Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

United States Supreme Court Rules on Cell Phones and Privacy; Alleged FKC Hoax; Methodist Pastor Reinstated

Aired June 25, 2014 - 10:30   ET

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


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: So what about those thousands of dollars people have donated to this kid? I'm going to talk about that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: All right, let's talk about -- a little bit more about the U.S. Supreme Court and the decisions it's handing down today. One of them involves your cell phone and your privacy and police action. Let's head out to the Supreme Court and check with Pamela Brown to tell us more about that. Good morning, Pamela.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning to you, Carol. This is a sweeping endorsement for digital privacy and a big defeat for law enforcement. Today, the high court ruled that police must obtain a search warrant when searching a criminal suspect's cell phone upon an arrest. That means before they search a cell phone, whether it's a smartphone or a flip phone, they must obtain a search warrant.

This greatly strips police's discretion to search criminal suspects' cell phone, because the defendants in this case argued they were convicted in part because of information taken from their cell phone and the defendants argued that police should have obtained a search warrant, that cell phones are fundamentally different than other objects on a person such as a wallet or a purse or that kind of thing. And today the high court agreed with those defendants and said that, yes, police must obtain a search warrant before searching a cell phone incident to arrest. Carol?

COSTELLO: All right. Pamela Brown reporting live from the U.S. Supreme Court this morning. Thank so much.

For millions around the world, it's become a key way to get the money needed to start a business or pay for costly medical procedures. I'm talking about crowd funding. And last year that industry brought in between $3 billion and $5 billion. But recent stories about scams involving these websites are raising red flags. One controversy involves a three-year-old girl mauled by a pit bull, and then she went into this KFC in Jackson, Mississippi, where her family claims she was thrown out. Well, thousands of dollars were raised for her family, but as you know right now it all could be a hoax. CNN's Jean Casarez has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Three-year-old Victoria Wilcher viciously attacked by pit bulls, who would not want to help this little girl? Victoria's family posted her tragic story on Facebook and said that to make matters worse, they were asked to leave a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Mississippi because Victoria's wounds were upsetting to other diners.

KELLY MULLINS, GRANDMOTHER OF VICTORIA WILCHER: I sit down at the table with her, started feeding her and the lady came over and she said - she said that we would have to leave. We were disturbing her other customers, but Victoria's face was disturbing other customers.

CASAREZ: The family created a page on GoFundMe to go tell her story and donations started pouring in. Even Kentucky Fried Chicken said they would donate $30,000 for her recovery, but wait, Kentucky Fried Chicken did an investigation of their own to look at the validity of the family's claim and found no evidence to support their story. Here's what they said in the statement to CNN.

"Like the rest of America, the KFC family has been moved by the story of Victoria's injuries and recovery. After the alleged incident was reported to us, two investigations took place, including one by an independent investigator. Neither revealed any evidence that the incident occurred, and we consider the investigation closed. We are honoring our commitment to make a $30,000 donation to assist with Victoria's medical bills." Despite repeated attempts by CNN to contact the family and its attorney, no calls were returned. The attorney did tell this to a local newspaper. "It is unfortunate that Victoria and her family are being vilified on what appears to be the result of an inconclusive investigation conducted by KFC and/or its agents that implies Victoria's story is a hoax. GoFundMe has now pulled Victoria's page. Jean Casarez, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Interesting, right? Joining me now to talk more about this, CNN commentator and legal analyst Mel Robbins and psychiatrist Dr. Gail Saltz. Welcome to you both.

MEL ROBBINS, CNN COMMENTATOR: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: OK, so, Mel, let's start with this hoax.

ROBBINS: You got it. Yes.

COSTELLO: This alleged hoax, right? Because the family is saying, no, no, no, we really were in that KFC restaurant and they really did throw the kid out.

ROBBINS: Right. But KFC is saying actually our investigators say you never were even inside a restaurant that day. Case closed. And you know, here's the interesting thing that I see about this case. We're all talking about the hoax. The thing to keep in mind is that the pit bull attack was real, Carol, and if there's a real tragedy in this story, it's the fact that the family members surrounding this kid are doing a horrendous job in terms of keeping her safe. It was her own father and his girlfriend who are responsible for the pit bull attack and who have now been charged. If the hoax is indeed a hoax, it's now the people taking care of her that are lying and committing crimes and they raised over $135,000 on what may, in fact, be a hoax. And who are the good guys here? Well, KFC is going to keep on giving them the $30,000, GoFundMe has said that they will honor the donations that they have made, but they are going to refund anybody else's and the surgeon that said that he would help out this young gal and do the surgery pro bonus is still there for the little girl, but it's the adults around this little girl that are the true problem.

