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Campbell Brown
Your Economic Outlook; New Face of Medical Marijuana
Aired March 10, 2010 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: CNN Primetime begins right now.
CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everybody. A congressman's emotional outburst on the House floor just a little while ago. That topping the "Mash-Up." We are watching it all so you don't have to.
It was Congressman Patrick Kennedy who launched into an absolute tirade this afternoon on the floor of the House. And his target, the media. Something you should hear. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PATRICK KENNEDY (D), RHODE ISLAND: If anybody wants to know where cynicism is, cynicism is that there's one, two press people in this gallery. We are talking about Eric Massa 24/7 on the TV. We're talking about war and peace, $3 billion, a thousand lives and no press? No press.
You want to know why the American public is fit? They're fit because they're not seeing their Congress do the work that they're sent to do. It's because the press, the press of the United States is not covering the most significant issue of national importance, and that's the laying of lives down in the nation for the service of our country.
It's despicable. The national press corps right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Kennedy was speaking out in support of a resolution that would pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan in 30 days. That resolution is not expected to pass.
Karl Rove is admitting that the Bush administration made mistakes, but the man known as Bush's brain is not backing down on his former boss' decision to invade Iraq. This is what he told Wolf Blitzer earlier today. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Here is what you write in "Courage and Consequence." "The failure to find stockpiles of WMD did great damage to the administration's credibility. Our weak response in defense of the president and in setting the record straight is, I believe, one of the biggest mistakes of the Bush years."
I guess with hindsight do you wish you had paid more close attention to the -- the raw intelligence itself?
KARL ROVE, FORMER ADVISER TO PRES. BUSH: The raw intelligence was carefully reviewed by Democrats and Republicans who came to the same conclusion.
BLITZER: But what about your --
ROVE: Eric Cantor and Al Gore and others that this -- that he had WMD. And -- look, we had to act on what we knew at the time. It's nice in retrospect to say oh well, somebody should have known. But everybody did examine this carefully.
BLITZER: More than 4,000 young American men and women have died so far in the war in Iraq, $1 trillion at least has been spent and as you look back --
(CROSSTALK)
ROVE: I think you're conflating Iraq and Afghanistan but I accept your point.
BLITZER: No. We looked at it --
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: In Iraq 4,373 as of today.
ROVE: I think that includes --
BLITZER: Men and women have died.
ROVE: I think that includes combat and non-combat injuries.
BLITZER: It includes -- yes, that's the number of U.S. military personnel and about a dozen civilian DOD personnel have died in the war in Iraq.
ROVE: The right decision was made, Wolf. And the world is a better place for Saddam Hussein being gone from power.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Rove argues that weapons of mass destruction could have been moved to Syria before the invasion of Iraq in 2005. Investigators from a CIA-led task force called that unlikely.
New details tonight about an American woman who calls herself Jihad Jane and is accused of plotting terrorism. Colleen LaRose apparently has a history of mental health issues and her ex-boyfriend spoke out today saying, quote, "She wasn't a rocket scientist."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He believes that she might have been manipulated somehow into doing this as she is accused of this conspiracy, but he said this is not the person that he knew at all. And he also doesn't think she is really capable of doing such a thing.
KURT GORMAN, FORMER BOYFRIEND OF COLLEEN LAROSE: She wasn't no rocket scientist so I don't mean she -- I don't -- it's hard to say what somebody thinks or how much they know, but it is not like she was -- you know, she was limited in her capacity there so, I mean, I don't know how, you know, much thought she could actually do on her own.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Her boyfriend Kurt Gorman said he had no idea LaRose may have been a closet jihadist.
GORMAN: Still can't believe it. Yes. It just doesn't make any sense. Sounds crazy. Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: LaRose allegedly agreed to marry one of her co- conspirators to get residency in an unnamed country in Europe.
In other news, proof positive that the French are just different when it comes to love and marriage. In an interview with Britain's Sky News France's first lady Carla Bruni shared her views on monogamy and responded to rumors that her husband President Nicholas Sarkozy is having an affair. And what she said, well, it really needs no translation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You equated it as having saying you are bored with monogamy.
CARLA BRUNI, FRANCE'S FIRST LADY: I never tasted monogamy before getting. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Is that true?
BRUNI: Well, and I was married. Yes, so, I think monogamy has to do with marriage, right?
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: I was just wondering if you thought Nicholas Sarkozy is a keeper, as we say in Britain. Is he for keeps?
BRUNI: What's for keeps?
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Is he forever?
