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New Day Saturday

ISIS Claims Responsibility For Suicide Attack; Car Bomb Explodes Near U.S. Consulate; Saddam Hussein's Ex-Deputy Reported Killed; Australian Police Stop ISIS-Inspired Attack; Surveillance Video: Walmart Gave Gun To Suspect; GOP Hopefuls in New Hampshire; Dr. Oz Criticized; Calls for Kentucky Judge to Be Fired. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired April 18, 2015 - 06:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking this morning -- ISIS claiming responsibility for deadly attacks in Afghanistan, killing more than 30 people in suicide bombings.

JOE JOHNS, CNN GUEST ANCHOR: And new surveillance video from inside a Walmart shows an Arizona man stealing a rifle and ammo before being run over by a police cruiser.

PAUL: A Kentucky judge's rant goes viral. He slams the victims of a home invasion. Not the suspect. Now calls for him to step down from the bench.

JOHNS: And all eyes on New Hampshire as Republican presidential hopefuls take center stage this week.

PAUL: Always so grateful to have you with us on a Saturday morning, I'm Christi Paul.

JOHNS: And I'm Joe Johns in for Victor Blackwell.

PAUL: It's so good to have you with us. We want to start with breaking news, of course, this morning, out of Afghanistan. ISIS is claiming responsibility for a deadly suicide attack in Jalalabad. That's about 150 miles from the capital city of Kabul.

Now this video we want to show you that is just in, gives us a real sense of the massive destruction that was caused by this, 33 people were dead. More than 100 others are wounded and a man on a motor bike blew himself up in front of a bank.

ISIS also claims they were aiming to kill government servants collecting paychecks from the bank. I want to bring in someone who knows this region quite well, CNN military analyst, Lieutenant General Mark Hertling.

Lt. General, thank you so much for being with us. I'm wondering, you know, first of all, what do we know about this ISIS branch in Afghanistan? LT. GENERAL MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Early on, Christi, they have suggested, they being ISIS station, suggested that they are expanding into Afghanistan. The commander of ISAF, General Campbell, has said that he's concerned about that.

But he's not sure whether or not it's truly ISIS or if it's just some offshoot of the Taliban trying to grow in stature and status. So we're a little concerned about that in terms of actually naming the organization. But it's certainly disheartening to see this kind of explosion in Jalalabad linked to ISIS. That's very disconcerning.

PAUL: OK, so why do you think this group -- they targeted government servants, they say, who are going to collect a paycheck. Will this shake the government? How much does the Afghanistan government know about this group?

HERTLING: Well, remember, Christi, the Afghanistan government is still standing up their security forces. That's one of the reasons we continue to keep forces there for a longer period of time. I think this will shake them up.

They realize they've got to provide security. It's an additional aspect of the attacks that caused just chaos within a local population and within the government to show that the government is ineffective. So these are the kind of things these terrorist organizations do.

PAUL: General, you know, Afghanistan -- ISIS is calling Afghanistan and Pakistan the caliphate province of Corasan. What do you make of the fact that ISIS is renaming territory it can't even claim yet?

HERTLING: Well, they are trying to consolidate and they are certainly competing with al Qaeda. We've seen their expansion in North Africa and various claims in North Africa and also in Yemen. They're just trying to take over the global leadership.

It's a global branding tool. The more they think they can get other terrorist organizations to join them, the more powerful and frankly scary they appear.

PAUL: All right, General Mark Hertling, stand by. We want to get your reaction on some other developments that we're talking about this morning.

JOHNS: We want to move over to Iraq now. We have new details coming in this morning, an attack near the U.S. consulate in the Kurdish- Iraqi city of Erbil. ISIS is now claiming responsibility for the suicide car bomb blast.

Officials say at least four people were killed, 18 injured, but all U.S. Consulate personnel are safe and accounted for. Let's bring in CNN international correspondent, Ivan Watson. Ivan, what else do we know about this blast?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Joe. Well, a suicide car bomb, it didn't succeed in damaging the U.S. consulate and, again, as you mentioned, all the diplomats there. None of them were harmed.

