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Ukrainian Officials Call For Calm And End To Fighting; Acrobats Take Dangerous Plunge After "Human Chandelier" Act Goes Horribly Wrong; Eleven Suspected Militants Under Arrest In Malaysia White House Correspondents' Dinner Highlights; Sterling's Estranged Wife Backs NBA Plan to Oust Sterling; Condoleezza Rice Will Not Speak at Rutgers

Aired May 04, 2014 - 17:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Randi Kaye.

We are beginning this hour overseas where people are dying in a country appears to be on a fast track toward all-out civil war. It is Ukraine. The army in that country is trying to quash an uprising by groups trying to separate entire regions of Ukraine and make them Russians. It started and spread along the two country's border, but now it is spreading more.

The port city of Odessa far from the border but now the center of the deadliest violence. Nearly 50 people killed there in the past few days in street fighting. And in a fire witnesses say was started by activists throwing Molotov cocktails.

Separatists in one region say they are going to ask the people whether they want to stay Ukrainian or join with Russia. They plan a referendum fir next weekend. Now remember, Crimea was annexed by Russia after a similar referendum back in March.

The president, prime ministers and diplomats are calling for calm and an end to the fighting. Ukrainian officials say they are powerless to stop the out of control uprising. Russian leaders say they're not supporting it.

In the forth city Odessa, dozens of people locked up this weekend for fighting against Ukrainian riot police. And today crowds of their supporters stormed the jail and forced police to set them free.

CNN's Phil Black is there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHIL BLACK, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We have seen a lot of anger on the streets of this city since that fire and those clashes on Friday. Claimed so many lives, a big crowd gathered outside the police station, most were happy to stand in the rain and just scream, demanding the freedom of the 60-plus people held inside.

Pro-Russian activists who have been arrested after those street clashes. But some were determined to stage a breakout. They attacked the building breaking windows, security cameras, trying to get through doors, whatever they could. In the end, they managed to break through into the inner court yard of the police station itself and it was around that time that the senior police officer inside tried to make it in.

The city let all of those pro-Russian activists held go and everyone went home peacefully. And so, those activists started to be released and they really emerged from the station as heroes. It was an incredibly emotional scene. Very loud cheers, crying, hugs, smiles as people were reunited with the loved ones and people welcomed back to the community. as heroes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: CNN's Phil Black in Odessa, Ukraine, today.

All right. Let's get some perspective on all of this. Joining me is Christopher Hill, a former U.S. ambassador to Poland.

Ambassador Hill, President Obama alongside German chancellor Angela Merkel vowed Friday to punish Russia further if Moscow does not diffuse the situation in Ukraine. Take a listen to this first.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If, in fact, we see the disruptions and the destabilization continuing, so severely that it impedes elections on May 25th, we will not have a choice but to move forward with additional, more severe sanctions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Ambassador, you have seen the pictures, violence today in Ukraine, I guess the question is, why would the president wait three more weeks to take action here?

CHRISTOPHER HILL, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO POLAND: Well, obviously, he doesn't want to do it. It raises tensions with the allies. The one thing we've had going with the allies is the fact that we have agreed with them on this and presented a pretty united front so the president starts pushing for more sanctions, the Europeans don't want, then we lose the united front, as well. Nonetheless, I mean, these may be punitive sanctions but not coercive. Not going to really dissuade Russia from what they're doing.

KAYE: It is so disturbing to see this video and what's going on there. I mean, seeing pockets of instability throughout Ukraine. I guess is the country even capable of holding elections this month if they did go forward?

HILL: Well, I think the Russians would like to say, no, they're not capable and not even capable of protecting their own people, et cetera. I think Russia's very much in favor of kind of creating this image of Ukraine that can barely do anything right.

They can probably pull off the election. I sort of wonder what they'll be like in the eastern part of the country but what's so ominous about what we are seeing is it really looks like the beginning of a civil war.

KAYE: Yes. That's what I was going to ask you, actually. I mean, to you, would you consider this a civil war right now or do you think is that where we're heading?

