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CNN Saturday Morning News
Soldier Accused in Killings Identified; Romney Stumps in Puerto Rico; Slash Your Mortgage by $100K; Guilty Verdict in Rutgers Spying Case; Guilty Verdict in Day Care Murder; 911 Calls in Teen's Shooting
Aired March 17, 2012 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: From CNN's world headquarters brining you news and analysis from across the nation and around the globe. Live from Studio 7 this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: From Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is Saturday, 11:00 a.m. right here on the East Coast. Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye.
We now have a face and a name to go with the U.S. soldier accuse of shooting 16 civilians in Afghanistan.
Also a dramatic change in where he's being held.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He just said he shot him. Yes the person is dead laying on the grass --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- just because he's laying on the grass --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
KAYE: A hysterical woman reporting the shooting death of a teen in Florida. Police finally released the 911 calls in the Trayvon Martin case.
And new video of the tornado that barrelled through Henryville, Indiana earlier this month. All that coming up this hour.
This morning we know the name of the U.S. soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians and where he's being held. The suspect is Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales. He's now in custody at Ft. Leavenworth in Kansas in a cell by himself. Bales, is 38 years old he's married with two kids.
This was his first tour of duty in Afghanistan but he's already done three tours in Iraq. Here's what one of his shocked neighbors in Tacoma, Washington had to say about him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Completely shocked.
I would describe him, he was super fun to hang around with, kind of the life of the party kind of guy. Super loving, friendly to everybody he met, great with his kids. I just -- I don't -- I don't see how this has happened.
I never saw any signs of marital problems. I -- they always seemed pretty happy -- happy family, a normal family. I mean we were at -- we would go over there for birthday parties and they would come to my kids' birthday parties. They were -- always just happy. Happy day, you know. I don't know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: We're learning more about Bales through the people who know or knew him.
CNN's Athena Jones has much more on that. Athena, Bales was called a family man and the life of the party by -- by some of those who know him. Are you hearing the same thing?
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly. I mean of course his lawyer describes him as a loving husband and as a family man and you heard that neighbor talk about how she didn't know anything about any marital -- marital troubles. That's something that his lawyer John Henry Browne, a Seattle-based lawyer has also brought up, saying that the -- the family didn't have marital troubles any more than any usual family.
It's one of the factors that we've seen in some press reports trying to explain maybe what could have led Staff Sergeant Bales to carry out this rampage that he's accused of in Afghanistan.
But you know, his -- his neighbor and his lawyer and others have described him as a good guy. Let's listen to what a friend of his from high school had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE BERLING, BALES' HIGH SCHOOL FRIEND: He had such a big heart, too, because he was in the financial world, he was a financial adviser. And I know he couldn't even take that, like losing people's money when the market went down. And so he felt that he needed something bigger in his heart and his mind and his soul. That's why he went into the military in general, you know, to help people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: And you know, he joined the military, Bales joined the military in late 2001. November of 2001. So just a couple of months after the September 11th attacks and as you mentioned he did three tours in Iraq. This was his first tour in Afghanistan.
During two of those tours in Iraq he was injured. He suffered a traumatic brain jury and he also lost part of his foot. And so his lawyer has indicated that -- that some mental health issues could come into play here as part of Bales' defense.
KAYE: Athena Jones, thank you very much.
JONES: Thanks.
KAYE: New details this morning in the shooting of that unarmed Florida teenager from 911 calls the night that it happened. Trayvon Martin was shot and killed last month by a neighborhood watch captain in his gated community.
Now we are hearing seven different calls, beginning with one from alleged shooter and neighborhood watch Captain George Zimmerman.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, : Something's wrong with him. Yes. He's coming to check me out. He's got something in his hands. I don't know what his deal is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you following him?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ok. We don't need you to do that.
ZIMMERMAN: Ok.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
KAYE: A short time later, calls started coming in from neighbors who said they heard a fight and someone screaming. Then this.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So you think he's yelling help?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. What is your --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's gunshots.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You just heard gunshots?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just one.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
KAYE: Zimmerman's father is also speaking out. In a letter to the "Orlando Sentinel", he criticized what he calls the media's portrayal of his son George as a racist. He said that could not be further from the truth. The letter also said George Zimmerman is Hispanic and grew up in a multi-racial family.
About 200,000 Honda Civic hybrid owners are getting up to $200 in a class action settlement. The San Diego judge gave a final approval yesterday to a settlement between the Japanese automaker and drivers who say their cars didn't get the promised gas mileage.
Jason Russell, the Director of the Kony 2012 video does not have a drinking or drug problem. That's what his family is saying. He was hospitalized for what is described as exhaustion. San Diego Police picked Russell up Thursday after receiving reports of a man screaming and running through the streets in his underwear.
This is a video of Russell during a CNN interview last weekend. He's on the right wearing that red T-shirt.
