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Seau's Life & Death After the NFL; Bin Laden Documents Released; NYC Firefighter Beats The Odds; Iraq Vet Tackles Purse Snatcher; "He Can't Beat Obama"; Attorney: Man "Almost" Died; Eric Holder Closer To Contempt; "Bionic" Vision In The Flames; Chinese Activist Sparks Diplomatic Crisis; 8Th Grader Fights Airbrushed Images; Boy With Too Many Scars To Count
Aired May 03, 2012 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: With news just into us. Word of an incident inside a high school in Memphis. The school district telling CNN a quote, unquote, "mailbox bomb" went off in the hallway and it appears to be a student prank. The pressurized device contained Drano cleaner. Thankfully no one's hurt except for an assistant principal who went to the hospital after inhaling smoke. Everyone seems to be OK. We will keep you updated.
Meantime, life and death after the NFL. The shocking apparent suicide of Junior Seau and the hard truth really it reveals about our heroes. Seau would be the third retired player in the last 15 months to shoot himself to death. He was found inside his home in Oceanside, California, yesterday morning with a gunshots wound to the chest. No note. No explanation. And so many people dream about the glory and the adoration that is the NFL. But one day the time comes to take off the pads, hang up your cleats and then what? Billy Devaney joins me by phone. He was the director of player personnel for the San Diego Chargers when they drafted Seau way back in 1990.
And, Billy, I want to thank you for calling in.
Junior Seau's last season, it was 2009. Was he at all having trouble at all, a tough time adjusting to life post, you know, superstar NFL league?
BILLY DEVANEY, FMR. PERSONNEL DIR., SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (via telephone): I don't know. I wouldn't say that, you know, that -- that stuff will eventually come out, I'm sure, as we delve deeper (INAUDIBLE) understand and try to figure out just what happened. But I know that there's a circle of friends that Junior had, real hard core, long time friends in San Diego that I've talked to over the last day and they were emphatic that up until 48 hours ago Junior was his normal self. And, I mean, they were making plans for this weekend. And, I mean, if you knew Junior, and people that know Junior, they know that's what a passion for, first of all, for the NFL that he had, but also for life and living and having a good time. And that's what makes this thing -- this whole thing so surreal is just the type of person Junior is or Junior was.
BALDWIN: But, Billy, I was -- you know, Billy, I was talking to someone just yesterday after the news broke who worked with him pretty closely on a TV show called, you know, "Sports Jobs With Junior Seau," and he described how he talked about his time at the league as sort of a longing, a longing for that career. Would you say -- do you corroborate that?
DEVANEY: Oh, yes. But, you know what, that's -- now Junior probably took it to the umpteenth degree because of just the competitive nature. But to get to this level, to get to be an NFL player, sure, I mean you've got to have a certain hunger and a certain desire and a certain competitiveness and a love for the game. And these guys that play, sure, you know, there's a lot of money involved, we know that, and a lot of, you know, hurts and whatnot.
BALDWIN: Prestige.
DEVANEY: But players know the risks and they're still -- I mean every one of them in this game today love what they're doing and understanding what the risks are. And Junior was certainly one of those guys. But like I said, he had a love for the game of football and for the NFL that I'd never seen before.
BALDWIN: Billy, you talked about this tight circle of friends. Were they at all worried about him? Did they ever express any of that?
DEVANEY: Yes, you know, we talked about that. Not -- certainly not to this degree. They were worried about him because they loved the guy and, you know, they wanted to see what his next step was. You know, what he was going to be involved in. He was heavily involved in his foundation. He loved doing that. A lot of charity work. But he was still trying to figure out, OK, what, you know, 43 years old, what's the next step going to be. And that was the only concern is, you know, what direction he was simply going to go. But certainly not any kind of concern that something like this would happen.
BALDWIN: Let me just get to this. I'm sure you've seen it. This was Junior's mother. Just such raw emotion at their house just yesterday. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LUISA MAUGA SEAU, JUNIOR SEAU'S MOTHER: And I'm going to say something from me. Junior, why you never telling me you go (ph). And I pray to God, take me, take me, leave my son alone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: It's tough to watch and listen to, but it really shows a mother's love for her son. You mentioned how his ties with his foundation -- I think he was playing a golf tournament for philanthropy the day before this happened. What was he like off the field, Billy?