HILL: It is kind of looking like where we're heading. Now obviously, Russia is a prime mover on this. But I think as your reporters found out, it seems like a pretty complicated picture there where there are many people who feel very close to Russia. Whether they speak -- prefer to speak Ukrainian or speak Russian, they want to be close to Russia. So this is a very tough situation in the coming weeks and it's not at all clear how it's going to turn out.

KAYE: Well, let's talk about the sanctions. I mean, the sanctions imposed against Russia thus far certainly don't appear to be working. What sanctions do you think would actually hit Moscow the hardest?

HILL: I think if there were some agreement with the Europeans to go after their gas, oil and gas receipts and ban those purchases of Russian gas or oil, yes, that would begin to hurt. But I'm not sure any sanctions even those would hurt in the short run. And what we really want to see is something that will dissuade Putin from this behavior in the next few weeks. And so far I don't think there's much of a rabbit we could stuff down a hat there. I think it's going to be very tough to pull something out.

KAYE: Ambassador Hill, appreciate your time. Thank you very much.

Now, to a developing story much closer to home. The Ringling brothers Barnum of daily circus billed as the greatest show on is reeling after horrific accident today. Acrobats plunged to the ground after a high wire act went horribly wrong. It was all caught on tape. And we want to warn you here, the video you are about to see is graphic.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

KAYE: And this happened just hours ago in Providence, Rhode Island.

Let's get straight to CNN's Nick Valencia.

Nick, tell us. What do you know about this? What have you learned?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That video, Randi, is very difficult to watch. You just kind of wince when you see that. At least 11 people were taken to the hospital because of that circus accident. We know, Randi, nine of them were performers, part of this acrobatic troupe. The hair hang troupe where they're suspended about 35 feet in the air. We'll get into more about this specific act, the Ringling brothers act.

But first, let's bring in the spokesman for the parent company of the circus and hear what he had to say about the incident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN PAYNE, CIRCUS SPOKESMAN: This apparatus have been used for multiple performances each week since the show launched back in January. And each and every time that we come to a new venue, all of the equipment that's used by this group of performers as well as all the other performers is carefully inspected. We take the health and safety of our performers and our guests very seriously.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: We know at least one of those performers arrived at the hospital in critical condition according to a spokesman. The others, ten others are listed in stable condition. We want to show you that video again at home, if you are sensitive to dramatic video, please now is the time to leave the room.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

VALENCIA: Now Randi, what we do know about this specific act is according to the spokesman this hair hang apparatus that something happened to that had been used about 12 to 14 times per week for the last several months since January. We also know that six of the members of that troupe were added earlier this year. This is an event that is prided on its safety. If you go on the Ringling brothers' Web site, there's a lot of information about this event.

The three rigs that were holding, it is three rigs that were welded together by the founder of this troupe, something happened there. Investigators are looking into the fact what went wrong but this is certainly a shock to all of those that were in attendance. Some, I'm sure, thought that this was part of the show and it was only later that they realized that this was a terrible accident.

Ringling brothers has canceled the 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. show for later today. No word about the shows for tomorrow -- Randi.

KAYE: And so Nick, just to be clear, I mean, if you call it a hair hanging act, I mean, they literally hang from their hair from that apparatus, right?

VALENCIA: That's right. They are held and supported only by the hair. In fact, these performers are specifically chosen Randi because of their height, their weight and their hair. And on that Web site, information about this act, it goes very detailed as to the type of treatment that these performers take on their hair, that they, you know, use simple shampoo, that they are not allowed to use hair dryers on their hair. This is something that is a brand-new act, new members added and up until now, nothing had gone wrong. Again, they prided themselves on the safety of this act. And clearly, something went terribly wrong, Randi.

KAYE: Yes. We'll continue to follow that. In fact, we are going to have an eyewitness who was there during this accident and while it was caught on tape. We'll have him to talk with later on in the show.

Nick Valencia, thank you very much.

VALENCIA: You bet. KAYE: Coming up, 11 suspected terrorists arrested in Malaysia. Were they questioned over the disappearance over flight 370? What authorities are saying coming up next.

Plus --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We rolled out healthcare.gov. That could have gone better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: We've got the zings, all the burns and all the flops from the White House correspondents' dinner.

Stick around for that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: It is an emotional day for the families of those aboard Malaysia flight 370. The first memorial service was held for two passengers, and Australian married couple, Rod and Mary Borough. The relatives needed some type of closure from the 59-day nightmare.

