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Obama Kicks Off Campaign; White House On Same-Sex Marriage; Skyped Military Death Unsolved; China Pressures Chen's Supporters; Showing The Supermoon

Aired May 07, 2012 - 12:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEUAX, CNN ANCHOR: Live from CNN headquarters in Atlanta where it's 12:00 noon, 9:00 a.m. on the West Coast. I'm Suzanne Malveaux. I want to get you up to speed for this Monday, May 7th.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WARREN WEINSTEIN, CAPTURED AMERICAN: If you accept the demands, I live. If you don't accept the demands, then I die.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: American kidnapped by al Qaeda makes a desperate plea for President Obama to save his life. 70-year-old Warren Wienstein was abducted last August from his home in Pakistan. In a video posted on several Islamic web sites, Weinstein says al Qaeda will release him if the president accepts al Qaeda's demands.

Military investigators now say they do not expect foul play in the death of a soldier who suddently collapsed during a video chat during his wife. It happened in Afghanistan. The wife of Army captain Bruce Kevin Clark says her husband fell forward. She saw what appeared to be a bullet hole in in a closet behind him. Military officials say there were no wounds, however, on his body. His family is still trying to make sense of it all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIANA BARRY, CLARK'S SISTER-IN-LAW: He loved being in the military and he loved serving his country. He was absolutely willing to make any sacrifice, and it's just horrible that this is the sacrifice he ended up making.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: People are cheering in France, but here in the United States, investors are worried. Francois Hollande, a Socialist, defeated conservative president Nicolas Sarkozy in a runoff election. Hollande says he will boost government spending in France. Now the world is afraid the European debt crisis is going to continue. Keep an eye on how this election impacts your 401(k) and other investments.

As you can see there, the Dow Jones Industrial average has been down all morning. Right now sitting down about 31 points or so. European markets were also down sharply to begin the day but recovered a fair bit by the loss of the day's end.

Vladimir Putin was sworn in as Russia's president today, but not before hundreds of protesters were arrested in Moscow. Clashes erupted Sunday when demonstrators veered off the agreed route of the march. Some threw things at police. They responded by clubbing people who broke through those police lines.

And security at the London Olympics already embarrassed after a stunt pulled off by "The Sun" newspaper. The tabloid reports it managed to sneak a fake bomb past security checkpoints protecting the main stadiums. Now, this follows a week of highly publicized security exercises that were designed to try to build public confidence.

It is the first time Warren Weinstein's family has seen him in almost nine months. He is pleading for President Obama to save his life. The American man kidnapped by al Qaeda last August showed up in a video posted on Islamist Web sites. Now, he said the terror group would let him go if the president accepts a list of demands.

Want to bring in Reza Sayah covering the story from Islamabad. First of all, what do we know about this? This was posted yesterday but we don't have any idea of when this was actually shot. Is that correct?

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's correct, Suzanne. We don't know when this was shot and we don't know where it was shot. So it's impossible to independently verify if Warren Weinstein is okay at this moment as we speak. But if you look at the video, he seems to be in relatively good condition, he's speaking clearly and coherently. He doesn't seem to have any visible injuries.

In fact, at one point, and this is very strange, he reaches out and seems to be eating something. Now, we have no idea what he'd be eating something in the middle of an appeal for his life, but that's what he seems to be doing. It could be that his captors have asked him to eat something in a strange effort to create the impression that he's doing OK and he's being cared for. But certainly a strange moment in that videotape.

MALVEAUX: And let's talk a little bit about the demands from the al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. We're looking at some of these demands now here. What do we make of whether or not the United States is actually going to be able to go along with any of this?

SAYAH: Well, look, if you talk to U.S. government officials over the past several years and look at what al Qaeda's done, there's lots of evidence that they're weaker and more desperate than ever, and one way they like to change that is to use the media to create the impression that they still have power, that they still have a vast army, that they can spread terror with kidnappings like this. This could be an attempt to do that.

The State Department today has come out and made it clear that they're not going to negotiate for hostages. It's not clear what's happening behind the scenes, but certainly some anxious moments for Mr. Weinstein's family who obviously want him back home safe and sound.