DEVANEY: Oh, man, just -- like I said, he seemed to love life. He -- you know, we had some down years in San Diego. We drafted Junior. We weren't very good. He made us and helped get us to the Super Bowl probably about -- I think about four years after he got there. Then we went through some lean years again. And this is a guy that showed up for work every day. It didn't matter if we had one win, two wins at the end of the year, he practiced and played like it was a playoff game all the time.
And then away from the field, it was the same way. Like I said, this guy had a smile on his face. He always made everybody else feel better. Whether you were a football player, whether you were a surfer, no matter what element, Junior had a knack of (INAUDIBLE) I mean you see in his picture taken with presidents, with other superstars and --
BALDWIN: Sure.
DEVANEY: But the thing with Junior, he was a San Diego kid. He was most home in a pair of shorts and flip-flops and everybody in southern California loved the guy.
BALDWIN: And he loved those San Diego waves from what I hear. Loved paddle boarding, loved surfing.
Billy Devaney, sounds like an incredible person and I'm sorry for the loss of your friend.
DEVANEY: Thank you.
BALDWIN: I do want to say that there is no proof right now that Seau was suffering after effects from concussions on the field, but many want to find out for sure. Seau's death comes as more than 100 former NFL players filed another lawsuit against the league. Names like Jamal Anderson, O.J. Santiago, Jessie Tuggle, Chris Doleman. They join more than 1,500 other players who claim the NFL hid the dangers of concussions from them.
More news unfolding now. "Rapid Fire." Roll it.
No get out of jail card for one of 13 suspects in the hazing death of the Florida A&M University band member Robert Champion. Twenty-three-year-old Caleb Jackson made his very first court appearance via monitor. Here he is this morning. His fiance and mother of his three-year-old son pleaded with the judge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASMINE ALEXANDER, JACKSON'S FIANCE: I just want to say that he's been doing -- he's been walking a straight path. Like that's our only source of income right now is him working. And without him being able to work, my bills aren't being paid. I need him home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Now, Jackson was already on probation in a separate battery case, so the judge said no bail for him.
Blind human rights active Chen Guangcheng has U.S. support, quote, "every step of the way." This is according to the U.S. ambassador to China. Ambassador Gary Locke tells CNN the U.S. took extraordinary steps to bring Chen into its embassy after his escape from house arrest. Chen then left the embassy, changed his mind, says he wants to come to the United States, putting a real strain on relations between the U.S. and China. We're going to hear more from Ambassador Locke coming up later this hour.
And the Reverend Billy Graham gives his support to a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in North Carolina. The 93-year-old Graham says, quote, "the Bible is clear, God's definition of marriage is between a man and a woman," end quote. Now, this proposed amendment is on the May 8th primary ballot. It would also ban civil unions and domestic partnerships.
Former Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann tossing her support here behind Mitt Romney.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELE BACHMANN, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You see, I think for all of America, this is a very simple proposition this November. President Barack Obama, President Mitt Romney, you decide. Very easy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Bachmann endorsed Romney just about an hour and a half ago. Excuse me, half an hour ago, as the two appeared at a campaign event there in Virginia.
And now to this one. Look at this. Look at this. A family of six in Windermere, Florida, forced out of their home by this, a massive sink hole. This appeared in the backyard over night. It is so huge, it swallowed four trees. Folks, I'm talking 100 feet in diameter, 50 feet deep. This thing is still growing. Neighbors have been warned it could threaten their homes as well.
Got a lot more for you in the next two hours. Watch this.
A teenage girl walks up to the headquarters of "Seventeen" magazine and demands, stop the air brushing. I'll speak with her live in a CNN exclusive. I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
Inside the mind of the world's most wanted terrorist. We are now seeing the paranoid diaries of Osama bin Laden and why his followers began to ignore him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean not many people would do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Plus, a woman's attacked in a Wal-Mart parking lot and suddenly an Iraq War veteran comes out of nowhere.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Osama bin Laden wanted the U.S. president dead. Letters released today confirm it was near the top of his wish list, kill Barack Obama. Bin Laden believed his best chance would be to shoot the president out of the sky on a trip to Afghanistan. Yes, Afghanistan. The president was just there this week flying under the cover of darkness.
At this hour, we continue to scour these newly released documents captured by the team that swept in and killed Osama bin Laden one year ago Tuesday. After they killed him, they combed the compound in Pakistan. They found this treasure trove of intel. Really a fraction of what we're looking at today. Now, these documents show bin Laden also had -- he had it in for General David Petraeus. In fact one letter penned by bin Laden himself referred to Petraeus as "the man." On the other hand, he had distain for Joe Biden. He deemed the vice president, and I'm quoting, "utterly unprepared for leadership," and he hoped that killing Mr. Obama would elevate Biden and put the United States in a crisis.