But it has put the Kurdish safe haven on edge and shattered the calm that people have enjoyed there certainly ripped through a number of restaurants and cafes frequented by foreigners in a town that receives daily international flights at its international airport.

In a city that hosts international hotel chains, and despite close proximity to ISIS front lines in the war in Iraq, which are located in some instances only about 45 minutes' drive away.

[06:05:13] Erbil was considered quite safe despite this war footing. So we're already getting reports that perhaps the Kurdish-Peshmerga are trying to retaliate, reports that they're carrying out a joint operation with Iraqi security forces and militias to the south of Kirkuk right now.

And that's roughly in the area where a senior militant figure who was once Saddam Hussein's right-hand man, Ibrahim Izat Aldouri is believed to have been killed on Friday.

Now we've seen some image, I have to warn viewers they are graphic, but they are important because they do suggest photo and video evidence that this is in fact the former right-hand man of Saddam Hussein, who succeeded while being a fugitive, in leading rebel groups in Iraq, for 12 years, after the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

It does suggest that he is in fact the man who was killed. These are images of him at a morgue in Baghdad. His body is undergoing DNA testing and Iraqi authorities say within 48 hours they should be able to confirm 100 percent whether that is in fact the man who had a $10 million U.S. bounty calling for his capture.

A man who is described as the king of clubs on the U.S. military's list of most wanted Iraqis. But Joe, the fact is he is not the leader of ISIS. He was considered an affiliate, who had kind of allied and then had intentions with ISIS.

So it's not likely, even if he has in fact been killed, that that will dramatically change the situation on that bloody battlefield in Iraq.

JOHNS: A lot of information there. Thanks so much for that, Ivan Watson. We'll be checking back with you.

PAUL: We have another developing story we want to get to you this morning, police stop apparently a potential ISIS-inspired attack. Australian officials have arrested five men after a major counterterrorism operation there.

The arrests which involved about 200 officers, as we understand it, took place earlier today in Melbourne. And investigators say the men were planning to attack police during a national ceremony. We know at least one suspect is already facing charges.

JOHNS: For more on both of these stories, let's bring back, CNN military analyst, Lt. General Mark Hertling. General, let's first talk about the ISIS claiming responsibility for this attack in Afghanistan and the U.S. Consulate in Erbil. Is ISIS trying to show essentially that it can reach beyond Iraq and Syria? Do you think that's part of the point here?

HERTLING: It is definitely the point, Joe. Let me go first to Ivan Watson's terrific report in Erbil. As you know Erbil was part of the operations, which I controlled when I was in Iraq in 2008 and 2007. It's a very safe city.

When you go from the deserts of Iraq into the city of Erbil, it's literally like going from the Mojave into Las Vegas, a beautiful city. The Peshmerga and the Kurdish regional government pride themselves on the security of that city because it is such a beautiful metropolis.

But here's the thing, this is not the first suicide attack, suicide bombing that has occurred in Erbil or any of the Kurdish regions. Given ISIS' stature in Northern Iraq, I'm surprised that they haven't been able to reach into Erbil prior to this.

But this will shake up the Peshmerga and they will go on counteroffensive because of these kinds of attacks. When Ivan talked about General Al Douri being killed, this was an individual who we began to look for when I was in Iraq in 2007 and 2008.

He was on the original deck of cards, and he was one of the few people that were not captured. We always suspected that he was in the area between Kirkuk and a little town called Howijo (ph), which is forming as a forward capitol of the ISIS state coming out of Mosul.

So, all of these things are beginning to fit together. ISIS is certainly continuing to be very powerful in this sector and they are going to continue to do these kinds of attacks to try and (inaudible) terror and chaos.

JOHNS: Now, let's move quickly to Australia. Police there have arrested five people in a counterterrorism operation. One teenager apparently charged and authorities are saying the suspects are individuals acting by themselves. Not representatives, say a religious, cultural or national group. Give me a sense how big a threat, lone wolf attacks are particularly there?

HERTLING: Well, they've been big for decades and we can go back through the history of all of these things. But when the government claims immediately that they're not associated with any particular group, I think that's probably a little bit of first reporting, which always proves to be wrong.

