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Judge Sentenced Wife Who Tried to Stand Her Ground; Motion to Get Edwards Case Thrown Out May Fall Short; Mothers Keeping Kids Close Longer; Worst Kept Global Intelligence Secret

Aired May 11, 2012 - 11:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, Carol. Thanks so much, have a great weekend. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Kyra Phillips. It's 11:00 o'clock on the East Coast, 8:00 o'clock on the West. It is the shock on Wall Street felt around the world. JPMorgan Chase rolled the dice and lost big time to the tune of $2 billion.

The bank says it was triggered by a massive trading bet that backfired. JPMorgan Chase shares fell sharply at the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange, but right now, the market is weathering the storm with the Dow up 34 points. We'll keep a close watch on the markets.

So JPMorgan says the blunder was triggered by a massive trading bet that backfired. And CEO Jamie Dimon is taking the blame, saying the bad bet was the result, of, quote, "errors, sloppiness and bad judgment."

For the nuts and bolts on this fiasco, its impact on the markets and your own investments, Alison Kosik joins us now from the New York Stock Exchange. So, Alison, first, just what was this massive trading bet all about before it went south?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, what JPMorgan essentially did was they made a big gamble. They made risky bets and ultimately they lost.

Here's a little irony in this, though. The bets that they made were actually meant to protect against possible losses on JPMorgan's other investments, but clearly they backfired and the bets produced losses of their own.

Now, how did this all come out? It came out in a surprise conference call that CEO Jamie Dimon called for last night. Came as a huge shock for Wall Street. As you said, JPMorgan shares are actually down almost 8 percent right now.

Shares of Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs are also getting hit pretty hard right now.

You know what Wall Street is also worried about? They're worried about other banks. They're wondering, you know what, if JPMorgan can do this and it's considered the stronger of the banks or the strongest of the banks, what kind of bets are these other banks making, especially, once again, that aren't as strong as JPMorgan?

Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: OK so the CEO, Jamie Dimon, had quite the reputation as did JPMorgan altogether. So what does this do to the reputation of both?

KOSIK: No doubt you're going to see the reputation of Dimon, the reputation of the company going to take a hit. Dimon is very well respected on Wall Street, in the financial industry.

You know what? Even President Obama has called him to Washington for meetings on the economy.

Clearly, Dimon is not happy about this, but he is owning up to it.

Listen to some of his -- of what he said last night in the conference call.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

JAMIE DIMON, CEO, JPMORGAN CHASE: Speaking for the senior management team and myself, while we can't assure you we won't make mistakes, wee can assure you we will try not to.

These were egregious mistakes. They were self-inflicted. We're accountable and what happens violates our own standards and principles by how we want to run the company. This is not how we want to run a business.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

KOSIK: So clearly, he's not hiding from it. He's coming out, really owning up to it, being very blunt, saying that the losses were caused by errors, by sloppiness, by bad judgment and he's warning that $2 billion loss can grow by at least another $1 billion. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, Alison Kosik, thanks so much in New York. Appreciate that.

All right, an Arizona sheriff mired in scandal earlier this year says he's ending his run for Congress. Paul Babeu was in hot water over allegations that he had threatened to deport an ex-boyfriend.

At the time, he was co-chair of Mitt Romney's Arizona campaign, but he resigned after the story went national. Babeu, who was running for a House seat, says he's now going to run for re-election as Pinal County sheriff.

All right, we're still learning some pretty fascinating details from the al Qaeda bomb plot that was foiled by Saudi intelligence. A researcher who was briefed by the Saudis says the mole who infiltrated al Qaeda operations in Yemen is a Brit of Saudi descent.

The man lived much of his life in the U.K. where he fell in with jihadists, but was courted by Saudi intelligence. They sent him to Yemen where al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula saw him as a new talent and his passport was a major asset.

At that point the danger was constant. The stakes monumental. And CNN's Nic Robertson will join us with that in our next half hour.

All right, there's also a new concern about the fate of an American soldier being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan. A U.S. official says talks aimed at winning the release of Bowe Bergdahl have now stalled.

This is the first time the Obama administration has acknowledged the so-called "confidence-building" negotiations with the Taliban also included the Army sergeant who was captured three years ago.

This was revealed in an interview Bergdahl's parents had with "The New York Times" and "The Idaho Mountain Express." The parents told "The Times" they were speaking out because of a lack of progress in the talks.

