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CNN Saturday Morning News

Zimmerman Could Get Out Today; Six Secret Service Agents Out; Search for Etan Patz

Aired April 21, 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 (voice-over): From CNN Center, this is CNN Saturday Morning.

George Zimmerman speaks:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, DEFENDANT: I wanted to say I am sorry for the loss of your son.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: His parents' plea at yesterday's bond hearing and why he might be set free as early as today. We'll have a live report.

Plus, we put the U.S. Secret Service in focus this morning as more agents are implicated in the scandal in Colombia. Is the agency forever tarnished? And what are some of the great heroes saying?

And new leads in an old mystery, why police are digging up a New York basement in the case of the 30-year-old disappearance of a now famous child.

And later, Pissarro, Picasso, and penguins? How this one is using her talents to raise money.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. It is 7:00. A lot to tell you about this morning. So, let get you straight to the news.

George Zimmerman could be out of jail as early as today. A judge has set bond for Zimmerman at $150,000 at a hearing yesterday. That means his family needs to post $15,000 to get him out while he awaits trials for the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman has called it self-defense. At the hearing, he took the stand and offered this apology to the teen's family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZIMMERMAN: I wanted to say I am sorry for the loss of your son. I did not know how old he was. I thought he was a little bit younger than I am. And I did not know if he was armed or not.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KAYE: Zimmerman's attorney says he wants his client to be able to leave the state while he waits for the trial for security reasons. But no decision has been made on that. We'll have much more on this story just a little bit later on.

The FBI is expected to continue their work today, digging up a Manhattan basement. They're looking for evidence in the 33-year-old disappearance of a young boy. Six-year-old Etan Patz disappeared on his way to school back in 1979.

And this week, police and the FBI came to the former apartment of an area handyman. Authorities say old and new evidence has led them to Othneil Miller. He was brought in for questioning earlier this week, but was not arrested. His attorney said he is cooperating.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL FARKAS, OTHNIEL MILLER'S ATTORNEY: Mr. Miller has been cooperating with this investigation for over 30 years. And he has continued to cooperate on multiple occasions. And I'm going to assist him in cooperating to the fullest extent possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: The disappearance of Etan Patz raised awareness for missing children to a national level. He was one of the first to appear on a milk carton.

Three more Secret Service agents are out as part of the scandal involving Colombian prostitutes. The agency says three agents have, quote, "chosen to resign" over their part in the scandal. That makes six agents so far, at least two of them were supervisors.

All employees are accused of bringing prostitutes to their hotel rooms in Cartagena just before President Obama arrived in Colombia for a key trade and security summit. President Obama was briefed on the investigation. Just yesterday, the agency announced a 12th employee has been implicated.

The United Nations Security Council meets later this morning in an effort to expand the monitoring mission in Syria. A peace plan that was supposed to start with the ceasefire is not holding. Opposition forces saying nearly 60 people were killed across the country yesterday. The U.N. wants to their involvement from 30 international monitors to 300.

Helicopters are being brought in today to try and find victims bodies from a plane crash in Pakistan. Officials believe that none of the 127 passengers or crew survived the crash in Islamabad. Family members are helping identify the victims there. All but seven bodies have been recovered. Aviation officials say bad weather may have been a factor.

A major step forward for a possible merger between U.S. Airways and American Airlines. U.S. Airways says they have agreements in place with three major unions covering around 55,000 American Airlines employees. That includes pilots, flight attendants and mechanics. American Airlines' parent company filed for bankruptcy last year, the new airline would keep the American Airlines name.

Outside, it may not be all blue skies and sunshine for many of you. But Reynolds is keeping an eye on what the weather holds for us on this Saturday.

Good morning, Reynolds.

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Randi.

It looks like it's going to be a pretty nice day in parts of the country. But for everything on the eastern third of the country, rain is at least going to be in the picture, at least a chance of it. In fact, as we head towards the Gulf Coast, if you look just to the west of New Orleans, at this time, you see a little bit of counter- clockwise rotation, which indicates an area of low pressure that is just going to pop up and pull a lot of moisture off the Gulf of Mexico.

That with your day heating is going to give you a chance of thunderstorms all along parts of the I-10 corridor. I expect that low is going to continue to march its way all the way, eventually curving back towards Florida and also the frontal boundary is going to work with, bring in a good chance of rain through much of the Gulf Coast and into the Eastern Seaboard.

What's interesting is if this happened to be, say, September, maybe November, we might see this become a named storm. There's always that possibility. But that's not going to be the case now. It looks like we are going to see something that is all together different.