MALVEAUX: And we heard from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton commenting today on the efforts to actually capture him and other top al Qaeda leaders. I want us to listen real quickly.

All right. I'm told we don't actually have the sound. But she is trying to reassure folks around the world that there is a real manhunt that is underway. What is the reaction here? Is there a lot of confidence that this is somebody who is going to be captured and perhaps killed?

SAYAH: Well, you're talking about Ayman al Zawahiri, the number leader of al Qaeda today. But f you look at the past several years, we have had a lot of mixed messages. Frankly, convoluted messages, coming from Washington about al Qaeda.

Two years ago, you had then-head of CIA Leon Panetta saying there was only 50 to 100 al Qaeda operatives in Afghanistan in this region. Then over the past two years, they said they've killed a lot of operatives. How many al Qaeda operatives remain we simply don't know.

Last week John Brennan, the adviser to the White House on counterterrorism, came out and explicitly said the infrastructure of al Qaeda in Pakistan has been dismantled. But today you had Secretary Clinton saying they were only making progress and there's many important leaders that remain.

So, a lot of mixed messages coming out. I think what's important to point out is over the past ten years, al Qaeda has failed to kill a single American on U.S. soil, and that's something that should reassure our viewers in America. In fact, you have a better chance of being killed in a plane crash or a car accident than being killed by an al Qaeda operative on U.S. soil.

Even so, you still have a lot of institutions, a lot of organizations that are concerned about what is left of the al Qaeda threat.

MALVEAUX: I guess that's encouraging in some ways. Reza Sayeh, thank you so much.

Here's a rundown of some of the stories that we are covering. First, the French elect a new president. He's a socialist. We'll tell you what that means for our economy. We're watching your money.

Facebook takes its stock pitch on the road, buttering up potential investors.

And then the vice president takes a stand on same-sex marriage. Now another member of the president's team is also speaking out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women, are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil right, all the civil liberties. (END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Don't forget, you can watch CNN live on your computer while you're at work. Head to CNN.com/live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: There is a pretty big shake-up in French politics over the weekend here. We're talking about Francois Hollande, a socialist, defeating conservative president Nicholas Sarcozy in a runoff election. Sarkozy failed to rein in unemployment, made the deep kind of budget cuts that have become the norm across many countries in Europe but has frustrated a lot of folks.

I want to bring in Michael Holmes from CNN International to talk a little bit about this. It was a busy weekend here. And you know, people hear socialist. And it doesn't mean the same in Europe as it does over here. I mean, even the world socialism or socialist has been used as a political weapon in the campaign.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: (INAUDIBLE) It's down to dirty words here. Speaking to somebody who deals in international news all the time, it's not a dirty word anywhere else. I mean, there are socialist parties in other parts of the world and as we see in France, they win.

And on this occasion, Mousieur Sarkozy was defeated, it was basically a vote against the incumbent. He was seen as somebody who favored the rich and friends and left the poor people behind. Unemployment has gone up. A lot of that, of course, is due to the eurozone crisis. Along comes Francois Hollande --

MALVEAUX: I love the way you say that.

HOLMES: Thank you. He's like Mr. Normal, Mr. Bland, but he said all the things that voters wanted to hear which is that the austerity, the cutback programs that have been put into place, led by Germany and France, are not good for the country. There needs to be more growth programs, there needs to be more spending. He's proposing in putting in tens of thousands of more school teachers, lifting the minimum wage.

This has now got Germany worried. Because you can't just say France, Germany, Spain. It's Europe.

MALVEAUX: How does this impact the U.S. economy here? We're already seeing the markets beginning to react.

HOLMES: Well, you know, in that regard you are seeing that. The markets are way down. Asia got pummeled over night. The Nikkei in Japan, the Hang Sei in Hong Kong, both down 2.5 percent. The Aussie market was down 2 percent. The dollar dropped, the euro dropped.

Now, that does have a flow, you can see there the Dow Jones down a quarter of a percent, slightly less than it was before. But that has a flaw-on (ph) effect on the U.S. markets. Everything that happens in Europe has at least some sort of play in the markets here. You know, they watch this.

But a lot of this is also played in -- already factored in the markets because everyone knew that Hollande was going to win and what's been going on in Greece is still going on.