As many as 60,000 fans are expected to say goodbye to the late Junior Seau at a public memorial this evening at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium, home of the linebacker's former team, the Chargers.

Seau also played for the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots in his 20-year career. Seau died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his Oceanside, California, home on May 2nd. He was 43.

The recent suicides of several former players has the NFL examining the impact of concussions over a lifetime.

To Mississippi now where the newest member of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List is wanted no more. Today, Adam Mayes is deceased. The two girls he allegedly kidnapped are safe and we're just getting word of three new arrests in the case that began with two murders two weeks ago.

Mayes took his own life in a remote patch of woods near Tupelo with the kidnapped victims, aged 12 and 8, lying on their stomachs nearby.

Martin Savidge joins me now from the town of Alpine with more on this. So, Martin, what can you tell us about these new arrests?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Fredricka. The prime suspect may be dead in this particular case, but the investigation goes on and authorities have threatened that, if they found anyone who assisted Mayes in any way, they would assist them. And that appears now to have been the case.

There are three people taken into custody in part for giving false information or at least inaccurate information to authorities. And then on top of that also for firearms violations. And it appears that one or two people may have been involved in getting a gun to Adam Mayes, the same gun that Adam Mayes eventually ended his life with last night. That all happened around 5:30 in the evening a short distance down this dirt road in a very rural part of Union County, Mississippi. A tip came in to authorities from someone who said, hey, there's a cabin down the road there and have you thought about checking that out?

Well, authorities had been through the area several times, but it's very wooded, very difficult terrain. So they went into that specific area with a large SWAT team, 31 members divided into two and, as they closed in on a particular part of the woods, they came across one of the young girls laying on the ground.

And then a short distance away they found Adam Mayes. He jumped to his feet, pulled out a gun and shot himself in the head, according to authorities there, but the two girls who once again had to witness tragedy were rescued.

They had suffered from exposure. It appears they had been living out in the open in the woods. They were dehydrated, mosquito bitten, but they were alive and taken to a nearby hospital. We're told now they've been reunited with family members.

WHITFIELD: And so, Martin, where do things stand with Mayes' wife and mother?

SAVIDGE: Right, you've got two people -- actually, now five people that are in custody that we know of. Teresa Mayes, that is the wife of Adam Mayes, says that she was complicit in helping to carry out the murder of Jo Ann Bain and Adrienne Bain. That's the mother and older daughter that were murdered a couple of weeks ago.

So she is still charged. That investigation is going to move forward. You have the mother charged with conspiracy in helping the kidnapping in some way, shape or form.

So this investigation is still very active even though, as we say, the prime suspect is dead.

WHITFIELD: And then a press conference scheduled for later on today, 4:00 Eastern involving the governor as well and SWAT teams, right?

SAVIDGE: Right and I have to say that, for many people, this was the answer to their prayers. At least with the fact that these two young girls are found alive and well.

There have been many in the area that had speculated he might go out with a blaze and would take the young girls with him. That was not the case thanks to the fact that authorities moved in and were able to take control of the scene.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Martin Savidge. Appreciate that from Alpine, Mississippi.

SAVIDGE: You bet. WHITFIELD: And, of course, you want to stick with CNN. We will have that press conference involving the governor of Mississippi and the SWAT team.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: And just a quick note for those of you heading out the door, you can continue to watch CNN from your mobile phone or, if you're heading to work, watch CNN live from your desktop. Just go to CNN.com/TV.

All right, Mitt Romney appears to be adding a twist to his stand against same sex issues. He says he's fine with gay couples adopting children. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I happen to believe that the best setting for raising a child is where there's the opportunity for a mom and a dad to be in the home.

I know that many circumstances where that's not possible, through death or divorce. I also know many gay couples are able to adopt children. That's fine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Asked in the same interview about President Obama's announcement that he supports same sex marriage and the impact on the November election, Romney said he hopes voters will focus on the major issues of the day, the economy, getting people back to work and foreign issues like Syria.

So was it a prank or bullying and was Mitt Romney involved? A Romney high school classmate says he witnessed the event nearly 50 years ago. Romney and a group of friends allegedly held down a classmate and cut off chunks of his long hair.

Philip Maxwell, now a lawyer, implies it was an assault not a harmless prank. The story was first reported by "The Washington Post" and Romney says he doesn't remember anything about that at all.