[06:10:07] All of these individuals are motivated by some type of either an internet or some type of individual that's pushing them to do things so, lone wolf attacks are going to continue. They're going to continue not only in Australia but all over the world.

And these are difficult to defeat, because it is an individual acting alone, trying to spread chaos. And it's unfortunate the death and destruction that's associated with the power of a modern-day ammunition technology and suicide attempts.

JOHNS: Very hard to know, when, where and who. Thanks so much for that, General Mark Hertling.

PAUL: We've got new details from Arizona. Just minutes before a police officer rammed his car into the man you're going to see here in the surveillance video. There he is. We will break down the video. And we're going to listen to the 911 call that came in. Can we really determine what happened here?

JOHNS: Under arrest, hockey star, Jarret Stoll charged with drug possession and pulled from a Las Vegas pool. We've got that story coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:14:46]

PAUL: What you're looking at is newly released surveillance video inside the Walmart in Arizona just moments before police says Mario Valencia threatened an employee into giving him a gun and here we see her handing him some ammunition.

A few minutes later when Valencia was walking out of the store with the loaded gun, Officer Michael Rapiejko ran him down with his police cruiser.

[06:15:08] Now our Miguel Marquez did some digging on this story and he has a new information on Valencia's actions in the moments that lead up to this moment.

But before we go to it, I just want to forewarn you because I know there are lots of little eyes watching Saturday morning. The dash cam video is graphic. It shows the impact. I just want to make sure you know that in advance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man down.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Did this ever need to happen? New video shows a Walmart loss prevention officer telling Marana police officers on the scene the gun this man had just stolen had a safety lock on it and couldn't be fired.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's locked. He can't get the lock off. I'm positive. It's locked.

MARQUEZ: Ten seconds later.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, never mind.

MARQUEZ: The Walmart loss prevention officer wearing shorts and sandals listening to the radio has his young son along for the ride. Police finally yell at the employee, back off.

Minutes earlier, Mario Valencia, mentally unstable on a crime spree all morning is handed spree all morning is handed a .3030 rifle by a Walmart clerk who told police Valencia seemed normal. In the video, you can see him inspect the rifle closely appearing to work the lever and trigger. He then turns his attention to ammunition telling the clerk, don't do anything stupid, give me the ammo.

The employee first resist trying to buy time, but eventually tells police she handed over the ammunition because Valencia was threatening to break the case and glass got on other boxes of ammo, they could not be sold.

She also told police it is Walmart policy to give over items during a robbery. Walmart said the store clerk acted appropriately, even alerting security to call police before handing over the ammo by dialing a code round.

One 911 call makes clear the gravity of the situation. A Walmart asset protection manager tells the operator Valencia was trying to load the rifle in the store.

UNIDENTIFIED EMPLOYEE: I have an unarmed customer in the sporting goods department.

UNIDENTIFIED 911: OK. Is he threatening anyone?

UNIDENTIFIED EMPLOYEE: I'm trying to find out. He is loading the weapon in the sporting department at the moment.

UNIDENTIFIED 911: He is loading it?

MARQUEZ: A photo of the rifle stolen by Valencia shows the cable lock still on, wrapped through the lever once with enough slack, but the lever could still be operated. Police said the lock appeared to be a handgun cable lock.

A Walmart spokesperson insists the gun had the proper lock correctly installed in the store. And either Valencia did something to it or the force of the patrol car hitting him affected the cable lock. The Walmart loss prevention officer and his son were witness to Valencia being taken down by the patrol car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That guy got --

MARQUEZ: Walmart said it constantly reviews all its policies and procedures and this incident in Marana is being discussed right now. Miguel Marquez, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS: Well, you would hope it's being discussed. There's so many questions asked. So let's bring in CNN law enforcement analyst, Tom Fuentes. Tom, good morning.

TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Good morning, Joe.

JOHNS: In Miguel's story, apparently, we hear the Walmart employee told police she gave ammunition to Valencia because he was going to break the display case. So, do you think it's good policy to give this guy ammo because of concerns that it might damage the merchandise?