MALVEAUX: Yes, talk a little bit about Greece because we looked at that and thought, oh boy, that could be a hot mess. They cannot get a coalition together, essentially, to even move their government forward. They're not even participating.

HOLMES: Greece is a hot mess. Greece as a country politically and economically is in - it's in the turmoil at the moment. This was two-thirds of voters voting against the austerity measures, and what you've got now, you've got two major parties that have dot no have enough even if they go together as a coalition, to govern. Now, they're the ones that are in favor of continuing the austerity measures. All the other parties are against it. So, how are they going to form a coaltion?

There's already talk they're going to have new elections. Though what would that achieve? Disturbingly to me, actually, one of the big winners there was seven percent of the vote went to a far-right -- extreme far-right party, one that is anti-immigration. They've been called Nazis by people in Greece, by their opponents in Greece. They got seven percent of the vote.

MALVEAUX: That is scary.

HOLMES: We saw the right wing do well in France, too. Marie Le Pen, National Front Party did well.

MALVEAUX: It's a strange thing when you look at Greece because here, even if you don't like the guy, you vote. You know, you participate here. They're rejecting, they're actually rejecting their government saying, you know what? We don't want what you're offering us here.

HOLMES: Exactly. Greece has already signed up to this, too. The bailout money with the IMF and the European Union, this is something they have agreed to. They have to go along with this, but now the voters are saying, no, no, we don't want it. What happens?

If they don't get that bailout money, game over, Greece. I mean, they're already bankrupt. But the whole economic system would collapse if they didn't get this bailout money. The government wouldn't be able to pay government workers. Just heaven forbid.

MALVEAUX: And then you see the domino effect.

HOLMES: That's it. And you're already seeing Spain is in trouble, anti-austerity sentiment there, Portugal the same. As I say, we can't look at these as individual countries, it's Europe. And there's a big pushback on the austerity measures. Angela Merkel in Germany is holding firm, saying we will not change anything, all this is agreed to. The public is saying otherwise.

PHILLIPS: Michael, thank you.

Soon you will have a chance to own a piece of Facebook. What is it worth to you? The company is taking its show on the road to convince you it's a good investment.

And singer, actor, superstar mom Vanessa Williams is revealing private details about her struggles and how she overcame them. She's joining me next hour at 1:40 p.m. Eastern to talk about her new memoir with her mom and her major comeback on the stage and on the screen.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Facebook is for sale. You will soon be able to own stock in the social media giant. Now founder CEO Mark Zuckerberg is taking the company's road show to New York. Facebook goes public next Friday. It's courting potential investors who are expected to pay anywhere between $28 and $35 to get in on the action. It's valued at potentially up to $98 billion. There's one billionaire, a buyer, who is going to be conspicuously absent. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WARREN BUFFETT, CEO, BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY: We never buy a new offering. I can't recall in my life buying a new offering. The idea that something coming out on say Monday that's being offered with significant commissions, all kinds of publicity and everything, the seller electing the time to sell is going to be the best single investment I can make in the world among thousands of choices, it's mathematically impossible. So we are not a buyer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Felicia Taylor at the New York stock exchange, tell us about Warren Buffett, the fact he may not be investing in this after all and what this road show is all about.

FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, well, it's basically a nationwide pitch. Facebook is going to be traveling to Boston, Chicago, Denver, and even Menlo Park, California. Facebook executives will attend and they're going to be courting investors, hedge funds, mutual funds, in hopes that obviously they'll buy shares in the company. They've outlined their mission, finances, vision for the future, things like that that obviously investors want to know about.

The meetings are private but we've got an online video that gives us a little bit of a clue about what's going to be presented in the meetings. Facebook basically touts its size with a lot of impressive numbers. 900 million monthly users, 300 million photos uploaded each day and 1 billion comments a day. Even its CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to take part as the road show kicks off in New York. I spoke to one analyst who said this is basically the moment for Mark Zuckerberg to grow up and, you know, be an adult.

PHILLIPS: Grow up. I like that. There is so much hype around Facebook now. Couldn't it actually just sell itself? Do they even need a road show to begin with?

