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CNN Saturday Morning News
Obama's Working Vacation; New Videos From U.K. Riots Show 'Coordinated Criminal Behavior'; Real Life Nancy Drew Solves Burglary Crime; Conquering the Cube; The Link Between Social Media and Crowd Violence; Doctors Say Heart Disease Is Preventable
Aired August 20, 2011 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: From CNN Center this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's 8:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 5:00 a.m. out west. Good morning, everybody. I'm Alina Cho. Thanks for joining us. T.J. Holmes is off this morning.
Coming up this morning, mounting pressure on dictator Moammar Gadhafi to resign. The Libyan leader denies reports he is looking for refuge for his family.
Plus, take a look at this just released video. Are London rioters firing at police helicopters? We'll have a live report in just a moment.
And severe storms strike the northeast, unleashing deadly flash floods and it's not over yet. The Ohio valley could be next.
But we start with the sputtering economy. President Obama says there are steps we can take to spark the economy. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There are things we can do right now that will mean more customers for businesses and more jobs across the country. We can cut payroll taxes again so families have an extra thousand dollars to spend. We can pass a road construction bill so construction crews who are now sitting idle, can head back to the work site, rebuilding roads and bridges and airports.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: That's from the president's weekly address.
Ohio Governor John Kasich gave this morning's Republican weekly address, the rebuttal, if you will. He says the real problem is leadership.
White House correspondent Dan Lothian joins us now from Martha's Vineyard where the first family is vacationing.
So Dan, the market as you know has lost more than 1,300 points in just the first three weeks of August. That's nearly 11 percent. How is the president dealing with all the GOP criticism that now is not the time to be taking a vacation? DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, the White House has been pushing back on that now for quite some time. In fact, there were calls before the president left, for him to stay home, to call members of Congress back to Washington in order to deal with the issue at hand rather, which is fixing the economy, which is focusing on job creation.
But the White House saying that the president needs to be able to get away on a vacation and that even though he's away from the White House, he is never away from his job. While the president is here, advisers telling us that he's busy working on that speech that he will deliver some time after returning from his vacation back to Washington.
Also, he's working on putting together this jobs plan, along with his top aides. We don't know the details of that yet. In fact, we're told that that's still a work in progress. And in addition to that, the president will be getting frequent updates on the economic situation.
One of his top economic advisers will be coming here next week we're told for regular updates. Again, the president finding some time to get out and have a little fun here on the island, but also very much focused on the broad problem that's ailing the nation and that is the ailing economy.
CHO: And speaking of fun, Dan, not a bad assignment, if you can get it.
LOTHIAN: That's right.
CHO: I may say so.
LOTHIAN: Can't complain.
CHO: Do we know at all what the president will be doing today?
LOTHIAN: We don't know. I mean, usually it's one of those things where we get a little head's up that the president is moving and then we find out when he gets there what he is doing.
Yesterday, he did get a chance to go out, in fact not far from where I am right here, the president went to a local book store with his two daughters. They bought some books.
Then, later, the president went to a golf course and played some golf. We weren't allowed to get any shots of that, although some people were able to sneak through the trees and get shots of the president driving around.
CHO: Not you.
LOTHIAN: Not me.
And then later in the evening, he did go out for dinner with the first lady. So, you know, his first full day on the island he did get a chance to get out. People were very excited to see him, lining the roads and streets here.
CHO: I can only imagine, sure.
LOTHIAN: Shouting to him as well. Right, quite a bit of buzz when the president comes into downtown vineyard haven.
CHO: That's right. I read a great article this morning that said that cell service on the vineyard is generally really, really spotty but they know the president is about to come when the cell service suddenly gets a lot better. I guess it's great on Martha's Vineyard right now, so good for you and everybody there covering the president's vacation.
Dan Lothian, thank you very much.
LOTHIAN: That's right.
CHO: Out on the campaign trail, a busy day for the crowded GOP presidential field. The latest entry, Texas Governor Rick Perry, campaigns in South Carolina early today, then it's back to Texas for a meeting with backers in Austin.
Businessman Herman Cain is spending the day crisscrossing New Hampshire. He's making his case to voters in several New Hampshire cities.
And Newt Gingrich, remember him? He's in Hawaii where he'll meet with GOP supporters on Maui later today.
Turning overseas to Syria, a government opposition spokesman says 29 people were killed yesterday when security forces fired on protesters in several locations. Watch.
(VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: The European Union's Political Security Committee is calling for an embargo on Syrian crude oil. On Thursday, Washington imposed its own economic sanctions on Syria and called for President Bashar al Assad to step down. Oil and gas, by the way, make up about a quarter of Syria's economy. Meanwhile, the U.N. is apparently sending a humanitarian mission to Syria.
Disturbing new view of this month's riots in England. Take a look at this video. It was captured by closed circuit cameras in a section of Birmingham, England.
(VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: If you look closely there, you see the armed rioters taking shots at police. British authorities are usually very hesitant about releasing video like this but they say the level of violence makes a change in its policy necessary.
CNN's Dan Rivers joins us now by phone from London with more.
So, is this the first time, Dan, that we're seeing this? DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): It's certainly the first time that we have seeing armed rioters apparently shooting at the police. A very disturbing set of pictures and images that you can see there.
The chief constable of the area, West Midland's Chris Simms, has said that this video shows seemingly coordinated criminal behavior with no regard for peoples' lives, whether it be through setting a fire, shooting unarmed officers or shooting at the police helicopter. And he goes on to say this investigation is being treated as attempted murder and arson and only thankful that this is not a murder inquiry.
You could imagine what would have happened if they had hit the police helicopter. This could have been really very serious, indeed.
CHO: Dan, I have to ask you, I mean this has been going on for weeks and it's only gotten worse. What is it going to take and I'm sure you've spoken to people on the streets there, what is it going to take for this to stop?
RIVERS: Well, I mean, at the moment, things have called down. This video was actually from the 9th of August. It's only just been released today. But, for the last few days, there has been a complete calm here. They have surged the number of police officers in London and other big cities, completely flooded the streets with high visibility officers on horses and just, you know, lots of officers on foot as well. That seems to have kept a lid on the trouble for now.
I mean, a big debate here in the U.K. is, the underlying causes. Is this being driven by social deprivation? Is it just opportunistic criminality? Was there an element of copycat in all this, people seeing this on Twitter and on social media and deciding to do the same thing? So there's a big debate about what caused it.
Thankfully, at the moment, it seems to be contained for now.
CHO: That is very good news and let's hope that the rioting stops there in London. Thank you for following this for us.
CNN's Dan Rivers joining us live from London.
Meanwhile, in India, he's been likened to the late Mahatma Gandhi and now that social activist Anna Hazare is out of jail. The Indian government is reacting as Hazare's hunger strike against public corruption enters a fifth day.
Today, India's prime minister says his government is open to a citizen ombudsman that Hazare has been calling for, but anti- corruption activists say the current proposal is just too weak to tackle the nation's long entrenched history of bribery.
Meanwhile, a rare sight of Kim Jong-Il outside of his secretive state. Today, North Korea's long-time leader took a train trip to Russia's Siberia region and there he's slated to meet with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev. Russia recently donated some 50,000 tons of wheat to North Korea to combat the country's food shortage. Libyan officials are denying that Moammar Gadhafi and his family are looking to leave Tripoli. That comes as rebel leaders say they are closing in on the Libyan leader's Tripoli stronghold.
CNN's Matthew Chance is in Tripoli for us.
Matthew, what's going on where you are now?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Pretty quiet at the moment, I have to say. There have been a number of air strikes overnight. The government minders said they may take us out to see some of those strike sites later on.
But yes, general mood of being under siege. There are big rebel advances as we've been hearing from our reporter in the west in the town of Zawiya where rebels control much of that strategically important town. But there is still fighting going on in the east of the city between rebels and Gadhafi loyalists. The battle isn't done yet.
It's also, there's a lot of kind of reports going around that the rebels are advancing on Tripoli. It gives the impression that they're sort of at the gates of the capital. That's not the case. They're still battling in various areas, you know, 30, 50 kilometers away from Tripoli itself. And so, you know, when the time comes, if the time comes for an actual advance on the capital, that's a very different proposition.
It's very well armed here. There are big brigades of Gadhafi loyalists with sophisticated weapons. All the civilians have been armed by Gadhafi as well. He sees this very much as a stronghold of his own popularity and so if there is an assault - frontal assault on Tripoli, it's likely to be very bloody, indeed.
CHO: Matthew, I have to ask you, Gadhafi, obviously, has had a firm grip on power for 42 years, but there are some signs, at least according to some, that his hold is slipping. So, what are his options? If the State Department says he will leave, it's just a matter of time, what are Gadhafi's options then?
