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Dallas Battling West Nile; New Rules for Soldiers in Afghanistan

Aired August 17, 2012 - 15:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Brooke Baldwin.

At this hour: combating the West Nile virus. Dallas leaders are announcing a second night of a controversial aerial spray of pesticides. More than 15 people have died in Texas from the West Nile virus, which is passed to humans from mosquito bites.

And then this next story -- we want to warn you the next item here does contain graphic video that may be upsetting for some viewers. But we're showing the video because it reveals how police handled what has become a controversial case and a major issue in Saginaw, Michigan.

It shows police shooting and killing a man with a knife. Officers filed at least 30 bullets when they killed Milton Hall. His family says Hall was mentally ill.

As CNN's Jason Carroll reports, some people are outraged.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A joint investigation is underway into the shooting. Amateur video details what happened during the final moments. I do have to warn you, the video is graphic.

(voice-over): This amateur video purchased by CNN and not made public until now, captured the confrontation between six Saginaw police officers and Milton Hall, a 49-year-old man who his family says suffered from serious mental health issues. Hall, seen in the middle of your screen, police say had just had a run-in with a convenient store clerk. He was in a standoff with police and holding some sort of knife. A female officer is heard shouting.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Put the knife down.

MILTON HALL: (inaudible) aren't putting down (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Put the knife down.

CARROLL: If you listen carefully, Hall is then heard continuing to yell at police.

M. HALL: My name is Milton Hall, I just called 911. My name is Milton and I am pissed off.

CARROLL: Hall seems agitated, but not intimidated by a police dog.

M. HALL: Let him go. Let him go. Let the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) dog go.

CARROLL: Heard on the tape, a witness describes what he sees.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About to go ham on him.

CARROLL: Then as Hall appears to take a few steps, everything comes to a head. Local media report 46 shots were fired. CNN counted the sounds of at least 30 shots on the video tape. Anthony Baber witnessed the shooting.

ANTHONY BABER, SHOOTING WITNESS: All of a sudden, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop and he drops. You know? Pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow. And he drops. I was about where that blue van, I was parked in my van.

CARROLL: Tabitha Perry saw it, too.

TABITHA PERRY, SHOOTING WITNESS: I heard one of officers say something to the fact where put the knife down or I will let the dog go.

CARROLL: And do you believe the officers were justified in what they were doing?

PERRY: No, I don't. No I don't because what they did, there was a better way to do it. I think their judgment was off.

CARROLL: Perry is not alone. Paul's mother says Saginaw police overreacted.

JEWELL HALL, MOTHER OF MILTON HALL: Emotionally, I have a lot of pain and I'm stunned that six human beings would stand in front of one human being and fire 46 shots. I -- I just don't understand that.

On the day of the shooting, July 1, the Saginaw police chief defended his officer's actions.

CHIEF GERALD CLIFF, SAGINAW POLICE: This is someone from our understanding, has a long history. Not only with the police from our department, but with the county. Known to be an assaultive person.

CARROLL: Over the last month, members of the community have voiced outrage about the Hall shooting, not satisfied with the police investigation into the officers' response.

We showed the video of the shooting to city councilman, Norman Braddock.

NORMAN BRADDOCK, SAGINAW CITY COUNCIL: I can see why people are traumatized at looking at something like that. And we need answers.

CARROLL: Braddock has been critical of what he calls the slow pace of the shooting investigation.

(on camera): Could it be that investigators are just trying to make sure they're doing a thorough job and that's why the investigation is --

BRADDOCK: I'm sure that has something to do with it, but at the same time, it should be a top priority.

CARROLL: The Michigan State Police lead investigator would not discuss the case, instead referring us to the Saginaw County prosecutor, who told was we can't tell you when the case is going to be completed. The matter is being thoroughly investigated by in independent police agency, the Michigan State Police along with the Michigan Attorney General's office.

Hall's mother already feels he knows the answer to the question of whether police used too much force.

HALL: It appeared to be a firing squad dressed in police uniform and it, there was another way. They did not have to kill him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: That was Jason Carroll reporting.

So, this case raising lots of questions about how officers might deal with mentally disturbed people.

Just hours ago, CNN's Suzanne Malveaux talked with an expert from the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAT STRODE, NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS: What we would ask officers to do is first observe the behavior. We teach them to identify behavior that is indicative, that could be indicative of someone having a mental illness.

