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Source: Off Duty Officer Among Bikers; Reports Of 18 Tornadoes In Midwest; Rough Weather Sweeps Across U.S.; Gulf Coast Braces For Tropical Storm Karen; House Approves Federal Worker Back Pay; Head Start Suffers In Shutdown; NYPD: Two Bikers In SUV Clash In Custody; Carey Sisters: She Was Not Delusional; Family Feud Over Casey Kasem

Aired October 05, 2013 - 12:00   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 am Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the top stories that we're following in the CNN NEWSROOM. We are talking about some new developments in the biker attack investigation. An undercover police officer was said to be part of that group and saw what happened, and if it is true, why didn't that officer do something.

Plus tornadoes, snow, and a tropical storm, severe weather damage and threat to tell you about.

Plus news breaking in the government shutdown, the House in a rare Saturday session takes a vote, what lawmakers are doing to make sure hundreds of thousands of furloughed workers eventually get paid.

New York city police desperately searching for this man, the one you're about to see, wanted for questioning in regards to that clash between a group of bikers and the driver of an SUV. Two bikers accused of being involved in that violent incident last weekend turned themselves in. One has been charged, the other, the man seen here, pounding his helmet against the SUV. That was right before some bikers dragged the driver from the SUV and then beat him.

I want to go straight to CNN's Margaret Conley in New York. So Margaret, what more do you know about the investigation?

MARGARET CONLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, two bikers turned themselves in, one involved in the most violent part of that incident that took place here on this corner behind me on West 178th Street. That's where the SUV driver was cornered and the biker smashed his window, pulling him out and then they beat him. Investigators are still trying to piece together what happens.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CONLEY (voice-over): The motorcyclist seen here who repeatedly smashed this car window using his helmet with a family trapped inside has been identified. Authorities have also found the motorcyclist that shot this helmet cam video showing how the incident escalated from the start. Alexian Lien was driving an SUV with his family here on Manhattan's West Side Highway.

According to police, he struck a motorcycle that had slowed in front of him, slightly injuring the rider. That's when other motorcyclists surrounded him. Police say the bikers hit and spiked the car's tires. As Lien escaped, his car ran into three more bikers, including one who was critically injured.

That's when motorcyclists gave chase, eventually cornering the SUV and then beating and slashing Lien in front of his wife and 2-year-old daughter. We returned to the scene with a retired police officer, Lou Palumbo, and asked him how things went so wrong.

LOU PALUMBO, RETIRED POLICE OFFIER: They shut this road down.

CONLEY: He puts the blame on the motorcyclists.

PALUMBO: See him just driving normally in the center lane, nothing really dramatic. We are about to see this motorcycle operator pull in front. He is going to slow down, turn and look back at him. Now I am curious, what precisely were you thinking at that moment that you thought that would be appropriate.

CONLEY (on camera): Could the SUV driver have done anything differently?

PALUMBO: In my opinion, he was in fear for his life. He had a baby in the car. I don't think that he believes he has any other option.

CONLEY: So if the average person is driving the freeway and this happens to them, what's the advice you give to them?

PALUMBO: Call 911, number one and just basically try to yield right of way to these bikes. The issue here is really the volume of motorcycles. The issue here is the operation of these motorcycles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CONLEY: Now one twist to the story is that an off duty police officer was on the scene riding his bike, said to be a key witness because he not only saw the SUV driver hit the first bike, but he also saw the beating. There are a lot of questions as to why it took him four days to come forward, and Fred, we're hearing Internal Affairs are investigating.

WHITFIELD: All right, Margaret Conley, thanks so much.

All right, the plain states hit hard by storms overnight. There are reports of as many as 18 tornadoes touching down in three states, Iowa, South Dakota, and Nebraska. In Wayne, Nebraska, a tornado destroyed as many as a dozen homes. Fortunately, no one was killed. The storm also knocked out power to half the residents of Rapid City, South Dakota.