CHANCE: Well, what he says he's going to do is he's going to stay in Tripoli and he's going to fight. He's called on his thousands of supporters here to do the same and to be ready for a possible you know push by the rebels, he calls rats, into the Libyan capital. So that's his public position.
But, of course, there are all sorts of rumors about backdoor talks that are taking place that could, you know, see the Libyan leader and his family move to another Arab country, move to South America, move to South Africa or some of the rumors that have been spread around. None of them have been verified, these rumors and they all been denied by the regime officials that we've been speaking to here in Tripoli.
At the moment, I think what we have to go with is what we see, which is that Colonel Gadhafi remains, you know, at the head of his loyalists here in Tripoli and is striking every time he speaks, a very characteristically defiant tone.
CHO: All right. Matthew Chance, thank you so much for that update, live for us from Tripoli in Libya with the situation there.
Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf is looking at the weekend forecast.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHO: Coming up during a police program's forensic class this summer, young Jessica Maple was definitely paying attention. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JESSICA MAPLE, YOUNG DETECTIVE: The investigator, he came and he was like oh, my gosh, how did you find all this stuff here? I was coming here. And I was like, I did your job again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: We're going to tell you how this 12-year-old may have put one Georgia county police department to shame.
And your eyes are not deceiving you. Take a look closely. This woman riding in the back of a pick-up truck holding on to a stroller, with a baby inside of the stroller. We're going to tell you what she said in her defense after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Here's a look at stories making headlines across the story.
First, three men convicted when they were teens of killing three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, have been set free. The so- called West Memphis Three spent nearly two decades behind bars.
Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols and Jessie Misskelley Jr. say they're innocent of the murders of three second graders. They were freed though after reaching a deal. They had to plead guilty but they still maintain their innocence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON BALDWIN, WEST MEMPHIS THREE DEFENDANT: In the beginning we told nothing but the truth that we were innocent. They sent us to prison for the rest of our lives. We had to come here and the only thing that the state would do for us, would to say, hey, we'll let you go only if you admit guilt. And that's not justice, no matter how you look at it.
DAMIEN ECHOLS, WEST MEMPHIS THREE DEFENDANT: I'm just tired. This has been going on for over 18 years and it's been an absolute living hell.
JESSIE MISSKELLEY JR., WEST MEMPHIS THREE DEFENDANT: Even when you're in prison it goes on every day. You have to worry about your own safety. It doesn't matter what the crime it is. You still got to worry about your safety regardless.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: And 911 operators in Daytona Beach, Florida, were flooded with calls after drivers saw this. That's a woman riding in the back of a pick-up truck holding on to a stroller and there's a baby inside of the stroller.
Keyona Davis is the woman. She says she was hanging on to that stroller, didn't realize how dangerous it was. Really? She was arrested and charged with child neglect.
And reality television star Kim Kardashian is marrying NBA player Chris Humphries today at that location in Montecito, California. It's a "private"-- in quotes -- ceremony. But Kardashian's wedding will be featured in a four-hour television special in October. Of course, it is.
A 12-year-old girl right here in Atlanta is a real-life Nancy Drew. After just attending a summer forensics class, she cracked a burglary case before police using clues that they apparently missed.
Jeff Dore from CNN affiliate WSB has her story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF DORE, REPORTER, WSB-TV (voice-over): Before she turned this into real crime fighting, it started out as a kid's summer program here at the Fulton County district attorney's office.
Junior district attorneys learn to argue cases in the real state supreme court. They meet former prosecutor Nancy Grace and the key to this story, learn about investigating crimes. Among the junior district attorneys was Jessica Maple.
Just after the forensics class, someone burglarized the home of Jessica's late great grandmother in Fitzgerald, Georgia. Jessica investigated and found where the burglars broke in. The police had missed it. Then, she and her mom investigated a local pawn shop and found her great grandmother's property.
JESSICA MAPLE, YOUNG DETECTIVE: We called the police station and then the guy who -- the investigator, he came and he was like, oh, my gosh. How did you find all this stuff here? I was coming here. And I was like, I did your job again.
DORE: They also learned the pawn shop owner had copies of the IDs of the guys who sold the stuff and then believe it or not, she and her mom drove to the guy's house and confronted him. He confessed to you that he did it.
MAPLE: He confessed.
DORE: At last word, police still haven't made an arrest. The police still haven't arrested him?
