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Erin Burnett Outfront

Manning Not Guilty Of Aiding The Enemy; Jail Break Caught On Camera; Growing Security Concerns In The TSA

Aired July 30, 2013 - 19:00   ET

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

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: And sleeping on the job, stealing the contents of our luggage, this is what's happening at the TSA, a special report. Let's go OUTFRONT.

Good evening, everyone. I'm Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT tonight, a verdict for spy, Bradley Manning. A military judge ruled the man accused of the largest leak of classified information in American history is not guilty of aiding the enemy, but Manning was found guilty of 19 of the other 20 charges against him. So, who won?

Chris Lawrence was there today inside the military courtroom when the verdict was read -- Chris.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erin, yes, I was about 10-feet away when the verdict came down and basically people in the back row, supporters of Bradley Manning gasped. But he himself did not show very much emotion at that point although his lawyer did have a slight smile as he heard those words, not guilty.

But the most serious charge came down to Wikileaks and whether Bradley Manning giving this information to Julian Assange was the same as giving it to an enemy that could use it to attack the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE (voice-over): Private First Class Bradley Manning snapped to attention in full dress blues likely one of his last acts as an American soldier. He stared straight ahead as the judge found him not guilty of aiding the enemy, but smiled slightly as the hearing adjourned. Manning was convicted on six counts of espionage, as well as stealing video of U.S. military air strikes, classified State Department cables and detainee records from Guantanamo Bay, which could put him in prison for 136 years.

Prosecutors could have accepted Manning's guilty pleas to lesser charges in February, crimes which carried up to 20 years in prison, but the government pushed ahead on the more serious aiding the enemy charge, and critics say it never proved there was any real damage done to national security, beyond the embarrassment of State Department officials when their cables went public.

BEN WIZNER, ACLU: I don't think there's been any evidence put forward that either Bradley Manning's leaks or more recently Edward Snowden's leaks have put people at risk, have harmed people, have led to death. LAWRENCE: The ACLU's Ben Wizner says a conviction on aiding the enemy would have meant anyone that shares information with the media could be labeled a traitor, if the information is published and a potential enemy could read it.

WIZNER: The government equates leaks with the press to treason in a way that could chill and endanger investigative journalism.

LAWRENCE: Manning's acquittal on that charge means no appeal and thus, no further examination of what the government considering intent to aid the enemy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Had there been a conviction on that, we learned a lot more about what Article 104 of the UNIFORM CODE of Military Justice requires. We're not going to know that. It's going to continue to linger as an area of potential uncertainty.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: Now we are just hours away from a sentencing hearing, on Wednesday morning, where defense and prosecutors will argue of over what is an appropriate sentence. The judge could decide to let some of these charges run concurrently or string them out, and come up with a number of years that Bradley Manning will serve -- Erin.

BURNETT: All right, that number of years obviously so important. Thank you very much, Chris.

OUTFRONT tonight, Republican Congressman Peter King, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Intelligence Committee. Good to see you, sir, as always.

REP. PETER KING (R), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Thank you.

BURNETT: Are you happy, disappointed? What word would you use to describe how you feel about the Manning verdict?

KING: I'm gratified that he was convicted on five counts of espionage, plus the other theft counts. Espionage is a serious, serious crime, and five counts, that should have a very, very significant prison sentence and hopefully, it will be deterrent to other people such as Bradley Manning or Edward Snowden, that type of individual who believes they can disclose national secrets.

BURNETT: So, the sentencing, you know, you're talking about spending a lot of time in jail, but obviously the sentencing phase of this court-martial is going to start tomorrow. He could get up to 136 years. I mean, what is the appropriate sentence, should this guy be in jail for the rest of his life or not?

KING: I believe he should. I believe the information he gave out was so damaging and it's hurt American interest throughout the world. I believe it cost American lives and people in your government, deciding on their own to disclose top secret classified information, which can only help our enemy. You can't play government role yourself. You have an obligation, once you take the oath, what secret, you keep secret. You can't take it upon yourself to disclose secrets and put American lives at risk.

BURNETT: So, a life sentence is fair?

KING: I think a life sentence is more than fair for him, yes, absolutely.

BURNETT: Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange, has just responded to the verdict and I wanted to play you something very specific he said.

KING: Sure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIAN ASSANGE, FOUNDER, WIKILEAKS: Throughout these proceedings, there has been a conspicuous absence, the absence of any victim. The only victim was the U.S. government's wounded pride.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: What do you say to Julian Assange?