Russell is the founder of the non-profit group "Invisible Children". The group film about Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony has been viewed 80 million times on YouTube.
All right, let's talk about another big story this weekend. The history-making "March Madness" and epic Bracket Sadness. Let's talk with Reynolds Wolf about this one.
Last night we've got a triple dose of madness that makes you wonder what could happen today doesn't it?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It really does. I mean, we've got a lot of big games coming up today. Last night certainly a very, very dramatic in many ways, especially the Duke game is tremendous, their loss and of course the win for Lehigh that was just a mind-boggling.
A lot of people were surprised about that. One person wasn't surprised and a great deal of them were you. But really it was you, Randi, my friend. Take a look at what -- what you got here, your overall percentile in your picks, 97 and again, I'm not ripping on you to the rest of America. But folks, Randi is not a huge basketball fan which leaves me to wonder --
KAYE: No.
WOLF: How do you pick some of these winners? Were you going "eenie, meenie, miney, mo" is that -- is that what happened?
KAYE: I have a very smart producer named Hannah.
WOLF: Hannah is good. All right, well whatever works keep going because today we're going to need your help again. Today we've got Kentucky and Iowa State, they're tipping off around 7:45 this evening. Also BCU in Indiana, this should be a very interesting game. We've got Syracuse and Kansas State, they tipped off at -- actually that one is going to be just a little bit after noontime.
Then you've got have Vandy and Wisconsin, another big game and Cincinnati and Florida State, one of just many, many tremendous games we're going to see during this incredible stretch of March -- March Madness, one of the most wonderful times of the year if you happen to be a sports fan.
KAYE: It is fun. Now it's really fun for me.
WOLF: Enjoy. I'm going to see if we're going to be able to keep up the same -- the same smiles by next weekend. It might get kind of --
KAYE: Yes, I know. It could get ugly. All right, Reynolds. Thank you.
WOLF: You bet.
KAYE: And remember you can get all the scores and update your wounded brackets on CNN.com/sports. Tune in this afternoon to watch all the games on TBS, TNT, TruTV and CBS. You'll have it all.
Puerto Rico holds its primary tomorrow. So who's stumping on the island today and trying to get those 20 delegates? We'll tell you right after the break. Keep it here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Now to politics and a look at the delegate math that's become key in the Republican presidential race. Mitt Romney is leading with 498; Rick Santorum, 239; Newt Gingrich, you see, has 139; and Ron Paul trailing far behind with 69 delegates.
Romney is in Puerto Rico this hour before tomorrow's primary. He's saying he will be willing to help the island get statehood if they wanted it and, of course, he talked about both English and Spanish being important there a topic that landed Senator Santorum in some hot water earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think selecting the words of your Governor, Spanish is the language of Puerto Rico's heritage, English is the language of opportunity. I would hope that, that young people would -- would learn both languages, but particularly English.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Rachel Streitfeld has all the details for us from Puerto Rico.
RACHEL STREITFELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Randi. We're outside a market in Puerto Rico where Mitt Romney is going to speak with voters here. Something to remember these voters here living in Puerto Rico cannot vote in the general election, however, the candidates, both Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, have spent a lot of time here, campaigning, turning out some enthusiastic audiences.
We have to remember every delegate counts in this extended primary calendar. Both candidate are trying to get to that magic number of 1,144 delegates and the 20 delegates here Puerto Rico certainly can add to that total.
And there's also a large Hispanic population here clearly and that population is going to have a lot to say in the November election. So while Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum speak to voters here, Puerto Rican -- Puerto Rican voters in the U.S. are listening to what they're saying and following it closely.
It's not all work though. We did have a wild night last night. Mitt Romney was speaking at a political rally and it was unlike anything I have ever seen. I'm still having trouble hearing out of both of my ears after that. There was music blaring, politicians dancing on stage and people dancing in the audience.
Mitt Romney, we did not see him dance but he did clap to the music, mostly on rhythm and the night ended with fireworks. So he's been able to sneak in a little bit of fun down here on this quick trip to Puerto Rico -- Randi?
KAYE: Thank you very much.
And Romney will be campaigning in Illinois later today.
A program note, also. Join Fredricka Whitfield every Sunday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. Eastern for a special hour dedicated to the presidential contenders in the 2012 election.
Need help paying your mortgage? Up next, if you are a Bank of America customer, you could get $100,000 knocked off your home loan.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back.
Some struggling homeowners may be getting a breather. They could get a break of up to $100,000 on their mortgage. Earlier this morning I asked our financial analyst Clyde Anderson to explain the deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLYDE ANDERSON, FINANCIAL ANALYST: They can pretty much work a deal out that they can go ahead and reduce these mortgages as opposed to paying back all the money that they were having to pay back. In this big lawsuit, $26 billion lawsuit they were doing fraudulent things as the likes of foreclosures and robo-signing. And a lot of things were going on to hurry up and move those foreclosures along. So they got slapped on the wrist for it.