MAPLE: No. I don't know what's taking them so long.
DORE: Paul Howard started the junior DA program 13 years ago and this is a first.
PAUL HOWARD, FULTON COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: We're hoping that she will take that lesson with her through life, the things that she's learned here as a junior DA.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Jessica says she may eventually decide on a career in law. That would be a good choice, but she has some other ambitions.
An African-American icon is being memorialized in Washington. Coming up next, we'll take you on a virtual tour of the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial a full week before it's unveiled to the public. Next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: The face of Washington is about to change. The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial will have its dedication ceremony next week. We can already take you on a virtual tour of the site right now. That's because we have our Josh Levs with us and he can show us.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alina, good morning to you.
And, folks, take a look at these beautiful pictures. These are some of the earliest renderings of the imagery, including the actual statute itself and in addition to these pictures, I have this virtual tour. Take a look.
Let's keep watching. I'm going to tell you about it. This is on a four acre site. Organizers say that the whole thing is designed to evoke the memory and the spiritual presence of Dr. King.
It is a series of separate sections that include some of his most famous quotes, excerpts of his sermons and the centerpiece will be the statute of the civil rights leader Dr. King himself which I have on my screen right here.
This is a panoramic live view that I can control on my screen and this is it right here. This is the statute of him.
What I want to do is zoom way in here so you can see the words that are on the side, out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope, one of his many famous quotes. He delivered that one in the "I have a dream" speech. And check it out, this is a stone of hope that is emerging from the mountain of despair. That's the centerpiece of this entire monument.
Let's go to Google earth because I want you all to understand the significance of where it is physically. We're starting off with an aerial view. We put a triangle there for you. You see the Washington monument, the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials. The MLK memorial is between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials on the other side of the tidal basin.
From this view, we're going from the Washington monument over to the Lincoln. And when you're at the Lincoln memorial, think about this, that is where he delivered his "I have a dream" speech on those steps right there.
We're going to zoom around from the back, because it's right alongside that reflecting pool where the crowd was for that speech and now to the right of your screen, that is where the MLK monument will be. A critical site in the Google earth will get updated when the monument is officially out there.
Now, there's a lot of reasons that it's so significant and it makes a big statement for America. Take a look at what one of the organizers said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRY JOHNSON, PRESIDENT, MLK NATIONAL MEMORIAL PROJECT FOUNDATION: When future generations visit Washington, they will see a Mall that is more closely reflecting the diversity of our great nation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Administrations come and go, but this will be a permanent statement for our country. I have a bunch of links for you up on my pages.
Let's show everyone, I want you to be able to see the interactive tour, plus our CNN special section on Dr. King, my Facebook and Twitter are there, joshlevsCNN, also CNN.com/josh. All this has a bunch of links for you and by the way, when you're getting online, don't forget to follow Alina Cho on Twitter.
CHO: Thank you. I really appreciate it. I'm a Johnny come lately to Twitter but I'm really enjoying it, I have to say.
LEVS: I knew we would lasso you in.
CHO: Quick question. How much did this memorial cost and how long did it take to build it? It's extraordinary to me that it took this long to get an MLK memorial, frankly.
LEVS: A lot of people agree with you. I'll tell you both of those things. Some $120 million is the figure they're saying and they say more than $114 million has been raised.
You can trace back decades for people wanting a memorial. The first Congressional action toward making this moment happen took place in 1996. So by that standard, you're looking at a 15-year effort since then, to make this happen. But there were people pushing for this going back to the '70s. You can certainly say it's taken a long time for this moment to come to the U.S.
CHO: Why does 1996 seem like yesterday to me? I'm getting old. LEVS: I hear you. Feel the same way.
CHO: Thank you. at alinacho CNN Twitter follow me. And join us next weekend for the unveiling of the MLK memorial. Our T.J. Holmes will be live from Washington for the ceremony.
Coming up a little later, New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez hits back against allegations he took part in high-stakes, underground poker games in Beverly Hills. You'll hear from him.
Also ahead, when it comes to conquering the Rubik's cube, few people are in the same class as this guy. He's 20-year-old Row Hessler. Look at him. He's a back-to-back national speed cube champ. He can do it in seconds, not minutes. He went for a third title just last weekend. We've got your speed cubing 101. He's done already. That's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Welcome back.
