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CNN Saturday Morning News

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz Dies; Deaths From Mexican Hurricane; Canadian Armored Car Robbery; Rise Of Drug Cartels In U.S.; New Obama Immigration Policy; Pentagon's Gay Pride Celebration; Sandusky Trial Nears Halfway Point; Movie Weaves Complicated Family Drama

Aired June 16, 2012 - 08:00   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): From CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

An international manhunt under way this morning for this man accused of shooting three people at a Canadian university. We'll bring you his mother's plea.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They are Americans in their hearts, in their minds, in every single way but one.

KAYE: It's a dream come true for more than a million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. Supporters hailed the dramatic shift in immigration policy and the humanitarian moment in history. But critics call the move outrageous, even arrogant. We put the immigration overhaul in focus.

And later, families so devastated by the economy, that they are abandoning their children in orphanages. We'll tell you where it is a real crisis tearing families apart.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. It's 8:00 on the east coast, 5:00 a.m. out west. Thanks for waking up with us. State

TV in Saudi Arabia says Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, who was the brother of the Saudi king, has died. Prince Nayef recently traveled abroad for medical treatment and according to a spokesman died in Geneva, Switzerland. He was 79. The prince had served as interior minister for the Saudi government. Crown Prince Nayef was second in line to the throne. The poor health of the aging Saudi royal family has raised fears of a power vacuum at a time when anti-regime protests are growing. Saudi Arabian officials aren't saying how the prince died.

Southern Mexico feeling the fury of tropical storm Carlotta. At least two children were killed when the storm destroyed their home. The girl's mother is hospitalized. Carlotta made landfall as a hurricane on Mexico's Pacific coast last night, tore off roofs, knocks out the lights in many areas and triggered landslides as well. A manhunt under way in Canada for the robber of an armored vehicle at the University of Alberta. Three armored car guards were killed in that robbery, a fourth critically injured. Police believe it was an inside job, the suspected killer, the victim's colleague. Police say suspect Travis Baumgartner is considered armed and dangerous.

Well, it's not a new phenomenon, but it is one that is growing in the United States at a surprising rate. I'm talking a about drug cartels, which are becoming so widespread in this country that some are calling the people who run them the drug lords next door. Nick Valencia has been digging in on this and he is here to talk about it a little bit more this morning.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

KAYE: Let's talk about the numbers first.

VALENCIA: Right. The numbers are staggering. When you look at 2006 you had 50 U.S. cities infiltrated by cartels. That of course according to the National Drug Intelligence Center. Now, if you can believe it Randi, five times that much, 1300 U.S. cities infiltrated by the cartels, by the Mexican drug cartels.

KAYE: And so they're supplying drugs in the United States as well. How many drugs are we talking about here?

VALENCIA: This is the main market, that's what has to be understood about this issue. The United States 4 percent of the world's population consuming two-thirds of the world's illegal drugs, 60 to 70 percent of the world's illegal drugs. Why are the cartels here? Because they're smart about being businessmen. This here is the market for the cartels to operate.

KAYE: And are they targeting specific kinds of communities, small cities versus big cities?

VALENCIA: That's a great question because this new phenomenon as you mentioned at the open, it's not a new phenomenon. What is new about it is that they're building roots and they're becoming more comfortable here. What we saw these intersections, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York. Those are sort of the traditional hubs for these cartel activities. What we're seeing now are smaller cities being infiltrated, Wilmington, North Carolina, for instance, states like Wyoming, Montana, even as far away as Kingstown, Rhode Island if you can believe it.

KAYE: You'd never think that because I know you and I both have spent some time on the border. You've certainly spent a lot more time there, but it's usually what you think is they come across the border. It's in those Texas towns or those Arizona towns. When you think about Rhode Island or Montana, we never would imagine that.

VALENCIA: So far away. We don't want to scare anybody here. We want to report the facts. The truth is experts agree on this that we're not going to see the Mexican-style violence that we see in Mexico spill over in the United States. Yes as we mentioned, there has been targeted cartel hits on specific people in the United States.

Having said that, it's bad for business for the cartels to bite the hand that feeds them essentially. As we mentioned, this is the world's largest consuming drug nation, the United States and it would just be bad for business. Secondary, for the cartels they have a sort of if you will respect for the U.S. authorities in their swift action so it just doesn't make sense to bring that style of violence here to the United States.

