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The Top Terrorism Concerns; Gridlock In Chicago; Unrest At U.S. Embassy in Cairo; Romney Speaks in Reno; German Judges To Decide Euro's Fate; Wealthy 288 Times Richer Than You; At Least 72 Killed In Syria; Angelina Jolie Visits Refugees; China's Next Leader: MIA

Aired September 11, 2012 - 14:00   ET

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

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: The Egyptian riot police are on hand to protect the embassy. The protests apparently are over reports of a movie that is said to be in production that demonstrators consider is an insult to the Prophet Muhammad. CNN is on the ground on that story. We'll continue to bring developments as they occur.

But first, 11 years ago today, September 11th stopped being just another date on the calendar and became the most tragic and transforming moment in recent American history. Terrorists killed 2,977 people in an attempt to bring down the United States. But the massacre only gave rise to a stronger national spirit. One that will always remembered those lost and one that cannot forget why and how they were killed. Throughout the country, people are reflecting at tributes and memorials. Here now, moments from today at the sites where the four airliners struck in 2001, New York, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My father, James Amada (ph). Love you, dad, and we miss you every day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And my father, Holisto Marid Jr. (ph).

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is never an easy day. But it is especially difficult for all of you. The families of nearly 3,000 innocents who lost their lives. Your mothers and fathers, your husbands and wives, your sons and your daughters. They were taken from us suddenly and far too soon.

LEON PANETTA, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Know that the entire nation, the entire nation, joins you in mourning the loss of your loved ones. We are honored by your presence. And just as your loved ones are heroes forever, so are all of you. In trying to attack our strengths, the terrorist unleashed our greatest strength, the spirit and the will of Americans to fight for their country.

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I also hope it continues to give you some solace knowing that this nation, all these people gathered here today who are not family members, or your neighbors, that they've not forgotten. They've not forgotten the heroism of your husbands, wives, sons, daughters, mothers, fathers. And that what they did for this country is still etched in the minds of not only you, but millions of Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: That it is still so painful.

On this day of reflection, also comes some welcome resolution involving the National September 11th Memorial Museum. The budget dispute that stalled its opening is now settled. That according to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. His predecessor, Rudy Giuliani, who was running the city 11 years ago, is more than eager to see that site open.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER MAYOR OF NEW YORK: I hope it is -- I hope it gets done. Somebody's got to feel a sense of urgency about this. I do. I was here. I saw what happened. I have a sense of urgency about it. I wish everybody else that's involved in this would have that same sense. I mean, this is not a memorial, really. Pearl Harbor's a memorial. Appomattox is a memorial. This is an ongoing war against us by Islamic extremist terrorists who want to come here this very day and do exactly the same thing they did 11 years ago, and what they did in 1993 and --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: And U.S. troops helping to fight the enemy Rudy Giuliani just described there, also marked the 11th anniversary of September 11th and the attacks. They held a ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan, recognizing the significance of this day. Less than a month after September 11th, the United States entered Afghanistan and launched what has now become America's longest war. On October 7, 2001, Operation Enduring Freedom began with air strikes against Taliban and al Qaeda targets.

The 19 hijackers who commandeered four airliners 11 years ago today died with the victims they murdered. But no doubt their hatred of the United States is felt in many parts of the world still. So who is the top threat right now? Especially after the death of Osama bin Laden in May of last year. We're going to turn now to Mike Baker. He's a former CIA covert operations officer and president of Diligence LLC, a global intelligence and security firm.

Mike, thanks for being with us.

MIKE BAKER, FORMER CIA COVERT OPERATIONS OFFICER: Sure. Thank you.

SAVIDGE: Who or what group do you consider now to be the greatest threat to the U.S.?

BAKER: Well, I don't think it's shifted. I think we're still facing this same multinational threat from Muslim extremism, from the jihadi threat, however you want to refer to it, it still exists. And we've seen over the years great success in taking out a large number of their, you know, senior command and lieutenants. And -- but we've also seen that they've got an ability to regenerate. Now, they're a different organization than they were before, but their agenda, their motivation, their drive to create mayhem and havoc and death, I mean that still remains the same. But I think part of the problem is, you get 11 years down the road from 9/11, and people get somewhat fatigued with the war on terror. And so we look for ways to put it out of our mind. And that's well and good. I mean we need to move on. I don't think we'll ever get over it. But we have to understand that behind the scenes, there continues to be a tremendous amount of work to try to prevent similar incidents here in our country.