Rowe Hessler has the fastest hands on the cube. We're talking about the Rubik's cube. The 20-year-old from New York has built a solid reputation in the world of Rubik's speed cubing as it's called. His hands and mind work so fast he once conquered a cube in less than seven seconds. He's already won the national championships twice and competed last week for a three-peat. Rowe joins me live this morning from New York.
So, Rowe, I know you've been cubing for about six years now. When did you first master the cube and how long did it take you to get it?
ROWE HESSLER, SPEED CUBING CHAMPION: Well, I started in 2005. It took me about three days to get it my first time.
CHO: Three days? So, you know, can I see you do it because it's pretty extraordinary. It's almost like you're not even looking at it. What is the trick to solving the cube? Can you tell me?
HESSLER: Well, it just takes a lot of practice. It's hard to explain in the short of amount of time. But pretty much I start off by getting these four pieces here.
CHO: OK.
HESSLER: And from there I just --
CHO: Which four pieces?
HESSLER: I see the colors. These. It's like an X.
CHO: Got it. OK, got it. And then after that the you work from there. I can tell you the best I've ever done is two sides. I was so thrilled when I got two sides. I thought it was a huge accomplishment. HESSLER: It is a big accomplishment.
CHO: Tell me, you know, you are a bit of a YouTube sensation, right? You've solved cubes big and small, one is two by two by two or something like that and you did it in how many seconds?
HESSLER: I did it in 0.96.
CHO: Less than a second?
HESSLER: It wasn't a full second.
CHO: Less than a second.
Now, I understand that you can also solve the cube with one hand and blindfolded as well. I mean, that to me is mind boggling. Explain to me how you solve a Rubik's cube blindfolded.
HESSLER: Well, it's really not as hard as you think. If you think the cube -- if you think of it as pieces instead of stickers, it's really only 20 pieces and you just memorize the path of the pieces on the cube and you learn the different algorithms to solve it, you can do it.
CHO: Just how competitive is the competitions there? I know that the national championship is about 200 participants, right? I mean how -- do you know a lot of your fellow cubers? Are you friends? I mean, is it cutthroat out there? What's it like?
HESSLER: Honestly, it's more of just like a convention -- it's just like hanging out with friends in a competition. Like, of course, when it comes time to compete I'm a little more serious, but really in the end -- at the end of the day it's just about having fun.
CHO: There you have it. Rowe Hessler speed cubing champion. I know you -- you placed fourth just this last time but you've won it twice, so good for you. Kudos to you, and congratulations.
HESSLER: Thank you.
CHO: I could watch you cube all day.
HESSLER: Thank you very much.
CHO: Thanks so much.
Also ahead, we're watching the severe weather. A sudden thunderstorm traps several cars, claims the lives of three people in Pittsburgh. We're going to have a wrap-up of the severe weather and your weekend forecast coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: It's 33 minutes past the hour. Welcome back I'm Alina Cho. T.J. Holmes has the morning off. Thanks for starting -- for starting your day with us. And Friday was a deadly day for severe weather in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A mother and her two children died after flash flooding hit there. Authorities are still looking for another woman who hasn't been found after yesterday afternoon's torrential storms.
And in Wisconsin, a man died yesterday as strong storms rolled through the area there. The National Weather Service will try to determine if it was a tornado. The State's Emergency Management officials think it may have been.
So -- time for a check of the weather with meteorologist Reynolds Wolf.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHO: Reynolds, thank you.
Coming up, the basketball brawl in Beijing, chaos during a basketball game between China's National Team and the Georgetown Hoyas. But they're kissing and making up. We'll have that story.
And in India, bling in your eyes, I'm talking about gold and diamond contact lenses. So what would I look like in them? We'll show you in our "Morning Passport," that's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Nadia Bilchik joins me now for our "Morning Passport." And Nadia, be still my beating heart, Christian Louboutin, he of the red- soled shoes is trying to copyright that color. We'll have that story in just a minute.
But first I want to hear about this gold and diamond-colored contact lenses.
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: Isn't it extraordinary. An optometrist in India and it's a lovely story. His wife came back from some cosmetic dentistry and she had some diamonds in her teeth. So he thought what a good idea. And what you're seeing now --
(CROSSTALK)
CHO: Wow.
BILCHIK: -- is gold and diamond contact lenses inspired by the optometrist's wife. And they're extraordinary because they clever lenses, so the kind of contact lens that they're using is actually usually used if you have some kind of problem with your eyes.