KING: I totally and entirely disagree with that. Without going into details, this was leaked at a time of the surge in Afghanistan. When it became known that the U.S. cannot protect those who are cooperating with us, that, from my understanding, caused us to lose people who would have worked with us in Afghanistan, who were willing to stand with the United States, but were afraid that their names would be made public in the future, that's why they backed away, and that right there cost American lives.

I can't go into other details other than to say that clearly, this prevented us from recruiting agents who would have worked for the U.S., who had been willing to work for the U.S. under the guarantee that their names and identity would never be made public. After they saw what happened here, it scared people away.

BURNETT: Now the death penalty is off the table and you said life in prison makes sense, but it's off the table. Eric Holder, the attorney general, has already taken it off the table for the NSA leaker Edward Snowden. He told the Russians that he would do so in the hopes they would give Snowden back to -- put Snowden back in American custody. Should the death penalty be off the table in all these cases? And I guess already it is in the Manning case, so, what about in the Snowden one?

KING: No, I don't think it should be, but again, if it's part of negotiations between the U.S. and Russia, you know, I'm not going to second guess the attorney general on that.

KING: Is it possible, though, that the U.S. government, you know, and I say this as both the Democratic administration and the Republicans like yourself overreact a little bit here. You know, Manning was described as the biggest, you know, leak in American history. Snowden, I just recently was talking to a senior law enforcement official, said Snowden has killed people by what he has released. But the president refers to him as a kid. You know, when he was in Senegal, the president said, quote, "I'm not going to be scrambling jets to get a 29-year-old hacker" as if Snowden is no big deal. So, which is it? I mean, how do we really know if these guys did any damage or is there a grain of truth in what Julian Assange said, that the U.S. government just had it pride wounded that anybody could leak anything.

KING: No, this is not pride. We're talking about life and death. And I am very critical of the president when he really sends a mixed message at times, for instance, he says that al Qaeda is decimated, but at the same time, he's expanding NSA coverage, which I think is necessary, because al Qaeda is not decimated. When he says that Snowden is just a 29-year-old kid, at the same time, the Justice Department is going after him on espionage charges. It's a very mixed signal. I think the president has to be much more consistent and really throughout his administration, it's been -- he says one thing, says another, and it's very mixed message, which is misunderstood by our allies and our enemies.

BURNETT: Thanks to Peter King, Appreciate it.

OUTFRONT next, the man accused of holding three women captive for more than a decade faces his fate this week. So, is he going to speak and will his victims also say their peace?

And a young girl fighting for her life tonight against a brain-eating amoeba, doctors say she caught it doing something a lot of us do, often, in the summer.

Later, President Obama's so-called boys club is center stage today. So, why did "the New York Times" step in?

And a brazen jailbreak caught on tape.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: Our second story, OUTFRONT, a developing story in Arkansas tonight. A second jailbreak has just been confirmed in that state. Two prisoners escaped from the Jackson County Jail early Monday morning. Now, this comes on the heels of a bold escape on Sunday in Garland County that was caught on tape. I mean, watch this.

And the guy just sprints off. Authorities are looking for 33-year-old Derek Estelle. He escaped from Garland County with the help of an accomplice, but I mean, that video is just incredible, the guy really squeezing through a window and sprinting up. And he is at large. David Mattingly is OUTFRONT with the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Look quick. In less time than it takes to tell you what happened, Arkansas inmate, Derek Estelle was out of jail, out the front door and off to who knows where. It happened Sunday in Garland County, Arkansas, and the only thing authorities are sure of, Estelle got past deputies because he was not acting alone.

DEPUTY SCOTT HINOJOSA, GARLAND COUNTY SHERIFF DEPARTMENT: They had their back turned at that time.

MATTINGLY: Authorities say Estelle was being held, accused of stealing a car back in March, leading police on a chase that ended in a standoff. The Garland County sheriff says this time, he dove past deputies through an intake window, when an accomplice distracted the guards. He ran out with a deputy in hot pursuit, through the parking lot, to a waiting car.

HINOJOSA: Currently we're investigating several leads that we've received.

MATTINGLY: One of the leads, pretty obvious. This man, William Harding, is suspected of distracting the guards and providing the getaway car. He's now in custody. They're also looking for this woman, Tamara Upshaw, suspected of being the driver. This mug shot is from June, when she was brought in for skipping bond on a theft charge.

Authorities found that getaway car abandoned just a few minutes away, with the couple nowhere in sight. Estelle already had a prison record of theft and burglary. He was facing a multitude of new charges after his arrest in March. That list is sure to grow after his escape in broad daylight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: Now, David, just amazing, when you look at the video of that, I know you've been talking to the sheriff in Arkansas and that this fugitive had a history of theft and running from the police, but I mean, when you look at that video, the guy squeezing through the window and -- it is just amazing. What are they most concerned about?