KAYE: Can the U.S. authorities do anything about it, or has it just gotten so big that it's now out of control?

VALENCIA: The way the cartels are moving into these smaller cities, Randi, is that they're operating under the cover of a growing Latino communities. You see places like North Carolina having a large boom in that Latino population. It allows it easier access for the cartels to blend in and hide under that cover. So it's a tough road ahead for U.S. authorities, that's for sure.

KAYE: All right, Nick Valencia, appreciate your reporting. Thank you.

We go now to Washington, where the debate over immigration is once again heating up following the Obama administration's surprising shift in immigration policy. It could affect some one million young people who are in this country illegally but who President Obama says are Americans in every single way but one, on paper.

They are immigrants who came to the United States and who have continuously resided in this country for at least five years. They must currently be in school, have graduated from high school or be a U.S. military veteran. They cannot have been convicted of a crime and cannot be older than 30. Let's talk to Athena Jones about this.

Athena, what's the reaction to the Obama administration's new policy there on Capitol Hill?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Randi.

As it may not be a surprise to you, but Democrats are applauding this move. They're celebrating it. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin called it an historic humanitarian moment. New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez said it's something that's going to change these young peoples' lives forever.

Republicans on the other hand are angry. They say this is an end run around Congress. They're questioning the president's legal authority to make this move and they say that it could hurt unemployed Americans who are looking for jobs, giving these young undocumented immigrants work permits.

I spoke with Texas Republican Congressman Lamar Smith about this. Let's hear what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. LAMAR SMITH (R) TEXAS: I think the American people are getting tired of this president picking and choosing what laws to enforce. That's not the democratic way. Maybe you can do that in a dictatorship. Maybe you can do that in another country but this is a president who has sworn to uphold the constitution of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: That's just one example of what we have been hearing from Republicans, Randi.

KAYE: And so can they do anything to block this? That's the big question. Can Republican do anything about this new policy?

JONES: Well, that's exactly the question we put to Representative Smith. He said that they could. Congress could try to use the power of the purse, withhold any funds that would be used to implement this policy. They could also bring a resolution - introduce a resolution in Congress, disagreeing with President Obama and they could even try to file a lawsuit to take the president to court for not upholding the law.

At the same time, Congressman Smith told us that he thinks it's all going to come down to how it plays out in the court of public opinion. And certainly he believes, he thinks the American people don't want to see this kind of approach, Randi.

KAYE: Athena Jones, thank you very much. Nice to see you.

JONES: Thanks.

KAYE: In Greece, we know economic woes have hit families hard, but there's now a surging number of parents giving up their children and not because of lack of love. We'll tell you why the economy is tearing family as part.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Good morning, everyone.

Greece is gearing up for a pivotal election tomorrow. No less than the country's future in the Eurozone is at stake. Voters returned to the polls to pick a new parliament after last month's vote ended in a stalemate. The outcome really is anyone's guess.

Greece has been ravaged by debt and recession. Voters will pick between supporters and opponents of an international bailout but that bailout comes with a catch -- drastic spending cuts and tax hikes. Whatever they decide, it will have a big impact on the global and U.S. economy.

Desperation for Greek families. We've talked a lot about the country's financial problems and its effect on our own economy. But there's another side to this story, a story that ends with Greek families torn apart.

CNN's Matthew Chance takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The youngest victims of Greece's economic despair. Abandoned not through lack of love, but money. We gained access to this orphanage in Athens where care workers say they've witnessed a surge in the number of Greek families unable to feed and clothe their children.

STERGIOS SINFIOS, DIRECTOR SOCIAL WORK, SOS CHILDREN'S VILLAGES GREECE: I think that is -- for first time for us. And I'm working for SOS Villages since 1982. So, for first time, I see so many poor families ask for help for their own children.

CHANCE: Austerity and years of recession are literally breaking up families here.

CHANCE (on camera): Of course, there have always been orphans, children in care in Greece, but what's changed over the course of the past two years is this. Previously, children in care came from problem families. Parents who were drug addicts or alcoholics. But over the past two years, it's transformed dramatically. The vast majority now come from families who simply can't afford to look after their children.