TAYLOR: Well, like I said, this is just the kind of way it's done. You have to follow the rule book on this one. They need to raise or want to raise about $14 billion so they can have some sort of an expansion plan. This is their chance to explain why investors, you know, would want to invest in the company face to face and why Facebook can continue to be great. Let's face it, did I just say that? I didn't just say that, did I? I did.

PHILLIPS: Go ahead, let's just face it, Facebook.

TAYLOR: There are so many people that use Facebook. How many more out there can sign up? But banks are still rolling out the welcome wagon. You can even see outside JP Morgan Chase here at their headquarters in New York a sign that says, JP Morgan welcomes the Facebook management team. There's a lot of hype around this.

PHILLIPS: There's a lot of hype but I have to ask you, it's one thing for the big money guys on Wall Street, but you and I, can we get in on the action here? Is this something that's available for us small money guys?

TAYLOR: You want the real answer?

PHILLIPS: Yes, I do.

TAYLOR: Well, I doubt it. I mean, let's -- I'm not going to say it again. I was just about to do it. Retail investors could get in. Believe it or not, there are 33 banks that are underwriting this IPO. That's a lot to divvy out there. Most of the bigger Wall Street firms like JP Morgan Chase, but there's also places like ETrade Financial that also got a big chunk. So Facebook wants this to be a broad retail distribution, but truthfully and again I spoke to one investor -- or one trader out there who said, they have no idea how much actual stock they're going to get until the actual day of trading. So it's unlikely the actual first day of trading, but that doesn't mean it's not open to investor after that.

PHILLIPS: We can wish and hope, huh? we'll become the big money people later. All right. Thanks, Felicia.

Why does it feel that gas prices go up faster than they go back down? Christine Romans has the answers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: Quoting an average gas price in America is like quoting the average temperature. It's different depending where you live. We are 80 miles to empty, so we are going to fill up this tank. Half a tank in New York, half a tank in New Jersey, and you will be able to see just how much taxes and where you live depends on what you pay for gas.

Eight gallons at $4.259 a gallon is $34 for half a tank. Now we go to Jersey and fill up the other half. All right. So fill me up, regular, $3.73. I guess it's going to be about eight gallons. It cost just under $28 to fill up the rest of the tank. The difference is the taxes. The government breaks down gas prices like this. Taxes make up 12 percent of the price of a gallon of gas. 6 percent of the cost is shipping and advertising. 6 percent is refining it. And 76 percent is the cost of crude oil. High oil prices mean high gas prices.

People see those numbers and they cannot understand how everybody who is reaching into their pocket is not making money. But not everyone is making money at gas prices at $3.80.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The big profits have been in exploration and production. If you look at multinational oil companies, a lot of them are getting out of retailing. A lot of them are getting out of refining.

ROMANS: The good news for you, the average gas price is now below where it was a year ago.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think you'll probably see prices retreat as we get into the season. Normally prices peak around the fourth of July. I think they're peaking right now.

ROMANS: But here is that pesky average again. If you live in the northeast, refinery closures mean prices could stay high. And every dollar in here is a dollar not spent on consumer goods or on a 529 college savings plan or your retirement savings, and that's why gas prices are the economic indicator we love to hate. Christine Romans, CNN, Clifton, New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: President Obama's launching his campaign with his first ads of the season. We'll take a look at how Mitt Romney is preparing to respond.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Here is a rundown of some of the stories we're working on. President Obama officially launches his election campaign with a series of positive ads. We're going to talk about how Mitt Romney plans to go up against them.

A major voice joins the fight for same-sex marriage. Vice president Joe Biden, and at 1:40 p.m. Eastern Vanessa Williams joins me to talk about her tell-all memoir with her mom. An inspiring story of how she overcame scandal and struggle to become a major Broadway star and an actress on shows like ugly betty and desperate housewives. you can watch CNN live on your computer while you're at work. Head to CNN.com/live.

Andy Warhol once said in the future everyone is going to have their 15 minutes of fame. Well, this New Jersey woman is getting her time. The suntan mother accused of bringing her 6-year-old daughter into a tanning booth making her ripe for the picking for the folks at SNL in today's punch line. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTEN WIIG, SNL CAST MEMBER: The point is, Seth, anyone can look like me. It's not just the tanning. It's also the right beauty products.