Meanwhile, in a few hours, a crucial meeting will be held to determine the next search phase. Officials from Malaysia, China and Australia will attend that. We have also learned the contract for the U.S. Navy's underwater drone Bluefin is now extended in the end of the month.

Also this, 11 suspected militants are under arrest in Malaysia accused of being involved a group that plans terror attacks. But Malaysia police say there is no link between the 11 suspects and flight 370.

Here to discuss all of this, aviation analyst Les Abend, 7777 captain and safety analyst David Soucie, author of "Why Planes Crash."

All right, welcome to both of you.

Les, I want to start with you on this one talking about the suspected militants, 11 of them arrested. Malaysia saying they're not connected at all. Do you think -- I mean, would we trust that Malaysia would tell us the truth and would open up to us if that really was the case, if they were connected?

LES ABEND, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Well, like you, my understanding is the FBI is involved. So, I would think that there's still consultation with the FBI and, yes, I would think so. This seems unrelated. You know? The source, the sources of other things don't seem to be that reliable.

KAYE: Doesn't make sense to you?

ABEND: It doesn't make a lot of sense to me at this point. KAYE: Let's talk about this trilateral meeting tomorrow, David. This is certainly a crucial time, again. We have China, Malaysia, Australia all meeting. What do you think needs to be addressed in that meeting and what even could come out of it?

DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: Well, in every investigation, there's ebbs and flows and I have always said 70 percent of the time needs to be planning and 30 actual on the scene searching and investigating.

So, this part right now is overdue, long overdue because they haven't had really this much time to set back and say what are we doing? Have we been doing the right thing? Are the tools we have working?

So, this is a great opportunity for them to say, now that everything's settled down a little bit, let's figure this out, find out the right tools. Let's get those right tools and get them out there and dispatched properly and at this point I'm still convinced they're searching the right area, the water search. So, if they keep with that, they're going to need new tools and could take several weeks.

KAYE: Do you think -- I mean, given that they're finally having this meeting, do you think that Malaysia should continue to have a lead role here?

SOUCIE: You know, I'm not sure that's the right thing to do. You know, and Angus Houston is doing a great job with the search and rescue part of it. And I think if I was him I would be pleading for that. It is hard to be just the search and rescue and not the investigation. There are so much you may not have available to them. So if I was Angus, I would be making that plea. It is in our area. Let us take that on. And under ICEA rules, Malaysia certainly can delegate this investigation to Australia.

KAYE: Yes.

Les, I want to ask you about the Bluefin. Obviously, they're now extending it. This is $40,000 a day to operate this Bluefin which goes underwater and works kind of like a lawn mower as you know to check the bottom of the ocean floor looking for any wreckage. It hasn't found anything. Is this a good use of money or waste of money, do you think?

ABEND: Well, my understanding is that the Navy contracted with a particular company that operates that unit so I guess they have to fulfill their contract. You know, this trilateral meeting I think will involve more assets and I think it's important that they be deployed, you know -- I'm getting an understanding like the rest of the world about how this equipment operates. So it sounds to me -- but I think Dave and I are in agreement with this Inmarsat data that even with the preliminary report I think it really indicates that they're in the right place. It is a big right place, but it is in the right place.

KAYE: So, the search of the Bay of Bengal where they're obviously sending some assets, not a lot of assets, but I mean, obviously, the families, you know, they would want to know there's nothing there and maybe some truth to it and cross that off their list. I mean, do you think that's a bad idea?

ABEND: I have mixed feelings about it. I don't know. Dave, what you think?

SOUCIE: To take resources away doesn't make a lot of sense. I was hoping that they would have ruled it out by the fact that (INAUDIBLE). Ships have been there but, you know, it really is -- they're obligated at this point to give the families anything that the families need for appeasing where they are.

KAYE: Right.

SOUCIE: I think that's one they can.

KAYE: All right. Well, I know you guys are going to stick around. We are going to talk with you a little bit more later on.

So, Les, David, thank you very much.

President Obama and comedian Joel McHale sling jabs at the White House Correspondents Dinner but not all of them hit the mark. We'll have the best and the worst right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back.

