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Americans Kidnapped By Bedouins in Egypt; Son Jokes, Father Arrested in Iran; Group Home Employee Abuses Patient; Man Accused of Beating Wife for 10 Years; Kerry Kennedy Charged with DUI Prior to Test Results; Cholera Outbreak in Cuba; A Look at Mexican Drug Smuggling Tunnel

Aired July 14, 2012 - 17:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow in for Don Lemon. You are in the CNN Newsroom. Let's get you up to speed on the top stories today.

First off, two Americans kidnapped overseas. Now people who grabbed them are making demands. Here's what happened. It happened in Egypt, Sinai Peninsula. A pastor from Massachusetts, Michel Louis and a woman traveling with his group along with their Egyptian tour guide were abducted. We're told that they were stopped by Bedouins in Northern Sinai and that's where they are still being held. Just a few moments ago, we spoke with an Egyptian journalist following the developments there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMED FADEL FAHMY, EGYPTIAN JOURNALIST: I just spoke to the head of security in Sinai and he is very positive that the situation will be resolved shortly. I also spoke to the kidnappers a couple of hours ago and they confirmed that the hostages are saved, they are unharmed but they also have vowed that they will kidnapped more tourists if the authority did not release their relative incarcerated for drug charges.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: We'll have full details on that when we go live to Cairo in just a few minutes.

Also in Egypt today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meeting with the country's newly elected President Mohammed Morsi won that office just two weeks ago. But Egypt as you will know is nowhere near settled politically. There is still no cabinet, no parliament and the new president is at odds with military officers who controlled Egypt after Hosni Mubarak was ousted. Clinton urged Morsi to assert the full authority of the presidency and said the U.S. support returning the military to a security role in that country.

Chaos and a trail of death after a suicide bomber blew himself up at a wedding in Afghanistan today. The U.S. embassy reports more than 20 people were killed in that explosion. Among them a top politician in the Afghan parliament.

Back here at home, Visa and MasterCard are used to receiving, not making payments. But they along with some very large banks have agreed to pay, get this, more than $6 billion to settle a huge anti- trust lawsuit. It has to do with alleged price fixing of so-called swipe fees that are charged to retailers when they accept credit card payments. Don't celebrate just yet though. That deal which still needs to be approved by a judge also means that retailers could pass along that two percent to three percent surcharge to you, the customer.

One of the world's largest banks says, we're sorry. Barclays officials took out full page ads in the big London papers today, apologizing to customers and clients for the interest rate bringing scandal that dominated business news this month, of the chairman and the chief executive of Barclays resigned amid that scandal.

And just two weeks before the start of the London Olympics, the company providing security guards says it has failed to recruit enough staff. The firm G4S could lose as much as $77 million for not fulfilling their contract to cover the shortfall, the British government has to deploy some 3,500 additional military personnel and bring them to the games.

The U.S. Olympic committee says, it is too late to change the made in China uniforms that our athletes are going to wear at the opening ceremony in London. The clothes are designed by Ralph Lauren but manufactured overseas. The USOC says, athletes will wear uniforms made in America at the 2014 games.

Well, the rule is if you cannot see the road, don't drive on it. But that is not stopping drivers in Houston who seemingly have no choice at this point. As much as ten inches of rain fell in some areas over the past three days there. Flood warnings remain in effect throughout the city.

And Sylvester Stallone's son Sage has been found dead in his Los Angeles home. Stallone is devastated over his son's death. The 36- year-old actor performed in a couple movies with his father including Rocky V. Authorities say, foul play is not suspected. Of course an autopsy will be performed.

And as I mention, we are closely monitoring Egypt this hour. That is where two Americans and their tour guide are in the hands of kidnappers. Take a look at this picture. This man. Michel Louis is a pastor from Dorchester, Massachusetts. His family tells us that he was traveling with the church group in Northern Sinai when locals stopped his vehicle.

CNN foreign affairs reporter Elise Labott joins us now live from Cairo tonight. Elise, thank you so much for being here. I really appreciate it. I want to talk about these kidnappers and what they're asking for. Because we know that they're Bedouins. But unlike other kidnappings that we've seen and a lot recently, they're not asking for money. ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS REPORTER: No, that's right, Poppy. Usually this is about getting some money. Criminal activity. That Sinai borders really a kind of no man's land where there's trafficking, there's criminal activity, there's a lot of militants increasingly now since the fall of Hosni Mubarak. This time the kidnappers have a demand.