Now this is their way to kind of pull back and have some resolution.
KAYE: So it's a side deal --
ANDERSON: That's a side deal.
KAYE: -- they made to reduce their own penalties, right?
ANDERSON: Exactly.
KAYE: It's not out of the kindness of their heart.
ANDERSON: You got it. You got it. KAYE: Ok. Well, it is good for some people --
ANDERSON: Yes.
KAYE: -- how is it going to work and who benefits?
ANDERSON: Well, pretty much what they're saying is that they can reduce the mortgage. Everybody's talking about they're under water in their mortgage. So what they can do is reduce the amount of the mortgage down to the appraised value of the home.
So for example if you have a $200,000 home and it's only appraising at $150,000, they'll reduce that loan down to $150,000. What it does is it helps out your payment as well as if you want to sell the house or do something different, you're not so much under water where you're going to owe more money.
KAYE: So we have graphic up --
ANDERSON: Yes.
KAYE: -- so our viewers can follow along with us. So there you have it. If you owe $200,000 on a home that's worth $150,000 so your monthly payment's going to go down, right?
ANDERSON: Well, actually, right now, that shows $954 at that $150,000. It will go down about almost $200 really with the difference. So that same $150,000 or 4 percent interest rate, the new payment is going be $716. So it's saving the homeowner from the payment side but it's also saving them as far as not being so far under water.
KAYE: And who -- how do you qualify?
ANDERSON: Pretty much you have to be behind on the mortgage. It has to an owner-occupied residence. The family took out. And there has to be an owner before January 2009, January 1st, 2009 when you take it out. And those are really the same things and you've got to be under water. That's the big piece. You have to be under water. You have to owe more on the house than it's actually worth.
KAYE: Well, there's plenty of those people who are under water.
ANDERSON: Yes.
KAYE: And this is really all designed to help motivate those who are under water to keep paying, right?
ANDERSON: Yes. Exactly. They don't want to have those foreclosed on the market. Don't want people walking away. And that's what was happening. A lot of people were just walking away. So hopefully this will be an incentive to get them to go ahead and stay in the home.
KAYE: And will this make a dent? I mean we have a lot of foreclosures out there.
ANDERSON: Well, you know, they say it's about 11 million foreclosures out there. This should help about one million people. So, we say, you know, anything helps a little bit. It will take a dent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: A Rutgers student found guilty of spying on his roommate with a webcamera. Could this case impact future webcam use? I'll tell you straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. It's 20 minutes past the hour.
Let's check out some legal stories that we're following. I'm joined now by criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Holly Hughes. There's a lot to cover we have two very big cases.
I want to start first on this case out of Rutgers. This is a cyber bullying case; really put cyber bullying in the national spotlight.
A former Rutgers University student has been found guilty on all charges for using a webcam to spy on his roommate who was having sex with another man. Jurors now convicted 20-year-old Dharun Ravi yesterday on 15 counts including the invasion of privacy, witness tampering and the most serious offense of bias intimidation.
Now his roommate Tyler Clementi, we remember, killed himself, jumped off the George Washington Bridge in September of 2010 after learning that he had been spied on.
So Holly, does it surprise you that he was convicted on all counts?
HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: It does. I knew we were going to get the invasion of privacy because that's a foregone conclusion. He confessed to that. He said yes, I did invade his privacy. The hate crime aspect, I wasn't sure that there was enough evidence that the jurors were going to see it the way the prosecution put it up. But they obviously agreed with the prosecution.
And I have to tell you, this is a cautionary tale, Randi. With the advent of technology, you know our children are coming up and they've learned webcams and spying. Nothing is private anymore. But this also teaches you have to be responsible with that technology.
KAYE: Would the verdict, do you think, have been different if Tyler Clementi didn't take his own life?
HUGHES: Absolutely. 100 percent. Because what's happening here is very sadly because Tyler did take his own life, nobody else will be charged for his death. There won't be a criminal prosecution for even manslaughter. So I think the jury looked at that and they thought somehow because Dharun Ravi's actions might have contributed to the death -- we can't say it caused it. We don't know what else was going on in Tyler's head, but I think the jury feels like someone needs to be held criminally responsible and this was the way they could do it. This was the charge that would enable them to hold Dharun Ravi's feet to the fire and say this is unacceptable behavior. KAYE: And now there's some talk that Dharun Ravi could get the maximum penalty, maybe even 10 years and he actually could be deported to his native India.
HUGHES: Absolutely. In the United States, when you are convicted of a crime, whether it is a felony which means you're going to serve more than 365 days; it's longer than a one-year sentence. Or if it's a misdemeanor, which is a crime of moral turpitude, then you will be deported upon being released from prison.
So even if -- I mean this could be a double whammy for him if the judge gives him the max of ten years. He can serve every day of those ten years and then the day he walks out of the prison doors, the agents from ICE, the Immigration and Customs, they will come pick him up and put him on the plane back to his native country.