MATTINGLY: Well, at this point, he is known to have carried a firearm in the past, when committing crimes, so they are letting everyone know that he could be armed and dangerous. And we're also being told that, putting it out in that fashion is a way to let everybody know, this is someone you don't want to approach, someone you don't want to try to apprehend yourself, so, they're asking everyone to send in as many tips as they possibly can and they are getting a lot of them today.

BURNETT: That's just -- that's amazing. Amazing it's on tape. All right, thank you so much to David Mattingly reporting there. Great to have him back.

Ariel Castro, the man who held three women captive in his home for a decade faces his sentencing hearing this week. It's a really important day. Castro has already pleaded guilty to over 900 counts of kidnapping rape and attempted murder. Thursday's hearing is likely to include hours of testimony.

Now, one source tells CNN this is meant to ensure that Ariel Castro spends the rest of his life behind bars. This is going to be incredibly detailed. There have been some reports there could be chains brought into the courtroom to show the horrific conditions under which he imprisoned these women.

OUTFRONT tonight, Scott Taylor, the investigative reporter for CNN's Cleveland affiliate WOIO, who's broken so much on this story. And Scott, I know you had a chance to speak with Castro's defense team today. So, what do you expect from him?

SCOTT TAYLOR, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, WOIO: Well I did a couple of hours ago talk to his defense lawyer, Craig Weintraub, and he tells me, Erin, that he expects Ariel Castro to make a statement. I'm not sure how much long statement will be, but you have to wonder, is he going to try to dominate these three women again like he did for 10 years in that house? Is he going to try to victimize them again, or is he going to apologize?

I'm told by Craig Weintraub, his defense lawyer, that he is going to make some type of an apology, show some type of remorse. But you have to wonder if you are going to believe this guy or not.

BURNETT: Right. And I know the one time when he had a chance to speak, it was all about blaming pornography and his own abuse as a child. And no remorse at all that we saw. Yes.

So now all we've seen so far, Scott, the three women, that short video they put out where they thanked the public, said they wanted to move on with their lives. And then Amanda Berry, the woman who made the original 911 call there at the bottom, she was at a concert this weekend. You can see her there in the front.

TAYLOR: Yes, that was shocking.

BURNETT: Yes that was shocking, wasn't it?

TAYLOR: Yes, that was shocking. She did come out -- I heard that backstage, the tears started coming out, just an overwhelming feeling of the support from everybody out there, thousands of people supporting her. But I believe, at least one will possibly show up on Thursday during the sentencing. And you have to think that's Amanda. She looks like she's going out publicly, and that's helping her to heal and also really the entire community of Cleveland, to heal, too.

Now, you might think Michelle might show up, as well. But right now, I'm hearing at least one, the other two, possibly on video. Erin, you have to understand, the sentencing, according to Ohio law, gives all the victims a chance to make a statement to about Ariel Castro. You could see Gina's family show up, too. Nancy, her mom, or Felix, and really make a statement to Ariel Castro that they are not happy with any of this.

BURNETT: It would be amazing to hear them speak. Of course, only if it's, you know, something that makes them feet better about it. All right, thank you so much, Scott, who, as we said, broke so much on this story.

Still to come OUTFRONT, the people that want to keep you from drinking big sodas in the movie theaters suffered a major setback today. Plus, the crash of the Asiana flight in San Francisco. Why have police charged men with a horrible crime related to that plane who didn't have anything to do with the actual crash?

And later, the deadly high speed train crash in Spain. Investigators confirm exactly how fast that train was going at that instant that it killed so many, 79 people. And also, we now know tonight exactly what the driver was doing at the moment this happened.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: And we have some breaking news right now. Anthony Weiner, tonight, in a new video that we have just obtained here at CNN, is rejecting calls -- calls that are very loud from a lot of people, to withdraw from the New York City mayoral race. Despite dropping to last place in new polls after acknowledging he exchanged extremely lewd and disgusting messages with as many as three women -- although it's unclear, he could only estimate how many they are since he resigned from Congress -- Weiner remains adamant that he is staying in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY WEINER (D), NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE: You know, sometimes people say to me, you know, this campaign is pretty rough. You may want to quit. I know that there are newspaper editors and other politicians that say, boy, I wish that guy Weiner would quit.

You don't know New York. You certainly don't know me. Quit isn't the way we roll in New York City. Someone wants to come out with something embarrassing about you in your private life, you have to talk about that for a little while.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: For a little while. We'll see how long it happens. Well, anyway, Weiner has been enduring questions about his sexting scandal at every public event since his latest disclosure that he continued to sext with multiple women even as he posed for heartwarming pictures with his wife and newborn son. New York City's primary is September 10th.