Nebraska isn't the only state hit by severe weather, from California to the Midwest and down to the Gulf of Mexico, rough weather is sweeping across the country. Alexandra Steele is very busy this morning in the CNN Severe Weather Center. All right, so we have a hodge podge of everything. I see snow flurries, windy conditions, everything. ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, it is a weather trifecta essentially. We've got snow, tornadoes, and of course, the fire risk as well. So let me show some video. We will start with the snow and where we've seen it and how much we have seen. It is an incredible amount. Look at the pictures, Wyoming more today, heavy, wet snow. We saw it in Eastern Wyoming. Western South Dakota, the bull's eye today, once again around Rapid City, maybe another 10 to 15 inches, most likely coming in as one of the top ten snowfalls.

In addition to that, it is blustery, so from snow to the severe element, to tornadoes, large, violent tornadoes. Look at these images. Conditions atmospherically were perfect for this. Again, 18 reports of tornadoes, six have been confirmed in three states, Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. National Weather Service is going out today to do a post storm survey to assess damage.

But it is not uncommon, it is, but we have heard of it in the past, in October, in 2001, we had 11 tornadoes. It does happen, although uncommon. All right, to fires as well as we head farther west, October certainly not worthy for California wildfires, Santa Ana winds are howling. Again Southern California this weekend, red flag warnings are up.

Winds to push any small fire and become a monster fire, again, out of control potentially because winds are a factor. We have seen gusts between 50 and 77 miles per hour from Ventura County to Los Angeles County, this again from Santa Barbara through L.A. down towards San Diego. You can see where the red fires are and where the fire threat is today and will continue to be through the weekend.

WHITFIELD: All right, bad stuff. Thanks so much. Alexandra, appreciate that.

All right, let's talk about more weather out there. The biggest weather maker this weekend could turn out to be a tropical storm by the name of Karen, no longer a danger that it will become a hurricane, but residents along the Gulf Coast are still being warned. Karen could hit Southeast Louisiana tonight.

CNN's Indra Peterson is in Pensacola Beach, Florida with more on that and the kind of rain and storm surge that is expected -- Indra.

INDAR PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, I mean, what a difference from yesterday. We were thinking the storm was borderline tropical storm, a strong tropical storm or weak category one hurricane. Today, we are taking it down an entire level. This morning only has 40 miles per hour winds, 39 miles per hour. That's what makes it a tropical storm.

We are pretty much borderline, tropical depression or tropical storm. The big thing that happened here, you have the center of a low making its way north. Meanwhile, you have like the side winds way up high sheering it apart. You have the two kind of breaking themselves apart. That's the problem. It is almost like a speed bump in the middle of the ocean. There was a time we thought it would speed quickly through it, and curve east, northeast. Since it slowed to 7 miles per hour, it is breaking apart even more than expected. Yes, we still have it as a tropical storm. There's currently a tropical storm warning out there for Morgan City, Louisiana. They're going to start feeling the effects. See the winds pick up.

They're going to start to see heavy rain. By no means should it be underestimated. The gulf has seen a lot of rain. Some places 10 to 15, some places 20 inches above average. When you have that much rainfall, it takes less to rip the trees out of the ground and cause damage. Typically you get damage that you would see in a higher storm because the ground is so saturated. That concern is there.

Think about Louisiana. Y ou have that low level elevation, doesn't take much in the way of storm surge. High amounts of rain in a short period of time, flooding concern is definitely there. We already talked about winds. Timing of this, yes, we're looking at overnight tonight into early hours of tomorrow morning for Louisiana then if it skims it and holds together, it will make that east, north easterly turn.

That's where conditions are more favorable. So more likely it will hold together. If it holds together through tomorrow, most likely a depression and then remnant low by the time it makes it here to Pensacola, Florida so definitely escaping it, looks like, at this point.

WHITFIELD: All right, Indra Peterson, keep us posted. It will be an interesting day and overnight situation in which to watch. Thank you.