They want to get the release of some of their relatives which have been detained in Alexandria, Egypt. The tourist area. On drug charges. And so, they say that they're not going to release them and they might kidnap other westerners and Americans if their demands are not met.

HARLOW: You know, what is also interesting is since the fall of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, we've seen this increase in kidnappings, especially in this part of Egypt which has become somewhat notorious for things like this. I know that similar kidnappings happened a few months ago. However, those that were abducted were released relatively quickly.

LABOTT: That's right. And, you know, the Egyptian military up until now has been really doing a pretty good job about patrolling the border. And these things get resolved very easily. As you know, over the last year, there has been so much chaos in Egypt and a lot of political turmoil, especially in Cairo in the big cities. And the military has really had its hands full. And so, this hasn't been the priority.

And so, you know, the U.S. has been saying to them, Israel on the border, very concerned. Walking on egg shells right now. Because there's not only these kidnappings but a lot of terrorist activity on the border right now. It is a real no man's land. And the Egyptians just don't have their eye on the ball.

HARLOW: Well, and you know, it is a very big deal also today that you're reporting on the fact that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Egypt. She just did meet with the newly elected president as our viewers are seeing on the screen. Mohamed Morsi. She said, quote, "We are very, very keen to meet you and happy that you are here."

That is what Morsi told Clinton. So, I mean, this really signifies how important a solid relationship between the U.S. and Egypt is. Egypt being one of the biggest allies of the United States and the region. What do we expect to come from this meeting? How significant is it that the Secretary of State is there today?

LABOTT: Well, she is the first U.S. official to meet with President Morsi since his election. And some people thought maybe it is premature. Because there is so much domestic troubles going on right now in Egypt. How can they pay attention to their relationship with the United States? But her aides say, no, this is the push Egypt needs. She wanted to come and engage and said the U.S. wants to work with you on this democratic transition. Wants to help.

You know, very tough messages. Not just for Morsi saying, listen, you have to end this bickering. You have to assert the full authority of your office. Wants see a constitution. Wants to see a parliament. But also for the military in this Sinai incident. It is a perfect example. Get back to your day job. There is a democratically elected president right now and you need to get back to your real job of national security, securing the country, because, hey, that border is really dangerous.

And if something happens with the Israel, for instance, and the peace treaty that has been long held between those two countries could be in jeopardy. This is a perfect example of why all Egyptians have to take their role and move together for the better of the country.

HARLOW: And of course, tomorrow, Clinton will meet with the top military leader there in Egypt as well as Coptic Christian groups, some society leaders, so she's spending a fair amount of time there. Obviously, it's critical for all Americans, what is happening in Egypt and for the world and the stability in the region. Elise, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

Well, President Obama making weekend campaign stops in Virginia. One of those critical battleground states that he is trying to hold on to in November. He told supporters under rainy skies near Richmond today that now is not the time to give up on the U.S. economy. And he returned to a favorite attack line of recent days painting Mitt Romney as a businessman who build his success on sending U.S. jobs overseas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. BARACK OBAMA (D), UNITED STATES: Mr. Romney has got a different idea, he invested in companies that have been called pioneers outsourcing. I don't want to pioneer in outsourcing. I want some insourcing.

(CHEERS)

I want to bring companies back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: What President Obama did not do today was comment on Mitt Romney's very aggressive defense of his tenure at Bain Capital. Romney, you may have seen by now, made the network rounds last night defending his record. Criticizing the Obama campaign's tactics. He saved his strongest response when asked about an Obama staffer's claim that Romney might have committed a felony in terms of what he told the SEC about his record of Bain. He told ABC, the President should say he is sorry. He told our Jim Acosta that the attacks have gone too far.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: One of their insiders said that their campaign was going to be based upon the strategy of, quote, "kill Romney," end of quote. That's what they're doing. It is disgusting, demeaning, it is something which I think the President should take responsibility for and stop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Mitt Romney had a lot more to say on that. And of course, other issues. We'll going to air Jim Acosta's full one-on-one interview with Governor Romney at 7:00 Eastern tonight right here in the CNN Newsroom.

And tomorrow, on State of the Union with Candy Crowley, Romney senior adviser Ed Gillespie drops by to talk about Bain Capital. What else these days? Then also a look at how state budgets, they're hurting will play into the race for the White House. That and much more on State of the Union, CNN Sunday morning starts at 9:00 Eastern.

All of the things that could be caught on tape. This one may be one of the worst. Take a look. A mentally ill woman abused, the victim's own caregiver, now under arrest.