SETH MEYERS, SNL CAST MEMBER: Really? Because you look like a baseball glove.

WIIG: That is not an accident, Seth. I follow the Wilson athletic beauty routine.

MEYERS: What is the Wilson athletic beauty routine?

WIIG: Every night I rub my face with Murphy's oil soap. Then I put a baseball in my mouth and sleep with my head under the mattress. And now I have the book every woman dreams of, Wile E. Coyote right after something grows up in his face.

MEYERS: Dude, you look crazy.

WIIG: Or do I look like a wise cigar store Indian? I have to get out of here. I can feel myself getting paler every second. Before I go I want to show you this trick. Piece of bread, put it between my thighs. Toast.

MEYERS: Oh, my god.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: All jokes aside, the mother has pleaded not guilty to child endangerment charges. She says she brought her 6-year-old to a salon but never let her into a tanning booth.

2012 presidential election is in full swing. This weekend President Obama officially kicked off his re-election bid playing of his campaign slogan, "Forward." Headlines two rallies in two battleground states, Ohio and Virginia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: This is not just another election. This is a make-or-break moment for the middle class, and we've been through too much to turn back now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: This morning Obama campaign launched the first in a series of positive ads aimed at highlighting the president's record on issues like the economy as well as foreign policy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He believed in us, fought for us, and today our auto industry is backfiring on all cylinders. Our greatest enemy brought to justice by our greatest heroes. Our troops are home from Iraq. Instead of losing jobs, we're creating them over 4.2 million so far.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Joining us for our Monday political round table, Democratic strategist, Estuardo Rodriguez and Chris Metzler. He is a conservative, Georgetown University professor.

Estuardo, I want to start off with you first. Positive ads, you know, some people get -- pay more attention essentially than negative ads. Do we think that this is really going to work?

ESTUARDO RODRIGUEZ, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, you know, I agree with you. Some people just react more to the yelling and screaming and criticisms, but the president has an amazing record to campaign on, and more -- it's more important now than ever to make sure Americans understand what has been accomplished.

You know, over 7 million jobs, almost 8 million jobs were lost in that entire period before President Obama actually got sworn into office, and to have over 4 million jobs already created in under four years, that's an amazing accomplishment.

So we need to be able to talk about this, talk about the auto bailout, how the auto industry in the United States is doing incredibly well right now and still has -- we still have a long way to go, but this is the message Americans need to understand.

The choice they're making when they go to vote, it's between the accomplishments and Mitt Romney, 47th governor in job creation in Massachusetts.

MALVEAUX: How do you counter that, Chris? Because if the president appears to be taking the high road with his positive tone, it's the kind of thing hopefully they will try to resonate with independent voters. Do the Republicans need to change their tone? Does Romney need to change his tone? Is this something that we're going to see both sides engaged in?

CHRIS METZLER, PROFESSOR, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Yes, so a couple things. I think, first of all, the latest poll by George Washington University, in fact, shows that with independents Romney is ahead by at least 10 percentage points.

So I think what Romney needs to do and what he will do is talk about, OK, we get it. He's a nice guy. However, here is what's going on. What's going on is that there are a number of Americans still suffering in silence.

And as a result of that, it is those folks who we need to look at, the folks who have dropped out of the market, the folks who are under employed.

These are the kinds of people that we need to look at. So we want to have a positive economy for everyone, and I think that's the message you're going to see going forward. MALVEAUX: All right, I want to change the subject here. Controversial ballot initiative banned same-sex marriage comes to a vote in North Carolina. That's happening tomorrow.

What we're finding here, three members of the Obama administration have come out supporting now same-hex marriage. We got Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. You got Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan and the vice president this weekend as well on "Meet The Press." Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Just a few hours ago, Duncan said this on "Morning Joe." This is one of the shortest answers that we've heard, but take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you believe that same-sex men and women should be able to get legally married in the United States?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Come on. You're going to start there?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So Estuardo, let's talk about this in a real way because the president, he once opposed same-sex marriage. The official position here is that his views on the issue are, quote, "evolving."

Now many people look at that and they say wink, wink, nod, nod, you have all these people in your cabinet coming out saying you actually support this position. Is the White House really trying to have it both ways now?