Jim Acosta joining us now from Washington. So, Jim, first off, tell us how this story got out into the open.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I had a chance to talk with Philip Maxwell last night. He's the gentleman you mentioned, one of Romney's former classmates from that school in Michigan.

And he tells me, Fredricka, he is still haunted by what he claims he witnessed back in 1965, that Romney and a group of friends held down a classmate and cut his hair, an incident that Maxwell told me he considered to be an assault.

And here is what he had to tell me about Romney's recollection of the incident. As you know, Fredricka, yesterday Mitt Romney did a couple of interviews in which he said he did not recall that exact incident, but he said did engage in high school pranks and that he apologized for any harm that he caused during his time at that school.

But look at what Philip Maxwell told me last night in a phone conversation that we had about Mitt Romney's recollection of that incident.

He told me, quote, "He says he does not remember it and I find it difficult to believe. It's unfortunate that Mitt" -- in his words -- "Mitt simply has not owned up to his behavior."

And I asked him, do you think this should be taken into consideration by voters? After all, this is something that happened back in high school.

You know, Fredricka, if any of us were to be held accountable for all the things we did back in high school, you know, some of us would be in a lot of trouble right now.

And I asked Maxwell about this and he said, you know, I think you have to take it into account. Here is another quote from him. "I guess you have to take it into account. Are you the kind of person who would stop the abuse of an innocent person?"

And I have to tell you, when I was talking to him, Fredricka, I really got the sense that this gentleman, Maxwell, is deeply haunted and very regretful, very remorseful for what he says happened back in 1965.

As you know from that "Washington Post" article, the young man who was bullied in the incident or allegedly bullied, John Lauber, died back in 2004 according to "The Post" account and Philip Maxwell told me he wishes he could have apologized to John Lauber when he was alive.

Now, Mitt Romney, as I mentioned earlier, did apologize for his pranks back in high school. Here is what he said yesterday to Fox News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: I don't recall the incident myself, but I've seen the reports and I'm not going to argue with that. There's no question but that I did some stupid things when I was in high school, and obviously if I hurt anyone by virtue of that, I would be very sorry for it and apologize for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Now, the Romney campaign is not ignoring this. They did put out some statements from some other former classmates of Mitt Romney from that school.

One of those classmates really, you know, disregarded this story and said that, you know, that Mitt Romney was not a malicious person. Yes, he was clownish. Yes, he engaged in pranks, but he was not a malicious person.

And the Romney campaign, as you might expect, Fredricka, is trying to turn the corner on this, trying to turn the page. He has an event coming up at 1:00 where's he going to be talking about the economy.

He will do that again tomorrow at Liberty University down in Virginia in a commencement speech at that school tomorrow.

Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: So a couple of things on that. Phillip Maxwell, is he saying whether or not he will throw his support behind Mitt Romney after he's been quoted like this and then what's been the reaction, say, among those who have been tweeting you?

ACOSTA: Maxwell has done other interviews where he has said that he thinks Mitt Romney would make a pretty good president and that he might vote for him.

But I got the sense from talking to him -- I didn't ask him that question to be quite honest with you, Fredricka. I didn't ask whether he would vote for Mitt Romney, mainly because this gentleman was just so upset about the story and that was just surprising to me, talking about something that happened 50 years ago.

But, you know, the response has been what you might expect. A lot of people have been saying that, you know, one thing or the other. Either this was high school and that people can't be held accountable for what they did in high school and other people say, look, Mitt Romney should acknowledge that this happened and apologize.

But, as you know, as he said yesterday, he doesn't recall that this happened.

Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, Jim Acosta, thanks so much. Appreciate that.

One other note, attorney Phillip Maxwell did tell ABC News that he is a registered independent who has voted for both Democrats and Republicans.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Flesh-eating bacteria has already claimed her left leg and part of her abdomen. Doctors said her chance of survival was slim to none, but one word describes 24-year-old Aimee Copeland, fighter.

Aimee is now showing signs of improvement. Doctors right now are also fighting, trying to stay ahead of this flesh-eating bacteria, but Aimee's dad says that she will probably lose both her hands and her other foot.

The nightmare began last week on a kayaking trip around the Little Tallapoosa River in Carrollton, Georgia, about 50 miles west of Atlanta. Aimee was on a homemade zip-line when it snapped, she fell, and badly gashed her left calf.

Days later, doctors discovered flesh-eating bacteria invaded her wound and was creeping into other parts of her body.