SAVIDGE: Well, let me ask you real quick. Eleven years into this, as we are, are we safer -- and I know this is a cliche question -- but are we safer than we were say in 2001?

BAKER: I think we are. And I'll tell you why. It's never going to be a zero sum game. We're never going to get to the point where we're completely safe or we've completely reduced the risk down to zero. And part of that is because it's a human process. So it never becomes perfect. But we're safer in the sense that every year we get better at the counter-terrorism effort. We get better at sharing information between the intel community and the local, state and federal authority. We get better at sharing information by our intel community with our foreign liaison partners. We get quicker at taking all this information that's flying around and disseminating it and getting it down to the actionable intelligence to actually work on it in the field. All of those things continue to improve. But we never do -- and I think it's important to understand, we never do get to a point in counter-terrorism, or really in any terrorist situation, where you reduce it down to zero.

SAVIDGE: This is -- this is life then. This is life for the American public, for the American military for now and the foreseeable future, guarding against terrorism?

BAKER: Well, I think so. And you think about -- I've got young children and I think about those who had young children on 9/11. Those kids have grown up in this world. You know, now you have children who are getting ready to graduate from high school who have known nothing else but the airport security and the threat and the war on terror. And so that's become the normal in a sense for them.

It would be lovely to think that at some point we do remove this threat. We somehow deal in a variety of different ways with it overseas. And that motivation to attack us, to cause harm to us and our allies, that that disappears. But, you know, I think I'm a little bit to pragmatic to think that's going to happen.

SAVIDGE: I want to stop you real quick because this is the last question I get. It's not just Islamic terrorism and it's not just coming from overseas, where the threat is, correct?

BAKER: No. And that's a very, very important point you raise. No. And it would be wrong to say that our only threat from terror here in the U.S. is from the jihadist threat. Obviously we've seen over years random shootings. We've seen, you know, events where people have lost their lives and it has nothing to do with the jihadist threat. But I think it's important because sometimes -- and, again, I think this comes from sort of that fatigue issue of the war on terror. We want to just say, OK, enough with that.

SAVIDGE: Yes.

BAKER: But it's not just one or the other. And those people responsible for monitoring and preventing and disrupting the jihadist threat are also here in this country worried about the other types of terror that can occur. So it's not as if by looking at the jihadists, we're not looking at other types of threats.

SAVIDGE: I don't mean to interrupt, Mike, but time --

BAKER: Sure. Understood.

SAVIDGE: Vigilance is essentially what we're going to be up to here. So, thank you very much for joining us.

BAKER: Absolutely.

SAVIDGE: We appreciate the insights.

BAKER: Thank you.

SAVIDGE: And there is a lot more news developing this hour.

How does one principal see the teacher's strike in Chicago?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's reprehensible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: You're about to hear how the picket line is responding.

Plus, a new study suggests America's rich are leaving the middle class in the dust.

And China's next leader vanishes. Just disappears. His whereabouts sparking a mystery that comes at a critical time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: That is Chicago. And there are a lot of cities around the country that are following the developments of the Chicago Public School teachers' strike as they take to the picket lines for a second straight day, because it's going to have national implications. And it's a tough situation for everyone. Teachers are not getting paid. Parents have to find other forms of child care. And 350,000 students are kicked out of the classroom. CNN's Casey Wian is outside the Chicago Public School board headquarters, where the teachers are set to rally later today. And, Casey, what is the latest on any deal? Could they reach on any settlement? CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Martin, unfortunately I don't have any good news to report about a deal being even close. The teachers union released a statement just a few minutes ago saying that it is inaccurate to describe these negotiations as being very close to and end. Despite the fact that Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Public School officials have said that a deal was very near. Some members of the teachers union have said that a deal was very, very near. Well, this statement from the teachers' union, just released a few minutes ago, said that there are 49 different articles in the teachers' contract with the schools, and that the union has only signed off on six of those. So they say a deal is not close despite what the other side is saying.

Now, behind me you can see some of the teachers who have gathered here for a rally. These teachers have been picketing at schools all across the city all day long. They have moved here to downtown Chicago, outside the Chicago Public School headquarters, and they will be holding a rally later this afternoon.