Take a look at this with me. I'm talking 197 pages. Here they are, 197 pages. These are letters to and from bin Laden and his top lieutenants. Keep in mind the timeframe we're talking about when we talk about these documents. This is between 2006 and to April of 2011. That was just days before his death.
Now, a lot of this stuff in this packet, it's really inside ball (ph). In fact, the biggest impression we can glean from these pages is that of Osama bin Laden as a frustrated boss, trying in vain to manage a far flung crew of terrorists and protect his hide and that of his family.
With me now from New York is CNN's national security analyst Peter Bergen.
And, Peter, in going through this and working with, you know, our teams, as we've sorted through these pages, it seems like Osama bin Laden was out there, in public, trying to, you know, rally his troops to jihad, but these documents here, these documents show that he was telling his own family, get the heck off the battlefield, go somewhere safe. It sounds a little cowardly to me.
PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Sure. Yes. So while publicly recruiting young men about the age of his 20-year-old son Hamza, he was saying that Hamza should get out of the Pakistani tribal region if he was there, which was likely, and move to the tiny prosperous gulf state of Qatar, which is per capita the richest country in the world and also the sort of Switzerland of the Middle East. So I think, you know, he was very solicitous of his own family. But -- and that comes through in these documents.
BALDWIN: Yes. Also in these documents, a prominent name I'm sure our viewers will recognize, that being of Adam Gadahn, born Adam Pearlman, raised in Oregon. He is an American. But somehow he has risen up through these ranks within al Qaeda.
Peter, what do the documents say specifically about Adam Gadahn and his current role within al Qaeda leadership?
BERGEN: Well, Adam Gadahn wrote -- towards the tenth anniversary of 9/11, Adam Gadahn wrote bin Laden a long memo responding to bin Laden's request for, like, let's have a plan for the tenth anniversary of 9/11. They obviously saw it as a good moment to -- for -- to be used as a propaganda moment. And Gadahn, you know, talked about a number of American journalists, including Brian Ross of ABC News, as somebody that they'll try and reach out to. He describes the Fox News Network as, you know, they were not fans of Fox News. He says some oddly disparaging things about CNN and MSNBC and sort of gives bin Laden a whole tour of the America news environment and also other outlets in Britain so that al Qaeda can start planning its plans for the 9/11 anniversary. He suggests that bin Laden record a high definition video and sort of put that out to, you know, to the various networks and try and get some sort of interest in that.
BALDWIN: Sure.
It's stunning to think of Osama bin Laden sitting there and, you know, combing through the papers and watching all the news following us follow him. And also with bin Laden there is a bit of a contradiction here because it sounds like, you know, from some of these letters that you have, on the one hand he was playing the role of a technocrat. Sort of this practical minded manager. But then you have him telling his troops, get out there, get President Obama, kill David Petraeus. Sounds like a little bit of a mixed message coming from high up top.
BERGEN: Yes, well, I mean, you know, it's easy to say, let's kill President Obama. It's actually quite difficult to do, obviously. And similarly with David Petraeus. And so I mean these plans he had, none of them really -- there's no evidence that they were ever implemented. He was talking about trying to attack the president when he visited Bagram Air Force Base, as he did just in the last -- this week. So, I mean, a lot of it, I think it gets to his somewhat delusional views about the -- his organization's own ability.
Yet, on the other hand, he did have a real sense of how much pressure the organization was under with the American drone strikes in Pakistan. He was urging his team to move to eastern Afghanistan to a remote province there. He did have some understanding that the al Qaeda brand was in great trouble. He was suggesting to al Qaeda affiliated groups, don't use the name al Qaeda. He was very concerned about what al Qaeda had done in Iraq. He was recommending to his Yemen affiliate, don't make the same mistakes that they did in Iraq, which was essentially killing a lot of local tribal leaders.
BALDWIN: Yes.
BERGEN: So, I mean, there is a -- you know, there's -- it's not that he was delusional about what was happening to his organization. It was a little bit delusional about its abilities to attack the United States.
BALDWIN: And it sounds like a little bit, as you point out, worried and paranoid as well. Peter Bergen, we appreciate you. Thank you so much.
BERGEN: Thank you.
BALDWIN: Going through these pages and pages here of these documents.