KAYE: Let's talk about the other case that's gotten a lot of attention this week. This is the day care shooting that took place in Georgia. A judge sentenced Hemy Neuman to life in prison without the possibility of parole. It came just hours after the jurors found him guilty but mentally ill for this 2010 murder of Rusty Sneiderman who was shot multiple times while he was dropping his child of at day care -- his then 2-year-old son.
They found him guilty but mentally ill. Is that the right verdict?
HUGHES: Well, I think it is. They could have also gone not guilty by reason of insanity. And what shocks me about this is typically when an insanity defense is raised, it does not work. The jury doesn't treat it as a legitimate defense because they feel like it's an excuse.
Everybody says, oh you're only crazy now that you've been caught. We see it work sometimes; Andrea Yates is a really good one to point it out in. You know, this was a woman who clearly was out of touch with reality, didn't realize what she'd done was wrong.
Here we have a little different fact scenario because people say but he did plan this and he was methodical, he did wear a disguise and rented a different car. But the jury looked at all the facts. They heard testimony from some really spectacular experts.
And the interesting here is the state's expert, the expert psychiatrist the state wanted to hire had already been hired by the defense. So they could have used the same person but for the defense getting to them first.
So there were very credible experts, and the jury heard every bit of it and said, yes, you know what? This man was suffering. And I also think they wanted to apportion a little responsibility. He's responsible, yes, he did it, but let's not forget there was a whole lot of talk about maybe, maybe Andrea Sneiderman --
KAYE: That's right.
Hughes: Rusty's widow, the widow of the victim, had something to do with this as well and I think this was sort of the jury's way of cushioning the blow a little bit maybe.
KAYE: Holly Hughes, nice to see you.
HUGHES: Thanks. You too.
KAYE: Tough subject to talk about.
HUGHES: It is.
KAYE: It's so nice to see you.
HUGHES: But go forth and have a happy St. Paddy's Day. I wore my green.
KAYE: We'll move forward from there. Shake that out.
HUGHES: There you go.
KAYE: All right. Thank you.
New detail this morning in the shooting of that unarmed Florida teenager. Trayvon Martin was shot and killed last month by a neighborhood watch captain in his gated community. Now we're hearing the 911 calls made by the alleged shooter George Zimmerman and neighbors.
Here's David Mattingly.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 911 police, fire or medical.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police, I just heard a shot right behind my house.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Shock, confusion, and fear. You can hear it in the voices of every caller in the final moments of Trayvon Martin's young life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He just said he shot him dead. The person is dead, lying on the grass.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- just because he's laying on the grass? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god.
MATTINGLY: Seven 911 calls in all beginning with this one from neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman.
GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, ACCUSED OF KILLING TRAYVON MARTIN: These (EXPLETIVE DELETED), they always get away.
MATTINGLY: That's Zimmerman's first impression watching Trayvon Martin walking alone and acting strangely.
Zimmerman: This guy looks like he's up to no good or he's on drugs or something.
MATTINGLY: Zimmerman says Martin then comes toward him.
ZIMMERMAN: Something's wrong with him. Yes, he's coming to check me out. He's got something in his hands. I don't know what his deal is.
MATTINLY: Less than a minute later, Martin is running away. Zimmerman gets out of his car.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you following him?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ok. We don't need you to do that.
ZIMMERMAN: Ok.
MATTINGLY: But then just a few minutes later there's another call.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 911, do you need police, fire or medical?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe both, I'm not sure. There's someone screaming outside.
MATTINGLY: In the background, listen for the sound of a fight and a panicked voice yelling for help.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is it a male or female?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It sounds like a male.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you don't know why?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know why. I think they're yelling help but I don't know. Send someone quick please. God.
Reporter: Ten seconds later the shrieking continues, then a gunshot.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So you think he's yelling help?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. What is --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's gunshots.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You just heard gunshots?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just one.
MATTINGLY: The identity of the person pleading for help is in dispute as well as the number of gunshots, but there is no doubt the calls captured the sounds of a deadly end to a tragic encounter.
David Mattingly, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Before U.S. forces killed him, Osama bin Laden had more big terrorist plans. They involved President Obama and General David Petraeus.
Much more on that coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. Top stories now.
A series of explosions rock the Syrian capital of Damascus. Syria state-run television reports at least 27 people were killed. Witnesses say government buildings and the air force intelligence headquarters were hit. State TV blames terrorists for those attacks.
Osama bin Laden had more big plans before U.S. forces killed him last May. He had ordered his terror network to attack planes carrying President Obama and General David Petraeus. The plot was found in documents seized from bin Laden's compound in Pakistan. The White House says it was not a serious threat.