CHANCE (voice-over): Parents like Kassiani Papadopuolou. A single mother, unemployed and unable, she says, to care for her three children. We caught one of her rare visits.

CHANCE (on camera): Pleased to meet you. How are you?

KASSIANI PAPADOPUOLOU, SINGLE MOTHER: Mikala (ph). Mikala.

CHANCE: Hello, Mikala. Good to see you.

CHANCE (voice-over): Giving up this family, she told me, was painful. But in Greece's economic climate, still her best option.

PAPADOPUOLOU (through translator): It's really difficult. Really tragic for a true mother to leave her children. But when you understand they are not at fault and deserve a future, it's better to make a move like this than have them beside you without even a plate of food.

CHANCE (on camera): Who do you blame for putting you and your family in this situation? Do you blame the government? Do you blame the economic crisis? I mean, who do you hold responsible.

PAPADOPUOLOU: For me, it's all those who govern. They've all looked out for themselves instead of the people. And the poor like us should be the responsibility of the state.

CHANCE (voice-over): But this is the terrible social price of Greece's economic crisis. Even for its youngest, most vulnerable, the state can barely afford to care.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: This is a problem that's grown over the past two years. And it may get even worse before it gets better. Right now nearly 23 percent of all Greek families with children under the age of 18 are on the verge of poverty.

One minute the man was reading along the Chicago river bank, the next he had fallen in, was in danger of drowning until some kayakers came to his rescue.

In the entire history of the U.S. military, this has never happened before. The Pentagon announced its celebrating gay pride month.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Good morning, Washington, time to wake up and start cutting loose for sure. Happy Saturday, everybody. Welcome back to CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Glad you're with us. I'm Randi Kaye.

Checking stories cross country now, firefighters battling that raging wild fire in Larimer (ph) County Colorado, saying it's only 20 percent contained. They're hoping for some rain. If they don't get it, they'll face another grueling day on the fire lines. The Hyde Park fire has burned 54,000 acres and is still growing. Thousands had to evacuate. More than 100 homes have been lost and at least one person is dead.

In Los Angeles, a high-speed police chase. Take a look. CNN affiliate KCBS reporting that the driver hit 100 miles an hour at times and weaved dangerously through traffic for about an hour last night. Along the way, he hit several cars injuring a three-year-old child. Police used spike strips to flatten his tires but he kept on going riding on his rims. Police finally arrested the man for drunken and reckless driving.

And to Chicago now, some kayakers, one 17 years old, rescued a man who had fallen into the Chicago River. They heard people screaming, saw the man floating face-down in 60-degree water, held his head up until police arrived and a rescue diver. Police say their actions likely saved that man's life. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

Just a few months ago, the idea of a gay pride celebration at the Pentagon was unheard of. Now it is reality. The Pentagon announced it will celebrate gay pride later this month. June is after all gay pride month.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta talked about how happy he was with the successful repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in a special message to the troops.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEON PANETTA, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Diversity is one of our greatest strengths. And during pride month and every month let's celebrate our rich diversity and renew our enduring commitment to equality for all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: The event later this month at the Pentagon will honor gay and lesbian service members.

This morning, we've been dealing with a nightmare situation for a parent. In a small Texas town, a father killed a man who says he tried to molest his five-year-old daughter. We're listening to what you have to say about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Ever weekend we challenge my producer, one of my great producers, Troy to find us great music and he never fails us.

All right. Today's talk revolves around a question of justice. What would you do to a man who tried to sexually assault your daughter, your five-year-old daughter? In a small town of Shiner, Texas, that girl's father beat the man to death with his bare hands. Nearly everyone in town told us that they would have done the same thing. Some are even calling him a hero.

Let's see what you think about this. It seems like many of you are saying that you would done the same thing as well.

Daniel tweeted me, "He's a hero. I would have done that."

Conner said, "I would have done the same thing. He acted in defense of his third person. It's a natural instinct."

Thomas wrote, "I would have done the same in that situation. Who wouldn't defend their own children?"

So what do you think about it? Continue to send me tweets. You can find me on twitter @randikayeCNN.

