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New Rules for Secret Service; Chinese Dissident at U.S. Embassy
Aired April 28, 2012 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: And you can catch our legal guys every Saturday at noon Eastern.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM on this Saturday, April 28th. I'm Alison Kosik, in for Fredricka Whitfield.
A tense standoff is over in Washington state. The suspect who held police at bay for two days found dead inside the bunker where he was holed up. Peter Keller was wanted in the murders of his wife and teenage daughter. Police said they discovered his body in a pool of blood with a gun nearby.
The Secret Service now has a new code of conduct coming in the wake of the prostitution scandal in Colombia. The new rule say that agents on assignment in other countries have to act like they are still in the United states. Also, they're forbidden from having anyone else in their room. They'll now have a list of places they have to stay away from, and they're not allowed to drink alcohol within 10 hours of reporting for duty.
Meantime, sources with knowledge of the Colombian investigation tell CNN that Arthur Huntington is the agent at the center of the scandal. He is the one who had a pay dispute with an escort that brought the whole story to light. Huntington, we're told, has left the agency.
A Chinese human rights activist who escaped house arrest is reportedly under American protection today. Chen Guangcheng was convicted several years ago of leading protests against the Chinese government. He went missing last weekend. A fellow activist said Chen is now safe at the U.S. embassy in Beijing. No comment from American diplomats or Chinese officials.
A dolphin stuck in shallow waters at a southern California beach hasn't budged in more than 24 hours. Animal experts are hoping the dolphin will eventually find its own way back to open water. It swam through a whole in a tidal gate yesterday into a narrow channel and couldn't find a way out. It stayed there through the night.
It's known as the nerd prom, but don't expect to see people with pocket protectors and calculators, the annual White House Correspondents Dinner is strictly A-list. Amidst the power players from Washington and Hollywood, comedian Jimmy Kimmel is hosting the event tonight and he says "You can expect to hear some jokes about the scandal that has rocked the Secret Service."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY KIMMEL, COMEDIAN: Obviously, the Secret Service thing is something that I'm going to talk about. But I'm not necessarily going to do 30 jokes about it. Probably stop at 20. In the White House, I've never been in the White House before. I'll probably will never be asked back either but it's really very cool, actually.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: And tune in to CNN tonight. We're going to have live coverage of the dinner beginning at 9:30 Eastern.
Now more on the armed standoff that ended a short time ago near Seattle. Police say they found the body of Peter Keller inside an underground bunker. He was a suspect in the murders of his wife and teenage daughter. This is the door to the bunker where police say Keller was holed up. Now earlier I talked to Seattle based radio reporter Brandi Kruss about how this standoff finally ended.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRANDI KRUSS, RADIO REPORTER: A tactical team moved in on the bunker where they believed Peter Keller was hiding. They placed explosives on the top of it to try to breach the roof to get a better look inside. Now when they did that, deputies spotted a dead body inside. It was a man, there was a lot of blood around the body, and a pistol nearby.
We just heard confirmation from King Country Sheriff Steve Strand that indeed that body is that of Peter Keller who is suspected of murdering his wife and daughter. Now he says that Keller died of a self- inflicted gunshot wound. That's what it appears at this point, but we are waiting for an official confirmation on that from the medical examiner's office shortly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: Now we are also learning more about what police are going to be doing next. Last hour, I talked with Sergeant Cindi West of the King County Sheriff's office and I asked her about safety concerns for police as they checked out this fortified bunker.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SGT. CINDI WEST, KING COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: Our bomb disposal team are trained to do that. It's possible if they can get them up there, they can use robots. They'll use different types of devices and take their time going in each step of the way to make sure that there's nothing there that will harm them. Once they make that clear, then again, we'll go in and do a thorough search of the bunker.
KOSIK: And one last question here, Peter Keller apparently was building this he bunker for at least eight years. What was sort of the clincher? What made him suddenly, apparently, snap. And suddenly, you know, allegedly kill his wife, his daughter, and then go into hiding inside this bunker? WEST: You know, that's the million dollar question. It's baffling all of us. This guy has no prior history of arrest. We've had no prior history at his residence for any type of domestic violence or abuse. For all intents and purposed, he showed up to work every day on time, worked the same job for about 11 or 12 years. We're just baffled at this point. Normally in these cases, people after the fact say we should have seen it coming. But there just appear there is no indication of this happening.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOSIK: Again, the headline on this, an armed standoff near Seattle is over now. The suspect in a double homicide is found dead inside an underground bunker.