Also Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel just held a news conference where he reiterated his position that this contract is solvable, this strike should never have happened. And he said that the two sides are close. He called this strike again unnecessary.

Martin.

SAVIDGE: And any chance that they're going to meet again tomorrow, or is this just a wait and see game now on the part of the teachers' union?

WIAN: The negotiations are expected to continue through the evening. The negotiations have not stopped. Just the fact that the teachers' union says that there's no deal at this point doesn't mean that they're not going to continue talking. We fully expect that they will continue to talk. And, again, it is about these two main issues that they are talking about. Both related to job security. One, the ability of local school principles to hire the teachers they want to hire versus union control over those teachers who may have been laid off. The other issue is how teachers are evaluated and how closely those evaluations are tied to standardized test scores. So the two sides are still talking, Martin.

SAVIDGE: Good to know. All right, Casey Wian, thanks very much.

And if you want more on this debate and the impact that is, as we say, felt across the nation, head to CNN's education blog, "Schools of Thought" at cnn.com/education.

Any minute Mitt Romney expected to speak live in Reno, Nevada, before the National Guard Association. This after the Republican faced criticism for not mentioning service men and women in his convention speech. We'll listen in, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Developing now. We are getting word of an intense protest against the U.S. embassy in Cairo, Egypt. We are told the protesters have stormed the walls and that, in some cases, torn down American flags, replacing them with black flags bearing Islamic emblems. We want to go straight now to CNN's Ian Lee. He joins us on the telephone in Cairo with more.

Ian, what's the situation now?

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Unfortunately right now, you still have hundreds of protesters in front of the U.S. embassy. Things have calmed down a little bit, but are still tense. Like you said earlier, the protesters breached the perimeter of the U.S. embassy, were able to make it into the courtyard to take down a flag, although the protesters have yet to make it actually -- to inside the building. I've been inside this building before. It's high -- it's very well protected. A lot of heavy doors protecting it.

We're hearing from an embassy official that the embassy is showing restraint against the protesters. They don't want anything to escalate. We're also seeing police and military on one side of the protesters just there in case anything were to escalate further.

SAVIDGE: And, Ian, what sparked the demonstration? What caused all this?

LEE: What caused this is a video. And the protesters here say that there's a video that's circulating that insults Islam and this is specifically what galvanized the protesters. We see a lot of protesters who are Islamic in this crowd. Just to give you an idea, there's a flag -- a black flag with the -- what you normally would see with jihadis. That is actually on the wall of the U.S. embassy right now. A lot of anger against the film that they -- protesters here say insult Islam. And so they're protesting in front of the embassy.

SAVIDGE: All right, Ian Lee, following the events that are happening in Cairo right now as an angry crowd storms against the walls of the U.S. embassy.

Ian, we'll continue to remain in touch. Thank you very much.

Moving on now to politics. In this country, Mitt Romney talking to Reno, Nevada, to the National Guard. Let's listen in.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The plane had hit the World Trade Center. I turned on the small TV on our desk there and watched in shock as the flames and smoke erupted from the north tower. I called my wife Ann. She, too, watched the tragedy from her TV and wondered how a plane could fly into a building in clear daylight.

And then we saw the second plane crash into the second tower. These then were purposeful attacks. These were terrorist attacks. These were evil and cowardly and heinous attacks.

Leaving the city, I drove towards Alexandria. The highway I was on came within a few hundred yards of the Pentagon, which had been hit by then. Cars were stopped where they were and people had gotten out, watching in horror. I could smell burning fuel and concrete and steel. It was a smell of war. Something I never imagined I would smell in America.

In our own ways, we each were overwhelmed by the enormity of the loss of life. We struggled to comprehend the magnitude of what this meant for the families of those who'd been killed. And for our own family, for our nation, for the world, for some there was also anger, but grief and anger soon turned to action. And among those taking the lead were members of the National Guard.

Members of the Guard secured our airports and borders and members of the Guard began to mobilize, to deploy half a world away, where you would become all too familiar with the mountains of the Hindu Kush and the streets of Fallujah.

Throughout the last 11 years, Guards men and women have helped keep us safe from attack. And the nation owes you a great debt of gratitude.