What we have with us is a chance of rain that's going to continue for much of the Eastern Seaboard and even back towards the Great Lakes. And the reason for that is simple there, too -- we have an area of low pressure in the western Great Lakes and Upper Midwest that's going to bring some rain. But at the same time, it's going to bring some cooler temperatures right behind it. But for the East Coast, it's all going to be this complex system you see between frontal boundaries, and areas of low pressure.

And I'll tell you, although it's going to bring rain to the eastern third of the country in some spots, especially way up in New England, highest elevations may be dealing with a chance of snow. Snow will be not an issue for you in Texas, or out to the West Coast, sunny and warm, in many locations, including spots like San Francisco, where your high is going to 79 degrees, by Pier 39, 78 degrees in Salt Lake City, 73 in Los Angeles, 47 in Minneapolis, the other side of that, over towards Chicago, 53, 69 in Kansas City, 75 in Dallas. And from Boston to New York, mainly low 70s, 81 in Washington, D.C., 77 in Tampa, Miami with 80 degrees. But expect chance of heavy showers, possibly thunderstorms through much of Florida.

There is that area of low pressure we're talking about. You know, the time here on Saturday, fast forwarding from Saturday early into Sunday, it's going to march right up the Eastern Seaboard. I'll tell you, it looks like it's almost like a northeaster where it could bring some heavy rain. Some places up to four, even six inches possible and some outlying spots. But the heaviest rainfall down towards the Everglades and portions of Florida.

That's a look at your forecast. Next time, we get a chance to chat with you. We're going to talk about your travel weather. That's moments away -- Randi.

KAYE: I hope I get to chat with you really soon, Reynolds.

WOLF: OK. Fair enough.

KAYE: Thank you.

Up next, search that captured the country's attention. The painstaking hunt for clues for Etan Patz, three decades after he vanished as a child.

Plus, later, 50 percent off your restaurant bill, the app that could save you hundreds.

And good morning to Lady Liberty -- you can kind of make her out there in a foggy, very foggy New York. It is time for you to rise and shine. Keep it here. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COMMISSIONER RAY KELLY, NEW YORK POLICE: It changed the way the country thought about missing children. As we know, Etan's picture was the first one to go on a milk carton.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Right now, a basement in Lower Manhattan could hold the clues to Etan Patz, who suddenly vanished 33 years ago. The FBI is painstakingly ripping up the concrete floor, removing piece by piece.

Investigators say both the new and old information led them to question a carpenter who had a workshop in the place that they are now searching. The carpenter has not been charged and says he has no involvement in the disappearance. But what exactly happened the day that Ethan went missing?

Here is our national correspondent, Susan Candiotti.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: May 25th, 1979, it's a Friday and 6-year-old Etan Patz is upstairs in his family's third floor apartment getting ready for school. He comes straight out this door all decked out in a corduroy jacket, pants, and a kid's pilot hat. He can't wait to get to school.

For the first time, Etan's mom and dad are allowing him to walk two blocks down the street this way to get to his school bus stop all by himself.

LISA COHEN, AUTHOR, "AFTER ETAN: THE MISSING CHILD CASE THAT HOLD AMERICA CAPTIVE": It was the Friday before Memorial Day weekend. This was going to be one of his last opportunities. They finally relented and said he could go.

CANDIOTTI: It's just after 8:00 a.m., according to author, Lisa Cohen, Etan's mom kisses him goodbye and watches him walk towards the bus stop. Everything seems fine. So his mother runs back upstairs to take care of her 2-year-old son.

This is the corner where Etan was heading to meet the bus. We're just two blocks away from their apartment. I can still see the apartment from here, but Etan never made it. At the end of the school day when he didn't come home, his mom calls police.

COHEN: By that time, several hours had passed before anyone had any idea that there was something wrong. Those are crucial hours for an investigation.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Etan's dad frantic starts grabbing photos of his son to show to people in the neighborhood. Investigators interview the parents, and start canvassing the area for the youngster.

(on camera): See that traffic light? That's the bus stop and right here we are just a block away. This is where the FBI is now searching that basement, see all of their equipment here, including that blue tent that you see? In that basement is where a carpenter used to have a workshop.

Now, years and years ago, more than 30 years ago, police did search that basement, but they did not dig it up. Now, the FBI is trying to figure out whether the key to Etan's disappearance was right here all along.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: And as we said, they're searching that basement. We'll continue to watch that here on CNN throughout the morning.

A witness to history, Secret Service agents risk their lives every day. Coming up, we'll hear from two former agents who were there in Dallas on the back of the car when John F. Kennedy was shot. They'll tell us what it means to be an agent and how they live with the tragedy every day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: And good morning, Washington. Lovely shot of the Capitol there. You can see the flags are blowing in the breeze. It might be a bit of a windy day in Washington, D.C. Glad you're with us.