You know, at the top of the hour, we're going to speak live with former CIA operative Bob Bear (ph) about a new weapon of terror -- wildfires. Wildfires in America is the apparent target. More on that.
A woman is robbed at knife point by another woman who grabs her purse, starts to run. Suddenly -- buy the way, there's video -- out of nowhere and an Iraq War vet storms into the picture. I'm going to speak live with this man who was stabbed in the neck and the leg.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: A New York City firefighter and marathon runner suddenly fighting for his own life. It happened in an instant to Matt Long, struck by a bus while riding his bike. In today's "Human Factor," Dr. Sanjay Gupta shows us how long he battled back to reclaim his live.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): December, 2005, New York City is in the grips of a massive transit strike. Public transportation is completely shut down. New York City firefighter Matt Long has no choice. He must hop on his bike to get across the city to the fire academy.
GUPTA (on camera): So you needed to -- I mean this wasn't just training. You needed to get somewhere.
MATT LONG, NEW YORK CITY FIREFIGHTER: I needed to get to work and, yes, I made it four blocks.
GUPTA (voice-over): Four blocks and then disaster. A bus that had crossed multiple lanes of traffic made a right turn. And, in the process, slammed directly into Matt Long.
LONG: Either they didn't seem me, you know, didn't know I was there or whatever and took me right under the front wheel.
GUPTA: In an instant, the self-described fitness junkie had gone from dominating race courses to barely surviving.
LONG: From my left leg, every bone, compound fracture, tib fib femur. My right side of my pelvis was shattered and open fracture as well. And my right shoulder was crushed. But the worst part was the bike and I became one and it severed my abdominal wall, severed my femoral artery. So I basically was bleeding out.
GUPTA: Long stayed in the hospital for six months and eventually underwent more than 40 operations. He had survived physically but mentally he was battling nearly crippling depression.
LONG: Right at a table after a doctors appoint I just said, you know, I'm glad you prayed for me to live and I wish you had prayed for me to die, because I can't do this.
GUPTA: Learning how to live in his new body became Long's biggest challenge.
LONG: I didn't think about things I couldn't have any more. I didn't think about how I would no longer run as fast as I used to run. I just started out saying, I will. And I will get back on the bike. I will get back out on the run course and I will live my life the best I can.
GUPTA: Now retired, Long coaches and regularly shares his story to motivate others to transform themselves.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Have you heard about this? A woman in Florida, she is 65 years young. She is loading her car in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Another woman walks over, says she's got a knife, says give me your purse. And there's video.
Watch closely with me. You're going to see the purse snatcher in a moment run away. There she goes. Out of nowhere comes this Iraq War vet. See him running in. Boom. Takes the purse snatcher down. Looks like Brian Urlacher making a tackle there. The Iraq War vet is Shawn Cox. He is with me on the phone.
Shawn Cox, I hear that she took that knife and got you in the neck and the leg. How are you, first of all?
SHAWN COX, IRAQ WAR VETERAN (via telephone): I'm feeling a lot better today. Things have slowed down for me a little bit. So I'm taking time to ingest it all and I feel a little bit better.
BALDWIN: Well, I'm glad you're feeling better. But, Shawn, what a scene. I mean take me back. From what I understand, you're offloading groceries in some other car nearby and then what do you see?
COX: Well, I didn't really see anything at first. I just heard the woman yelling. And it's Wal-Mart, so you know that happens. And all of a sudden I see another woman just start running by. I figured I can catch her off in the pass. So I just took off and you said Brian Urlacher. I was trying to be more like Ray Lewis, but I just took her out.
BALDWIN: That's right, you're a Ravens fan. I apologize.
COX: That's all right. But, no, I didn't think twice about it. And I just went off and I got her. Didn't realize, you know, she had a knife at that point.
BALDWIN: Was she a small woman, a large woman? I mean she obviously got you a little bit.
COX: Well, she got me pretty good. I guess my adrenaline was pumping. I didn't feel the pain. I just saw the blood and then people started running after me and I figured I better go take care of this. So I just -- I got up and she was already gone at that point.
BALDWIN: So she ran out of there. You -- you don't have the purse, but you have a little respect from this 65-year-old, I imagine.
COX: I did. I actually got to speak to her yesterday.
BALDWIN: Wow.
COX: And she did thank me for what I did. I said, you know, I wish I could have got that purse for you. But she did get away. But I did try my best, I guess.
BALDWIN: And it was just as you said, it was just, boom, an instinct kicked in and you just went after her.