Celebrities, politicians, the president himself, they all shared the spotlight at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner. It is a yearly affair featuring lots of jokes at everyone's expense. So let's talk about it with CNN political commentators Marc Lamont Hill and Ben Ferguson and veteran Washington journalist Patrick Gavin. He is working on a documentary tracing the evolution of the dinner into a Hollywood-style celebrity event.

Good to see all of you.

All right. So let's start with the president. He definitely landed some punches that hit pretty close to home. Take a listen to this one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: I am happy to be here. Even though I am a little jet lagged from my trip to Malaysia. The lengths we have to go to, to get CNN coverage these days.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: I think they're still searching for their table. MSNBC is here. They're a little overwhelmed. They've never seen an audience this big before. Let's face it, FOX. You will miss me when I'm gone. It will be harder to convince the American people that Hillary was born in Kenya. (LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: I don't know about you, but I'm glad to see he spread the jabs around.

But Marc, let me go to you first. Did the president leave them laughing, do you think or -- how would you rate that monologue of his?

MARC LAMONT HILL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I give him an A-minus. And the only reason I gave him an A-plus is because I think he's had better monologues in the previous years. But he set a great standard in the term and this was another awesome night.

KAYE: Ben Ferguson, what did you like or dislike about the president's remarks?

BEN FERGUSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, it's kind of fun to see a president of the United States of America walk out there, you can tell he was way more relaxed this year than in years past because he didn't have to worry about reelection. He mentioned that a couple of times in the monologue like, hey, guess what, I can say whatever I want and no one can vote against me on this. And you can tell that there was a couple of jabs in there that he really wanted to get in.

I also think one of the greatest parts is actually when it looked like the video froze and he had Kathleen Sebelius walked up there and say, I deal with this all the time. That was kind of a way of saying I'm still loyal to Kathleen Sebelius but she doesn't have a job, but I'll have fun with it tonight. That part I thought -- it was a little awkward for the crowd because they weren't sure like, is he really ripping on Kathleen or -- how does this work? But I thought it was a great moment from the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

KAYE: Yes. It was pretty self deprecating on her part too, actually to walk up there and play that role, right?

FERGUSON: That's awesome because --

HILL: If it's too partisan and one sided then people don't like it because it is changes the tender of the evening. But if he's dishing it out to Republicans and to himself and to members of his administration, then it makes it funny. Seeing Kathleen Sebelius up there, to me, was the perfect ending to the whole bit.

KAYE: Yes. It was a lot of fun to watch that.

FERGUSON: Yes, it is loyalty.

KAYE: Patrick Gavin, let me ask you.

FERGUSON: That's what people like.

KAYE: That is true. Patrick, this dinner certainly changed through the years. I mean, 20 years ago, the president told maybe just a few jokes about reporters and then sat down. Nowadays, you know, we have the videos, the long list of jokes about reporters. I mean, why the Hollywood attraction? Why's it grown so much?

PATRICK GAVIN, JOURNALIST: I mean, it really did grow but this year I think it is a much smaller Hollywood contingency. I think that is for a couple reasons. One, Obama is not new anymore. Two, I think that word is kind of got out amongst the celebrity crowd that when y u come to this, you get clawed at a bit. It is not always the most fun experience. You have to do a thousand press lines, a thousand red carpets. And if you don't do them, you will get dinged in the press as sort of being snobby.

So, it is not to say great experienced for a lot of celebrities. But I think that the fact of the matter is that, you know, might seems quaint to some people here in Washington. I think for a lot of people, both celebrities and reporters and political types, all across the board, they just like being in the same room as the president. It's always a unique experience. And so that kind of explains why there's still interest in this dinner both here in D.C. and out in L.A.

KAYE: Chris Christie, New Jersey governor, quite a target last night. Headliner Joel McHale was brutal toward the New Jersey governor. Let's listen to that and then we'll talk about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCHALE: Governor, you want bridge or size jokes because I have a bunch of both. Have you go half and half? I know you like a combo platter. Now, I get that. I'm sorry for that joke.