All right. Take a look at this. That is George Clooney being led away by police outside the Sudanese embassy in Washington there. And, no, it's not a film. This is real. The actor was protesting the Sudanese government's attacks on the southern region of its country for oil.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR: You never know if you're accomplishing anything. All we're trying to do is bring attention to a moment in time that is actually important. We hope that this brings attention to it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: He testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee earlier in the week and backed the satellite surveillance initiative over Sudan.
We now know the name of the U.S. soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians and where he's being held. The suspect is Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales. He's in custody at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in a cell by himself. Bales' friends and neighbors say they're shocked that he's the suspect. The alleged crimes have put even more strain on U.S.-Afghan relations.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE (voice-over): It all began last Sunday. A U.S. soldier left his base in the middle of the night, made his way to two nearby villages and allegedly shot, stabbed and burned civilians, leaving 16 people dead, including nine children. The shootings sparked protests around the country.
In one, an effigy of a U.S. soldier was burned and the Taliban vowed to retaliate. In an e-mail to CNN, the Taliban said, in part, "With the help of God, we will take the revenge of every Afghan by killing and beheading Americans anywhere in the country."
Back in the U.S., President Obama has a strong message of his own.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States takes this as seriously as if it was our own citizens and our own children who were murdered. We're heartbroken over the loss of innocent lives.
KAYE (voice-over): But Mr. Obama's words in a previously scheduled visit with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta did little to ease the tension.
PRES. HAMID KARZAI, AFGHANISTAN: The Afghan investigation team did not receive the cooperation that they expected from the United States.
KAYE (voice-over): The accused soldier, who has not been charged, has been identified as Robert Bales. He's a 38-year-old Army staff sergeant deployed out of Joint Base Lewis-McCord near Tacoma, Washington.
His civilian lawyer describes him as highly decorated, and he was on his fourth combat deployment, three in Iraq, and the latest, Afghanistan. In 2010, he suffered a traumatic brain injury or TBI in a vehicle rollover caused by a roadside bomb.
JOHN HENRY BROWNE, BALES' ATTORNEY: We do know he had a concussive head injury. We also know he was injured in his leg severely, and I'm somewhat confused as to why they would send him back to Afghanistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Let's talk more about how this is affecting relationships with Afghanistan and the safety of U.S. troops there. Sara Sidner is in Kabul, Afghanistan.
And, Sara, we heard Afghan President Hamid Karzai criticize the U.S. account of how this all occurred, of the events there. What is the latest?
SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The biggest criticism that the Karzai government has right now is that the United States did not allow its investigators to speak with the suspected soldier, and that really has caused a rift. They were pretty angry that he was sent out of the country without Afghan investigators being able to at least speak with him and interrogate him.
The latest is that the victims, the family members of the victims have spoken with the parliament now here in Afghanistan, and you'll remember that parliamentarians got together and issued a statement saying that they wanted to see justice done here in a public forum on Afghan land. So there's still anger about the fact that this soldier has now been sent back to the United States, although there is an agreement in place between the U.S. and Afghanistan that when it comes to the military, that there are certain channels that have to be used and they're doing that -- they're doing just that, the United States following that rule.
But, still, there is quite a bit of anger brewing amongst lawmakers and the Karzai government about how the U.S. has handled this, and they're very skeptical of anything now that they're getting from the U.S., including some of the investigators being shown a surveillance video.
That surveillance video reportedly shows the soldier as he is trying to come back to the base in Kandahar and turn himself in. They used the word they were not convinced by this surveillance video, Randi.
KAYE: And what are the odds? It sounds like they're pretty small that the soldier will have to return to Afghanistan, given the Afghanis' demands.
SIDNER: Highly unlikely. We heard from his defense attorney saying that's not even on the table. Now that he's back in the U.S., there will be a question as to exactly where this trial will be held.
Obviously, they're going to need to bring in witnesses. Those witnesses speak Pashtu, so they will also need to bring in translators. But as to where it will be held, it's very unlikely it will be held here in Afghanistan -- Randi.
KAYE: Sara Sidner, thank you very much.
All right. Do us a favor, stop what you're doing. Take a look at this. It is a look inside the EF-4 tornado that hit this school in Indiana. More of what the surveillance cameras revealed in less than three minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: We have some dramatic video of the deadly tornado that barreled through Indiana earlier this month. Take a look at this with me. That is a school gym in Henryville, and suddenly you see the twister blow through it at 175 miles per hour, leaving behind nothing but devastation. At least 13 people died in Indiana. Many were left homeless.
So the big question is what's the weather going to be like today? We turn to the man who knows, Reynolds Wolf.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, unfortunately I wish I could say that we're going to be free of any chance of severe weather. But today might be one of those days where things get kind of rough, where the windows may rattle, especially in parts of the, well, mid- Mississippi valley, maybe even into the Ohio Valley before all is said and done. We have got a lot of components that are coming into play here. First and foremost, we've got a lot of moisture coming in from the Gulf of Mexico. That, coupled with very warm temperatures across parts of the Midwest, will create a very unstable atmosphere.