BRUNI: I guess marriage should be forever but -- who knows what happens? I wish it was forever, you know? That's my hope. But I could be dead tomorrow.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you trust him?
BRUNI: Oh, yes, very much.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You know the rumors are he had many affairs in the past. But you trust him?
BRUNI: Oh, yes. Very much. He would never have affairs. And have you ever seen a picture of him having an affair? Ah.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: If looks could kill. Bruni says she has been cast in Woody Allen's new movie which is shooting in Paris this summer.
TV's late-night wars are really getting kind of ugly. You know how mom used to say it's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye? Well, it didn't get quite that bad on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" last night but maybe somebody should have known that a game called "Make Martinis and Run" would end badly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you OK?
JIMMY FALLON, HOST, "LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON": Yes. I'm totally fine. Is everything fine?
CHELSEA HANDLER, COMEDIENNE/TV HOST: I am so -- I'm so glad that was you that fell.
(LAUGHTER)
FALLON: And not you?
HANDLER: Look at me. Look at me. You -- you should have put on gear.
FALLON: I am bleeding.
HANDLER: Oh no! This is --
FALLON: No, this is -- this is fine.
HANDLER: This is turning into a Debbie Downer.
(CROSSTALK)
FALLON: You made me bleed. What's wrong with you? You made me bleed.
HANDLER: This is awful. This is an awful game. I should never come back here. I'm sorry.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Fallon ended up getting his hand bandaged, as you can see there, and finished the show. This isn't the first time we know of one NBC late-night host taking one for the team. Conan O'Brien took that tumble. Remember that? Just last September during a "Tonight Show" -- oh, ow -- taping.
And if that weren't enough, that brings us to the "Punch Line." Tonight it's courtesy of David Letterman who's a little bit concerned about President Obama's eating habits.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": The other problem is apparently he enjoys pie. He loves pie. And they said no, that could be a problem so try to knock off the pie. And I thought, well, let me take a look at the guy. Is that really here? We've got a picture. Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
LETTERMAN: Wow. He has really --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: David Letterman, everybody.
And that is the "Mash-Up" tonight. Coming up an economic action plan to see you through these tough times. Suze Orman with some very timely advice when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: A glimmer of hope for the economy today. A new report shows 30 states reported an increase in unemployment this January. That's compared to 43 states in December.
This comes after a better-than-expected national jobs report in February, but we still have a long way to go.
And joining me right now is financial expert Suze Orman. She is in Washington, we should mention, because she is taking part in a conference to end violence against women.
Suze, good to see you. Good to have you here. And I know we're going to --
SUZE ORMAN, FINANCIAL EXPERT: Thanks, Campbell.
BROWN: We're going to talk about the event and why you're in Washington in just a minute. But first just walk us through the latest financial news and talk a little bit about jobs.
We've been scrutinizing the numbers for months now looking for signs of improvement. Bottom line, of course, do you see any?
ORMAN: Here's the thing. Obviously, the numbers are showing improvement little by little. And at this point in the game any improvement, oh, we will take it.
Are we getting as much improvement as I think everybody would really like to see? No, we still aren't, but are we walking in the right direction for now anyway? We are. So you've got to be a little bit optimistic at what the numbers are saying.
BROWN: And there's also some news today that could impact everybody who carries a debit card. Pretty much all of us. Bank of America will no longer charge overdraft fees on those debit cards.
A big difference? What is the change mean? Will other banks follow or not?
ORMAN: Well, here's the thing. Most likely you won't be able to do an overdraft because you'll just be declined when you go to use it. So what does that really mean? I'm not exactly sure.
But the real bottom line isn't just with debit cards, it's really with all types of cards. Credit cards across the board. And you know forever I've been out there saying, I'm so glad that the Card Act passed, however what happened before it passed on February 22nd of this year is you had credit card companies increasing interest rates to 29.99 percent.
You had credit cards for the first time charging annual fees and if you didn't pay at least $60 a year you would then either have to pay the $60 a year, Campbell, or charge $2,400 a year to get the $60 gone.
We had increase in minimum payment so that if you have credit cards and you have debt on them, you can't afford to pay the payments anymore.
My solution to this problem has been -- I'm so glad that the bank, some of the major banks, are finally getting on board and trying to be nice to all of you. They should have always been there for you.
Credit union credit cards are the way to go. Federally chartered credit unions cannot by law charge more than 18 percent to begin with. So they can't give it to you at 30 percent when they can't even increase you more than 18 percent. But they don't take you up to 18 percent.