RODRIGUEZ: Well, I think that the administration has moved forward in a very responsible way to ensure that there is equality and fairness for everyone in the United States, and with regard to the LGBT community, repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," signing the Matthew Shepard Act --

MALVEAUX: We know what they've done in the past, but looking forward, you have members of his cabinet saying one thing and you have him saying another here.

I mean, clearly this looks like they're trying to get it both ways. Keep the liberal base, at the same time he's not going as far as his members of the cabinet.

RODRIGUEZ: Well, I think he's definitely being measured. The members of his cabinet have made these very compelling statements now, and I think that the president's going to have to make some decisions on how soon he can come out there himself.

But I think ultimately the actions speak louder than the words and he's been there for the LGBT community. I'm sure that the pressure is going to build on him and he will have to make a decision.

MALVEAUX: Chris, do you think this is a campaign issue? Do you think the president will have to come out and make a decision and move forward on this? Do you think he's been forced into this corner and he now has to come out and go further than he has in the past?

METZLER: Yes, actually, Suzanne, I do. Here is what I think this is. I think what this is, is you had Vice President Biden floating a trial balloon out there to see whether or not and, in fact, pandering to see whether or not this is going to work.

I think at some point the president is going to have to move from evolving to evolved, whatever that means and whenever that means it, and I think that's what he's going to have to do.

So you can't really have it both ways, and I think that's pretty much what the president is trying to do here. He'll have the members of his cabinet do it, but he's not going to do it.

MALVEAUX: So, Chris, does Romney give up on this issue completely? Look at the latest poll. You have support for legalizing same-sex marriage going up here.

You have 53 percent of Americans are for it as opposed to 44 percent back in 2008. Chris, does he ignore this issue altogether here? Does he say I don't care about the gay vote?

METZLER: Well, there are a couple things here. I think that, in fact, what you look at is the issue of once we get into the question of marriage, and I think that's the larger concern because a number of people are saying this is a religious issue.

I think probably if you look at the issue of domestic partnership or if you look at civil unions, then I think you have some movement in that particular area.

Unfortunately, the message has been clouded by the term marriage, which so many folks believe is religious and not civil unions. And so I think there has to be some work there to be done.

MALVEAUX: They're looking at this as a human rights issue.

RODRIGUEZ: Yes, I just wanted to add, I think two things in response there. One is I don't think you can call this pandering. The representatives of the cabinet there represent the acts in total of the administration. And all of those items I listed before that have been pro- LGBT need to be recognized. Secondly, Romney has a huge problem. He signed onto the national organization for marriage and their pledge. He doesn't have any wiggle room at all. So I don't see how he makes any progress at all with the LGBT community.

MALVEAUX: We're going to have to leave it there. Estuardo, Chris, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it. We'll pick up the debate at another date.

METZLER: Absolutely.

MALVEAUX: This woman watched her husband die from thousands of miles away. This is a chilling story of one military wife's worst nightmare.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Military investigators now confirm no foul play is suspected in the death of an army captain in Afghanistan who suddenly collapsed during a video chat with his wife.

Barbara Starr, she is following this rather strange developing story at the Pentagon. And, Barbara, it is rather bizarre and tragic when you hear how this happened. Do we actually know, first of all, how he died and what led to this?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: We don't, Suzanne. You know, the military is saying that Captain Bruce Clark was serving in southern Afghanistan talking via Skype, a computer chat, with his wife last week.

She was seeing him, he was seeing her. When suddenly he collapsed in front of her and died. She frantically started making phone calls into Afghanistan, very difficult place to reach by commercial phone lines to a military base to try and get some help to him when he collapsed.

When they finally got to him, he was dead. Now, she issued a statement over the weekend saying that she saw a bullet hole in the closet door behind him when he slumped forward. So that might be the first indication that something else went on here.

The bullet hole behind him, but he slumps forward. In fact, the army's criminal investigation command a little while ago issued a statement to try and put some shape around this very tragic situation.

Saying, quote, "Although the investigation into his death is open and ongoing by special agents from the U.S. Army criminal investigation command, we can positively say that Captain Clark was not shot."