FUENTES: No, I think that's not, but if in any way she was afraid of him or thought he was going to do something to her, you know, it's a strong-arm robbery or if he's got the ammo, it's an armed robbery. So you know, I think it's a unique circumstance for that clerk to be in to suddenly have somebody in front of her trying to load gun and threatening to take a violent action.

JOHNS: But it's weird. From what I could tell, the charge was shoplifting. Do you think they could have gotten away with a little more law here?

FUENTES: Absolutely. They could call it what it is. It is a robbery. It's dangerous when in the course of the robbery you acquire a high-power hunting rifle and then go out on the street with that rifle loaded.

So I think, you know, absolutely, but the terminology they use isn't as important as the fact that this guy ends up in the middle of a street in an urban area with strip malls and stores nearby.

Traffic in the distance going back and forth on a cross street, posing an extreme -- not just a little danger, an extreme danger, not just in the immediate area but to a wide range.

[06:20:03] He's capable of killing people from a mile away with that weapon. So clearly, the first responding police would be outgunned. They'd be there with their pistols and he's waving a hunting rifle around, which can penetrate cars, business, the walls, the windows.

So that was a very dangerous situation and I think that this constant questioning of what that officer did is wrong. He saved lives.

JOHNS: Right. And my next question was going to be whether you thought the use of force here was justified, but you already answered that. Thanks so much.

FUENTES: Not only justified, but compelled to do it.

JOHNS: Got it. Thanks so much, Tom Fuentes. We'll be talking to you throughout the morning.

FUENTES: OK.

PAUL: Well, Dr. Oz is defending himself this morning against criticism from his peers in the medical community. They want him fired some even calling him a quack. Our medical team is examining the issue and that's coming up for you in the next half hour.

Plus, a massive fireball erupting near a California highway. Look at this, nearly a dozen people sent to the hospital because of this thing. We'll show you more of the video and tell you what happened.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:24:37] JOHNS: A lot of news this Saturday morning, here's a look at some other stories developing right now.

PAUL: I want to talk about Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. He's lashing out at Saudi Arabia over ongoing airstrikes against rebel forces in Yemen. Earlier today during an annual military parade in Tehran, Rouhani said, the Saudis will be a secret for their military action. He also accused Saudi Arabia of providing weapons to terror groups.

[06:25:01] JOHNS: A massive gasoline explosion sent 11 people to the hospital on Friday and closed a central California highway.

(VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: Investigators are trying to figure this one out. They say they do not know what caused this blast. But they're looking into the possibility it could have been caused by heavy equipment working near a gas line.

PAUL: You know him as hockey star, Jarret Stoll, but this morning, the L.A. Kings player is in trouble. He was arrested for drug possession yesterday while at a Las Vegas resort, swimming pool. Police tell CNN affiliate KNSB he was in possession of cocaine and ecstasy. In a statement, the Kings said they are conducting an internal investigation of their own.

JOHNS: Houston has a problem, under a flood watch this morning, severe thunderstorms drenching the city. Streets just flooded leaving cars nearly submerged. Drivers stranded. Actually, there's more wet weather coming up. The National Weather Service is forecasting rain throughout there the week ahead.

PAUL: It is a mess out there. Do be careful.

So it is a showdown in New Hampshire, GOP presidential hopefuls flocking north in order to gain more support as they intend to win over voters. We're live for you for day two of the Republican summit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm offended by that. I'm deeply offended by that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: And we've got some controversy in Kentucky after a judge rips into the victims of an alleged home invasion. We'll tell you why he did that, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:30:28] PAUL: 30 minutes past the hour. So glad to have you with us. And the eyes of the political world are on New Hampshire where the second day of a GOP summit is set to begin. More than a dozen Republican presidential hopefuls gathering in a very important primary state.

JOHNS: It's still seems a little early. During the first day though, several contenders tried to grab the spotlight or at least put some of their rhetoric to a field test.