From illegal to influential, this year she became one of "Time" magazine's most influential people. We'll see what (INAUDIBLE) has to say about the recent immigration decision.

But first this week's start small think big and it's about dogs.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Mark Schuette is a dog lover who enjoys the outdoors as much as his canine.

MARK SCHUETTE, DOG POWERED SCOOTER: My main hobby is water kayaking. Now I'm more into bouldering.

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: But as Mark gets older, he finds it difficult to do some sports he loves. So he came up with a way he and his dog could have fun together, the dog-powered scooters.

SCHUETTE: That's perfect for us baby boomers that really can't do the adventure sports like we used to. UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: The harness design allows the dog to be strapped into the side of the scooter, powering it by running. The rider steers and controls the brakes. It's also a dog/human team sport because the dog is behind the steering wheel. You can take this thing anywhere or you can take it up on the mountain bike trails. It's a novel, new way for dogs to exercise, but Mark is hoping he can also use the design to help people.

SCHUETTE: These three-wheeled trikes are almost like dog-powered wheelchairs that you can pedal or you can actually hand crank some models. I've even done a few of the three-wheelers for some handicapped folks, service dogs, some war veterans.

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: It's harnessing energy that can go a long way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back. I'm Randi Kaye. Thanks for starting your Saturday with us.

This just in to CNN. The United Nations is suspending its observer mission in Syria. The move comes as violence has ramped up in the country in the past few days. U.N. monitors have come under a number of attacks recently. Around 300 unarmed observers were there trying to monitor the peace plan. U.S. officials had worried that the observers were in increasing danger.

There has been a sudden death in the Saudi Arabian royal family. Crowned Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, second in line to the throne has died according to state TV. He was 79. Prince Nayef recently traveled abroad for medical treatment and according to a government spokesman, died in Geneva, Switzerland. His body will be flown home for burial tomorrow.

And if you're going to be traveling a lot this summer by plane, think about this. It's not very comforting. It seems those new rules designed to keep air traffic controllers from staying awake are being violated, now left and right. "The Washington Post" is reporting there have been about 4,000 violations since the beginning of the year, according to the FAA. Remember all of those instances where it happened last year where controllers were caught sleeping on the job?

The new rule is that they need to get at least nine hours of rest between shifts, but it seems controllers are breaking the rule because they'd rather squeeze their shifts together to get a three-day weekend.

A manhunt under way this morning in Canada for the robber of an armored vehicle at the University of Alberta. Three armored car guards were killed in the robbery, a fourth critically injured. Police believe it was an inside job. The suspected killer is actually the victims' colleague. Police say suspect Travis Baumgartner is considered armed and dangerous. Demonstrators rally in Los Angeles as President Obama announces a sweeping change to immigration policy. He said young, illegal immigrants whose came to the U.S. as children will not face deportation if they meet key requirements. But some Republicans accuse Mr. Obama of playing politics with immigration in this election year.

Hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants are waking up in the U.S. without the constant threat or worry of deportation. Some illegal immigrants who came to this country as children can now stay. President Obama made this statement about his executive order.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: These are young people who study in our schools. They play in our neighborhoods. They're friends with our kids. They pledge allegiance to our flag. They are Americans in their heart, in their minds and in every single way but one, on paper.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Dulce Matuz is considered an undocumented immigrant. She has been waiting for this announcement since moving to the U.S. at the age of 15. "Time" magazine even named her one of 2012's 100 most influential people in the world. Matuz is the president of the Arizona DREAM Act Coalition and she's joining me now from Los Angeles.

Good morning to you. So let's talk about this. And what was your reaction to this news and this announcement coming from the administration?

DULCE MATUZ, PRESIDENT OF THE ARIZONA DREAM ACT COALITION: Well, it is certainly a moment of celebration. We are very happy. But at the same time we understand that this is only a temporary solution to our struggle and we need to continue working for long lasting, permanent solutions and by passing legislation at the federal level.

KAYE: What would a permanent solution look like? What is the ideal permanent solution for you?

MATUZ: Well, we need the Congress -- we need Congress to pass the DREAM Act and -- and we have the majority of the support from Americans, more than 70 percent of Americans support the DREAM Act. And in the past it was just a minority of senators who filibustered the legislation.