In fact, if you're flying from Atlanta to Chicago, you might have a little bit of a rumble you're going to be dealing with in terms of turbulence. But it's going to be late afternoon -- I say between the hours of 3:00 all the way into the early evening at 6:00 pm.
We have a good chance of strong storms developing. We're talking about lightning, possibly some large hail, maybe even some isolated tornadoes.
We make our way to the west, it's completely the opposite. You've got more of a breeze that's coming in out of the west, but it's very dry, dry conditions, very low humidity. And with that, you've got the possibility of a fire threat. Very, very dry conditions.
In the Rockies though, where you have that moisture trapped in with the cold air aloft, we're talking about the potential for several feet of snow. Snow -- the season was very, very -- the ski season was very strange.
Remember, they had a very lack of snowfall. Now the central Rockies just have been getting pounded. They're going to see more of that. Look for rain now on the West Coast, possibly some scattered showers down in parts of the San Joaquin Valley and delays in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
For New York and Washington, some delays there due to the fog which is going, going, gone as we speak. In Phoenix and Las Vegas, it's wind. And Salt Lake City, issues with wind, maybe delays for about an hour or so. So, Randi, that's the latest we've got for you. Let's send it right back to you.
KAYE: OK. And, Reynolds, actually, I need you to come over here for --
WOLF: Oh, absolutely, sure, sure.
KAYE: We have another big story that I want you to weigh in on.
WOLF: Oh, bring it on.
KAYE: It's big. It's making the rounds today. This is big news, so take a look.
WOLF: OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF: Three, two, I come to you from Aspoit (ph) Cove, Bermuda.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
WOLF (voice-over): You guys are terrible. (END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: This is the only way to say happy birthday to Reynolds Wolf, by showing you at your best.
WOLF: Good times. I haven't seen that video -- that was in Bermuda. Yes, that was very, very cool. I haven't seen that in a long time. A good friend of mine, Steve Swords (ph) put the guys together (ph), one of the photojournalists here.
KAYE: Yes, you're looking good.
WOLF: Yes, good times.
KAYE: Your birthday was yesterday, so we wanted to wish you a happy birthday. We even have something for you.
WOLF: Oh, my goodness.
KAYE: (Inaudible), now, let me just explain, it's sort of a half-eaten cake, for those of you who can't see it up close yet -- you know how it goes. Your birthday was yesterday; we brought the cake in. This is a newsroom, we get hungry, we're here 24/7. This is CNN --
WOLF: Absolutely.
KAYE: -- so, yes.
WOLF: Good times, guys.
KAYE: We put the candles in and everything but somebody else blew them out.
WOLF: We don't -- we don't have forks or anything.
KAYE: No. You know how it goes. Oh, my goodness.
(LAUGHTER)
WOLF: (Inaudible).
KAYE: OK, somebody --
WOLF: Can I have a hug? Give me a hug.
KAYE: No, no.
(LAUGHTER)
KAYE: All right. That was a moment.
WOLF: (Inaudible).
KAYE: Happy birthday. You might want to --
WOLF: Maybe just a little bit. KAYE: Yes, you got --
WOLF: Up here somewhere?
KAYE: Yes, uh-huh.
WOLF: OK. 'Bye, guys.
KAYE: OK. Have a happy one. Reynolds Wolf, happy birthday.
(LAUGHTER)
KAYE: Very, very funny.
All right. Newt Gingrich has won only two presidential contests, what a turn this is. But he is vowing to stay in the race. Would a running mate help any of the candidates seal the deal? Who would the best match be? We'll find out just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Time now for what we like to call your political gut check. We want to take you beyond the speeches and break down what's really going on in politics. Out of the 27 state primaries and caucuses to date, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has won only two, South Carolina in January and his home state of Georgia earlier this month.
Yet despite his struggles, Gingrich and his camp say they're in this race for the long haul. So is this vow helping or hurting the other GOP candidates? I asked our political director, Mark Preston.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Some would say that by having Newt Gingrich stay in the race, that is helping Mitt Romney, because it's dividing the conservative vote and it allows Mitt Romney perhaps to score a couple of wins here and there, or even when he loses, it's not by a big margin.
Other people think, though, that by having Newt Gingrich in the race it's really hurtful to Mitt Romney, because the fact of the matter is, all Newt Gingrich is doing is savaging not only Rick Santorum but also Mitt Romney. So we're all trying to figure that out right now.
But I think you're absolutely right, as of now, Newt Gingrich has no desire to leave the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
KAYE: Yes, he certainly doesn't. Let's talk about vice presidential candidates. There are some reports that the GOP candidates might actually announce their vice president -- their running mates before August. How likely do you think that is?
PRESTON: Well, think it's a desperation measure in some parts. In fact, Newt Gingrich is said to be one of those people, Randi, who said that he was going to go out and perhaps name Rick Perry as his running mate. And he did that right before the Mississippi and Alabama primaries.