And now to our third story OUTFRONT: does spousal privilege apply to same-sex couples? So, today, a story that we've been following here, a hearing about whether a lesbian will be forced to testify against her wife in an upcoming murder trial. The stakes are incredibly high. The judge is debating whether the women should be entitled to the same right given to other married couples, and the death penalty could be at stake.

John Zarrella is OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Geneva Case sat in the courtroom. A few feet away in yellow jail clothing and handcuffs, her wife, Bobbi Jo Clary, accused of murder. But Case is here not just to support her spouse. Prosecutors are asking the judge to force Case to testify as the only other person who knows what really happened.

STACY GRIEVE, PROSECUTOR: Question at issue before this court is whether there is any law (INAUDIBLE) that precludes Geneva Case (INAUDIBLE).

ZARRELLA: Attorneys for Case and Clary argue Case should be granted spousal privilege like any other married couple.

ANGELA ELLEMAN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Only because Ms. Case and Ms. Clary are both women does the Commonwealth of Kentucky seek to turn that on its head and say your relationship has no legal meaning. It means nothing to us.

ZARRELLA: Case and Clary were joined in a civil union in Vermont nearly a decade ago. But Kentucky does not recognize same-sex marriage as legal. Spousal privilege, prosecutors argue, does not extend to same-sex couples.

GRIEVE: (INAUDIBLE) we can't change the law.

ZARRELLA: In an exclusive interview with CNN, Case said her refusal to testify is less about what she knows and more about equality.

So, this is really a larger issue, as far as you are concerned.

GENEVA CASE, DEFENDANT'S WIFE: Yes.

ZARRELLA: This is not about testifying or not testifying per se at the trial.

CASE: Right. To me, I think that is my right, not to testify. I think it's anybody's right, not just mine. Anybody's.

ZARRELLA: Clary has claimed self-defense, saying she was being raped, fought off her attacker, and killed him with a hammer. Two years ago, Case told detectives that's exactly what Clary said to her. But prosecutors still want to get her on the stand.

GRIEVE: A jury that's trying the case has ever right to know every admissible piece of evidence. That's how we get the evidence before them is through witnesses.

ZARRELLA: As Clary was led out of the courtroom, she blew a kiss to her family and Geneva Case.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA: The judge did not rule today, saying that because constitutional issues are involved here, she wants to hear from the commonwealth's attorney general. Now, the attorney general's office told us late this afternoon they are going to need some time to clarify exactly what the judge is looking for and to take a look at the case file. Erin?

BURNETT: All right, John Zarrella, thank you very much. He's been reporting on this story from the beginning.

Still to come, a new report shows our government gone wild. The number of workplace violations involving TSA employees is way, way up. These include things like sleeping on the job and stealing your stuff. But they say it's just minor.

Plus, a young girl fighting for her life tonight against a brain- eating amoeba, which she picked up at a local water park. We have a special report on that.

And did human error cause this massive explosion at an American propane factory?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: Welcome back to the second half of OUTFRONT.

We start with stories where we focus on our reporting from the frontlines. And I want to begin with a series of explosions at a propane plant that have injured eight workers in the state of Florida. Authorities believe equipment failure and human error likely caused propane tank cylinders, sort of the like the ones you connect to your gas grill and a lot of them might actually have a name Blue Rhino on them to go off like bombs.

Residents say they saw pulsating glow in the sky. There were 53,000 cylinders at this facility. That is more than a million pounds in all.

Fire chief Richard Keith was at home a few miles away from the plant. He tells CNN said the blast sounded like a car hit his house. Right now, they're looking at human error.

Gay athletes and tourists could be arrested during the 2014 Olympics in Russia. According to "Gay Star News", a Russian lawmaker says the gay propaganda law that President Vladimir Putin signed last month is going to actually be in effect. Now, this comes a day after some gay rights groups have called for a boycott of the games and Sochi altogether.

But U.S. Olympic figure skater, Johnny Weir, who is married to a Russian-American man tells OUTFRONT there should not be a boycott and, quote, "Every proud nation should stand with the Russian LGBT community" to, quote, "urge Russian lawmakers to rethink their stance." He says he is going to Sochi even if it means going to Russian jail.

And another setback against the crusade against letting Americans eat what they want, large sugary drinks. An appeals court in New York City today said Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the city of New York cannot exercise sweeping power to create whatever rule they deem necessary. But shooting down the ban on those big double gulps may be a short-lived win for we the people. Each American drank nearly 44 gallons of soda last year, according to "Beverage Digest", which amounts to, just because we checked, 3,900 teaspoons of sugar a year.