There is manhunt underway in Denver. Police are looking for two suspects from a violent robbery this week. This is new surveillance video of the robbery, Thursday night. The suspects demanded the clerk open the cash register and shot him at close range in the arm and then they fired a couple of shots at customers in the store before leaving. None of the customers was hurt. Police say the pair may be responsible for a string of recent robberies.
Defense secretary Leon Panetta said there's no question the U.S. is safer with Osama Bin Laden dead, but he insists there's no silver bullet to completely eliminate Al Qaeda's threat. Panetta was CIA director when Bin Laden was killed by U.S. Navy SEALS almost one year ago today. He wasn't with the president and other top officials who nervously watched the raid play out in the White House. Panetta was at the CIA operation center and he said there were several nerve- racking moments before he got word the mission was a success.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEON PANETTA, DEFENSE SECRETARY: They said that they had KIA, confirmed that in fact that it happened. So that was the moment when we knew that all of the work that had been done was paying off.
I think the one thing all of us feel pretty good about that were involved in this operation is that as a result of what we did, America is safer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: Republican Senator John McCain is blasting President Obama for a new election ad that questions whether Mitt Romney would have ordered the raid on Bin Laden's compound. In a written statement issued by the Republican National Committee, McCain said Obama should be ashamed of himself for turning Bin Laden's killing into "cheap political attack ad." McCain said the president is performing a shameless end zone dance to have himself get re-elected.
She's been living in a mental hospital since she drowned her five children, but now Andrea Yates is asking to leave once a week. Where she wants to go, coming up.
Plus, some of the most dramatic testimony yet in the John Edwards' trial.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KOSIK: A Texas mom who drowned her five children is asking for some of her freedom back. Andrea Yates has been locked up in a Texas mental hospital for the last five years but now she's requesting to attend church outside of the facility. She was declared insane for the 2001 murders but her doctors say she made enough progress that she should be allowed to leave the hospital to worship. A judge will make the final decision.
Dramatic testimony in the John Edwards' corruption trial. Edwards' former campaign aide, Andrew Young, is considered the prosecution's star witness. Young testified yesterday that he was so intimidated by Edwards that he was "scared for his life." Edwards is accused of using hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to conceal an affair. Donations prosecutor say he never reported to federal authorities.
A Florida judge is considering what to do about $200,000 in donations collected by George Zimmerman. Zimmerman is facing a second degree murder charge for the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Prosecutors have asked the judge to raise the amount of Zimmerman's bond because of the donations made to his Web site. The bond was originally set at $150,000. Zimmerman paid $15,000 in cash to get out this week. $5,000 of that came from those Web site donations.
It was some of the worst rioting in U.S. history. Coming up, Rodney King talks about making peace 20 years after the riots.
Tomorrow, for Dr. Sanjay Gupta talking us behind the scenes of one of radio's most innovative shows on "The Next List." You'll meet the people behind Radio Lab, a show with a cult-like following.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAD ABUMRAD, RADIO HOST, RADIOLAB: My name is Jad Abumrad. I produce a show called Radiolab.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're listening to Radiolab.
ABUMRAD: So Radiolab is a kind of crazy, slightly psychedelic adventure through a big idea.
ROBERT KRULWICH, RADIO HOST, RADIOLAB: It's a big problem that makes us curious.
IRA GLASS, RADIO HOST, THIS AMERICAN LIFE: Radiolab is reinventing what we can do on the radio.
ABUMRAD: They're kind of like these big usually one-word titles. It's like the stuff that everybody has been thinking about back to Aristotle that has really no answer like, what is time, what is space, what is consciousness. Like how do I know I'm conscious?