Let's bring in CNN's Athena Jones, who's in New Hampshire, has been following this story. So Athena, did you hear anything that seems to be striking a chord out there?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, guys. We're hearing a lot of these folks talk up conservative principles, bash President Obama's policies. We heard from New Jersey governor Chris Christie saying the president only cares about his library and his legacy at this point in his administration. So it's the kind of stuff that many in the crowd seem to respond to.

One of the potential contenders who's been pushing his case here is former Florida governor Jeb Bush. But the question he can't seem to escape is the question of how he'll distinguish himself from his father and his brother.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONES (voice-over): He hasn't formally announced his candidacy, but Jeb Bush is already acting like a presidential candidate -- fielding questions from Granite State voters on tough issues like immigration reform.

JEB BUSH, (R) FMR. FLORIDA GOVERNOR. Deal with the folks that are here illegally in a rational and thoughtful way. My suggestion is earned legal status.

JONES: That's a view at odds with many conservatives, a sign the former Florida governor isn't afraid to stick to his principles on this and other issues. He says he enjoys engaging with voters in these intimate settings.

BUSH: This is what they expect. This is the unique nature of New Hampshire that you can do it. It's small enough where people get a chance to see it close up, which I love

JONES: Bush also tackled that recurrent question about the Bush family as a political dynasty, much like the Adams family of presidents of centuries past.

BUSH: I have to prove that I'm not running for president, if I go beyond the consideration of this to be an active candidate, trying to break the tie between the Adams family and the Bush family.

JONES: And he poked fun at a potential rival from another political dynasty, saying of Hillary Clinton's visit to an Ohio Chipotle --

BUSH: Do I go there? Yes, I go there. The one on US 1. Drive my own car, park my own car, get out of my own car, yes.

JONES: But while Bush has been jabbing Democrats like Clinton and President Barack Obama, he hasn't focused much on his fellow GOP contenders, even as the rest of the field tries hard to distinguish themselves.

Former Texas governor Rick Perry warning that nominating another first-term senator would be a mistake, a not so veiled dig at Senators Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio.

RICK PERRY (R), FMR. TEXAS GOVERNOR: We've spent eight years with a young, inexperienced United States senator. And I would suggest to you, economically, militarily, and foreign policy-wise, we're paying a tremendous price.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES (on camera): Now, when one woman talked about her concern that there wouldn't be enough of a fight on the Republican side for the nomination, that it would instead be a coronation of Bush, which, of course, is echoing some of the concerns on the Democratic side of a coronation of Hillary Clinton, the former governor said I don't see a coronation coming my way. If I throw myself into this arena, know I'll have to earn it. No one is going to give it to me. That's apparent.

Today, we'll hear from Senators Rand Paul and Ted Cruz and Governor Scott Walker and many, many others. Guys.

JOHNS: Athena Jones in New Hampshire this morning for us. Thanks for that.

PAUL: Meanwhile, people are still saying will he or won't he. After teasing reporters yesterday he was going to unveil his 2016 presidential ambitions, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee says he'll announce his plans next month. Huckabee says he's already filed paperwork to open an exploratory committee. He's been actively preparing for a presidential bid, though, traveling to primary states, hashing out his political team. Still, Huckabee says everyone is just going to wait until May 5th precisely to know his official plans.

JOHNS: Huckabee is one of the big names set to speak today in New Hampshire in day two of that summit. He'll be there along with one of the surprise front-runners early in this 2016 race, Wisconsin governor Scott Walker.

So let's bring in digital reporter for CNN Politics Eric Bradner. What are you expecting today?

ERIC BRADNER, CNN POLITICS DIGITIAL REPORTER: Yes, Walker is the main attraction on day two.

[06:35:00] He'll be the keynote speaker at the dinner tonight. Now, if you remember, Walker really shot to the front of the polls after a big event like this that was a must-attend for every Republican presidential candidate in Iowa. He really wowed the crowd there. And the question is can he do it again in New Hampshire? But he's not the only one on the stage today. Ted Cruz is up. Rand Paul is up. Several contenders who are really low in the polls but are trying to get a little bit attention are on the schedule for this afternoon.