The first thing you want them to do is use verbal deescalation skills, using their voices and words the help deescalate the crisis, introduce themselves and begin questioning, lines of questioning that would help to engage the individual and then possibly and hopefully to deescalate the crisis.

Police officers are trained a lot differently than the rest of us. Again not knowing the circumstances of that case, but even in cases involving weapons and knives we would like officers to try to at least use deescalation skills. Do they always work? Absolutely not. But in most cases, when officers are CIT-trained and they use those skills, they do work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: About a hundred people gathered today for a vigil at the spot where Milton Hall was killed in Saginaw, Michigan. They prayed and called for results of the investigation into that shooting. Your relationship status might be affecting your chances of landing a new job. Next, new figures out today shows single people are recovering better from the recession than married people.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We all like to think we're on equal footing when it comes to the job hunt, but new data from the Labor Department shows single hit by the recession are actually finding work faster than their married peers.

Our Poppy Harlow explains.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Fredricka.

This is really interesting data from the Labor Department. Let's take a look through it.

When you talk about singles during the financial crisis, so about 2008, five million jobs were lost for single people, but 90 percent have been gained back. But if you look at married people, six million jobs were lost in that same period, and only 22 percent of those jobs have been gained back.

Why is that? It's likely not that employers are discriminating if someone is single or married. They're not allowed to do that. But here are a few reasons why it could be. One economist at the University of Chicago made the point that married people can often take a little more time to find the right job.

They traditionally have a spouse that has a job so they can rely on that second income and take a little more time to find the right job. Also what we're seeing and the data shows us is that younger workers are getting jobs. People 35 and under have gained far more jobs than people between 35 and 55. And younger workers are more likely to be single.

Also important here is flexibility. Younger people tend to be a little more flexible in terms of moving somewhere else for a job. Maybe they don't have to move a family. Also, they will sometimes take a lower salary just to get a job. That's backed up by this Pew study that found that almost half of adults under 35 have taken jobs that they don't want just to pay the bills.

That's the reality for a lot of folks in America these days. Also interesting to note marriages are down. In 2010, marriages were down 5 percent. And that's continued through last year and into 2012. So, there are just fewer married people out there.

All of this is playing in, and what it's showing us is that this jobs recovery is actually favoring single people more than married people. A lot more interesting stuff on this in our story on CNNMoney.com -- Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, we look forward to that. Thanks so much, Poppy Harlow. Appreciate it. (FINANCIAL UPDATE)

WHITFIELD: All right, straight ahead: police ambushed in Louisiana. Officials say it's taken an emotional toll on the community, and one deputy shot yesterday says he will be back at work on Monday.

Then: troops defending themselves in a war zone. Sounds like normal procedure, but today there's new rules for NATO in Afghanistan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Authorities have arrested seven people, including at least two women in the shooting of a sheriff's deputy in the New Orleans suburb of LaPlace. Two other deputies were killed and a fourth wounded by gunfire in related incidents on Thursday.

Sheriff Mike Tregre talked with reporters this afternoon after visiting with the survivors of slain deputies Brandon Nielsen and Jeremy Triche.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE TREGRE, ST. JOHN'S PARISH, LOUISIANA, SHERIFF: I told them their loved one, their father was a hero, that people that they lost their lives for that we have in custody, I believe are some of the most violent, evil people on the planet.

And they lost their lives. Their loved ones are heroes, not us, not the football teams, not the stars. It's the police officers that gave their lives so we all could be safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Tregre says the two wounded deputies were doing as good as can be expected. Both men are still in the hospital.

State Police Michael Edmonson said his investigators are still tediously combing a large crime scene that involves -- quote -- "multiple guns and multiple weapons and lots of evidence." He said five of the seven suspects were in the car that ambushed one of the deputies while he sat in his patrol car in a remote refinery parking lot.

The other victims were shot when deputies went to a nearby trailer park to interview suspects related to the first shooting.

A candlelight vigil will be held tonight in LaPlace to honor the victims.

Rescuers are searching for man who may have been on top of a silo when the structure's roof collapsed this morning. The silo in the South Florida town of Medley, near Miami, 150-feet tall and is said to contain cement dust. Authorities say that a nearby silo also is rather unstable. And a huge warehouse fire lights up the sky over San Antonio earlier today. Explosions could be heard from transformers and the fuel tanks of trucks caught in the flames. The building was full of plastic pellets stacked from floor to ceiling. A nearby hotel was evacuated. No injuries have been reported.