I wish I could say the world is less dangerous now, that it's less chaotic. I wish I could predict with certainty the threats we'll face in the years ahead. But on September 10, 2001, we had no idea that America would be at war in Afghanistan some day. In December of 2010, we had no idea that a Tunisian street vendor would inspire a revolution that would topple three dictators.

We live in a time of turbulence and disruption. What I can say with certainty is that we need the National Guard's vigilance and strength now as much as ever before. With less than two months to go before Election Day, I would normally speak to a gathering like this about the differences between my and my opponent's plans for military and for our national security. There is a time and place for that. But this day is not that. It is instead a day to express gratitude for the men and women who fought, and who are still fighting to protect us and our country, including those who trace the trail of terror to that walled compound in Abbottabad and the SEALs who delivered justice to Osama bin Laden.

This is also a day in which all of us in this convention hall and in this campaign and in this country can hopefully agree on important things. This century must be an American century. It began with terror, war and economic calamity. It is now our duty to steer it onto the path of freedom, peace and prosperity. America must lead the free world, and the free world must lead the entire world.

In our dealing -- in the dealings we have with other nations, we must demonstrate confidence in our cause, clarity in our purpose, and resolve in the application of our military might. For this to be an American century, we must have a military that is second to none. That is so strong no one would ever think of testing it.

American military power is vital to the preservation of our own security and for the preservation of peace around the world. Time and again America's military has been the best ally of liberty and peace. American forces rescued Europe twice. American forces stood up to brutal dictators and freed millions living under tyranny. America's military leads the fight against terrorism around the world and it (ph) secures the global common to keep them safe for the trade and commerce that are vital to lifting people from poverty. While the war in Iraq is over, nearly 70,000 American troops will still remain in Afghanistan at the end of the month. Our goal should be to complete a successful transition to Afghan security forces by the end of 2014. We should evaluate conditions on the ground and solicit the best advice of our military commanders. We can all agree that our men and women in the field deserve a clear mission, that they deserve the resources and resolute leadership they need to complete that mission and that they deserve a country that will provide for their needs when they come home.

SAVIDGE: Candidate Mitt Romney speaking in Reno, Nevada. And as he proclaimed, taking a somewhat subdued track on politics, he said, out of respect for the day. A day which we all remember well.

Moving on. Taking a look at September 11th.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Most days you probably don't give the German Supreme Court much thought. Well, trust me, you're going to care about this particular story now.

Tomorrow, judges seen here in their very eye catching red robes are expected to deliver a decision that could and I should underline could plunge the world's economy into ruin.

Now that I have your attention, I want to bring in CNN's Fred who is following the situation closely for us. Fred Pleitgen. He is following the much anticipated case closely for us from Berlin.

Fred, what's the legal question here that's before the court? Fred, could you hear me now?

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I can, hi.

SAVIDGE: OK, Fred. Martin Savidge here. Just wanted to ask you, what is the question that's before the court that has all of the attention now of the world?

PLEITGEN: Well, absolutely. I can tell you that the Germans are getting more and more uneasy about all of this. A lot of them, you know, for a very long time in this eurozone crisis were thinking that Germany was really immune to the crisis, that it was still doing quite well in spite of the crisis.

If you look at jobs report from the couple of months here in Germany, they were very good. But now they are seeing the economy here get weaker. They're seeing jobs report gets worse here in Germany.

Of course, that to them stirs the fear that in the end they're going to have pay for the bailout, which might not work and that it could indeed maybe the end of the eurozone at some point -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: OK, so we have the German Supreme Court that is set to issue an important ruling tomorrow and a ruling on what, though, specifically? PLEITGEN: What they're ruling on, it's very interesting, what they're ruling on is there's going to be a big bailout fund for the entire European Union, for the eurozone, the countries that use the euro.

It's the called the ESM, the European Stability Mechanism. Now the important part of why Germany is important is all that is that Germany is the largest paymaster in this ESM.

And if the German constitutional court votes that this ESM is not constitutional, according to Germany's fundamental law, the constitution then this thing can indeed not go forward and that could mean highly detrimental effects to the euro.

It could even mean the breakup of the eurozone. It could mean that some European countries like for instance Spain could get into a lot of trouble.

So a lot of this hinges on Germany. A lot of this hinges on the decision that this constitutional court will make tomorrow -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: So let me see if I get this right. There were all of these governments that were working on the bailout plan say for Greece and for other nations.

