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CNN Saturday Morning News

New Bloodshed in Syria; Kansas Holds Caucuses; A Matter of Life and Death

Aired March 10, 2012 - 07:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

It's 7:00 a.m. in the East, 4:00 a.m. in the West.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. Here's what happening right now.

Syria's president gets high level visit from the United Nations in an effort to try and end the violence.

The GOP presidential race goes to Kansas. We'll have a preview.

And companies and retailers could be tracking where you shop online and what you buy. Guess what they do next? Adjust their prices accordingly.

ANNOUNCER: From CNN's world headquarters, bringing news and analysis from across the nation and around the globe -- live from Studio 7, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

KAYE: Syrian state television is calling today's Damascus meeting between former U.N. Chief Kofi Annan and Syrian President Bashar al- Assad positive. Annan was expected to push Mr. al-Assad to stop the bloodshed in Syria immediately and to allow access to humanitarian aid. But in the wake of the relentless siege of Homs, today's meeting has been overshadowed by more shelling and more bombing.

Syrian activist Abdel Aziz joins us now by phone from the northwestern city of Idlib.

Abdel, if you could, tell me what's happening there? What's the situation where you are right now?

ABDEL AZIZ, SYRIAN ACTIVIST (via telephone): There has been a military buildup in the last few days around the city, sporadic shelling has been spotted in and around the city. This morning, the Syrian army started a first campaign from all directions of the city. OK? A shell every two minutes together with a heavy machine gunfire. Many buildings were targeted and demolished, either partially or completely.

So far three people killed, tens injured and many are, you know, still under the ruins of the building. (INAUDIBLE) mosque has been demolished and communications center called (INAUDIBLE). Now, ground forces are looting houses and arresting people, especially activist and demonstrators. It's a house-to-house search for activists. As for, you know, soldiers, they can just do nothing because the number of the tanks in the city and around is much greater than the number of defectors. And the weapons are never enough for such a battle. OK?

This is, you know, this scenario is very similar to what happened in Homs. They just wanted to start in Homs and they started other places in the country. You know, because of some political reasons, for some political reasons -- I don't know.

KAYE: Abdel, tell me about the protests and the demonstrations that are taking place right now in Idlib as well.

AZIZ: Yes, demonstrations are everywhere, in villages, towns and cities. But now, in Idlib, nobody can get out of their house because of heavy machine gun fire and tanks everywhere, you know. Nobody can just even take, you know, anyone from the street especially those injured and killed. They are, you know, just in the street. Nobody can open a window.

KAYE: Is this the worst violence you have seen there in Idlib? It sounds as though you are saying that it's spreading from Homs?

AZIZ: Sorry? Sorry?

KAYE: Is this the worst violence, the worst shelling you have seen in Idlib? Because it sounds like you're saying that it's spreading.

AZIZ: Yes. I'm just very close to (INAUDIBLE), adjacent to the city. Some people could escape, you know, the shelling and they are telling me every now and then what's going on inside. We can just make phone calls to people inside and fortunately, the communication, you know, is still on.

KAYE: What about access to food and water? Do you have any supplies that you need there?

AZIZ: Sorry?

KAYE: Do you have the supplies like food and water that you need there?

AZIZ: Yes. So far nothing can be spotted. Because nobody can get in here to hospital, or streets in the city, so it's difficult. It's just a war.

KAYE: Abdel Aziz there in Idlib for us -- Abdel, thank you for talking with us, and please be careful.

The next battleground in the Republican race for the White House -- Kansas. Forty delegates are at stake as the state holds its caucuses today.

CNN's political editor Paul Steinhauser is in Kansas with more -- Paul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Good morning, Randi.

Caucuses kick off later this morning. At stake, 40 delegates. The caucuses are closed, which means only registered Republicans can take part in the GOP presidential contest.

Rick Santorum made two swings for Kansas over the past three days. He could do well there with the state's conservative Republican voters. Ron Paul is there today, the second day he's campaigning in Kansas.

Now, neither Mitt Romney nor Newt Gingrich stumped in the state. Instead, they are spending all their time in Alabama and Mississippi, which hold primaries on Tuesday. Romney is trying to appeal to Southern voters.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I got started right this morning with a biscuit and some cheesy grits, I'll tell you. Delicious.

STEINHAUSER: But he's also lowering expectation.

ROMNEY: I realize it's a bit of an away game. But I also think we're going to pick up support in these states that remain this month.

STEINHAUSER: Santorum is hoping wins in both states could knock Gingrich out of the race.

RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you go out and deliver a conservative victory for us on Tuesday, this race will become a two- person race.

STEINHAUSER: Gingrich doesn't sound like a man about to give up.

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe I will become the nominee with your help.

STEINHAUSER: But doing well in Alabama and Mississippi is crucial for Gingrich -- Randi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Thank you, Paul.

The last group of parolees pardoned by former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour could leave prison as soon as today. The state Supreme Court has upheld Barbour's controversial pardon to more than 200 convicts. It rejected a challenge by Mississippi's attorney general.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM HOOD, MISSISSIPPI ATTORNEY GENERAL: I feel for them having had a first cousin murdered in 1976 and gone through a trial and understanding how victims feel. You know, I think they have been victimized twice. And the criminal justice system has let them down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Former Governor Haley Barbour has defended the pardons and says the former inmates have been rehabilitated.

Actor Michael Madsen is in trouble with the law. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says the star of the movie "Kill Bill" was arrested after he got into a scuffle with his teenage son. Police say Madsen faces the charge of child cruelty. He's being held on $100,000 bail.

Well, it's been a concern of the FDA. Now, the problem is spreading -- inside the growing problem of drug shortages in the U.S. It's even making it tough for first responders to do their job. We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back.

A nationwide drug shortage is hitting home with first responders, emergency medical technicians. For them, shortages could mean the difference between life and death.

CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti tells us about the problem and a family who worries about it every day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CATHY RAPSAS, MOTHER: Can you put it in the bowl for me?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ken and Cathy Rapsas' daughter Mary suffers daily seizures. And without drugs, Mary would not survive.

C. RAPSAS: she would die and that's the bottom line. Mary has already gone into cardiac arrest once. And I just don't want to think about it, what would happen if we didn't have those medications that would save her life.

CANDIOTTI: Yet, the New Jersey family may have to think about it. The very same ambulance company they call for help is running short of the drugs that could save Mary's life.

SCOTT MATIN, MONOC HEALTH SERVICES: As we are almost out of one drug, we are using another drug to take its place. Pretty soon, that drug will also be out.

CANDIOTTI: Nationwide, intravenous anti-seizure drugs are among the drugs, including cancer treatments, that are in short supply. This New Jersey ambulance service tells CNN it had to special order a temporary replacement anti-seizure drug to avoid running out this weekend. Mary's parents are beside themselves.

KEN RAPSAS, FATHER: It's a terrifying situation, just knowing that the lack of equipment or lack of medications that would take our daughter's life. It's a very, very scary thing.

C. RAPSAS: It's very difficult to think that help wouldn't be there.

CANDIOTTI: The FDA says it tracked at least 220 shortages last year and claims it prevented 114, but admits the problem is far from solved.

SANDRA KWEDER, DEPUTY DIR., OFFICE OF NEW DRUGS: There's no question we have our work cut out for us. This is a public health crisis and we are responding.

CANDIOTTI: On Capitol Hill, drug makers testified overregulation is partly to blame for drug shortages, not greed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Manufactures do not and would never deliberately reduce the supply of medicines to push prices up.

CANDIOTTI: For the Rapsas family and others like them, political finger-pointing will do little good the next time their loved one needs an ambulance.

K. RAPSAS: She's an integral part of our family. We wouldn't be the same without her.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): President Obama supports bipartisanship legislation requiring drug companies to report drug shortages to the FDA. But, so far, Congress failed to act -- Randi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Susan Candiotti, thank you very much.

If you shop online, tweet or update your Facebook status, well, you are going to want to listen to this. Companies may be tracking your shopping habits and your comments and using that information to charge you even more. I'll explain. Stick around for that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: So every month, I go to the same Web site to buy my vitamins. So, when I heard this next story, I was pretty concerned.

It turns out there's a growing trend online, it's called behavioral pricing. Companies and retailers could be tracking what you shop for online and what you buy. And guess what they do next? Then they adjust their prices accordingly. For example, if they know that I'm going to buy my monthly vitamins -- well, they could hike up the price because I'm a loyal customer.

Now that we have your attention, let's bring in our financial analyst Clyde Anderson who is here in Atlanta, and tech columnist and digital marketer Allen Gannett is in Washington.

Welcome to you both.

Clyde, I'm going to start with you on this one. CLYDE ANDERSON, FINANCIAL ANALYST: Yes.

KAYE: So, we call it behavioral pricing.

ANDERSON: Yes.

KAYE: How does it work?