COX: Exactly. I didn't think about just anything at that point. It just kicked in and I saw her, got that tunnel vision, just went right after her and took her down. But she got the best of me and she got away. But police are doing their jobs.
BALDWIN: Yes, at least everyone is a-OK, sans (ph) of purse, but you can always buy a new one, I suppose.
Shawn, Cox, we appreciate you taking a moment and calling us. Thank you.
COX: No, it's my pleasure, Brooke. Thank you.
BALDWIN: And he may be a Republican, but he cannot beat President Obama. Those harsh words coming from Congresswoman Michele Bachmann about whom, you ask, the man she is now endorsing for president. You're about to hear all the words that may come back to haunt Bachmann and Mitt Romney.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Now another former enemy, now an ally for Mitt Romney. Talking about Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. She endorsed Romney at a campaign event in Virginia just last hour. Bachmann had her own presidential ambition that peaked, remember, when she became the first woman to win the Aims, Iowa, straw poll back in August. But, fast forward to January. She finished next to last in the Iowa caucuses, dropped out the very next day.
Now, Bachmann says it is time for Republicans to unite behind Mitt Romney.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELE BACHMANN, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Mitt Romney's future for America would be legalization of American energy, a legalization of millions of high paying jobs. That's our future in America. That's something to get excited about. It's why we must elect Mitt Romney as the next president of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: Now, that's not what Bachmann was saying when she was running against Romney. She took shot after shot after shot at him leading up to the Iowa caucuses.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BACHMANN: Mitt Romney is a known moderate in this race.
On issue after issue after issue, Governor Romney has been on both sides.
In Mitt Romney's case, he's the only governor in the United States history to put into place socialized medicine.
He gave Planned Parenthood a seat at the table on Romneycare.
Romneycare is the
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPRESENTATIVE MICHELE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: -- issue after issue after issue Governor Romney has been on both sides and Mitt Romney's case he is the only governor in the United States history to put into place socialized medicine. He gave Planned Parenthood a seat at the table on Romney care. Romney care is the blueprint if you will for Obama care.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mitt Romney, can he beat Obama?
BACHMANN: No, he can't beat Obama.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Something must have changed in her mind in the last four months. A student is locked up and forgotten inside a cell for five whole days. It was so bad he even tried to kill himself. You're about to hear from this young man.
Plus just into us here at CNN, House Republicans one step closer to holding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: A California man says he had to drink his own urine to survive his imprisonment last month, but Daniel Chong wasn't trapped in a canyon, wasn't trapped in some foreign Guerrilla camp, folks.
He was in the custody of the DEA, the law enforcement agency admits, yes, they forgot about Chong in one of its own cells in San Diego for five days.
Chong's attorney says the college student was handcuffed, had no food, no water, and Chong talked to our affiliate KFMB after three days, he says he broke his glasses and tried to use a shard of glass to kill himself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIEL CHONG, STUDENT, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO: In pitch black, and trying to write sorry, mom, and I couldn't even aim. So I gave up on that one.
EUGENE IREDALE, DANIEL CHONG'S ATTORNEY: He screamed hundreds of times for help. He began to big into the walls thinking that he could get water that way.
CHONG: I had to do what I had to do to survive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The DEA detained Chong along with eight others after a raid back on April 21st at a home that allegedly had some 189 ecstasy pills and guns and ammo and mushrooms.
But agents never charged this engineering student who is now suing reportedly for $20 million. The head of the DEA in San Diego's office issued a statement.
I am going to quote here. "I extend my deepest apologies to the young man. I have personally ordered an extensive review of our policies and procedures," end quote.
News just in here, House Republicans one step closer to holding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt. This is over the so-called operation "Fast and Furious" scandal in which the U.S. government allowed weapons to enter Mexico in hopes of tracking them.
But instead they wound up in the hands of drug gangs. Let's go to our senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash who is live for us in Washington. So Dana, what is behind the move here by House Republicans?
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first and foremost, Brooke, the House Oversight Chairman Darryl Issa drafted this contempt resolution and he says the Justice Department is withholding documents and information.
And even ignoring subpoenas explaining to Congress why at first they defended this gun tracking program known as "Fast and Furious." But then 10 months later came back and recanted saying that the program was fundamentally flawed.
It is also they say a question of who knew what when. Republicans on the committee say that the Justice Department is refusing to hand over documents explaining what senior officials knew about this program -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: How is the Department of Justice responding?