Amy's dad, Andy Copeland, has been by his daughter's bedside ever since. He's on the phone with us from the hospital where Aimee is being treated.

Also joining us is infectious disease expert, Dr. Buddy Creech, from Vanderbilt to give us perspective on this as well.

Mr. Copeland, how is Aimee doing right now?

ANDY COPELAND, FATHER OF AIMEE COPELAND: She is actually doing well. We saw her this morning. She is quite alert. And she is able to actually mouth certain words.

She has a breathing tube. It makes it difficult to read lips. I would say that she has more commands than questions right now. One was, I can't talk.

We said, we know, honey. You have a tube down your throat. She said, then take it out. So her spirit, her fighting spirit, is obviously shining through.

WHITFIELD: Well, that is encouraging. Is she aware of the potential amputations?

COPELAND: Absolutely not. There's no way I would reveal that to her in her current state. I believe it would traumatize her further.

WHITFIELD: Well, at what point and how do you have that dialogue with her? At what point do you give her an idea what may be ahead?

COPELAND: Believe me, that's been a grave concern for her mother and I. I actually talked to the doctor about it and asked him what's the process here?

And they had a psychiatrist on staff who will come by and talk to her, but she has to have the breathing tube removed first before she can have a meaningful dialogue with a psychiatrist.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dr. Creech, let me bring you into this. Explain what the flesh eating bacteria is, where it comes from, and what it is doing to her body and what more it can potentially do to her body.

DR. BUDDY CREECH, INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT: well, there are a lot of different bacteria that can cause this type of flesh eating process, and hers happens to go by the name aeromonas hydrophilia which is remarkably common in water and in the environment. And when it gets into the deeper tissues, it has a remarkable ability to destroy the tissues that surround it in sort of this hunt for nutrition. And when it does that, those tissues die and we see the inflammation and the swelling and the destruction that can be very difficult to control.

WHITFIELD: So, Dr. Creech, how did this bacteria get into this wound? Was it at the time she was in the water and had this gash?

Was it, you know, some other kind of environmental impact along the way, or was it at the place where she got her initial treatment, that she had been exposed to the bacteria?

CREECH: Well, it's always very difficult to know. What we do know is the skin is our first line of defense, and anytime that skin is compromised through a deep cut or something like that, it's very easy for germs to get into those deeper tissues.

And when that happens, it's hard for our immune system to keep it at bay for very long. And what we know is that this germ is remarkably common in almost every water source.

And so whether it comes from fresh water or comes from a variety of sources, we know that when the top layer of skip and those deeper tissues are stripped away we lose the first line of defense.

WHITFIELD: If you're saying it could be in various water sources, how about the water getting into your ears, your nose, any openings of your body?

CREECH: Well, it's a great point. When we see it clinically we see it as diarrhea because young children or children with immune problems drink the water and they can get a very significant diarrhea illness from it.

It's much more uncommon that we see it in this way where we see wounds get infected and the infection runs wild. Those are the two main ways which it causes disease in people.

WHITFIELD: What Aimee is going through, is this unusual, Doctor?

CREECH: Well, it's, unfortunately, not. It's a terrible story of how these germs can start a process that really causes a lot of destruction.

And we see not only the disease from the bacteria up front but then we see a lot of the residual damages of the tissues dying over time and it's a very tough fight that she's fighting and one that shows her courage and her perseverance.

WHITFIELD: So, Mr. Copeland, what are doctors telling you about the road ahead for Aimee and perhaps you have a question for Dr. Creech?

COPELAND: I think they're just telling us the road is going to be extremely difficult, but they really don't have to tell us that. That's a fairly intuitive thing that you can arrive at. It's obvious. If you're missing one limb, it's going to be hard enough, but if you're missing all of your limbs, it's going to be incredibly difficult, but the thing I just want everybody to know is that she's not alone.

She's got her family to support her in this, and not just us. She has the support of the entire world right now and that's really what's humbled us greatly is just knowing that everybody is looking at Aimee and praying for Aimee and offering their undying support. For that, we'll be eternally grateful.

WHITFIELD: We wish you the best. We wish the best for Aimee and hope for the best. Please keep us posted on her progress and the next step for Aimee.

Andy Copeland, thanks so much and, Dr. Buddy Creech, thank you from Vanderbilt.