All right, onto Washington now, the House passed a bill today to approve back pay for federal workers who have been furloughed in the federal government shutdown. This is one plan that does have support from both sides of the aisle, including from President Barack Obama, but the larger issue of ending the shutdown is still hanging over Washington.

Jill Dougherty is live at the White House. So Jill, while the president said yesterday he would be OK with the back pay issue, there are other things that he is still demanding from Capitol Hill. What's on the agenda today for the president?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Well, you know, he does say that he would sign that, but in an interview that he just gave this morning to the Associated Press, once again, he is putting the blame for all of this, the shutdown, on the shoulders of John Boehner, the speaker of the House.

In that interview he says, quote, "We can vote to open the government today. We know that there are enough members in the House of Representatives, Democrats and Republicans, who are prepared to vote to reopen the government today. The only thing that is keeping this from happening is Speaker Boehner has made a decision that he is going to hold out to see if he can get additional concessions from us." So it sounds familiar. I mean, that is what the president has been saying, that's what the Democrats have been saying. So where we go from here is not clear, whether they can really move the ball and really begin to change things, but so far it is a lot of now personal sparring between the president and Mr. Boehner.

WHITFIELD: The hits just keep coming, don't they? All right, Jill Dougherty, thanks so much, from the White House.

All right, this programming note, Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz talks exclusively about the government shutdown. He has been getting a lot of credit or blame for the way things panned out on Capitol Hill thus far. All takes place tomorrow morning on "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley, discussion with Ted Cruz at 9:00 a.m. and noon Eastern.

All right, you've seen the shocking video that went viral and sparked a massive outcry. A biking group versus the driver of an SUV, the outcome bloody and violent on both sides so who should be charged ultimately? Our legal guys are weighing in on that case.

And next, the government shutdown is hitting too close to home for a lot of parents. Why some Head Start programs have taken a huge hit this week.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The government shutdown came at the worst possible time for Head Start Daycare Programs that rely on federal funds. Now the doors of some programs are closed, and as Zain Asher reports, the children are the ones feeling the impact.

ZAIN ASHER, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. At least 20 Head Start programs across the country lost access to federal this week when the government shutdown on Tuesday. Now we spent the afternoon at one Head Start facility in Bridgeport, Connecticut that closed its doors to 1,000 children, including those with disabilities. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELANIE RHODES, HEAD START PARENT: I just told him there's no school. You know, you can't go to daycare today. He gets upset because he loves coming here.

ASHER (voice-over): Three-year-old Maliki Rhodes suffers from autism.

RHODES: Slow down.

ASHER: He has been getting regular speech therapy classes from this Head Start Program in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Maliki is too young to understand spending bills and political stale mates. All he knows is that he can't come back to class.

RHODES: It is like they're punishing us. I don't like that.

MONETTE FERGUSON, HEAD START DIRECTOR: Have gotten a lot of phone calls asking why and what should they do.

ASHER (on camera): Maliki's program is one of 20 Head Start programs across the country at risk of closing because they expired the same day the shutdown began. Those programs won't have access to any new federal funds until the government reopens.

FERGUSON: I don't have head start dollars any more.

ASHER (voice-over): That means closing their doors to more than 1,000 children.

RHODES: I am tired of the bickering, fussing, fighting, blaming Obama, blaming it on Obamacare. Obamacare has nothing to do with what we're going through now.

ASHER: With no children to care for, over 300 teachers here have been sent home without pay.

STACY RUBENACKER, HEAD START STAFF MEMBER: My daughters are 20 and almost 18 say mom, we have never seen you without a job, what are you going to do. I said I don't know.

ASHER: Empty Head Start classrooms are multiplying across the country, leaving potentially 19,000 children without services.

FERGUSON: These are preschoolers. This is a heck of a way to learn government at 3 and 4 years old.