They are honest and ethical with you. Not all credit unions are good. Some credit unions are being purchased by banks. However, if you want to find a great credit union go to creditcardconnection.org. Look for a credit union that has a five-star rating by them or on their dean's list and those are the only credit unions you should use to get a credit card.
BROWN: And you've been preaching that message for a long time. I know I should mention that.
Let me ask you about a new survey. This came out yesterday that is frankly pretty scary that almost half of Americans have less than $10,000 saved for retirement. And even worse, about a quarter have less than $1,000.
ORMAN: Yes.
BROWN: Those numbers have got to have you and other financial experts really worried.
ORMAN: Well, those numbers have been there for a long time. I bet you if we went back years ago when we were in the boom years and everybody was spending money and no, whatever, nobody had money in retirement. I think the average person had like $1,000 in retirement.
Now, believe it or not, people are so afraid of the stock market. They're so afraid of losing everything again that they actually are saving more for the first time than they have in years.
So even though I know those numbers look like they're oh, my god, nobody has any money, that's more money than they had, like I said, just a few years ago. Hopefully people will start to get it. If they don't save themselves, nobody is going to be able to. So they better start saving right here and right now.
BROWN: So if I can push you to be a little more specific. What percentage are you talking about of people's salary should they really be thinking about saving?
ORMAN: Well, the minimum they should be doing is this. If they work for a corporation and the corporation has a 401(k) or 403(b) that matches their contribution, I don't care if they have credit card debt, I don't care if they don't have any emergency money, they need to at least contribute to their retirement account up to the point of the employer's match.
Besides that or if they don't have that every single person should be maxing out their Roth IRA. If they don't qualify for a Roth IRA and the max on a Roth IRA, Campbell, is -- it's $5,000 if you're under 50, $6,000 a year if you're 50 or older.
If you don't qualify for a Roth IRA because your income is too high, you should at least be doing a traditional IRA making it nondeductible and converting to a Roth IRA. So those are the minimum things that you should be doing when it comes to saving for your future.
BROWN: We've got more with Suze Orman just ahead, but also tonight the Colorado mother and son who are making a bundle right now growing medical marijuana. A booming business all legal. We have that story ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Back now with more of my interview with Suze Orman and her tips for maximizing your tax return.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: And Suze, everybody getting ready to pay their taxes. Are there any tax breaks people can still take advantage of right now or even ways to sort of maximize your return?
ORMAN: Listen, the main tax break out there, obviously, is the interest deduction on your home that you have. That's the primary way that people now are saving money in taxes.
This is what I would tell all of you, though. Please don't go for all these tax breaks and trying to save all this money on taxes. Just be honest with your taxes, pay them on time, file because the biggest penalties that you will get is if you don't file your taxes because you're afraid you don't have any money.
So if you don't file your tax return you will get a penalty. If you don't pay the taxes you will get a penalty. So at least file even if you don't have the money to pay so you don't get that penalty.
BROWN: And what about people who have been receiving unemployment insurance over the last year? I mean they owe taxes on those benefits, but if you've been looking for a job, you can write those expenses off, right?
ORMAN: You can write off those expenses. And please remember in most cases $2,400, the first $2,400 that you got from unemployment is tax free. So don't go paying taxes on that money when you don't need to.
Hopefully, however, with your other unemployment checks you've been having them withhold taxes so you don't get in a situation where you owe and you don't have the money to pay.
BROWN: Suze, let me switch gears here. Earlier today you took part in a forum on domestic violence as part of that conference that you're attending. Talk to me a little bit about your involvement with this issue and the fact that in many cases there really is an economic component to this, isn't there?
ORMAN: Yes, you know, here is my premise, Campbell, which is this. That if women are in a battered relationship and a lot of women are, whether it's a physically battered or menially battered, they're there.
They usually cannot leave because they do not have the money to leave. Because you need money to leave to either be able to feed yourself, clothe yourself, house yourself, so they stay in a relationship where they literally could possibly even lose their life.
So my message here to everybody and to every single woman watching right now because we're right around International Women's Day is that you have got to have a save-yourself plan that you stay in a relationship because you want to, not because you have to.
And a save-yourself plan means you have an emergency fund in your own name. You have a credit card in your own name. You know what's happening with the money. Because if you're in a relationship and your husband is hiding all of the money and then you get divorced you're not going to get what you deserve.
Therefore, my message today is women, you have got to get involved with your money.
BROWN: Senator Harry Reid did take some flak a couple of weeks ago when he was talking about the jobs bill and he drew this link between spousal abuse and men being out of work. Do you think he was right to make that link?