So I think it's time to pass it. And we need to make it at the federal level so it's permanent. And we don't have -- and -- and we're not in risk that other administrations change this policy in the future.

KAYE: And especially because the DREAM Act is a path to citizenship and this new policy from the Obama administration is not, right?

MATUZ: That's correct. It's only temporary. It's for two years. And then after two years there's a lot of questions that need to be answered. We don't know what's going to happen after two years. And if subsequent administrations want to back track this policy, they will be able to do it.

KAYE: The Obama administration has certainly been under a lot of scrutiny over the years for their number of deportations, about 400,000 or so. Now this sudden announcement during an election year just a few months away from the election itself, how much of this do you think is about politics?

MATUZ: I think every politician, every decision that they make, is a strategic and its -- they want to secure their re-election. I think that both parties have been playing politics with the Latino community and it is our responsibility to step up and not allow to be treated as a second-class citizen.

And Latinos are watching. And they're going to be voting for pro-DREAM Act candidates. And our responsibility as a -- as student movement is going to be informing and educating our communities about who is with us and who is against us.

KAYE: And the Supreme Court, as you well know, is about to hand down its opinion any day now over Arizona's very controversial immigration bill, anti-immigration bill. What are you hoping to see come out of that?

MATUZ: Well, whatever decision the Supreme Court makes is not going to change for Arizona. SB1070 has been implemented before SB1070 existed. Latinos are going to be openly discriminated. But what we're -- our message is there's still hope because even if this Supreme Court is not in our benefit, there's other lawsuits like the friendly house versus (inaudible) that are continuing pushing for justice.

So we're telling our communities not panic and we hope that the rest of the country is watching and they make the wise decision of not implementing similar laws because that will affect their economy.

KAYE: Dulce Matuz, thank you so much and good luck with your efforts as well.

MATUZ: Thank you very much.

KAYE: And stick around until about 10:15 Eastern Time we're looking at the politics behind President Obama's historic immigration order.

Dramatic testimony at the Jerry Sandusky child sexual assault trial, multiple accusers broke down on the witness stand, describing accounts of what the former Penn State football coach allegedly did to them as children.

But first, we're taking you to China for this week's "Travel Insider" where they've just launched a spacecraft carrying China's first female astronaut.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lifting off.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KAYE: We carried that live for you this morning. This is a huge moment for China, Chinese culture and women everywhere.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Liu Yang, she was a mother of one, she's in her 30s. She is a veteran Air Force pilot. She was recruited specifically out of the military for the space program. And a lot of people online have been just gushing about her flying skills.

People have been talking about how she once landed her plane successfully after a bird strike had disabled one of her engines.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: A week of graphic testimony at Jerry Sandusky child sexual assault trial. Multiple accusers, now grown men, broke down on the witness stand, describing accounts of what the former Penn State football coach allegedly did to them when they were children.

In one chilling moment an alleged victim, who was about 12 at the time, describes screaming during one assault in Sandusky's basement, hoping Sandusky's wife might hear him from upstairs. There was no answer.

CNN legal contributor Paul Callan joining me now to discuss this. Paul, good morning to you; you're a criminal defense attorney --

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning.

KAYE: And a former prosecutor. The prosecution is expected to rest, testimonies have been horrific, as you've been following this. But is -- is this enough? I mean have they done a good job proving their case so far that they're ready to rest next week?

CALLAN: Most people, who have been following this closely, think prosecutors have done an excellent job at presenting their case. You have a large number of victims here, ten victims involved in this particular indictment and this case has gone in very, very smoothly for a sexual abuse case.

Usually it's hard to get the witnesses in, sometimes they break down on the stand and they don't get the details out that are necessary. But witness after witness here has told a compelling story of sexual abuse and sexual misconduct that I think prosecutors are probably pretty happy with in terms of the quality of the evidence so far.

KAYE: Did it seem to go quickly for you? I mean in a case like this?

CALLAN: Yes, it went with remarkable speed. The -- you know in a couple of ways, first of all the case went to trial very quickly. Usually it takes about a year for cases like this to get to trial. This moved to the courtroom very quickly. But the case itself, I would have expected, for instance in New York, this would have taken three, four weeks, maybe five weeks to try this case. And they have put this thing in, in a week, which is very good for the prosecutors, Randi, because there's something called a numbing effect that sets in with jurors. You know when you hear one tragic story told after another tragic story --

KAYE: Yes.