ASHER: It is another blow to a program that's already seen funds slashed by 5 percent due to forced budget cuts. Parents and children protested on Capitol Hill this week, pleading with lawmakers for their mercy. Meantime, Maliki's mother worries without therapy he receives at Head Start, her son will regress.

RHODES: What's taking so long? Why can't they come to agreement? Why they rejecting this and rejecting that. You know, all we are concerned about is we need our daycare to be open. We're struggling out here and it is not easy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: Melanie Rhodes, the parent we just saw in that piece, she has been unemployed for several years. At one point, she was even homeless. Now she hopes to start work as a school bus driver, but unless the government reopens soon, she won't have anyone at Head Start to take care of her son -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Zain Asher, for bringing that point of view.

All right, another point of view, a different situation, the sisters of the woman that led D.C. police on a deadly car chase are speaking out and starting to question how police handled things, that story coming up later.

And straight ahead, two bikers allegedly linked to the clash between a motorcyclist and SUV driver turned themselves in. Our legal guys are on that case next.

An unprecedented number of U.S. troops are surviving serious wounds and returning home from fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. This week's CNN hero has stepped in to help those wounded vets with housing, education, and job placement. Meet Michael Conklin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL CONKLIN, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: The first trip to Walter Reed was one of my toughest trips, when I saw the amount of wounded, it was shocking.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Both my legs were amputated above the knee.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I lost my right eye. I have a titanium rod in my leg.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have a traumatic brain injury.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I gave up the idea of having a wife and a family.

CONKLIN: I wanted to take them all home. I'm Mike Conklin. My organization helps our severely wounded members of the Armed forces reach their full potential. My oldest son was wounded in Tikrit, Iraq. We have a very tight, cohesive family. Not of all of them do. Some don't have anybody to come home to. We just can't forget them. When Ryan moved into this unit, we did some things that are very simple. We put in these poles to assist him. Each case is different.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good job.

CONKLIN: Some will need service dogs, housing assistance, mentors, getting an education.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those are World War II vets over there.

CONKLIN: It's a comprehensive package.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're doing a little bit of their maintenance contract.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He talked to me every day, put me back to work. He helped set up where I wanted to go. Today, I'm a husband, a father. I have my own company now.

CONKLIN: We don't call this a charity. We really look at it as an investment. These were at one time children who grew up on our baseball fields, went to our grade schools, and then left our community to serve us, and eventually, they come back. It's a full circle of service.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Next Thursday we will be announcing this year's top ten heroes and then you can vote online for our "CNN Hero of The Year." They're all remarkable and inspirational. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Surely you've seen it by now, it is the video people can't stop talking about, bikers around an SUV on a New York street earlier this week, the driver hitting three bikers in a pursuit to get away collectively. That's when the motorcyclists apparently chased the driver, eventually cornering the SUV and then beating the driver, pulling him out of the car, and then beating him in front of his wife and 2-year-old daughter.

Two bikers we understand accused of being involved in the violent incident turned themselves into police. Now we're hearing from one of the people who witnessed the beating and helping to stop the attack. We're apparently hearing from that person, he exclusively spoke to CNN's Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, CNN'S "AC 360": You were actually standing between one of the people that was hitting the guy with his helmet and the man on the floor, the driver. You stood between them?

SERGIO CONSUEGRA, HERO BYSTANDER AT SUV-BIKER ATTACK: Between them, yes, there was many.

COOPER: Were the motorcyclists saying anything back to you?

CONSUEGRA: Yes, one of them screaming, say with him on top of him, he said no, I said please stop, don't -- let it go. One of them, a short guy, he say no, because he run one of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Wow. So what's next in this case? Let's bring in our legal guys, Avery Friedman, a civil rights attorney and law professor joining us from Cleveland, good to see you, and Richard Herman, a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor joining us from Las Vegas. Good to see you all as well, Gentlemen.