Agents conducting the investigation found no trauma to the body beyond minor abrasions and a possible broken nose most likely caused from Captain Clark striking his face on his desk when he collapsed.

So the word from the military is they wanted to put out this extraordinary statement because of the concern and confusion surrounding the circumstances of his death.

No foul play, but still under investigation awaiting a military coroner's report, toxicology results to try to determine what really happened here -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Barbara, are military officials actually addressing the heartbreaking aspect of all of this, which is essentially this poor woman watched her husband die in front of her via Skype?

STARR: It just seems extraordinary, doesn't it? You know, this is modern communications right from the war zone. We see every day troops talking on their cell phones, talking via Skype, computer chats, Facebook, Twitter, everything you can imagine, and it's just extraordinary and tragic and unprecedented.

This man apparently may have passed away from some sort of medical condition that nobody had foreseen. And very difficult for his family, which is why the military, the army says they're going to try to get some answers to the family as soon as they can.

MALVEAUX: I certainly hope they do. All right, Barbara, thank you. Appreciate it.

It's a nerve-racking waiting game. The blind Chinese dissident hopes its government is going to keep its word and let him come to the United States.

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SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: It's now a waiting game for Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng. Chen is the blind activists who was fighting to stop forced abortions in his country. Well, he was confined to house arrest and then he escaped, took refuge at the U.S. embassy in Beijing. Well, now there is a new twist. The Chinese government says Chen is allowed to go to the United States as a visiting scholar at the New York University while, meanwhile, everyone in China is banned from talking. If journalists try to reach Chen, they risk getting thrown out. Our Stan Grant is actually there.

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STAN GRANT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We dare not cross this road. We've been warned to stay away. Inside this hospital is a man at the center of a tug of war between the world's biggest powers. Chen Guangcheng is still waiting to hear if he can travel to the United States and flee a country where he fears for his life. We're still waiting to speak to Chen. These police have been put here to stop us from going across the other side of the road.

GRANT (on camera): Now, these police have been put here to stop us going across the other side of the road. Wait.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you want to have (INAUDIBLE) you should go to this area.

GRANT: That's right, but I'm just -- we -- I cannot go any further?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

GRANT: OK. Well, the --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course you should (INAUDIBLE).

GRANT: OK. Yes.

So, we've been told to move from there to here. We can't go anywhere near the hospital itself. Journalists have been issued a very stern warning. If we're caught inside the hospital or even the hospital grounds, our visas could be revoked, we'd be forced to leave the country.

GRANT (voice-over): It isn't just reporters under fire. Chinese security is fanning out, rounding up Chen's friends or fellow activists. Many have been detained under house arrest, all gagged. Per Perong (ph), a Chen supporter who helped him escape, has been released after police held her in a hotel for a week. Once among the most vocal champions of Chen's cause, she's now uncharacteristically quiet, telling CNN simply, "I'm home and doing fine, but it's inconvenient for me to comment on Chen's case."

Extended Chen family have vanished. It all adds up to a climate of fear that Chen is desperate to escape.

CHEN GUANGCHENG (through translator): Thank you very much.

GRANT: Last week phoning in to a U.S. congressional hearing.

"What worries me is my family," he said. "I can't get in touch with all my family members. They've instilled seven surveillance cameras in my house. In addition, they have guards staying at my place. They are building an electric fence around my house. They even scoffed, let's see what this blind guy can do to us."

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in Beijing for talks last week, walked into a diplomatic storm. Despite the smiles all around, China was demanding an apology from the U.S. after Chen Guangcheng's escape from house arrest to the United States embassy. She flew out encouraged by moves by China to allow Chen to apply for a passport and seek a student visa for the United States. But Secretary Clinton knew the stakes were higher than just Chen Guangcheng.

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: This is not just about well- known activists. It's about the human rights and aspirations of more than a billion people here in China and billions more around the world.

GRANT: From human rights icon to cartoon character, Chen has now crossed over into popular culture. Threats, intimidation, and censorship, this Taiwanese news satire can see plenty to lampoon here from Chen's escape to his treatment by U.S. and Chinese officials. If only the reality was this funny.

Stan Grant, CNN, Beijing.

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MALVEAUX: A mom and her three daughters disappear, and police warn they could be in extreme danger. A manhunt is underway. We're going to hear from the man in charge of that investigation.