Of course you can find out updates on this family. They have created a website here and they're revealing some details on her Facebook page created by the family.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: As we head into Mother's Day weekend, I want to introduce you to a woman who has made a big difference in the lives of lots of children after losing her own son in a drowning accident.

Meet CNN Hero Wanda Butts who started a nonprofit that teaches minority kids how to swim.

(CNN HEROES)

WHITFIELD: And, remember, "CNN Heroes" are all chosen from people you tell us about. If you know someone like Wanda who is making a difference, go to CNNheroes.com. Your nomination could help them help others.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It's May, which means one thing for college students, graduation. But Virginia Tech's class of 2012 is quite different from most. It's the first graduating class that applied to the school after this, the 2007 campus shooting that shocked the nation. A fellow student gunned down 32 people before killing himself on April 16th.

Brianna Keilar joins me now from the campus.

First, Brianna, what's the mood like there today? Is this tragedy style on the minds of the students, the families and the professors?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, i think the mood today, Fredricka, is sort of the mood that you would see at a college campus anywhere across the U.S. You talk to students here, they're excited about graduating. Their families are in town. They're looking forward to the next step, whether it's grad school or going on to a job or it's that uncertainty of looking for a job. It's the rare student that's here at Virginia Tech that was here that day of the shootings. In fact, this is the first class that actually applied to Virginia Tech after the shootings.

Here is how one student we talked to explained his decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX FOLDENAUER, VIRGINIA TECH STUDENT: There's a time to remember what happened and definitely reflect and never forget about what happened. There's also a time to continue on with your life and not let that define what your decision is going to be and how you're going to live your life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Now that said, the memory of that day and of the victims, i will tell you, Fredricka, is still very strong. The memorial, the permanent memorial is here on campus and most students would walk by it on their way to school. And certainly the spring is a time for remembrance because it's the anniversary of the shootings. And also because graduation certainly is makes people reflect. But this is, five years later, a campus that, by and large, has really, really started to move on -- Fred?

WHITFIELD: Wow. So enrollment wasn't deeply impacted or it has picked up since 2007?

KEILAR: Yes, that's the interesting thing. Everyone was wondering because of when the shootings happened in April of 2007, a lot of students had been admitted and they were getting ready to send in their commitment to come here. Enrollment actually went up following the shootings.

WHITFIELD: The first lady is going to be the commencement speaker today. I'm sure that campus is excited about that, but always the talk of politics, given that Virginia is a swing state. What's the reception about her being the speaker, and is she likely to inject politics into the equation?

KEILAR: I don't think she'll be talking politics. I think she'll talk about the resiliency of the community here. Politics are on the minds of some of the students. Virginia Tech is a pretty interesting place. President Obama is pretty comfortable. The Obamas are pretty comfortable on college campuses. Young voters tend to go for them over Republican opponents. But Virginia Tech is actually pretty split down the middle. There is a large conservative contingent compared to other universities but i think mostly the students here are excited.

Here is what one student told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RACHEL WEBB, VIRGINIA TECH STUDENT: I think she is a great role model and i don't know how she got picked for her list of commencement speeches but i think it's going to be really moving and i think that she has a lot to say that she can take and put into our lives as future leaders.

I think it's interesting that we're a battleground state and she's speaking in it.

(LAUGHTER)

KEILAR: You think that's a coincidence?

WEBB: Maybe.

KEILAR: Or maybe not, right?

WEBB: Hopefully, she doesn't talk about politics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: So we'll be looking for Michelle Obama's comments next hour, Fredricka, and we'll bring them live to you on CNN.

WHITFIELD: We look forward to that.

Thanks so much, Brianna Keilar.

We're also getting word now from Jacksonville, Florida, that a judge has sentenced an abused wife and mother to 20 years in prison for trying to stand her ground. Marissa Alexander says she feared her husband would have killed her had she not fired a single shot into a wall while trying to escape their home in 2010. The husband was not hurt and admitted to a history of beating his partners. Still, a judge and jury rejected the stand-your-ground defense and convicted her of aggravated assault. After the sentencing, a remarkable confrontation between U.S. Congresswoman Corrine Brown and State Attorney Angela Corey. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. CORRINE BROWN, (D), FLORIDA: My feeling is that your office initially overcharged her in this case.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: This is my feeling. This is my feeling.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: But we can't try it here.