All right, so the police commissioner is saying investigators have to determine whether the SUV driver acted recklessly or whether his actions were justified. Richard, how might they go about that? Because the videotape we keep seeing, we the public keep seeing, we see the bump between the driver and one of the motorcyclists who slows down, but what we don't see is everything that preceded that.

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I think, Fred, that investigation is over. All you have to do, you have to look at the video and see what happened here. The driver, the rider on the bike slowed down. He caused the accident. His name is Cruz. He caused it. He has been charged with menacing, reckless driving, endangering the welfare of a child because the Liens had a child in the car with them.

WHITFIELD: Wait a minute. You say he caused it by slowing down, but in so many jurisdictions if a driver hits somebody from behind, that driver is at fault. Isn't that what happened here whether the person slows down or not.

HERMAN: If they caused accident, they caused it. This is Henry Hudson Parkway. As you can see it's three lanes, it is very, very narrow. There are no shoulders there. That guy is intentionally slowing down, looking behind him, and slowing down. He caused the accident, not the person that hit him from behind. He is the reason for this.

WHITFIELD: Avery, do you agree with that?

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: It is a little more complicated than that. I am in agreement on one part of it. I think it is predatory bike riding I really believed that. You know what they talk about an off duty cop, that's not an off duty cop, Fredricka, that's an undercover cop. That's why it took so long to disclose -- a key witness at the end of the day --

WHITFIELD: That's different.

FRIEDMAN: That is different. I mean, I think he was monitoring the bikers, I think ultimately, Lien, who is the driver of the SUV is not going to be charged with a crime. The question is for one of the bikers hit, is there a claim against the driver and that's mystifying how someone brings a claim against the driver who is trying to escape for his life and the life of his family.

WHITFIELD: A lot happened based on the videotape. Everything from the bump, that's going to be in dispute, whether it was intentional or not, then proceeding then the driver feeling intimidated or fearful with his wife and child in the car at another juncture where apparently the bikes were then surrounded, then took off running over, at least one of the bikers.

It would seem there is a cascading of events. Seems as though, Richard, there would be a lot of charges going a lot of different directions and perhaps including the driver because he left the scene of a crime after running over somebody.

HERMAN: The driver of the SUV will never be charged with anything, Fred. He did what any normal, reasonable person would do in that circumstance. He has his wife, child in the car. There are about 100 bikers popping their wheels, screaming at him, surrounding him on the Henry Hudson Parkway.

FRIEDMAN: None of whom will testify.

HERMAN: He feared for his life. I would have taken ten of them out if I was driving that SUV. He is lucky only one person got injured.

FRIEDMAN: I don't know about that.

HERMAN: These people are terrorists, they're animals, and they should all be arrested.

WHITFIELD: My goodness, OK, so Avery --

HERMAN: There should be multiple arrests.

FRIEDMAN: The truth is there were a handful of people that were engaged in predatory stuff here, and not all of them, the bottom line, two charged, there will be a couple others charged. The driver, Fredricka, is not going to be charged, shouldn't be, he was fighting for his life, trying to protect his family. That's how we see it and I think that's what's going to happen here.

WHITFIELD: It is interesting to see where this will go because there are a lot of unanswered questions. You guys are often right when you call it. So we'll take your word for it. We'll see you again in about 20 minutes to talk about a family feud involving a radio legend who is now suffering from Parkinson's disease, Casey Kasem.

We know Avery, this hits home for you, because you are a good friend of his. We will talk in large part about where the case is going. Casey Kasem's children saying their dad's wife won't let them see him.

And President Obama's recent phone call with Iran's president broke more than 30 years of silence between Washington and Tehran. Now Iran's supreme ruler is weighing in. We'll tell you what he said about the diplomatic breakthrough coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are five things crossing the CNN news desk right now.

Number one, on Capitol Hill, the House unanimously passed a resolution to give back pay to federal workers furloughed in the government shutdown. The measure goes to the Senate next. House Republicans predict the shutdown will go on for weeks.