BASH: Well, they're saying that the department has already turned over 7,600 pages of documents, 46 separate times, and they noted the attorney generals testified even before Congress seven times on this issue.
They also say, this is probably the most important, there are legitimate disagreements over producing what they call sensitive material and that they say could jeopardize or politicize criminal investigations and prosecutions.
It breaks down this way, Brooke, Republicans question whether the Obama Justice Department is engaging in a cover up and Democrats say it is a witch hunt.
BALDWIN: So if we say the House Republicans are just one step closer to holding Holder in contempt, what is the timeframe? When is the vote?
BASH: It has not been set yet. Congress is in recess this week. They will come back next week, but it is really TBD. The goal ultimately if you talk to Republicans is to not to go forward with this.
They say that they hope racheting up the pressure and putting this threat for contempt of Congress for the attorney general will result in them getting, Congress getting the information that they're looking for without actually having to hold the attorney general in contempt of Congress.
BALDWIN: Dana Bash, thank you.
The U.S. ambassador to China speaks with CNN about why a blind Chinese dissident left U.S. protection is now apparently asking for it back. What the heck prompted this change of heart?
But first, just like the movies, "Iron Man, Terminator," new technology may soon give firefighters bionic vision. It's this week's "Technovations."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN (voice-over): Raging flames, rooms full of smoke, working conditions of firefighters.
CAPTAIN STEVEN FLOYD, SAVANNAH, GEORGIA FIRE DEPARTMENT: You can't see anything. You can only hear things, but it is still very confusing, complete blackout.
BALDWIN: In hazardous situations like this that they train for, but thanks to some new technology firefighters will be able to see the world at an entirely new way.
This new high tech mask gives first responders data about their surroundings. It is a vision of the future inventor Joseph Juhnke is trying to finally bring to light.
JOSEPH JUHNKE, TANAGRAM PARTNERS: I didn't see it. A whole bunch of great authors saw it. Science fiction authors are fabulous in they get to make this up and we get to make it happen.
BALDWIN: Giving firefighters information everywhere they look.
JUHNKE: Our job was to give them back their senses. All they have to do is put on and display.
BALDWIN: Firefighters will be able to see oxygen levels, temperatures, and exit paths. It will even allow them to see what's happening with the rest of their team.
FLOYD: To be able to see and then be able to also not only see where I am at, but to communicate with my team members, that's a big relief.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Now to the diplomatic crisis that's developing between the U.S. and China. You have Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Beijing talking trade, but all the interest is focused on this blind Chinese activist who is now begging Clinton to take him and his family out of China.
The plight of this man, Chen Guangcheng exploded over the news over the weekend after he escaped house arrest, made his way to Beijing, found refuge in the U.S. embassy. Just yesterday, Chen left the confines of the embassy.
He was taken to a hospital where he was reunited with his family and into the arms of Chinese officials. So that's the straight line of the story. Now for the twists and turns, just hours after Chen left the U.S. embassy, he says the U.S. broker deal was not the humanitarian victory portrayed by the Obama administration.
In fact, Chen is now suggesting the U.S. failed to protect him, failed to protect his family, and I want you to listen here. This is the translated film conversation with CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHEN GUANGCHENG, ACTIVIST (through translator): I would like to say to him, please do everything you can to get our whole family out. I am very disappointed with the U.S. government. The embassy kept lobbying me to leave, he says, and promised to be with me at the hospital. But this afternoon soon after we got here they were all gone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: But Chen is now changing that story. CNN producer just got off the phone with him. The dissident now says he believes the U.S. is trying to help him, but he declined to elaborate.
Just a couple of hours ago, CNN's Stan Grant talked with the U.S. ambassador to China about Chen's plight and the confusion really that surrounds it all.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STAN GRANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Did you make a mistake in putting too much trust in the Chinese negotiators, the Chinese government, the same government that had locked him up, held him under house arrest, according to him beaten him, beaten his wife, beaten his mother, and threatening to kill the family and you trusted these people?
GARY LOCKE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO CHINA: Again, this was his decision and he indicated to us what he wanted as conditions before he would leave the embassy. He had the option of staying in the embassy for years if necessary, and he indicated that he was prepared to do that unless the Chinese government met his conditions.
What were those conditions? He wanted to be reunified with his family. He wanted an opportunity to pursue legal studies and in fact the Chinese government offered him a full scholarship at one of seven universities of his choosing with housing and living expenses for him and his entire family.