Then we had the European Central Bank that also stepping has been stepping in here. But now I find out it's actually the German Supreme Court that will have the final say on whether all of that really works?

PLEITGEN: Well, it's interesting, isn't it? But I mean, one of the things that the eurozone crisis has showed us is that something takes a small wheel in all of this to potentially derail everything.

If you look, for instance, Greece, it's only a very, very small country within the EU. But many people are talking about if Greece fails, maybe the euro will fail.

Certainly, if the Germans decide that they are not going to go along with the stability mechanism, if that pot cannot go forward, then that's going to mean a lot of trouble for a lot of players that are involved in this.

And you're talking about the European Central Bank for instance. The European Central Bank has decided that it's going to buy government bonds from a lot of the countries that are in trouble.

But it's only going to do that if these countries apply for money from the European Stability Mechanism that could get derailed because of the verdict in the German constitutional court. It's all part of the way that Europe is.

One of the big problems that Europe has always had, Martin, is while it is a super national body, while it is a body that tries to unite the European countries, a lot of it still hinges on national laws, and that's a big problem in the current situation -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: OK, I'll give you 5 seconds here because we're out of time, but just so I can sleep tonight.

PLEITGEN: OK.

SAVIDGE: What is anticipated the ruling will be?

PLEITGEN: OK, 5 seconds, in the past the German constitutional court has never fully voted down a motion for further European integration.

What many people believe is that they will say yes, the ESM can go forward. But yes, there might some caveats or there might have to be more oversight through the German parliament.

Nobody believes that it is going to fail and that the ESM is not going to forward -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: All right, I hope you're right. Fred Pleitgen, thank you very much for joining us tonight.

Well, back here in the U.S., if you're in the middle class, the richest Americans are now 288 times richer than you are. We'll explain next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: As President Obama and Mitt Romney hit the campaign trail battling over how they like to fix the middle class, well, a new study suggests America's rich are leaving the middle class behind, in the dust, so to speak. CNN's Christine Romans breaks down the gap.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Martin, the wealthier 288 times richer than the middle. New analysis from the left-leaning economic policies shows the top earning households have spent half a century adding to wealth while the middle has slipped back.

A sphere representing 1983 is on the left of your screen, 2010 is on the right. Household wealth for the top 1 percent grew from just under $10 million in '83 to almost $16.4 million today. For those in the middle household net worth dropped from $73,000 to $57,000 by 2010.

Now income gaps have been widening for years, but accelerated during the great recession. The very rich have more money to save and invest, but middle class and lower income people are more vulnerable when they lose a job or their house price declines.

The great recession slammed everyone, even the rich, but not equally. Just looking more recently from 2007 to 2010, average wealth of the top 1 percent dropped just 15.6 percent.

But median net worth for the middle sank 47.1 percent. If middle class household wealth had grown at the very same rate as wealthy Americans, it would be twice what it is today -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: Christine, thanks very much. Well, speaking of glitz and glamour, we take you backstage for the New York Fashion Week. Hear how one designer crafted an empire. It all started quite simply with a dream and a dress.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: For more than 40 years, Diane Von Furstenberg has been a force in fashion and it all started with a dress, the wrap dress. On the eve of New York Fashion Week, she sat down with CNN's Alina Cho to talk about how she came to the United States with a suitcase full of dresses and a dream.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At 65, Diane Von Furstenberg is a woman who can't sit still.

SARAH JESSICA PARKER, ACTRESS: Dare to be a woman, this idea of a dress and the simplicity.

ARIEL FOXMAN, EDITOR, "INSTYLE": They love her. They want to be her and there's nobody like that in the business.

CHO: DVF started her business in 1970. She had just moved to the U.S., a princess, after marrying German Prince Ivan Von Furstenberg. They were the toast of New York, yet she wanted her own identity.

DIANE VON FURSTENBERG, DESIGNER: I didn't know when I was young what I wanted to do, but I knew the woman I wanted to become.

CHO: So she came up with an idea, using jersey, a stretchy fabric she loved, she created in 1974, the wrap dress.

FURSTENBERG: Very, very, very practical little dresses, that look like nothing, that, you know, I mean, you can put it in your handbag, and it was so different than anything that was available.

CHO: It was an instant hit. By 1976, she had sold a million of them.