CALLAN: -- believe it or not you just kind of get used to it and you get numbed. So it's very, very good to put in relatively quickly so it remains fresh in the jury's mind.

KAYE: Right.

CALLAN: So I think good week for the prosecution.

KAYE: Let's talk about the defense, because Sandusky's defense will begin presenting its case next week. It's believed that they're going to argue that the accusers embellished their stories, motivated by financial gain of a civil suit.

I mean how -- how do you think that defense will play out? Will it work?

CALLAN: I think they're going to have trouble with it because in order to prove that they originally were trying to say that these kids were in conspiracy with one another and they were sort of tailoring their stories to look alike and to coincide, to help their civil lawsuits.

But they really haven't been able to put too much up on the board in terms of showing some sort of a conspiracy.

But they -- they came out with a second, really, defense yesterday which is something called histrionic personality disorder. They are now saying that Sandusky suffers from this condition, which is this odd psychological condition that causes you to seek attention and sometimes act in a seductive, inappropriately seductive way. And they're saying this will explain his odd behavior with children in shower rooms. And there's going to be expert psychological testimony on it next week.

So I think you're going to see a very, very interesting week in court next week --

(CROSSTALK)

KAYE: Yes.

CALLAN: -- as this psychological defense develops.

KAYE: Certainly. Do you think he'll take the stand, and should he?

CALLAN: Most attorneys, I think, representing him, wouldn't put him on the stand in a million years. But you know something? I think he will take the witness stand. And frankly the case against him has gone in so well for the prosecution, his only hope is to take the witness stand and somehow convince the jury that he's innocent.

So I think he will take the stand. And if he suffers from this histrionic personality disorder his lawyers say he has, well what more attention-getting maneuver can there be than taking the witness stand?

KAYE: Yes.

CALLAN: So I think he will take it, and I think we're going to have an interesting week of testimony next week.

KAYE: I think he's going to have a lot of explaining to do on that witness stand for sure.

But let's talk about this other case that we've been following. I was in Texas this week, this is this case of a -- of a child abuse -- a Texas father apparently beating this man to death after he allegedly caught him, this 47-year-old man, attempting to rape his 5-year-old daughter at the family's farm in Shiner, Texas.

Locals in the small town are voicing their support. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the defense of her, trying to get her away from him, that he struck the individual in the head several times.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think he should be arrested for it. I don't think any charges should be filed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If somebody abused my grandchild like he did I think he deserved everything he got.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, especially 4 years old, that's terrible.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: So now the investigation continues, Paul. And then it will go to the district attorney who will then take it to a grand jury. What determines, in this case, if it was a justified killing or a crime? I mean, it is -- obviously he killed the guy but how do we know if it was self-defense?

CALLAN: Well, the law here is similar to the law in a lot of states. I mean, we've heard a lot about the "Stand Your Ground" law in Florida, Texas has one as well. But even if you didn't have stand your ground the law generally says that, if you, yourself, are in danger physical danger of serious attack or death, you can defend yourself. Similarly, you have the right to defend another person who is in danger of -- of serious physical injury.

Now certainly a little girl, a 4-year-old girl being raped is in dangerous of serious physical injury so you're allowed to use deadly physical force in that situation. So this would be a justifiable homicide if there's proof that the force was used to protect the little girl.

Now of course what we don't know and what's always hard in a case like this, there are only probably three people in that -- I think it took place in a barn, Randi, did it not?

KAYE: Right. Right.

CALLAN: There are only three people there. Now the little girl probably is not going to be in a position to testify and I think it would be terrible if she was forced to testify. So, you really only have the father's testimony as to what he observed and a grand jury is going to have to look at that and say is that a justifiable homicide or was it a vengeance killing? Was the individual he killed trying to get away when he was killed?

KAYE: Yes.

CALLAN: I understand it was a beating and we'll have to see what the autopsy says also.

KAYE: Yes.

CALLAN: How severe a beating was it? Obviously it killed him. But you know, what parts of the body were involved, were weapons involved. Prosecutors and the grand jury will look at all of these things.