COSTELLO: Well, Dr. Gail, can you address that? This poor little girl ...

DR. GAIL SALTZ, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: You know, obviously, the girl in all of this is the victim all around, and that is tragic, but I think that there's another tragedy here, which is this growing difficulty in people feeling that it is important to tell the truth. You know, Carol, this is not the first of these stories. It just seems that we're hearing more and more stories of people making up something or, you know, bending the truth, doing what they feel is a white lie, look for all we know, this family feels, you know, it's a big company and we have this tragic situation. People make up - what I'm saying is people make up all kinds of defense mechanisms in their mind and reasons to justify lying in the name of doing something, quote, good, but what suffers is our general integrity. You know, we as a nation, I think, are having an increasingly difficult time honoring that truth is important and at the same time it causes a growing mistrust, so that every time you hear a story, you go, oh, come on, is this real or not real and that I think is creating many problems for many people.

COSTELLO: Oh, absolutely. Because Mel, I mean how often have you heard of stories about people pretending to have cancer and then people donating to their care and it turns out they don't have cancer after all?

ROBBINS: You know, Carol, you're absolutely right. Unfortunately, we're hearing more and more of those, but let's also keep in mind that they are in the vast minority. Most of these crowd sourcing sites are doing amazing things, from funding startup ventures to actually helping people that have a real need. And by the way, when you give somebody five bucks or twenty bucks, whether it's a hoax or not, you are doing it because it makes you feel good.

I'm not saying that that justifies the hoax, but I do think that these are few and far between, and frankly it's a crime. And this family if it's proven to be a hoax should absolutely have charges brought against them for posting something false, for then taking the next step, because they didn't just do a Facebook page, they then went and created a page where you could donate money, which is an additional, you know, step beyond just that initial lie, which to me means that they have broken the law.

COSTELLO: Yes. And the kid is going to suffer even more. Right, Dr. Gail? But I'm with Mel, like I think KFC was really kind to honor the $30,000 commitment. Because it's not this little girl's fault. and she should get those scars taken care of. Because it wasn't her fault that this family pit bull attacked her either.

SALTZ: Right. Well, I mean I think KFC is simply being intelligent about it. I think it's, you know, they had potentially something terrible for their brand, now they have something good for their brand, you know that they are doing the right thing, but as Mel points out the tragedy is this little girl who is obviously -- who is actually old enough to understand if a lie has been made up.

She is old enough to understand that and she's at a crucial developmental age where superego is forming or, you know, what we call the moral compass and if she is surrounded by people who are saying basically it's OK to break the rules, it's OK to commit a crime, it's OK to lie, that isn't good for her future in terms of developing a moral sensibility. One can only hope that if this turns out to be a hoax, that there are enough people around to say, you know, we will support you because you didn't do something wrong, but it's important to know that telling the truth really matters and it's not acceptable to make up a story.

COSTELLO: Well, I hope she has someone in her life like that. I do. Mel Robbins, Dr. Gail Saltz, thanks to both of you. I appreciate it.

SALTZ: Great to see, you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Still to come in a newsroom, a matter of faith and obedience. A minister wins his appeal after being defrocked for officiating a same sex wedding. It was his sons. He'll join us live and right after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A Pennsylvania minister is back in the pulpit today after the United Methodist Church reversed its decision and reinstated him. Back in November, a jury of Methodist pastors voted to have Frank Schaefer suspended for violating church law. Reverend Schaefer had officiated at his son's same sex wedding and he was later defrocked when he refused to vow that he would never again perform a same sex wedding. Reverend Frank Schaefer joins us now from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

First of all, congratulations.

REV. FRANK SCHAEFER: Well, thank you so much, Carol. It just feels unreal. It's a great joy.

COSTELLO: Did you expect them to reverse their decision?

SCHAEFER: I was cautiously optimistic and, you know, when so much is on the line for you, you don't want to get ahead of yourself and expect a good result, so it's sort of like expect the worst and hope for the best.

COSTELLO: Yeah, I was just going to ask you, do you have any regrets?

SCHAEFER: Oh, no. Absolutely not. I mean, this has been an incredible whirlwind for me. When I lost my credentials back in December of 2013, I thought everything was going to be over, but, you know, there were opportunities that opened up for me that were just incredible. I mean, I went on a speaking tour to about - to more than 50 events.

I was still ministering in a sense, you know, to the reconciling part of the United Methodist Church, to those in the United Methodist Church that espouse gays and lesbians and their rights. I was able to actually write a book, that's coming out next month. There's a documentary that's in the works and a theater play. And I got awards. And I mean I would have never thought that all of this would have happened. I thought I was done.