Governor Christie, I didn't know I was going to tell it, but I take full responsibility for it. Whoever wrote it will be fired. But the buck stops here. So I will be a man and own up to it just as soon as I get to the bottom of how it happened because I was unaware it happened until just now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: All right. So that was just a sampling. I mean, the way jokes are easy, right? But are they funny, Marc?

HILL: Look. I love a good Chris Christie joke. I will be honest. I love a good fat jokes sometimes but I thought he went too far. The particular joke you heard was a good one because it made fun of Bridgegate. But when he said, you know, buckle up, and then he said well, extended buckle up, you know, making just unnecessary bad joke, I thought he went too far. I actually thought this is one of the least funny bits that I have seen at the dinner in -- I think only Jay Leno had a worst one.

KAYE: Ben, you want to weigh in? HILL: I think Jay's was pretty darn funny. Last night was a little bit I think mean spirited towards everyone when he got up there. I mean, he was harsh at Jessica Simpson, he was harsh at Joe Biden, he was harsh at Hillary Clinton. He was harsh at pretty much anyone and it was literally the point where I think he was hoping it would be, that was really low instead of people laughing at his jokes. I think he wanted to push the limit. I don't know if everyone loved it as much as maybe he thought they were going to. But he certainly last night made, you know, you have easy targets out there in the audience and he made sure that he had it ready, aim and fire for those that are willing to attend.

The other thing is if you're going to go to the White House Correspondents Dinner and you have been in the news in the last year, you better be ready for it to be mean spirited. And I think some of these people know that coming in. I mean, if Chris Christie didn't want the want to get the heat, then don't come to the event. But people are willing to go and be talked about.

KAYE: Absolutely.

All right, let's me share this other show this un-funny segment to many people. Vice president Joe Biden, Julia Louis Dreyfus who played the vice president on the TV show "Veep." Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like the sprinkles.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was like the sweetest thing you can get in the executive branch.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, guys. What are you doing?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nothing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's in your mouth?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Carrots.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, don't talk.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Haven't you heard anything I said about healthy eating?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: All right, Patrick, I'm going to start with you on this. Did it work or were they trying a bit too hard there?

GAVIN: I thought it did and partial to the show "Veep" so it kind of anything in that they view in that vein works for me. I think what is sort of interesting as we were talking earlier about how is the dinner has evolved. It also evolved in this area where videos, these kind of productions last year, at the "House of Cards." This year that was about "Veep." They are sort of, you know, the new standard. You go with can't not do it.

And it is interesting. Part of the reason is a great opportunity, Hollywood likes doing them. They play well in the crowd but it is interesting. So before my day, somebody I'm talking a lot about both current and former presidents of the White House correspondents association, they all say that the single best reason to have a video is to get the crowd to shut up. So reality, while it is entertaining, it is actually total crowd control what they're doing. Because if you just bang the gavel, no one is going to be quiet. If you talk about the scholarship, sadly, no one is going to be quiet. But if you play a video, that might actually feature reporters themselves, they'll all shut up.

KAYE: Yes. They're on to something there, for sure.

All right, guys. Thank you so much.

Marc Lamont Hill, Ben Ferguson and Patrick Gavin have a great evening. Thank you.

GAVIN: Thanks a lot.

KAYE: The estranged wife of Clippers owner Donald Sterling speaks out for the first time. I will tell you what she is saying and why it could be bad news for the NBA.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: The Donald Sterling scandal is ripe for comedian's mockery. The L.A. Clipper's 80-year-old owner is permanently banned from the NBA over his racial remarks. Sterling's female companion, nearly 50 years younger, recorded his rants.

"Saturday Night Live" took aim at the whole Sterling mess. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Adam Silver, who I thought was one of us. But let's just focus on the real victim here. It's me. My reputation has gotten a real black eye, which we all know is the worst kind of eye. I

(LAUGHTER)

I have also agreed to put up $3 million to do my own version of the million man march, so this June Donald Sterling's million man cruise will take thousands of black men on a wondrous journey to the beautiful Ivory Coast of Africa to never come back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Now, the Donald Sterling scandal is getting even more bizarre. Sterling's wife is declaring herself co-owner of the Los Angeles Clippers and distancing herself from her disgraced husband. Rochelle Sterling says she supports the NBA commissioner's decision to permanently ban on her husband over his racist comments and the league's push to get a CEO to manage the Clippers.