ANDERSON: It's almost like risk-based pricing where they're really looking to see. They discriminate, basically, on what you are buying online. They track you to determine exactly what you are buying. So, your behavior online tracks how much they charge for certain goods or services.

KAYE: So, this has been going on, what, for some time?

ANDERSON: For some time. I mean, really, a lot of the technology was used to look at your competitor, to see what your competitor were charging and make sure that you are charging accordingly, or maybe beating their prices so you can track the competition. Now, they are tracking you more. So, it's really developing and 2012 is becoming huge.

KAYE: It's very big brother-ish.

ANDERSON: Yes.

KAYE: Allen, let me bring you in here. You believe that this behavioral pricing online is in its infant stage. But why is that and where do you see it going over the next few weeks?

ALLEN GANNETT, DIGITAL MARKETER: So, over the last few years, we have seen two real trends emerge. On one hand, we're seeing all this data being stored about you on online database. So, who you are, your demographics, what you do online, what you tweet. And it is being repackaged and sold to advertisers so they can better target ads to it.

At the same time, like Clyde said, companies are getting really, really smart about how to optimize our prices online. It's going to become really tempting over the next few years to take all of this data we have about you in data banks, and use this to better price your products.

So, for example, let's say you've been tweeting about how excited you are to go on a trip to Miami and soak up the sun -- they're going to know you are going to be willing to pay more money for a trip to Miami.

KAYE: And also, so, whatever -- I mean, are you telling me that I shouldn't like anything or anything on Facebook as well? I mean, is that an example of how these companies could be tracking you?

GANNETT: Sure. So, it's definitely a possible way it could happen. But it's still very nascent, right? So, we're not your house to develop. I mean, last week, we saw a really interesting example of actually good side of this where Clout, which is a start up, which analyzes how influential you are in social media, partnered with (INAUDIBLE), shopping shops, and give you discounts for how influential you are on social media. So, it really cuts both ways.

KAYE: So, Clyde, you think -- I mean, should we question every price we see?

ANDERSON: Well, I think you should. I mean, just because you are in the store, you are looking at prices, you compare prices. And one price may be different when you're logging on from one computer versus another computer now. So, that's what we really got to look at.

I mean, the whole thing comes down to data is so key right now. And so, he who holds the gold makes the rule. And right now, the gold is the data. And in this case, they are setting the prices.

KAYE: Yes.

So, Allen, I mean, I find this whole thing kind of creepy, actually. I mean, is this sort of a similar to or the same thing when you, you know, say I serve for, I do an Internet search for a couch or something. And then my next page, I'm looking at something else. But, all of a sudden, and there's an ad for a furniture store. I mean, is that the same type of tracking that's going on?

GANNETT: Absolutely. It's cookie-based tracking, right? So, looking at how you interact online and then take the information and target ads to you better. And now, we are going to start seeing that being used for pricing.

So, if you are looking at couches a lot and you go to a competitor's site, they are going to take that information in and decide how to price you based on that.

KAYE: And, Allen, is there any way for a consumer to know that they're being tracked?

GANNETT: Yes. So, there's a lot of resources including browser which can show you what cookies are tracking you right now. If people want to check it out, there's one by Mozilla Firefox that will show what cookies are tracking your behavior and where they are sending that information.

KAYE: All right. Allen, thank you.

And, Clyde, this really does affect a lot of people.

ANDERSON: A lot of people. A lot of people. I mean, just really got to be conscious of what you are doing online. This is your online identity is growing by the day.

KAYE: Yes.

ANDERSON: So, we really got to protect that.

KAYE: Yes, too many people are looking at that your online identity. All right. Clyde, you're going to stick around. I want to talk more with you about this.

Allen, thank you very much.

Because it's not all doom and gloom, there are actually some simple steps that you can take to protect yourself and your privacy online. We'll share those with you, next. You got some good advice from Clyde.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Before the break, we were talking about behavioral pricing where companies and retailers track where you shop online, what you buy, and then they adjust their prices accordingly, maybe even charge you more.

Clyde Anderson is back with us.

So, what can we do to protect ourselves if anything?

ANDERSON: Well, one of the things you've got to look at is they are tracking your IP address. So, be conscious of that. They're going to know what computer you're on. They're gong to be looking to see of this computer goes to this Web site all the time. They kind of get an idea of what they like now we know what to charge them for certain things.

And also the cookies. You can disable cookies on your computer where you don't want the cookies to track you. So, we leave these little bread crumbs everywhere we go when we're on the Internet. If you want to remove those, you can definitely do that. That's another way to protect it.