Number two, mixed feelings from Iran's supreme ruler about the olive branch between his country and the U.S., Ayatollah Ali Khomeini talked about President Rouhani's the recent trip to the U.S. and his historic phone call with President Obama. Iran's official news agency says the supreme ruler is optimistic about his government's diplomatic efforts, but pessimistic about the U.S. calling Washington untrustworthy.

And rare, late year storms hit the plain states overnight. There are reports of as many as 18 tornadoes touching down in three different states, Iowa, South Dakota, and Nebraska. In Wayne, Nebraska, a tornado destroyed as many as a dozen homes. No one was killed in those storms.

And number four, former Minnesota Governor Jessie Ventura may run for president in 2016. CNN'S "CROSSFIRE" host S.E. Cupp asked the former pro-wrestler if he will run, he said, quote, "maybe." Ventura says he is a member of no parties and he called for the abolishment of political parties. If Ventura runs in 2016, he wants his runningmate to be radio host, Howard Stern.

And number five, a National Weather Service office may have been trying to send a secret message. Please pay us? Take a look at this. The first letters of each line in this weather bulletin says just that. The meteorology office in Alaska won't comment, they say they can only talk about the weather, but workers there aren't being paid because of the government shutdown.

And this programming not, Iran's foreign minister weighs in on making peace with the U.S. plus Bono talks about age of the third world and his recent impressions of former President Bill Clinton. See it all this weekend on "Fareed Zakaria GPS," Sunday at 10 a.m. and again 1 p.m. Eastern Time.

All right, the woman shot by police after crashing her car into the White House gate did have a history of mental health problems, but her sisters tell Anderson Cooper she was not delusional. That exclusive interview coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The sisters of the victim in that fatal D.C. police chase say that she was treated for postpartum depression with psychosis, but they say Miriam Carey was not delusional. Amy Carey Jones and Valerie Carey, the sisters, say they're trying to put the pieces together of what happened.

Miriam Carey allegedly drove her car into a WHITE HOUSE barricade before leading police on a chase to the U.S. Capitol. She was shot and killed but her 1-year-old was in the car and was OK. Her sisters talked to Anderson Cooper last night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMY CAREY-JONES, MIRIAM CAREY'S SISTER: The diagnosis came a little bit after her birth of the daughter, maybe a few months after.

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, CNN "AC 360": Her daughter is about a year old?

JONES: Her daughter is a year. She's one year old. I recently asked her about the medication, I talked to her often about that. She told me that the doctors told her she didn't need the medication anymore because the plan was for her to come off the medication within a year, and they were confident that she was better. They tapered her off the medication and she says she felt fine.

COOPER: Do you know for a fact that that was something that the doctors had recommended, she get off the medication, or is that something she told you?

JONES: No, that's what the plan was. The plan of care for a patient that has depression with psychosis is medication and treatment and not to have long term medication like a bipolar or schizophrenia, she didn't have any type of psych history. That's why they told her one year. And they did go with the plan.

COOPER: As you said, I can't imagine the horror of seeing this on television and witnessing this as other people did. Do you, Amy, have questions about the final minutes and how police responded? I mean, you said you want to find out what happened. What aspect in particular do you want to look into?

JONES: We have a lot of questions, I am sure as a lot of viewers when you read the information, you see what the media is reporting, it just doesn't add up. Personally I feel as professionals there has to be another way instead of shooting and killing an individual. I do feel that there could have been something else that could have been done. Our goal is to figure out what happened.

COOPER: What kind of mom was she?

JONES: She was a great mom. She was very nurturing to her daughter. Made sure she got the care she need, she spent time with her, she's very happy to be a mother.

COOPER: Do you know how your niece is doing now? Do you know what's going to happen with her?

JONES: We don't. We're still trying to find out. We're not sure. We just were told that she's safe.

COOPER: Valerie, is there anything else you want people to know about your sister?