ORMAN: Here is the truth of the matter is I don't -- obviously money does not create abuse. But money is a key component as to what can go on. Do I think when certain people are under stress, whether it's financial stress, emotional stress, can they become more abusive?
I do, however, they would have to have the personality and the traits to have been abusive to begin with. I don't think lack of a job or lack of money would take a normal human being, somebody who would never be abusive, and make them abusive.
I think they have that in them and that's part of the reason that we're here today is to talk about what makes people abusive, what can we do to change it. AVON Foundation that I'm here with right now has contributed over $1 million right now to do so and -- with this event.
So we're doing things to really try to find out why does it happen and what can we do to stop it once and for all.
BROWN: Suze Orman -- Suze, it's always good to talk to you. Thanks so much for being with us.
ORMAN: Thanks, Campbell. See you soon.
BROWN: Coming up, a mother and son cashing in on cannabis. Growing medical marijuana. Entrepreneurs or legalized drug dealers? We've got that story coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: This week lawmakers in Colorado are calling for an end to federal raids on medical marijuana operations claiming the feds target legitimate businesses that are legal under Colorado state law.
Tonight our special investigation continues with a mother and son who sell medical pot and are the new face of legalized drug dealing.
Here tonight Jim Spellman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Local marijuana in Colorado is booming with entrepreneurs like Jason Irwin building a brand new industry.
JASON IRWIN, MEDICAL MARIJUANA ENTREPRENEUR: This is grade A, top quality sativa. You see the tall, beautiful buds? This is like the creme de la creme of cannabis.
SPELLMAN: Jason grows medical marijuana and sells them in his dispensary Highland Health which he runs with the help of his mother Diane.
(On camera): Do you feel like what he's doing now is a legitimate business to be in?
DIANE IRWIN, MEDICAL MARIJUANA ENTREPRENEUR: Oh, most definitely. I'm so excited to -- I mean I think that Jason is a very brave young man.
SPELLMAN (voice-over): Jason began his cannabis career on the wrong side of the law, illegally selling pot by the pound and always looking over his shoulder.
(On camera): How is it different now having a dispensary?
J. IRWIN: We can operate with full disclosure. Meaning, we can write checks for our products purchase, therefore pay tax on it, and do everything above the counter. Completely comfortably.
SPELLMAN (voice-over): Colorado law allows patients to use marijuana with a doctor's permission, but it's still against federal law so for a long time the movement was largely underground. Then last year everything changed.
The Justice Department signaled it would no longer crack down on medical marijuana in states where it's legal. All of a sudden dispensaries began popping up all over Colorado.
J. IRWIN: You know business booming in the past month and really just trying to stay -- keep pace.
SPELLMAN: Even now Jason is still just only one step ahead of the law. In this case, the law comes in the form of Colorado Attorney General John Suthers. He says the Colorado amendment legalizing medical marijuana use wasn't designed to launch a whole new drug economy.
JOHN SUTHERS (R), COLORADO ATTORNEY GENERAL: Dispensaries were never mentioned in (INAUDIBLE). Grow operations. There is no provision for the sale of it.
Let's return to the system we had for eight years that was not problematic. We didn't have a dispensary on every street corner. We didn't have this incredible profit motive that causes people to create patients out of people who do not have debilitating medical conditions.
J. IRWIN: That's like a shade above the black market. It's still not available to the masses. You still have to be, like, hey, where do you get this marijuana? Do you know someone?
SPELLMAN: And bringing medical marijuana to the masses is exactly what Diane Irwin wants to do.
D. IRWIN: I think that it's a whole new culture and a movement and bringing people together and I think it would be a shame, really. And, you know, to have to go back to the streets, for people have to go back to buying it out of parking lots and parks, and you know, and not feeling safe?
SPELLMAN: Diane and Jason both smoke pot regularly. Like most medical marijuana patients they say it helps them manage chronic pain. Suthers isn't buying it.
SUTHERS: I assure you the vast, vast, vast majority of those people do not have a debilitating medical condition. They just want to smoke pot. J. IRWIN: Not allowing people to take a firsthand approach in their own health and well being is an encroachment on personal freedom. I mean regardless of for what reason you use it, to be able to use it in the way that best affects you, I think, should be a personal choice.
SPELLMAN: So far the dispensaries are still up and running, but every day Jason Irwin is watching his back.
(On camera): Do you still have any fears of getting -- getting busted?