Now, I want to read part of her statement right here. "I spoke with Commissioner Adam Silver this week to tell him that I fully supported his recent swift and decisive action. As a co-owner, I'm fully committed to taking the necessary steps to make the Clippers the best team in the NBA."

Weeks ago, Rochelle Sterling tried to sue her husband's female companion, the same woman who recorded Sterling's racist remarks. Sterling's wife wanted V. Stiviano to return lavish gifts like expensive cars, including two Bentleys and a Ferrari.

Let me bring in criminal defense attorney Holly Hughes and psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Dr. Gail Saltz. Welcome to both of you.

Holly, what is your reaction first to Rochelle Sterling calling herself co-owner? And I guess really the bigger question here is what legal claim might she have to the team? I mean ,could she stop this forced sale?

HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: She could. Because what you are looking at is California is a community property state. They have been married longer than they have been owned the Clippers. He didn't buy them until 1981. They have been married since 1959.

So any of the property that was accumulated during the course of that marriage is considered community property, Randi. So she does have a claim. California's a 50/50 state. But don't forget Sterling started his career as an attorney, as a personal injury and divorce attorney, so he's very familiar with these laws.

So there may be a pre-nup in place that we haven't heard about. There may be some other legal documents that he drafted getting her to say I am not part owner of the team. It'll be very interesting to see what documentation she is able to produce and what documentation he is able to produce to fight her on this.

But she stands a very good chance because if she files for divorce, this is a marital asset, and you're gonna have to divvy it up according to the domestic laws in California.

KAYE: Yeah, she's obviously learned a thing or two from him probably over the years.

But Gail, let me bring you in. I mean, certainly the psychology of this is one we will analyze for a very long time. I want to play a clip, though, first for you and then I want to talk about it. This is V. Stiviano, the woman that recorded Donald Sterling, talking with Barbara Walters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

V. STIVIANO, RECORDED DONALD STERLING'S RACIST COMMENTS: I'm Mr. Sterling's right hand arm, man. I'm Mr. Sterling everything. I'm his confidant, his best friend, his silly rabbit. BARBARA WALTERS, JOURNALIST: His what?

STIVIANO: His silly rabbit.

WALTERS: His silly rabbit?

STIVIANO: Yes.

WALTERS: Is that what he calls you?

STIVIANO: No. I call myself that.

WALTERS: OK.

STIVIANO: I joke around, and I make him laugh. I do things that some people find very silly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: His silly rabbit, as she calls herself that. What do you make of this relationship with the guy who's 50 years older than she is?

DR. GAIL SALTZ, PSYCHIATRIST AND PSHYCHOANALYST: It's hard to understand the nature of a friendship when there is that big generation gap, quite frankly. They have -- it seems nothing in common. So I think we're all left in the dark as to what the nature truly is.

It would be unfair to say it must be, you know, that she's after the gifts and so on. Because we don't know that. All I could say is that it would be highly unusual to have a friendship, because friendships are based usually on mutual interests and mutual understanding, mutual backgrounds, similar values. So I'm not sure where that would be coming from. She did receive unusual gifts within the context of any sort of friendship.

KAYE: Yeah, expensive gifts.

SALTZ: Expensive gifts, even if your friend offered you that, Randi, right, you would say I can't really accept that from you. So the fact she accepted multiple of such gifts must give us all pause.

KAYE: It certainly will.

SALTZ: As to the nature of the relationship. And, you know, for her, beyond gifts, what would she get out of it? I mean, you could wonder. You know, sometimes there's a big age gap when you have an Oedipal issue, and you've got daddy issues, right? And you want someone to be that mentor for you. But I don't see any mentoring going on.

KAYE: Right. It is a tough one to figure out. No doubt about it. Gail Saltz and Holly Hughes, thank you both very much.

A horrifying stunt at a circus. More than a dozen people injured when acrobats fell from a device suspending them high above the ground. Coming up, an eyewitness who saw it and has it all on video. We'll show it to you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: For as long as she can remember, Natalie Irish is passionate about art, but when she was diagnosed with type I diabetes at 18, even that became a struggle for her.