We have been doing a lot this morning on the Secret Service. And we're going to focus in, of course, on that. The agents are meant to be invisible but the scandal involving Colombian prostitutes, of course, has changed all that. Now, six agents are out, there are six others still under investigation for their part in the scandal.

And the Secret Service director is promising a full accounting of the agency and culture.

But let's take a moment to move beyond this or rather before this. Our Brian Todd spoke to two former agents involved in one of America's great tragedies. Men who risked their lives to try to protect the president on that that fateful November day in Dallas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gerald Blaine and Clint Hill still carry themselves in that upright tradition, still have that bond that only Secret Service agents know, and still have vivid memories of that clear, crisp day in November nearly half a century ago.

GERALD BLAINE, FORMER SECRET SERVICE AGENT: We couldn't help, but we felt like we failed. We all had the same mission, and it was a terrible feeling.

TODD: I spoke with Blaine and Clint Hill just a few feet from John Kennedy's grave. Hill wrote the foreword to Blaine's book but has rarely spoken about that day.

(on camera): You had a tough time there in those years after the assassination, after your resignation. Can you talk about what you went through?

CLINT HILL, FORMER SECRET SERVICE AGENT: You know, I had nightmares and seemed like every time I turned around, there was something that reminded me of what had happened. And so, I just clammed up and went in my basement with some alcohol and some cigarettes and stay there for a few years.

TODD (voice-over): Clint Hill was the first Secret Service agent to get to Kennedy's car in Dallas. He broke into a sprint after the initial shot was fired. He says if he could relive those moments, if he could jump on the back maybe two seconds earlier --

HILL: Without a question, I'd be taking a bullet for the president, be dead.

TODD (on camera): It would be -- you think that would be a happier ending if you weren't here to talk to us?

HILL: It would be a happier ending for the country and for everybody.

TODD: How do you feel about that? I mean, that's a tough thing to live with for a number of years.

HILL: Well, it's just one of those things you do live with it. You have to accept the fact that you had a certain responsibility, and you failed in that responsibility. So, you just have to accept it and live with it the best you can.

TODD: Hill says he still goes through periods where he's almost unable to talk about the assassination. He brushes it of when people call him a hero. Heroes, he says, are people who are able to do extraordinary things and, quote, "unfortunately, I was unable to do that"

Brian Todd, CNN, Arlington, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: And our thanks to Brian Todd, we'll hear much more from the man in the story, Clint Hill, late this morning. He joins me live in our 9:00 Eastern hour to talk about his memories of the agency and also get his impressions on the current scandal. So be sure to stay with us.

Up next, though, we've got some sound financial advice and we'll clue you in how to scout out good deals. Financial expert Clyde Anderson takes us on a tour, next.

There he is looking sharp.

Stay with us at CNN SATURDAY MORNING where news doesn't take the weekend off.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: These days, who doesn't want to save a little cash, right? So, chances are that you have used one of those online coupon sites popping up in recent months. One of the ones that really stands out, though, is called Scout Mob. It's a coupon site that offers up to 50 percent off at local restaurants, boutiques and spas. And the best part is it is completely free.

Our financial analyst Clyde Anderson is here to talk more about this.

Now, I've used this and I know a lot who have.

CLYDE ANDERSON, FINANCIAL ANALYST: Yes.

KAYE: But for those at home watching might never of Scout Mob or used it, tell us a little bit about how it works.

ANDERSON: Scout Mob is actually some mobile company, a mobile discounter, a mobile coupon company where you can actually can get e- mails that come to you daily with daily deals, come to your phone and you can actually take your phone into an establishment, a restaurant, they scan your phone and give you the discount there.

KAYE: It's really cool.

ANDERSON: Yes, it's a pretty cool tool.

KAYE: It is.

ANDERSON: Now, I recently had a chance to talk to the co-founder, Mr. Michael Tavani. And this is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL TAVANI, SCOUTMOB CO-FOUNDER: Now everyone has a computer in their pocket. And so, our thinking was can we combine, you know, this mobile experience of being very impulsive?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Scout Mob focuses on finding the best local places first.

TAVANI: We wanted to sway consumers at the point of decision. So, you know, right when they pull out their phone, they are going to lunch, where am I going to go? We want to sway them just a little bit in one direction versus another. And, ultimately, if we can do that we want to get paid for that by the restaurant.

So, we kind of flip the whole model on the head and the consumer actually doesn't pay us anything. We charge the merchant, which is the local business for driving that consumer in.