CHO: Well, that guy looks a little freaky.
BILCHIK: Well, some say it looks a little freaky but it certainly adds some bling. So it's going to be quite interesting to see. They're around $15,000.
CHO: No. BILCHIK: So it will be interesting to see who can actually afford them.
CHO: And these aren't disposable obviously.
BILCHIK: These are not disposable. And of course, there's controversy around them, saying first of all, do you really want to use something medicinal for cosmetic purposes. But remember the colored contact lens phase?
CHO: Yes of course, sure.
BILCHIK: So now you really have a sparkle in your eye.
CHO: OK.
BILCHIK: So Alina, I thought it would be interesting to see what Alina Cho would look like with sparkling eyes.
CHO: OK.
BILCHIK: Let's see if our graphics department.
CHO: Oh it was there, wow.
BILCHIK: There we are.
CHO: How did I -- I don't even look the same. That was about ten hair styles ago, but I look -- I think I look --
(CROSSTALK)
BILCHIK: You don't think you look a little vampirish the two of us.
CHO: I don't know. Maybe a little bit, you're right.
BILCHIK: But you see there, we've managed to do it and at much less expense.
CHO: Kudos to our graphics department, by the way.
BILCHIK: You have to say. There we are with the diamond eyes.
CHO: OK.
BILCHIK: But getting on to your favorite story, Christian Louboutin.
CHO: Yes.
BILCHIK: So the story goes, Yves Saint Laurent had red-sole shoes, well, Christian Louboutin was furious, saying we have trademarked our red soles.
CHO: Sure. BILCHIK: And you can't have them. But Christian Louboutin a week ago lost.
CHO: Right.
BILCHIK: Well on Friday they went back to court.
CHO: Right.
BILCHIK: And Christian Louboutin is saying we will do everything to hold on to our trademark and Yves St. Laurent is saying not only will you not hold on to your trademark but we want it dissolved completely so that anybody can do red soles to their shoes.
CHO: So the fight goes on.
BILCHIK: The fight goes on and you'll be interested to know that Miss Kim Kardashian who is getting married this afternoon --
(CROSSTALK)
CHO: Yes.
BILCHIK: -- is having a custom pair.
CHO: Of course she is.
BILCHIK: Of Louboutin.
CHO: Of course she is.
BILCHIK: Of course she is.
CHO: J.Lo wrote a song about it, called Louboutin. I mean, you know they are -- those red soles are iconic, but whether or not you can trademark them well, we'll see.
BILCHIK: Well, that's what remains to be seen.
CHO: Yes.
BILCHIK: But I do love the idea of just walking into let's say Target and just getting a pair of red soles without having to pay thousands of dollars, right?
CHO: That's a -- that's a -- that's a good proposition, yes. That would be not a bad thing.
All right. Nadia, thank you very much.
And coming up, in the next hour --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARY LEE WARD, FIGHTING EVICTION: It means everything because I have put everything into this house all these years. (END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Toting a bible and fighting like hell to keep her home of 42 years. We'll introduce you to a very determined great-grandmother.
And next from protests to looting and robbery, social media is being used to organize crowds like in London. So how are police responding? I'll talk to a social media expert who works very closely with law enforcement about what techniques they are using.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Some high-profile cases of crowd violence have raised big concerns and questions about how social media is being used by those in the crowd and by police.
Take this, for example, in London violent riots, the Prime Minister talked about putting restrictions on social media because some of the rioters used Twitter, Facebook and Blackberries, text messaging to organize their protests.
In San Francisco, the Bay Area Rapid Transit Authority known as BART, shut down cell service in some of its stations in advance of a planned protest. The demonstrators were angry over the shooting death of a homeless man by a BART officer.
Now the protests never happened but BART officials they shutdown the cell service for safety reasons because protest organizers were expected to rely heavily on Smartphones to organize the rally.
Now, civil liberty activists are -- no surprise here -- are strongly against the decision to cut off that cell phone technology. Some say it's unconstitutional.
Lauri Stevens is a social media expert and creator of Laws Communication she consults with law enforcement agencies about the use of social media.
So Lauri, I think we need to remind our viewers that with traditional protests, you know, there are permits and the like that need to be gotten and, so police often have advanced notice, they're able to organize.
But with these flash mobs as they're called being organized through Twitter, Facebook and text messaging, there's no advanced notice. So what are police doing to fight this?