(on camera): You had no idea.

FURSTENBERG: No, and I was so young. I was 26, 27, 28.

CHO (voice-over): And already on the cover of "Newsweek."

FURSTENBERG: This, of course, is the very, very first print I ever did.

CHO (on camera): You're kidding me.

(voice-over): That chain link dress even made an appearance on the first family's first Christmas card.

CHO (on camera): Were you surprised?

FURSTENBERG: Totally. I mean, are you kidding?

CHO (voice-over): An empire that includes everything from iPad cases to perfume to a home collection she launched last year. Fifty four boutiques, sold in 70 countries, and a wrap dress that still flies out of the store.

RON FRASCH, PRESIDENT, SAKS FIFTH AVENUE: It's a classic. What can I say? Every woman looks great in it.

CHO: Just this year Von Furstenberg was named number 33 on the "Forbes" list of most powerful women of 2012. This mother of two and grandmother of four created the DVF Awards, which honors women for leadership, strength and courage.

She's the president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. She and her husband, mogul Barry Dillard donated $35 million towards the construction of the High Line, an elevated park on the west side of New York City. She also helped revitalize the city's meat packing district.

FURSTENBERG: I feel a little bit like the Godmother of this neighborhood, and it's nice.

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK: She is a verifier. She's a bellwether. She's a risk taker.

CHO: A verifiable fashion icon and celebrity.

FURSTENBERG: Dare to be you. Be true to yourself. You can design your line and be the woman you want to be.

CHO: Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: And you can catch the entire special "Fashion Backstage Pass" this Saturday, September 15th at 2:30 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

It's an international mystery. Where in the world is Xi Jinping. The Chinese leader in waiting goes missing just before transitioning into power. Theories on where he is and why he's out of sight straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Let's update you on Syria now, where as many as 72 people have been killed. That is the chaotic scene earlier today in Hama. Just one side where activists say the buildings were decimated by attacks by the Syrian regime. Witnesses say at least 30 people there were killed by aerial attacks.

Meantime, more than 253,000 Syrian refugees have grabbed what they could and sought refuge in neighboring countries. Jordan has taken in more than 80,000 and as we pointed out, in Turkey also has taken in just under 80,000.

Actress and U.N. Ambassador Angelina Jolie visited Syrian refugees in Jordan today and Jolie says that she's grateful to all of the countries that are offering shelter to the refugees. A full report on her visit will be in the next hour on CNN in the NEWSROOM. OK, in China, when a leader isn't seen for a while, rumors start to fly. Has he fallen out of favor? Is he ill? Is he in prison? Is he dead?

Well, that's the case right now going on with China's vice president and heir apparent to the leadership of their country's Communist Party.

He hasn't been seen in 10 days, and that has everyone from the person on the street in China to world leaders asking where in the world is Xi Jinping.

CNN international's Hala Gorani joins us now from Washington and Hala, explain to us first of all who this guy is and why his sudden absence is such a big deal in China?

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDETN: Well, we've been looking into it, of course, on CNN International with our team in China and in the region. This is a very important man in Chinese politics due to become the most important politician in China.

He's the heir apparent. The man expected to take the helm of the Communist Party in China to replace President Hu Jintao in a matter of weeks, Martin. However, as you mention, he hasn't been seen since September 1st.

And also interestingly he's canceled meetings with foreign dignitaries, including the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. Now when asked, Chinese officials are very stagey with their answers, in some cases one foreign ministry official said, please ask a real question.

This might be part of the problem, in what's feeding the rumor mill in and outside of China. So people have been coming up with their own theories. Nobody truly has the answer out there.

I can read some of them to you that I've seen on the social media web sites. Has he pulled a muscle swimming because apparently he's a daily swimmer?

Did he have a minor heart attack? Was he the target of an assassination attempt? Did he hurt his back playing football? All these theories are out there and in the meantime nobody really knows when he will reappear -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: Well, aren't the Chinese sensitive, of course, to kind of shock waves this sends, not only throughout their own country, but of course, throughout the world?

The second largest economy and the United States clearly wants to know who is going to be the next in charge, aren't they worried and aren't ready to say something definitive?

GORANI: Well, that's an interesting question. And one of the things I've been looking into as well is how are other politicians in China reacting during this period, this 10-day period where Xi Jinping has been essentially AWOL, out of the public eye.