(END VIDEO CLIP) KOSIK: Tune in tomorrow to watch "The Next List" or set your DVR like I do all the time for 2:00 p.m. Eastern.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KOSIK: Say the name Rodney King and most people know who you're talking about. Tomorrow, marks the 20th anniversary of some of the worst rioting in U.S. history. And those are most often referred to as the Rodney King riots. CNN's Casey Wian looked at that day of rage and talks to the man whose beating set it off.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RODNEY KING: I really thought I was about to die in there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Theodore (INAUDIBLE) not guilty of the crime of officer unnecessarily assaulting or beating any person.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today, the system failed us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Timothy (INAUDIBLE), not guilty.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a damn shame.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) Coon, not guilty.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The police force is not here to protect you but it's there to protect them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lawrence M. Powell, not guilty.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't believe it. What is this city coming to?
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Much of the City of Angels came to resemble hell with structure fires, rampant looting, mob violence targeting innocent bystanders, heavily armed Korean merchants and a symbol of the African-American community's rage at police headquarters.
MARK CRAIG, PROTESTER: That's one of the proudest moments of my life. I was standing in front of a burning kiosk at the Los Angeles Police Department. The kiosk turned over and then for some reason I decided to jump on top of it. And there, history was made.
What was going through my mind at the time was just pain and hurt and basically the willingness to die that night for the cause.
WIAN: More than 50 people did die during the riots. Estimated property damage, a billion dollars.
ROSALINA NIEVES, CNN ASSIGNMENT EDITOR: It was set on fire.
WIAN: Rosalina Nieves was nine years old and lived just blocks from the epicenter, Florence and Normandy.
NIEVES: It looked like a war zone. They were stopping cars and it looked like they were going into what was then a Tom's Liquor store and just looting, and stealing things. I just remember being really scared and wondering if that was coming towards us.
WIAN: LAPD Commander Andrew Smith was a street cop then.
CMDR. ANDREW SMITH, LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPT.: It was clear that we weren't taking control of the city, and I think that message got out to everybody. They saw what was happening in these little small pockets and they just decided, "hey, it's a free for all in Los Angeles."
WIAN: Under then Chief Darrell Gates, the LAPD embraced its reputation for aggressively fighting drugs and gangs.
(on camera): In the 20 years since the riots, the Los Angeles Police Department has gone through many changes. The most visible, this brand new headquarters building downtown. The most significant, serious reform for the LAPD's culture.
SMITH: We need to remember that we can't do it alone. It's not the LAPD as an occupying army going into a neighborhood and showing people how to do it and taking care of business and being the aggressive folks out there. We need to recognize that we have to work with people to solve the problems.
WIAN (voice-over): More than 10,000 National Guard troops and pleas from community leaders finally ended the riots after six days. At least a billion dollars was spent to rebuild L.A..
Two of the four police officers on the beating tape were convicted of federal civil rights charges. Rodney King won a $3.8 million settlement.
KING: I learned to forgive. So I can be able to move on.
WIAN: The city also has moved on. Though painful memories remain for those who were there.
Casey Wian, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOSIK: Next, the funniest guy you'll never hear. A stand-up comedian in Britain whose disability took his voice but not his humor. His story coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KOSIK: A stand-up comedian in Britain needs help speaking and sometimes he needs help walking, where he does just fine though is making crowds laugh, with a sharp wit that his disability can't keep down. CNN's Neil Curry reports from London.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEIL CURRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Simply walking down the street is a challenge for Lee Ridley. He's lived with cerebral palsy since birth and is unable to speak. He uses a voice synthesizer to speak, but he's learned to laugh in the face of adversity, and he's making other people chuckle along with him.
He's taken to stand-up comedy and performing as lost voice guy. And tonight is a big night. It's his first paid booking and he's playing to a packed house in the British capital.
LEE RIDLEY, "LOST VOICE GUY": Thank you for that lovely welcome. I haven't felt this important since the doctors said I was going to be a special child.
When I realized I would never be able to talk again, I was speechless. People have often asked me why I wanted to put myself in a position where everyone can stare and laugh at me. The truth is that it happens to me every day anyway, at least this way, there's a scheduled time and place for it.
CURRY: Lee's off to a great start. The audience is loving his material. But at a vital moment, he's let down by the technology that provides a voice for his thoughts. A little improvised comedy sets him back on track.
RIDLEY: Sorry, ladies and gentlemen, my iPod has just crashed. Where the (INAUDIBLE) is Steve Jobs when you need him. I'm not related to Stephen Hawking in any way. However, I do hate the way people take (INAUDIBLE) with the way he speaks. I could really synthesize with him. I hope you enjoy the rest of your night. Good-bye.