JOHNS: So let's talk Marco Rubio. A recent CNN poll has him far behind his competitors. Do you feel as though he did anything to help his stock yesterday?

BRADNER: He really did. Rubio was probably the most impressive of the speakers on day one. He did an interesting job of framing everything whether it was, you know, comments about Social Security and Medicare looking forward, or comments about the American dream, sort of talking about his parents who are Cuban immigrants wanting to give him a better shot at life. Framing everything in sort of a personal context. With everyone else, it was an attack on President Obama, an attack on Hillary Clinton, but Rubio had the best personal story and sort of the most engaging sort of style. And he really earned some points that way, really impressed a lot of people.

JOHNS: He really does have a good personal story and it does seem to resonate.

Now, Hillary Clinton is coming into town in the coming days. What do you think we expect from that visit? I was there in Manchester earlier in the week. I know Chris Christie went on record saying he could beat her in a general election. What kind of jabs are you hearing against Hillary Clinton, have we heard from other contenders?

BRADNER: On day one, it was a lot of portraying her as the third term of President Obama, using her tenure of Secretary of State to latch her to Obama's foreign policy. But today, on day two, we have some candidates up who have been much more direct in attacking Hillary Clinton. One of them is Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard executive, who has made a real point of saying that she doesn't think Clinton has ever accomplished anything of note. Rand Paul is also up. He's been hinting at more revelations regarding the Clinton Foundation taking donations from foreign countries, foreign donors. And so the attacks could get a lot more personal here in day two.

JOHNS: Still a primary race, but Hillary Clinton can always be a target. Eric Bradner, thanks so much for that.

BRANDER: Thank you.

PAUL: Coming up, what Dr. Oz is saying to his critics in the medical field. Those critics are outraged. We'll give you more info there.

Plus, a Kentucky judge did not mince his words when he said he was disgusted by the actions of the actions of the victims of an armed home invasion. We're going to break down that controversy that's surrounding this case for you. Stay close.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL (voice-over): Last weekend, Grand Slam and Olympic champion Andy Murray married his longtime girlfriend Kim Sears at the Dunblane Cathedral with the support of his hometown fans and families.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Congratulations, Andy and Kim. PAUL: The world number 3 emerged wearing a traditional Scottish kilt

and the bride looking beautiful in a gown by British designer Jenny Packham. The people of Dunblane waited all day in the wind, rain and even snow to catch a glimpse of the young couple. Scottish tennis fans have watched Murray grow from a young boy to a sporting legend.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely fabulous to see them, especially Andy coming back. He's from (INAUDIBLE). It's just lovely.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's a hero. He's done something that all local boys would really strive to do.

PAUL: Even the local businesses joined the festivities with one serving special sweetheart burgers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They've been very popular. Unfortunately, they've been going that quick. We've not been able to make them quick enough.

PAUL: After the ceremony, the newlyweds celebrated at a private party. But the honeymoon had to be put on hold until after the tennis season.

This is one match that will stay with Andy Murray forever.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[06:39:10]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHNS: So check this out. Probably not the Dr. Oz you're familiar with. "Sack this quack." That's what the headlines are saying about famed TV doctor Mehmet Oz. This comes after ten prominent doctors across the country say his faculty position at Columbia University is unacceptable, citing his TV and promotional work as, quote, "lacking integrity".

Our Elizabeth Cohen has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: There's nothing ambiguous in the letter that ten doctors wrote about Dr. Mehmet Oz to the dean of Columbia University's medical school.

"We are surprised and dismayed that Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons would permit Dr. Mehmet Oz to occupy a faculty appointment. He has repeatedly shown disdain for science and for evidence-based medicine. He has manifested an egregious lack of integrity by promoting quack treatments and cures in the interests of personal financial gain."

Dr. Joel Tepper signed the letter.

DR. JOEL TEPPER, UNC SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: He has touted many drugs as miracle drugs for weight loss which causes people to spend huge amounts of money for treatments that have no benefit whatsoever.

COHEN: He said at most universities if someone did this --

TEPPER: That is grounds for dismissal.