GRANT: This comes back to an issue of trust. At the same time, he says his wife told him that the same government, the authorities in Shandong were saying if your husband doesn't leave the embassy, we're going to have people waiting with weapons inside your house and you're going to be beaten to death.
LOCKE: First of all, he had a conversation with his wife without outside the presence of the Chinese government. It was his decision in fact to go back and ask us to approach the Chinese government after he said no, after he said he was prepared to stay in the embassy for years because he said he didn't trust the Chinese government.
He asked us to tell the Chinese government that they needed to take a first step as an indication of good faith and what was his request? He said that he wanted the Chinese government to bring the family up to Beijing, remove them from the village where they had suffered so much abuse.
And have them in the hospital, and then he would have a conversation with his wife and make a final decision as to whether or not he would leave.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: That was Stan Grant there conducting the interview. We're going to talk to Stan Grant coming up live in Beijing next hour about his perspective. He has been covering this really since the beginning, his perspective on how all of this has gone down.
Young girls seeing the beautiful models, thin, perfect complexion, and is this the image young women or young men really need to be looking at? One teenager says no. Not only did she start a petition, she marched right up to the headquarters of "Seventeen" Magazine. Here she is. We'll speak live in a CNN exclusive next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: What is trending today? This is what's trending, an eighth grader who wants the fashion industry to get real about beauty and end the use of air brushed photos.
Take a look at this YouTube clip that shows how much difference touch ups can make making the skin flawless, waists teeny tiny and much more. You can look at the pictures and see for yourself.
Now the American Medical Association says these images give young people unrealistic expectations of what their bodies should look like.
And so 14-year-old Julia Bluhm says she has seen it firsthand so what did she do? At age 14, she put up this petition challenging "Seventeen" magazine to feature at least one unaltered photo spread a month.
So, yesterday, Julia and her friends protested outside "Seventeen" magazine's offices in New York and took some 20,000 signatures straight up to the editor who agreed to see her.
No cameras were allowed and we're about to get the scoop because Julia is joining me live from New York. Julie, it's nice to meet you.
JULIA BLUHM, PETITIONS "SEVENTEEN" TO USE UNALTERED PHOTOS: Thank you.
BALDWIN: First, just take me back. When did you first get this idea? Were you flipping through pages of "Seventeen" magazine? Talk to me about this from the beginning.
BLUHM: Well, I am a blogger at "Sparks Summit" and I've been with Spark for about a year. I learned at Spark how much these photo shopped images and the media can really hurt girls and give them an unrealistic idea of beauty. And so I know how it affects girls and like my friends and so I wanted to do something to help.
BALDWIN: Be specific. I mean, do you get these magazines? Are you sitting with your girlfriends and you're kind of looking at somebody's waist and thinking that doesn't look right?
BLUHM: Yes. A bunch of my friends and I read "Seventeen" magazine, and we can recognize that they're photo shopped, but at the same time, you know, that's what's considered beautiful. And we don't realize it times sometimes when we're looking at the magazine and having fun and it can lower your self-esteem.
BALDWIN: It can. So you're in New York because yesterday as we mentioned you were in midtown Manhattan. I saw the umbrellas with these girls, with a message. What was your message to "Seventeen" magazine?
BLUHM: Well, we were doing the mock photo shoot to show "Seventeen" that we love ourselves, just the way we are and we don't need photo shop to fix us.
BALDWIN: So not only are you doing this mock photo shoot but you at 14 years of age get this meeting with the head of "Seventeen" magazine and how did it go and let me also ask you this. I know you want to have at least one spread per month unaltered. Did she agree to that?
BLUHM: Well, we presented her with our big box full of petition signatures and she accepted it and it was a really positive meeting. We talked about the importance of having real authentic girls in magazine pictures to show girls that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. And I gave her my e-mail address and we're going to stay in contact and see what happens from there.
BALDWIN: So you're going to stay in contact. She didn't give you a straight up yes or no, she just said keep in touch.
BLUHM: Yes, we're going to keep in touch and work with them in the future. So I am happy with it and I think it has been really great.
BALDWIN: OK, well, let me read because we reached out to "Seventeen" as well. Here is what they told us, Julia. Quote, "They had a great discussion and we believe that Julia left understanding that "Seventeen" celebrates girls for being their authentic selves and that's how we present them."
"We feature real girls in our pages and there is no other magazine that highlights such a diversity of size, shape, skin tone and ethnicity." So Julia, here is really my last question for you and this is the kind of question I throw at anyone.
