inside the highly secured Afghan interior ministry and the gunmen are still at large. The Taliban is claiming responsibility saying the shootings were in response to the recent burning of Korans at the U.S. base. The burning sparks riots but the military says it was an accident.

The body of an American journalist killed Wednesday in Syria will likely be buried inside the war-torn country. Marie Colvin's mother told reporters that aid workers say it's too dangerous to remove her daughter's body from Syria. She was a veteran journalist for "the Sunday Times" of London. A French journalist was also killed in that attack.

I'm Susan Hendricks at the CNN headquarters in Atlanta. I will see you back here at 10:00 eastern. Dr. Sanjay Gupta's Special Report "big hits, big dreams" begins right now. Stick around for that.