In New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg says obesity is killing more than 5,000 New Yorkers each year and one survey actually shows the prevalence of diabetes has increased 31 percent. So, drink up but then pay the price.

All right, how about this? Growing human teeth from urine. This is reality now.

Researchers in China have found a way to recreate teeth in a lab using stem cells. That guy needs one. So, we looked through their reports to see how it works. The teeth are made from mice mandibles and human urine. The success rate is pretty good for just getting started. It's 30 percent. The teeth have a long way to go. They are only about a third as hard of human teeth right now, which is maybe because they're made from urine.

Anyway, this big news about growing human teeth comes a day after we learned a Dutch professor (AUDIO GAP) burger made from cultured beef. It will not look like what you are looking at there. It's actually not made from beef. It's made from stem cells and this burger is going to be eaten on August 5th.

You see the one on the left, the color on the bottom? The beef is gray in color and slippery in texture, like squid.

It has been 724 days since the U.S. lost its top credit rating. What are we doing to get it back? Well, yesterday, we told you about the fed going after SAC Capital, one of the biggest money management firms in the country for insider trading. Another person was indicted in the case today, but it was not Steven A. Cohen, the founder and owner of SAC.

If the government can't get Cohen, they say they'll tried to go for second best, some of his $9 billion in the form of fines.

And now, our fourth story OUTFRONT, TSA, asleep on the GOP. That is just one of the violations cited in a new government report that shows misconduct by TSA workers has increased by nearly 30 percent in the past three years. The Transportation Security Administration screens about 1.8 million passengers every day at nearly 500 airports in this country.

Rene Marsh has this OUTFRONT investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The list includes everything from forgery, sexual misconduct to physical fighting and using abusive language.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's not even a proper way to report some of the offenses. This may be the tip of the iceberg of some of the offenses.

MARSH: Offenses like Michael Erata (ph), a TSA screening supervisor at New Jersey's Newark Airport, who admitted accepting bribes and kick-backs from a coworker who stole money from passengers at checkpoints.

At Orlando International, a screener pleaded guilty to federal embezzlement and theft charges for stealing more than 80 laptops and electronics valued at $80,000.

And at New York's JFK Airport, TSA employee Persard Kumar (ph) pleaded guilty to stealing $40,000 from a checked bag.

The new report moments in a three-year span, more than 9,000 cases of TSA misconduct were documented, 56 screeners were involved in thefts and more than 1,900 incidents that could hurt security, like sleeping on duty and allowing family and friends to bypass security.

DAVID A. BORER, GENERAL COUNSEL AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES, AFL-CIO: If you look at a population the size of a small size, 56,000 people in this workforce, and the numbers then on an annual basis are really very, very small.

MARSH: The union representing screeners says the numbers suggest the majority of screeners are doing a great job.

Congressman John Mica, a long-time critic of the TSA, called for the audit.

REP. JOHN MICA (R), FLORIDA: Why are there so many cases? And what is TSA doing about this? The report says they really can't get a handle on it. That raises a lot of issue.

MARSH: The government is calling on the agency to improve how they monitor allegations of TSA misconduct and how they follow up after investigating. The TSA telling CNN, in part, they are already working to implement the recommendations.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: All right. Now, Rene, I know the House Subcommittee is going to be holding a hearing about this tomorrow.

So, what are they going to do about this new report?

MARSH: Well, Erin, we know that this report, which we have here, it will come up, most definitely, in this hearing tomorrow, in part because a representative from the government agency responsible for putting this report together will be one of the witnesses testifying. We also know that the deputy director of the TSA is also expected to testify -- Erin.

BURNETT: And, Rene, there was another disturbing development tonight. I want to clear. Obviously, this was not TSA, but it was an airport employee at San Francisco International. He and his fiance arrested and charged with theft after authorities say they stole luggage that belonged to passengers related to the Asiana crash, who were diverted. Pretty awful thing.

I mean, what can you tell us about that?

MARSH: Yes, pretty awful. We're told this man is a customer service rep for United Airlines at San Francisco's airport. And the district attorney's office says that surveillance cameras actually caught him and his fiance in the act, after stealing the luggage, some of which contained valuable clothing. The fiance reportedly returned many of the items to Nordstrom, receiving $5,000 in return. Both are now out on bail and both have been charged with three felony counts including grand theft -- Erin.

BURNETT: Wow, $5,000 -- that's incredible.

MARSH: Yes.

BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much. Rene Marsh, reporting.

And tonight in Arkansas, a young girl is battling a deadly brain- eating amoeba. Doctors believe 12-year-old Kali Hardig may have been infected at a local water park, a local park, which has been linked to the illness once before and would have served as an ideal Petri dish for a very rare but deadly parasite.