J. IRWIN: I mean, yes -- that's something that doesn't go away.
SPELLMAN (voice-over): Jason says if the industry is forced underground, the real victims will be his patients.
J. IRWIN: Basically if you are a sick patient, you're not going to be wanting to, you know, expose yourself like that, calling people to score, you know, because then it becomes a score again. So once you get into that territory, they're going to become disinterested. And so it really is going to cut the people off from whom the program was established for.
SPELLMAN: His mom is with him. For her, medical marijuana has become much more than a business. It's a cause.
D. IRWIN: It's time for change in our country. This is ridiculous. I say shame on the American people right now for not getting involved, educating themselves and looking at the possibilities of what medical marijuana and hemp could do to change our country. Truly.
SPELLMAN: But until the American people do turn that corner, the Irwins, mother and son, will keep on growing and selling and smoking.
Jim Spellman, CNN, Denver, Colorado.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: And when we come back, how safe is your cell phone? A question some lawmakers are starting to ask. What you need to know right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: How safe is your cell phone? It is a question that some legislators are now asking. In Maine, the proposal to put the following warning on phones that this device emits electromagnetic radiation exposure which may cause brain cancer, well, that failed to pass today. But the Food and Drug Administration is urging the industry to design phones that do minimize the exposure to risks.
And Bryan Walsh writes about that in the current issue of "Time" magazine, a fascinating piece. He is here tonight along with Dr. John Boockvar, who's a neurosurgeon at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He's joining us as well.
Let me start with Bryan. You looked into this issue, into the safety concerns. What did you find?
BRYAN WALSH, "TIME" MAGAZINE: We found that while the majority of studies you say seem to indicate that there will be -- there's no link there. A growing number of studies that more in recent years have shown that, especially studies from outside the U.S., from Europe, both have indications that there may be a biological effect here actually affecting tissue but also epidemiological link will go long term that may say that there's something here. That there's a possibility that increase use of cell phones could lead to some form of tumor. It's all very preliminary. Of course, we could keep in mind the fact we haven't been using cell phones very long.
BROWN: Right.
WALSH: -- which definitely puts a limit on it. But it's enough that the people who are behind this legislation may and also there's similar legislation in San Francisco in California --
BROWN: Right.
WALSH: -- are saying let's adopt a precautionary -- let's adopt a precautionary principle at least for people to know there is a possibility out there.
BROWN: U.S. cell phones do meet SEC standards, I guess in terms of radiation emissions and are deemed safe. But I know you guys looked into this and some emit more radiation than others. Right? Walk us through that because I think we have the top two. We broke it down.
WALSH: Right. I mean, these stats come from the Environmental Working Group, which is a nonprofit that kind of often looks at environmental causes for ills. And they basically looked at most of the major phones out there and actually got the radiation information from them, which is actually not that easy to find. This is not something you'll find on the back of the package of your cell phone or on the phone itself.
BROWN: Right.
WALSH: And they found that there's a wide variety. And I think there's one. The BlackBerries was very close, I mean, just a little bit below at 1.6 watts per tissue.
BROWN: Yes. That would plug my BlackBerry.
WALSH: Right. Exactly. Other iPhones relatively high too. Other phones are much lower. I mean, it shows all of this, as you point out, are below the FCC safety level but it shows that there's a pretty wide range within the industry and also it's not something I think most consumers are aware of.
BROWN: But why is the science all over the map on this? Because I know you looked at many, many studies and a lot of them are funded by the industry, too. Right? That's a big issue. I mean, why can't we sort of come to a consensus on many of the stuff?
WALSH: I think, again, when you're talking about the epidemiology, a lot of it is simply that we haven't looked hard enough. For one thing, a lot of the existing studies, they can't actually get at cell phone records, for instance. So I mean, you may be asking someone try to remember how often you use your cell phone. And you're often dealing with unreliable memories.
BROWN: Right. Right.
WALSH: It would be great if you could actually get from the industry to say detailed information of exactly how long people were using phones. Get a sense like what's the difference if someone who uses it as a heavy amount, somebody who doesn't use it as much. A lot of the studies that have been out there so far kind of just assume everyone is the same and, of course, that's not the case. And then I think there is a large scale international study called inner phone, which has been ongoing for a while that looks at (INAUDIBLE) from a number of different countries. They were supposed to come out with their results finally, I believe in 2006. Still waiting for that. There's reports that there's some infighting among the scientists working there.
BROWN: Right.