COHEN: Columbia University responded, telling CNN they won't stop faculty members from speaking their minds. In a statement today, Oz said, "We provide multiple points of view, including mine, which is offered without conflict of interest. That still doesn't sit well with certain agendas which distort the facts."

Oz rose to fame on Oprah as her go-to doctor and soon spun off his own successful TV show. It wasn't long before his flowery language and product promotion attracted controversy.

DR. MEHMET OZ, TELEVISION HOST: Now I've got the No. 1 miracle in a bottle to burn your fat.

COHEN: Last June, Oz was brought before a Senate subcommittee about his promotions for miracle weight loss cures and called to the carpet.

SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL (D), MISSOURI: I don't get why you need to say this stuff because you know it's not true. So, why, when you have this amazing megaphone, and this amazing ability to communicate, why would you cheapen your show by saying things like that?

OZ: I actually do personally do believe in the items that I talk about in the show. I passionately study them. I would give my audience the advice I give my family all the time. And I've given my family these products.

[06:45:05] This little bean has scientists saying they found a magic weight loss cure for every body type.

COHEN: The makers of one weight loss product touted on his show was sued by the Federal Trade Commission for false advertising and settled for $3.5 million. All fodder for the doctors who are asking Columbia University to rethink Oz's position.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS: OK, so what does Dr. Oz say about this? He issued the following statement on Friday: "I bring the public information that will had help them on the path to be their best selves. We provide multiple points of view including mine, which offered without conflict of interest. I will address this next week on the show next week," he says.

PAUL: Disgusted and deeply offended. Those are the words of a Kentucky judge whose rant against the victims of a home invasion have gone viral. We're going to hear why some are saying he needs to step down from the bench.

Plus, a female CEO says the presidency is a man's job, believes hormones disqualify Hillary Clinton from running. Ahead a 7:00, hear more of those controversial comments. Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: All right. Check out this Facebook page. More than 1,000 people have liked it, calling for the firing of Kentucky Judge Olu Stevens. The thing is he can't be fired; he's an elected official. Now, people are upset about comments the judge made during a sentencing hearing. He was furious not at the man pleading guilty at the home invasion, but at the family's victim statement, implying was racist.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[06:50:06] JUDGE OLU STEVENS, KENTUCKY: I wonder if had the perpetrator had been white, would they be in fear of white men? The answer would probably be no.

PAUL (voice-over): That's Judge Olu Stevens, and he's upset.

STEVENS: I'm offended by that. I'm deeply offended about that.

PAUL: What's he so offended about? Well, let's rewind a little here? In 2013, Gregory Wallace and another man broke into the home of a Gray family, robbing them, including a 3-year-old, at gunpoint. Wallace pled guilty and when CNN affiliate WDRB obtained video of that February 4 hearing and documents this week, it unleashed a firestorm.

This is the Grays' victim impact statement that was presented in a Louisville court. Thomas Gray said, "Since the crime occurred, my daughter is terrified of black males." His wife Jordan claiming that the little girl is constant fear of black men. "When out running errands, if we come across a black male, she hugs me tight and begs me to leave."

Even the prosecutor seemed taken aback but placed the blame on Wallace.

PROSECTUOR: I don't condone what's in that impact statement, but clearly this has affected that little girl a lot in a horrible way. And that's on him.

PAUL: The judge agreed, but took aim at the child's parents.

WALLACE: She can't help the way that she feels. My exception is more with her parents and their accepting of that kind of mentality and that fostering of that -- those kind of stereotypes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL (on camera): All right, Judge Stevens, we should point out, did sentence Gregory Wallace to probation. The judge and the Gray family are declining comment. But the Commonwealth's attorney, Thomas Wine, released this statement saying, "While we do not tell victims what to write, we would never sanction or endorse any racist or other inappropriate language. I agree with Judge Olu Stevens that we must confront overt racist or other inappropriate language. I do not, however, believe the language in the Wallace victim impact statement was racist, nor was it intended to be."

There was another statement they made, Joey, that I read that they said she's afraid of their friends who are African-American as well. Is there anything in that statement, that victim impact statement, that you took to be racist?