This infection kills 99 percent of those who contract it. But there's an experimental new treatment that could be the key to saving Kali's life, if that miracle happens.

Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is OUTFRONT. Elizabeth, I know you have a chance to speak with Kali's mother.

So, what did she tell you?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: She told me that they really are taking it one day at a time. But they are feeling some hope, because she does seem to be getting better. In the beginning, she said, they were just devastated when they first got the diagnosis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRACI HARDIG, MOTHER OF GIRL FIGHTING PARASITE: My husband (AUDIO GAP), what was the prognosis for this amoeba? And he explained to us that there was not a cure for the amoeba. We just both couldn't believe that we were going to lose Kali, but we decided that we weren't going to accept that and we were going to start praying and hopefully our daughter would beat the odds. That's all we had to hang onto.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: Now, kali is still in critical condition, but she is showing some signs of improvement. They are even able to back off some of the medications they've been giving her -- Erin.

BURNETT: Which is pretty incredible. You know, it makes you think of the other case we've been following, with the zip line, 99 percent chance or 98 percent chance of not surviving, and she survived. But, obviously, this is very rare parasite, 32 cases between 2001-2010, I believe.

But -- what are her doctors doing to try to save her? I mean, it would seem, Elizabeth, in cases this rare, that they don't have time to do a lot of experimental drugs and things like that, because not a lot of people to test them on.

COHEN: You know, this hospital, Arkansas Children, has really done an amazing job in so many different ways. From the very beginning, first of all, Kali's mom was smart and brought her in when she was having a headache and feeling tired. And instead of just saying, oh, kids get viruses, it's nothing, they took it very seriously and they diagnosed the meningitis. They looked in her spinal fluid and they could see amoebas running around, swimming around in that spinal fluid.

So, Erin, what they did is, they were very smart. Again, they reached out to the CDC because they heard that the Centers for Disease Control had an experimental anti-amoeba drug and they gave it to her and because her mom got her there so quickly, it actually work and they've looked in her spinal fluid and they don't see the amoebas anymore.

Now, again, she is still not out of the woods yet by any stretch, but a smart mom and smart doctors have really made a huge difference.

BURNETT: Miraculous. OK, thanks to Elizabeth. And, of course, you can see more of Elizabeth's report beginning tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m. on CNN's "NEW DAY."

OUTFRONT next: does the president have a woman problem? Or is it just the imagination of the op-ed page in "The New York Times"?

And then, someone steals more than $100 million in precious jewels. So, where was security? Like one person going into the store and just stealing it.

And investigators know exactly how fast exactly that train, this train here, was going at this exact moment when it killed 79 people. And what the driver was doing at that instant.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: We're back with tonight's "Outer Circle", where we reach out to our sources around the world.

And tonight, I want to begin in Spain. Officials have opened the black box from the train that derailed in that horrific crash last week, in which 79 people were killed. Investigators have already discovered new details about the speed of the train tonight and crucially what the driver was actually doing in the moment before the crash.

Dan Rivers is OUTFRONT.

And, Dan, have they been able to find in the black box?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAN RIVERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Erin, the black box contains crucial data on that Spanish train have now been interrogated by investigators and they show that the train was going at 95 miles an hour when the crash happened. That's almost twice the speed limit of 50 it should have been going. They also show that the driver, Francisco Amo, was on the phone to a colleague rather than paying attention as he went around that curve. He should have applied the brakes 2 1/2 miles before that curve. Instead, they were slammed on just seconds before that train horrifically derailed, killing 79 people -- Erin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Thanks, Dan.

And now to France, where officials are investigating how a thief, one thief, just running in, basically, in a hoodie, was able to escape with $136 million in precious jewelry in the resort city of Cannes. Some are blaming security at the Carlton International Hotel, where the jewelry was actually on display. There was a big sign, you know? It was part of a big event at the time of the heist.

Erin McLaughlin is OUTFRONT on this story.

And, Erin, what are officials doing to try to find this one rogue?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Erin.

Well, police are scouring hours of surveillance footage in an effort to try and identify the man behind Sunday's brazen heist. Meanwhile, members of the union that represents Carlton Hotel employees are speaking out, saying they were shocked to learn the value of the jewels on display as part of this diamond exhibition, saying that even management was amazed to learn that there was $136 million worth of jewelry in their midst. They also were very critical of the hotel security systems, saying that they lack the kind of specialty system that you would find in a normal jewelry store.

Meanwhile, questions persist as to how this could have happened and what kind of security needs to be in place in Cannes to prevent it from happening again -- Erin.