NATALIE IRISH, ARTIST WITH DIABETES: I can't keep my eyes open. I can't focus on my art classes. Went to the doctor. Check your blood sugar. Sent me immediately to the emergency room.

GUPTA: Turns out her blood sugar was seven times higher than normal. And doctors surprised she hadn't lapsed into a diabetic coma.

IRISH: Everything changed, my priorities, the way I ate, the way I lived my life, just starting from scratch. GUPTA: Not long after, something else changed, too: her style of art.

IRISH: I was going to see a band, so I was going to a show and I put on my red lipstick, and I blotted it on a piece of tissue and saw a lip print and I'm pretty sure there was an actual light bulb and I was like, "I can paint with that."

GUPTA: That's right. She paints with her lips.

IRISH: It's all lipstick. I make a lot of it myself. Everything from boutique brands. This is just -- this is just a different paint brush. GUPTA: Kissing the canvas with full-on lip prints using her lips to smear, smudge and shade in the portraits, Natalie creates masterpieces. She said some sell for thousands of dollars and she's using that attention to help raise awareness about type I diabetes.

IRISH: I have a bit of an audience, and I have people that, you know, like my work and then it's like, OK, let's talk about this, too. You know? GUPTA: She says her biggest message, fix the physical, but don't forget about the mental.

IRISH: There is a lot of self blame that can pop up in there. Every day's going to be different. You're gonna have good days and bad days, but it's not, you know, it's not our fault.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAYE: Eight acrobats, hanging from their hair, plunged 30 feet to the ground during a Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus today in Providence, Rhode Island. The accident has left as many as 20 people injured, some in critical condition, we're told.

Now, the terrifying incident was caught on tape. Now, we want to warn you before we show you that video, it is graphic.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

KAYE: That video was shot by Gabriella Robio (ph). Her boyfriend, Shawn Berjoi (ph), joins me on the phone from Providence.

So, Shawn, the two of you were at this show. Tell me what it was like and how would you describe what happened?

SHAWN BERJOI, (ph), WITNESSED CIRCUS ACCIDENT: (inaudible) been able to hear that video gives me the biggest chills right now and goosebumps. But being there was just even worse, honestly. Because we were just sitting down, normal people, obviously. And there were these huge drapes, completely dark and then next thing you know the drapes fall down and you see about -- what I saw was about 13 girls just dangling there and the ringmaster goes, "And they're suspended by" -- and then at the very moment they just fell.

I want to say about good maybe 35 to 40 feet. And I want to say about -- it took me a good maybe 35 seconds just to finally realize what just happened. And the entire place was in complete chaos at that time, freaking out. People were grabbing their kids, and I think they all left, honestly.

KAYE: Did the crowd understand right away that this was not part of the show?

BERJOI (ph): It took me about maybe 13 to 20 seconds, but then I think the crowd as far as the kids there, they had like no idea what was even like going on. so --

KAYE: And how -- I mean, I assume people were screaming. Is that the case?

BERJOI (ph): Kids were -- well, they weren't screaming at first, but there was a girl that was right next to me that was asking her father if this was part of the act. And her dad goes, "I don't think so, honey." And then he grabbed his kids and left, obviously.

But there was one point there was just complete silence, and you could physically hear the girls down there just crying and screaming. And that's what finally hit me, that, wow, this just happened.

KAYE: And could you see the -- the girls who had fallen? I mean, could you tell, you know, what kind of pain they were in or what it looked like? Obviously they were taken away on stretchers.

BERJOI (ph): I could physically, yes. But at first, I couldn't because they actually had you completely darkened out the entire -- like the entire ground level was completely dark. I want to say about maybe three minutes later they had the first responders there. And then they actually put both rescues on both sides, so you really couldn't see that much afterwards.

KAYE: Right, I'm sure it was a horrifying experience. Shawn Berjoi (ph), thank you so much for sharing your girlfriend's video with us and also for talking with us. Appreciate that.

And we want to let you know a circus spokesman has released the following statement to us. "Each and every time that we come to a new venue, all of the equipment that is used by this performer, this group of performers, as well as other performers is carefully inspected. We take the health and safety of our performers and our guests very seriously, and our company has a safety department that spends countless hours making sure that all of our equipment is indeed safe and effective for continued use."