But first, this. Careful what you joke about on Facebook. Especially if you have any family ties to Iran. A father is in prison because of what his son posted.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Well, Syrians are enduring another bloody day wondering what it will take for the international community to step in.

We're showing you video now that was taken yesterday in Idlib (ph) province, that's when 80 people were killed, according to activists. So far today, we can tell you that at least 49 people have been killed. The opposition is accusing security forces of using helicopters to fire on civilians. At the same time, the U.N. is trying to determine what exactly happened in one town where a massacre on Thursday left more than 200 villagers dead in Syria.

Now to a video from Northeast India that has gone viral. But I have to warn you first, the images that you're about to see are incredibly disturbing. You see, a 23-year-old woman hopelessly encircled by the crowd. They grab her, they hit her. Police have identified a total of 14 suspects in this brutal assault but only four have been arrested so far. The suspects face charges of molestation, unlawful restraint, vulgar behavior, and causing harm. If convicted, they face three years in prison. You would expect it to be a lot more than that.

Beware of what you share on social media especially if you have any ties, any family ties to Iran. A college student in Holland knows that all too well. His father was arrested and threatened with execution after he joined a Facebook page. Our Brian Todd explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a strange-looking cartoon on a Facebook page. Charles Manson's face, superimposed over what's believed to be an image of a cherished 9th century Shia imam. He's flanked by a camel wearing sunglasses and the donkey from "Shrek."

This satirical Facebook page has become popular among young Iranians. Yashar Khameneh, a 25-year-old college student in Holland, joined that page about a year ago, started posting jokes and irreverent video clips.

YASHAR KHAMENEH, STUDENT: Almost everybody that is involved in that movement believes that everything would be subject of a joke, and nothing and nobody is too holy.

TODD: But in May, Khameneh got frantic calls from his family in Iran. His father, Abbas Khameneh, had been targeted for the alleged sins of his son, arrested, taken to Evin prison notorious in Iran for torturing prisoners.

KHAMENEH: A few days after arresting my father, I received a call from my mother. She was very -- crying and said, "If you don't close that Facebook page, they will execute your father."

TODD: Khameneh messaged the manager of the Facebook page, asking for the page to be taken down. The manager refused.

Khameneh says Iranian officials have accused his father of supporting anti-religious activities by paying for his son's studies.

(on camera) What could the Iranian regime have seized on here? I'm with Alireza Nader. He is an analyst for the RAND Corporation. He speaks and reads fluent Farsi. Ali Reza, what are the phrases on here that would have angered the regime?

ALIREZA NADER, RAND CORPORATION: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE) And specifically, this word "horafat" (ph), which means superstition in Farsi, so this Web site is basically making fun of Imam, a holy figure within the religion, and saying that the beliefs in them are superstition.

TODD (voice-over): Considered sacrilegious by an Iranian government who, Nader says, has really brought its fists down on social media since the 2009 Green Revolution.

(on camera) Given the technological sophistication of this regime, did you not think beforehand that they would pick up what you were doing on Facebook, figure out who was doing it, and then possibly target your family?

KHAMENEH: Well, I never thought that they were going to target my family. I always thought that, OK, I am doing something that's not acceptable by the regime. I accept the consequence of my own activity.

TODD: Yashar Khameneh says, he still doesn't know the condition of his father, only that his father is, quote, "not free." Yashar has also stopped contacting his mother and sister directly.

CNN's efforts to get information on his father's arrest and condition from Iranian officials in Tehran and at the U.N., have been unsuccessful. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HARLOW: Wow. All right. Well, Illinois Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. has been diagnosed with a, quote, "mood disorder." Ahead, a psychologist walks us through what this condition could mean for the politician.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Well, this is absolutely terrifying. If a car crash in New Jersey captured by traffic cameras, set up to catch people running red lights. Take a look at what we're talking about, OK? The car driving down towards the camera does exactly that. Runs the red light. Hits another car, goes airborne, crashes into a median. You see the rest. The driver unbelievably only suffered minor injuries. Was arrested for drunk driving. No one else was hurt. Officials released this video to show the dangers of running red lights. Wow!

And catch him if you can. Police are certainly still trying. This guy doing over 180 miles an hour, weaving through traffic, all while filming himself. That's crazy. Now police in British Columbia are trying to track him down. They think they know who he is. They think it is 25-year-old Randy George Scott of Victoria. This video has gone viral with a million hits on YouTube so far. Scott is facing charges that could see him locked up for five years.