KAYE: Yes apparently he was beating him in the face. He did show signs of remorse according to the sheriff and said he certainly didn't mean to kill him but it is an interesting case, getting lots of attention and lots of folks tweeting about it this morning as well.

Paul Callan, thank you very much nice to see you.

CALLAN: Nice being with you, Randi.

KAYE: And we want to update you now on a story that we told you about last week.

A retired Texas firefighter got fed up with noise coming from a birthday party at his neighbor's house so he went over with a video camera and he called 911. Take a look at what happened next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop right now or I will shoot you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop. Get back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: A Houston jury has now convicted Raul Rodriguez of fatally shooting his neighbor during the confrontation two years ago. It took the jury just a few hours to reach the verdict.

Rodriguez claimed he was within his rights under Texas' version of the "Stand Your Ground" law, it's the Castle Doctrine. That's similar to the claim made by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in Florida's closely-watched Trayvon Martin shooting case.

The Rodriguez jury didn't buy that defense. The sentencing phase of his trial is now under way and he could face life in prison for killing that young father, also an elementary school teacher.

In Washington, President Obama makes a shift in policy but what will it mean for the people affected? We're going in focus on the topic of immigration.

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KAYE: Welcome back.

In our top story that we're putting in focus this morning, the Obama administration announced that it will stop deporting young, illegal immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children but only if they meet certain requirements, like living in the U.S. for at least five years and not having any felonies on their record. Earlier this morning I asked Phil Kent, executive director of the American Immigration Control Foundation what he thinks of this new policy change.

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PHIL KENT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AMERICAN IMMIGRATION CONTROL FOUNDATION: I think it's a usurpation of the role of Congress. This is an area with regard to -- when we're talking about amnesty for illegal immigrants, where whether you agree with it or not this ought to be done by our legislative branch. Again, an overreach.

KAYE: So do you think this is violating the constitution?

KENT: I think it's an unconstitutional usurpation. And yes, I think it's lawsuit time.

KAYE: Oh boy, lawsuit time. Just what we need, more of those in Washington, right?

KENT: Right.

KAYE: But do you agree, even if you don't agree with how it's done, do you agree that changes do need to be made?

KENT: I think everyone's in favor of comprehensive immigration reform. I think everyone from the right to left and the middle agrees that the immigration system has been broken and the federal government under various administrations have not secures the border. If we'd secured the border we wouldn't be talking about the problem.

KAYE: Let me share with you what Senator Dick Durbin said. He said this. "The decision to extend temporary legal status to DREAM Act students is an historic humanitarian moment," he calls it. This action will give these young immigrants their chance to come out of the shadows and be part of the only country that they've ever called home." So if this isn't the way to do it, what should be done with these illegal immigrants? I mean should they just be sent back to their country?

KENT: Well we have to demagnetize the magnets that bring illegal immigrants and their families here. We have to tighten up employer sanctions as the Obama administration's doing. We have to do e-verify, as many states and the national government is trying to do. We have to ban illegals from our colleges. We have to make sure that American workers are protected first.

This order by President Obama Friday is a stab in the back to the American worker especially at a time of high unemployment. We've got more people now in the workforce. We have to have something done for these young people, these students especially. We sympathize with them but we cannot do this -- this actually makes the problem worse, what the President did.

KAYE: Well, according to Janet Napolitano though, they're not going to be getting benefits or any help while they're here, they're just going to be allowed to stay. And they came here, you know, they didn't know that they were doing anything wrong when they came over here in many cases. So you still think they should just go back?

Kent: What we're going to have to do is have some sort of program -- I think we do agree on this -- where I think if they're students and most of them are students, you have to give them a student visa but then go back to their country of origin and reapply, along with those folks who play by the rules and legally come to America and who want to be permits residents.

We have just now willy-nilly given 800,000 to about a million people work permits, and we still have broken the rules here.

KAYE: You think it's going to make the immigration problem worse?

Kent: It is. Here's what's going to happen. You know this. You cover this all the time. There's going to be more protests that these people don't have the rights of citizens or permanent residents, there's taxation without reputation. They're going to be demanding citizenships. There'll be more tensions and more protests now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: And you can catch the entire interview and much more later today. Just check out my newsroom blog at CNN.com/randi. You'll find everything you need right there.