She's been called one of the most influential, intellectual and political figures of the last 50 years. But some students at Rutgers University don't want her to speak at their graduation. We'll tell you who and why next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says she will not give the commencement address at Rutgers University. Rice released a statement saying the invitation had become a distraction. Some students and faculty members protested her support of the war in Iraq, saying she played a prominent role in misleading the public about reasons for the war.

The university president says he stands by the invitation but respects Rice's decision.

So let's bring in our panel, CNN political commentators Ben Ferguson in Dallas, And Marc Lamont Hill in Philadelphia. Good to see you guys again.

All right, Ben, to you first on this. Isn't a university setting, I guess some might say, the ideal place to discuss that kind of distraction? And should Rice have maybe engaged on the issue instead of avoiding it? FERGUSON: No, I think this is an incredibly classy move by Condoleezza Rice, a woman that's spent a lot of her career teaching at universities. And she realized there's a lot of people going to graduate that day that don't want a distraction to be about the speaker. And I think there's some students as well as some faculty that are out of line here.

You're never going to agree with the commencement speaker 100 percent of student body, faculty or staff, but the way that they're trying to go back and attack her because of the war in Iraq. And she says, look, this is about the students' accomplishments. This is about them putting four or five years of their life there, also people graduating with Masters or doctorates, and I'm not going to take away from the day because ultimately the day is about them. So for Condoleezza Rice, I think it's a very classy move so they can actually enjoy the graduation of the students. And I think the ones that were protesting and threatening to sit in or -- or cause massive problems with noise at this ceremony, I think they should be ashamed of themselves for it.

HILL: What?

KAYE: Well, clearly Marc does not disagree. Marc, you want to weigh in then? You want to respond?

HILL: (inaudible) the First Amendment any more. I can't keep track of people on the right when they like the First Amendment and when they don't. When it's OK to speak out about something and when it's not.

FERGUSON: It's OK to speak out.

HILL: If it's your graduation, you have every right to speak out and say, look, I don't want her here. You have the right to do that at the commencement. You also have a right to do that ahead of time.

Look, I've been teaching at universities for over a decade now. and every time there's a commencement speaker, there's some students that don't like it. The question becomes does this body represent the overall number of people on the campus?

For example, 100 students protested in front of the president's office when Dr. Rice was announced. I don't know if that hundred is representative of all people at Rutgers or not. What I know for sure is there's a legitimate critique of Condoleezza Rice and her part to play in the Iraq war. And I think it's totally OK for the students to protest that.

And last, I'll say real quick, I think Condi wasn't just upset -- wasn't just trying to respect the event. I think she didn't want to be embarrassed by getting booed while giving a speech.

FERGUSON: She's been booed many times. She's got tough skin, to say the least. She's been in tough situations before, Marc. I think you know as a professor that she's not afraid to take the heat. Look at her jobs on her resume. Every one of them was a position where she was willing to take heat. She realized that this was not the appropriate place to take away from the students' accomplishments. And I respect her for that.

And this has nothing to do with free speech. Students have the right to protest, as they did. It's different -- the difference is when you're saying that you're going to ruin the graduation ceremony on purpose as these students were saying, that's the problem.

KAYE: All right, guys. We're going to -- we're gonna have to pick this conversation up at a later opponent. Or you guys can just call each other and finish that battle, OK?

HILL: Yeah. (LAUGHTER)

KAYE: All right, Ben Ferguson, Marc Lamont Hill, thank you both very much. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo, a time to honor Mexican culture and heritage. And that's exactly what our Anthony Bourdain did.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY BOURDAIN, HOST, "PARTS UNKNOWN": Mexico, you know, you see it on TV, murder, corruption. Mexico is a deeply troubled, maybe even cursed land. It is also just as deeply magical and enchanted.

This amazing, amazing country, incredible food, unbelievable music, old school colonial streets, mountains, beaches. Did I mention the food? You should pay more attention to this place, man. It's our brother. It's right down there next to us. And it's really one of the greatest places on earth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: And you can find out more tonight on "ANTHONY BOURDAIN: PARTS UNKNOWN". It airs at 9:00 pm Eastern Time only on CNN.