The top commander in Afghanistan tells his troops to carry loaded weapons at all times. This comes after a rash of inside attacks where Afghan policemen turned their weapons onto NATO colleagues. We will go live to the Pentagon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: CNN is learning today of ramped-up security measures at NATO headquarters in Afghanistan.

With that story, CNN's Barbara Starr at the Pentagon -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, an extraordinary measure ordered by General John Allen, the U.S. general that commands all troops in Afghanistan.

This is because of the so-called green-on-blue incidents, where Afghans are attacking U.S. and coalition forces. Allen has ordered all troops at NATO headquarters to carry their weapons fully loaded on base at the headquarters, outdoors, inside buildings 24/7.

He wants them to be ready in the event they are facing an attack by Afghan forces. And in fact, this classified order, Fredricka, now applies to all bases across Afghanistan. You would think it's a war zone, everybody carries a loaded weapon all the time, but at these bases they really don't. Now they will -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Barbara Starr. Appreciate that from the Pentagon.

All right, running from a wildfire -- residents talk about their escape from a burning Washington state subdivision.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, this has become the worst wildfire season in the last 10 years.

Close to 44,000 fires have so far blackened more than 6.5 million acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Right now, 13 states, all in the West, are battling large fires. That includes these flames in Vallecito, California, where authorities ordered evacuations.

Further west in Washington state, people are also trying to get away from fire.

CNN's Rob Marciano is in the town of Cle Elum.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, Fred, firefighters still trying to get a handle on this, the worst fire in central Washington in decades. They have got about a third of it contained on the southeast quadrant.

Some residents have been allowed to go back into their homes, but here on the northern flank, especially at the base of that hill, a place called Hidden Valley, they're not to be going back any time too soon.

Firefighters have been hitting that hillside hard. Obviously, it still burns. And this almost -- well, almost a week into the fire, people who have survived it are telling their stories.

LARRY PUTNAM, HOMEOWNER: The fire started over on the right-hand side. It shot over that mountain so fast. Like I said, we went out to get our horses when the fire was just clear over here miles, six, seven miles away.

I told everybody, I said don't panic, don't scare the horses. Let's take our time. We have got all day. All of a sudden, a wall of flames come up over the ridge. It just came up over the ridge like 100 foot high.

MARCIANO: Wow.

PUTNAM: So then I said, OK, well, let's don't panic, but I think we better hurry.

(LAUGHTER)

MARCIANO: Nearly 1,000 firefighting personnel, along with a slew of military and civilian aircraft here to help contain this fire which probably won't be until at least next week.

The other issue is the weather today and this weekend, excessive heat warnings again today with temperatures expected to reach 100 degrees in many spots, and then, over the weekend, a threat for thunderstorms in the Cascades, erratic winds and more dangerously some lightning that could cause more in the way of wildfires -- Fred.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Rob Marciano.

All right, difficult days ahead for the victims of these fires.

CNN's Dan Simon talks with several as they return to what's left of their homes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAINE WISE, FIRE VICTIM: This is the worst nightmare I can possibly, possibly imagine.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Elaine Wise lived by herself on her 14 acres of property in Ellensburg, Washington, a retired caregiver to the elderly and foster children. She had a small farm to help pay the bills. Along with losing her home, she also lost most of her animals -- dozens of pigs and dogs. Their burned carcasses could be seen everywhere.

(on camera): What's the hardest thing about coming back?

WISE: The animals. I mean, the home, you know, that's gone. And I can get another home, but they -- they had to have suffered.

SIMON (voice-over): Some of the pigs survived. Elaine's family is trying to take care of them, as well as combing through the rubble to see what can be found.

WISE: What I feel like saying is the end of my life -- I mean, I'm alive, but that's what it feels like.

SIMON: The fire, about 90 miles east of Seattle, has so far destroyed at least 60 homes and forced hundreds to evacuate. Fire officials blame dry terrain and wind for the quick-moving fire.

Many victims broke down in tears as they relived the terror of the flames approaching their homes.

JACK CUSHING, FIRE VICTIM: I have been here for 25 years. We moved over from Bellevue. And it hurts.

SIMON: Jack and Margot Cushing left with virtually nothing.

MARGOT CUSHING, FIRE VICTIM: We took a few clothes, some photographs and that was about it.

SIMON: Authorities say the fire is completely man-made, that it broke out from a bridge construction project.