And really, more questions than answers on the condition of Jesse Jackson, Jr. after his office released this statement on Wednesday. Saying, the Illinois congressman is receiving intensive medical treatment at a residential treatment facility for a mood disorder. He is responding positively to treatment and he's expected to make a full recovery. Jackson, of course, is the son of civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson. He hasn't been on the hill since late May. His office previously said he was suffering from a quote, "medical condition."

So we want to talk more about what this mood disorder could be and to help us do that, we have Dr. Henry Cloud. He is a clinical psychologist and author of many, many books joining us now. Thanks for being here. We appreciate it.

DR. HENRY CLOUD, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: It's good to be here, Poppy.

HARLOW: I just want to talk first about a mood disorder. When I was looking, the APA really says, that this could be a broad range. So, it could be a depressive episode. It could be bipolar disorder.

CLOUD: Right.

HARLOW: What do we think mood disorder really means?

CLOUD: Well, you know, broadly speaking, it is kind of two buckets of stuff. It's people like you said, that are depressed and their mood is down. Or it is people that the mood is so elevated that they go manic or you've heard either one is bipolar. Now, the problem here is that the bucket, the description that they're giving us is so big that it leaves so many questions unanswered. Because you can have somebody with a depression who can recover, function very, very well, or you can have somebody on the more serious stand where, you know, the competency has become a question. So, that's the problem.

HARLOW: Yes. I mean, when we were speaking during the break, you said the vacuum of information here is the issue. Here, you have a guy that's representing a south side of Chicago. You know, an area that needs good representation. He is not on the hill right now able to do his job. We've got a lot of questions about what it is. There have been politicians speaking out in his defense saying, look, we the media should leave him alone.

He needs to get treatment. I wonder what your take is, if he was say, suffering from cancer but we did not know a lot of details about what type of cancer, would that be treated differently than say, something that is deemed a mood disorder?

CLOUD: Well, it could be. And the problem with a mood disorder is, sometimes, you know, it is just about the mood and somebody has got energy disturbance and they don't feel well. You get them on anti- depressants and they're up and functioning again. But the other sort of extreme of this is, it can affect thinking and cognitive impairment and decision making and all that sort of stuff that we expect leaders to do. But the bigger issue, I think here is the leadership question.

I don't know who is talking to them about this but, you know, rule number one when a leader is in a crisis, you've got to provide information so that people who are going to follow you know what to expect. Once they know what's happening, you can give them a lot of hope. You can tell them, you know, what's going to follow. Then everything settles down and you can have the privacy.

You can't confuse privacy in an information vacuum. And that's what needs to happen, give enough information where people can settle down and they know what to expect and everybody will kind of go back to business and let him get well.

HARLOW: Well, it is interesting you say that. You know, when heads of public companies get ill, you think of Steve Jobs...

CLOUD: Right.

HARLOW: ...or you think of Warren Buffett announcing that he was suffering from prostate cancer. You know, oftentimes they will come out and be pretty open. Not necessarily the case with Steve Jobs or a lot of question surrounding his illness. But I know that the Congressman has been treated in a residential facility. What does that tell you? What does that residential facility mean? I mean, he is not inpatient, you know, in intensive care in the hospital.

CLOUD: Right. And again, you know, it's the vague description. Residential treatment facility kind of means that somebody is in residence there. Now, a lot of times we do associate that with substances but not all the times. You know, nowadays, there are places where people, especially people who can afford it and have means, can go check in somewhere and get very intensive treatment. And that is the mystery here. See, one of the things about a mood disorder is, you could be hospitalized because of something dangerous. But this also could be because they really want to focus on getting the medicines right. Getting him a lot of help intensively and again, we just don't know. And that's kind of the problem. But there is good news in all of this. That mood disorders are very, very treatable. I've work with tons of leaders who have mood disorders. And when they stick to their treatment and all that, they do very well. We just don't know what's going on.

HARLOW: And that was going to be my next question. How treatable is it? And I know he is running for reelection in November. So, you know, got to get back on the campaign trail. Absolutely. Doctor, thank you.

CLOUD: Yes. You have to get on the campaign trail and have energy and have a message and that's what we don't have yet.

HARLOW: Right. Thank you so much.

CLOUD: Good to be here.