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MALVEAUX: A manhunt is underway right now for a Tennessee mom and her three daughters. An Amber Alert issued over the weekend said the girls may be in extreme danger. Now the FBI is helping with the search. Jo Ann Bain's husband reported the four missing late last month. Two bodies were found in a Mississippi house linked to the man suspected in their disappearance. Those bodies have not been identified yet. This is the suspect, Adam Mayes. Police say he is considered a family friend. And they're trying to figure out if Jo Ann Bain went somewhere with him willingly. CNN talked to the FBI special agent in charge about Adam Mayes.

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AARON T. FORD, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, MEMPHIS OFFICE (ph): The FBI and its law enforcement partners consider the suspect, Adam Mayes, to be armed and dangerous. So any contact with him should be taken with extreme caution. In fact, you should always contact law enforcement first if you are an individual out there that comes in contact with Adam Mayes.

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MALVEAUX: A $50,000 reward is offered for information leading to Mayes' rest.

And, over the weekend, if you had good weather, clear skies, you might have got a glimpse of this. This is the supermoon. It is the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. It appeared about 14 percent bigger, 30 percent brighter than usual. Jacqui Jeras is joining us.

I saw this. I went to a concert on Friday under the stars and it was gorgeous. It was just right there. It was so amazing.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: On Friday or Saturday?

MALVEAUX: Saturday.

JERAS: Because Saturday was the big day. MALVEAUX: Saturday, yes.

JERAS: OK, good. But it was close. You know, it was almost a supermoon on Friday, as well as last night if you caught it one of those two days. It wasn't too bad either.

MALVEAUX: Did you see it?

JERAS: I did. It was beautiful.

MALVEAUX: Tell us about it.

JERAS: In fact, I had to walk down the street because I couldn't see it from my house, because the best time to see this was as the moon was rising, OK, because if you get a tree line or if you get something in the foreground as it's moving up, it actually makes it that much more spectacular.

MALVEAUX: Wow.

JERAS: Yes.

MALVEAUX: And why does this even happen?

JERAS: Why? Well, because the earth, the moon, and the sun all align. And what happens is that when the moon orbits around the earth, right, it's not a perfect circle. OK? It's an elliptical pattern. So there's one point when it's farthest away from the earth and one point where it's closest to the earth. So this is when it was at Perigee, closest to the earth, at the same time the moon was full. So it just made it spectacular.

Look at some of these i-Reports because they're so great. Our i- Reporters from all around the world --

MALVEAUX: Yes, around the world. Really?

JERAS: Yes, caught images of this. Photographers' delight, let me tell you. You know, the closer an object is to you, the better, clearer, sharper pictures you're going to get, too. So it's just amazing. I tried to take pictures with my iPhone. Not so good.

MALVEAUX: And this was like --

JERAS: Yes, these are amazing.

MALVEAUX: Yes, Iceland, Atlanta, I mean, all over the place, yes.

JERAS: All over. And how about from space? Everything looks cooler from space, right? So check out this imagine. We've got one for you from the International Space Station. One of the astronauts there took a picture. And look at -- how weird is that? Doesn't it look like smooshed?

MALVEAUX: All smooshed up, yes. JERAS: Right. So the reason why is the ISS is on one side of the earth. The moon is on the opposite side of the earth. And the earth's atmosphere is in between. So that gives it kind of that distorted images.

MALVEAUX: It was really just spectacular.

JERAS: It was neat.

MALVEAUX: It was beautiful. When does this happen again?

JERAS: We'll see it again next year, believe it or not. But the best one of the century isn't going to happen until like 2052. So if you want to see another great one, you've got a ways to go.

MALVEAUX: All right. Yes, we'll be around. We will.

JERAS: Hopefully. Cross your fingers.

MALVEAUX: All right, nice to see you, Jacqui.

JERAS: You too.

MALVEAUX: So, who can forget the face and the voice of Vanessa Williams? Well, since then, she has stolen the stage and the screen playing a self-absorbed super diva on the hit show "Ugly Betty," and a spoiled rich woman on "Desperate Housewives." She is talking to me next hour about her private struggles.

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