LAURI STEVENS, SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERT: Well, you know, it really depends on -- on the agency. Oftentimes they're findings themselves, the agencies who are thrust into these positions are -- they don't understand how the social networks work to begin with, so then all of a sudden they're in a position where they're having to, you know, they're being thrust into having to gain intelligence on platforms that they don't understand.
There are tools to do that. There are tools to monitor them, to automate it. There are business tools available. There are tools made especially for law enforcement to do that and they're learning to use those tools.
But I think the ones that are really the law enforcement agencies who are in there using the tools already, are also on Twitter monitoring Twitter and using it to dispel the rumor, for example, in West Midlands and the UK. Looking at Twitter, looking at what types of things are being said that aren't true. They're using it to dispel those rumors. They're reassuring their citizens that everything is OK and they're using it very effectively in some cases.
CHO: You know, I think we need to remind people as well that this whole notion of a flash mob, started innocently enough. Remember the -- thousand -- a hundred people rather who danced to Michael Jackson in Times Square and there have been other incidents but we have these very high-profile incidents of violence. And so, tell me, in your estimation, just how bad is it? Is it just that we're reporting on these few isolated incidents or is it more widespread than that?
STEVENS: Well, you know, Alina, that's a really great question. I think it's really important here not to overstate the role that social media is playing. You know, these social networks that exist, exist in real life too. I recall speaking with a sergeant at Chicago P.D. back in about the May time frame when they were first experiencing some flash robs. And he didn't deny that he felt that maybe Twitter was involved there, but he said you know, we're arresting these kids and they're coming from the same two or three high schools.
These things are being organized over lunch. It's just that all of this is so new to all of us. The law enforcement community is learning it. We're all learning how to use these tools. And so, it's making the news, I think, because it's just really new as well.
CHO: What about, you know, obviously with this situation in San Francisco where the BART, the transit authority there decided to shut down cell service at some of the stations, caused a big fuss, people were upset about it. So, you know, are there other ways that law enforcement can fight this without taking that one extra step?
STEVENS: Yes. You know, I really think that the single biggest thing that law enforcement needs to do is learn to use the tools in the first place. They need to build that foundation. They need to build relationships with their citizens. There are, you know, other opportunities to use these tools in a positive way, rather than making decisions like what we know the law enforcement commanders made in San Francisco.
I don't like to be in a position to second guess any law enforcement commander. They had a potentially very serious situation there, potential flash mob on a train platform during rush hour. So who am I to armchair quarterback that. I think the best thing that they can do though is to just learn to use the tools in the first place.
CHO: Good advice. Lauri Stevens, social media expert, thank you for joining us this morning.
STEVENS: Thank you Alina.
CHO: Coming up a friendly basketball game between an American college team and China's national team, turns into this -- take a look -- a full-scale, all-out brawl. Are you watching this? We're going to tell you what started the madness and now there's word that the two teams may have kissed and made up. Your sports is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Joe Carter from HLN Sports joining me this morning for a look at the sports highlights. Joe, I want to talk about this basketball game in Beijing between China's national team and Georgetown. A huge brawl ensued and now they're kissing and making up, perhaps? Is that the case?
JOE CARTER, HLN SPORTS: Exactly. They've called a truce. No word yet, there's conflicting reports on how the whole thing started. I mean obviously it was a very aggressive game. Throughout the game, tensions built throughout the quarters and then the game ended with a bench-clearing brawl essentially.
Yes. But they have called a truce. Georgetown is actually heading to Shanghai to play more basketball. They were at the airport yesterday and they decided to meet with some of the members of this team and the guys basically came together, apologized, snapped a few PR photos, even exchanged a few souvenirs.
CHO: Oh, my goodness.
(CROSSTALK)
CARTER: Georgetown is in China for a couple weeks promoting goodwill through sports. The video you just saw was from Thursday. Obviously there was bottles thrown, there was chairs thrown, there was punches thrown. It got completely out of control. Really, nobody knows --
CHO: Really? I never would have noticed.
CARTER: Exactly. No one knows if it was caused by cultural misunderstanding or if it was just over-aggressiveness. But the NCAA has basically said that the appeal with college basketball in China is not going away. You have Duke playing there right now, Hawaii's playing there right now and they said they're going to keep -- the NCAA says they're going to keep their presence in China.
CHO: I'm a Boston College grad, so it's no surprise that this happened -- Georgetown team.