REX REED, INCIDENT COMMANDER: We do not know the specific cause yet. We just know it came from the construction site. And we'll be -- investigators are very actively involved in that investigation, as we speak.

SIMON: The flames so quickly that people like Elaine Wise had no warning.

ELAINE WISE, FIRE VICTIM: And they said, I'm sorry, ma'am, but you can't stay.

SIMON: So, you weren't able to gather up anything?

WISE: No, nothing. Just the clothes on my back. Absolutely nothing.

SIMON: She'd come back from an afternoon shopping trip on Monday when fire crews refused to let her go inside.

WISE: I have nothing to start a home or, you know, just absolutely nothing now. SIMON: No insurance or anything like that?

WISE: No, no.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: That was Dan Simon reporting.

Rob Marciano warned us earlier that thunderstorms with lightning is forecast for the fire area this weekend.

All right, the head of a famous furniture and hardware chain is ousted, amid reports with a younger employee.

Also, a woman sues the Dallas Cowboys over a hot seat, literally. A super-heated marble bench that she says burned her.

"On the Case," next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, fraternizing in the office has cost a top executive his job. Gary Friedman resigned from his position as co-CEO of a high-end furniture store, Restoration Hardware.

An investigation found he had an inappropriate relationship with a 26-year-old female employee. The woman's ex-boyfriend actually tipped the company off to that relationship, but he did say that it was consensual.

Friedman's resignation comes just as the company prepares for its initial public offering.

All right, Joey Jackson is "On the Case." So, Joey, you know, if the relationship involving a boss or a supervisor is consensual, is it as much a dilemma as when it's not?

JOEY JACKSON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, it could be and here's the problem. Whenever you have a relationship between someone who's in a position of authority and someone who's an employee, it gets dicey because issues could occur.

When the relationship is nice and everyone's playing nice and everyone's friendly and fine, it's all good. But the problem becomes, if there's an argument, if there's a dispute, is there a fight?

Now, questions may center around, was it sexual harassment? Was there some undue influence? Was the employee induced into the relationship? And, so, that presents a problem.

And the additional problem it presents is other employees. They begin to say, am I being treated unfairly, improperly? Are they getting preferential treatment?

So, companies don't like it. It gets sticky and it comes down to liability at the end of the day. The companies don't want to pay out. Stockholders don't like that.

WHITFIELD: And, in this case, however, we understand that it wasn't the young lady who filed the complaint, but it was the boyfriend of the young lady and underscoring that it was a consensual thing.

So, you know, inappropriate, most companies will define what an inappropriate relationship is and is it a given? Is it pretty uniform?

JACKSON: Well, you know what? It's safe to say that inappropriate means anything other than professional.

Once it gets out of the realm of professionalism where there's some, you know, potentially socializing that leads to intimacy, it presents a very sticky situation, companies don't like it and you have sometimes, as here, ex-boyfriends filing complaints and it could lead to problems.

Avoid the problems. They present these policies and these policies drive the conduct of the people who work there, whether you're an employee or a supervisor.

WHITFIELD: All right, here is another hot case that we're talking about. A woman says that she got third-degree burns after sitting on a hot, marble bench at the Dallas cowboys stadium. This happening two years ago.

Well, now, Jennelle Carrillo is suing the team and the owner for mental anguish, physical pain and disfigurement. Her lawsuit saying, quote, "defendants breached their duty of care by both failing to make the condition reasonably safe and failing to adequately warn the plaintiff," end quote.

So, Joey, you know, she was treated for burns, she says, as well. Is this a case?

JACKSON: So many puns can come from this, right? Hot topic, hot seat, everything else, right? Exactly.

But ultimately what happens is this stadium or any stadium, you have a duty to provide conditions that are reasonably safe for the people who go there to be entertained by the athletes.

And, so, if you violate that duty of care and there's no notice, for example, you know, if a bench is going to be hot, if a seat is going to be hot, put a warning there that says, "hot seat."

Better yet, don't make it so that it attracts this heat such that a person could get these burns. It's unbelievable.

And, if she did gets the burn that she's suggesting she has and she can prove them, there's going to problem for the Dallas Cowboys.

WHITFIELD: Well, will she have to prove that there's some precedence, that there are other people, other alleged victims who, you know, suffered the same way that she did?

JACKSON: Well, you know what? That goes to the issue of evidence.

So, in any type of lawsuit, obviously, there are skeptics, particularly the ones who are defending against it. They're going to say, look, it was safe. You're the only one. What a surprise that you're the only one making these claims. No one else got these third- degree burns.