COSTELLO: I also understand you are going to the White House?

SCHAEFER: Absolutely. I was invited to the LGBT event on the 30th and I'm just so honored by that, and I just - I just can't believe that all these things happened, all these good things happened when I expected the worst, when I lost my security, my paycheck, my career, and here I am being reinstated, and it's just -- it's like a Cinderella story, you know. It's like -It's a wonderful thing.

COSTELLO: Many people who are religious struggle with this issue. What would you tell them?

SCHAEFER: Well, you have to come down on the side of love. That's my advice. I mean, if there's one thing that we can take, you know, from our scriptures, they are not there to bog us down, to judge us. Our scriptures, you know, whether it's the Hebrew Scriptures or the Christian scriptures or the Koran or whatever else it is, they are there to inspire us, they are there to help us in our daily struggles, and how can you -- how can you not see how our LGBTQ brothers and sisters are struggling, you know, in society and especially in religion. You know, don't judge them. Just love them. You know, they need love just like everybody else. They need more love, because they've suffered a lot.

COSTELLO: And just the last question, because I understand you are not going to be returning to your church, but you are going to be sent to a student ministry. The bishop says you have a lot to teach. Is that OK with you?

SCHAEFER: Oh, absolutely. I can't wait for those challenges that lie ahead of me and just to be in a beautiful area such as Isla Vista in Santa Barbara is going to be wonderful. It's going to be great to work with young people, with students. Because, you know, they are struggling too. And they have their own sense of struggle, and especially in that area where we just had a shooting not too long ago that killed six people, there's a trauma there that needs to be worked up and where people need counseling and just a spiritual uplift.

COSTELLO: Well, they'll be lucky to have you. Rev. Frank Schaefer, thanks so much for joining us. I appreciate it.

SCHAEFER: Thank you so much.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the "NEWSROOM," computers, cell phones, even watches, Google powers them all. Now the search engine giant wants some of the space on your television. CNN technology analyst Brett Larson is here to tell us more.

BRETT LARSON, CNN TECHNOLOGY ANALYST: That's right, Carol. It's the most expensive real estate in your living room and Google would like to buy some of it. We'll tell you what we're talking about after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Google is all over the Internet and there's a good chance it's running your cell phone and maybe your wrist. What? Now the search engine giant wants to power your TV. CNN technology analyst Brett Larson is here to explain.

BRETT LARSON, CNN TECHNOLOGY ANALYST: Yes, you know, Carol, the - we said going into the break that the set top box, the real estate on top of your television, although our televisions are now quite thin, very expensive, that's where everybody wants to be because if you can own that space, you really own access to content. People have to go through your stuff to get to everybody else's stuff. Cable company's love it. You've got to use their cable box. TiVo was famous for many years. Because, you know, you used their cable box to record your shows. So, it's - I'm interested to see what Google does. They have got the Chromecast which is incredibly popular. Partially because of a price point. It's $35.

COSTELLO: Come on, it's great!

LARSON: It works like a champ. It plugs right into your TV. There's no wires, there's no mess. I mean you have to plug it into a USB connection, which a lot of TVs have, even my TV has it on the back.

COSTELLO: Yeah. I have it on all nine of mine tele ....

(LAUGHTER)

LARSON: Exactly. I have it on all ten of mine in my studio apartment, but the thing that's great about Chromecast is it works very well and Google is behind it. And Google is very aggressive especially when it comes to competing with Apple. Apple has got the Apple TV. They've had it out for several years, it's now onto its second or third edition. And it's just definitely getting better.

But the one thing that I find all of these set top devices lack is any sort of premium content access. Yes, you can get HBO go through your Apple TV. If you have an existing cable subscription that gives you HBO. So, I'd be curious to see if Google could come to the table and say, without having a cable subscription to more of the premium channels, you can now get it through us. Oh maybe they are going to launch a premium channel - subscription that you could get on demand. That would be a total game changer for this ...

COSTELLO: So, do you think that might happen? Like in the near future like tomorrow? (LAUGHTER)

LARSON: Well, you know, Google is there in the Silicon Valley, with Netflix and all the other big companies. So, it's definitely a possibility, but it could happen. But I'm excited about it. Because I also think the price point is going to be right that it will get into more hands of consumers.

COSTELLO: We'll have to check back. I'm excited.

LARSON: Thanks.

COSTELLO: Brett Larson, many thanks. And thank you for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello, at this hour to Berman and Michaela after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)