And it seems as though they're going about their business. So what experts are saying is, look, if there was some giant crisis within the Communist Party right now and Xi Jinping, you know, is out of commission, then you might have seen them react a little bit differently.

Not leave Beijing, for instance, which many of them have done. And one of the interesting theories too is, look, the Communist Party in China right now is playing by very old rules.

It's being secretive. You know, it's not divulging information. It's blocking search terms on social media web sites in China and maybe this is benign. Maybe nothing that dramatic has happened to Xi Jinping.

But their reaction is making it worse and their reaction is archaic and it's not in keeping with the times with Twitter and other social media web sites. So perhaps they'll learn a lesson from this, but everybody wants to know where is Xi Jinping and when will he reappear?

SAVIDGE: Right, and of course, in the 24-hour news schedule, we want to know right away. All right, Hala Gorani, hopefully it is not anything serious. We'll have to wait and see. Thanks very much.

As Americans remember 9/11, there is a group of families that are worried that the memorial has become a Disneyland attraction. I'll speak live with the sister of a fallen firefighter about those very concerns.

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SAVIDGE: Florida A&M says it is not responsible for the death of a drum major that died after a hazing incident with other band members. The school presents the argument and listen to this.

In a new 23-page motion it filed in response to a wrongful death lawsuit involving Drum Major Robert Champion. Champion died following a hazing incident in Orlando last November.

CNN's George Howell is here along with also CNN legal analyst, Sunny Hostin. George, let me start with you. Give us the university's stance here.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Martin, first of all, it comes down to two things. First of all, the fact that these students, there were several band members who made sworn statements saying that Robert Champion wanted to go through the hazing as a way to gain respect, credibility with the band. That's first.

And secondly in that stack of exhibits that the university is using to make its case to dismiss that civil lawsuit, there's this page, and Robert Champion signed this page. It dismisses basically their liability saying.

If he sees hazing, he would warn authorities, he would avoid hazing altogether. They're using this as their claim that they have no responsibility in this case. This was his fault, is what they're saying.

SAVIDGE: Right. And Sunny, I got to tell you. This really infuriates me because it seems to me that the university here is essentially blaming the victim here. And I'm going to draw a loose analogy.

It's like telling a murder victim, you picked the wrong part of town to go walking through. The fact that he signed a document somehow excuses the university from their official duty to make sure that hazing does not take place. What do you take from this?

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, I'm just as infuriated as you are, actually. I did read the motion, of course, today. It is about 23 pages and that really is what the university is saying.

They are calling him a 26-year-old grown adult in the document and they're blaming him. They're saying he knew very well that he was not supposed to participate in hazing because he signed this hazing and harassment agreement that George just talked about.

And so he is to blame. The university has no responsibility and they are definitely not only relying on that argument, but also, of course, relying on this alleged waiver. I don't think it passes the legal smell test. Really the question is, did the university know that this was going on, and of course, they knew. There's evidence that they knew.

SAVIDGE: Yes, there's a long history at the university having problems with hazing. It's not like this was a one-time incident.

HOSTIN: Exactly. That's what I was going to say. They had to have known. This was sort of a hazing culture. And if they knew and looked the other way, then they can be found responsible. So to blame Robert Champion doesn't pass the test.

SAVIDGE: Yes, George, I'm going to ask you, what's the reaction of his family?

HOWELL: Martin, first of all, I want to add one thing as far as blaming the victims and we've heard that several times. But Richard Michelle, who is the attorney for FAMU gave a new response saying if that if Robert Champion took place in felony hazing then taxpayers shouldn't pay the burden.

But I want to give you a Champion's response. This is from his attorney, from Christopher Chestnut, he says, quote, "We simply cannot ignore the audacity of an institution that blames students for their own deaths, yet for decades ignored the hazing epidemic occurring within its own walls."

So clearly the family are just outraged by this reaction, but the university saying it's on him not on them.

SAVIDGE: It just seems unbelievable. All right, George Howell, Sunny Hostin, thank you both for joining us. We'll continue to cover the story live. Thanks.

Top of the hour. I'm Martin Savidge in for Brooke Baldwin. Unfolding right now, protesters causing a stir outside the U.S. embassy in Cairo, Egypt. We are told more than a thousand people were there --