HARLOW: Well, of all the things that could be caught on tape. This may be among the worst. A mentally ill woman abused in her home where she gets care every day. Her caregiver now under arrest.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Don't forget. You can stay connected. You can watch CNN live on your computer. You can do it from work. Just go to CNN.com/TV.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Coming up now on half past the hour, let's get you up to speed on today's headlines. First off, two Americans kidnapped overseas. Now, the people who grabbed them are making demands. Here's what happened. It happened in Egypt, Sinai Peninsula. A pastor from Massachusetts, Michel Louis traveling with the woman in a big group of his fellow church goers and their Egyptian tour guide.

Michel, one woman from the group and the tour guide were abducted. We are told they were stop by Bedouins in Northern Sinai, that's where they're still being held. The kidnapped first reportedly don't want money. What they're demanding is the release of relative that are locked up in Egypt on drug charges.

Also in Egypt today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meeting the country's newly elected President Mohammed Morsi and pledging U.S. report for the return of civilian leadership there. Mohammed Morsi who won that office just two weeks ago. But Egypt, of course, is nowhere near politically settled. There is still no cabinet, no parliament, and the new president is at odds with his own military.

Back here in the United States, Visa and MasterCard along with some large U.S. banks have agreed to pay $6 billion to settle a huge anti- trust lawsuit. It has to do with alleged price fixing of so-called swipe fees that retailers charge when they accept credit card payments. Now an attorney for the National Association of Convenience Stores told CNN earlier today that his organization is not supporting this settlement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUG KANTOR, ATTORNEY FOR NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CONVENIENCE STORES: Well, you have to read the fine print when you deal with credit card companies. That's true here, too. When you read the fine print, it is eye opening. They're not going to reduce the fees even for the eight months. What they're going to do is give merchants the equivalent of that amount of cash and keep raising the fees. The cruel joke is, by the time any merchant gets some of the fees on the merchants more than what they paid out in the first place. So merchants are paying for it themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Here's why he is saying that. This deal isn't a total win for shoppers. It allows retailers to start passing along the extra fees to you, the consumer, when you pay with plastic. A judge still has to approve the settlement.

And a Massachusetts prison guard is incredibly lucky to be alive today. Nat Beauvais is recovering after an inmate stabbed him in the neck with a hand-made knife three weeks ago. Take a look at those x- rays which show just how close it came to killing or paralyzing him. His wife credits the doctors and their faith.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLE BEAUVAIS, PRISON GUARD'S WIFE: They told me it missed the spinal cord by half a centimeter. We have strong faith in God and believe it was a miracle. I knew how close he'd come to dying. Seeing that, it took my breath away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Truly a miracle. That surgery to remove the knife took six hours.

A disturbing story to tell you about out of Connecticut. Police say a group home employee has been arrested after a video surfaced showing her abusing a patient.

Our Deb Feyerick has the story.

But I have to warn you, the images you're going to see are very disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This group home for mentally disabled adults and those with learning disabilities was supposed to be a safe place. Yet, watch how this woman dressed only in a short hospital-type gown is treated by a caregiver identified as Angelica Rivera. The 34-year-old caregiver first kicks the disabled woman in the stomach. Then hits and taunts her with some kind of belt or strap before dragging the distraught woman by the hair. Options Unlimited is a private nonprofit agency that contracts with Connecticut's Department of Developmental Services to run such six round-the-clock group homes.

The company said it is deeply saddened and appalled by the indent.

DR. TERRENCE MACY, CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES: This is the most heinous crime I've seen in 40 years. It just takes your breath away.

FEYERICK: Last year, several employees were fired from the group home and cameras installed to monitor activities. It is unclear who shot this video, which was cut together into a 30-second montage. Three copies were sent anonymously, one each to a local news station, the state agency in charge, and Options Unlimited.

BEAU THURNAUER, DEPUTY CHIEF, EAST HARTFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT: Wednesday, the Department of Developmental Services turned over a videotape to us and it showed there was some sort of abuse going on between what we found out later to be an employee and a resident of this group home.

FEYERICK: The caregiver, Angelica Rivera, has been charge with several felonies, including cruelty, unlawful restraint, and bias intimidation. A man who answered her phone would not comment on the allegations or refer us to an attorney.

(on camera): After Rivera turned herself in, police obtained a search warrant for a second employee who may have additional abuse video on a home computer. Rivera is out on $25,000 bond.

Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Incredibly, disturbing story. Interesting, it is not known who shot that video and it was sent to local media a bit earlier this week.

Other allegations of abuse. Could a man accused of shackling his wife and abusing her for a decade escape charges if his wife refuses to testify against him? We're going to ask our legal expert. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Police say a West Virginia man spent 10 years committing crimes against his wife. He is accused of chaining his wife, beating her with a hot frying pan, and mutilating her feet with a piece of farm equipment. Now allegedly, this went on for a decade. Finally, police say his wife escaped to a women's crisis center to call for help.