Next day, Lee stops by the CNN office to discuss last night's success.
(on camera): The act that you do and some of the other performances you saw last night creates a bit of a dilemma for audiences doesn't it because it would be offensive for people to laugh at somebody's disability, but you're kind of giving permission to laugh along with you at your own disability.
RIDLEY: I've always believed that any subject can be joked about if handled correctly. I think I can get away with more because it's essentially about me. I would like to thank the audience go away with a more positive view on disability.
CURRY (voice-over): Lee's friend and fellow comedian Nathan Wood, persuaded him to try his hand at stand-up. Now he's helping him manage the flood of bookings he started to receive. Lost voice guy is fast becoming the talk of the town.
Neil Curry, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOSIK: A Kansas burglar ambushed by an eight-year-old. How the little boy fought back, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KOSIK: It's the first weekend of the world famous New Orleans jazz and heritage festival. Great food, hot weather, and one of the biggest gatherings of music royalty anywhere.
Fredricka Whitfield is there in New Orleans all weekend. She caught up with David "Dread" Hinds, singer for the legendary reggae band, Steel Pulse.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): What's your favorite moment or experience that comes with jazz fest here? Performing here, outside, in the heat?
DAVID "DREAD" HINDS, SINGER, STEEL PULSE: The activities, the festivities, knowing the different types of people from different walks of life and different cultures and social backgrounds coming together. And especially when it comes to our section of the music where it's a lot of racial harmony and integration happening.
(INAUDIBLE)
WHITFIELD: Steel Pulse has always been very committed to the world. To humanity. Your commitment to Haiti is extraordinary. Tell me about that and how meaningful that is to you?
HINDS: It's very meaningful. I mean, we actually experience the earthquake while recording in Jamaica. Haiti is only a mere 300 miles away from Jamaica. We are doing activities in Haiti right now, providing solar panels for hospitals and clinics and what have you. We thought it was a good idea to take the song we recorded and turn it into something instrumental that could be used at digital downloads to create funding of the solar panels.
WHITFIELD: That's Hold on for Haiti.
HINDS: That's right.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HINDS: We always associate ourselves with being the voice for the voiceless, the one that sort of try to let everybody be aware socially and politically of what's going on in the environment. That's what we have been focusing on since we started out.
WHITFIELD: David Hinds, thank you so much.
HINDS: Thank you so much, Fredricka.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOSIK: And Fredricka has more from the New Orleans jazz fest on Sunday. She's talking to the soul queen of New Orleans, Irma Thomas and piano played, Chuck Lavelle. He has toured with the Rolling Stones and is an avid environmentalist.
Turning to top stories now. The stand-off near Seattle is over. The suspect who held police at bay for two days found dead inside the bunker where he had been holed up. Peter Keller was wanted in the murders of his wife and teenage daughter. Police say they discovered his body in a pool of blood with a gun nearby.
A Chinese human rights activist who escaped house arrest is reportedly under American protection stay. Chen Guangcheng was convicted several years ago of leading protests against the Chinese government. He went missing last weekend. A fellow activist said Chen is now safe at the U.S. embassy in Beijing. No comment from American diplomats or Chinese officials.
It was almost one year ago that a U.S. Navy SEAL team killed Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden after storming his compound in Pakistan. U.S. officials say the Al Qaeda network has now largely been dismantled but threats do remain from affiliated terror groups.
And finally, a happier story. In Kansas, an eight-year-old boy helped stop a burglary. Cade Hall was playing video games when a stranger came into his house and grabbed his mom's purse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CADE HALL, 8-YEAR-OLD WHO HELPED THWART BURGLARY: When I see his face, I was like, "That's not anybody I have ever seen before." He came in, yanked on it, I yanked back, and he yanked harder. And he ran out the door.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: And then his dad chased after the suspect, the man ran down into a busy highway and was hit by a car. He's now in the hospital. And if you're wondering, that purse didn't have any money in it.
That will do it for me. CNN NEWSROOM continues at the top of the hour with Don Lemon. Up next, Sanjay Gupta, M.D..