So, what you raise goes to the issue of proof and whether she can provide it. But even if she's the only one and it was unreasonably dangerous, it was unsafe. She sat there and, ah, she was burned. She certainly has a legitimate lawsuit, particularly since they did not warn that it could be very hot.

WHITFIELD: All right. Joey Jackson, thanks so much.

JACKSON: Am I off the hot seat now?

WHITFIELD: Yeah, I think you're off the hot seat, at least for now, animation and all. All right, thanks so much. Have a great weekend.

JACKSON: A pleasure. You, too.

All right, a Michigan court rules on an harassment case. It involves a university student, a former assistant attorney general and postings on an anti-gay blog.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Yosemite National Park officials say they disinfected cabins in a popular tourist area where a man stayed this summer, shortly before he died. The death has been linked to a lung disease caused by the rare hantavirus.

A woman who stayed nearby also became ill, but is recovering. Hantavirus is spread through mouse droppings and cannot be passed from person to person.

Multi-million-dollar vindication, so far, for a former student body president at the University of Michigan who sued a former assistant attorney general for defamation and stalking. A jury just awarded $4.5 million to Chris Armstrong. He was the university's first openly gay student president.

Armstrong sued Andrew Shirvell who, ultimately, lost his job as assistant A.G. for his blog that said Armstrong pushed, quote, "a radical homosexual agenda" at the university.

Shirvell defended his actions against Armstrong, two years ago on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANDREW SHIRVELL, MICHIGAN ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: I do not follow him around. I protest with a sign. That's exercising my First Amendment rights, Anderson. That's not following anybody around.

I don't live anywhere near to Ann Arbor. I've been down there maybe three or four times since I started the blog.

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "AC 360": Have you been to his house and hung outside his house and videotaped?

SHIRVELL: I've protested outside of his house, yes.

COOPER: Do you consider yourself a bigot?

SHIRVELL: Absolutely not. I'm a Christian citizen exercising my First Amendment rights.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Anderson Cooper also spoke with Chris Armstrong who said he never thought he'd become a victim of bullying as a college senior.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS ARMSTRONG, GAY STUDENT HARASSED BY ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: Yeah, I mean, I think it was certainly surprising. I honestly can't speak for a lot of the things that were said because they weren't my words.

And, again, I understand that the things said about me are not my issues. Like, they're not things that sort of ...

COOPER: You think it says more about the person doing it?

ARMSTRONG: Yeah. It's sort of like the issue of bullying, at large. The things being said about someone usually says more about the person whose saying them rather than themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Shirvell told "The Detroit Free Press" that he plans to appeal.

All right, if you're looking for a love spell to cast on someone, forget about buying one actually on eBay. Who knew that you could?

Well, starting next month eBay will ban the sell of spells, curses, hexes and magic potions. Also, the company is eliminating the category for selling psychic readings and Tarot card sessions.

eBay says it's part of a policy update. And, yes, we checked. People actually do buy spells on eBay. The sites "spells and potions" category recently had more than 6,000, active listings.

All right, super star Rhianna opens up about her career, her family and Chris Brown in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

It was taped at the singer's home in Barbados. In one emotional segment, Rhianna says that she lost her best friend in the infamous 2009 incident that resulted in Brown pleading guilty to assaulting her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RHIANNA, SINGER: It was a weird, confusing space to be in. Because as angry as I was, angry and hurt and betrayed, I just felt like he made that mistake because he needed help and, like, who's going to help him?

Nobody's going to say that he needs help. Everybody's going to say he's a monster without looking at the source. And I was more concerned about him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The interview airs Sunday night on OWN.

All right, Curiosity watchers, you're in luck. NASA just conducted an update of what its rover is up to on Mars.

Chad Myers has been keeping track of Curiosity and Mars and all things that do and don't exist.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's doing well up there. It's happy as a clam. Hasn't moved yet and unfold everything yet. But it's happy. It's running.

WHITFIELD: And when it moves, it's very slow, but that's all right. It's part of the plan.

MYERS: A snail goes faster than that. But new pictures coming out today and there's one of them right there. That white line, that's kind of a distance line. That's two kilometers or a mile-and- quarter or so.

So, that gives you an idea of how big that rock is and, in fact, that rock is just the bottom part of Mount Sharp which it will be driving up.