And by doing so, it perhaps could have helped him, although it didn't, on two fronts. On the first front, it would have shown that he is willing and able to pick a Southerner to join the ticket.
And by saying that, he was trying to send a message to Republican conservatives in Alabama and Mississippi that he was going to choose one of them -- one of them being Rick Perry, of course, the governor of Texas.
In the same vein, also, he was sending a message to Texas voters. Now they don't vote until May 29th, but he was sending a message to them as well that he was going to choose their governor.
And why would he do that? Because there's 155 delegates on the line when Texas votes, and even Newt Gingrich has acknowledged that he would need do very well if not win Texas in order for his campaign to be viable.
KAYE: And I would imagine that voters, you know, they like to know what the package deal is. They want to know who they're getting. So I want you to just play along with us here for a minute. I want to play a little matchmaker with your for the leading GOP candidates.
What kind of characteristics do you think Mitt Romney would need and would be looking for if he was to write a personal ad for a vice- presidential candidate? What is he looking for?
PRESTON: Well, I mean, look, he's got the business experience. He knows numbers, he knows the economy. He knows how to turn things around. So he's not looking for a businessman.
What he's probably looking for is somebody who's a little bit more personable, somebody who's on the campaign trail that is a little bit warmer. A lot of people think that Mitt Romney is very mechanical. But what he would also be looking for is somebody who's very, very conservative, somebody that could help energize the base heading into November.
KAYE: What about Rick Santorum? Who would he need at his side or what would he need at his side to help clinch the nomination?
PRESTON: Well, he would need the complete opposite of Mitt Romney. He would need somebody who is a business man, somebody who has experience outside of Washington. You know, Rick Santorum spent a lot of time working in Washington in the House of Representatives, and of course, is a senator.
But he'd be looking for a businessman. He might also be looking for somebody whose views are a little bit more centrist, not as conservative as his. The problem with that, though, is that he would be vilified if he chose somebody who was moderate on the issue of abortion and same-sex marriage. I don't think he would go that far, but he needs to soften his image with independent voters.
KAYE: Yes. And what about Newt Gingrich? PRESTON: Well, Newt Gingrich certainly needs to certainly do better in the field even before he gets to that point. But, you know, he might need somebody who's younger. He's 68 years old. And he would also need somebody to help soften his image a little bit.
He's considered this grand thinker, but perhaps he would need somebody who could help voters see the future, because again, 68 years old, one term, maybe two terms if he -- if he wins. But people are always looking for the next step, and he would be looking for somebody, maybe like a Paul Ryan from Wisconsin, the congressman, who happens to be the chairman of the House Budget Committee.
KAYE: All right, Mark Preston, appreciate it. Nice to see you.
PRESTON: Thanks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And "NEWSROOM" continues at the top of the hour with Fredricka Whitfield.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: Hello, lassie.
KAYE: Hello. How are you? I love your green for St. Patty's Day.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: That's right. All kinds of parades happening throughout. You know, you've got Chicago making the river green. You've got New York, St. Patty's Day. There's so much.
KAYE: And when you get up at 2:30 in the morning you forget it's St. Patrick's Day and I forgot to --
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: -- about it. Oh, well, we've got a lot coming ahead. Of course, our legal guys are with us. You know Avery is probably going to be wearing green because he usually gets into it, too, but we've got a fascinating case out of Connecticut. And this involves the planned eviction of a family from an apartment complex.
The family believes it's because this young man, 20-something-year-old man, weighs 600 pounds. And he says every time something gets broken in the apartment complex, he is blamed for it.
The apartment complex says, well, you know what, we have grounds. And we have an accumulation of incidents in which we can stand by our eviction notice. So we're going to talk about whether this is a case of discrimination or if it's something else.
And then in our financial fix, of course, a lot of us are trying to make plans for how to care for our parents. We're called the sandwich generation, those who are trying to care for the parents. So in our financial fix today, Karen Lee will be along to give us an idea of how you should be planning for it financially. And if you are at that juncture, what can you afford to do --
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: -- that's right -- and be able to carry out.
And then at 4 o'clock, this is a very fascinating case coming out of Fairfax, Virginia. A mother says that her son comes home with a story of a teacher asking her child to read blacker.
KAYE: Blacker?
WHITFIELD: Blacker -- and asking him to read a poem in a form of a rap. And so the parent is going to be joining us out of Fairfax. We're also going to find out what the school district and what the school might be saying about this and what they might do as a result.
KAYE: That is an incredible story.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
KAYE: Yes, I'll tune in for that one.
WHITFIELD: OK. We've got a lot straight ahead.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK. And are you doing the whole bracket thing?
KAYE: I am doing the bracket thing.
WHITFIELD: OK. We'll have to compare notes next time.
KAYE: Yes. How's yours -- how are you doing?