KAYE: Now, we are getting into another thing. Those cookie removal, I don't know. All I know about cookies are the kind that I eat.

ANDERSON: Cookies are big.

KAYE: So, maybe it's a good idea when you're going to do your shopping, shop at somebody else's computer.

ANDERSON: Yes, exactly. And maybe try one computer and then try another computer and see if the price is different.

KAYE: So, what about possibly maybe signing -- maybe not signing in.

ANDERSON: Yes, don't sign in all the time. Immediately, you know, we get this thing that membership is big. We like to log in sometimes. We'll go ahead, sign into these sites to see what special privileges we're getting. But they're always not special.

And so, we want to make sure. Maybe just go in and search around before you actually go in to sign and actually make the purchase. And also, do comparative shopping. You know, shop at different Web sites to see what they're offering from prices and see how competitive they are before you go ahead and commit to making that purchase.

KAYE: But no matter what we're doing, the companies aren't going to stop trying to track us.

ANDERSON: No, it's going to grow. I mean, think about it again. This is big business. These are multi-million dollar companies. We spent $161 billion online last year.

And so, companies want a piece of that. They want to know how they can tap into it. The way to tap into it is know what's inside of your mind, to see exactly what are you going to do next and what are you willing to pay for it.

KAYE: But you and I talked about this. I mean, this really is price discrimination.

ANDERSON: Yes. Yes. It definitely is.

KAYE: And there's no other way to look at it.

ANDERSON: It definitely is. And we talked about the whole idea that's also, it's been going on even outside of online. When you think about a museum, they may charge a different price to a student versus someone who's a non-student. Now, they just take it online.

KAYE: But is there something wrong if they think you can afford more, they are going to charge you more?

ANDERSON: That's the way of the world. That's the hard part. That's the way of the word: capitalism.

KAYE: All right.

ANDERSON: Best and worst of capitalism.

KAYE: There you go.

All right. Clyde, appreciate it. Good advice. Thank you very much.

ANDERSON: Good to be here.

KAYE: And you can join us every Saturday at this time as our financial analyst Clyde Anderson gives this latest money saving tips.

"SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." is just moments away. And here's a preview of what's ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Randi, this morning, I'm looking at things you can do to prevent memory loss and also keep your brain sharp as you get older. Everyone thinks about this. Pretty much, anyone can be helped by some pretty basic advice, which might seem a little surprising. Also, a story that I found scary, yet remarkable. Soldiers coerced into medical experiments. Sort of human guinea pigs for testing on nerve gas and other dangerous chemicals. It was pretty upsetting. I'll tell you what I found.

That and more coming up at 7:30 -- Randi.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Looking forward to it, Sanjay. Thank you.

Police chases are nothing new. But this man led officers on a chase naked. Yes, you heard me right, naked. The details, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Good morning, Atlanta.

Hope you got some good sleep last night because we are losing an hour in the morning. Yes, it's nearly time to roll the clocks forward for daylight saving time. Roll them forward one hour.

So, here is a check of some other top stories that we are following this morning.

At least 13 Palestinians are dead, 16 others injured after a series of Israeli airstrikes overnight. Israeli authorities say the airstrike targeted suspected militants across Gaza. Among those reportedly killed, a Hamas military leader was killed. Israeli police say the airstrikes were a response to attacks on southern Israeli communities.

Republicans in Guam pledged all of their nine delegates to Mitt Romney during their annual convention earlier today. Republicans are also voting today in Kansas where Rick Santorum is favored. The next set of primaries is Tuesday when voters in Alabama, Mississippi and Hawaii all go to the polls.

In Washington state, officers are hunting for a man who shot a deputy, stole her gun and stabbed a judge inside a county courthouse. Police say the suspect is Michael Thomas. The judge who was stabbed talked to our affiliate, KOMO.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE DAVE EDWARDS, STABBED IN THE NECK BY SUSPECT: When I went to assist the deputy, he had a weapon in his hand, a knife or something, and he was stabbing at her.

We got him away from the deputy and pop, pop. And turned and looked at me then went out the courthouse with the gun in his hand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: The judge will be OK. Police still do not have the clear motive for those attacks. Police in Georgia arrested a Florida fugitive after this chase. The 21-year-old suspect was wanted on several felony charges. Police say they found the man sleeping inside his van naked. The suspect then led police on a car chase, still naked, before trying to escape on foot. Oh, yes.

Well, we'll have more top stories at the top of the hour.

But, first, slowing down the progression of Alzheimer's disease -- more as "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." starts right now.