Criminal defense attorney, Holly Hughes, is here with us in studio.

Really interesting looking into there story and watching some of the local news reports on it. The attorney for Lizon (ph) says his client committed no crime. What is interesting, too, is the wife is now saying basically, we got in a big argument and they get pretty heated but this was all just an accident.

HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY & FORMER PROSECUTOR: And this is absolutely no surprise, Poppy. This is classic domestic violence. This is a woman who has been held a prisoner in her own home for at least the past 10 years. She knows darn well that if she says he did something to me, going to try to kill her. This is classic cycle. And the charges will be filed. The abuse is evident. You have to look at the injuries. You have to look at how they were sustained. Why were they never reported? You're going to argue all that to a jury. If this was a simple accident, where is the hospital records for your treatment?

HARLOW: At the same time, this is sort of a he said/she said case. I believe there are some photographs of injuries. But if you don't have her testifying against her husband and, indeed, if you say this is a big misunderstanding, a big argument, the how much of a case do you have?

HUGHES: You have a great case. This happens all the time. I'll tell you why. Because domestic violence victims, whether male or female, will not testify against their accuser. The prosecution is going to call an expert witness. They are going to call a psychiatrist to say this is absolutely classic. She did make an outcry. She did report this abuse to the worker at the home that she ran to for haven. But now that it is real, now that it is in a court of law and he is facing jail time, now she is scared again. So she is recanting. We see recantations all the time. The psychological testimony will be given to the jury and they'll see through this. They're going to know why she is saying, no, no, it didn't happen that way.

HARLOW: Again, the attorney for Lizon (ph) saying, look, my client did nothing wrong. It will be an interesting one to follow.

I want to tell our viewers about this story. We're talking about Kerry Kennedy. Of course, she is the ex-wife of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. She was involved in a hit and run on Friday in New York. New York State Police charged her with operating a motor vehicle while impaired with some sort of drugs but her spokesperson made this statement. "She voluntarily took breathalyzer, blood and urine tests, all which of showed no drugs or alcohol in her system. The charges were filed before the test results were available."

So here's the question. Is that normal for charges to be filed before test results are fully available?

HUGHES: It is. Absolutely. In a case of DUI, what the officers are trying to do is get that person off the road. You do that by arresting them. The case may never go anywhere. It may never actually be charged in a court of law. See, there's one thing when a police officer makes an arrest and he files a charge out. But they may never draft up a charging document, which mean you have to go to court and answer for that. They don't want to take a chance. You might have a test result that's outstanding but they won't let you get in the car and drive away if there's even a suspicion that you're impaired.

HARLOW: Now Kerry Kennedy is a lawyer herself. She's going to be in court on Tuesday. They issued a few traffic tickets to her.

HUGHES: Right.

HARLOW: We don't know what this drug was, if it was a prescription substance. I believe she was forthright with police in talking about that. But at the same time, when you talk about a car, motor vehicle, that is deemed a deadly weapon, right?

HUGHES: It absolutely is. And driving under the influence of -- even if it is a legally prescribed drug. If it is on the label, it says this causes drowsiness or you shouldn't drive, then you should not be driving and that is a crime. If it doesn't show up in the blood, Poppy, there is no evidence.

HARLOW: Right. That's the question, why would charges be filed ahead of that -- those test results coming in?

HUGHES: They're the arrest charges that the police officers filed at the side of the street when they wrote up the citation tickets.

HARLOW: Thank you.

HUGHES: Thanks.

HARLOW: Appreciate you coming in.

HUGHES: You bet.

HARLOW: Cholera, a dangerous disease that is making a comeback, devastating one Cuban town. A CNN exclusive report from inside the hospital after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: In post-apartheid South Africa, this week's "CNN Hero" has lived in a slum all his life without realizing his dreams. But he is doing all that he can to empower the next generation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THULANI MADONDO, COMMUNITY CRUSADER & CNN HERO: Since apartheid time, Kliptown has not changed. There is no electricity. People are living in shacks.

Growing up in Kliptown makes you feel like you don't have control over your life. Many children drop out of school because they don't have school uniforms and text books. I realized the only way that Kliptown could change was through education.

I'm Thulani Madondo. I'm helping educate the children so that we can change the town together.

UNIDENTIFIED TEACHER: (INAUDIBLE). UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: (INAUDIBLE).