WHITFIELD: I think I'm doing pretty good.
KAYE: Who do you have winning it all? Do you know?
WHITFIELD: Oh, yes, Vanderbilt.
KAYE: Oh. I've got Syracuse.
WHITFIELD: OK.
KAYE: Look out.
WHITFIELD: Well, you know, it was tough. I was going either/or with Syracuse or Vanderbilt, and I decided I'm going for Vanderbilt, because when I was a college intern working at "The Tennessean" newspaper in Nashville, I lived on Fairfax, and so I got a chance to know the Vanderbilt campus, so that's my little connection there. That's all I got.
KAYE: My sister went to Syracuse, so we went with Syracuse.
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK. There you go. KAYE: Great. All right, Fred, nice to see you. We'll check back in a couple of minutes here. OK.
A mother watches as a shark pulls her daughter underwater.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was to me like a scene out of "Jaws," where the girl is getting sucked under. And I said there is no way this thing is going to kill my daughter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: We'll tell you what happened next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: And it's time to take a look at what's happening around the country. A mom faces child abuse charges while another helps safe her daughter from a shark. That and much more on "Cross Country" this hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINA MARIE LOPEZ: It makes me sick, because there's sex offenders out there. She's a -- to me she's still a little girl.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE (voice-over): That was Christina Marie Lopez in January, sounding like a concerned parent, outraged that a local strip club would hire her underage daughter to dance. But since that time, surveillance video from inside that club has surfaced.
Police say it shows the 47-year-old mother watching her 17-year-old daughter dance and allegedly giving her money. The club claims the teen lied about her age. Affiliate KOIN reports the mother now faces child abuse charges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is my worst nightmare to see an animal that could kill my daughter pulling her underwater. It was to me like a scene out of "Jaws," where the girl is getting sucked under.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE (voice-over): In Florida, a mother in New Smyrna Beach is being credited with helping to save her daughter from a shark. The mother and daughter were longboarding when the shark clamped down on the girl's ankle and pulled her off the board. Here's a picture of the wound. Luckily some surfers helped them to shore and a nearby ambulance.
In Arizona, moments of panic when nine passengers in a hot air balloon crashed into power lines. According to affiliate KOLD, four people suffered severe burns when parts of the balloon caught fire. The Federal Aviation Administration is now investigating.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: If you haven't heard of the "Hunger Games," well, just you wait. The book series is making the move to the big screen. The movie comes out next week, and has blockbuster potential. "Hunger Games" takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, where teens are forced to fight each other to the death.
No one will ever confuse it with "The Little Mermaid." Last hour I talked to the president of hollywood.com about the movie and its huge appeal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL DERGARABEDIAN, PRESIDENT, HOLLYWOOD.COM: Well, I don't want to give too much away, but there are 12 districts around the world, rather than countries, and they pick two kids between the ages, I think, of 8 and 18 from each district, to go into this battle royal that's basically -- to me it's like "Survivor" meets "Lord of the Flies."
And that's what it sort of plays like, but it's televised for a worldwide audience. So it's a great commentary on media, on pop culture, on governmental control over the populace. And so it has a lot of very deep themes. It's a very sophisticated movie. This isn't just vampires versus werewolves, this is a bigger deal than that. There's a lot more at stake in the "Hunger Games."
KAYE: Could this be possibly -- dare I say it -- bigger than "Twilight"? I mean, according to E! Online and fandango, the film has already pulled in more than 1,700 sold-out screenings in advanced ticket sales. That sounds pretty big.
DERGARABEDIAN: That's a big deal and IMAX is selling out as well, because -- and they're going to have midnight showings and we'll really get a great indication by those midnight screenings. Look, people always throw around these big opening weekend numbers. I would think 100 million plus is in the cards for this film, but you just never know until it opens.
But based on all prerelease tracking, on the online sales which you just mentioned, the IMAX sellouts, all that, I mean, people are saying it could do as much as 150 million. Would that be bigger than "Twilight"? Well, the last "Twilight" film, "Breaking Dawn Part 1" opened with 138 million.
I think Lionsgate would be thrilled with that result. But here's the difference with this movie. It will play for the long haul because this will be the rare intersection of critical acclaim mixed with massive audience appeal, so the average person's going to see the movie, will love it, critics will love it.
And it's rare that you have that, because the "Twilight" movies were not well reviewed, but they didn't need to be. They were making so much money because of the fervor and the excitement surrounding those films that that didn't hurt the movie at all. But this movie has that going for it and more.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Looks pretty good. "CNN NEWSROOM" continues with Fredricka Whitfield.
(CROSSTALK)
KAYE: Yes, you got to see that now.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: But all this dialogue, I'm wondering now if it's something I need to check out.
KAYE: I think you should.
WHITFIELD: OK. I know we'll be talking some more about it too later on.
All right. Good to see you. Have a great day.