I will throw it at awe. I know a lot of magazines. They do alter images and not just of women but of men, too, and people would say, look, we recognize they do this. You can just opt not to buy the magazine. What do you say to those people?
BLUHM: Well, you know, a lot of girls love "Seventeen" magazine and I love "Seventeen" magazine and I am going to keep reading it. I am going to keep enjoying it, but also a big part of my petition was to educate girls about how these pictures are photo shopped.
And I think that's an important thing, if we educate girls they're photo shopped, girls will learn that they don't have to compare themselves to the images that are photo shopped.
BALDWIN: Well, Julia, you said your mom is just sitting right off camera, right?
BLUHM: Yes.
BALDWIN: Tell your mom she did good, all right?
BLUHM: OK.
BALDWIN: Julia Bluhm, thank you. Good luck. BLUHM: Thank you.
BALDWIN: We'll follow up. We'll see what "Seventeen" does.
BLUHM: OK.
BALDWIN: Meantime, no bombs, no planes, but al Qaeda's new way of hitting America, wildfires. I am going to talk with former CIA operation, Bob Bear about this threat.
Plus, I promised you, it is a story will you never forget, the reaction still on Twitter. It is still pouring in, a six-year-old is dead and his body found with a sea of scars, but he could have been saved. Forget the nonsense out there, the talking heads, blah, blah, blah, this is a story America needs to hear.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: I just wanted to take a moment and focus again on a case that makes me so angry and I know it makes a lot of you angry as well. I know because I tweet through my show and my Twitter account absolutely exploded right around this time yesterday with the reaction here to the story of this death of this six-year-old boy.
He was Kalil Weims. He could have been saved if someone had been paying attention. Kalil weighed less than 30 pounds. His extremely emaciated body was covered in too many scars to count.
Social workers visited Kalil's home multiple times, but no one seemed to notice the battered and tiny little boy. The day Kalil died he slipped on the wet bathroom floor and according to his mother's confession to police, Kalil didn't get up fast enough so she smacked him in the back of the head.
It was 13 hours before his parents finally took Kalil to the hospital, too late to save him. His death ended months of horror no child should ever have to endure. I want you to listen here. This is Mike Newall, the "Philadelphia Inquirer" reporter who dug deeper into the little boy's story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: In the final let's say eight months of Kalil's life I want you to describe in detail the abuse that he endured.
MIKE NEWALL, STAFF WRITER, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: Like you said, it's tough stuff. His parents in their confession said they beat him almost daily with extension cords, with belts. As understand, he had so many bruises on his -- scars on his body that the medical examiner just said there was too many to put a count on.
In the last year of his life, he had some type of stomach issue and would throw up sometimes two to three times a day. His biological parents thought he was doing this on purpose and would lock him in his bedroom. And if he got sick during the night, they would beat him for it in the morning. BALDWIN: You mentioned around Thanksgiving, they hammered the lock on his door so he couldn't leave his bedroom. But I want to point out life was not always this nightmare for this little boy because he was with foster parents who it sounds like loved him. If you can just sort of juxtapose that experience in those years with that man and woman versus his biological parents.
NEWALL: Yes, that's what's so striking about this. The first three years of his life, he lived with a relative, Alisha Nixon, who was his foster parent and trying to adopt him and he lived a happy little life of a toddler.
And he was healthy, he was getting medical treatments. The only five days that he spent with his biological parents before he was returned to them, he wound up in the hospital dirty, soiled with asthma attack.
And I think at the heart of this case is the tension at the heart of every child welfare system which is the desire on DHS to want to reunify families and also protect children. And time and time again in this boy's life it seemed in moving towards reunion fiscal they missed opportunities that could help him.
I think there are teachable moments good and bad in this. The moments that we're looking at are when they decided to reunion fie the parents or the child with the parents who had seven children removed, was the bar high enough, and I don't think anyone agrees it was.
Secondly, for the eight months, the last eight months of this boy's life, social workers and DHS staff had their eyes on him and he was a boy in grave danger and it was visibly so according to those who knew him.
And according to the medical examiner, and was this systemic thing? Was it individual workers? We just want to try to find out exactly what happened.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Do want to let you know we did call Philadelphia's Department of Human Services. They couldn't talk specifically about Kalil's case, but they did tell us they are reviewing the department's policies and its response to Kalil's case.
And they will make whatever changes are necessary to protect children like Kalil and we will be watching. Again, my tremendous thanks to Mike Newall of the "Philadelphia Inquirer" for his reporting and again, a reminder to all of us we can do better.