MADONDO: We help the children by paying for their school books, school uniforms. Our main focus is our tutoring program that we run four days a week.

As young people here who are born and raised here, we know the challenges of this community.

We also do a number of activities.

(SHOUTING)

MADONDO: We've got to come together for fun and also come together for academics.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This program gave me a chance to go to university and paid for my fees. That's why I came back to help out here. A little can go a long way.

MADONDO: What subjects you need? Math and science and English.

(SHOUTING)

MADONDO: I did not go to university but whenever I help them, I feel excited.

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: I am going to be an accountant.

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: I am going to be a lawyer.

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: I am going to be a nurse.

MADONDO: The work we're doing here is bringing change.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: What a great guy. I love that. They're going to be accountants, lawyers and nurses. Good for those kids.

"CNN Heroes" are all chosen from people you tell us about. To nominate someone who you know is making a difference, just go to CNNheros.com and let us know about them.

Cuba is dealing with a deadly outbreak of cholera, the first outbreak of the disease in more than a century.

Our Patrick Oppmann is the only journalist allowed to go inside the hospitals at the epicenter of this crisis. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At this hospital in the Cuban town of Manzanillo, three patients arrive complaining of stomach ailments. But doctors here are on the lookout for something far more deadly -- a rare outbreak of cholera. Isnell Neo (ph) shows some of the symptoms.

ISNELL NEO (ph), HOSPITAL PATIENT (through translation): This morning I was waiting for the bus and I threw up twice so I came running here.

OPPMANN: So far, el evento, as it's called here, has claimed at least three lives and sickened over 110 people with cholera, doctors say. Many more people suffered from cases of severe diarrhea.

For the first time, the Cuban government allowed cameras inside the hospitals at the epicenter of the outbreak and for doctors to tell their stories to CNN.

DR. JULIO CESAR FONSECA, HOSPITAL DIRECTOR (through translation): The first day, five patients came and then eight. That's not normal that five people would come with the same symptoms. The most critical days were when they were 30 to 32 patients that arrived in a single day.

OPPMANN: Cholera is a water-borne disease that is usually not fatal if treated. It was believed to have been eradicated in Cuba. The Cuban doctors say a hot and wet summer here set the stage for cholera's return.

(on camera): Unusually heavy rainfall flooded these people's farmlands and contaminated their wells. That's how the first outbreak of cholera in Cuba in over a century began.

(voice-over): To halt cholera's spread here, the government has closed contaminated wells and is trucking in drinking water, shuddered food stands that could spread the illness, temporarily banned fishing and swimming in waters that may be contaminated.

Dr. Manuel Santin Pena treated patients with cholera in Haiti as part of a Cuban medical mission there. He says doctors are gaining the upper hand on Cuba's much smaller cholera outbreak.

DR. MANUEL SANTIN PENA, CUBAN NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF EPIDEMIOLOGY (through translation): The number of cases is evidently dropping. That doesn't make us confident so much as make us intensify all of our preventive measures so that in the next few weeks we can stop the outbreak.

OPPMANN: An outbreak that Isnell (ph) hopes she can avoid.

After speaking to us, she was admitted to the hospital. Cholera tests could take seven to 10 days to come back, a nerve-racking wait as Cuba again battles a killer disease.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Manzanillo, Cuba.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Amazing access that Patrick got there to that hospital in Cuba exclusively.

Moving ahead, stopping the drug war. Incredibly hard to do, especially when hundreds of small tunnels crossing the U.S./Mexico border keep popping up. We're going to give you a tour of the latest. Wait until you see this.

Also, remember, you can watch CNN live on your computer while you're at work or even on your Smartphone when you're running around this week. Go to CNN.com/tv.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Listen to this story. After surviving on a diet of frogs and roots, a 28-year-old autistic man has been rescued after being stranded in the desert for nearly a month. William Lafever was attempting to walk from Utah to Arizona when he ran out of food. He lost 50 pounds from the time he was last seen until he was found on Thursday. Just as searchers were about to give up, they spotted him, emaciated, dehydrated, and waving weakly at the search helicopter. Thank goodness he was found.

And stopping the drug war. It is hard, thanks in part to the hundreds of small tunnels that are hand-dug under the U.S./Mexico border. Now our cameras take you inside one passageway that is being called the most sophisticated yet.

Our Casey Wian is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the way agents first discovered this tunnel a few days ago, under this giant container of water. Over here, you can still see 55-gallon drums that contain the dirt that was dug out of this tunnel, stretching 240 yards across the U.S.-Mexico border.