And you have to look close and it probably better if you have an HD screen, but you kind of see striation. You see lines going across that rock. It almost looks like, although not different colors, what you see at the Grand Canyon and that's what they're hoping.

They hope that there's different layers of different age rocks there. They may be digging through some of them, looking for, I don't know, trilobites, whatever. You never when you're out there.

And there's a self-portrait. Here's 20 images, all kind of glued together. That's what it looks like from the top down.

And when the thing came down, there's some scars and some scours, they're calling them. Those are kind of interesting spots that they're looking for because, when the jet was coming down to kind of slow this thing down, it blew some dust away, so that may be something that they may want to go take look at, at some point in time.

Pretty good stuff, although not, clearly, the images that this will bring.

WHITFIELD: Had to soften the landing, you know?

MYERS: Yeah, right, right. It won't -- the images are going to get a lot better.

Now, I'm the only one, I think, here, that sees a dinosaur head up on the top and then like some bones and kind of a rib cage and then -- OK, squint a little. Work with me here.

WHITFIELD: Use our imagination.

MYERS: OK, I'm using my imagination.

WHITFIELD: That can be fun.

MYERS: It's just a couple of rocks there, but we'll get more pictures as rover starts to ...

WHITFIELD: Oh, it's all very exciting.

MYERS: It is.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate it.

All right, a Russian punk rock band, a guerilla concert in a church, a song critical of President Putin and charges of hooliganism, the group learns its fate from a Russian court.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Some punk rockers are facing a two-year prison sentence in Russia. Three women performed a protest song, slamming Russian president Vladimir Putin inside a Moscow church a few months ago.

The judge ruled today, saying it's an unprecedented act of hooliganism by women. CNN's Phil Black joins us live now from Moscow.

So, Phil, the sentencing is getting worldwide reaction. What are you hearing?

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, some significant international condemnation on this two-year sentence for these women who performed that protest in a major Moscow cathedral earlier in the year. The United States says the sentence is disproportionate to the actions of the women. The European Union says the same, but goes further to say it is deeply troubling that they would get a two-year sentence for a peaceful, although controversial, expression of their views.

And the E.U. demands that this sentence be reviewed and reversed. These are very firm words, but they're unlikely to make a difference, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: So, is it a case that the sentence may be two years, but they would actually serve less?

BLACK: We know that the time they have already spent in custody will count towards the sentence, so that's going on to six months now. So, that reduces it from this point on, at least.

It could potentially be reduced on appeal, but there's not necessarily any reason to feel particularly optimistic about that. So, it looks like these women are going to spend at least a further 18 months or so in jail.

All three are young women. Two of them are the mothers of young children. And their supporters say that's pretty unusual because the Russian legal system is usually weighted in favor of leniency when it comes to mothers who have children at home, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: So, you do have to wonder, you know, Phil, whether some artists like Madonna to Bjork, you know, who came out, supported the band, whether that in any way kind of impacted the sentencing.

BLACK: I'm not sure if it impacted the sentencing, necessarily, but I know it certainly helped the morale of the women and their families and legal teams and so forth.

A big part of what has kept them going through this is the success they have had in actually spreading the message. Five, six months ago no one had heard of Pussy Riot. No one knew these women.

Now, they have grown to become very much a global icon, if you like, global symbols, both in names. Those colorful balaclavas they wear during their performances are now known around the world.

So, not only are they known, it means their message is known as well and, for that reason, they feel no regret about the action that they took that day, despite what is a pretty tough punishment.

WHITFIELD: All right. Phil Black in Moscow, thanks so much.

All right, other international stories that we're following, this one in South Africa. Hundreds of police are patrolling the spot where they opened fire on platinum miners armed with machetes and rocks, killing 34 of them.

South Africa's police commissioner says officers shot in self- defense as the miners charged at them, but today, wives and daughters of protesting miners marched and chanted slogans as they demanded answers from the police.

South Africa's president cut his trip short to a regional summit in neighboring Mozambique to rush to the scene of the bloodshed at the Marikana mine and that's where we find CNN's Nkepile Mabuse.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NKEPILE MABUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm at the scene of a crime that has shocked South Africa and the world. Behind me, more than 30 people killed when police clashed with striking mine workers on Thursday.

As you can see behind me, forensic experts still combing the scene looking for evidence that's still left behind here.

So, many unanswered questions still. Who fired first? The police say they were attacked by the striking miners who had been refusing to go to work since last week, Friday.