CARTER: That it's Georgetown?
CHO: Yes. Exactly.
CARTER: OK. OK. CHO: Just kidding, guys. Just kidding. Let's talk about Kobe Bryant and the Lakers doing some humanitarian good, right?
CARTER: Good Samaritan. Yes. Right now the lockout is happening and, you know, several teams have had to lay off several employees. The Lakers have just recently fired 20 employees. You're talking about like front office people, scouts, trainers. Most of these people are going to get their jobs back when the lockout ends.
But there's two people, two video guys that actually may not get their jobs back. These two video guys have worked with the team for a combined 16 years.
CHO: Wow.
CARTER: And this really rubbed the team the wrong way. So Kobe Bryant -- Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, the team's two captains, decided to cast a vote among the team members and they decided you know what, we're going to take $65,000 worth of our playoff bonus money and we're going to give it to these two video guys so they can have a little cash in their pockets as they look for more work.
The players when they advance to the playoffs they get a bonus. The Lakers because they advanced to the first round of the playoffs got $600,000 in bonus money and they get to decide, the team gets to decide how they divvy up that money, so, nice gesture on their part. Obviously $65,000 to these guys, a drop in the bucket --
CHO: Right.
CARTER: -- but it can really help a couple of video guys who are obviously out of work.
CHO: Sure. Wish it was a little bit more, frankly.
Let's talk about A-Rod and what's going on with him. All these allegations about illegal poker playing or something like that. What's he saying?
CARTER: Yes, he got himself again in a sticky little mess here, but Alex Rodriguez has been out for about six, seven weeks now with a knee injury. He's back with the Yankees and he recently spoke about these allegations that he was involved in several high-stakes illegal underground poker games which happened back in 2009. A-Rod immediately fired back at the star magazine reports calling them extremely inaccurate and totally unfair. He says he's looking forward to meeting with baseball officials as well as meeting with Commissioner Bud Selig so that he can clear up this whole situation and put him -- put it behind him as soon as possible.
CHO: In the meantime he's with Cameron Diaz vacationing somewhere probably sunny and warm on a beach.
CARTER: He's back to work. So, in between work, yes, he's probably with Cameron Diaz somewhere.
CHO: Sure. All right Joe. Thank you very much.
CARTER: You bet.
CHO: It's a message we all need to hear. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta speaks with doctors about the latest developments in preventing heart disease. And former President Bill Clinton talks about his own heart scare.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I was lucky I didn't die of a heart attack.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Cho: You'll hear from him later on today.
Rebel leaders meanwhile, in Libya, say they are getting close to the capital of Tripoli. We will have the latest in a live report from Libya next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: By the time he felt his first symptoms former President Bill Clinton's heart disease had been in the making for decades. But doctors say heart disease is now completely preventable if you undergo the right testing. Here's Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: For a few months, before this happened, I noticed whenever -- not every time but often when I would do rather strenuous exercise, there are really hilly areas in the town where I climbed those hills and I had to stop and take a breath. I didn't take it seriously because every time it happened, I just lowered the exercise level, got my breath back, and it was never painful. It was just tight.
If this isn't good for my heart I don't know what is.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: By the time he felt the first symptoms, that tightness in his chest, President Clinton's heart disease was well advanced. It had been decades in the making.
DR. ARTHUR AGATSTON, CARDIOLOGIST: You don't die with your first plaque. You develop atherosclerosis, blockages; really your whole life for many, many years before it causes a heart attack or stroke.
GUPTA: And what the Dr. Agatston told me next should ring a bell of hope for just about anyone who was ever worried about a heart attack. It doesn't have to happen.
AGATSTON: One of the best kept secrets in the country in medicine is that doctors who are practicing aggressive prevention are really seeing heart attacks and strokes disappear from their practices. It's doable.
GUPTA (on camera): And you're saying we -- with what we know right now, we don't have to have any more heart attacks in this country.
AGATSTON: I'll never say "not any," but the great majority, yes. Absolutely.
GUPTA: It's the biggest killer of men and women, heart disease in this country.
AGATSTON: And it's completely preventable.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: For more on your heart health, be sure to watch Sanjay's special this weekend, he talks to doctors on the cutting edge of heart disease prevention, including a former surgeon who has developed a radical diet that he says can make anyone heart attack-proof in just a month. Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports "THE LAST HEART ATTACK" this Sunday night at 8:00 Eastern here on CNN.