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BURNETT: All right. Thanks to you, Erin.

And now, let's check in with Anderson Cooper with a look at what's coming up on "A.C. 360".

Hey, Anderson.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Erin.

Yes, we've got more on that $136 million heist. I'm fascinated by this. One group that could be connected, the notorious Pink Panthers gang. They've already pulled off more than 300 robberies in 35 countries. Tonight, my interview with the director of an upcoming documentary on the gang, called "Smash and Grab."

She interviews five members of this gang, they reveal how they operate, from the heist, to smuggling to fencing the loot.

Also tonight, keeping them honest, part two in our special investigative series, "Rehab Racket". We had the first part last night. Shady rehab clinics, we're investigating. They file bogus claims for phantom patients. It's happening in California.

But because it involved federal Medicaid funding, all of us, taxpayers, are paying for it, nearly $186 million in state and federal tax dollars over the last two years.

Those stories, and tonight's "RidicuList", and a whole lot more, Erin, at the top of the hour.

BURNETT: I'm really excited about the Pink Panther.

COOPER: Yes, it's fascinating stuff.

BURNETT: All right. Thank you, Anderson.

And now, our fifth story. Obama's woman problem takes center stage today. In "The New York Times," this op-ed, it endorses Janet Yellen to replace Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. It is the most important position to run the company of the United States. It's a position that has always held by a man and it is believed that Yellen's chief rival is former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers.

Now, he is a former member of Obama's economic boys club, as some people called it, which led "The Times" to write this. "Ms. Yellen is not part of the fraternity. Indeed, she is reminiscent of other accomplished women with whom Mr. Summers or his supporters or both have tangled in the past."

Why is Yellen's gender relevant?

OUTFRONT tonight: Dean Obeidallah, Stephanie Miller and Reihan Salam.

OK. Great to have all of you with us.

Reihan, let me start with you. "The Times" goes on to say, they say, oh, she's qualified. By the way, they're both qualified, OK? They're both qualified for this job.

But then they get into the whole woman thing, saying, you know, Summers had disagreements with other woman, including Christina Romer and Elizabeth Warren. Just because you disagree with a woman, that's disqualifies you?

REIHAN SALAM, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, I think "The Times" is making a big mistake. If they want to advocate for Janet Yellen, focus on the fact that she is actually had an incredibly impressive record, of predicting where the economy is going to go next.

Janet Yellen is a really, really strong candidate. So, by the way, is Christina Romer, who was a very key official during the first Obama term.

There are a lot of women very qualified. But when you make this a boys versus girls fight, you actually detract from the fact that Yellen has a very strong case to make, on her own, rather than as a woman as such. So, I think they are making a big strategic error if they want to boost Yellen.

BURNETT: And, Dean, you know, on paper, let's just talk about this -- the qualifications. They are both qualified. They see the economy in different ways. That's why you have different people supporting them.

But, Yellen, vice chair of the Fed board and, of course, led the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Very well known.

Summers, former treasury secretary and the president's National Economic Council director, among other things.

So, why in the world should "The New York Times" bring up her gender? That is to me like saying, oh, and you need to have the woman box checked to help you get it over the guy.

DEAN OBEIDALLAH, COMEDIAN: I don't think they should vote getter whatsoever. And to -- I'm very in favor of diversity and encouraging it. And, in fact, there's seven members of the federal board of governors. Three are women, so you have diversity there.

The idea, this should be the best qualified person, all of our economy. The economy of this country is going to help all of us. You know, you want the economy to grow, the jobs, it helps men and women. So, you want to the help IRA so one day we can retire, 401(k). I love doing comedy but I don't want to tell jokes at 80, in the backroom of a bar room in New Jersey. I wanted to retire. I want the best person to be Fed Reserve chairman, I don't care men or women, the best person, that's it.

BURNETT: Men, women, plant, animal, whatever it might.

Stephanie, what do you think? Obviously, this position has been by men since 1914. But did "The New York Times" when she is qualified need to go there in the gender issue?

STEPHANIE MILLER, RADIO HOST: Well, with all due respect to Dean and Reihan, I'm not making this a boys and girls issue. Erin, let's make this a boys and girls issue, because I agree with Tina Brown's piece about this whole Anthony Weiner, Bob Filner, whoever the latest guy is.

There is a difference. It seems like women just don't do this kind of things. Hillary Clinton is not tweeting pictures from the State Department saying, who wants to see my foggy bottom?

BURNETT: Oh, Lord. MILLER: I'm just saying maybe there's a little, maybe there's a little fatigue with the whole man-thing right now. Maybe that's part of it. I think that both are qualified but I also think --

(CROSSTALK)

MILLER: I mean, a lot of people do not like Larry Summers, and I think she's equally qualified and I think she's a better choice.