And this violent wage dispute really spiraled out of control before Thursday. Ten people had been killed, some in the most gruesome manner, hacked to death. Some set alight.

Earlier I spoke to a reporter who witnessed Thursday's drama unfold and this is what he had to say about what he saw.

XOLILE MNGAMBI, ETV REPORTER: We saw a whole group of them, police officers, carrying massive guns, R5s, we understand and they just moved in immediately. Now, ...

MABUSE: Were they provoked?

MNGAMBI: That's the question I think that I've tried to answer time and again since last night.

We cannot say to you that the police were provoked. Yesterday, the police were clear that today we're going to disarm them and remove them from the hill because the gathering is legal.

MABUSE: This miner tells me that it is the police who provoked the miners and not the other way around.

Were you here? Did you witness it? Did the miners shoot the police first?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (via translator): There's no worker that attacked the police. In South Africa, we are supposed to be free, but people who are fighting for their rights are being killed.

Whether what they did was legal or illegal, they should not have died. All they want is a wage increase.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: That was Nkepile Mabuse, reporting. All right, Los Angeles police are looking for a man who stole a high-end sports car right off the sales lot. Police released this surveillance video from July, showing the suspect sitting in the driver's seat of a 2008 Maserati.

The suspect apparently asked the salesperson what the engine sounded like. And while the salesperson held the door open, the engine turned on, the suspect put the car in drive and then took off.

Police released this image of the suspect and are asking the public for any help in locating him or the car.

So, how about this for a fast commute? New Jersey to New York in just 30 seconds? Wow. Or vice versa. That's the Red Bull Formula One car hitting 190 miles per hour through the Lincoln tunnel.

The race car made the mile-and-a-half long trip between the two cities in just under 30 seconds. This all done by Red Bull Racing to promote the Grand Prix of America race scheduled for next year in New York City.

And perhaps you remember this?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA (singing): Where you think you're going, baby? Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but here's my number, so call me, maybe?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, if you've been wondering what the president thought of this mash-up of him singing the runaway smash single "Call Me Maybe," you've got the answer.

The president called in to an Albuquerque radio station KOB and, when asked if "Call Me Maybe" was his favorite song, he replied this way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEAMLE: I know your real favorite song has got to be "Call Me Maybe." You can tell us. It's OK.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: You know, I have to admit. I've never actually heard the original version of the song.

I saw this version when they spliced up me of a whole bunch of different speeches that I made and they kind of mashed together an Obama-version of it.

But, you know, it looks like a cute pop song.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well done. His version now has more than 23 million views on YouTube.

All right, when Republicans gather in Tampa for their convention later on this month, among the hordes of people covering the event will be three CNN iReporters. Each competed for the slot, beating out more than 200 entries.

And we want you to meet them. Let's begin with Elizabeth Lauten of Virginia who tells us that she volunteered for every Republican presidential campaign since 2000.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH LAUTEN, IREPORTER, ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA: 495, the beltway that separates those in D.C. from the people they represent.

I came to D.C. with a single mission -- to stand up for those who live outside of this highway.

Back then, we were told hope and change was the answer to it all. Nearly four years later, Obama has squeezed the hope out of all of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And now to Matt Sky in New York who says he is an independent voter who finds this year's GOP race fascinating.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT SKY, IREPORTER, NEW YORK: You've had Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Tim Pawlenty dropping out before he had a chance. The rise and fall of Rick Perry.

But, ultimately, Romney was able to hold onto this consistent level of support. It wasn't that enthusiastic, but it was there all along and, as we shuffled through all the candidates, ultimately ending up with Newt Gingrich, finally down to Rick Santorum, you know, Romney was the guy.

So, it will be interesting to se if the party is able to unite behind him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And then there's Alex Anderson of Minnesota.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX ANDERSON, IREPORTER, PLYMOUTH MINNESOTA: This will be my first vote in a presidential election and I'm realizing that the future of my nation will depend on my generation.

As a college student and freelance video journalist, I've seen firsthand the importance of communication amongst my generation.

Internet, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have all effectively connected a generation unlike any time in history. Now is a time to send the voice of my generation into the political forefront of this upcoming election.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: That's Alex, Matt and Elizabeth. You'll see more of them during the convention.

And then, remember, my colleague Brooke Baldwin will also be at the Republican National Convention. She'll be anchoring this show, live from Tampa. It kicks off August 27th right here on CNN.

All right, much more straight ahead with Joe Johns in "THE SITUATION ROOM." Joe?