ANDERSON: How do you handle the merchant side? Because some of the complaints you hear of some of the companies that are out there is that the merchants can't handle some of the demands sometimes.

TAVANI: We have to really nail that merchant side of it. And so, we make sure we have an account manager who's dedicated to making sure that the merchants know how this is going to work, training the staff and making sure they can handle this. A lot of time this involves more staff, more food, being prepared for the kind of rush of traffic. And so, that's a big piece to what we're doing. And the user experience, the experience of pulling out your phone saying, "I'm here with Scout Mob," you want to be proud of that experience. It has to be good, clean experience. If it's not, we've lost you.

ANDERSON: Are you thinking about going outside of just restaurants and thinking about more entertainment and some of other venues?

TAVANI: Yes. We're kind of expanding our line now where we say we're covering all types of needs that the local consumer wants. And, you know, when we say local consumers, we don't do any national chains. You know, it's something we take a lot of pride in that we're all local. These are all local businesses that are owned locally. And so that's a pretty neat thing for us to stay local.

ANDERSON: So, what's next for Scout Mob?

TAVANI: Grow, grow, grow. I mean, we want to launch more cities and so have more of a national footprint.

We're really wanting to get smarter to connect with the consumer, not as a shotgun approach where we send out something we hope that this is the right time for you depending upon what part of the neighborhood you're in, but really get custom to your neighborhood, to what time of day it is. We view daily deals 1.0 is over, it was won by Groupon and Living Social. But that phase is over. Now, we're on 2.0 of local mobile, and we hope we're right in the middle of that mix and we want to be a player right there.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: They really are a player.

What is interesting about that, though, is the Scout Mob, it isn't a daily deal. I mean, you have to use it within like three hours or something once you do it. It's instant.

ANDERSON: It's instant. Once it's there, you download it, you got it. Now, you use it.

KAYE: Right.

So, how many cities are they in now?

ANDERSON: They are 13 cities right now and they're expanding to seven more cities this year. So, they are really on a rapid growth plan. These guys actually get it. They understand, they started off with two employees, now they have 50.

KAYE: Wow. But, you know, you see some of these come and go, there is a lot of them out there. Why do they think they have seen so much success?

ANDERSON: Well, one of the things as you mentioned, that it's free. The other thing is that, really, these guys embrace a culture and what they want to do is they grow. They continue to embrace that culture.

As you mentioned, they are local. You know, they make sure it's a local establishment. They don't do big chains. And they make sure each city that they're expanding to, they have a team of people that go in there and really scout out those local companies and they make sure they become partners with them.

KAYE: Yes. And those local companies are happy to see you when you walk in.

ANDERSON: Very happy.

KAYE: All right. Clyde, thank you very much.

ANDERSON: Thank you.

KAYE: And, of course, you can join us every Saturday at this times, as our financial analyst Clyde Anderson gives us his latest money saving tips.

"SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." just moments away. So, what is on tap for today? Here's Sanjay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Randi, ahead on "SGMD", a former marine who says she was raped and when she went for help, instead of getting it, a doctor told her she had a psychological condition and would have to leave the military. Sad to say, as we learned, it looks like part of a larger pattern.

We're also looking at something that could be a life-saver, staying safe on a bicycle. We're going to tell you a story and also got a demonstration and investigation about a young man who was killed on his bike and police who seemed to be overlooking the real danger.

"SGMD" at 7:30 Eastern.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Thank you, Sanjay.

And coming up, Ted Nugent can't stay out of the headline this week. But this time, it's the rocker's actions and not his words that are causing some trouble. I'll explain right after a very quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Checking top stories now:

George Zimmerman could be out of jail soon. That's after a judge approved the request for bond for the former neighborhood watch volunteer. He's charged with second degree murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. In brief remarks, Zimmerman told the family of the Florida teen he's sorry for their loss an apology the family attorney called, quote, "disingenuous."

His basement now the focus of a famous cold case. But a New York City carpenter says he has no involvement to the disappearance of Etan Patz. Police said new and old information led them to the man who was questioned by the FBI Thursday but faces no charges. Patz disappeared one block from his family home in 1979. The carpenter met Patz the day before.

And it's been quite a week for Ted Nugent -- first, controversial comments about President Obama led to a Secret Service meeting. Now, the rocker has agreed to pay a fine as part of a guilty plea for transporting an illegally killed black bear in Alaska. Nugent, an avid hunter, admits to shooting and killing the bear days after he wounded another bear. Alaska laws limit hunters the bagging one bear per hunting season.

And a program note here, starting next Saturday, you'll be able to catch "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." at 4:30 p.m. instead 7:30 a.m. I will have more news at the top of the hour when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.

But, first, "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." begins right now.