OBEIDALLAH: You didn't (ph) disqualify all men from any position in government because you have Anthony Weiner and other people committing, Bob Filner, or Eliot Spitzer, or anyone else. These are isolated incidents. And the fact that all men, that me and him, good guys, have to answer from, are ridiculous.

BURNETT: I mean, I know you'd be good guys, with the hope you're not sending pictures, whatever.

But Al Hunt, OK, Stephanie, let me ask you this, though, columnist from "Bloomberg View," said no one doubts Yellen's credentials an economist. The questions have been mainly by those in the Summers camp, about whether she has the gravitas to manage a financial crisis.

And then people started criticizing Al Hunt by saying he meant manhood when he used the word gravitas. Again, to me, this is a woman -- as a woman, this is insulting to think that people would say that. Why would you assume the word gravitas means male? I'm not saying you are, but why would anyone?

MILLER: No, and you wouldn't. I think that quite honestly, this is also political thing. It's not just a gender thing, Erin. I think as I was saying, this base doesn't really love Larry Summers. And I think she's equally qualified and I think she's probably a better choice. And I'm just saying, that's a political thing, that I think there is some male politician fatigue right now in general.

So, I just think that she's a great choice.

SALAM: I think that there are legitimate gripes from women because some of us talk about her this too soft spoken.

Ben Bernanke has transformed the American economy. He's a pretty soft spoken guy and he's managed to get it done.

So, the fact that Janet Yellen might be more soft spoken than Larry Summers hasn't stopped him. And I don't see why with soft-spoken Janet Yellen either. So, I think that is a legitimate gripe.

OBEIDALLAH: And I don't know why "The New York Times" would bring up gender. There are seven members of the board of governors, no one of color, seven white people. So, why not bring up race as well in this debate? Not just gender. I think "The New York Times" is not doing a service for Janet Yellen whatsoever.

BURNETT: All right. Stuck with the cred and lash out the gender.

All right. Well, thanks to all three of you. Appreciate it.

Well, as you know, every night, we take a look at outside the day's top stories, for what we call the OUTFRONT Outtake.

So, as we're all painfully aware, right? Congress is in gridlock. They backstab. They fight. Nothing gets done. The president today, President Obama, says he has a solution.

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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If folks in Washington really want a grand bargain, how about a grand bargain for middle class jobs?

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BURNETT: Yes, a grand bargain that will break through congressional gridlock by appealing to both Democrats and Republicans. Just the sound of grand bargain inspires confidence and images of something that is big and bold and wonderful and new. Of course, it always sounds like that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Compromise, in order to achieve a so-called grand bargain.

UNDENTIFIED MALE: The classic (ph) grand bargain compromise.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Arrive at a grand bargain.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Band in the grand bargain.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Grand bargain say, hey.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here's the grand bargain now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Yes, grand bargain is one of the government's favorite buzz words. The problem is we actually never get one. Whenever you hear it, it's a sure sign that nothing is about to get done.

It's kind of like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: I have been crystal clear about my position on Iran possessing a nuclear weapon. That is a red line for us.

A red line for us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's a red line for us.

CARNEY: The red line.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Red line.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Red line.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a red line.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Until you crossed it and then there's another one. How about let's stop wit the buzzwords, the sound and furry that signifies nothing, and starts working on actual solutions?

Still to come, if you're a millionaire, are you rich? Maybe not.

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BURNETT: One million dollars per generation, it has been the benchmark for what is rich.

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BURNETT: (INAUDIBLE) celebrated in literature, television, films, music. The Barenaked Ladies even wrote this song about it. A million dollars remains a goal in the dream for people across the country and around the world.

But that could be about to change, which brings us to tonight's number, $5 million. That is apparently the new cut off when it comes to being rich. The Union Bank of Switzerland, UBS, of course, it's Swiss, recently asked more than 4,000 investors what amount of money they need to feel wealthy. Sixty percent said 5 million is the new minimum.

Now, many of the survey responders said that they are currently supporting parents, grown children or even grandchildren, but a million dollars is not enough to live the good life anymore.

So, all right, a Swiss bank -- I mean, gosh, there's a lot of money there, and some really wealthy people think a million dollars just isn't enough. But of course, we want to know what you think. How much money would you need to have to feel rich? Let us know on Twitter @ErinBurnett or @OutFrontCNN.

Thanks as always for watching. Have a great night.

"A.C. 360" with the Pink Panthers starts right now.

COOPER: Erin, thanks. Good evening, everyone.