Recognize this guy? It's coming. Oh, yes. Actor Chris Pine -- well, he's got a new highly-anticipated film coming out this month. And he gave me a sneak peak and told me why he had a personal connection to the script.

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KAYE: Summer's a time for big blockbuster movies and Alex Kurtzman is the man who's behind a lot of them. He's written and produced movies like "Transformers", "Star Trek", and "Mission Impossible 3". He's releasing a new movie this month called "People Like Us".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your father estate. He left you this.

CHRIS PINE, ACTOR: His shaving kit. $150,000 -- I'm supposed to give this to someone I've never even met.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: In it actor, Chris Pine plays a smooth-talking salesman who is drowning in debt. When his father dies he inherits $150,000 but there's a catch. It's not for him. He's supposed to give it to his sister that he never knew existed.

I sat down with Pine and Kurtzman to chat about the film.

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KAYE: Alex, let me start with you on this one. The movie is loosely based on your life. How much of yourself would you say you put in the movie?

ALEX KURTZMAN, WRITER/DIRECTOR, "PEOPLE LIKE US": I would say I put 100 percent of myself in the movie. I would say that the plot is, you know, is not -- it took eight years to write it. And part of why it took eight years was there was a separating of truth from fiction. My dad had had another family before mine and divorced and met my mom and then had us. And he knew -- we knew about them growing up we just didn't know them.

I met my half-sibs when I turned 30. They -- the eight years of writing was really that working through of that discovery. And the movie that you saw I think reflective of a lot of the emotional experience.

KAYE: This is the first movie that you directed. How did that go for you?

KURTZMAN: I loved it so much. It was so great, you know. I was surrounded by an unbelievably talented cast who was giving 100 percent of themselves every day and a crew that was, you know, vastly underpaid and were all there because they wanted to be there, you know?

That was beauty of the experience, I think, for everybody, was that it was everybody was there because they felt so -- they felt connected to the material.

KAYE: Harder or easier because it was so personal to direct it?

KURTZMAN: I actually think it was easier. It gave me a confidence to speak with a sense of experience and authority about the material but the fun of it was to be open enough to let everybody do what they do. KAYE: Chris, your character, Sam, had a lot of baggage. Did that -- is that something that would draw you to the script?

PINE: Any actor would say that the more complicated a character is the more fun it is to bring to life.

Hi. I'm Sam.

Sam had been one note or just a jerk or wholly authentic and just wouldn't have been any fun. What I liked is going from A to Z. I liked going from the character in the beginning who is a bit of a salesman in life and at work and someone at the end who I think is a bit more grounded and capable of connecting.

KAYE: You both, as I mentioned, worked together on "Star Trek" and you just wrapped up the sequel, right?

PINE: Yes.

KAYE: Any secrets maybe? Any little tidbits, any teases.

PINE: We would if we could. We'd both get thrown in Paramount jail.

KURTZMAN: The fun of the first movie was watching the bridge crew come together. You know, they all start very separately, they all merge. But just because they're brought together at end of the first movie doesn't mean that they're the bridge crew that you remember from the original series. They have a lot of experiences left to have before they become that tight-knit group.

So the mistake that we didn't want to make was assuming that just because they were together they were functioning like a well-oiled machine. And a lot of what's going on over the course of the movie is the crew sort of working toward that goal.

KAYE: Forbes last year dubbed you as Hollywood's secret weapon, grossing more than $3 billion at the box office in seven years. How do you feel about being Hollywood's secret weapon?

KURTZMAN: It's a very flattering moniker and it's, frankly, something that I think I have to just fully get out of, remove from my head in thinking about work. And to be able to make movies like this, to have the ability to tell personal stories, small stories that are about families and to have the fun of letting your inner kid play on movies like "Star Trek" or "Transformers" or "Spider-Man" is a gift. It's flattering but it's all about the work.

KAYE: Well, thank you to both of you.

PINE: Thank you. Thanks for having us.

KURTZMAN: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: "People Like Us" opens in theaters June 29th. As for the "Star Trek" sequel, you'll have to wait a bit longer for that one. It is set to release in 2013.

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