VALERIE CAREY, MIRIAM CAREY'S SISTER: My sister just totally didn't deserve this, and there are going to be a lot of different stories being told from people who may claim they know her who don't know her. My sister was a loving mother. She was a law abiding citizen. She had no political agenda and she did not deserve to have her life cut down at the age of 34.

COOPER: Do you know if when she had episodes in the past what they centered around or what she would talk about in those cases?

JONES: She seemed to be overwhelmed, a lot of stress, had a lot of events occurring in her life, and she was diagnosed with the depression and with the psychosis. We found out about it, she dealt with that and there was not moments of her walking around with delusions, that's not what was going on.

COOPER: Amy, Valerie, again I am so sorry for your loss. Please give me condolences to your mother as well. I wish you peace and strength in the days ahead.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: A famous radio personality in the middle of a family drama, Casey Kasem. You recognize his voice and name. He is now suffering from Parkinson's disease. His children say their dad's wife won't let them see him. Our legal guys are back with that case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The children of legendary radio personality and long time American Top 40 host, Casey Kasem are claiming they're being barred from seeing their father who is suffering from Parkinson's disease. "Showbiz Tonight's" A.J. Hammer has more on the troubling family drama.

A.J. HAMMER, HOST, HLN'S "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": This is a sad story any way you look at it, Fred. The eldest daughter of 81-year-old Casey Kasem is claiming the stepmother, Jean Kasem, is banning her and her siblings, her uncle and his closest friends from seeing him. She says she used to visit her dad once a week until about three months ago when she was suddenly no longer allowed visitation.

This week the family decided to go public with their concerns. On Tuesday, Kerri and the others held a protest at Kasem's home in California. They taped it and released footage to get the word out. There have been some accusations that Casey's children want access to him because they're after his estate. That's something Kerri strongly denies.

Here is what she told CNN about that. "My dad told us a long time ago we were not in the will and we're OK with that, we have known that for years. I don't want any of his money. My father taught toys stand on our own two feet, and I am proud of that. It is not about the money, we love our father and he's been ripped from us."

Now so far Casey's wife, Jean hasn't commented on the claims from Casey's children and family, but Casey's long time agent, Don Pits, says that the veteran DJ is still of sound mind. Here is what he tells CNN in a statement. "He has Parkinson's, has it very bad, it took his speech and for somebody who made millions of dollars using his voice, for him to lose that gift, it must be frustrating. But he is handling it very well, his mind is very sharp, his brain works well."

So it's a really sad story, Fred, particularly hearing that this man whose voice so many of us grew up with is no longer able to speak. He was a huge influence in my career and I think we can all hope that the family will be able to work it out peacefully -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, A.J. Of course, that's our hope. In fact, our legal guys are back to talk more about this, Richard Herman in Las Vegas and Avery Friedman in Cleveland. Avery, before we get started, let everyone know that you and Casey Kasem have been friends for years, you even previously counselled him and his family on many legal matters, right?

FRIEDMAN: Well, that's right. I mean, king of the countdown worldwide, he told all of us keep our feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars, but yes, he is very ill. The issue here really is children's rights versus spouse's rights. In the absence, Fredricka, of neglect or abuse, generally spousal rights prevail over children's rights, probably governed by a legal document.

WHITFIELD: If that's given the case then --

FRIEDMAN: In the absence --

WHITFIELD: Sorry, there's delay.

FRIEDMAN: In the absence of neglect or abuse, it is very likely -- in the absence of neglect and abuse, it is likely that the friends and even the children may never get to see their dad again.

WHITFIELD: My goodness, so if this becomes a legal case or that it is a legal case, where can it go given that statement?

HERMAN: Fred, what can happen is the family can try to bring a petition for conservatorship or try to allege by isolating him, it is akin to elder abuse or in some cycles in Parkinson's patients, they claim they should be socialized. They should be around family and loved ones. By isolating them, that's another form of abuse. That seems to be the only angle the children, the brother and the friends may have in order to see him again.