WALSH: So it's just, you know, there is no definitive answer. So it seems early at this point to say this is definitely safe. It says, again, let's maybe think about doctor's precautions here.
BROWN: Right.
WALSH: Especially we aren't that difficult.
BROWN: OK. So Dr. Boockvar, Bryan has looked at this, all the research as a reporter. But give us your opinion as a neurosurgeon. I mean, you've obviously looked at this and talked about it and debated it with your colleagues. Where do you come down?
DR. JOHN BOOCKVAR, NEUROSURGEON: Well, I think you have to look at the epidemiology first. And the studies that are out there do, as Bryan said, not point to a link between cell phone use and brain cancer. And what the radio frequency emission that these phones are releasing probably do not cause any significant tissue damage that would cause brain tumors to form.
In fact, if you look at the population of the United States, there's about 270 million cell phone users and the incidents of brain cancer, which has been relatively stable over the last 10 years is about 48,000 patients in the United States and that's not increasing even as there's been an exponential increase in cell phone usage. So at this point in time, as Bryan said, the studies do not point to a link in brain cancer formation from cell phone use.
BROWN: OK, but let me put you on the spot a little bit. What would you do? Like if your kid -- we're talking about your kid.
BOOCKVAR: Right.
BROWN: And they're talking on their cell phone as like teenagers constantly do, I mean, would you tell your kid, you know, wear an earpiece? Why not? Just to be on the safe side.
BOOCKVAR: I'm much more likely to tell him not to text and drive with a cell phone.
BROWN: Yes, a fair point.
BOOCKVAR: And I think that's a much larger public health issue when it comes to cell phones. But to address your question, I think I don't have a particular view. I would not necessarily prevent them from speaking on the cell phone. I would limit their cell phone usage.
BROWN: Right.
BOOCKVAR: Perhaps which ears use speaker phones, wired sets, bluetooths, whatnot.
BROWN: But it's going to be a while before we know definitively?
BOOCKVAR: I think that's absolutely like any good long-term study like the Framingham hard (ph) study or any three-decade stuff, they are going to need long-term epidemiological follow-up to determine this link. And it's going to take a study that says, that stratifies according to your usage, heavy, moderate, mild or none, and then we'll have to follow risk.
BROWN: It is interesting stuff. I got to say, Bryan, a great piece. A really interesting read. And Dr. Boockvar, great to have you here as well. Appreciate it.
BOOCKVAR: Thank you.
BROWN: Thanks, guys.
When we come back, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts speaking out. What has him all fired up? We've got the full story coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: The Supreme Court feud with the White House now wide open. Chief Justice John Roberts speaking his mind. That story coming up. First, though, we've got some must-see news happening right now.
Mike Galanos here with tonight's "Download." Hi, Mike.
MIKE GALANOS, HLN PRIME NEWS: Hey, Campbell. First off, a sad note and may have happen again. Another Hollywood child star losing the battle with drug addiction. '80s actor Corey Haim was found early this morning in his mother's Hollywood apartment and pronounced dead soon after at Burbank hospital. Police think it was an accidental overdose. Now bottles of prescription drugs were found, but no illegal drugs. Haim has made no secret of his drug abuse and trips to rehab over the years. His movie and television career span almost three decades. And here are some of the highlights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUSIC: Out of my dreams.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought that we had a date tonight.
COREY HAIM, ACTOR: Amusing girl. I almost (INAUDIBLE). What could possibly go wrong?
As far as I'm concerned I love him. He's blown me off seriously.
Is there any film left in your camera, dude? Look, you cannot cut any more classes. Bobby, you're already on the boys VP (ph) most wanted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GALANOS: Teen heartthrob of the '80s, Corey Haim dead at the age of 38.
Those are very scary moments for a quick-thinking heroic 7-year- old. There he is, little Carlos. He's being praised for saving his family after three armed men invaded their Los Angeles home. The boy grabbed his 6-year-old sister. They hid in the bathroom. He calls 911.
Now the intruders busted in when they realized the kids were in there and that he had called 911. The cops were on the way. They high tail it. Everybody is safe but this call still chilling to listen to. Listen to this 7-year-old.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KID: They come. They bring the door and they have guns. They shoot my mom and dad.
911 OPERATOR: Right now?
KID: yes. Can you come really fast, bring some cops. A lot of them.
911 OPERATOR: OK. I have them coming.
KID: A lot of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GALANOS: It's heartbreaking to listen to that. Again, thankfully the family is OK. Suspects still at large. Again, everybody is save if not for the brave actions of this little guy who has held a press conference. He was incredible at that as well. Very touching as he talked with the 911 operator.