ANGELA COREY, FLORIDA STATE ATTORNEY: Yes, ma'am. That's why we're asking that it not be tried now and that the facts are going to be put out. And I told Mr. Lincoln Alexander, I wanted to sit down with him. You can't tell people -- (CROSSTALK)

COREY: Madam --

BROWN: There is no justification to do 20 years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, among other groups, has taken up Alexander's cause. Her attorney says he'll appeal her conviction. And we'll keep you posted.

The government has wrapped its case in the corruption trial against former presidential candidate, John Edwards. While the case is far from a slam dunk for the prosecution, CNN's Joe Johns explains why the defense's motion to get the case thrown out may come up short.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The last thing the prosecution did before resting its case is play for the jury an ABC News interview from 2008 in which John Edwards admitted having an extramarital affair with his mistress, Rielle Hunter, and falsely denied fathering her child. Earlier the prosecution put former Edwards' economic adviser, Hendry, on the stand who shed real light on the action behind the scenes in early 2008 as then-are Senator Barack Obama was winning the Iowa caucuses and Edwards was coming in second. The night of Obama's big win, Hendry said Edwards instructed him to reach out to Obama adviser and Senator Tom Daschle and offer Edwards up as a running mate. Just days later, Hendry said, he told the Obama campaign if Edwards couldn't be vice president, he believed he had the qualifications and the ability to be attorney general. He says they talked about a more elaborate long-term goal of Edwards which was to become a Supreme Court justice. As prosecutors got in some of their last evidence they were paying close attention to private charter flights and hotel bills and other payments for Edwards' mistress, Rielle Hunter, and her handlers, which had been covered by Edwards' benefactor, Fred Baron, during the period Edwards was running for president and before he suspended his campaign in late January 2008.

The government has a difficult job to show that Edwards knowingly and willingly accepted illegal campaign contributions without the benefit of the testimony of three key witnesses, his benefactress, Bunny Mellon; Fred Barron, and his late wife, Elizabeth.

KEIRAN SHANAHAN, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Another problem the government has, and they knew this before they brought the case, is unavailability of witnesses. You have Mrs. Mellon, almost 102 years old, unable to be here. You have Fred Baron, passed away from cancer. He's an alleged co-conspirator in the case. And you have Elizabeth Edwards, who John says that he was lying to protect, and she's, unfortunately, passed away as well.

JOHNS: Now that the prosecution has rested its case, the defense is expected to ask the judge to acquit Edwards, though most legal observers don't expect her to grant that motion.

SHANAHAN: We have a new judge, and throwing out a case is pretty dramatic because there's no opportunity for even the government to appeal. And there's really no harm if you think about allowing the jury to ultimately hear the case.

JOHNS (on camera): The judge told members of the jury they don't have is to be here on Friday while the lawyers argue their motions. Assuming the trial continues on Monday, it's still not clear whether Edwards will take the stand in his own defense.

Joe Johns, CNN, Greensboro, North Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And so far the Edwards defense team has argued much of the money in question was used by Edwards' former aide, Andrew Young, for his personal use. If convicted, Edwards faces up to 30 years in prison.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Breast-feed in breast-feeding. Doctors have always said it's one of the best things you can do for your baby, but what about this? Baby seems is to be a relative term here. If you haven't already seen it, take a look at "Time" magazine's newest cover on stands starting today, a 26-year-old mom breast-feeding her 3-year-old son. Check out the headline. Are you mom enough? Social media at water coolers are burning up with debates over what's called attachment parenting. It's an increasingly popular trend, moms keeping their kids close for longer periods of time to establish a deeper physical, emotional bond.

Deborah Feyerick is watching the story closely.

You've heard all kinds of sentiments all the way around. So this is raising a lot of important questions. Is it extreme or just a difficult way of parenting?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, absolutely, Fredricka. And, you know, i think like anything in life, it really depends on just how far you want to take it. And that's the part of the debate. Do you breast-feed for one year? Do you breast-feed for four years? If you physically can't or don't want to but you love your baby, nurture your baby in other ways, is that good enough? Is your entire baby's life dependent on one thing, that one thing being whether you're breast-feeding. This is not a new debate. Dr. Sears wrote the baby book about 20 years ago.