WHITFIELD: So then Avery, how would, if that's the case, if that's the only option for the children, then how would they try to prove elder abuse is also defined by Casey Kasem not being able to see his children, since he can't, he is not in a situation or condition where he can articulate that himself, that he wants to see them, that he is not being able, allowed to see them because of his wife.

FRIEDMAN: Right. Well, understand at this point it is merely a humanitarian protest by the children, friends and family. But if there were issues of neglect or abuse, the evidence would come what goes on the inside of the house, say there were former employees. I don't know, I don't know what the legal strategy will be, but I am in accord with Richard that if there is a legal action, it would be more along those lines. At this point, the humanitarian effort is just to try to convince his wife to permit the children and friends to see him, perhaps only one last time.

WHITFIELD: Family feuding is something a lot of people can relate to. There may be a lot of families can relate to this. There may be a new spouse in the picture and the children feel like they want to see their parent, but they're unable to see for very similar circumstances. So Richard, is this a very common situation in most families? What kind of options would the children have to see their parent who may be ailing health wise, but there may be a new spouse in the picture that isn't allowing it.

HERMAN: I think we discussed that, Fred. It is just some kind of petition for abuse or conservatorship. They have been married a long time. I think 30 years he is married to this woman and the children have been seeing him up to about three months ago. Now, each child it is my understanding have trust accounts established, so financially they're very well off.

If this woman fears that the children are going to walk in and he is going to redo his will, split the estate in quarters, that's not going to happen. He has already articulated the children aren't recovering under the will. The house is up for sale for $40 million.

For me, I would go to financial aspect. Is she precluding the kids because she thinks he is going to diminish or reduce the estate? Other than that, I can't see any reason she would preclude Casey Kasem from enjoying his children, other than --

FRIEDMAN: There's also could be bad blood between the two. But absent neglect or abuse or evidence of that, I am in accord. It will be very difficult for the children to see their dad.

WHITFIELD: Again, a lot of this is based on the account from the children's point of view. We tried to reach out to Jean Kasem for comment. So far we have not heard back to get her side of the story. Thanks so much, gentlemen. Appreciate it. It's always good to see you looking dapper as usual. This is when you can catch our guys, Avery and Richard, brilliant take on the cases of the day, week, month. You name it. Thanks so much, gentlemen. Appreciate it.

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WHITFIELD: You may have noticed it costs more to use your debit cards these days. Banks are making millions by boosting charges on everything from ATM withdrawals to bounced checks. As Karin Caifa shows us, there are ways to avoid those dreaded bank fees.

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KARIN CAIFA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An annual survey of bank fees from bankrate.com recently found consumers paying more for using their money, especially for banking conveniences that make or break a purchase. According to their survey, the average fee for an overdraft is $32.22, increase of 3 percent over last year and the average fee to use another bank's ATM, $4.13, up 2 percent from 2012.

Both are fees that consumers can avoid with good financial planning. But those looking to save more money on bank fees can consider some other tips as well, when you get mail from the bank, read the fine print. Be aware of changes to minimum balance requirements and service fees so extra charges don't catch you off guard later.

In an increasingly digital world, many banks have started to charge for monthly paper statements. Ditch yours to save a dollar or two a month. If you're fed up with fees, tell the bank you're shopping around. They may be willing to waive some charges rather than lose a loyal customer. If they are willing to let you walk, consider alternatives like credit unions, community banks or online banks that tend to have lower fees. Karin Caifa, CNN, Washington.

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WHITFIELD: Coming up in a few minutes, we will take a closer look at Ronan Farrow. He is the son of Mia Farrow and Woody Allan or is he? Mom is saying that Frank Sinatra might be his dad. What do you think? Actually she said it's possible? (Inaudible) resemblance perhaps? More on that next hour.

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