JOEY JACKSON, HLN LEGAL ANALYST: Christi, good morning to you. Not at all. Victim impact statements, which are not only permissible but certainly something that you want the system to have and that the system directs that you be given.

What ends up happening, Christi, just to take a step back, most jurisdictions have what's called a victim's bill of rights. And victims of violent and tragic crimes have an opportunity -- and even victims of crimes that are not so violent and tragic -- have an opportunity to share with the court how has this impacted me physically? How has it impacted me psychologically? And on that form, in this case, because as you know, Christi, you can appear in court and you can give a narrative in terms of how it affected you or you can opt not to appear, not to see the person who did this to you, and write it on the form.

And what the mother is doing is expressing what effect and impact this had upon her family. So you can't revictimize the victim for telling the court how it affected her and what is the truth in this particular case.

PAUL: So what is your take-away from what the judge decided to say and do?

JACKSON: Well, first of all, this is a crime involving a home invasion where you have -- you're robbing a family at gunpoint with a 3-year-old. That is a B felony in Kentucky; that's punishable by 20 years in jail.

PAUL: Right. So wait a minute, I want to stop you there, because the guy got probation. So what do you make of this whole thing?

JACKSON: That's a concern. That is a major concern. Now, Christi, to be fair, every judge does things differently. They have their views on the world in terms of who needs to be redeemed, who needs to get a second chance. But need there be some punishment for someone who engaged in the crime?

Now, to be fair, I understand that this person, Mr. Wallace, the defendant, the person who's guilty of a felony, was in jail for a year and a half awaiting this sentence. But the reality is that the criminal justice system is predicated on punishment, deterrence, and rehabilitation. And you have to factor in those three.

But when you give someone for probation for a home invasion, that's problematic, which leads to this conclusion, Christi. In the event that something is in a victim impact statement that so inflames your tensions, that so gets at your goat, that so could impair your impartiality or lack thereof, why not just recuse yourself and allow someone else to impose sentence? That's how you keep faith in the criminal justice system. You cannot

have a judge who's opining from the bench. They have views of the world. They have position, what they believe. It's not about that. It's about how it impacted the victim and what's the appropriate question. That's the question. And you can't decide to punish someone because they decide to be truthful.

[06:55:02] Truthful people should be rewarded. This is the impact it had on her. So let's talk about how we could perhaps overcome that; certainly anything that would be deemed to be racist, and this certainly I didn't believe was, should be something that we should look toward thwarting. But I just thought that it was inappropriate.

PAUL: All right. Hey, Joey Jackson, always appreciate your perspective. Thank you, sir.

JACKSON: Thank you, Christi. Have a good day.

PAUL: Absolutely, you too. Joe.

JOHNS: Thanks, Christi. So here's a question that's hard to believe we're asking in 2015. Should a woman be president? One marketing company CEO doesn't think so. Why she says women are not fit for the job. That story coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Well, a majority of Americans recently polled say they favor the legalization of marijuana for recreational and medical reasons. Well, CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores the subject this Sunday night. It's at 9:00 Eastern on "WEED 3: THE MARIJUANA REVOLUTION." Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE). I never thought I'd be smoking weed in the hospital.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is San Francisco General, an academic teaching hospital that, because of Dr. Abrams, has a stash of marijuana in their pharmacy. It is stored next to all the other medications.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get ready.

GUPTA: And Abrams is using it to see if it can relieve chronic pain in patients with a rare blood disorder.

Jenelle Lashos (ph) is a painter. She was also born with sickle cell anemia and has been in pain as long as she can remember.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Take it in.

[07:00:01] GUPTA: She says marijuana makes her nearly pain-free.

(on camera): How long after you smoke do you have relief of your pain?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Instantly. It's like instantly.

GUPTA: A couple minutes?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, a couple minutes I feel the relief of pain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: To see more of Dr. Sanjay Gupta's special investigation into medical marijuana, tune into "WEED 3", it's Sunday, 9:00 p.m. Eastern. And immediately following, be sure to watch the premiere of CNN's new series "High Profits", Sunday night at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.