What is new is this in-your-face get comfortable with it "Time" magazine cover. At the heart of attachment parenting is that babies develop a strong emotional bond and feel secure the more they're held, the more sensitive parents are to the baby's needs, that includes this extended breast-feeding but it's also about bringing baby into bed, co-sleeping, wearing baby in the slings so the baby feels the mom's rhythm and is soothed by it. Here is what "Time's" latest cover girl, Jamie Lynn Grummet, had to say about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMIE LYNN GRUMMET, MOTHER ON COVER OF "TIME": I feel they don't show the nurturing side. Attachment parenting, which is more -- this isn't how we breast-feed at home. It's more of a cradling, nurturing situation, and i understand what they're saying, but i do understand why "Time" chose this picture, you know, because it is going to be such a -- it did create such a media craze, to get the dialogue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: And really what is interesting we spoke to one mom who said the breast in America is seen as something over sexualized. She has started weaning him. These moms let the child sort of dictate when they're ready to give it up -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: OK. So the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend children be breast-fed exclusively for the first six months of their lives. Now, when we see this picture and we see breast-feeding by way of this attached parenthood style, is there science that's backing up some real health benefits? I know you talked about the emotional bond but some other benefits scientifically that is supported here?

FEYERICK: Absolutely. There are amazing benefits of breast milk. Breast-feeding helps children develop strong immune systems. It does aid in development. They make it get sick less frequently. Dr. Sears made breast-feeding something to be embraced not embarrassed about. In other cultures, as i mentioned, something parents do through the age of 4, sometimes out of necessity, because of where they live in the world.

When a busy mom nurses, Fredricka, and you may remember this, it releases a hormone that makes the mom relax. The baby relaxes. It's very nurturing to both. So it's not for everybody.

WHITFIELD: All right, Deborah, thanks so much. Appreciate that.

Here's a dose of reality. According to the CDC, most moms in the U.S. fail to meet the recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. surgeon general to breast-feed exclusively for six months. Nearly 75 percent of moms start nursing their newborns, but only about 15 percent are exclusively breast-feeding without using infant formula when their baby is 6 months old. And by the time the baby turns 1, less than a quarter of moms are breast-feeding at all.

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WHITFIELD: It's fast becoming the world's worst kept secret in global intelligence, the undoing of an al Qaeda plot to put a hard-to- spot bomb on an airliner bound for America. You know about the mole. You have heard some chilling details of the bomb, but that's really only scratching the surface.

CNN's Nic Robertson joins us now from London with the very latest on the intel to dribble out -- Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The things that we're learning, this agent had a British passport, that he had Saudi roots, that he was recruited by Saudi counterterrorism officials about a year ago. That he moved in what we're told were jihadist circles. And then he was directed by his Saudi counterintelligence recruiters to go to Yemen, go to an Arabic teaching center, and try to sort of be there and attract the attention of al Qaeda and let al Qaeda think that he was a natural recruit for them. And essentially, he was bait for al Qaeda. And that's how he managed to get into this cell. That was a year ago. A couple months ago, he found they were plotting to put a bomb on a plane. He informed his handlers. They informed the CIA and MI6, British intelligence services. And now we have the bomb and that's being examined. Of course, all these details coming out now about this agent and how it all happened. That's information al Qaeda is going to be able to use in the future against us.

WHITFIELD: And do we know where he is now?

ROBERTSON: No, we don't. That's a very carefully guarded secret, and we don't know his name. We don't know what he looks like. The al Qaeda operatives with whom he was before will no doubt know who he is, but we understand that he is in another country. He's not in Yemen, and therefore he's out of any immediate danger -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: So then he might not be able to be useful again.

ROBERTSON: It would seem very, very unlikely in this context in this place. We don't know exactly who he is. He may have relatives. he may have been sort of trusted by al Qaeda because of family connections or connections to other jihadis. It's possible other people who knew him are being put at risk by this as well -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: Nic Robertson, thanks so much.

U.S. authorities stress the flying public was never in any danger from the Yemeni plot.

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WHITFIELD: So J.R. Martinez, you may know him from "Dancing with the Stars," but he's one of the countless servicemen forever affected by combat. Over 40 percent of his body was burned from an IED, so he knows the troubles facing vets returning from war zones around the world. Well, today he takes us through the plight of National Guard troops returning from Afghanistan as part of the upcoming CNN documentary "Vets Wanted."

(VETS WANTED)

WHITFIELD: The complete CNN documentary "Vets Wanted" airs this Sunday night 8:00 eastern time.

Thanks so much for watching, everyone. The CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Suzanne Malveaux.