All right. A budget crunch really wreaking havoc in Kansas City. The school board has decided to close nearly half of the district schools. They say it's the only way they can keep the rest of the schools open. Now a $50 million shortfall is the problem. About 700 jobs will be cut, including 285 teachers. The district will also have to sell its own central office.
And talk about your extreme sports. And this one with a bite big time.
An American Indian in Florida wants to turn the tribal tradition of alligator wrestling into a legitimate extreme sport. There he is. James Holt says he and his family have sparred off against alligators for generations, and he's been hosting local competitions. He says he wants it to go international. He likes to see guys from Australia and Thailand get in the game. They've got to go 10 minutes with the alligator. And he says people will watch because they want to see if anybody gets hurt or not. I think he won that one.
Finally this, not sure if we needed a study to figure this one out but here goes. Researchers in Britain have concluded that old men want sex until they're almost dead, while older women can take it or leave it. A report in the "British Medical Journal" says the libido disparity gets greater with age. Here's the numbers for you. Among 75 to 85-year-olds, men are more than twice as likely to be sexually active as women.
With that, back to you, Campbell.
BROWN: I really have nothing to say on that, Mike.
GALANOS: I know. I want to stay safe so I'll keep it that.
BROWN: Stay safe, Mike.
GALANOS: Yes.
BROWN: Mike Galanos for us tonight.
"LARRY KING LIVE" starts in just a few minutes. Larry, what do you have for us?
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Oh, Campbell, we have a moving exclusive for you tonight. Corey Feldman speaking only to us about the death today of his best friend the actor, Corey Haim. Haim's friend Nicole Eggert is also here. And then we're going to talk about the Farrah Fawcett Oscar snub. Lots of people are still asking why she wasn't in the award show tribute to those who passed away. It's all next on "LARRY KING LIVE," Campbell.
BROWN: All right, Larry. We'll see you in just a few moments.
Coming up, the Supreme Court front and center? Why? We'll tell you when we come back.
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BROWN: Tensions between the Supreme Court and the White House have taken an unusually public turn. Chief Justice John Roberts speaking out about President Obama's smackdown of a high-court decision during the State of the Union. The justices were sitting just a few feet away. Roberts says he has a problem with the politics of the whole thing. Take a listen to this.
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JOHN ROBERTS, SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE: There is the issue of the setting, the circumstances and the decorum. The image of having the members of one branch of government standing up literally surrounding the Supreme Court cheering and hollering while the court, according to the requirements of protocol, has to sit there expressionless, I think is very troubling. And it does cause me to think whether or not it makes sense for us to be there. To the extent the State of the Union has degenerated into a political pep rally, I'm not sure why we're there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Wow. CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin joining me right now, who is also, I should mention, the author of "The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court." So how unusual is this to hear a Supreme Court justice, chief justice speak out like that?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: It's very unusual. But this whole thing is a great civics lesson because there's this popular perception that the Supreme Court is isolated from politics. In fact, it's not.
John Roberts, Samuel Alito, they are political conservatives who are ruling against the Obama administration at every turn. President Obama attacked them in the State of the Union. That's why Samuel Alito reacted unhappily. And I think this is just a good illustration of the fact that these people are opponents and they're not happy with each other.
BROWN: But don't they have sort of a point here in what they're saying about having to sort of sit there in this public arena and have to behave the way they do given the State of the Union. It was Scalia, I think, who said, you know, he stopped going because they sit there like bumps on logs.
TOOBIN: A lot of them don't go. William Rehnquist, the former chief justice almost never went.
BROWN: Wouldn't go.
TOOBIN: John Paul Stevens almost never goes. Antonin Scalia, as you pointed out, almost never goes. The problem here is the State of the Union has been a political pep rally for decades.
BROWN: There is nothing new about that.
TOOBIN: There's nothing new about that.
BROWN: Right.
TOOBIN: So it is curious that John Roberts is all of a sudden concerned about this issue when it's a Democratic president. But in terms of the substantive issue, it is awkward for them and I don't blame the ones who don't go.
BROWN: Started out though differently sort of the relationship between the two, didn't it? Didn't Roberts do a sort of unusual outreach early on, inviting Biden and Obama to come and meet and bond and all that?
TOOBIN: He revived an old tradition of a few days before the inauguration the vice president-elect and the president-elect would come to the Supreme Court. And it is true, it was a very gracious gesture. As I understand it, very much appreciated by the White House. Remember, only eight justices attended. Samuel Alito found other things to do.