UNIDENTIFIED FEDERAL AGENT: This is the most sophisticated one I've seen in Arizona.

WIAN: What makes it that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEDERAL AGENT: Because of the way that it is designed. It's not -- most of the tunnels we have in Arizona, those are digging through dirt to get to the sewer system, using that sewer system, punching out again. This one, when you look down the hole, you're going to see, it is completely 4 x 6 all the way, plywood all the way around it, rebar in there, reinforced.

WIAN (voice-over): The tunnel is so narrow and so deep, CNN photojournalist, John Torigoe, and his camera need to descend separately.

JOHN TORIGOE, CNN PHOTOJOURNALIST: Clear the shaft.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clearing the shaft.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

WIAN: Each with the help of a harness.

TORIGOE: It gets even smaller. UNIDENTIFIED FEDERAL AGENT: It gets smaller towards Mexico, yes. We'll have to crawl, if you were to go a whole lot further.

TORIGOE (ph): There's no dirt in here, it is very clean. And there's light, electricity, and a fan even.

WIAN: U.S. authorities found 156 cross-border tunnels since the early 1990s. Lately, they have become more sophisticated as drug detection technology above ground improves.

(on camera): Agents had this area under surveillance since January. When the tunnel was actually discovered, Arizona public safety officers pulled over a pickup truck on the highway north of here, discovered 39 pounds of methamphetamine. After interviewing the occupants of the truck, they linked it to this facility. And they now have three suspects in custody.

Casey Wian, CNN, San Luis, Arizona.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: That's fascinating, a fan in that tunnel. How sophisticated it's all gotten.

Coming up next, why a beauty pageant contestant is making headlines because of her eyes, and not just her beauty.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Well, when you hear the word "pageant," you probably think beautiful women, perfect from head to toe, but there is one contestant in the Miss Florida USA pageant who is really breaking ground. She is beautiful and all of that, but she's imperfect in one way -- her vision.

Our John Zarrella introduces us to Miss Florida USA's first legally blind contestant.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just to see where to sign her name, Connor Boss must hold her face inches from the sign-in sheet. You see, Connor is legally blind.

(on camera): We're four feet apart, you can't see me.

CONNOR BOSS, PAGEANT CONTESTANT: No. It affects my retina, my central vision. My peripheral vision is intact.

ZARRELLA: At six months old, she developed over her left eye what's called amangiona (ph), a build up of blood vessels. Surgery took care of that. But within a few years, she was diagnosed with stargarts (ph), a rare disease, and one had nothing to do with the other, just plain bad luck.

BOSS: I fell going down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, believe it or not, but you know, I managed.

ZARRELLA: Stargarts (ph), a gradual worsening of sight into blindness is incurable. But Connor also has a thirst to overcome the disability. She was in gymnastics until --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Then, when she had to do vaults, she ran into the vaults one time.

ZARRELLA: While Connor can barely see, her vision of the future is clear. She's the first legally blind woman to sign up to compete in Miss Florida USA Pageant. The winner goes to nationals.

Her journey here began just a couple years ago when she was 16. On a whim, she entered a local teen pageant and won.

(on camera): Which is the first one you won.

BOSS: That bad boy.

ZARRELLA: What is that?

BOSS: Harvest queen.

ZARRELLA (voice-over): Conner says each new success, each crown helps build in here a confidence and self esteem that was lacking. Each new success led her here.

JESSICA SANTIAGO, PAGEANT CONTESTANT: What makes her special is her drive. She's admirable. She doesn't give up.

ZARRELLA: Pageant officials say, other than helping Connor get to marks on the stage, she's treated like all the other young women, and she never plays to her disability.

GRANT GRAVITT, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, MISS FLORIDA USA PAGEANT: She's the last one who will tell you this, she'd prefer you not know. More importantly, it is not what I can't do, it is what I can do.

BOSS: I have come to learn it is not about winning the pageant, it is about I am so glad my story could be shared, and that -- at least I can inspire one person. And if I can inspire one person, I feel like I've won.

ZARRELLA: Perhaps what's most refreshing, Connor doesn't take herself too seriously.

(on camera): What's going through your mind right now? What are you thinking right now?

CONNOR: Dinner.

ZARRELLA (voice-over): Of course.

John Zarrella, CNN, Hollywood, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HARLOW: All right, I'm rooting for Connor no matter what.

I am Poppy Harlow at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. I'll see you back here in one hour from now.

"THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer begins right now.