BROWN: That's right.
TOOBIN: But I think John Roberts is a very gracious person. He does not want to have a public fight with the president. He didn't want to mess up the presidential oath as you remember he did.
BROWN: Right.
TOOBIN: I don't think that was intentional at all. But the tensions, the political underlying tensions are there and they're real.
BROWN: And let's just remind people what the president said in that State of the Union speech that prompted this. He was talking about the Supreme Court decision over campaign finance that would allow corporations to make contributions which, I guess, obviously very controversial and the Democrats are very opposed to.
TOOBIN: And he was -- and Obama was saying this will invite foreign corporations to meddle in our elections. That was the precise quote that Alito was upset about.
BROWN: And then today, a member of Congress has introduced legislation to now overturn the ruling. And said quote today, and this is John Boccieri of Ohio. The Democrat said, "If justices feel uncomfortable in the people's House, they should understand that the people of our country are uncomfortable with their decision. People want less money in politics, not more."
TOOBIN: Robert Gibbs shot back at the chief justice, much of the same thing. Again, an unusually public attack from the president's press secretary against the chief justice. The Democrats feel like they have a winning issue here. They feel this is an unpopular decision letting corporations get more deeply involved in politics. The question though, is can Congress do anything about this ruling because this is an interpretation of the constitution and the Supreme Court has the last word on that. So they can call for disclosure requirements but the Supreme Court, they got the last word.
BROWN: Jeff Toobin tonight, a fascinating story.
TOOBIN: That's why it's good to be on the Supreme Court.
BROWN: Appreciate it. Good to see you.
"LARRY KING LIVE" starting in just a few moments. But first, we've got more for you on "Jihad Jane." We're going to get an inside look at one of her recruitment tools right after this.
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BROWN: America's "Jihad Jane" indicted in a terrorist conspiracy plot. Colleen LaRose of Pennsylvania allegedly used the Internet to recruit her co-conspirators. Tonight, Drew Griffin gives us an inside look at one of the Web sites LaRose frequented, a radical pro-Al Qaeda site he first exposed last fall.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is the Web site Revolution Muslim.
(on camera): Drew Griffin.
(voice-over): Run by this man, Younes Abdullah Mohammad (ph), who told us just this past fall, terrorizing and intimidating non- Muslims was part of his religion.
YOUNES ABDULLAH MOHAMMAD (ph), REVOLUTION MUSLIM: The Quran says very clearly in the Arabic language for Hibuna (ph). This means terrorize them. It's a command from Allah.
GRIFFIN (on camera): So you command it.
MOHAMMAD (ph): It's terrorizing.
GRIFFIN: To terrorize anybody who doesn't believe.
MOHAMMAD (ph): You define terrorism as going and killing an innocent civilian. That's what your --
I define terrorism as making them fearful so that they think twice before they go rape your mother or kill your brother, or go into your land and really to steal your resources. It says prepare against them what you can to intimidate the believers, the disbelievers so they don't attack you. It's precautionary preventative measures like 9/11.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): No one at Revolution Muslim returned our phone calls today but on the hate-filled Web site there was this, a letter asking for support for Colleen LaRose, declaring another sister has been targeted and asking letters of encouragement be sent to the federal detention center in Philadelphia where LaRose is being held. Law enforcement sources tells CNN they are troubled but the Web site and YouTube site have turned even more radical and has seen a jump in subscribers. One of the subscribers, Colleen LaRose.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: And Drew Griffin is joining me right now. Drew, do o investigators know whether this Web site was a direct link between her and Al Qaeda?
GRIFFIN: Certainly that is something that they're looking into, Campbell. And as we've seen in other cases in this country and elsewhere, Web sites like this one, social networking sites are where these people, these like-minded people are getting together, not necessarily to plot their attacks, but certainly to meet people whom they probably would never meet in their life but for these Web sites and begin the plotting of what they would like to carry out.
BROWN: And, Drew, explain why the FBI can't shut these Web sites down if they are the source of radicalism and they're inciting people to commit terror.
GRIFFIN: Yes.
BROWN: Walk through that.
GRIFFIN: You know, we should have Jeff Toobin back on again.
BROWN: Yes.
GRIFFIN: It's called freedom of speech. And they walk a fine line, the FBI says, between crossing that line of free speech. They just don't cross it.
BROWN: Drew Griffin for us tonight. Drew, thanks very much. Appreciate it.
That's it for us. You can follow me any time on Twitter. Larry King starts right now.
